You know, I should have known I couldn't keep up with this thirty days of thankfulness thing. I've tried it for the last 5 years and continuously fail. I thought this year it'd be easier if I just blogged it! SUUUUURE! Because blogging requires explanation and definition and makes everything so much easier.
Wrong.
But it's ok. Becuase here I am, November 9. Covering 6 days of thankfulness in one blog entry. The good news is, I can totally get away with it. Even if this entry takes me all day to write ;)
Day 4: I'm thankful for Backyard Produce. I'm totally stoked that every Tuesday we get a box of local organic produce. Always something new with SOMETHING or other we've never cooked before. Last night we ate asparagus. Last week it was diacon radishes. Some crazy thing that looked like a parsnip in disguise. We made something awesome out of it. It was tasty, and it was a new recipe, and it broadened my culinary horizon.
Day 5: I'm thankful for the mail carrier. Estella has been our mail carrier here in the neighborhood since we bought the house 8 years ago. When we came back to Goose Creek after 3 years in Washington, it was so great to see her smiling face again lol - and she was happy to see us too! It's the little relationships with the everyday people in our lives that give us just enough of a reminder that, though we live a bit of a mobile lifestyle, we can still make a difference and bring a smile on a regular basis...no internet required.
Day 6: I'm thankful for Candy Crush. No really, I am. Silly, but true.
Day 7: I'm thankful for my Pandora Jewelery. For the last few years, Don has bought me a charm or two for each major event. When things stress me out (when WORK stresses me out) sometimes I just have to clip on my bracelets and suddenly all is well once again. Our 10 year anny is coming, and there's a lighthouse now, you know. Hint hint....
Day 8: I'm thankful for my husband and his hysterically well placed timing to sing songs such as "James' Mom has got it goin on..." (To the tune of "Stacy's Mom"). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZLfasMPOU4
Day 9: I'm thankful for my boss. No really. She has so freaking much on her plate, yet she can understand and respect my requirement to put my family first. I'm a lucky lucky girl to work for Miss Phoenix. WAY LUCKY.
Holy smokes have I actually caught up with myself? Watching some football and dealing with my furbabies scratching at the glass tired of being outside in the "Cold" - they're so screwed once we get back to the Pac NW. But I'll take it.
We'll get through it together because truly, that's what families do. Thanks for reading and keeping up with us over the last 6 days <3 p="">
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
30 days of Thankfulness - Day 3
Day three - today (ok, yesterday was *technically* day three, but I'm catching up here) I am thankful for my home.
We closed on our home in June 2005, and have owned it ever since. We did try to sell when we left South Carolina the first time, but the housing bubble had burst, Centex was still building new homes in the development, and it just didn't sell. So - we rented it out for 3 years while we were in Washington, and came back to it when we returned to South Carolina.
It has not always been wonderful being a homeowner. We don't have a landlord to call when something stops working. We can't just walk away when the lease is up. We have to worry about what we'll do next year when Don retires, if it will even sell or if we'll have to rent it out again.
But all of that aside, this house - this home - holds so many precious memories. Birthdays, projects, holidays. Firsts. Lasts. One (completely justified) frequent complaint from military families is not being able to stay anywhere long enough to really put down roots. Every three years or so you just up and move somewhere else. I am simply thankful for the nearly 6 total years we've been able to occupy this space, that we could make memories over time, under one roof, without having to think back and ask "wait - which house were we at for Paige's 7th birthday?".
It's just one of those little blessings, just another thing I'm thankful for.
We closed on our home in June 2005, and have owned it ever since. We did try to sell when we left South Carolina the first time, but the housing bubble had burst, Centex was still building new homes in the development, and it just didn't sell. So - we rented it out for 3 years while we were in Washington, and came back to it when we returned to South Carolina.
It has not always been wonderful being a homeowner. We don't have a landlord to call when something stops working. We can't just walk away when the lease is up. We have to worry about what we'll do next year when Don retires, if it will even sell or if we'll have to rent it out again.
But all of that aside, this house - this home - holds so many precious memories. Birthdays, projects, holidays. Firsts. Lasts. One (completely justified) frequent complaint from military families is not being able to stay anywhere long enough to really put down roots. Every three years or so you just up and move somewhere else. I am simply thankful for the nearly 6 total years we've been able to occupy this space, that we could make memories over time, under one roof, without having to think back and ask "wait - which house were we at for Paige's 7th birthday?".
It's just one of those little blessings, just another thing I'm thankful for.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
30 days of Thankfulness - Day 2
I know I'm running a little late here, I'll catch up - just bare with me. Might make two blog entries tomorrow - I can handle one day late, for now.
Today I am so very thankful for the pets in my life. Angel, Pepper, Molly, even Amy the guinea pig!
I've had Angel the longest. Christmas of 1998, I was two months away from getting out of the navy. I didn't have any leave left really, and so I was stuck staying in Washington for the holiday. My grandma, my Manny, chose to spend her holiday with me that year, selflessly sacrificing her time with the rest of her family and her loved ones, to make some memories with her oldest granddaughter. She and I went to Petco one afternoon in late December. We had no real mission in mind, just wanted to check it out. PAWS was there - an animal rescue group. Well, of COURSE, we brought home a cute little long haired tortoiseshell kitten that was just big enough to fit into the palm of our hand. I named her Angel - because she was my Christmas Angel. That was the same year Manny and I fed all my friends that couldn't go home for Christmas. It was a two day potluck at Becca's house...any lonely sailor that wanted to get some grub could show up with a dish (or not) and they would find food, friends and family for the holiday.
I miss Manny, and will never forget that Christmas. I know her spirit still comes around regularly, in little ways.
Pepper, he's a horse of a different color. I got Pepper for my birthday, in 2002. Don was deployed when everything hit the fan on 9.11.01. We were very much in love, I was working at Qwest in Seattle, he was on the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), and deployed when the towers fell. I will not forget that day as long as I live. He made it home some time in the spring, and we realized how important we were to each other. Officially moved in together. When the fall came, we knew we wanted a dog. We went to the the Kitsap County Humane Society and the story is epic. I wrote a story about our finding Pepper Dog, and it almost made the cut for the "Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul" book. Almost. At any rate, he's still with us, 11 year later. He's 14 now. That whole story might find it's own description in a blog to come.
Molly, she's our baby. We got her from a family that couldn't possibly love her as much as we do. Clearly - duh - they all but gave her away. She has learned so much from us in the last year and a half, and we've learned just as much from her. She is smart, sweet, and greedy LOL. If we keep her out of the kitchen, all will be well. If she goes into the kitchen, look out, watch her like a hawk. She's sneaky... ;)
And Amy - the Guinea Pig in Paige's room LOL - she's awesome, she's fun, she loves to come out and eat clover, and she will devour any Timothy Hay you put in her path. She needs a friend...we're working on that (James' birthday is coming).
Today, November 3, 2013, I'm thankful for my furbabies. And they are thankful for me and mine. Even when we refuse to give them chicken bones ;) It's all about responsibility.
Today I am so very thankful for the pets in my life. Angel, Pepper, Molly, even Amy the guinea pig!
I've had Angel the longest. Christmas of 1998, I was two months away from getting out of the navy. I didn't have any leave left really, and so I was stuck staying in Washington for the holiday. My grandma, my Manny, chose to spend her holiday with me that year, selflessly sacrificing her time with the rest of her family and her loved ones, to make some memories with her oldest granddaughter. She and I went to Petco one afternoon in late December. We had no real mission in mind, just wanted to check it out. PAWS was there - an animal rescue group. Well, of COURSE, we brought home a cute little long haired tortoiseshell kitten that was just big enough to fit into the palm of our hand. I named her Angel - because she was my Christmas Angel. That was the same year Manny and I fed all my friends that couldn't go home for Christmas. It was a two day potluck at Becca's house...any lonely sailor that wanted to get some grub could show up with a dish (or not) and they would find food, friends and family for the holiday.
I miss Manny, and will never forget that Christmas. I know her spirit still comes around regularly, in little ways.
Pepper, he's a horse of a different color. I got Pepper for my birthday, in 2002. Don was deployed when everything hit the fan on 9.11.01. We were very much in love, I was working at Qwest in Seattle, he was on the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), and deployed when the towers fell. I will not forget that day as long as I live. He made it home some time in the spring, and we realized how important we were to each other. Officially moved in together. When the fall came, we knew we wanted a dog. We went to the the Kitsap County Humane Society and the story is epic. I wrote a story about our finding Pepper Dog, and it almost made the cut for the "Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul" book. Almost. At any rate, he's still with us, 11 year later. He's 14 now. That whole story might find it's own description in a blog to come.
Molly, she's our baby. We got her from a family that couldn't possibly love her as much as we do. Clearly - duh - they all but gave her away. She has learned so much from us in the last year and a half, and we've learned just as much from her. She is smart, sweet, and greedy LOL. If we keep her out of the kitchen, all will be well. If she goes into the kitchen, look out, watch her like a hawk. She's sneaky... ;)
And Amy - the Guinea Pig in Paige's room LOL - she's awesome, she's fun, she loves to come out and eat clover, and she will devour any Timothy Hay you put in her path. She needs a friend...we're working on that (James' birthday is coming).
Today, November 3, 2013, I'm thankful for my furbabies. And they are thankful for me and mine. Even when we refuse to give them chicken bones ;) It's all about responsibility.
Friday, November 1, 2013
30 days of Thankfulness - Day 1
So there's this Facebook tradition - every November. They call it "The 30 Days of Thankfulness". Every day in November half of the people on Facebook post a status update about what they're thankful for. I didn't post my thankfulness post today - but it wasn't because I forgot, or because it slipped my mind. It was because I couldn't figure out exactly how to say what I felt, let alone put it into a simple status update that wasn't 18 miles long. That's when I got this bright idea to blog my 30 days instead. Not only is it a better platform to explain why I'm thankful for the things I'm thankful for, but also - writing is one of only a handful of things I do for my own self. Maybe I'm being selfish, but sometimes there's nothing wrong with that. Lucky for my loyal readers, some days will be shorter than others ;)
So here we are, Day 1.
Today, November 1, 2013, I am thankful for my marriage. Not only my marriage, but the man that chose to take me for his wife. That's pretty much how it happened, you know...after three years of dating, he didn't really bother to ask. He chose me. He took me, and I allowed myself to be taken (I still have to wonder who really took who here, but that's of no consequence).
Don had just spent 10 months out to sea (a six month deployment became ten), and it was his first weekend home in nearly a year. He told me that he wanted to get away from people, away from civilization, so we went camping at Oxbow (Washington State DNR). We packed up the truck, packed up the dog, the tent, the firewood, the cribbage board, a cooler full of beer, enough food for three days, and we simply drove up to the boonies that are Washington State DNR territory. Got to the site, pitched the tent, unloaded the truck (we had to hike into our site, it was gorgeous, right on the Hoh river) and lit the campfire. Sat there for a few hours in exceptionally comfortable silence as the darkness grew thicker around us, the crickets grew louder in our ears, and the fact that we were finally together once again genuinely and truly sank in. So there we were, sitting around the campfire, just watching it burn. Sgt. Pepper asleep next to Don's chair. That's back when it was just the three of us against the world. It had been a good 15 minutes of crackling, popping fire, no words were spoken (none were truly needed). Don broke the silence and asked what I was thinking about. I was just so happy to be back in his company, back in his arms. I sheepishly shrugged and simply smiled. He said "You thinking about marriage? Thinking about kids?". Mind you, we'd been together nearly three years and been through 2 solid deployments. There was nothing I wouldn't do for him, nor he for me. We both knew it. When he was deployed I had spent my weekends baking cookies for his division and creating care packages to keep him comfortably reminded of the love that waited for him back on the home front. He had been gone 10 months and now he wanted to know what I was thinking about? PSHAW! Riiiiiiight. I wasn't about to admit that our future had been on my mind. There was absolutely no question that we'd be together - I had just spent a lot of time considering what our future looked like exactly. He was divorced, with an AMAZING son from his first marriage, and the very last thing I wanted was to pressure him into another marriage that he might not be ready for. I didn't even care, I just knew that I loved him. And he loved me. And it was working. Marriage was out there, sure - but nothing I expected nor would even have CONSIDERED demanding. So "What are you thinking about?" he says. I sort of giggled under my breath at his question. I looked up at the sky, and saw the most brilliant starry night I'd seen since leaving home. Looking back, it seems odd that the stars would have shone so brightly - granted we were out in the middle of nowhere - but at the same time, this brilliant campfire was blazing steady and strong. After a few more moments of comfortable, warm, serene silence (we never HAVE been the kind that needed a lot of words) - he said "You know you're going to marry me." That's when I stopped staring at the brilliance that was the universe above, brought my eyes level to his, smiled, and started to cry. I nodded my head and gave a simple "Yes, I know." That was September 27, 2003. We were married just shy of three months later, on December 14th.
Since then we've been through a lot. Both good and bad, amazing and heartbreaking, but we've been through it all together. Life, death, comedy, tragedy, love, and even a little bit of discontent. What marriage doesn't go through a little bit of discontent? The thing that gets me is... his love for me has never wavered. He has given me two beautiful children that are such an immense blessing, and he has shown me what true love really is. Honest, heartfelt, love. Love worth fighting for, love worth believing in, and love that is meant to be.
He is my TFA man, and I am his Lighthouse Girl. It was in our vows, and it still holds true 10 years after the fact.
Today, November 1, 2013...I am thankful for my marriage, and thankful for the man that chose to take me as his wife.
So here we are, Day 1.
Today, November 1, 2013, I am thankful for my marriage. Not only my marriage, but the man that chose to take me for his wife. That's pretty much how it happened, you know...after three years of dating, he didn't really bother to ask. He chose me. He took me, and I allowed myself to be taken (I still have to wonder who really took who here, but that's of no consequence).
Don had just spent 10 months out to sea (a six month deployment became ten), and it was his first weekend home in nearly a year. He told me that he wanted to get away from people, away from civilization, so we went camping at Oxbow (Washington State DNR). We packed up the truck, packed up the dog, the tent, the firewood, the cribbage board, a cooler full of beer, enough food for three days, and we simply drove up to the boonies that are Washington State DNR territory. Got to the site, pitched the tent, unloaded the truck (we had to hike into our site, it was gorgeous, right on the Hoh river) and lit the campfire. Sat there for a few hours in exceptionally comfortable silence as the darkness grew thicker around us, the crickets grew louder in our ears, and the fact that we were finally together once again genuinely and truly sank in. So there we were, sitting around the campfire, just watching it burn. Sgt. Pepper asleep next to Don's chair. That's back when it was just the three of us against the world. It had been a good 15 minutes of crackling, popping fire, no words were spoken (none were truly needed). Don broke the silence and asked what I was thinking about. I was just so happy to be back in his company, back in his arms. I sheepishly shrugged and simply smiled. He said "You thinking about marriage? Thinking about kids?". Mind you, we'd been together nearly three years and been through 2 solid deployments. There was nothing I wouldn't do for him, nor he for me. We both knew it. When he was deployed I had spent my weekends baking cookies for his division and creating care packages to keep him comfortably reminded of the love that waited for him back on the home front. He had been gone 10 months and now he wanted to know what I was thinking about? PSHAW! Riiiiiiight. I wasn't about to admit that our future had been on my mind. There was absolutely no question that we'd be together - I had just spent a lot of time considering what our future looked like exactly. He was divorced, with an AMAZING son from his first marriage, and the very last thing I wanted was to pressure him into another marriage that he might not be ready for. I didn't even care, I just knew that I loved him. And he loved me. And it was working. Marriage was out there, sure - but nothing I expected nor would even have CONSIDERED demanding. So "What are you thinking about?" he says. I sort of giggled under my breath at his question. I looked up at the sky, and saw the most brilliant starry night I'd seen since leaving home. Looking back, it seems odd that the stars would have shone so brightly - granted we were out in the middle of nowhere - but at the same time, this brilliant campfire was blazing steady and strong. After a few more moments of comfortable, warm, serene silence (we never HAVE been the kind that needed a lot of words) - he said "You know you're going to marry me." That's when I stopped staring at the brilliance that was the universe above, brought my eyes level to his, smiled, and started to cry. I nodded my head and gave a simple "Yes, I know." That was September 27, 2003. We were married just shy of three months later, on December 14th.
Since then we've been through a lot. Both good and bad, amazing and heartbreaking, but we've been through it all together. Life, death, comedy, tragedy, love, and even a little bit of discontent. What marriage doesn't go through a little bit of discontent? The thing that gets me is... his love for me has never wavered. He has given me two beautiful children that are such an immense blessing, and he has shown me what true love really is. Honest, heartfelt, love. Love worth fighting for, love worth believing in, and love that is meant to be.
He is my TFA man, and I am his Lighthouse Girl. It was in our vows, and it still holds true 10 years after the fact.
Today, November 1, 2013...I am thankful for my marriage, and thankful for the man that chose to take me as his wife.
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