Friday, March 30, 2012

Guest Post by Sue

Hello everyone, I'm Sue and I blog over at Hello. Also, I love you. My blog is about my life. I write about everything in my life, although my husband Aaron, my puppy Twink, and living in Japan are my main topics of conversation. I've also recently made my first vlog. It was a little awkward but I decided I liked it and now I have plans to start a vlog link up. I really try to be honest and open with myself and anyone who decides to read my blog so you'll find a lot of that over there. In January I wrote a particularly honest post about myself to let people know a little bit more about who I am and how I got here. Even though I've been through some difficult things in my life I treasure love and happiness about anything.

I absolutely love to write. I can tell stories all day long. I write about whatever is on my mind, but sometimes the things on my mind are too much to write about so I don't. If ever I'm absent from my blog for a few days, it's usually because there's things going on in my head that I'm still wrapping myself around. It can also be because I'm busy writing things that are not yet for the public eye! I believe that writing should come from inside you. You can push yourself to excel at writing but if you've got nothing inside then the writing can't come out. If you ever sit down to write a blog post and you simply can't think of what to write about, my advice is this: Go out and do something! Make a mistake. Fall in love. Kiss a stranger. Help a friend. Do something worth remembering and then you'll have something worth writing about.  

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

“Welcome to Bahstan”


Continuing with my guest bloggers is Julie! She is so very sweet, and we hit it off right away via our blogs and through emailing.  She was actually the first blogger that I met 'in real life'. Her husband is in the same division as boyfriend, so I'm hoping we can do another Starbucks date again soon!  Anyway, here is her post and be sure to show her some love :) 
Hi! I’m Julie from “When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground.” That is way too long of a title I know. I am a twenty-something girl living in Tennessee, but I grew up in Massachusetts. When Dani needed a guest blogger for her spring break and conference time, I decided to volunteer and try to do something new. Since she is going to be spending time in Boston, I decided to share some info and things I love and hate about the city. Here goes!
Boston, the wonderful capital of Massachusetts, is home to many things including the Red Sox, the original Boston Tea Party, frappes, Ben Affleck, a lack of the letter “R”, and much more. I have a love/hate relationship with the city. After moving down South, I miss the certain things the city has to offer that I now have to drive far to find. The food is absolutely amazing. You can go almost anywhere in the city and have decent to fantastic clam chowdah with fish ‘n chips. While we have some chain restaurants, we have more individually owned unique establishments. There is just about every type of food you can imagine. I’m a big fan of the North End Italian restaurants and Gaslight in the South End. Don’t even get me started on bakeries. Visitors must stop at Mike’s Pastry for a cannoli or find a Rosie’s bakery to try a chocolate orgasm. Yes, that’s the name and yes, the brownie deserves that name. I love the sports fans here too. We may be a little too obnoxious, but in the past few years, don’t we deserve to be? Between the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots, we have a few teams to brag about. As geeky as it may be, I love the history of the city. Visitors need to walk along the Freedom Trail to see many historic sites that played crucial roles during the American Revolution.
I can tell you one big thing I hate about the city. People are not too friendly. Everyone is in a rush and a big fan of car horns. The up side to this is people in Boston are honest and will not sugarcoat things (something I have found in the South). I also despise the accent. It makes us sound dumb. Not everything is “wicked pissah” (translation “really awesome”). No matter how many times people ask me, I will not park the car in Harvard Yard. Finally, I hate Cambridge and Haaaaavahd, but that’s a topic for another day.
Enjoy your conference in Boston Dani! Tell the city I miss it!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Back for a few days!

Well hello bloggy-verse. I am back from the fabulous Bahamas! We arrived back yesterday evening, and a long night of laundry and cleaning/prepping for today went on.  We had a 3 hour layover in Miami, so lots of Kindle time was had :)

Some of the highlights from the trip via photos. I took what seems like a gazillion, so choosing less than 20 seemed hard!

Spending an entire week together.


Toes in the sand.

Snorkeling for the first time.

Getting lots of sun, while wearing sunscreen of course!

Playing/swimming with dolphins.


Amazing food and drinks.


Watching the sun rise over the ocean.


Turning 24 on the 24th and celebrating 7 years together :)

And my favorite of all: saying "YES" to marrying the love of my life!

All in all, an AMAZING week and a HUGE thank you to my guest bloggers :) Stay tuned for two more lovely ladies this week!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Guest Post by Mel


I want you all to welcome Mel from Head in the Game, Heart in the Sand.  She is a fellow grad student (a law student at that!) and a newlywed military spouse.  I was a guest poster for her recently, and she so graciously agreed to do the same for me! So leave her some love, and I think this post should resonate with all of us.
Adapt and overcome.  In Army life, we hear that phrase a lot, often in response to bad news or a last-minute change of plans. Those words mean different things to different people and everyone has their own way of “practicing” the motto.  For me, a child of divorced parents, with no money, living in the city, those words meant something deeper before I even realized it.
The dictionary defines adapt as: to adjust oneself to different conditions, environment, etc. and defines overcome as: to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat; to prevail over (opposition, a debility, temptations, etc.); surmount
I lived in 13 houses and attended 5 different schools before 6th grade. I spent a lot of time in daycare, shuffling between parents on the weekends and riding city buses to school.  Just when I would make friends and settle into a routine, we would change course again. My mom did what was necessary to pay the bills and that often meant going where the jobs were or finding a cheaper place to live. Usually, I’d put my belongings, comprised almost entirely of books, into a small suitcase, grab my sister’s hand and give my mom a smile.  I didn’t know it at the time, but I was learning to adapt and overcome.
I started dating my husband four years ago while he was 1400 miles away serving in the Army and I was working and applying to law schools.  We have been long distance ever since and during that time we have experienced a year-long deployment, a short engagement, 3 intense years of law school, a wedding we planned in two weeks and a PCS to a whole new state.  We have experienced every up and down the Army could throw our way and we’ve come out stronger and better for it.  Adapt and overcome. 
Some days, I hear these words and I roll my eyes.  They make me feel angry and vulnerable; quiet and frustrated. Another cancelled trip because of last-minute duty. Another birthday/anniversary passes with a heartfelt apology.  Another late night sitting up waiting for the phone call that never comes.  It’s okay, just adapt and overcome.
Other days, these words make me feel inspired and powerful; resilient and proud.  Another year together, strong and in love, having battle all the ups and downs the Army could throw our way.  Another step towards the career of my dreams, with the man of my dreams by my side.  See that honey, all we have to do is adapt and overcome.
Whether I like it or not, this phrase is at the core of who I am. It has to be. I know that no matter what, come hell or high-water (or deployment or law school) I can handle it. We can handle it – with a little work and a lot of prayer – we, together, can adapt and overcome.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Guest Post


As many of you know I'm off on vacation (just landed yesterday) and I'm hosting Sam as my guest blogger today.  She was one of the first ones to respond to my call for guest bloggers, and she picked today! We are both Army girlfriends and doing the whole graduate school thing, so it's been nice to find another kindred spirit in the bloggy world.  Leave her some love/advice and I hope you all enjoy.

 Hey y'all! My name is Sam, from Steady as we Go. I am an army girlfriend, and an athletic trainer (see my blog for that one), and will soon be going back to school to get my masters in kinesiology/athletic training. My boyfriend N. is currently in the Special Forces Q course and we have been dating long distance since before he joined the army. When I saw Dani was looking for guest-posters, I figured I would take the plunge and write my very first one. I hope you guys enjoy it.

     Now on my blog, I do not talk about the Army too much; maybe little fragments here and there but I have never written a full post on anything related to it. I think this is the perfect opportunity to do so.

     Come Monday, N. will be off to train on lockdown for three months. He will miss so many things from the end of my time here in NC to holidays to birthdays and anniversaries and so on.  Yes, yes, I am used to this, and no, it's not a deployment, but this does bring up several reminders of past and future absences. He has and will miss many more holidays, birthdays, and life events. Even when he is not in training, or even before he was in the army, he missed these things due to the nature of our relationship. Before I moved to just three hours away, we only saw each other about once a month.

     I remember clearly last year, while he was just beginning the pipeline, he missed several things. Thanksgiving, Easter (we're both catholic, so it's an important holiday), My senior formal, my college graduation, my birthday, and HIS birthday, among many others. Let me tell you, I was not happy when my sister's boyfriend was at my graduation and mine wasn't. And being just a girlfriend makes things all the more complicated. Especially when you throw two VERY busy schedules and years and years of long distance into the mix. It has definitely brought disappointment and strain upon our relationship on many occasions.

     So what I want to pose to all of you is, how do you deal with all of these missed occasions? What do you do to make them special even when your man (or you!) can't be there?

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Boyfriend and I are all checked in, he is still doing laundry and packing.  We went shopping and he got new clothes for the first time in what seems like 2 years.  Shirts, shoes, pants and shorts- oh my!  It was fun shopping for him when he is in the mood :) Here is to hoping we can manage to get some sleep tonight because it looks like we'll be up all night getting ready to go.


I also got my first shellac manicure, and let me tell you... it is all that is awesome-sauce!  I cannot stop staring at my nails and marveling how they haven't chipped.  We'll see how they hold up once we get to the beach.  My one complaint is that the lady that did them didn't get super close to the cuticle, so on my thumbs they look slightly grown out.  Oh well, I did pick a color that I have a similar bottle of to do touch ups if need be. 


Well, we are off! I hope you enjoy my lovely guest posts I have arranged, and be sure to leave the girls some love! I'll try to post a picture or two when I get the chance :)

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Liebster Award!

I was tagged by Meagan over at Local at Last for this award.  I do love her blog oh so much, and she will be living in the CU with me quite soon.

Here are the rules:
1. Choose five up and coming blogs to award the Liebster to. Blogs must have less than 200 followers.
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.
4. Share five random facts about yourself.

So here go my facts about me:
1) I am currently obsessed with Mad Men, from the fashion, the television show, and the line of clothes at Banana Republic.  I seriously wish I had the occasions to dress up every day like a modern version of the clothes.   The same goes for Pan Am, I just cannot get over how classic the era was for fashion!

2) My parents just found a picture of my and my friend who is hearing impaired at about the age of 7.  In it, I am wearing an FM system that was connected to her hearing aids to help her hear my voice.  It seems like I was meant to be an Audiologist from a very young age. 

3) I am excited/nervous to have my first shellac manicure tomorrow.  I've heard really good things, but I've never had a professional mani before.  I figured with the beach, sand, and outdoor activities a regular manicure doesn't have a chance of lasting through vacation.

4) My hometown is a small area about 3 hours north of where I go to school.  We actually had a ribbon cutting for our 3rd stoplight when it came into town.  We were also the kind of school that had drive your tractor to school day.  Yeah, it was a great way to grow up, certainly a memorable area.

5) I keep hearing about the buzz for The Hunger Games and I cannot wait to tackle the books while on the beach.  I just got a huge floppy sun hat, and plan on spending at least several hours a day reading on my new Kindle Touch- Happy Early Birthday to me!

Bloggers I am tagging with this award:
1) Julie at When your feet Don't Touch the Ground
2) Sam at Steady As We Go
3) Alyssa at Confessions of a Dreamer
4) Sue at Hello. Also, I love You
5) Our Little Fam

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Military Girl interview

Well, the post is up so I thought I'd finally add a link!
I'm being featured over at Melissa Jaine's blog that she does about military girls.  I first heard of her blog when I won a print of hers through Chambanachik's Christmas giveaways.  The prints are adorable- you should check them out if you haven't already. 

Here is my interview, and to anyone that is a new follower through there welcome!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Guest Post

Anyone want to do a guest post for me? As many of you know, I'll be out of town for much of March thanks to spring break and the national conference I am attending.  After I come back from spring break I'll be sure to post a few photos, and if I have some time I'll do a full post or two about the trip. (Holy crap, that means my 24th birthday and 7 year anniversary are coming up in 2 weeks... eeeeek!!)

In the mean time, I'm looking for 3-4 guest posts to schedule while I am away.  Just shoot me an email or comment if you are interested :)

Also, stay tuned, I have an interview that will be posted tomorrow! I'll be sure to post the link when everything goes live.