In Times Like These...

All day I've been watching the footage of the tornados that hit Tuscaloosa and other cities. Tornados scare the dickens out of me (I've never experienced a real one, but had a close call when I was younger) and I just cannot imagine what it would be like to actually see one, experience one or be involved in one. Though Columbus was not hit by the tornado, Tuscaloosa is only an  hour away and I spent many an hour there shopping. Yesterday I saw the Hobby Lobby that I frequented pretty much every other week was leveled. I just can't imagine how that could be...I get mother nature and all that, but to actually understand how all those buildings could just disappear, how all those people could be killed in a matter of minutes, I just can't comprehend it. My heart goes out to the people at the University of Alabama...just students who were looking forward to the end of the school year, ready for finals and ready for summer and in an instant it's all changed. I'll probably be hooked to the TV for the rest of the night.

Speaking of hooked to the TV...I realize there are awful things happening in the country right now, like these tornados. Not to mention the wars, the deaths, etc. happening overseas. Sometimes I just feel like there's never anything GOOD happening for us all to be part of. This is why, despite all the horrific things occurring right now, I will be wrapped up in Royal Wedding bliss tomorrow (as much as I can be considering that we are supposed to be starting our road trip tomorrow morning). I've read a lot of comments on Facebook about how people can't believe that news stations are still talking about it, that it's nonsense, that there are more important things to be concerned about. But what these people don't realize is that sometimes all that news, no matter how importan, no matter how real, is hard to take in. Sometimes people need a reason to smile, a reason to see the good in the world, a reason to escape from all the death and sadness. At least that's how I feel...I feel like it's okay for me to watch the Royal Wedding and be excited for two people in love and enjoy it. It doesn't mean I'm silly or that I don't care about what's going on in the world. It means that I need to see something happy...I WANT to see the excitement and the fun. I don't enjoy having to defend the things I like, but I feel like it's necessary in times like these.

Playing Catch Up

Sometimes I want to update my blog and then I just forget. Other times I just have way too much going on to sit down and hammer out an update. Then other times I just don't think there's enough to say. The past 4 months would be one of those times. Now, however, I think it's finally time for an update...

bye bye first home!!

Since my last REAL entry (not a SUYL), Mr. L has come home from survival training (good news: he survived!), we packed up our house, the movers came and we left Mississippi. It was exciting, chaotic and even a little sad. Though Columbus was not my favorite place we've lived, it holds a lot of sentimental value to us. First, it was the first home we lived in together during the first year of our marriage. Second, it's the home where we got Lily. Third, it was our home while Mr. L went through pilot training, which was by far the most crazy, interesting and exciting year in our lives thus far. So I had a few tears as I walked around the empty house before we left. Though I can tell you, Columbus looks pretty awesome in the rearview mirror :)

2011 Hyundai Santa Fe

After a 14 hour drive to PA, we spent Christmas split between my family and Mr. L's. While there, we bought a new vehicle (RIP Kia Spectra, you'll always be my first baby), took a trip to Dover to scope out a new place to live and tried to spend some time together since we'd be separated for a while. At the beginning of January, Mr. L started his own road trip and arrived in Altus, Oklahoma for his C-17 training.

Marc, Dad, Mom (with Riley) & me (with Lily)



While he was away, Lily and I spent January through the beginning of April living with my parents. I realize that at 28 years old a lot of people might not be able to do this.  However, I just don't ever have an issue living in a bedroom in my parents house. My parents are two of my best friends and my mom and I like a lot of the same things - tv shows, books, clothes, etc. I lived there for free while Mr. L was away and we were able to save up our money to put towards our new home. My parents are pretty amazing and they always make room and time for us whenever we need it and we could never say thank you enough to them for letting us crash their house at any time :) Also, I got to spend a lot of time with my extended family, which is great because while we lived so far away, I didn't get to see them as much.

The model of our townhome end unit :)

In those 3 months, we also bought a house in Dover. I stayed in PA so that I was able to make trips to Delaware to pick out our counters, cabinets, etc. and to sign the millions of papers. The house should be ready in mid-May and we cannot WAIT to move in and start our next adventure.

Finally made it!

This past Sunday, I packed a small bag, left Lily with my parents and flew to Oklahoma to finally see Mr. L after 3.5 months. Delta tried to make this impossible, with delays, employees who didn't show for work, and other nonsense, but 23 hours after waking up, I finally made it. It was awesome to see my hubby again, I'd missed him too much :)

C-17 Globemaster

So now here we are in Oklahoma. Altus is...small. That seems about the nicest thing I can say about it, but we're here only for a short amount of time. We're living in TLF, which is actually a lot nicer than the last one we stayed in and I'll be reading my Nook and watching a lot of Netflix while Mr. L finishes up his training. In fact, today is his FIRST flight in the C-17...first time ever going up in one in the pilot seat...and actually flying it. Crazy. I can't wait until he gets home so I can hear all about it!!

We should be starting our half cross-country trip to Delaware sometime late next week, as long as the weather here cooperates. We are hoping to visit Joey in LR and make it to Pittsburgh (for the first time since we graduated) for a day. However, we don't really make plans (because we've learned the AF lesson quite a few times), so we're just going to see what happens. 

Thanks for reading friends. Be back soon!

SHOW US YOUR LIFE - Book Lists

This week it's time for our book list. If you know me, then you know this entry could go on for days. I've been voraciously reading since I was young and besides spending time with my family, it's my most favorite thing to do in the whole world. I read quite a few books a month and I'm open to reading ANYTHING, though my favorites are mysteries, supernatural/fantasy, and comedies.

I own a Nook and I love it. However, I still like to read actual books. I use the base library to satisfy that need, by taking out books that are from authors that I like and want to read all their stories (James Patterson, Mary Higgins Clark, Jodi Picoult, & Nicholas Sparks) and also random stories that are suggested to me by

friends or I see online (please read 'Dog On It' by Spencer Quinn and the rest of his stories)!!!

 

 

 



• The Great Gatsby has been my favorite books since I was in 10th grade. I can't explain it, it just is.
• I just finished To Kill A Mockingbird for the very first time. I'm sad I waited so long to read it, it was amazing.
• The Twilight Saga is proabably one of the best series/books I've ever read. Go ahead and judge me, but I'm totally serious. And if you've only seen the movies, you have no idea what the story is really like. You MUST read the books.
• The Passage was one of the most confusing, interesting and aggravating stories I've ever read. I had no idea it was the first in a trilogy when I read it and totally didn't get the ending...now I have to wait up to 3 more years to actually understand the story. I can't wait!
• I'm currently reading Under the Dome. It's a 1000 page book and I'm only on 100, but I'm already completely sucked in. I can't wait to finish it.
• At first I was wary to get into another YA series, but I'm so glad I did. These books are gritty, adventurous, and well written. I was hooked the minute I started. A definitely must read as well.
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a phenomenal book, just amazing. The two follow-ups aren't as great, but as a whole, it was a super series and I'd definitely recommend it.

These are just a small portion of my favorites. I love so many books. I have a list of 40 books right now that I'd like to read, I just need to learn to read faster. I would love to know how you feel about these books and if you have any other suggestions of things to read.

Thanks friends!

SHOW US YOUR LIFE - Your Family

It's time for another "Show Us Your Life".  Instead of sharing about my husband and puppy (whom I adore and could talk about forever), I'm going to share about the family I grew up with!

The most recent family picture, 9/2009

My parents were very young when they had me and during my early years they worked so hard to make sure that I would have a great life.  They had a lot of help as I was growing up (my dad is one of 6 so I have a ton of aunts and uncles and both of my grandmothers were instrumental in raising me), but they had to grow up very quickly.  They were and still are the BEST parents.  I consider my mom to be one of my best friends and my dad is always the first person I turn to when I need help or just someone to laugh with. 

Don't get me wrong, I was a very typical teenage girl and between the ages of 12 and 18, my mom and I were not friends.  I'm pretty sure we didn't even like each other (there's a huge difference between loving someone and actually LIKING them).  I thought she didn't know anything and she thought I was a brat.  Luckily, it was a stage.  As soon as I left for college, I realized how much I needed them and how well they took care of me.  I talked to my mom a lot more than my friends did while I was away at college and in the 4.5 years since I graduated, she's become the first person I turn to when I need to vent and when I need to make a decision.  We like the same books, TV shows and movies and shop at the same clothing stores.  I am SO glad that we have the relationship that we do, I couldn't ask for a better mom or friend.

I am a total daddy's girl.  I'm pretty sure I always have been and I don't think that will ever change.  My dad is one of the funniest guys I know and he loves to hang out and just relax.  We have the same sense of humor (often finding movies and TV shows hilarious while my mom looks on in confusion) and loves helping people and taking care of things.  He doesn't talk much (not many of the men in our family do, the women do enough of that), but when he does, it's important or hilarious.  Also, my dad can fix anything!  Seriously, he always has the right solution and the right tool to do the work!  Whenever we prepare to fix or build anything, my dad is the first call...and he always knows just what to say!  My dad has supported me through every step of my life and never failed to mention how proud of me he was.

My brother Marc is 10 years younger than me and while we've never been best friends, we're as close as we can be (he was 8 when I went away to college and I haven't lived in the same house with him on a long-term basis since).  When I got to high school, we had nothing in common and there wasn't much for us to talk about.  But when I went away, I realized how much I missed my brother, how I hated that I wasn't around as he was growing up.  Every summer break, I spent as much time as I could with him and we've reached a good point in the brother/sister relationship.  He's old enough now that we can talk about life, share music, go out to lunch together and I can give him advice. It's incredibly hard for me to believe he's 18 and I feel like just yesterday I was holding him in the hospital the day he was born. Marc is incredibly funny, a little sensitive and loves his car. Despite not being super close when we were younger, I love my little (but much taller) brother more than I can say and hope I get to see a lot more of him now that we'll live closer.

I am extremely close to my family.  I'm in my late 20s and have had no problem living with my parents and brother for the past 2 months.  I know this wouldn't fly with most people...but my parents are my friends and after living over 1000 miles away for the past 4 years, I value any time I can spend with them, long or short.

SHOW US YOUR LIFE - Alma Maters

HAIL TO PITT!

Kelly's SUYL this week is all about Alma Maters.  I'm super excited to share this one because I LOVED The University of Pittsburgh and everything that went along with it.  I chose to go for two reasons:

1) My really great friend Pat had applied and I didn't want to go away to college alone...
2) I was required (by my parents) to stay in the state for money purposes.

Regardless of the reasons, I loved the city, the people, the classes, the parties, the activities, etc. and I look back on those 5 years as some of the best of my life.  Here are the main reasons for that:

  

My sorority sisters

  

My pledge sister class



My fabulous little sister



Resident Assistant staff (best job ever!!)



Being in Pittsburgh when the Steelers won the 2006 Superbowl!!!



Meeting my two amazing best friends!



Finding my husband <3


I bleed Blue and Gold and I'm proud to call myself a Panther.  I love the University of Pittsburgh :)    



Annnnnnnnnd, she's back!!!!

Hello blogger-land!  So yes, it really did take me this long to get better.  In fact, I'm still suffering from a runny nose, but I can pretty much deal with that.  I finally finished all the medicine last night and am hopeful that with all the huge things the hubby and I have coming up soon, I'll be 100% in no time.

Just a fraction of what was prescribed to cure me!

So what's been going on lately?  Well, Mr. L left the first week of November for water survival in Pensacola.  Despite rough seas and some really terrible weather, he had a great time and survived!  He came home and we had 12 days to figure out our lives for the next 6 months...seriously.  Everything in Air Force-land is happening much more quickly than we anticipated and we had to figure everything out before he left for more training!  Mr. L left again for SERE training on November 18 and I won't see him again until December 11. 

My silly hubby trying out his new headlamp and water bag for training.

This week has been the no-contact week and it's been 3 days since I've spoken a word to my husband.  In the 5 years we've been together, we've never gone more than 24 hours without at least saying a quick goodnight on the phone.  Not even the night before/day of our wedding...we chatted on the phone that afternoon!  You really don't realize how much you can miss someone until it's absolutely impossible to talk to them.  I obviously support his training and think it's awesome that the Air Force prepares the aviators (and others) for this possible life-threatening scenario (and it's super great to know that, despite being terribly uncomfortable, they are actually really safe), but it's really tough.  Simply put, it's tough.  I love hearing his voice, I tell him everything and I don't really have many others to share my day with.  My mom called me last night and I kept her on the phone for 3 hours!!!!!!  Now, I'm a talker by nature, but even that is a little crazy for me.  I'll be thankful for Thursday night when he finally gets to call :)

Our first date (halloween on campus), 5ish years ago.

While he's been gone, it's just been me and the Lily-monster.  She's acting out like a teenager who's daddy left and she's pushing all her mom's buttons.  I remember doing that.  Well, now my dog is doing it too.  She's biting (she NEVER bit anyone), growling, chewing on things she's never chewed on before, and overall acting like a brat.  Not cool.  



Do not let this picture fool you, she's a monster...sometimes :)


Since Mr. L was away for Thanksgiving, I spent the holiday with my super great friends, the Duncan's.  Chris and Amy have been amazing to me and Mr. L since we moved to Columbus (Chris was Mr. L's class leader) and Amy has become one of my very good friends (I'm not looking forward to moving away from her and her adorable daughter Elli).  Our friends Christy and Jeff also had Thanksgiving at their house, plus Amy's dad and it was a great way to spend the day.  I'm so thankful that this crazy military life has given us all these extra "family members" with whom I can spend holidays when Mr. L is off serving his country (or getting lost in the woods!) and I'm far away from my parents and other family members.

Jeff, Christy, me, Elli, Amy & Chris on Thanksgiving

When Mr. L was stationed in Florida, we didn't make many friends.  His job didn't allow him much social time and I was away in Pensacola getting my Master degree, so we didn't really live the "military life".  When we left Florida, we had a hard time saying goodbye to a few friends that we had made at my school, but not really anyone in the military.  Over the past year, the opposite has happened in Columbus.  I've made several friends that helped me get through this year and they are some of the most amazing and strong women I've ever known and I can't imagine not knowing them.  The other spouses in our UPT class became my close friends and I've already had to say goodbye to a few (not fun).  Such is the life in the military though...constantly making friends and then leaving, many times going across the country from them.  I've known for a long time this was the way it goes, but I don't love it.  Last week and yesterday I had to say goodbye to two ladies who I've been close to and shared Assignment Nights and graduations with and it was hard, to say the least.  The upside to all this? Having friends all over the country!!  The Air Force is actually a small world and I know I'll see these ladies again.  It's just not really great in the meantime when you have to say "see ya later".

Erin, me, and Brooke...the ladies I said "see ya later" to in the past week.

Due to our impending move (so soon!) and all the travelling and craziness in between now and when we finally get settled in Dover, I decided not to decorate for Christmas at our house.  Putting up the tree would be troublesome by myself and stringing up the lights outside alone would probably be impossible.  Not to mention that as soon as I get them all up, I just have to take them down again because the movers come in two weeks.  So I'm leaving the tree in the box (yes, we do artificial...it's awful, but easy), leaving the lights tangled and leaving all the decorations stored.  It's been very sad when I walk Lily around the neighborhood and see all the lights and see all the twinkling Christmas trees in the windows.  So I decided to give myself a little holiday cheer and decorate my office at work!  Okay, so I didn't really decorate, but I got a tree!

Alright, it's a little tree.  I got it from Hobby Lobby (it's called A Tree For Me!).  There's a huge wall full of itty bitty decorations, tree toppers, tree skirts, etc and it's just too cute.  I bought silver garland, multi-colored balls and a sparkly tree topper.  You probably can't tell from the pic, but I also bought patriotic ornaments.  They are angels, snowmen, and santas that are decked out in red, white, and blue flag patterned ensembles.  Not only are we a military family, but I also work on the base, so I thought that would be a nice touch.

So now, I'm just spending my time cleaning out all the closets, tearing the office apart trying to figure out what papers stay and what papers get shred, running last minute errands and separating our household goods from our DITY stuff (this is my 3rd move and I still don't like doing that).  The movers will be here super soon and we'll be spending Christmas with our parents in Pennsylvania and then more training and finally to Dover! 

And I'll be doing it all while blasting Christmas music through my non-decorated house.  A girl's gotta have a little fun :)

Just a spoonfull of sugar...

It's been a while (for me) since I wrote.  But I have an excuse.  I'm on day number 6 of being sick and it shows no sign of letting up.  I don't really like the doctor, so I haven't gone.  I'm thinking it's probably time.  Boo.  Okay, that's about all my throbbing head will let me write.  I'll have to catch the blog up on everything when my nasal passages clear and I no longer feel like I've been run over by a truck.  Fun times. :)