Birthday Preparations

In less than a month, on May 5th to be exact, we will celebrate Kyle's 30th birthday! I'm sure most of you notice that Kyle is a very low key guy and he does not like a lot of pomp and circumstance.  I have been racking my brain on what to get him and what to do to celebrate his day. I did promise him that I wouldn't make him wear a sombrero on his birthday like I did a few years ago lol. It's just what you do when your birthday is on Cindo de Mayo! ;)

Gifts are the tricky part, the man has everything and usually buys things when he wants them. He made mention a few months back that he wanted to get better at golf, ding ding! Golf lessons!! I know this is something he will love and I plan on getting him a few personalized golf towels as well just to go along with the lessons.

I thought about throwing a small dinner party but then I realized that he would be happier with a low key dinner at home with just the two of us because he will have just finished up with a hectic rotation at work. I'm going to make his favorite meal which is homemade spicy chicken fingers and garlic/parsley french fries.

Chicken Fingers Recipe

For dessert it will be a homemade funfetti cake with whipped cream frosting. I will pair that with homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream. This combination is his absolute favorite. I want to do something fun with the cake decorations and these cakes are just what I'm looking for:

I think these cakes are amazing and hopefully I can do something similar. I want to make his birthday special without overwhelming him.

Do you enjoy big birthday celebrations or a low key dinner at home?

Have a great Wednesday!

Another Weekend Gone!

I swear it feels like the weekends go by way too fast!

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to head off to "the box" tour. This is a tour that Kyle's work does every quarter so family members and locals from the community can come see what JRTC (joint readiness training center) does.

I have to say that I was blown away (pardon the pun), I know what Kyle does but seeing the demonstrations and the cities that have been built to simulate conflict situations is incredible! It was such an intense experience and one that I won't soon forget. We only got to see 1 of the several cities that have been built for training purposes. The role players that are involved and everything that goes into this training facility is remarkable.

People were able to walk through the buildings and talk to the role players and see firsthand what the OCTs (observer, coach trainer) and units go through during rotations was pretty awesome. They had vehicles out for you to look through and climb in plus weapons you could shoot. I took my chance to shoot a .50 caliber machine gun, it was impressive and awesome!

After the tour we were starving so we headed off to a place called J&T's Crawfish Shack, it is literally a shack with a few tables. We ended up with 5 pounds of crawfish and it was soooo good!!!

After we ran a few errands we headed home to relax and I made homemade beignets..so good!!! I got the recipe from Jen and they were divine! I will definitely be making these more often.

Sunday, I sent Kyle off to go golfing so I could do laundry and clean the house. However, he ended up having to go into work for a few hours which is not uncommon anymore. It was a great weekend, glad we had much needed time together before he is in the field for the next 3 weeks. It was a great mix of fun and relaxation.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

What I Have Learned

Kyle is coming up on 8 years in the Army and even though I have only been part of it for 7 I feel like I have more experience than I know what to do with. 

I have learned:

*You have to be somewhat independent. There are times when your spouse is not around and you have to take the initiative and get stuff done. This can be anything from financial decisions to car maintenance. 

*You cannot expect to get along with everyone. There will be people in this life that you come in contact with that you just do not click with. It happens but the great thing is you get to start over in new places. 

*This life is exhausting...the moving, setting up a new house, finding a new dentist, meeting new people, etc. It doesn't really get easier you just get better at dealing with it.

*You WILL want a break from all things military and that's okay. Hopefully your spouse does not hold that against you since you are not the one who signed on the dotted line. 

*When unexpected things happen do not flip out on your spouse, most likely they had no control over it either. This Army life can be crazy and getting upset does not really solve anything.

*You don't have to lose yourself in this life...you can still have a very strong sense of self and be productive. 

*You will meet people that will not only be friends but they will become family. Do not let those friendships go even if a PCS happens.

*Find something that you enjoy, whether that be a sport, school, volunteering, or working. It is so important to have something to focus on when training and deployments happen. 

*Don't always listen to the stereotypes! It doesn't matter if the person is married to a General or Private we are all looking for acceptance and friendship. 

*This life gives you a new appreciation for your family, you take advantage of the time you get to spend together and you will cherish it all the more.

*Be grateful for the life that you are living, not everyone gets the opportunity to see the world and experience new things.

*Support and love each other no matter what!

I am not saying that this life is easy but there are ways to make it less stressful.

This guy makes it all worth it for me.

Have a great weekend!

Some Happenings

*I started 3 new classes this past Monday, only 12 credits away from graduation! Woo!

*I booked a ticket to go see my Dad in Vegas at the end of the month. I haven't been back since December 2013 so it will be nice to get back there and see him.

*Our 5k this weekend was postponed due to weather which is a huge bummer (now I have to find another race to replace it) but now I get to go take a tour of where Kyle works which is pretty cool. :)

*I went to the PX a few days ago and stocked up on clearance Easter items, we are set for next year. I was able to get 5 huge bags of plastic eggs and 5 dye kits for $7! Woo! 

*My genetics appointment was rescheduled for the 22nd, I feel like every time they give me a new date they turn around and change it the next day. I'm starting to get really frustrated!

*I have been loving my gym/running routine. It feels great to have this routine and also not killing myself doing races. I'm having fun!

*The next few months are going to be busy for us. We have friends coming to visit, our niece and nephew will be with us for a week in June, and then our Houston/Florida trip in July! All of it is going to be amazing.

What is happening in your neck of the woods?!

Hope you all have a great day!

A Jam Packed Easter Weekend!

This weekend was incredible! It was full of family, friends, food, and laughter! We were in Florida with my family for the Easter holiday and the only way it could have been better was if my Dad had been there.

It started out with camping at Coldwater Recreation Center for 2 days with my sister and the kiddos plus her neighbors and their kids. We slept in tents, ate good food, swam in the river, fished, and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. The campsite also let people bring their horses and the owners were gracious enough to let us pet them too. It was a blast!

After heading back to my sister's on Saturday morning we prepped everything for Easter Sunday. Later that day we had a shrimp boil at another neighbors house and then dyed Easter eggs with the kiddos that night. Dying eggs by latern light was hilarious lol.

Easter was awesome!!!! The kids hunted for eggs and were so excited for all their goodies. My sisters backyard was perfect for hiding eggs. We had 19 people at my sister's house to include most of her neighbors and our brother and his family.

We ate good food, played a few drinking games, cards against humanity and laughed A LOT!!

We even had the chance to take some family photos which I think turned out amazing!

This was the most fun we have had in a long time and it was so awesome to spend it with family and friends (well they are more like family now). I can't wait to go back and make some more awesome memories.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Long Weekend of Fun!

Yesterday we had an awesome time at the OPS Group family fun day! They had a color run and each task force barbecued. 

Afterwards we headed off to Florida for Easter! We are camping for two days and then will be back at my sisters.

I hope you all have a great Easter weekend!!

New Hair is a Game Changer!

It's always good when you can turn this (I have no shame lol):

Into this:

I am so happy with new cut and color! 

Happy Wednesday!!