Face-lift!

I have been toying with the idea of getting rid of our old blog and moving to something new for a while now. I just got tired of the whole feel of the old one and wanted something new. The time has come to chauffeur in the new ... I had fun changing things around a bit and giving the space a completely different feel.

My inspiration came from the song Tyler and I danced to for our First Dance at our wedding, "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. There are too many wonderful, beautiful, positive things in this world to harp on the negative and down-trodden. Don't get me wrong, I complain, too, but I just want to display wonder. Wonder through the eyes of a child, wonder in the beauty around us, wonder in the mundane moments that sometimes get lost in chaos.

This picture was taken early this summer at Eklutna Lake here in Alaska. Tyler laughs at me because I still get lost in the awe and wonder of the mountains that line the highway and that reveal themselves at random moments. He laughs because we've lived here for nearly two years and I still get excited to see them. I posted the picture as the header to remind us to see beauty, to see wonder and to allow ourselves to get lost in the awe of wonderful things.

Let me know what you think of the face-lift!!

Cleaning the Oven

I really despise cleaning my oven .. YUCK!! So, tonight I thought I'd try the self-cleaning feature that just so happens to be there. I'm still not sure how well it worked, we are still in progress, but let me tell you ... my house WREAKS!! I made a cake this afternoon, I had candles lit, my house smelled so warm and now it smells horrible. It is really a bad way to end such a beautiful day!

Do you have any secrets for this not-so-fun task? If so, feel free to share!

Give-A-Ways

Many of you know that I have started a new venture with two friends and fellow Army Wives, Martha and Kate. This week on our blog we started doing give-a-ways. Please hop on over to read about our experiences and others in the coming weeks. To enter the drawing for the give-a-way, all you need to do is leave a comment or become a follower over at our blog; tell us what you think or what you want to know!

Firefly Lane

Oh my. Katie, my sister, gave me this book when I was home this summer. I had heard good things about it, but I had yet to pick it up and dive in. Sunday night I picked up the book and trekked upstairs to read and go to bed. I opened the book and quickly couldn't turn the pages fast enough!!

I finished the book last night, and I highly recommend the book!! If you choose to venture into this book about love, friendship and the ups and downs of being a family, keep the tissues close by as you near the end. Tears streamed down my face for the final chapters last night, but it was such a wonderful story.

If you've read it, let me know what you think!

Facebook.

Everyone knows the logo and the hype about facebook, but I have so struggled with this stupid "networking tool" for the last few months. The idea is to stay in touch with friends, but at what point are you just another friend to message, poke or write on their wall. If you have something to say or you really want to know how I'm doing ... call me, email me, I promise I'll respond.

My greatest struggle is status updates. AAGGHH, they really drive me crazy. People feel that they need to put everything on their status updates. Where they are, what they are doing and who they're doing it with. The world does not need to know where you are at every moment, I'm sorry, we are just not that important. And secondly, what if a status update hurts someones feelings? Sometimes the bluntness of what you're doing every moment with whomever you're doing it with can be hurtful ... why, go there?

I know this seems like a bit of a rant, and I'm sorry, but this whole situation has been driving me crazy lately. I do not mean this to hurt anyone's feelings, please know this is strictly my opinion.

Happy Friday, friends!

God Winks

At Wake Forest I was blessed with the most wonderful friends. Although I do not do a super job of communicating with all of them regularly, I still think of them often and love them for how they helped me become who I am today. 

One of those girlfriends, Jennifer Cole, whom I still adore but have not been too good at contacting lately, was my walking buddy and Tuesday night dinner friend throughout my tenure at Wake. She used to ask, "How has God winked at you today?" She simply wanted to know how I saw God that day. 

Today I thought of her after an afternoon of really missing my husband and best friend and an afternoon of knowing that my WFU best friends were together. I let Bella out only to find this: 

The sky was striped with pink and orange before finally setting a few minutes later. It's moments like this that I have noticed more in Alaska then ever before; I'm not sure if Alaska is just that much more beautiful or if I just have a greater sense of appreciation for things of beauty these days. 

God always reveals himself just when we need him. Although he's always there, sometimes it seems to be a bit more apparent than others. Tonight I am getting ready to settle into bed a bit more upbeat, a bit more thankful for friends, this afternoon and for the way God continuously shows me that I am not alone in this journey.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Care Packages Aren't Only for Those Away!

I got a surprise in the mail this week, and it completely made my week! Although my mom regularly sends me fun pick-me-ups, that always make me smile, this surprise was from Tyler!! He ordered a postage label online, got a flat rate box from the Post Office at the embassy and sent a sweet surprise my way.

When I got the box, I loved that he had written on the customs card. When you ship something internationally, even if it is to an APO/DPO, you have to have a customs form on the package describing the weight, contents, sender and recipient.

There is the customs label with his signature ... oh how I've come to love that chicken scratch!

Below are the contents of my surprise, halfway package: a postcard, a letter, toboggan, mug and scarf. Tyler is a very thoughtful person, especially when it comes to gifts. He knows how much I love scarfs, and it just so happens that baby alpaca, the luxury in Peru, is so, so soft!! Handwritten letters always warm my heart. And who in Alaska can't use another tobaggan?!

Although I do not get to travel the world as much as Tyler has gotten to recently, I do appreciate his thoughtfulness in the gifts that he brings home! I get to treasure the luxuries of foreign countries in the things and pictures he acquires along the way. Many of his gifts have stories and experiences behind them that I hope to cherish for years to come.

Thanks for my surprise, babe; happy halfway!

Time is Moving Quickly!!

Friday marked the beginning of a new month!! Another month flipped in the calendar, another few weeks to scratch off as complete in this deployment and one less first of the month standing between now and Tyler's return. Although it seems like the current speed of time would be the most wonderful thing ever, it is honestly a bit bittersweet.

There are so many things I want to have finished/checked off before Tyler's return, and as time dwindles down it only seems to be speeding up. And, if you know anything about me, you know that I think entirely too far into the future. I am working on enjoying the here and now, but sometimes that is much easier said then done for me. That said, I am looking at January, February and March; time that Tyler will most likely be home and I am already praying that time will slow down for those months. I pray that we can soak up that time together, for we do not know when we'll be apart again.

One thing we have learned, but not yet fully mastered, in our short time in the Army and as a married couple, is that we must take full advantage of our time together. I am looking forward to Saturday morning waffles and ACC basketball, a Sunday morning Starbucks and church-ride companion, the alarm going off for PT and my husband walking through the door for dinner again. I look forward to walking Bella, going out to dinner and watching NCIS on Tuesdays before bed together. All of these things that seem mundane, normal and ordinary have become parts of our life that I crave when apart.

But for now, we will continue to grow and enjoy our time apart, pray for safety, happiness and a safe return in a few short months and keep chipping away at my beloved "to-do" list!

Happy Monday, friends!