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Cali.

26 Apr

We spent a week in California this month and it was such a blessing to me.
I was partially dreading it because I thought being around all of my Dad’s family would make me acutely aware of him missing. Although I did feel a bit of that, it wasn’t the empty feeling I had expected. I knew he was gone but I felt so close to him, staying in his childhood room and imagining what he would say in conversation. I could just picture him smiling proudly as he showed Royal off. He loved being Papa. It was like he was made alive again with the stories we shared and the love that we all have for him. The whole experience was healing.
I wish more than anything that he could be with us, but I am so thankful for the bonds of family that live on in his absence. I know he was smiling that whole week while looking down on us.

Boating.

29 Sep

Since we moved here to Florida, over 3 years ago, we would always drive over the Destin Bridge and see all the boats. It looked like such a blast and we would always say “we should do that!!” but it took us until this summer to actually go for it!

We have now gone out 4 times in a 2 month period. We’re kinda boating addicts now. It’s so relaxing being out on the water, looking at beautiful scenery, wading in clear blue water, and soaking up the sun. Seriously like being on a little vacation just 20 minutes from your house.

Royal loves it too! He will skip his entire nap because he’s having such a blast. I’ve never known this child to skip a nap-time but he is just so busy looking at all the other boats and swimming that he doesn’t even notice how sleepy he is.

Now anytime we have visitors in town we’re going to of course suggest this as THE MUST DO during their stay. It’s just so fun!! You simply throw some sandwiches in a cooler, grab lots of water and sunscreen, and then you’re set for a whole day of relaxing and chilling with your friends. Perfection!

Although I’m sad we waited so long to try this boating thing, I’m really thankful that it came to us in this season of our lives. We needed fun this summer! We needed relaxation! We needed friend time! We really just needed to have an escape where we could be carefree for a little while. It was everything I needed this summer.

I hope we can at least get one more trip in this year, but if not…next summer will be full of weekends like this! I can’t wait!!

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The gap.

10 Jun

This next week I’ll be in a place that has always held so much magic and wonder for me. A place that holds so many of my most beautiful childhood memories that I couldn’t even begin to make a list of them. It’s a place that was made so special to me by my Dad, with all of the stories of the impact it had on his own childhood. He was always his most happy there and in turn it became my most happy place as well. I’m talking about our family ranch in Wyoming.

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I’ve always dreamed of passing on this same love, and the magic of it, onto my own children. I couldn’t wait to make the drive up the long winding path with such anticipation of new memories sure to bloom. I always pictured my Dad driving the car and my child and I in the backseat. This was supposed to be the summer this dream became reality but it’s all a little different now in the way it will transpire. It will now be the same car full of people that I imagined with the exception of my precious daddy.

I so was looking forward to watching my dad push Royal on the same swing that the 3 generations before him swung on. I pictured my Dad awaiting us in the morning, as he always did, on the sun-porch with his Bible, coffee, and the biggest welcoming smile you’d ever see. I couldn’t wait for my dad to take Royal for his first dune buggy ride, to see the look of pure joy on my son’s face as his papa would race around the winding roads and up the ranch hills. This place has always been about adventure for us and my dad was the one who always took the lead. I wanted my son to have the same memories of my dad here as I did. I will just have to fill him with the love of the ranch without the help of my dad. I want Royal to always know how much his Papa loved this place and how much he would have loved to have him there with him. I pray Royal treasures the ranch as much as every other child who grew up around it does.

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The ranch holds so much history and love there. My parents met and got engaged on this ranch. I lived there as a tiny baby with them for a portion of my babyhood. I met some of my cousins for the first time there. I got married by the river there. I’ll never forget the memory of my dad ringing that ranch bell with tears streaming down his face to announce that I was about to come down the aisle. I also won’t forget those last few moments when I was still all his. He even drove past the aisle, while waving, with the biggest mischievous grin on his face pretending to run off with me. I won’t forget how he pulled on my arm and asked me to walk a little slower as I tried to race towards my groom. He wanted to soak it all in and boy am I thankful we did. When I found out I was pregnant the first time it happened at the ranch too. I’ll never forget finding my dad working in the yard and telling him I was going to be a mom. He gave me the biggest hug he’s ever given me. He was so thrilled to be becoming a grandpa. My dad loved me so big and I felt his love so strongly when we were there sharing in our favorite place together. It’s just not going to ever be the same without him.

I keep having to remind myself that I’m lucky to even have the memories of such a loving father. Some aren’t so lucky. The next few weeks will be entirely difficult as we go through Father’s Day, laying my Dad down in his final resting place, and having our 5 year wedding anniversary all within 4 days time, but I know that honoring him and sharing in the memories we all have with him on this ranch will be healing in it’s own unique way. He gets to live on in memories and I’m always going to fight to keep them as vivid as if they were presently happening. I love my dad. I miss him more than words can express, but I thank God every day that I can feel the gap left by this amazing man because it proves to me just how much I loved him and how much he loved me!

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PRK.

31 May

Last week we traveled to Biloxi Mississippi for Scott to have PRK (corrective eye surgery.) He chose to have it done at Keesler AFB because it was only 2.5 hours from our home, and they are the best military base that offers the surgery. The drive was easy so we took off early Monday morning so that he could make it to his 9 am appointment. He received his final approval so we checked into the Fisher House, which is a by donation charity that offers a place for military to stay while their family member receives medical treatment. It was such a blessing to stay at such a comfortable place while we were away from home. They had volunteers come in, most nights, and cook meals for us too. I didn’t realize that places like this existed but everyone there was so sweet to us and it made a world of difference with our almost two year old running a muck.

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Royal still wasn’t a huge fan of being cooped up all day so we spent the days going to the park, playing at the splash pad on base, and we even took him bowling for his first time. It was hard at nights sharing one room though, and Scott and I had to go to sleep when Royal did otherwise he’d stay up with us. He’s so active and observant that he wants to always be doing what we’re doing, so the one room arrangement was a little more than trying at times.

Scott had the surgery on Wednesday and within 30 minutes he was all done and I was able to pick him up. He built it up much scarier in his head than it actually ended up being. He couldn’t believe how easy it was. Everything went great! He had to have a follow up appointment the next morning but Scott asked, because of the 4 day weekend approaching, if we could travel home as we only lived 2.5 hours away. The doctor said that was absolutely fine as long as his eyes looked like they were progressing well the next morning. Luckily his first follow-up went great!! He was seeing 20/15 which were the best results the doctor had seen all day. Scott was excited about his eyes and Royal and I were excited to be going home!

 

The first few days of recovery were almost pain free for Scott but Saturday and Sunday he woke up in some pretty intense pain and had to turn to his pain meds. The meds easily managed the pain and Scott still continues to rave about how worth it this surgery is to him. We traveled back to Mississippi last night because Scott had his final appointment this morning. His left eye continues to see 20/15 and his right is pretty blurry but should clear up in the next day or so. The doc cleared him to go back to work and, best of all, to drive again. We’re so thankful that the surgery went flawlessly and that Scott was able to mostly recover here at home instead of us staying over a week in a hotel.


Life continues to be so busy but it keeps my mind occupied and my heart looking forward. It seems like I have more good days than bad these days, and that feels like a miracle!

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago.

29 Sep

If these deployments have taught me one thing it’s that busy is your very best friend!

I’ve had one big thing to look forward to every month, and that works as my light at the end of the tunnel. As long as I have something to work towards then it breaks up the full length of the deployment. If you’re only focusing on the end then it seems impossible and you easily get discouraged and depressed. When there is something each month then you’re only allowed to get sad for a little while because you know something fun is right around the corner.

This month’s fun activity was a trip to Chicago to see my brother and his wife. Our buddy River was making a trip to that area to see his family so I asked if I could tag along. He was happy to have company during the drive so he said yes! Our friends Tonni and Michael volunteered to watch Clover (our dog) while we were gone, so with that final detail figured out we were able to go. I’m so thankful for our wonderful friends here in Florida. We have such a close community that has helped us through this deployment.211209I was really excited for this trip because I had thought that we wouldn’t see David and Rachel this year, because we’re not going home for the holidays. Although it was a long 15 hour drive, and we pulled an all nighter so that Royal could sleep the whole way, it was completely worth it. We did some site seeing but the only two things I really had on my list of MUSTS was that I wanted to try Chicago style pizza and a Chicago Dog. (Of course my priorities involved food. I.love.food.)192189197204205217218I enjoyed the pizza but it isn’t my favorite style. I have completely converted to the Chicago dog club though! I have never tasted such a delicious hot dog in my life! I now have some intense cravings going on for these things. Royal enjoyed the food as well! He had his first taste of pizza and ate an entire hot dog! I can’t believe he’s able to eat these things much less have the appetite to demolish them.269272314316315The best part of the trip was definitely when Royal started walking! He had been taking 3 steps in a row for a couple months now but never anything more. On the 16th something clicked though and he took off! I was cheering like the biggest dork, because I was so excited, and Royal had the most proud look on his face. I love these milestones but they remind me that my baby is escaping me. He did this after eating a chocolate bar he found on the couch! (haha.)

260We also had the pleasure of celebrating David’s 25th birthday with him. That was the night we went out for Chicago style pizza. I hate always missing each other’s birthdays so it was nice to finally be there for one with him.274I was so thankful to have the adult company of David and Rachel as I’m now used to being home in an empty house with just Royal and Clover since Scott deployed. You miss the simple things of having a meal together, going to the park, and watching Netflix with someone else. I most enjoyed these lazy moments during the trip. I love these two and was dreading the time ending.243225304311The visit somehow flew by and River was there picking us up from my brother’s apartment. We then spent the night with River’s family, 4 hours away, to break up the length of the trip and had an amazing visit with them. It was the perfect end cap to our trip. I love families that take you in and treat you like you belong right off the bat. River’s family is just like that. I so appreciated them opening their home to us and loving on my little fellow.181Then came the 12 hour all nighter back home!! BLEH!!!!! I’ll be happy if I never have to road trip again in my life. I’m completely kidding but I’m thankful for a break. Now I’m nursing a cold and we’re trying to settle back into our daily routine here in Florida. Royal is happy to be home and enjoys practicing his new walking skills around the house.

I just need to find the next big thing to focus on for next month!

The love and prayers mean so much to us during these deployments, so thank you all for them! xoxo203

Guest room.

4 Jun

Now that we’ve entertained our first guests in our newly redone guest room I figure I should post the pictures because I’m proud of it. This room was the difference between loving and hating our home. I couldn’t stand it for a very long time because it looked like some sort of storage room instead of a place for our loved ones to vacation in. We get a lot of visitors here so I wanted it to become a home away from home for those who fly to see us. I’m pretty pleased with the results! Enjoy the tour!!

Let’s start with a before pic. YAWN!:

17First I purchased a memory foam mattress cover, to add comfort to the bed, and then I found a new bedspread and sheets at 60% off during a Kohl’s sale. This gave me a color palette to work from.

203I didn’t want to part with my Beatles theme but I felt pretty stumped on what to do for decor especially when I found these flower watercolor pieces that I immediately fell in love with! As I searched Etsy I finally stumbled upon this Beatles watercolor that ended up tying it all together. Phew! I love this look!

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I also found this Beatles’ quote that not only matched the bedspread but made a cute addition to the guest room with talking about “slumber”.

205Then came the side table. T.J. Maxx and Etsy to the rescue!

207My friend (Danielle) made this awesome clock for me out of an Abbey Road record and I placed it above my canvas from the same album. Perfection!

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I had the most fun putting together this guest room cart for our visitors to enjoy. I purchased the cart from Amazon and found the metal baskets at T.J. Maxx.

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I have a deep love for succulents so I knew I wanted to add one to the room and I planted it in this teacup from Ross. I collected travel sized products (shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant, body wash, etc) and placed them in this jar from T.J. Maxx. I didn’t want our guests to stress if they forgot something while packing for their trip.

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I also wanted a little “goody basket” for our friends and family to enjoy during their time with us. I want them to know that I personalized the room, just for them, and that we are excited for them to be here.

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The bottom basket I filled with extra towels, washcloths, and a few toothbrushes.

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We also have this little table in the room and some reading material. (Hope everyone likes The Beatles. haha.)

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So there you have it. Come visit!! :)

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He’s home!

22 Feb

Finally my husband is home from Afghanistan!

I haven’t had much time to blog so I’m just going to make this short and sweet.

Royal and I surprised Scott at the airport in Florida. The original plan was that we would wait for Scott to fly into Colorado then we would all drive back to Florida, but I couldn’t stand the thought of him coming home to an empty house and it was torture knowing he was in the US but we weren’t able to see him! The “so close but still so far away” thing was too much to stand!! I booked a round trip ticket and just guessed a date that Scott might be home. Amazingly we only beat him into Florida by 6 hours! What are the chances that I would book on the exact right day?! Such a God thing!

Scott was in complete shock and couldn’t even figure out how we got there! haha. Jet lag at it’s finest!

 

It was worth all the effort to see the look on his face and to have the whole week, before coming back to Colorado, to adjust and soak in our family time.

Thank you to everyone who kept us in your thoughts and prayers during this deployment! Scott is safely home and we’re so thankful to be able to return to our daily lives for a little while!

Praise God!!

Vacations.

25 Apr

Vacations are a wonderful thing designed to help relax and unwind you by breaking from your usual daily grind. You picture yourself coming home completely at ease, as if hundreds of pounds of bricks have been lifted off your very tired shoulders. Why is it then that when you do head back home you actually feel a billion times more pooped than when you started out for your adventure? You seem to need a vacation from your vacation at this point!

Vacations have become a real treat for us because Scott is always working and the Air Force doesn’t hand out leave like candy, so we were extremely excited to be getting away for 5  uninterrupted days this past weekend! We packed up our car with way more things than necessary for a 5 day trip (gotta be prepared,) loaded our two doggies, made a coffee/donut stop, and we were on our way! Now, the way I’m about to describe this drive will come across as overly dramatic and a little bit exaggerated, I assure you it is not. The drive to Scott’s sister’s house looks as if it will be a breeze, simple directions and a 6 hour estimated arrival time, you know…easy! WRONG! Somehow this drive not only lasts an extra 3 hours but it feels more like 10 extra. I don’t know what it is but in the 2 times we’ve driven this path it actually seems to only be getting worse! It’s torture!! Anytime you take a detour to use the restroom or get something to eat it punishes you by tacking on another 40 minutes to an hour! You can literally run in, grab one thing you need, be back in the car within two minutes, and STILL it says you just won the prize of being set back 46 minutes!! It’s madness! Then take into account the fact that I now have a growing child inside me kicking my ribs at every turn of the road, making for an even more enjoyable travel day! (haha)

We finally got into Redington Shores 9 hours from our departure time and were met with a surprise baby shower from Scott’s family! I don’t think there could be a better reward following that drive! Family always knows just what you need! We were so blessed by all the gifts and pumped up at the thought of our little guy coming to join such a loving-doting family. I am thankful that both Scott and I were born into amazing families that make bringing a child into the world all the more joyous. I can’t even wait for him to meet them!
baby shower from Karen 005The rest of our Vacation flew by! We packed it to the brim with activities! We went to a Rays baseball game, ate lots of yummy food, went site seeing, walked the doggies, saw a movie, ate pastries and drank greek coffee, sat by the pool, Scott went deep sea fishing with his dad, shopped a bit, the guys tried to trap crabs, and before we knew it…time was up!  It’s not fair how much more quickly Vacation time flies in comparison to regular time. For weeks and weeks we counted down to this time away and in a flash it was over.

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Monday morning we packed our car once again, now almost to exploding with all our new baby gifts, and set out on the road. It’s always wonderful to see family but it never seems like it’s long enough! We had to just be thankful that we were able to come at all and revel in all of the new memories we made.

Monday also marked 100 days until Baby’s due date! I can’t believe how far into this pregnancy we are now! Being in the double digits makes me all the more impatient to snuggle my boy!! It doesn’t make sense to say but I miss him. I don’t know how you can miss and love someone you’ve never even met but I do. I can’t wait to lay eyes on him for the first time. Until then I’ll just have to soak in the wonders of pregnancy and the joy of feeling him wiggle and kick as he grows inside me.

So…back to Vacation exhaustion! (I get so sidetracked whenever I think of Baby. Whoops!): After another long drive home, that we somehow kept under 8 hours, we unpacked the car and dragged our tired bodies into bed. The next morning we did not awaken refreshed but completely drained! Scott then proceeded to work an 18 hour workday because of a scheduling fluke. I don’t know how he survived it, I really don’t. My body felt the toll of all the excitement of the weekend as I started limping around the house, not a preggo waddle for the record, and now I have the flu because I apparently also knocked my immune system down.

So, can someone tell me when I’m going to feel relaxed and rejuvenated from this vacation we just had?! I’m waiting!!

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New kind of Christmas.

15 Dec

It’s so odd trying to get into the Christmas spirit when you’re used to having freezing temperatures and snow covering the ground. It can’t possibly feel the same no matter how much cheer you put up in your home. I think the funniest thing is listening to Christmas music and realizing many around you don’t know what a “White Christmas” feels like or what it’s like to go “dashing through the snow!” How can you fully picture the song if you’ve never even lived through what a true Christmas is supposed to be?!

There are certainly benefits to living a “white SAND Christmas,” it’s nice not having to defrost your windows or needing to warm your car up before driving down the road, but oddly for the weeks leading up to Christmas I kinda miss it. Never thought I’d miss freezing but I do miss being able to bundle up in scarfs and cute winter coats, I haven’t put one on yet this winter.

There is hope for us this Christmas, as my parents gave us plane tickets home for our Christmas present this year! We won’t fully be missing our Colorado Christmas after all! We’re excited to be fully embraced in the cold and cheer for 2 weeks before returning to our warmer weather. This is just what we needed!

Today we are actually taking down our tree and all the decorations because we don’t want to come home to it after the new year. It’s completely strange taking it all down before the holiday has even come, but we had a little Christmas celebration for two on Saturday morning so that we didn’t have to haul presents back and forth on the plane. I’m glad we at least got a little use out of our tree this year and the experience was precious to us. We always treasure the time we get to spend alone together during this season, it always holds so much love and romance for us.

I’m beyond excited to be home and I pray your Christmas is filled with everything and everyone you love as well!!

Merry Christmas!!

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” -Luke 2:13-14

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Seasons.

30 Sep

 

“To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill, And a time to heal;
A time to break down, And a time to build up;
A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, And a time to lose;
A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
A time to tear, And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
A time to love, And a time to hate;
A time of war, And a time of peace.” -Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

This time of year we realize all the beauty that comes with the changes in season. You start looking forward to seeing the leaves change colors and for the days when you get to pull out your cozy sweaters and cute fall boots. You can’t wait for the air to feel crisp and to have a hot drink in your hand again. There is something so comforting in knowing there will be a change coming. It’s almost like we wake up to a different life and feel new again. God knows that we need the seasons to feel refreshed.

We are always so thankful for the changes in weather as we transition from hot-stuffy-summer to cool-crisp-fall, from sneezy-allergy-ridden fall to chilly-cozy-winter, from freezing-dreary-winter into beautiful-fresh-spring, and from rainy-muddy-spring into fun-exciting-summer again. We get so irritated with the current season we’re in towards the end of it and want to be on to the next. I think the same is true  within our lives. If we were always living life without any disturbances we would be ready for the next thing, never enjoying the stage we are walking in.

I could never grasp the beauty of the verse above when I was younger, it was just one of those verses you were forced to learn, going to a Christian private school, and you logged it away right after you were tested on your memory and knew you’d passed. It held no importance to me as I didn’t know what it meant to live some of the trials listed. I only knew the up-side to each line: peace, love, laughter, and dancing; these are the things all childhoods should be filled with. On the other side of the coin, I also didn’t know how to appreciate the ups because I’d never felt the hard downs.

I would say that before this past season in our lives I was still begrudgingly looking at the hard times as an annoyance and just something to rush out of and pray that you came out less damaged than when you went in. “Brush yourself off and move on” was my mentality. I was missing out on a lot of self-growing using this method. What good are your trials if you don’t spend the time realizing your weaknesses and building an addition to yourself that you may not have had before? I hadn’t been finding beauty in the ashes.

I’m now learning to grow in the down times and thrive in the ups.

This month was a huge UP!!!! We needed this month after the two that had battered us before. We started September off near Tampa visiting Scott’s sister Karen and her hubby Matt. It was wonderful to get away, on the long weekend, and just feel alive again. We needed the fun that comes with only caring about where you’re going to eat and floating from one activity to the next. There’s true healing that comes with surrounding yourself with people who love you and also know how to cheer you up with a good time.

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Mid month we had friends we knew in Colorado come from North Dakota to a nearby town, so of course we jumped at the opportunity to see and spend time with them. We enjoyed our day filled with exploring the Naval Museum, shopping, gabbing, and (my always favorite) eating. It always amazes me how at home we feel when someone comes to visit us in our new Florida environment. It’s comforting and familiar and often I crave it! Jered, Jaala, and sweet little AzjLynn gave us the gift of home during their visit.

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A few days after our day trip to Pensacola we celebrated Scott’s Golden Birthday! I’m ever thankful for the day he was born 24 years ago and I always make a much bigger deal of it than he would like. I just love birthdays and enjoy all the spoiling I’m able to pour out!

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This past Saturday we had the pleasure of attending an Air Force ball! One of the things every new military wife dreams of! The night was formal and everything I had hoped! I enjoyed dressing up and Scott enjoyed playing hours of video games as I prepped! (Haha.) We had a blast and will absolutely be going again next year!

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AF ball

This season is sweet and I hope it continues for awhile, but when the bitter taste of life strikes again I’ll continue to refine and build myself up into the woman God has set out for me to be!!

 

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