Her Blog

Thankful Thursdays

2014-03-12T19:47:00.001-07:00

What up blog friends?!

I have decided to start this new thing called Thankful Thursdays.

Lately I have been thinking about all of the people I have met in my life.

Some I knew for five years, some for about five days.

And no matter the time, every single person I have met has affected me and impacted me in a way.

Some have negative affects. Some positive.

And I want to use my new Thankful Thursdays to take one day out of my week to talk about someone I have met that has impacted me and why I am grateful for them.

I can't promise that each of these posts will be deep. Or that they'll bring you to tears.

But I can promise that they'll be honest.

I just want a way to show my appreciation for the little things in life.

Here we go...

HER first Thankful Thursday!

Today I am going to recognize two men who have completely changed my life.

My fathers.

No, I wasn't raised by gay men and I'm not all "Jane has two daddies".

But I have my biological father, Randall...and my stepfather, Ernest.

And these guys deserve about eight blog posts dedicated to them because of how awesome they are.

Let's start with Randall....
Dad....daddy....father....sperm donor.....
you did it!
You created the most wonderful, talented, beautiful human being (and no, I'm not talking about my siblings)! And you didn't just create this awesome piece of human by doing the deed with my mother 24 years ago, but you also have molded me into the adult that I am today.

Because of you, I know how to balance a checkbook and keep a savings account. Because of you, I know what it's like to wake up to a good morning text message on a shitty Monday. Because of you, I know how to argue with another adult while still maintaining respect and logic. Because of you, I know how to plan ahead, and I will always appreciate that.

You've never been the type of dad who will just sit there and listen to my problems and agree with me because you're scared to handle the emotional range of a teenager. No, you're the dad that tells me what I NEED to hear, not what I WANT to hear. And I appreciate that, even if I don't always act like it.
You're the dad who not only shows me how to hit a fast pitch softball, but how to knock that mother fucker out of the park. And even though I never got further than bunting that ball, it was nice that you tried.

I will never forget that on my wedding day you walked me down the aisle right after telling me you had your truck out front if I wanted to run (lol!). And I'll never be able to tell you how much I appreciate you being a role model for my husband.

I ask that you have patience with me. Being so much alike, we rarely get along, and sometimes that sucks. But I'm young, I'm always right (haha), and I'm just trying to prove myself to you. So I ask that you be patient with me while I try to make myself in your image because I see you as someone who deserves to be emulated. I strive to be someone you'll always be proud of.

Randall, you're an amazing dad. I wish there was a better word than amazing but because of my tears and lack of vocabulary right now, that will have to do.

I don't always like you, but I ALWAYS LOVE YOU!

I always appreciate your advice and your guidance. I

wish I could express my gratitude more.

But this blog post with have to suffice.

Sincerely, your #1 buddy.

And now on to Ernest....

Euggeeeennneeeeee!!!!!!!!

Let me start by saying you must be either super crazy or super dumb to take on a wife with four children. When my mom told me she was marrying you and that you actually WANTED to marry her I just thought...
"Damn, he's dumber than he looks! Thank god he's cute!"
Saying 'I do' to my mother meant that you weren't just taking on a wife, but four children with strong personalities. That is not something every man would do. You were specifically chosen for us and I couldn't be more grateful. You took our broken family and helped turn it into a loving home.

Having you married to my mom has been the best thing for both you and her and it was absolutely the best thing for me.

It went from "That's my mom's husband, Ernest" to
"That's my dad!" very quickly.

You gave me my first car
....and you never yelled at me when I wrecked it.

You gave me allowance just because you knew I wanted to buy a book at Books A Million.

You made sure we had a roof over our heads, food in the fridge and
the fucking air conditioner on!
Seriously, the air was ALWAYS ON!
Ridiculous!
You showed up to all of my softball games, cheering for me every time I struck out just so I'd know you were proud of me for trying.
And thanks for coming to my rescue at two in the morning when I slaughtered Bambi on the highway.

I will never forget the day I told you about Harry and what he had done to me. And I will never forget how you immediately believed me and stood up for me. That day you didn't question me. You just hugged me and told me I was safe and that no one would ever hurt me like that again. No one...not a single person had ever just completely trusted me like that and made me feel so safe at the same time. You will never understand how much that helped me.
I will always be in your debt for that.

Even during hard times, you've been a source of humor for me. You've got the jokes and the ease.

I can always call you and count on you to ask about my day first, ask about my feelings first, ask about how I am first. You always make me feel like a priority and I love that about you.

Ernest, I know there are times when you feel like you're insignificant in your job, your marriage, your life in general. But please understand that from the moment you said "I do" to my mother, you have been one of the most important people in my life. You will never be insignificant again because I think about you everyday and wonder how you are.
I just want to make you proud dad.

I want you to know I appreciate and love you.
And when I hit the lottery I'll buy you your own boat house, complete with a yacht.
Your daughter, Hannah

Okay kids.... now I'm all red faced and teary eyed.... I need a shot of tequila or something.

Girls, call your dads and tell them how much you love them.

Boys, call your dads and fart over the phone or whatever it is that you boys do to bond.

Mirena and Me

2014-03-04T18:56:00.001-08:00

I have been on birth control since I was about 15 years old.

Give or take a year because my memory sucks.

But I remember asking my older sister to help me out because I heard that birth control would help a chick regulate her monthly visit. I was one of those weird girls who was actually using it for regulation rather than an excuse to open my legs to the first guy who came along. Birth control wasn't for sex for me. It was for scheduling purposes.

But in 2012 AR and I had a bad time.

We had a miscarriage.

I don't know what happened.

Well, I know what happened, lol, but not where I went wrong with the birth control.

I took that little pill every day at the same time. I was obsessive about it.

I want to sit here and blame our miscarriage on the antibiotics I was taking at the time but most doctors say antibiotics don't affect birth control.

So again....I don't know what went wrong but I knew from that moment that I never wanted to go through that scary ordeal again.

It was then that I started looking into other forms of birth control that were just short of getting my entire uterus ripped out of my body. I searched the internet for about three months because I wanted to make sure I found the perfect contraceptive for me.

I knew (and still know) that I wanted something with little room for error.

And boom! The Mirena came floating out of the Ethernet like a t-shaped angel.

The Mirena sounded like the perfect contraceptive ever created.

It's in for five years.

It prevents pregnancy with a wonderful 99% effect rate.

You can take out one and put in another in one sitting.

And you can remove it at any moment and start your baby making.

Also, slight or no periods while you have your IUD.

Now, like everything, there is bad with the good.

Mirena has a reputation for increasing the risk of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, embedment, and perforation. Embedment is when Mirena attaches to the uterine wall and that's a bitch. Perforation is when Mirena goes through the uterine wall. Again, a bitch.

With these things in mind, I went to work on convincing AR that this was the best decision for me. I didn't want to make this decision alone because at the time, AR was still mourning the loss of our little one and I wanted him to feel included in anything that involved my uterus and our future baby making or lack thereof. And because of the risks involved, I wanted him to know what I was putting in my body.

Now that I've given you the Mirena 101, I'm going to give you my story of Mirena insertion.

If you're squeamish, please stop reading. I don't expect it to be 300-type gory, but, eh...

I got my Mirena inserted in December 2012. I was just about to move to Virginia to be with AR at his new duty station and I knew that our sex life was about to be

bow-chicka-wow-wow seeing as how we hadn't seen each other in about six months.

So here I was, thinking this was going to be no big deal as I rode up to the doctors office with my two gal pals Angela and Haley. I had researched online about other insertion stories and basically they all said the same thing...
"Cramping, bleeding, discomfort, nausea"

Holy shit...Understatements, lemme tell ya!

But here I was with my girls, joking and playing around as they drove me to the office to get my miracle birth control. We didn't know what to expect and I was wiggin' out a bit so I begged my girls to come with me and stay with me during the procedure. Had I known what was really going to happen, I would've told them to go to the liquor store and pick me up in an hour. Sorry, girls, I owe you big time!

Like all doctor's visits, we showed up right on time and ended up waiting for like an hour before we even got back to the patient room. There, I stripped down and had my yearly exam. I had told my doctor that I was coming in for the Mirena but you still have to have a yearly exam before the procedure.

Also, you have to be on your active period during the procedure. Don't ask me why.

The doctor came in and gave me the low down on the Mirena and what was about to happen during the insertion. Most of this stuff I already knew because I'm psychotic about research but it was nice that he informed me just in case I was one of those lazy girls.

My doctor was VERY hesitant to give me the IUD. He did not feel comfortable with it because I hadn't any children of my own and there is a small, tiny risk that if my Mirena embeds or perforates then I may not be able to conceive after removal. I talked to him one on one and told him I had done the research and was comfortable with taking the risk and that I was well informed. I also expressed to him that I was ready to have something more permanent and something that was less stress. After hearing that I had done my research and knew what I was getting into, he agreed that it was the best contraceptive for me.

And we got down to it.

Let me tell you right the hell now.... if you are going to get the Mirena IUD then you need to get a prescription for misoprostol. Misoprostol is a pill inserted in your vagina the day before your procedure that helps dilate your cervix overnight. My sister's friend had this when she got her Mirena and I wish I could go back and get this magic pill.

So here I am....lying on the doctor's table chair thing, dressed only in a plastic gown, with my legs spread wide for a man I have only met twice, while my two best friends play Candy Crush on their phones behind my back. It was awkward.

Doc: "Ok, I am going to check your uterus position and size the Mirena."

Me: "Got it doc."

It feels like a Pap. No big.

Doc: "Now I'm going to swab your cervix with antiseptic."

Me: "I trust you big guy."

I get cheeky when I'm nervous.

Doc: "Now I'm going to stabilize you for insertion and dilate your cervix to fit your IUD. You will feel pressure and a little discomfort. I will dilate you to 5cm."

I now loathe the word 'discomfort'. It's misleading.

Me: "5cm? I can handle that. Sounds small. Sounds easy. Sounds...HOLY FUCKING SHIT!YOU ARE RIPPING OUT MY INSIDES! STOP RIGHT NOW! OH MY GOD I HATE YOU SO MUCH. WHAT IS GOING ON? DO I EVEN HAVE A LOWER HALF ANYMORE. JESUS CHRIST, I DONT EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME! DISCOMFORT MY ASS!"

If that's what 5cm feels like then you can count me out of child birth.

I always thought I had a high tolerance for pain but oh my freaking god. The pain was so strong. Later, I found out that the pain I'm feeling is equivalent to small contractions. I repeat, SMALL contractions. Childbirth: Count. Me. Out.

The dilation was the worst part for me. I just felt like I was being stretched to no end.

I would say the pain is about equivalent to having your husband jump up and down on your abdomen while experiencing the worst cramps you've ever felt....underwater....on a bed of spikes....while on fire....

During all of this, I had my eyes closed. I knew that if I opened my eyes I was going to target my doctor's head with my foot. Can't have that happening when he's got his hands in my vagina, right? But later, my girls told me there was a lot of blood. Like a lot. Which freaks me out but hey, I was already bleeding anyways from my period so YOLO.

Generally, this entire procedure lasted about 30 minutes I would say.

And I think it only took that long because he had to resize the strings for me.

After he got done inserting the IUD he told me to hold a small pad to myself to stop the bleeding and discharge. It wasn't a lot of yucky either. It was just a bunch of gunk from the pre-exam and the blood. I was in the 'fuck it' state so I didn't care.

I was whisked away to the ultrasound room so my tech could do an vaginal ultrasound to make sure it was placed properly. Thank god that it was because I was not going through that again.

My girls waiting for me in the lobby while I got the last information low-down from my doctor. He made sure that I still knew the risks and that I knew what needed to happen next.

I needed to check the strings of the Mirena with my fingers every now and then.

I needed to report any serious pain in case of embedment and perforation.

No sex for 48 hours.

Come back for a check up in a month.

Check it every year.

Don't forget that it runs out in five years.

I was free to go if I felt alright.

I did not feel alright.

But I was not staying that that damn office one more minute.

So I met my girls back out in the car. I remember sitting the back of the car in the fetal position close to tears. It wasn't even so much the pain of the dilation anymore. I was told I would go back to normal size quickly so I wasn't worried. But I got the bad end on the nauseous scale. Every move made me feel disgusting. I wanted to hurl so badly but I wasn't going to do that to my little Kia or to the back of my friend's heads.

After some tequila, Hershey's chocolate, and ibuprofen, I was dandy.

The next morning I had slight cramps and some spotting but other than that I was all done.

All in all, I would do it all over again and I probably will when this IUD runs out it's time.

Mommies tell me that when the baby is in your arms, your forget all the pain of labor.

And that's how I feel about my Mirena. After a year of my IUD, I can honestly look back and say it was worth it.

I don't have periods anymore. I do spot heavily every now and then but it's for like three hours, once every three months. I can handle it with a small tampon.

I rarely get nauseous anymore like I used to with my period.

I do cramp. Sometimes my cramps are normal. Sometimes they are so bad I have PTSD flashbacks to the insertion and am curled up on my couch, unmoving.

Seriously, I don't move.

I did gain a little weight with Mirena. I think I gained a full 15 pounds quickly after the insertion. I don't know if it was from the insertion alone or just a combination of all the new changes I had going on at the time (moving to a new state, quitting my job, living with hubby again, etc). But the weight gain was there and I'm still working it off.

I rarely ever get acne.

And my mood swings are all attributed to my annoying husband, not my period.

If love my IUD because I wanted something permanent-ish.

I wanted something I could count on.

I wanted something that I didn't have to worry about on a daily basis.

I wanted something that would give me piece of mind.

The no periods are just a bonus.

If you're thinking about getting the Mirena IUD- DO YOUR RESEARCH.

Know what you're getting yourself into.

Know what risks you're taking.

Know how this contraceptive can affect you and help you.

If you have any questions at all about the insertion or the after care please feel free to message me.

5 Things I Like About My Period

2014-03-04T17:29:00.005-08:00

Yup, that's right, I said it!

I LOVE MY PERIOD!

Ever since I made the decision to get my Mirena IUD inserted I haven't really had a period to speak of. It's making me a little nostalgic for my monthly visit from Aunt Flo.

I love my Mirena too so you'll get a post all about that sucker later, from insertion to a year later.

Like I said, I've been thinking about my period and why I miss it.

I must sound like a crazy person to be missing something that makes me curl in the fetal position on a monthly basis, but it's true. I miss my period and here are five things I like about it.

Guys, stop reading now.

1) NOT PREGNANT! WHAT?! WHAT?! HOLLA!

Babies are cute. Really cute. With their little fingers and their little toes. And all that baby hair. And the little miniature baby faces. Oh and I love the way they scream all night and keep you awake after pooping on you and throwing up on you. I love babies, but I love giving them back to their parents at the end of the day and going home to my quiet house and man-child husband. I am a firm believer that people shouldn't put a bun in the oven unless they are ready for that hot cake.

2) SUPER BITCH! SUPER BITCH! SHE'S SUPER BITCHY!

Let's not lie to each other, I'm pretty much a bitch all the time. Or as my kids at work say, "Not nice!" But when Aunt Flo comes to town and I have an attitude, my attitude is totally justified. Do you hear me? TOTALLY JUSTIFIED! All girls would like to think that they are not that bad when that time of the month rolls around. And we all know how big of a lie that is. But being on your period means you get to do what you want and say what you want and everyone let's it slide because you're constantly loosing blood. Like I said, justified.

3) CALORIES DON'T COUNT!

I eat what I want! Do not touch my Milano cookies! The cramps want what the cramps want! Just because I can barely move due to my ovaries constricting my entire body in immense pain does not mean I won't karate chop your face when you try to steal my gummy worms.

By the way, go get me some pickle chips.

4) BRO, DO YOU EVEN LIFT?

Okay, so maybe I'm not running around and lifting dumbbells during my week, but I am bleeding without stopping for around three to five days. Believe it or not that means I'm healthy. A well timed period is your body saying that you're doing alright. It also means you're not having a major gynecological issue. Woot woot for health!

5) TRAINS YOU FOR THE PREGNANT OLYMPICS!

I don't have children but I have felt contractions before (Again, it'll be in the Mirena story) and I want to bow down on my knees to all of the mothers in the world. What the hell were you guys thinking?! You're like super heroes and I don't even know how the male species doesn't follow you around in worship for pushing out a human being from your vagina! How did you survive? I have an theory.

You, as a woman, have been experiencing tight, painful cramps since you were around twelve years old. That lovely legacy means you've slowly been raising your pain tolerance so that when you're ready to push out a mini-me your va-jay-jay is like, "No biggy! I got this, bro!"

What did Beyoncé say? Strong enough to bare the children, then get back to business!

So there you have it. My top five reasons for loving my period. I'll get back with you about my Mirena story and why it's the best birth control ever! In the mean time, tell me why you love your period. Guys, don't answer, you have no idea what you're talking about.

Kill the Cook

2014-02-17T15:31:00.003-08:00

A couple should do things together.

Explore new activities together.

Try new hobbies together.

Something that is fun alone might be double the fun as a couple!

Activities together can bring you closer and help you learn so much about each other.

And sometimes you learn that you want to kill each other.

Which is what happened today.

Today AR and I learned we CANNOT cook together.

Here's how this revelation went down.

That knife almost became a murder weapon.

He looks hot but he's also a little psycho in the kitchen.

AR decided to invite his buddies over for dinner today since we all had the day off in celebration of President's Day. Woo hoo! Go White House!

Before all the guys came over we had to prep the food.

Marinate the steaks.

Cut the potatoes.

Etc etc

This is no big task because my husband is Emril disguised as a sexy sailor. He's amazing in the kitchen and just picks up recipes and BAM gives you amazing food. He's from an Italian/French family so all he has to do is stare at the food and it seasons itself basically.

I am not Emril. Before last year I could hardly make spaghetti. But I'm also not stupid. I know how to do simple tasks and prepare a meal. I just can't always guarantee that it'll be edible. Don't hate. I'm just meant to be out of the kitchen.

So it's time to start dinner and being the idiot I am, I cheerfully said,

"Honey...would you like some help?"

(stupid stupid stupid)

Of course, AR jumped on the opportunity to school me in the culinary ways!

Now, my version of help is WAY different from my husband's version of help.

I believe help means working together and, in this case, learning about something you don't know much about. Help means watching my husband do things and then trying them myself while assisting him in making this delicious meal.

My husband's version of help means I am his kitchen slave.

It was all relatively healthy until we added the butter.

Dinner prep went from "Here honey take these potatoes!" to "If you don't get that Ziploc bag out of my face I'm going to smother you!" And it was all simply because my husband wanted to order me around. I cannot handle that!

"Wash these potatoes. Make sure you do this and this and this and this. And wax on, wax off. Put them in the bowl. I'll cut because I know you don't know how. Put saran wrap on the bowl. Don't saran wrap it like that! You have to cover this and pull it tight and blah blah blah blah blah BLAH!"

Really honey! Really?! I know how to freaking saran wrap something!

I also know how to wash potatoes! And believe it or not, I can melt butter.

Seriously, it was almost a war.

I ended up finishing my slave duties and helping AR get dinner ready. I wish I had a picture of dinner finished but we ate it so quickly I couldn't have reached my camera in time.

It was delicious and I'd like to think that without my amazing butter melting, saran wrapping skills the dinner would have fallen through. You're welcome boys.

Can't cook without some jams!

I think all couples should find a fun activity to do together. You should all look for something you can bond over and have fun doing as a couple.

But as for the Rapetti family...we're going to keep looking because cooking isn't it!

Vampire Academy- Book Series and Movie Review

2014-02-14T18:20:00.002-08:00

My favorite thing to do in life is read.

Above my photography.

Above my painting.

Above my blogging and snarky Facebook posts.

I love to read.

And the relationship I have with my Kindle app is sometimes a little scary.

I'm one of those people who completely delves into the world of the book. When I start a good series it's all I can think about. I day dream about my books. I wish I could jump into half of my books live out a few chapters. Especially when it's 50 Shades of Grey! Ha!

I read just about everything, save for mystery. I don't like guessing games. Of course, my favorite genre is romance. What girl can deny herself a hundred odd pages of smutty, ooey gooey romance? Not this one.

And I also love paranormal stuff. Vampire, and witches, and shifters, Oh my!

I often find myself browsing Amazon's kindle eBooks section for a few books to read during the week. Like I said, I read a lot.

But, in truth, I did not go looking for the book series that I'm currently addicted to.
I'm talking about Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.

I actually was not interested in this series at all until after seeing the movie. I remember seeing the books on Amazon and reading the descriptions and thinking "eh...too young for me, I'll pass." I felt like I couldn't wrap myself around that young high school feel anymore now that I was older and more mature (Psh...lol). But for my birthday I just couldn't deny myself a ticket to see the movie. I went by myself because there was no way I was going to drag the hubby into that situation. We tried that with Twilight, and I seriously, even to this day, never hear the end of how I "tortured his ear drums and soul endlessly". Men are such babies.

Anyways back to the movie... It was great!

The story is told from Rose Hathaway's POV. She's a Dhampir, a half human/half vampire guardian. Her race guards the race of the Moroi, vampires who live discretely in the human world. The Moroi can wield powers of the elements and they are quite peaceful. The 'bad guy' of the series would be the Strigoi, Moroi who have killed victims and turned into super strong, soulless beings who are dead set on killing all Moroi royalty. Vampire Academy is about Rose's journey through high school at St. Vladimir's as well as her journey to becoming an adult and a fierce guardian.

Don't get me wrong, there were parts where I was like "Cliche!" or "That shit is so high school!" But the underlying story was so captivating that I'm going to go see it again. I'm telling you, I'm a nerd guys. Just love me for who I am. The movie was interesting, full of action, and also full of humor. Before I even left the theater parking lot, I was already downloading all of Mead's books. There was no way I could go to sleep without starting Lissa and Rose's next journey.

Like the nerd I am, I flew through the first and second books. If you looked at my iPad right now where my Kindle app is, you'd see my nose print on the screen. I was literally trying to jump into the story, it was that good. Again, there are some parts where I can't connect because I'm older, but I loved that the author was able to keep a great storyline going while keeping true to the high school mindset of Rose and Lissa.

And Oh. My. God. Can we just talk about how hot Dimitri is?!?!? I've gotta say that he is now my favorite book boyfriend. And the actor for Dimitri in the movie isn't bad at all. And by that I mean, Danila Kozlovsky, I'm ready to start my second marriage off by choosing you and your hot body! Swoon!

I'm now on the fifth book and I'm completely immersed in this world of Moroi and Strigoi and Spirit! It's hard not to be! Mead makes all of the books run so smoothly one after the other that it's hard to find a stopping point. Seriously, Mead, I've thought about skipping work to finish a chapter. It's unhealthy!

I absolutely love the character Rose. How could anyone not? Exactly.

She's smart mouthed, strong, confident, and secretly a lover.

After watching Bella in Twilight and then Rose in Vampire Academy there is no doubt in my mind which role model I would choose for young girls. Rose's character shows that you can have strong friendships, heart stopping love, a career, and kick a little ass.

But let me tone down my nerdiness for a second to really write this book recommendation.

The Vampire Academy series (movie and book) was a surprise to me, and a wonderful one! I cannot put the series down and I'm pretty sure I'll shed a book tear or two when I'm finished with book six. The series is humorous, enticing, sexy, and full of energy. I completely recommend it to anyone who loves vampires, loves magic, loves romance and loves a little humor.

Okay...nerd girl ranting complete. Get used to it guys.

I'm going to be posting a lot of book recommendations in the future.

13 Date Ideas I Love

2014-02-02T18:00:00.001-08:00

You can tell by my previous posts that AR and I enjoy being a military couple. But, like all military families,we have had to move away from home and move to a new place where we don't know anyone. And that's tough. It's exciting because you get to meet new people and try out new things and see new places but it's hard not having a lot of long term friendships. And being a military couple means we have a lot of time where it's just the two of us. And I'll be honest with you, we get bored with each other.

We're always complaining about not having anything to do on the weekends and staying the house all day. And by 'we' I mean me. I HATE being cooped up in the house the whole weekend. I need sunshine. I need activity. I am only a hermit when it comes to social situations.

So I have compiled a list of date ideas for us. Some of these are free, some cheap, and some will cost you, but you can tweak them to fit your couple personality!

The post is actually a gigantic hint for AR to take me out and about so I don't die of loneliness and boredom.

Here we go...

1. MUSEUMS- You know, if you're into that educational shit. Personally, I am. Also, this will give you a chance to show your husband how intellectual and interesting you are.

2. STAND UP COMEDY- I enjoy laughing. I enjoy crude humor. I enjoy super lame jokes. There is no lose situation on this except that I could pee my pants from laughter. Even then, fair trade. Kat Williams is coming to VA Beach soon. Get at it.

3. PICNIC- if there is anything I love more than education and laughter, it's food. Feed me and I'm yours. I would love for AR to make us some food for a picnic on the beach, or at the park, or in our freaking car. I don't car where we eat it Sam I Am.

4. DOG PARK- Frankly, I'm surprised this wasn't higher on my list but everything is 20/20. We visited Red Wing Park not too long ago and brought both Bro and Joe out. They LOVED it. They didn't want to come home. And of course, when my boys are happy, I'm happy. And we got to chit chat with lots of other psycho dog lovers.

5. STAR GAZING- We've never done this but it sounds super romantic and it seems like you'd have plenty of time to talk as a couple about your dreams and wishes......hmmm.... Maybe this isn't the right date for us! Lol

6. RELIVE YOUR FIRST DATE- Our first date consisted of a school football game, CiCis pizza, and totaling my car by hitting Bambi at 2am. I would love to recreate that first date all over again minus the deer hunting.

7. HOCKEY GAME (or any sports)- AR and I love sports and we're really competitive. Nothing says love and date time like arguing with your husband over game rules with hot dog in hand. I say hockey though because I've never seen a hockey game and I think it'd be fun. I also hear there are lots of fights.

8. WEEKEND MORNING WALK AND BRUNCH- Start off your weekend off right with some exercise and food. Can't go wrong there. And it'll put you guys in a good mood.

9. ALL DAY FOOD CRAWL- We're back at food again and this one might cost you a bit depending on where you go. The concept is to eat appetizers, entree, dessert, and drinks all at different places. And this should take up the majority of your day because you're supposed to sit there and relax and enjoy the food.

10. PLAY A BOARD GAME- Again, AR and I are super competitive. Rock, Paper, Scissors is my game but AR kills me at checkers everything. Play a board game with your honey. I highly suggest chess, Uno, and Clue. But if you're looking to throw some punches and possibly end up divorced the. I suggest Trivial Pursuit or Monopoly.

11. VIDEO GAME NIGHT- Don't like board games? Try playing something your hubby is into. One time AR tried to teach me how to play Call of Duty and I sucked. He understood Halo was more of my game. I am the Sniping Queen!

12. MINI GOLF- This is another big hint to AR. Mini golf is so much fun. You're not supposed to be good at it. It's just supposed to be super fun and that it right up my alley.

13. EXERCISE TOGETHER- Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands. They just don't.

Let me know what other date ideas you have in mind!

You Matter

2014-01-28T20:57:00.001-08:00

Not a lot of people know this but during middle school and high school I suffered from severe depression and anxiety to the point where I was put into rehab for an eating disorder that I developed in order to cope with those downers. I constantly contemplated suicide and even made a half ass attempt. It was a terrible point in my life. No one knew how to handle me. No one could cheer me up. No award or high five could put a smile on my face. I just wasted away. Until one day, I was in bed, feeling my ribs through my shirt, hearing my stomach scream with hunger pains, and I thought, "I can't fucking do this anymore. I just can't." It was right then and there that I made the decision to stop being unhappy and just fix things. Please understand that I did not just get up and act like Cinderella and make everything perfect. Oh no! It was a slow and grueling process. I constantly relapsed into my special dark place because it was the easiest thing to do. It was easier to run from my demons then to face them head on. But eventually I got there. I got to the point where I could smile at school, laugh with friends, open up to my mother, and enjoy little things here and there. I'll be honest with you...when things get stressful I have to fight very hard to not crawl back into my hiding place. Thankfully, now I have reasons to stay out and stay happy. I have people who care about me and make it known that I am worth it and special. And that makes everything else matter.

I've told you this embarrassing sob story because lately I have realized that one of my good friends has been struggling with more and more with anxiety and depression. He's been up. He's been down. He's been to funky town. And it breaks my heart.

I met this guy in high school; art class to be exact. And our connection was almost immediate. We tried the whole dating thing and after bad decisions on my part and the realization that our friendship was just too important, we decided being just friends was the best idea. (That's an easy way of saying he dumped my ass lol). This guy has the ability to make me laugh at the most random things. He has always been completely supportive of me, of my dreams, of my problems, etc. He helped me make friends when it was a very difficult for me to do so. He dealt with my cruelty when I had no one to push it on to and he happily stuck around even after I cheated on him and made him feel like shit. Even through all of that I can still message him on Facebook at two in the morning and he wont even bat an eyelash. When I say friend, I mean him.

So buddy, this is for you. Please don't make fun of me (even though I know you will). I just want you to know how important you are to me and to others around you. I know that when anxiety and depression stand in the front, it's hard to find things to make you smile. I hope this blog post can be one for you.

Dear Friend,

You have been there for me during times when I really needed someone but was too afraid to ask.

And now I want to be there for you.

I wish I could write to you and tell you how amazing you are and how inspiring you are.

But, unlike you, I cannot take words and form them into art.

During this time, all you see is the negativity. You don't see the good because you won't let yourself see the good. On some level, you feel like you don't deserve that happiness.

I know you.

And I know you deserve that happiness ten fold.

It would be hard to find someone who does not agree.

Stop looking at your failures and look at your accomplishments.

You make your own music. You draw your feelings.

You are constantly giving support and helping out other people.

You're so worried sometimes about lifting up others that you forget your own happiness.

I understand your anxiety, but you need to know that your anxiety is wrongly placed.

Who says you have to have your shit together at our age?

Who the fuck decided that you had a time restraint on love and happiness?

There is not a single thing you SHOULD be doing right now.

It should all be things you WANT to do.

Haven't you deserved some time to just fuck around and mess up a little? Yes you have!

The loneliness you feel is all in your head.

Your upcoming birthday is just another reason to have a bigger cake to fit all those candles.

You don't need depression and sadness to create amazing art.

I'm struggling to express how important you are because words are hard for me.

You know me.

I just want you to understand that you are loved. You are cared for. And every single one of us believe in you, even if you don't have a five year plan.

You deserve to be lifted into the sky and praised for all you have completed so far.

As well as for your failures.

Because without your failures you would not be the amazing guy I know.

And I feel privileged to have had the pleasure of having you as one of my best friends.

So do me a favor...

Calm down, Count to ten

Feel the tightness in your chest release then count again

After calming down

You'll realize the walls are not caving in

Drunk Toddlers

2014-01-28T15:55:00.001-08:00

I am very lucky to have an amazing job. I work at the Child Development Center on the base where AR is stationed. And I LOVE my job! I get to watch children grow up everyday, learn something new everyday, have the time of their lives everyday. It's so exciting to watch their eyes light up with knowledge! And I love giving the attention they need.

But let me tell you, this job is S-T-R-E-S-S-F-U-L!

Everyday, at least ten times a day, I want to rip my hair out because some kid isn't where they're supposed to be or because somebody got hit with a plastic airplane and is now screaming. Not to mention all of the poop. Poop! Poop! Poop! The smell gets in my hair. Ugh!

So I was scouring the internet during nap time and just doing my thing
when I came across this funny article titled
"20 Ways Taking Care of a Toddler is Like Dealing with a Drunk Person".

And I died reading it! It was just a simple list but it was hilarious. And of course I decided I wanted to write my own version. With the help of my coworkers we formed our own list.

Here we go...

10 Reasons I'm Pretty Sure I Babysit Mini Drunks

1. Constantly wetting themselves

Let's be honest, we have all done this at some point during inebriation.

2. Speak incoherently

I can't tell if you're singing me Baa Baa Black Sheep or trying to give me directions to your house. Back up, start again... Oh it was the ABCs...got ya!

3. Stumble and fall...A LOT

You know, it's kind of cute that the little guys fall down and get back up so quickly. But really, that shelf has been there since this building opened. You'd think they'd know that so they could avoid it.

4. Don't listen to reason

It doesn't matter how many times I tell them to not climb on the slide backwards. They're going to do it. And they're going to fall. And they're going to cry. And I'm going to comfort them. Rinse. Repeat.

5. Randomly fight/cry/scream for no reason

Did Suzie look at you wrong? Smack her. That's the only logical thing to do. Please see #4.

6. Need to sleep it off

Don't yell at me because I didn't fill up your milk cup fast enough! Get on your cot! See you in two hours. Love you!

7. Always need a bottle

Ok, so I'm not so stupid that I'm going to give my kids a bottle of tequila to chill out that hangover. Their bottle is more like a sippy cup or a plastic cup (for the big kids) full of milk or water. But they need it because they love milk, they love "wa-wa", and they love being able to take care of themselves.

8. Let's get naked!

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have redressed a screaming toddler or put on their shoes and socks after getting clocked in the head with said shoe. This is not Mardi Gras, put your shirt down!

9. Talk to themselves and inanimate objects.

You wanna make friends with the rubber horsey? I think it's adorable. Don't forget the pig.

10. Need a babysitter.

I think this list is proof enough that I can't leave my kids running around on their own. No telling what they'd do or how much poop would accumulate.

Anything you'd like to add to the list?

Jan 31st....Doomsday.

2014-01-26T08:15:00.004-08:00

Hidey Ho!

I haven't written in a week or so because my life has either been super hectic or 100% boring. My bad, guys, my bad. Anywhoooo.... I just wanted to fill you in on some more fun facts about myself as well as some of my goals and upcoming changes.

If you read my New Years resolution post then you know I'm all about some weight loss this year. Isn't everyone? Of course! No one wants to spend another year unhappy with their body. But this year I have to push myself to find motivation in unusual places and to keep this resolution intact. I'm going to challenge myself, starting January 31st, to drop all soda once and for all. I didn't want to do it cold turkey because I knew that was asking myself too much. So I gave myself until the 31st to slowly dial down the soda and the unnecessary carbonation. Don't worry, I'm already hating it. Caffeine headaches, low sugar, grumpy mood, and all around bad day---that's how I'm already feeling and I haven't even dropped the stuff altogether. When did the addiction get like this? Ugh! January 31st. That's when it all ~~ends~~ uh...starts.... whatever.

I'm also going to take part in a mile a day starting the 31st. I read this article about a lady who did a mile a day for 30 days. You're thinking, "Just one mile? That's not hard!" But when I think about my daily schedule, I can understand how hard it can be to find 30 minutes to yourself for exercise. Somehow I will have to find the time and the motivation. I have to do this for me. I have to have commitment.

So January 31st, 2014 will be Doomsday for me. Laugh all you want but this is going to be a challenge. I am a big supporter of lazy days and fast food breaks. That all has to change. I've got to get my cholesterol and glucose down or I'll be a fat wife with no energy. That simply will not do. Studies suggest that it takes close to 30 days to break old habits and form new ones. And my primary goal is to make newer, healthier habits that will last.

Who of you will join me?

(I feel like I should have Braveheart Mel Gibson face paint on right now)

It's 30 days of your time.

30 days of your commitment.

30 days of choosing to be something better.

7 Things You Should Never Say to a Dog Owner (an article review)

2014-01-20T16:49:00.003-08:00

Yahoo! and I are best buddies. I am on that site constantly because it usually posts the most updated news and it also posts things that interest me. Today I stumbled upon this article...

7 Things You Should Never Say to a Dog Owner

http://shine.yahoo.com/pets/7-things-never-dog-owner-145800067.html

I loved this article and found it quite funny and so true!

As a dog lover myself I can relate to a all of these points! So I took the points from the article and put my own personal spin on them!

1) "You have dogs because you don't have kids, right?"
Yes, that is exactly right! Because we all know there are only two adoption choices in this life: dogs or kids. Idiot. My husband and I aren't ready for kids so we have dogs right now. But even if we had a little R running around, I would still have my dogs. It's not like I can wake up and be like, "Joe! Bro! Jr is here so you guys have to move out! See ya at the shelter!" Not happening.
As of right now, AR and I are at a crossroads in our life about children in general. He wants children and I want more dogs. We're slowly trying to come to a negotiation.

2) "Oh, your dog died? Well, get another one!"
To this I say, "Oh your kid died? Well, just get pregnant right away and forget that one!"
If Joe were to pass tonight I can guarantee you that I wouldn't be able to even look at a picture of a weimaraner for at least six months without crawling in a hole of despair. I cannot just replace the memories and love that my dogs have given me with another furry thing. Although that new puppy would be cute and adorable, having a new dog is much like having a new child. You have to train them, take care of their bathroom breaks, get used to their quirks, etc. And like the article says, "A life is irreplaceable no matter the form it takes".

3) "Dogs should not be allowed on the furniture/bed."
In my house the dogs are allowed on the bed, the couch, the stairs, the counter, the chair, and sometimes when they feel dangerous, the shelves. I would rather have my two dogs on the couch with me then some random person taking up my space. At least with a dog it's ok to tuck your feet under their butt to keep your toes warm. I tried that with a human once and it didn't work out.

4) "That dog doesn't understand what you're saying."
I call bullshit on this one too. My dogs, especially Joe, completely understand what I'm saying. Joe knows tricks. He knows words. He knows that when I say "go to daddy's room" I'm telling him to go to the man cave. He knows that "Joe get in" means to get in his cage. My dog is a genius. He also understands my feelings. For example, the other night I was watching Marley and Me and Joe was upstairs. He heard me crying, came downstairs, got under the covers with me, and licked my tears away. If that isn't understanding then I don't know what is.

5) "That dog should be put down; he's costing you too much money."
My dog costs too much money? Let's recap human children shall we?
Kids go to college, dogs don't.
Kids require cars to get around, dogs don't.
Kids get sick and need to go to the hospital, the vet costs way less.
Kids need money to go to the movies and out to eat with friends, dogs don't.
Kids get married and those weddings aren't cheap; dogs are married to your couch.
All in all, unless you're going to euthanize your 18 year old for wanting to go to an ivy league school, I'm not euthanizing my dog for needing an emergency vet visit.

6) "You shouldn't let that dog kiss you."
Yes, dogs can be gross. Don't think I didn't see Fido eating grass and mud two seconds before I let him lick my eye. I get it; sometimes it can be nasty. But I've also given my husband a kiss after he picked his nose and farted. Gross just happens. I can only control it a few times.

7) "You are welcome, but the dog is not."
Hospitals, funerals, theme parks... these are a few places where I could see my dog not being welcome. But if you don't want my dog to come visit but expect me to travel 20 hours to see you (cough cough DAD cough cough) then you can pay for my pet friendly hotel visit. Joe and Bro go where I go!

Basically, don't try to get in between me and my boys!

Operation Hot Wife

2014-01-15T17:52:00.000-08:00

Happy early birthday to me!

My Sole F63 Treadmill came in today and I am sooooooo happy!

After the workers at Dicks Sporting Goods were acting like...well, dicks... I was excited to find out my treadmill was coming almost two weeks early and that my husband could be off work to receive it at the house so that we didn't have to go pick it up after work. So here I am, at work, daydreaming about getting off at six to go home and run my little heart out because I just KNEW my hubby would have it all set up and pretty for me.

Right?.... Right......????
WRONG

AR did NOT have it set up. He did, however, have the entire living room in mass chaos. Cardboard boxes here, tape there, those little packing peanut things flying all over the place. I will never be able to find all of those things and I'm sure my dog ate some. It was a disaster.

I said, "Um...hey babe.... no luck putting it together?"

He replied, "Well I figured I'd take it out of the box and throw away the trash and you could do the electrical stuff."

That "electrical stuff" he was talking about was putting the entire damn treadmill together! UGH!

Men.... seriously, is it THAT hard to read an instruction manual? Honestly.

Anyways... I'm going to do a review and show some pictures of my fancy new treadmill in a second but right now I'm going to talk about Operation Hot Wife.

OHW is basically my plan for weight loss this year. Like everyone else I have set a new years resolution to lose weight this year and keep it off. I know, you're thinking "yeah right crazy, you're not gonna lose weight, go back to your Netflix and Oreos". And right about now I'm close to agreeing with you because I know this is going to take will power and hard work. Right now I'm fresh out of both. But I have to power through! I've just gotten to this place where I am completely uncomfortable in my own skin. I hate sitting down and seeing my bulge. And I do NOT need to hear my arms clap for me when I wave to someone.

AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FOR DAT!

Not to mention, my doctor called me today and my cholesterol is still super high along with my glucose. No bueno.

Often times I'll sit down and think, "I'll start tomorrow", or "I'm so tired, let me rest a bit". I simply don't have time or patience for that anymore. My fat butt isn't just going to disappear and I wont just wake up and fit into a size four. That type of magic isn't real guys. Sorry.

What is real is my drive to make this happen and become a success story. I want to be able to run for fun and run for distance. I want to be able to sit down and not be disgusted with my stomach. I want my husband to be able to say, "dude, check out my wife". I want AR to be proud of me and the way I look and carry myself. After all, I am a representation of my husband and I need to start acting like it.

It bothers me when people see my gorgeous man and then look at me with a stank face. I don't need that anymore! I want to look good beside him and look good on my own too!

Speaking of my hot hubby...

Right.... :)
Um, honey, you drooled on your spacebar. You're welcome.

OHW starts off with the following guidelines:

(I might add more as I go along)

No longer eating out. I can eat all I want at home, provided I stay within the range my FitBit has set up for me. Every breakfast and dinner meal will be eaten at home. No matter what I cook, it'll be healthier than McDonalds.
No more soda products after the 31st. I tried to quit cold turkey but I simply don't have the will power. Giving myself a deadline will be much better for me personally and I can ease off it.
Drinking my set water intake as decided by FitBit. My FitBit will tell me how much water I need according to my day. The more I work out, the more I need.
Workout EVERYDAY! Some days I wont be able to run and that is okay. As long as I do some form of activity (walking, biking, playing with dogs, etc.) then I will be happy. I just want to make the effort and succeed. For now I'm going to focus on running only and then work my way back up to various exercises.
Last but not least, I am making a public promise to not binge and purge. In high school, throwing up what I ate worked for me. I lost weight, got skinny, but became very unhealthy and very pissed off. Seriously, I was in a constant state of anger and denial. Looking back on that I wish I hadn't wasted my time. But everything is 20/20 in hindsight, right? So this time around I'm really not going to do it. When/if I do, AR gets very mad and I think I owe it to him to make this commitment and finally put it behind me.

So those are my guidelines and goals. Some things will have to change as I change.

I'll keep you posted.

Now on to my awesome treadmill!

I went to Dicks and purchased a Sole F63. I had seen some bad reviews online but after seeing many more good reviews I decided this was the one.

Look how awesome! It's so new and pretty!

It's got a great display right up front that tells me my distance, heart rate, speed, calories burned, etc. Its your basic display.
There are side buttons to control the speed and incline and front buttons to control the program and settings.

Of course it has a stop and go button, along with a nifty safety clip for when, not if, I fall on my face.

I love that it has side cup holders, a ledge for my iPhone and iPad, AND another bottom storage section. This will be great for my water and towel.

Just wanted to show you a photo of how big it is when you lay it out in comparison. It's not a very big treadmill and it's not too heavy. I wouldn't recommend moving it by yourself but if you HAD to, you could.

I love that the treadmill folds up easily for storage. I DO NOT like that it doesn't fold into a full vertical, but I'll get over it.

It's really easy to fold and you can do it with one arm. It clicks into place easily and I'm not worried about it accidentally coming down and smashing my dog in the head.

That yellow handle is why I feel good about storing my treadmill upright. This nifty handle keeps the lock in place. When I want to set the treadmill down I just pull on the handle and it releases. I don't even have to hold the bottom half. The handle releases the treadmill bottom slowly and controlled so that it lowers itself to the floor.

It's like my treadmill KNOWS I'm lazy! :)

I LOVE the side controls. I think it'll be much easier to hit the side controls when I'm just doing a walk workout.

And look! It even has a little ledge for my iPhone to sit on so I can change my music and watch my FitBit progress.

Are you tired of me mentioning FitBit?
FitBit. FitBit. FitBit. FITBIT!!!!!

I'm done.

My last favorite feature is the side controls by the display. I love being able to switch from one speed to another quickly. It'll help with the intervals control and in case I need to power down quickly for a break.

All in all, I think the F63 is a great fit for me and for AR. I'll be able to learn how to run and he'll be able to run a billion miles in a week. He's already talking about waking up in the morning for a 3 mile WARM UP.... ugh....I've got my work cut out for me.

After using this treadmill for a month or two I'll update you on how it's holding up.

Wish me luck on Operation Hot Wife.

Are you planning any drastic fitness and health changes this year?

Betty Freaking Homemaker

2014-01-12T16:02:00.001-08:00

I've never been a great cook.

Well, I've never been a cook at all until just recently.

Not unless you count something that is microwavable.

Even when AR was off at A School I was constantly switching my dinners from Taco Bell, to Backyard Burger, to La Cabana. Why cook when you can have someone do it for you, right?

Let me tell you why you should cook...

Cooking, even if it's something kind of unhealthy, is WAY better than going out for fast food.

Fast food and fattening calories go together like Sonny and Cher.

Consult picture below then cry because of that burger you had earlier.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934642.html

Cooking at home also allows you to easily accommodate guests and family members.

For example, today was football Sunday. Lots of big games happening because of the upcoming Super Bowl game (like that's a big deal). And of course AR wants to have his buddies over so they can all yell at the screen together. It's not effective unless everyone is yelling.

Back to the cooking thing...

So I went from cleaning my house and planning for dinner for two, to planning for dinner for four gigantic men. Did I mention our bank account is at a flat, pretty 0.00? The only option was to cook.

Looking in my freezer I see that I have frozen chicken, BOOM! It's a done deal. For not even one cent I fed my guys a big meal full of baked chicken, baked corn, potato fries and grands biscuits.

They loved it! Which made me happy.

This meal would have made my mother in law happy. That's right Kathy, I'm cooking.

I've been trying to cook more often and healthier.

I can't always get that last bit down but hey, it's better than Arby's.

The people who know me should know that cooking at all is a big win for me.

One year ago today I couldn't even boil water.

Let's talk about my plates btw.

I MADE THESE! Can you believe how awesome they turned out?

My plates say:

Many have eaten here... few have died.

My favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations.

You will eat it and you will LIKE it!

I like to cook with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food.

How did I make something so amazing you might ask?

Deco Art Glass Paint Markers

I found these bad boys at Michaels Arts and Crafts. They were relatively cheap (about $3 a pen).

All you have to do is shake the pen really well until the ink starts to come out.

Then you draw your design on the plate.

Don't worry about messing up because the ink is easy to scratch off until you fire the design.

After your design is perfected you put the plate in the oven and bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Ta-DA! Now you have your own awesome, CUSTOM dinnerware.

Now, here are some tips from me about the use of the markers.

I bought my plates from the Dollar Store and they worked just fine. However, I HIGHLY suggest washing the plates really well with some Dawn soap before coloring.
Make sure you shake those pens like you're at a Pitbull concert.
Shake 'em like a salt shaker baby.
This will help get that ink flowing so that it doesn't stick in the middle of your design.
Now, the oven part is all kinds of right so follow those directions.
However, instead of taking the plates out after 40 minutes, go ahead and let those bad boys sit in the oven and cool down in the heat.
So far my plates have made it through the dishwasher with no problems, which makes me super happy. No one wants to go through all that work just to have it wash off later.

So that's my story tonight guys. Lessons of the day, cook more, make awesome plates.

DISNEY!!!!!

2014-01-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

Oh how I wish I was writing to you to say that my husband and I are going to Disney World soon. But it looks like our Disney trip wont be for another two years at least. We really want to do it big this time; stay where we want, eat where we want, go where we want, etc. And that is why we're saving up for a while.

Just because I can't go to Disney World right now doesn't mean I can't obsess about it for the next two years.

I'm going to start this obsession off with a link about Annie Leibovitz.

If you haven't heard of her then you need to go click this link and get back to me.

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/disney-dream-portraits-slideshow/

Annie Leibovitz is one of my photography idols. She is best known for taking celebrities and turning them into Disney characters. And this isn't just "Hey, lets put this costume on and stand by this wall". These photos are extremely finished productions and I love every single one of them. You can find some more of her photos here...

http://collider.com/olivia-wilde-evil-queen-snow-white-images/

Of course my favorites are her Beauty and the Beast photos.

Moving along on the Disney dream, I have (of course) created a Pinterest board for all of my Disney wants. And we all know I'm a super crazy OCD so of course I have plenty of Disney tips pinned as well.

For example, I will be going over this website with a fine toothed comb.

The Pros and Cons of Every Disney Resort

http://wdwprepschool.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-every-disney-world-resort/

And how cute is this??

Alex and I WILL be wearing matching sweatshirts.

I haven't told him yet but he's going to wear it. I wont take no for an answer.

And because my hubby loves me he said we could do the animation class this time!

I am bouncing on my couch right now from excitement.

Has it been two years yet? :(

Check out the rest of my awesome Pins here...

http://www.pinterest.com/hannahrapetti/orlando-vacation/

I would love to hear your Disney World trip tips if you have any!

Comment below and help me plan my vacation!

My Normal Life As A Navy Wife

2014-01-07T15:43:00.002-08:00

Being a Navy Wife means I'm better than you.
My husband has a more important job than yours.
Our life is much harder than yours.
And my husband sacrifices himself everyday.

....Bullshit.

Being a Navy Wife means I am a woman who has committed her life to supporting a man who happens to be in the US Navy. His job isn't more important than anyone else's job. He works hard, sometimes harder than other people, but he earns his position and fights for his gains just like everyone else. Our life isn't harder than many people. In fact, thanks to the military, our life is quite easy. Our housing is paid for, our medical insurance is covered, we have great life insurance plans, and we get to see the world. I would actual go as far to say that we're quite lucky. As far as that last bullet about sacrificing...don't get me wrong, my husband might one day be called to fight for our country and go into battle with face paint. But right now we're in Norfolk and he's working with the Seabees. They aren't kicking down any terrorist doors any time soon.

Please don't take this post the wrong way. I am beyond proud of my husband.
In just a few years I have watched him grow up from a young and inexperienced teenager to a responsible and hard working man. His work ethic knows no bounds and he truly earns his evaluations. Seeing AR in his uniform makes my heart constrict with pride and my panties drop like the Tower of Terror at Disney. But dammit, I still can't get him to take out the fucking trash.

AR, the no trash guy, getting an award at work.
Look at that smile. No doubt cracking inappropriate jokes.

My reason for this post is that many military wives take advantage of the spouse position. Not too long ago you could look to your left and right and see at least twenty enlisted men with their wives. Being in the military wasn't necessarily a special thing. Now, wives feel like they're an endangered species and should be revered and respected just because their spouse wears camouflage.

And I swear.... every time I see a lady make a scene at the gate because the guard didn't salute her for being an officer's wife I want to "accidentally" hit the back of her car with my Kia. I don't mind raising my insurance if it means I get to knock that bitch down a peg or two.

Many wives talk about how they have to learn how to be a mom, dad, plumber, car mechanic, electrician, etc. whenever their husbands go on deployment. Do you ladies not do that already??? Just since we've moved to our new duty station (and my husband has been HOME), I have had to replace a door trim, change my oil, fix the air conditioner and replace the filter, and stop the sink from over flowing. I also already make sure our bills are paid on time, if not early, and have worked full time the entire time. Did I mention that my husband was home, in his man cave, playing video games the entire time. Please understand if I don't clap when you change a light bulb.

Yes, being a military family means we will move a lot. So far we've only moved once as a family and my husband has moved about 8 times on his own to different schools. And, in my opinion, you're not allowed to bitch about moving every year when you knowingly signed on for this job and future. I look forward to moving a few more times before we settle down. AR and I joined the military for the security and the lifestyle and we are grateful for it.

I'm grateful that the military helped me get my job. I'm grateful that the military has provided my husband with a future and a path, even if that path gets a little squiggly every now and then. I'm grateful that we're given such nice benefits that many other jobs do not provide. And I'm grateful for all of the adventures that are yet to come.

Being in the military is something to take pride in, but that pride is for my husband, not me. I am proud of his accomplishments. I am also thankful I get to come along for the ride.

I just want to shed some light on the idea that military wives are "normal" wives. There are just a few ladies who like to be dramatic about it. That's not me. Do I think my life as a navy wife is different? Yes, sometimes, but it's not privileged in the way that I feel like my life is better.

Now, if you really want to hear a rant you should stay tuned for the day I write about the educational system.

Hurry up and wait.

Hi. My name is Hannah, and I'm addicted to Pinterest.

2014-01-06T16:56:00.005-08:00

Until my discovery of Pinterest, I never realized how much I wanted to clean my house with baking soda and bake 250 cupcakes that look like the Cookie Monster. But now, looking at my Pinterest boards, all 14 of them, with more than 1000 pins, I realize that I might have a bit of a problem. Just a teeny tiny one.

For those of you living in 1940, Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing things you love (Pinterest). Reporters call it an addiction, or digital crack for women, and I couldn't agree more. I don't believe in drug use or alcohol abuse, but if you want to pin 500 things to a board all about cat photos, you go right ahead. Shit, I have a board specifically for my dogs and the house I want to model around them.

Pinterest is a way for people to catergorize everything from scrapbook pages to home design to food to fitness. And it's so easy to join. All you have to do is enter your email address, create a user name and password, start your first board, and Ta-Da!, you've signed away your soul and firt born child.

So innocent.
So evil.
So...so....holy shit is that a pin for fudge brownies!?!?!

I'd like to think that I'm not too far in just yet. I only have about 1000 pins on my profile. But thats because I'm picky. If the links dont work for the pin then I dont want them on my board. What use is a pin on how to make paint chip art if you cant even see the directions?

Screenshot of my wonderful account and all my boards in their glory.

My favorite part about Pinterest is the follow button. There are millions of people using this hoarding site and I can follow all the crazies I want.

That girl who loves the weimaraner breed like I do? Followed her.
The mom who cooks every night and pins all of her food? Followed her.
That guy who pins nothing but ecards and star wars?
Double follow.

I am publically stalking at least 20 people and I dont even feel bad about it. Actually, the only thing I do feel bad about is the fact that I dont follow more people.

If cyber stalking and day dreaming about the wedding you'll never have sounds good then Pinterest is the website for you.

Start by being a good sport and following all my boards. Yes, even the one about the dogs.

www.pinterest.com

Go ahead....click it.....I dare you.

Well now that I've ruined your life by showing you the dark side, I'm going to go create a board about blogging and crochet. Peace out!

Goals for 2014

2014-01-05T11:07:00.001-08:00

That's right, ~~2013~~ 2014 is here to stay. And the most loved characteristic of a new year is the ever present, ever breakable, New Years Resolution. This year I had a bit of a problem and couldn't decide on which resolution to pick. So I just made a list of goals for this year. Chances are, I'll fail at half of them, but it's the thought that counts right?......right guys?.....guys?

Here we go.

1. Do not write 2013 on everything
Seriously, this one is going to be tough. Just as you get used to writing down the correct year on all of your papers, a new year pops up with a big fuck you number change at the end.

2. Lose 50 pounds.
Of course, a new years resolution list wouldn't be complete without a weight loss challenge. And like all years, the motto for this one is "This year will be different!" Five days into 2014 I truly still feel that way. One of the ways I'm pushing myself is with my FitBit Flex wrist bracelet. If you haven't heard of FitBit then get out of the rock you're under and go to Best Buy and dish out $99. The Flex bracelets are lightweight, easy to wear, and waterproof. They're also 24/7 bracelets that charge quickly and stay on tight. The Flex will tell me how I slept the night before, how much water I need to drink, how many steps I have taken, and how many calories I have burned. It even goes on to tell me how many calories my meals have taken up and what I have left to eat throughout the day.
The cons of this bracelet are no display screen on the bracelet and the foods available for calorie intake are quite specific. For example, if I eat a turkey sandwich the Flex doesn't just write down a plain old sandwich. It has to be a sandwich from Subway, or Tropical Smoothie. Not just your kitchen. There are ways around it but it's annoying.
Check out the pictures below....

3. Pay off at least $15,000 of debt
Ugh. Money. I hate money. Can't we just use potato chips as coins or something? What happened to trading with candy and favors. You pay my rent and I'll do your laundry for a month. Deal? No? Fuck you then.
AR and I have amounted a bit of debt because of school loans and personal loans. We're not eating Ramen every night just yet but we are starting to feel the stress of money in the real world. The goal this year is to live solely on AR's paycheck from the Navy and use my paycheck to pay off loans every month. I've made my list and checked it twice and $15,000 is a generous amount of money that I can get rid of this year. Hopefully I can surpass that goal but I'm going to start small so that I don't fail at this resolution.

4. Be more active with my dogs
My pups love sleeping on the couch all day while I'm at work. But when I'm home all they want to do is play play play. And all I want to do is drink drink drink. There has to be a happy balance around here that I'm missing. My goal for 2014 is to play more with my dogs. Take them to the park, leash train them, take them to doggie daycare, etc. AR is knocking down my uterus about a baby so I don't have much longer with just my pups in the house. I need to make the most of this time.

5. See more movies, read more books.
Let me boast about myself for just a second.... I am an INSANE reader. I read probably about 10 books a week give or take a few. And this year I want to keep that going. I want to start reading different books, historical books, books that I read in high school and hated in high school (I'm talking about you Great Gatsby). I just want to broaden my fucking horizons. I also want to see more movies. After living in Cleveland where the closest theater is 45 minutes away, I am all over the movie theater like butter on popcorn. Get it? Butter on popcorn? lol I crack myself up.

6. Pamper myself more.
I am a big fan of the messy hair bun. You know, the one that takes three seconds to put up and then all of a sudden it looks like a family of birds took residence on your head. But in 2014 I'm going to take more time with my hair and makeup and take better care of myself. I've already started by purchasing a curling iron and Crest White Strips. Slowly but surely (and with the help of makeup gurus on YouTube) I am learning how to be more of a girl.
I might even purchase more than one bra at Victoria's Secret. Watch out world.
write more on blogger

7. Get a promotion at work.
My job is one of my favorite things about my life. It's stressful, it's hard work, and sometimes even challenging. I want to push myself at work and show everyone what a great person I am and how hard I'm willing to work to be at the top. I'm ready for more responsibility and for more stress. Bring it on! I don't mind! I can handle it and it's time I started acting like it. I've already made my hopes clear to my bosses and everyone knows I want to go as far as I can. After all, what is the point of working if you just want to stay in one place for the rest of your life?

8. Turn my technology off.
Talking about taking a break from technology on a blog post is actually quite funny and ironic. As I type I have my iPhone to the right of me, my iPad to the left, my TV on, and my computer in my lap. I'm sure I'm getting some kind of cancer from all this shit. I need to make it to where I turn off all technology for an entire day and just do something without it. Maybe I'll go to the batting cages, or on a walk, or paint. Who fucking knows. This resolution has some kinks in it and I'm still working on that. I'll keep you posted.

9. Get more sleep.
My sleep deprivation is in and out, in and out. I am constantly in a cycle of one week awake, two asleep. And it is exhausting. The only way to fix this is to make myself more active during the day so that I sleep at night. Or seek help from a prescribed pill. That sounds way easier.

10. Be nicer to people.
This doesn't need much explanation. But I think it's safe to say I'm going to break this resolution soon, if I haven't already.

See....there I go again.

What are your 2014 resolutions?

10 Things You Would Tell Your 16 Year Old Self

2014-01-04T15:56:00.001-08:00

I just need to be honest with you....Ready?

I don't know how to start off a blog. No clue. Not even a smidgen. So I'm just going to start writing and you're going to start reading. And you will LIKE IT!

This should be fun.

1. Learn how to run.
No, you aren't going to be chased by zombies or Justin Beiber fans. However, later on in life you'll constantly wish you were a runner. Reason why, you're going to want to watch your weight, you're going to want to run with your dog, you're going to want to be able to run a marathon. And let me tell you, your current 23 year old self can't fucking do that. Nope. Not even close. The most I can run is maybe five minutes. And the entire time I am crying on the inside because I didn't learn how to do this and make it a habit sooner.

2. Don't become a teacher.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to teach. I love watching my students learn something new and overcome challenges. But teaching as a profession is a shit job. You're constantly working, stressing, talking to irate parents, and not making enough money. Also, you'll regret having to pay back loans for a degree you don't want anymore. Truth. The stress of the job isn't worth it for you personally. You're destined for more.

3. Don't date Byron.

Ugh...just don't. Worst mistake ever.

4. Don't join the diving team at Delta State.

Please understand that being on the diving team was one of the most rewarding accomplishments of your college career. Some of my best memories are attached to the swimming and diving team. But so are my worst memories. The people on that team are backstabbers and assholes. Just save yourself the drama and join the fucking art club.

5. Become a veterinarian.

Right now you're scared to fulfill your dream of becoming a vet. It's a lot of money, a lot of work, and you're worried it'll take you away from AR and away from what you're comfortable with. Those fears are ridiculous and you need to suck it up and go after your dream. Your 23 year old self is still thinking about following this dream.

6. Learn your finances!
Please do us both a favor and learn how to handle your finances. Start a savings account. Save your money. Get a credit card and establish good credit.

7. Learn how to drive a stick.

This will help you out when you and AR are driving to college and moving into your new apartment. His car gets better gas mileage.

8. Don't go to DC.

You're going to make so many bad decisions there. Fortunate for you, you have an insane amount of luck so you wont have to deal with the repercussions of your decisions. But you'll have that guilt for the rest of your life. Also, you owe the Holocaust Museum an apology.

9. Stand up for your beliefs on religion.

Good thing is, your 23 year old self still agrees that there is no God. Or at least that religion isn't important. Bad thing is, you're going to struggle with your family on this revelation for quite some time. They're going to hate you, think you turned into the devil over night, and watch for sprouting horns. But, in the end, you'll be glad you stood up for your own beliefs and it will help you feel more relaxed around your family because you were honest.

10. Marry AR.

You wont always like him. You wont always want to be in the same room as him. Often times you'll contemplate divorce or at least moving to a different country. But the love you'll have for that man will surpass anything else you have ever felt in your life. He will be your guiding light in the dark. He will protect you from your past and from anything in the future. He will constantly disappoint you but never fail you. Don't be stupid, listen to cupid.

That, that, that, that, that, that, that, that's all folks!