Saturday Shenanigans

"Have children close together" they said. "They'll play together" they said. 

It's just not true. Not yet anyway so when the weekend rolled around, Mama needed a break. I ended up getting just that on Saturday when I got to tag along with my best friend as she wedding dress shopped with her mom and mother-in-law. Girl time with some of my favorite people was just what the doctor ordered. I loved watching my pal light up as she put on THE DRESS and I enjoyed getting to know her sweet mother-in-law and catching up with her mom, too. We ended up having lunch and doing a little shopping (I didn't buy a thing!).

I walked into Dillard's to browse and oh my gosh, I realized I can't afford anything in that store. I saw a beautiful bathing suit I wanted to try on but I just couldn't bring myself to do that because of the $142 price tag. When did everything go and get so expensive? I'm way out of the loop. I need to stick with Tarjay, I suppose.

Later that night, Captain J and I headed back to my hometown for a small concert at the historic Lyric Theatre in downtown Loudon. Listening to Wynn Varble play his songs and then the Fruit Jar Tippers get in on the action at the after-party was, literally, music to my ears. We soaked in the fact that there were no children to tend to and we were free to relax in the company of individuals who can speak in complete sentences and without whining, too!

We ended up staying over-night at my parent's house and getting to not wake up to crying kids. It was a dream, really.

And now it's Monday. Time to pull up my boot straps and get back to work on raising my crazy lot. Wish me luck. I need it!

Christmas List

My man always waits until the last minute to go Christmas shopping. Not me. I like to buy in advance so I'm not stressed out by the time the big day rolls around. I almost always have a few that I need to pick up a few days before Christmas, though. It never fails. I'm not where I'd like to be on our list, but hopefully we'll get there. As usual, I thought I'd make it easier on J when he goes out shopping. Not that he's not good at choosing gifts for me- he is. BUT...I am diggin' these:

Do you shop well under pressure? I don't. Yesterday, I was feeling the stress of SEVEN DAYS and I wandered around aimlessly after the two gifts I went after were nowhere to be found. I was power walking through our tiny little mall like no one's business, but I wasn't getting anywhere. Sigh.

Tis the Season.

the old familiar tug

Why am I always backward looking, wondering what it might be like to have my children grow up where I did? You would think being a prior military family that I would be used to this life by now. Maybe I am. There's something about getting to move every year or so that is attractive to me. Still, home is always calling out to us and when I saw this picture from this past weekend, I felt the old familiar tug to pack up this house and go on home. When I think about what's important in life, so many faces enter my mind. Among these-

These four people, my grandparents, come to mind.

I miss these moments all the time. My step-dad and his pickin' buddies had a gig playing a little bluegrass and much of my family showed up to listen. 

Nothin' big. Just having a good time.

All these small moments are big in my mind, though. How few of them I've had over the last five years!

 (Photos by Becky!)

Are you away from "home", too? What do you miss most?

Sounds Like Life To Me

This morning I'm battling a bad attitude so I thought perhaps sharing some photos of our nice weekend might aid in putting me in a better mood. I'm sad because everything on my body seems to ache. I didn't sleep well last night because K Baby is sick and he was awake every 30 minutes for the first five hours he was asleep. Then, he woke up early. Dragging my big ole pregnant body out of bed constantly isn't my idea of fun. Of course, now that he's sick, I can't go to PWOC either and I really really wanted to today.

On top of it all, a blanket of stress is threatening to smother us (or something equally dramatic! ha). This weekend, Captain J is off to look for a big boy job in the real world and along with this hiring conference has come many unexpected expenses. Yesterday we had to go to the next city over for (another) shopping spree for professional attire. On the way, we were pulled over and will soon have to pay a big fat fine for speeding. Being a one income household, this puts us in a situation. We're fine, of course, but all that savings we had is gone and we're ready to start over. We were feeling good about having some money saved for "just in case" when he gets out of the Army. That security is gone now. It's just always something, isn't it?

But as Wynn Varble would say, "Sounds like life to me..."

And we've got it pretty good. Here are some photos from our day at the pumpkin patch!

Is he not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I can hardly stand to not kiss his chubby cheeks all day long. And would ya look at those wrists? And that little neck? Good grief. What a sweet family I have!

And now I'll leave you with our good family friend singing his song he wrote for Darryl Worley- Sounds Like Life To Me

Happy Tuesday!

Introducing!

I grew up in a small town. You mighta guessed that from the way I talk sometimes (especially after a few glasses of wine!). Still, I'm proud to be from a tiny little town where people know each other by name and you have to drive to another town to go to Walmart. It's nice. My high school was no different. For the most part, I knew the majority of people who attended my school- all 400-500 of us. If I didn't know their name, I knew their face. I knew something about them. I've come to find out that it's kind of a different world from most adolescents' experiences, but I'm okay with that. I liked my school. I wouldn't want to go back for the world, but I enjoyed high school just fine.
Inside its walls walked many greats. I mean, I know a really cool blogger girl who...Oh, I'm kidding.
I wanted to tell you about some folks who went to my school that are breaking through in the world of music! The first is the lovely Kendra Chantelle:

Maybe you recognize her from a previous season of American Idol? When I heard she was going to be on the show, I got out my year book to put her name with her face. Oh, her! I don't know her well, but from what I do know, she is sweet as pie. And her voice is, too! When I first heard her sing, Georgia On My Mind, I was impressed. I never thought any white person ever gave that song justice (ha), but I loved her take on it and was quick to send her a facebook message telling her so! I'm a weird complimenter, what can I say? Here's a brief clip:

See? She's awesome. And you can get your own copy of her debut album Unthinkable on iTunes or at KendraChantelle.com.

Another entertainer that walked the halls of LHS was Mr. Brad Dills, my boyfriend. Yes, it's awkward now. I mean, we never really broke up. We were a pretty big deal in fifth grade (well, he was in 6th) but we went our separate ways and never officially told each other we would see other people (as much as you can date in middle school). All throughout high school, we joked that we had the longest relationship of anyone we knew in school. Brad is a good guy and he has hooked up with some other fellas around the Southeast to make up the band Star City Meltdown:

Vocals - Brad Dills (middle)

Guitars - Lukas Patterson

Guitars - Chris Stewart

Bass - Cody Cupp

Wanna see them in action?

You can go here to sign up for their newsletter and get your FREE MP3 download of their single "Here With You"!


I hope you enjoy listening to some new music, my friends! Have a fun weekend.
Love,

Worst Army Wife

I'm the worst Army wife ever. It's official. Every time Captain J leaves (which is often) I get a terrible homesick feeling and wonder why in the world I'm at Fort Polk, Louisiana. You would think after four years of living this life that I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not. I still feel empty when he leaves...alone. Despite having things to keep me busy and a community of Army wives who're in the same position I am, the feeling creeps in. I can't help it. I miss home. I miss my family. Last night in my hometown, they had a relay for life and my step-dad's band played there. Here's a fact you might not know about me- I actually genuinely like Bluegrass music. I grew up listening to it from my dad and my step-dad who both play a variety of instruments and have been in several bands over the years. When my mom posted a video of them playing, I felt that familiar tug to go back to East Tennessee. I wish I was there right now.

   

THE SHAGCARPET HEADLINERS

Like them on facebook here.

P.S. That's my step-dad singing and playing the tall bass.

Happy Weekend to you!

Heart Like Mine

These are the days that I will remember

When my name's called on a roll



He'll meet me with two long stem glasses

Make a toast to me coming home



'Cause I heard Jesus he drank wine

And I bet we'd get along just fine



He could calm a storm and heal the blind

And I bet he'd understand a heart like mine.

(I'm uninspired to write today so I'll let Miranda Lambert do the talkin' for me. Isn't it fun to reminisce? The above photos were taken in Alaska and New Zealand. I'm getting the itch to travel again. That being said, feel free to send some money to my PayPal account to fund my next adventure. Thanks in advance! ;) )

Christmas things

I'm a little scared to say it, but....

I have a new baby.

A happy one.

One who only cries when he wants his diaper changed, fed, or his beauty rest.



Today, I'm thankful for modern medicine!

And time to peruse Amazon.com. I just keep finding so many things I want! But I promise I'm only shopping for others, though ;)

Still, I've got my eye on these things:



Nikon COOLPIX L120 (so that I can take more pictures of my sweet boy!)

Sewing Machine (Does that come with someone who knows how to use it? )

and the Kindle Fire (because it seems like the affordable, awesome alternative to the iPad2.)

Why is everything I want expensive? I might just treat myself after Christmas to one of these items with the birthday money or Christmas money I have left over after I purchase gifts for everyone else. We'll see. For now, though...I'll just visit them online every now and again.

This weekend was nice. On Saturday J, K and I went to the local parade for a few minutes. It was sprinkling so we didn't stay long because I was worried about Baby K's little ears. I didn't want him to catch a cold (even though those two things aren't really linked. lol). Still, we saw enough to get into the Christmas spirit! Then yesterday I went to a presentation of the Living Christmas Tree at a friend's church. It was awesome! I spent much of the service intrigued by 'how they got the lights to do that!' It doesn't take much to impress me. Anyway, the Christmas music put me in the mood and I wanted to hop in the car and drive to Tennessee right then and there, but we still have a few weeks left before that can happen.

Who else is pumped about Jesus's birthday??

Travelin' Thru GA, Ramblin' Across the Land

Today has been a good day. I'm slightly overwhelmed with school work and trying to prepare for the upcoming PCS, but I just knew churning out a few words on my blog would temporarily fix my ailments. Besides, I know you're all just dying to know why and how I went camping in Georgia in May.

I was supposed to head "home" last weekend, but Doc said 'no way Jose' in different words so we made plans to spend some time outdoors with my dear ole dad. His bluegrass band was attending a festival in Cochran, Georgia, not too far from our house. After relaxing for a while on Friday afternoon, we packed up the car and headed that way with plans to sleep under the stars.

We waited until evening, though because this pregnant gal gets incredibly hot.

Temperatures for the weekend were lower-to mid nineties.

Thee above do not mix.

Still, we had a good time. I enjoyed falling asleep in the back of the truck (on an air mattress, of course) while listening to the sounds of my childhood. Growing up, Dad was constantly taking us to festivals to hear him (and many others) play. The notes, the instruments, the voices,  the old songs I knew so well lulled me off to sleep that night. And you know what?

I slept pretty great! The mosquitos were a real downer, though. I'm covered in bug bites now that aren't so attractive and quite itchy. I will not complain, though because I remember the insane swarms of mosquitos that plagued Alaska in the summer months. Those were, by far, the worst I've ever seen.

It felt good to get back outside. I have missed camping while being preggo. It's not for the faint of heart, though-- Be sure to take lots of water. Also, you'll want to bring along some of your favorite men to hang with. I enjoyed visiting with Dad and spending quality time with the Cap'n. I just don't do it enough.

Dad in Do-Rag

"Willie Bob's"- Only in the South

Roughin' It- Kinda.

Crazy Fun

This weekend was crazy, fun. I told you Captain J and I had made lots of plans, recall? Well, most of those plans happened and then some. If I were to describe each event in this one itsy bitsy blog post then, well, you'd stop reading. I mean, YEAH, it was loads of fun, but nobody likes an uber long post. Am I right? Or maybe this is an excuse to not write much right now as it is almost midnight. I'll ponder that as I type and get back to you.

Where to start? How bout in the middle (because those are the pictures I have uploaded to my computer!)?

Captain J and I attended a wine tasting with a few spectacular friends. We were invited along by Sgt Major so and so who was attending. We heard "wine" and "riverboat" and thought, why not?! Let me start off by saying, I'm glad we went. I really am, but...

Fairbanks isn't the place to experience the whole wine tasting on a fabulous boat scenario. If this tells you anything about it, it only set us back forty bucks...TOTAL! The wine was great, but then again we aren't exactly wine-oes. Our house wine is Oak Leaf from Walmart...I mean, c'mon. The riverboat was named the Tanana Chief and it sat quietly beside a large highway bridge- ALL NIGHT. Yes, the boat never actually moved while we were galavanting around pretending to be classy enough to know good wine when we smell/taste it. The water in the Chena River isn't up far enough to justify trying to take a boat that size down it so we just stayed put in one spot. That was all fine and dandy, I suppose. I'm not sure what we were expecting anyway- Fairbanks isn't known for its boats. 

Anyway, the drinks were flowin' and our wine list was being peppered with guys with mohawks (the wine rocked!), turtles (the wine made you want to hide in your shell), dead guys (terrible wine), and straight-faced smilies (the wine was mediocre) when the staff announced that it was time to eat. We ventured downstairs to find out that it was Taco Night on the ole Tanana Chief. Who ever heard of tacos and wine? Good grief. Oh well, it gave us a good laugh. Also, our totally legit rating scale left us chortling, too so we left the riverboat and headed over to another favorite stomping ground: The Pump House to continue our good time.

And continue our good time, we did! I can't really explain to you how the rest of the night went down. It was one of those nights that I want to preserve in my mind yet nothing special really happened. It was just a bunch of friends hangin' out at our favorite locations around town. It was good interesting conversation. It was laughter. It was a farewell of sorts. It was a random dance party at the close of a Greek restaurant. It was an impromptu karaoke tribute to Journey. It was old school jams and rap sessions. It was totally random...just how I like life to be.

Did you catch that farewell part? Unfortunately for me, I'm having to say goodbye to another friend as her hubby is headed off to MCCC in another state. I first mentioned her here and since then we've made several fun memories. I hate to see her go! That's the way it is in the military, though. Hopefully our paths will cross again.

From the Pump House we went to Bobby's, a nice Greek restaurant in town. We closed down the place! This light thing here in AK is pretty awesome really deceiving. We had no idea that it was nearing two a.m. as we switched the radio to Pandora and revisited some old music favorites. By the end of the night, we had sparked a random dance party in the middle of a restaurant that no one dances at yet everyone who was there participated in. It was a good time. I actually got part of one old school jam on video as we all tried to sing along but I don't think you want to see us attempt Salt-N- Pepa's "Shoop".

 All-in-all, Friday was a fun day, but I left out parts that I'll be sure to update you on soon. For example, I may or may not have caught something on our fishing trip earlier that day. You'll just have to wait and see. The rest of the weekend did not disappoint, either. More to come! I've just decided that sleep actually does sound pretty good so I'm off to dreamland. Ta-ta!