Thoughts on Thursday

Happy Thursday everyone! 

Here are some of my random thoughts as of late haha. 

1. It is so nice moving back to a place that we know! One of the hardest things about moving with the military is going to a place that you have never been before. We spent 4 years here and coming back has been so easy. It really feels like home. Not having to rely on a GPS to get everywhere has been amazing!

2. This mug is pretty much amazing. I'm not joking, I giggle every single time I use it. Not because I'm a regular follower of the royal family but because a group of British soldiers that Kyle worked with decided to give the entire small group them as a gift. They clearly understand the fascination that American's have with their monarchy.

3. Our neighbors are ridiculously nice. We have met a lot of them and they have been so welcoming. While most are military, there are a few older retired couples who have lived here for quite a while. We spent a good portion of the evening talking to one that lives down the street, E was obsessed with her dog so that helped haha. 

4. It takes a lot to make me angry, however yesterday it happened. We dropped my car off at 11:15 to have the 45,000 service done. I had an 11:30 appointment. They told Kyle that it would be finished in 2-2 1/2 hours. Great! 2:30 rolls around and I decided to call to get a status. Guess what!? They had just taken it back for the service. Excuse me?! The advisor said that just because we had an appointment didn't mean it would go back right away. Ummm then why let people make appointments? I got every excuse under the sun, to include, 4 technicians being out sick. Not my problem, home skillet! If they had told us that it wasn't going to go back immediately that would have been fine, just be honest. Finally at 4pm we picked it up and got 50% off our bill. 

4. I am 101 days away from the Chicago Marathon! Holy Cow! It's hard to believe that it's so close. I decided that since I will already be there that I'm going to run the 5k the day before. It will be a good shakeout run to get the blood flowing. I am really hoping for good weather but I will just go with the flow and see what happens. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the Home for our Troops team and having a great weekend. 

5. Why are donuts/pastries so addicting?! Haha! A friend of mine took me to a bakery here when I visited back in March and it has officially become our go to place. I can't believe we didn't know about it when we lived here the last time. They have the best donuts and glazed croissants. It's a family owned place which is even better and has been here since 1956! I've heard amazing things about their cakes as well. Good thing we work out as much as we do haha! 

Hope y'all have a great weekend! We have a 5k on Saturday morning so that should be a lot of fun! 

The Adventures Never Stop

Happy Tuesday everyone! We are getting closer to Kyle heading back to work and we have really been making the most of the time.

Our house is pretty much put together. There are a few things that need to be hung and a few things that we need to buy but overall it feels like home and we are loving it! I promise that I plan on doing a house tour, hopefully within the next two weeks.

Over the weekend we didn't really have any set plans. On Saturday morning Kyle suggested a trip to Myrtle Beach. I was on board. We loaded the car and set off on a fun adventure. We have taken E to the beach in Florida before so we knew she would love it. It rained a bit as we arrived so we stopped to grab lunch first. My favorite restaurant there is a place called Hot Stacks, that specializes in breakfast haha. Yes, we had breakfast for lunch. Best decision ever! The rain had stopped when we finished up lunch and off to the beach we went.

It was such a pretty day!! Not too hot which made it even better.

We spent about an hour at the beach and headed to Broadway at the Beach so we could take E to the Ripley's Aquarium. I didn't take many pictures at the aquarium but it was so much fun. Definitely a great way to spend the day.

Sunday was a more low key day. I decided to get up at 6am so I could knock out a long run. It was just what I needed. My goodness, it felt great. The weather was perfect and it felt like 10 miles went by fast. I love our neighborhood and the surrounding areas. 

The rest of the day was spent doing things around the house. The standard Sunday things like laundry and lawn mowing.

Yesterday, we had one last big event on the agenda that we wanted to do. We knew of the Marbles Kids Museum but of course we never went. Mondays are the best days to go because they don't allow groups to come in. My goodness, E had a blast!!! 

She ran from room to room squealing and loving life. It was so fun watching her explore and learn. Seeing things like this through the eyes of your child is the best.

It has been such a fun few days! We have so much to look forward to in the coming weeks including gymnastics classes, swim lessons, and a visit from my family at the end of July!!! :) 

I hope you all had a great weekend. 

A Perfect Celebration

Yesterday was a big milestone for me and Kyle! We celebrated 10 years of marriage. It is amazing to think that it has already been that long. What a wild and amazing adventure we have embarked on. A few days ago we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do to celebrate. We had initially decided on getting a babysitter and going out to a nice dinner. 

However, yesterday we changed our minds. We wanted it to be a family celebration. We couldn't imagine celebrating without E. We decided to take a trip to the North Carolina Zoo. We had been there several times before and we knew how much fun we would have as a family. 

It was such a fun day from start to finish! We got to the zoo around 10am which was perfect. It wasn't too terribly hot and thankfully a lot of it is shaded. We had the best time watching E run around and seeing her get so excited about the animals. 

We spent about 3.5 hours at the zoo. It's a 6.2 mile loop and boy was it tiring haha! It was so worth it though. The zoo is just as beautiful as I remembered it. 

We decided to grab an early dinner on the way home and we had gift cards to use so we stopped at Outback. It was the best decision haha! We ate so much food and it was worth it. 

What's a celebration without some sort of dessert!? We stopped at Smallcakes Cupcakery to grab some delicious goodies.

It really was the perfect way to celebrate 10 years of marriage! We were together and that was the most important thing. 

Finding A Routine Again

One of the hardest things about moving for me is getting back into a workout flow. Before leaving Kansas I was running consistently and going to SLAM everyday. For the first 2 weeks of being in NC it was hard finding that balance. I hadn't started going to my new SLAM yet and I had only run twice since arriving. Let me just say that I could tell my mental health was struggling significantly because of it. I was irritable and every little thing set me off, it was a horrible funk. Something had to change. My primary focus at the time was to get the house unpacked as quickly as possible. Once that was done I felt a huge sense of relief. 

I set my focus on getting back into my workout routine. I started going to SLAM again and I had to make running a priority. Not only is running my outlet and my way of relaxing but I am also running the Chicago Marathon in 109 days! That's a little daunting to think about. I know that I can do it but it's a matter of getting back into that rhythm of running and training. I will have to be creative with my training and my longer runs will have to be done on post to get the distance that I need. I know that it can and will get done. 

Working out is the one that thing that I do for me. I am the best version of myself when I have that outlet, I am able to be a better mom and wife as well. Kyle knows that working out helps me mentally as well as physically. He is always the first to encourage me and push me out the door when I'm losing the motivation to run. That's exactly how it was on Monday. I tried to come up with every excuse under the sun to not run. It was hot, my garmin was dead, etc. Kyle looked at me, shook his head and told me to suck it up and go. Well, I did and I'm so glad. I took those 4 miles and just relaxed. I felt like me again. I feel rejuvenated and excited to tackle marathon training.

Any sort of transition that throws you out of your routine is hard. I had to realize that it was okay to be in that funk for a bit but that it was important to find what was going to pull me out of it. You can't be pulled out of a funk like that until you are ready, plain and simple. 

I am so glad that I have found my rhythm again and that this funk I was in is gone! Being able to go to SLAM every day again has been the best. E and Kyle enjoy it as much as I do and it's so fun to have that experience as a family. 

I know that E is watching us and I hope that we are setting a good example for her. We are showing her that it's important to take care of yourself both mentally and physically. 

Don't forget to take care of yourself during the chaos of life! No matter what that entails! Self-care is critical. 

Back Together

As of Saturday afternoon our family is back together! 

Let me back up to Friday. That morning Kyle finally graduated from the Command and General Staff College. His hard work over the last year was finally recognized and it was finally time to head out of Kansas for good. At first I was a little bummed that E and I weren't going to be there for graduation but then I looked around our house and realized how happy I was that we were already settled.

Kyle left as soon as graduation ended. He drove until late that night and it made for a relatively short day on Saturday. He finally arrived home at about 2pm. I had him call me when he was 30 minutes away so I could be prepared. As soon as E saw his car pull in the driveway she freaked out! She ran outside yelling Daddy and her world was complete.

 It feels so good having him home! We enjoyed a low key evening of pizza and relaxing. It was the best.

We were up pretty early yesterday morning which was fine by us. I made a quick breakfast and we decided to head off to Wilmington. It has always been one of our favorite places and it was the perfect day trip. 

We walked by the water, browsed the shops at Cotton Exchange, and had lunch at our favorite little place called The Scoop. 

We were able to FaceTime with family to celebrate the respective wonderful fathers in our lives. Technology is an amazing thing! 

The rest of the day was spent hanging up pictures, going on a walk, and just enjoying time together. Kyle has a few days off before starting his new job which is nice. It feels so good having our little family back together.

I hope y'all had a great weekend!!! 

Life Lately

I have been doing my best lately to keep myself and E busy. Thankfully, she is pretty easy to entertain haha.

Last week I happened across a fun splash pad not too far from our house and E absolutely loved it! I can already tell that we will be spending a lot of time there.

Over the weekend I signed up for another race but this one was in Raleigh. It was in a beautiful area but the course was a little difficult especially when pushing a stroller. It was a narrow paved trail and it proved a bit difficult weaving around people but we had fun!

After we got home it was time to get some chores done, one of them was mowing the lawn. I don't mind doing it, but man it's a lot of work. I put E in her carrier and snapped this photo, she was too cute not to. We got it done but she wasn't impressed. 

Right after we got here I ordered E a pool for the backyard. Oh my she loves it! It's nice to just fill it up and let her have a blast. 

I finally had the chance to check out my new SLAM location! I went to my first class on Monday and it was amazing! I can already tell that I'm really going to enjoy this group. Everyone was so welcoming and it's a lot smaller than Leavenworth but that's not a bad thing at all. E enjoyed meeting new people as well (she was not interested in taking a picture but more interest in the playground haha). The splash pad that we went to last week is at the same park where SLAM meets, happy accident!

We only have a few days left until Kyle graduates and makes his way to North Carolina, to say we are excited is an understatement! Just a few more days to keep busy!

Happy Wednesday!

Buying a Home with A Power of Attorney

Buying a home is a giant responsibility! However, buying a home utilizing a Power of Attorney is an even bigger responsibility and one that involves a few more steps.

When Kyle and I decided to purchase a home at our new duty station, we had to make a big decision pretty quickly. We had to decide if E and I would make the move ahead of Kyle or would we wait and travel together. Now this might not seem like a big decision but to us it was. This decision determined whether or not I would be signing the papers with a Power of Attorney or if we would be signing together. We ultimately decided that E and I would go ahead of time and close on the house prior to Kyle's graduation. We were provided the Power of Attorney by the closing office all Kyle had to do was get it notarized. I sent a copy to the closing assistant and brought the original with me. 

Yay, Power of Attorney! Ha! Not only was this going to give me carpal tunnel but it was a process that had some moving pieces particularly on the morning of closing. 

One thing that had to be done on the day of closing is an Alive and Well statement. This is done by the individual that is not at the closing in person. For Kyle, he had to call into the attorney's office that morning and state that he had not rescinded the POA, he was not coached in any way, and that he was indeed alive and well. 

Since we were also utilizing the VA loan, an additional Alive and Well statement had to be provided to our loan officer by Kyle's boss. This was to ensure that Kyle was not AWOL and in good standing with the military. This email had to be sent on the morning of closing. Not the day before and not the day after. 

Talk about stress for me as I was waiting for confirmation that both statements had been received by their respective recipients. Both statements were received and we were free to move forward with the closing that morning. 

Next up was a whole lot of signing haha! There is a very specific way you must sign when using a POA. Each state will vary on how they prefer to have it done but for us it was "XXXX by XXXXX, his attorney in fact" and when initially it was "XXX by XXX, AIF". You also have to sign the names exactly as they are written. If you aren't use to signing your name with a middle initial or full middle name it can mess things up and cause new documents to have to be printed. 

Once I got comfortable, it was smooth sailing and closing only took about 45 minutes from start to finish. I joked that Kyle owed me big time for taking on this responsibility haha. 

To be honest, it was an easy process but just a lot of little things to get done. If you are ever in a position where you are debating utilizing a POA for purchase a home, do it! It is easy and for us it eliminated a lot of unknowns. 

10 Years

On June 21st, Kyle and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage. It feels surreal writing that because it really does not feel like it has been that long. 

Let's face it, marriage is hard! It is also one of the most amazing and joyous experiences but it's hard. 

For those that don't know our backstory, here goes. Kyle and I originally met when we were in middle school. He was that geeky kid in our history that just wouldn't leave me alone. I thought he was sweet but that was it. We stayed friends and tried to date in high school, that failed because we went to different schools and neither of us could drive. Fast forward to early 2008, he had a broken engagement and I had just gotten divorced in late 2007. We "dated", I put that in parentheses because it was long distance thanks to the Army and well, it was quick. 

Once we reconnected I think we both knew we had something special and only 3 months after we started dating we got married. Throw in a cross country move to North Carolina and you've got yourself a whirlwind. 

I think when you're dating it is much easier to throw in the towel when things get hard. For us having gotten married so quickly we had to really work for it. It wasn't easy. We were both learning each others quirks and figuring out who we were as a couple. We were two very similar people, hello stubbornness haha. I look back on those hard times now and I am so thankful for them. They shaped us and showed us the type of relationship that we wanted to have. Every relationship has their trials and tribulations, that's completely normal. For us, we have the added element of the military. It has made for some challenging times and honestly times for me when I've asked myself, "is this worth it?!". However, every single time I have the same answer, "yes, it is so worth it". 

We have learned so much over the last 10 years. We have learned that we are each others biggest cheerleaders, no one can infuriate us they way each other does, no one makes us laugh the way each other does, and that at the end of the day there is no one else we would rather go through life with. I look at Kyle everyday and I'm reminded just how lucky I am. I am lucky to have someone that I look forward to sharing everyday with. Sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly times. Are there days when we look at each other and roll our eyes, haha yes! It's normal. 

Now, we are raising this little person together. We get to teach her all of the lessons that we have learned about life and relationships. Hopefully, we don't screw her up too bad haha.

So to my husband on this momentous milestone, thank you! Thank you for making everyday of the last 10 years an adventure and for being the one I am so proud to call mine. I love you.

Monday Musings

I feel like I can finally breathe now that my house is not full of boxes haha! I have entirely unpacked and set up the house and it feels great. Honestly, I could not have done it without my Dad. He has been such a HUGE help. However, now my garage looks horrendous but that will change on Friday when the boxes are picked up. I do have some pictures that need to be hung up but that's easy.

Of course when it comes to military (well any move really) there is a potential for things to get dinged and damaged. We were extremely lucky and had no major issues except one. A few pieces on our dining room table were broken and it causes a stability issue. We had discussed buying a new table eventually so this just expedited that process. We already settled a claim and got what we asked for so that's a win.

There is a Rooms to Go here in town and I picked out this beauty! I can't wait for it to arrive next week. We also purchased two bar height chairs for our island in the kitchen. 

We also decided to get new couches as well. Our current couch is a sectional and that can prove to be tricky when moving from different houses. I browsed through the store and chose this set.

I am in love with the color! We also got 2 end tables, coffee table, and 2 lamps. We have stuck with brown tones for so long that it will be nice to brighten everything up. Do you buy new stuff when you move? We normally don't but for some reason we felt it very necessary this time around. 

I was able to sneak away on Saturday morning to run my first race here in NC! It was held at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. It was a great event, despite a few hills and the humidity haha. It felt good to start my racing here and I'm looking forward to many more races! I will also get to check out my new SLAM location this week, yay!

I really feel like we have hit the ground running since we arrived in NC to include scheduling doctor appointments for E. We have to get her a referral to a new cardiologist. Hopefully that process goes smoothly.

 My Dad leaves this week and it will be time to get back into a routine. It will be nice to have normalcy again in preparation of Kyle arriving. I do however foresee a lot of afternoons spent in our new backyard.

I hope you all had a great weekend!!