Monday, August 30, 2010

A Constant Struggle

One thing that I am always struggling with is my weight. I've always had a curvy, athletic build that would pretty much stay the same regardless how much I dieted. Weight lifting makes me bulk up and when i start a work out routine I don't lose, I gain.

In the last few years I have probably gained a few pounds that could stand to be lost. However I'm finding it impossible to lose those last few pounds. When the hubs was gone I lost the weight pretty easily. However I quickly gained them back when he came home and we went on vacation.

Last week I swore I'd start hitting the gym but I came down with a severe cold/flu that I am still getting over so have been unable to hit the gym as I wished. Another thing that gets in the way of working out and eating healthy is my work schedule. Starting tomorrow I will pretty much be working 8-7pm and that doesn't include travel time. The last thing I want to do in the mornings or nights is go to the gym

Eating wise I don't do too bad. I could stand to eat a few more fruits and veggies but for the most part I eat cereal for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch and a healthy dinner. I rarely eat beef and most of my dinners include chicken and a veggie. I rarely keep snack food in the house though now that the hubby's home I find bags of chips laying around which sometimes I can't stop myself from having a few

So I decided to start watching my eating habits and adopting a healthier lifestyle. I just have to get motivated to do it. So I ask all of you with crazy schedules how you find the time to fit in workouts, what work outs do you prefer, are there any good diet plans to follow?


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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Getting to Know you Sunday

Getting to know YOU


I am participating in Getting to Know you Sunday hosted by MannLand 5. Stop by her blog and check it out.


The Q's.

1. If you accidently knick a car in a parking lot..Do you leave a note or do you get the heck out of there?
2. Love your body or plastic surgery?
3. What about your favorite blog(s) continues to drive you back?
4. What percent of your blog is BS just to make your life seem more interesting than it really is?
5. If you had to give up one type of meat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
6. How often to you eat out?
7. Skinny jeans or boot cut jeans?
8. If you caught your spouse cheating would you forgive, divorce, or plan your kill?


1. Unless the damage was really bad I'd high tail it outta there. I have so many scratches on my car from carts in parking lots or people banging their car doors into mine that no one ever left notes for. So I would leave also. I know, how awful of me

2. I honestly love my body. I'm not a big fan of plastic surgery. I don't want to look like some stretched out bimbo, aka Heidi Montag. However maybe after I have kids I'd consider a tummy tuck

3. I love blogs that are honest, funny and can draw you into their lives. Especially if there is something about their blog you can relate too

4. 0 percent. I've never been one to lie to make my life more interesting. I love my life the way it is and don't need to change the facts to make it more interesting for y'all to read. In fact I'm shocked I have as many followers as I do cause I find myself pretty boring!

5. Beef. I eat it very rarely already

6. I would say 2-3 times a week. With the hubs and I working such long hours sometimes the last thing I want to do when getting home at 7:30 pm is cook. So that's why the crock pot has become our best friend. If there isn't anything in the crock pot however we will usually order out

7. Both. I wear my skinny jeans to work and boot cut jeans out



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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Plain Truth

As a glorified book nerd, I am constantly reading. However sometimes I get caught up in a book funk. I always have a stack of books waiting to be read but I go through my phases where I start my next book, read a few pages, start a different book, read a few pages and then move onto another book, unable to get into either of the ones I had picked up.

This happened to me this last weekend. I could not find a book that I wanted to read. Going through my bookshelves I came across a book I had read years ago by one of my favorite author's. Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult about an amish teenager who is accused of murdering her infant. I have been unable to put this book down. I have spent all day reading it and have only 100 pages left to go. It is amazing. I love reading books that delve into other cultures and ways of life. Truly fascinating

One Jodi Picoult book that I haven't read before is The Pact. Has anyone read it? Is it worth reading?

That's all for tonight. Just a quick post as I relax finishing up my book and drinking a glass of wine

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Friday, August 27, 2010

Goodbye blonde

At my hair appt today instead of going with my usual blonde high lights I decided to go back to my roots. Everytime I have tried to go dark in the past either the color has been too dark or too red. Today my stylist nailed it on the head. I love it. What do you all think
Before



After


Oh and I decided to once again grow my hair out. Has anyone taken Biotin? Does it actually work?

Happy Friday everyone!


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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Trying to Conceive

DISCLAIMER-This post is highly personal and brutally honest. If you are easily offended or do not care to read about my personal information then this post is not for you!!

I hesitated before writing this post. I was unsure whether or not to post about this topic.There are some people that read this blog that don't really need to know such personal details about my life and I'm sure some people who will get offended by what I write. But I started blogging as a way to keep a daily journal of my life as a wife and military spouse. So no topic is off limits to me. Here it goes

When the hubs and I were married the decision to have kids was up in the air. I knew I wanted children but wanted to wait until I was 30 before trying. M wasn't sure if he wanted any at all. However even though we were on the fence about children I loved celebrating my friend's pregnancies, babysitting their little ones and oohing and ahhing over baby clothes. When I started blogging I became addicted to infertility and pregnancy blogs, I cried along with those bloggers who lost their babies, suffered miscarriage after miscarriage or those that couldn't have children at all. However as much as I admired these womens' strength and courage I couldn't help but wander if I would go through IUI or IVF just to have a baby. Now doesn't this just make me sound terribly selfish. I swear I'm not. I just don't know if I would be strong enough to go through all that. I truly admire those women who have and are going through it. You are all amazing!

And before you write me off as selfish I'll prove to you that I'm not. I had a good friend who had problems conceiving. I watched every month as she peed on a stick hoping to see two lines instead of one. They never came. I watched as she would suffer through other friends baby showers trying so hard not to cry and when she went on vacation to an area with no internet or computer I logged into her fertility friend account and updated it with her temperature which she texted me every morning. I would then read her chart and text back if she was ovulating. I celebrated with this friend when she finally had a positive test by running out and buying her What to Expect When Your Expecting and buying a Mom to be and Dad to be card for both her and her hubby. So I do know how hard the struggle to conceive is

I didn't really know how hard it truly was until recently. In March when the hubs deployed I finished up my last pack of pills. I didn't bother buying more since hubby was going to be gone for a few months. Shortly after he deployed we agreed to start trying when he got back. I started taking prenatals and reading up on conceiving. I also started tracking my period and counting, trying to figure out when I ovulated. Even though I was off birth control I was regular for the first 3 months and had my cycle down to a T

However this past month my period was a few days off. No biggie. I adjusted and the hubs and I started trying the beginning of this month. I even have a fertility app on my phone which tracks my days and tells me when I'm most fertile and ovulating. Crazy I know

The day for my period to arrive came and went. Two days went by,then three,four and five. Nothing. I peed on four tests, all negative. Not too mention I was very sick the beginning of this week. I totally thought we nailed it on the head. However my hopes were dashed today at work. Even though I doubted getting pregnant the first month I was still disappointed. And when the tests were showing up negative by my period still wasn't there I was getting worried. How am I supposed to plan this next month if my period doesn't arrive. Or how can I continue trying to figure out days of ovulation when my period is off every month. I've been so frustrated the last week and a half.

The hubs and I also decided to only try for one more month before putting baby making on hold. Not because we are giving up but because of the army. We were set to PCS to Florida either next August or September. However we just found out that we could be moving as early as May. Plus the hubby deploys around Dec/Jan. So it would be the smartest thing to wait until after he gets back to resume trying. So one more month of Operation Babymaking and then we pull the plug

As much as this decision sucks I know it's the right thing to do. The last thing I want to do is be pregnant, trying to find us a house in florida and switching dr's halfway through a pregnancy. Not to mention the actual move itself. SO I plan on staying off BC, taking my prenatals and trying to read as much info I can on conceiving and pregnancy.

So to all of you out there, do any of you have any good book recommendations on either topic? Thanks!

Hope this wasn't information overload





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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Tough Decisions!

The hubs and I have a very tough decision to make within the next few months. Come October we only have 2 years left in the army. By the time he gets out in October 2012 he will have been in for 10 years. Halfway to retirement. Who would have thought the decision to reenlist would be so hard

When the discussion of reenlisting was brought up before I would always shout out a loud "Reenlist"! I love being an army wife, I love this military lifestyle and I'm so proud of my hubby for everything that he does. And the reenlistment bonus isn't such a bad thing either!! We could pay off our debt, buy a house at our next PCS station, be financially stable for kids, etc, etc. Not to mention the job security, health insurance and pension a career in the military would allow. I know I can handle deployments, we've gone through 2 already and have another one coming up within the next few months. I also know how good at my job my hubby is, how much he loves it and I don't want to tell him to get out and later on have him resent me

But lately I've been having second thoughts. It all started when I watched Army Wives the other night. The thoughts of the hubby deploying back to Afghanistan scares the shit out of me. M already has lost a best friend, witnessed countless IED explosions and had a guy get shot standing right next to him. His last two trips to Afghanistan were horrible. I got daily emails and phone calls about the loss of life within his unit. It's amazing what you can forget after awhile. But while watching Army Wives all those memories began to resurface. How can I tell my husband to reenlist and to send him back there. It's not like 15 years ago when there wasn't a war going on. Now being a military spouse literally means sending your husband off to war. Repeatedly. How can I do that again?

In the end I know we will weigh the pro's and con's and have several discussions about the topic. However I feel like I shouldn't have that much say in the matter. I feel that the decision should be left up to him. I'm not the one going off to war, I'm the one that stays behind. So to all you milspouses out there, do you and your hubby's have this conversation. How did you decide to either stay in or get out? I'd love to hear from y'all


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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Bald Head Island-Picture Overload

My parents were in town this past week and this Saturday we decided to check out Bald Head Island. It's an island that is off the coast of SouthPort,Nc and can only be reached by Ferry. The island doesn't allow cars so once on the island you can rent bikes, golf carts or walk.

The ferry ride was so cool. We stood at the front of the boat and watched dolphins jump right in front of us. Coming up to the island I was in awe of the gorgeous houses. Can I live here please?

After getting off the ferry we rented a golf cart and away we went. We went to Old Baldy, the island's lighthouse and climbed all the way to the top. We stopped at the sea turtle conservatory and rode around looking at many more of the houses on the island. After riding around for awhile we decided to have a picnic on the beach and lay out for awhile. While sitting on the beach a group of dolphins less than 20 ft away from us jumped and played. It was beautiful

After relaxing on the beach for a few hours we continued along on our ride of the island before stopping for dinner on the marina. Before long it was time to leave. I have never had so much fun. The island is breathtaking and I can't wait to go back. Looking at the island's brochure I saw they had a Halloween celebration. I am def convincing the hubby to take me to that.

My parent's on the ferry



Approaching the island


Old Baldy


Almost to the top..Taking a break


One view from the top


Yet another view


I love my hubby


Watch out-Women driver coming through


Relaxing on the Beach





My adorable parents


Mom and Me

I'll always be a Daddy's girl

The hubs and I


I'll take this house please


Or these-I love houses overlooking the marina


Leaving the island




I can't wait to go back!

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Monday, August 23, 2010

My Cousin's Wedding

I finally decided to stop being lazy and upload pictures from my cousin's wedding which was held on 7/31/10. The wedding was held in Kenosha, Wisconsin at Strawberry Creek Golf and Country Club. I flew into Wisconsin on the 27th so I could spend some time with my cousin and help get things ready for the big day. The hubby drove up on his own making it in about 6 hours before the wedding. Finally he wasn't deployed and I wasn't going dateless to another family function

The wedding was so much fun. I really should hate my cousin since she is so beautiful but I can't. She is such an amazing person and I'm so happy for her. Her fiance is from England and had flown in his whole family from Cambridge. It was so cool to sit and talk with his family and listen to them compare England to America. All the women on his side of the family wore big hats to the wedding and their accents were so fun to listen too.

All the groomsmen were also from England. While getting ready for the wedding we all started drinking Magner's beer. By the end of the night we were all making fun of the way each other talked. We took pictures along the golf course and each couple had their own golf cart. We had so much fun drinking and riding along the golf course. It truly was a great day

It was also nice to actually be at a wedding with my husband. We never had a first dance at our wedding and we requested the DJ to play our song, This Year's Love by David Gray and it was so romantic to finally have our first real dance together.


Now for the pictures

The bride getting ready..




Us bridesmaids..


My cousin and I

The Ceremony





/>
I now pronounce you Husband and Wife


The beautiful bride and me



The groom and I



My baby brother


My gorgeous hubby and Me






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My Cousin's Wedding

I finally decided to stop being lazy and upload pictures from my cousin's wedding which was held on 7/31/10. The wedding was held in Kenosha, Wisconsin at Strawberry Creek Golf and Country Club. I flew into Wisconsin on the 27th so I could spend some time with my cousin and help get things ready for the big day. The hubby drove up on his own making it in about 6 hours before the wedding. Finally he wasn't deployed and I wasn't going dateless to another family function

The wedding was so much fun. I really should hate my cousin since she is so beautiful but I can't. She is such an amazing person and I'm so happy for her. Her fiance is from England and had flown in his whole family from Cambridge. It was so cool to sit and talk with his family and listen to them compare England to America. All the women on his side of the family wore big hats to the wedding and their accents were so fun to listen too.

All the groomsmen were also from England. While getting ready for the wedding we all started drinking Magner's beer. By the end of the night we were all making fun of the way each other talked. We took pictures along the golf course and each couple had their own golf cart. We had so much fun drinking and riding along the golf course. It truly was a great day

It was also nice to actually be at a wedding with my husband. We never had a first dance at our wedding and we requested the DJ to play our song, This Year's Love by David Gray and it was so romantic to finally have our first real dance together.


Now for the pictures

The bride getting ready..




Us bridesmaids..


My cousin and I

The Ceremony





/>
I now pronounce you Husband and Wife


The beautiful bride and me



The groom and I



My baby brother


My gorgeous hubby and Me






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