Military Homecoming, the embarrassing truth.

I NEVER go overboard with the homecoming attire (oh how I wish this statement could end here.) However, since this is homecoming number 632 (sarcasm, but not that far off base,) I thought I’d spice things up a bit. Ha. First mistake! I wore a black and while polka dot number with some sexy black wedges -second mistake and covered up the bursting cleavage with a cute crop cardigan buttoned up- gotta keep it PG ladies. I had my hair and nails done in advance and arranged for a friend sleep over at the house with the kids, as it was suppose to be a 0400 ceremony.

He calls me at 1230 saying they were leaving location X and its only about a hour long flight so I needed to start making my way over to the ceremony location, STAT. wtf, over.

The time ended up being bumped to a 0130 ceremony, which totally messed up my time management planning. This should have been a sign that things were not going to go as I had hoped.

So I jump up out of bed (was trying to get a little pregame rest) and quickly got dressed, put on a little make up, flipped my hair over in hopes of bringing some life and bounce back to the curls, then darted out the door.  I stopped in the lobby to talk to the hotel receptionist for a minute, verifying that I’m not actually a prostitute leaving all dolled up at 1am even though I will be returning with a man. She laughed. I needed a little lighthearted humor.

By the time I made it to the ceremony location the parking lot was FULL. Was I the last to be informed of the time change? Man, I miss the good old days of FRG leaders actually making it their duty to make sure everyone knows where to go and called with time changes. Here in 2013 we have to click refresh on Internet browser to see if the webpage has been updated with changes, which it rarely is. So I parked my car, give my lips a little color, tried to tame the now unruly bedhead curls, and I took off in almost a sprint- clearly forgetting I went sans flats this time. Immediately I caught a rock awkwardly with my heel and twisted my ankle. Twisted my fucking ankle and fall in the parking lot at 0130, skinning up my knee a bit on the loose gravel. I was mortified, crushed, humiliated to the max! How could I forget I was 4 inches taller than normal?

With all the courage I could muster, I stood up, brushed myself off, and gingerly headed to the gate with a conspicuous limp. My ankle, now very weak, wobbling, and throbbing, my knee scraped and bleeding, my pride depleted.

I trudged forward.

I had a man to watch exit the plane, signifying the end of a deployment. I am determined to walk it off and not let the throbbing pain interfere. Just as I’m approaching the building, my ankle gave out. It completely gave out on me with no advance notice. There I go, falling again, only this time in front of some 4 soldiers on redeployment bag detail.  At this point, it was all I could do not to bust out in tears. My ankle is the size of a engorged orange, all pride and self-confidence – shattered. I just wanted to get my man and leave. And that’s exactly what I did. I took off those beautiful godforsaken damn shoes, waited patently for him to find me, we both got a good laugh out of my misfortune, and he helped me back to the car.

All the pain and embarrassment I had endured was nothing compared to finally feeling whole again. My partner in crime is back from another deployment. My heart is happy.

Apparently this should be my theme song...
 

Who's that knocking at my door...

Sweet Green Tangerine - say what-what! It had been a YEAR! A year, people! since our families last saw each other. A YEAR! and the last time we did see each other, it was on I-10 at a truck stop McD's while she was traveling East & us moving West.

Luckily, her folks live about 7 hrs from our current place of residency. ROAD TRIP! It was like these kids had never been apart. They picked back up with their friendships right where they left off back in Georgia.

 

and they were even nice/cooperative enough to let the 'grown ups' do a little antiquing/thrifting big Texas style.

Needless to say, the kids had a fantastic visit! and so did the adults :)

I'd say our friendship is build on pretty solid ground.

Ice Cream & Beer. Now that's living.

 

To Be Continued.

Pool Party Essentials

Pool Party With a Splash of Awesome

o   Veggies

o   Fruit

o   Hotdog Bar with all the trimming

o   Hydration – Lime Water

o   Lemonade (+ Vodka for the adults!)

o   Sun Block! Sun Block! Sun Block!

o   Pool Party Playlist

o   Ice cream

o   Games

o   Friends

o   Did I mention the Vodka?

o   Pool Noodles

o   Extra Floating Things

 

I learned, by way of Pinterest, that if you put a package of hotdogs in a slow cooker on low and without adding water, they plump up like gas station hotdogs! This was music to this less than classy girls ear! PERFECT! What kid doesn’t like a hotdog? … so it turns out my friends kid doesn't… but I had cheese sticks on hand, so all was well with the world.

Cup Saver Tip: Sharpies

Write some names on the cups a head of time and leave a sharpie near by to help eliminate unnecessary disposing of half drank drinks.

I stashed extra cups, napkins, plates, etc. in a picnic basket near by. Handy and tidy :)

 Gosh, I love me some Mason Jars

Preview of the sunroom makeover!

 Minty green looks tropical and reminds me of Tybee Island.

 

To dress up the dogs we had:

o   Chili

o   Pickles

o   Relish

o   Jalapeños

o   Cheese

o   Ketchup

o   Mustard

o   Mayo

o   Onions

With a freshly painted sunroom (more on diy hell coming soon,) friends, a birthday boy, and music, I’d have to say that the day turned out better than expected. I had completely anticipated chaos, but the kids were pretty chill.  

Long distance pain for a friend

I am going to start out with something serious. Something I hope to never experience and something that has caused a dear friend of mine so much pain in the last week. Here is her story. I encourage you to read it.

{Missing Child}   {Abducted}   {Runaway}   {Lost}   {Death}

Just the thought of one of those things happening to either of my babies makes me nauseous. I used Rains recent incident see above link and the latest CNN coverage of missing Madeleine McCann  as a sign. Together they were the wakeup call I needed to remind my kids what do to if someone tries to take them. And lets face it, we do not live in a perfect world. There are good people and there are bad people. We have to be ready for whatever comes our way.

Rains recent events have been a learning experience for myself and a huge fear for the future of parenting teens.Thankfully there was a happy ending to her story. The child is home. Now I hope that the family can recover from the pains and fears they experienced and be able to move on from this. 

***

I wish you and your family the best, my friend.

I was pricing tickets to Tacoma to help you search. I'm glad she has made her way back home. I have always wanted to go to Washington state, but I'm glad it doesn't have to be for reasons like this.

Gratitude * Liebster Award *

Awards are fun, even if I don't totally know what they are or what they are for. Either way, I thank you, Rachel, from
Swell and Stylish. 

So what is the Liebster award? 
Well, there is no definitive answer to that in any dictionary and vague descriptions in a google search. I've compiled that it's an award that you are given by someone else that says, "Hey, I like your blog and keep up the great work you're doing." It's a great way to discover new blogs and share the love.

Here's how it works once given a Liebster Award:
1.  Post the award on your blog.
2.  Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3.  Choose 5 other blogs deserving of the Liebster.
4.  List the bloggers you gave the award to with links back to their sites.
5.  Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.

Yay for finding new blogs! You can 
view Rachel's FIVE blog picks here.

Now to picking out FIVE blogs to pass 
this rad little award on to. hmm...
~~~~~

I think these ladies are pretty awesome 
and provide some fun reads. Hope y'all enjoy!

• Sweet Green Tangerine 
• a girl named Sue 
• Girl Meets Camera
• Run With Scissors
• grrfeisty

Monday, monday

Hello, Monday.

Saturday I was featured on a long time friends blog. This girl and I have known each other for a seriously long time. Pretty much our entire adult lives. We have been thru so many ups and downs and deployments and babies and crazy friends, etc. I'm glad we never lost touch over the years. So here you go, check out my friend, Rain @ wtfrain.com. 

Rains blog is not the homeroom-mom/martha stewart-mom type blog (thankfully) . If you like (and I know of so many of you rad readers who do!!) tattoos, cussing, and just seriously keepin it real kinda talk, then you'll enjoy the randomness that comes from Rain.  

Dang, this is an old picture of us! Ah, memories.

Sweet Savannah, Ga.

One of the questions Rain asked me & my answer:

What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life? 

Damn these are good questions.
• Acid Tongue – Jenny Lewis
• Be OK – Ingrid Michaelson
• Sentimental Heart – She & Him
• Queen of the world – Ida Maria
• Electric Twist – A Fine Frenzy
• Factory Girls – Flogging Molly

Because of this, the Manic Monday Music stuck in my head is... Factory Girls by Flogging Molly !
I'm interested to know, are you a Flogging Molly fan?  In general, I love their music, but there has been times where I just had to turn down the volume a little because they can have so much going on at once. A bit overwhelming for the ears.

Political Shenanigans

Mark your calenders folks, FEBRUARY 22, 2012 

Political Debates: the most entertaining and enjoyable reality show on TV to date. How, you might ask... turn it into a drinking game. You heard read correct. The only Super Pac I currently care about is a Super cold 6-Pack of Dos Equis... or Blue Moon. Haven't quite made my mind up just yet. 

POLITICAL DRINKING GAME. Pick a few words and every time a seedy politician says any of those words, take a drink. Here we have three active words. Elected, Economy, and Jobs. Now, you can switch things up a bit and say every time Romney say IMMIGRANTS- Drink, Gingrich says ELECTED- Drink, Paul says ECONOMY- Drink, and Santorum say JOBS- Drink.

I picked the word ELECTED

Jessica (Sweet Green Tangerine) picked ECONOMY

Jeremy (Sweet Green Tangerine) picked JOBS

If the Mr was here, he would have picked IMMIGRANTS

Other fun words to use:

• BUDGET
• SENATOR
• OBAMA
• IRAQ
• WAR
• TAXES
• TROOPS
• IMPORTANT
• AFGHANISTAN
• REPUBLICAN PARTY
• DEMOCRAT PARTY
• RELIGION 
• FASCISM
• EDUCATION
• BIG GOVERNMENT
• ILLEGAL 
  
• CHECKS AND BALANCES
• LOBBY
• PRIMARY
• PLATFORM
• INCUMBENT
• GOP
• FILIBUSTER
• CHANGE
• IMMIGRATION 

For the record, I would take this election much more seriously if I thought the candidates were. I do feel there is one man who is genuine, but just one. Unfortunately, I do not see him going much further in this race. This makes me sad. He seems to have the heart we need. 

I believe in equality. I do not believe in politics. For amusement purposes only, I took a mini political quiz. My results were of no surprise.

SPOTLIGHT 2

The SPOTLIGHT shines bright on Jessica from Sweet Green Tangerine. 
This chick is not only my bloggy bestie, but my real world bestie as well. We have been through a lot together in our moderately short friendship. In five years, we have endured multiple deployments each, friends coming and going, and every emotional roller coaster you could imagine.  Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other special (and not so special) occasions spent merging our two families together as one. 
If something was to happen, I know without a doubt, she is the kind of friend who would rush to my house, empty my nightstand and delete computer history, no questions asked.  Good friends are hard to find. After both of our husbands came down on orders to pcs, and we are both starting fresh in different states, I am learning more and more every day how hard it is to find a good friend you can connect with and count on.Thanks for being that friend, Jess! XOXO

1. When was the last time you played air guitar? Just the other day actually.  Why?  Because my 6 year old said he wanted to take air guitar lessons.  So he received a 5 minute private lesson from yours truly.  I think he meant real guitar lessons, but I had fun with it.

2. Say you had to change your name, what would you change it to?  I'd love to be named after a song.  Like Prudence or Cecilia.  Technically, there is a song called Jessica by the Allman Brothers, but I kinda hate it.

3. What was the last movie you watched? Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  It was Extremely amazing and Incredibly awesome.  I cried like a baby.  Tom Hanks & Sandra Bullock are two of my favorite actors and even they were upstaged by that little boy.  Incredible all the way around.  Two thumbs up.

4. Do You believe in psychics?  Yes. Unfortunately I never had the chance to see one with my friend (ahem) even though we kept saying we would. It's on my bucket list.

5. What's on your bucket list?  I have split up my bucket list & created a Year List of things that I can/will actually do this year.  As much as I do want to kiss the Blarney stone, I have to be realistic.  On the 2012 list is...1. Eat Sushi...2.Read The Hobbit (before the movie comes out)...3. Go to Bonnaroo (or any music festival will do).  

Questionable

Be You 

 via

A couple days ago, Miss Chrissy from Whimsical Poppysmic tagged me in this fun little get to know you game. And since I love games, how could I not play along?

[Rules]

1. You must post these rules. 

2. Each per­son must post 11 things about them­selves on their blog.

3. Answer the ques­tions the tag­ger set for you in their post, and cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.

4. You have to choose 11 peo­ple to tag and link them on the post.

5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.

6. No tag backs.

7. No stuff in the tag­ging sec­tion about ‘you are tagged if you are read­ing this.’ You legit­i­mately have to tag 11!

[Easy Peasy, right? so here we go...]

[11 Things about me that you probably do not know]

1.  I do judge a book by its cover. I like to walk into the book store and grab the very first thing that catches my eye. Often I will go home and start reading it right away without even looking on the back to see what it is about. I find this so much more exciting :)

2. I am both and only child & a sister to many. His, hers, and theirs, steps and half's. Whatever. They are all my brothers and sisters. XOXO

3. I curse profusely. 

4. I fidget, A LOT.

5. I love really bad jokes. I have a huge catalog of them in my head just waiting for the right moment to share one. 

6. I absolutely detest the shower curtain being opened. 

7. The words Epic and Literally are two of the most overused & misused filler words and they make me want to stab myself in the eye with a plastic spoon. 

8. I turn into a raging monster when chronically sleep deprived. 

9. Daisies have always been my favorite flower. I even got a daisy tattoo, my first tattoo, at the ripe old age of 18 :)

10. I want to move to London, like tomorrow.

11. I have a massively huge crush on Steve Carell. I developed the crush after watching the movie Dan In Real Life. 

~~~~~~~~~

Ok, those were the 11 facts about myself. Now on to the questions Chrissy posted for me!

1. Are you happy with your life right now? Well thats kind of a loaded question. In general, I'll say yes. 

2. Where would you like to travel?  in a word, EVERYWHERE.

3. Name your favorite quote from a book, song or movie. “Inconceivable!” — The Princess Bride

4. Are you secretly in love with someone? Nah, its pretty public.

5. Are you a daydreamer? If yes, what do you dream about? Yes, and I daydream about the life I am living taking place in another country.

6. What is your favorite animal and why? I really don't have a favorite.

7. If you won the lottery big time, what would you buy/ do first? Pay off debt then invest and keep living life as we are.

8. Would you rather live where you are now or somewhere else? If so, where? SOMEWHERE ELSE!! Anywhere else!

9. What is your biggest hobby? I'd have to say Photography.

10. Do you have a favorite perfume?  Yes, I love me some True Religion.

11. What's your biggest wish for 2012? To feel at home here.

Those were my answers to Chrissy's questions and here are my 11 questions for the bloggers I will tag below!

1. What colors inspire you?

2. How many books do you usually read per year?

3. What style music moves and inspires you?

4. Have you ever been cow tipping or snipe hunting?

5. What was your childhood nickname?

6. Do you have any strange phobias? 

7. Do you have moves like Jagger?

8. What is your favorite reality TV show?

9. What is something that makes you cringe?

10. What do you collect?

11. What fashion faux pas are you guilty of?

and now I must tag [11 people]: Jessica, Rain, Nova, Olivia Grace, Jahnavi, Beca, LB, Sarah, Janel, and Miss Martyr-hood.