The Air Force Wife: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Misfit Monday Blog Hop: Week 2

This week's Misfit Monday Blog Hop topic is a "What's In My Bag" post; you can use a diaper bag, portable office bag, or your purse (or any other bag you may have lying around). Feel free to be as goofy and random as you'd like - this hop is all about having fun! :)

RULES for joining this hop:

1. You must write a post relevant to the topic for the week.

2. The link added with the widget below must be a direct link to your relevant post.

3. You must visit each link and leave a comment to show your support (over the span of the week and before the next Monday topic is posted).

4. The Misfit Bloggers reserve the right to remove any links deemed by ourselves as "unfit" to be a part of the hop (i.e. irrelevant, inappropriate, etc.)

5. You must post the "Misfit Monday Blog Hop" button as provided in the text area below somewhere on your post.

SUGGESTIONS for taking full advantage of this blog hop:

1. Go all out! Comment, follow, subscribe, tweet about, share on Fbook...anything you can to show your support of your fellow blog hoppers! What do you have to lose??

2. Participate regularly - odds are, the more people see you around, the more likely they are to check out your post and be genuinely interested in what you have to say.

3. Have fun and stay original - blog hops are a great opportunity to pull in new regular readers...spark their interest and get them eager to know more about you!

Another obnoxiously annoying and uncomfortably awkward vlog for you all! ;) Enjoyyyy!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

It's a Diezel Doggy Kinda Day

I haven't been too great about posting pictures of D growing (which seems to be going by way too fast). Since he lost his first baby tooth on Friday night, I figured I would post some updated pictures of the little guy.

Starbucks run with Mama! Turns out Diezel is definitely a fan of passion tea lemonade :)

His one bucktooth left ;-P His big teeth are already coming in...can't wait for the puppy teeth to be a thing of the past - I will not miss them!

D loves burrowing down in the grass/weeds we have by our house - he tries to sneak attack us (and the neighbor's dogs) and thinks he is so stealthy.

Hubby, D & I went to the puppy park yesterday and Diezel made friends with a bunch of Boxers that were there (I think there were 3 or 4 of them). There was also a little turd of a mutt dog there (he was about 5 or 6 months his owner said) who gave Diezel a taste of his own medicine - yay for him! D is always picking on our next door neighbor's Chuweenie, so it was good for him to be the one being dominated for a change. I wasn't able to get any pictures of him roughing around with the doggies at the park *sadface*, and totally spaced taking a picture of how dead tired he was afterwards (taping his ears was a breeze, which is usually far from how it goes!) I'm really looking forward to heading back to the dog park...not only was it good "social" time for Diezel, but I also got the chance to talk to some other dog owners, which was really nice.

He has taken over our guest bedroom...but we are okay with that :) Hope any and all of our future guests enjoy nighttime puppy snuggles!

This picture cracks me up every time! He was squeaking his toy (which is larger than he is as you can obviously see) and his gums were stuck on his teeth...looks like he's big time cheesin'! Hahaha!

Hope you guys enjoyed this update of our Diezel doggy...Hubs and I are thinking about welcoming one more addition to our little ~~zoo~~ family in the near future, but haven't decided for certain yet. Guess it will be a surprise for you all! :) Have a wonderful last day of your weekend, and if you haven't yet, go enter my giveaway!!!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Courage Cakes: Bringing Home to the Homefront + GIVEAWAY!!!

Courage Cakes, created by six college students from the University of Washington, represents the passion, love, and encouragement that we want to spread to others. With many of our friends just entering into the US military, we felt the pain and anticipation of having to soon say goodbye. We created Courage Cakes as a way to stay connected. Our friends and family that make up the US military display courage and sacrifice everyday, and there is no way to possibly say thank you enough. Courage Cakes is just one way that we can express our gratitude and give back to our country.

Courage Cakes contacted me a few weeks ago inquiring as to whether I would be interested in reviewing their products. After reading through a short synopsis of what Courage Cakes is and stands for, I agreed without hesitation and was in fact honored to be asked to share my opinion of a product whose creators have such humble intentions. I anxiously awaited the FedEx package's arrival and was overjoyed when it arrived yesterday afternoon - I couldn't wait to tear open the box and finally get a glimpse of these amazing little jars of encouragement, appreciation, and love.

Aside from the fact that I am completely in love with Courage Cake's logo, I was also very impressed with the actual packaging of the cakes: The cake mixes are accompanied by a glass jar, which can be used and reused time and time again or recycled. Thumbs up for being green! But there was something else that had me quite excited...perhaps it's my inner fatty once again breaking her way to the surface, but I was absolutely pumped to try out the cakes themselves.

The creating of the cakes is simple: Add 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of water and microwave for 45 seconds. Your deployed loved one may not have access to all of the ingredients to bake their own cake and shipping them one to celebrate a special occasion may end up being a disaster. Courage Cakes only require two things: water and a microwave, enabling them to be able to enjoy the comfort of a rich vanilla, yellow, or chocolate cake without the hassle and stress of having to whip one up themselves.

Of the Yellow Ribbon and Fearless Fudge cake mixes, the yellow was definitely my favorite, but I'm just a yellow cake kinda gal. The Fearless Fudge would give Warm Delights a run for their money though - I found one satisfied sweet tooth and a happy tummy as soon as I topped off my Fearless Fudge Courage Cake. There is also a Veteran Vanilla cake mix available - who doesn't love a yummy vanilla cake??

My absolute favorite aspect of Courage Cakes as a company is their +one program. Courage Cakes partners up with Operation Gratitude so that whether you are wanting to try out one of these patriotic cakes for yourself or are sending them overseas to your loved one, an additional cake will be sent out to a military member fighting overseas. Courage Cakes also offers personalized lids in which you are able to write a message or include a photo to send your loved one: a special little something to take them back home for just a moment as they enjoy a warm, gooey piece of cake.

If you are interested in further looking into Courage Cakes, I strongly encourage to check them out at their website www.couragecakes.com. Whether you are looking to send a little piece of home to the homefront or just looking for a more patriotic way to satisfy your sweet tooth, Courage Cakes is a wonderful company worth getting to know.

FABULOUS news for the day: Courage Cakes has decided to sponsor a giveaway to allow two of my lucky readers the chance to try out each Courage Cakes flavor (Yellow Ribbon, Veteran Vanilla, and Fearless Fudge) as well as receive a Keepsake lid! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter and best of luck to you all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: The product shown and described above was given to me for review. All of the opinions stated above are my own.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Living in a Dream

By the title I'm sure you're anticipating some unbearably sappy, bubbly, happy, obnoxious post about "Oh, my life is sooooo perfect that I feel like I'm in a dream that I don't ever want to wake up from!" Well, not quite. Please don't get me wrong here, I do love my life, I just feel like I'm stuck in a dream in a different sense.

Today I was texting my long-time BFF Ellie when I brought up the fact that I have zero motivation to do anything anymore...that I feel almost depressed, just minus the crying. I don't ever feel like going out and doing anything, but when I stay home all day I never want to do anything either. I keep telling myself that I need to get "x" done, but day in and day out "x" still remains untouched. It's frustrating, it's discouraging, and it's disheartening. But I almost can't help myself from withdrawing from my responsibilities - it seems like something greater than myself is at work here...stinking hormones/thingy-ma-jiggers that trigger your brain to feel sad/alone/depressed, go away! Ellie went on to tell me about how she just felt numb to everything and I immediately related. You see, Ellie has been going to college 5 hours away from our home town in ol' South Dakota - she's going through and has been through the same thing that I'm dealing with right now, except she had to brave the waters herself. Now here I am, down in Florida, 30 hours+ away from my family, and it's kicking my butt guys! Ellie and I both concluded that we were trapped in a dream...watching life happen, but not feeling emotionally attached or like it is our lives that we are living.

A case of homesickness? Could be. But stupid thoughts like "Wow, my sister will be 25 next year...that's 5 years away from being 30...think of how fast the 5 years prior to this one passed and think how fast these 5 years will fly by. Before I know it, my parents will be in their 60's and 70's..." and I typically force my brain to have an ADD spasm at that point - I really can't bare thinking about my parents getting old. And the fact that I'm going from being around them all day every day - being able to drive over to my dad's office with a Jimmy John's sub and just talk to him face to face, or surprising my mom by inviting her out to Chinese for lunch and picking up the tab, or making random Starbucks runs with my sister and our dogs...my sister pointed out to me earlier this evening that this will be the first summer we have ever not spent together...I'm about to lose it just typing this right now - gosh!

It's just so hard. Being on your own really makes you appreciate what you had when you were oblivious to all of the good surrounding you. Like my mom: She works full time and picks up shifts at another job some week nights and weekends, yet always managed to have dinner on the table for us. It's so painful to keep telling my mind that Hubby and Grizzly and Diezel are my prime focus now. I don't know how people do it. I don't understand how people can voluntarily up and move away from their parents and never blink an eye in doing so. I envy the people who are able to be born and raised in the same town or city, grow up in that same city, and go on to raise their own families minutes away from their parents.

People keep telling me to keep busy - it helps the time pass and keeps your mind off of missing people so much. I don't want to "busy work" my life away. Coming to terms with the fact that I'm only going to see my parents and sister a matter of two or three times per year is so difficult. Call me over dramatic, but it really makes me feel like I can't breathe. So other military spouses out there, I really need your wisdom right now - or anyone who has had to move away from their families and everything they have ever known. I keep trying to be optimistic and keep forcing these daunting thoughts from my mind, but that's no way to live your life. I want to enjoy where I am at right now and not have to put on a smile and keep trying to convince myself that I am happy at my precise location in life.

So sorry for raining on you guys with my cloud of gloom, but I'm just feeling so down - I had to get everything out so I could maybe *hopefully* get lucky and sleep tonight...if Hubby miraculously doesn't snore for once (don't count on it!)

Monday, April 23, 2012

Misfit Monday Week One: Meet the Misfits

Well I'm supposed to be writing this post about who I am and what the Misfit Blogging Buddies group means to me...but it is 8:18 AM and I've only had one sip of coffee. It's freezing cold outside (57 degrees!) and all I'm thinking about is the mound of laundry and schoolwork that I need to get done.
BUT, without further adieu, allow me to introduce myself.
Who I am: My name is Rachel and, if you can't tell by the loud header and other airplane and ABU themed elements of my blog, I'm an Air Force Wife. I am a whopping 20 years old. My husband and I were married on July 9, 2011 after having known each other and been friends for 2 or 3 years prior. Hubby is the polar opposite of me, which is why I think we get along so well. He is my best friend, my shoulder to lean on, my missing puzzle piece. Hubs left for Air Force basic training on August 28, 2011 and the roller coaster known as military life began.
Beginning on March 7th, we made the 30 hour drive from Rapid City, South Dakota down to MacDill AFB, FL: our first assignment. Boy did we luck out, this place is absolutely stunning. Coming up on 2 months later, we are mostly settled in (although I'm pretty convinced that we will never have all of the boxes completely unpacked) and really enjoying our time here.
What I do: Well, it's debatable (;-P). I began taking an online course in medical transcription editing about 2 weeks after Hubby left for basic training - I viewed it as the perfect opportunity to get some job training in with few to no distractions...plus, on the flip side, the course really served as a great way to keep my mind off of missing Hubs so much. At the time, I was also working full time at a law firm as a legal secretary, so my weekday schedule was work from 9 AM to 5:30 PM, school from 5:30 PM 'til 9 PM. What a life, huh? But it really helped the time pass a bit quicker.
I am currently still trying to get finished up with my MTE course, although it's really been difficult for me. The course is very repetitious at the point I am currently at, so it's pretty hard for me to stay focused for longer than a couple of hours. I'm hoping to be finished up in a couple of months or so...I definitely wouldn't mind having an extra paycheck coming in!
In my spare or "fun" time, I obviously have a thing for blogging :) I'm beginning to dabble around in graphic design, which I believe is a field I would really enjoy being in sometime in the future. I also love photography, spending time with my 2 furkids Grizzly the kitty and Diezel the Doberman puppy, and laying out in the beautiful Florida sunshine in my backyard.
Why I blog: The reasoning behind my blogging really is simple; I feel that it's the reason why the majority of bloggers begin their journey in bloggyland: Wanting to reach out to others while documenting a journey. I created The Air Force Wife as a means to reach out to other military spouses, to not only offer what support and information to them that I could, but to also gain support and information from them in turn. Blogging has opened up a whole new world for me: I've met people I would have never had the chance to meet otherwise, and I have been presented with a number of wonderful opportunities that I would have never encountered outside of my blog.
Who the Misfits are to me: I could go on and on about who the Misfits are to me and why the members are so indescribably wonderful, but I'm going to step outside of the box here and leave you with some adjectives that automatically trigger a "Misfit" association when I say them. Aren't words great? I just love them.
Accepting. Knowledgeable. Supportive. Open. Encouraging. Uplifting. Fun. Outgoing. Successful. Determined. Motivated.
If the Misfit Blogging Buddies sounds like something you are interested in becoming a part of, please don't hesitate to check us out via this hop next Monday, April 30 or you can visit us on Facebook . If you have any questions we can answer for you, feel free to leave them in the comments below or shoot any of us an e-mail. I look forward to seeing your bright and shining faces at our hop in the future! Thanks for reading and it was nice to meet you! :)

Misfit Monday Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the first *official* Misfit Monday Blog Hop. I'm sure you may be wondering Who the heck are the Misfits? Allow me to introduce you to the most accepting, encouraging, supportive, and knowledge-filled group of bloggers around. The Misfits were started as a SITS Girls inspired encouragement group on Facebook - a group of beginning bloggers teaming up to help one another along in wonderful bloggyland.

So why a Blog Hop? The Misfits are all about support: afterall, the secret to success is support, as I'm sure a lot of you fellow bloggers out there have learned from our SITSahs before us. As a very strong and active Facebook group, the Misfits want to reach out to other bloggers to offer out our support and welcome some new faces to join us.

This week's Misfit Monday Blog Hop topic is for our future members - we want to introduce ourselves to you and welcome you with open arms. Feel free to visit all of our different posts (they will be listed below) and sport our adorable button. Keep an eye out for next week's topic and be sure to join in!

RULES for joining this hop:

1. You must write a post relevant to the topic for the week.

2. The link added with the widget below must be a direct link to your relevant post.

3. You must visit each link and leave a comment to show your support (over the span of the week and before the next Monday topic is posted).

4. The Misfit Bloggers reserve the right to remove any links deemed by ourselves as "unfit" to be a part of the hop (i.e. irrelevant, inappropriate, etc.)

5. You must post the "Misfit Monday Blog Hop" button as provided in the text area below somewhere on your post.

SUGGESTIONS for taking full advantage of this blog hop:

1. Go all out! Comment, follow, subscribe, tweet about, share on Fbook...anything you can to show your support of your fellow blog hoppers! What do you have to lose??

2. Participate regularly - odds are, the more people see you around, the more likely they are to check out your post and be genuinely interested in what you have to say.

3. Have fun and stay original - blog hops are a great opportunity to pull in new regular readers...spark their interest and get them eager to know more about you!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Offering Design Services!

Hello everyone - over the course of designing the new Air Force Wife header and other layout elements, I've decided that graphic design is something that I would really like to pursue. In order to do so, I will first need to expand my portfolio, which is where you come in! :)

If anyone would like help with logo or header design, please contact me so we can further discuss getting the ball rolling. Keep in mind that this is you doing me a favor here (did I mention your design will be free???) So shoot me an e-mail, a message on Fbook, Tweet, or comment below so we can get started. Thank you and I'm looking forward to working with you!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

A Short and Simple Saturday Snippet

I know I've been a bit distant lately - between trying to get the new layout designed and getting all of the tweaks worked out, I haven't devoted a ton of time to posting. I just wanna inform you all of a couple of things before I take off to begin my never-ending Saturday housecleaning checklist (bleh!)

First: GIVEAWAYS! I have THREE sponsored giveaway items on their way to my lovely home as I type this, and ONE giveaway *group* of things that I am putting together myself. Why? Because I love and appreciate you all so very much. No joke. I love you guys to death and I don't know how socially awkward and insane I would be at this point if it wasn't for you all!

Second: As you begin your weekend and are *hopefully* spending it next to the ones you love, keep in mind that it's the little things. It hit me last night as I was driving home from the 2012 "Knucklebusters" awards at MacDill [ we volunteered to be DD's ;) ] as Hubby was belting out Adele. I told him he should run away and become a backup singer. He told me he knows. It's the little goofy moments spent with him that I wouldn't trade for the world and everything in it. Anyways - savor the little moments, especially as a milso...you never know when your love one could be sent away from you.

But that's all I have for now...off to do some dishes :-/ Doing all of this stinking cleaning better make my Sunday that much better cause I don't plan on doing ANYTHING tomorrow! Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Announcement Announcement Announcement!!

Alright dears, I am very happy to announce that I have been working on custom designing a new header for The Air Force Wife this week and it is finally finished! So if you visit and find there to be all sorts of funk going on with the design of the blog, this would be why - getting everything aligned properly and working out the kinks will definitely be tricky, but this rocking header is worth it and I hope you all agree! Just thought I'd let you know - so please bear with me here! :)

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

7 Questions Link Up

Let's start out on a great note....oh - I know! I know! Here's a gem of a picture for you all:

Having set the tone for this post, let's get into it shall we? :)

1. What is your favorite App? There are several different ways you could measure my "favoritism"...based up on how often I use it or based up on how ingenious I believe the App to be. I'll just give you one of each because I'm kiiiiinda nerdy like that. The App I use most often (lately) has been Twitter. I used to never tweet, now I'm obsessed. Figures. The App that is my favorite due to the absence of glitch-i-ness and pure genius that went into it's invention would have to be Disney's Where's My Water - I spend literally hours playing this. Although it eats my battery, it has never frozen, erased my scores, cheated me out of a win, or anything else related to a crummy App. Seriously, who thought of this? Making a trail of water through mucky stuff so that this alligator can take a bath with his rubber ducks? Oh well, at least he and the ducks are cute. So yay for the adorable alligator, he deserves to have his picture posted!

Awww! So cute!

2. You have to come up with a book title on the spot - what is it (don't think just say!) Mr. Puppy and the Quest for the Ever Sought After Kitten Cove.

3. You are given the choice between laughing at everything-always, or never being able to laugh again. Which would you choose? Well that's easy - laughing at everything. Abs of steel, here I come!

4. What natural disaster scares you the most? Ironic, I was just talking about this earlier today. Tornadoes. I don't even have to think twice about that answer. Tornadoes freak me out, yet I've never been in one. I have nightmares about them regularly...the nightmares that seem so real that when you finally wake up you are in tears. It's bad news bears. I blame my 5th grade teacher for making us watch the movie Twister umpteen times in class. Traumatizing I tell you!

5. What time do you wake up at each day? What time do you go to sleep? I'm usually woken up by Hubby's alarm at 5:00 AM every weekday morning. I then drift back to sleep and am woken up by him yet again at around 5:30-6 before he takes off for work (he enjoys smothering me with hugs/kisses during the wee hours of the morning...ahh, love is grand). If it's a Wednesday or Saturday morning, the rowdy garbage man then wakes me up at 7:00 AM with his hunk-o-junk truck and obnoxiously loud potty mouth. If I manage to drift back to sleep after that, Grizzly will typically do some awfully annoying "Brrrr-REEER!" type meow until I give him attention. Or, like this morning, I was woken up to him gnawing on my flip flop. Awesome cat? Yes.

I usually head to bed around 10 PM, but lay in bed and Tweet/Fbook/play Temple Run or Where's My Water until 11 or later ;-P

6. Who's your daddy and what does he do? My dad is the most amazing man ever. He is currently a branch manager for a security company that recently merged with Stanley...so he installs card readers, security cameras, etc. He also coaches a junior air pistol team (a member of which made it to the junior Olympics and I want to say he even took first, but two of his previous students have gone to the junior Olympics as well!) He has his own adult air pistol team, which he attends practice for every Wednesday night in addition to regular tournaments on weekends. My dad is very involved in his church and also keeps plenty busy with being the president of my old high school's board. I am so much like my dad, it is crazy. We are alike in looks, character, temper, personality, opinions, beliefs - everything. He is always there to offer advice or just a listening ear. I love and miss my daddy-o tons! :( Looking forward to when he comes down and visits (whenever that may be).

7. What is the craziest dream you have ever had? ~~As much as I'd love to make up some fictional story of a supposed dream I had.....~~ ... I typically don't remember my dreams and if I get lucky and do, it's usually only fresh in my brain for the first couple of hours I'm awake in the morning and then I can't remember it (even if I wanted to). Although, I have realized that the dreams I typically remember are the scarring ones...like where you find yourself on a date with the nasty booger eating kid in your grade (every class has/had one) or if something extremely sad happens (like if something bad were to happen to Hubby or Grizzly or some other family member).

The 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

Today I'm sharing a bit of a different kind of post with you all - the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards was something that really touched me. It is simply amazing that youth are thinking to give back to veterans in such drastic and moving ways; devoting countless hours towards putting others above themselves. I hope you enjoy reading about these inspirational young ladies!

The 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Honors Youth Volunteers Whose Work has Supported Servicemen and Women

In February, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards singled out America's most outstanding youth volunteers to reward their incredible work and hold them up as examples for all of us -- kids and adults alike. Several of these students’ work support servicemen and women! The effort they put forth is absolutely amazing!

Created in 1995, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service, and is a truly remarkable program! Each year, the program’s judges select two State Honorees and a handful of Distinguished Finalists in each state and the District of Columbia. The 234 Distinguished Finalists receive bronze medallions, and the 102 State Honorees each receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. where they tour the capital’s landmarks, attend a gala awards ceremony, and visit congressional representatives on Capitol Hill.

On May 7^th, while in D.C., 10 of this year’s State Honorees will be named National Honorees. These honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice. This wonderful trip is designed to not only thank the students for all their hard work, but to also recognize their efforts and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.

These young volunteers have helped their communities in ways that range from assisting Americans who are sick or disabled, to collecting food, medical supplies, clothing, books, and school supplies to send overseas, to working in orphanages, building homes, and teaching impoverished children. They are truly an inspiration!

Two of the state honorees whose work supported servicemen and women are Krystal Shirrell and Rebel Rauterkus.

Krystal Shirrell, 18, of Brownsburg, Ind., a senior at Brownsburg High School, has engaged in a variety of activities to assist and support U.S. veterans and soldiers. While attending a workshop organized by her sister to make hats for cancer patients, Krystal heard someone talking about how patients undergoing kidney dialysis treatment often struggle to control their body temperature. Shortly afterward Krystal was at a Veterans Day banquet when she learned that many veterans need dialysis, and an idea took shape: she could make lap blankets to help kidney-damaged veterans stay warm during treatment. Krystal spent up to eight hours making each blanket. She also taught middle school students and senior citizens at a local nursing home how to make the blankets. So far, she has delivered more than 250 of them to the local VA hospital. On one visit, she learned about the VA’s domiciliary program for homeless vets, and immediately wanted to do something for these veterans as well. She conducted a collection drive that provided more than 5,000 needed items for vets in the program, and she hosts monthly bingo nights for them, too. In addition, Krystal designed a “thank-you” coloring sheet for elementary school students to send to veterans, and launched a campaign to send decorated Christmas trees and care packages with special gift items to troops over the holidays. Krystal says she wants to “let veterans know the younger generation has not forgotten them and is reaching out with thanks and support.”

Rebel Rauterkus, 17, of Freedom, Wyo., a member of the Lincoln County 4-H and a senior at Star Valley High School in Afton, raised more than $2,000 for the local American Legion Post by buying and raising two hogs, which were then raffled off to the public. Rebel, whose family members are active volunteers, appreciates how much local veterans do for her community and how little they ask in return. When she heard that the organization was in need of money, she knew she had to help. Her family had raffled off prize-winning hogs in the past to support local causes, so Rebel decided she would use money from her savings account to do the same. “When I met with members at the American Legion, they thought I needed money,” said Rebel. “When I said I wanted to make money to give to them, there were overcome with emotion. Several wept.” As a 4-Her, Rebel knew the qualities she wanted in a hog. “I traveled to several breeders and (pig) sales and knew exactly what I was looking for,” she said. “Show pigs require lots of time, exercise and loving care.” After she had chosen her “boys,” as she referred to them, Rebel had 161 days to raise “the best quality meat on the market.” Last September, Rebel’s efforts paid off at the raffle when community members lined up for a chance to win Rebel’s pork. “The response and results were overwhelming,” she said. With her donation, the Alpine American Legion Post 46 will now be able to make more improvements to their ball field and continue to provide full military honors services at veterans’ funerals, she said.

How can you get involved and help support these volunteers?

1. Check out the amazing work of all 102 state honorees here and share their stories!

2. Cheer on these heroes and share the live webcast of the May 7^th event with your family and friends. You can secure your spots for this free webcast event here: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=85447

3. Join The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/spiritawards

4. Follow The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards of Twitter:
https://twitter.com/pruspirit

5. Check out The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PruSpiritofCommunity

For more information on the volunteer activities of all of the 2012 Honorees, please visit:
http://spirit.prudential.com

Monday, April 16, 2012

What Did You Accomplish Today?

Well, let's hear it: I want to know all about how productive your Monday and even better yet, your Monday morning. Not one for Monday productivity? Can't say I blame you. But I've been feeling extra lame lately. As in I bluntly feel like a bum. I sit around at my laptop doing school all day, take a break to refill my coffee, take another break to tend to the critters, and then return to doing my school work. Fast forward another 4 hours and here I am: still sitting at my laptop doing school work until Hubby gets home from work. Cue dinner making, eat dinner, sit in front of the TV until approximately 9:30, go to bed, fall asleep, wake up and repeat. I'm all for a routine, but what if my current one really isn't that great? It leaves just a tad to be desired, wouldn't you agree? So guess what? I got off my butt this morning and did something about it.

I woke up around 5:30 as I typically do, smothered by Hubby's goodbye kiss/hug, rolled over and snoozed until 8. I laid in bed for a minute or two, debating whether or not I actually wanted to get up this morning, until I finally talked myself into it. Not only was I out of bed relatively early on a Monday morning, but I also had a cup of coffee in hand within minutes - and it wasn't even 8:15 yet! I was really on a roll. Next stop, the lap top, but this time my school work would have to take a number - I wasn't hitting the books. As driven as I was, my aim was on an entirely different goal: housework. Really, who wakes up early on a Monday morning just raring to go do housework? I swore I must have eaten something a teeny bit off last night as I found myself Googling detailed house cleaning lists. After I'd printed off my lists, I printed off a weekly calendar to schedule in which rooms I would be tackling per day. Here's how it worked out:

Monday: Wash laundry, fold, put away; clean laundry room; clean master bath and spare bath.
Tuesday: Grocery day, collect garbage.
Wednesday: Clean the kitchen, dining area, and living room.
Thursday: Clean the front entrance and the back patio.
Friday: Clean the master and spare bedroom, clean my office, and collect the garbage.

In case you were wondering, I am not messing around with this stuff! I am down to business and that is no lie. I have typically been a fairly organized person, but when it comes to my room, the apartment Hubby and I used to live in, and now our house - housework really overwhelms me. I hate cleaning because it literally eats up the entire day. Especially "organizing" or "decluttering"...what a joke; by the time I get everything pulled out and have weeded through what I do and don't want anymore, I'm ready to move on and be done. Needless to say, I end up leaving everything out, telling myself "I'll come back to it later." Never do. Ends up being a death pit obstacle course, my lonely belongings anxiously awaiting the day when they will be tucked away back in their rightful place once again. But I'm sick of it. Who wants to live that way? Who wants to come home after a day of work (flipping it to Hubby's shoes...are you following? ;-P) and smell a stinky, beyond rank garbage disposal the minute they step foot in the kitchen? Who wants to see a hamper full of dirty, raunchy smelling socks? Who wants to have to try to make their bed by means of some odd maneuver since they are already laying in the bed and ready to just be sleeping already?? Absolutely, positively no one! It was time for a change and I am sticking with it this time, guys - hold me accountable!

So after printing out my cleaning lists this morning, I got straight to it: Got the first load of laundry started and began cleaning the laundry room top to bottom (quite literally!). Between moving my laundry loads from the washer into the dryer and from the dryer into a laundry basket (all nicely folded, mind you) I started to tackle the bathrooms. I scrubbed down the counter tops, shined the sinks, bleached the tub and shower, swept and mopped, bleached the toilet seat and outside of the bowl, and disinfected all of the handles, door knobs, and light switches I could find. And I felt fulfilled! I felt accomplished and happy - like something deep down inside of me that couldn't be completely at rest until everything was in tip top shape had finally just disappeared and I could focus 100% on school (for once!) Thinking I'd spent the entire day cleaning, I hesitantly glanced at my phone - it was only 12:00, which meant I still had a good 4 hours to devote to school work before Hubby came home...probably more time than I typically spend doing school work when I'm sitting in front of my laptop all day (stinkin' distractions...). So I did school work. And I stayed focused. And I felt like a rockstar - heck, I still feel like a rockstar. Sure, only 3 of my rooms are completely sqeaky clean but if I keep this up, my house will be sparkling by the end of the week.

This dreaded, daunting, frequently dodged, and downright avoided act in my life has become something that I am enjoying. Is it completely wrong? Someone please knock some sense back into me - I can barely believe the words that I am typing right now! There is just some sort of peace that comes from knowing that everything is clean, disinfected, and in it's rightful place...anybody with me? Rather than trying to completely clean the entire house in one day's time, breaking it up by rooms and giving it your all for a short amount of time really makes cleaning more tolerable and doesn't exhaust you to the point where you just want to crash and be done with it (ingraining that negative association into your mind - that "cleaning" is the devil's handiwork). If you just take it one room at a time rather than overwhelming yourself with thoughts of all of the rooms conjoined and, on top of that, all of the work that you have yet to complete, it's a lot easier to really put that extra elbow grease into scrubbing your shower and that extra few minutes into perfectly aligning your toilet paper stockpile...or maybe that's just my OCD kicking in...but you get my point.

On a completely different note, I just had to brag that tonight was my first official reposting of Diezel's ears on my own...well, not under the supervision of a vet and only with Hubby's "help" of stuffing Diezel to the brim with bacony puppy treats, and it went really well! D got so many treats that he wouldn't even go near his dinner ;-P But I am happy to announce that his ears are still standing on their own (after we took down his old posts) and looking absolutely great - he is such a handsome boy!

Yes, he enjoys stealing Grizzly's mousey toys...I'm so scared he's going to choke on them so I put them up. He somehow always super sleuths out another one though, the little stinker.

So what did you accomplish this Monday? What do you hope to accomplish this week?

Saturday, April 14, 2012

First Shot at Vlogging...Oh Boy ;-P

Don't be too hard on me pwitty pwease!

What do you all think of vlogging? What would you like to see in my next vlogging video?

Don't forget to subscribe to my brand-spankin'-new Youtube channel!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Sneak Peak Beauty Haul Spoiler!

I may have already *completely* given it away to those of you who follow me on Twitter, but for those who don't, here's your hint for my next batch of product reviews:

Saaaamples! The next best thing, after coffee of course.

Let's just say that my current beauty consultant, Levonia, is my new BFF for hookin' this sista up with these fantastic samples and a kicking deal on some products I was purchasing...did I mention she also threw in a free monthly facial (as if she hadn't already been sweet enough)?

Can't wait to share the DL on my new goods with you all - I was so excited I couldn't wait. Turns out Macy's is having a big Shiseido promotional beginning on the 25th, so if you need to replenish your stock or are looking to give this skincare line a shot, now would be the time to do so! You can reserve your order anytime before the 25th and schedule for pickup anytime after the 25th to take advantage of the great bonus they are offering: 3 deluxe basic skincare samples plus the customized targeted sample of your choice in a complimentary cosmetic bag with the purchase of 2 or more Shiseido treatment products - what more could a girl ask for??? (*cough* diamonds *cough*) Oh, excuse me, don't know what came over me there.

I really hope I'm not the only person beyond pumped about this or I'll feel like a complete skin care/beauty geek ;-P

A Full Tummy Makes a Happy Hubby

When you are smack dab in the middle of your first assignment, the last thing you want to have to worry about is what's for dinner. Getting groceries is downright expensive and no one wants to have to try to plan out the meals for the week when they already have the stress of unpacking, their spouse starting a new job, and trying to get acclimated with their new home already weighing pretty heavily on their shoulders. What was the most difficult for me, and still is, regarding planning out meals is that some recipes (most recipes) call for these odd ingredients that you go out and buy, use once, and then it sits in your spice cabinet for who knows how long. I specifically Googled "recipes with minimal ingredients" and found close to nothing in my results. So I went to my family and friends via Facebook and was pleasantly surprised with all of the suggestions I was given. I'm posting a few recipes and ideas below - I hope it helps take a little of the very unnecessary stress of meal planning off your mind!

1. Taco Salad (this dish can easily be made vegetarian - just use additional beans (i.e. kidney beans) and/or tofu in place of the burger. If you are going to be using tofu, I'd suggest adding in a bit of beef bullion, or is that against vegetarian rules?...No idea???)

Ingredients/Supplies:
1 large skillet
1 large bowl (preferably with a lid)
1 mixing spoon

1.5 lb 98% lean burger, browned into crumbles with fat strained
1 jar Pace Picante sauce (I like medium or hot)
hot chili sauce (optional)
pepper
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
1 bag iceburg lettuce
1 bunch green onions (optional)
chopped tomatos (optional)
1/2 bag tortilla chips, crunched up (take out your aggression here!)
1 bag mexican blend cheese

Have you ever seen the commercial for Frank's red hot sauce with the little old grampa who asks this little old woman what she put in the punch? Her reply is "Frank's red hot sauce - I use that sh*t on everything!" I literally feel like that old lady - I do incorporate this into just about everything!

This looks like a lot of ingredients, but I promise you it ain't nothin' compared to most of the recipes out there! All of these ingredients are very versatile as well, which means they will most likely roll over into being used in other recipes (keep that in mind when you hit the grocery store!)

Instructions:
Please bare with me here...when I first made this I didn't follow a recipe at all, whatsoever so your cooking times may vary.
1. Brown your burger if you haven't already done so, strain out all of the fat. For those who don't have a baster, line a plate with paper towels and use a straining spoon to scoop the burger from the skillet onto the plate. Dump out the grease in an empty container (do NOT put it down your sink!!) and then move the burger back into the skillet. Add your pepper as you are browning.

2. Add approximately 1/2 - 3/4 of your chopped white onion to the burger, mixing it to allow the onion to cook. Add in salsa and *optional* chili sauce and allow to simmer.

3. While your burger is simmering, chop up your tomatoes and green onions. Empty your bag of lettuce into a large bowl. Toss in the rest of your white onion and chopped green onion. Put the chopped tomato aside (we will use this as a topping to prevent the salad from getting soggy when leftover time rolls around).

4. After the burger has simmered with the salsa and hot sauce for a while, add in your drained can of black beans - mix around to ensure that your burger isn't burning and your beans are evenly heated. Add more pepper (if desired).

5. Get out your serving bowls - cover the bottom with the tortilla chip crumbles, next with the lettuce we just tossed together (I fill it almost to the brim of the bowl). Spoon some meat onto the top of the salad, top with your cheese immediately (so it get's melty and yummy!), add tomatoes and more Picante sauce if desired.

Other simple recipes with these ingredients:

Mexican style baked chicken breast halves; Put your chicken in a glass baking pan, cover with picante sauce (and chili sauce if you desire) and bake until the chicken is done (you'll have to Google the temp/time - I just wing it!). Top with some cheese and serve with corn.

2. Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients/Supplies:

1 large pot

2 forks for pulling the chicken

3 chicken breast halves

1 medium white onion, chopped

BBQ sauce - I use Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet and Spicy

pepper

hot chili sauce (optional)

1 bag hamburger buns

slices of cheese (optional)

"Pulled" sandwiches always sound like a lot of work, but I'm here to inform you that this is the easiest recipe in the world! It is impossible to mess this up, so relax and add in a few ingredients of your own (if you're feeling particularly like a pro due to the cinchiness of this recipe)

1. Place your chicken in a large pot and fill with water just until the chicken is covered. Place on the stove and boil.

2. Once the water begins to boil, add in onions and reduce heat to medium.

3. The easiest way to tell if your chicken is completely done is by cutting the large pieces in half and checking the middles for any pink. If you don't see any pink, it's pretty safe to say that your chicken is done. Strain the water from the pot (it's okay if you don't get all of it out - it will add to the sauce).

4. Pull your chicken using 2 forks or whichever other method of pulling chicken that tickles your pickle.

5. Put pulled chicken back into pot (at the lowest heat setting possible) and add in BBQ/hot sauce.

6. Mix the BBQ in with the chicken. Open up your buns and place the slice of cheese on the bottom (optional) and spoon some of the chicken onto the bun. I served this with steamed broccoli.

Other uses:

Use your leftover buns for hamburgers and/or lunch meat sandwiches.

3. Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetables (This dish can also very easily be converted into a vegetarian dish...simply leave out the chicken)

Ingredients/Supplies:

1 - 2 baking sheets

1 container for vegetables to marinate in (I used a medium-sized, glass, rectangular bakeware dish)

1 tupperware with a lid

Saran wrap

Pam spray

3 chicken breast halves, cubed

1 red pepper, chopped

1 orange pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped (I didn't use a green pepper because I think they are nasty!)

2 sm (1 lg) banana squash, sliced or chopped

1 carton baby shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 medium white onion, sliced (optional)

1 bottle teriyaki sauce

crushed red pepper (optional)

hot chili sauce (optional)

rice (optional)

1. Start by cubing your chicken and placing the cubed pieces in the tupperware with a lid. Once you have cubed all of your chicken, add teriyaki sauce and (optional) crushed red pepper/hot chili sauce in - there was about an inch of sauce in the bottom of my tupperware to give you some sort of measurement idea. Place lid on and, after ensuring it is not a leaky one, shake the chicken to get all of it coated with the sauce. Put the tupperware in your refrigerator to allow the chicken to marinate.

2. Chop up all of your veggies. Put them in a flat dish and drizzle teriyaki over them. Cover with saran wrap and place in the fridge.

Hubby and I went for a run after I reached this point...it was probably for 20-30 minutes tops.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Spray your baking sheet(s) with Pam to prevent any sticking/burning (burning will ruin this dish in a second!) If you are using 2 sheets, split up your chicken - 1/2 on one sheet, 1/2 on the other. My sheet of just vegetables got a little toasty, but the other was perfect - the juice from the chicken prevented the vegetables from getting burnt to the bottom of the sheet. If you are making this dish with just vegetables, I'd recommend using only one baking sheet to avoid any burning.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, occasionally scraping the veggies on the bottom up and to the top.

6. Once your chicken is thoroughly cooked, scoop the food into a serving bowl. You can serve this over rice, or just eat it by itself.

Other uses:

Stock up on these veggies - peppers and mushrooms are great raw with Ranch dressing and heavenly grilled! Quick fix for a side if you are planning on having a grilled steak night!

Other tips:

- Try to limit eating out to once a week as money spent on fast food can and will really add up!

- Pack your spouse leftovers for lunch so that he/she is not tempted to opt out for Burger King everyday for lunch...Hubby does this all the time and it drives me bananas! Keep stocked up on lunch meat for easy fix sandwiches.

- Don't be afraid to make more than you can eat! Leftovers are a very good thing - it will save you time in the long run when leftovers night rolls around.

- Ramen noodles are extremely bad for your body, but extremely good for your wallet. Just sayin'.

- Canned soup is a great lunch if you are currently at home throughout the day. I also eat a lot of mac & cheese, salads, and frozen vegetables for lunch.

- Don't buy any food that you don't have a plan for - this is how and why food gets wasted and ends up in the trash.

- Hubby and I have frozen pizzas every Friday night...we use Freschetta and they are to die for! Only $5/pizza (we make 2)...$10 frozen pizza night vs. $35 delivery pizza times once per week - you do the math!

If you ever need help with planning out meals, food budgeting, ANYTHING - don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment. I would love to help you in any ways that I possibly can...I have been there (I am here!) and know exactly how you are feeling! Keep your head up, don't be afraid to try new things, and (best advice ever, given by my very own Grandma who first began cooking/baking regularly at the age of 12):

It takes time. You can't expect to become a professional chef overnight - it just takes practice and the willingness to keep trying.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Embracing the Burn

I am opinionated. I'm not one to shove my opinions down your throat, but I'm also not about to allow you to force feed me yours, either. I'll politely listen to you. I'll nod my head and respectfully allow you to finish. But be warned that if I do have a different view, you will know.

I don't know where this trait came from...I suppose my mother could be to blame. But the odd part about it coming from her side is that she is just an all around people person: Always talking, always meeting new people, knows someone literally everywhere you go...one of those ladies :)

My dad, on the other hand, is who I've always thought myself to be more similar to than my mom. My dad hates crowds (me), isn't very outgoing (me again), and could spend days alone in his man cave (definitely me...although it would be my more feminine sort of a ~~man~~ cave). He does have very firm beliefs, though. He always makes his opinions known and always (in a loving way) lets you know if he thinks you are wrong in your reasoning. Well, there we have it: I've solved my own mystery - I'm still the most like my old Pop!

Anywho, let's just say I got into a bit of a debate on Facebook. You know, I really get myself into it sometimes with these stinkin' fan pages that always ask for your opinion on conveniently controversial issues. This one was plastic surgery. As women, we are constantly getting the whole plastic surgery spiel shoved in our faces and whether it is "right or wrong". Well, I'm going to start by saying that in this day and age, how do you even define "right" and "wrong"? I mean, you can wave around the principles regarding morality that the Bible teaches all you want, but it's extremely clear that some people really could not care less about what the pages of the holy book has to say about anything, let alone morality. So where do you even start?

Do you think it is wrong to consider plastic surgery?

My response came quickly...part of why I love sharing my opinions on the internet is that I can allow my true feelings and thoughts to just flow, not worrying about grammar or spelling, and then I am able to go back, re-read, and change my statements before actually making them. But here's how I started:

I am personally not for cosmetic surgeries unless there is some major, life-altering reason behind needing the surgery performed (such as Cleft palate or burn victim cases). Bluntly (no offense intended) I think it's very selfish, superficial, and wasteful. Just my opinion though.

I checked back a few minutes later to see an angry woman with this response:

When people say plastic surgery is for those who don't love who they are or are superficial - I laugh. By that line of thinking anyone who wears makeup, gets their hair done, their nails, tans, teeth whitened, etc. must hate themselves and be superficial as well.

This is when I get excited. Is it wrong for me to get all sorts of pumped when I get people riled up by just stating my opinions? I made it pretty clear that I wasn't attacking anyone, merely stating my view as the fan page owner had asked for. Here's what I came back with:

It's more towards an extreme version of being superficial is what I meant by my statement. Spending thousands (and in some cases millions) of dollars just for vanity's sake on a body that is going to deteriorate eventually, with or without surgery, is sad. You could be feeding starving children. You could be providing clean water for those who don't have access to it. You could be investing in furthering your education - something that will last you your entire lifetime. Instead you'd rather have bigger breasts, fewer wrinkles, and a tighter ass. It's more of a morals and priorities issue in my book. I'm not trying to call anyone out - I'm just stating my opinion in that I, me, myself, would never be able to maintain a guilt-free conscience after spending that amount of money on something fueled solely by vanity.

Regardless of the crude comments or hate I may get from sharing my opinions, I think the freedom to do so is something every person should be entitled to. As a community of people and as a country, I think we need to give others enough respect to allow them to express their differences in opinions without being persecuted, shot down, or personally attacked for doing so.

I want to know your views on plastic surgery - Worth it? Waste of time? Good decision? Bad decision? Would you ever consider going under the knife for cosmetic reasons?

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

7 Questions Linkup: Week 2

Funny picture (more like hilarious this week!)

None other than our very own Hubby dearest looking like a snaggle-toothed creep! It's just how his he had his gum positioned in his mouth and the way the shadow hit the rest of his teeth just right. "Want some candy, little boy??" ;-P Love this picture!

1. Would you rather have your life be a constant vacation or always stay home?

Honestly, I would rather always stay home. As much as I would love to travel and go play tourist and see the world, I need stability - at this point in time in my life, stability is a place that I can call home.

2. What is your favorite book?

I love Water For Elephants, could read the Harry Potter series a million times over, and can't get enough of books filled with quotes like The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said. I also love children's books...anybody remember the Amber Brown or The Bailey School Kids series??

3. You have to be on a reality tv show - which would you choose?

So easy peasy! Either Mob Wives (because I'm dying to meet Big Ang!) or Ghost Hunters...I'd like to see how much of that stuff is staged and how much is actually real. Of course if any of it was real I would probably wet myself and run away bawling.

Big Ang...love her!

4. What is your favorite form of exercise?

Swimming laps! I swear I was a fish in another life because I can swim for hours. When I'm swimming laps, it's like I can go for hours and hours at an insane pace because I'm having so much fun it doesn't even feel like exercise. I wish I could find an indoor pool here! :(

5. What is one thing that you've never tried but are CONVINCED you hate?

Rocky Mountain oysters...mostly just because I know what they are and that can't be healthy! Yuck!

6. Do you have any hidden talents?

I'm really good at acting serious when I'm joking...like not cracking a smile while I'm being a complete dummy. Like when you are trying to convince your friend of something that obviously isn't true, but you still almost have them believing you because you are doing such a darned great job at misleading them. :)

7. What's the best prank you've ever pulled?

I'm really not much of a pranker...although I do love surprising people if that counts. I love randomly cleaning my mom's house so that when everyone comes home they are happy they don't have to do anything (it's a tad out of my character to actually want to clean...). Or I threw a surprise going away party for Hubby before he left for BMT :) Absolutely love surprises!

HOLD THE PHONE!

As I was reading over the answers to this week's 7 on the blogs of all of the fabulous participants, a little pranky prank came to me! Except it was one pulled on me...nonetheless, it was hilarious and I'm going to share. Back when I worked at a law firm with my mom, I was often sent out to purchase cleaning supplies for our custodian woman. Her name was Kurley...she was from Brazil or Mexico...or someplace that wasn't America. Regardless, it was Kurley the cleaner. Kurley would always write me a list of what she needed and place it on my desk for me to see the next morning since she came at night after 5 after we had all high tailed it outta there.

One morning I came into work to find a list of supplies that our wonderful friend Kurley was in need of. Rather than just signing the note "Kurley", this time it was signed "Kurley Locks". I thought this was ironically, fantastically, comically wonderful, so I took the note over to our receptionist's desk, then over to another secretary, then over to my mom. Between my uncontrollable fits of laughter, I would point at the name and they would all kinda give me the "Okay, Rachel, you are officially off your rocker", but I didn't seem to notice (or care). Once I reached my mom, she told me that she had written in "Locks" and that her real last name was something (surprisingly) quite common.

Maybe you just had to be there? ;-P

Want to join in? Find the linkup here.