11 random things...

from Krista over at Saturated Canary

Some Questions:

There are five rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you've tagged them.

11 Randoms

1. This is a picture I took yesterday. I feel like an idiot taking pics of myself, but I wanted to document my new haircut :)

2. I'm FB chatting with my brother. He travels every week for work and I don't get to see him often

3. I am OCD about random things. Legitimately OCD. My dad is too! But different random things lol

4. All I want to do right now is bundle up and go hiking

5. I love to cook. I cook elaborate meals for dinner almost every single day. I am pretty great at it, but I started learning at 3, so I have had lots of practice

6. I have a habit of reading 2-3 books at a time. I read about a book a day, everyday

7. It's bright and sunny outside right now. It's also freezing out

8. I am 7 years younger than my husband.

9. I only listen to sad music. I can't freaking stand happy songs at all haha! But I am definitely a happy person

10. Amish country is one of my favorite places to waste time

11. I plan my travels around whether or not there will be cool museums to visit, which is probably not for everyone, but my hubby is a good sport!

Questions:
1. Favorite nail color?

I have a vivid turquoise that I'm into right now

2. Pink or RED lipstick?...or are you a gloss kinda gal?

I don't wear lipstick often but when I do I wear candy apple red

3. Where would you like to go if you could go anywhere on Earth?

I am dying to go to Paris

4. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I'm a night owl, always have been

5. Are you really chatty or super quiet? Or maybe somewhere in between??

In between, I'll talk to anybody, but I don't really strike up convos

6. What is one thing you want to accomplish this year?

This year, I've already accomplished so much!

7. What is your best talent/gift?

Trivia. I am the king of random trivia

8. Do you have a tattoo?

I have 3 tattoos. An Irish one on my back, my last name on one ankle, and another small one on my other ankle

9. What is one thing you'd like to learn more about?

Business. I'd like to open a brick and mortar store in the next few years.

10. You're alter ego would be a _______. (think occupation:)

Fighter pilot, without a doubt! That is the most badass thing I can think of, and I'm a little obsessed with Top Gun

11. What three people (past or present) would you like to meet?

I never got to meet my dad's Mom, so she is my #1. #2 would be the architect of my favorite house and #3 I'd like to meet James Cagney :)

My Questions for You:

1. What city did you grow up in?

2. What is the oldest item of clothing you own?

3. What is your favorite movie, and why?

4. When did you begin blogging?

5. What are your lesser know hobbies/talents?

6. What kind of car do you drive? Do you like it?

7. If you could change any 1 thing in your life, no matter how big, what would it be?

8. What is your favorite city?

9. What is your favorite meal to eat?

10. Have any of your relatives (ancestor-present day) served in the military?

11. What are you most looking forward to in 2012?

I keep my blog pretty vague/anon so I thought I'd share some randoms :)

These days

So far, this year is treating me quite well. I have a new job that I really like. I am happy with so many opportunities I have found lately! Hawk got a new job he really wanted and we're hoping to put our house on the market within the next 18 months. I can't wait to find our forever house and say goodbye to our little first house :)

The First Night of 2012

On NYE we went to an event called First Night. You buy a button to wear which is your ticket in to various events all night. Last year was our first visit and we LOVED it! I am a big fan of live music, museums and architecture, so it was made for me. Some highlights were:

Lisa & Heather Malyuk are sisters and phenomenal musicians. They play modern, celtic, folky stuff, LOVE them!

I was so excited to see them perform in our local Art Museum lobby! It's a pretty space.

The next performance we saw was in the gorgeous ballroom of a building called Greystone Hall. It was built in 1917, and the architecture is breathtaking

This year there were horse drawn carriage rides. This was extremely popular, and we did not want to wait in line for 1 1/2 hrs, so we skipped it.

we explored the Civic Theater which is my favorite building in the city. I sang here with choirs years ago, and my high school graduation was also held here!

there was a "make-your-own" mask craft, which we did for the 2nd yr

this made me smile the most. My Grandmother used to work in this building!

and finally we saw opera performances in the Actor's Summit which is actually on the top floor of the building the ballroom is in.

We had an absolutely wonderful end to a completely awful year!

Thank you for waring so we do not need to war

I'm a couple weeks behind, what else is new?

As you may or may not know, I have an 8 year old step-daughter. She is in 3rd grade at a great little school. About a week before Christmas, a big yellow envelope arrived in the mail, addressed to my husband. When we opened it, we discovered that it was from the guidance counselor at my step-daughter's school, this is what HER card said:

and this is what was inside:

There are 30 of them! The kids wrote, colored and decorated these cards for parents of students that are in the military. My husband and I were completely blown away. Here is a small sample of the insides :)





but THIS one is my favorite. This one is so innocent but meaningful to me. This kid knows exactly why my husband and so many others do what they do, even if he doesn't really understand. The core reason why they serve is in hopes that future generations don't have to.

we sat and read every single card. It was a highlight of our holiday season!

Not your average New Year's blog post

2012 will be a pivotal year for me. Well, they all are, aren't they? But 2011 was the first year I ever truly felt like an adult. It was not marred by a deployment or the death of anyone close to me. It also was one of my hardest years.

Reintegration after a deployment takes so much more time than you would ever expect.

It was a hard year, because I felt unproductive and 1/4 life-crisisy all year long. But next year (my 26th) I have to make some decisions. And decisions will also be made by others that affect me too.

I'm completely changing the course of my education. I hate that I'm STILL IN SCHOOL, but I did take a lot of time off to deal with life. I am a different person than I was 1 year ago today. And a better person, I can say without doubt.

I celebrated one year of marriage this October. I turned 25! I reached my goal weight through commitment and hard work. No shortcuts. I had heartbroken days and days I didn't want to end.

I don't make resolutions. But I do make goals, because they keep me on track. They keep me happy.

One of my goals for next year is to just let go. My past weighs me down, as I'm sure is normal when you lose your mom at such a young age. I was a child much longer than I've been an adult, yet, so most of my history is colored by memories of someone I love that I no longer have. And you know, she'd be SO "GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE!"

I think the biggest challenge for me this year has been figuring out who the hell I am and how to allow myself the room to grow into who I'm meant to be. Which I'm doing. And I feel more Me everyday.

So, 2012;

• Be more present
• Focus on happiness
• Be more fearless

Anything that makes me happier and makes me feel more alive is an investment in myself.

adventuring

I realize I haven't blogged since JULY. Wow. That is because I lost my "voice" a long time ago, between deployment, reintegration, 1/4 life crisis, etc...

Anyway, I am at a really good place in life now. I am working living a happier, fulfilling, more ME life.

My latest big adventure was in honor of our 1 year wedding anniversary. I wasn't sure if we could top (let alone match) our honeymoon trip to Ireland, but my expectations were blown out of the water. I live to travel, and while trying to plan the perfect anniversary trip, groupon started their travel program. On a whim, I booked us a trip to a place called Ludlow, Vermont.

It was AMAZING!

We stayed at a wonderful hotel Castle Hill Resort and Spa

in this gorgeous mountain town. Ludlow is a small town in the Green Mountains, and is usually a ski resort town. We however, went off season, in October. Here is a pic of the lovely resort. It is a former mansion that now houses a 5 star French-American Restaurant and 10 guest suites. I can't begin to describe how beautiful the building is. I am an architecture junkie, and the gorgeous details of this house took my breath away.

We rented a car, boarded the dogs and embarked on the 10+ hour journey into the unknown, as I made a loose itinerary that left more room free for exploring than a rigid schedule. I am SUCH a control freak, and we don't normally travel with such a casual plan. But I am so glad we did. I got to explore the next town over (Springfield, VT. Who's claim to fame is that the won some type of Simpson's contest and were chosen to host the Simpson's movie premiere. Random!) I found the most beautiful used book store there and spent about 2 hours exploring it. I came away with a lot of rare books, so I was in heaven.

Later that day, and back in Ludlow, we ate at a small family owned restaurant and the sweet owners told us how to find our way up Mt. Okemo. So, we did it. We drove a long winding road, going higher and higher until we found a good place to park. We then hiked 3 miles further, and came to the highest point around. There is an old fire-tower the rangers used until the 60's. we climbed that and this was our view. We actually watched a storm roll in about 30 miles away. It was unbelievable.

and here I am at the top. Freezing my fingers off.
husband and I. On our 1 yr anniversary.
we ended the night at (of course) the local Irish Pub, The Killarney

I didn't take pics because my camera was dead :(

This bar was great for a number of reasons, but we loved it because 2 entire walls were dedicated to patches from Police, Firefighters and Military units from all over the country. In case you don't know, Vermont is right next to NY, and the Sept. 11th attacks affected them greatly. They take their support of those who defend and protect very seriously. When my husband offered the bartender a 4th ID patch of his own, not only did she exchange a free drink for it, she thanked him for his service and introduced him to the entire staff. For military wives, that small appreciation means a lot. It's not everyday that I see the support and appreciation given to my soldier. Especially from people that were so deeply affected by the terrorist events that have defined our generation and this war.

I will be adding more pics and stories soon. Thanks for continuing to read my poor neglected blog!

4th of July 2011

This year, for the 4th, we didn't make any plans. M's job is unpredictable, so we didn't know if he was going to have to go in or not. At the last minute, we found out he didn't so, we set off in search of something to do. There's a little town called Suffield not too far from where we live. We love it there and hope to eventually buy a little farm there :) On the 4th, we found a little boat rental place on a small lake. They rent rowboats, pedalboats and ones with engines too. We opted for a rowboat, since the lake was so small. The owner was clearly a veteran (hat, shirt, tats, etc... lol) so he and M talked for a while, as vets tend to do, and he gave us a great deal on the boat for the day!

Neither of us had ever been there, and we were amazed at how pretty and peaceful it was. One side of the lake has railroad tracks running along it. While we were there a train went by, about 45 feet from us, it was right on the water, so crazy! On the other side is this building, it's called the Wingfoot Lake Hangar. The city I'm from is known for building blimps, and we have one that flys around above the city on an almost daily basis. I always wondered if other cities have them too, but I don't think very many exist. Anyway, the Hangar is like a blimp garage.

I spent most of the time reading, and slathering myself in spf 85

After 3 hours of no luck, M finally caught a fish! It was the only one he caught that day, and when we talked to a few other boaters, we found out nobody was having any luck. There are a few houses around the lake, and they had been shooting off fireworks intermittently, which I suspect has something to do with it!

He (of course!) threw the little fish right back in

We had an awesome day, and we plan to go back to the little lake soon. Fireworks are difficult for my husband, as they are for many veterans that suffer from PTSD. I'm thankful we found an alternate activity that allowed us to enjoy the day, without the stress and anxiety we'd have otherwise.