Showing posts with label Life Lately. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life Lately. Show all posts

Friday, May 12, 2017

Travels. Love. And Wedding Bliss.


Spring in Iowa. Dandelion covered fields of green. This is my home state at its finest! My coastal city kids love it! Charlie dog does too! On our very long road trip to Iowa last weekend we took the time to lunch in a wildflower covered field. I think this is what would Thumper would call a meadow (total Bambi movie reference).
We loved it!



Someone didn't think riding in the car for 18 hours was so terrible.



Stopping in Virginia for a break. 
Virginia is for lovers. That is the state motto.
It didn't dawn on me how appropriate a LOVE picture is on our way to a wedding. Our whole trip had a love theme ;)



My kids are weird.


We rolled into town just in time for the wedding rehearsal.
How is this for Iowa cliche?
My sister was married at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in the Agriculture building.
Where they keep the butter cow 😆
Go big or go home, right?


Just to clarify, this was my much younger sister's wedding.
My first time being a bridesmaid (which was fun). However, standing up front with 25 year olds, not as fun. Literally, everyone in the wedding party was 25 years old. I felt like their mom. Haha



Age is only a number... says people who hang out 
with other people their own age.
Sometimes, you just have to own it like the rock star you are.






So, own it I did!
We loved every minute of celebrating with my sister and my new brother.
He is in for such a treat with us. He doesn't even know it yet!



Ready for more Iowa cliche-ness?
A tractor at the ceremony.
This tractor has been witnessing marriages of grandchildren for 18+ years.
One cousin started it and then it became a thing.
So yes, a tractor did pull my wedding party around on a hay wagon in 1999.
#iowaweddings


To end the night, we partied and danced until the stroke of midnight.
Yes, we Chicken danced and Boot Scooted like good farm kids.
So much fun with family!

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Monday, May 1, 2017

Fire Pits. Smores. And Other Summer Things.

Oh, yes, the weather got a whole lot warmer this week. 
The humidity is back in full force.
We are doing all the summer things! 
Fire pit ✔ Smores ✔ Beach ✔





This is where North Carolina shines bright :)
Minus the humidity, there always needs to be the disclaimer for humidity ;)
As I write this on a Saturday afternoon in April, it's 80 degrees with 77 percent humidity which makes it feel like 85.



Perfect weather for outdoor birthday parties. One of my favorite military life occurrences is when friends move where you move. These friends were part of our group in California and moved to North Carolina 6 months before us. Even though, we have lived here for a year, we have attended almost every one of their birthday parties. 



And then, we have the beach. Always needing a trip to the beach.
Saturday evening we went for a walk and 
Sunday we were back again.


 Sunday called for all the beach things. 
The water is getting warmer, so there will be more swimming.


Or lying on boogie boards taking a nap??
He just does his own thing.
All the time.
Do you have a child like that?


Just a tad bit windy.


The kids ask, "Why is it always so windy when we go to the beach?"
The weather and water are warm but it's still spring. 
I always feel like spring and wind go together. Storms and rain. It's spring! The weather is still working out it's kinks. 

Honestly, though Colorado had snow. The midwest had rain. My weather app said Temecula was 45 degrees overnight. And here we are in NC swimming at the beach at 6pm. I think we have it pretty good ;) 

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Friday, April 14, 2017

Spring Break. Pictures Galore. And Life Lately.


Today you get nothing but positivity and smiles because we are on spring break!
The weather is beautiful. Everyone is happy. And we are doing absolutely nothing but relaxing.
Here is wishing Monday never comes!


First, let's talk about the princess of our family, Miss Kyli. She has been keeping us very busy lately. Her most favorite thing in the world, color guard, has ended its third season. We have one more season to go before this will all be history. I can't even start to process that one! 

Once upon a time she did not want anything to do with color guard. When she began high school, she was shy and apprehensive to join any activity but we told her she needed to have at least one activity. It could have been anything with a physical component to it, sports or otherwise. With a little persuasion (aka ultimatum), she decided to join color guard her freshman year. After 3 years of color guard, she is performing solos, tossing and catching a heavy wooden rifle, and hopeful for captain. The transformation has been so fun to watch!



Watching your child toss anything in the air 20 feet and then catching it, 
is pretty cool.
She's killing it! Which really means she is fierce but you know America + violence = culture. Or something like that. But, really, do you ever notice how much violent figurative speech 
we use? It's weird. She is fierce with her color guard moves :)


As a parent, we can all agree any kind of school break is nice. This week we finally get to enjoy spring break. My husband took the week off work and he asked, "What would you like to do?" 
For perhaps, the first time in our married life, I answered with "Nothing."
Honest truth! I really don't want to do anything except read my book.


Lately, I've been reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
I'm really enjoying it and would recommend it to everyone. Another book I want to convince my child to read. It's inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and the issue of police accountability in current events. I have not felt the author hits you over the head with an agenda which I think can be off-putting. I feel Thomas does a really good job at opening the conversation to all sides and spotlighting the holes in every argument. I felt like every character had a different opinion, so you could really relate to at least someone in the book.

Everything else below this point is the randomness of our life lately.



This week I have found a renewed interest in my DSLR camera. I've been playing around with settings and my new lease. Charlie makes such as easy subject to shoot because he doesn't move. Plus, he has a cute face. It works.



The football playing proved to be a little challenging. 
I do love the 200mm zoom though. 



Derrick is our active kid who keeps us in (relative) shape. He always wants you to join him playing basketball, football, running, walking, etc. Boundless energy!


We went to the Azalea Festival which is a pretty big deal in this area. 
I'm going to post more about our Azalea Festival experience next week but here are some pictures until then.



An oversized piñata balloon for all your photography needs.


The kids got along the entire afternoon and let me take pictures of them...smiling...together.
Days like these are few and far between in a life with teenagers. 


The weather has been gorgeous. So trips to the beach are a must.
Even if it's just to watch dad fish and dig a random hole as deep as you can.
I'm telling you all, this one has boundless energy!


We did take one day to visit Raleigh after dropping my mother in law off at the airport. 
We are always that family!
And if I agree to take this kind of picture, then...


...they agree to take this kind of picture.
It's called a compromise. It works wonders in teen parenting 

Oh, and such fun news to share, Ky got her first job!
At an ice cream shop which is complete perfection for her ice-cream loving self!
She is getting so old my heart breaks a little every milestone we pass!

After writing this post, I'm thinking we have Spring Break mastered.


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Friday, March 31, 2017

Beach Things. Hiking. And Happy Friday.

The Marine Corps has been throwing a wrench in our plans lately. Not a fun time when that happens.
Thankfully this week has been more normal, allowing us to relax a little together and enjoy life.


And because this week has been awesome....
we are going to bring this post all the way back to last Saturday.
When my husband didn't have to work and he wanted to get out of the house.

This phrase is music to my ears.
However, when my husband wants to do something, he prefers it to be free.
My go to is hiking. Always hiking :) 
Hiking is hard to find on the coastline here. It's all flat swampy land.


Seek and you shall find.
This is the Basin Trail at Fort Fisher in the Wilmington area. 
It was a nice mix of sand, marsh, and forest hiking. 
Lots of wildlife and things to see.


Opps, I almost forgot, we walked the Kure Beach pier first.
This rickety old pier is not for the faint of heart. 


We talked to the local fishermen and saw all their catch of the day.
Weird creatures out there in the ocean!


Don't get me wrong this picture is a little creepy.
 I wanted to post our Sunday fun day but hate posting other people's kids on the internet.
Blurred faces it is!
We took a carload of boys to the trampoline park for D's birthday.
I've never heard so much March Madness talk in my life. 
How do these kids know all this stuff?



This week I started and finished Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. 
I really liked it. I don't typically read young adult stuff but this was good.
 I posted all the books I read in March here.
If you like that sort of thing :) I read all good books this month!


On Tuesday, I took the day off to work on my to-do list.
One of my tasks was dropping off books at a Little Free Library.
Have you visited one yet?
I posted all our previous Little Free Library visits here.
This one was not in the post.


Wednesday was a work day.
Thursday I attended the MilSpouseFest 2017 for Camp Lejeune.
I found out about this event from Kara at Ramblings of A Marine Wife.
I took her word for it and pushed myself to attend. 
Oh yes, I have to make myself go to these things.
I'm glad I went. 
I want to encourage you all to check out the link and register for a spot.
I think you will love it.


It's always nice to get out, be entertained, and pampered.
To feel the love from others for what you are doing or sacrificing in this lifestyle.
Even the most seasoned spouse feel that burn out :)


I felt the love at MilSpouseFest 2017 💜


The event was very interactive and fun.
No preaching or Powerpoints.
It is more of an encouragement about the stuff that really matters and effects us versus  an education is what we already know.


I'm going to end with my favorite picture and moment from the week.
It was such a perfect day to walk along the beach.
Happy Friday :)

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