First Check-in of 2017

A little big of strength…

… and a little bit of cardio.

Hey hey hey! We are four whole days into the New Year and I have stuck with my resolutions. It’s not a huge milestone, but let’s just celebrate anyway.  Tomorrow is my planned REST day (from the gym) so today seems like a good time to take a look-back on what has been going on.

January 1: Easy yoga day at home. Let’s not start out too crazy, right? Turns out the easy start was a good idea because the day included a trip to Urgent Care with one of the kiddos.  All is well now, but I was happy to have started the day with a moment of calm and peace.

January 2: Teach Zumba class – Hey-oooh!  Starting the week off with a dance session is pretty awesome. Hop around, shake the hips, get the groove on. Good times. Plus, it’s an added bonus to see some of my favorite people in class too.

I followed up the hour of cardio with the strength training program: the Labrada Lean Body Challenge.  The Challenge is 12 weeks long and includes a detailed schedule for lifting weights and overall awesome strength building.  I’m not planning on submitting any of my information or pictures to try to “win” but I am looking forward to seeing the results and, more importantly, having a legit plan for my lifting.  Today I spent about 55 minutes lifting through three sets of 15-20 reps of a variety of chest, triceps, and shoulders exercises.

The Labrada program is kind of “old school” to me, which I am really enjoying (again, only four days in). In the past few years I spent a lot of time in the Crossfit world …. interested in reading about My Crossfit Experience… or 7 Reasons Why Crossfit is Great for New Moms*…. but I am back at the big chain gym now and it’s bringing back some fun memories of my pre-WOD days.

January 3: Ahhhhhh Leg Day. I began with a quick warm-up and then focused on quads and hamstrings. Again, it’s been ages since I was on the leg extension and hamstring curl machines and man oh man did I feel it!  I had to pause the strength portion of the day’s workout to hop into the barre class. For those of you not familiar with barre, it’s a ballet-inspired class and is awesome. This class was a perfect compliment to my strength plan… just when I thought my legs couldn’t take anymore, I did a bazillion plies! Hello calves. Hello hammies.  Why hello to you too, quads. Oh yeah, and remember my shoulders and tricep work from yesterday, well my barre instructor did some great upper-body focused work too! Hello every single muscle in my body screaming at me right now.

Last but not least, I finished the day with last bit of my Labrada plan – some glute strength work. Done and done and done.

January 4: Well, let’s just try to get out of bed today. The legs! The arms! After walking downstairs like a robot due to that my legs forgot how to function properly…. I put the kids on the bus and finally got to the gym a little later than planned.  Strength training focused on upper-body again, but this time included back, biceps, and abs.  There seemed to be more strength exercises today or maybe it just took me longer because I was jamming to my music and was bee-bopp-ing around between sets. (It helps A LOT to have a lifting buddy who encouragingly laughs at – and occasionally joins in – my impromptu dance moves.) When we finally finished up with abs,  I decided to complete the day with a little bit of rowing, a little bit of inclined treadmill walking (I HATE RUNNING), and then a WHOLE lot of stretching and foam rolling.  All in all it was a good workout but felt a little subdued since I didn’t go to a group fitness class.

And that’s it! So far so good.  Friday’s plan will be a little off-kilter because of parenting responsibilities. I’m guessing I will be at the gym without my lifting buddy and without group classes to super-motivate me. I better get a good playlist put together to keep me going!

FYI – This will be my last detailed daily work-out regimen post until the end of the month when I will compare the difference in weights and number of reps from Week One to Week Four. Yippee.

‘Twas the Night Before New Year’s

Here’s my latest creation, written after my last post while feeling super-inspired for some new fitness and nutrition goals:

‘Twas the night before New Year’s, when all through the house

none of my clothes fit, not even a blouse;

the yoga pants were hung near my gym bag with care,

in the hopes that tomorrow my motivation would be there.

The cupboards were filled with an assortment of nuts,

While the fridge burst with veggies assured to shrink guts.

 

And me with my kettlebell near my new yoga mat

Have written my goals, determined to burn more fat,

With burpees and box jumps and the suicide ladder,

I am determined to work hard; the pain – it don’t matter!

 

In the morning, I’ll wake up and fly like a flash,

It’s just the beginning – my very first dash.

The moon is still shining I didn’t even know

I could get up so early, I thought this would blow,.

When to my lips I bring a cup of caffeine

And realize this is what it takes to get lean.

A quick healthy breakfast, I eat in one bite

And I lace up my sneakers so they feel oh-so right,

With my hoodie and ear buds, I dash out the door;

There’s no time to wonder at the gym what’s in store.

In the minivan, my music is playing with might

My mind is focused and my goals are in sight.

I am ready to rock and pumped to get going

People are staring, my smile is showing.

 

Now! Pushups, now! Presses, now! Cleans and some jerks!

Oh! Running, oh! Rowing, oh! Sprints and footwork!

To the top of the bar, to the top of the beam,

OH good heavens, my muscles, they scream!

 

But I will not give up nor will I give in,

For the first time in ages I feel like I’m livin’.

Some days will be hard and I know that’s not wrong,

But it’s important to me that I grow to be strong.

One day at a time, I will make choices that are true

To my goals and allow a cheat day or two.

This is a long journey – not done in one night

It’s a lifetime of fitness and eating what’s right!

 

Inspired by “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moor
Re-worked by Betsy Meyer

New Year = New Blog Intention

It’s been ages upon ages since I put fingertips to keyboard on this page. There are many reasons, but none are very interesting. I will not bore you with them.
Instead, I will start with a disclaimer for the upcoming 365 days: this blog is going to be different… shall we count the ways…

1. I’m actually going to write.
2. In the past this blog has been a place for me to come when I felt like I really had something to say.  Unfortunately, that mindset also put a lot of pressure on me to say something important and resulted in me not saying much at all. Starting today, this blog will be where I journal my journey.
3. I have some things I would like achieve – call them goals or personal growth or milestones or whatever, my husband just calls it “adulting” – and this is the space I will use to record the steps I take, the ones going forward and I’m sure a few going back.  I am hopeful this is the space that will help me learn to love the process.
4. Most of my writing will focus on four areas I would like to improve: a. developing better healthy eating habits despite my lack of enjoyment and skill in the kitchen (burnt toast anyone?); b. consistent and effective physical fitness (I work out regularly, but it no longer feels as effective as it used to); c. learning how to -actually and truly-  follow a budget (why, oh why, is this so difficult?); d. living with purpose and intention (as opposed to my latest technique of running around like a chicken with its head cut-off).

For all of you who clicked the “Follow Me” button because I have been writing about military spouse lifestyle things or motherhood things, I thank you for showing your interest in my perspective.  I hope you will continue to hang out with me here. I am sure my journal will continue to hit on military spouse and motherhood topics since those hats aren’t coming off anytime soon!

If you have some things you would like to achieve, please join me here! Together we can get some stuff done. Or vent when it gets hard. Or refocus when the vision gets fuzzy. And always love the process.

 

In Memory…In Honor

In Memory of those who heard the call to serve our country and gave their all.  They packed duffle bags and footlockers. They gave hugs and kisses. They fought in trenches, tanks, ships, and planes, hospitals, bunkers, make-shift huts, and city streets.  They traveled thousands of miles and walked through foreign lands. They heard sounds and saw sights that most cannot imagine.  They took their last breath far from home. They went. They served. They gave their lives.  Their sacrifice will not be forgotten.

In Memory of our service members who are still missing. They followed their orders overseas and put themselves in dangerous situations. We do not yet know the details of their experiences; we do know they embody courage, strength, and honor. Their homecoming is anxiously awaited. Their stories are not complete.  Their sacrifice will not be forgotten.

In Memory of the men and women who went to fight the fight and although they returned home, they returned home a different person.   Whether changed in body or in mind, they gave of themselves for our freedom and security.  They may be home now, but they continue to fight to find their new normal. They deserve to be remembered as who they were before and honored for who they are today.  Their sacrifice will not be forgotten.

In Memory of all who gave their lives in service for our country but will not be honored by statue nor memorial. For those we lost in training exercises, mishaps, and missions we do not hear about.  They worked hard. They pursued excellence. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten.

In Honor of families and friends of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  For the conversations left unfinished, the inside-jokes lost of humor, and lives left incomplete. Today is more significant to them than most.  Their loss is real and deep.  Their sacrifice will not be forgotten.

 

 

 

 

 

Teacher Appreciation – and so much more

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and today, in particular, my eyes have been opened to the severe inadequacy of the title of this week.

Let’s start with the fact that I volunteered for lunch duty today so the Teachers at our school could grab a few extra quiet moments in honor of this special week.  For two-and-a-half hours I watched (and HEARD) 500+ students shuffle in and out of the cafeteria.  I opened approximately 20 juice boxes, 17 tubes of yogurt, and 6 cups of fruit – 4 of which squirted juice in my face.  I answered 6,483 questions – the majority of which were pretty random, reminded 172 to use their “walking feet,” and gave permission I-don’t-even-know-how-many-times for someone to use the bathroom.  I came home EXHAUSTED.

The kids at our school are GREAT kids… They listen really well and are quite polite – even the scary fifth graders who look like they could be in college! But as I watched them all come through that cafeteria, I realized how many different personalities and needs our teachers deal with on a DAILY basis. There are kids that need extra attention and kids that want to be left alone; kids that are funny and kids that are shy; kids you can be silly with and kids that need straight answers; kids that need a hug or a high-five or the “I mean business” stare… and our Teachers are able to dish those out… on demand… to the exact kid that needs that exact interaction.  “Teacher” ?!?!  I think not. Let’s go with “Mind-reading Personality-deciphering Super-human”. It’s a little wordy, but much more accurate.

Back to my cafeteria experience: let me point out my responsibilities included keeping the children from injuring themselves or others and trying to keep the noise level at a minimum.  My co-Lunch Duty volunteer and I decided to just focus on the first responsibility and let the noise level go a little bit.  I mean, priorities.

Our Teachers have responsibilities that BLOW MY MIND! They teach those kids to read and write and add and multiply and how to find the area/volume/circumference (which I may or may not have forgotten). They teach history and science and art and music and P.E. They teach how to stand in line and keep your hands to yourself. They teach how to cope when someone says or does something unkind. They teach that life isn’t always fair. They teach cooperation, patience, perseverance, self-control, integrity, kindness, selflessness, determination, dedication, generosity, friendship, love.  How do they prioritize those?! “Teacher” is an understatement. “Developer of Brain, Body, and Spirit” is more like it.

 

Let’s also not forget that these Teachers have lives outside the school halls and classrooms.  They are spouses, parents, pet-owners, mortgage-payers, schedule-jugglers, budget-balancers, hobby-havers, and so much more. I know a good number of our Teachers are blazing through real-life challenges and curve-balls right now, but they continue to show-up for our kids. “Teacher”…. Pffft.  “Tough-as-Nails Focused Fighter”… that barely covers it, but it’s the best I could do in a pinch.

Teacher Appreciation Week, eh? Appreciation?! You know what I appreciate? When someone holds the door for me or let’s me scoot in front of them in traffic. For the Teachers… I am indebted to them, astounded by them, in awe of them, and yes, thankful for them.  For a week?! No way!  FOR. EVER. AND. EVER.

 

One afternoon of Lunch Duty has led me to announcing:

(AKA… Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, but I really really really mean it.)

A Christmas Campaign that ACTUALLY Matters: GIVE LOVE

It’s a marketing campaign that is simple and understated and red. It’s not flashy, nor fancy, and not overtly “church”-y either. But I’m not referencing coffee cups. I’m not referencing boycotts or hashtags. I am referring to something that actually matters; something that will make a real difference in the lives of others.

I’m talking about: GIVE LOVE.

While some people are ranting and making noise about things that don’t really add up to a hill of (coffee) beans, there are other people just outside of Sacramento, California, spending this holiday season being generous and doing good. They are looking into their hearts and reaching into their pockets to make this Christmas season very special for an entire county of foster kids. What are they doing, you ask? They are choosing to GIVE LOVE.

The GIVE LOVE campaign got its humble start just last year in Yolo County (yes, folks, it’s really named “Yolo”) when a brand-new church saw a need in their community and met it. While serving as a chaplain with the Woodland Police Department, Matt Van Peursem, the lead pastor of Catalyst-Woodland, became aware of the considerable need for more resources for the county’s Child Protective Services. Nearly every single day, the county adds one new child to the foster care system in Yolo County. Unfortunately, there is generally a gap of approximately 48 hours from the time the child is in CPS care until he or she is placed in a more permanent home. During this time, the resources (think everything from comforts of home to basic hygiene needs) for the kids are incredibly limited. Enter generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness, and everything good in this world… in the form of Catalyst and people who genuinely wanted to make a difference.

The 2014 GIVE LOVE campaign resulted in 425 backpacks filled with overnight clothes and toiletries for all kids entering the foster care system. Bonus: stuffed animals were donated as well and were added to the bags given to the younger kids. Now if that doesn’t warm your heart more than a tall caramel macchiato, I don’t know what will!

Because last year’s generosity was so grand, and the Police Department still has backpacks awaiting their future owners, Catalyst decided to find a new way to GIVE LOVE this year.   Last year, they met needs. This year, they decided to make wishes come true! With a little bit of help, the Church was able to get the Christmas Wish List of every single child in the foster care system. They intend to transform each and every wish into a wrapped present.

GIVE LOVE 2015 was launched just this past Sunday and will culminate on Catalyst’s one-year anniversary, December 6^th. In the first hour, the good folks in Yolo County have already picked up 160 GIVE LOVE cards containing the Christmas Wish of a child currently in foster care. Most likely, more than 300 wishes will be turned into reality this Christmas season. These wishes range from grandiose requests for a new bike or a Nintendo DS, to the more unassuming, like a wish from a 17-year-old girl for a $20 gift card to simply get her hair cut.   No matter if someone is granting the smallest of small wishes or making the unimaginable come true, one thing is certain: it matters. To quote Pastor Matt, “We do this because these kids end up in foster care as a result of devastating circumstances that communicate to these kids that nobody loves them, adults can’t be trusted, and promises are made to be broken. Everything we do in the GIVE LOVE campaign is to restore hope in those three things: Love, community and a bright future.”

The act of showing love and kindness, of finding generosity when it’s least expected, of being able to GIVE LOVE is the reason for the season.

It’s easy to get distracted by rants and other irrelevant noise streaming into your various social media feeds. I urge you to take time this holiday season to focus your eyes and heart on people who are doing things that really mean something. This is just one example of people doing good. No doubt, there are many more such examples; look for those examples; highlight them on your feeds. Find the good and GIVE LOVE.

For more information about the GIVE LOVE campaign, click here.  

Motherhood: The Half-Time Report

My daughter turned nine years old yesterday. She is my eldest child. When she was born into this world, I was born into motherhood. Now, this morning, the day after her ninth birthday, I realize she is closer to her eighteenth birthday than she is to the day she was born. With the revelation that I am, essentially, at the halfway point of my parenting career with her, it’s hard not to take a few moments and consider where I stand.

I stand a near-decade away from those interminable nights of lying awake wondering if my brand-new daughter was safely asleep in her crib down the hall. While she slumbered, I wondered if I should swaddle her tighter, use organic bath wash, or pay more attention to “tummy time”. I would gradually drift asleep with one thought remaining, “I guess I will do the best I know how.” My feet are firmly behind the war-zone lines where battles and wars were fought regarding which side of the slice of bread the jelly goes on, why sandals are not appropriate winter footwear, and why toddler hands do not belong near a stove-top. Those battles were sometimes long and drawn-out when the wee toddler showed the determination and stubbornness that had only been seen in the likes of… well, her father. My strides have taken me through emotional storms of postpartum hormones, seemingly insurmountable doubts of my parenting abilities, conflicting desires to hurry-up this tedious job and at the same time beg the clock to just SLOW DOWN FOR MINUTE OR TWO OR THREE!!! I have slipped and fallen; I have tripped and stumbled; and I have skipped and leaped and jumped a time or two. I have stepped along so many milestones cheering her on; first steps, lost teeth, two-wheel bikes, new schools, diving into pools. The moments have been photographed or recorded, but mostly the journey is imprinted on my heart.

I am here with nine years of parenting history behind and look out towards nine more years ahead. I just might have an idea about what the future holds for me. I will pace nervously in my bedroom during MORE endless nights wondering if she is safely asleep in her bed down the hall, or at a friend’s house, or in her college dorm. I will wonder if I should sign her up for more extra-curriculars, let her go to the movies with that boy, or insist that she make her bed every morning. I will try to find my sleep with the thought, “I am doing the best that I know how.” I will continue to try to find solid footing on battles over clothes and friends and school-work and tone of voice and curfews and music choices and music volume and cell phones and social media boundaries and car keys and which college to attend and so much more. I hope that while she may not look at me and see a friend, that she will also not look at me and see a foe. I hope our battles will be interspersed with peacetimes at coffee shops and practice fields and laying on her bed talking about whatever comes to her mind. I am confident that I will have to stride through tween/pre-teen/teen hormonal angst like none I have ever imagined. These next nine years will surely make me second-guess my mothering instincts and continue to have a love-hate relationship with the clock… it’s unfailing ability to neither tick faster nor slower. I nervously step up to the milestones that lie in front of me; school dances, wins and losses, driver’s license, first loves and heartbreaks, and so many more “real life” moments that will be so very important to her along the way. I hope I will know how to encourage while giving her space, letting her fall but giving her a place to land, letting her know she will always, always be my baby girl.

So here I stand, closer to embracing my daughter as a young woman than I am to snuggling her new-baby self.   I am not sure if I want to cry for days gone by or smile for adventures to come. For tonight, I will probably just sit down and do both.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words…
well today’s blog is worth five doodles:

Today’s quote isn’t famous, but just a reminder:

“I’m going to do the best that I know how.”
– an average mother

A Shout-out to All the Bus Stop Parents

It’s the first day of school here. On this big important day of the year, it’s important to take a moment to acknowledge the people who work tirelessly through the morning hours to get our mini-people ready and on their way to educational progress…. Otherwise known as… The Bus Stop Parents.

The Bus Stop Parents come in all shapes and sizes. These are just some of my favorites:

THE “WE SERIOUSLY JUST WOKE UP TEN MINUTES AGO” PARENT
This one of my very favorites because the wardrobe of choice – who am I kidding, it wasn’t a “choice” at all… it was whatever happened to be within arms reach – is always spectacular and usually needs an explanation. “Yes, it’s August and yes I’m wearing my winter coat. You should thank me.” “Can you believe I can walk in my husband’s rain boots without falling over?! They’re actually comfortable.” “Who knew my third-grader’s flip flops fit me?!” “Yes, I am actually wearing a bed sheet.” And all these comments are said with a profound sense of victory because… hey! Your kid got on the bus and that’s a victory!

THE “GOING TO THE GYM RIGHT AFTER THE BUS COMES” PARENT

I’ve been this one many times. There’s always a far off stare happening. It’s the running dialogue if The Gym is actually going to be the destination of choice…. Maybe a trip to Target instead? Or perhaps a quick breakfast with a few other Bus Stop Parents? Or maybe just back to the couch to catch up on some shows? Sometimes it really is the gym and sometimes it’s not. Either way, your kid got on the bus and that’s a victory!

THE “OVER-THINKING” PARENT

Whether your kid is in Kindergarten or third grade…. There are a lot of things to keep track of! The little ones can’t keep track of it all because, well, they are little, and the older ones can’t keep track of it all because, well, because that’s just how it works. So you have to keep track of it all. All of it. Heaven help you if you have more than one kid! Every now and again, it’s possible to over-think and second-guess yourself. Try not to do that too often because in the end, your kid got on the bus and that’s a victory!

THE “MORNING BREATH” PARENT

It happens to all of us. When you are busy keeping track of all that stuff (aforementioned parent)… you may just happen to forget to brush your teeth. The “hide behind the coffee mug” technique seems to be quite effective. You could also just stand on the outside of the group of parents or at least down-wind. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone loves the smell of a fresh brewed coffee, so think of that mug in front of your face as a gift to everyone else. Plus, your kid got on the bus and that’s a victory!

THE “DAD” PARENT

We mostly had moms at our bus stop; it’s probably fairly common, especially in military communities. However, we were often joined by dads that didn’t need to go into work super early. Most of the time, the dads congregated close to each other. The moms could talk non-stop the entire time we waited for the bus and then for approximately 40 minutes after the kids drove off. The dads are always friendly and social of course, but just not quite as much as the ladies. And for some reason the kids always like to dump their backpacks by the dads’ feet. Talkative or not, it doesn’t really matter because those dads got their kid on the bus (occasionally without a backpack) and that’s a victory!

THE “WORKING/DOING SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF THE HOME” PARENT

Pretty much every day that our working moms or the ones who actually got dressed in “for public viewing” clothes, the rest of the parents would “oooh” and “aaah” over them. Almost like it was a fashion show… the dress pants! The buttoned shirt! The ballet flats! The make-up! You would think we had never seen each other before in anything other than near-pajamas. It’s very good for one’s soul to step out in skinny jeans, boots, and a sweater and be welcomed as if you are on the red carpet. Plus, you got your kid on the bus and that’s a victory!THE “CROSSFITTING PRIOR TO SUNRISE” PARENT

Some of us just rolled out of bed. Some of us have already run 8,000 meters, completed 3,789 burpees, 15,000 box jumps, and 694 pull-ups. It’s cool. To each their own. Even if those parents aren’t sporting their Crossfit t-shirts and chalk on their hands, you can probably still pick them out among the bunch; they are all gitty with post-work-out pheromones! You worked out already and got your kid on the bus, that’s a victory for sure!

I’m sure there are so many more ways to categorize the different kinds of Bus Stop Parents out there, but those are just some of the ones I relate to the most. I’m thankful for all my friends who have waited with me on steamy-humid days, through blizzards, and in downpours. The camaraderie of the bus stop certainly sends our favorite little people out into the world with a sense of security and welcomes them home with the knowledge that no matter what, today was a victory!

The Importance of True Friends

I’m pretty sure most grown ladies will agree with me on this one: One’s girl-friends are important. As a military spouse, I have the luxury – and the heartache – of having the very deep understanding of their importance… because I have to say “good bye” (or “see ya later,” or “fair winds and following seas,” or “’til next time,” or whatever phrase we use to pretend the leaving isn’t so bad when really it is gut-wrenchingly horrible) to my dear girl-friends much too often. But I don’t want to write about the difficult part of these friendships tonight. I want to think of all the ways that my girl-friends are important to me.

Regardless if you are a stay-at-home military spouse, or full-time working civilian spouse, or not a spouse at all, young or old… if you are a grown-up lady, then having true friends is quite possibly one of the most important elements in your life. Let me give you my definition of “true friend”:

True Friend: /trū frend/ noun

1. Someone who lets you be exactly who you are… and even applauds you for it.
   
2. Someone who lets you be exactly who you are… and doesn’t judge you for it.
   
3. Someone who lets you be exactly who you are… and encourages you to be more “you.”
   
4. Someone who loves you for who you are… but will give you a quick kick in the behind when you need to stop being the not-so-great version of “you.”
   

The tricky part of finding a True Friend, is finding someone who can encompass all four definitions. One person. All four. It’s pretty awesome when you come across one.

These are the friends who won’t mind when you have a complete and total meltdown because your DVR did not actually record one of your very important televisions shows (namely, Real Housewives of Orange County). They will sit in the car with you and make up horrendous (I’m not kidding… HORRENDOUS) rap songs. They will send you long text messages filled with Emojis because that is your favorite form of communication. They will dress-up for your theme parties… and not complain about it. They will call you immediately when they find out one of your family members is sick to see what they can do to be helpful. They will celebrate with you and cry with you and maybe do both in the same night. They will know and love your babies almost as much as you do. Well maybe some of those are particular to what my True Friends have done/continue to do for me (perhaps not everyone prefers to speak emoji and make up rap songs while dressed-up at a Real Housewives theme party… but you should really try it, if you haven’t!).

But seriously, these friends are able to make you a better version of you; they cheer you through the good times and pull you through the bad times.   Without these friendships, life would be less fun and less full.   These friendships help you be a better spouse, daughter, and friend to others. Without these friendships, the rest of the world would never have a chance to see all the potential in you shining through the (sometimes) clouded version of you.

True Friends also allow you to be that murky version when life is tough and busy and brutal. These friendships survive months and maybe even years with minimal phone calls and conversations. They survive on the knowledge that the bond between the two friends can withstand time and silence and un-answered phone calls or texts. The breaks between conversations and birthday cards are not filled with resentment and hurt feelings. The space is filled with understanding and love. They find each other on the other side of those silences and they pick-up right where they left off with forgiveness and grace and a desire to make the bond stronger than it ever was before.

I’m super lucky to have some great awesome top-notch (okay there really isn’t a word that can encompass the amazingness of my friends!) TRUE FRIENDS. I am thankful for each and every one of them every single day. TRULY. So I say “thank you” to each of my true friends for loving me and applauding me and encouraging me and kicking my behind when I need it. Thank you for forgiving me and welcoming me back when time zones and children and life keep me away. You are so very important to me!

“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”

-Thomas Aquinas

Military: 7 Signs You PCS’d This Summer

One month ago today we moved into our home. I’m sure there are many military families out there experiencing some of these moments right along with me….

1. You can still spy one or two (or fifteen thousand, if you are like me) of those pesky moving stickers that never seem to EVER go away completely!
   
2. While checking out at Bed, Bath, & Beyond (because you need stuff for your new bed, bath, and… beyond) you pause for a good ten seconds when asked what your zip code is. Zip code… right. WHERE exactly am I again?!
   
3. The idea of going school supply shopping is entirely daunting because, didn’t we just get here?! Now I need to be organizing myself and family for a new school year?!
   
4. Your bucket list for the summer is ten miles long. You MUST see all the new sites RIGHT NOW! Because you know, before you blink you will be looking at a new set of orders and your bucket list will still be about nine miles long.
   
5. You assume all your neighbors have lived in the neighborhood for ages, until you remember it’s a military community and it’s summer and almost everyone is new too!
   
6. Signing your kids up for summer camps and after-school activities feels like the ultimate test of your Mom-hood. This dance studio or that one? We missed soccer try-outs but will they still allow my child to play? Where, exactly, does that swim team compete? Wait, what time does school get out anyway?!
7. There is a sense of immense possibility with each new person you meet and each new road you travel.

To all my fellow military spouses out there who are settling in and exploring new hometowns… may this new adventure be your best! And in the words of Matsuo Basho, remember:
“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”