Semper Gumby ...the Return of Sunshine!

Support Breast Cancer Prevention Organizations?

2011-10-10T09:30:00.002-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month! If you're in the US, any retailer has a variety of every day items in pink. Each year, about $6 billion (yes you ready the correctly, BILLION) is committed to breast cancer research. I hope that this terrible disease is cured and that our mothers, daughters, sisters, friends and ourselves are not affected or threatened any longer. I've donated money to this particular cause and I am passionate about the pink ribbon but like any other commercialized holiday, I'm getting a bit concerned that it's becoming more about PINK products than women who are experiencing Breast Cancer.

I just caution you to check where you're shelling out your precious dollars to before you hand it over.

Marie Claire agrees...Take a look at this Marie Claire article about this particular topic.

The Big Business of Breast Cancer

There are scammers that want your money and are disguised as a charitable organization. They make you believe that you're giving your money (in good faith) to great orgs such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In reality, the money never makes it there!!

"The names of many breast cancer charities are designed to foll donors into
believing they are bigger and more impressive than they are."
- Marie Claire Magazine, Oct 2011. P. 158

Marie Claire suggests these well-regarded breast cancer organizations for donors to contribute to. The following groups spend most of their funds to research and treatment:

Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center

Chop Chop my hair!

2011-10-06T17:23:00.001-04:00

I am so excited but last week, just two weeks after our wedding, I did what I haven't done since Middle school! I cut my hair up to my shoulders! I donated 2 inches to Pantene Beautiful Lengths program. Everybody asks why I didn't send it to Locks of Love (that's another story...) and let's just say that I considered my options. I was nervous but more than that, I was SO EXCITED to have it go away so that somebody could benefit from it!

My hair is pretty straight, as you can see. I had them chop 5 ponytails worth of hair off (they need 6 for a wig), and then they gave me bangs! Then they set me in curlers!!

TADA!

It became a bit of an afro once it dried but I'm loving it and so is my Husband!

Married!

2011-09-13T07:45:00.000-04:00

Hi Everybody!

I hope your 9/11 10 year anniversary was full of reflection and pride. Mine was definitely, despite my exhaustion from the most wonderful 3 day weekend of my life. I am happy to report that on 9/10/11,

I MARRIED THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!

www.susansolo.com

There is much more to come but I wanted to share a picture from our photographer, Susan Solo with you.

You know Jordan from Southern Hospitality! She was at my wedding with her hott Date! See what she thought of the wedding!

Remember when my awesome supervisor and friend, Emily took pictures of our engagement (like the moment Dave popped down on one knee?)?? Emily was also there at the wedding, snapping pictures!

I hope you like the picture. This is one of my faves that I have seen so far! :)

Love, the new Mrs.

FINAL COUNTDOWN: The Wedding

2011-09-06T09:37:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody!

A little tiny seek peek!

My sample wedding bouquet and a picture of me at my hair trial :)

I'm so excited to say that the final countdown to the wedding is ON!!! Tomorrow, my family lands and I get to see my bestestestestest!! Other guests start pouring in and this means planning will be OVER!!!

I am so excited to share pictures and details with you soon! :)

Any words of wisdom or advice as the bride and groom face their wedding weekend?? xo
Reina

Pre-Wedding getaway

2011-08-27T23:55:00.000-04:00

We have been working all summer and haven't taken a break. So, we planned a mini summer vacation to the beach! It was nice to get away and play in the water, soak up more sun and spend some quality time, relaxing before terror-bridezilla (tee hee) took over the relationship.

We had so much fun and it was just what we needed!

Dang, this water is COLD!

Clearly, he does not seem to mind.

(PS. investing in a waterproof camera was the best decision I made in the recent past!)

Do you recognize this shirt?? Skinnie Piggie gave it to me the week before while I was in Hawaii! :)

If you missed it, here's where I got to meet her.

I love ice cream.

The last day, we went fishing with my MAID OF HONOR, Steph and her boyfriend and brother. I'd never been on a little boat or gone fishing so it was a fun experience!

It's 14 days until the wedding, Hurricane Irene is terrorizing the East Coast!

That is all folks!

Lil bits o' heaven

2011-08-14T22:59:00.000-04:00

I love my family.

I loved Hawaii but I don't miss it as much as I miss my family...

Thank goodness they will be here in 24 days!!!

Bloggy Meet-up! Hawaii Edition

2011-08-04T18:26:00.000-04:00

I FINALLY MET SKINNIE PIGGIE! After some failed attempts to try to meet up in Maryland, we finally got to hang out! While visiting my family, she messaged me (thank goodness for the bloggy world, really) and we scheduled our date! She drove clear across the island to come see me!

I felt like the Piggie at the restaurant because Skinnie Piggie wasn't hungry! :( It was a nice conversation. She has only been here a few months and she is already so knowledgeable about the area. I was so impressed with her insight about where things are and what fun things there are to do.

We went to a local mex restaurant, it was tasty but the conversation was better.

Isn't Skinnie so pretty!?

This contraption came with the check. At first glance, it looks like a giant calculator.

It's a survey machine.

We wandered our way to the beach.

It was so hot that we parked ourselves in the water on our beach chairs.

I was informed that Shaved ice is called "shave ice" in Hawaii.

She got Blue Hawaii and Mango.

I got Passion fruit and Guava with a snow cap.

YUM YUM.

We had such a fun time and at the very end, Skinnie Piggie gave me an AWESOME gift that says "Marines Hawaii" YAY!!

Love love love love love it!

Thanks Skinnie Piggie for a lovely day!

The little things

2011-08-03T01:40:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been so stressed out that you just don't know what to do? How do you deal with it? How do you get through the mounting stress that gets you down?

This isn't a blog about depression. It's about hope and how to cope with things that can really bog us down.

I have been there recently. Not depressed but truly worn thin with the worry and stress of my life. I don't really like to talk about it because I know that I bring it upon myself to do what I do. I know that any mom or student or career woman my age in any sort of relationship can relate to my situation. Sometimes, it gets to be too much.

I sat on the beach in Hawaii last evening, watching the sun set and I had a twinge of worry. I couldn't get off my mind, why on EARTH I would be upset or stressed in such a blissful place. I reflected on my life and the challenges that I face. I decided to do two things.

I spoke my list of things that stressed me out. Then I spoke my list of things that I am truly grateful to have. I said them. So that I could hear them. So that I wouldn't justify any of them. I let myself feel stressed. Then I let myself know how truly blessed I am. I felt cleansed. Not stress free, but I felt like I had acknowledged the pent up stress I was feeling.

How do you deal with stress that you might be feeling?

I also share with you some pictures that I have taken of my time here in Hawaii...

Well deserved "vacation"

2011-07-30T09:07:00.000-04:00

I'm in O'Hare International Airport in Chicago blogging in the food court. Thank you American Express for my free 45 minutes of internet! :)

The beach where I will be fixing my farmer's tan :)

I am off to go see my faaaamily in Honolulu, Hawaii! This is my annual trip to see my family. Since they live on the other side of the planet, the tropical islands of Hawaii serves as half way :) I'm especially excited this time around because my niece, Luna will be coming! I haven't seen her since she was born a year and a half ago!! I plan to spoil her rotten! :)

Additionally, I need to fix my MAJOR farmer's tan that I got on Memorial Day waiting in line to hear the President speak... it's really bad guys. It's like a 3/4 length sleeve tan... Anyway, I have an excuse to sit on the beach and fix it before I get back.

Once I get back, it will be the last part of the countdown to our wedding. Only one month left :)

xox,
Reina

SURVIVOR NOT VICTIM: I have come a long way. 10 years.

2011-07-27T09:30:00.018-04:00

I told you about my journey last year...

10 years ago today, I became what I now think of as being a survivor.

10 years ago today, I was out of my element, out of my body.

10 years ago today, I shook violently, more angry than scared.

10 year ago today, I felt like a victim of chance.

I have come a long way since that day. I have thought of this 10 year bench mark for so many years now. I have thought of ways I could commemorate the feeling that I have now, which is dominance over my fear and my experience.

Let me tell you what I promised myself 10 years ago.

I promised myself that I would be married in 10 years. I promised myself that I would be married on Saturday, September 10, 2011. It's just an outrageous fantasy that one dreams of when they are 16, right? (hint: I'm getting married on 9/10/11)

It was the same year, 10 years ago, the horrible awful day, when our country was trespassed against and our Twin Towers fell. It felt like too personal of a loss.

I promised myself that I would be "better" by today. I am more than "better," folks.

There is so much healing and love that has gone into this process. I promise that if you are going through it, I am not gloating. You can get here. There have been deep conversations not only with myself, but with God and with friends. It has taken a commitment to myself and letting myself feel when I need to. There is always help around you. Don't feel alone. Don't feel afraid to ask for help. You will get through this. I'm not done with this journey, I'm not done with my healing. But it does get better. Most of all, don't forget to love yourself, even when your body betrays you.

with love and compassion,
yours most truly,
Reina

Summer is Here!!

2011-07-21T10:36:00.000-04:00

My summer is FINALLY here!! As you may already know, I'm deep into my program as a Masters student in Social Work. I have been taking summer classes (which makes it seem that I hide under a rock most of the time!) I am back from the cave and can finally say that I am DONE with my summer classes and am now FREE to go to the beach, read, go to the pool, hang out with my love before the stress of the wedding hits!! I am so excited!!

Here's just a bitty preview of my awesome time that I had with my awesomely patient

photog Susan Solo for my bridal photo shoot!

Hey! Did you notice? Those numbers makes up the date of my wedding :)

9.10.11.

IX.X.XI

51 days away!

This is a picture that Dave's mom took on her iPhone during the shoot.

She has such an eye for this stuff!

Isn't Annapolis just beautiful?

Military Wedding Giveaway!

2011-07-06T08:28:00.000-04:00

David and I were selected as a finalist in Bayside Bride's Military Wedding Giveaway!! :) I am so excited and I wanted to announce it!! The voting starts today. Please hop over to their new and BEAUTIFUL wedding website. Please vote EVERYDAY until Sunday -because you love me!! It would be so very much appreciated if you voted for us (Reina and David)!

Thanks much loves!!!

Vote here!

Bloggy Meet-up! Milwaukee Edition

2011-07-02T08:45:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all, I'm back from a long blog hiatus!

I recently traveled to Milwaukee for a lia sophia jewelry conference (that's for another story). I had never been to this part of the midwest and I didn't anticipate getting to see much of the Brewer's city. Let's just say that I was DELIGHTED to get to not only get to see the city but meet Carmen from We See the Same Stars!!!! We had yummy custard (with strawberries and chocolate chips), then she gave me an awesome tour of the city; which I must say, from what I saw, looks like a really awesome place to live!! Here are some pics to recap my time with my new bloggy love!

This city has such a cool mix of architecture... old and new juxtaposed!

My loveeeely tour guide!

YAY for new bloggie love meet-ups!!!

Thanks to Carmen for such a fun time :)

Planning Ahead: Memorial Day

2011-05-26T09:31:00.000-04:00

What will you be doing this Memorial Day weekend?

The people who market in our country don't understand the gravity of this "holiday" as they sell us beach towels, bathing suits, or chilled beer.

Let us remember what Memorial Day means.

It is a day that should help us to reflect on the service members who have perished in the name of this free nation.

I'm writing this now so that it may help us to think about what we can do to help live the true meaning of the day.

I don't intend to be Debbie Downer as I think "Happy Memorial Day" is crass. I think it makes light of heavy-hearted words like "honor," "courage," "sacrifice."

I don't discourage you from going to the beach, or living and enjoying life. It is really my hope that we can each take at least a moment of this long weekend to think about the true meaning of "Memorial Day."

I appreciate the fact that our neighborhood pool opens this weekend. I can start working on my tan.

On Memorial Day, though, I am working with IAVA and visiting Arlington Cemetery. I'll also be visiting the wall for the Ceremony in the afternoon.

Summer Nail Fun!

2011-05-23T11:56:00.001-04:00

Hi! Have you been enjoying the warm weather that seems to be gracing our lovely cities? I've been loving the weather and doing color on my nails every other day... I've been inspired by the Daily Varnish! Have you seen her website? It's so pretty, I LOVES it!

Visit the Daily Varnish for lots of fun nail color ideas!

Awe-sooome!

Wait, how'd she do that!!??

I want this!!! :)

Daily Grommet

2011-04-19T11:08:00.000-04:00

I love cool little gadgets and so when I found the Rad Dog Release and Run Collar for doggies! I also discovered Daily Grommet which reviews and sells really neat trinkets. I love that they have little videos of the product review! Take a look for yourself! Happy Tuesday!

Reflecting on a sad day...

2011-04-11T19:54:00.000-04:00

Bloggysphere has been buzzing today about Jessica's tragic suicide blog. According to one source, she is alive and in treatment.

Like many of you, I was shocked to see it. How candid and open her account of her story. How unimaginable that it had progressed so far. But I went through my blogroll today to find that TONS of my MilGirls had written her a blog post in response to hers. This is what I LOVE about blogging in this community. The fact that it is a community. The fact that we are affected and are touched so deeply that it starts to change our personal lives, separate from the one we live in the bloggysphere...

So, please know, that I love you all. Thank you for being a part of my community and my every day life.

On a different note, I would like to take some time in my blog to talk about mental health issues. This might seem boring for some people but it's a passion of mine to talk about mental health. How can we help those around us and how can we be more aware? You'll see more of the Social Worky side of me come out more...

Love you lots,
Reina

Thankful Thursday

2011-03-31T10:13:00.000-04:00

My real-life friend Shan is going through a really tough time and has experienced some devastating hurdles in the past year. Through it all, she has grit her teeth and is marching head on into her pain. She had the courage to post the things that she is thankful for, despite her hurt. I commend her for that. It made me reflect to find what I am thankful for... forget for a minute about all the things we complain about every day. Write a list (even if it's just in your head) of what you're thankful for.

Here's mine:

My life is on track. Even when I feel my life spinning out of control, I know I'm going to be okay and that I'm working toward my goals.
I'm blessed to have Dave in my life. He really keeps me centered and challenged. It's been a growing experience for me to be a good partner to such a wonderful man.
My planner. I am a crazy busy person and I can't do life without my planner.
Lexi. I love her. She makes me smile on a daily basis. She makes me want to come home.
My family. I am so happy they are safe.
I am thankful for Google Voice on my iPhone. Thank goodness for technology that I can talk to my family for 2 cents a minute.
My social work program. It challenges me, it makes me think, it frustrates me and I know I'm being molded into a better social worker than I think I can be.
Jobs: I work at the Limited, I babysit, I own my own lia sophia business. It provides me with sanity and insanity, all at the same time. It is awesome entertainment. It helps me not take myself so seriously.
Getting married. I am so indulgent with planning and I am rolling in the joy of being able to say our vows out loud.
I'm thankful that I feel a bit more financially sound than I felt in 2009. I have come a long way.
BLOGGY FRIENDS. Is there any more to say?
Social networking. It keeps my busy world spinning. I get to keep up with people's busy lives!
Gummy snacks.
Hand written notes/letters.
Books that teach me things that I didn't know I needed to learn about.
Obv. our dedicated military.
Amazing Family Readiness Officers (HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATY!)
Spring flowers. Daffodils make me giddy!

Japan, DC and love.

2011-03-28T22:16:00.000-04:00

You know how much I love our nation's capital? A lot. It's one of the cities I felt most home in and the most challenged. I love it because it has history and the annual Cherry Blossom festival is no different. I feel so alive and so proud of my Japanese heritage, especially during this time of year. These cherry blossoms demonstrate the friendship that Japan and the US have which makes me feel safe and happy and it also displays a simple beauty that is so inherent in Japanese culture.

The reason why I got to go down to the tidal basin this year was because my mom came and visited Dave and I! We took a trip down to DC and walked along the water among the beautiful Cherry Blossoms. My mom was SO in awe! Even in Japan, they don't have this many trees in one location, blooming at one time! It was quite the sight and I was delighted that she was so happy.

I have a new love of the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial... duh.

Dave and I visited the "spot" for the first time since he proposed on December 24, 2009.

Man, it's been a while!

Happy Birthday!

2011-03-23T23:12:00.000-04:00

My Maid of Honor, Shan @ Eat, Pray, Love... LIVE! is 26 today!!

I'm late on the celebration but I have an hour left!!

Go wish her a happy birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOVE YOU!!!

Please donate $5 to rebuild Japan!

2011-03-17T21:29:00.001-04:00

As patriotic and devoted to the US as I am, Japan is my love.

Please help Japan rebuild itself. Livingsocial is collecting money ($5) and matching it. Please make the small contribution so that Red Cross can be effective where it's desperately necessary.

Thanks for your time. Thanks for your donation!

Nihon: Japan, Updated

2011-03-15T10:15:00.000-04:00

I was going to do a refreshing, fun blog today but I am upset about Japan. I keep calling my mom like a crazy person because I worry about their well being all the time.

The earthquakes affected my family minimally. They were safe and although they were inconvenienced, they were fine. Now with the after effects of the explosion of the Fukushima-Daiichi, things are becoming a little scary.

What the news in the US says and what the government is telling Japanese citizens about the effects of the nuclear radiation, etc. are conflicting. I'm not sure what to think and how I'm supposed to feel about how my family is fairing.

Food supplies are scarce, there is no gasoline at the local pumps, it is unsure if they can obtain daily supplies for much longer. People have been cautioned to not walk outside if it is raining because of the radiation affecting the body... It's not wartime in Japan but there are strange parallels and it's really scary. I have flashbacks to movies of the war that I saw when I was growing up.

I'm mostly upset because I can't do anything. I feel so helpless. All I can do for my family is to call them and see if they are okay. I know that they will try to do the best they can... I'm just devastated by how the country is doing. Japan is an incredibly strong country for how tiny it is. It is made of people of unbelievable patience and strength. I believe that in time, it will recover, just like they did after the Kanto-Daishinsai of 1923.

I don't know how to help and I feel so lost.

Japan: When your family lives on a different continent

2011-03-11T08:34:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning to multiple friends facebooking, calling, texting me. I was disoriented but I knew something wasn't right. Last night while we slept, there was a massive earthquake in Japan.

source: newsobserver.com

With my family living in Japan, I was terrified. This earthquake was apparently 100 times more powerful than the Haiti earthquake. There are now, 60 people dead... there are sure to be more soon.

An earthquake isn't just an earthquake in Japan. Since it's an island, surrounded by water, it can mean tsunamis. It can also mean fires. It means roads flipping over.

I couldn't get a hold of my family over the phone. I posted on facebook, called and emailed. My dad responded via email/facebook minutes following. Those must have been the longest minutes!

My family is safe. My mom had to walk 5 hours to get home. My dad is still cooped up in his office. My sister and her baby are okay but she hasn't heard from her husband...

Japan, you always impress me with your earthquake preparedness. Please just take care of my family and all of our friends.

Now we wait to see what havoc this causes for other islands with tsunami warnings.

Songs that get stuck in my head

2011-03-10T14:10:00.000-05:00

Jordan started had to bring up Maroon 5 (my FAVORITE BAND!) so it made me start thinking about music... there is so much that I love but I am obsessed right now with Robin Thicke's song "When I get you alone" sung by Glee's Cast.

There are some other awesome songs by Robin Thicke... Here's "Lost without you." It's racy!

And of course, "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5. This song makes me think of walking through the city of Vienna, Austria. "Someday it would lead me back to you..."

Dreaming of Travel

2011-03-08T10:05:00.000-05:00

Dave booked our Honeymoon. I am so excited to travel to places I've never been! My bestestestestest Jaye works for a travel agency (I guess that's what you would call it,) and she won a cruise for her and one other person and she wants to take me!! The next 12 months are going to be filled with lots of beautiful travel!

Today let's talk about travel (dream) plans that I'd like to take that delight me!

Top 5 places I'd love to go... (in no particular order!)

Mediterranean Cruise - Must include a stop in Greece!

(not my pic)

Colorado

(not my pic)

Australia and New Zealand

(not my pic)

Iceland

(not my pic)

Bora Bora

(not my pic)

Did you enjoy my photo journey?? I hope those delighted you for just a moment. I can't wait to travel to all of these places!

What are your dream destinations??

So flippin' excited!

2011-02-24T13:29:00.000-05:00

I AM SO FLIPPIN EXCITED!

My parents are coming to see ME!!! I'm the only one in the states. My parents and my sister live in Japan so I am so disconnected. The last time I saw my family was October 2009 when my baby niece was born! It's been a little while, I'd say. The last time my family came to the states to visit me on my turf was graduation from college May 2007.

They are coming to see me in March so that they can meet Dave's parents! I know I should be nervous but I'm not. I can't wait! I think they will love his family!!! One step closer to me getting married to my love! <3

What a Military Spouse Knows

2011-02-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

A beautiful tribute of how strong a MilGirl surviving deployment can be...

What a Military Spouse Knows

If you've already seen this, sorry for the repeat, but it's worth a read!

Deployment survivors, what do YOU know?

Lucky Girl

2011-02-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I look at my left hand every day and marvel how proud I am to wear the ring that Dave proposed with. Proud might sound like an odd word to use about my ring but here's why I use it... Dave knew what was important when choosing my ring. I look down at it every single time and know that he worked HARD to give me something I will wear for the rest of my life. I make no qualms about the fact that I have high standards (for my life, my love and what I do). I knew that he was the one, in part, because he knows how to delight me.

(love you, dave!)

I am such a lucky girl. I have a guy who is so incredibly thoughtful. I would tell you that he got me a watch but that doesn't sound thoughtful. But it is, because there's a story to go with the watch... that's for another time. Card writing is a huge part of my life. I appreciate hand written cards and I make sure I send out hand written letters/cards when warranted. I knew that Dave was the one, in part once again, because he is an incredible card writer. He makes me feel so important and cared for.

(thanks dave!)

I feel lucky that I get to marry this guy in a mere 7 months. Let me tell you, I'm not THERE yet. I haven't gotten to the part where I imagine myself walking down the grassy aisle yet. I've thought through our vows and how true they are for us (which in itself is amazing that we wrote them together), and how much fun I plan to have (wink wink blog loves). He is so good to me and I can't wait to celebrate in a big fat way.

(and he got me flowers)

Normally, I'm not a romantic. Normally, I don't say stuff like this. But I think that kindness and thoughtfulness warrants public praise (and this is the most public it gets for me...). I feel truly blessed and honored to start my adult life with this kind-hearted, well meaning, good-card-writing gentleman.

Winner of Delight!

2011-02-13T21:46:00.000-05:00

CONTRATS, Erin of Deployment Diaries, who said this about what delights her...

"New Orleans delights me... Just thinking about the next time I will be able to go back fills my stomach with butterflies of excitment. There is just something about it that infects your soul. The music, the food, the people, the art, the river... I could go on and on. Not only do I love the city itself, but it's where I fell in love with my husband. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's why we fell in love and of course I would enjoy telling everyone all about it!"

Just reading that makes me want to visit New Orleans! Erin's husband is deployed to Afghanistan right now but she is surviving this deployment like a true champ. She just started her blog but go to her blog and show your support! Please join me in welcoming her to the bloggy world!

You win a free canvas from ZaZa Gallery! Contact me for more info!

GIVEAWAY!!

2011-02-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to enter my Delight GIVEAWAY that closes soon!

Tell me what truly delights you. I'll be reading your stories so make 'em delightful :)

Lonely on V-day isn't an excuse!

2011-02-02T21:56:00.000-05:00

Before I dive into my story, I want to hop over and submit your entry for my DELIGHT GIVEAWAY. The quality of your answer counts. It won't be a random drawing... Because I'm looking for what DELIGHTS you. So give me a delightful answer :) if you want to resubmit an answer, you can do that too!

Onward and upward!
Today, on my way to classes, I was listening to the Kane Show on 99.5 and there was a girl who had called in with a dilemma. This is her situation. She has been dating a Marine for 4 years. Two months after they met he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. He went to boot camp and then was deployed soon thereafter. Her question/dilemma is that he's always been gone and this year will be her third year alone. Cue the drumroll... she's met somebody and thinks she could care about this new guy. But she doesn't want to cheat on the Marine. So what should she do?

Well, the girl is stuck between a giant rock and a hard place. Kane (who is fairly liberal, I'd argue, but a gentleman, most of the time) was FUMING. He was getting all worked up about how this Marine would feel. "He's fighting for our country!!" he kept saying.

I've never called a radio station to try to get through. I didn't get through but these are the things I would have said if I were on the line with them and this girl...
1) You are so disgraceful. Deployment isn't for everybody. It sucks to have to wait for somebody to come back. But you're not even WORRIED about him or his safety. You are worried about being LONELY.
2) You said he's not coming home for a while... most likely his deployment is for 7 months. Maybe you should have thought of breaking up with him the little time that he was home? Or were you too excited to have your Marine home and flaunt him around?
3) If you break up with him now, while he's away, think of all the damage that could do?
4) If you break up with him now, it's just like cheating. Except you got a free pass for a clear conscience. Stupid selfish (blank).

Thoughts?

All Dressed Up: I want WARM!

2011-02-02T07:00:00.003-05:00

Although I love fall, I really like warm, mild weather. The kind of weather you could wear pants and a cute top... So, in hopes that my outfit would ward off the freezing rain that is supposed to be upon us... I'm all dressed up!

Tada...

I know... what a face!

But I want WARM! please?

Top: Limited

Pants: Banana Republic outlet

Shoes: Payless Shoesource

Necklace: Sultry (lia sophia)

Bracelet: Party Favor (lia sophia)

Guest appearance by Lexi!

I got silly and "got in the kitchen," and put on my cute Apron!

The photographer guest appearances!

Love you!!

Proud

2011-02-01T09:55:00.000-05:00

I was "dating" (skype dates, texts at all hours) an enlisted Marine while he was on the other side of the world. Honestly, I thought the military thing was sexy but very overrated. I didn't know that "going to war" was called a deployment. I didn't know that most of our enlisted troops in their 4 year contract gets deployed once if not twice or thrice. I didn't know that the military wouldn't want to hear about my schedule conflicts with his duties. Or the fact that I would have to be so far away from my love for a long time. I didn't know that I could be so in love with somebody that I would look past all the "military hurdles" to be with him. I didn't know that in the process of being in love with this man, I would also fall in love with the Marine Corps and the military community. I didn't know that I would get choked up every time I hear a news segment on TV about our troops going their job or when I think about the war memorials in DC. I didn't know I would be so proud.

I knew that Dave wanted to go farther and become an officer. I knew that he wanted to go back to school. I knew that he is brilliant and insanely knowledgeable and well read about so many topics. So it made sense that he would want to go this route. I knew he has a burning passion for leadership and achieving excellence. I knew he'd want to make sacrifices to get there. I knew he'd work hard to achieve the things he needed to be in excellent standing.

As he finishes the final touches of the insanely long process of applying to become a "candidate" in Officer Candidate School, I am again struck by the same sense of pride. Pride that is only described by a physical reaction in my body. It triggers tears but not because I'm thinking of deployments. I'm proud that he wants to sign up for this again...that he wants to join the ranks of the best leaders and fighters in the world. And this time around, I get to be standing, right next to him as he embarks on this journey.

Delight GIVEAWAY!!

2011-01-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

I am delighted (hehe) to announce another great giveaway!

This is in part to say "sorry" for being a bad blogger and in part to live up to my word of the year which is...

DELIGHT

de·light (d-lt) n.

1. Great pleasure; joy.

2. Something that gives great pleasure or enjoyment.

I intend to do all of that in this giveaway.

Here's what's up for grabs:

(courtesy of ZaZa Gallery)

You'll get a canvas print courtesy of ZaZa Gallery. This giveaway is valued at $110. Don't miss out!

You can get any picture that you want printed so you can put it up on your wall! Take a stroll through the pictures that some other people have gotten printed here.

Just need you to do 3 things (in one comment, please):

1) Follow my bloggity blog blog.

2) Tell me what delights you. Not just sort of happy but DELIGHT in the true meaning of the word. GREAT PLEASURE.

3) After the contest, if you win, you will be asked to blog about your piece. Just let me know that you're ok with this!

FOR EXTRA CREDIT: blog about my giveaway!

This giveaway will close on February 11 at 11:59 pm in time to be announced on Valentine's day!!

JCrew Wedding Gown SALE!

2011-01-18T11:44:00.000-05:00

J Crew started their wedding collection a while ago and their dresses have never gone on sale. This morning, I woke up to the happiest news of their fabulous wedding gowns going on SALE!!! I've been watching the Dominique gown for over a year... drool. Don't you also love the Sascha gown?

Dominique gown

Not my picture... sadly.

Sascha gown

Also not my picture... or my gown.

Love wins wedding by Jordan Streetman.

2011-01-13T10:18:00.000-05:00

Can I tell you how much I love Jordan? She and I share an affinity, beyond the normal obsession, for weddings. We spend our free minutes searching through Perfect Palette and Wedding Gawker in awe (well, I do anyway...). I asked Jordan, the queen of pretty idea image boards to see if she could come up with a pretty summary of what our wedding in September could look like and she did me so proud!

Go hop on over to Jordan's blog to check out her idea of what my wedding is going to look like!

I HEART JORDAN.

Thanks girlie!

All Dressed up! Winter Fairytale edition!

2011-01-12T14:49:00.000-05:00

We got about 4 or 5 inches of snow last night and this morning we woke up to a splendid canvas of white! I got SO inspired by the beautiful snow that I committed to going BIG for this week's All Dressed up! I treated this like a Trash the Dress that girls do in their wedding dresses... It was TONS of fun. Thanks Dave for dealing with my crazy ideas and I'm sorry for subjecting you to the elements. Enjoy.

Dress: Jessica McClintock - debuted at my Senior prom

Boots: Eastern Mountain Sports

Cardigan: Target

Gloves: NY and Company -Gift from a friend

Hat: A bunny. No really. It's fuzzy. Made in China somewhere.

. . .

I leave you with a few bloopers... Because I'm definitely not flawless!

Plus bloopers build character.

When I got snow down the front of my dress trying to flip over gracefully...

Snow. in. the. face.

Did you enjoy this installment of All Dressed up?

Bridal Show!

2011-01-09T11:20:00.000-05:00

I'm going to a bridal show in Annapolis today with my Maid of Honor, Steph! We're going to get some yummy sushi before we head over to sift through the masses of vendors. I'm so stoked!

not my picture

Not my picture

Then I'll be floorsetting (yep I just made it a verb.) at the beloved Limited.

the limited

Today's Question of the Day: What would you most like to learn how to do on a computer?

I really want to learn how to do blog layouts and how to edit pictures (Although I learned a little about that from brilliant and beautiful "Lady"!) I want to manipulate my blog so that it's different but every time I try, I find out I'm AWFUL! Help! :)

How about you?

Delight: My love for a certain Jordan S.

2011-01-06T21:40:00.000-05:00

Please tell me you read Jordan S's "One Word" blog... It's all about losing the unattainable New Year's Resolution and embracing a word for a year. For Jordan, 2011 is about "PURITY." What a pretty word.

I decided that in 2011, the year in which I'll tie the knot with my love, I want it to be more than just about the wedding. It's about a lot of thing I've been neglecting to face in my own life. So, I chose "delight," as a side note, that same word is also in our wedding vows (which we wrote!). My 2011 will be DELIGHT-fully amazing. It won't be without it challenges but I will take time to delight in life's blessings.

Lastly, I heart Jordan. She and I share a deep love for pretty things. Particularly weddings.

this is our wedding logo. thoughts?

. . .

Dear Jordan,

Would you PLEASEEEE do an image board of our wedding stuff? And could you PLEAAASE come up with a bride and groom signature drink for us??

ok, love you!

Reina

Question of the Day: "What would you try if you had no fear?"
I would probably jump off of some obnoxiously high plane and sky dive. I'm terrified of heights. I would also probably consider getting a tattoo... I'm also afraid of needles.

All Dressed up!

2011-01-05T17:05:00.000-05:00

Are YOU all dressed up?
I saw during my lunch break (when I jumped on to Facebook at work, hehe) that people were doing this fun thing that our favorite Lady is doing... I saw cute outfits and my afternoon was ruined for me after that! Work? What work? I was deciding what outfit I wanted to wear for this week's rendition of All Dressed up!

We start with a foot kick.

and finish with a curtsy.

Headband: Claire's, circa 2004

Turtleneck short sleeved sweater: The Limited, circa 2008

Necklace: New York and Co. - Christmas Gift! :)

Skirt: The Limited, circa 2009

Tights: Target

Black Pumps: Payless Shoe Source

Today's Question of the day is: Who do you think is the most important person alive today?

Hmmm, for me, this question is hard. Who do I think is important? Who do I want to meet? Who I think is an influential person? I'm cheating on this question! Help me out girls!

Table Topics Question of the day!

2011-01-03T09:40:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of Table Topics? They are a fantastic way to break the ice or get to know somebody! They are like trivia but for people. I think it's fascinating. So with the new year and to fulfill my fascination with this little deck of cards, I'll pose a question as often as I can! There are TONS of types such as: Family Gathering, Girl's Night out, Teen Edition, College edition, Not Your Mom's Dinner Party...

Table Topics Original Cards

Question of the Day: If you could start any kind of business, what kind of business would you love to start??

Well, I didn't think at my age, I would be a business owner, but I am! It's quite satisfying that I can call the shots! But if I had my way, I would start my own wedding planning business and cater specifically to Military brides. There is such bad customer service out there that I want to create a beautiful brand that does incredible work with grace. But that's me dreaming. We'll see where life takes me!

How about you ladies?

Inspiration to keep going.

2011-01-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've seen this video, everybody I know has been posting it for the past week...

Watching this video reminded me why I started this blog. When I started dating my Marine, I was lonely, and completely lost. I didn't know what PCS meant and I didn't understand why he couldn't be with me for our first Valentine's Day. I remember being so proud of him when I first saw him in his Dress Blues. It's been a long journey and I think I was losing steam with the blogging thing. I kept telling myself that I was moving past it... but honestly I was sad to leave it behind.

My New Year's Resolution (which for once I will keep) are to pick up blogging, being inspired. I will also become an avid Yelp-er!

New editions on my bloggy is Wedding planning blog entries and other fun and creative things! :)

Semper Gumby,
Reina

Happy 2011!

2011-01-02T13:23:00.000-05:00

Hi Bloggy Loves!
I've missed you! During Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, I couldn't help but think what I was missing in the Blog world that I was so fully immersed in before school started!

This year, 2011, we are FINALLY getting married! We've been engaged in 2009, 2010 and now 2011! It's crazy but I can't wait to get rolling!

I promise to be more inspired and blog at least once a week. I know, so ambitious!

Love you all,
Reina

Time flies and waking up to bad news...

2010-11-23T14:32:00.000-05:00

I have been terrified to blog for a while. I used to love coming on every day to see what everybody was talking about. It really is a community of awesome people. When I went to school, I felt SO out of the loop when I started missing days and now MONTHS of blogging! I get anxious at the thought that I hadn't typed a single word to people who had supported me for MONTHS!!

So, the week of thanksgiving, I update you of my life and hope that you'll still take me :)

I was hoping to just do an update on how I'm doing in school. HOW MUCH I LOVE SCHOOL. How I'm getting straight A's and brag just a little bit because I love this stuff and it's hard! I also started a student group for Military Awareness and that will be launching soon. Hopefully that will give fellow social work students a chance to think about that it means to serve our service members effectively!

Although I'm super excited about all this, and the fact that my semester is drawing to a close, I woke up to some crummy news this morning...

My car was broken into last night. In my apartment parking lot FACING the apartments... It's one of the well lit spots! We live in one of the "best cities" in the country... I guess that isn't a guarantee that crime doesn't happen.

Luckily, I don't keep much in my car, except for my GPS. Everybody tells you when you get a GPS that you can't have it up on your dashboard. Then where the HELL are you supposed to put it? I don't mean to get indignant but thieves should not be ALLOWED to break windows to steal MY STUFF! Ugh. I guess, that logic makes no sense. All the thief had to do was break the window, fear being caught, then voila, the GPS was his/hers. Now, I'm lacking the device that helps me NOT GET LOST and a couple hundred dollars in the hole right before holiday season. Terrific.

So. I'm grumpy but I wanted to let you all know I care about you and think of you ladies often!!!

xoxo,
R

Stress

2010-10-12T09:53:00.000-04:00

I think at any given point in time, we all have stress. We each have our places in life and roles we have to play... that means that we have responsibilities.

Right now, I'm a student. I am in school full time, with a mega course load. I'm also completing an internship with a Therapeutic Foster Care organization. On the side, I work for the Limited (which I love) and you know that I started my own lia sophia business. So, I'm busy.

This week, it hit me like a ton of bricks that this time around, it's not just me. I have a fiancee who counts on me to communicate as to whether or not I'm planning on cooking dinner or eating jelly beans. I have a puppy who counts on me to take her out and play with her. When I did college, it was just me. I worked, I studied, and I didn't have a life. I realize that I need to adjust my life a little to accommodate for them. So I'm a little bit stressed. Exams are coming up, readings are piling up, and papers have to be written.

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging or reading or commenting. I'm stretched to the max right now. But I love you all!!

Day 9: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted

2010-10-05T07:53:00.000-04:00

These aren't people who have drifted. They are people from 3 different parts of my life...

Day 9: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted

Of course people have drifted out of my life but I always felt like at the same pace, more wonderful people have entered my life. I think I'm actually the drifter in many situations. Since 2003, I've lived (and paid rent) in Philadelphia, Delaware, Alexandria (VA), J-Ville (NC) and in Maryland. In each place, I made a great set of friends. But due to my circumstances, I don't always see these people all the time. However, if people who have drifted out of my life have taught me anything, it's that it takes two people to maintain a relationship. We BOTH have to care about what we have. So, I make a serious concerted effort to make sure that I keep in touch some way with those that are important to me. So, obviously, if you're important to me, you'll know it!

First in the World Ball

2010-09-29T07:37:00.000-04:00

This weekend, Dave and I attended the First in the World ball. Several people asked me why it was so early since the typical birthday ball madness doesn't start until late October to mid November. My only answer is our operational tempo doesn't allow everybody to be present to celebrate their birthday. The battalion decided that it would be great to make an opportunity for the Marines and their ladies (there are no women in this unit), to celebrate!!

This year was my second time going and it was amazing because I had lived there, I met people, I went with people I love and generally had a better time. The dancing was fun too! Oh and Olympia Flaherty who did our engagement photos was there doing the Ball official photos!

Happy Birthday, Marines (a little early)!!

Here are some lovely pics of us all dolled up. You know you want to see them!

There was dancing to be had...

Hooray! Next year, I want to find a dress that isn't red!

What's the best purchase you've EVER made?

2010-09-28T08:29:00.000-04:00

I pose this question to my bloggy friends because I'm truly curious!!

What is the best purchase you have ever made?

It can be anything. A well timed cookie, a car, a house... It's also, entirely up to your definition of "best"!

For me, my best (most satisfactory) purchase was my clothing steamer. When I first started working at the Limited, I learned the joys and amazingness of a clothing steamer. It's like ironing but without the hassle. I love it so much! Every morning, I actually enjoy steaming my clothes. It looks like it just came back from the dry cleaners.

So, what is your best purchase? What did this purchase do for you?

Tell me!

Day 8: Somebody who has made your life hell

2010-09-27T07:47:00.000-04:00

It's been more than a week since I did Day 7 and I think it's because I've been avoiding this question. But on a 7 hour drive home from a wonderful weekend in North Carolina, I knew I had figured out who the person was.

It's funny that I had to figure them out. This person was a daily hell just a few years ago. She represented everything I detested. And to think that I have gotten past her that I needed a trip down memory lane to remember her existence made me kind of happy.

So, here goes Day 8.

Day 8: Somebody who has made your life hell

In high school, I fell in love for the first time. It was serious. For the first time in my life, I made some adult decisions. I did and said things I thought I was ready for. I had given my whole heart to a person for the first time and trusted them carelessly with it. Before the glorious year was over, I found myself on my rear end having been thrown out for a younger, skankier, longer haired version of me.

Enter girl who made my life hell. We shall call her V. She was my younger sister's close friend. She was just all kinds of trouble. Well, anyway, my first love made a bad decision and decided to cheat on me with her. The best part of this is that she is the 15 year old version of a gold digger. Then, she proceeded to drag my baby sister into a whole lot of trouble. A whole lot of stuff happened and the tension between us was growing. Things were way past the 'high school drama' phase. Local law enforcement was involved and it wasn't pretty. Anyway, I have never hated anybody more in my life. I don't use the word HATE very lightly. She and another instance is the only time I use the term.

It all went down hill when we got in a physical fight. It was more like a cat fight but I like to say I won because she walked away with a broken nose. I'm sure she went to my ex and told him how AWFUL I was to her. Thanks to her, I felt adrenaline kick in for the first time. It was glorious!

A few years later after that incident, I happened to chat with my ex and he admitted that they broke up because she was absolutely insane and that I was right about her. I felt so vindicated.

The end.

My Own Business

2010-09-21T08:13:00.000-04:00

I am excited to announce that my lia sophia

jewelry business is now launched!

I had a successful launch party over the weekend and I had such a fun time! I got lots of free jewelry from this show and I want to extend that offer to my hostesses in the future!!

If you're just interested in seeing the catalog or some of the lia sophia pieces, please jump on over to my lia sophia website!

I am waiting for my starter kit so as soon as I have more, I will take pictures!!

Day 7: Somebody who has made your life worth living

2010-09-17T08:07:00.002-04:00

Day 7 of 30 days of truth is tough but at least an up beat question.

Day 7: Somebody who has made your life worth living

I'm sure I'm supposed to be writing about ONE person here but I can't. I have so many people who have shaped my life and made it what it is now. They each have, in their own way, made my life worth living.

Obviously, my fiancee. Dave lived through my year of hell. I cried a lot. I was miserable. I didn't understand how being unemployed and utterly poor could be so detrimental to my health and mental health. He carried me through one of my hardest times. I was revived with the return of sunshine in my life. Besides that, he is one of the most patient and loving people in my support system. I cherish that of him.

My mentors who have inextricably changed my life. Marla. Emily. Eva. These are the women who saw me through some mucky times. They made each of the situations bearable. They helped me push myself through things that I didn't want to. They showed me the truth. They each advocated for me. For that I am eternally grateful.

My friends. Since my family is missing from my life and has been for some time, my chosen family, my friends have been a huge support network for me. Being connected to my friends makes my life so worthwhile. I regret not having too many friends in physical proximity but all the friends I do have, they are just a call/text/email away. I love them to bits and pieces.

My neighbors! This is a new phenomenon in my life. I wanted to share this and their existence because they have improved the quality of life for my little one. The pup has been SO happy since we moved here. My next door neighbor and some others in the vicinity have dogs who love to play with Lexi. They are their own play group! I've never really mingled with my neighbors or gotten to know them but I love it. We're having a neighborhood dinner party in October. SO exciting!

Thinking Halloween

2010-09-16T21:49:00.000-04:00

Today, I bought my first pumpkin.

I also saw the tree on my street starting to turn orange.

I wore the first scarf of the year. I am burning a pumpkin spice candle.

All things point to fall... the first stop in fall is HALLOWEEN!

It's still a month and a half away but I'm thinking ahead!

I found this cute (less scandalous) Halloween costume! What do you think??

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do

2010-09-16T08:10:00.000-04:00

This one makes my skin crawl.

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do

I hope I never have to take my family to the emergency room. Emergencies terrify me. Hospitals that take care of those emergencies terrify me. I hope and pray that never has to happen so I can avoid it all together. When I was a child, I never broke any bones, I was never rushed to the hospital, I really didn't have much experience until my sister's temperature peaked to past 104 degrees (when your DNA starts to unravel). We went to the hospital and the response was frustratingly slow. She looked so awful, I can't even describe. She couldn't walk so my mom and I took turns trying to carry her. The nurses were nicer than the doctors. I know that if you work in an emergency room you're over loaded and each person who comes in thinks that their case is more important than the next person... but the whole emergency room situation scares me.
More than the fact that Emergency rooms are chaos, it's also one of the situations in which I feel completely helpless. Like being sued. Like being told you have an incurable disease. Like trying to understand and work through a bureaucracy.

Thinking about this is completely draining.

Have you started your 30 days of truth? Please leave me a comment with your link. I'd love to start reading!

Day 5: Something you hope to do in life

2010-09-15T07:49:00.000-04:00

Day 5 of 30 days of truth is going to be a pitch for my 1001 in 101 and my ultimate bucket list!!

Day 5: Something you hope to do in life

There are so many things, I have to start with a list...

To become published. This is sort of a fantasy one. I have no actual plans in how to attain this goal. But it sort of leads me to...
Becoming a PhD. When my name gets called next to Dave's (with rank,) I don't want to be (hypothetical,) Major and Mrs. P. I want to be able to stand on my own. Major and Dr. P would be more my style.
I want to get my scuba diving certification! Swimming wit da fisshieees.
I want to get married to Dave. Soon enough!
I'd love to go on a cruise and go to the Caribbean. I keep entering my name for those drawings that they have in random places...
Buy a house. This isn't happening any time soon.
Have babies.
I'd love to be able to ice skate backwards.
To be somebody's therapist. Hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later.
Finish my 1001 in 101. heheheh

Day 4: Something you have to forgive somebody for

2010-09-14T08:05:00.000-04:00

Just as a warning for people reading this, I'm angry. Not at the person I have to forgive but at a situation. My friend is in a painful situation and feels trapped and as a friend, all I can offer her is my advice. I want her to be safe and free of hurt but I can't make decisions for her and that sucks a lot.

PS for those of you reading this... I hope you're enjoying the random self portraits of me. Hehe.

Day 4: Something you have to forgive somebody for

I know you feel that it's in my best interest not to marry a Marine. You're scared that he'd get killed if he got deployed. Well, it's a possibility that I'm scared of too. But that's what he signed up to do. To protect THIS country. I love him and I want to support him in that. Also, it's not a matter of if he'll get deployed, because he will. It's not just once but during this wretched war, it will be multiple times. I will start to count the deployments rather than the passing seasons or years. But this is my choice to support who I will. I forgive you that you make it painfully obvious to me each time the wedding comes up that you ask "are you sure you want to marry him?" I don't take that personally for him because it's not him that you are worried about, it's the uniform, the commitment.

I also forgive you that you aren't active or really willing to help plan the wedding. I forgive you when people ask if you're coming to my dress shopping. I forgive you when I think about the Bridal Shower that I won't have. I'm not bitter. I have just gotten over the fact that you will not be present in this part of my life. Wedding planning is absolutely fun. I love it but I wish you were at least part of it. Maybe you'd vote down things I love, like my dress... so maybe it's good you're not.

I love you, and I appreciate your support when I need it. I recognize that you live across the world. But that was YOUR choice to leave me. For that I forgive you. But for making me feel like where you are is my home is wrong. Where I am is where I have desperately carved myself a little hole to call home.

I forgive you for making me feel this upset before 9 am (It really wasn't all your fault anyway).

Day 3: Something that you have to forgive yourself for

2010-09-13T07:31:00.000-04:00

Day 3 of 30 days of truth is a little bit of self loathing...

Day 3: Something that you have to forgive yourself for

I have an ongoing love affair with candy. I am always snatching up the newest kinds that you might or might not see at the store. I also like the classics. The thing I have to forgive myself for is the consumption of candy. I've gotten better. I don't eat THAT much candy, in comparison to before. But this eating business has made me gain a lot of weight since 2003 (which is when I graduated high school). Le Sigh.

I also have to forgive myself for not playing a lot of sports any more. In high school, I was cheering, dancing and in the pool for at least 3 hours a day - busting my butt for water polo. No wonder I was skinnier than I am now!

This is all well and good but it's not to say that I have low confidence. I would LIKE to be a smaller number than I am now but I don't obsess. I work with achievable goals (like my summer challenge, which ultimately failed due to the move), and try to go that way. On that note, keep your eyes peeled for my wedding shred plans coming soon!

Love,
R

Day 2: Something you Love about yourself

2010-09-10T08:06:00.000-04:00

So, I decided a few things... I won't hold myself to following the 30 days during the weekend. I have some INSANE stuff happening in the next few weeks and I don't want blogging to get stressful. Let's just say I'll do the best I can, mmk?

It's so good to be back. You have NO idea.

Day 2: Something you love about yourself.

I love a lot about me... here I go brag brag bragging. I figure it's okay because y'all love me too.

St. Patty's Day Banger '09

I love that I am an energetic, happy, social person. I'm not the kind of social butterfly that can only thrive in super social environments. I have some wonderful, deep relationships which keep me grounded and give me the self confidence to branch out and meet new and wonderful people. My energy makes uncomfortable moments funny and I can be an icebreaker in a group of new people. On the flip side, some grumpsters HATE me for this fact because they want everybody around them to be "normal" but really, what's fun about that?

I love the fact that I'm a planner. If you see my organizer, you'll understand. (Hmm, maybe I'll do an entry on that sometime...) I don't miss meetings or events and I am not a procrastinator with school work or work in general. I'm able to use my time wisely because I schedule myself to do anything from going to the gym to sitting down to relax.

I love the fact that when I didn't know what to blog about, I still kept doing it. I was writing to NOBODY for a good few months but I kept writing in the hopes that my voice would make somebody want to be my bloggy friend. A whole year later, I've MET 4 of these awesome women and this fact makes me happy. I guess my tenacity in blogging has made me feel this great. Go me. Also, thanks, friends!

Day 1: Something you Hate about yourself

2010-09-09T08:07:00.000-04:00

Today, I'm kicking off the 30 Days of Truth that my bestestestest has been doing. She says it's harder than it looks and I'm ready for the challenge. If any of you want to start it, let me know so I can follow along closely with you!!

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself

What a pleasant note to start on...

Anyway, something that I really struggle is organization. In my professional life, or being organized in paper for school is easy, almost compulsive. I make sure that my documents are in order and in place. Very rarely is there a piece of paper out of place or somewhere I can't find it easily. This extends to my computer and my emails. I like to be able to find my stuff.

Where I really struggle is in my life. Random stuff + lack of time to organize = me. I'd like to believe that when I have the time (but who does, really), I can make something look nice. With my busy schedule, I tend to drop things where it's convenient to (usually by the front door) and I think to myself "I'll put it away later." This statement is the death of me. I get busier and forget to put things away or other things I dropped later on in the week are piling up. So, in an attempt to save myself, I start picking things up and get frustrated that I have SO MUCH to put away. Gaaah! When you start with disorder, I guess it's hard to put order back into it.

I guess I just have to kick the habit of dropping stuff and just put it away when I get back. I will try to say "I'll do that later" less. Because in the other parts of my life, I am NOT a procrastinator. MUST BE PROACTIVE.

Thanks 30 days of truth. I just learned something about myself. I'm going to go fix it now...

Blog-versary!!

2010-09-08T09:00:00.031-04:00

Happy Birthday to my blog! Today is the 1 year anniversary of Semper Gumby... the Return of Sunshine! Thanks for joining me on this amazing journey!

When I started this blog, I was broke, I had just gotten laid off (thanks, recession) from my "first real job" and was absolutely devastated. I asked my mentor, Emily P., who is an incredible leader and a wonderful human being about her blog (which is FAB) and how she constructs it. She told me that I would find my voice and that I could make my blog whatever I wanted. It hasn't been exactly the path I expected for myself but I'm so happy with how it has gone - I truly cherish the relationships I have built through my blog!

For the next year, I am setting these goals:

Attend a blog conference or just a gathering of wonderful blog friends.
Learn how to post pictures that look nice and not just straight from my camera.
Get a blog face lift.
Have Dave blog sometime... share feelings, that sort of thing!
Continue to meet more blog friends. This has been one of the most rewarding things about blogging.
Learn to do cool things with my blog that I keep saying "ooh, I want to have that!"
Read more. Comment more.
Create an award!
Put up and start my 101 for 1001 that I have been working on for EVER.
Write something inspired and creative.

Thanks loves, for your ongoing love and support of Semper Gumby... the Return of Sunshine!

If you don't already have it, adopt my button!

<center><a href="http://sempergumbythelife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Semper Gumby"src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/assirak04/sempergumby2.jpg"/><br /> </a></center>

Back from the Dead (aka non-blogging)

2010-09-08T07:27:00.000-04:00

Hi! It's been ridiculously long! I am so sorry. But here's what's been going on in my life, in the last month, I have: moved to a different state, went to an Evening Parade, gotten to know my neighbors, started school, bought a car, and traveled to Portland, OR for my friend's wedding (more on that later). I've been super busy. I haven't been to the gym (slacker!) and I cannot wait until I fall into a familiar routine.

I just wanted to update you on a few didly-doodads.

My lovely giveaway sponsor Adrienne Mason (remember the USMC necklace Sarah Danielle won?) is having a 50% off sale! Go visit her Etsy store!

I went to Portland and I loved every minute of it.

Me after hair and make-up

Ready for the wedding!!

Gorgeous West coast sunset. I've missed you.

I've missed these guys. My bffs from college!

Her wedding flowers. So pretty!

My bestestestestestest just started blogging and she has started the 30 Days of Truth which has inspired me to also part-take in it soon. But more importantly, she wrote about our wonderful-fabulous special relationship. She is my for-ever friend. You can read what fun things she says about me! haha - ENJOY!

Ok folks, the slacker is back. Wish me luck! xoxo

First Day of School

2010-09-01T07:15:00.000-04:00

It's been a few years since I graduated college. I can't remember what orientation then was like.

Last Friday, I attended my school's orientation where they flooded me with information that I didn't understand but the staff figured I needed. I've talked to a lot of folks who are the new class at the University of Maryland's School of Social Work and the consensus seems to be there is a huge block of information flow between the School and its incoming students. We're already confused; we're not sure who our professors are, how to navigate the campus, how to open our email, our blackboard account, where we should park, what the Daily Bulletin is, who our advisor is and how we find out about them... Information makes me comfortable. Knowing (about anything), makes me more comfortable with the situation - probably because I'm a control freak and I like to KNOW just to know.

So, I'm excited to start school. But I'm nervous. There's so much to take in! They are already having us think about our SECOND YEAR internship! In the first few days of being in school, I've come to the conclusion that I want it to be a placement with a military organization. I can't wait to learn how a Social Worker could impact the military community.

There are a million things milling around in my mind and I feel like I'm still 5 steps behind (with moving and being settled...). But I'm excited to be able to take a minute to blog about school. I know I am just starting but I want you to know, I'm planning on kicking my education's ass.

Thanks for being patient in my absence!!

xox,
Reina

I feel like an ADULT

2010-08-17T21:57:00.000-04:00

We bought a car today! This fact makes me feel like an adult.

I've wanted a Toyota Highlander for the LONGEST time.

I literally CRIED (silly...) when I couldn't get a used Highlander

and HAD TO (silly again...) buy a brand new Honda Accord (which I now love).

Needless to say, I am SO excited that we are now PROUD owners of this beauty!

WINNERS WINNERS WINNERS!

2010-08-16T11:00:00.003-04:00

I know you've been WAITING for this! Here are the results of the GIVEAWAY!

The boring stuff: Since it was a huge giveaway, I had to do a number of things. I wrote out who entered for which prize, then I randomly selected people with the random.org generator.

The FUN stuff!:

NUMBER 1

The winner is Mel from Head in the Game, Heart in the Sand!

NUMBER 2

The winner is Sarah Danielle from Life in the Making!

NUMBER 3

The winner is Elizabeth from Young Retiree!

NUMBER 4! There are 4 winners:

The winner for USMC is Nicole from Flip Flops and Combat Boots!

The winner for the Navy is Sailor Princess!

The winner for the Army is Jaime from Stuck in a World of Blue and Camo!

The winner for the USAF is Mr. Superman and Mrs. S!

NUMBER 5! There are 2 winners:

Winner #1 is Steph from Watching Airplanes!

Winner #2 is Just a Girl!

THE GRAND PRIZE

NUMBER 6

The winner is...

Mrs. Gambizzleeeeeee from Life as a Sailor's Girl!!!

Congratulations ladies and thanks for playing!

Also, thank you to our fabulous sponsors of this Giveaway!

Thank you for your support of me as a blogger, but thank you for YOUR contribution to this country. Your sacrifices, your endurance, and your friendship are so inspiring... that's what keeps me coming back.

If you're a winner, please email me and we can chat!
date.a.marine [at] gmail.com
Also, please take a pic of your winnings when you receive them so I can circle back with our generous contributors!

Blog Freeze!

2010-08-10T20:01:00.000-04:00

Hi lovelies!

I miss you desperately! I can't read or blog because this stupid internet (that I'm stealing from somebody) is so sporadic. Also because my apartment is a HOTT MESS.

I will start up as soon as I can and announce our winners for the giveaway after the 13th!

Love,
Reina

8.9.10 and beyond

2010-08-09T09:39:00.000-04:00

Quicky post! I'm moving and the house is a disaster but I'm getting settled in! Dave drove BACK to J-ville, NC for 3.5 more days of work!

Anyway, today is August 9, 2010. It's a cool day. 8.9.10.

The next time that happens, it will be my wedding day.

HOLLER! September 10, 2011 is going to come so quickly!! woot woot!

PS. I'm going into a makeshift interview with the Limited.

Have I not yet professed my love of this amazing establishment?

I've worked for 2 other Limited stores and I have been ITCHING to be back on their payroll.

So here I am, dressed head to toe in Limited, ready for my interview! Woooot!

Paint... the Aftermath

2010-08-04T20:53:00.000-04:00

Since you were so lovely and were curious about my solo painting adventures, I wanted to let you know how it all turned out! In 2.5 days, I painted 6 rooms (3 from a help of a friend).

This awesome decal is from an etsy store! I absolutely love it!!

Our dining area is BRIGHT yellow! Hello!

Our "beach themed" guest bath...

Racing stripe in the study! It goes ALL the way around the room!

Our bedroom is a calm grey

And lastly, our bathroom is LIME GREEN!

Aren't these just happy colors? The lady mixing our colors at Lowes scowled at me each time I handed over my paint chips but I think I converted her by the end. She told me "you picked some nice colors." Yay! I hope you all like the results! We have a bit of touching up to do but I'm excited to start our new lives in this place!

MilGirl Live and Learn: Tay

2010-08-03T20:20:00.000-04:00

I AM SO SORRY THIS INSTALLMENT OF MilGIRL is LATE! Silly Blogger didn't post it while I was away... I'm sorry Tay!

We're talking to Tay from Skinnie Piggie!

I'm so excited to be moving in a Northward direction (toward our featured MilGirl today) so that maybe, just maybe we can be real life friends!! *wink wink nudge nudge*

This picture is so so sweet! I love it!

Tell us a little about you: I am an Arizona girl temporarily relocated to the East Coast. I love to plan special events, be crafty, and bake. I am currently unemployed, but not for the lack of trying or credentials (I have my Bachelor's of Science). I'm about to enter my mid-twenties and feel as though life is going to get very interesting soon. God comes first in my life and my family and friends respectively.

The branch of service: USMC

How long have you been together? If you're married, how long did you date? And how long have you been married? Well this is a complicated/loaded question for me. Technically... we haven't physically been near each other except since we got married (October 2009). We went on dates 4 weekends during the summer of 2007, then he was re-stationed to the East Coast in August. We didn't see each other again until May 2008, a whole 10 months apart. It was then we decided that if we always wanted to (and got frustrated when we couldn't) talk to each other over the phone, internet, via letters/packages that there had to be something more than just friendship there. So we "officially" started dating May of 2008. We only saw each other three more times that year- October, November, and December. In December he asked my dad for my hand in marriage. January-May of 2009 I did my senior internship for the Coast Guard at TRACEN Petaluma (Northern California), he flew in my last day to drive home with me, he proposed on the beach! 5mo later we got married... we figured we'd been apart long enough, why have a long engagement?

How did you meet your man? Was it before he decided to sign his life away?: I met my husband via my cousin, who is also a Marine. They wanted to get off base for the weekend, so they made the 3hr drive to my parents house to visit. I had been out late with friends so by the time I got home Friday night I walked into the house and found 3 Marines sleeping in the family room! At this point he'd been in the Corps almost 1yr.

Is he career military? Sometimes yes, sometimes no... He loves the work he does, the uniform brings pride to him, and he loves our country. Some days he thinks about our future and doesn't know if he wants to be moving children all over the country/world.

How did you initially feel about him being in the military?: In all honesty besides the dangers of deployments, I had no qualms about it. My grandparents were military, many of my best friends are in the military, and I have always supported the troops- In my summer camp classes (I was a counselor) I always made sure to have the kids write thank you letters to troops.

What attracted you to him? Was it the uniform?: I will say, no offense to the other branches, that the USMC Dress Blues are the most attractive uniform out there. However, considering I met him sleeping on my parents couch it didn't have an affect on my being attractive to him... it was his personality, sense of humor, the fact that we could talk for hours (literally)!

How does/did your family feel about him being in the military?: At first they were worried and they still don't like the fact that we live so far away, but they are very proud of him for what he does and for me being willing to stand by him no matter what.

Does the sexy uniform (or the sense of pride you feel) make up for the sacrifices you have to make?: As sexy as his uniform is- no. I am very proud of him for serving our country, I will support the him through everything, and follow where ever the military send us. In all honesty though, nothing will make up for the time we have to spend apart, so I just try to treasure every moment we have together. In my personal experience it is also very hard leaving everyone/everything you knew and were accustomed to, as well as trying to find a job at each new place.

Have your plans been messed up thanks to the military?: Well, his leave to come in December (when he asked my dad for my hand in marriage) almost wasn't approved.

The very first blizzard we went through, we had just moved, so we didn't have snow shovels, etc. He was gone doing a bootcamp instruction weekend, so I got snowed in alone with nothing but a dustpan!   I haven't been home since the wedding and we keep trying to plan a week or two that I can go, but now he is on "hold" for a deployment. I really would like to see my family and friends; however, I cannot fathom missing my last week with him or the send-off because I am vacationing on the other side of the country!

Does it motivate you as a couple to get married sooner if he is slated to get orders to leave you (go off to training/school, move to a new duty station –PCS, deploy)? Did you elope? Since he was always far away we both wanted a short engagement! I think we figured out the total time we had actually spent together from 2007-wedding to be somewhere in the vicinity of 3-4mo. Crazy.

What is one piece of advice you wish you had received while dating? There will always be arguments, especially within long distance relationships. If you can get through them peacefully and actually resolve them, not just push them aside, it will help out in the long term. Especially in the awkward transitioning of "oh, I'm actually physically talking to you not a phone or picture on a computer screen" phase.

Wow! What a great story of enduring love!

We all know long distance relationships are hard,

but being able to sustain it for so long is a testament to your strong relationship!!

I'm sorry this story was late!

Paint!

2010-08-01T09:17:00.002-04:00

I'm headed to MD to our new apartment (so you won't see me for a few days, I know, SAD!), we're getting our keys, and I'll be painting our awesome new place for next weekend when we actually move in!!

I know, I know you'll miss me but in the meantime,
go to my GIVEAWAY
and enter yourself. It's SO easy!

3 things I'm grateful for:

1) We are almost done packing.

2) I'm SO excited about this giveaway and I hope you are as well!

3) I'm not looking forward to the 7 hour drive (one way) but I want our apartment to look fab so I can't wait to paint!

SUPER 100 GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2010-07-31T09:57:00.000-04:00

Dear 101 bloggy friends (aka followers),

Thanks for reading my blog! It's because of you that I even have the motivation to write as much as I do! So, in celebration for hitting 100 bloggy friends, Semper Gumby... the Return of Sunshine is hosting a MASSIVE GIVEAWAY!!! This giveaway ends August 13th!

I want to first thank our contributors! All of these folks have been so gracious to donate their time and craft to my lovies. These women RECOGNIZE your sacrifices as a MilGirl and want to thank you! So, in return, please check out their Etsy Stores!

Okilie dokily, on to the fun part!

Wanna see what you can win and how?

NUMBER ONE:

from Just a Little Something Betsy

One winner:

It's a set of 10 CUSTOMIZABLE THANK YOU CARDS!

NUMBER TWO:

from Adrienne's Creations

A gift for my USMC girls!

One winner:

a MARINE CORPS PRIDE NECKLACE!

NUMBER THREE:

from Spiffy Cool

One winner will choose from one of Spiffy Cool's Patriotic Necklaces, with the chain!

NUMBER FOUR:

from Color Me Rin

There will be FOUR winners for this shop!

Army

Navy

Marine Corps

Air Force

SCRABBLE TILE PENDANTS (Chain not included)

NUMBER FIVE:

from my talented friend Kinsey

There will be 2 winners! (One set of each)

Colors shown might not be the colors of the prize.

Something you or your service member could use in a pinch!

Two SURVIVAL BRACELETS AND Two KEY CHAINS

MADE OF 550 PARACORD!!

NUMBER SIX:

GRAND PRIZE from My Fine Art

YOUR OWN PHOTO PRINTED ON CANVAS

12x12 Canvas B&W or Color

Ok so now that you've seen the AMAZING generosity of our sponsors...

here's how you win the cool prizes!

Please read carefully!

There will be one set of drawings for Number ONE through FIVE.

There will be a separate selection, for Number SIX.

If you decide to do both, you don't have to repeat step #1 of the requirements!

This giveaway ends August 13th!

For Number ONE through FIVE:

1) Let me know you're my bloggy friend (aka follower) by leaving a comment.

and say you'll comment more (haha, jk about that second part).

2) Comment to say which prize out of ONE through FIVE you'd like.

FOR Number SIX:

1) Let me know you're a bloggy friend (aka follower) by leaving a comment.

2) Blog about this giveaway and include my button.

In that blog, post the picture that you'd want to get printed if you won!

Tell us why that picture is important to you. Also, make sure to come back and comment to let me know you blogged about it!

This giveaway ends August 13th!

Creamy Crunchy Caramel Apple Dip!

2010-07-31T09:52:00.000-04:00

Recipe sharin' time! I "borrowed" this delightful and nummy recipe from my friend Erin who borrowed it from her mom's fraternity parties!

It's CRUNCH time!

It's so tasty, you won't be able to stop!

Creamy Crunchy Caramel Apple Dip

4 Granny Smith Apples cored and sliced -thinner is best!

1 lemon (or a lemon juice bottle)

8oz Cream Cheese (I like to use the 1/3 less fat CC)

1 container of Caramel apple dip (you can find this in the produce section)

1 bag of crushed Heath (you can find this in the baking section)

Spread the cream cheese onto a plate into a layer so that it's as even as possible. Spread 3 or 4 big spoonfuls of the caramel dip over the cream cheese layer. Try not to mix the cream cheese layer and the caramel layer. Sprinkle crushed heath all over the two layers.

Slice and core apples (thick enough to use as chips and thin enough to have enough!). Lightly coat apples in lemon juice so they don't turn brown.

Plate the apples when you're ready to serve it!

Next Steps

2010-07-30T06:38:00.000-04:00

It's almost time. My 7 month journey is coming to a swift close. Although I am joyfully counting down, I'm also regretting my joy at the same time. It's been an interesting time being in Jacksonville, NC - a city by NO means, unless your definition is based upon having big box stores like 2 Walmarts and 2 Lowes... Anyway, I love this place for one reason. It was my first real opportunity to grow as a MilGirl. I learned so much just in 7 months about the Marine Corps community, I learned what it means to live in a military town. It also means that I got to MEET some of my fellow MilGirls, which I have been so fortunate to do. I also get to meet with a few more before I escape.

Next week is going to be a bit crazy. I'm not sure I'll have a chance to blog. I have a roadtrip ahead of me and I'll get keys to our new place on Sunday! I'll be painting 6 rooms by myself and hoping it looks good. During the week I get to meet up with three of my bloggy friends, all of whom I love dearly! Then I come trekk back down to pack the rest of my worldly possessions and I'll be caravaning up to the DC area with Dave's folks...

So, if you don't see me for a few days, know that I love you! I'm just busy!

And when I get back, I HOPE that I will find two more "followers" because I really want to throw this darned giveaway for ya!

kisses and hugs,
Reina

A Trooper in life

2010-07-28T09:15:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody, thank you so so so very much for your love and support that you have given me for my post yesterday. It was overwhelming, however, to find out that about half of them (I got a few facebook messages too), talked about my own bloggy friends' anniversaries. It gives me chills that statistics show one in four women will experience sexual assault in her life. That statistic seemed to be plastered all over my comments yesterday. This is the reason I make myself relive the torture each year. It makes me angry, it makes me remember the pain, it makes me shake. It also makes me remember that I need to do things, tangible things to make this world a safer place for girls who were like me, girls who were like a lot of you. So thank you. Thank you so much for your honesty and your support.

Anyway, on to the real story I wanted to share! If you haven't heard about them before, Turning Tradgedy into a Love Story is a story about Patrick and Jessica. Patrick is a soldier who was shot during the Ft. Hood shootings on November 5, 2009. Jessica is his loving fiancee (I think they are engaged?), who writes about his recovery and the process. Well, recently she wrote a piece that screamed injustice. I just want to share. It's about the minuscule portion of people who send them mail that really tears Jessica down. I'd love it if you could show her some support too. She also has an INCREDIBLE story. If you haven't read their blog, it's a wonderful story... I think you should take a looksie!

Read her Sticks and Stones entry!

Darkest Day

2010-07-27T09:53:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure that I will keep this post up longer than today.
It might be too much information for some readers.

But today is an important anniversary in my life. Today, July 27, 2010 marks the 9 year anniversary of me being a survivor. Yes, I recognize that there are many uses of the word 'survivor'. For many of us in the military blogging world, surviving an attack from the enemy is considered being a survivor. For me, it's a similar kind, but the attack was not by bullets, not by RPGs, not by IEDs.

I was trespassed against by a new friend, somebody I had come to trust. Alcohol in my bloodstream didn't make it right. My body was violated and taken advantage of. Every year on my anniversary of this horrible memory, I make myself relive it. It's my "tradition" to remember how it felt, how the torture felt, how his suffocating hands felt, how the tears felt. Even after 9 years I'm shaking. But I've come a long way.

Today, I decided to write this because it's important to me. Being a survivor isn't a secret. It's a part of me and about two years ago, I had a moment where I realized that I was liberated from feeling like a victim. I had become a survivor. I will tell my story when it's necessary to help others pull themselves out of the misery. To walk into the sunshine.

This is why Comprehensive Sexual Education (which is based on abstinence education) that promotes accurate medical knowledge, and awareness of sexual assault, abuse and healthy relationships is important to me. I keep fighting because it's important to me that a girl not have to face her darkest day before she's an adult with the ability to handle it. Not that anybody can handle that kind of misery.

When I went through this, I had no body to talk to. I was ashamed, I felt dirty, I felt used. When I finally went to college did I feel understood, my story legitimized. The thing that made me feel accepted was my mentor who listened. That in my way, I could talk through my memory. Knowing that I had somebody who understood made the difference.

But this blog isn't about dark days, really. It's about how today, I'm CELEBRATING that I've survived, not only that night but 9 years of my emotions. I am a survivor.

If you're a survivor and need help, reach out. We are here for you.

My Response to Semper Spouse

2010-07-26T20:29:00.000-04:00

*A lot of my Bloggy friends have commented on this issue of Semper Spouse from yesterday and

I wanted to let you know that I'm SO proud of all of you. All morning since I read it, I was stewing about this because I couldn't fathom why somebody in a place of some authority (even if it's perceived) would say something so irresponsible, so careless. It's taken me this long, after reading all the enraged responses of my fellow bloggy friends to write this somewhat articulate response to the blog that I posted as a comment...*

I read this blog post this morning and I haven't been able to articulate my anger until now. I was so excited when I found Semper Spouses. I was so excited to be a part of a community that empowers their members as spouses of the Marine Corps, those ranks that I will be joining soon. Hence the fact that I was SO excited to write a Friday Feature piece. Instead, I keep reading post after post of "I hate the Marine Corps" over and over and over. It's your blog and you have a freedom to say what you wish; however, it's the RESPONSIBLE thing to do when you run a blog like yours to try to honor our troops (not just having time with your husband,) and follow the unspoken rules of being a part of this community. We all have bad days but this is getting a bit excessive. I won't recite what everybody has said about the irresponsibility of your actions. I think that as bloggers, we ought to be enforcing those of us who don't know why OPSEC is in place. Why we are asked to not utter names or places or movements or times. We should be gently educating so that those who don't love this country can't take advantage of us. This is a real threat. These are real wars our troops are fighting. We clearly love this country. Let's do our part to keep it safe. I hope to see improvements in your blogs soon.

If you haven't read it now: Ah, OPSEC from Semper Spouse

MilGirl Live and Learn: Betsy

2010-07-26T11:39:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the late installation of MilGirl Live and Learn today! My Blogger decided to work its own magic and not cooperate!

<center><a href="http://sempergumbythelife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Semper Gumby"src="http://i1044.photobucket.com/albums/b449/betterwifeblogdesign/milgirl3.jpg"/><br /> </a></center>

Here's a blogger I actually know in person! Meet Betsy from Just a Little Something Betsy! She is a fantastic cook and takes yummy looking pictures for her blog. She also sells cool stuff on Etsy!

Tell us a little about you: I am a housewife/artist originally from New Jersey. I went to college and graduated with a bachelors in Engineering which I used for... 3.5 years or so :-P Maybe I'll use it again someday, but I got burnt out, and have no desire to go back yet. I have an Etsy shop to sell photography that hopefully I can turn into a real business this year/next.

The branch of service: Marine Corps!!

How long have you been together? If you're married, how long did you date? And how long have you been married? We've been together... almost 5 years, and married 3 of them. We dated for 1 year, and were engaged for 8 months (I would have been much happier if we'd done that the other way around- dated 8 months and were engaged a year, but hey - ya get what ya get!)

How did you meet your man? Was it before he decided to sign his life away?: I met my man serving him beer at our college pub. He had a bad day, and I could pour a near-perfect pint of Guiness. It was a match made in heaven (plus, the beer was cheap)! He was in ROTC (Reserved Officer's Training Corps) at the time - so although he hadn't QUITE signed his life away yet (AKA, didn't sign on the dotted line) he had definitely promised to. We were together for 7 months when he officially signed his life away and as my mom likes to say regularly "Married the Marine Corps"

Is he career military? Considering he deployed to Afghanistan, and while he was there couldn't think of anything better to do when he got out... yea. It's been a bit of a roller coaster decision (In college it was "20 years", after the first school it was "6 years max", after the second school it was "4 years and I'm out!", after reaching the fleet it was "at least 6 years", and then after deployment it went to "20+")

How did you initially feel about him being in the military?: I was amazingly comfortable with it. I wasn't EXCITED, but I was in love and oblivious to what it would really MEAN and blissfully ignorant... and totally ready to follow him wherever he went for the next 20 years. (We'd agreed at the onset that I'd follow him for 20 if he followed me for the next 20 - HA!)

What attracted you to him? Was it the uniform?: It wasn't the uniform - in fact, I'd had a pretty strict "No Military" rule up until him. But his big goofy grin and plaid shirts somehow managed to suck me in, and I couldn't be happier. Although, I DO love the uniform, especially when I can prance HIM around my girlfriends back home ;) I say all the time that I fell in love with a guy named Pete, and it just so happens he's a Marine, not the other way around.

How does/did your family feel about him being in the military?: Wary at first. Worried for me. Mostly because no one understood it. Although both my grandfathers had been in the Navy, neither had been married while in the military, so the idea of it was far from concrete. Mom called me a "part time daughter" while we were dating since I went to visit him every chance I got, and therefore wasn't home for all the long weekends and some family events. I don't regret it, and she understands a little more now why it was so important (now SHE'S not home for all the long weekends, cause she's visiting me!) Now however, they're OK with it. They know how MUCH of a Marine he is, how he's ALWAYS BEEN a Marine, and always will be one, and they love him just as much as I do.

Does the sexy uniform (or the sense of pride you feel) make up for the sacrifices you have to make?: The uniform definitely doesn't make up for it, because the REALLY sexy uniform is NOT the one he wears every day, lol. And the amount he complains when he WEARS the really sexy uniform (it's so hot... it's uncomfortable... I can't move my arms... I was measured for this at my smallest!) detracts from the sexiness unless I have earplugs in ;). I'm not sure anything makes up for the sacrifice, but if it wasn't for such a good reason, I wouldn't do it at all. So I guess in that sense, the pride I have for him and what he does must make up for most of it ;). It definitely helps that he's insanely happy being a Marine.

Have your plans been messed up thanks to the military?: Plans? Not entirely, we've been lucky there. Wishes? Dreams? OH YEA! I had planned a cross country photo trip after graduating college - been saving money for years to take 3 months and explore America doing a photo exposition before I settled into being a numbers girl. All of my best friends graduated college a semester early (damn smarties) so my man and I were going to go. I had a route planned, I had places picked out, but not the finer points and the stuff that actually cost $$. And then... about a month before graduation, we find out that instead of going to school in September like we expected, he's going in June... because a buddy of his begged for an early slot. (P.S. the buddy ended up going in September and didn't miss any opportunities to remind me of how HE got a summer in Europe. PBTHHHH) Needless to say, that trip has been postponed to... retirement? I dunno... We may have broken a few rules along the way, but we've managed to get all the big stuff in. However, this will be our first anniversary TOGETHER this year. 1 out of 3 ain't bad, right?

Does it motivate you as a couple to get married sooner if he is slated to get orders to leave you (go off to training/school, move to a new duty station –PCS, deploy)? Did you elope? YES! In our case, it was a "this is the only time we'll KNOW he'll BE THERE for the wedding" decision. There were 2 weekends we could pull it off, fortunately, one was available at the church! We did not do a justice of the peace marriage first and then our church wedding, but I've had a LOT of friends who have. The benefits you DON'T have before you're married make things VERY difficult.

What is one piece of advice you wish you had received while dating? You know how women tell you that they had NO idea what childbirth or being a mother REALLY was until they WERE a mother? The same is true for being a MilGirl (heck, the same is true for just about everything) and it's OK! You can prepare, and know, and understand everything going in, but when you experience your first move, your first deployment, your first ball, your first social, your first anything... things will change and it may be harder than you thought. (and it's OK) Just remember that no matter how hard it gets, you're where you are because you love your service member and he loves you, and all you need is that LOVE to get you through - wherever that may be. Oh, and when it gets hard and people say "you signed up for this" (because... they will) you should NOT punch them in the face like you REALLY want to, but remind them of the childbirth concept. It's the only way I've found to shut people up, and took me 2 years to figure out! :)

Thanks Betsy!

Hey MilGirls, be sure to check out her Etsy store and her blog!

Don't forget about the Giveaway happening soon! <3

Bloggy Love Meet up! Jordan and Nicole

2010-07-24T08:59:00.000-04:00

One thing that I LOVE about living in the Camp Lejeune area (yes, you can still love it here!), is that there are SO many people who are bloggers and live in this area! Luckily, I got to meet up with two of my FAVORITE bloggers yesterday! You know Jordan from Southern Hospitality and Nicole from Flip Flops and Combat Boots? They are as wonderful and funny in person as they are in writing!

How funny it was to meet up with the girls that I had been reading about for EVER! I mean, we knew what was going on with each other for a while. It was comfortable, like we were just falling back into place with old friends!

I discovered that all along (now that I'm about to move), that Nicole lives less than a mile away from me... Nicole and I trekked down to Wilmington, going over HUGE bumps and killing my car a few times (Sorrrrry SG)!

We went to eat at the Front Street Brewery in Wilmington. If you've never been and you live around here, it's DELICIOUS!!! We all got Nachos. Nom Nom. All three of us. Nope, we didn't share, we wanted that queso-y, sweet chicken-y Nachos for ourselves. So I ordered one, Jordan ordered one and Nicole ordered one. And the server didn't give us a weird look.

After our delish food, it was difficult for us to decide where to go... but we decided on SHOPPING. But not the kind that you'd think!

We went to Old Time Pottery and HomeGoods! It turns out, all three of us love looking at things that make out homes look super cute!! Have you ever heard of Old Time Pottery? It's AMAZING! It's like a CostCo for home decorating stuff!!

Cuz EVERYBODY needs a Disco Ball!!

Anyway, we had a blast... found things to decorate out homes.

OMG I love cookbooks with pictures!!

Just a final question: Jordan asked this on her blog but... does anybody know what Litre means?

It was an awesome day of fun and laughs with these girls!! Thanks for hanging out with meeeee! <3

Bright colors!

2010-07-20T19:40:00.000-04:00

How do you like the changes around here?

So, I've wanted a blog that was orange for a while. It's my favorite color and when I'm down, I feel like it's a color that picks me up...

"the Return of Sunshine" which is part of my Blog title is because 2009 was a really really really rough year on me and blogging was the way that I built up the courage to become my old happy self again. In a way, blogging and my Marine saved me. Your friendships (even through blogging) have saved me. It's like with all the comments and the love I receive on a daily basis have forced the curtains open, let the sunlight shine in to leave no corner of my sad state without brightness. So thank you for being my bloggy friend. I'm approaching 90 bloggy friends (aka followers), and I want to thank you! That's why I'm working hard on hosting an awesometastic (mmhm I said it) giveaway!

I've wanted to treat my blog better (and not have my awesome button that Karissa from Being a Better Wife designed for me get chopped off), be able to put up awards that my fabulous bloggy friends (I don't like to call you followers...) have bestowed upon me.

Keep your eyes wide open for this fab giveaway!

I started this when I started journaling 9 years ago (holy moley that's a long time!): I try to think of 3 things that are wonderful, a blessing, or something I can be thankful for in my life --even when life is crappy. It keeps my life in perspective. Here are my three today.

For the wonderful bloggy friends I have gained through this process.
My awesome fiancee who just finished cleaning my car - it was a disaster after a roadtrip and massive amounts of sand.
For new beginnings - we are moving in 17 days and this couldn't come at a better time!!

What are your blessings today?

Look what I got (part 2)!!!!

2010-07-20T16:49:00.000-04:00

Summer is so good. So So good! It's been humid and about 100 degrees every day for the past two weeks or so when it's not POURING rain...

But my day just got so much better when I got my SECOND package from the Summer Essentials Swapity Swap from lovely JORDAN at Southern Hospitality! (Side note: She was just the MilGirl yesterday but I did NOT feel the love for her. People, y'all are slackin on the commenting! If you have any suggestions for what we can do better, please let me know!)

Anywhooooo lovely Jordan sent me all this awesome stuff!! Definitely summer essentials here!! I got so super lucky with my two swaps... did you read about my other swap with the Annoyed Army Wife?

All this stuff is so cool, Lexi had to check-check it out!

The fun stuff includes:

A pretty reusable grocery (or other use) bag,

Sunshine Cocktails book (from which I will be choosing my signature drink for the wedding),

awesome desert dishes (did she know about my LOVE of frozen treats??),

Lemongrass & Ginger bath salts for relaxing,

Citronella trashcan candle (really necessary here in NC because I get eaten alive when I step outside), adorable green earrings (Jordan, did you make these? SO cute!),

and purple flippie floppies!

Thank you, Jordan!! I can't wait to meet you too!

Look what I got!!

2010-07-19T10:23:00.001-04:00

So, as many of you know Mrs. Flippy Floppy over at Flip Flops and Combat Boots hosted a Summer Essentials Swap. I was lucky enough to have 2 fab MilGirls to swap with! Here's the first installation of my Summer Essentials!

So thanks to Mrs. Annoyed Army Wife I got this fabulous array of goods!

All this fun stuff! I got Jennifer Weiners Certain Girls, an awesome Guatamalan necklace and earring set (the colors are soooo fun! I wore the earrings all weekend), a bunch of chocolatey treats, a set of royal crown earrings and an American Flag key chain!

I think I got super lucky with my summer essentials! Thank you Annoyed Army Wife! It was awesome to get this in the mail! Thanks Flip Flops and Combat Boots for hosting this awesome event!

MilGirl Live and Learn: Jordan

2010-07-19T09:19:00.000-04:00

<center><a href="http://sempergumbythelife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Semper Gumby"src="http://i1044.photobucket.com/albums/b449/betterwifeblogdesign/milgirl3.jpg"/><br /> </a></center>

Oh how much I love this week's MilGirl, I cannot even TELL you! She is so fabulous, gorgeous and funny! Oh and it helps that her lover is hunky too!! Please join me in welcoming Jordan from Southern Hospitality!

OMG they are so stinking cute together, I might just gag. Just kiddin.

No seriously though, don't you think they would make the most absolutely gorgeous children EVER?

Here's Jordan!

Tell us a little about you: I am going to be starting my senior year at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Parks and Recreation. I would like to work for the MCCS after graduation.

The branch of service: United States Marine Corps…Oorah!

How long have you been together? If you're married, how long did you date? And how long have you been married? We have been dating about a year, but we have talked, and he is planning on putting a ring on it before TBS, we want to be together. Speaking of TBS I guess I need to explain my lover’s situation. Lover will be graduating from Officer Candidate School Seniors this summer and will be commissioned as a Marine next summer after graduation.

How did you meet your man? Was it before he decided to sign his life away?: Ben and I met on Wrightsville Beach through a mutual friend. I had another boyfriend at the time, but that was crashing and burning, and was ending anyways. We were going to take it slow, yeah, that never happens. He was very patient with me, and I am so thankful for his persistence, because he truly is my soulmate.

Is he career military? You never know where life will take you, but it has always been his dream to be a Marine. It’s his purpose in life, and I am so thankful he discovered it so young in life. I know his plans are to make the military his career, and we are both looking forward to an exciting life with the military.

How did you initially feel about him being in the military?: Initially, shoot have you seen those uniforms…um I was like, “sign me up for your team hot stuff.” Now, after completely being head over heels for him, I of course stress out every day about his safety, but I am so proud and blessed to be with such a selfless and honorable man.

What attracted you to him? Was it the uniform?: Well, I didn’t actually see him in his uniform until very recently, but he is so fine, so I knew he would look amazing in it. I fell in love with his personality and loving heart.

How does/did your family feel about him being in the military?: My family adores him. He is so respectful to everyone, so you can’t help but love him. My family is so proud of his sacrifices and accomplishments through the Marine Corps and outside of it.

Does the sexy uniform (or the sense of pride you feel) make up for the sacrifices you have to make?: This reminds me of the quote…"Never say that someone completes you. We have to feel whole even when we are by ourselves; for needing a certain someone is not love, but dependency. Wanting a person to become part of your life is the best reason for having them. So rather than search for someone who will complete you, wait for the person that will compliment your completeness." Lover is his own person; this is what he has wanted to do his whole life. I just want to compliment his completeness, so his decision to be in the military is his decision and I am there to support because I love him and want to be with him and because I love this country.

Have your plans been messed up thanks to the military?: No, just altered them. At the same time you have to remember, I have not been through the same things other Mil ladies have, yet. Not that I will never bitch in my life, but what in life should be wasted on negative thinking?

Does it motivate you as a couple to get married sooner if he is slated to get orders to leave you (go off to training/school, move to a new duty station –PCS, deploy)? Did you elope? Yes we're motivated, being separated at OCS has shown both of us that it’s important we are together while he is at TBS. I have always wanted a beautiful wedding, but starting a life with him is more important than a wedding, so we’ll do what we have to.

What is one piece of advice you wish you had received while dating? Well, we're still dating…but I have friends who are married/engaged to servicemen/women and I would have to say you are the company you keep. Drama is not hard to find, in and out of the military, but seriously I have friends who like to engage themselves in drama, and it’s embarrassing. Being married to someone in the military you are representing them and this country, you never know who it reading what you say on ANY social network, just be careful.

Thanks Jordan. Wise words from this week's MilGirl.

I am so excited for you! And I can't wait to meet you!!

Don't forget, if you want to be a MilGirl,

(or if you want an extra entry for an upcoming giveaway) email me!

Date.a.Marine [at] gmail.com

SO BUSY randoms!

2010-07-16T08:09:00.000-04:00

I have been insanely busy because my bestestestestestestestest has been visiting me (yes, I know in North Carolina) all the way from Seattle!!! But we have been having fun puppy adventures, visiting the beach, etc. So, you'll see a fuller recap later next week! Here are some random things that I have been itching to share!

1) Do you all know about GROUPON? It's an awesome site where you can find one fabulous deal a day (think 50% off a spa treatment, 45% off that restaurant you've been wanting to try, 55% off a concert!) and you can buy a "groupon" for it. It works because it's collective buying power. If a lot of people buy it, it brings notoriety to the group and they can afford to give us awesome rates! Anyway, there are groupon hubs in a LOT of cities around the country and even if it's a bit far away (like Raleigh is 2 hours from us), you can buy a few and wait for the perfect date night to use it for you and your or your girlfriends!

2) This is who is visiting and exhausting my little one. Really it's mutual. They are both pooped!

3) We got an apartment!! Wooooo! We are confirmed to get the apartment that we wanted for when we move back up to the DC area. We are both SO SO stoked! Moving day, here we come! We are going up to DC this weekend (AGAIN) so I won't be blogging. Happy weekend!

Favorite day with my favorite Marine!

2010-07-13T20:01:00.000-04:00

If you read my blog, you know that I love my Marine! One of the most wonderful times with him happened very soon after he returned to the states from his two year tour in Okinawa. We had just started to "technically" date and we were on a very very special date. We were invited to attend not only one but TWO Presidential Inaugural balls in 2009. (I know, I know but DON'T JUDGE ME!!) It was my first time seeing him in his sexy dress blues! Nothing like finding an excuse to see him in his blues in a crowd of civilian suits... seriously eye candy!

We danced and laughed and had a really awesome and super romantic few nights! A few people came up to take pictures of us at both events because they had never seen anybody in dress blues. I felt like a celeb! Tee hee.

He beeeeeeeped going through the metal detectors both nights but the guys monitoring them just chatted with him and thanked him for his service. How nice!

Night Number 1!!

Night Number 2!

I'm not randomly reminiscing about this particular day... although I don't think I've blogged about the Inaugural balls, it's because awesome miss from Flip Flops and Combat Boots has done it again! She has paired up with Perfectly Distressed from Etsy for a wonderful giveaway. Go check it out and enter ... or not so I have a better chance of winning ;) teeehee

MilGirl Live and Learn: Carmen

2010-07-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

<center><a href="http://sempergumbythelife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Semper Gumby"src="http://i1044.photobucket.com/albums/b449/betterwifeblogdesign/milgirl3.jpg"/><br /> </a></center>

Today we're talking to Carmen from We See the Same Stars!

How exciting that she and Mike are getting MARRIED in 20 days!! Please wish this lovely couple a lovely wedding and a long and beautiful marriage! Congratulations!!

Congratulations on your wedding in 20 days! WOO-HOO!

Tell us a little about you: Hmmm, where do I start? Well, I'm a recent college graduate of Marquette University moving to North Carolina after I get married on August 1st to the love of my life. I love to play and watch sports, spend time with my family, traveling (pretty much everywhere), and I plan on becoming a medical interpreter with the degree I have (Spanish for the Professions) so I'm pretty excited about that! I'm a roller-coaster FREAK and I love to ride them, I love theme parks, and I'm definitely the party type but I also enjoy chill nights of cuddling and movie-watching. =)

The branch of service: Marine Corps

How long have you been together/married? 5 years and some odd months

How did you meet your man? Was it before he decided to sign his life away?: I met him in high school and let me tell you, it was definitely not love at first sight. We HATED each other (and hate is being nice...) and we played tricks on each other all the time. Not nice ones either. However, our attitudes turned around our junior year and we started to talk and actually be nice to each other and we started officially dating on February 1st, 2005. He didn't sign his life away to the military until 2006 so we were together for about a year and a half before he left for boot camp.

Is he career military? Yes and no. It's difficult to explain. As of right now, he's getting out in 2011 to go to college and then return to go to OCS once he graduates with his degree. It's slightly complicated but I guess you could say he's a "lifer!"

How did you initially feel about him being in the military?: I supported him 100%. I wasn't ready for him to leave me at all but if this is what he wanted to do then I would always support him. Of course, the military has its ups and downs but as long as I'm with him, I don't think it really matters. I'm proud of what he does for me and for our country. =)

What attracted you to him? Was it the uniform?: I would definitely have to say that his sense of humor attracted me. I don't know why, but I love people who are funny. I tend to click with them very quickly but I also love how caring he is. He will always care for me as if I was a fragile piece of glass. Unfortunately, he worked for Jewel at the time I met him so the uniform definitely was not a factor then!

How does/did your family feel about him being in the military?: My adopted family supports him 100% and is very proud of him being in the military. My biological family, however, is somewhat wishy washy. Sometimes they are proud of him, other times they aren't. It's really complicated, ha ha.

Does the sexy uniform (or the sense of pride you feel) make up for the sacrifices you have to make?: Nothing will ever make up for the sacrifices you make as a military significant other. Not only do you have to sacrifice your time with him to do his job but you have to completely revolve your life around the military (which, believe it or not, is very hard for me to accept... but I'm getting there!) but I do have a great sense of pride that he is making sacrifices as well just to do his job. I can never get the time back that I didn't have with him but hopefully once we are married it will make up for it.

Have your plans been messed up thanks to the military?: OH YES. Quite a few times actually. During my freshman year of college Mike and I were supposed to fly to Spain to visit my family over there and we were one week away from leaving when he tells me that his leave got denied and we couldn't go. My dad had a FIT (since he paid for our tickets) and he was pretty much forcing me to go. I told him that I wouldn't go without Mike and that I wasn't going to spend Christmas without him so we both ended up staying at home for Christmas and we used our tickets at a later time to go elsewhere.

The other time that it got messed up was when he wasn't scheduled to deploy and we had set aside time and go on a vacation since we hadn't gone in almost 2 years and we were about to book the vacation when they told him he was deploying.... IN TWO WEEKS! They gave him pretty much no notice at all and when he asked for pre-deployment leave, he only got 4 days. I'm glad that he got those 4 days, but I expected at least a week or two when guys are deploying to come home and spend time with family. Let me tell you, those 4 days were a roller-coaster of emotions.

Does it motivate you as a couple to get married sooner if he is slated to get orders to leave you (go off to training/school, move to a new duty station –PCS, deploy)? Did you elope?: I would say so. When Mike was getting deployed in those 4 days we contemplated getting married on paper but we weren't sure yet. We thought about eloping and/or getting married on paper without telling anyone but in the end we decided to wait and I'm glad we did.

What is one piece of advice you had received PRIOR to getting married or while dating?:
Always support him no matter what. Being in a partnership is supporting one another and being there. Even though they might not show it, the guys need you more than you can imagine and they need the support to get through things like deployments, boot camp, etc.

If you don't mind, I want to offer a piece of advice for those of you who are new to the military life. Don't expect everything to go your way. I've been disappointed quite a few times in the 4 years he's been in and you just can't rely on the military to do the things you want them to. They might change plans around 50 times before they make up their minds. It's a hard lifestyle to get used to but as many of you know, the waiting, crying, hoping, praying is all worth it when you see their smiling faces again. =)

Thanks Carmen! You have some wonderful advice.

And once again, Congratulations!!

I hope your wedding is as amazing as you dreamed it to be!!

And I want pictures!!

Ladies, if you're a MilGirl and want to share some advice or encouragement, please contact me!

date.a.marine [at] gmail.com

Love,

A untold tale of 9/11

2010-07-09T13:50:00.000-04:00

I just got this in my inbox and if you know me, 3 blogs in one day is EXCESSIVE but I really really wanted to share...

This is little-known story from the Pentagon on 09/11/2001:

During a visit with a fellow chaplain, who happened to be assigned to the Pentagon, I had a chance to hear a first-hand account of an incident that happened right after Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. The chaplain told me what happened at a daycare center near where the impact occurred. This daycare had many children, including infants who were in heavy cribs. The daycare supervisor, looking at all the children they needed to evacuate, was in a panic over what they could do. There were many children, mostly toddlers, as well as the infants that would need to be taken out with the cribs.

There was no time to try to bundle them into carriers and strollers. Just then a young Marine came running into the center and asked what they needed. After hearing what the center director was trying to do, he ran back out into the hallway and disappeared. The director thought, 'well, there we are—on our own.'

About 2 minutes later, that Marine returned with 40 other Marines in tow. Each of them grabbed a crib with a child, and the rest started gathering up toddlers. The director and her staff then helped them take all the children out of the center and down toward the park near the Potomac and the Pentagon. Once they got about 3/4 of a mile outside the building, the Marines stopped in the park, and then did a fabulous thing - they formed a circle with the cribs, which were quite sturdy and heavy, like the covered wagons in the Old West. Inside this circle of cribs, they put the toddlers, to keep them from wandering off. Outside this circle were the 40 Marines, forming a perimeter around the children and waiting for instructions. There they remained until the parents could be notified and come get their children..

The chaplain then said, "I don't think any of us saw nor heard of this on any of the news stories of the day. It was an incredible story of our men there. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. The thought of those Marines and what they did and how fast they reacted; could we expect any less from them? It was one of the most touching stories from the Pentagon.

Remember Ronald Reagan's great compliment: "Most of us wonder if our lives made any difference. Marines don't have that problem."

God Bless the USA , our troops, and you.

Coming soon!!

2010-07-09T13:45:00.000-04:00

When I get to 100 posts (right now I'm at 70) or 100 followers,

I will be hosting an AMAZING FANTABULOUS giveaway.

Get excited ladies, lots of chances to win!

READ ME!

Have an awesome weekend!

Semper Spouse!

2010-07-09T06:42:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to announce that

I'm being featured on Semper Spouse today!!

I just came across this AWESOME blog last week and for some reason they asked me to write a blog for them.

I'm so honored!!

I know I'm not a Marine Wife (Semper Spouse) yet but when I become one,

I plan to be Forever a Marine Wife!!!

Hop over to their FRIDAY FEATURE debut, aka. yours truly!

Also, if you're a Marine MilGirl, grab their button!

It's such a good lookin' site and they have matching buttons. Oh the hottness!

Let me know what you think!! xox R

A few random thoughts

2010-07-08T18:17:00.000-04:00

1) How much I LOVE Nicole (Flip Flops and Combat Boots) for holding her Summer Essentials Swap, you will not know. I'm so super pumped! My partner is the Annoyed Army Wife! I also invited another person who was a bit busy with her BF graduating from OCS that she probably forgot to enter into the pool!! I can't wait to put my packages together!! Woot Woot!! Thanks a mil Nicole!

2) I'm thinking of becoming a rep for Mark. This is sort of a "how fun" adventure and I really haven't given it much thought but I think it could be a fun tool to maybe make some money but really use it for the discount! I love make up!! They also have fun things like accessories and clothes! Also, on a bit of a serious note, I love their philanthropies, they do work for relationship violence which is SO prevalent!

3) I'm going to be leaving NC to go to a wedding this weekend so you won't be seeing much of me!

Late 4th of July Recap!

2010-07-08T10:26:00.001-04:00

We did the beach thing!

We went to New Bern, NC for their 300th year celebration! There are bears EVERYWHERE!

I was very patriotic.

We saw the world's biggest BBQ Sandwich!! 1336 lbs!

There is the Giant BBQ Sandwich! Coleslaw on top!

It was YUM!

Then we went bowling.

I know I'm STYLIN'!

Then we hung out and waited for the fireworks on base!

Standing at attention...

Then the real celebration!!!

Boommmm!

MilGirl Live and Learn: Melissa

2010-07-05T07:00:00.006-04:00

I hope you all enjoyed your Independence day! I had a lovely weekend and I'll be blogging about that some other time!

Just a sidebar, how much ucky gasses does this country release into the air with fireworks that are set off on the 4th of July?? Just a thought!

Without further ado...

Today we are walking to Melissa over at Head in the Game . Heart in the sand! She is an Army girlfriend whose blog I love reading... thanks always for the deeper level of blog writing! I appreciate it a lot!! I also think that Melissa is our first MilGirl who is an Army girl!!

(Look at them, they are so cute and color coordinated!)

Tell us a little about you: I am 26 and I am in law school in Minnesota while Al is serving in Iraq. When's he's stateside, he's in El Paso, TX so we've been long distance for our entire relationship. I like good conversation, a good book, a cold beer and a baseball game or simply a long drive blasting the radio. I am addicted to chapstick, I LOVE shoe-shopping and I have an odd affinity for eating pasta. I don't like people who don't vote or don't move fast enough and I despise cold weather and feet. I am not shy nor easily offended, but I'm a stickler for respect. Once you have that, I will be a loyal and passionate friend! I'm a fighter when I'm mad and a lover when I'm loving and at the end of the day, I want BOTH a career and a family and I will work hard for both! (Note from Editor: Melissa, can we be friends? I knew you were bad ass before but that just solidifies it for me! Here's my phone number ;))

The branch of service: Army

How long have you been together/married?: We have been together a little under 2 years (however, we've known each other for 5)

How did you meet your man? Was it before he decided to sign his life away?: I did meet him before the Army. We worked together back in the day when we were just kids (20). After a few months of hanging out he told me he was leaving for boot camp and that was it. Fast forward 3 years and we re-acquainted ourselves and have pretty much been together ever since. So, while I was there before the Army, I certainly wasn't a factor in the decision in any way.

Is he career military?: He goes back and forth. If the job and circumstances were right, I think he absolutely would be. Right now, he wants to get his degree and start a family and neither are terribly conducive to staying in the Army.

How did you initially feel about him being in the military?: I had no problem with it. It was something he enjoyed and that he was good at. I was in law school so it was actually good timing (if there ever is one) for him to be doing what he does. I know I would feel a little differently if I wasn't so busy. Either way, I am extremely proud of him and his job and will continue to support him no matter what.

What attracted you to him? Was it the uniform?: Nope. I was attracted to how strong and hard-working he was. He was quiet, with friendly eyes and strong arms. When he chose to talk, he was funny...really funny. Of course, a shaved head and pair of dog tags certainly up the ante on the attraction scale!

How does/did your family feel about him being in the military?: My mother loves it! She goes to Blue Star Mothers meetings, even though he isn't her son and we're not married yet. She sends him more care packages than I do, definitely more than his family does. She's a riot. The rest of my family fully supports it, although they wish we could have a more "normal" relationship.

Does the sexy uniform (or the sense of pride you feel) make up for the sacrifices you have to make?: I wouldn't be with him if it wasn't worth the sacrifice. Although, the uniform doesn't cut it on its own. Ha ha. I am extremely proud of him, the man he is and the job he does - those things make it easier for me to continue in our life this way.

Have your plans been messed up thanks to the military?: They really haven't. I am blessed that I can still be in school, doing what I love. We are both pretty independent and while we are both working towards a life together, the individual things we have in our lives are very important. We have managed to keep the things/plans in our lives straight and converge them into plans we want together. I will eventually (when I'm done with school) move to wherever he is so we can start the next phase together.

Does it motivate you as a couple to get married sooner if he is slated to get orders to leave you (go off to training/school, move to a new duty station –PCS, deploy)? Did you elope?: Not for us. As I mentioned, keeping our individual goals was very important, which included not getting married before we were truly ready. We wanted things to be on our timeline and in our way, not motivated by the military and benefits, or by his deployment. It's certainly been a battle and my extensive school debt constantly reminds me of how my budget wouldn't be so tight if we had married before he left. But for us, we are stronger, more connected, and better individuals because we did it our way. We are definitely looking forward to the marriage part!

What is one piece of advice you wished you had received PRIOR to getting married or while dating?: When I was little, before I really understood what it all meant, my Oma (grandmother) told me something that I still remember and cherish: "Your relationship has to be based on mutual respect. There will be days where the butterflies are gone, where you don't even like that person because they make you so mad. But if you have respect, for who they are as a person, husband, etc... then you have all you need."

Melissa, you always make me think a little bit harder,

dig a bit deeper with each piece of writing!

I love it! That's why I love reading you!

I hope y'all (readers) enjoyed her advice too!

Do you think you have some advice or stories to share? We'd love to hear it! Email me!

Date.a.marine [at] gmail.com

Flower Girls or not!

2010-07-02T10:09:00.000-04:00

I would describe the wedding that I'm planning as modern chic with a fun twist. Dave and I are pretty normal but kind of goofy so I figured that it would look like us. Well, in planning, there are tons of ways you can go a bit "goofy." On of the ways, I've decided to go the not so "typical" route is with my flower girls. I have 4 girls who are super important to me (my baby niece, my mentor's daughter, and the two girls I used to nanny) and I want them to be part of my special day! So I've asked them all to be flower girls in my wedding.

But did you know that flowers are SOOO super expensive? and really what is the point of a flower girl anyway? Did your flower girls throw flower petals around the aisle, or hand out flowers to guests, or just look cute? Anyway, I was brainstorming with my friend and she suggested that I should have them blow bubbles... but have you seen 5 year olds trying to blow bubbles (think drippy bubble sticks, not many bubbles)? Instead, we came up with the idea of bubble blowing guns! They just pull the trigger and a whole mess of bubbles emerge!

Sorry about the blurry pics!

So for our wedding, we will have 4 amazingly talented BUBBLE GIRLS! Oh and it doesn't stop there! Their bubble guns have been bedazzled! They are covered in rhinestones for the most BLING BLING effect!

He is good, so good.

2010-07-01T07:33:00.000-04:00

I often find myself thinking how lucky I got with my Marine. It's not that I've ever been treated badly but I don't think I've ever felt this much joy. He makes me feel appreciated and cared for. He is a man of his word. He treats me with such love and respect. When I first heard Carrie Underwood's Mama's Song, I wanted to figure out a way to incorporate it into the wedding. As a message to my parents and to my future husband to let them know how much I feel loved and cared for. How much that's appreciated and acknowledged. The chorus cannot be more true. I haven't figured out exactly how it'll show up in the wedding but I wanted to share this wonderful song...

Mama's Song

Carrie Underwood

Mama you taught me to do the right things
So now you have to let your baby fly
You've given me everything that I will need
To make it through this crazy thing called life
And I know you watch me grow up and always want whats best for me
And I think I found the answer to your prayers

And he is good, so good
He treats your little girl like a real man should
He is good, so good, he makes promises he keeps
No he's never gonna leave
So don't you worry about me
Don't you worry about me

Mama there's no way you'll ever lose me
And giving me away is not goodbye
As you watch me walk down to my future, I hope tears of joy are in your eyes

Cuz he is good, so good
He treats your little girl like a real man should
He is good, so good, he makes promises he keeps
No he's never gonna leave
So don't you worry about me
Don't you worry about me

And when I watch my little baby grow I'll only want whats best for her
And I hope she'll find the answer to my prayers
And that she'll say

He is good, so good
He treats your little girl like a real man should
He is good, so good, he makes promises he keeps
No he's never gonna leave

So don't you worry about me

Don't you worry about me

Mama don't you worry about me

Don't you worry about me

Summer Rut

2010-06-30T08:49:00.000-04:00

I think I'm in a rut. I have my 100 mile running challenge + Work out challenge and I'm not moving forward fast... This is how pathetically SLOW I'm going! I'm tracking my progress and my attitude each time but I find it hard to fit a trip to the gym (that takes an hour at the least) for a 30 minute work out and fit it into my already busy day. Frustrating! And I REFUSE to run outside when it's 95-105 degrees and humidity!!

Help me get to the gym ladies!

MilGirl Live and Learn: Ines

2010-06-28T07:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks for joining us today!

We are talking to Ines from The Few, the Proud, the Wife!

Tell us a little about you: Ugh! This is the worst thing I hate talking about because I usually don't know where to start and then I just end up talking nonsense. Here it goes: I'm originally from Spain but due to my father's job I have lived abroad my entire life (10 countries in 4 continents and still counting). I went to school in NY, Manhattanville College (a small liberal arts school in Westchester County) and I went on to Major in Communications with a Minor in African Studies and Latin American Studies. After graduation I moved to France and then to Austria, where my parents where living at the time. I did a bunch of internships and got a job and then headed to get my MA in Human Rights at the University of Essex in the UK. My biggest passion in life is Africa, the continent as a whole. I was born in Kenya and lived in Namibia right after it got independence from South Africa and its history basically stuck to me (man, I should've majored in history). The reason I mentioned Africa being my biggest passion is because if you read my blog there will be a random blog on the subject. I was going to major in African Studies but I knew that if I majored in that I would have to teach and to be honest I don't want to so I did Communications and as my thesis a created a magazine of Africa. My thesis for my MA was different, it was based on Argentina's Dirty War (my mother is Argentinean and this subject is so close to home).

Now I'm happily married to love of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. Like every couple we have dealt with a lot but knowing that we have made it means we can make it through anything.
I guess that's what I can sum up about me in a nutshell, education and all.

The branch of service: USMC

(Wow. Just wow...)

How long have you been together/married? Almost 4 years together, 6 months married.

How did you meet your man? Was it before he decided to sign his life away?: I met my husband while he was on the MSG (Marine Security Guard) program in Austria. We met through a mutual friend and from then on the rest is history.

Is he career military?: Yes!

How did you initially feel about him being in the military?: To be honest it didn't bother me at all. I had known a few other Marines who where stationed in Austria as MSGs and I got whole different look at the Marines and military. When I met my husband I feel in love for who he was.

What attracted you to him? Was it the uniform?: I won't deny it that he looks amazing in his dress blues, I'm kind of smiling just thinking of it. My husband has a great personality. He gets along with everyone and everyone gets along with him. I envy how a great talker he is and how straightforward he is about things.

How does/did your family feel about him being in the military?: I think, even though they have never told me, my family feels the same way every family feels when their son/daughter marries a military person, the fear of them getting hurt or worse.

Does the sexy uniform (or the sense of pride you feel) make up for the sacrifices you have to make?: The sexy uniforms do help of course, but the most important thing is the sense of pride. He loves the Marine Corps, this is what he does and he's good at it.

Have your plans been messed up thanks to the military?: Oh yes! The MSG program has many ups and plenty of downs. Curfews, 7 days a week work week, random off days, etc. The program, from my point of views, is a great program. They get to live in 3 different countries for 3 years and the majority go out and visit the neighboring countries. One thing with this program is dealing with long distance relationship, My husband and I had to deal with long distance relationship from country to country, continent to continent and we made it!

The one thing that got to me was when we were planning our wedding. At the time I was living in the UK and my husband was living in Germany and his sister voluntarily asked if she could help with the wedding and be our wedding planner. We of course jumped to the opportunity knowing that it would be ridiculously hard and expensive to go back and forth from Europe to the US. In the midst of planning my husband tells me that they have changed the dates of when he's leaving the MSG and its sooner than expected. Our wedding was planned for January 9th, 2010, we ended up getting married December 12th, 2009, and he was suppose to get out of MSG December 15th, 2009. Well, apparently he was notified that he had to report to 29 Palms September, 2010. SHIT! So I was stressed and pissed, he was pissed and annoyed and his sister was confused. Hubby worked some magic and got them to move the date later in December where he would start school in January. Perfect!...not so much. We lost our spot of the reception place and had to go for something less...."nicer"?

Does it motivate you as a couple to get married sooner if he is slated to get orders to leave you (go off to training/school, move to a new duty station –PCS, deploy)? Did you elope?
I wish I had eloped but it was more for the reason that I didn't want a wedding. I'm so not a tradition girl :) But my husband wanted one and that was fine with me. Because he was in MSG he could not get married while on the program (they actually sign a contract saying they will not get married) hence as to why we couldn't get married at any time we pleased. ALSO, since I'm not American I was waiting for my fiance visa which I needed in order to marry my husband in the US. So yeah, I was pretty much stressed!

What is one piece of advice you wish you had received PRIOR to getting married or while dating?: Be sure and be strong. Be very sure this is what you want in life. It not easy to being married to someone in the military so be sure. Be strong because you are going to endure a lot and you need to be able to handle it.

Thanks Ines! What a wonderful perspective!

Thank you for sharing your experience of going through the MSG program with us!

It's so inspiring to see couples who make it through such long distances (different continents!)

HELP! Can you see it?

2010-06-24T08:41:00.000-04:00

So yesterday's post was a fail. Blogger decided to not let me show any of the pictures I had put up... I think I fixed the problem. But the issue is, can you see the pictures now?

Here's the link, or just scroll down! Thanks for helping me out!!!

xoxo,

DIY Project: Bridesmaids Gift Bag!

2010-06-23T20:16:00.002-04:00

I found this project on Ashley Ann's Blog (which is SO super cute and full of wonderful pictures)!!

Deco Canvas Bag!

Here are the materials I purchased:

Canvass tote
Fabric paint by Tulip (soft fabric paint) in Night Sky Pearl (pretty dark grey with pearly qualities).
Craft paint brush (one of 3 that was part of the pack). I did not buy the brush they sold at the store for fabric crafts (they ran $6, while the pack of 3 that I bought were $4).
Doilies (I got the Wilton brand, grease proof ones... they worked perfectly. I was able to use them on multiple bags!)

1) You align the doily on the canvass bag however you'd like the end product to look. I did mine with less of the "lacy part showing so that it wouldn't be too much detail.

2) Make sure you're meeting the canvas at a 90 degree angle. If you don't "blot" the doily with just a touch of paint, you'll have goops and it won't look like a doily!! So, once again: 90 degrees and not too much paint.

3) Go through and blot/paint in all the holes and (if you want) the outline of the doily! I tried to be super careful not to take my non-

This is one of my final products! I made 5 today so they all look a bit different!

Also, Ashley Ann's version had a stenciled monogram on it but I haven't done that yet...What do you think??

Here are some uses for the bag I came up with:

I made these for my bridesmaids, as part of their gift.
You can give it to a teacher as a thank you gift.
A hostess gift - maybe a wine tote?
For your beach bag!
A beloved pet's travel bag!
Tons more ideas, if you come up with one, please let me know!

I swear the pictures on Ashley Ann's blog are SO much better than mine, but I'm happy with my finished product!

Happy Birthday, my love!

2010-06-22T14:21:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday BEAN!

I hope this year (again) proved to you that turning a year older isn't scary (even when you meet 17 year old Marines!)! I am so lucky that I am the girl you want to spend the rest of your life with. I love surprising you with gifts and jet skis because I think you deserve to be pampered sometimes, in return for the way you take care of me...

xox, Love you to the moon and back,

Your R

For the rest of you, here are pics from the weekend when we went to Myrtle Beach and had a BLAST!

I had a handmade military challenge coin case made for him.

Our first stop out in Myrtle beach...

The dessert was AMAZING!

Then we walked around Broadway at the Beach.

We found Mr. Bear.

Dave made me pose with it.

And made me show him my "grrr face." haha.

I'm not sure what's up with all these goofy faces...

He wanted to feed the ugly fishes in the water under the bridge.

Day 2

Isn't Myrtle just GORGeous?

Then we went to "celebrate" properly at Margaritaville!!

We went to Ripley's Aquarium to see pretty fishes!

We are SO flippin goofy looking!

We were FIRST in line to see AVATAR in IMAX 3D!

I think out of everything we did that weekend, this was most exciting for Dave.

I'll need to remember this for next year. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)!

Exactly...

Next up: Making Cuppie cakes for my love before he gets home!!!

MilGirl Live and Learn: Karley

2010-06-21T07:00:00.005-04:00

<center><a href="http://sempergumbythelife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Semper Gumby"src="http://i1044.photobucket.com/albums/b449/betterwifeblogdesign/milgirl3.jpg"/><br /> </a></center>

Today we're talking to Karley aka LCpl Princess from Boonie Caps & Tiaras!

(They just LOOK like a Marine couple. Adorable!)

Tell us a little about you: I am 25 and in my last year of Nursing School to be a RN, I already have my bachelors in Kinesiology but I wanted a job that would move easily with my husband and I since he is a career Marine. We currently live 14 hrs apart and its miserable! We had a JOP May 8 wedding; we are having our "white wedding" when he gets done with the upcoming deployment! We are from the deep south, and I can't wait to move =)

The branch of service: Marine Corps

How long have you been together/married? together 5 and 1/2 yrs- married one month =)

How did you meet your man? Was it before he decided to sign his life away?: We met in college, he also has his bachelors in Kinesiology and a bachelors in business. We had class together and sparks flew immediately (which was crazy cause I was engaged to someone else at the time! but I called it off, when I met my husband now we both just knew we were soul mates- i know that may sound dumb to some) My husband had not signed his life away, in fact we dated 3 years before we made the choice to become a military family! Boot camp was terrible cause we are one of those couples that does anything and everything together, it was our first time to be apart much less 13 weeks of not hearing his voice and sitting every day by my mailbox crying my eyes out if there was no letter. but I guess it was getting me ready for all the distance our future would hold!

Is he career military? yes, infantry

How did you initially feel about him being in the military?: Well because we made the choice together I was anxious about change, but excited about our future, nervous, and bummed about the distance

What attracted you to him? Was it the uniform?: No, not the uniform that didnt come for 3 yrs later! Definitely my husbands wittiness and i thought he was so sexy

How does/did your family feel about him being in the military?: they hated it when we made the choice and they still hate it! even though I am the daughter of an Army vet, they didnt want their daughter in the position of having to raise my kids alone at times, and having to take on man duties when he is gone, the thought of combat stresses them out. They were under the impression he was going to law school since he got accpepted in our home town, so when we took a different direction they were unhappy!

Does the sexy uniform (or the sense of pride you feel) make up for the sacrifices you have to make?: haha no the uniform doesn't do anything for the tears, loneliness & fear. I have gotten used to the uniform by now since he wears it daily! What makes it worth it is- the sense of pride, and the fact that my husband handles things so well, he does his best to not make me feel second or neglected though he stays so busy and on the occasion I do get down he lets me vent and gets me back on track haha!

Have your plans been messed up thanks to the military?: oh gosh yes, our original wedding date was last May (we wound up getting married anyway and doing a JOP) but our big wedding was supposed to be last month and because my husband was supposed to be at Mojave Viper for the upcoming deployment I moved it, but then my husband shattered his ankle in training so due to rehab they moved his deployment date again, so I moved our wedding again, and we still arent sure the exact date of our "white wedding" because I am sure the Marine Corps will have other things in mind SO thats why we went ahead with our JOP =)

Does it motivate you as a couple to get married sooner if he is slated to get orders to leave you (go off to training/school, move to a new duty station –PCS, deploy)? Did you elope? we did elope, and it was due to shifting deployment dates on top of my wedding date haha

What is one piece of advice you had received PRIOR to getting married or while dating? I got tons of advice on my blog! Communication is key to a military relationship, being patient, and flexible, and keep your own hobbies that make you, you. Dont let becoming a military wife become you, your future husband fell in love with YOU (not DEERS, LINKS,FRG or TRICARE). I know my husband loves that I still have my own identity cause he deals with military ALL day I am a refuge, a breath of fresh air =)

Thanks Karley for being this week's MilGirl!

I hope you loved learning about her today.

Are YOU a MilGirl (wife, fiancee, girlfriend?) and want to be interviewed?

email me at date [dot] a [dot] marine [at] gmail [dot] com!

Is there something else you want to ask the MilGirls? Let me know!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

Remember to wish all the "dads" in your life a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Lexi's Daddy!

My Daddy! (all of us at my sister's wedding)

Dave's dad!

Have I told you how WONDERFUL my future in-laws are!? AMAZING!

Anyway, what are you doing for the "dad" in your life? Awesome gifts, cards??