Forever can never be long enough for me

First I must say I LOVE the song Waka Waka by Shakira from the World Cup… makes me dance in my seat!

Last night was amazing… Our little Diva had her big celebration of her anniversary of her adoption.  When I picked her up I heard her talking about her adoption.  This was the first time in 3 years I have ever heard my baby talk about this.  I was so proud of her and saw her immense pride in talking about her mommy picked her, she was that special that her mommy picked her.  I did voice my concerns with her teachers about just listening to what others were saying.  I never want her to lose this pride.  I am so lucky to have my little angel… it was a long road but worth every bump!
After we went and looked at a house we put an offer on.. yes a HOUSE!  I wanted to see the neighborhood after dark.  I still LOVE it.  We got home and Diva went to bed and I curled up with the pups on the couch for some TV.
I am a HUGE Bachelor fan... I will admit it.  I am a hopeless romantic and want everyone to be loved and in love.  I see how happy I finally am with an amazing man and child and want that for every person possible, everyone deserves to have that.  Last night was the finale and the Bachelor (SUPER SMART MAN!) chose the girl I liked... a single mom who had lost her previous fiancé in a plane crash.  I must say that the proposal was so incredibly sweet... he cried and she was beaming.   Then as they closed the show they played the song “Marry Me” by Train.  I LOVE this song and Hubby and I sing it to eachother all the time via email, IM and skype.  I started to just cry missing my other half… only a few weeks until R&R.
Then I watched the After the Final Rose… Ummm.  Please don’t refer to your relationship as VOLATILE in the first 6 months there is a problem.  I have been in a volatile relationship and it didn’t turn out very well for me… would NEVER go there again especially with a child, which the ‘winner’ has.  This comment does not give me ANY hope in their relationship but weirder things have happened I suppose!

Do you watch the Bachelor?  Do you like the new Bachelorette choice?

Tears and Ice Cream!

HOLY COW this was a great weekend!  Went to Nevada and saw Reba McIntyre in concert with my mom and sister… we do this every 5 years!  We left our daughters, ages 6, 7 & 9 with my 90+ year old Grandparents.  They had a great time!  I realized that I am the cheapest drunk EVER… less than 2 drinks and I was ready to pass out.  I haven’t drank in years so it was no big surprise.  650 miles of driving in 2 days and being home was great.  Thank you Daylight Savings Time….

I forgot to change my stupid alarm clock for Daylight Savings~ EVERY other clock is changed but not the stupid one that matters so I woke up an hour late and only because my sister called or I would have been WAY later.  .  Diva and I got up, showered and out of the house in 26 minutes… I am truly impressed with us.  Then of course, MURPHY’s LAW… I needed GAS and BLEW my diet on chocolate donuts!  All in all I was only 20 minutes late to work this morning

Today is a HUGE day in our family… with or without Daddy here it’s a huge day.  On this day 3 years ago we finalized the adoption on Diva.  We became an official family of 3!  She talked to her daddy last night on Skype (his morning) so that he could wish her a Happy Day and tell her what her big surprise that he planned.  Tonight we will be going to Johnny Rockets to have hamburgers and floats then a ride on the carousel to celebrate.  I know that he wishes he could be but with him planning it he feels more involved.   As we got to her daycare this morning she announced to her teacher that it was HER special adoption day!  She is so excited and proud.  She celebrates so many dates… Our Wedding Anniversary, her GOTCHA Day, her Adoption Day and her Birthday!  

When the decision of adoption came about, it was after my past life and in a place that I had every intention of single parenting a child.  I met Diva and knew on day 1 that she was my daughter and did everything in my power to make it so.  She was 2 ½ when I picked her up from her foster family and headed home, to our home.  With every bag she declared, “MINE”.  We got everything in the car and off we went.  At home she met my mom, her Grandma and Shiloh (my moms yellow lab), Grandma Shiloh’s name was made (yep, named after a dog).  Over the next 15 months Hubby and I became a couple, got engaged and the three of us were married.  What whirlwind we all went through and came out of it a perfect family.  Hubby is ¼ Asian, I am SUPER white and Diva… well in true Diva fashion she is half Latina so people often question if I am mom, aunt or nanny. HA.

On her Adoption Day, Diva had 3 Grandmas there, her Grandpa (hubby’s dad who is also adopted), and her Great Grandma (my Grandma - adopted) with her boyfriend (foster child that aged out), along with agency workers that we got very close to during the process.  It truly was an amazing day full of tears and ice cream!  We are truly blessed to have her in our lives. 

We are in the process of looking for a house right now and with every place we look at she picks out her BROTHERS room, tells everyone we are adopting a boy baby… and it can only be a boy baby and only through adoption as she wants him like her.  

Happy Day my little one!  Just like that day 3 years ago… my morning started with TEARS of joy and will end with ICE CREAM.

MilSpouse Friday Fill in!

This deployment is FINALLY speeding up. I only have a few more MilSpouse Friday Fill-In before R&R. Yikes!!
Join in the Fill-In fun with Wife of a Sailor


1. During military separations (whether short or long) how do you keep yourself positive and motivated? submitted by Married/Single Parent
I make sure to work out and I always have a project to complete within the timeframe that he is gone.  I must admit the longer the deployment the less motivated I get… it’s this hurried feeling to start and then a lull (serious LAZINESS) then the frantic chaos of homecoming!

2. What is your favorite concert you have ever been to? submitted by Young but Not (Completely) Dumb
Josh Groban in Santa Barbara in 2010 – Hubby and his mom have always LOVED Groban and I have acquired that liking so mom in law and I went up there for this concert.  It was a 1200 person theatre and he took audience requests!   

3. What do you miss most about your “hometown”?  submitted by A Florida Girl and Her Soldier
I don’t have a hometown… my family has always been very nomadic BUT I miss NOTHING about the town I graduated high school in.

4. If you could run in any race, which charity would you choose to support? submitted by Wookie & Co.
Got Your Back Network, it provides assistance for families of our fallen service members – There are actually 2 runs coming up in Denver and Anapolis!

5. You find out Willy Wonka is your father, what 3 course meal do you INSIST he create in that stick of gum?  submitted by A{muse}ing Mommy on a Pink Park Bench
Appetizer: Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Main: Filet Mignon with lobster mashed potatoes and asparagus

Dessert: Crème Brulee

Laundry Monster!

What a day!  Hubby is in extreme R&R countdown mode, I am in extreme clean freak mode… Diva is just in extreme mode.  Last night was the meltdown over putting away HER clean laundry.  So instead of listening to the screaming all night I let her go to bed and do it tonight.  It WILL be done before she goes to bed tonight though.  She gets mad when she can’t find her clothes, she hates putting them away and I refuse to do it any longer.  Currently there are 2 loads of munchkin Diva laundry and uniforms ALL OVER her floor!

There are days I feel like she is growing up too quickly because daddy is deployed and mommy needs help around the house.  I talk to other moms whose kids have no responsibility at all and I wonder if I am putting too much on her.  She is responsible for HER room, feeding the cat and fish and her homework.  When I was her age I was responsible to get myself home, yes I was a latchkey kid at 6, starting my homework, washing/drying and folding towels, putting away my clothes, keeping my room clean and my dog so I don’t see anything wrong with Diva’s jobs.  Sadly since she is the only kid she knows that has responsibilities she reminds me all the time that I am evil… haha. 

Yesterday I felt like I ran all day… sitting down last night felt SO good.  We had a ‘Morning with Mommy’ at her school, then I headed to work… after work is my most loved workout, KICK BOXING, then Conference Call, Girl Scout cookie booth sale… home for homework and dinner.  It was pretty funny actually… she didn’t invite me to the Mommy thing and it hurt my feelings, so when I asked she said she didn’t think I would be able to go because of work so she asked another Mom to take her.  I cleared my morning to go with her, she is more important than work afterall… we get there and SHE DITCHED ME.  HAHA.  She went to hang out with her friends and I talked to another mom the whole time… it was hysterical!

Glad to be at work today… it’s quieter with less stress than home.  Haha

ENJOY!

LVN2BWELL - St Louis Event

I am a board member for the Got Your Back Network, an organization that assists families of fallen service members.  I wanted to let you all know about this upcoming event that will act as a fundraiser for our organization. 

The LVN2BWELL event in St. Louis combines two of founder Dr. Andy Baldwin's passions; GYBN and health & wellness. The event starts with a kick-off on March 26th and runs for a week. You can learn more at LVN2BWELL.  GYBN charity will benefit from funds raised at the kick-off.  We are inviting widows of fallen soldiers to the kick-off.

Please contact me or Got Your Back with any questions or if you would like to volunteer your time.

It's my SPARKLING personality!

I have been struggling with our house the last few months.  When he first left I kept it inspection worthy for a few months’ weeks, then slowly it started getting cluttered and then I would tidy.  That cycle continued for a bit, then the tidying would get father and farther apart until it became a disorganized disaster!  I am not dirty by any means… just messy and cluttered.  I cleaned the garage out in January so we could park in there, then planned to start on other rooms to get us going… well that never happened.  Last night I posted my intent to clean my office on Facebook.  No sooner did I hit submit I got a text from a friend that she would come help/keep me company while I cleaned.  I hesitated for a minute as I wasn’t sure if I was really ready to tackle this room.  Reluctantly I said OK, and plans were set.  An hour later she showed up with her peppy demeanor and off we went.  Less than 2 hours later I had 2 tubs of trash, piles of specific items and a stack of stuff to go through… and a list of ‘chores’ to complete before she comes back Thursday. 

I did not know she was such an anal organizational genius!  THANK GOODNESS for people like that in my life.  I will have an office by week’s end, one that is actually functional and inspection worthy.  Next week will be our bedroom, boxing up his clothes thus making room for my weekend shopping spree at Kohls (thank you for the 30% off coupon!)  I am even more excited because this gives me a chance to dress him like I would like him to dress instead of every shirt saying something in Arabic or about OIF, IRF or being an MP (actually those are all now a t-shirt quilt for him to remember but not wear!).  So all in all this is a good thing … spring cleaning of sorts.

Speaking of new… I have started a new business thank you to Girl ExtraOrdinaire for their amazing clothes and this opportunity!

As a princess and Army Wife… with a mini Diva I love sparkles!  Rhinestones and glitter are our best friends.  With that being said I have looked high and low for military wife apparel that is sparkly.  I have tried Zazzle and Cafepress and have not been impressed with ANYTHING acquired by either company.  So with that being said I started my own company, Military Princess Apparel, to satisfy the need of the sparkly military wife or child… or mom, aunt, sister… you name it.  I will happily accept custom orders or you can order the standard: ~Branch~ wife/fiance/princess.  I have them in T’s and Tanks or Hoodies!  I will post some pictures tomorrow of what I currently have as a sample.

You can contact me on Facebook or email MilitaryWifeApparel@yahoo.com

Fat Tuesday!

I have never been to Mardi Gras but HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!

Ok- so I am not consistant in these but its my blog and there are days I want to write about something else.... sorry!

Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life

There are a lot of things that I hope to do in life.  What’s funny is that every time I try to list something that I hope to do I get mad at my self because I WILL do it.  So I guess everything I hope to do turn out to be things that I will do.

I will publish 2 books

I will have another child – a little boy

I will visit all of the countries on my bucket list

I will live my happily ever after

I hope will to get through the next few months of this deployment with my sanity.  I hope that the time flies for Big Daddy and me during this time! 

With just a few weeks before R&R the anxiety and excitement are building.  Every conversation with him is about the airport moment, the first kiss…the first touch.  He hasn’t really lived in our place since we moved in so it should make for an interesting trip.  Diva has decided that she and daddy are going to do a fun date day, just the two of them while mommy goes to the spa.  Yes, the little one gets it… or she just wants her time.  Either way, this mommy is happy to oblige!

Here's to a great Tuesday!