Easter Sorrow

I hope you all are enjoying time with family or friends this Easter. I am thankful to be spending it with my amazing husband but I miss my family in Vegas but in particular I am missing my Mom. 2 years ago today she lost her courageous battle with cancer 10 months to the day after she was diagnosed. She was cheated out of the chance to live a long life and I find that completely unfair.

There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her and miss her terribly. I know how my sister and I feel as daughters losing our Mom but I can't begin to imagine how my Dad feels after losing his wife of over 30 years. I pray everyday that she is looking down on us and that she is proud. It is still hard some days knowing that I can't pick up the phone and call her. I miss her voice, her laughter and everything about her. 

I am thankful that I was chosen to be her daughter, she helped shape me into who I am today. I will NEVER ever forget her and everything she taught me.

Since Kyle and I can't be there to celebrate Easter and her memory we had these flowers sent to my family:

They plan on taking them down to Mom's tree.

I love you, Mom! Always and forever.

Me and Mom a few days after I was born

Hawaii 2005

NYE 2010

Her Tree

I will never forget you! <3 br="">

Happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday Everyone! Yesterday was a good day since Kyle came home from his trip to CO. Since he was coming home I figured it was a good excuse to bake. So I made him this cake entirely from scratch: funfetti cake with vanilla buttercream. It came out amazing! I will be making this as a 1/2 sheet cake for his Change of Command next month.

We also found out that we have a formal to attend next week so we are off to the mall for me to find a dress. I'm not sure the exact style I want yet but I will know the perfect dress when I see it. Maybe we will make our way to the outlets as well so I can stock up on spring/summer clothes. :)

Our shirts for the mud runs finally came!!! I love them. Can't wait to wear them in 2 weeks.

I hope you all have a great day!

Vacation Recap!

Last Tuesday, Emma and I hopped on a plane and headed to Vegas to see family. We got there early in the morning and it was sooo good to see everyone. Early Wednesday morning (like 4am haha) Lisa and I headed off to Disneyland. We had the best time, it was just us and we could run around like kids. We ate, went on every ride and had a few drinks haha. I love spending time like this with my sister, she is my best friend!

We got home Thursday night and it was nice to just hang out with everyone for a few days (minus my BIL he had to leave for work for a few days). Saturday was our friend Lindsey's wedding. It was gorgeous and I'm so glad that I could be there for it.

Sunday, I went and had dinner with my in-laws. It was nice to spend some time with them while I was home. It helps that both of our families live in the same place. I usually stay with my Dad while I'm there and it's nice because my sister and her family live next door. :) My Dad and I would hang out at night watching wrestling, brought back so many good memories from my childhood.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday was more time just hanging out with my family. We don't have to do much but it's just nice to be together. 

It was a fantastic trip home and I'm always sad to leave. Hopefully I can go back in a few months again. I have the best family, my niece and nephew are hysterical and I could spend all day just watching them entertain each other. :)

I got home Wednesday night and of course I couldn't relax so I did all of my laundry and put everything away. I did grocery shopping yesterday and cleaned, now I'm just waiting for Kyle's call so I can go pick him up. I sure missed him!

I hope you all have a great day! :)

Looking back...

As this weekend draws closer we are coming closer to the 2nd anniversary of my Mom's passing. I realized that on this day 2 years ago was the last time I hugged my Mom and told her that I loved her. It was the last time I got to hold her hand and spend time with her. I will never forget leaving the cancer treatment center that morning and having that feeling that this would be the last time I saw her. She is truly my Guardian Angel.

Love her always!

Wordless Wednesday

Emma and I are getting on a plane today and heading home to El Paso! It has been a great time with family, I always miss them when I leave. I am, however, ready to sleep in my own bed and see Fishy and Kyle. :)

Happy Wednesday! 

Random Thoughts

Today is my last day with my family in Vegas. It has been such a great time but I'm ready to get back to El Paso. I have so many classes, volunteer obligations and events happening this month that that it will be May before I know it. As of right now we have a date of 29 May for Kyle's Change on Command and we are beyond excited. He will start inventories at the beginning of May and I will actively be planning the reception. I will have the main food catered but the desserts will be all made my me.

Speaking of Kyle, he told me tonight that he was chosen to receive an AAM (Army Achievement Medal) for all his hard work during his latest training event. He was incredibly modest about it and tried so hard to give it to someone else but they knew he deserved it. I am so proud of him for not only being an amazing soldier but for also being a humble person. He does not do this job for accolades or praise, he does it because he is proud. He loves his job and he loves the people that he works with and for.

Yesterday the weather was gorgeous here so we all planted flowers for Easter at my Dad's house. My Mom always loved having flowers planted for Easter, so we did it in her honor as well.

This is the house that I was born and raised in and I can't imagine my Dad living anywhere else. It has been so amazing being here with my family. We have had a great time. :)

In a few days I will post a full recap of my trip. I hope you all have a great day!

He Is A Keeper

Everyone knows that I have tattoos. Kyle has 1 on his back and has always wanted to get another. He sent me a text last night that he got me a gift. This picture was attached:

He got a tattoo of my favorite flower, a tulip, with my initials on the leaf. He said its facing left because I am left handed and he had it done over his heart to show how much he loves me. He plans on adding leaves when we have kids. 

I was absolutely stunned because he said he would never get my initials or name tattooed on him. It means so much to me and now his tattoo is for me and mine is for him:

He is definitely a keeper!!! :)

Wedded Bliss

Last night my sister and I got dressed up to attend our good friend, Lindsey's wedding. We met her 8 years ago at the racetrack and she has stayed a dear friend. She and her new husband, Case, are perfect together. It was a beautiful wedding overlooking a lake, don't see this too often in Vegas. :)

I only took a few photos but here are 2 of my favorites:

It is good to see her so happy! It always reminds me how glad I am that I didn't have a big wedding haha. :)

I hope you all have an amazing Sunday!

Sneak Peak

I'm slowly compiling my pictures from Disneyland but I will give you a quick sneak peak of what I have already downloaded.

This was taken on the Tower Of Terror ride:

Haha. :) We are in the 2nd row on the right.

Here are 2 from our photo pass in Disneyland:

We got back to Vegas last night and I will post a recap with more pictures on Monday. :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Happiest Place On Earth!

Hello from Disneyland!!! I hope you all have a MAGICAL day. :)

we are a team

When I posted about Kyle and I doing a mud run, I mentioned that I want to get shirts made for us. Thanks to vistaprint and their 25% off, I got these:

They say "Let's Get Muddy" with our names underneath and then on the back it says "Team Smith".  On top of participating in the JailBreak Mud Run on April 13th we are now participating in another one on the 20th! This one is being put together by the Fort Bliss MWR, they graciously offered free entry to all active duty service members. I thought that was amazing. Hopefully I will participate in this one if I survive the first haha jk. I love being able to do stuff like this with Kyle, definitely makes us closer.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful day!! :)

Anxiety

I am roughly 24 hours away from getting on a plane to Vegas. Now don't get me wrong I am extremely excited but I get severe anxiety when I fly. Not flailing crazy lady anxiety but sweaty palms and increased heart rate type of anxiety. I'm just glad it's only an hour and 50 minute flight. Praying that I get an aisle seat (I fly Southwest and there are no assigned seats) because I do not enjoy being stuck in between 2 random people. You would think every time I fly that it's the first time but I would have to say this is approximately the 30th time I have flown. Maybe eventually I will get over the anxiety.

I'm dropping Fishy off today at the vet to be boarded, I hate leaving him but so happy that he will be well taken care of while I'm gone (Emma is going with me). Hopefully I can grab him before he sees the carrier or else I will never get him in there haha. This is what happens when he sees the carrier:

 Haha pray that I keep all my limbs. :)

Well it's time for me to finish packing and clean the house (yes I can't leave the house dirty lol).

Have a great Monday!

let's get crafty

Before I show you pictures of the pretty awesome craft I did yesterday I have to share a huge milestone for me. Most of you know that I am NOT a fan of running at all. I decided yesterday I was just going to suck it up and run. I ran 1.5 miles without stopping or passing out haha. I was really proud of myself and plan on bumping it up everyday. 

Ok now onto my craft, I made bottle cap coasters. Kyle had 18 of them laying around upstairs in his man cave so I put them to good use. Armed with a mold, some resin and bottle caps here is what I made:

Waiting for it to cure

After 2 hours this is the final product! I opted to not use clear resin because I figured they would look better darker to go in Kyle's man cave. I am so happy with them and Kyle loves them. The last touch was to get the little plastic bumpers for the bottom. I just need 18 more bottle caps to make 2 more.

 I hope you all have a great Sunday and a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

a few random thoughts

I can't believe it's already Saturday and that I'm 3 days away from getting on a plane to Vegas! Yay! I purchased our tickets for Disneyland (thanks to the awesome deal for military) and I'm even more excited now. 

I had plans to go to the gym this morning but thanks to doing 2 days in a row of this:

I am HURTING!!! It hurts to walk up and down the stairs haha. It's an amazing workout and works muscles that I didn't even know I had. If you have a kinect I highly recommend it. On top of going to the gym I will be doing this 3-4 times a week.

For the last few weeks I have been searching for new canisters for the kitchen but everywhere I went I couldn't find what I wanted and everything was so expensive. I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and hit the jackpot. Not only did they have what I wanted but they were 50% off! I got all 4 for $11:

Love them!

I do have plans today to break out my non-existent crafty side haha....thanks to a fellow wonderful blogger she gave me an idea to make resin coaster out of beer bottle caps. Kyle has just enough for me to make 2. I am so excited and can't wait to post pictures (well that is if they turn out good).

I hope you all have a great Saturday!

You Asked, I answered. Part 2

Thank you all for all the great questions! Here are my answers:

1. Ashley from The Kitchen-Sink Chronicles: How did your fur-kids become a part of your life?

When I was 19 my parent's dogs had a litter of puppies. I knew I wanted one and I asked for the first born girl. I remember getting the phone call that my sweet Emma was born. She has been my baby girl for 9 years. :) When Emma was 4 I was riding around my neighborhood with my Mom and we saw a group of kittens at an abandoned house. The only one that didn't run was my sweet Fishy, he had a sever upper-respiratory infection and near death. He has been such a sweet boy for 5 years. 

2. Mail4Rosey from Mail4Rosey: Would you recommend Texas as a place to live?

I 100% would recommend Texas a place to live, I have always heard good things about it. My brother-in-law is from Houston and always told us that the nicest people live here. Well he was right. Kyle and I even said we would consider El Paso as a place to retire because it does remind us of Vegas.

3. Jackie from City Girl Finding Her Place in the World: What is your least favorite food?

Hmm that is a tough question, I am pretty easy when it comes to food. If I had to choose it would have to be anything involving clams or mussels. Yuck!

4. Shannon from sitting in a tree: Name three things you are afraid of. 

I am afraid of heights (coming from the girl who has gone sky-diving haha), being alone and drowning. 

5. Jamie from ChatterBlossom: What is the one frivolous thing you would buy right now if I gave you $1000?

I would go on a ridiculous shopping spree haha. Which would involved a really nice piece of jewelry.

6. Eloquent Obi from Eloquent Rambles: how is your "love/intimacy" life?

Honestly, no complaints from me whatsoever. I think every couple strives for a healthy love life and I think we have it pretty good. :)

7. Rebecca from Life of an Army Wife: Have you given a thought to where you'd like to live when you retire?

We have thrown around ideas but since we are so far away from retirement we haven't had an serious conversations. El Paso has been tossed around because we really do love it here.

8. Lanaya from Raising Reagan: I know that you and Kyle would be happy with either a boy or a girl, so do you have your names picked out for when that time comes?

We actually do have our names picked out. It is the one thing that we have always agreed on. I don't mind sharing them: 

Boy: Connor Jennings (the middle name is after an uncle that passed away)

Girl: Zoe Kay (the middle name was my moms middle name)

9. Stephanie from Life, Unexpectedly: If you had a plane ticket and a credit card without a limit, where would you go and what would you do?

I would travel Europe. I would see every historical site that I could possibly see. :)

10. Janna from Faith, Love, and Hope: What advice can you give to other couples who are having similar problems when it comes to having children? 

This is a really good question, my advice is never give up. I have been told by several different to just give up. If you want something badly enough it will happen, just have faith.

Has your faith weakened any because of y'alls battle with infertility?  

Of course with any difficult circumstance there comes a time when you start to question God. I'm not an overly religious person but I do know that everything does happen for a reason and that in time we will be blessed.

What has been the best thing blogging has given you?

I have to say the best thing blogging has given me is all the wonderful people that I have met and gotten to know. You all have helped me so much and I'm grateful for each and every one of you.

11. Angie R: What is your favorite duty spot so far? Least favorite? Dream location?

I would have to say my favorite so far has been here in El Paso, it's so much like home to us so it makes it great. Least Favorite was Fort Huachuca it was just too small for my liking. I don't really have a dream location.

12. JG from Me and My SoldierMan: What is the one thing you always said you'd "never" do that you now find yourself doing?

This is a really good question, I would have to say I never thought I would be so open about my life. I used to be a very quiet and reserved person. I never let anyone know anything about me. I surprise myself with how now I can just let down my guard.

13. Kim from Through These Eyes: What are your top three dream duty stations and why?

1. Germany: For the travel possibilities

2. Fort Drum: I want to see real winters and experience it

3. MacDill AFB: We had friends down there and I was so jealous of the beaches haha.

What are some ways you help stay connected with friends that are far away?

It has been hard staying connected with good friends because we all get busy. Texting and FB are huge when it comes to staying in contact. I go to Vegas quite often so I try to see friends.

14. Alex from Munchkins and the Military: What would be your ideal place to get stationed?

I love all the duty station questions, I have a few places I want to go but Germany would be #1.

Thank you all so much for the awesome questions! Happy Friday!

Also, don't forget to follow me on bloglovin', you will find the button on the left side of my page. :)

You want me to do what?!

A few days ago Kyle got the bright idea to sign us up for this:

link

It's a mud run right here in El Paso on April 13th! We've always wanted to participate in one of these so I'm pretty excited. Gives me the motivation to work out harder. I'm glad he found this because it sounds like a lot of fun! I may even have some fun shirts made for us to wear, can't go wrong with getting muddy with your husband. :)

Yesterday, I spent the day shopping with my good friend, Nicole. It was nice to be out and about all day in the gorgeous weather. We went to the mall, Target and Marshall's. I got these amazing BCBG mint green sandals for $20 at Marshall's! I could not pass them up and it was the only pair in my size.

  Aren't they cute?!?!

Today is my weekly walk with my friend Erin and her dog. We have been having gorgeous weather the last few days and I want to spend as much time outside as possible.

Don't forget about Ask Me Anything, Part 2 can't wait to answer all these questions tomorrow!

Have a great day!

Ask Me Anything, Part 2!!

A while back when I first did this I got a lot of great questions. I decided to have a part 2, I have many new followers and am excited to see what kind of questions I get. :)

So feel free to ask me anything you want, nothing is off limits, nothing really shocks me haha. I can't wait to see all your questions. I will answer them all in a blog post on Friday.

Have a great day!

never a dull moment!

This past weekend was jammed packed full of adventure. I had written down some places that I wanted us to go to and we hit them all!

Friday we started out with dinner with our friends:

We went to a restaurant downtown called Tabla, it was mostly an appetizer type restaurant but the food was outstanding!! After a peach mojito and white sangria I was feeling great haha (I rarely every drink).

Saturday, I made breakfast and after that we headed off on our adventure for the day. We drove to Santa Teresa, New Mexico to go to the War Eagles Museum. This place was fantastic, it has so many war planes and memorabilia. After that we headed off to Old Historic Mesilla. This town was where Billy the Kid was tried and sentenced to hang. It was also where the Gadsden Purchase was completed in 1854, the last major territorial purchase in the US. Once done there we headed off to the Las Cruces Nature and Science Museum. It was a fun little place.

War Eagles Museum

 Old Historic Mesilla

Las Cruces Nature and Science Museum

Sunday, was a more relaxed day. We started off the day by going to the gym it was nice to get back into a routine. We then went to the El Paso Holocaust Museum. I did not take any pictures in there because I just didn't think it was appropriate. It was outstanding, it was started by a holocaust survivor, Henry Kellen. We then headed to the Transportation and Railroad Museum, it was pretty neat and had a lot of information. Our last stop for the day was The Kumagai Stone Garden. It's on Fort Bliss and was built for the Japan Ground Self- Defense Force. It was really cool.

It was such a fun weekend and I hope to have many more like it in the future. 

I hope you all have a wonderful day, I'm off the the Brigade Change of Command. I plan to take a lot of pictures and can't wait to share them

:)

Sunday Social!

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope the time change isn't messing with you too bad. :) I wanted to link up with Ashley and Neely for this weeks Sunday Social.

1. What is one movie you are terrified to watch?

The Strangers! When it first came out on DVD Kyle and I bought it. We watched it during the day and I vowed never to watch it again. It scared the s*** out of me.

 

2. What is one TV show you have always wanted to get into but haven't yet?

Downton Abbey. I have heard so many good things about it but I just haven't found the time to sit down and really commit to watching it. Maybe one day I will.

3. What is one daring activity on your bucket list?

I really want to go bungee jumping! I have been skydiving and it was an amazing experience so I figured bungee jumping is the next step.

 

4. Would you ever travel alone?

Are we talking overseas travel or domestic? I have done road trips by myself and have also flown by myself to see family.

 

5. What activities do you like to do alone?

I really enjoy baking by myself. Kyle normally doesn't bother me when I'm in the kitchen but if friends ask to bake with me it really gives me anxiety haha. My kitchen is my zen space.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Good Friends!

We met up with good friend Nicole, Erwin and their little boy Nate for dinner last night. We met them 4 years ago when we were all at Bragg. We are so happy that we are all in the same place again. I'm so thankful we have friends like them. We have made having dinner together a weekly thing and already have a few more dinners/brunches planned.

Cheers to good friends!!

I love my husband!!!

 

Happy Saturday!

Helloooooo Friday!

*Thank you all for the wonderfully supportive and sweet comments on my post yesterday. You have no idea how much it meant to me and you are all are amazing and I'm grateful that I know you all!*

Yesterday ended up being a really great day. Emma and I met up with my friend Erin and her dog Stubs to go on a walk. They only live a block from us so it worked out great. After about an hour we parted ways and headed home. Emma was exhausted and slept just like this for an hour haha:

Hopefully we will do this a few times a week. It was nice to be out in the gorgeous weather for some exercise. Speaking of exercise, I stepped on the scale and got a wonderful surprise. I weighed 123.8, I'm only 3.8 pounds away from my ultimate goal of a 25 pound weight loss.

Lately I have been slacking on giving myself manicures but in honor of my Disney trip I broke out my OPI Minnie Mouse collection. I used this awesome color:

It's called I'm All Ears....I love it!!

We have big plans for the weekend and I am really happy that it's finally Friday. We haven't done much exploring in New Mexico but that's going to change. There are tons of museums, restaurants and fun sites that we want to go to. I have a list of everything that we want to see so hopefully we can fit it all in. 

I'm sure the weekend will also consist of partaking in this deliciousness:

 

This cheddar cheese is from Kyle's Alma Mater: Washington State University. When he found out that they would ship it nationwide he immediately had me buy it haha. Oh the things we do for our husbands. I need to take it out of the can to slice it up and I'm sure will eat some of it in the process haha.

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and a beautiful weekend!

judgement is an ugly thing

Before I start this let me give you a little background about me.  When I was 21 I got married for the first time. I had been with him for almost 3 years and we married in September 2006. A little over a year later I kicked him out and filed for divorce due to various reasons. I would never wish divorce on anyone because it sucks to go through. I was lucky because I came out better because of it.  Kyle and I started dating in April 2008 and married in June 2008. We have a very good marriage and are extremely happy. He is the polar opposite of my ex-husband.

Now this is where the judgement comes into play. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten weird looks or comments when people find out that I was married before. I am so sick and tired of people thinking that I'm going to hell because I have been divorced. Yes I believe marriage should be forever but sometimes the cards just don't play out right and you can marry the wrong person. I was actually told recently by a person that they couldn't be friends with me because I was a sinner for being divorced. Really?! Who says that? I never did respond to it.

It is amazing that I get judged for a mistake that I made in my past, apparently looking at who I am as a person is not enough. Kyle has even been asked if he is worried that I will divorce him too. I'm just blown away at the level of ugliness that people show. Bottom line is you have no idea what a person has been through in their past so don't judge them for the decisions they make. Life is too short to let things like this bring me down so I'm choosing to be the better person and just move on.

Thanks for letting me vent because I really needed to get this off my chest. I feel much better now. :)

These made me laugh and were both very fitting for this post. Haha.

I'm meeting up with a friend today for a doggy playdate which I think will be good. Thank goodness for gorgeous weather!

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Wordless Wednesday

Per Kyle's request I made him his favorite ice cream yesterday:

Mint Chocolate Chip

OMG! Amazing!

recipe

Also, I am overly excited to go here in a few weeks:

Splash Mountain and The Haunted Mansion are calling my name haha.

Happy Wednesday!