wink-wink, nudge-nudge

Hows all the New Year Resolutions going?

I made a few general goals for myself this year. Not included on that list are things like going on a diet and quitting caffeine. Lets be real. Being hungry and going through caffeine withdraw simultaneously will land my ass in jail for murder faster than a pissed of woman can text. This I am sure of.

a few things on my list are:

• Become a hugger. I know this sounds weird. I get it. But living down here in west Texas, these people hug and kiss on the cheeks when they meet you, greet you and to say goodbye. This may be the norm for some of you,  but I haven't been this intimate with random girls in, well, lets just say its been a while. {Flu season, please stay kind to me.}
•  Blog only when I want to. I didn't like feeling like this was work because that is not why I started blogging in the first place! If I am uninspired for a few weeks, so be it. I'm not going to feel guilty. I'd much rather come here and blog about whatever randomness my little heart desires than to feel obligated to do so. 
• Socialize more in real life than on Facebook. What do ya know, I've joined a Pinterest Group and went to my first Pinterest Party Friday night. There was wine (I brought some, to be sure of this) and there were crafts and many many many laughs. I think I'll go again.
• Watch less trash T.V.  Who am I kidding? I'm hooked. I love me some trash t.v. My latest obsession is Shahs of Sunset. M.J. is my hero and I want to be best friends with Reza too.
• Finally figure out my style. I may need to enlist the help of a stylist for this one... smh. Some days I stand in my closet and cry.
• Read those books I bought five years ago. I have some gems on the shelves, I just need to sit my happy ass down and read them. 
• Pull out and dust off the DSLR. {Nikon, I'm going to use you so hard.} I recently met a brilliant photographer and have been re-inspired. Time to put the iphone down and pick up that sexy beast I call my camera.
• Go back to school. I start in a couple months. Wish me luck.

And I will wait, I will wait for you

The hugs are a little bit longer, the kisses are a little softer and the I love you's come just a little more often… 

We are in our last few weeks together as a whole family.  My heart is already starting to ache. 
 
The garage is full with a combination of new gear and old memories.
 
Our Thanksgiving feast will be intimate and private as we share what we are thankful for then proceed to putting up the tree. Our Christmas will take place just days later and then we will say our goodbyes.

I apologize, again, and in advance, for being MIA for the past month and some of the month still to come.

its funny because its true

Well, I'm a little late on posting this meme. They were all the craze last week amongst bloggers, SO here I am, as fashionably late as ever, Darlings... (spoken in an Absolutely Fabulous voice)

Oh, if you really knew me you would know:

I am an only child, a middle child, the oldest of four, and the youngest of three. It’s safe to say that I am a sister to several.

I am the keeper of many, many secrets.

I am a news junky.

I was given my first typewriter for my 5^th birthday.

Wrote my first ‘story’ by my 6^th birthday.

I have a dream of completing a novel. Right now, I have notes, an outline, the first three pages, and several random pages. It is not as easy as I remember when when I was six was.

I swear like a sailor!

I am a compulsive picture taker. I own way to many cameras and I bought the iPhone, in particular, because of the camera and photo apps available. My kids jokingly call me Paparazzi Mama.

I suffer from mild migraines, but lately they have been getting worse. I think its time to call the doc.

My husband is my best friend. Always has been, always will be.  Hands down, no questions asked. Its him.
Yet he gets on my nerves so badly that I want to throat punch him daily. 
I love that man.

I am much more disappointed in my lack of personal accomplishments than I could ever express in words. 

I have anger issues.

I am a horrible cook.

I am overly sensitive about way to many things. I try not to let this show because I know how ridiculous it is that I care about so much that has nothing to do with me.

I cry during movies, commercials, songs, books, anything. If it truly moves me, I promise you, I am probably fighting back tears.

I am happiest during a Midwest fall. I miss the crisp to the air and the colors of the trees. Desert life is not for me.

I am a roller derby wanna be.  I wish there were more hours in a day and I wish there was a Derby Fairy & she would bring me all the awesome gear required for practice & play. Shits expensive!

I over think and over analyze EVERYTHING and I usually make myself miserably sick because of this bad habit.

My dad has stage 4 Melanoma cancer. The doctors told him he would be lucky to make it another 12 months. That was two years ago. Sadly, he is the person I am least compassionate to. I'm working on this.  

I love bad jokes. Like, really love them.  
Did you hear the one about the roof?

I want to be covered in amazing tattoos, but I am scared of how some respected family members would react. My parents wouldn’t mind, but other elder family members would. I wish I didn’t care about what they thought of me.



I have severe body image issues. 

I lose everything. Everything. From keys to wallets to sunglasses to jewelry to phones to children. It is, by far, the most frustrating thing. 

WANTED: Life Coach or Mental Hospital

I don't think I'm cut out to be a grownup. Ever feel like this? It simply doesn't feel right. I shouldn't be a 30 year old mom of two! Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change any of it for the world, but some days it feels like I'm wearing someone else shoes.

I'm mostly just joking when I say I want a mentor or life coach, but not really. Right now I feel like I'm at an impasse with furthering my education and career choices. I do not know which path to follow. This is especially concerning now that Dollface will be going to Kindergarten all day, this is my time to finish my education. MY TIME. We've said this ever since we started having kids. I know this mess is my fault- I chose to run off and marry the love of my life and leave school way to young.(Kids- Don't be a love struck 19 yr old & get married at 20!)  

Pat and Becky

sitting in a tree:

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

First comes love,

then comes marriage,

then comes baby

in a baby carriage!

We've said all along, that after both kiddos are in school full time, all day, then-FINALLY I get to do the same! MY TIME.

The school I was enrolled in had a BS in Human Services degree & I was working on that. My plan was to finish getting my BS and then transfer to UTEP. At UTEP I wanted work on getting a masters in Occupational Therapy. PERFECT! We are stationed at Biggs Army Air Field (Ft. Bliss) and there is a university right here in town! WHAT! It sounds like it was meant to be, right?! ha Unfortunately I took an almost 2 yr hiatus due to deployment homecomings and PCSing to Texas. In that short time my original school no longer have that program available. Of Course. So now I am trying feverishly to figure out what my next step is. I'm at a loss. A different degree program? A different school? Which school/university? Will my credits transfer in a beneficial way? Oh and there is always that sweet little gem about us only being here for another year or so that plays a huge part too. All the joys of being a military family. Instability at its best. 

***Sidenote: Happy 10yr Anniversary to my Mr.

oh no he di'int

Having a horrible, poor me, kinda day. {Pitty-Party to come}
I called to make an appointment with the doc I don't like, but he has all my medical records etc. He is old and extremely old school. Chauvinistic. He makes me, as a woman, feel like he is talking down to me at all times. Needless to say, I'm not a huge fan that. So I called his office and  requested an appointment with his PA who is a female. When they tried to push me into an appointment slot with Dr. A-Hole, I spoke up and said that I would be much happier seeing a woman. (There's nothing wrong with that, right?!)

He has his receptionist call me back 20 minutes later and tells me that "HE oversees all her appointment and since I would like to see a female then I need to go ahead and find a new doctor."

WTF.
I have never had something like this happen to me before and I really don't know how to take it. I feel like I was just fired from a job I never wanted. Or dumped by a bod boyfriend that I had planned on ending things with first.

Dejected.

Have you ever dealt with something like this before? Because it sure is a first for me!

GOAL

My goal is to go through and post all my half thoughts/drafts. Here goes nothin'.
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My kid rocks. And she has mad drawling skills.

Yea, Its Yoda. She's pretty awesome.

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 INSANELY Large Pizza!

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The Hunger Games means date night with the Mr.
and Jack & Coke

Movie Review: I give it a solid B

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Well wouldn't ya know, more Valspar in the mail for me.

Yippee!! - Pretty sure they know me by name.

Free Sample Color: Fireside

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Check out these rad hand-me-down chairs!

Totally stained up, but they are comfy (sittin in one right now) 

and screaming with potential.

I'm thinking about getting some of that spray on upholstery paint, but haven't found any reviews yet. Have you used Simply Spray Upholstery Paint? 

Care to tell me what you thought?

I'm thinking a plum color :)

Wow, that wasn't so bad and I got a lot cleared out of my drafts.

Win Win.

Timeline

I was sitting here the other night, thinking about, pondering, and pretty much just trying to remember the past few years of my life.

Isn’t it funny how the things that mean so much to you, seem to escape you at times.  So here you have it. The extremely under exaggerated version of my past and how it all plays into how I ended up here.

~~~

2001: age 19 Met Patrick . . . at Wal-Mart. Little did I know...

2002: age 20 took a huge leap of faith and became his bride. Moved nearly 900 miles away from everything I knew to Savannah, Ga. 

2003: age 21 learned to live alone and in a constant state of fear. The war had started any my new husband was right in the middle of it; Kuwait & Iraq. This would be Deployment # 1 and the beginning of a reoccurring nightmare. 

2004: age 22 became a mother for the first time on May 28 

2005: age 23 Deployment #2 - Iraq; baby and I moved back to Missouri for 6 months.

2006: age 24 Deployment # 2 ended and I became a mother for the second time on September 20

2007: age 25 Deployment #3 for the husband - Iraq again.

2008: age 26 Deployment # 3 ended

2009: age 27 Landon Pigg & Among the Oak & Ash live in Atlanta, Ga. with Jessica  
Deployment #4 started - Afghanistan

Good Stuff

Happy New Year, we have a healthy child. She was able to get her sutures out and her incisions are healing nicely. In a couple years you probably wont even be able to see much of a scar. All pathology tests have been turning up negative! Thank you ALL for your support and kind words! xoxo

(don't know what I'm talking about? find out more here and here)

Here's to having two healthy kids and a rotten dog. 

Life is good.

Life is grand.

Life in Texas is to improving, albeit slow, improving nonetheless. 

After everything 'Eleven' had in store for us, all I have to say is:  

2012, Bring. It. On. 

Oh Husband...

I had every intention on writing this up and posting it yesterday, but seeing how I'm a massive slacker, I did not. So here it goes; a day late. 

In Honor of my hubs, for his Birthday

(yesterday)

You are the book to my library

You are the cherry to my Pepsi

You are the sock to my monkey

You are the < to my 3
You are the CPU to my computer

You are the Fire to my Fox

You are the tacky to my all things wacky

You are the server to my website
You are the hot glue to my gun

&

You are the Wiki to my Pedia

Happy Birthday, Old Man.