Mug Love Exchange

A few weeks ago I signed up for the Mug Love Swap hosted by Danielle at Sparkles and Lattes and Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me

I absolutely love swaps like this. It's a good way to meet new bloggers and send/receive fun things in the mail. Because let's be honest, who doesn't love getting things in the mail!? 

I got paired up with Echo at The Mad Mommy. I knew from the moment I read her blog that she is awesome. She focuses a lot on being a parent which I really appreciate especially as a relatively new parent. I love her writing style and you really should go check out her blog! 

I was so excited when I received the package in the mail. I wish I had taken a picture of the box because it had Disney stamps on it. Yes that excited me to no end haha.

She sent me some of the best stuff! (I didn't get great pictures because I was actively trying to fend off a one year old that was clawing at my leg lol). 

Let me start with the beanie and cozy socks! We are starting to have cooler weather here and they are perfect. I've worn the socks every night since I got them. 

I also received a cute little notebook and a chocolate sundae candy bar. The candy bar has already been consumed haha. I was nice and shared with Kyle. 

Lastly, she sent me a great mug with berry blast tea. I am NOT a coffee drinker so this tea was perfect. It has a great berry flavor but isn't overpowering, so it's a win in my book. 

I absolutely love the mug! It's perfect for these colder Kansas nights and it has quickly become a staple in my mug rotation.

Thank you, Echo!!!! It was great swapping with you! 

Thanks, Danielle and Stephanie, for hosting such a great swap.

Have a great Thursday!

Never A Dull Moment!

I feel like I need a day to recover from our weekend! It was so fun! 

We kicked off the weekend on Saturday with a trip to the Louisburg Cider Festival. It's about an hour away but it was really worth it. They had a pumpkin patch, hay ride, corn maze, animals, and fun activities for kids. In the actual festival part you could watch them make fresh apple cider and apple cider donuts. They also had vendors with so many cool things for sale. We of course had to buy some cider, donuts, and make our way through the corn maze. It was so so worth it! 

It was an unusually warm day but that didn't stop us from exploring. E was a trooper and had so much  fun playing in the corn and eating some yummy donuts. 

Afterwards we ran a few errands and had lunch before heading to another farm near our house. We went a bit later in the day so there was no one there. Since it was later we opted to not do the hayride but we did go through the corn maze. It was fun because they had special placards you had to find in order to figure out the code word. It was a cute farm and we have plans to head back again with friends.

Sunday was an early morning for me and Kyle. We were up at 5 to get ready for the Broadway Bridge Half Marathon. Since they didn't allow strollers on the course a good friend of ours was gracious enough to come and hang out with E at the house. We did miss having our little sidekick with us.

The race was held in Kansas City and it is the only race that runs over the Missouri River, which to me is pretty cool. This race was HARD. I'm not going to lie. However, I was more than thrilled with my time and was proud that we conquered so many ridiculous hills haha. It felt like there was a hill after every single turn, the challenge makes it worth it though.

With the completion of this race we also completed the Heartland 30k series. It was such a fun series and I'm so glad we did it.

Of course the fun didn't end there. We purchased tickets to go to the Renaissance Festival with friends later in the day. Now let me say that I'm a total nerd when it comes to this stuff. I performed at a Renaissance Festival when I was in HS. I got to sword fight as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, told you I'm a nerd.

This festival was AMAZING! Definitely one of the biggest ones I have ever been to. There was so much to do and see. We watched the joust, walked around and enjoyed looking at all the goods that were for sale. We had a great time with our friends.

We were also able to enjoy FaceTime calls with family! I love being able to see E interact with family and see how much she loves them. She has started kissing the phone when you ask her for a kiss and it's the sweetest thing ever. Our sweet nephew has the flu right now so it was good to see his face and make sure he was doing okay.

It was such a fun filled weekend and I'm so glad that Kyle just goes with the flow and is up for whatever crazy idea I have haha. 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Friday Favorites

It's Friday which means it's time for a run down of some of my favorite things. 

Here are some of my favorite things lately.

1. Caramel M&Ms. 

These things are ridiculously addictive. Yes, I'm sure you can gather from this picture that I was eating them in the comfort of my car haha. In my defense, I was waiting to pick Kyle up from a unit social. But seriously, go buy these! They are so good!

2. Dachshund Crib Sheet.

My awesome friend, Lauren, handed down to us this handmade dachshund crib sheet. I was so excited when she gave it to us. It makes me smile every time I look at it. 

3. Framed paintings of Emma and Fishy. 

I had these paintings done when we were still in Louisiana. I finally got around to framing them and hanging them up. I love how they look in our house. 

4. Fall in Kansas.

I mean how beautiful is this!? I am still pinching myself that we get to live there and enjoy this beautiful place. I am loving seeing the leaves change, the pumpkins everywhere, and the smell of the season!

5. This meme! Haha!

I mean when you register for as many races as we do it's pretty accurate. I sent it to Kyle and he got a pretty good laugh. 

What are some of your favorite things lately?

We have another packed weekend coming up. We are heading to the Louisburg Cider Fest tomorrow, running a half marathon on Sunday followed by the Renaissance Festival.

Have a great weekend!

Life Lately

I feel like we have had a lot and nothing going on all at the same time! Does anyone ever feel so drained at the end of the day but you can't remember what you did?! Haha that's me.

Here are some things happening in our house lately!

*We have Kyle's yearbook photo for his class on Friday. Yes you read that correctly, a year book photo. The awesome thing is the soldiers have the option to take it with their families if they choose to (and if they have one, there are also those who have taken them with their pets). It will be fun getting a little dressed up to take this photo. I will never turn down a chance for a family photo. I'm just glad that it will be an excuse to get him out of class a little bit early haha. With all of the guest speakers and extra modules lately he has been pretty busy with assignments and reading at home.

*Speaking of Kyle, we picked up his new fancy mess dress yesterday. It came in a month earlier than we expected so that was a nice surprise. Now all we are waiting for is for him to get promoted so he can wear said uniform for special occasions. Fingers crossed that happens before the end of the year (I'm looking at you Army and your low sequence number selection!). 

*E and I are meeting up with a friend on Friday to have her 1 year photos done! My photographer friend is the one who took our family photos and I'm so excited to see how these photos turn out. E absolutely loves her so I know she is bound to get some great shots. I saw some of the setups yesterday and it's going to be good. 

*We have finally made the transition from formula to whole milk in this house! Let me just say YAY!!!!!!!! We slowly made this transition and started before her first birthday and it has been a huge success. She loves milk and that has made things so much easier. SO we will say farewell to this wonderful Baby Brezza haha. I did jokingly ask Kyle if he thought we could turn this into a hot chocolate making machine hahaha! 

*Since I go to my workout class 4-5 times a week my body is usually wrecked by the end of the week so I finally booked a massage with the gift card that Kyle got me! It's going to be glorious and I can't wait. Hopefully, she can work out the kink I've had in my neck for a few days.

*Lastly, there is this little lady! She is growing by leaps and bounds. I love watching her grow and develop. She has the best personality and cracks us up on a daily basis. She has a new obsession with the books in her room. We will sit up there during the day and she will "read". She has quite the collection so she is always finding something new. 

*I'm slowly working on the posts for our home tour! Hopefully I will have that up before we PCS again haha. Just kidding, you should hopefully see those posts in the coming weeks.

Have a great Wednesday!!!!

Weekends Are For Fun!

This weekend was another one for the books! It was packed full of fun things and we are so thankful for all that there is to do in this area.

Saturday we started the day with the Run for the Fallen on post. It's a great event that honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice as well as their families. The Patriot Guard riders kicked off the morning in a great way and it set the tone for the whole event. It was a fun run so no competition and it was nice to just run in their honor. Of course the SLAMfam came out in full force which is always awesome.

I ran with Kyle, E, and my friend Lauren. It was a beautiful but humid morning. 

After the run we headed home and put E down for a nap. We showered and got ready for the day. We headed out to Liberty and did some shopping and had lunch. It was a nice relaxing day that ended with pizza and a win for Kyle's beloved WSU Cougs! Of course he was thrilled.

On Sunday, we were up at 5am to head out for the 2nd 10k in our Heartland 30k series. We really thought this event was going to get canceled because of the rain and lightening. I'll run in rain all day long but lightening is a different story. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and we were off! I gained another PR on this distance and as Kyle put it "you had a giant ridiculous grin on your face when you finished." Haha! It was a 20 second PR, and it felt great! However, let me just say that I'm always impressed with my rockstar of a husband that pushes E every single race! He always says that I'm pushing her all week and this is the least he can do. I love that man!

Immediately after the race we loaded up because we had a fun event planned for E.

A few weeks ago I purchased tickets to take her to see Disney on Ice. Yes I understand that she doesn't quite understand what was going on but let me tell you watching her faces and seeing her amazement was more than worth it!

Our little Snow White was ready!

It was magical!!! Let me say that watching anything Disney is amazing but seeing it through the eyes of your child is a whole new experience.

It was worth every penny!

Afterwards we had an early dinner with friends at a yummy restaurant called BRGR in the Power and Light District. Worth every calorie haha! 

It was a great way to end an awesome weekend.

Hope you had a great one!

The Saturday Sit-Down

Hey Everyone!

I normally don't blog on the weekends but I wanted to shared that I'm being featured today over at Whimsical September for Erica's Saturday Sit-Down series!!!

The Saturday Sit-Down

Please go check it out!!! Also, take a moment to browse Erica's blog! She is wonderful and I just love her to pieces! 

Have a great weekend!

Fall Bucket List

One of the things that had me the most excited about moving to the midwest was finally being able to experience a true fall/winter. I'm a born and raised desert girl who has lived in hot/humid climates for most of my life. While we did have some cold weather it never truly felt like fall. 

I will say that Kansas has an abundance of fall activities that we are so excited to participate in! 

Here are some things that are on our list this year!

1. Applefest in Weston, Missouri!

We have heard amazing things about this festival. It is known as one of the best fall festivals in the Midwest and this will be it's 29th year. They have arts and craft vendors as well as a ton of quintessential fall activities. 

2. Ciderfest at Louisburg Cider Mill

How can you go wrong with a festival dedicated to Cider?! The answer is, you can't! You are able to watch apples be made into cider as well as munch on delicious apple cider donuts. This is another festival that has a ton of arts and crafts vendors as well as live music. There is also a pumpkin patch and corn maze to get lost in. We are so excited to check this off our list. We will visit this Cider Mill at least twice because we are running a 5k here next month.

3. The Haunted Fort Leavenworth Tour

This event is a staple at Fort Leavenworth. It is hosted by the Friends of the Frontier Army Museum and has always been a huge success. For those who don't know Fort Leavenworth was established in 1827 and is the oldest active military installation West of Washington D.C. as well as the oldest permanent settlement in Kansas. There is an incredible amount of history as well as a lot of rumored hauntings due to the historic nature of the post. We are so excited that we get to go on this tour and learn more about the spooky side of post. 

4. Fort Leavenworth Oktoberfest

This one is pretty self explanatory and we are so excited! We love German food and events like this are so much fun. There will be live music, great food, hay rides, and other activities. They are even concluding the event with a memorial lantern launch at dusk to honor fallen soldiers and their families.

5. Monster Dash 5k

I am someone who will never say no to an opportunity to dress up for a race! This 5k takes place at night and as a family we will all be dressing up in our Halloween costumes. I have heard that it is a huge event and that it is one of the most fun to participate in. I can't wait to share our costumes, I think they will definitely top our Ninja Turtle costumes from last year.

6. Pumpkin Hollow at Deann Rose Children's Farmstead

This is another fun fall activity that we are excited to take E to. You can never experience too many hay rides, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches. You get to go on a wagon ride into the pumpkin patch and pick your own pumpkin to take home. 

We are so excited to check these off of our fall bucket list and experience these adventures with E! it's going to be a pretty amazing fall here in Kansas/Missouri!

What are you looking forward to doing this fall?

P.S. Go check out Erica's blog Whimsical September tomorrow as I will be featured for her Saturday Sit-Down series! 

Keep On Moving

If you have followed my blog for any length of time you know that running and being active is a huge part of our lives. Most of our weekends involve some sort of race and this past weekend was no different. We are currently working towards a goal of completing 100 races. This weekend checked off #89 and #90 (for clarity, Kyle and I will both have run 100 races, some of these have been together and some separately but we will both reach the goal of 100 come November 11th). We both have a really hard time sitting still so being active is the best for us.

On Saturday, Kyle was participating in the Rugged Maniac 5k in Weston, MO. We were able to sleep in a bit as his heat didn't kick off until 11:45. It was being held at a ski resort and it was beautiful! I enjoy obstacle races but I decided to opt out of this one and watch from the sidelines with E. I knew I made the right choice when right after starting the participants went straight uphill haha. 

We got there early enough to where Kyle was able to switch to the 10:45 heat. He said he had a blast, which was evident by the giant smile on his face at the end. I was a little jealous of the water slide at the end but that's okay haha. :) 

Sunday we ran the Plaza 10k in Kansas City. It is the largest 10k in Kansas/Missouri and it did not disappoint. It is also the 1st race of the Heartland 30k series, we have 2 more to go. The course was gorgeous and it was fun running with 2k+ other people. I had no goal in mind but was thrilled when I PR'd this race by 90 seconds. 

I love just going out and running with my two favorite people! 

I always love when being active goes hand in hand with great events. On Monday, with it being September 11th, my workout group Stroller Strong Moms participated in the 9/11 Flag run/walk. It was hosted by Team RWB and it was designed to keep the American Flag moving from sun up to sun down. Every 30 minutes the flag was handed off to a different group and moved for 2 miles. It was an honor to walk/run with this amazing group of ladies/kiddos and keep the flag moving.

Here is to an another awesome day! Make it a good one!

Tips for Adjusting to a New City

As a military family we have grown accustomed to moving quite a lot. In the 10 years that Kyle has been active duty we have lived in 7 homes and 5 states. While this is something that we are used to, it isn't always easy. There are difficulties that come with the constant moving. This could be things like not knowing where anything is or the daunting task of making new friends and building those relationships. This does not just apply to military life, if you are relocating because of a job or family circumstances these tips can help ease the tension from a move.

Here are some tips that have helped me adjust to a new area.

1. Get lost. 

Now this may seem a bit confusing, but if you stick with me you will understand what I mean. When Kyle and I got married and I moved to NC I was absolutely terrified. I had never lived outside of Las Vegas and the idea of essentially flying solo was hard. He encouraged me to "get lost". What he meant was just get in the car and drive. Drive around your new city and figure out where everything you need is. For me I had to learn both the military installation as well as the surrounding areas. Find the gym, restaurants, shopping areas, grocery stores, etc. This made all the difference for me during my transition. I still do this and it's a game changer.

2. Get plugged in to the community. 

This directly ties into #1, when you are driving around look for the local newspaper, figure out what local organizations are around that can helped you get plugged into all the things happening in the community. Also, find FB pages, this has always helped me. Most towns will have a FB page with local events happening and volunteer opportunities. The majority of the events that I find are due to the FB pages and word of mouth. If you are a churchgoer find a church home and get plugged in that way, I've had friends attend multiple ones before they found the right one for them. 

This is especially important when it comes to children. Find playgroups that you can take your children to and get them involved as well. We have a pretty active local library that does story times and wiggle time. If they are old enough get them involved in gymnastics or sports. 

I was lucky enough to find a workout group on post that I love. I am able to take E with me, not only do I get a great workout in but I have also begun to build great friendships with these ladies and it's been wonderful. 

3. Volunteer.

This one is pretty self explanatory. Look for ways you can give back to the local community. This could be anything from volunteering time at a local animal shelter or becoming involved with Habitat for Humanity. For me getting involved with the FRG (family readiness group) really helped me connect with other military spouses. You will forge a lot of great relationships and be able to help a great cause. 

4. Have a BBQ or Open House.

This is one thing that we have recently adopted and it has been a game changer for us. When we first moved here we made the decision to be more social. We decided to host a BBQ and we invited a lot of our neighbors. It was perfect because we had it outside in the driveway (block party style) with a ton of food and drinks, it was extremely casual with people coming and going as they wanted. Not only is this a great way to meet new people it's a great way for your neighbors to meet each other especially if most people are new. This is what we ran into during this move, pretty much everyone had just moved here and it worked great. Now we all have such a great rapport and almost every weekend someone has a bonfire and we all get together. 

5. Embrace it!

While not every location is ideal it is so important to make the most of it. I know some people hate hearing that but it's true. We have not lived in ideal locations but every place has their own charm and being able to embrace that can change your outlook. Step outside of your comfort zone and truly embrace where you live, even if the location might not be ideal you may just end up loving it more than you thought. 

I hope that these relatively simple tips are helpful for those who are preparing for (or have just completed) a move. 

Life Lately

I feel like we are finally getting settled back into our routine after having a wonderful long weekend with family. It's nice to be back in the swing things and to continue on with the year. 

Here is a quick catch up of some other things we have been up to.

Last week, Kyle and I had the opportunity to enjoy a few hours out together. We attended the Commandant's reception for the school, it was nice to get a little dressed up and meet some of Kyle's fellow classmates. Shout out to our friend, Lauren, who watched E for us so we could attend. 

E had to get shots and blood drawn on Wednesday. I was okay with the shots but the blood draw pushed me over the edge. I ugly cried and believe me so did she. She was a trooper and tolerated a grocery shopping trip and a few others errands. She was happily delirious haha.

A few days ago we decided to stop at a local farm to see some sunflowers! They are popular in Kansas but we had no desire to drive a significant distance just to see them. This farm was small but beautiful and we snapped a few pictures.

We also went to an Apple Orchard! Usually during the day while Kyle is in class or home studying/reading we try to find fun things to do with friends. We picked apples and bought some apple crumble topping. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon.

We are back to our normal race schedule this weekend. Kyle will be participating in a mud run tomorrow and we are running the Plaza 10k on Sunday in Kansas City. From what I have read it's the largest 10k in Kansas and Missouri. It's the first in a 3 race series that we are participating in. It should be a great event!

I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

Birthday Weekend Recap

It feels good to be back! I took somewhat of a blogging break while our family was here to celebrate E's birthday and it was really nice! 

It was nice having my family as well as Kyle's parents here to celebrate the big 1 for Ms. E. We had her party on Saturday at a lodge on post and it was perfect. We had the use of the building, which had a full kitchen, playground outside and a huge open room where we had the party set up. We went with a pretty low key theme. The colors were pink, white, and gold. We had mason jars wrapped in tulle on the tables that were filled with the utensils. I didn't take a whole lot of pictures because I just wanted to enjoy the time with family and friends. For food we had homemade pulled pork, pasta salad, baked beans, chips, and of course cake. 

I am so happy with how E's cakes turned out! Karma Cakes in Leavenworth knocked them out of the park. I didn't want anything over the top and they did exactly what I asked for. The sheet cake was half chocolate and half vanilla which was a hit. 

Her little smash cake was adorable! 

She clearly LOVED her cake haha! She had a blast! The party last for about 2 1/2 hours which was perfect. Everyone ate and enjoyed each others company while the kids played outside. 

We were thrilled that dear friends from Fort Polk (they are now in Missouri) drove to celebrate E's birthday with us. It meant a lot to have John and Rachel there. 

We had to take a family photo to commemorate the day.

On Sunday, we decided to spend the day at the Kansas City Zoo. Kyle and I purchased a membership and we were able to get everyone in for free with us. It was a perfect way to spend the day. The kids had a blast seeing all of the animals and it wasn't a terribly hot day. E passed out about 30 minutes before we left, which is a sign of a good day haha. 

Sunday was a more low key day. We started with breakfast at Bob Evans and we did some shopping at the outlets. My in laws left that evening and we enjoyed the rest of the time with my family before they left yesterday. 

I love that E was able to spend so much time with her family and seeing how much they love her and how much she loves them. 

It was a wonderful weekend celebrating this sweet girl and having so much time with family.

I hope you all had a great long weekend!