MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

The weekend is here again! Yahoo!
1. Are you a different person than you were five years ago? I think anyone who says no to this is lying! I'm different in just about every way possible! In all the superficial ways - appearance, where I live, not working, etc., but in several deeper, more meaningful ways too. I am married (still surprising!), the relationships I had with people have changed - some stronger, some weaker, and many new; plus I feel (hope) that some of my "college cockiness" has diminished. I no longer am in a little bubble where essentially I was surrounded by people who thought alike, dressed alike, etc., and with that I feel like I am more conscious of the varied opinions, lifestyles, beliefs, financial means of people and know that just because it may not be my way doesn't mean it's the wrong way.

2006 - Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa

2. If you could go on "Amazing Race" who would you take with you and why? The hubby of course! Mainly because he is one of my inspirations for working out, running, and exploring new things as it is!

3. Does facebook or Twitter actually bring more stress or good into your life? I am not on Twitter but I do have a slight addiction to facebook and a love-hate relationship at that. I love seeing pictures of everyone, it is easier to keep in contact with people, it can be a great resource for information (such as with the fires here recently), etc., but with all that does come the stress of over-analyzing. I find myself asking questions such as: Are they being serious with that comment? Do I annoy people with my statuses? How come I wasn't invited to said event everyone is posting about? Oh and let's not forget the "I can't believe they posted that! TMI!!" moments!

4. June is National Soul Food Month. What is your soul food? Mexican!! You can throw guac on just about anything and I will be happy as a clam! A margarita wouldn't hurt either.

5. If you could live in any other era other than the current, which would it be and why? I used to always want to live back in the days of the Oregon Trail, but now I think it would be too much work! I'll stick to the computer game instead. So probably the 1950's..post-war, poodle skirts, strong family values, strong economy, Betty Draper (Mad Men) style - what's not to love?

In other news, the Monument Fire is now mostly contained and most people have returned back to their homes. Sadly, many structures and homes were lost but thanks to all of the man power and dedicated firefighters the fire didn't do more damage. There were some close calls though! A fire on post and a lot of wind had us packing our important items just in case!

The husband's reward for volunteering to clear brush on post on Sat. Homemade cupcakes and cold beer. 

Sunday was especially windy, and thus the most worry-some day. 

Also, Ian and I have decided to take the plunge and buy a home in Clarksville when we move there at the end of summer!!  After speaking with friends who have done the same there, our parents, and a real estate broker, we have realized it is the right decision for us - albeit a stressful one! I would love any first-time home buyer tips or advice anyone might have! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

Happy Friday! I'll take this moment to send out a prayer request for the wildfire raging close to Sierra Vista. Many people have been evacuated, 40 homes destroyed so far, and the winds are only supposed to increase through the weekend. Please pray or send happy thoughts for the firefighters, animals, and those evacuated - especially those who have lost all to the fires.

Here's the latest group of questions, and subsequent answers, from Wife of a Sailor's blog. Can't wait to read my other fellow MilSpouse's responses!

1. Underwear parties, how old is too old? I must be super naive because I have no clue what an underwear party is, but neither does the hubby. Do they mean college parties (ie CEO's and office hoes??) I would say anything involving being ultra-provocative should end with college! (Or never!) But in terms of theme parties? I. LOVE. THEM!!!! We always were coming up with fun themes and I still adore Halloween! Basically any excuse to get dressed up! :-)

South Africa 2006 - "In Bad Taste" party

PLU - "80's Christmas" party 

Halloween 2010 - Blonde "Snookie" and "The Situation" 

2. What was your favorite class in high school? I was a bit of a nerd so I had a lot! Loved journalism and The Gopher Gazette class period, leadership class, and surprisingly I LOVED Anatomy and Physiology! I loved dissecting things, memorizing all the bones, seeing cadavers, etc. Ooh and French! 

3. Have you ever convinced movers/packers to pack something  they aren't supposed to for a PCS? Not on purpose! But all our shampoo, soaps, etc were packed and I just found out they aren't supposed to be. Also, oddly, one packer refused to pack candles, but the packer in the back of the house packed all the candles he came across - which I am definitely not complaining about ;-)

4. Blogging plays a growing role in the media, if you were asked to embed as a blogger with a deployed military unit, would you go? What do you think your blog would be like? This is a tricky one for me. Am I going with Ian? If so, then definitely! If not, I'm not sure. I would HATE to leave him but a) the former journalist/writing fanatic in me would love the opportunity and b) it would be nice to get a better grasp of what my husband has had to deal with. Ultimately I would think it would depend on how long I would be embedded for. In terms of what it would look like? Again, no clue! It would be interesting to follow a female soldier around and get her perspective. 

5. Do you think kids should attend year-round school? No! I think kids need the summer! Look back on your childhood and I would be willing to bet that a large portion of your best memories are from summer. That said, I am not a mother yet and I bet having to entertain your children all day for 3 months could be exhausting!  Overall I think it is a time that most adults don't get back, so why not let kids soak it up as much as they can? 

Recipe Organization Tips

So here's the deal. I love to cook. I love cooking blogs. I love recipe websites. I love food magazines. However,  I'm running into the problem of always trying out new recipes, that I find myself easily forgetting about yummy ones I cooked in the past.

How do you "foodies" organize your recipes? Binders? Online database of some sort? Excel sheets? I would love a run down of how to best keep track of the recipes we like!

Thanks and happy eating!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

Happy Friday! With the increasing heat here in AZ, I made Ian "force" me to go on a 6 a.m. run with him this morning and my it felt good! It was still fairly cool out...I think I just may of found a new routine. Now on to the weekly survey questions.  A few of these were really hard for me to think of a response!

1. When you vacation, what type of vacation do you like to take (beach, historic, adventurous, food oriented, etc.)? All of the above! We love to mix it up...most times we seek the sun but we did have a wonderful time in Breckenridge, CO in the freezing cold! We recently spent 10 amazing days in Belize for our honeymoon. Next up on our vacation bucket-list is a more history-filled European vacation with the highlight (mainly for Ian) being Normandy. During our vacations we also like to have days filled with adventures and excursions, but also take days to do absolutely nothing but lay on the beach/by the pool and read for hours on end. Same goes with food...love checking out new restaurants and yummy food but on longer trips I also like to cook a couple of dinners, to save on the wallet and the waistband!

Paradise... 

How I spend the majority of my first day (ever) skiing in CO

Yummy Brazilian BBQ (not pictured) in Vegas

2. What is your best memory associate with a song? Just one?! Okay fine, I'll pick one. Coming to mind is my father-daughter dance at our wedding to "Just the way you look to night" by good ol' Frank. Not only does this moment come to mind, but my family has spent many, many wonderful hours together watching Father of the Bride where this song is highlighted. I can still hear my mama making me promise to dance to this song with my dad at my wedding one day. This song makes me very nostalgic to say the least!

3. If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with your time? Three words: Travel, travel and travel! I would definitely go to Greece, Italy, NYC, Buenos Aires, perhaps New Zealand and back to South Africa! I also would love to take a cooking class or two!

4. What is one thing that people do NOT typically notice about you that you wish they would? I honestly have no clue! The hubby was no help on this question either! Perhaps that I cherish my family and friends more than anyone could know and that I spend countless hours worrying about them, our relationships, etc. and that I love when I spend time with them.

5. It's a summer of sequels, and if you had to live in one of each  of the following worlds (3 total) which would it be and why? 
     - X-Men: Be a mutant, what would your power be? I've never seen X-Men, so I couldn't even begin to answer. But if I had just a general super power, it would be to read minds WHEN I WANTED TO - like have a switch to turn it off...some things are just better left unheard!
     - Harry Potter: Be a witch or a muggle? Again, I'm not a Harry Potter person and don't know what a muggle is, so I'll just say witch!
     - Twilight: Be a vampire or a werewolf? I would probably say vampire because there's something more romantic about them, but I am definitely team Jacob!

Side note: We got to watch our friend's dog Libby while they were out of town and we had a blast! She's definitely a character and we love her like we love our own Maggie! Here's a pic of Ian with his favorite ladies !

Ps. Maggie has since got a summer hair cut and it looks like she lost five pounds! :-)

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

Hope you all had a happy and safe Memorial Day! Las Vegas and THE Grand Canyon were wonderful. Now, on to business. 

1. It's now June (woot!)...what plans do you have for summer? Not a whole lot! We have been busy travelling lately and Ian will be in class all summer. We do have some weekend trips planned - one to Phoenix and another in Tucson where Ian will be in a wedding. It looks as if we will be making our move to the next post over Labor Day weekend and as of now the plan includes a stop in the Texas Hill Country where Ian has fond summer memories of and from what I gather, it sounds similar to one of my favorite summer vacation spots! 

2. What is your favorite summer memory as a kid? This is easy! We used to go to Sunriver, in Central Oregon, for a week every summer with my grandparents, cousins, and aunt and uncle. It's high desert so it's always sunny and warm. Days were filled with biking everywhere, putt putt golf, horseback riding, canoeing/rafting, the BEST ice cream shop around (Goodies!), swimming and boating where I spent a lot of time getting flipped off the intertube. Nights included yummy homemade dinners with everyone followed by poker (and the cousin subsequently quitting after I won too much hehe).  And I can't forget to mention all the deer! I spent hours upon hours forcing my cousins to follow the deer with me in an attempt to make friends with them. I loved feeding them scraps from breakfast or dinner off the deck and then taking hundreds of pictures of them! Don't believe me? Ask my mom or aunt, they can vouch for the countless rolls of film used up on pictures of deer! haha. Oh what I wouldn't give to go back!   

3. If wild animals could be made pets without fear of danger, what type of exotic animal would you have? Well since I already said I would love finger monkey's, I'll use another animal. A giraffe! Ok, so I don't think they're all that dangerous, but they are always one of my favorite stops at the zoo! They are so beautiful, unique, and elegant. Love them! 

4. Is there anything about deployments you do like? There are a few things...saving money, if I don't feel like making dinner a bowl of cereal works as a fine substitute, and most of all the cherished communication between the hubby and I. Some of our best conversations came during deployment, because well, that's all we had. In a way, deployment brought us so much closer than before. There's a whole new level of trust built, and continually learning about each other and expressing our love and feelings toward one another. Plus I couldn't get enough of the sweet letters mailed and I would get butterflies every time I would see an email or facebook message from Ian. Then there's the reunions...nothing beats jumping into the arms of the man you love after so many months apart and all the excitement that builds up to that moment. I get the chills (in a good way) just thinking about it :)  However, I would forgo all of these "perks" to keep him home on U.S. soil. 

  

(Note: These are not mine, but I do have all my letters saved and tied with a ribbon.) 

5. No question this week, she ran out!