A Series of Unfortunate Events

Hey y'all!

    I know... Some of you probably want to put my head on a spike and march around town. Please don't! I know I didn't give you any warning about it nor did I even update you guys on what was going on during this period of time. (Awesome Blogger Award goes to me.... not)

    First off, I am so very sorry for not updating you. The whole point of a blog is to tell the story of our day to day lives and talk about things that bother us and what not... And I knew that I would have felt so much better during this time if I had blogged, but I would open up a new post and stare at the screen. I had no idea what to say... or how to even put my feelings into words.

    Secondly, I promise to update you all more. I am going to work on posting every morning again. Because, when I did that Challenge, I actually felt better. Like, my heart was content with everything that was happening.

    Thirdly, (Is that a word? Well... Now it is.) I am still dealing with some emotions and feelings that I can't express appropriately.... So, please, if you are reading about one of these things, have some patience... 

    Now, where to begin.... well, my last update to you guys was that I hated Hawaii (still do)... and that I really need to learn to not drink sweet tea anywhere near my bed time... Back in March... So... yeah. I have a lot to tell y'all about. 

    Shortly after my last post, Trent deployed. Yep. Deployed. Back in March. Right at the beginning of the PCS Process. Lucky duck. But he left with the ship and just because he's gone doesn't mean the world pauses here. So I had to get the move process started and get organized for it. I mean, moving across country doesn't exactly equal a cake walk.

    Then I started training for the Ford Island 10k. That was a struggle to begin with because I kinda love-hate running. But I signed up with a bunch of friends to do this with and I didn't want to let them down. So there I was, running on a treadmill and praying that I didn't bail and end up on YouTube in one of those gym fail videos. Oh, and all that training? It went down the drain day of the race because all those times I prayed not to bail? Well, apparently I forgot to pray, because I totally face planted/action rolled/rolled the ever living life out of my ankle at the 2 mile marker. Lost like, all of the cool points. Ended up gimping the rest of the 6 mile run. Ended up having to wrap my ankle for like a week and stretch it. #FunTimes

    After that ordeal, I went ahead and made the appointments to have my move inspection done and an appointment to ship my car all the way to SC. Once I get relatively organized and feeling like I was ahead of the game, I wake up and find a swarm of ants have infiltrated my home via the window in my stairwell... My stairwell. Not the kitchen, not the living room... the freaking stairwell. So I call the office to have someone come out because, at the time, I thought that it could be termites. (Which at the time was totally plausible in my brain seeing as a house was tented behind me...) While I was on the phone with this super nice lady, I realize that my downstairs bathroom sink is leaking. So I mention that to her as well and she sets up the appointments and I go on with my day.

    Basically, at this point, I was pretty much in the "Bring it, stupid deployment" mode. 

    *Now, let me interrupt my "catching you up" story... Do not, under any circumstances, ever say/think/write out/draw/do an interpretive dance "Bring it" when it comes to deployment. Why, you might ask? Because, my friends, it does "bring it". *

    My grandfather has a heart attack, (survived thank God), but now sounds like the Godfather... Which I am totally okay with. Then, my great grandmother has a severe stroke at the age of 93. (She is okay. She has trouble with certain words and has to use a walker now.) My Mom was super sick with some stomach bug... and I was stuck out here because with a move coming up, I couldn't just up and fly home and back. We literally couldn't afford it. This has all happened the last month-ish. 

    And then, May 21st was Mine and Trent's 2 year wedding anniversary. It was our first one where we weren't together to celebrate. Which was very weird for me. But he surprised me by sending me a video of him saying Happy Anniversary and that he loved me. :) It may not have been flowers or chocolate, but being able to see his face and hear his voice... It really made it special.

    That's pretty much all that has been going on during this unexpected hiatus... I promise to be better about my blogging. But know that it might get a little bit spotty in the end of June/through to July area as we will be traveling.

    Moving Tip #1: When you are moving, make sure you go through and clean out and organize ever room. That way you aren't carrying any extra weight, and anything that was broken or maybe damaged from the previous move isn't still hanging around! 

    Do y'all have any moving tips? Comment below!

    Would y'all like it if I did a "What's in my PCS/moving binder" blog? If so, comment below and I would be more than happy to do so!

    That's all for now! Talk to you all later!

-Haley 

Sentimental Saturday

Hey y'all,

    Today's prompt is "My Dream Wedding" Well, I already am happily married. So I will take their prompt and tell the story of my wedding! Muahahaha!

    Trent and I got married May 21, 2013 at 5:00 pm in Chandler, Arizona. We planned our wedding in 9 months and I started with a crazy idea, and ended up going a more simplistic route. He wore his choker whites, and I found my dress at Brilliant Bridal at an amazing discount. 

    Our colors were Navy Blue, Gold, and Bright White. Very elegant, and simple, which fit my personality pretty well. My bridesmaids wore Navy Blue dresses and gold jewelry. His Groomsmen wore dashing suits. Mini Groomsmen copied their bigs, and my flowergirls wore simple dresses. 

    Now time for the story, the night before the wedding we had the rehearsal and it went smoothly. The entire family got together and we ate a fabulous dinner cooked by my uncles. At midnight, Trent got kicked out for tradition. After that, I took my tipsy self upstairs to bed. Cause I was tired. 

    My Mommy came and woke me up the next morning to get my hair done, and the entire way there, my Mommy and Auntie kept asking if I was nervous. My response?

"I'm hungry. Can I get a burger?" 

    The looks on their faces were hilarious. But I did get my burger. We got our hair done and then went home where the boys were put to work with getting everything to the venue. I got to play Mission Impossible and get the dress out of the house without my Daddy seeing it. (YESSS!) I then proceeded to get to the venue and start getting my makeup done. I had my Mommy do my makeup because she had always done my makeup for every big event in my life. 

    After that, I put my dress on. In the words of my Great Grandmother: " Where have you been hiding those curves" I always wore baggy comfy clothes. So something like my dress was a culture shock.

    My Daddy walked me down the aisle and I kissed my husband at the end of it all. :) It was such a magical day and I would not have changed anything at all. 

    What was even more amazing, was the fact that below, you will see my wedding cake. Which was done by my Mama (Gramma)! It was a wonderful night and I married my best friend. :)

-Haley

In the Shadow of the Mountain

Hey y'all,

    For the 10th day of this challenge, it told me to take a picture of something green. And, because I am who I am, I am taking it a step further. I am taking a picture of something green and something that meant the world to me.

    You see, Trent and I never had a honeymoon. We got engaged and 9 months later were married so that I could move with him. Add to it the fact that we have moved 2 times in a year and a half of marriage, and we really don't have the time or the funds to go and do something fun and crazy. 

    Well, during Trent's holiday leave, he surprised me and signed us up for a tour of the island. We went all the way around and saw some absolutely beautiful landscapes and scenery. 

    The picture above was taken at a macadamia nut farm. It was in the shadow of that huge mountain, and everything was so green. There were even wild roosters and hens walking around. They had the best macadamia nuts I have ever had. The locals there were beyond friendly and I was completely and totally content and happy. We did this trip on New Years Eve, and it was so wonderful.

    What is one thing that you and your spouse have done that just left you feeling loved and content?

-Haley

Some of My Roots

Hey y'all!

    So, to get it out of the way, yes. The Seahawks lost. Yes I saw the fight at the end of the Super Bowl. Yes I thought it was rediculous. Anyway, today, I want to share with you 3 of my most cherished childhood stories. These stories helped shape me into who I am today, and I will carry them with me for the rest of my life.

Lisa Frank's Whales

    When I was about 3-ish years old, it was just my Mommy, my Daddy, and myself. The three musketeers making our way while my Daddy was in the Air Force. We were living in a tiny little house on post and didn't have much in the way of furniture. A small couch, a card table as a dinner table, simple bed frames... Pretty much the minimal amount of things that we possibly needed.

    Anyway, it was my birthday and we had spent all day doing fun things like going to the park, playing hide and go seek, and coloring. As the sun went down, my Mom pulled out a tiny little cake and they sang Happy Birthday to me. I blew out the candles and got to open a gift. Inside was a Lisa Frank Whale toy. It came with three whales and rotated around to make it look like they were jumping out of the water and back into the water.

    I. Loved. That. Toy. 

    The most memorable part of it was when the three of us just sat there creating stories of magical lands... I didn't have any type of electronic to keep me entertained, I created it for myself. :) 

Untying Daddy's Boots

    Like I have said previously, my Daddy was in the military. Every day, when he would get home from a long day at work, he would sit down on the couch and I would run over and start unlacing his boots. Now, this might sound positively boring to some people, but it was something more for me.

    I would untie the laces and watch as the dust of the day would fall off. I would loosen the laces and see the imprints that were left on the leather. I would try to take his boot off, but he would bend his foot so I couldn't do it and tease me. I knew that those boots meant that he was working so hard to provide for my Mommy, brother, sister, and myself. And besides, after the boots were off, that meant that no matter how tired he was, he would sit and ask me what I did that day, or watch a movie with me, or tickle and play with me and my siblings.

    And it always started out with untying Daddy's boots.

Bemidji Boats

    Bemidji, Minnesota is a little town in North West Minnesota. In Bemidji, there is Andrusia Lake which is home to a place known as Joe's Lodge. My Sophmore Year in High School, we went up there as a family trip to get away from the heat of Arizona and kind of reconnect as a family. (Get away from technology was a perk haha)

    We rented out a little cabin and got to play in a lake all day long. We could go fishing, hiking, and one night, we even had a nice bonfire going while we sat around and just talked. This was during an angsty time in my life (puberty... gotta love it... or something like that) and it took till the last week we were there before I shed my irritated feelings and reconnected with who I was and where I came from. I fished and provided a meal for my family and just relaxed.

Fishing with My Mommy and Daddy. :) 

    It was seriously one of the BEST vacations I have ever been on. :) Totally worth being in the car for days on end to get there. And on the way home, we even managed to swing through North Dakota and see Mt. Rushmore and got to try a Buffalo Burger! :) 

Mount Rushmore with my Brother, Sister, and three little cousins. :) 

    Those are my three most treasured memories that taught me a lot about who I was as a person, and who I wanted to become. :)

- Haley