Operation Homefront

Ever since we set foot in Florida 3 years ago (hard to believe we've been here that long), I've looked for ways to get involved and volunteer. I've done a few miscellaneous things here & there, but I've never been able to find an organization that I could volunteer with for multiple events throughout the year that also mainly served the military community because, well, let's face it - I have a soft-spot in my heart for the military & military families for some pretty obvious reasons :) Anyway, I'm SO excited because I've FINALLY found exactly what I've been looking for through Operation Homefront! They are a nationally recognized organization that has smaller outreach communities throughout the United States that exist to serve the military & their families. Perfect!


Anyway, my very first volunteer opportunity with them occurred on August 12th. I signed up to help distribute backpacks & school supplies in a housing development near Naval Station Mayport for military children. The backpacks were already stuffed with items that had been collected, so we basically just organized them and helped to hand them out as families arrived. It was a lot of fun though, and it was definitely right up my alley. I didn't know anyone, but I've learned pretty quickly in this life that unless I put myself out there, it's all-too-easy to sink into a reclusive life. Making myself reach outside of my own comfort zone to make connections and serve others ultimately helps me to grow and gives me warm fuzzy feelings inside :) I'm definitely looking forward to future volunteer events with Operation Homefront!

 

Shameless self-promotion :)

I've pretty much been posting this anywhere I can think of, soooo why not post it up on my own blog too just in case someone might happen-upon-it and decide to help me out? ;) The Baton Rouge based tshirt shop Storyville is teaming up with LSU to offer some fresh new tshirt designs for Tiger fans & my design has been approved for the contest! Head on over to their page and "like" it by clicking the "like" button beneath my name on the right side of the picture. Haven't you always wanted to sport Mike's awesome ride on a tshirt!? :D Thanks!!

http://www.storyvilleapparel.com/grand-entrance.html

Saturday check in...

Today was one of those go-go-go until I crash & burn kind of days, but it was great none-the-less! (Well, mostly great minus one little detail, but I'll get to that later) I was up by 7am to get a workout in before heading over to JoAnn's to sign up for a few crafting classes. They were running a 50% off special today on all of their crafting classes, so I wanted to take advantage of that. I signed up for Wilton Cake Decorating, Knitting, & Crocheting. Should be interesting for sure :) The cake class is 2 sessions, but the other two are just one session each. Next I headed off to the post office & was pretty surprised to find it pretty empty - typically it seems as though Saturday mornings are pretty crowded, but thankfully not today! 

After that I popped in a store real quick to look at some clothes before heading over to the dermatologist for my least-fun experience of the day: wart removal. Gross, I know, but it was necessary. I somehow managed to get one on my middle finger near my cuticle as well as another tiny one that seemed to be cropping up on the finger right next to it. I tried an over-the-counter removal system to no avail, so I decided to bite the bullet and have it professionally removed. Despite the doctor's warning, I didn't think it was going to hurt too badly and, quite frankly, it really wasn't that bad initially when he blasted me with the liquid nitrogen, but basically as soon as I stepped outside the doctor's office, my fingers felt like they were on fire! OUCH!! It took an hour or so for that on-fire feeling to subside, but then the blisters appeared. They look disgusting, but I'm really really hoping this will get rid of them once and for all. 

Once finished with all of that, I made my way over to the Cummer Museum of Arts & Garden in  downtown Jacksonville to take some photos. Lately I've been trying to make an effort to visit various sights in Jacksonville that I have yet to discover to not only expand my horizons in this city, but also to stretch my photography legs a bit. Taking photos simply for the art & joy of taking photos relaxes me and makes my little heart happy :) I had seen a few photos online of the gardens at the Cummer Museum and with a description promising a feeling of stepping into "The Secret Garden," I knew I had to see it for myself. Quite frankly, no picture truly does it justice. This place is beautiful! The fact that it's tucked away in the middle of downtown Jacksonville really adds to its charm - you'd never believe that something so serene could exist in the middle of a city's busy core. They also boast a nice collection of art ranging from pre-historic cave paintings (actual stone cut out of the caves, I presume) all the way to modernism. Also inside is a fun interactive area for kids too. I'm really glad I went - it wasn't too crowded and the staff is incredibly sweet and seem to be very proud of their museum. The lady at the front desk was particularly sweet - through Labor Day the museum is actually offering free admission for military personnel & their dependents so upon showing her my dependent ID she asked me to thank my husband for his service and was so very genuine about it. It warmed my heart :) I'm so glad I went and whether you're an art enthusiast or not, simply going to see the beautiful garden is worth the trip!

As I was leaving the museum, I noticed a Riverside Art Market set up under one of the many overpasses downtown. If you know me, you know that I'm rarely able to just pass up a market visit, so I did a quick u-turn, parked, and set out to see what they had in store for me. I didn't actually walk away with much, but I always really enjoy walking around things like that. One thing I was sure to grab was some ice cold raspberry lemonade - I was sooo thirsty, so that was just about the best-tasting lemonade I think I've ever had ;) I also picked up a jar of homemade sweet picked squash. I've never tried it before so I was intrigued. 

Needless to say, I think I used up most of my energy on this beautiful Saturday :) I got back to my apartment around 3:30pm and was completely worn out. Since then I've been relaxing on the couch going through photos, watching the Olympics (of course), and occasionally finding myself dozing off a bit. Oops. Perhaps that's indication that I should put myself to bed now. Until the next adventure...

Time truly does fly by.

It's hard to believe that just one year ago today, Sayre came home from deployment #1. I'll never forget the way it felt to stand on that pier as his ship came into view surrounded by dear friends who, without saying a word, understood the flood of emotions that encompassed that day. What a blessed life we lead to have such treasured memories.

Here's to these next few months leading to what is sure to be another incredibly touching, proud, and unforgettable moment. Katharine & Brittany, once again I can't thank you both enough for the photos you captured for us that day - it brought happy tears to my eyes as I looked through that book one year later :) No matter where this life takes us, y'all will forever be etched in my heart. 

You might be a military wife if...

You might be a military wife if... you instinctively stand and place your hand over your heart as they begin to play the National Anthem on tv during the presentation of the medals at the end of the women's gymnastics competition in honor of team USA's gold win :)

Have I mentioned how much I love the Olympics? :) GO USA!!

It's been awhile...

It seems as though every time I'd sit down to finally update this little blog of mine, I'd get a bit overwhelmed because I had let so much time pass & so many things had happened that I didn't know where to start. I've finally just realized it's ok if I skip over some stuff ;) I don't think many people really read this anyway - it's kind of just a way for me to be able to look back at things we've done and experienced :) Anyway, here we go!

Since the last post (and a little bit before that too): 

- We went to Tampa to go to Busch Gardens &Diving for my birthday
- I volunteered and nearly broke my back pulling kids off a bouncy slide
- My parents came to visit & we went to Savannah for Mother's Day
- I stood in Ashley's wedding & went to Bayou Country Superfest back home
- We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary
- Sayre set sail for awhile
- I met my parents in Destin for a much-needed getaway weekend

Now that we're all caught-up, here's hoping I'll do a better job keeping on top of things ;) I think it's the organizational freak within me that feels like I can't start writing unless I've made mention of the past that I skipped over even though it really makes no difference what-so-ever and even though this is a rather sad excuse for a blog post, at least it's still a start :)

Birthday Boy

Well, after that somewhat serious blog post of mine the other day, I figured I'd lighten up the mood a bit with a post about the early birthday celebration we had for Sayre recently :) Believe-it-or-not, he and I had never gone putt-putting together before during our nearly 5 years together (dated for 2, married for almost 3). Hard to believe, huh? I mean, putt-putting always seemed to be one of those typical date-night things people would do in high school & college, but somehow or another we never got around to it until just recently! Anyway, we had a lot of fun and also celebrated with a homemade oreo cheesecake that I made for him!

Remembering

It's hard to believe that a year ago today, as I laid in bed trying to fall asleep, news broke that the most wanted man in the world had finally met his end at the hands of the US Navy Seals. As word began to slowly tickle across social media networks around the world, I sat there in utter disbelief, shock, and a range of emotions I don't think I can even fully describe. At that point, Sayre had been on deployment for a few months. Immediately my mind raced and wondered what this would mean for not only Sayre and his fellow shipmates, but all of the other countless men & women deployed at the time. Would the terrorist community fall apart now that its mastermind was no-more, or would this just be the beginning - a poke at the beehive which would unleash a fury? Logic suggested that it would take them awhile to regroup and present a new possible attack on us, but at the time, in those moments, all I could think about was my husband sailing overseas far from my reach.

Even sitting here today watching historical recounts of that day, I'm brought back to that night and those same mixed emotions stir up within me. It's such a strange world we live in, isn't it? While the natural reaction for us Americans is to celebrate this huge victory, should the death of another human being be celebrated regardless of who he is or what he's done? Sure, I felt relief and of course the victims of 9/11 came to mind as their murderer finally got justice served to him, but it only begged the question, "What's next?" or rather "Who's next?" It's just so hard to wrap my mind around the pure evil in this world. I try my best to keep those thoughts from my mind, but on days like today I'm reminded of the threats that do still exist and find myself forever grateful for the men and women that proudly put on their uniforms each day and selflessly lay their lives on the line.

Truthfully, in regards to not only this, but every day life, I don't think I will ever be able to put into words the range of emotions I feel from time-to-time simply from being a military wife. I know that at times I may come across as bleeding red white & blue, but it's simply due to the fact that I don't know how else to channel my feelings towards living this life. When it comes to certain things, I'm an open book... but when it comes to these emotions within me, at times, I try to close myself up as tightly as I can to put on my steel armor and hide behind a cloak of strength. Perhaps I have an issue with my own pride, but I'd sooner let my thoughts consume me from within than to drop this heavy shield I've built up and let people see me on those days when I just completely fall apart. "Be strong," I tell myself. "You can't let others know you struggle - it'll convey the wrong message," I believe. I want desperately for others to know that I'm so insanely proud of my husband and everything he does. I want them to see that I stand strongly and proudly behind him. I don't want them to think for even one instant, that I regret him for this or that I wish things were different - because I DON'T. I wouldn't trade this life for anything. My life has been beyond my wildest dreams thanks to God and His divine presence in our lives together. God knew exactly what he was doing when he created Sayre & I for each other - no two people could be more perfect for each other. So, like I said, the last thing I'd ever want to do is give the false impression that I'm unhappy as a result of our journey within this crazy military world... but.... I would be lying, and perhaps some days I do lie (even to myself at times) about the fact that it's easy. It's not easy. There are days (usually when Sayre's been gone just one too many days for training or, of course, during deployments) where all I want to do is curl up into a ball and sink into the ground. When I watched his ship sail away that very first time knowing I wouldn't see his sweet face again for at least 7 months, I felt the deepest sense of longing and sadness that I've ever felt in my entire life. I physically hurt from within. But you know what? I overcame it. We both did. We clung to each other, though thousands of miles and oceans separated us, and we clung to God, and we did it. We made it through without a hitch and we were stronger for it. God used that time to strengthen us in ways I don't think either one of us could have ever even imagined. And goodness gracious, let me tell you, when that ship returned 7 months later and I stood there on that pier with my two sweet fellow Navy wife friends who had stood in that same spot before me to welcome their own husbands home.... oh my... words truly cannot describe how unbelievable and how surreal it felt. The pride that absolutely consumed me for my husband was breathtaking as was the pride I felt to be standing among all of those sailors and their families. These past nearly 3 years of marriage to the most remarkable man who has such a remarkable job has taught me so much. I thank GOD for this opportunity to grow within me indescribable admiration and appreciation for every single person on this planet that has been or ever will be, even in the smallest of ways, affected by our United States military. It's so rare for me to sit down and reflect upon these things and actually attempt to put it into writing, because I know it will inevitably bring me to my knees and the tears will flow, but these are the moments and these are the emotions that for as long as I live, I hope I never forget.

Weekend Projects

I just downloaded an iPhone app recently called "Checklist," for making - you guessed it - checklists haha. Now, granted, I know I could just use the handy little "Notebook" app that comes with the phone to jot down things that I need to do, but what I love about the "Checklist" app is that it gives you the ability to literally check off things that you have completed from the list :) The organizational side of me has always loved making pretty little lists, so now that I can do this on my phone, my life seems complete... funny how the simplest things truly do make me happy haha.

So, anyway, the reason why I went off on that tangent is because I am currently sitting on my couch, feet propped up on the ottoman, sipping on some water, and and I completely exhausted. Perhaps I putt a few too many items on my to-do list for this weekend, but gosh-darn-it, it just felt so good checking all of those things off my list haha. Aside from the usual weekend duties (laundry, groceries, tidy-ing up the apartment a bit) I planted some pretty little plants on our balcony to add a pop of color to our view, organized & cleaned out our pantry (been needing to do that for a looooong while now), bought & installed a dustbuster (I'm a bit overly excited about a hand-held vacuum, I think), got my oil changed, returned some things at stores all across the town (ended up making some money out of it too... woot!), & completed a fun little craft project to go along with my friend's bachelorette gift. I'd say it was a pretty productive weekend :) And with that, I'll leave you with a picture of my "garden" thanks to my handy little checklist :)

Why hello there, 2012!

Somehow, since my last post, FOUR MONTHS have gone by! How the heck did that happen!? I suppose my own slacking combined with the fact that time has gone by at lightning speeds could be to blame. I honestly don't even know where to pick up from where I left off because so much has been going on since then, but I'll give it my best shot (with an itemized list lol)!

1) Braya came down to sunny Florida to spend Thanksgiving with us.

2) We headed up to Alaska at the beginning of December to visit family and play in the snow.

3) Baton Rouge was our Christmas destination where we spent some time with family & friends & made our rounds to all of our favorite spots.

4) Sayre finally got to see Wicked the Broadway play with me when it toured here in early January 2012 (It was my 3rd time seeing it and was just as incredible as the first!)

5) We became the proud owners of some cute little sugar gliders that we named Moosey & Roxy in February.

6) March brought some more visitors our way - Trina, Charlie, & Braya came to stay with us for a week during which we explored Disney World & Cumberland Island with them and met up with some of their dear friends formerly from Alaska.

7) I went home for a quick trip to attend my friend Ashley's bridal shower.

8) We rounded out the end of March by participating in the Warrior Dash - an awesomely fun (and muddy) 5k obstacle course race that we absolutely can't wait to do again sometime!

It really has been a great year so far! Sayre and I have been doing our best to pack our weekends with as many adventures as we can :) In fact, the above is really just a small sampling of highlights of all of the things we've been doing lately. We've really been so blessed with some great times with family and friends over these past few weeks. Our main goal of 2012: enjoy every minute. 

Veteran's Day

I hate to admit it, but growing up (despite the fact that I had veterans in my family), I never truly paid much attention to Veteran's Day other than the fact that it was a day off from school. I can remember discussions of my grandfather attending Veteran's Day festivities in town and stories of reunions with his fellow comrades from WWII at various points in his life, but I honestly never understood the magnitude of it all and what a blessing veterans are to this nation until I started dating Sayre and got a tiny glimpse of what the military life is like.

I'll never know what it's truly like to go through the trials and tribulations of military training. I'll never understand the bond shared by the men and women who serve this country together. I'll never know what it's like to be deployed on land or at sea thousands and thousands of miles away from everything you've ever known all while trying to stay out of harm's way. I'll never experience the heartache of loosing a best friend fighting beside me on the front lines. All I do know is that I am forever and eternally grateful for not only my husband, but all the men and women who have answered that call to serve... who have left behind families that love them... who have selflessly given up many of the things we take for granted here... who have given it their all even when their tired and worn out boots don't want to carry them any further... who have given it all so that we can be free.

If you know a veteran or meet one on the street, just remember to say "thanks." They don't do it for the glory. They don't do it for the attention. They do it selflessly for the love of their country. A simple "thank you" and a smile will go a long way. So here's a humble "thank you" from me to all of my friends, family members, neighbors, and strangers who have served and are serving and to those that have gone before us. God bless you all.

What we've been up to lately:

1) Shared snowballs after a fun morning adventure.

2) That early morning adventure began with tubing down the Ichetucknee Springs.

3) Watched a little LSU football with some good friends - first time all 6 of us were together in one place this year.

4) Waited for the Brad Paisley concert to begin on base after battling our through the crowds to get a seat.

5) Brad Paisley put on an awesome concert at Mayport.

6) Made fondant covered, wedding cake flavored cupcakes for Katharine's birthday and realized although it's a lot of fun, fondant is also a lot of work :)

7) Painted pottery with some lovely ladies for Katharine's bday.

8) Went kayaking for a very windy, but fun date.

Back into the swing of things

Gosh, it's so hard to believe Sayre's only been back for only 3 weeks now! Never in my life did I think I'd say this, but it doesn't even feel like he ever left. Those 7 long months just seemed to vanish as soon as he set foot back on the pier. Don't get me wrong, that in NO WAY means I'm ready for him to leave again (please oh please go away hurricane, Irene!) but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm very happy to report that we just stepped right back into life together without even skipping a beat :)


Since his return, we've had a little bit of time to do some fun things around Jacksonville - the first of which was a very nice dinner date at The Chart House to begin to make up for 7 months of missed dates, anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays followed by a lovely little Segway ride on Amelia Island, 4 movie dates, cooking meals together at home, and a little bit of beach time. We've managed to stay busy since his return, but we've also allotted for plenty of time for relaxing too - afterall, the poor guy did just spend a little over half the year chasing pirates and keeping the seas safe ;) he deserves a little rest and relaxation too!

We made it... 7 months of growth, wisdom, and connection

On January 2, 2011 I stood pier-side in Mayport, Florida as I watched my husband set sail for his very first deployment. I don't think words can really do justice to describe the wave of emotions I felt. When I returned home after watching his ship disappear into the horizon, I let myself completely fall apart - but only for that day. I made a promise to myself that the very next day I would get ready for work and step out into the world with a constant and deliberate forward motion. The idea of spending the next seven months in my own realm of self-pity was so completely unappealing to me and I knew it would serve no purpose. I needed to be strong not only for myself, but also for my husband who needed to focus upon his mission at hand and rest soundly in the knowledge that I was safe, happy, and supporting him with all my heart. Now, don't get me wrong... I am human afterall, and I did have days where I wanted nothing more than to shut the rest of the world out and feel sorry for myself, but I never let that be my focus. Instead, I set goals and activities for myself each month as distractions - for me, it was the only way to survive.

Reflecting back upon the first seven months of 2011, I cannot believe how quickly it all seemed to go by! I never ever imagined I'd feel that way, but I have so many things and people to thank for that... but most of all I know with all of my heart that God was behind it all. Because of Him I was able to not only make it through Sayre's deployment, but also use it as a time to grow in wisdom and in relationship with Him. When you strip away the rules, the religion, the human nature of things and just focus on our Creator and sit in awe of Him and the incredible life He has laid before us all, it's hard not to want to grow deeper in relationship with Him and I know that He used this time to draw me closer. It's no question that God is the reason why Sayre and I are even together in the first place and He is what has made our relationship so incredible. I just can't wait to see what He has in store for us next and to see how He used Sayre's deployment to help us grow individually so that we can be even stronger together.

Returning to that pier on August 3rd to anxiously await the return of the ship to its home port brought about another full range of emotions - pride, love, joy, a sense of accomplishment, and complete thankfulness. My friends and I joked about how we might just start attending random homecomings in the future, but honestly if you ever have an opportunity to experience one (even if you don't know any of the servicemembers returning home) I highly highly recommend it. I'll never ever forget my first homecoming experience watching their husbands come home last year either - I left that day with such a new-found respect, love, and admiration for our country and yesterday was certainly no different. I am SO proud to be Sayre's wife and so proud to be a part of this military community. A simple "thank you" to Katharine & Brittany and everyone else that supported us both near and far doesn't seem like enough, but I hope you all know how much all of your love and support has meant to us. We love you all so much and are happy to report that HE'S HOME!!!

It's the Final Countdown!!

Time-lapse video of the final 30 day countdown I made at work to mark Sayre's return! Just a few more hours left!! (And, in case you've been living under a rock for the past 20+ years, that cute little green guy eating all of those coins is Yoshi from the Super Mario Brothers series)

Happy Independence Day!

Totally Groovy

This is yet another reason why I love my job. Some of the girls and I made tie-dye tshirts during lunch time on Thursday and then wore them on Friday :) Yep... pretty much the best job ever!

Daddy-daughter time

Dad came to visit last weekend for Father's Day while mom went off with some of her friends to a wedding up north. It was so great to have some daddy-daughter time together! He arrived Thursday evening, so I picked him up after work and he hung out at the apartment most of the day on Friday while I was working. He did get to meet me for lunch that day though, which was great because it gave him an opportunity to finally see my office! Needless to say, I think his favorite part (understandably) was our awesome Super Mario Brothers themed wall in our design area ;)

On Saturday we ventured down to Cape Canaveral to check out the Kennedy Space Center. We got up bright and early for our 2 & 1/2 hour drive, got there around 9:30, and spent the entire day absorbing the sights & sounds of NASA. Cool factor of the day: the Space Shuttle Atlantis was sitting on the launch pad in preparation for its July 8th launch so we were able to view it from the observation tower and snap some awesome photos (thanks to our new 28mm-300mm zoom lens)! What a neat experience! I'd absolutely love to see a shuttle launch someday, but actually seeing it on the launch pad was pretty neat too!! Anyway, we had a great day! We were pretty tired by the time we got home though!

On Sunday, Father's Day, we enjoyed some time relaxing for a bit before heading out to Mayport to see the next ship Sayre will report to in the fall. Yes, for those that haven't heard already, we will be staying in Mayport for Sayre's next sea tour!! Anyway, it was pretty exciting to see his new ship. Granted, it's not like it's new to Mayport or anything... I mean heck, I'm sure I've unknowingly laid my eyes upon it many times before, but the fact that Sayre will soon be on it kind of shed a new light on that old chunk of metal ;) Anyway, later on we celebrated Father's Day with a delicious meal at PF Chang's and perused Barnes & Noble for a little while - another great day!

Unfortunately his time here came & went too quickly, just as it always does, but hopefully he & mom will be back to visit soon! Sayre and I always enjoy having company around!! (hint, hint to anyone thinking of coming to Jacksonville ;) )

Just keep swimming...

Guess who's a brand new Open Water NAUI Certified Diver?

Yep, that's me!!!

I had a fantastic time up at a lake in Bloomingdale, GA over the weekend getting certified through Atlantic Pro Divers here in Jacksonville. Their instructor was phenomenal - so patient and thorough in his teaching style. He made everyone feel so comfortable in the water and our entire class of 12 passed with flying colors! It was such a neat set-up too. They had one platform sunk in the lake at 10' for the pool phase of the certification and another one sunk in the lake at 20' for the open water phase, which enabled us to complete the course in just one weekend. We all had to complete the classroom material and take the test prior to showing up Saturday morning. Now I just can't wait for Sayre and I to be able to dive all over the place together! (He's already certified) And who knows, maybe we'll work on some more advanced certifications together in the future! 

By the way...

THIS made me really happy over the weekend:

Isn't the world wide web amazing? :) Yay for a long-overdue video chat with a very cute hubby!