#30 Days of Lists: 29

Spent today in Rammstein with some friends. Checked out the "mall" there that everyone talks about! Can't believe tomorrow is the last list. :(

I don't have any here in Germany yet, so I will use local businesses back home or in NC.

Some of these are actual Big Name stores

* Walmart (I miss the crap outta that place now that I can't access it)

* A.C. Moore

* Michaels

* Joanne

* Target

* Hot Topic

* Spencers

 *Clothes Line Too (FL)

Never really visited Mom and Pop shops at Bragg because there weren't that many. The only one I can remember from near my parents house was a cool little Consignment store where we bought all my dresses in high school.

#30 Days of Lists: 21

Happy Friday everyone. I wish I could say that it meant the weekend was upon me, but I still have to work tomorrow, so it doesn't count for me yet. This week has been alright here at work, kinda silly. The closer we get to the end of the week, the sillier the days become. Its like we're all losing our minds. I'm not doing much other then studying and taking tests while we wait for my appointments to return me to Flight Status so I can properly start training. I sit there a lot when I am not studying and try to pick up on things that are going on. Trying to learn the airspace, phraseology, and reporting points.... kinda hard.

The people here are nice. My favorite are a couple on temporary loan from another unit and our civilian, Mrs. H. They crack me up and really try to make me feel included even though I am new. The couple gives me a ride to/from work every day and are just super cool people. I am going to be super sad when they leave in a couple weeks. They go back to their post for a little while and are hopefully going to transfer back here for good in a month or two.

One of my Supervisors decided he wanted to cook on the grill today for lunch, which was fantastic. He made hot dogs, a steak or two, and brots. It was just a nice change from a wrap or Burger King.

♥ Day --> Good friends, happiness, and smiles

♥ Night --> Cuddles, kisses, and snuggles (I really miss this one right now)

♥ Letter --> Time, patience, and effort

♥ Craft --> Time, patience, effort, and good supplies. Maybe a little bit of planning

♥ Date --> Love, hugs, kisses, food, tv shows, and cuddles

This prompt was kinda interesting and I kind of had to think. I am a simple person. When I refer to my perfect date night.... for things like food I mean like a home cooked meal or ordering out. I don't need to go out to eat for a great date night. Zeke and I used to just order food and watch Netflix, which was perfect to me!

#30 Days of Lists: 20

I'll be doing this from my niece's Kennedy and Savannah's age of 8.

* The year was 1999

* We played outside wayyy more then inside

* Didn't have video games and the internet was new

* Lived in St. Petersburg, FL

This one was a little difficult for me. I have no children and my youngest sibling is 17 (which in itself is a bit of a shocker..... time sure flies) I have a hard time remembering when I was 8 years old. Although I think that was around the time I first met my dad Tim, or maybe that was a year later.... I dunno... its hard to remember.

 

#30 Days of Lists: 11 & Zach

Happy Tuesday ladies and gents!

◘ Listen to music

◘ Take a deep breath

◘ Make a list of what needs to be done

◘ Take a moment to think things through

Today is a little hard to focus actually. Luckily I have someone to lead me around and keep me on track. Hopefully today isn't a long day.

Today is the anniversary of the death of one of my high school buddies:

SPC Zachary Shannon

He died in Afghanistan a year ago today. I found out hours after it happened and my heart broke. It broke for him. For his friends. For his unit. Especially for his family. 

I spent four years with Zack in high school, we had NJROTC together.

This was our senior year, 

one of the last times I saw Zack.

The Army, deployments, and duty stations got in the way and we lost touch.

Zack was such an amazing guy though!

Anyone who knew him knew there life was a bit better because of him.

You're missed dearly dear brother

Now you fly amongst the angels

keeping watch over all of us.

Always in our thoughts.

#30 Days of Lists: 8

 Today is my last full day here in the States before I go to Germany. I have to take my car to Charleston, SC to ship it to Germany.

* Bummed that I leave tomorrow. I don't want to leave friends, family, or Zeke

* Excited for the new adventure ahead

* Bummed that I am spending my last full day sick on my buddy's couch. Dennis and Zeke are playing Battlefield 4 on PS4 while I am laying here attempting to eat some soup and type this
* Tired.... but I am always tired.
* Thankful for the awesome friends that took Zeke and I in not only as friends but extended family.
* Annoyed because I still have to clean out my truck and take it to a friend's work so he and Dennis can drop it off at the Port Call for me on Monday.

There is a lot going on in my head today and I don't quite know how I feel. I am trying not to be too emotional about leaving... Zeke doesn't get outwardly emotional and I don't want to be a teary mess. Don't get me wrong, I know he doesn't want me to go and he's sad about it.... he's just a typical guy who doesn't show emotions outwardly.

#30 Days of Lists: 7

Happy Friday everyone! I hope this finds you well! Are you participating in this round of listing? If so, how is it going?? I have to wait until I get to Germany to get my printer back to make my cards for my 2014 Album. I may even do a mini book as well just because I need to practice making those!

♥ Hopscotch

♥ Jump rope

♥ Donkey Kong for the 64

♥ Pokemon Cards
♥ Super Mario Bros
♥ Sonic the Hedge Hog

♥ Yu-Gi-Oh Cards (yes, I was a nerd)

♥ Star Fox for the 64

♥ Harry Potter Scene-It (bestie and I used to play it ALL the time)

♥ Hide and Seek

♥ Manhunt

♥ Original Pokemon for the Game Boy Advance (Blue and Yellow were the ones I had)

God I miss being a kid! Life was so easy and so much fun back then. Don't get me wrong, my life is fun today, just in different ways. I miss how stressfree the days were because as kids there was nothing really to worry about.

Cleared out of my barracks room yesterday, so I spent last night and today on my friends couch. I've definitely got some great friends! Dennis said I could stay on his couch as long as I need or leave my stuff in his house if needed. That's pretty awesome. His kids are cool too and I kind of think of them all as extended family. I am definitely going to miss this whole family when I leave. They have been so awesome and helpful when I have needed it. They let me come over and hang out when I have nothing going on or just need to be around people.

Zombie Walk 2013

All this family is missing here in the photo is Amy and Summer (the mom and the daughter)

But Dennis is the big guy in the back left and the three boys on the right are his.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great day!

So as I mentioned in today's list and in the title, I went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter yesterday afternoon with my two friends Lindsay and Jeremy. Lindsay and I had never been, so overall it was pretty cool. I can't wait to see it after they open Diagon Alley this summer.

 Lindsay wore the Slytherin Cloak that she handmade

 The Hogsmeade sign

 pretty view of Hogsmeade

 The Three Broomsticks- where we ate for lunch

 Jeremy with his Butterbeet Mustache and his UF Gators Quidditch team shirt (yes, he plays Quidditch for his college team)

 Lindsay and her Butterbeet mustache

 The cups just looked cool

 Please excuse the crappy phone pic... dunno what it was doing
We took a pic with the Train Conductor and The Hogwarts Express

 I make weird facial expressions

 Jeremy looks scared...

 View of Hogwarts although the sun made it a little washed out

 Another side view of Hogsmeade

 I have a Butterbeer Mustache

The stuff I bought while I was there

Hermione's wand

candy from Honeydukes- two chocolate wands and a Chocolate Frog

Post cards for my pen pals

Pins to add to my collection

A Universal Studios shot glass

Slytherin and The Hogwarts Crest Patches

 There aren't really words to describe how awesome it was. Haha. I am such a nerd! There was a lot we wanted to do but we didn't have a lot of time because we got there three hours before the park closed due to lunch and being two hours away from the park in the first place. The one ride we did get to go on was pretty cool- we got to go through Hogwarts and fly with Harry and Ron.... a little disorienting for me, but still cool none-the-less. We couldn't decide if we liked regular Butterbeer or Frozen Butterbeer better... they were both pretty tasty!

We can't wait to go back and spend more time there!

Those most important to me

I'm in a reminiscent mood today, and felt like sharing a little about the people most important to me.

My family (L-R): Parents, Jr and family, me, younger brother, younger sister

 

♥ My Parents- My mom has been my hero and my best friend my whole life. We've had our ups and downs, but she's always been there for me. No matter the distance. I met my Dad when I was 9 years old, and he's the only father I've ever needed. We're a lot alike, him and I.... and sometimes its a little ridiculous since we're not blood related. I wouldn't trade him for the world tho! Terry, my older brother was always my hero as well. He was a Marine and part of the reason I enlisted in the military. His wife, Miana, is an amazing woman and I am so happy they have each other. She fits in so well with my crazy family and I am super happy to have met her. Kennedy and Milo are my niece and nephew and are as cute as can be. My younger brother Jordan and I have lived together almost his whole life. He is the youngest of my siblings and the one I am closest too. We really did grow up together, although he is five years younger then myself. He's loony, crazy, and generally a pain in the butt.... but I am happy to have him as a brother. My younger sister Makayla and I have never met in person. She was raised by her biological father and we only started talking when I was 18. One day I hope to meet her in person, we're a lot alike, and she even looks a lot like me, but I don't know when that will be.

♥ My best friend: This crazy chick... Lindsay.... and I have been friends for roughly ten years now. We met when I was in 7th grade and she was in 8th, we were in a special music class together and we've been stuck together ever since. We've gone months without talking and picked it back up like nothing ever happened. This chick will be my Maid of Honor if I ever get married because there is no one else I'd rather have by my side on that special day then her (we've talked about it because I was engaged a couple years ago and luckily that fell apart quickly) There isn't much that we wouldn't do for each other! I can't wait to travel Europe with her!!!

♥ The boyfriend: I talk about him a lot, here on the blog and a lot in my life. He means the world to me and is the best thing to happen to me since I was much younger. :) People have commented that I smile a lot more now with him in my life and I wouldn't trade him for the world. He makes me super happy, can always make me smile when I'm feeling bad or having a bad day, takes care of me when I am sick, and he puts up with my crazy weirdness. He accepts that I am super crafty and goes with the flow, even takes an interest every once in a while. He watches my silly Disney/ Pixar movies and I watch his weird guy movies that I really have no interest in. He's an amazing guy and I know that I can talk to him about anything.

♥ "Little Brother": Kolby is one of my best friends here at Fort Bragg. I remember when he got here, he was a strange kid coming to us from Korea. He's really strange... haha... kind of all over the place and very forgetful. He's really young, and sometimes he seems younger then he really is. He and I are a lot alike, besides the fact that we're both from Texas and we're both Cowboys fans (yes, we're aware they suck but we're still fans). He's helped me through some tough times this past year and I am very happy to have met him. He's silly and sometimes that's just what I need after a stressful day at work.

♥ My Boo- Haha, thats what she calls me anyways. Kelli is my newest best friend and it has been so amazing to have her around. She is my replacement in most every way at work and she is super dedicated. She's just an amazing woman, she invited me and boyfriend into her house on Christmas Day for dinner, and we often just like to sit and talk and mess around. We're a lot alike and sometimes I forget that she is actually older then me. Her kids are adorable! And her photography is pretty spot on!

These are just some of the important people in my life. There are a couple more, but I don't have pictures of them and have to dig through their Facebook pages to find some good ones. Haha. I will probably make another post similar to this one later on, especially when I really get to missing everyone during my new adventure.

Family and friends are some of the most important things in life. The people you know you can trust and rely on.

My Anniversary

Today is my 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend Zeke. It might not sound like a big deal to some, but it is to me. There was a time after I found out I was on orders, where he tried to leave me because he didn't think he could handle the distance. I convinced him otherwise. I've also convinced him that he must come visit me in Germany so we can travel Europe together!

Today for our anniversary we were going to go to Olive Garden because its my favorite resteraunt. However, we got snowed in, and instead are spending the day hanging out in his room. He's playing video games and I am working on my computer, but we're spending the day together and that's all that matters (although I should be doing homework....)

I can't believe that a year has already passed so quickly and tomorrow starts our journey toward year 2. It's going to be challenging with him being back home in Ohio and me being in Germany, but we're at least going to give it a try. If it doesn't work out because of the distance... then at least we can say that we gave it a try.

This is probably my favorite picture of us currently (mostly because he smiled without being told too cuz he hates smiling for pictures). It sits in a frame on my nightstand and used to sit on my desk at work. This was I can always glance at it and it'll make me smile.

This guy has been absolutely amazing. He's dealt with a lot with me, but most men do for their girls. We used to go to the local country bar every couple of paychecks and hang out and dance and have fun. I've met a couple of amazing people through him. He's gone to several company events just to spend time with me. He was there when I found out my friend Zack died, he went with me to his grave when we were in FL, he spent four days in Florida with me to meet my friends and family, goes to my craft fairs to keep me company, puts up with all my crafty adventures, and stays with me when I house sit for a friend so I'm not alone. There is a lot more, but we don't have enough time... haha.... and I don't want to bore the crap out of all of you. He takes care of me, makes me smile, makes me super happy, he's all I could've asked for in a partner.

Just wanted to post this today to say thanks to the greatest guy I know. He means the world to me and this year has been amazing. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us!

Recap 2013 ((pics))

Hello all! And a Happy Saturday to you all!

I am working on my scrapbook and doing a recap of 2013, and decided I should share the recap here. :) I'll try to make it short and it may be out of order! My scrapbook should hopefully have more details, I just don't want to bore you guys to death and overload you with pictures!

* New Years Eve 2012 spent with Sarah D (can't find the pictures :( )

* Zeke and I started Dating --> This is one of the first pictures we have together. We went to the local country bar with a bunch of our friends (Will is the weird guy in the left corner photo-bombing) and we had a blast. I like dancing with him and it is nice to have a boyfriend that likes country bars too!

* Founded The Quirky Craftsters as a business --> Sarah and I decided to try our hands at selling our handmade fabric flower hair clips and headbands. We also make tulle tutus.

* First Craft Fair with Sarah --> Our table. That day was stressful and we still didn't have a lot of orders, but it was fun and it was a nice taste to get us going!

* Took Zeke to meet my family in FL --> My older brother Terry and his family visited, Zeke and I are in the middle, and my youngest sibling Jordan is on the far right. We coordinated it so that we were all there together!

* Recieved my Good Conduct Medal for 3 years of service without incident--> This is m best friend Kolby as we both got our GCM's. We've been in for almost the same amount of time so we got them together.

* Got rated on my system (finally!!!!)

* First active duty unit to field a new system that is the new big brother to my old system --> collage of training

* Started penpaling! I've met some awesome new people --> Just one of my inbound mail sets.

* Thanksgiving with the K's and then the N's! Zeke helped cut the ham at the K's house.

* Christmas with Zeke. Dinner at my coworker Kelli's house --> The only picture I really go was of the cupcakes at dinner. Haha

* New Years at the K's--> I loved that I got to spend the holiday with him and I finally had someone to kiss after midnight

This is just a small collection of memories from 2013. I know there are a lot more things I could have added, but these are the ones I remember and I would rather have pictures to share. There are lots more pictures I have saved, but I tried to find the best of them.

Doing this short recap has definitely told me that I need to be better at documenting life and keeping pictures. Which is my whole main goal in 2014!!