I love.

While I attempt to come back down from that cloud labeled “nine” that was our trip to Savannah, I thought I’d grace all you love birds with an update on this St. Valentine’s Day. Our weekend get-away was fabulous. Perfect. Splendid. I’ll tell you all about it at a later date because I don’t have time to write a post that would do it justice.

For now, I’m going to link up with Jenn for another edition of (Mil)ing It Over. Todays topic? Love, of course!

I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day. It didn’t matter if I had a boyfriend of not. It’s just fun to show love and receive love from all those special people in life. My parents were those who went all out on such holidays- A card, some candy, just a simple gesture to let me know they were thinking of me. I remember one year, in fifth grade,  I was hoping that I was one of those lucky students who got a balloon sent to the office with their name on it. Walking by the office, I could see it was sprinkled with reds and pinks, flowers, and countless balloons. Then, I saw it! I was face to face with a life-sized Mickey Mouse balloon. He had arms and legs and was at my eye level! I thought that whoever got that was the luckiest girl/boy in the world. The time came for students to pick up what was waiting for them in the front office. My name was called! I felt so blessed as I walked down the hallway. I walked in and the secretary handed me the hand of Mickey Mouse- that balloon was mine!

I know this all sounds so cheesy, but isn’t that an integral part of Valentine’s Day? I was so happy to get that gift from my dad. Of course, it isn’t about the gifts that my parents showered me with. It just felt good to know they care about me and wanted me to be happy. Now, to this day, I can’t recall a Valentine’s Day when my dad failed to call me and ask me to be his Valentine.

V-Day is about telling all those people in your life that you love em! And I love that we have a day to celebrate that. All those bah-humbugs are missing out! Just because there’s a day set aside for us to remind our loved ones what they mean to us, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it the rest of the year, as well. There’s no need to rain on the parades of those of us who do get downright obnoxious with our pinks and reds this time of year.

With all that said, Mom(and Joe), Dad (and Julie)- I love you bunches. Thank you for all the things you’ve done over the years to make me feel loved and special. 🙂

I also love my friends, my family, my Jesus, my husband, my dogs, my little baby growing inside, and so many other things-

Like…. blog awards! The other day, I got two of them in one day so I was pretty pumped! One is from Nina, a lady I envy from a far. This girl has got it all together! She lives in Anchorage, Alaska and stays busy working on a degree in Psychology, keeping physically fit, and exploring God’s green earth with her hubby. If you enjoy reading about outdoor fun in Alaska then check her out here: Adventures of a Lifetime

I received the Versatile Blogger award from her, but because I’ve already received it once or twice I’m going to skip all the rules. I still love getting blog awards so thank you very much, Nina!

The other one I landed was from the lovely, Lydia!

She is a newlywed Navy Wife so go over to her page and congratulate her! Thank you so much for the award, dear! As for the rules, I must share 7 things about myself-

1. I organized a gigantic box of greeting cards today.

2. I love the feeling ghost stories gives me.

3. Chocolate is a major food group in my world.

4. I come from a blended family, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

5. I love to scare my husband.

6. My 2nd trimester rocks thus far!

7. I just got a lovely bouquet of roses from Captain J that made my heart melt.

Now, I’m supposed to pass it on. I choose (drumroll please…)

Consider the Lillies.

Thanks for checking in with me on this beautiful, Georgia day. I hope you have all had a really swell day.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

More from the South…

As promised, I have more photos to share with you today. I also was gifted an award by the lovely Lydia_Isabelle over at Reality Check. She gave me the Versatile Award! You may recall that I received this award awhile back but it has a fresh new look so I’m going to post it again and link to my previous post so that you can see my answers to the questions/rules that accompany this award. Thanks again, Ms. Navy Wife to be 🙂

You can find 7 facts about me by visiting my early post here. Buttttttt…..I would like to pass this award on to some notewory versatile bloggers that I’ve never gifted it to. The rules say to pass it on to 15, but as you may know- I’m a rule breaker so that’s just not how I roll 😉 I’m going to give it to the following bloggers:

-Mowenackie (She’s a fellow milspouse who writes intelligently and from the heart. She currently has a contest/race going on to see who the 400th commenter will be and I’m really hoping it’s me! But you all should go try to win, too.)

–Hilary at Pennies From Heaven (She’s a cute-as-a-button Kentucky fan who blogs about her life as a military spouse, spirituality, cooking, and life in the north country among other things. Go check her out!)

I’d also like to re-gift to Mrs. S (who I see has already received the other version) who definitely has a lot of awards already, but only because she is so great at what she does! She writes about everything under the sun from the perspective of the Air Force wife. If you love military family blogs, you’ll enjoy hers!

Okay and now let’s continue down the path of pictures from my trip to Tennessee last month…

If you missed that post, you can check it out now: Week 2 Recap

The following photos are just some of my favs- I don’t think I blogged about these, but I still wanted to share:

Niece and Nephew on the boat, O Be Joyful

Acting silly with the siblings

That’s all for today! I have some good photos of the hike I took with my dad and step-mom but I’m going to compile those into a slideshow for you to enjoy. I’m going to pry myself away from facebook, wordpress, and other social networking sites so that I can do some research on what I’m going to do with the rest of my life (I am taking suggestions, though! ha). Wish me luck!

Caution: Do not read if “weak stomach” describes you

Welp, it’s almost go time and I’m pretty unprepared. The good news is that we found a house sitter so we won’t have that to worry about in our absence. The bad news is that I have yet to pack fully. I think my husband’s habit of waiting until the last minute has rubbed off on me. I’ll get there, though and it will all come together.

The bad news just keeps piling up. Let me just let you in on how my day went-

I brought Holly and Drifter inside while I cleaned the house so that they could spend some time with me (I’m so fun, ya know?). Then we went for a nice little walk around the neighborhood, only to find out that the mail hadn’t been picked up since Thursday. In case you didn’t know, I have the worst luck with the postal service. In the tan colored box with the red flag standing at attention is a bunch of bills that will no doubt be late this month. Anyway, when we arrived at the cabin again, I poured some water into their bowls because they seemed parched. Well, the little scoundrels chugged it, each wanting to down it before the other could. Throwing up ensued.

I put them both outside so I could re-clean my floors. There was only an hour in between then and the time we all had to leave for their vet appointments. How much trouble could they possibly get into? Never ask that question.

I walked outside to load them up into the truck and they had pooed all over the entry way to their cage. To let you know how grody it was, I will say that this particular bowel movement shouldn’t be confused with a solid. It was definitely of the liquid persuasion. I was running late so I had no time to clean it off before I got them out of there so I maneuvered around the mess as best I could while I hooked them into their leash. Just as I thought we were free of the mess, Drifter backs up into it and starts moving his evil paws so as to splatter it all over my jeans and shoes. It was at that moment that I realized. I cannot wait to get home!

I’ll be dog free.

Of course, I’m also thrilled to see everyone. I’ll be traveling tomorrow. I don’t know how much you’ll hear from me over the next month, but I do plan on posting when I get the chance. I want to ask you for your prayers and good vibes for Captain J. He will likely be under a lot of stress and physical challenges during the next month so we’re hoping he is able to handle it well. I’m worried about him going from this mild climate of 50ish degrees to temps of 90 degrees and above. Yuck! He’s strong, though and I know he’ll be fine.

I’ll leave you with another thing that made this rainy day a bit brighter…a new award! Thanks to Lydia_Isabelle for this sweet thought-

 

You should go check out her page- Reality Check. I love reading her blog. She’s a beautiful person inside and out and really seems to have a good head on her shoulders…ya know, as best I can tell from my side of the world! 🙂 Now, onto those pesky rules:

I’m supposed to list 3 things I love about myself-

1. My eyes- They’re the one thing I got from my dear ole dad. I have brown eyes that often give me away. I can’t seem to lie because they always betray me! My eyes are also a conversation starter because I can do this weird thing (usually inadvertantly) that makes them go all “wonky” as Mama M. would say.

2. My conscience- It keeps me in check. If I’ve done something even remotely wrong, I know about it really quick because there’s this nagging, gnawing pain that makes me realize I’ve wronged someone. I hate that feeling, but I’m glad it’s there so that I can make things right when I need to.

3. My husband- What?? That counts! We’re joined at the hip now that we’re hitched, right? I love that I waited to find the best man for me (or waited on God to send him my way) so that there was no question when he came along that that is who I would marry. I love our life together up here in Alaska. Best of all, I love how he makes me want to be a better person.

The other rule is to post a picture that I love. How bout this one? It’s fitting-

And now to pass it on…I never give it to as many people as I’m supposed to so that it’s more special so I’m going to give it to just one. This little lady blogs at ACUs and ABCs and I think her blog is simply adorable! That’s it! Oh, wait…I want to give it to Jenn, too because she’s like my other bloggy half. Jenn and I (and a few other military significant others) have an exciting announcement to make in a few weeks. Stay tuned!

Love,

You’re goin’ places, baby!

Remember the fabulous J. Ashley over at Be Real Be Happy? Well, she gave me a blog award and I’m pretty pumped about it. Thanks, girl!

The rules of this award are:

1. Describe where I think I’ll be in 10 years.
2. Pass the fun along to 10 other bloggers.

In ten years, I’ll be 34 years young. That seems like such a long time away, but I know it will go by fast. Just the other day, I met a couple from London, England who I eagerly talked to about their neck of the woods. I went to the United Kingdom not too long ago (or so I thought) so it was fun hearing about their lives there and remembering some of the places I visited while I was there. I was having trouble remembering specific names of places when I realized–that trip was ten years ago. TEN! It felt strange to realize that much time has passed by already. Life goes by so fast, doesn’t it?

I may get long-winded on this. I’ll try not to, though.

Where will I be in ten? I have always found this question difficult to answer. Maybe that comes with age, though. Young people usually see so many possibilities that it’s hard to fathom one, clear path- at least that was my experience. Now, I feel slightly more settled.

I see myself living happily with Captain J somewhere in the south–close to family. We also have a family of our own. There’s a couple of kids running around outside, playing with Drifter. My house is nice and clean and I just sat down with a glass of wine outside with J while he throws some steaks on the grill. Maybe I’m enjoying some downtime because I finally have a job that I enjoy and I put my whole heart into it. Maybe I’m only working part time at a job that I love while I juggle being a mom and housewife at home. I see us settled–with the military no longer dictating where we’ll live or how much time I get to see my husband.

That all sounds pretty great! But honestly, I’m not sure where I’ll be in ten years. I’m enjoying the ride and trusting in God’s plans for me, not my own. Life always works out better for me when I realize He’s in control and knows what He’s doing!

I’d like to pass this award on to some of my favorite military bloggers because obviously–They’re going places. Being a part of the military or marrying into the military will definitely create a lifestyle of relocating here and there, but even more than that–these women stand by their men and are faithful and happy partners for them, too. These women are so strong and that really goes along way. Here’s to you, ladies!

1. Shannon @ An Army Wife’s Alaskan Adventures

2. Whitney @ Everything Happens for a Reason

3. d.a.r @ Just Another Day in {our midwest} paradise

4. Dani @ The Last Frontier aka North Pole, Alaska

5. Jessica @ The (Mis)Adventures of An Army Wife

6. Jenn @ Chances I’m Taking

In true Mrs. K fashion- I’m going to stop at 6.

The Cap’n and I are headed for a lil camping trip and some King Salmon fishin’! Do you think I can reel one of those in? I’ve got my doubts. I’m sure we’ll have a good time, though. When I return, I’ll tell you all about it. Peace out girl/boy scout!

(I also have some posts scheduled to automatically publish while I’m gone. Check back in tomorrow to read about our ziplining adventures!)

Love,

“I love your blog!”

I got an award from Jenn over at Chances I’m Taking! Thanks, a lot Jenn. I love your blog, too but since I can’t re-gift, I’ll pass it along to some other of my favorite bloggers, but that is to come a little later. First off, we’ve got some business to get down to. With this award, I must list ten things I love (in no particular order)–

1. My military life I was so glad to have Captain J home for this Memorial Day. Even though the weekend didn’t go quite as planned, I’m thankful beyond belief that he was stateside this year. As we close up the month of the military families today, I’d just like to say–thanks. Thanks to those who serve. Thanks to the families who stick by those service men and women. I’m proud to be an army wife and I feel incredibly lucky to be born in the best country in the world!

2. Wonderful Friends New and old-I’m so glad you’re in my life! For those of you this week who listened to me complain and brought me Diet Dews- You’re the bomb! For those of you who made me laugh from miles away…thank you! To my new “couple” friend- I’m so glad I met you. For my bloggy friends for checking in on me and reaching out, you rock!

3. The fact that I caught a fish this weekend Umm..yeah…Not only did I catch a fish, I outfished 3 guys! I caught 3 fish which was the record for the day. Beat that, boys! Ha!

 

 

4. Technology Skype and video capable cell phones make me happy every week. I get to see my family from many miles away and it helps me tremendously.

5. My sweet puppy Drifter was so happy this weekend. He got to play with his buddies quite a bit! He’s a much more pleasant pet when he’s fully exercised and socialized.

6. Spiced Chai Tea Cheers me up every time.

7. An empty hamper and laundry basket Unfortunately, our closet is what is actually empty. Zut alor!

8.We don’t have to move This was the BEST news I heard all weekend. I was getting really frustrated with Captain J the situation. I was driving him nuts, I’m sure. He said it would all work out and I guess it has! The owners decided not to sell the house. Woo hoo!

9. Chocolate ‘Nuff said.

10. Air conditioning Man, I miss that.

Alrighty, now that those are taken care of- Let’s pass it along, shall we?

Drumroll please…..

I present this award to-

Ashley @ Be Real Be Happy

Mom @ Kimbodarlin’s Blog

Mrs. Dear @ Lovin’, Huntin’, and Fishin’

Amanda @ Where the Boat Leaves From

I was supposed to pass this along to ten people, but in normal Mrs. K fashion…I decided four was good. It’ s more special that way, right? There are tons of blogs I love, but these are worth a look at it. These ladies are fabulous!

I promise to write more this week. I know I’ve been MIA lately. Blame it on the gorgeous weather!

Versatile Award

I have lots to share with you! First of all, I got a blog award! Not just any ole blog award–my very first one. I’m pretty pumped about it. The lovely lady over at In the Military and on the Move gave it to me so go show her blog some love and tell her Mrs. K sent ya! The award comes with a set of rules. One, of which, says to share “seven things about yourself.”

1. My least favorite chore is pulling weeds.

2. I’m allergic to sulfa.

3. I love weird socks.

4. My carpet that I’m currently laying on smells like vanilla.

5. I call my best friend Meaghan, my LP (life partner).

6. I collected beanie babies as a tyke young adolescent.

7. All the clothes I’m wearing right now are Captain J’s.

Pretty random, ehh?

Anywho, the other rules say to pass the award on to 15 bloggers. 15? Eeeekkkk! I think it will be more meaningful and special if I just pass it on to a handful of bloggers. The award is ‘The Versatile Blogger’ and the following are people I think fit that title well–

1. Carissa writes often of her love for ketchup and John Cusack. She’s a very funny and interesting blogger. She also has some pretty entertaining vlogs. Check out her latest video blog here.

2. Jenn blogs about her upcoming wedding to her man in uniform. She also has positive, uplifting posts that often brighten my day. Occasionally she shares her experiences in exercising more and learning to enjoy the physical milestones she hits. Go check her out.

3. Tabitha always seems to have something positive to say, too. Her blog contains her workout and diet regiments along with more of her day to day experiences. She has a really cool bucket list type deal on her page and she just completed her latest “Sing Karaoke” found here.

I think 3 is a good number 🙂 Thanks again to Mrs. M at In the Military and on the Move for my first award!

In other fun news–

A new bloggy friend recently compiled several military family pictures into a short video. Yours truly along with Captain J can be found in it if you look closely. I thought she chose the perfect song to use in the video. Gotta love Jack Johnson! Anyway, here’s Mrs. Gambizzle’s tribute to our service members and their families. You can check her out at Life as a Sailor’s Girl.

Talk Blog with you soon!

Love,