The Real Military Wives of Blogland

I'm joining in on this link-up ( a day late, oops!) with Samantha and Mallory. It's a one time link up called The Real Military Wives of Blogland. Military Wives have always had a bad reputation, a negative stereotype, and I'm here to tell you that not all Military wives fit in to that negative stereotype.

Dave and I first met when we were in the sixth grade. He sat across from me and I instantly started crushing on him. I had a huge school girl crush on him all the way through eighth grade. I used to tease him and drool over him all at the same time. I even wrote about him in my little diary, all the time! Read about that here, it's hilarious! Anyways, he ended up moving away and I moved on. I stumbled upon his Myspace in 2007 and sent him an email, I know Myspace? Really? He never responded and I felt like a total idiot and then I completely forgot I even sent him an email. A few months later he finally responded and told me the reason why it took so long was because he was in the Air Force and he was deployed so he didn't have access to Myspace. We quickly exchanged phone numbers and started talking all day, every day over the phone. He lived in Texas and I lived in Utah. A couple months went by and I made the trip to Texas to visit him. I had no idea what being in the military meant. I didn't know Dave got a paycheck twice a month, I didn't know it was an every day job or that he received full benefits. I hadn't known anyone in the Military before him so I was completely clueless on how it worked. I literally thought that being in the Military meant you were deployed then you came home and went on with your life. See? Clueless! I was so naive.

Dave and I dated, got engaged and married all within seven months. To say I had no idea what I was getting myself into was an understatement. I remember being on base with Dave one time while he was playing a football game and the National Anthem came on. I noticed everyone stopped what they were doing and all turned and faced the same way. I had NO idea what they were doing so I just sat there. I didn't see a flag around.. Do I stand up too? Or is that just for Military members to do. I was so dumb. haha I literally had to learn every single detail about the Military just so Dave wouldn't get in trouble!

A little about me:

I attended Dixie State College in St George, UT but I dropped out to go through Cosmetology School. Once I became a hairstylist I worked in a Salon for a few years. Last year I decided it just wasn't for me anymore and decided on a career change. I'll be going back to school once Dave finishes his Bachelors degree in January. I'm the biggest girly girl you'll ever meet but I love sports! I ran track in high school and I have a passion for exercising and fitness. I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and have a very strong Testimony of Jesus Christ. Dave and I have two kids together, Kyson 5 and Presley 6 months. I like to read, shop, paint my nails and clean. Yes I enjoy cleaning! I love to bake, lift weights, and play with my own hair. Being a wife and Mom is the greatest blessing to me and I love them with all my heart.

Dave and I are about to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary and I'm still learning things. The Military life has been so good to us. Dave has never had an extensive job, demanding at times, but not too bad. I really can't complain. He's only been deployed twice in his nine years of service and I've only been married to him for one of them. It's been a pretty easy, good life for us and I'm so thankful for this experience. So many people have it so much harder then us and I really admire all those who sacrifice more then me. We've been stationed at Dyess AFB in Texas all nine years of service. Dyess is referred to as a black hole because no one ever leaves this dreadful place.

One thing I wish I would have known coming into this lifestyle is that your spouse has signed over their life to the Military. That means they get to tell you where to live, what to wear, when you can and can't talk on the phone, what color of phone you can own and pretty much every other detail of your life. It's hard when every decision you make revolves around the Military. Even when it comes down to buying a phone. 

Even though it's hard sometimes and a lot of Military wives ruin it for the rest of us, it's been worth it. We have a steady income, we have fabulous health insurance and in my opinion we're well taken care of. There are so many people that take advantage of the Military and think just because they are a Military wife that they are entitled to things. They're not! Sure they might make more sacrifices than most people but that doesn't mean they're better than anyone else. And I try to stay away from those people because they are just full of complaints and negativity. So to all the wives who support their husband and stay loyal to him and do everything they can to make it easier on them, you're doing a great job!

making friends through blogging

When I first thought about starting a blog it took about 13 seconds for me to push the button. Most people dwell on it for a while before actually making one. Not me! I had no idea what I was getting myself into and had no idea what I would get out of it. It was a slow start. I only had about 12 followers for the first couple months and then it took off. It's been a roller coaster ever since. Slow and uneventful and then it'll boom and then back to being slow. It's no secret that my blog isn't the most successful or popular but I've made some friends out of it nonetheless. I've even had the pleasure of meeting a few of my bloggy friends. I keep in close contact with a couple of them but for the most part I've lost contact with most of them and it really upsets me. Sometimes life gets in the way! It happens with me more that most and I fall away from the blogging world and when that happens, people lose interest. And to be honest, with Dave being a full time student on top of having a full time job we just haven't had time to do anything fun so I really don't have much to blog about. I'm trying to get back into blogging regularly but it's hard. So hard! I hate to admit it but I don't remember most of the blogs I follow. I feel like I'm starting from scratch! So to the few of you that still follow along with my journey, thank you! And please keep sending me comments and love. It's the motivation I need to keep this blog going. 

My very first bloggy friend meet up was with Courtney. 

You can read about our meet up here

Courtney and I actually met on Facebook and then became blogger friends. We were internet friends for a while before we actually met in person. We're from the same city, know a lot of the same people and we have so much in common. We were destined to be friends! I rarely talk to her anymore and it hurts my heart! She's the nicest and sweetest girl and everyone should meet her.

I also met one of my very favorite bloggers Paula

Read about our meet up here

I met Paula just by stumbling upon her blog. We hit it off faster than you can imagine! We quickly started emailing and then texting and then we realized that she lived just a few hours away from my In Laws. We just knew that we needed to meet! A few months later, we did! I love this girl! Kyson fell in love with her from the get go. She's his second love. I'm his first, duh! Paula has fallen away from blogging, her entire life has changed since our play date but I talk to her all the time. She's still my bloggy bestie and we'll be lifelong friends. She's a friend every girl needs! :)

I met Tiffany about a year later. 

Crappy picture but it's the only one we took

Read about our dinner date here

I love this girl! She's been a bloggy friend since day one. She's probably been my most loyal blogging friend. She's always leaving me the kindest comments. She has the best blog and she's just the nicest person. She'll forever been a friend of mine! We've become friends on pretty much every social networking site there is and I love following along with her life. She's a fellow Military wife and we have really bonded because of it. We can really relate to most things. Go follow this girl's blog. She's worth it!

Last but not least I met the famous Alexis

Ugh, my face is so chubby from pregnancy!

Read about our ice cream date here

Alexis is the nicest person I've ever met! She has the purest heart and the greatest outlook on life. She also has the cutest baby girl ever! I met Alexis because I was visiting my sister and they just happened to live in the same city. I miss Mesa! Girl talk with this girl is so fun. I wish we lived closer to each other because I could see us staying up all night chit chatting! I've lost contact with her since our date and it literally makes me want to cry! But I love following along with her through blogging, facebook etc.

Blogging has brought so many great people in to my life. I have a few more meet ups planned for this summer and I cannot wait to make more lifelong friends! If you're ever in west Texas look me up! I'm always up for meeting new friends.

Easter 2014

I'm a procrastinator. Big time! I did all my Easter shopping the day before Easter, along with half of the city. Once the kids were in bed, Dave and I got ready for the big reveal in the morning, hid eggs and set everything just right for the kids. We skipped dying eggs this year because we never eat them after. They always go rotten and it's a big waste. Plus Kyson has never enjoyed dying them so it wasn't a big deal. Sunday morning Kyson woke us up. We did the egg hunt but mid through Kyson started throwing up... this has been happening a lot lately and I'm starting to get concerned. Anyway, it changed the course of the morning. We decided to skip church because it was such a rough morning and obviously Kyson wasn't feeling well enough to go. We finished up the morning and took a family nap. Kyson was sick all morning but started feeling better around noon. I was so bummed that we missed church! Church on Easter is always such a special day and I look forward to it every year. And I was bummed that we couldn't wear our new Easter clothes. Ha! We'll have to wear them next Sunday.

It was a slow day with not much going on, but spending the day with my little family is all I needed.

 Poor kid! You can tell he doesn't feel good.

We attempted a family selfie and this is what we got... 

I'm so thankful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He died for us so we can return to live with him someday! How selfless is that? If that's not an act of love I don't know what is. I'm so thankful that I get to spend Eternity with my family. They are the light of my life and I love them so much. Without the Atonement that wouldn't be possible. It's my duty as a mother to teach my kids about Jesus Christ and the Atonement so they can strive to be like Him and teach their own kids someday. I don't know about you but I want nothing more than to be surrounded by my kids and grand kids in Heaven!

He is Risen!

Dave's birthday

Dave's birthday was pretty low key. I took him to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, his favorite! I made sure the waitress knew it was his birthday because Dave and I get a kick out of embarrassing each other. So obviously I had to do it! We ate and they sung to Dave on that dumb saddle.

We did some shopping but he got his real birthday gift a couple months ago. A big Rifle that he's been wanting forever. A big 308 Sniper Rifle. That thing is L O U D! He's obsessed with it and I'm obsessed with him being so happy.

I love Dave so much! Happy Birthday again. 27 looks fantastic on you :)

Memories

The other day Dave and I were talking about some memories we had of Kyson. Some good, some not so good, some sad, and some funny. I don't want to forget anything when it comes to my family, especially my kids. So this post is kind of just for me. I'm writing down a few memories that are engraved deep into my soul, ha!

1- When Kyson was about two he started watching Dora the Explorer. OMG he learned so much from that show! Show's these days are so educational, I love it! Anyway, every time the Map came on the scream singing that obnoxious "I'm the Map" song Kyson would freak out. I'm talking screaming at the top of his lungs, crying, trying to hide from the T.V., wanting hugs, and he wouldn't stop until you either took him far from the T.V. or the song stopped. This went on for months and to this day I cannot figure out why that map was so terrifying to him. It was probably the cutest/saddest thing I've ever watched Kyson go through!

2- When Kyson was just barely three years old he had his Tonsils and Adenoids out and he got tubes in his ears. Watching Kyson go through surgery is by far the worst thing I've ever gone through as a Mother. He didn't understand what was going on and why he was in so much pain. He didn't know why he had a needle is his hand or why he couldn't eat. It was miserable! For both of us. He had to stay overnight to be monitored and we had to share a room with another family who also had a small child who had his Tonsils out. It was a night filled with constant nurse's visits, crying and no sleep! Dave literally slept on the cold tile floor and I snuggled Kyson in the bed. Kyson ended up getting a fever so we couldn't go home until his fever went down. And his nurses were probably the worst nurses in the state of Texas! They never brought him his medicine on time and there were even times when I had to go to the Nurse's Station to ask for medicine that he was supposed to have two hours ago. Awful experience! But I'm so glad he had it done because he hardly ever gets cold's anymore and he hasn't had an ear infection since.

saddest picture ever

3- Around the same time as his surgery Kyson was getting more Independent by the day. Every morning when he would wake up the first thing he would do is come in and wake Dave and me up because he wanted breakfast. This one Saturday morning he decided he wanted to make his own breakfast, without waking us up. So he opened the freezer, pulled out some frozen waffles, put them in the toaster and started it. He had to of restarted the toaster a few times because Dave and I woke up to a smoke filled house. Those dumb waffles didn't stand a chance against Kyson. Our house smelled like smoke for days. And that's when we found out our Smoke Detector didn't work...

4- As much as I don't want to remember this, I think it's impossible for me to forget it. we like to tease each other in our family. It's from the heart but a lot of teasing goes on in my house. Kyson is usually the one to start it and he definitely handles it well. One day I think I just started poking Kyson and apparently he was not in the mood because he turned to me and under his breath he said, "I hate you!" I was speechless, I couldn't breathe, and I wanted to break down and cry right there. It was the first time Kyson ever said that to me and it definitely took me by surprise. It sunk deep! I had to leave the room to collect myself. Dave had a little talk with him and before I knew it Kyson was running into my arms telling me he loves me but man, I will never forget that moment! He's never said it again.

5- Kyson loves to pray. The first time he asked to say his own prayer melted my heart! We were saying bedtime prayers and he rocked that prayer. One time at dinner I snuck a bite before we blessed the food and Kyson about came unglued on me! He made sure I didn't eat anymore before he blessed the food. I'm so proud of him for having a relationship with our Savior. He's five years old and such a good example to me. He volunteers to say the prayer in Primary all the time. It's crazy that he does because he's so shy but he knows how important it is to pray. Love that kid!

6- When Kyson was three months old we were out doing some birthday shopping for Dave. Dave was at work so it was just Kyson and me. I parked right outside of Best Buy and it was during the evening so it wasn't too hot outside. I got out of the car, got the stroller out of the trunk and set it up. Then I opened the back door, locked the car and put the keys in the diaper bag, like I did every single time! Anyway, the car next to me started to back up so I shut the door just enough for the car not to hit it and it latched! With my keys, my wallet and my phone in the diaper bag, in the car. Literally everything I owned except the stroller was locked in the car! I panicked. There was no one around and I couldn't just leave my baby locked in the car. So I left him and ran in to Best Buy went up to the first employee I saw and said, " Can I use your phone and does it call long distance?" It was obvious to her that I was panicking so she just handed it to me. It's a miracle that I dialed Dave's long distance number right the first time because I didn't have it memorized. He answered while he was up on a jet fixing it, which he never answers while he's on a jet because it's so loud, especially when it's a number he doesn't know. I told him what happened and hung up. He had to borrow a car because we were a one car family at the time. When I got back to my car there were people standing next to it asking if that was my baby left all alone in the car. I wanted to cry because I'm not a bad mom but they made sure I felt like one. It only took Dave a few minutes to get there because he went about 115 miles per hour on the freeway and once the car was unlocked and Kyson was safe I started crying my eyes out. I felt like the worst Mother in the world. I've never made that mistake again and I'm so thankful for On Star who can unlock my car for me if it were to ever happen again.

I have so many memories of Kyson but these are the ones that really stick out to me right now.

mommy/daughter photoshoot

For Presley's half birthday I wanted to have some mommy/daughter pictures taken. I'm in love with how they turned out!

This girl is my little bestie! I'm so glad I was blessed with a baby girl so I can spoil her, have girl's days with her and dress her in such cute obnoxious dresses!! I am so in love with her. I can't believe she is already half a year old, gasp! Time needs to slow down. Way down! Dave has his boy and I have my girl! We are very fortunate to have them!!

random scenes from dallas

I seriously can't explain how much fun we had in Dallas! I love that city! The whole point of going to Dallas was to do some birthday shopping. And shopping we did! Except I'm pretty sure I bought more for the kids than myself, being a Mom does that to you I guess. Cray! I can never go to Dallas without shopping and Dave loves shopping too so we had a great time. We hit up our favorite restaurants and just spent some quality time as a family without work, without school, and out of Abilene!

Flamingos on her skirt! Dave picked out her outfit at the store and he's so proud of it! P baby's little bottomless sandals got so many compliments. People were constantly asking where I got them so here's a public service announcement, I got them on Etsy! I bought about seven pairs because I can't get enough of them!

I cannot wait to go back to Dallas in the coming weeks! Since we only have about a year left in this dreadful city I need to be sure and live it up in Dallas as much as I can. Have I mentioned how much I love Dallas? Ha! :)

it's someone's birthday

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband!

27 looks good on you babe.
 To show how much Dave (and I) have grown since we've been together here's a picture from each year of our relationship!

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Happy Birthday Dave! You're still as hot as the day I met you!

Presley: 6 months

-Presley likes to give kisses now. She'll grab your face with both hands, pull you in and put her open mouth on your face (usually sticking your nose in her mouth). They're very sloppy, sweet kisses and I can't get enough of them!

-P baby has her first tooth popping through on the bottom. She's handled it like a champ. She hasn't made a peep or a single extra fuss because of it!

-She's loved everything we've tried feeding her, especially whipped cream! She's had squash, carrots, bananas, avocados, mashed potatoes, and she tried ice cream.

-I painted her toenails for the first time to match mine. I love having a baby girl! I'm one of those crazy mom's who likes matching their daughter...

-P is wearing 6 month bottoms and 6-9 month tops. Size 2 diapers and I bought her her first pair of chucks! Pink hightops with ruffles! Ahh I can't wait til they fit her!!

-She took her first spill off the couch last week. She barely cried! Other then that she's a pro at sitting all by herself.

-She has her 6 month appointment tomorrow so I have no idea how much she weighs..

-She has amazing motor skills.

-She's still super cuddly! She rests her head on my shoulder all the time. I love it!

-She's ticklish pretty much all over her body, especially her feet, her shoulders, and her ribs.