Flowers ♥ ♥ ♥

♥ ♥ ♥Gorgeous flowers from my favorite.♥ ♥ ♥

I received these last week, but didn't think to post a photo. Oops! I truly do have the best husband ever! =)

New Vehicle!

Our new-to-us SUV! So far I like it! =)

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I know I haven't blogged in forever, but I really haven't had much to blog about. This deployment is winding down so I'm excited for that and am starting to think about all the stuff I have to do in preparation to go home again. I'm gonna be sad to leave my family and Kansas again, but I figure the excitement of seeing my husband again after so many months will overshadow any sadness I might experience. Also we're planning to come back and visit for 2-3 weeks sometime after he gets back stateside. I currently have a part-time temporary job so that provides a little extra money. I'm hoping to find a job when I get back home...gotta support my shopping habit somehow! Hahaha! =) I really miss decorating my house for Christmas. :'( At least I get to help my parents decorate their house. It's just sad knowing that Trav won't be with me on our favorite holiday! We celebrated our 7th anniversary (Nov. 5) with 7,000+ miles between us...that was kinda sad, but we survived. Lately it's been hard for me to imagine actually living with my husband again. It's been 5 1/2 months since I saw him in person. I know, I know....there are ppl that have it waay worse, but still it's a long time to go without seeing your spouse and it's not over yet either. I am thankful that my husband joined the Air Force and that they seem to have shorter deployments than some of the other branches of the military. I am also thankful that my husband has access to the internet and we can email and chat pretty much every day...and he can call me fairly often too. Don't know what I would've done otherwise...possibly go insane?!! =)  Dare I say it?...I am thankful for this deployment. Well, thankful for the extra pay it has provided us. It came at the perfect time...I've had several unexpected expenses, but have been able to deal with them because of the extra pay. I KNOW God worked all that out and I didn't even know to pray for it. It's so amazing how a lot of things have worked out like that. I am also very thankful for my parents letting me live with them while my husband's deployed. It has eased my husband's mind knowing I'm with family and not all alone. Well, that's a little insight into what I've been up to lately. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And in case I don't blog again before Christmas...Merry Christmas!!! =)

Pause. Remember. Pray.

Please take a moment to remember those that lost their lives 10 years ago in the horrific terrorist attacks and say a prayer for the ones continuing the fight for our freedom. 

Hiatus

hi·a·tus

   [hahy-ey-tuhs]  Show IPA

–noun, plural -tus·es, -tus.

1.

a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series,action, etc.

2.

a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted toaccount for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript.

3.

any gap or opening.

It's been 2+ months since I posted. Why?? Well, my husband left for his deployment and I moved (temporarily) back to Kansas. I've been trying to get used to and enjoy life without him....just not happening. It was bad enough when he was at BMT and tech school, but at least I could visit him every few months...6 months without seeing him??? Are you kidding me?! Ugh! To get through this I refuse to dwell on the negative  aspects though. (Well, I refuse to constantly dwell on the negative...sometimes it's therapeutic to grumble a little bit! Holidays are gonna totally suck this year without him.) I am very lucky to get to FB chat with my husband every day and I get to talk to him on the phone occasionally. I know there are other military spouses that have it way worse! I am also very lucky to be married to such an awesome guy! =)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I found (& baked) the most amazing (& probably the most fattening!) red velvet cupcake recipe! Boxed red velvet cake mix can't even compare! =)

Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I used light tasting (NOT virgin!) olive oil)
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature  **see below**
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (imitation works fine)

(**If you don't have buttermilk: pour 1 Tb. lemon juice into 1 c. measuring cup, then pour milk to the top and let set til it reaches room temp. I did it this way and the cupcakes turned out just fine!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting (This make a lot of frosting! If you don't go crazy with it, I think it would frost twice as many cupcakes!)
1 pound cream cheese, softened (I used the 1/3 less fat and it worked fine.)
2 sticks butter, softened (I don't know if you can use margarine or not. I used real butter...1 stick unsalted and 1 stick salted.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (again, imitation worked fine)
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (I don't have a sifter so I just placed it in a bowl and stirred it around with a fork before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.)
Chopped pecans, fresh raspberries, strawberries, or sprinkles for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Garnish with chopped pecans, fresh raspberries, strawberries, or sprinkles.

As of today, I am now the proud wife of a Senior Airman! =) Woohoo!!! (Hurray for promotions and more pay!!!) Congratulations, Travis!!! 

I saw this on Facebook. Interesting comparison, huh?! =)

A Royal Wedding and a Funeral?!

I thought the Royal Wedding was truly beautiful! Kate's (Princess Catherine...and whatever else her formal title is!) dress was gorgeous! Very stunning! (I wasn't able to stay up and watch it live, but I watched it later the same day.) Although it was a very formal wedding, it didn't totally  feel stiff and starchy. I thought it was really sweet when she arrived at the front of the church and he told her that she looked beautiful. ♥♥♥ Both bride and groom were radiating happiness. I hope they have a very long and happy marriage!

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I'm still finding it a little hard to believe that Osama Bin Laden is actually dead. I'm sure someone has already taken his place...I just hope this doesn't mean an even bigger problem. Like someone else said "I hope the terrorists don't ramp up their attacks." I'm not usually a big worrier, but it makes me worry even more since my husband is getting deployed. I just have to keep reminding myself that God has it all under control!

Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend! I bet not many others could top this one! =)  

Tornadoes....here?!

Someone on base took this video of the tornado that briefly touched down on base. (He uses some bad language so you can mute it if you'd like.) Even though sirens were going off, I wasn't freaked out because I didn't expect it to be all that serious. I'm from tornado alley after all! (Guess next time I hear sirens going off on base, I should be a  little more concerned!) Fortunately no one was hurt and the neighborhood I live in had no damage that I'm aware of! Thank God! My husband and I were at the church on base at the time so I didn't know what I'd find when I got home...I was hoping my dog was ok! Driving home, we saw a lot of tree damage and a few outdoor kids toys and a trashcan strewn around. The power was out for about 6 hrs. last night. They restored it pretty quickly considering all the branches that were down and probably resting on power lines. I'm glad it got restored when it did because it was getting pretty hot in our house...and it was decently warm outside too. I know I really have nothing to complain about considering the heavy losses down south. I feel so badly for them. My thoughts and prayers are with them! I'm from Kansas so I expect to see tornadoes there, but here and down south?!? I had no idea!

Here's a picture someone took not far from base. Looks pretty scary!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! So thankful He died and rose again for me! =)

Thought for the day...

"It's a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up." ~J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Nothing

Absolutely nothing is going on here...other than a little anxiety as I mentally prepare for my husband to be deployed. My life is so boring right now...I guess that can be good. Anyway. The inlaws are coming for a visit in a little over a month. I've got that to prepare my house for. I'm making many, many lists in preparation of going back "home" for a few months. I'm always making a list for something. =) Well, that's it for this update. Short & sweet. Haha!

It's come to this.

Maybe I had a premonition when I wrote this post. Who know's. Well, it's true...my husband's getting deployed later this year. We thought this could be the year he'd get deployed, but it's still not a pleasant thought. I'm sure I'll manage some how. I think I'll probably move back home for a few months so I won't be all alone here...I'm already an introvert, but I don't want to turn into a hermit! Haha! For now I'm trying to stay positive...when he's actually gone I may have major breakdown...time will tell. That's my life for now.

75 days

That's how many days I have til I get to go "home"!  I have the most amazing husband in the world...he's letting me leave him for 5 weeks! He'll still have Zeus though! I hope I can survive that long without both of them...time will probably fly by though. I'm sooooo super excited!

30 photos in 30 days: Day #31

Day #31: A photo of yourself. 

(I guess this is a bonus or something...for whatever reason they listed a 31st day on the fb group for this 30 day photo thing. Hmmm.)

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Happy 13th birthday to my first nephew Gabe! I can't believe he's a teenager already!

30 photos in 30 days: Day #30

Day #30: A photo of someone you miss.

I actually miss 2 someones! I haven't seen my grandparents in nearly 2 years since they live in Florida and I don't. =(

30 photos in 30 days: Day #29

Day #29: A photo that can always make you smile.

This photo is a few yrs. old, but I think this is a.dor.able! A photo of Emma can always make me smile. =)

30 photos in 30 days: Day #28

Day #28: A photo of something you're afraid of.

I am afraid of the possibility...

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Happpy 4th Birthday to my nephew Dean!!!!

30 photos in 30 days: Day #27

Day #27: A photo of yourself and a family member.

Me and my sister in-law, Jen! I have to say she's one of my best friends. I don't know what I would do without her. I'm sooo glad my brother picked such an awesome woman for his wife! =)

30 photos in 30 days: Day #26

Day #26: A photo of something that means a lot to you.

My marriage means a lot to me!
It's so nice to have the unconditional love and support of my wonderful husband and best friend. I don't know what I'd do without him.

30 photos in 30 days: Day #25

Day #25: A photo of your day.

Shopping and Stargate...doesn't get much better than this! =)

30 photos in 30 days: Day #24

Day #24: A photo of something you wish you could change.

I think it would be awesome to be able to change the weather to whatever mood I'm in. I especially miss thunder storms. They are few and far between here. =(

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I have reached my 100th post! Wow! I didn't really think I'd get that far! =)

30 photos in 30 days: Day #23

Day #23: A photo of your favorite book.

I couldn't pick just one! I love this whole series...probably why I'm reading them through for the 4th time! =)

30 photos in 30 days: Day #22

Day #22: A photo of something you wish you were better at.

I wish I were better at making friends.

30 photos in 30 days: Day #21

Day #21: A photo of something you wish you could forget.

My heart has been hurt or broken over many things and it would be nice to forget about all those times. However, I may not have learned many valuable lessons either if I had forgotten.

30 photos in 30 days: Day #20

Day #20: A photo of somewhere you'd love to travel.

I'd looove to visit Ireland! =)

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Happy Valentine's Day!!!