Sailing on....

The moving truck is on it's way. My husband is just about done with checking out and we have a goodbye dinner planned for Thursday night. The end is here! Yet I find myself feeling wistful and a little sad, not because I'll miss the military or North Carolina (the heat? no thanks!). I think back of the beginning days of this journey when I didn't know a dang person in the whole state and how lonely it seemed. Now that I'm leaving all the amazing friends I've made here I feel the loneliness creeping in again. I know it's the name of the game with the military, you move away or your friends move away, but it doesn't make it any easier. So I'll get all reminiscent and post some old memory laden pictures.

I've never had a group of friends so fantastic. It's different when everyone's husbands are in the military because you already have that immediate bond of sisterhood. We are have the same things to get through and we can relate to each other like no one else. We've helped each other through deployments, field ops, family troubles, lonely holidays, and we've even experienced the joy of a friend having a baby. It's been a long, hard road these last two years but I wouldn't change it for the world. Without the hardships and heartache I would never have experienced the help and love of true friends. I will miss each and every one of you and I am forever thankful we entered each others lives. Know that there is always a hot meal and a soft bed waiting for you in Maine whenever you want them. We're only a phone call away. I love you guys.

Until next time,
xoxo Stacie

Milspouse Fill In #49

I haven't done one of these in a few weeks (oops...) but I'm looking forward to participating again in Wife of a Sailor's fill in! If you want to give it a go hop on over to her blog and link up. Here it goes;

1. If you could have a private concert with any singer, who would it be? submitted by An Air Force Wife’s Blog
Ooh, tough one. I'm a big music dork so it's hard to narrow down. I'll go top 3; Gwen Stefani (but she can only sing No Doubt songs, thankyouverymuch), Dave Grohl, or Matt Skiba.

2. Is there anything you do to supplement your family’s income? submitted by Our Life, One Adventure at a Time
I do a lot of crafty type stuff but haven't had much luck selling yet. Since we're moving back home soon I haven't put a lot of roots down trying to find customers though, so it's mostly my fault.

3. During your pregnancy (whether past, present, or future), what did you nickname your unborn baby before you knew the sex? submitted by Explosions of Love
Not pregnant, no babies, but will probably come up with a totally ridiculous thing to call it. Just our dog alone has about 5 nicknames so I can only imagine. Or, depending on how my pregnancy goes, I'll just refer to it as the spawn.

4. Have you ever won a blog giveaway? If so what did you win? submitted by Mrs. O’s Life
Sadly, no, but it seems all the ones I enter have a large amount of entrants so my chances are lowered. I'll keep trying, though!


5. If I looked into your refrigerator right now, what would I find? submitted by Married to the Army
It's pretty slim pickins in there right now but off the top of my head I can tell you there are;
eggs from the farmer's market, skim milk, sweet tea, OJ, mozzarella, blueberry goat cheese, homemade chicken broth, blue cheese, tons of onions, whole wheat flour, an open jar of salsa and marinara sauce, and lots of condiments.

Until next time,


xoxo Stacie

Milspouse Friday Fill-In #41

Happy Friday! We all know what Friday means...another Milspouse Fill-In! Thanks, as always, to Wife of a Sailor for getting this together every week. It's so fun to get to know other military spouses.

1. What is one of the things you always do special when your husband returns from a deployment? submitted by Keep Calm and Soldier On

I always cook my husband something extra special and usually new. My first trial with cheesecake and also with sweet potato pie came about because I wanted to make them for homecomings. Also I usually buy some of his favorite soda, Dr. Pepper, because we don't drink soda but that is a special treat for him.

2. What do you do to help your spouse and/or yourself re-adjust after a deployment or long separation? submitted by Diapers, Dogs and Deployments

We don't really have a specific plan when it comes to re-adjusting. It may take a few days but we both fall back into a  rhythm. I think the key is that we both make an effort. If he makes a mess I would usually complain about I have patience and keep my mouth shut, and he does the dishes or takes the trash out without being asked. Just doing little things and letting things go without nagging helps immensely.

3. Are you a crazy coupon clipper (I’m becoming one, so share your secrets with me)? submitted by Married My Airman

I'm not "crazy" when it comes to coupons, at all. I clip the ones for things I know I'll use and give the rest to one of my amazing, but crazy, coupon loving girlfriends. She gets so many things for free and it's fantastic! We eat "real food" though so getting 3 boxes of free Hamburger Helper does nothing for me. It's fun to watch her do her thing, though.

4. What’s your most treasured memory of you and your spouse (not counting your wedding – that’s a given)? submitted by Scrubs, ACUs and One Crazy Ride

On post-deployment leave after Mr. Marine's time in Afghanistan we went to the beach and swam together and we both had so much fun. He turns into a little kid when we do fun things (complete with goofy sideways grin) and it makes me so happy. Also, it was late September so there was barely anyone other than us on the beach. One more memory that makes the cut is when we went to the Atlanta aquarium and he pet sharks in the touch tank. He was so excited and it made me giggle.

5. If you could live anywhere overseas, what would you pick and why? submitted by Little Moments Like This

Ireland, without a doubt. Rolling fields full of sheep and greenery is my kind of place!

Until next time,

xoxo Stacie

Reunited and it feels so good...

Hooray! Huzzah! Mr. Marine is home again! This time, hopefully, for good. We only have a few months left of our Marine Corps journey then it's home again, home again (to Maine), jiggity jig! It's very exciting, but also stressful and a little scary. We met, got together, and got married while Mr. Marine was active duty. To think of our lives without the Marine Corps is a little daunting. I have faith we'll figure it out and get through the transition. Well, back to showering the ol' ball and chain with affection since he's been so starved the past few months.

Until next time,
 xoxo Stacie

Milspouse Friday Fill In #37...and ten things I love!

It's been a couple weeks now since I've done this (sorry!) but thankfully I'm around this week to join in on the fun. As always, thank you to Wife of a Sailor for taking the time to post these every week.

1. With PCS moves happening every few years, do you take the time to paint and decorate your home? submitted by Life as Mrs. JPT
Honestly, I haven't been a military wife long enough to experience a PCS move! I still think I'd take the time to at least decorate. My mom always inspires me to make things homey and comfy and I don't think I could come "home" to somewhere that didn't feel like home.

2. If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be? submitted by Standing By Him
That 70s show! I love all the retro awesomeness of that house.
  
3. What inspired you to start your blog? submitted by Pink Combat Boots
I had spent time blogging for the Jane Wayne Gear blogger brigade and just forgot how much I liked it. It's my own little place to rant and rave! None of my friends care about alpacas or green cleaning products or other random things like that so it's nice to have somewhere to talk about it.
  
4. What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen on base? submitted by Adventures in Life
I don't think I've seen anything to be called "weird" on base. I've seen some deer (I'm from Maine, that's way normal) and a loggerhead turtle nest on the beach (normal for North Carolina).

5. Which historical figure (politician, writer, artist, scientist, actor, etc…) would you like to have dinner with? submitted by Army of Two
Wow, that's a tough one! I think it'd be a toss up between Henry David Thoreau and F. Scott Fitzgerald. With Thoreau I could have a deep philosophical conversation about life and happiness where Fitzgerald could talk to me all about the Jazz Age and his love life with Zelda Sayre. Both enjoyable topics!

I've also been tagged to participate in "10 things I love". It'll be hard to narrow it down to ten, but here goes!

10 Things I Love
The rules are as follows:
1 - State who tagged you; withlovelydia
2 - State ten things you love!

1.) Mr. Marine
2.) Sookie the amazing weenie dog
3.) Peppermint tea
4.) Fresh baked bread
5.) Digging in the dirt
6.) Nature and all the lovely things that live in it
7.) Good books!!!!!
8.) My mom and dad (and the rest of my family too, I suppose)
9.) Learning new skills
10.) My dad's homemade hard cider

I could go on and on...there are so many things I love!

3 - Tag ten other people and notify them through a comment
(I'm going to break the rules and do 3, because I don't have that many blogger buddies!)

1.) Cait at Libby Loves to Write
2.) Cheyenne at Always & Forever Maupin
3.) Mrs. M at Diapers, Dogs & Deployments


Thanks to everyone for reading! It seems like this is a post where you learn a lot about me...hopefully you liked what you read. ;)

Until next time,

xoxo Stacie

On The Road Again.

I'm finally in my deployment groove! Last deployment I hit this spot fairly quickly but I also had time to prepare myself for Mr. Marine leaving. I've already started taking up the whole bed while I'm sleeping and watching lots of Bravo shows. I haven't heard from Mr. Marine since he left the states but it'll happen in time. He knows I don't need much attention while he's gone so he'll probably wait a bit until he calls.

Today after my dentist appointment (YES YES YES!) I'm starting my seeds. I called my dad one Saturday while starting at the seed packets and asked him what I could grow in containers on my balcony. So that's what I got! We've got tomatoes, bush cukes, mesclun mix, sweet peppers, purple basil, and petunias. The petunias I picked up yesterday just because I thought we need some color on our balcony. I'm excited though! It'll be nice to can something that I grew myself. I'll still frequent the farmer's market (gotta visit "my people").

A few days ago I went on a crazy cooking rampage. I baked morning glory muffins, bread, pizza, and made stuffed peppers. Morning glory muffins are probably my new favorite thing. They're really easy (minus the fact you have to grate tons of carrots), healthy, and super yummy! I got the recipe off of King Arthur's Flour here;
The best muffins ever.
Cooking is very much like yoga for me. It helps me relax even in the wake of a crappy situation. Also, I get to eat yummy food which also makes me feel much better.

That's all for now! I'll post again soon (and hopefully in a less rambling way).

Until next time,

xoxo Stacie

Milspouse Friday Fill In #32

1. Do you or your {spouse} ever wish your {spouse} was in a different branch of the military? submitted by The Turner Family

Not a different branch (although we have talked about it with his EAS coming up) but ABSOLUTELY a different MOS. I am very proud of him for being a tough ass-kicking Infantry Marine but it's not so good for my mental health.

2. What duty station(s) are on your “No Way, Hell No, Not Going, Have Fun Unaccompanied” list and why? submitted by Every Branch

I'd always go where my husband went but I'd certainly kick and scream the whole way to California. I'm an East Coast girl through and through.

3. If you could be one age forever, what age would you choose and why? submitted by Three Krakens

I'm not afraid of getting older. I'd never want to stay one age forever.

4. If you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be? submitted by the C.W.
Fruity Pebbles, hands down! Wild crazy rainbow colored sugary cereal...bet you can't have just one bowl!

5. What is your morning beverage of choice and why? submitted by NH Girl Displaced

Coffee. I'm hardly even considered a human being without it. Many times I've tried to give it up and it's just best for everyone that I don't.

Well, that's the fill in for this week. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I have a date with a beautiful Marine wife and her cute-as-pie daughter that I'm looking forward to. Anything special on this weekend's agenda for you guys?

Until next time,

xoxo Stacie

Dodging Bullets

So I've meant to write in here but external circumstances (ie; Stacie's mini meltdown) seemed to keep me from tapping on these keys. For those who don't know, my husband returned from a combat deployment in Afghanistan at the end of September. Then comes the trials and tribulations of re-adjusting yadda yadda, but we've been doing well and loving each other and all that jazz. Unfortunately, my dear husband came home with news this week that he would be redeploying as soon as February 15th as a combat replacement for another battalion.

Commence breakdown. Now, it's not that I can't handle deployment. This last one I survived on 9 letters (stupid Afghan mail) and an amount of phone calls I can count on my fingers. C'mon, I'm a badass grunt wife I can handle a lot. Unfortunately, that does not include last minute, "honey I'm home, honey bye bye", unplanned for combat deployments. I don't know how to explain it, but I just had a bad feeling in my gut about it. Fortunately he came home Friday afternoon to tell me he was off the roster because his EAS date is TWO DAYS before the cut off. By "tell me" I mean he came in trying to hide his grin and then proceeded to start hand me my POA but then grabbed it back and ripped it up. He's oh so theatrical, isn't he?

Anywho, here I am again bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and mentally stable! Aren't you so glad? Hee hee. Well, that's all for now. I've got a craving for cinnamon rolls I just can't resist so I think it's time to get out the flour and start cooking while my husband snores away (snicker).

Until next time,
xoxo Stacie