Pixie Dust Challenge 2016

I am finally checking off a huge item on my running bucket list! 

I get to run a Disney race in 2016. I had originally planned to just run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon but Kyle pushed me to sign up for the Pixie Dust Challenge. He said if I'm going to fly all the way to California I may as well make the most of it. That means I will be running a 10k on Saturday and a Half on Sunday through Disneyland no less! This is only the 2nd year that they have done the challenge and I am so excited that I get to be a part of it.

The only downside is that I will be flying to Anaheim by myself. I will probably buy a ticket to Disneyland for Friday and just roam around my favorite place!

Now the fun part begins, planning costumes. I have roughly 260 days to decide on what I want, I found this adorable costume idea:

source

and these ones as well:

source

All I know is that I can't wait for this event, it's going to be really magical!

Happy Monday!

Weekend Snapshots

Even though we haven't done much this weekend it has still been a good one!

Friday we headed up to Target and I found this gem of a shirt! Not only did it have a sparkly dachshund on it but it was a kids XL haha. I could not pass it up, Emma was less than amused though.

I woke up Saturday to this amazing email! I am officially a college graduate! I can't tell you how good it feels to be done with this goal.

In honor of this achievement Kyle cooked me an amazing dinner, homemade fried rice and orange chicken. It's nice to have a husband that not only wants to cook but that can cook. :)

In between scattered rain showers we spent some time at the pool, he will be back in the field soon so we are taking advantage of the pool before it closes Labor Day weekend.

I also wanted to share a pretty awesome video that I saw over the weekend (and shared on FB). Most of you who watch the news know that the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Odierno, retired on Friday. I was particular moved by what he said about his wife Linda and all military spouses. If you have a chance take a look at the video. It's pretty awesome.

General Odierno

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Who Are You?

Last month Kyle and I decided to purchase the Ancestry DNA kits, we both know our basic heritage but we wanted to know more. Not only does the test give you the breakdown of your ethnicity but it also will link you to others that have also done the analysis who are potential relatives.

My results came back yesterday and it was amazing seeing my ethnicity report. It was worth every penny of the $100 it costs.

I am 49% Great Britain (which is a mix of England, Scotland, and Wales)

18% Europe West (which is Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland)

15% Scandinavian

7% Italian/Greek

6% Irish

5% Mix of other regions

It also linked me with 414 potential 4th cousins or closer. There is one individual who might be my 2nd cousin. I have contacted her so we will see what happens from there. 

Throughout this process I was able to create a family tree with ancestry and as of right now I have my paternal grandfathers side linked all the way back to 1586. I have seen everything from census records from 1850 to ship records for ancestors who immigrated from Germany and Switzerland in the 1600's. One of the most interesting things is seeing the progression of my maiden name, from 1586 to now it has seen 7 different spellings.

I am amazed at the information I have been able to find. I am still sifting through information but it's been fun finding distant relatives and learning more about them. Can't wait to see what else comes up.

Have you ever looked into your families history?

The Next Step

It feels like we haven't had much going on lately but in reality we do. There are so many little things that are happening or that could happen. One thing I really haven't talked about lately is our fertility journey.

We found out a few weeks ago that Kyle does not have the genetic abnormality that the doctors thought he did. His tests actually came back completely normal as well. So we are two people with no genetic abnormalities but still struggle to get pregnant and to keep a pregnancy. Well the latter problem is apparently a fluke. We now know that it is imperative that Kyle has surgery to remove a varicose vein (really not trying to be TMI), the doctors have told us that it could increase fertility by upwards of 60%. 

Now here is the tricky part. From now until November Kyle will only have 20 days at home, the rest of the time is spent in the field training others. This does not make for an easy time to get to San Antonio for the surgery. We have decided to push it off until November/December when we know he will have some time to recoup for a few days. Every step we take I feel as though we are getting closer to our dream of having a baby and every day we are becoming more secure in different ways. 

We have been able to check things off our goals such as me graduating college and eliminating debt, etc. I do believe everything happens for a reason and at the right time (as much as it sucks to say it, I know that it is true). 

We will now move forward and use these next few months to prepare ourselves for the future and prepare for the possibility that IVF could be our last chance for a biological child. We are hoping though that this surgery could change everything for us. While we are grateful that a doctor has finally discovered this we are frustrated that it has taken this long.

Here is to the future! :) 

Friday Confessions

I haven't done one of these in a while so I thought it would be a fun way to end the week.

I confess....that I applied for my Master's program a few days ago and had a slight panic attack as I was doing it. 

I confess....that I get a little too amped up when it comes to things I read on social media. I rarely ever comment on things that are controversial but I let it bother me way more than it should. This has been a real problem for me lately because there is just too much nonsense going on.

I confess....that I have ZERO desire to watch any of the debates going on. I just can't handle the ridiculousness.

I confess....that I have zero skill when it comes to doing my makeup. I usually walk out the door with only blush, mascara, and lip gloss on. I would love to be all fancy but I just don't have the talent nor patience. :)

I confess....that I get a little too comfortable in my own ways when Kyle is gone. It's hard to readjust when he is back from the field especially when it's for a short time. Thankfully he doesn't mind when he comes home and I'm still in my pajamas lol.

I confess....that I really wish Kyle's unit would have a military ball, I am itching to get dressed up haha. It probably won't happen though.

I confess....that I yelled at the movers across the street the other day for throwing their packing tape all over our yard. It was not a pretty sight (me or the tape in the yard lol).

 I confess.....that I drove to Florida for the weekend just because. It's nice to not need an excuse to see my sister and the kiddos. 

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Me Time!

I always have the worst time finding a good nail place (it's one of the worst things about moving all the time). I came across a place on FB and decided to try it out. It is a salon and spa which is already a win in my book.

Kyle has been telling me to go get a manicure/pedicure so I finally did. I had the best pedicure and love how my acrylics turned out. I can't just have my nails painted or else I will chew them, yes I know that is a bad habit. I opted for black with a purple accent nail, I love how they turned out.

Before I left I made an appointment to get my hair cut, I figured it was worth a shot to see how they could compare to the other place I went. I'm sold! I love how my hair turned out, most salons won't thin out your hair correctly and my stylist did an amazing job.

It was nice to have some me time and feel human again! I will definitely be getting pedicures on a regular basis now. :) 

Do you make time for yourself?

Happy Thursday!

Why Waiting Isn't A Bad Thing

The title of this post got your attention didn't it?! :) It made me chuckle.

It has been 12 years since I graduated high school and as most recent graduates do I had every intention of going to college, well I tried it for a semester and I couldn't do it. Working full time just didn't allow me the time to feel dedicated. 

Since I am approximately 12 days away from graduating college (yes I am going to continue talking about it until I have that diploma in my hands lol) I wanted to share some of my thoughts on what it is like finishing college well after everyone expects you too.

~You will likely be one of the oldest people in class. I ran into that a lot but it wasn't such a bad thing (well until someone did comment that I was old lol). I look at is as being mature. ;)

~I felt more dedicated to my schoolwork, even though I used the GI Bill, if I failed a class I had to pay it back so I had to do well.

~I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish and what goals I needed to set for myself. Now I'm not saying that younger people aren't like that but it's rare to find.

~Since I did not go to a brick and mortar school I didn't have the pressure of joining clubs or that sort of thing. It was nice to not have extra distractions.

~I felt that I could be an example to younger students. To show them that it is never too late to achieve your dreams.

~I was able to use what I had learned in my professional experiences, this helped in more way than I ever thought possible.

~I appreciate the experience so much more at 30 years old. 

I am so glad that I waited 10+ years to get my degree, I learned far more than I ever thought possible.

Just remember that age doesn't matter, go after your dreams!