"Writings of an Air Force Wife" by Emily Roe

Farewell.

2012-03-07T09:29:00.001-08:00

We starred at each other as the early morning dawn stretched through our window, shifting our bodies into bold silhouetted lines. Neither one of us moved. We remained frozen with rapidly beating hearts, soaking in the moment as William slowly breathed in and out in a calming rhythm. My breathing eventually became in sync with his and my heart relaxed to a slower beating manor, steadying myself for the inevitable. I begged time to stop, to freeze this moment, but we knew that our final hour was quickly approaching.

I told myself that I was going to hold it together. I was going to keep myself composed and strong and be a rock for my kids, but that didn’t go as planned. One look into Krysta’s huge quarter-sized eyes swelling into tears and I lost it. I was done. Finished. The lump that has been burning my throat for days dropped into my stomach releasing the flood waters to burst through the dam, leaving me in a sea of tears.

We tightly hugged, kissed our last kiss, and said “see you later” and “I love you” and “I’ll see you in the fall”. We turned to part ways, and I watched him as he disappeared through the double doors.

And then, just like that he was gone.

Evenings are the most difficult to bare during a deployment. It’s the part of day when Ron walks through the door from work, where Krysta comes home from school, and where we gather around the table for dinner and homework. We have a routine; a routine that runs like clockwork. We all work together like the turning of wheels and gears and rivets, spinning and turning effortlessly —if one piece is missing, we can’t properly function. Finding replacements and re-rigging our routine is our first step to a successful deployment. Realigning the hndassort and swpassort (the legs on the face of the clock… and yes I actually researched the correct terminology) is what we’re focusing on this week. Day by day, time will continue to tick-tock until we can reunite as a whole family.

Until then, we carry on.

Em

The Dripping Hourglass

2012-03-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

I sipped my morning coffee while looking up at the only remaining party decoration, a woodland themed wreath, which hangs above my table. I’m reminded that my grand scheme of distraction has come to an end. The party is over, the dust has settled, and now I’m left with the sting of reality…Ron is deploying.

My breaths are becoming heavier and short as the days and hours slip by. I haven’t broken down or released the waterworks, I’m just numb. I’ve played this game, danced the dance, and I’m wise enough to know what’s around the corner. It can’t be stopped, it can’t be slowed down, and there’s no going back.

It’s like being on steel tracks when the train is moving at full speed. Frozen. Or in the middle of a tidal wave and not being able to paddle out. Helpless. Or being trapped in a shark’s tank, feeling vulnerable.

But when push comes to shove, I’m going to let that train hit me, and allow that wave to carry me under, because when I stand up on the other side, I will begin to feel again, the numbness will subside, and I can begin to rebuild and reshape my household until my better half returns.

The buildup is always the hardest –emotionally building up for him to leave, mentally building up for his return. Minutes cruelly stretch into hours, and hours linger into weeks. It’s a mental game of tug-a-war; I want time to freeze and capture the quickly moving moments, but yet I want the deployment clock to start ticking and the hourglass to flip over so we can begin the 6+ month countdown and anticipate his homecoming.

As military wives of deployed loved ones, we’ve been put into an unimaginable situation. A situation where the only guideline to follow is to carry on. A situation where it hurts so much that we have to force ourselves out of bed. A situation that brings equal parts of pain and pride.

Pride is stronger than pain, and good trumps evil. That in itself is worth carrying on and standing tall, standing proud.

We mustn’t fall.

"love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1Corinthians13:7

Much Love,
Em

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf's party and photoshoot (otherwise known at THE BIG DAY)

2012-03-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

I’ve been going non-stop for days, possibly weeks. Cutting, hot gluing, hanging and tying; making sure all is in place and the mood is just right. I have not one, but two special little lives to celebrate, so I wanted to make sure each babe felt equally important on their big day. We opted for a combined theme of “The Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.”

I wanted to mainly capture the woodlands in which the story took place, so we displayed an ample amount of wood slices, wildlife, and moss --appropriate for any Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf.

It was epic –celebrating two beautiful birthdays for two beautiful babies, at the same time. A wonderful day that was surrounded by all things good, filled with all things meaningful. Friends and family gathered from as far as Hawaii and as near as across the street to help bring in Krysta and William’s big day. There were laughs and smiling faces and loving moments that I will forever cherish. Because after all, it’s not the planning, the setting up, or the anticipation of the big day, but rather the memory-making and the gathering of friends that I love so much about life events such as these. It’s living and soaking up the little moments that I strive to capture.

To see party décor’ and photos, click here.

And you know I couldn’t do a themed party without doing a themed photoshoot! Here is a photo overload of my Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf…

Be still my heart.

I can't imagine my life being and living any other way than to be surrounded by my babies. It's soul-satisfying to witness them take in all the wonder and excitement and beauty of the world, and in turn, for the world around them to ever-so-carefully sculpt their little personalities in big ways.

Happy Living,

Em

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf {Project Pretty}

2012-03-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to another edition of "Project Pretty."

We previously celebrated Krysta and William’s birthday with a “Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf” theme. I loved how all of the decorations transformed our ordinary home into a cozy woodland --perfect for all of our Reds’ and Wolves. While I’m anxious to tell you about our big day, I thought I’d share the break down on how I created various elements of the themed décor.

Here is the overview of the dining area.

I filled this area with moss, wildlife, colorful ribbon, and lots of wood slices.

tablecloth: 4 yards of natural burlap, tied with twine --no sewing needed
terrarium: filled 1/4 with various moss, displayed with woodland creatures
toadstools + blue birds: sculpted from polymer clay. bake at 325ish for around 10-20 minutes.
table wreath: all supplies from Hobby Lobby (tutorial below)
evergreen trees: Hobby Lobby Christmas clearance
table centerpiece: all from Lowes --Dusty Miller planted in tiny clay pots. given to each kid
cupcake + cake display: supplies from Hobby Lobby (tutorial below)
bunting banner: Sweet Pea Fabrics on Etsy (tutorial below)
mason jars: chocolate cookie mix in a jar. fabric here, recipe here. given to each family.

Krysta's Cake

regular vanilla cake mix. I added fresh strawberries to each layer.
cream cheese frosting recipe, here.

for embellishments, I used a floral bird and butterflies from Hobby Lobby. I added red gingham ribbon at the base of the two layers. cake is displayed on a wood slice.

William's Cake

regular chocolate cake mix. I added 3/4 of chocolate chips and one box of chocolate pudding.
cream cheese frosting recipe, here.

for embellishments, I used food coloring to coconut for "grass" and added a blue and white polkadot ribbon at the base. I then added moss balls and a wooden squirrel figurine from Hobby Lobby, all placed on a wood slice.

{Tutorials}

cupcake stand

use one large wood slice and two smaller slices.
three dowel robs, cut in half to use as your dividers. attach with WOOD GLUE.
with hot glue, place moss around the robs.
for embellishments, you can add butterflies, birds, bees, etc

Bunting Banner

base--

cut fabric into triangles
hot glue yard or ribbon to the FRONT

letters--

with felt, cut out your letters (I printed my letters from my computer to use as a pattern)
thread string around the edges of each letter
hot glue the letter onto each triangle (this will prevent string fly-aways from the back)

wreath centerpiece

start with an extra large grapevine wreath form, hot glue Spanish moss randomly around the wreath and add berries or flowers.
attach various patterned and colored ribbon to the backside of the wreath.

OPTIONAL: add birds and small decorative items (very lightweight) to hang from the ribbon to add interest.

Front Door Wreath

I love the idea of a themed wreath to greet you at the front door. It helps set the mood of the event.

medium sized grapevine wreath. hot glue reindeer moss partially around the wreath.
add miniature bunting banner made from ribbon and attached with fishing line.
I added a Red Riding Hood (McDonald toy bought from Amazon for $1.50) and a wolf figurine.

That just about wraps up the how-to's from our Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf birthday party. Come back next week for another "Project Pretty."

Happy Crafting,
EM

Mustache Bash {Project Pretty}

2012-02-28T07:12:00.002-08:00

What better way to soak up the month of Love, than to celebrate the soon-to-be birth of a friend’s baby?

To throw a baby shower, of course!

And so we did. A few friends and I gathered to honor E’s little bambino with a Mustache Bash. It was small and intimate, personal and homey --just the way she wanted it.

The shower was themed around all things little man --pinstripes, bow ties, and of course, mustaches!

Here are some of the decorations and how-to’s that we incorporated into the theme.

baby shower cake made with regular cake mix with strawberries in the middle. for frosting recipe, see below. and for the bow tie on top --sculpted out of fondant and food coloring.

small tissue pom-poms

fold the tissue in a front to back motion (like an accordion)
cut the tissue in half, then secure each one in the middle with a pipe cleaner, wire, or string
carefully spread out the layers of tissue. The more tissue you use, the fuller your pom will be

"boy, oh, boy" banner printed on card-stock paper and hung on twine --I designed this in photoshop. It's super easy, but if you'd like this FREE printable banner, I will email it to you.

striped garland using twine and 4 spools of ribbon

5x7 "Keep Calm and Grow On" I designed in photoshop
If you'd like a FREE printable of this, I'll email it to you.

bow tie mason jars

"W" wreath.

wrap twine tightly around the wreath form
modpodge your choice of paper onto a plain wooden letter and cut off the excess, then hot glue the letter onto the wreath
make your bow tie out of 2" ribbon and attach with hot glue

and for the frosting on the cake (literally), here is my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. It’s delish; you won’t be disappointed.

Elizabeth, I hope you enjoyed your baby shower! I can't wait to meet your new little mister man!

I will return later this week with a birthday post, deployment post, and another Project Pretty.

Happy Week,

Em

Two.

2012-02-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

My baby squirrel bravely leaps a little higher, is slightly more bushy tailed, and the curiosity in his dark beady eyes ignites a little brighter. He moves freely and smoothly, full of confidence because he knows he turned two, and two only means double the adventure and twice the independence.

His little soul is like a Dreamcatcher – only allowing the brilliant goodness to remain while his fears, worries, and indifference filters through and leaves with the light of day. His spark vividly burns, wild and free, ready to take on the world. And with that, it’ll carry him through to achieve great things.

Life is full.

His life is full.

And with him, my life is full.

My imagination sees you, like a painting by Van Gogh. Starry nights and bright sunflowers, follow you where you may go. Oh, I've loved you from the start, in every single way and more each passing day.You are brighter than the stars. Believe me when I say, It's not about your scars, It's all about your heart. ~Kendra Lowe

Love,
Mama
(Maaaaaaaaaaa, as Wills says)

Love, love

2012-02-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it snowed.

Truth be told, I doubted my weatherman when he said snow was in the forecast --he let me down many times in the past, but now he’s rightfully redeemed. We woke up to a nice thin sheet of white snow --neither fluffy nor powdery, but good enough to get my winter fix.

7:30 hit and we were out the door, sledding down our side hill, sculpting snowballs, and making snow angels.

Oh, how I have missed you.

On the way to school Krysta said, “I miss the snow so much. When are we going back to Alaska?”

With those words, my heart aches. It’s a question that I honestly don’t have an exact answer for, but I do know this… one day, one day we’ll return.

Growing up on the East Coast I’ve always considered myself a beach girl; I lived for the summer; I breathed in the salty air as much as humanly possible; stayed outside until my skin burned from the sun. But over the years I’ve grown to realize, as much as I love the ocean, I’m perfectly content living up North --extreme North-- surrounded by mountains and birch trees and alpine creatures. I now live for Autumn and Winter; I love breathing in fresh crisp air that rolls off of the mountain tops and I’m over-the-moon when snow flurries begin floating down and wildlife perches itself in my front yard. One day, I will live that life again.

All morning, her words weighed heavily on my heart --her longing to be back up North, enjoying life as she once knew. I recognized that the snow would melt and disappear as quickly as it came, so we picked her up from school early to squeeze the bejezus out of any remaining snow patches.

starring wide-eyed with anticipation for more flurries

William was completely smitten. He ran out the door before I could get his shoes on!

********************************************************************************

Today is Valentine’s Day. Love Day.

The kids and I awoke to chocolates and flowers left by my handsome devil. And I may or may not have sent Krysta to school with a sugar buzz…

Instead of purchasing cards and candy, we created our own little Valentine gift baggy for Krysta’s classmates.

Here’s how you make it--

What you’ll need:
Snack ziplocks
Cardstock paper and a printer
Staples and a paper cutter

For the tag:
In Photoshop create a file size 6.5x2
Place your image to the size you’d like, and then add scripty fonts and a message. SAVE
Then create a second file, sized 6.5x4
Copy and paste your SAVED image twice (flipping ONLY your second image horizontally). SAVE
Almost done… create a third file, sized 8.5x11
Copy and paste your 6.5x4 images. You can fit 3 images on one sheet of paper.
PRINT

Now cut and fold your tag.
Fill your baggy and candy of your choice, then staple your tag onto the ziplock.

VOILA, easy heartfelt Valentine’s gifts.

I’m heading off to prep food with a friend, clean my house, and set up a few decorations.... there’s gonna be a baby shower tomorrow!

This month's cup is spilling over the rim in love, love it.

Big Hearts,
em

Felt Heart Garland {Project Pretty}

2012-02-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the very first posting of Project Pretty.

Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I thought it would be perfect to demonstrate an easy craft centered around hearts. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It brings out a nice burst of color among the dreary haziness of winter.

*First, make your pattern by cutting out a heart on regular paper. Secure your pattern onto the felt with a pin, and cut around it.

*Next, add a drop of glue (I used hot glue) onto the top of the heart and attach your string.

Voila!

Happy Crafting,

Em

Introducing Project Pretty

2012-02-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

I'd like to introduce you to, Project Pretty.

The concept of Project Pretty literally came to me over the weekend while working on multiple projects at once. As I was cutting, gluing, sanding, priming --what have you-- I thought, how great would it be to add a solo post dedicated to only my DIY projects and crafts, inspirations and musings, along with how-to tutorials for each project.

My goal is to post one tutorial every Thursday, ranging anywhere from home improvements to hands on crafts for the kids. NO Pressure.

And so today, Project Pretty is born.

I hope to inspire, and in turn, be inspired.

Happy Crafting,

Em

Hunkering Down

2012-02-03T05:51:00.000-08:00

I was hoping to be up and moving and out of the house by the end of the week, but life’s current has shifted into dangerous waters; a whirlpool of speedy deployment dates and a very sick child. My emotions are raw and my head is cloudy, so this is going to be a quickie post…

Sunday night William came down with the worst cold to date, and it has yet to subside. Our week has been spent plunging noses, swallowing cold meds, and bringing down on-again-off-again fevers. I literally have a rosy cheeked, runny nosed toddler attached to my hip during the day and on my shoulder at night, and with an average of 4hrs/night, we’re exhausted, drained, donzo.

We’re hunkering down and gliding through the swell, hoping to make it out before the wave truly crashes. And it’s a big one. Tsunami style.

This week, we’ve been living by the motto, “an apple a day, keeps the doctor away” --along with chicken noodle soup, orange juice, and tissue… lots and lots of tissue.

I said, “Wills, how sick are you?”

He stretched out his arms and said, “dis!”

Love him.

On a side note: check out who has a little curl action going on! You can bet your booty I’m growing his hair out. We're going for a hippie-surfer-ish, wild and free hairdo that matches his personality.

And we’re out.

Be well, be free.

Em

Back Around

2012-01-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

Here we are.

I’m altering my decisions and making some changes. Not big changes, just little alterations here and there --changing my routine, my pace, and choosing which battles to fight. No one person can do it all, be it all, and fight it all to make all things right. We must choose what to let in and when to let go, how to guide our children and what works best for our household. When we find things aren’t flowing easily, it’s time to shake it up, break it down, and rebuild our line of thinking to make a stronger foundation and a sturdier structure so that can overcome obstacles and withstand the storms blow.

Cleaning routines aren’t working? Shake it up.

Morning routines aren’t working? Change it up.

Bedtime isn’t running smoothly? Shake and change it up.

We’re flipping over the snow globe and shaking it up this week; putting good use to those New Year’s Resolutions. I’m already feeling inspired by our small changes, and hopefully they’ll stick and solidify into concrete. I’m motivated and it feels good; possibly because Ron is leaving in a number of days, and I’m longing for a smooth deployment and transition.

Scratch that.

I’m determined to have a smooth deployment.

Since living in Oklahoma over the past eight months, I feel like I’ve come into full circle. I’ve had my highs and lows, ups and downs. And now here I am feeling optimistic and full of hope and ready to discover what’s over the horizon. Sometimes it takes a good emotional ass kicking see the beauty in the breakdown. Sometimes it takes a huge disappointment and let down to see the silver lining and truth.

Here we are midweek and my aspirations are still running high. The prospects of the upcoming weekend --and many weekends to follow-- are limitless. And while I will soon be both mother and father until this fall, I will continue to remain hopeful and optimistic. I’m taking it day by day, and will not dread on the unknown. I have new dreams, a new vision, and after all, it is a new day.

“Sometimes on the way to the dream, you get lost and find a better one.”

PS Signs of spring in January- a bird’s nest and a lunch break picnic. See, even Mother Nature shakes things up.

Sponsor Love with A Little Something.

2012-01-24T18:49:00.000-08:00

This is Kristy.

She writes over at A Little Something.

She's currently reestablishing her roots in South Carolina after her and her husband made the painful decision to leave the Marine Corps. Her writings are about life --the good, the bad, and everything in between, but mainly about her adorable little girl. She's a peach, so head on over to catch up on her family's adventures!

Kristy's currently doing a Sponsor Swap, and hosting many other fantastic blogs (so check them out too).

Em

Alter your Decisions

2012-01-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

This week was killer-- not in the “totally awesome” killer, but in the “gah, that blows” killer. It started off with last weekend a little something like this:

We gathered around for our usual weekend Breakfast Taco dinner, when Krysta said, “Mom, I don’t feel so good.” After several minutes of convincing her to just eat –and all she could do was stare at her plate- I got up and cooked her something bland. Needless to say, moments later she was in the bathroom losing her stomach.

Naturally, Mama Instinct kicked in and I attacked any and all places that harbored the enemy, the flu bug. I did a full on battle raid that would have made Gettysburg look PG. My weapons of choice consisted of bleach, Fabuloso, Febreze, and my trusty ol’ Dyson. The bathrooms, counter tops, and tile floors quickly surrendered, leaving me with a sigh of victorious relief. And that mountain of dirty laundry? Completely demolished.

I’d love to say that it was all uphill from there, --I was truly hoping for an awesome week-- but a chain of unfortunate events led me down a dark spiraling slide, and I’m finding it hard time finding the light. I spend my days with off again, on again tears, and waking up in a grey fog. I can’t stand it.

After literally staring out the window at pure nothingness, Ron said, “Em, are you going to be ok?”

“No. Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know; let’s just go hang at Barnes and Noble.”

So off we went. To Barnes and Noble. Two towns over.

Because two towns over might just be the escape you need.

When homebodying doesn’t fit the bill, I gravitate to Barnes and Noble. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s the thousands of delicious books waiting to be thumbed through, or the hissing and gnarling spits of the espresso machines, or my babies’ imaginations longing to soar as we flip through the pages of Dr. Seuss. Either way, we dive head first into a world of non-fiction, and it’s bliss.

You know what else is pure bliss? My girl making Honor Roll… all year, thus far!

We’re two bubbly parents beaming over with joy. We’re so proud of her and all of her hard work.

This was her moment.

Will sat so still during the ceremony --in that same position, to be exact!

William and Krysta’s birthday party is just around the corner. *squeal*

We made red toadstools and blue birds out of clay today. I’m don’t know what I’m going to use them for (probably will place them around the food table), but it was fun, easy, and a great little project for little hands.

Little brother was all about some clay. His preferred method of sculpting is clay-in-hand, clay-in-mouth.

It’s now in the still of the morning, Ron is off to work, the kids are still asleep in bed and I’m reflecting on this past week, the last few months, our time in Oklahoma. I’ve concluded that I’m in a funk -a rut on steroids, so to speak. I’m overly emotional and overly tired and I’ve got to get out of the mess. It’s simply chaotic and draining and I’m so over it.

I know I’m sounding like Eeyore, but I’m hoping that if I throw it out there, the universe’s scale will shift and begin to tilt in the opposite direction… in the direction of lighter mornings and softer evenings.

“The consequences of today are determined by the actions of the past. To change your future, alter your decisions today.” ~ Anonymous

It’s Monday. The blackboard mapping out the emotional roller coaster ride has been wiped clean and new blueprints are being drawn up. Let’s rock out this week.

Go and alter your decisions,

Em

I'm loving.

2012-01-13T07:39:00.000-08:00

I was just leaving a friend’s house when it came out of nowhere. A mystical force. A divine intervention. A slice of awesomeness to make my babies and I squeal uncontrollably in sheer joy. It started snowing!

I knew it would end as quickly as it came, so I heightened my senses to its highest capacity and soaked it all in. I deeply inhaled the fresh crisp air until it hit the back on my throat, and then slowly released it. I stood there –square in the middle of my backyard- and looked up into the sky; memorizing the unique cuts of the flakes as they swished and swirled above me from a dusky rose colored backdrop. And when my heart spilled over in floods of complete and udder happiness, I held out my arms and spun around like Jodie Foster in the movie Nell, swaying in the wind style.

It was a nostalgic treat. My very own sliver of Alaska to send me soaring over the moon.

I’m loving it.

I’m also loving:

{Planning My Two Bambino’s Big Day}

Since the kids birthdays are only two weeks apart --and they’re still young enough to be excited about the party itself, and not being the center of attention-- we’re doing a joint birthday party. While their special day isn’t for another 5 weeks, we’re having a blast throwing around party themes, brainstorming decorations, and food ideas. After changing party themes --at least a dozen times-- we’ve concluded that there’s going to be a lot of little blue birds, toadstools, red capes, and furry brown animals.

Did I mention that we’re making 90% of the decorations ourselves? I’ll post DIY tutorials along with website links after the party.

Inspiration here: http://pinterest.com/emilyroe/krysta-s-9th-will-s-2nd-birthday-party/

{Organizing and Getting Rid of the Old}

Our garage has always been a major issue. Losing an entire room plus having a smaller garage, creates a lot of clutter --like mountains of clutter, like Oh my God, are you a hoarder type of clutter. I’m talking about baby items, furniture, and storage bins, on top of regular garage items like tools and garden supplies. Oye. It’s a total mess and a lot to deal with.

And so we’re dealing with it now.

Presenting Project Organize Our Sh*t.

Here is the embarrassing before photo:

Ron and my handsome little man worked hard on building a sturdy shelving unit for my baskets and seasonal storage bins. I also have six boxes of paintings (I’m storing away until they sell or if/when I can get them back into a local art gallery) that are going to get a custom made unit so they can stay in tiptop shape.

I can already feel the load lighten… it’s a work in progress.

But for now, I’m loving my handymen hard at work to make mama’s life run a little smoother.

I mean come on, who wouldn’t love this little mister with his saw? Precious.

*the final photo still to come

{Devilish Grins and Chunky Sweaters}

I adore his little mischievous smiles. I can just eat them up all day. Enough said.

Oh and here’s that grin again.

And again

And again. Gaw, he’s so delicious.

{Unexpected Commissions}

I love unexpected, unplanned, out-of-the-blue commission orders.

Here is my latest pencil drawing.

A lady commissioned me to do a drawing of her two children as a gift to her husband. It’s seriously heart-stretching to know that my work is given as gifts --it’s unique, thoughtful, and from the heart, not to mention it feels so good knowing that someone admires my work enough to give it to someone they love.

For more examples of my work visit, www.emilyroeartist.com

To purchase a custom made piece of art, http://www.etsy.com/shop/emilyroeart

{Photography}

It turns out that I found a new passion. A passion that I’m finding myself deeply falling in love with. A passion that I’ve been doing for years, but never thought about making a profit from it.

I’ve always photographed my kids and the little everyday inspirations in my life --sunsets, flowers, a coffee cup-- but it’s truly more than that. I get such a high when I capture the little personalities and the unique qualities of children and babies. It’s heaven.

Here are a few photographs that I took of some sweet friends while we were in Bricktown.

*website coming soon! I haven’t “officially” made a 100% leap into photography…but I’m getting there and hoping to specialize in newborns.

{Ron’s Talent}

My husband builds websites. He’s newest commission is building a site for the Military Museum in Oklahoma City.

While he was sitting down with the director to discuss his expectations, the kids and I took a stroll around the premises.

Krysta had a lot of questions like, what happens to all of the broken planes and military trucks, along with questions about the war and the people who died. She was sad to see all of the unused, broken down vehicles and the names of the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice written on plaques. Krysta truly is a sweet, caring, emotional little girl, which is why we’re having such a hard time breaking the news that daddy will be deploying in a handful of months.

Krysta made a wish that no one had to die. Her heart is big.

Today’s Friday… and that’s something everyone can love!

Look up to the sky and sway like Nell.

Happy Weekend-ing

Em

Wrapping it Up with Better Days

2012-01-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

It seems almost pointless to write about our Christmas Day as it’s like…so last year. And yet I still find myself starring at a blank computer screen trying to find the perfect words to express my feelings.

I can’t find them.

It has been an unusually hard year. I can’t remember a time when I’ve had such constant raw emotion, and as the year rapidly rushed to an end, it all built up too quickly and I broke down.

I miss my family. I miss the warmth that came at Christmas dinner when we all gathered around the table, passing dishes of vegetables and helpings of Christmas ham. I miss the stories that were shared and the laughter that always followed. I miss everyone gathering around the tree to open presents, one by one. I miss the energy, the enthusiasm, the happiness that ignited when we all came together. I took these moments for granted growing up, and as an adult I see the importance in embracing one another and creating traditions. While I have a little family of my own and strive to follow in such family traditions passed down from the great ones before me, geography creates an issue. Geography creates a hole-- a 2,000 mile wide hole.

And with the days leading up to Christmas, I mustered up all the Christmas spirit I could get my hands on and took my family to see the lights in Bricktown. The town was gorgeous with every tree adorned with hundreds of twinkling lights.

Just seeing their eyes shine as bright as the lights themselves as we walked down the canal made the loneliness subside. Because no matter how far apart we are from family, we’re never alone. I carried Nana with me that night. I imagined myself pointing at the lights and the festive decorations saying, “Nana, look at that one! Isn’t that pretty?!” And she would say, “Oh yes, that’s beautiful Darling!”

Krysta said, “Mom, it’s like thousands of fairies!”

It’s moments like these that make bundling up your babies and strolling out in below freezing weather totally worthwhile.

Strolling down the brick lanes of Bricktown is defiantly going to be a yearly tradition while we’re stationed at Tinker AFB.

She constantly gives him all kinds of lovings… and William wants nothing to do with smooches.

************************************************************

Some friends of ours gave us the heads up on another festive outing, so there was no hesitation to throw the kids in their jammies and caravan through a drive-thru light show.

Ron and I were digging the patriotic themed light displays.

And the Great Debate of the night: Is this a reindeer or a bunny? And is this reindeer/bunny taking a poo?

You be the judge.

I love these spontaneous family outings. It’s all about embracing the little things and living in the moment, all while sharing it with the ones you love, even if they can’t physically be with you, tuck them inside the pouch in your heart --you know, the sparkly one that’s always expanding, the one that always has room for more, the one that’s never too small or cramped-- so they stay with you always.

************************************************************

William’s two year old molars decided to give him few problems on Christmas morning; he was so miserable that he wanted nothing to do with partaking in the gift giving. In fact, it took him two days to unwrap his gifts.

Krysta on the other hand ripped through her gifts like there was no tomorrow. She was on Cloud9!

There’s nothing more soul satisfying than seeing your babies 100% content, full of excitement and anticipation.

It’s a new year with a blank slate, a book of blank pages with chapters begging to be written. As we start 2012, I wish everyone a year of adventure and bliss that fills your book from cover to cover. We can’t wait to see what this year brings us— to fill in our life’s next chapter. It’s going to be awesome.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive- to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love-then make that day count!”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Much Love,
Em

More.

2012-01-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

2012. Here you are, in all of your glory. It’s the dawn of a new day. A new year. A new beginning.

*****Bedazzle me*****

My resolutions this year aren’t so much about changing old habits, but lifestyle changes-- positive changes, simple changes, small changes that add up to something big in the end; something so grand that 2013 will have a hard time competing.

I’m whipping myself up, people. Meaning, I resolve to…

Exercise more
Make better eating choices
Organize
More DIY projects
More photography, painting, and writing
Be Better. Be Happier. Be carefree.
More going. More seeing. More doing.

I want so much more in life. I want to be so full of extraordinary things that I’m bursting at the seams. I want more of the same, but yet I want it all to be completely different and new and fresh, untarnished. I want to be surrounded by lovely happy people who puts a smile on my face, and likewise, I put a smile on theirs. I want to be inspired, and in turn, inspire others. I want to live in peace, with sunshine on my face and the wind on my back.

A friend posted a statement on Facebook, and I think it’s the perfect way to bring in the New Year. It goes something like this,

Be Fearless. If you make one resolution this year, let it be to live boldly. You control this moment: rather than cautiously test the water, dive straight into life with freeing ambition. Imagine the person you want to be and the life you want to live, then simply commit to them. Believe in yourself. Embrace your beauty. Discover a new passion. And whatever you do, wherever you go, don’t be afraid to make a splash.

Here’s to more in 2012!

Happy New Year,

Em

Crafting-ista

2011-12-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

This week the creative train came and blew through our home resulting in some hardcore crafting. We’re talking head to toe Christmas Cheer in the highest form of Feliz Navidad. This includes all, but not limited to sparkly glitter and spray paint, Christmas photographs, lace, and all the other pretty little things that makes my heart rapidly beat. So in honor of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and all other holiday celebrations, I’m dedicating this post to all things holiday craftiness.

Here are my very most favorites AND they’re budget friendly:

{Photograph Ornaments}
Idea from Pintrest

What you’ll need:

4” Glass Ornaments (pack of 4) $7
4x6 photograph $0.24 each
Lace $2/spool

Start by trimming your photograph to size.
Roll your photo and insert it into the top of the bulb.
Cut a piece of lace and hot glue the ends.
Voila!

{Moss Wreaths}

What you’ll need:

14” wreath form (or any size of your choice) $5
Reindeer Moss $5
Ribbon (optional for hanging)

Lay your wreath form flat on the table. Hot glue the moss onto the wreath form, piece by piece.
One wreath will most likely use the entire package of moss.

I’m going to change the ribbon and reuse these for the spring… I’m envisioning butterflies and robin’s nests.

{Lace Trees}

What you’ll need:

Styrofoam cone $3-$7 depending on the size
Lace (2 spools per cone) $2

Start at the bottom of the tree. Hot glue the lace, row by row. I tried spiraling up the tree, but it doesn’t look as good as gluing each row separately.

{Noel Wall Art}

What you’ll need:

8x10 canvas $6 for a package of two at Hobby Lobby
8x10 photograph $5
Noel Letters $4
Metallic Gold spray paint $5
Modpodge

Start by spray painting the edges of your canvas and NOEL letters

Modpodge your canvas AND the back of your photo. Place photo on canvas and rub firmly. Then evenly ModPodge the top of your photograph.

Hot Glue your letters onto the canvas.

Picture Perfect! Ready to go under the tree for gift giving!

I hope these easy, budget friendly gift ideas have sparked your creativity!

Happy Crafting,

Em

Good Things (and a My Memories winner)

2011-12-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

I hesitantly threw out the remains of our front yard pumpkin display, tossed out the mums, and scoured the house for any autumn-ish décor left hanging around. They’re now boxed and sealed --stashed away in the corner of our garage until next year’s fall season. As much as I hate to say good-bye to the beautiful copper-tones and cedar scents, I’m warmly welcoming twinkling lights and peppermint tastes.

I love the sparkle of Christmas. I love seeing my babies wonder-filled eyes as they soak up all the magic that this holiday has to offer. If all holidays joined forces to make the perfect punch-drunk, high-on-life cake, Christmas would most definitely bring the sugar to the table. It’s the crème de la crème of desserts.

And we’re enjoying the sweetness.

It’s about that time of year where I excitedly run to the mailbox in hopes of seeing delivered Christmas cards. I love the whole giving-receiving theory, especially when it comes in form of Christmas greetings --so much so, that it’s right up there in my Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Christmas list. I get naturally high off of mustering my creative juices in attempts to send out an original, heartfelt card to my loved ones; a card that sums up our happenings over the past year with an image, a feeling, a theme.

If you’d like to do a card exchange, please email me your mailing address to:

emilyroeart (at) gmail (dot) com

Where did I get William's super cute bow tie? An etsy shop called, The Little Gentleman. This tie has been one of my favorite purchases from etsy --it's very well made, well priced, and the service is amazing!

And speaking of receiving goodness in the mail…

Earlier this fall, I received a phone from Allison, the owner of Allison’s Relocation's (the moving company that moved us from Alaska). She said that she read my blog (this post to be exact) and I wanted to personally apologize for any wrong doing and to inform me that the man who stole from us has been arrested from not only stealing from us, but other families as well. Allison also wanted to personally mail Krysta a check to replace the money from her piggy bank, along with a little extra. I can’t even begin to describe how appreciative we are of her sincere gift.

Krysta was grinning from ear to ear as she read Allison’s card. It puts a lump in my throat to know that there are still good people out there, that good prevails over evil, and that happy endings really do exists. I’m grateful that Krysta experienced the power of doing the right thing firsthand.

Thank you so much Allison!

We are smack in the middle of the Christmas Season and there’s truly no better way to take in the joy and laughter than to be with the ones you love. Gathered around the Christmas tree. In jammies. Watching Charlie Brown. Drinking hot chocolate. Just sayin’.

Tightly cuddling with my babes beside twinkling lights is one of my favorite December pastimes, you know.

Because it’s the togetherness, the sparkle, the shimmer and glow that makes me giddy for Christmas.

I wake up a little earlier each morning just to watch the Christmas tree lights in the stillness of early dawn, sipping a cup of hot coffee. It’s calming, yet rejuvenating --the perfect way to slowly wake up and start the day.

Tonight I will continue on with the bringing forth Christmas and nestle myself under an old thick quilt with the March sisters in Little Women. And you can bet your hiney there will be togetherness and sparkle and a little shimmer and glow.

Pure giddiness.

Lastly, I'm a little late on posting the winner of the My Memories giveaway.

The winner is.... teresagreen81 who said, I like the October Paper Pack. I love fall colors and can be used all year round.
Teresa, please send me your email address to receive your code to My Memories digital software!

I hope you all are enjoying the Christmas Season!

Happy Hump Day,

Em

Turkey it up!

2011-11-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

It has been cold and dreary and wet; downright gloomy, if you ask me. The sky was swollen in very shade of gray--releasing rain that slowly pitter-pattered on my rooftop, leaving evidence of its presents with tiny vertical streaks on my windowpane. It served as an invisible wall --this sky-- holding us captive within our home. It gave us a mandatory mellow day of sorts. A day were we move a bit slower and cuddle under thick quilts a little longer.

I like these days, torrential downpours. They’re special because they don’t happen as often as they should, and we could all use a day of camping indoors with a good book and tea every now and then, especially with a little one peacefully cuddled up by your side.

adore soaking in his features

And you know what else I like? Girl’s wino night, because that doesn’t happen as often as it should either. It was a soul-stretching, over-the-rainbow kind of night. We talked, confided in one another, laughed until our sides were in stitches and drank until our lips went numb --Just like good friends and good times should be.

We’re making this a regular happening... in the driveway... with wine in mason jars.

With Christmas around the corner, Krysta and I are going to make a Starbucks run for hot chocolate, peppermint cakepops on Friday afternoons.

Peppermint and Starbuck’s red cups are equal parts festive and delicious.

I love duck lips

Thanksgiving is t minus 3 hours. We’ve written our To-Do List in preparation for Thanksgiving Day --categorized in sections of A Must and Would Like. I would like to have completed the whole list, but with being sick and an energizer baby, the A Must side of the list will do just fine.

Commence a quick House Shakedown with a little scrubbing and baking at 350 before guest arrives!

Dessert recipes coming soon—they’ll work great for upcoming Christmas gatherings.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Em

My pot of gold. (otherwise known as the BIG Thanksgiving craft post and a giveway)

2011-11-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

We’re halfway into November, one week until thanksgiving, and I’m thankful.

November marks our sixth month that we’ve lived in Oklahoma, and while I attempt to turn a raw deal into gold, I’m reflecting on all the little things in my life that I’ve been blessed with. Sometimes we pay attention to only one detail, that we can’t see the whole picture. Sometimes we consume ourselves in one word that we don’t read the whole sentence or paragraph or even finish the chapter, much less the book. And while I sit writing our first chapter in Oklahoma, my mind keeps drifting to the promise of our next adventure --to be honest, this is the main cause of me not feeling grounded-- I’m constantly dreaming and fantasying of country-hopping and living the life a travel junkie. I’m craving to go, see, do.

While I can’t predict our future destinations, we’re creating our own little adventures and finding our own slice of heaven around town.

I’m finding beauty in streaky sunset clouds that sets fire to the sky.

And a flat caramel-toned landscape igniting a dreamy autumn glow that elegantly lingers over wheat grass.

And radiant sunrises equipped with magical rainbows --possibly with a pot of gold at the end.

Like I said, I’m turning a raw deal into gold… and this friends, is my gold.

Since we're on the subject of rainbows, I’m dancing on one as we speak. From the warm and fuzzy military Hallmark ads to over- the-top cheesy Kay Jewelers commercials --you know, where the couple is in a mountain cabin, and suddenly there’s loud thunder, so the girl jumps into the man’s arms, and he turns to her and says with a deep masculine voice, “I’m right here, and I always will be.”-- to Starbucks ads for peppermint lattes, I’m in a downright disturbing holiday-lovin’ frame of mind.
So first holidays first…. THANKSGIVING!

We’re having two other couples from my husband’s work joining us this year (my door is open if anyone on Tinker would like to feast with us!). Since this will be our first non-family guest, I’ve bought tickets to ride the crafting train in attempt to make our home a little more festive.

I’ve made a Thanksgiving wreath, Thanksgiving banner, Thanksgiving napkin rings, and Thanksgiving napkins… and just for kicks, I’m throwing in the word Thanksgiving one more time, because I really do love the gathering around the table for Thanksgiving dinner.

Here are a few cheap and easy DIY Fall Crafts:

Layouts are made with My Memories. If you’d like a chance to win this software for FREE, comment on this post to enter, and they're giving EVERYONE a $20 of coupon by just using my code. Don't miss out!

And so I’ll leave you now with a few delicious photos I took of my bambinos last weekend.

Happy Friday!

Em

It's a GIVEAWAY, and there's something for everyone!

2011-11-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

I used to be what you might call, A Seasoned Scraper. I had hundreds of embellishments, the zigzag scissors, the glitter, the sparkly pens, and acid-free double-sided tape. I went to crops (scrapbookers term for party) every Friday night to construct my photos into perfect layouts with perfectly matched paper and stickers. I could rock out a crop like nobody’s business. But as time went on, my cropping days were few and far between. In fact, it has been about five years since my glitter pen has seen the light of day; tucked somewhere between the tupperware boxes labeled “Christmas Décor” and “Krysta’s Baby Clothes”, you’ll find my neglected scrapbook supplies.

Through the blogosphere, I’ve seen that digital scrapbooks are getting more and more popular. I’ve been meaning to tryout the software for some time now, but have yet to take the leap from paper to digital.

Luckily, as irony would have it, Amazon’s #1 Best Selling scrapbook software company, My Memories, contacted me last week with an offer for my readers! They want to give you, yes ALL of you, a $10 discount off of the purchase of My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the My Memories Suite store (a $20 value)! PLUS a GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive the digital scrapbooking software for FREE (a $40 value)!

Emily Roe’s reader’s special code is: STMMMS13906

Your friends and family are welcome to use this code as well!

Yesterday I sat down and played around on the My Memories site, and loved it. It’s very easy to use, and comes with tons of free paper, embellishments, built in layouts, etc. The sky is truly the limit! They also have additional products that you can purchase at a very low cost to help enhance your photo books and cards even further. And did I mention that they have premade pages? All you have to do is insert your own photos and voila! Simple!

Here are a few quick and easy pages that I made this morning…

There are many ways to enter-- the more ways you enter, the higher your chances are!
Please leave a comment for each entry you do.

1.   Visit MyMemories and choose your favorite paper pack or layout. Tell me which one you like the best in the comments below. (Mandatory Entry)
2.   Follow My Memories Blog (3 entries)
3.   Follow my blog (3 entries)
4.   LIKE My Memories Facebook page (2 entries)
5.   LIKE my Writings of an Air Force Wife Facebook Page
6.   Follow My Memories Twitter (1 entry)
7.   Follow my Twitter (1 entry)
8.   Tweet this Giveaway: “I’d LOVE to win the @mymemoriessuite scrapbooking software giveaway, hosted by @emilyroe “ (1 entry per tweet)

Since the MacDaddy holidays are just around the corner, I added a little icing to the cake and made some very simple –because I’m a simple kind of girl-- Christmas cards using the same scrapbook software! Keep in mind that you can go as simple or as complex as you’d like. This program gives you full reigns on your creativity.

I will announce the winner next Saturday, November 25 –the day after BLACK FRIDAY! Oh yes, the holiday train is coming and I’m jumping on board!

Good luck,
Em

The Mermaid and The Dragon.

2011-11-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

As I sit here remembering Halloween night, I’m surrounded by all things autumn --my windows are open, a pot of hot tea is brewing, and the intoxicating aroma of Scentsy’s Redwood & Cedar is burning throughout my living room-- I can’t help but to think about how fast time truly goes by. We’re almost to the end of the year, and Halloween is just the first of four holiday goodness!

my friend Andria is a Scentsy Consultant-- check out her website to discover the new autumn and winter collection!

Halloween has come and gone in a blink of an eye. It seems just like yesterday we were settling into our new home and picking out flowers for our front yard. And now the howling of November’s winds have lured the petals off of those same flowers to dance in its gusts, as autumn’s copper-toned leaves wildly cheers them on as they dangle from dainty tree limbs. I hear them rustling outside, “Come fly with us”, they shout. And I can’t help but to surrender to all the bounty this upcoming month has to offer --from the swishing of jewel-toned leaves, to apple cider, to hot pumpkin pie. It’s delightful, really.

And you know what else is delightful? Halloween night. A night where we dressed the kids up in their costumes to partake in the ritual of Trick-or-Treating. We love Halloween, and not for the candy, but for decking out in costumes!

I started making the kids costumes way back in September, and it was totally worth it. Years from now they’ll remember these magical holidays and the excitement and anticipation that came with it.

This year William started out as a seagull. After hours of constructing and reconstructing his wings over a dozen times, I finally got them just right. Little did I know, there was no way in Hades that Will would allow me to put it over his head….

*Que the screaming toddler*

Goodbye feathery fluff

Long story short, one of my good friends let us use her son’s dragon costume, which was perfect because Will LOVES dragons!

Hello Puff the Magic Dragon

Continuing on…

The kids had a blast going from door to door filling their pumpkin with an assortment of sweet confections. My little dragon quickly picked up on how to score the treats --by the end of the night he became a trick-or-treating pro.

We’re now tucking away the ghosts, goblins, and the black cats back into storage bins, and pulling out our turkeys, cornucopias, and all things Thanksgiving.

"In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November."
- Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden

Let’s all get busy welcoming November, the month of Thankfulness!

Em

It's necessary.

2011-10-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

Everyone has their own personal limit, and it just so happened that yesterday I hit mine. I didn’t lose it. I didn’t get angry. I didn’t cry. I just simply walked away. No really, I literally walked away. Perhaps it’s because I’m at the age in my life where I can easily flush the nonsense out of my life, where I can let go and move on to a lighter, more carefree sense of being.

Slowly but surely I’m distressing --knocking out lingering house projects and checking off my blackhole of a to-do list. Just little changes, but it’s the little things that adds up to make all the difference. I feel like my batteries have been recharged. A little less weight on my shoulders. A clear head. A feeling of renewal. Inspired.

And I like this feeling.

As I dug through the boxes labeled “Krysta’s Winter Clothes” and “Fall Décor”, I turned giddy –like schoolgirl crush type of giddy. Dude, it’s Autumn and Autumn is my FAVORITE season. It’s that time of year where I weed through our collected clutter, reorganize, and do away with the unnecessary to make plenty of room for the necessary. And there’s a lot of necessary that needs space in our home --like holiday festivities with loved ones, family meals by candlelight, and movie nights under thick quilts.

A fall food staple

Tulsa

I’ve never given Tulsa, Oklahoma two thoughts. Tulsa is now a necessary. I think of Tulsa everyday, and our friends that live there. And while I don’t make the trip or pick up the phone as much as I should, they still remain in my thoughts.

Last weekend we tracked out for a weekend visit. We made the plans, bought the tickets, and made the drive out to Discoveryland… only to get chased out by potential tornadoes. After 30 minutes of the most tense oh my God, we’re going to die drive of my life, we made it back safe and sound.

And to think, the evening started out beautiful and peaceful. Mother Nature can be a beast.

Barnes & Noble

Oh yes. Barnes and Noble is completely necessary in the Roe Household. Once a week we set sail to the bookstore and drop our anchors firmly in the sand. We live in our own timezone, and when we’re on our own time frame, we go on any adventure that we please—sometimes it’s to Neverland with Peter Pan, other times it’s down the rabbit hole with Alice. Whether fly up with pixie dust, or fall down a hole to a magical land, we’re bound to have a blast. Because it’s just us. Together.

Academic Award

Krysta has worked so hard this year. She has limited her outside park play, in exchange for multiplication tables and learning words such as, photosynthesis and chronological order. There has been evenings where she studied and read her little patootie off until bedtime. Throughout the years, we’ve pushed her and encouraged her, and hopefully she’ll use the tools we’ve taught her to excel in the classroom.

All of her hard work was recognized this past Friday during an award ceremony as her school.

I’m so proud of my girl!

The Youngest Handsome

Just as it’s important that the biggest of my babes feels special, it’s equally important that the smallest feels just as big. William and I get our mommy-son time midday when our bellies are full from lunch and the sun as hit its peak. We cuddle under heavy blankets to read or watch cartoons or Wills favorite… jumping on the bed. Shhh, we won’t tell dad that part!

Bed jumping is necessary in any childhood memory, everyone knows that!

Haunt the Zoo

We love family outings. Big or small, we’ll take them. This weekend we went to Haunt the Zoo.

It. Was. Packed.

Just to get to the entrance, we waited in line for over an hour. Not to mention, we waited in line for every photo and candy booth. But, was it worth it? Absolutely! It’s always worth when there’s childhood memory making to be made.

Years from now Krysta will say, “Mom, do you remember that one time when we went trick-or-treating at the zoo?” And I’ll smile and say, “Yes”. Because I won’t remember the hours of waiting and the pushing and my bruised feet from other people stepping on them; I’ll remember my babies smiles and their oh’s and ahh’s and the excitement and anticipation on their wide-eyed faces. Seriously, Krysta’s eyes were the size of quarters. She could barely contain her excitement!

Tonight is a big night for my lovies… It’s Halloween! A perfect ending to October.

Happy Trick-or-Treating,

Em

Until tomorrow

2011-10-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

I’m coming at you LIVE from the comforts of my bed, squished somewhere between a ticking comforter, two babies, and a blue-eyed cat that jumps on my laptop with every chance she gets.

It’s going to be short and sweet tonight because I have an aching feeling that I’m coming down with a little something and I’m afraid of it turning into a big something, putting a damper on my trick-or-treating plans. So I’m occupying myself with relaxing music, good books, and hot tea—just a few things a girl needs to heal and renew.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and basked in the warmth of tonight’s autumn evening glow.

I’ll return tomorrow with Dayquil in hand and a post about our weekend outings.

Much Love,

Em

Kicks & Bricks

2011-10-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

It was an ordinary day, turned extraordinary.

The weekend started out like all others —I’m greeted by the strong fragrance of coffee wafting through the kitchen as heavy feet shuffled down the hallway, and the theme song from “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” strummed through the air as my bunny and squirrel bobbed their heads in sync with the rhythm.

We usually shut ourselves off from the world during the weekend, but on this particular morning, I left my phone on, and sure enough…it rang. I hesitantly answered.

Heeello?

Whatcha doing?

It was one my besties, Tabetha.

Nooothing?

You guys wanna meet up?

Yup!

Like there’s any convincing us to go. When the Swerts are involved, good times are sure to follow!

And a good time it was.

Quickie Background Story: Tabetha and I met 5/6 years ago while we were both stationed at Pope AFB, in North Carolina. Since then, they got out of the Air Force and moved to New York, while we were re-stationed at Elmendorf AFB, in Alaska. Now, 5 years later we’re both living in Oklahoma within 2 hours of each other.
We clicked right away, like peanut butter and jelly. We differ on religion and politics, but when it comes to parenting and family values, we’re the same, and that’s exactly what makes us tick.

Now back to the program…

We got our kicks on Route 66.

We first stopped at a cute little joint for lunch called, Pops. Pops was fully stocked --wall to wall, ceiling to floor-- with 100’s of flavored soda bottles in every color of the rainbow.

Swamp Juice anyone? It’s SODAsgusting!

As the heat died down and the sunrays mellowed out, we headed back towards OKC to check out the fun happenings in Bricktown.

We’ve never been to Bricktown, so I was more than happy to be able to explore and discover this area of Oklahoma City with another fun-loving family.

The area was booming.

It reminded me of Downtown Anchorage during the summer. The streets were full of people, with music flowing from various buildings and street corners, and artists painting on sidewalks. The town was full of energy, and it was the first time in a longtime, that I felt 100% content --somewhere squeezed between my family and my bestie, with excitement surrounding us, that perhaps I’ve finally found my footing.

It felt like old times, where it was just us, just being, with friends and family, rolling with the punches, and enjoying one another in the moment. Because it’s in the little details, the small moments, and the quick flashes of time that we truly experience random specks of pure joy. It’s what turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.

We lingered until our shadows grew long, and the sun bowed down to a pink glow, making way for the moon and stars.

We'll be back for more kicks and bricks... and if we're lucky, we'll be enjoy it with good friends and heavy laughs.

Till then,

Em

Letting go.

2011-10-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

Curtains are hung, beds are made, and pictures adorn our walls. We’ve made our house into a home, but something doesn’t feel quite right. I feel out of place, and as hard as I try I don’t feel like I belong. Perhaps it’s because I’m not active in the art community here? Or maybe because I don’t have a group of solid friends? Or even involved in playgroups?

I’m living life on a hamster wheel--constantly moving, constantly going, but always staying in the same place. I’ve made some bad choices, walked down the wrong road, ignored the red flags, and had more than a few busts and hardships. Relocating and reestablishing your place in a new community is difficult. And as hard as you try to make everything work and flow smoothly, sometimes the puzzle pieces just don’t fit together--sometimes you just need to realize the dead end road and move on. Now that the dust has settled and I can see with clear eyes, we’re regrouping and regaining our footing, but most importantly, I’m letting go.

I’m letting go of all “what ifs”. Of all outside negativity and distractions. Of all stresses and worries. And focusing on us, as a family. We’re falling back into our easy going, laid back lifestyle that makes us thrive. Now that Autumn is here, there's no perfect time to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life, like family movie night, bedtime stories, and conversations over coffee.

And that…that’s what makes me whole. That’s where I belong, and geography can never take that away.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had my camera attached to me, like it has been in the past, but I did have my iphone.

So, here are a few snaps of our happenings over the past month or two:
(if you’re on my twitter, I’m sure you’ve already seen these)

Fall is in full swing--my all-time favorite season of the year, thankyouverymuch--we’re pulling out all stops on home comforts while soaking up the warm days and cool nights. This includes all, but not limited to, chili, pumpkin patches, apple pie, crunchy leaves, and chai tea.

I’m going to attempt to play summer catch-up this week, while I finish up the kids Halloween costumes, photography props (more details to come on that!), and our out-of-town weekend getaway to visit besties.

Till then, much love.

Em

I Heart Faces: Pets

2011-08-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

I'm getting brave and submitting this photo (along with 100's of other fab photographers) to I Heart Faces for their "pet challenge."

This is Louie --aka Lucy Lou-- our little Himalayan who believes she is human.

Her eyes are as blue as the sky, but sleeping-while-sitting-up is her natural pose.

I shot this photograph indoors as Louie was sitting perched on the windowsill basking in Alaska's winter sun.

Enjoy!

Third.

2011-08-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Once or twice a week I take a day to sort and edit photographs, and reflect on the happenings that has been going on in our household. Today however, was such a big deal that it couldn’t wait a day longer.

My girl --my little girl-- started third grade today. My feet stood heavily cemented to the front door step not wanting her to leave. I want to hold her and shield her and keep her in a bubble. I want to bake cookies with extra sprinkles and color outside the lines with crayons and have princess dress-up tea parties with dolls. But, I knew she had to go. And as a parent I rejoiced for her and gave her the confidence that she needed as she embarked on her own journey in a new school, with new kids, and new teachers.

she was so nervous!

My heart twisted and turned as we entered her new classroom.

Oh boy, here we go. Keep it together. This is your fourth year dropping her off on her first day of school. You’ve got this.

And I did. And she did as well.

After today, Krysta will be inches taller…and I’m okay with tall.

Summer Sweetness

2011-08-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Mother Nature wasn’t showing us any summer lovin’—the soil was cracking and the grass broke off to the touch and …the heat? The heat was simply unreal. Walking barefoot was nearly impossible without going, ouch, ouch, ouch with every step. But, as the old saying goes, “good things come to those who wait” proved to be true. We got our storm, baby!

Ron and I watched as the clouds swelled into heavy clusters of gray fluff and lightening zigzagged with quick vertical flashes of light. There was no doubt that she was a showstopper, leaving us oohing and ahhing when the loud bursts of thunder boomed and crackled around us. We’ve been waiting a long time for an earth pounding showdown such as this.

Don’t you just love the smell of a good storm? Relief never smelled so sweet…or clean!

We may or may not have performed a rain dance earlier this week. I’ll never tell.

Before the rain quenched the grounds, making the rain/sun ratio a little more balanced –and I say “little” very loosely— we made the most out of our summer heat…

{Ice Pops}

These mini rainbow pops have become a staple in our freezer. Seriously, we can rarely endure an afternoon without opening these bad boys.

“You can’t beat the heat without a cold sweet.” I just made that up. Funny, no?

Err, moving on…

{Watermelon}

Need I say more? Hellllooo, water?

If you look up “summer” in the dictionary, you’ll find the word “watermelon”. They go hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly. Salt and pepper. Macaroni noodles and cheese.

…You get my drift.

Our house is fully stocked with watermelon if anyone wants to come over for a slice or four…just putting it out there.

{Mud Baths and Sprinklers}

Remember when you were young and thought adding water to dirt to make mud was the greatest thing ever? Well, I do! And apparently so does Wills.

He’s practicing his Jackson Pollack moves.

When mud runs its course, there’s nothing like a little sprinkler action to cleanse and hydrate sweet baby skin.

{Home Comforts}

We’ve had many days were it topped out at 112 and that didn’t even include the heat index. This goes without saying that ice pops, watermelon, and sprinklers couldn’t bring us relief. We huddle indoors, and that’s ok with us. It’s good to be huddled around the comforts of home. And although I haven’t quite accepted Oklahoma as my home, I’m working hard to move in that direction.

Lately I’ve been sewing curtains and throw pillows, organizing, and brainstorming décor ideas. It’s starting to come together. Starting to feel like home.

More photos to come.

And last, but not least, a Panda Party! That's right, my girl throws down shindigs for even the tiniest of folk, which includes but not limited to Panda Bears. Mrs. Pandy to be exact--Krysta wanted to make sure I got her name right for my blog.

Anyhow, we lived it up and all got sugar highs --including Pandy-- in the middle of the afternoon, on a Wednesday. We party hard over here!

So if you’d please excuse me, tomorrow is a BIG DAY for my girl. She’s starting THIRD grade. I’ll say that again, THIRD grade! I know, gasp!

And you can bet your hiney there will be photos!

Until tomorrow, big smiles from OKC!

Em

Honey for Honeybees

2011-08-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

It’s hot--reaching well into the triple digits. Farm crops are drying out, cattle are dying, and no amount of water will keep my flower beds hydrated. Everyone is praying to God for relief.

This heat puts a huge damper on our summer outings, so we make the most out of our early mornings and late afternoons, which leaves our mid-days for hibernating indoors in an Alaskan Grizzly Bear fashion…with the AC on full blast.

The light blue sky dims his lights to the perfect shade of tangerine orange and pillow fluffed clouds lazily draw back their curtains into long thin spaghetti-like horizontal lines, all in efforts to join forces in making way for the golden light rays to spotlight the string quartet of strumming crickets and the tis-tis-tis-tiiiiiiiiiiising beat of water sprinklers. It’s a Summer Musical Production and we have front row seats.

I love this time of day. The evening light shines down coating everything it touches with a golden glow, like a pot of honey. And when there’s honey, honeybees aren’t far behind. My little honeybees are equally attracted to the golden light, as I am. As soon as I see wisps of the sun shining through the windows, we drop everything we’re doing --dishes, laundry, picking up toys, and vacuuming cracker crumbs-- to bask under its glow.

Sometimes we hang out in the front yard with sidewalk chalk and sprinklers. Sometimes we head over to the right-beside-our-house park. But on the really good evenings, we trek a mile to the “big” park, where there’s a zip-line for my girl and several twisty slides for my boy --which by the way, he thinks he’s ready for, but ends up tumbling down head first.

We stay until our water bottles are empty and the outlines of my honeybee’s features form into silhouettes.

The quartet lingers on its final musical note, and the curtains are drawing to a close as the sun slides into a slumber through the blackened outlined trees. The show has dramatically come to an end, like two symbols thrusting together.

It’s a thing of beauty, and it is good with my soul.

“When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.” Gandhi

Until tomorrows musical…

I’m off to finish sewing curtains for our living room. Possible tutorial in a future blog post?

Now this is sweeter than any pot of honey

Em

PS I realize that some of you guys have asked me a few questions—I promise I haven’t forgotten! AND thank you all who have left us wonderful words of wisdom and best wishes…we truly appreciate it!

New Routines

2011-07-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

For days I’ve been starring at a slowly blinking cursor on my computer screen trying to form letters into words, words into sentences…then hitting the backspace key. I can’t seem to find the right words that describes our life as of late. Chaotic, frenzy, and overwhelming are all in the front row, but then there are the moments that aren’t so chaotic, moments of calm and ease that are pocketed between unpacking moving boxes, 3am baby wake-up calls, and temper tantrums that I’m striving to embrace.

little dude got a busted lip by wiping out on the sidewalk

Growing up, we moved around a lot. I remember packing everything into ABC Store boxes and turning around to quickly unpack within a matter of days in a new home, a new bedroom. My mom would instinctively know where everything went –the couch goes here, the dining table there, dishes in this cabinet, etc- and like clockwork, we were settled in. Things seemed to run much smoother. Perhaps it’s the kid in me that doesn’t remember the stress of reestablishing ourselves in a new neighborhood or the financial aspect of relocating or the aching muscles from lifting furniture and 50lb boxes. But the adult me has seen, understood, and experienced every bump on the road over the past few weeks. This move has been hands-down the toughest transition I’ve ever experienced in my life. There have been more than a few times where I found myself in a puddle of tears, thinking how this move was a huge mistake and praying to God for a re-do button.

Well I didn’t get a re-do button, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it appears promising. Things are slowly coming into shape and day by day we’re establishing new routines and settling into our nest and overcoming our Alison’s Relocations Disaster.

And when the chaos thins out, I regroup by digging deep into my pocket of pulling out a sliver of calm and adding water. Water can make almost anything better -an overheated car, a dying plant, a fish out of his bowl, a parched marathon runner- it also fixes my soul. It gives me a sense of clarity and renewal, and I can see that water is naturally engrained in my children as well. I love that. Whenever they get out of hand, we drop everything. I clap my hands and say, “Alright kids. Bathing suits. Outside. Now.”

I just love his faces. Wills seems to come alive whenever he’s around a body of water--big or small. His laughs and happy squeals are endless.

Sprinklers on the other hand, not so much --very very unhappy squeals.

Wills has always been Mr. Independent, strong willed, and headstrong, but lately he has climbed to a whole new level. His confidence and bravery is much bigger than his little body can hold. He’s rolling with the big kids, climbing the playground equipment as high as he can go, and attempting to keep up with their running pace --which is extremely comical watching him run as his diaper butt twists from side to side.

This is a common scene at our house --Krysta directing Wills, and Wills obviously isn’t appreciative of her assistance. This is usually followed by Wills letting out a loud piercing shriek, followed by me saying, “Krysta, let him go”. Sometimes we live on broken records.

One of our new routines is going to the park at dusk. If we’re lucky it would have cooled down to say 97*? Anything under 100* is a breath of fresh air. Hot. Hot. Hot.

And when I’m not pulling Wills down from high playground equipment, I’m pulling my other two babies out of trees. Ron wanted to show Krysta how he used to climb a tree as a kid. He made his way up, twisting and turning around branches until the tree limbs became too thin to proceed any higher. When his inner 8 year old was satisfied, he looked down and proudly said, “Look Krysta, this is how you climb trees!” Only one problem --he couldn’t remember how to get back down. Minor setback, minor setback.

As much as we’re digging running around under the summer sun in triple temp digits and getting stuck in trees, sometimes it’s nice to have an indoor tea party. You know, with AC. Krysta decks hers out--a white ball gown, a porcelain tea set given to her from her Nana, a tea pot filled to the rim with water and tiny saucers piled high with trail mix. My girl lives it up.

As days turn into weeks, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. After all is said and done and we’re settled into a new rhythm of life, the anxiety and distress will taper off, and the moment I’ve been waiting for will come -the moment that makes all of the stress worthwhile- the moment of “awe” where everything falls into place and the weight is lifted from my shoulders, and I can just be.

On a side note: we've been having some pretty wicked skies! (currently obsessed with clouds and light)

Until next time, happy midweek!

Em

Boom

2011-07-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Life has yet to slowdown. Stacked brown boxes fill our home from wall to wall and random furniture pieces are strewn throughout the halls still in search for the appropriate spot. We’re slowly settling into a new routine and unpacking our household goods and years of memories, but not without a few tears—tears from damaged furniture, broken china dishes, damaged paintings, but mostly because $260+ was stolen out of Krysta’s piggy bank. Seriously, what type of grown man steals from a child by smashing a piggy bank into dozens of pieces, then playing it off by wrapping the broken pieces in packing paper? He wasn’t very smart because he forgot the cork at the bottom on the box, which makes it extremely obvious what happened. My heart aches for my daughter, as she has been saving her money for a VERY longtime. This whole moving situation disgusts me.

Note: For my milie friends in Alaska or moving to Alaska, do yourself a favor and avoid hiring Alison’s Relocation's INC. It’ll save you a lot of heartache. Email me if you want the specifics on our experience, as this was just the tip of the iceberg.

Moving on to happier moments….

Independence Day!

Monday we set everything aside and celebrated our country’s birthday.

It was a day to honor all of our men and woman who defend our country on a daily basis, and to give our respects to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom throughout past wars. And so to honor our military and country, we pulled out our American traditions of barbeques, sparklers, fireworks, and of course decking out in red, white, and blue.

If there is one statement that sums up what this country means to me, it is this:

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
~Ronald Reagan

Earlier this week while we were sitting in the Chick-fil-a drive-thru, when Krysta asked why we moved to Oklahoma. As I searched for words for her 8 year old mind to understand, it came down to this…

Daddy’s job is on a 12-18 month deployment cycle, where as the other base is every year, so daddy would be home more often for birthdays and holidays, and he may even be home for the firsts—first words, first day of school, first soccer goal.

I could see her face shift into sadness as the wheels in her head started spinning, trying to digest what life would be like without daddy home.

I continued the conversation very light heatedly with--daddy’s been gone 6 times and we had lots of fun hanging out together and visiting Nana and Mimi and the beach and we did just fine while he was away and daddy’s keeping our country safe and it’s going to be many months until he has to leave again and…

She nodded her head in understanding, but I could see little tear puddles forming at the bottom of her eyelids.

Explaining wartime and what it means to protect our freedom to a child is a lot harder than it looks. I’m terrified that my choice of words and the actions we take before and during deployments would harm her mentally. There is no amount of self-help books and counseling that will stop the inevitable… daddy will one day deployment again and it will take the strength of God to pull us through.

Fourth of July night we packed into the car and drove the college to watch the firework show.

Boom. Boom. Pop. Fizzle. Pow. Bam. Bursts of color exploding throughout the sky, one after the other.

Did anyone else have Toby Keith’s, Courtesy of the red, white, and blue playing in your head as the fireworks lit up the sky? Or Martina McBride’s, Independence Day? Or even the Star Spangled Banner? I did, and it was awesome.

Happy Birthday America!

Life is a Highway: Part II {Colorado-Oklahoma}

2011-06-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

As we traveled several thousand miles to our new home, I’m reminded of an Eskimo legend on how big the world is. The story goes…

Two couples lived together. One day, the two men fell to talking, "The world is big," said the first.

"How big?" said the second.

"Let's find out," answered the first.

So they took their sleds and set off in opposite directions. Their wives cried at parting from each other, but each accompanied her husband, running beside his sled.

Year after year they traveled. The wives had babies, and the babies grew up. Then they had children, and so on, until there were two whole tribes traveling across the ice.

The original couples grew old and frail. The men could no longer drive their sleds; the women could no longer keep up the pace beside them. But still they traveled.

At last, each of them saw movement in the far distance. They kept on going, and, finally, they met, back where they had started.

"The world is big," said the first man.

"Even bigger than we thought," answered the second

With modern transportation, the world doesn’t seem so big. In fact, with the luxury of cars, planes, and trains, we can now be on our families doorsteps within days, even hours. And so that’s what we did.

Colorado

Ron’s side of the tracks is Colorado, so making it an extended part of our road trip was a must.

First stop, Casa Bonita for a good time filled with mediocre Mexican food and cheesy entertainment --the cheese is what gives this place its charm, you know. The kids were mesmerized by the array of rainbow lights and Spanish props. And the way they had the restaurant set up made it feel like you were truly enjoying dinner in Mexico while the sounds of trumpets filled the air.

Krysta’s favorite part was watching the various acts, and the mariachi band was a big hit with William. If you’re ever in the Denver area, swing by for some Over the Boarder family fun.

Since we stayed overnight in Denver, we made extra use of our time by hitting up the Denver Children’s Botanical Gardens before heading down to The Springs.

The Botanical Gardens were equal parts beautiful, as well as educational. My babes loved running up and down the dirt paths in search of butterflies and hidden parts of the gardens, like tunneled caves and a tea party full of stuffed forest animals. William was digging the man-ish tea party which was fully equipped with tree trunk chairs and circular wood chips for stacking. We finally had to pry him away so sister could play in the water stream. After a small tantrum, William concluded that Oh hey, the water stream was just as fun.

Oh by the way, the entire botanical garden was built on a rooftop, which earns extra cool points.

We ended our Colorado stay by saving the best for last --visiting Ron’s peeps.

It’s so important to keep in touch, to see one another face to face instead of a phone call or social networking, so I was over-the-moon to be able to visit my in-laws after 4+ years, and to let my children see --in person-- their daddy’s side of the family.

I loved watching my dad in-law enthusiastically talk about their vegetable gardening with all the potential that it holds, along with re-landscaping their backyard with great passion and determination. I imagine their gardens (they currently have about five growing) full of juicy ripe vegetables and flower blossoms that attract various species of butterflies. I can’t wait to see how their backyard transformed during our next visit. They’ve inspired me to do a little gardening myself --you know, once we get settled into our new home.

Grandma’s trampoline was a hit….for ALL of my babes. And of course, Krysta couldn’t jump without brother wanting to jump. Monkey see, monkey do.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Colorado visit. It was full of laughs and catching up, bridging the gap of time between our last visit.

We ended the night with tight hugs and a “we’ll see you later” instead of goodbyes. I love ending trips this way…and tight hugs. They make you feel important and special and welcomed.

Note to self: head to the Rockies more often.

The remainder of this post isn’t elegantly put. Maybe it’s because it was so fast paced and we were aching to arrive in Oklahoma, after two weeks of being on the road.

Here are just a few snapshots from each state:

New Mexico

New Mexico was short and sweet. Just long enough to touch the tip, then move on to the next state. Before we left, we stopped at the giant dipped ice cream cone for chili dogs and to stretch our legs.

Texas

I wish we could’ve seen more of Texas. I’ve heard it’s really beautiful there, but the area that we passed through was super dry with spider web-like tumbleweeds and dust that rolled in like storm clouds. Now I know why in western movies the cowboys often times wear bandanas over their mouth. And here I thought it was just for holding up banks…

Now here we are. We’ve arrived at our final destination --Oklahoma.

The page has turned, a new chapter of our lives is beginning, and I can’t wait to create it!

Here’s to new beginnings. Cheers!

Em

Life is a Highway: Part I {Washington-Wyoming}

2011-06-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

When I first got my driver’s license, I’ve always had this fear of breaking down in the middle of nowhere, and that some guy would chase me around in the woods with a chainsaw. Back when I was 16, it was rare that teenagers owned a cell phone, and OnStar was nonexistent, and so out of fear --or the over-planner in me-- I would make a mental note of which house I would knock on for help, if anything were to happen. It was always the one that was brightly lit up with a nice manicured lawn and pretty little shutters, and not the dark weathered one with a dozen “Do Not Enter” and “No Trespassing” signs. I imagined that the brightly lit one was owned by a nice old lady and she would offer me cookies and milk and talk about the “good ol’ days” while I waited for my mom to pick me up. That was my brilliant plan of action.

Thirteen years later, my fear of car trouble never really subsided, so when my husband told me that he wanted to drive from Alaska to Oklahoma, I was a little more than freaked out. It took me awhile to warm up to the idea because as the matriarch of our family I’m responsible of two little lives; I need to protect them with every fiber of my being and do right by them. Over and over I went through the “what ifs”… What if we break down? What if we get into a wreck? What if we get lost? What if William cries the entire time and I lose my mind? After juggling the pros and cons, I concluded with, “What the heck, let’s roll!”

{Queue “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts}

We embarked through eight states, one country (we saw Canada from the ship, but didn't step on land. That counts, right?), three time zones, in twelve days--nothing but open road. And I must say I’m over the moon to have been able to take this journey towards a new chapter in our lives.

Even though I was stuck in survival mode throughout the trip –and still am because after five weeks, we have yet to settle down- we still had a blast making lots of new memories, and checking out our beautiful countryside.

Here are some of my favorite shots:

{Washington}

I loved the busyness and roaring of Seattle, and I loved the stillness and the serenity of the countryside. I’m just saying I would not be disappointed if orders were to drop for McCord.

{Montana}

This state took me by surprise. It was completely different than I had imagined--an endless scene of vibrant green pastures of rolling hills, bright blue sky, topped off with pillowed clouds, with cattle and horses sprinkles in between. It’s heaven, I tell you.

{Wyoming}

I’m currently obsessed with these clouds, along with sunsets and anything citrus. I seriously want to swim through them with a giant spoon and scoop up extra helpings of fluff. I imagine they would taste like lemon meringue pie, delish.

Colorado to Oklahoma, to be continued…

The Bridge.

2011-06-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

3 am. Wide awake out at sea. I can feel last night’s dinner sloshing around in my belly as the boat sways from side to side. My head and body is twisting and spinning and no matter what I do, I can’t get a grip--it seems like I’ve fallen into a time warp when I when I was drunk as a skunk on a Wednesday night during my freshman year at Mars Hill College. Expect I’m not drunk. I’m horribly seasick.

****************************************

How was I sick this particular time and not others is beyond me; I was practically born with gills. I was curled in a ball for the bulk of the boat trip, and for nearly a week after we pulled off of the boat, I was still rocking back and forth--my equilibrium was shot. But the spectacular mountain and ocean views? The salty sea smells? It was, oh so worth it. Whenever my head and stomach were stable enough to stand, you could bet your hiney I was out walking the perimeter of the ship with my camera strapped around my neck.

As we made our way over and across the Pacific Ocean on the ship, The Kennicott, it’s just the beginning of our adventurous trip. It’s “the bridge” to the Lower 48. “The bridge” that will lead us to our new home. As the boat pulled further and further away from land and into the open sea, I could feel Alaska slipping from my fingers. I could see her vanishing into the horizon, leaving me with ping of sadness. So many great memories, so many great friends, so much of myself was left behind.

I don’t know what to expect in Oklahoma. Will I love it? Will I hate it? Will my babies be happy? I’m shaken with the unknown. And when my world is shaky, I take things step by step and try to look at the situation is small groups, rather than a whole. This quote, by Martin Luther King, Jr. it very fitting for my current state-of-mind, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

And so I will have faith. I will have faith that this is where God wants us to be; that this is where we will replant our roots and bloom.

Oklahoma, here we come!

I'm over here.

2011-06-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

We're in Day 9 of our drive from Alaska to Oklahoma. We've crossed the Pacific Ocean by boat, driven through five states, and lapped over three time zones; still we have several more days to go. Right now we're in Colorado visiting with my in-laws, and tomorrow we're planning a cookout, which I'm sure will be equal parts relaxing and fun. It'll be the perfect break in our trip to recharge our batteries and build new family memories.

My blogger friend of mine , My Dear Jenn, is also making a cross country trip from Alaska. During her travels she has lined up guest bloggers, and my story is one of them. In keeping with her travel theme, I shared my most favorite place in the world! Go here to read on...

Happy Trails!
Em

Denver, Colorado

Montana

Wyoming

A farewell to Alaska.

2011-06-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Alaska has captured my heart and soul in so many ways --she has torn down my walls, stripped me down to my core, and then rebuilt me into a better person. However, we didn’t always have a loving relationship; in fact we hated each other for the first year we were together. I wanted nothing more than to fly back to the east coast --a place where it’s warm and sunny, with salt air and sweet tea. Every time I walked out my front door, I was terrified that a bear would trample me, and every time I drove I would white knuckle the steering wheel, afraid that the snowflakes would cake up the windshield and I would fly off a mountain. I lived in fear; I lived in the typical Alaskan stereotypes.

Once I overcame my fears and realized that the stereotypes were comically bs, it opened up a whole new world for me. I got to see Alaska for all of her beauty and wonder. Not only did I live day to day in The Last Frontier, but I embraced her and soaked her up for every drop she’s worth. I witnessed a bald eagle soar over the mountains and moose grazing in my yard, I’ve seen where the snowcapped mountains kiss the sky and where they dip into the ocean, I’ve smelled the Springs first shower and Winter’s first snowfall, I’ve experienced the Aurora Borealis as she danced across Winter’s night sky.

****************************

I’m now in survival mode, so the fact that we’re actually relocating from Alaska to Oklahoma has yet to hit me. I’ve had the lump-in-the-throat and the pit-in-the-stomach, but I haven’t had the breakdown moment, the “Oh Dear God, I’m pulling up our roots I’ve grown and created for my babies and sending us halfway across the country”. I’ve been very uneasy. Everyone feels the need to give me their opinion on Oklahoma --some negative, some positive, some scrunched up their face like a troll and shake their head, but most just smile and say, “You’ll enjoy it!”. Though everyone’s opinions differ, I do know this… I know that I want to hop back on that boat and hightail it back to Alaska, but at the same time, I want to trek into the unknown and see what’s in store for our future in the southwest. Going back and forth between happy and sad, excited and reluctant, optimistic and pessimistic has left me completely scatterbrained. But I’m sure the longer we travel to our destination, the more everything will fall into place. We’ll be creating a new chapter in our lives, and I can’t wait to write it.

leaving the Whittier Port and into the open sea

Before I turn the page, I want to wrap up our last few days in Alaska.

Park Days

Since living in a hotel over the past two weeks, we’ve shifted our schedules to fit our living out of suitcases and sleeping in strange beds traveling lifestyle. Summer brings extra doses of sunshine, so we’re basking under the rays into the double digits of the night… 10pm. You heard right, we’re at the park enjoying the Midnight Sun along with many other families who had the same great idea.

My Daydreamer and Explorer

We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

The last school field trip of the year was to the Alaska Zoo. And Krysta was over the moon about this one. For weeks it was all she talked about. “Mom how many more days until Zoo Day?” she would say.

Bear Exhibit

William and I tagged along as chaperones. He stared wide-eyed at every animal we crossed and very kid that raced by trying to be the first one to spot the various animals.

Llamas were hands down our favorite exhibit. Mainly because we could practically reach out and touch them or maybe it’s because when I look at them I think of the Disney movie Emperor’s New Groove and laugh. You know you the part where he’s quivering his lips and cries out “Llama face!!!” --yeah funny stuff.

Anywho, moving on...

The Market

The Saturday before heading out, Krysta and I took some Mother-Daughter time to venture out to the Farmer’s Market. We didn’t get anymore $10 strawberries, but we did pick up a few other treasures to remember our Great Alaskan Adventure.

As we were zigzagging through the white tents, Krysta spotted the horse rides. We hightailed across the parking lot so my girl could take a few laps on Fireball’s back.

It was love at first sight...

Best Friends

I’m not the type to gush over my relationship with my husband because it comes so naturally, so normal, like breathing, but I felt like I should mention that Ron and I celebrated our ninth year wedding anniversary. That’s right, we've been married for almost a decade! *Applause* And it’s true what they say, “time really does fly by.” We’ve grown together, learned together, and have become stronger through building each other up. We’re each others better half, a wing-man of sorts, and a right hand man.

We got all gussied up to dine at Simon and Seafort’s --a restaurant with an amazing view of the Sleeping Lady, delicious food, a wait staff in black and white uniforms, chandeliers that hang from the ceiling, and huge paintings and old photographs of Anchorage adorned the walls. It was a combination of Old World and Alaskan lodge, and I loved it.

I couldn’t imagine a better evening bringing our ninth year to an end and a kickoff to our tenth year, around a table full of laughs with our babies. It’s like the Superbowl, but for married couples only.

Knik River

Since we had such a blast at Knik River last week, we had to go back and get a double dose of goodness; this time we were armed with swimsuits and flat rocks for skipping. We weeded through the camp goers and the kayakers, and nestled ourselves into the perfect little river bed spot, where it was just us and the sky with mountains and water in between.

It was a gorgeous day and the perfect way to fill our remaining time in Alaska.

Bliss

Remember here, when Krysta was so upset because she couldn’t skip a rock?

Ladies and Gents, without further ado, Krysta proudly skipped her first rock. Multiple times, she skipped one right after the other, going bop, bop, bop, bop gliding across the water. Each time was just as exciting as the first. You could see the happiness pouring out of her.

Krysta declares this day as being her favorite memory while living in Alaska, as do I.

Alaska has been life changing. I can only wish upon a thousand dandelion's and all the stars in the sky that Oklahoma has the same soul stretching effect.

I'm anxious to find out.

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Castle in the Sky.

2011-05-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Since I first heard about the Reindeer Farm, I’ve been saying, “We’re totally going there before we leave Alaska.” Days rolled into weeks and weeks rolled into years. Now we’re down to the wire; heading out of the state in a handful of days, and what do you know? We have yet to make it up to see the reindeer. Blast.

I awoke extra early, shuffled my feet out of bed, and tip-toed my way downstairs to a freezing kitchen due to a window that was left open throughout the night. Shivering, I started to brew a pot of cheap hotel coffee that was far too robust for even the toughest of cowboys. I had only one goal in mind for today’s agenda, and that was to trek our way through Alaskan back roads to feed a herd of reindeer.

It was secluded picturesque farm, complete with a big red barn and grazing horses in the corral. It was your typical everyday American farm except for a few special differences that made it distinctly Alaskan --reindeer, caribou, and a moose. We made our way through a tiny one room cabin and onto the back deck where we were given brightly colored plastic cups full of grain to feed the reindeer. We patiently waited as the farm workers opened the gates, and in a school line fashion a herd of reindeer marched out to greet us.

William is a fearless boy. He’s the kid who pets the snake, hugs the alligator, and dances on the ledge of a cliff without giving it two thoughts. He looks danger in the face and says, “Hello, my name is Will. Let’s be friends.” We had to keep a tight rein on him because he goes from zero-ten in 10 seconds flat, wanting to give the reindeer all kinds of loving.

Krysta on the other hand, shivers in fear at just the slightest thought that there could possibly be danger. So, seeing her sweetly feed reindeer --one, two, three-- at a time was a huge deal. They dominated her and her little cup of grain begging for more. She was scared. I could see that her breathing started to quicken, her face turned red, and eyes started to swell, but she kept herself composed; mainly out of fear that if she ran, they would chase her.

I told her that Santa would be so proud of her. She instantly light up and excitedly said, “These are Santa’s reindeer?” I don’t know, but I bet Prancer and even Dasher is here. And that was all it took for her to muster up the courage to continue getting up close and personal with the herd.

And as if feeding reindeer wasn’t enough to send you soaring through the clouds of hey this is the good life, add horses to the mix and you’ve just built your castle in the sky. Krysta adores horses and we’re looking into getting her horseback lessons when we arrive in Oklahoma. But for now, she’s pretty content with rubbing their noses and sweet talking to them in her highest pitched voice, “you’re the most beautiful horse ever, yes you are. You’re a good boy, yes you are”. Pure sweetness coming out of this little girl’s mouth.

On the way back we took a spontaneous detour. Detours are awesome. Detours are what keep us on our toes. Detours keep us adventurous. “Like a flash of lightning between the clouds, we live in the flicker”. ~Joseph Conrad

We quickly veered right onto a dirt and gravel road which opened up to a spectacular untouched piece of land –a rock beach with charcoal sand that ran into a soft colored turquoise river and lush mountains against a bright blue sky. Cue the singing angels because this is exactly what I imagine heaven looking like when Peter stands by those pearly gates. Breathtaking.

My little ones are water babies through and through, and will get it in any way they can. Both of them were in that freezing mountain water, splashing and running up and down the river bed before we could even get the car in park.

And there goes my fearless boy, running straight into the deep end.

It’s the unplanned and uncharted little adventures that make this life so grand. I’m so blessed beyond reason to be able to make these beautiful memories for my babies.

It’s worth it. Family outings always are.

“Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ~Henry David Thoreau

She danced with heart.

2011-05-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

I just sorted through over 500 photos from Krysta’s dance recital. What?

“Click, click, click, click, click, click, pause, click, click, click, click, click, click.” Obviously I didn’t want to miss one second of her performances. After rummaging through the photos, I’ve concluded that I really need to get a better grip on which settings work best for dark awkward lighting with a high speed moving subject that bounces from Stage Left to Stage Right. Despite the motion blur, I managed to capture her, in her moment, doing her thing, and that is what I want to remember.

All year the girls worked very hard learning the proper ballet positions and the steps to the their routines, and tonight was their big night to shine --to show their parents, friends, and loved ones, just how hard they’ve worked.
And their hard work paid off indeed. They all danced like dainty little swans, full of grace and beauty.

This was Krysta’s last dance recital with the company, Center Stage, so watching her perform on the stage at UAA with the same girls she’s been dancing with for years was a lump-in-the-throat reality check that we really are relocating.

There are a lot of emotions that seems to come out when my little one straps on a tiny pair of ballet slippers and a pink sparkly costume that ultimately results in quadrupling the size of my heart. I did very well holding back tears as she pranced lightly across the stage, forming perfect little arabesques’ and pirouettes’.

At the end of the ballet number, the girls tippy-toed through the side curtain, and with a smile as big as the sea, Krysta said, “Mom we messed up just a little bit, but that’s okay because they still liked us! Do you hear them clapping?!” And the crowd wasn’t just clapping, they were downright cheering. My little ballerina pushed through the minor mishaps and continued on like a pro. I was so proud.

Decked out in sequins and a little bling, for their tap number the girls danced to Footloose --"loose, footloose kick off your Sunday shoes." And man did they ever cut loose. They had so much fun shaking what their mama’s gave em’ and swaying their hips from side to side. Some faster than the beat, others slower, but nonetheless they were heel-tapping like it was nobody’s business.

The girls quickly changed out of their tap skirt and into jazz pants to break it down to Cotton-Eyed Joe. I was bursting at the seams with pure happiness as I watched my shy girl break out of her comfort zone and enthusiastically skip from across the stage, be-booping from the left to the right, from front to back, then back around to the center. She was confident and full of smiles.

I was beaming. And the chick beside me was beaming. I turned around and everyone in the audience had the smile of a crazy-kid-in-the-candy-store planted on their faces. It was a great night. Krysta gave it her best and had a blast doing it. She loves dancing and I love watching her do what she loves. But above all, I’m proud that she’s proud of herself.

She danced with heart.

her dance teachers, Mrs. Karen and Mrs. Chelsey

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Happy Mid-Week!
Em

All in boxes.

2011-05-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

Perhaps this is the beginning of the end? Or maybe this is the just end of the beginning and we’re turning the page to a new chapter, a new adventure. I’m going with the latter.

Our house, our life is tightly wrapped in tissue paper and secured into cardboard boxes. I have to admit, it was hard watching them pack up everything we own --all of our memories and the life we’ve created for ourselves. But as hard as it is leaving the house we’ve called home, I can’t help but to wonder what’s in store for our future.

When you’re approaching the hustle and bustle of life, it’s best to take full advantage of the small things, because when rush hour hits, it’s the small things that get thrown under bus. So before our boxed-up belongings gets loaded onto a moving truck, we’re squeezing the bejesus out of the remaining days in our Alaskan Home. And not in the tourist-sightseeing-Alaska kind of way, but in the this-is-our-life-in-Alaska kind of way…

like deeply breathing in the smell of sweet air that Alaska graciously gives us right before it rains. And when she rains, she rains to a slow rhythm that makes your window sheers calmly sway back and forth.

And moose poo lying on the sidewalk when you’re trying to teach your little one how to ride a bike. You see, only in Alaska.

*I do however, want to give thanks to the moose that ~~trimmed~~ ate my shrubbery. That’s one less thing I have to take care of before our housing inspection. So big props to you, Mr. Moose.

They don’t call it "The Land of the Midnight Sun" for nothing! We’re doing our best to stay up well past our bedtime --in the sun-- making cheap wine toasts with the clink of our glasses in the front yard while snuggling with barefooted babies. After a harsh winter, Mother Nature’s way of apologizing is with a cool breeze that lovingly hugs your body, and sun rays that gently kiss your cheeks. I can forgive even my worst enemy any day of the week with an apology like that.

We’re ending the week by seeing off our moving truck which is Oklahoma Bound.

Over the next month there are some exciting things in store for my little family --Krysta’s ballet recital, our remaining days in Alaska, a four day ferry ride to Washington, a cross country road trip, and last but not least, the begin of our new life in Oklahoma City!

P.S. If you liked what you've read, please vote for me in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Military Blog contest. I truly appreciate each and every vote you can toss my way. I couldn't have gotten this far without you guys!

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Have a great weekend!
Em

Whittier, Alaska

2011-05-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

I’ve been searching for the perfect words to describe this past weekend. I’ve come up with many --blessed, content, thrilled, togetherness-- but the perfect word that trumps all of the above would have to be, full. It was full of love. Full of laughs. Full of memories. Full of just plain ol’ having a good time. I believe it’s safe to say, it’s a weekend that we’ll carry with us always.

Since my mom and uncle only flew in for the weekend, we decided that the best bang for our buck -time wise, that is- would be to take a scenic drive to Whittier, Alaska.

This is one of our favorite views in Alaska. On your right hand side you’ll see mountains that meet the winding road with miniature cascading waterfalls and lime green foliage. On your left you’ll see the ocean --sometimes bright blue, sometimes emerald green-- with mountains that kiss the clouds and run into the sea. And if you’re really lucky, you’ll see a bald eagle soaring through the cerulean blue sky and an elk perched on the ledge of a mountain. Pure harmony.

As unfortunate luck would have it, the closer we got to Whittier, the windier, grayer, and colder it got. My clothing attire of sandals, a sundress, and bare legs was not ideal for nearly freezing temps, but I rolled with the punches.

*Not to Self: Wind that blows off of glaciers and snowy mountains is super freezing. Wear jeans and a hoodie, dollface.

Moving on…

We enjoyed ourselves, and Greg LOVED the boats. He’s a boat kind of man, so seeing the harbor turned his eyes to the size of quarters.

Truth be told, I think there are more boats than people in this town. Just sayin’.

We ate lunch at one of our favorite joints, Swiftwater Seafood. If you ask me, they have the best halibut in Alaska and it’s fresh off the boat. Of course we ate our lunch outside (in the cold) overlooking the harbor and mountains --I like to torture myself like that, but it was well worth it.

Continuing with our theme of getting the best bang for your buck, we stopped at a river where my girl and handsome guy skipped rocks together. Krysta was frustrated that it wasn’t “perfect” but we’re getting there. We’re going to make a rock-skipping-pro out of her yet!

It’s not an Alaskan adventure without getting up close and personal with nature. I pulled my sandals off and dug my toes into the black gritty sand and wobbled my way over smooth oval river rocks to the water where I dipped the tips of my feet into the extremely cold fresh glacier water. If you haven’t tried it, you should. It’s soul rejuvenation.

********************

Sunday we headed to the Farmers Market where we scooped up souvenirs for ourselves and loved ones. My cousin, Kelly, and I now have matching mermaid necklaces that are hand carved out of bone. We’ve been obsessed with mermaids since we were babies.

photo to come

We also got wild and bought $10 strawberries. No words can describe the sweetness that came out of these steroid-strawberries -seriously; everything is bigger in Alaska, right down to the produce.

And when you have $10 fresh strawberries, you add $1 shortcakes to the mix for the ultimate taste bud explosion.

I’m beyond blessed in more ways than one. This has truly been an adventure of a lifetime and I’m so glad that I got to show my mom and uncle the best parts of it.

We ended the trip with a, “next time we see you, we’ll be in Oklahoma!”

****************

In less than 48 hours our movers will be here to pack our life into sturdy brown boxes. Pardon me while I prepare for Thursday…

Have a great week!

Em

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Cheers to family.

2011-05-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

A big bird flew into Anchorage Alaska, and landed with my mom and uncle, safe and sound. There were extended hugs and big shouts of “HEY EMMIE!” and oohing and ahhing over the little ones as we passed them around and the clanking of wine glasses in celebration of family togetherness.

My mom is flying out tonight, and my uncle is here until Sunday, so we’re soaking up every second and making the most out of their time here. This is my uncle’s first trip to Alaska and we’re planning on showing him everything- the mountains, the water, the city, the boats, the wildlife, and our favorite spots that we’ve become accustomed to over the last 4+ years and have grown to love.

First stop was one of our favorite restaurants, The Glacier Brewhouse, for Alaskan Amber and Salmon BLTs.

my mom and Krysta

vats where they brew their own beer

We spent hours catching up. Storytelling about how the fish was *this* big. And laughing until our eyes were heavy and little ones fell asleep in our arms.

It’s going to be a good weekend indeed!

P.S. My friend posted on facebook that there was a moose in her yard, so Ron and Greg walked down the street in hopes that the moose would still be there. Sure enough, there he was at the park! Greg was happy like a kid on Christmas morning!

If you don't mind, could you cast a vote my way? I've been nominated to take part in the Top 25 Military Blog contest which ends May 25! Thank you all so much for your votes; I truly couldn't have made it this far without all of your support!

In honor

2011-05-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. A day that honors all women who have babies, big or small.

Little did I know, I was born to be a Mom. I was born to love and nurture and cherish and support these two babies that I call mine. To protect them when they are scared. To kiss boo-boo’s when they are hurt. To encourage them when they are feeling less. To applaud their accomplishments and spark their creativity. To stay up all night when they are sick. To give them strength and wisdom. To lead them into truth.

I feel inspired and honored and humbled to be a mom --to know that I’ve created these two little miracles, and are teaching them and sculpting them into happy respectable little people. These two lovelies are my greatest accomplishment; my greatest, most priceless treasure. The road of motherhood has led me on an extraordinary journey and fills me with pride and happiness throughout my very being.

And so as we celebrate mothers, it’s also a time to celebrate the ones that made us Mommy, our little ones.

I am truly, truly blessed.

Krysta Jean 2003

William Emerson 2010

I’ve been searching for the perfect Mother’s Day quote on MothersDayCelebration.com, and this one seemed to sum it up the most. It goes:

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.
She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.”

~Rajneesh

This quote is also on my friend, Melissa’s, blog- --another fabulous mama.

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I hope y'all had a fabulous Mother's Day and Happy Monday!

Easy Peasy.

2011-05-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

Confession: We’re moving in 24 days and I’m nowhere near being prepared, nor am I stressed about it.

This is not me. I’m always prepared. I always dot my i’s and cross my t’s. I always stress over the unknown. I’m the type of girl who has a to-do for her to-do list, and that to-do is then broken down into categories, then sub-categories.

Lately I’ve been, as my daughter says, “easy peasy, lemon squeezy.” And I kinda like it. I’m rolling with the punches and moving with the flow and I have no worries. I’m in an extremely calming state of mind.

Last night I scurried around the house collecting items that I thought we may need as soon as we arrive in Oklahoma –towels, dishes, bedding, toys for the kids, a coffee mug, all of the important things. And just like clockwork, our small unaccompanied baggage was picked up and is now on its way to Oklahoma as we speak.

As I watched them load the truck from my window, I thought, this is where it’s going to hit me that we’re really leaving Alaska. Cue the waterworks and the twisting of my heart and punch in the gut… but it didn’t happen. I watched them leave, scooped up William, and continued normally throughout our day. I’m not sure when reality will sink in –while we’re temporarily living in a hotel, while we’re driving cross-country, or perhaps when we finally arrive in Oklahoma? The more I think about it, the more I believe it’s not in the cards for it to hit me. This is our way of life. Our military life. We come and go. We uproot and resettle. And we make the most out of any given location. As the old saying goes, “Home is where the military sends us” but, more on that later. I’ll spare you the block of cheese and the buckets of sap for my “Farewell to Alaska” post.

For today, home is in Alaska. And in Alaska, Spring has finally arrived, baby!

This means spending lots and lots of time basking in the sunshine, taking in double, triple, and even quadruple doses of vitamin D

…and becoming reacquainted with the local wildlife as they make their way back down the mountain.

Why, hello little moose!

Spring also means we’re digging out the sidewalk chalk, rainbow colored jump ropes, weathered blue Adirondack chairs, and swirly hula hoops that rattle when you swish your hips from side to side; which are all very Spring-like and very fun, but what Krysta loves most is soaking up the golden rays.

William on the other hand doesn’t stay still long enough to soak up much of anything. He has a go, go, go personality that begs to be entertained. And so we gave him a bucket of chalk and more concrete than he knows what to do with. The driveway is William’s blank canvas. He’s tuning into his inner Jackson Pollock and showing no mercy. He scribbles a yellow line here and blue line there, and then looks up at me all bright-eyed, waiting for my approval that he is indeed making beautiful art. Before I can nod and say, “that’s a good job bud!” he’s off and running down the street. He’s faster than he looks, you know.

He likes to color his shadow

Dance recitals are just around the corner -as in two weeks and some change, around the corner. Krysta and the girls have been busily working on their routines, perfecting their arabesques and pirouettes. They have worked so diligently throughout the year, and we “stage moms” couldn’t be prouder. I seriously cannot wait for the big night when she makes her entrance, shining like the star I know she is.

If you've enjoyed reading my blog, would you mind casting a vote for me on the Circle of Moms webpage by clicking the link below. I've been nominated for a spot on their Top 25 Military Blogs, exciting right! You can vote everyday until May 25. Thank you all so very much! It's truly appreciated.

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Have a fabulous Saturday!
Make your Mother’s Day weekend extra special!
Em

PS. In case you’ve been living under a rock… the world is now a safer place thanks to our brave men and women of the military.

This is for you all, my loyal readers and friends!

2011-05-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

I know that I've mentioned on twitter, that I'm going to hold off on blogging for a few days until after our movers arrive to pack up our first shipment. BUT, I have some very exciting news that's too good to not share right away!

I've never had recognition for my blog before, so when I received an email from Circle of Moms telling me that I've been nominated as one of their Top 25 Military Blogs, I was beyond elated.
This is what Cloud 9 feels like!

Let me tell you, I’m so honored to be participating in this and to be among these other amazing military bloggers. I’m defiantly with good company, and steep competition, I might add!

All of these woman –and men- have come from all different branches of the military, all from different walks of life, from all around the world, and yet we’ve all come together to share our like-minded stories --our love for this country, the military, and our families.

This was all made possible by you all, my loyal readers and friends! I truly couldn’t have done it without your continued support for my little blog and family! So a BIG THANK YOU goes out to you and you and you, from the bottom of my heart. I’m extremely humbled and grateful.

If you have enjoyed reading my blog, please cast your vote, ONCE A DAY until May 25, by clicking here to vote.

You don't have to be a blogger or military to vote, it's open to EVERYONE.
So help me spread the word.
Tell your mama, your brother, your third grade best friend... even your 14 year old crush, if you'd like! And while your at it, check out the other great military blogs on Circle of Moms.

Thank you ALL so very much!

Em

Still a reason to celebrate.

2011-04-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Every morning I wake up with half-squinted eyes peering open to the sounds of a crying toddler over the bedroom monitor. Every morning I pull William out of his crib, who instantly wedges his head perfectly in the crook of my neck, and every morning, with wobbly knees we scoot downstairs.

As we round the landing of the stairs, we stop for a moment to look out outside to see snow or a pink sunrise or a moose or sometimes just a grey, gloomy, hazy dawn. Once we’re satisfied that it is indeed morning and we are indeed getting up for the day, we proceed the rest of the way downstairs where I’m hit,every morning, by the intense aroma of coffee gurgling in our red coffee pot. Ron brews two cups of coffee for me --rain or shine-- every. single. morning.

Today however, was not like all of my other every mornings. Today my girl and I woke up at the crack of dawn to undergo an EEG. Today my girl was nervous beyond belief, but wore her big girl brave face.

pardon my blurry photo

Krysta has been having random, non-patterned, on and off seizures for the past 3+ years. There’s no rhyme or reason on what causes her to have them; the only thing that’s constant is the actual seizure itself -her eyes roll back, she collapses, and her body does a little shake making her body extremely limp.

We’ve done an EEG before, but the results were unsuccessful. We’re praying that we can find answers, so we can get down to the root of the problem.

When your world is shaken up with the not-so-perfect combination of uneasiness, worry, and insecurity, we tightly wrap ourselves into one another.

We are a family. We are entwined together. And we deal with the good, the bad, and the unknown together.

In celebration of one step closer to finding answers, we treated the kids to a rare outing to Moose Tooth Pizza, the most delish, overpriced pizza in Alaska, followed by a trip a Barnes & Nobles for new books.

I'm currently reading "The Fixer Upper" (love Mary Kay Andrews!) Krysta's reading...all the rest!

We tend to find many reasons to celebrate around these parts –birthdays, a lost tooth, a “hey I finished all the laundry”. It’s the good, the bad, and the unknown that makes up life, and that alone is worth celebrating, every day.

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” ~Oprah

Happy Friday!

Em

Twenty-Nine and Dancing Around the Sun.

2011-04-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

I turned 29. You know the one that comes right before 30! I’m feeling pretty good about this --the moment the second hand on the clock slowly ticking over 1:05pm, officially making me a year older.

It’s a feeling of empowerment and excitement of what lies ahead as I create the last year of my twenties. I’ve earned my spot in adulthood and that alone is something to celebrate. I’ve grown to the point in my life where I’m no longer unsure of myself --what I want out of life and who I want to be-- I know exactly what I want and I know exactly who I am. And I’m living it.

I’m the creator, the producer, the painter, the sculptor, the photographer, and the author of this life of mine. The chapter of my twenty-ninth year is blank. I’m going to fill is with all things good, all things bright and cheery, and remove all the grey and black that has lurked over me, hindering me from soaring beyond limitless possibilities. I’m flying high. High on life and dancing around the sun.

Here’s to twenty-nine years, and one hundred and nine more!

How are you going to create this great big ginormous life of yours?

“Twenty-eight was great. Twenty-nine is, oh so divine." I just made that up. Cheesy, no?

Happy mid-week!

PS Check out the awesome cake that my awesome husband had made for me! He knows me all too well, and I love him for it.

Bunny Chocolate and Ice Pops.

2011-04-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

Just a quick Easter note:

The Easter Bunny has come and gone, and all that remains are two little ones with fevers, running noses, coughs, and raspy voices, along with a year’s supply of egg shaped chocolate.

Despite the fact that we were gradually getting sick, we pushed through and gave it all we had in preparing for Easter. We decorated pink cupcakes that nestled in crinkled tulip cups, set out our crotchet lined baskets, and spent hours preparing for our traditional Easter dinner.

cupcakes for The Bunny

By the time four o’clock came around, we were beat. All of us. The remaining Easter Sunday was spent vegging in our jammies, eating ice pops and frozen yogurt, and playing Hi Ho Cheery O.

I wish I could tell you more about out little Easter happenings, but I have two exhausted babies to nurse back to health!

Have a great week everyone!
Em

Shine On

2011-04-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

The sun is out! I repeat, the sun is out!

When your day starts out like this -sun rays pouring in through curtains with an illuminating glow that puts a smile on my toddler’s face- you know it’s going to be a good one.

It seems that we’ve fully made the switch to spring, and for us Alaskans, this is pretty major. In Alaska, spring is also known as “the Breakup Season”. All that was once engulfed by snow is now a slushy mess --perfectly sized miniature lakes for my girl to splash around in. Our snow bibs, snow gloves, snow boots, snow shovels, and all things winter, are all packed away, and have been replaced by all things spring, like rain boots, budding trees, adirondack chairs, and sidewalk chalk.

It has been a long seven months since we’ve seen such radiant light like we’ve been having this week. The hazy grey winter air has parted ways, bringing forth bright blue skies, white marshmallow clouds, and golden sunrays, and with each passing day, it keeps getting better and better.

Everyday a little warmer. Everyday a little longer. Everyday a little brighter. Everyday a smile on my face.

When warmth and light collide it creates the perfect recipe for good times in the front yard. We love front yard pastimes. It means turning the sidewalk into a work of art and the happy squealing of children and the smells of BBQs and the blowing of bubbles and a tiny tot trying to keep up with his big sister.

This weekend was spent making any and all last attempts to play with the leftover snow.

It’s amazing how we went from months upon months of this,

to this in just a few weeks time.

Everything is a little better in the spring, don’t cha think?