I’m not sure why this week was harder than many others. Maybe it’s seeing my kids on their first day of school so happy, yet in the back of my mind my heart ached knowing my husband was missing yet another moment. Maybe it was the heartache and stress of being called at work by the school nurse on the second day of school because my mini was sick with strep throat. Maybe it’s having weekend duty this weekend and all the yuck that comes with it.
Or maybe I just miss him. For those that don’t know what it’s like to have your spouse deployed I’d say this poster from 11:11 Awakening Code sums it up perfectly. I pray I continue to have said courage because this week it took everything I had not to literally scream and cry for no apparent reason other than I just don’t want to do this anymore. But I have to, don’t I?
I’m sure praying that this heavy heart gets a little lighter for me this week. I didn’t get to run all week so I’m guessing that was the nail in the coffin so to speak.
Ok this post really isn’t about a lot, but I just needed to get it off my chest. #deploymentsucks
How do you turn a bad mood around? Ever have a bad week for no specific reason?
Well gang, we are just about at the half way point of my husband’s deployment. Sadly, keeping up with a career, a home, 2 kids, a dog, and everything in between has left little time for blogging. But, I’m still here!!! If you’ve been reading here lately, I’ve discussed that I am keeping the faith for a career change in the future and that hasn’t changed. Nothing has transpired as of yet, but the magnetic pull I feel every single day that there IS something more is so strong I find it’s tangible.
I HAVE started running a little again, just a couple 2 milers last week, but it’s something. I’ve also started cooking again, which makes my heart just happy. Moving forward I am going to try a new recipe that will challenge my skills-every week-and I’ll highlight what I made for you as well as critique how the dish turned out. I’m a huge collector of cookbooks and cooking magazines, so it’ll be fun to try out some new recipes! I figure it’s a good challenge for me, and it will keep me accountable here in blog land. More to follow on that…
With that, I think I’ll just give you a snap shot of my week in pictures which include my beautiful daughters, (S is starting 5th grade and had band camp last week, and J is going to be a JUNIOR…sigh) some of the dishes I cooked, and a couple of my work outs.
LOVE these two!
Cheese and Charcuterie from Hache’
Scallops from Hache’
Band camp!! Love this smile!
My mini and me, planking!
More workouts! I ran twice!
My sous Chef
She was quite proud of her plating!
My bacon wrapped turkey breast over sweet potato puree
I am linking up with Holly @https://hohoruns.blogspot.com and Tricia @http://www.misssippipiddlin.com (Will WordPress EVER let us link anymore?) for the weekly wrap. Please make sure to check them out! ❤
How was your week? What is the longest distance you’ve ever been on your own with your kids (if you have them, dogs/cats count too!)? Have you been cooking anything interesting lately?
Some weeks are easier than others. Life keeps us busy, almost too busy to think about how much we are hurting inside. Last week was one of those weeks thankfully, because very minimal communication with my hubby made my mood a little blue. I think my hubby must’ve sensed this, because I got a sweet gift of plating tweezers from him this week.
I had a great week over all though, and even got out for a wine dinner with my dear friend and next door neighbor.
I broke my planking record, and am still on my streak since May 1st of planking every day until my hubby gets home.
I cooked some yummy pork chops in my slow cooker with a soy, ginger, garlic, onion, pink pepper corns, black pepper, brown sugar, lime zest and red pepper flake concoction. I let it go on high for 4 hours, and the only thing I’d change is I’d lightly pan fry the chops first to prevent drying out.
I didn’t run last week, because after a couple days of insomnia which lead to my body revolted and my IBS kicking in full force from Thursday on, the only place I was running was to the toilet. :-I
All in all it was a decent week. We ended the weekend with an amazing dinner with our friends on Saturday night, and a Netflix marathon of watching the entire second season of Chef’s Table on Sunday, LOL. My mini even joined me, which made my entire day even that much better.
Linking up with Holly and Tricia again, please make sure to check out this amazing and supportive link up. (sorry, won’t let me link the pages)
In the last 17 weeks and 2 days of this deployment I’ve learned a lot. A lot about myself, my kids, my family, my friends, my coworkers, and people just in general. Some of the things I’ve learned I will hold on to dearly. Like the fact that despite REALLLLLLY wanting to crawl in to a hole for the next year, I have MADE myself get out and do things. Fun things with my girls. Even a few outings with friends have made the time apart from my hubby a little more bearable. I’ve also chosen to keep my kid’s happiness my number one priority, because they deserve the very best in life. And in that choice, means a lot less “ME” time which can take it’s toll on me from time to time.
Photo credit : Pinterest
That choice has also brought some pretty judgy comments. “You aren’t running anymore? WHY? Just have your oldest daughter watch your youngest.” Stop. Right. There.I didn’t have kids to make them take care of themselves or each other 24-7, more importantly it’s not my 16 year old daughter’s job to watch her sister while I am out running. Sure, she watches her during the days this summer minus Wednesdays when I have her nanny come to give both the girls a break. But would it really be fair of me to have her watch her sister at night so I can go run after work when she’s been watching her all day? I sure don’t think so. I let her go socialize with her friends in the evening, attend her voice lesson on Wednesday and just be a KID. She’s already growing up too fast! There’s also the “If it was important to you, you’d make the time to run.” Really? Really…Hmm…Sorry, my kids are still more important. Take that Judgy McJudgerson. #rantoversheesh #Istillhavemybasementworkouts
Photo credit: Pinterest
I’ve also learned that being a victim or a martyr just isn’t the life path I choose to take anymore. And that’s huge in a time when I could easily fall in to the “poor me” trap. People will continually bitch and moan about how they’ve been handed a raw deal, or that no one is every there for them in life. But said people often forget to look in the mirror and ask WHAT they are doing to change their situation, or recognize how LITTLE they do for others. Quit. Blaming. Everyone. Else. Be real people. Please. It really is the only way to be. Pick yourself up, brush off the yuck and MOVE FORWARD. I promise, you’ll be happier for it. I was in denial for years and thought it was the world against ME. I was one of those people! When really, it was ME and against ME. What a life changing moment it was to come to that realization. Whew! #sogladimoverthatpartofmylife **This rant is about no one in particular, just a reminder of a road I hope to never travel again.
Photo credit: Pinterest
To keep up with keeping myself grounded, (and sane, who I am kidding) I have started cooking more, which is something I truly love so that is a good thing! Here’s Tuesday night’s bacon wrapped turkey roast, with Brussels sprouts and baked sweet potato fries! Since my hubby left we’ve been eating a lot of take out, sandwiches, frozen pizzas and soups. When my daughter said “Mom, it was so nice when I came home and smelled your amazing cooking” I was reminded of my love for cooking and the joy it brings to others lives. #allthefeels
Lastly, (at least for this post) I’ve learned that dogs truly feel the absence of ‘their people’ and it really hurts them. My dog Sammy has really aged over these last few months. He mopes around the house, eats random items, and is starting to have hip issues. We’ve got hard wood floors on our main floor and he slips and slides terribly. I think this weekend it’s time I invest in some rugs. My bud just hasn’t been the same since my hubby left, and it’s hard to see him so sad.
What life lessons have you learned lately? How do you deal with aging pets? Ever find yourself feeling like you need to explain yourself when it’s your life, and no one should be judging you?!
It’s been a while since I’ve done a weekly wrap up with Tricia at http://www.misssippipiddlin.com/ and Holly at https://hohoruns.blogspot.com/ so I thought, why not?! Although I haven’t been running consistently, I have been very busy! We’re narrowing in on 17 weeks into this deployment, and there’s never a dull moment. The blog is a fun way to journal what I’ve been up to, so here goes.
Fitness: I worked 6 days last week, so to say I am tired is an understatement. There are no breaks for a single Mom, and some days I feel it more than others. But…we are keeping busy and doing our best to keep our chins up. I’ve been consistently planking every day for 2 months now, and achieved over 5 minutes last night. I did 2 minutes of straight plank, 30 seconds each side planks, and another 2+ minutes of straight planking. YAY!
I also did Hard Corp 22 twice last week, weight training twice, and did quite a bit of walking so it’s all good! I do miss running, but spending time with my daughters is more important.
Food: Gosh, I have been terrible about cooking anything worth posting about. We do pretty easy meals during the week, and often time have simple things like chicken sausage with sweet potatoes or quinoa and a veggie. On the weekends we splurge and this past weekend I took my youngest to a place called “The Patton house” in Geneva. We had amazing outdoor seating on the deck, and my youngest and I shared Oysters Rockefeller for an appetizer. They were simply amazing. I love the fact that my 9 year old chose these as an appetizer, LOL! I’ve created a foodie for sure! LOL!
She then proceeded to order the 16 ounce Rib eye steak. yup. She ate nearly all of this food minus the cheesy potatoes.
I opted for a lighter dinner, and had a blackened creole shrimp salad. And a few bites of her steak LOL!
Facts: Big news everyone!!! My daughter got her license on Wednesday. Because of my crazy work schedule it was a battle trying to get her to the DMV, so my awesome friend and neighbor took her on Wednesday because she’s off during the summer. I loved getting the play by play text messages, and when I saw this picture I cheered!! While it’s a whole new level of anxiety, it’s nice that she can get out and about without me having to taxi her everywhere after working all day.
We’ve also started tackling updating the girls bathroom. My daughter did the painting again, and I plan to start redoing the cabinets this week! So far it’s looking great and I am super proud of how well my daughter did painting!!!
Before….
…After!!!
Speaking of my daughter, I was also extremely thrilled when Deb from Deb Runs – http://debruns.com/ asked to feature my daughter’s poem she wrote a couple months ago titled, Pride. Please run over and check it out.
*the blog isn’t letting me add links, so I apologize for that!
Do your kids like to try new foods? Do your kids drive yet? What type of projects are you up to?
I hope you all have a Happy 4th of July, and a great week!!
I had a post drafted last night and ready for publishing today, but whenever I write a post I always set it aside and step away from it before clicking “Publish”. I’m glad I did that this time, because I really need to quit being so hard on myself when it comes to my military duty. I’ll explain more here in a few minutes…
Today is one of my favorite days of the year. July 3rd. Yup, you read it right, July 3rd, not 4th. Why? Because it’s my enlistment anniversary of joining the Air Force. Today would’ve been 25 years had I stayed in longer than the required 20 years needed to retire. But I retired after 20 years for several reasons. Some of which I still struggle with to this day, but most of which I have learned to let go.
Basic training!!!
Korean war memorial dedication, mid 90’s
Service member of the quarter, circa 1996?
Senior NCO induction ceremony 2007
Offical retirement photo
My family and friends at my retirement ceremony
My favorite retirement photo
First and foremost, I retired so I could be there for my kids. When I get upset over the fact I never deployed, or am reminded I would’ve never been able to make Chief, I look at my daughters and know I made the right decision. Having 2 parents in the military just isn’t the easiest thing to do so I decided stepping down was more important for the girls. Yes, I still have to work full time, but I am at least here for them while my husband deploys.
Last night my girls and I kicked off the weekend (even though I am working all weekend and the 4th, I am trying to have SOME fun, lol) by going to military appreciation night at our local Kane county Cougars baseball game. I submitted my hubby’s photo for the jersey, and they even asked for my photo too! I felt a little silly next to veterans of this caliber, but I submitted mine anyhow! I will be auctioning in hopes of winning one, too!!! Here are some pics from the game!
pano view of the field. Breathtaking.
All of the amazing veterans that will be on the jersey, honored to be among such heros
Freedom riders
The jersey! SOOOO cool!
POW/MIA ceremony
So while that first post really went in to all of my regrets I had about not being able to accomplish the goals I set out for myself while in the military, this post will share a few of my favorite pictures from my military days (see above). It IS my 25 year anniversary after all, and even though I had to work today I’ll still treat myself to a glass of wine or two tonight. 🙂
How are y’all celebrating the 4th? Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday weekend!
I haven’t posted in over a week, and every time I sit down to share my thoughts my mind goes to the million other things I should be doing. And while I know this blog is a running/food blog, I feel a bit silly posting when I am not running, or cooking anything worth posting about.
But this blog is also about real life adventures, and man have the last 16 weeks been an adventure. So I thought I’d share a little about what we’ve been through these last 4 months while my husband has been deployed (or 16 weeks, as I’ve been counting down in weeks vs. days because the number of days in this deployment is just straight up daunting) in order to keep me writing, and keep this blog alive.
Breakdowns of epic proportion occurred early on in the deployment. Moms and teens don’t always see eye to eye and I felt my world literally crashing around me before my eyes. But with breakdowns, come build ups…and I can honestly say that although my daughter and I still butt heads, we’ve also never been closer.
Girls date night!
Inner strength has grown for me, and this is also an epic event. While I still have days (like today) where I just wanted to roll over and cry vs. getting out of bed for work, MOST days I feel like I’ve got it together. Ask me again after working this coming Saturday, Sunday, and the 4th of July (which is one of my favorite holidays) and I might feel differently…lol
But then there are days like Sunday when the TV breaks down, the toilet won’t stop running and the vacuum gets jammed when I wonder if I can really do this for another 8 months. My daughter and I tried replacing the lamp in our 9 year old Samsung and we were so proud of ourselves for doing it ourselves, until the TV continued to turn itself off… I was, however, able to sell our 5 year old riding lawn mower so maybe the two events can cancel one another out? LOL. Always something, right?
Moments of complete clarity have occurred when watching my teen grow in to a little woman. She is a miniature version of me, and while the better part of me wants to scream and cry “DON’T BE ME, PLEAAAAAAAASE,” knowing all the hurt and pain and suffering I endured for the better part of my early teen and adult life, the other part of me wants to bottle up the pride I have in her for overcoming the urge to hole herself up, because it took me 20 years to figure that out, and she’s doing it at the age of 16. She’s taken on projects around the house, and painted her sister’s room while she was away at camp-ALL her idea. Now if only I could get her to clean her room!!!. Hey, I’m picking my battles at this point.
I can only take credit for the decorating. My teen did all of this herself!!
My youngest daughter went away to camp for the first time, ever! It was a Christian based youth camp, and she had a blast. While it was so hard to let her go, I know it helped her spirits tremendously as she’s struggled with finding her happy lately. She was all smiles when I picked her up, and even broke down crying when she saw me because “she missed me SOOOO much.” #allthetears
During deployments, or hard times in general-you really see who you real friends are, and I couldn’t feel more blessed. Sometimes it’s hard to reach out when you feel like you are drowning, so I am truly thankful for those that can “hear” when I need them and have reached out to me. I’m not always the easiest person to love, I get that…I go to a dark place sometimes having had struggled with depression for so long, but thankfully I have learned to not stay in that place for too long. Those that love us in the dark times truly deserve a pat on the back, so here’s a shout out to my family and friends who’ve been there. I couldn’t get through this without you!!!!
Last weekend while at work, I noticed the same group of guys I always see sitting in the cafeteria. One of the gentleman looks like my Dad, and all of them have that “Veteran” look about them. I always text my Dad when I see them, telling him that his twin is in the cafeteria. See, my Dad is a war Veteran and a true hero. My Dad prompted me to go say hello to the guys, and I of course got nervous. I’ve seen these guys for over two years now, always when I have weekend duty. We smile, exchange pleasantries, but I’ve never actually talked to them. I decided to take my Dad’s advice, and I walked up to their table. I smiled, and greeted them first talking to the man who looks like my Dad. I showed him a picture and said he reminded me of my Dad and he giggled saying, “Your Dad must be a handsome guy!!!” I said, “He sure is!!!” and everyone laughed. I then asked them if they were Veterans, and their eyes lit up. My Dad’s twin is retired Air Force, and there were a couple other guys that beamed with pride as they told me their branch of service. I shook all their hands, and told them I was retired Air Force and thanked each of them for their service. You could almost feel the pride in the air, and suddenly weekend duty didn’t suck so bad. I hope they are around this coming weekend, for I know I’ll need a pick-me-up!
I am a firm believer in signs from a higher power, but I don’t always understand them. It’s no secret that I am in a career that albeit is a great one, it is a job that was chosen for me by the Air Force 25 years ago. While I’ve done decently in my career, I’ve become stagnant as a “supervisor” for many years. I’m at a point in my life where I either need to step UP in my career, or step down and let my husband continue to thrive in his career. I pray, every single day about where I am in life, and where I meant to be because I truly feel there is more out there for me and my life. Sometimes I pray quietly, sometimes I cry out to God for help. Well, a few weeks ago after said crying out, I received a call from a head hunter the very next day in regards to a management position. I was not seeking a new job, because if I am going to be stagnant in my career, there’s no place I’d rather be than where I am now with people I truly hold dear to my heart. But I thought, hey…I DID pray about it, so I better see what this position is all about. Needless to say, it wasn’t the type of environment I was or am looking for, so I am sticking around here for a while longer. I can’t help but to wonder why this opportunity was presented to me, and after such a powerful prayer was sent up only to have it be a dead end? I was mad for a bit, feeling like I had some sort of sick joke played on me, but in the end I am just trying to count my blessings and be thankful that a head hunter reached out to me. Maybe this means more future opportunities will present themselves.
I sleep walk when I am stressed out. I think sometimes I am so tired that once I finally do sleep, I am just all over the place. I did it A LOT after my daughter’s accident, and it was so bad I’d wake up and be sleeping in her bed. My daughter texted me at work today, “Mom, are you ok? I only ask because you only do this when you are stressed out, and last night you walked in to my room, shuffled around, and then walked back out.” Immediately tears came to my eyes, 1. Because she texted to check on me, and 2. Because I wish I could control the sleep walking.
No one said these deployments are easy, that’s for sure!!!!
As far as fitness goes, I am still planking every day, and I make time at least a couple times each week to do my boot camp video. Other than that, walking the dog and trying to keep up with housework are the extent of my workouts.
Hope y’all are doing amazing, and as always, thanks for following along. I hope you enjoyed my adventures over these last few months. What adventures have you experienced lately?
Hey y’all. I’m still alive, I promise. But with a teenager with an active social life yet no license quite yet, and trying to juggle work, housework, and keeping my youngest daughter happy I’ve had little time to write. But I wanted to pop in and say hi, and say that I hope everyone is doing well. My running is pretty much nill but I’ve been daily planking and strength training a few times each week.
My biggest milestone this week, was that I let my oldest take the train to the city today with her group of friends for an afternoon at the beach. Those that know me well, know I’m a spaz when it comes to my kids. So this first step of letting my junior find her way in life was huge for me.
Other than that were plugging along. Each day is one day closer to my hubby returning home. Today was beautiful weather so I sidelined the housework for a couple hours on my deck. I also cooked an amazing pork loin for dinner.
I can admit while I’m not looking forward to returning to work tomorrow, I can say it’s one day closer.
Every now and then your kids remind you that you’re doing things right. Tonight mine stepped outside of her comfort zone and blew me away in the fact that despite our ups and downs that she’s many moons ahead of the game. She’s my hero. Here’s her poem titled, “Pride”
It’s a shortened version due to time but I couldn’t be more proud.
If you know of anyone dealing with deployment please share.
While I didn’t get a whole lot of running in due to tweaking my knee early in the week, I am happy to report I managed to maintain my plank-a-day challenge, and finished up strong with a 4 minute plank tonight. YAY!!!
I was supposed to be running a marathon today, if you remember I signed up for a full last fall before we knew my husband was deploying. It stung just a touch seeing everyone post up their pictures today, but I had to remind myself that my time will come and that right now I am doing my best with my situation.
So here’s my week in pictures, with 2 very amazing friends, and lots of planking, LOL!
My friend Janel and I at dinner Monday night. Love the fact that she won’t let me hole up in my house!Tuesday’s workout left me with a wonky knee for several days so decided to rest for a few days!One of my favorite pics. Ever.Wednesday was arms and planks!Thursday didn’t have a lot of time, but managed to get my plank done!Friday night before going out with my friend Andrea (from the poster above)This amazing woman has texted me daily for the last 11 weeks, even if it’s just NNT (night night termite, LOL)Got a selfie from the husband Saturday! SOOO nice to see his face!Saturday we had a beautiful day so I planked outside, notice my photo bomber?LOVE having fun with my kids!Sunday’s plank and yummy “taco salad” after a wonderful day in the sun!
My last load of laundry is in the dryer, and I am ready to retire on the couch. I am linking up with Tricia and Holly for the weekly wrap!
How was your week? Are you still planking with us? Here’s to almost 3 months of my husband’s deployment under our belts, and to a new week. Tomorrow I will be honored to see my daughter perform her poem about deployment and military families. Be sure to check it out if you missed it the other day!!
I’m sure praying that this heavy heart gets a little lighter for me this week. I didn’t get to run all week so I’m guessing that was the nail in the coffin so to speak. 
Movin' it with Michelle 