Happy 2014 everyone! Took a little bit of time off to spend with the family here for the holidays, hope you all enjoyed your Winter festivities as much as we did! We went on movie dates (can you all get over how cute "Frozen" is?!?!), saw some AMAZING Christmas lights at Callaway Gardens, & just enjoyed time with each other, which was definitely needed.
^Monsters showing off their new Yule jammies.^
^Me & My Dork on Christmas morning.^
As that ball came down & 2013 became a memory, so did a lot of normalcy in the house. We kicked off January 1st by saying goodbye to Daddy, who will be bouncing around on various training assignments for work before heading out on his first deployment this coming Spring.
Deep breath in & siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
It had to happen eventually I suppose. Just another chapter to fill in the story of our lives.
All in all the monsters are taking the pending changes like champs. There's plenty of questions & a little more stress than normal among the crowd, but honesty it's going a lot calmer than I expected. (Here's hoping I don't eat those words a few months down the road!)
The biggest insecurity they have so far is how much Daddy will be missing out on. Which, sadly, is most of the coming year. However, while talking with DH last week we've come to realize that, thanks to the wonder that is social media, he doesn't HAVE to miss out on any of our day-to-day crazy around the house. I know many people start the year off with different photo challenges (30-day lists & 365-selfies seem to be the most popular), but I'm going to try my hardest to do a 365-home challenge. No glitz or glamor here. No set rules to follow. No statements to make. Just real, every day life so that our family can try to keep the bond we share together over whatever time & distance we will be spending apart.
So, throughout the year I'll be posting pictures taken &/or captioned by the monsters every few days to share with their Daddy, along with my regular here-&-there blog entries. :)
With that & without further ado, I give you Days 1 & 2 in our new 2014 adventure!
Day 1
x2 - "That's us getting ready to watch 'Duck Dynasty' before bed!"
x1 - "Yeah, we got to stay up late, all the way til 9.30p! Thirty WHOLE minutes longer than normal!" *fist pump*
Day 2
x3 - "SEEDS! I loved the seeds. They came in the mail & they're all babies & really cute."
x1 - "And tasty. Well, eventually."
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.
For the first time I'm drawing a blank as to what to put. I really don't have anyone I 'miss'. My family lives out of state, as do the majority of friends & I have plenty of loved ones I've lost over the years, but no one in particular stands out. =(
So I'll twist this a bit. Right now, under wind, clouds, & rain for the 4th day straight this week I miss mountain sun more than anything.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Yule '09. Our family in true form. lol
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
My kids are my world. I don't ever want to think about what life would be like without them. No matter how careful you are, anything can happen. You can get rear-ended at the red light or have one snatched away in the blink of an eye. There's the chance that that one tube of routine blood work turn up results that will flip the world upside down. I've had nightmares & panic attacks just thinking about what could happen to my monsters if I'm not on top of my game at all times & over all thing things I have no control over. My heart truly goes out & breaks for all the parents of missing/exploited children & to those who have had to bury a child. I've heard it's a pain worse than death itself & it's something I hope every minute of every day I never have to be one of those mothers mourning over a tiny headstone.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Me & my not-so-little-anymore brother, NYE 2010.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
^^That's my camera to a T. I never leave home without it & if it weren't for my camera I wouldn't have all these great memories immortalized on film. I love photography & taking pictures. Being able to capture special moments, mine or otherwise, is awesome to me.
Day 25 - A picture of your day.
The weather is absolutely BEAUTIFUL today, so we spent a good 3 hours picnicking at a local park & walking around the nature trails. =)
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Religious intolerance bugs the hell out of me (no pun intended). I'm all for someone being faithful and steadfast in their beliefs, whatever they may be, but can't stand when others act better than the rest of us & shove their version of creation & spirituality (or even lack there of) down everyone's throats. No one has been proven right or wrong on the matter & I feel that faith itself makes you a better, stronger person that what it is you actually have faith in. People kill every day just because of differences between a few chapters of a book. Maybe one day all sides will put a little pride down & band for a common cause, a decent collective human race. For my kids' sakes, here's hoping.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Time Management.
I'm up by 6.30a & usually not in bed til almost 11p, yet there isn't a day that goes by where I feel I've been able to accomplish everything I want to. I try to multitask as much as possible (i.e. - NAK as I blog), but even then I can't seem to ever feel caught up on the laundry, dishes, sewing, cleaning, etc in addition to taking care of the family. I seriously dread the thought of throwing homework in the mix for myself come fall.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
It was pool day at the summer park camp I went to when I was 7. I wasn't the best of swimmers yet & managed to 'catch' the perfect wave that pushed me out of my safe zone. I remember clearly standing at the bottom of the pool & seeing all these suits swimming around me. I couldn't jump high enough to surface. I couldn't reach out far enough to grab the walls. My nose & throat burned & I could taste the chlorine. I remember getting dizzy & panicking, randomly grabbing onto the first swimsuit that came withing arms length & held on as tight as I could. I still have no idea who the random swimmer was, but she got me up to the side & out of the pool.
I stayed clear of deep pools for the rest of the summer but have been swimming in lakes, pools, and beaches plenty of times since. It's only when I'm sitting on the edge watching the waves I get random flashbacks of drowning. It's also probably the reason I watch my kids like a hawk when they're in the pool, floaties & all.
Day 19 - A picture and a letter.
- To My Amazing Little Monsters -
I can't begin to describe how happy I am to be your mommy.
Drew...my little genius. You come up with the most insanely logical comments & projects, some years ahead of where you should be. Keep that mind working little man, it'll take you far.
Lyn...my little prima donna. You're my comic relief & probably biggest helper. My red-head to a T. Feistiest temper but you have the most loving persona. It's so easy for you to speak your mind & you have no regrets in doing so, no matter who's around. Don't lose that edge princess...it makes you who you are.
Gwen...my baby girl. The littlest of our clan, you're definitely my fighter. We had a lot of ups & downs with you this past year. I thought I had lost you more than once, but you more than proved to everyone that you can hold your own, regardless of size. You fought to be here, safe in my arms & I can tell even now that you're willing to fight to get to wherever it is you want to go. Never lose that drive.
Please guys, as you grow older & wiser just do me one favor....don't forget to keep being who you are. Most people won't like you for it. Some will. No one will ever love you for it the way I do. Remember that always. xoxo -Mommy-
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Typical, I know. But I really can't stand the awkwardness that has become my body.
"Oh, but you're skinny, you're fine!"
If only that were the bottom line. I have a cross country road-map on my stomach that ends somewhere on my ass in addition of 23 years of scar collection (being one of the world's most uncoordinated doesn't really help) & non-proportional features. I haven't had a bra or pair of jeans that fit me right in years no matter how much I've tried to gain, lose, tone, & trim. Again, typical story of a mommy...c'est la vie. -sigh-
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Anyone who has been in the military, married to the military, or even lived down the road from a military family knows how chaotic life can be & all the changed required to make things work. Well, right after the New Year hubby's job decided to throw us for a new loop. Between March - May 2011 we can either get the news that DH is doing a 6m deployment or being reassigned to a new base. Mind you, we -just- PCSed last August. And he's never been deployed. And we're already planning to have him away for awhile for work related business this summer. And he's testing for Sgt soon. And.... Yeah. The military has pushed its way to the forefront of our lives once again & here's oping for only positive results.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
“I am not afraid…I was born to do this.”
I've always looked up to Joan of Arc. He history & legend is as well documented as it is argued over but the strength of her character is the most important & NON disputed in all accounts. To start from nothing, rise to the top for freedom, & die for your country...there is nothing more inspirational than that to me.
The following is one of my favorite quotes of all time & accredited to, you guessed it, Joan of Arc.
“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.”
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
I want to go to France more than anywhere. I've been in love with the city's history, art, & culture for as long as I can remember. To be able to walk through the Louvre, climb to the top of the Eiffel tower, & see the wonder that is Versailles would be a dream come true.
