Let's Jump!

Yesterday was National Airborne Day! I have to say that this is one of the coolest things about Kyle being in the Army. Watching him fulfill a dream of his is pretty amazing, I've been able to watch him jump a handful of times and we joke that he is like a lawn dart. Last one off the bird and the first one to hit the ground haha. 

He is a Senior Rated Jumpmaster (30 jumps and can perform duties inside the aircraft) and would love nothing more than to become Master rated (65 jumps) before he retires. He has jumped out of a C130, C17, Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters, as well as received foreign jump wings from Cambodia, Canada, and Chile. Of course it can also be dangerous, he has had some bumps and bruises, plus minor concussions but he keeps on jumping because he loves it and his knees and back haven't given out yet. :)

Receiving his Cambodian Wings.

 Receiving his Senior Jump Wings

I love being there to witness his accomplishments and watch him do what he loves to do. However, I will never understand how someone can love jumping out of a perfectly good airplane haha.

Do What Others Say You Cannot

A few months I posted about how I was toying with the idea of continuing on with my education after I complete my Master's degree and go after my doctorate.

When I mentioned it I had a few people tell me how hard it would be with a small child, which I completely understand. However, I also feel that having kids shouldn't be a reason to not complete the goals that you set for yourself. So, with that being said I have decided to pursue my doctorate. I will complete my Master's in May and we will be moving shortly after that, but we will only be in our new home for a year.

As of right now I plan to begin this process in Summer 2018. We will be at our new duty station (fingers crossed for Fort Lewis haha) and Emersyn will be almost 2 years old, so that seems like a great time to me to start. I am excited to begin this journey and see where it takes me.

I never thought that I would have the desire to continue my education in this way, but I have a true desire to work with children, especially military children. It is going to be challenging, overwhelming, but also rewarding, and I can show Emersyn that no matter how long you wait you can still achieve the goals you have set for yourself no matter what.

Have you ever accomplished something that others said you couldn't do?

Friday Favorites

I love these Friday posts, they are really fun for me! :) It makes for a great way to end the week.

Here is what I am loving right now:

1. Olympics! I have always loved the Olympics, but this year seems especially good. I am loving all of the countries that are winning medals for the first time.

2.  I am loving that I have chosen my next marathon! I was supposed to run the Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon this past February but a sweet little miracle happened so 2017 it is!

3. Roasted Red Pepper Pasta. I found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman's page and oh my goodness it's amazing. I could eat the whole pan of it haha. Here is the recipe!

4. These Under Armour outfits I found for Emersyn. Oh my goodness, I could not pass them up haha. She will be with us when we run races and she had to have her own little outfits. Thank you Amazon for the awesome prices.

5. Snuggles with this sweet girl. It's not very often that she will just sit with me but we have been having stormy weather lately and that means she will. She is and always will be my 1st baby girl.

What are you loving lately?!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

1st Day!

Today is our niece and nephew's first day of school! For those who have followed my blog for long enough you have watched them grow up too.

Grayson is starting kindergarten and Kylie will be in the 4th grade. I remember the days that they were born and it makes me a little teary eyed thinking about how big they are getting. I am so proud of them and the people they are becoming.

I can't wait to see them after Emersyn is born!

To all those who have kiddos starting school today, I hope they all have an awesome day and a great school year!

Monday Musings

How are we already 8 days into the month of August?! My mind is blown. This weekend was a relatively quiet one and I'm not hating that.

*Let's discuss how I'll be 38 weeks pregnant this week! Where did the time go?! I am really hoping that this sweet girl decides to show up sooner rather than later. We are ready to go, carseat is installed and bags are packed. I even created a list of phone numbers to all the buildings that Kyle could potentially be in if I go into labor during the day (he can't have his cell phone in the secure buildings he works in).

*Emma had a vet appointment on Saturday to see how she is adjusting to her new medication. She was clearly traumatized and felt that I should share my donut with her. She may or may not have gotten a little piece of it. I couldn't resist that face.

 

*My final grades were posted for my classes and I could not be happier. To pull out 2 A's is definitely a rewarding feeling. However, I am excited for my break but I know October will be here before I know.

 

*My sister found these amazing trunks on a buy, sell, trade page in her town and knew that I would love them. I wasn't sure I would have a place for them until Kyle suggested using them as toy boxes for Emersyn. Sold! haha. 

*Thanks to the Olympics my weekend was spent mostly on the couch, I tried to venture to the pool on Saturday but they closed it early because they were understaffed. Hopefully that isn't the problem this week because this lady needs pool time lol.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Postpartum Goals

As of today I am 20 days away from my due date! Let that sink in and blow your mind haha. 

I've had a lot of things on my mind lately (obviously) but one thing I do think a lot about are the postpartum goals that I have set for myself. I know that I have to wait roughly 6 weeks before I get the go ahead from my doctor to work out but I have to say that I am already looking forward to that moment. I've had people telling me to enjoy this time and just relax but when you go from running on a consistent basis to an inconsistent basis it's hard. 

I am the type of person that has to have goals, I have to have something to work towards. I am already signed up for 2 races that I have been looking forward to all year. There may be a few other smaller races sprinkled in between just to get out and move, plus it will be so fun getting Emersyn used to her stroller and running (well riding for her). I know it will take time to get back to where I want to be but I'm excited to start that process.

November 13, 2016: Pensacola Half Marathon. I will be running this with Kyle and my sister! I can't wait.

December 10, 2016: Cajun Country Half Marathon

 

This will be my 3rd year running the Cajun Country, last year was interesting because I had my fastest half time during this event and I was also 4 weeks pregnant and had no idea! :)

 These will be half marathons #14 and #15, I really can't believe we have done so many. I may even throw a full marathon in there the early part of next year.

I am excited to continue on this journey!

Getting To Know Me

Over the last few weeks I have gained quite a few new followers and I thought it would be fun to do a getting to know me post. Just a way to introduce myself in a different way to everyone who is relatively new to my space.

* I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was definitely an interesting place to grow up but it's a place that I have zero desire to move back to.

* I am the mama to these 2 sweet furbabies, Emma (12) and Fishy (9). They were mine before Kyle and I got married but they clearly favor him now haha. I am also the soon-to-be mama to a precious little girl that we will be welcoming in a few short weeks, Emersyn Kay. :)

*I am extremely close to my family, which consists of my Dad, sister (Lisa), niece (Kylie), and nephew (Grayson). I am so grateful for the relationships that I have with them, they are amazing. My Mom passed away 5 1/2 years ago after a 10 month battle with cancer, it was and is still hard to deal with some days.

*I became an avid runner 3 years ago and have loved every second of that journey, it has definitely changed me. It has led me to complete 1 full marathon, 13 half marathons, and a variety of other distances. 

*Kyle and I met almost 20 years ago in middle school. He was the nerdy kid that had a crush on me and I was thought I was too cool for school haha.

*I have been living the military life for the last 8 years as Kyle is active duty Army. It has taken us to North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, and now Louisiana. I am excited to see where this journey takes us.

*I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Child Development and certificate in Family Studies. I am currently working on my master's in Psychology and have a tentative plan to continue on for my doctorate in the future.

* I am not the most adventurous person but I do enjoy getting tattoos, I have 8 and have plans for many more after this little girl is born haha. I've also gone skydiving with my sister and have vowed to never do that again.

*I LOVE to bake and cook. Most days if you need to find me just look in the kitchen. I do have a food blog that I need to revamp and get up and running again.

I thought I would end this post with a request for questions. Is there anything you want to know about me? Let me know, I'm pretty much an open book haha.

Have a great Tuesday!