Life this Week

Our favorite CupCake place has changed their summer daily special list and lets just say so far I'm LOVING it. Banana Split, Banana Pudding, Banana Butterscotch, Bourbon Pecan Pie to name a few.  

 We can never get to much time at the Doggie park. The hot summer days are make for early morning trips. 

This beautiful beauty got a total make over and now she's sparkling just like new again.  

 We decided to for go our evening run for a hard core 20 minutes (4 sets) of Tabata's let's just say my body was feeling it the next day big time. But the feeling after finishing is indescribable. 

 I joined the iPhone world finally after being a Mac / Apple lover for years. I mean I've had a MacBook Pro & a Ipad forever now so it only made since. Double bonus of getting a iPhone is that I can finally text my girl B in Germany and FaceTime with her whenever I want and do have to worry about chatting through FB. 

 Late night Date with the hubbs after dinner, we absolutely LOVE frozen yogurt and 32 degree's is right near post and they have a fabulous toppings bar. I kept it simply and classy with Vanilla Yogurt topped with sprinkles and reese cup pieces. 

Hewitt 5K & Farmers Market Saturday

There's nothing more that I hate then waking up early on the weekends. Some how I continue to do it for one reason of another. This Saturday it was for a Race, so I wasn't to heart broken. Not to mention it was for a great cause. However I'm not a morning person by any means. Once I get up I'm good but its just getting my butt out of bed at first. 

This morning I "made" my oatmeal put it in the microwave to cook and went to the other room to finish getting ready. It seemed to smell funny but I didn't pay much attention to it, just figured it was cooking. The timer went off, I left if for a few minutes to cool down before getting it out of the microwave as I always do. Boy was I in for a treat when I opened the door. I noticed a black spot in the corner of the ball and the smell that followed was awful. OMG, it's way to freaking early I forgot to put the water in the oatmeal. YIKES, good thing nothing caught on fire because from the smell of it you would have though it did. I quickly tossed it in the sink and made anther bowl before I had to head out the door. 

This was the 1st Annual Hewitt 5k, as soon as Kelly told me about this race and the story behind it I HAD to sign up. She went to high school with the parents of the two beautiful children pictured below.  Haley- 3 and Parker- 5

4 years ago today (race day) they were both killed in a tragic car accident. They were way to young to leave this earth and no one will ever understand why it happened. They left behind their dad, mom (who was driving the car, NOT her fault at all) and now two younger siblings that came after them. The story of what happened broke my heart as Kelly was telling my I just chills along my body. 

The out pouring of support they had that came out for the race was amazing. The proceeds from the race went to the Hewitt Pavilion Fund at Chapin Baptist in memory of Parker and Haley. Strictly running is the big running sponsor and running store here in the South, they said this was the largest turn out they had ever seen for a first time race. Everything was done up so beautifully and the two sweet faces of these kiddos shined through every were. There were tons of people holding signs all through out the event with encouraging words and quotes. 

Not sure why but I was nervous as the first half mile of the race was on the soccer field. It kinda annoyed me that we had to run through the field but whatever. I've done much worse so its ok, I'll survive. My back was so sore from Thursday's work out but I pushed through and didn't think it would bother me that bad. Boy was I wrong I was in tears be time I crossed the finish line. But still proud of the job I did and for finishing strong. Full Marathon training has officially started and I'm stoked and nervous at the same time. 

Later that afternoon I met up with my friend Jenna and her little guy for lunch at one of my local favorites. Its a Deli called The Other Store its in the back of a old gas station. The gas pump part is closed but the store its self is still open and they have a lot of older candies, treats drinks and goodies. Its really a cute little joint all the way around. Side Note: if your in a hurry you'd better call ahead because they run on Aloha Time for sure. We waited about 25 minutes for our SANDWICHES to come out. Sandwiches people but when I tell you I'd do it again any day that's because its SOOOO worth it. I've had this thing for pasta salad here lately so I though I'd give their's a try. It was so yummy, I could have made a meal out of that alone. We saw that they have Chicken Bog on Fridays so we are def. going to plan a lunch date to go back and try it out soon. 

After lunch we headed out to the state farmer's market in Gatson. The hubbs and I have been several times last year but we haven't been this year yet. Jenna hadn't been at all so it was a fun adventure for the both of us. I had a long list of things I needed and only $20 in my pocket to spend. Talk about a budget people. We spent almost 2 hours at the market, its so big and there's so much to see. I was able to get everything on my list plus a little extra and still managed to stay under my $20 budget. I can't wait to go back again and restock up on our fruits and veggies. 

Today was a great day, I had such a good time at the race earlier this morning and this afternoon out with Jenna. I can't wait to do it all over again soon. I've been so blessed to make some great friends here in the South it will def. be hard when we have to leave. I finished the evening with a little dinner date out with the hubbs at Bone Fish Grill. He'd been wanting to try it out for a while and I agreed to go. Not being a sea food eater this was a big deal for me, good thing they had steak. It was fabulous!!! He has tomorrow off (Sunday) and we have no plans, so I'm looking forward to enjoying a lazy day at home.

Our First Bloom

We planted SunFlowers back before the hubbs left for school in April and our first one finally bloomed the other night. I was so excited, they were getting so tall I was beginning to wonder when we'd see some pretty flower blooms. I came home Tuesday night after having dinner with the hubbs at his work to this beauty. The week before I left for my summer weekend get away in WV (post still to come) this stock fell over so I had to tie it up. I wasn't sure it would still weather the fall but it did great. I absolutely LOVE Sunflowers. Last year we planted them and they got tall but not nearly as tall as they have this year. 

 This just gives you a idea of how big the leaves are. 

 Our roof line for our lower leave has got to be about 6-7 feet I'm not a hundred percent sure on that but its gives you a idea on how tall they are. Crazy right?!?!?

 Isn't it just beautiful!!! I can't wait for the other ones to bloom, we have so many buds that look like they are going to pop just any day now. 

35 Things Military Spouses DO Say (And Say Often)

A friend posted a link to this article on FB today. I couldn't help but laugh my way through reading it and had to share. Many of you will understand and agree!!! ENJOY!!!

35 Things Military Spouses DO Say (And Say Often)

35) Hey, I don’t like her but she PCS’s next month.

34) I live on base… can you just let me through this ONCE?

33) I have an unhealthy relationship with my phone.

32) I’ll believe the return date/time when he/she is standing in front of me.

31) Move over, let me change that tire!

30) My kids never cease to amaze me.

29) I got this!

28) I have 12 sets of curtains to fit whatever house we end up in next.

27) I hope this phone is steam proof… I may need to take it in the shower with me.

26) I can fit a cake in a mason jar, heck I could probably bake a cake in a test tube if needed.

25) I have, like, three Scentsy consultants.

24) I haven’t lived in my home of record state for twenty years.

23) I multi-task so often that when I go to bed, I have three different dreams… at once!

22) Does anyone have any extra Sharpies, tape and custom forms.

21) I broke my web cam using Skype.  And no, don’t ask.

20) Where are my coupons?

19) Don’t forget your PT gear!

18) What time is it in Afghanistan?

17) No, I haven’t seen your cover!

16) I’d like to take the groceries out to my car myself please.

15) Do you offer a military discount?

14) We just moved to this installation.  Where is, well… everything!

13) Ya'll are gonna have to wipe with napkins… I am NOT going to the commissary on pay day!

12) REMEMBER OPSEC!!

11) Crap.  Our king bed won’t fit in this house!

10) We will just celebrate Christmas in July!

9) Damn.  I called at 7:05 instead of 7:00… now there are no appointments at the clinic for today!

8) What can I make with ½ bag of noodles, mustard and apples?

7) O’Dark WHAT?

6) My sponsors last four are…

5) I might need some Xanax

4) Who decided to close the back gate?

3) I do not feel like going to the FRG meeting tonight!

2) Don’t make me Skype your father!!

1) How do I do it?  One day at a time… because I LOVE him/her.

Life Get's in the Way

Sometimes life gets busy and we I forget to stop and smell the roses or flowers in my case. It seems like I've always got something going on, some were to be or something to do. But it never seems overly exciting or fancy. Non the less, I've got a busy life and I suppose that's a good thing right. So here's a little tidbit of what I've been up to over the last two weeks. 

If you follow me on Instagram you've seen most of these before I'm sure. I'm going away for the weekend and my goal before I leave was to get caught up with everything, which includes this here blog of mine. Let's just say that didn't happen. I still have a weekend adventure to recap from two weeks ago. Hello what has gotten in to me. I guess you could say that every free minute I have is spent with the hubbs when he is home from work. Remember we picked up a new cycle about 2 1/2 weeks ago so things have been a little crazy. 

I made a killer Pasta Salad a couple weeks ago for dinner. We ended up eating on it for 3 days before it was all gone. Def. a favorite meal for us. 

Everyone loves Chocolate Chip Cookies. I made about 5 dozen last Sunday night. We each took some to work to let everyone enjoy. :) Because we all know we don't need to keep them all in our house. 

Running, Running, Running and more Running. I tell you It's such a stress reliever. I feel like a totally different person after my runs. No matter how good or bad of a day I've had, It's def. the best way to clear my head. 

Did you know that June 5th was National Running day......me either till I saw it posted all over FB. 

With it being National Running day on the 5th, that mint the registration fee for the Full Marathon I was wanting to do was discounted by $20. Not knowing if there would be a chance of it getting any lower than that I went ahead and bit the bullet as they call it and signed up. So it's official, I'll be running my first Full Marathon in Savannah, GA on my 6th Wedding Anniversary. No fingers crossed everything goes good and the hubbs will be off work and there to support me along the way. (even if he can't I know he'll be supporting me from home)

I'm not very good when it comes to planting, growing flowers and keeping them alive. Give me a Ivy and that's a different story. However we've had some really pretty flowers bloom from our seeds we planted a few weeks back.

I finally tested out my new pot that I got with my amazon gift card my brother got me for my birthday almost two months ago now. I say on the giftcard forever because I wasn't sure what I wanted to get and then when I decided and finally made the purchase, it took me a good couple weeks to finally use it. I made Hamburger Stew in it for the first time, it was actually really really good and super easy to make. Will def. be a keeper recipe, it would be great for during the cold winter months. I love the pot it makes a great addition to our cookware collection. 

With all the rain we've been having here lately the pups have been stuck in side a good bit. I feel bad for them to because they have so much energy to run out. I try to take them to the dog park as much as possible or at least for a walk when I get home from work. With our busy lives here lately they've been super lazy. Silly puppies and their tongues. :) 

 Now that It's official and I've signed up for my first Full Marathon I've been stepping up my gym classes / workouts. I'm really trying to work on my Strength and build up my Cardio as well. I'm still working at it and I think with anything it will take time to fully be able to do all of the exercises properly. Still I feel great afterwards so that's a good thing right. 

I hope you are all having a fabulous week and that you've got wonderful weekend plans. Thanks for hanging around and sticking with me. You ladies (and gents) are absolutely awesome!!!!! 

Let's Get Cookin

Tonight our Battalion Hosted a couples evening out a "Let's Cook" downtown. 

I hadn't mentioned anything to the hubbs about going because I though he had CQ. This morning he sent me a text asking if I'd be interested in going. Why of course I would, cooking + a date out with together, + we wouldn't have to pay for a thing. How could I pass that up, especially knowing I was leaving on Thursday for a few days. 

We've been to "Let's Cook" once before last year and we loved it. Its so much fun and we really learned a lot when we went. 

This time I decided to take my own apron to wear and I'm glad I did, I got so many complements on it. 

On the menu for the evening was: Jalapeno Cornbread, Fried Green Tomatoes served with Cheesy Grits, Low Country Boil (red potatoes, shrimp, corn on the cob, sausage) and of course dessert Strawberry Cheese Cake. 

The hubbs did most of the cutting and cooking which was totally fine by me. I mean I cook almost every single night of the week so to have someone cook for me and do all the dirty work was nice. We had fun together for sure and definitely will go back again. 

And a little while later, dinner is served. I have to say the cornbread was by far my favorite dish on the menu. I was just fabulous!!!

My New Do

I've been itching for a change for a while now and finally broke down and got my hair cut. 

My ends were looking really bad. Splitting at the bottoms and broken. 

I absolutely LOVE my long hair and didn't want to cut to much off but I was wanting a noticeable change. 

Options, Decisions, Choices what to do??

Before...

(the lighting in the lower, right picture is horrible, my hair is NOT red)

After.....

Before and After front view. 

I ended up getting 2 1/2 inches cut off the length, I had some more longer layers added in and long side bangs. All in all I'm really happy and pleased with it. 

I knew if I went much shorter or different than I'm used to I'd hate it after a couple days. My hair grows so slow and I'm way to impatient to wait for it to grow back out. I used to cut my hair really short years ago and wasn't a fan of longer hair but now I love it. 

It definitely looks much healthier, feels lighter and I'm really happy with it. 

12th Annual SparkleBerry Swamp Poker Run

When Kelly first mentioned something to me about doing the Swamp Poker Run with her & the fam, my first though was "its a run / race"?? What is it, I don't understand..... she told me to google it and look up pictures. After doing so I was in and knew it would be a blast. I've never been on a fishing boat before so it was going to be a new experience for me. A day out on the water with some great friends I couldn't wait. 

I'm sure your still wondering what the Sparkleberry Poker Run is......let me explain. Everyone gathers at Lake Marion and puts there boats in the water. There's any were from 2-10+ people in each boat and there was about 350 boats. It's along the same lines as playing poker. You can purchase as many poker cards as you'd like. We got two for the seven people that were in our boat (they are $25.00 a piece). There are 5 stops along the lake were you pull off to and pick a card from the dealers at the boat stations. You give them your poker card (a piece of paper) and they mark what card you got in the box that goes along with their station. As you go along the lake there tons of boats playing music, jammin out, enjoy lots of adult beverages and good food. It's great because you can get out and swim and hang out as long as you want. There's no time line to it, your not trying to see who get's to the end first. Your really just out there to cruise along the lake and have a good time. We spent 6 hours out on the boat and I had a nice little sun burn going on, thankfully my face didn't get burned at all thanks to my hat Kelly had got me for my birthday. Working on my summer tan!!! At the end of the day once we got back to the dock everyone met up and they were through all the poker cards and who ever had the best hands were able to pick a prize from the tables they had set up. They had prizes for just about any and every hand you could of had. Of course they started with the highest and best first. We ended up getting Harry, Kelly's husband two duck calls. He liked them so that's all that matters, they definietly got their money's worth back. 

I had such a great time, it was honestly by far one of my favorite day's here in the South so far. The only thing that could have made it even better would have been if the hubbs could have can. But I guess someone's got to train America's future Soldiers.