Happy Halloween!!

I hope you all have a very safe and fun day. We will be sitting outside passing out candy because Emma goes ballistic every time someone rings the doorbell haha. We aren't dressing up but thanks to Target I will be wearing this cute shirt:

Can't go wrong with clearance!!! :)

We do however dress up Emma and Fishy so without further ado:

Emma the Shark:

Fishy the Pig

Of course I only put Fishy's costume on him to get a picture (and he still was very pissed haha). Emma will wear hers and sit outside with us to pass out candy. She loves all the attention.

I hope you all have a fun evening!!

Busy Busy Day

I am finally able to sit down after a busy busy day! I have been baking for the majority of the day, I am sending lots of goodies to Kyle's class for Halloween. This is what I made:

Snicker doodles
Starry Eyed Cookies
Chocolate Cherry Mice
Sugar Cookies

They all got wrapped up these awesome Halloween bags.

I wanted to give a recap of our weekend. We got up bright and early on Saturday morning to head to El Paso. It was an easy 4 hour drive and got so excited when we finally got there. We immediately met with our realtor and found our dream home.

Once we were finished we headed to the hotel on Fort Bliss where we were staying. It was nice to relax for a bit before heading off to an amazing mexican restaurant for dinner (we couldn't pass it up lol) and then we proceeded to walk around Freedom Crossing on post if you have never heard of it click this link:

Freedom Crossing Fort Bliss

This place is AMAZING!!! We have never seen anything like it, especially not on post. 

We got up Sunday and decided to drive around post so Kyle could find out where he will be working. Once we found it we figured out that we will only be about 15 minutes from his work (score!!). Before we headed home we stopped at the El Paso outlets and did some shopping (thank you Old Navy for the military discount).

It was a great weekend and a very successful trip.

It is time for me to go take a hot bath, my back is killing me after all that baking.

Have a great night!

The Liebster Award

I have received the Liebster Award a few times and this time I got it from Jenn @ Ripples and Waves and Lanaya @ Raising Reagan

Thank you both so much for this! It means a lot! 

So what is it?

The Liebster award is given by fellow bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

So what does it mean?

Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

What's the rules?

Each person must post 11 things about themselves.

Answer the questions that the nominator set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve nominated to answer.

Choose 11 people and link them in your post. 

Go to their page and tell them. 

No tag backs!  

I'm not going to do the 11 things about me because I posted some facts on the last award (hope that's ok).

Here are the questions from Lanaya:

What is your favorite food?

I love Mexican food!

Name one thing you do that is unusual?

Oh gosh, I don't really know

Who was your childhood hero…and is it still the same person?

My hero has always been and will always be my Mom

What was your favorite book as a kid?

I loved the Berenstein Bears books

Would you rather watch TV or read a book?

To be honest, neither.

Where is your ideal place to live?

I want to live somewhere that has 4 seasons

What is your favorite holiday?

hands down: Halloween!

If you could have one day to do anything, what would it be?

I just want to spend the day at the beach

Which chore would you rather do…clean house, do laundry or go grocery shopping?

I actually love cleaning my house

Did you think you would have children when you “planned” out your life?

Yes I was hoping that I would have at least one child by now but we still have plenty of time

What do you look forward to most about fall?

I love wrapping myself up in a big cozy blanket on the couch

Here are Jenn's questions:

What's you favorite time of the year and why?

I love winter, I love getting bundled up.

What's one family tradition that you loved as a child?

I loved going to the drag races

What is your favorite quote?

I actually don't have one

Modern, vintage, eclectic? What's your style?

My style is a mix of everything.

What's your current favorite song?

Runaways by The Killers

What is your all-time favorite book?

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

What's your favorite spot in the house?

My couch...it's so comfy!

What is your dream job?

I want to be a chef

If you could live anywhere abroad, where would it be?

Probably Australia

If today was your last day on earth, what two things would be on the top of your to-do list?

I would want to spend time with family and have a nice juicy cheeseburger haha

If you could buy one thing for yourself, money is no issue, what would it be?

New furniture!!

Here are my 11 awesome bloggers that I'm tagging:

The Life of Ms. A Bish

Bailey's College Life

Fox Family

Adventures of a Semper Fi Family

Through These Eyes

Dandelions and Daffodils

Growing Up Is Actually Kind Of Fun

Married to Red, White & Blue

Somewhere Over the Camo

Life with the Lieutenant

Jen and her Marine

Here are my 11 questions for these wonderful ladies:

1. If you could be any color, what would you be and why?

2. Do you have any pets?

3.  If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be?

4. What is your favorite meal?

5. If you could pick any actor to play you in your life story, who would you choose?

6. Are you a tomboy or girly girl?

7. Do you have any siblings?

8. What is your biggest pet peeve?

9. Are you allergic to anything?

10. Are you afraid of anything?

11. What is your favorite type of music?

I look forward to reading everyones answers!!! 

More Pictures!

Thank you everyone for all the well wishes! We are very excited about the house. Here are a few pictures of the inside that I was able to get:























The house was decorated because it was the house used for open houses.

We can't wait to move in!!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

House Hunting!

Well, we got to El Paso this morning and immediately met with our realtor. She took us to a few houses included the one I had posted about. We ended up not liking it at all. 10 houses later we finally pull up to the last house and she said "I saw this house on Thursday and knew it would be perfect."

She was right! We fell in love and after walking through we decided it was the one. We are now under contract for this amazing home:





It is 1795 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath and completely finished. We will close at the end of December!!

We are beyond excited to be 1st time homeowners!

I hope you all are having a great weekend!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Beautiful Blogger Award

I was recently nominated for the Beautiful Blogger Award by the awesome Jen @Marine Wife, Mommy & Life Please go check out her blog she is awesome!!

Here are the rules for accepting this award:

There are a couple rules I have to follow in accepting this award.

1) Thank the person who nominated me.
Thank you Jen!!! You are a wonderful person! :)  

2) Post award image to my page – Check

3) Tell 7 facts about myself

 1. I am the youngest of 5 children

2. I do not like coffee, I usually end up with iced tea when I go to Starbucks

3. I'm horribly afraid of heights, I get really bad anxiety.

4. I am obsessed with Harvey's Seatbelt Bags! They are super cute and durable.

5. I was a drama geek in high school haha. I performed as Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet my freshman year (yes this girl got to sword fight lol)

6. I was born and raised in Las Vegas. Yes, I did have a really normal childhood. :)

7. I love anything and everything that has to do with cars/racing. I'm a true tomboy at heart.

4)  Nominate 15 other bloggers and let them know about the nomination.

Raising Reagan

Camo Colored Chaos

Canines & Cadences

Ripples and Waves

The Ramblings of a Marine Wife

Monkeys and Tutus

Army Wife, Mommy Life

the harmon squad

You.And.Me.Are.We

Ashley Living Life Arduously

Kristin's kNook- a blog of food and thought

Perception is Everything

Life As A Dixon

Mrs. K and Captain J

Girls Love Fried Pickles


It was so hard to only pick 15. To all my bloggers out there you are ALL amazing!!!

a girl can dream right?!

Kyle and I have been married for a little over 4 years now. We will be celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary in June. We didn't have a big wedding, just us, our immediate family and a few very close friends (whom we don't speak to anymore, go figure lol). Since my brother-in-laws wedding last weekend it got me thinking about maybe having a vow renewal next year.

I don't think I would feel as much pressure because we are already married. I would love the chance to have a huge party with our families and friends. Of course since I started thinking about this I have been looking at everything from dresses to venues haha. I did get married in white (even though some people thought that was weird because I had been married before, whatever lol), so I was thinking maybe something in a soft pink like this:

source

or this:

source

As far as colors it would be very soft pastels...lavenders, peaches, creams, etc. Venues in Vegas are typically at casinos/hotels or local chapels. I have had my eye on this place for a long time:

Westin Lake Las Vegas

Gorgeous, right?!

Now of course I'm not even sure that this is going to happen, but a girl can dream right?! Give it a few months, I might say what the heck am I thinking haha. 

If it doesn't I am still 100% happy with our wedding:

I hope you all have an amazing weekend! 

200 Followers Giveaway Winner!

Hi Everyone!!

It's time to announce the winner of the 200 Followers Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Kristin! I will be emailing you shortly.

Also, I wanted to give a quick update on Emma. She came through her surgery great. She ended up having 3 teeth removed and was very groggy when I picked her up. She will be on pain medication and antibiotics for 7 days. This is what she looked like when I got her home:

She obviously didn't like me taking her picture haha. Poor thing.

Have a great evening!

The Killers

I'm sure most of you (I hope) have heard of the band The Killers. If you haven't please go to youtube or itunes and take a listen. They are AMAZING! I may be partial because they are all from Vegas and the lead singer, Brandon Flowers, went to my high school (my sister went to school with him).

They recently released a new album (Battle Born) and this is the first single: Runaways.

Take a listen and I hope you love it as much as I do. I think I have played it about 20+ times today. 

Enjoy!!!

Big Day

Today is a big day for our sweet Emma. She will be undergoing surgery to remove the abscess tooth that has been causing her so much pain. 

I took her for a walk yesterday because I knew that she would be groggy and sluggish for the next few days. She was so happy to be outside:

Say a little prayer for her that everything goes smoothly!

I hope you all have a great day!

My Feelings

Kyle and I are going to El Paso this weekend to look at homes with our realtor. We are really excited to get this going and I have my fingers crossed that we will be able to put an offer on a home *squeel*. Amidst all of our excitement we are still getting several negative opinions about this move (at no point have we asked anyone their opinion because frankly it doesn't matter). I am sick and tired of people thinking that we want their opinion. We made this decision for Kyle to take this job because it is good for his career and because we have heard AMAZING things about Bliss and the area from people who actually have been there. Here is my response to the negative people:

Thanks for letting me vent!!

On a very positive note, since I went on vacation a month ago I tried my hardest to watch my calorie intake and still try to lose weight. 

The last time I did a post I weighed:

133.4

Well I weighed myself this morning and was shocked to see this number pop up:

128.4

HOLY COW!!!!! I am so excited, I am 3.4 pounds away from my goal. I honestly thought that I would have gained weight on my trip. I am just hoping that I can keep it up.

Don't forget about my 200 followers giveaway, tomorrow night I will be announcing the winner!

Have a great day!

New Blog Design

For the last few days I have been working with the amazing Kristen from WTF Designs. She has been so helpful and easy to work with, she made this a great experience.

I am 110% in love with my new design and if any of you need/want a new layout please go see Kristen!

What do you all think?

Hope you all are having a great day!

Weekend Recap

For my last weekend in Vegas it was spent celebrating my BIL's (and new SIL's) wedding. Friday we had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner it was great to see some of Kyle's extended family. 

The wedding was at 5pm on Saturday and it was a beautiful evening for an outside wedding. I was pretty excited when I found out that Kyle was going to be walking me down the aisle (he was a groomsman). I was seated up front with his parents, grandma and aunt and uncle. It was a beautiful ceremony and ended with a really fun reception! Kyle and I danced like crazy with family and had a great night. Here are a few pictures from the evening:

Kyle and Mandi walking down the aisle

The Vows

Bride and Groom: Justin and Erin

Me and my MIL, Chris

Chris, Me, and Aunt Bev

Me, Grandma, and Kyle

Me and Aunt Jan

The Toasts

Us with the Bride and Groom

Of course no wedding is complete without a photo booth. :)

We said goodbye to all of Kyle's family that night since we were leaving early morning Sunday. We had a great time.We got up around 8am on Sunday morning, we spent some time with my Dad, Lisa, Chris, Kylie and Grayson before we hit the road.I had an amazing month home with family, can't wait to see everyone again!

I have spent my day today grocery shopping, cleaning, doing laundry, baking some cupcakes and voting (woohoo). I am ready to sit on the couch and relax. 

I hope you all are having an amazing day!

Preview

I am back home in AZ after an awesome month with family. 

I will be back tomorrow with a full update but in the mean time here is a picture of me and Kyle from his brother's wedding:

So thankful that my awesome sister did my hair and makeup, she really is the best.

I hope you all have had a great weekend! Don't forget to enter my giveaway. 

200 Followers!!!

I promised a while ago that when I hit 200 followers that I would have another giveaway. Well, it has happened!! Thank you and welcome to all of my new followers! I am so appreciative of the support. 

When I was trying to figure out what to do for this giveaway I chose the two things that always make me smile: Starbucks and new nail polish! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone!!!

Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Patch

Thank to everyone for all the wonderful recommendations for blog designers! It is very much appreciated.

These next few days will probably be very busy with my BIL's wedding so I won't be posting much. Last night I had a great time with my family as we went to a cute pumpkin patch here in town. Now in Vegas there isn't always a lot of things for kids to do so we jumped at the chance to take them. Here are a few pictures that I took:

It was a great time!!!! If I'm not able to post over the weekend I hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Help!

Ok I am in desperate need want of a new blog design. I will admit that I am completely clueless on this subject. Do any of my wonderful bloggy friends have any recommendations on who can help me?! 

Thanks!!!!

Countdown begins...3 months to go!

On Monday, Kyle sent me a text to tell me that he had been given his report date. Looks like we have to be in El Paso by January 18th!! To most people this seems like a while but to us it feels like next week. Once he gets his orders which *fingers crossed* should be very soon so we can start scheduling the movers. It is looking like we will be moving over the holidays for sure. 

We are taking a trip to El Paso next weekend to get a feel for the area and hopefully meet with our realtor to look at some homes. Ideally, we would like to have an offer submitted on a house before Kyle graduates the MICCC. That way the transition will be relatively smooth for us. Thankfully we don't have a cross-country move ahead of us, it's a short 5 hour journey to our new home.

Once we get settled in El Paso there are so many things that are going to be happening. I know one for sure is that I will be taking over the company FRG once Kyle takes command. I know this will be a challenge but I have learned from so many great women the major do's and don't's of this position. I am beyond excited for this adventure.

I have also decided that it times for me to go back to school for something that I am 100% passionate about. Well, I have finally decided that it's time for me to enter Culinary School!!! From an early age my Mom instilled the love of food in me, the love of cooking and baking. I have known for a long time that it's what I want to do. I was just too scared to do it. I have already been looking at schools in El Paso, just have to make my choice! While I am going to school, I want to find a part time job, something to keep my brain going and keep me focused. Needless to say I will be a very busy lady.

Do you think I'm crazy for attempting to do all of this?!

I am beyond excited for this new adventure and I think this quote sums up how I feel:

I hope you all have a great Wednesday!

Shopping Fun

Since I have been in Vegas one of the things I have loved the most is going shopping with my sister, Lisa! She and I have the best time, we laugh, we joke around, and just all around love hanging out together. She is 4 years older than me but she is my very best friend! 

We went to the mall on Sunday (mostly just to look around), I wanted to find a clutch purse for my BIL's wedding next weekend. The blue shoes I had picked out made it nearly impossible to find one that matched. Then my awesome sister suggested I get new shoes...my dress is brown so she found these beauties:

They are AMAZING!!!!!!! I tried them on with the dress and they are perfect! Then it was time to find a gold clutch, we went in Windsor and found this:

It is so pretty and goes perfectly with the shoes. Next I had to find earrings, I don't own anything yellow gold but I found these:

Perfect!

For those who didn't see my post with a picture of my dress here it is:

My sister is dying my hair tonight and then she will do my hair and makeup the day of the wedding. I seriously have the best sister in the world. She is awesome!!!! 

I hope you all have a great week and I will leave you with this picture of me and my sister:

Remembering

Today, October 15th, is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. As most of you know we have lost 4 precious babies over the last 4 years, 3 of which we lost in 2009 and 1 in May of this year. Not a day goes by that we don't think about them or wonder who they would be. Would they be boys or girls, would they be stubborn like me or calm and level headed like their Dad. As I sit here I think how they would have the best time playing with their cousins, laughing and giggling. They would be surrounded by so much love and family. Even though these sweet babies never had the chance to take a breathe we never forget that they were given to us for a reason. I hope that they are playing in Heaven and even seeing their Grandma. Our oldest would be almost 3 years old and our youngest would not be due for another 2 months. We love you sweet babies!

I ask today that you take a second and pray for those that have experienced this tremendous loss. Not all of us talk about it, there are those that quietly suffer. You may have even encountered someone who has gone through this, let them know that they are cared about. 

If you would like more information please click the link October 15th

At 7pm please light a candle and keep it burning for at least 1 hour to honor those sweet babies that were lost far too soon. 

1 week!

Today marks one week until I see my husband! I have missed him terribly, we have been through 2 deployments but this is the longest we have ever been apart and it had nothing to do with the Army. He will be driving up here next Friday (well he and Emma) so we can attend his brother's wedding on Saturday. Then we will head home together on Sunday, I have loved every single second of being with my family but it will be nice to be back in my own house. 

Every couple of days Kyle sends me a picture of Emma and Fishy. The one he sent yesterday made me sad...he said they miss me:

It is a rare occasion that they will lay near each other. He said the last few days they have been laying on my couch. I can't wait to get home to love on them!

On another note it is crazy to me that it's October! Halloween is in a few weeks, then Thanksgiving and   Christmas!! We will be in Vegas for Thanksgiving and will be in the process of moving at Christmas. It's going to be a crazy few months.

I did go to Hobby Lobby yesterday with my sister and thanks to the awesome 40% off sale I picked up a few cute decorations:

I may or not put them out this year but will definitely be using them next year. I am taking advantage of being close to Hobby Lobby, since the closest one to me in Arizona is 3 hours away. 

I hope you all have a great day!!