Weather-Obsessed

I feel like ever since we moved here to Kansas, I've been obsessed with the weather.

I've never really cared much about the weather.  I don't watch much television--including the news--so unless I actively seek out the weather report, I have to look out my window or step outside to find out what it's like out there.  Neither of those are hard tasks so I've never put much thought into it.

But now that we're in Kansas?  I'm constantly checking the weather.  Or comparing the weather.  My iPod has this handy weather app that gives me the lowdown on the weather in the locations of my choice.  So of course I'm always flipping back and forth between here and my hometown to see how things differ.

The weather in Kansas?  Very strange.  I had no idea what to expect...and now I realize that's because its totally unpredictable.  Take this past weekend.  Friday and Saturday both saw seventy degrees.  Today?  Snow.  Possibly a few inches.  Um?  That's my definition of cruel and unusual punishment right there.

When we moved here in July it was crazy hot for a few months.  I'm used to hot summers, but not summer weather that lasts into October.  I expected that from any of the places on our dream list (Florida, Arizona, California), but from Kansas?  Not so much.

I love that it's January and it's only snowed twice.  And that the snow didn't stick around long.  I love that we got to enjoy the outdoors and soak up some much needed Vitamin D for a few days.  But for this Wisconsin-raised girl?  It's taking a lot of getting used to.

I can't wait for spring.  Like, real spring.  Not seventy degrees, then thirty degrees, then fifty then back down to twenty.  I'm talking steady temperatures of warmth that will cause the grass to turn back to green (this dormant brown grass sort of freaks me out), and the flowers to grow.

Who else is ready for spring?

Martha Monday

Anyone wondering what I've been doing today?  No?  Well, sorry.  I'm going to tell you anyway.  Or rather, show you.

How stinking cute are these?  Makeup and travel bags!  I'm still tweaking them to the dimensions that I like, but I'm super stoked.  Personally, I think it was a day well spent.

Happy Birthday, Evie!

Three years ago, at three in the morning, Michael drove us in negative twenty degree weather to the hospital because we were finally going to meet our bouncing baby girl.  Nineteen loooooong hours later, she was born.

Happy Birthday Miss Evangeline Violet!!!

I can't believe my baby girl is three years old.  I can remember so clearly those first moments with her in the hospital, all the sleepless nights nursing her to sleep, her first steps, her first words.  It's amazing to me how fast children grow from this tiny helpless newborn to a sassy, smart, amazing three year old who challenges me everyday to be the best person I can be. 

Every stage of her life, I've said "I love this age."  I hate that she's growing up, but I love it at the same time.  I love seeing her learn new things and blossom into her own person.  Even when she's giving me attitude or won't listen or exerts her independence, I can't help but smile.  After all, she's practically my clone.

Evie through the ages:

Happy Birthday my not-so-little baby girl.  I love you!

One Year

The anniversary was last week, but I can't let the event pass without some sort of recognition on here.  We've officially been a military family for one year now!

Honestly, it feels like longer.  You know how people always say time flies?  So not the case here.  It didn't seem to drag either, but I just can't imagine that my life has changed so very much in only a year's time.

One year ago, Michael was at BMT.  Our little family got the first taste of what military life would be like:  constant training and separation.  Those six months apart were hard on all of us (especially because it was only suppose to be five months initially), but we made it through.

Now Michael's an Airman First Class, and is finally almost done with all of his initial training.  If you ask him, I bet he'll say this year hasn't flown by either.  He is pretty sick of training by now.  He'll be glad when he can just go to work and do his job I think!

The move to Kansas, our first duty station, marked the next leg of our military initiation.  I still can't say that I'm glad to be stationed here since it's nowhere close to where we wanted to end up, but the people here are amazing.  If there is one thing that I absolutely love about Kansas, it would be our friends.  Leaving this base and these people will probably be one of the most heart-wrenching things ever.

Back when I first started this blog (that anniversary is quickly approaching also!), I talked about what I was learning as a new military wife.  Things I thought that military wives should know.  Like understanding "hurry up and wait" and knowing that nothing is ever guaranteed until it happens--and even then, things change. 

Now that I have a year under my belt as a military wife, I've definitely added to my store of knowledge.  I know what to expect when we PCS next time--like, I need to breathe down the necks of the packers and movers the entire time they are near my stuff.  Also, military friends are family.  Not like family.  They are family.  They are your lifeline when you need some help, some support or just someone to text at the end of the day. 

I've learned to be more fearless.  I've learned that you can't always plan everything in your life, and sometimes you just have to let go of the reins...even if it hurts a little to do so.  But most importantly?

I've learned that to be a military wife you have to be strong.  But that's it.  All these stereotypes about military wives are silly and somewhat annoying and extremely unfair.  We come in all shapes and sizes, from all different backgrounds, and to expect us to all be the same is just ridiculous.  You don't have to be this stone-cold woman who never feels sad when her husband is gone, even though "you knew what you signed up for".  You don't have to be Susie Homemaker or join a Spouse Club or attend every Squadron event.  You should probably love your husband and you should definitely be on board with his career choice.  But those are qualities all wives should possess.

It's been a long year full of adventures, sadness, craziness, laughter and unexpected moments.  But it was a great year!

Where Have I Been?

"Where have you been?!?" some of you may be asking.  Why haven't you been dazzling us with your wit and insight the past couple of weeks?  Or maybe you haven't been saying that at all.  Maybe you've been kinda glad I haven't bogged the blog world down with my random musings.  Either way, I'm here to talk once more.

Remember me telling you that my wonderful, awesome, amazing husband bought me my first ever sewing machine for Christmas?  This one in fact:

Well, that's where I've been.  Sitting right in front of it.  For hours on end.  Producing things.  Hopefully cute things.

I'm a complete beginner when it comes to sewing machines.  Michael had to help me thread it the first time because the instructions confused the heck out of me.  I looked blankly at all the attachments and accessories that came with it, completely unsure what any of them were meant for. 

Thankfully, it didn't take me long to catch on.  And I've been sewing ever since.  I've never been an especially crafty person before so it's like a whole new world I'm exploring.  Fabric swatches and thread weights and patterns oh my!

Here are some of my creations:

Obviously I'm loving the aprons.  But once I started on the tote bags, I think I've found something that could be an obsession.  I've been pouring over bag patterns like crazy ever since. 

There's been some talk of me opening a tiny boutique to sell my (obviously beginner) wares since I've had some interest from folks back home.  Plus, it's a heck of a lot of fun.  But we'll see.  Right now?  I'm just loving the new distractions sewing brings. 

So if I'm not here, it's because I'm sitting at my dining room table, pondering my latest project.

Wordless Wednesday

It seems like all I have time for lately is Wordless Wednesday!  I promise to be a better blogger soon.  Evie and Mommy, coloring, new haircut, and iPod engrossed. 

Scene Selection

Have you ever had those moments when you wish there was an button that allowed you the option to see snapshots of your life?  Kind of like the scene selection page on a DVD menu.  You see a screen shot of what's happening periodically from beginning to end.  You don't really get to see the whole picture, but you have some idea of what may happen.

I feel that way right now.  I wish I had a magical remote that tuned into my life menu and allowed me to see where this all is headed.  I would love a little guidance on what paths to take.  When will we finally decide to have our second child?  What will the gender be?  Will Michael stay in the military or choose to take a different career opportunity?  What the hell career am I going to have?  Will I ever use my hard-earned degree or will life lead me in a different direction altogether? 

I know life is all about choices.  I get that.  I know life is suppose to be "about the ride" and that I should just enjoy it.  I get that too. And I'm trying.

What I don't get is how this hyper-planner is suppose to handle this big, empty abyss that I'm staring into.  I talked a little about how life seems to be at a standstill before, and it hasn't gotten any better.  The problem isn't that I don't like where my life is right now.  The problem is that I don't know where it's heading--I have absolutely zero idea--and that thought scares me senseless.

I know I'm not the only wife or mother or person in general to feel conflicted about the things I want in life.  I want children and to me, that means devoting myself to their care in the early years.  Children are only little for such a short time, and I don't want to miss any of it.  But I know being a domestic engineer isn't the only thing in the world for me.  And sometimes I feel this unbearable itch to get out there and make my mark.  Even when I know the biggest, most important mark I could ever make in this world is raising awesome kids into awesome people.  Children are our future.

I guess all I'm saying is...the future is scary.  And when you have no idea what it holds?  It's absolutely, nightmare-quality terrifying.   When you're a mega-planner like me, that's a hard pill to swallow.  And it keeps me up at night.  Because I want to be the best person I can be, and when I have no idea who that person is?  Well, that's tricky.

I'm not Super Mom.  I'm not Susie Homemaker--though sometimes we're great pals.  I'm not perfect.  I'm just me.

I'm just trying to figure out what that means.

Cutest Kid on the Planet

I don't usually blog on the weekends, but I couldn't help myself.  There is no way I could wait until Monday to show off the cutest kid on the planet.  I'm pretty sure you'll see for yourself that I'm not being biased when I say that either.   It's simply the truth.

Evie had her three-year pictures done today, and we got a few great shots.  Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Wisconsin Vacation Edition

New Years Resolutions: Part 3

Happy 2011 everyone!  I hope everyone had a great night celebrating both endings and new beginnings.  My little family had a fantastic time celebrating with friends. 

So the last couple of days I've talked about my New Years Resolution from last year.  It's a new year now which means new resolutions.  I have a couple this year, and I hope by sharing them I'll feel more compelled to stick to them.

I'll just get this one out of the way since it's in no way original, and I'm sure most people make it.  My first resolution is to start leading a healthier lifestyle.  I think I've made this resolution every single year, and even though I stick to it for a while, it never seems to last.  I make pretty much every dinner from scratch so we don't eat like complete crap around here, but I make it to the gym about once every six months.  I just have so many other things I'm focusing on that it doesn't make the cut.  This year I'm going to try harder.

My second resolution is a little more original.  I want to start focusing more on Evie's education at home.  Obviously she's only (almost) three so I'm not talking quadratic equations,  but since she doesn't go to daycare and get a little bit of organized education everyday, I feel like I need to do something more at home.  She's a smart kid, and I think she would love the challenge of learning new things every day. 

My last resolution is the big one.  The one that I'm going to strive every day to achieve.  My big New Year's resolution is to change my thoughts about money.  If you don't count student loans, we don't have much debt.  Which is pretty amazing since it seems like everyone is in piles of debt these days.  But I sort of hate the consumerism that we're all submersed in.  I don't like feeling compelled to continuously buy bigger and better, newer and cooler.  So my resolution is to think more before I buy.  To refurbish and re-purchase more often. 

I'll probably be writing about my resolutions periodically to keep me accountable.  Help keep me accountable!