Question and Answers:

I have been thinking a lot about doing a questions and answers post, obviously where you ask me any questions and I answer them. I have been having a lot of email coming my way from companies and people that would like for me to do giveaways and reviews for them, but I do not feel I have the "traffic" to succeed at this. I thought this fun little game would see who actually pays attention to my blog, and whether or not I should accept these challenges. I also think this would be a fun way to celebrate me reaching 100 followers. 

So, this post will be dedicated to you, my readers, asking me any questions. And I truly mean any questions. Anything goes. I am not easily offended, so you do not have to worry about that. I am also open-minded to other people's beliefs and opinions on any topic, so I encourage you to ask anything that is on your mind. Once I reach a fair enough amount of questions, I will answer them for all of you. 

Also, remember that this is practice to see if I should begin giveaways, both personal and through people and companies who are asking me to review their products. So send along your friends, have them ask me questions, and lets get this show on the road!

The only rule that I have for you is to ask me a maximum of 5 questions per reader because I do want my questions coming from a variety of people. I do not want to see one of my great followers and commenters asking me 10 questions, even though I do love and respect you all very much!

Lets start the fun!! Please post your questions as a comment for this post, and when I reach a good number to answer them, I will. Have fun and be creative!

A must-have in MY makeup case!

Mascara- I go through mascara like crazy. Well, I feel like I go through it often because the same one never has the same affect on my eyes for a long period of time. It gives me positive results to about halfway through the bottle, then my lashes just go to poo. No kidding. Because of this, I am constantly trying new mascaras.

Well a few weeks ago, it was that time again. To find me a new mascara that will give me what I want. Mr. Man and I went into the BX and we got everything he needed then we headed to the makeup section (which is horrible by the way). As I was walking around, I told Mr. Man, "I am looking for a lengthening, volumizing mascara." So I search around, but it did not take long for one to catch my eye. This one:

Now I must admit that I bought this one because of the packaging. I am not a "pink girl." But pink does look good on me, so I always attract to it. So I bought it. It retails for about $8. I have been using it for a few weeks now, and I love, love, love it! Seriously, I love it. (How many times can I tell you I love it? Oops.)It has a wider brush than normal, which grabs every little bitty eyelash that I have and makes them so long and pretty. Of course, I am not halfway through with the bottle so I can not say whether or not it will treat me the way the others have, but this one is so much different from the other ones I have used. It is going strong, and I do not have a single day where I am like, "UGH! Crazy mascara!" Before, I truly had those days. I think I have found my mascara! And it's even so pretty on the outside! 

I thought I would share this with you because I never buy mascaras that false advertise. I say this because I watch so many mascara commercials, and the girls are always wearing fake eyelashes. I can see wearing fake eyelashes, but if you are going to do that then do not make it so noticeable. It drives me nuts! Therefore, I won't buy the mascara if I see the commercial. Thankfully this time I saw the commercial right after I bought. Literally, I came home, unloaded everything, put it up, laid up on the couch, and BAM! the commercial. And guess what?! FAKE EYELASHES! I seriously almost did not even put it on my eyes the next day, but I was in desperate need of new mascara. And I am so glad I used it anyway because I adore it! It comes everywhere with me!

101 Things in 1001 Days: Update

I wanted to update you all on my progress with 101 in 1001 Days. I have accomplished a few things within the last few weeks, so I thought I would update it while I am thinking about it. My end date is the middle of February of 2013. I can't wait to see how far we have gone in life and how much of these I actually accomplish. This will be an exciting next few years. 

If you want to join in, you can create your list at http://www.dayzeroproject.com. I hope you enjoy my list and get inspired to create your own!

My Project:

1. Go horseback riding.

2. Get a job.

3. Go to a concert.

4. Go camping.

5. Dance in the rain.

6. Visit Egypt.

7. Buy a car.

8. Try 5 new foods.--Main dishes. 

9. Visit Italy. 

      -Rome

      -Florence

      -Siena

      -Pisa

      -Milan

      -Verona

      -Venice

10. Visit Germany.

11. Visit France.

12. Try 5 new vegetables.

13. Visit an aquarium.

14. Go biking.

15. Use only reusable grocery bags.

16. Crochet a scarf.

17. Eat at 5 new restaurants. 

        -Gandhi's (Indian Restaurant)

       -Teri-aki's (Sushi Bar)

18. Finish a scrapbook.

19. Buy new couches.

       -Purchased on Monday, June 28, 2010

20. Graduate from college. 

21. Donate to a charity.

22. Learn how to make sushi.

23. Visit 5 castles.

24. Try 10 new wines. 

        -White wine  from Siena.

        -White wine from Siena.

        -White wine from Milan.

        -Red wine from Venice.

25. Visit Ireland.

26. Paint a painting.

27. Host a BBQ.

28. Stretch everyday for a month.

29. Start a family.

30. Learn to Crochet.

31. Redecorate a room.

       -Started on our living room.

32. Learn how to eat with chopsticks.

       -Teri-aki's.

33. See a musical in London.

34. Go scuba diving.

35. Swim in a large body of water.

36. Find 100 things that make me happy.

37. Make 5 New Friends.

38. Clean out my closet and donate the things I don't use.

39. Run a 5K with others.

40. Go to church every Sunday for 3 months straight.

41. Have 2 sets of family photos done within 2 separate years.

42. Go on a last minute mini vacation.

43. Read 5 books (not including my school books).

44. Go on a fossil hunt.

45. Attend 10 museums.

       -I can almost guarantee I did this in Italy. I will put them all on here once I gather their names.

46. Pass the teaching certificate test.

47. Climb to the top of something high.

        -I did a lot of this in Italy. I will name the places once I gather their names.

48. Make all A's and B's in school.

49. Build a sand castle with Mr. Man.

50. Visit Snowdonia.

51. Print out pictures of vacations and put them in memory books.

52. Touch an animal that I am scared of.

53. Get a second Miniature Schnauzer.

54. Find 50 things that inspire me to be a better person.

55. Support a cause.

56. Collect refrigerator magnets or postcards from major places. 

       -Italy-(Siena, Rome,  Pisa)

57. Drink protein shakes regularly for a month.

58. Send care packages to troops from other military services.

59. Write a story about how I see and want my future and open it later in life.

60. Say No to people who ask me for favors when I am already busy.

61. Go to the eye doctor every year.

62. Celebrate my birthday in style.

63. Have movie night once every 3 months.

64. Get lost somewhere and find my way back.

65. Get fit! (The way I see it.)

66. Sell/Pay off our house.

67. Do not complain for a week.

68. Do not eat ice cream for a full summer.

69. Submit 5 photos to a digital photograph school.

70. Start Master's Program.

71. Renew our wedding vows in a Catholic Church.

72. Open a TSP or IRA.

73. Keep $10,000 in savings.

        -So far, so good.

74. Start a separate savings for our children.

75. Lay out at night with Mr. Man and look at the stars.

76. Crochet a pair of booties.

77. Attempt to learn how to play a PS3 war game. 

       -Accomplished on  June 9, 2010.

78. Only buy necessities for a month- 3 times.

79. Stay on Mr. Man's butt to finish school.

80. Take a fitness progression picture every couple of months.

81. Make 5 baby blankets.

82. Attempt to Ski or Snowboard.

83. Go hiking again.

84. Try 3 new fruits.

85. Learn how to use the weed wacker.

86. Drive somewhere using only a map.

87. Take professional bodybuilding pictures.

88. Give 10% of income to church for 5 months.

89. Recycle a Christmas tree.

90. Go canoeing, kayaking, or paddling.

91. Use no butter for a week.

92. Make homemade cards for an event or holiday.

93. Cook 26 dishes in a row from A-Z.

94. Do not eat Chinese Food for 6 months straight.

95. Volunteer at a local school or nursery.

96. Commit to a date night every 3 to 5 months.

97. Do morning cardio outside during the summer months.

98. Let 5 people know how much I appreciate them.

99. Go to Disney World, Disney Land, or Euro Disney.

100. Learn a new dancing style.

101. Donate a dollar for every thing on this list that I do not accomplish to any organization of my choice.

Wow, I have accomplished more than I originally thought. I hope I can keep this going this smooth.

I will be sure to keep you updated as I check things off my list!

 

"Signs That I'm in Afghanistan"

 First off, I want to thank you all for the kind and uplifting comments to my post yesterday. I definitely will keep you all updated on it all! I am beyond excited, and so is the rest of the family. They are already planning her a shower and giving her recommendations on products, and she is already talking baby names! The next best thing to being a Mommy, would be to be an Auntie!

As you may (or may not) know, Mr. Man just got back from a few months in Afghanistan. We are Air Force, obviously. Here is an email Mr. Man sent me today. I guess it is circling around his squadron, and I know enough of what goes on when they are deployed to laugh my little heart out when I read it! I hope you enjoy it, and please take it lightly.

"Signs That I'm in Afghanistan" 

1. You run in terror from a controlled detonation your first week, then
stand in the open to watch real mortars landing, a month later.

2. The most intimate contact you've had in months is with the shower
curtain.

3. Your most successful pick-up line is "I've got a vehicle".

4. All the Air Force people look like glow-in-the-dark Power Rangers and you
can't see the Army Folks.

5. Your 6:00 am wake-up call is "BOOM" Alarm Red, Alarm Red, Alarm Red".

6. They actually give loaded weapons to Air Force personnel.

7. You give directions using T-Wall & Bunker murals.

8. You realize AAFES is their own country, and can print their own money.

9. The amount of sand in your boots is only surpassed by the amount in your
nose.

10. Something as simple as taking a shower or going to the bathroom at 2:00
in the morning requires preparation equal to the Apollo moon landing.

11. The Texas Style Brisket is not from Texas, is not brisket, and has no
style.

12. You are watching a "chick-flick" with 300 guys with machine guns.

13. Your internet connection is twice as slow as your old dial-up connection
back home, and you're paying twice as much.

14. Your lying under your bed in your IBA writing to your spouse, "No,
nothing exciting happened today" and you mean it.

15. You can buy a car or truck from the on post AAFES, but paper towels are
nowhere to be found.

16. You live in a gated community, but your home is still a trailer. (Ha!
How about a tent?)

17. You are caught way over the speed limit and you are only going 22 MPH.

18. During an attack someone jumps out of the bunker to tell you to get your
hands out of your pockets.

19. Your idea of a night on the town is going to another DFAC.

20. The grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but you still
wouldn't want to be on that side of the fence.

21. Dusting the furniture has a whole new meaning.

22. "Pimp my Ride" means putting doors on your Hummer.

23. U2 is hitting the charts again.

24. The local community holds fireworks displays every night in your honor.

25. Driving over the curb seems totally natural.

26. The outcome of the war hinges on how you wear your reflective belt.

27. You see a guy in full battle rattle driving a Humvee trying not to spill
his latte'.

28. It feels normal to dry your hands at the DFAC with toilet paper.

29. Your idea of a clear day is when you can't actually see the air your
breathing in.

30. The dust on the dashboard of your vehicle is an inch think, but you're
not even aware of it.

31. You don't notice T-walls anymore.

32. Cold water from the shower is only possible after 1 Oct.

33. Getting your laundry back is a big deal.

34. A 105-degree day in the summer actually feels cool.

35. You don't even notice an F-16 taking off anymore.

36. You don't stop what you're doing when you hear automatic gun fire coming
from the perimeter.

37. Your first couple days, you thought F-16's doing afterburner take-offs
were cool.  Now it just pisses you off.

38. Without even looking outside, you know that the weather sucks, because
you weren't woken up all night from the roar of the F-16's.

Legend:

Controlled detonation = Our guys blow up captured ammunition & explosives

AAFES = PX (store) (gives cardboard chip money, instead of coins for

change)

IBA = Individual Body Armor

T-Walls= Cement barriers around buildings

DFAC = Dining Facility (Mess Hall) (the DFAC paper towels are toilet paper

thin)

Full battle rattle= Wearing your body armor, helmet, etc.

Successful Weekend

It has definitely been a successful weekend for us! It has been so busy, but a lot of fun!

The not so fun parts were 1.) I had to finish a math test. I had already spent 4 hours on it on Friday and I planned on finishing it by Saturday morning. I did, and I did good. But seriously 6 hours on a math test is outrageous! 2.) I had to finish a paper for one of my education classes. I basically had to interview a teacher then write a reflection paper on it. It actually was not so bad. The part that was so time consuming was the fact that this interview had to take place back and forth through email. Although I am thankful that I have so many teacher friends and family because now I won't have to bother one all the time... I can spread the love!

The very, very fun and exciting parts!

We have been wanting to upgrade our furniture. We still have what we were given when we got married. Truthfully, there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of it, but we just wanted to upgrade for specific "unknown" reasons. Well we went to Cambridge yesterday (Saturday) and went to every furniture store possible. We wrote down the things we were interested in and their dimensions. I really did not intend on finding the ones we wanted because I really thought we would disagree and ending up having to compromise and settle on something neither one of us were truly happy with. So our adventure started after I finished my test on Saturday morning. I drove out, with Mr. Man, to Cambridge. There was this one store that was having a sale, so we stopped there. There were two sets of couches that we liked, but they were not the "one." We knew we could settle on either one of them and they were definitely in our price range. Then I drove us to another little shopping area. There were two furniture stores within it. Both were quite big. We stopped at the first one, which originally was not on our list to go to. We went in and sat on a few couches. The very first one I sat on IS the one. At first, I was the only one that sat on it, but I did not really think anything great about it. Then I began sitting on others within the store. On our way out, I guess I spotted it again and sat on it again. After sitting on it the second time, I was raving about how perfect it was. So Mr. Man sat down, and he immediately was like, "Wow, I think this is it!" I told him we still had to go to the other one. So we wrote down the name of it, got price quotes, then walked to the other store. We went in and sat on a every fabric couch possible and none of them felt anything close to the other. I told Mr. Man we needed to go back to the other store and sit on it one more time to make sure. We were both very happy with it and really really wanted it. So on our way to the car, we popped back in and sat on it. THEY ARE THEM! For sure, they are for us. The sitting is perfect for us. The fabric is tough and pretty. It is not too hard, not too soft. It is a great laying couch without looking like a sloppy bachelor pad, and it is elegant and I can dress it up.

Guess what?!

I am calling and making it official tomorrow!! They said that it will be about 6 to 7 weeks for them to come in. I can't wait. I am super excited! Now Mr. Man and I can do snuggles on the couch without being so uncomfortable!! YAY!

This trip was a blast! We seriously would spread our arms out and fall back on the couches to test them out. We even cuddled on a "cuddler chair." We also tested the two seater automatic recliners, and raced! Despite what Mr. Man says, I won! And we even walked around singing... haha, we are crazy! We had a blast. It was the best "shopping" trip with Mr. Man ever!! Because we actually agreed! And we immediately knew they were the one!

Can I borrow you thoughts and opinions?

I have been having a dilemma lately. I have been working on redecorating our bedroom for several months now. I have the color theme that I want, but I can not seem to find the perfect set of bedsheets for us. I once found the perfect bedsheets and when I went back for them, they were gone. I was extremely upset, and have put it off since. Since I live overseas, I have to shop online. I am always paranoid about this because I really like to see these things in person before I purchase them. But it really is time for a bedroom up-do. Not more putting off.

Can you help me out? I am 100% open to suggestions, places to purchase from, ideas, do's and don'ts, etc.

Here are the colors I have chosen: Turquoise and Chocolate Brown. Now, it does not have to be ONLY these colors. It can have different shades of browns or different shades of blues/turquoises or whatever. Like I said before, I am completely open.

A few pictures for inspiration:

 

Truthfully, I am not bought on these colors until I find the perfect set of sheets.

So, once again, I am open to suggestions. 

I am a plain kind of girl. 

I like classy, but elegant.

Nothing too out there.

And I would prefer less dark colors and more of the lighter colors.

Am I being too picky for any of you to even make suggestions? :)

I hope not!

I reached 100 followers!

I just realized that I reached 100 followers. I feel horrible because I have tossed the idea around of doing a giveaway, but I have done nothing to prepare for it. And right now just does not seem like the time to do one, so I thought I would take a couple of suggestions, recommendations, and advice to help boost my blog.

Should I do a giveaway when I reach 125-150 followers? What would you like to see me blog about? Would you like the chance to ask me questions, any questions? And last but definitely not least, do you recommend anyone that I could do an exchange with to get an awesome blog layout, buttons, etc?

Thanks to all of you who follow me! You guys rock!

Fitness Friday:

This Friday I decided to finally tell you all a little about me, how I got started, and where my goals are at this part in my "fitness world."

First off, I have realized that I use "fitness world" a lot. I use that term because I literally feel that it is a world of its own for me. I am a completely different person in the gym than at my house, hanging with friends, etc. Majority of the time it is because I am focused and determined, but nonetheless, it is another world for me. Also, my fitness goals take up a lot of my time and day. Not because I "live" in the gym, but because it is also about my lifestyle, my eating habits, my health.

Growing Up:

When I was growing up, I was chubbiest child in the family. I was born the smallest baby of my siblings, but soon grew to be the chubbiest of all. Both of my other siblings lost a lot of their baby fat once they began school. Not me. It took me several years later, in to my high school years, to finally lose my baby fat. Needless to say, that explains a lot. I was always the larger one and told from a very young age that once I got older I would have to watch what I eat to maintain a healthy weight.

In high school, I slimmed down quite a bit. It was not until my Freshman year in high school that I slimmed down to my smallest. I loved the feeling, but my body had naturally did it on its own. 

How I Got Started:

In high school, there was always the talk of everyone that gains the 10 pounds after graduating from high school and beginning college. Then there was always the 10 pounds that people gained once they got married. Well, I was engaged by my senior year in high school. (Yes, you heard that right!) I was not only facing the 10 pound gain from graduating, but also the 10 pound gain from getting married. 

Since I had always worried that I would easily gain this weight, because I do gain weight very easily and very fast, I began thinking about things I could do. With Mr. Man just graduating from Basic and Tech School, he was already into the cardio routine and encouraged me to go with him to the gym. We did this for a year of our marriage and that was that.

Well, a few days after our 1 year wedding anniversary, Mr. Man deployed for what was suppose to be a 6 month deployment. When he left, I was working full-time. I quickly began shedding the pounds because I was going to the gym everyday in order to fill up my time, plus working many hours. I knew I wanted to loose more weight because I knew being so short, I still looked like I had extra pounds that I could leave behind. The StairMaster and Elliptical became my best friends. (Oh, and the sauna!) Mr. Man and I discussed the workout regimen and the eating habits (because I had horrible eating habits). He was working out there and wanted to get "big." He did his thing, I did mine. 

He came back from his deployment, and that is when we hit it off. I realized how obsessed I was with becoming fit, always improving myself. Once I would see one goal, I pushed harder realizing that it was all so reachable. One thing lead to another, and here I am today. We've been working out together as a couple for 3 years now. I am including the time he was deployed (the first time) because we were both working out, but obviously not together. Now, we had both thrown around weights and did cardio from the very beginning of our marriage, but we honestly did not have any idea of what we were doing and we were not as focused as we are now. So I can not and will not include that. 

The beginning was hard. I will not lie. I would get so sore and could not move that I would be so miserable. But I always reminded myself that if there was no pain, then there was no gain. It is hard, especially first getting started. It sucks. You have to train yourself, your mind, your thoughts, your body, everything. There were days where I would just want to give up, and Mr. Man was there to encourage me. Sometimes I would get so exhausted and frustrated where I would tell him that if he didn't love me for me without all the working out then oh well. It is not easy, but it is well worth the fight! Still to this day I get tired of it, frustrated, have a mental block, but after a week or two of letting go, I always have to go back. And when I do, I go back 100 times stronger than the last time. And really that is what it is all about. 

My Goals At This Point:

Originally my goals were to be healthy and lose weight. I lost some weight and began getting healthy, but then I started to see my muscle definition. 

I have a lot of people ask me what is my goal. They ask me because they say I am so small and I look so healthy, so why more. I really have a hard time answering this because I do realize that I am small. I do recognize that I look healthy. But that really isn't what it is about. It's about how you feel about yourself and what your own personal goals are. My goal is just to be happy and confident in my own skin. 

So right now, I can say that my goals are to maintain my size but lose more of my body fat and gain muscle in its place. This is something that takes time. Definitely does not happen over night. I really like to get back where I was with my lifting, but my schedule right now is not allowing that because it messes with my eating schedule, which in turn messes with my energy level. Overall, my most important focus is my legs because I have large hips and thighs. 

A new workout that Mr. Man showed me today that I really want to be able to do is Medicine Ball Crunch/Hit. I did it today to see if I could handle it, and it HURT! My abs are sore from yesterday, so I ended up having to drop the ball on myself so it would not hit as hard. And of course, I used a 6 pound weight ball and not a 12 like in the video!

Hopefully, I can post some pictures soon. I just got to remember to take my camera to the gym with me!
 

Thusday Five

Thursday Five with Mannland5!

To play, you just write about 5 things that make you feel: 

Happy

Delighted

Grateful

Totally Stoked

Thankful

Shrimp Ettouffe makes me happy, and that is exactly what I had for dinner last night. It definitely hit the spot!

I am delighted to announce that I am going to be an "Auntie" for the first time! It is not completely out of the bag yet, but once it is the blog will get the details.

I am grateful to have the things in life that I have. Money, school, travel opportunities, a house, no debt, and our baby boy!

I am totally stoked about my best friend getting married FINALLY!

I am thankful that I have a solid life, a stable life for myself, my family, and my future family.

Please forgive me for many posts for the day. I am way behind on this blogging stuff and just trying to catch up!

 

Kindred Connection: A Day Late

So I missed out on Kristen's Kindred Connection party yesterday, so I am going to do it today. This weeks topic was based around movie topics. 

The questions are:

1. What was your favorite movie as a child?

Growing up, my sister and I watch The Little Mermaid over and over and over again. We each actually had bikes that were The Little Mermaid theme. I remember being little bitty, and me and my sister snuggling on the couch in just our underwear watching this movie.  

2. If you could live in any movie as your fictional world, which one would it be?

This is a tough one, and I honestly do not know if I can answer it. Give me a few minutes to think, then I'll be back....

 

I think I got it. I would want to be in Charlie's Angels or one of the Fast and Furious as a flag girl... :) 

3. Have you ever seen a midnight showing, or hosted a movie release party? Tell us about it!

 I have not been to a midnight showing, and truthfully I am not that big into movies. Yes, I have movies that I love and adore, but I can not stand immature, drunk, and rowdy teenagers.. and same goes for the adults that act 2 years old. I have also never hosted a movie release party. Once again, not that big into movies.

4. What movie release are you most looking forward to this year?

I am ready to see Eclipse. My experience with New Moon was ruined. See the answer above on how it got ruined. And sadly, that was not even a midnight showing. Nor one of the first daytime showings. Hopefully Eclipse will make up for what happened with New Moon, and if not, oh well.

5. Are you a theatre goer, renter, or wait-and-buyer?

Mostly a wait-and buyer. Why? Because I like to buy them on Blu-Ray. Mr. Man loves Blu-Ray and truthfully that is about all we buy now. Sometimes, if we have nothing to do one evening or one weekend, we will rent a couple of movies. And if we want a reason to get out of the house on a rainy day or cold day, I will convince him to go to the movies. We have probably been to the movies less than 10 times throughout our relationship, no kidding. Which we have been together almost 6 years. 

God Has Been Good To Me:

Here's how I am feeling today!

God's Been Good to Me by Keith Urban

Well I can't believe I'm sittin' here today

Picking on my banjo with a big smile on my face

Writin' new words to an old school melody

Hey there ain't no doubt that God's been good to me

Oh the sun is shinin' on down in Tennessee

And right now where I'm right where I wanna be

I've never felt so loved, so peaceful and so free

Hey there ain't no doubt that God's been good to me

(Chorus:)

'Cause he put me smack dab in the middle of Paradise

In the heart of the city where my dreams have come alive

And everything I have, and everything I see

Is just another reminder that God's been good to me

This golden road's been long

And sometimes I've lost my way

I've been down some darkened detours

Leanin' heavy on my faith

But where the devil had me chained

Lord your love done set me free

Hallelujah! God's been good to me

Bang, Bang, Ka-Boom

Have you ever sat back and thought about exactly what you want out of life? Many people do not discover themselves and the things they want until later in life. However, I have had the opportunity, the privilege to know exactly what I want at a very young age. I am not just talking about getting married or finding love. I am talking about the whole 9 yards. The whole shebang.

Once you finally discover yourself and realize exactly what you want and expect out of life, you want it right then and there. You are willing to do whatever it takes to make your dreams come true. You will work nonstop, become more determined than ever, and find ways to motivate yourself to keep yourself going. Because after all, it is what YOU want.

Have you ever figured all this out, began working nonstop to make your dreams come only to loose it all... over and over again? That is where I feel I am at. Maybe not over and over again, but it definitely hit me hard in the gut this last go around. You know the feeling you get when you are so close to succeeding, what you want is right at your fingertips, but all of a sudden the road begins to crack right in front of you (of course, you don't notice it yet) but then the cracks just keep growing and growing and growing until a cliff is formed and as you are reaching for the finish line.... Bam! You fall off the cliff. And have to get back up and try again. Only this time, hoping your dreams, your wishes, your faith, your dedication, your patience, your body is just as strong, strong enough to continue to make it happen.

This post is not meant to be a depressing post at all. Just because I am going through this, I went through this, it has not impacted me in a negative way, surprisingly. Why? Because God is on my side. God has given me the opportunity to learn some life lessons that I would not have learned otherwise. The last couple of days I was thrown a curve ball. It is nothing bad, nothing hysterical, nothing to break me apart by any means. But it was enough to hurt me, disappointment me, upset me, and even excite me. 

With this, I have learned that I am so thankful. Thankful to have the strength, the courage, the determination, the happiness, the bond, the love, the patience, the support to be who I am, to recognize who I am and what I have. I have always been thankful for my life, for my blessings. I have. I have always thanked God for taking care of me and showing me the right path in life, the right path for me. And I always (and I mean always) count my blessings. When I'm driving, when I'm working out in the gym, when I'm alone, anytime anywhere. And I have so much to be thankful for. 

This week I have learned a life lesson. One that I took for granted in a sense. One I obsessed over. Something that I wanted to be in control of to a degree. Something that I am learning just how lucky I am, just how blessed I am, just how nice it will be when all my wishes, hopes, and dreams do come true. Because I have had this time to grow, to learn, to see, and to appreciate. And with this, I will live, laugh, love, be happy, and grow fonder.

Awards:

I just recently got a few blog awards, and I am way behind from some I got a couple of months ago that I never posted about. I can not remember exactly who sent them, so if you sent them and you are reading this please leave a comment so I can show you some love and give recognition for it!

The first award is from Sarah at Confession's of a Sailor's Wife. It is the "Sunshine Award." Thanks so much for the award, Sarah! It has made my day!

The rules of this award is to pass it to 12 other bloggers. Since I have already passed this award once, I would like to open it up to all Military Spouses that follow me! Because other Military Spouses are just a few bloggers that really brighten my day!

The second award came from Mrs. S. at The Adventures of Mr. Superman and Mrs. S. It is called "The Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award." So thanks, Mrs. S., for passing this award to me!!

The rules for this one is to list 10 things about yourself, then pass it to 10 others.

So the 10 (very random) things I am going to tell you about myself are:

1.) I love to dip Goldfish, the cracker fish, into pickle juice and eat them. It is so dang delicious! Actually, I will just tell you that I am a pickle junky. Another weird thing I like to do with pickles is put them in my scrambled eggs. I got Mr. Man to try this on the morning of his birthday. He just said, "It is ok." But I seriously love it!

2.) My two fears include losing Mr. Man, never seeing him again, and not being able to have my own children. 

3.) I am a full time student with the University of Phoenix majoring in Elementary Education. I love being a student, and I have always said, and still do, that if I could be a student forever, I would. I love learning new things. 

4.) I also love children. If you ever need a babysitter, call me. Or just come knock on my door. Seriously.

5.) I have two of the bestest friends in the whole wide world, so I am going to give a shout-out to them. Dever and Coco!! Of course, my two other besties include Mr. Man and my sister.

6.) I am deathly afraid of IV's, stitches, needles, broken bones, etc. The only needles I have ever came in contact with is when I got my belly, ears, and tongue pierced (which I no longer have my tongue pierced) and when I have to have blood drawn for certain tests. I definitely tear up and have a minor anxiety every single time! I have never had stitches although I have seen them being put into one of my cousins. I have only had strained bones, never broken.

7.) I have only been drunk 3 times in my life. One time was when Mr. Man left for the Air Force back in 2005 because me and my family through him a huge party. Another time was for my high school graduation in 2006. And the third time was for July 4th of 2009.

8.) I love being outdoors. Fishing, hunting, laying out, boating, swimming, etc... Love it!

9.) I am a spoiled rotten wife. I will admit. Although I must admit that I do love it. Who wouldn't?! I have a gazillion pairs of shoes, a gazillion pair of blue jeans, a gazillion skirts... ok, ok I have a lot of clothes in general. I get massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures regularly.

10.) I am very grateful for the life I have been giving. The opportunity to have met Mr. Man so young and marry him. To begin our life so young and not have any problems has been a blessing in itself. The opportunity to be who I want, go to school, have no debt, own a house, have savings for our future children, and the ability to travel is nice. I am thankful for my supportive family and friends. I am thankful that God has allowed me the time, patience, and strength to make my own life decisions without throwing me too many curve balls.

Ok, I hope that did not bore you too much!

Now to pass it to 10 people. I really do not think I will hit 10 people, but here I go anyway.

1.) Dani at Hard Corps Love

2.) Taylor at The Undomestic Momma

3.) Expat Girl at The Sand is Different Here

4.) The Longs in Italy

5.) Birdie at Soldier's Lady

Thanks again ladies for the awards! They are greatly appreciated!

My Birthday Boy

Yesterday was Mr. Man's birthday. Yes, he shared it the same day as Father's Day. It was a nice and relaxing weekend for us (for the most part).

Mr. Man was on standby for work, which it was suppose to be a 3 day weekend. That 3 day weekend did not happen for us at all. Mr. Man had to go in to work on Friday and do some work. It ended up taking him all day long. He got there a little after 8, and was there for a while. Then, that night we got a phone call at midnight about one of the alarms going off, but thankfully someone else volunteered to go up there and straighten it out. 

On Saturday, it was laid back. I took Mr. Man out to a nice Indian restaurant that is not far from the house. I am not an Indian food eater, but he has been wanting to try it. We went, and it was good. Like I said, not really my kind of food, but I could tell that it was fresh ingredients and homemade. That in itself made it worth it for me. The Nan bread was absolutely amazing. I loved it, but I love all bread. Mr. Man enjoyed it, too. After we ate, we went bowling. It was a Saturday night, and I wanted to go early before the crowds got there. It worked out. We played 4 games, all of which I won. Surprisingly, I won. I say this because the first couple of frames I totally gutter-balled every single one. I was ok with it, but Mr. Man decided to give me some small lessons. Just about throwing it straight and not all crooked. That is me. I am goofy. Well, after I got it down, it was a strike or spare every single time. It was beyond hilarious. Poor Mr. Man had to stick it out for the night. Finally on the last game, he conveniently bowled for me while I drank some water and went to the bathroom. I come back and he is winning. It worked out because it was his birthday, so he deserved to get his way. It was a nice night. We had a blast. We went home and Mr. Man asked me if I had seen the movie "UP". And I hadn't, so he suggested we watch it together. He had already seen it, though, but it was still fun to watch it with him and snuggle up on the couch together. Do I not have the best man ever or what?! He totally is so family-oriented and selfless. It was an adorable movie, too.

On Sunday, we got a phone call bright and early from his work. He had to go in. It was fine that he went in because I thought he would be back by church time. Wrong. So I laid in bed a little longer. Of course, I could have went to church alone, but I didn't have gas in my car and the gas station was close that early in the morning. Needless to say, we missed church. He got back at about 11am, and said he saw a few things going on in a couple of towns nearby that we could go to. One was a fair and the others were car boot sales. Once again, thinking about ME on his birthday! We went did that and got some shopping done, and back home we were. My family called and wished Mr. Man a Happy Birthday. His Mom called, but that was it from his side. He was very bummed about it. Mostly because he called his Dad to tell him Happy Father's Day and his Dad didn't remember. But in his Dad's defense, it has been a busy last couple of weeks for everyone between vacations and work and things, so I just explained that to Mr. Man but it didn't really work. He asked to go walk our son since it was pretty outside, and the whole time he was thinking about it. He would just make some small comments that made me realize it was really bothering him. When we got home, I asked what I could do to make him feel better thinking I was going to get something really sarcastic, like cook dinner, do clothes, wash dishes, give him a foot rub, etc. He is pretty sarcastic like that, but not this time. He just said, "Nothing. It's not your fault. I will just have to get use to the fact that people don't remember my birthday anymore." I wanted to cry. Made my heart break! 

But I did cheer him up by playing Modern Warfare with him. We played on 2 players. If you know me, you know I strongly dislike that game. It's too loud, too bloody, and just not nice, so I would rather have nothing to do with it. Yea... I played with him for 2 hours!! Help him get some medals on the 2 player part, and that was that. I must admit I had fun, but I am not addicted to it in any way.

That pretty much sums up our weekend. It was nice and laid back, except for the calls from work in the early morning and late night. 

Getting to Know You with MannLand5

I am (once again) participating in Keely's Getting to Know You. I generally do this every Sunday when I am not too busy and can squeeze it in. I love doing this because the questions are definitely "Get to Know You" type questions, and I know I love to get to know and meet new people. 

So this week the questions are:

1. While at the beach, pool, etc..Do you cover up your assets or show them off?

Depends on how confident I am feeling. Majority of the time I can look around and know that I am ok to show what I have, but sometimes I would rather save some people's eye sight. Just depends on how I am feeling, really. But lately I have been showing them off. The reason is because I do not get that opportunity here in England much, so when I do, I tend to take advantage of it.

2. Road trips or Plane trips?

Generally, I would say road trips... and I still think this is true for the most part. Just recently we took a "plane trip" to Italy from England. The flight was not so bad, but it is not my thing either. So it depends on how far this road trip is. Anything over a 12 hour drive, I may choose a plane instead.

3. I can't stand it when...?

I can not stand when people make excuses for themselves or lie to themselves about things. I wish people could face reality with a strong head and move past it. I know it's easier said than done, and not many people are strong enough, but I just wish everyone was born with that instinct.

4. Have you ever gone topless at the beach?

Oh gosh!! hahaha!! I have never gone topless at the beach. Why? Well because I have NOTHING to go topless for or any reason to go topless. However, if I did have that something, something then I may if it was only Mr. Man and I. Never would I do it in public. No way. My goodies are for my husband only. 

But I do have a funny story for you. Mr. Man and I were at the beach in Venice laying out. We had just got done swimming, and I really wanted to get some sun. We laid on our layout beds and began soaking up the sun. We were both exhausted from the day, so not long after laying there we fell asleep. I woke up to flip over, so I flipped and realized Mr. Man was sleeping and never flipped. While I was rolling over, I get knocked in the face with some old, wrinkly boobies. Ok, not literally, but definitely plain as day. And this old woman was definitely confident about it. Oh, and she really was not that old.. maybe early 50s or so? But too old for me to want to she that, right? Ok, so I start laughing hysterically. "Stupid American" moment, I know. So I lay down on my stomach all calmly and wake Mr. Man up and tell him he needs to flip. So he pops up and begins to flip over. I stop him and tell him as he's flipping to look to the front and right of me. He did NOT even notice. (Made me feel like I have a really awesome man at this point!) So I am giggling, once again. Mr. Man was like, "What is so funny? Do I have something on me?" I told him, "No, and to search again." Still didn't notice. So finally I get up and gaze my eyes towards her, so he will follow them. Yep!!! What a moment?!! Mr. Man goes, "Oh, Wow!! BOOBIES!!" Poor guy never sees boobies. But what makes this even more funny is the fact that everytime we saw a sculptor of a female and her boobs or a painting of a naked woman, Mr. Man had to always say, "Yay! BOOBIES!" Of course, quietly to me... and we would giggle. Hilarious! I know. So to make this even more great. Mr. Man is wide awake. I am giggling so hard. So, Mr. Man says, "Want to see how good your camera is?" Oh gosh, I started laughing ridiculously and am slapping at his hand to NOT grab the camera and make it obvious. Mr. Man says, "No, I'm giving it to you. It won't look as suspicious if you do it." O-M-G! I am rolling at this point. So I grab the camera and begin taking pictures, which I haven't posted yet. It was just pictures of the beach in general. Then I lead it towards her direction and her arm is covering her boob. Needless to say, I got no good pictures. But wait, that isn't it. Mr. Man gets frustrated and says, "Just give it to me, darn it." This was all in fun and games, of course. He managed to get a halfway decent picture of it. I guess it's one of those "you had to be there" type funnies.

5. How many blog carnivals do you do a week?

2-3 depending on how busy I am with school work and volunteering.

6. My favorite thing about the weekend is...?

The fact that Mr. Man is home, we can sleep in, spend family time with our furry son, and do whatever we want. Also, I love church days!

7. Pancakes or waffles?

I love them both, but I only like pancakes from Ihop. Ihop pancakes with blueberries on top, then I use strawberry syrup. Nom, Nom, Nom. But I could eat waffles from anywhere, including my own house! YUM!

8. Water Park or Amusement Park?

I really love water parks. I miss being in the sun and swimming all the time. I miss getting tan and the wave pools. Definitely water park for me.