Thanksgiving and Such

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. Whether you celebrated with friends, family or went out and braved the crowds. We had a low key day that consisted of lounging around, food and football. It was really nice.

We, of course had to take a family selfie. Fishy was less than thrilled as you can tell. :)

For once I didn't go overboard when it came to food, it was a simple meal and we aren't inundated with a ridiculous amount of leftovers. Enough for turkey salad sandwiches and turkey and dumplings.

Dessert was my favorite this year (I ended up not making the grasshopper pie because there were a few ingredients I couldn't find), I made a chocolate cream pie and it's amazing!!! I am certain this will not last very long in this house.

 

Today we will be putting up our Christmas decorations, as with any move we always have to make a game plan as to where everything is going to go. Some decorations won't get used because we simply do not have the room. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

We have plans to get all of our Christmas shopping done this weekend so I can get everything shipped to family next week. I get lunch at Panera so there are no complaints from me.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Can't beat a morning of football...OPS Group Turkey Bowl!

and

An impromptu date night! 

It was a good Tuesday!

Out With The Old, In With The New!

Before we even left El Paso I was chomping at the bit to get a new dining room table. We weren't able to sell our current one so on to Louisiana with us it went. I put our table on craigslist last week and low and behold it sold! I started to panic when I realized that we wouldn't have a table for Thanksgiving unless we bought a new one right away haha.

We went to the same place we bought our couch at and found this awesome table. It has everything we wanted, the lazy susan and storage on the bottom. Plus it can be either round or square.

We got a great deal on it and I couldn't be happier! 

Have a great Tuesday!

Another Weekend Gone

Saturday morning we once again headed down to Lake Charles for a race. It was a Turkey Trot 5k put on by the local rotary club and we had a good time. I have never run on grass before and it was interesting, it was a beautiful area but boy was it humid. I knew I wasn't going to get a PR at this race especially since I had just gotten over being sick.

Kyle however did amazing and placed 2nd in his age group! He was legitimately surprised because there were a lot of fast runners out there. We had a great time and are looking forward to the Cajun Country Half Marathon in Lafayette in 3 weeks.

Sunday was a lazy football watching day...I did however make these amazing baked cinnamon sugar donuts (recipe is from Ina Garten) and they were to die for! Yum!

Today starts the last week of my current classes, I am so ready to be done with this statistics class it is slowly making me crazy. However, December 1st 5 new classes begin! Let the fun continue. 

I hope you all had a great weekend.

It Was The Hot Chocolate

There is one thing in my 29 years of life that I have never had....food poisoning. I can't say that anymore. Tuesday morning I woke up feeling awful, the worst upset stomach and my head was spinning. I could barely walk downstairs let alone have the lights on, it was brutal. Kyle came home for lunch and did his best to take care of me but nothing was helping. I was burning up and wanted to keep my head under the blanket all day. 

Wednesday rolled around and it was same feeling, I had no idea what was wrong and even took a pregnancy test to see if that was reason. Nope no such luck. Then I get a text from my friend Jenn who I had met up with at Starbucks on Monday. She asked if I had the hot chocolate because she had felt crappy Monday night....the answer was YES! Process of elimination means it was a form of food poisoning, my best guess is that the milk they used was bad. 

All of the yuck is out of my system thankfully and I feel back to normal.

Thanks Starbucks (while this does not deter me from getting my unsweetened black tea), I will no longer be getting getting hot chocolate. It was the worst I have ever felt in my life. I'm so happy to be feeling better, I didn't want to miss out on running the Turkey Trot 5k this weekend.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Sisterly Love

Today is another really special birthday, my sister Lisa's. She is hands down the best sister that I could have ever hoped for. Yes, growing up she and I didn't always see eye to eye but she is my best friend.

When our Mom died she took on a lot of burden and since then has been not only my sister but a wonderful Mother figure as well. I look to her for advice and she is always there for me no matter what. I can't wait for her to live close again. She is one of the kindest, sweetest, understanding and just overall amazing person. 

Happy Birthday, Lisa. I love you more than you know.

This photo perfectly sums up our relationship haha. :)

She is the best!

Birthday Wishes

Today, our precious niece Kylie turns 8 years old. She has brought so much joy into our lives and there is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her and miss her. I am so grateful for the relationship that I (and Kyle) have with her.

She is funny, spunky, stubborn, smart, kind, and overall one of the most amazing girls. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday and since that day she has continued to inspire and amaze me.

I hope she always knows how much her Uncle Kyle and I love her.

Happy Birthday, sweet pea!

We can't wait to see her in January!

Cowboy Gallop 10k

Early Saturday morning (I mean early ugh lol) we headed off to Lake Charles. It's about an hour and a half south of us and it was a really pretty drive. I snapped a few photos but this is my favorite, Calcasieu Lake.

The race took place at McNeese University and started right outside of the football stadium. It was a very cool 37 degrees when we got started and I was freezing haha. However, about half way in I started to heat up.

It was a nice out and back course that ended on the 50 yard line of the football stadium. I even got a PR! This is the first road race that the McNeese Track and Field organization has held in 25 years. We had a blast and will definitely run it again next year.

We couldn't have asked for a better race to be our 25th of the year or a better way to start our races here in Louisiana! Now we are gearing up for the Lake Charles 5k Turkey Trot this coming weekend.

Are you planning on participating in a Turkey Trot in your area this year?

Some Things

Can I just say how much I am loving this weather?! I know people think I am crazy but growing up a desert girl in the blazing heat of Vegas I have learned to appreciate winter. It's cold enough for long sleeves and boots but not frigid.

Tomorrow, we are running our first race in Louisiana, we are heading an hour south to Lake Charles for a 10k. It could prove to be a little interesting because I am battling the start of a cold, sinus pressure and congestion. Yay! 

(link)

We registered for this race a few months ago and we are really looking forward it. It will be a good precursor to our 5k next and our 2 half marathons in December.

I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

 

Thanksgiving Meal Planning

As of yesterday Kyle is back to work, don't get me wrong I loved having him around but 3 weeks together is a lot lol. I am happy to say that he is already loving it.

I have spent the last few days getting our Thanksgiving menu and Christmas cards prepped. I'm definitely early with the cards but am so happy they are finished so all I have to do it put them in the mail when the time comes. 

For our Thanksgiving menu this year it is going to be relatively simple. Since we just moved to Louisiana we won't be with family this year so a simple meal is perfect:

  Turkey (I always cook mine in a turkey bag, it cuts down the cooking time drastically)

Mashed potatoes ( I am going to try this recipe this year Carnation Mashed Potatoes)

Gravy ( I use a recipe that my Mom used)

Stuffing (I am going to try this recipe)

Rolls (I am obsessed with this recipe and will probably have to make 2 batches! classic dinner rolls)

Now for dessert I was unsure what I wanted to do. I'm not a big fan of apple pie and I don't like pumpkin pie (yes I know I'm weird) so I went for something Kyle and I would both like:

Ree Drummond's Grasshopper Pie

Doesn't this look amazing?! I can't wait!

I am looking forward to our quiet Thanksgiving.

What are your plans this year?

Veterans Day

Today, we honor all those amazing men and women who serve and have served this amazing country of ours. I am so proud that I come from a proud military family. Before I married Kyle I was very aware of the sacrifices that the military made because I saw that in my family members. They are as follows:

 Larry: Army (Grandfather)

Tom: Army (Uncle)

Paul: Marine Corp (Uncle)

Marty: Air Force (Uncle)

Joe: Air Force (Dad)

Tony: Air Force (Brother)

Mike: Air Force (Brother)

Rachel: Air Force (Sister-in-Law)
Martin: Navy (Cousin)

I come from a long line of real American Heroes and I am so proud that they are family.

Now when it comes to Kyle, there are no words to describe how proud I am of him. He works tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of soldiers, he puts them before himself. He has accomplished so much in his 7 1/2 years in the Army and does not seek recognition, he truly enjoys what he does. I am so proud to be his wife and walk by his side during this journey. He is and always will be my hero.

Please remember to thank those that are defending and protecting this country. They may not do it for the recognition but a simple thank you means the world to them.

Happy Veterans Day!

Decision Making

 

 

 

I have had a few people ask me why we made the decision to live on post versus renting off post, also how does it feel to go from owning a nice home to living on post. Now there are those people that like to disconnect themselves from the military life, they feel that it would be all work all the time. Which I understand to an extent, but here is a break down of our reasons:

*We like the security of being on post, yes sometimes there is a false sense of security but being in such a rural area it makes sense.

*We would be living above our BAH (basic allowance for housing), rent here is not extremely high but when you factor in utilities and gas for Kyle to get to post it does not make sense.

*Housing takes our BAH, which goes towards rent, utilities, 24 hour maintenance, lawn care and other amenities.

*We are 7 (yes 7) minutes from Kyle's work, I mean you can't get much better than that. We aren't sure what his schedule will be like so being close to home is beneficial.

*We have lived on post in other places, we have never had a bad experience.

 

*Now we loved our house in El Paso, owning was a great experience but it was absolutely terrifying and stressful when it came time to sell it. We have no desire to own again until Kyle retires.

*We already feel such a great sense of community with our neighbors, I wasn't sure how it would be off post here.

*We like feeling connected to the military community, we have never felt like it was too much all the time.

Of course everyone has their owns reasons for doing the things they do and these are ours.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Achieving Goals

Now that we are all unpacked and mostly settled I can finally get back into a routine. 

The one thing I have missed over the last few weeks was having a consistent gym and running regimen. When we were living in the hotel it was difficult to workout because I had to crate Emma and Fishy and if Emma barked it was a problem. Now that we are settled I have finally found my groove again.

I have decided that 4 days a week I will run and will spend 2 days in the gym. I can either utilize the gym in our neighborhood center which is actually pretty large or drive 10 minutes to a gym on post. I thrive on routine and I need to get back into the shape I was in a month ago. 

We have 4 races left to run this year. We are running a 10k, 5k and 2 half marathons and I am looking forward to all of them. With these races we will have successfully completed 28 races this year and our goal was only 25.

When it comes to running I have to continue to remind myself that it is not about how fast I am or how far I'm running, all that matters is that I'm committing myself to a goal and achieving it no matter what.

I love running and it is truly therapeutic for me, something I never thought would happen.

There is nothing better than achieving a goal you never thought was possible.

Ramblings On Wednesday

Well we are in full unpacking mode! All of the boxes are unpacked and we are putting things away and getting things hung up. It is certainly feeling like home and we are loving it! 

In the midst of all this craziness there are other happenings:

*I registered for my last set of classes yesterday, which means I am on track to graduate in August 2015! That means I will have finished my bachelors degree in 23 months. 

*I have started applying for jobs here...I am hoping for at least a few calls. 

*The reason I am applying for jobs is because there is NO FRG for where Kyle will be working. Am I wrong for being slightly happy about this?! It will be a nice break.

*Kyle heads back to work on Tuesday, it has been nice to have him home but we are both ready for a routine again.

*We have our first race in Louisiana on the 15th, I am ridiculously excited!

*Emma and Fishy have easily adjusted to their new home as you can see, it's a good place to live.

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

Oh Monday...Nice To See You Again!

We enjoyed our first weekend here in LA, it was relatively low key which you can never go wrong with.

We got Emma and Fishy into their costumes on Friday night for Halloween (however Fishy only stayed in his for 20 minutes). We sat outside and passed our candy, we had quite a few trick or treaters but the best part was meeting all of our neighbors. They were all very welcoming and there is a FB page for just our street, they plan get-togethers and other events. We definitely lucked out.

Saturday, we got up bright and early to head off to the gym. Can I just say how nice it is to be back into a running/gym routine?! Loving it!

We ran a few errands which included purchasing a new couch from an amazing local furniture store. We then ended up playing miniature golf on post (yes you read that right, the military base has a miniature golf course lol). I am certain we will end up there a lot.

That night we picked up our first Bountiful Basket (if you haven't heard of it go here and check it out: bountifulbaskets.org). We got a ton of fruits and vegetables plus we did the add on tortilla pack. The quality is awesome and we have already put a huge dent in the fruit.

Sunday was spent watching football and preparing for the crazy that ensues today. We get our household goods! Woo!!!

Hope you all had a great weekend.