2017

Gosh, I'm still in a little bit of shock that we're only about 45 days away from saying farewell to 2017.  This year has truly FLOWN by, and while part of me is grateful that it went quickly, I'm sad that it's ending too.  As I've gotten older, it just seems like time truly flies.  

January - With Alex back in Saudi Arabia, I traveled back to Dallas to see my friends, Lindsey & Daniel get married.
February - Nothing real exciting happened in February or March.  Chloe & I were just trying to survive while Alex was gone.
March - Nada.  :-(
April - Went to the beach, alone, since Alex was in Saudi.  That was a very eye opening trip for me.  
May - Celebrated 34.  Kind of.  I pretty much just came home & studied.  
June - June & July was another couple of months of just trying to survive, studying, and preparing for Alex to come home.
July - Booooring.
August - Alex came home for GOOD!  And I found out I passed FAR!
September - Found out that I passed two more sections of the four CPA sections.  One to go! 
October - Celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary (together this year!) and Alex's 37th birthday!  Took a trip to Maggie Valley with the Carolina Z Club.
November - Went to the All Things Silhouette conference in Atlanta with Nikki.  Ventured to DC with Alex, for my first visit to our Nation's Capitol.  What an amazing trip!  
December - Heading HOME for the Holidays!  Yes!

2016 Reflection

1. What do I want to accomplish with 2017?

My CPA license.  Hands down.  

I also want to learn to not let people effect me the way I do... hear me out.  I find that I'm an incredibly giving person.  I'm the first person to volunteer to do things to help people out.  But, I've also found that {people} don't necessarily return the favor.  I end up burdening myself and causing myself undue stress for people that are likely to never return the favor.  

 2. Who surrounds me? Are they positive, do they lift me up? How do they make an impact on my life? How do I impact them? 

I have a very tight bubble.  I'd say maybe three people are really "in" my bubble anymore. And yeah, I think they are an incredible group of individuals who are my biggest support system.  They are the best cheerleaders ever.  

3. Where do I stand?

I'm learning this more & more each day.  Here's what I know... I have a man who loves me unconditionally.  He is my biggest supporter, my best friend, and I never knew love existed until the day he walked into my life.  I have a Mom who is also my best friend, and I wouldn't be 1/2 the person I am today, without her.  I have a career I adore and a team that makes me happy to come to work.  I have worked incredibly hard in both my educational life & my professional life to get this far in my career.  I have a sweet {spoiled} puppy dog who makes me laugh on the daily.  I'm physically and emotionally healthier than I've been since high school.  Every day, I look in the mirror & while I'll likely always see imperfections, I'm learning to love the girl looking back at me.  

And honestly, I'm the best me I can be.  And for that, I'm eternally grateful.

4. What do I need to focus on?

Learning to savor the season.  I'm incredibly blessed & I need to really remember that. The desires of my heart will happen in God's timing.

5. What changes need to happen?

I need to remove the people from my life who are nothing more than acquaintances disguised as friends.  Honestly, I deserve better. 

I need to focus on my health by "creating a plan" and sticking with it.

6. What regrets do I have?

I honestly can't say that I have many regrets as we close out 2016.  I think my biggest regret would be agreeing to Alex's contract assignment.  

I also regret not standing up for myself more.  

7. What have I learned?

I've learned to love me again.  I've learned that my body is a miraculous thing, and should be treated as such with wholesome, clean food.  I've learned that I can't count on people to be {there for me} in the way I need them to be.  I've learned that I really can't hold people to the same standard I hold myself, because I'll likely end up disappointed. 

8. What do I need to learn?

All of the answers on the CPA exam.  :-)  

2016

Y'all.  Can you {BELIEVE} that it's been almost two years since I've updated this little 'ol blog of mine?  I used to really believe that writing my thoughts down on this blog was therapeutic, and then I found that it got to be a bit cumbersome to keep up.  But y'all - it's so fun to look back over the last few years and just see really how much life has changed.

As you all know, 2015 brought about BIG changes in our little world...

January - I moved to NC, to a long term hotel & then to a corporate apartment.
February - Alex & Chloe followed.  We moved from the corporate apartment to a 1 bedroom.
March - Mostly just explored GSO & settled into a new job.  Took a trip to the ocean.
April - Moved AGAIN from a 1 bedroom to a 2 bedroom.
May - Celebrated 32!
June -
July -
August -
September - Got engaged on the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain.  Had an extended vacation with my parents at Nags Head (Outer Banks), Grandfather Mountain & Asheville.
October - Celebrated Alex's birthday + our anniversary.
November - Had Thanksgiving, just the two of us.
December -

2016 was a pretty non-eventful year, until the end.  But that's okay.  I've found that I love non-eventful, and I love my little family.

January - A trip to Pittsburgh, PA to welcome in 2016.
February -
March -
April -
May - Surgery!
June - A trip to Canton, OH + Columbus, OH to visit family & friends before Alex left.
July - A trip to Asheville, NC to celebrate the 4th of July and just get away for a bit.
August - Moved from our apartment to a townhouse.  We're {MUCH} happier here!  But, Alex deployed in August too so it was a very bittersweet month.
September - Really focused on adjusted to life without Alex, even if in the short term.
October - Surprised Mom for her birthday.  Celebrated Alex's birthday + our anniversary from a distance.  A 2nd surgery!
November - Celebrated Thanksgiving with my Grandma Taylor.  That's the first time I've spent Thanksgiving with  her since I was 9.
December - Welcomed Alex home for his R&R trip.  Visited Asheville & The Polar Express & The Biltmore.  Then we're heading to Texas for a few days before Alex has to return to finish out his contract.

I'm so looking forward to 2017, to visit Europe with the love of my life, to welcoming him home for good at the end of the summer, and to just settling down & figuring out where God sees our family in 2017 and beyond.

I have big personal plans for 2017, and I can't wait to see them come to fruition.

2014 Reflection

I think it's extremely important to reflect on the past so that you can have clear direction for the future.  For me, leaving behind such an emotionally trying year is joyous, but I feel like I need to try to get to the root causes of why it was so bad so that I can have a successful and AMAZING 2015.

A sweet friend of mine on Facebook posted these questions for reflection.  I never thought about writing down my goals, making a mood board or anything of that nature.  It seems to be the best way to keep my goals in the front of my mind. 

1. What do I want to accomplish with 2015?

Gosh, I have so many things swirling around in my brain.  There's so many changes happening in my life.  Laying it all out like this is a lot harder than I imaged.

I'm going to really focus on this over the next week, and update with my desired goals, but I want to make them tangible goals with tangible results. 

 2. Who surrounds me? Are they positive, do they lift me up? How do they make an impact on my life? How do I impact them? 

 

I have the most wonderful support system.  I knew that, but I really learned how amazing they really are once I annouced my desires to pursue this position in NC.  Seriously.  I can't say that my support system has always been this strong, but as time has progressed, as I've gotten older, I've figured out what REALLY matters in this world. 

They are extremely positive, uplifting, motivating. 

 

Their impact on my life is great.  I love knowing that I always have someone who has my back, regardless of the storm.  It's a fantastic feeling.  I hope that my impact on them, and their lives, is as great as their impact on mine. 

3. Where do I stand?

 

You know, I'm honestly not sure how to answer this question or if I truly can.  Maybe this is something I need to revisit in a month or two.  I feel like I'm existing, but I know what I need to do to change and make things better.

4. What do I need to focus on?

 

I need to focus on my health, both mental and physical.  I need to focus on what's important in life, my family & friends.  I need to focus on my spiritual relationship, and figure out a way to revive my excitement for life in general.  I need to focus on being happy, or at the very least, pursuing happiness.  I need to focus on not being afraid, because God didn't make us to be fearful people.

 

5. What changes need to happen?

 

I need to leave all the negativity from 2014 behind and focus on 2015.

6. What regrets do I have?

 

I think the biggest regret I have from 2014 is the ending of several relationships that were important to me.  It's always hard to look back and realize what I could have done differently.  And honestly, maybe there isn't anything I could have done differently. 

That's the emotion I have to take into 2015. 

7. What have I learned?

 

I've learned that the only person I can control is me.  I can't make people be kind, I can't make people change their attitude.  I can change the way I respond.

8. What do I need to learn?

 

I need to learn to focus on today, and stop worrying about tomorrow. 

 

I need to learn and remember that God is in control, and there's a reason why he laughs when I make plans.  He always provides, and He's shown me that time and time again. 

 

I need to learn that I can't survive this crazy world alone, and that I need to ask for help. 

I need to learn that my primary focus has to be on myself and my family, including friends that I so dearly think of as family. 

 

Cha, cha, cha, changes.

So I'm pretty sure it's been no secret that 2014 has sucked.  Majorly.  It's been a series of ups and downs, but it has felt like mostly downs.  I've been incredibly unhappy at work, I feel like I've been inundated with all the various baby annoucements/births, and things have been rocky a bit financially.  Quite frankly, it's been a shitty year, and I'm so darn happy to be saying GOODBYE to 2014!

Several months ago, I started the conversation with work about a raise.  I was paid significally under the market value for my position, and I wanted them to do something about it.  I didn't figure they would, but I wanted to give them the chance to do so.  I also began the conversation of looking for a new position with a recruiter friend that I met last year. 

Since Alex & I met, we've shared dreams of living somewhere other than Texas.  I've been here for the majority of my life, and definitely all of my adult life with the exception of a few months where I lived in Albuquerque, NM. 

In October, fed up from work, and looking for a change, I pulled up jobs in North Carolina.  Not expecting even a call back, I applied for jobs that were (in my mind) a little more advanced that what I thought I could handle.  Imagine my surprise when I received a call back.

I went through two phone interviews, and then the company flew me to their NC facility to go through another 3.5 hours of questioning.  That was two weeks ago.  A week ago, I accepted their offer to become the new Corporate Accounting Manager.  Yesterday, I turned in my notice at my current job. 

North Carolina is absolutely beautiful, and I'm so beyond thrilled to have the ability to venture out & explore.  I can't wait to hike in the mountains, hang out by the ocean.  Greensboro is literally almost right in the middle of the state, towards the north, and we're approximately 2.5 hours from the mountains and from the ocean. 

I'll be living relatively close to my Grandma Taylor, my Dad, my Aunts & Uncles, and cousins. 

But, leaving doesn't come without great sacrifices.  I go between bawling my eyes out at the thought of leaving my Mom and my bestie, Lindsey & her boy, Adam, to being elated and excited about the next chapter in my life.  I'm beyond grateful for the technology that will allow me to still see their smiling faces on Skype and talk on the phone without paying the long distance price.

And more than that - I'm so appreciative of all the well wishes, congrats, and the people who have truly shown me what having real friends & family feels like.  I know it's not easy for anyone to go through the experience of someone they love moving away. 

It's not easy for me either. 

The journey will be worth it though.





 

T H I R T Y | Farewell...

I know it seems incredibly silly - but I made it!  All thirty days of the Blog-tember Challenge blogged!  :-)  I had to make use of the "schedule" function on Blogger, but if I wasn't honest about that, one would NEVER know!  

I really enjoyed the various topics discussed through the Blog-tember Challenge. First of all, I adore Brave Love, and am continuously thankful that I stumbled across Bailey Jean at some point in the past year.  She's a Texas girl, which helps, but overall, I'm just amazed at how together she is for being 23.  

I'm surprised that I finished, honestly.  I've never put much time or thought into this blog, and only update when it feels like there's something I need to say, which isn't all that often.  

My favorite prompt - making the mood board, because it really allowed me to focus in on what I'd like for our wedding, if it happens.  :-)  I also really liked the fall bucket list prompt!  

Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I'm thankful that I choose to participate.  I didn't always link up daily, but I definitely participated on my own each of the 30 days.

T W E N T Y - N I N E | Blogging Resources

I blog for fun.  I blog for the love of writing.  The only resource I use is The Cutest Blog on the Block for their blog templates, and my brain.  I'm awesome that way.

T W E N T Y - E I G H T | High & Lows

I'm forever in amazement at how FAST this year has flown by!  And now we're wrapping up the 9th month of the year.  October will be here in just a matter of days, and the remainder of the year is sure to fly by!

September Highs:

1.  I finally got some more news on the job front.  Things are moving now.  :-) So we'll see how that goes.  I don't want to post too much if things end up not working out.
2.  With A being back in school, we've been able to catch up a bit, so that's been nice.  
3.  I was able to meet Lindsey for dinner one night.  It was nice to have some girl time.

September Lows:  

1.  It's still so incredibly hot here.  I'm ready for a break in the heat.
2.  A failing grade for FAR.  Boo!

Overall, September hasn't really been an eventful month, but I'm a-okay with that! :-)

T W E N T Y - S E V E N | Wish List

Man, my wish list is insane right now.  Mostly because I'm trying to buy some new work type clothes, and get back in the swing of dressing more professional for works.  No more jeans.  :-(

First up - there's this Calson Drape Neck Zip Cardigan from Nordstrom's...

These Adelia D'Orsay Pumps from Banana Republic... and these Kelsie Cutout Leather Peeptoes from Ann Taylor...

I desperately need a few more tops & pants for work, especially if I'm going to be in a much colder climate than Texas.  

I'd also like to find a couple of ponte fabric blazers.  

T W E N T Y - S I X | Cha - Cha - Cha - Changes

It's kind of hard to think back a year ago, because it really doesn't seem like much has changed, but I guess it really has.

I'm still at the same job, doing basically the same thing.  

We've moved twice, and are actually getting ready to move again after the first of the year, but where is still to be determined.

I finished school (but not completely).  

I passed all the certification requirements to begin my CPA exam.

A & I are getting ready to celebrate TWO years on 10/12/14.  

I've lost a friendship & reconnected with an old friend.

And this is officially the most depressing post - EVER!

T W E N T Y - F I V E | Censorship

Today's topic is supposed to be one where we switch blogs with another person and essentially do a guest post.  Well, not many of my friends blog, and the ones that do don't really have the free time to write a guest post for my little bloggity blog blog.  So today, I figured I'd use this day as a FREE post for a topic that's so near and dear to my heart.  

In the news recently, here in Dallas, there has been a news article about some parents who successful got seven books banned from high school classrooms in Highland Park.  

The seven books are:

An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* - Sherman Alexie
The Art of Racing in the Rain* - Garth Stein
The Glass Castle: A Memoir* - Jeannette Walls
Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison
The Working Poor: Invisible in America - David K. Shipler

Now, I can't profess to say that I have read all seven of these books, because I haven't.  I've only read three of them.  I put an * beside the books I have read.  I have added the remaining four to my to be read list.  The reason for the books being banned isn't clear except that parents were uncomfortable with references to abortion, rape, and various sex scenes in the books.  All of which I can completely understand, but instead of banning the books, why don't we use these books to open up the lines of communication with children?  This is a high school for crying out loud.  These kids have been exposed to ALL of these things in one fashion or another, probably from watching television.  Um, there are ABC Family shows that reference sex and pregnancy in them.  

I just don't understand.

So then I pulled up another article that discusses the top 15 children's books that have been banned.  The Dairy of Anne Frank was one of them.  This quick discussion happened on Facebook, and some people understand the need/want to ban The Diary of Anne Frank due to the "depressing nature" of the book. However, I firmly believe that 100% of the Holocaust is depressing.  The way the Jewish people were treated is horrible.  The fact that so many lives were lost is awful.  BUT - it's history.  And I feel like we owe it to every single one of them to read their stories, TELL their stories to future generations, because most of them didn't make it through the concentration camps to tell their stories.  If we don't learn history, we're doomed to repeat it.  

I think this is a story that deserves to be told.

T W E N T Y - F O U R | Fall Bucket List

I'm a girl that loves a list.  And I love a list even more when it encompasses my favorite time of year!  

... celebrate my anniversary with Alex

... celebrate Mom's birthday

... celebrate Alex's birthday

... GIRL'S weekend while Alex visits his best friend in Kansas

... Pumpkin Patch in Canton

... Buy some new pumpkin candles

... Decorate for Halloween

... Decorate for Fall

... Make a homemade apple pie

... Make a homemade pumpkin pie

... Drink a Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea

... Go on a hayride

... Watch ABC Family's Halloween Marathon

... Make caramel apples

... Buy mums for patio

... Watch Sunday or Monday night football with my love

... Roast s'mores

... Make a Fall wreath

... Roast pumpkin seeds

... Carve a pumpkin

T W E N T Y - T H R E E | A guide to Dallas/Fort Worth.

Most everyone that reads this blog is probably from Dallas or has been here a time or two in their life, so I'd much prefer to write this to the person who has never ventured this way.  There are some things you *have* to make time for if you ever visit DFW.    

1.  The 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.  It's where JFK was assassinated, and while it's a tragic time in our history, we have to remember the times and keep history alive.  

2.  See the cattle drive at the Fort Worth Stockyards.

3.  Visit the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth or the Arboretum in Dallas.

4.  If you are here around the holidays, spend the $$$ to rent a carriage & check out Highland Park for Christmas lights.  Or Deerfield in Plano.  Or the Shops at Legacy's light show.  Or Prairie Lights.  Or heck, just try them all!  :-)

5.  Summer time in Dallas means checking out a Ranger's Game & 4th of July fireworks in Addison at Kaboom Town.

T W E N T Y - T W O | Blogs

Five blogs that I read all of the time...

www.younghouselove.com - John & Sherry are currently on a hiatus to focus on their little family of four, but I love this blog because they really break down how to do a variety of DIY projects around the house!  Not that I have a house to DIY, but it gives me something to look forward to in the future.  :-)

www.theblissfulbee.com - I adore this blog for a couple of reasons.  #1.  Amy is a Texas girl that resides in Fort Worth.  Um, yay DFW!  #2.  She has impecable decorating sense that really speaks to me.  #3.  She refinishes pieces that she finds at various places for cheap!  I love the idea of reusing pieces instead of buying new. 

http://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/ - Alison has amazing style!  Seriously!  And she's not your typical size 2, without ZERO curves.  I appreciate women who are a size 2 without curves, but well, I'm not.  So I really look to Alison for inspiration!

http://stylecassentials.blogspot.com/ - Another girl who has amazing fashion sense, and isn't a size 2.  

http://wordsfromabookaholic.blogspot.com/   - Kate is one of my sweet friends that I met through my military wives group!  :-)  She's an amazing girl, who shares my love of reading.  

T W E N T Y - O N E | Fall Favorites

Fall...

Ahhh...

My favorite time of year!  I will say the more Alex & I talk about leaving Texas, and moving to a region that truly has a fall, the more excited I get!

... Changing Leaves

... Hot Tea

... Pumpkin Patches with my Love

... FOOTBALL

... Sweaters

... the State Fair of Texas

... Birthdays & Our Anniversary (2 Years!)

... Fall Shows

T W E N T Y | A day...

Whew.  My life on the weekends is incredibly boring, but after such a busy week, it's great to have some down time.

Here's my day so far...

11:30a:  Crawl my tired behind out of bed.  I went to sleep around 11:30p, but woke up several times through out the night.  At 31 years old, I still have ridiculous nightmares, so I kept waking up.

11:45a:  Make breakfast.  Cinnamon sugar toast.  Yum!

12:00p:  Sit down and start Becker review for the BEC section.  

1:00p:  Decide I'm really not in the mood to study, and would much rather clean, so I close the books and get to cleaning.

4:00p:  Finish cleaning for the most part, and decide to go back to the books.

7:00p:  Lay down with Alex to take a quick nap.

8:30p:  Wake up from said nap, KNOWING that there's no way I'll be able to sleep again for awhile.

10:00p:  Start CPA studying AGAIN.  Anxiously waiting Alex to wake up because I'd really like some ice cream from DQ.  Has anyone tried their pumpkin pie blizzard?  It's to die for!

N I N E T E E N | Advice...

Today’s Prompt:  If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?

Done and done.  I’ve prayed for this opportunity to give a large group of people a piece of advice.  The group I would choose is girls from the age of 12 – 25.  I won’t say that I’m an expert, but I can speak from experience because I’ve been there.  Life has changed so much since 2001 when I graduated high school, but people and society still puts the same pressures on girls now that it did then. 

Have you ever heard the song “Try” by Colbie Caillet?  If not, go listen to it now!  Please.  Once you are finished listening to it, come back and re-read what I have to say. 

As women, society tells us to do whatever {WE} have to do to “snag a man.”  Songs are written by major performers and labels that discusses how a woman took 45 minutes to get dressed up for her “man” but they aren’t even going to make it to the club because he doesn’t respect her enough and he has to have his way with her in the back of a limo.  She just wants to be a “girl he likes.”  Clothes continue to get smaller, shorter, and tighter for sake of fashion.  Modesty is a thing of the past. 

But… it doesn’t have to be. 

Ladies:  I beg you.  Learn to love yourself before you expect a man to love you.  Learn to support yourself, make decisions on your own, take care of your car maintenance, fix things around your house, budget your money.  Get an education or a certificate or something that gives you a way to make a name and a career for yourself.  You don’t want to be his wife.  You want to be YOU first, then this wife, and their mom.  You deserve it.  Learn early that modesty is way sexier than short shorts and tight dresses.  Demand respect, but give respect as well.  Hold your head high and KNOW that you deserve nothing less than greatness.  You do not have to degrade yourself in the backseat of a limo to make sure that you are the girl he likes.  If he doesn’t like you for YOU, that’s his problem.  Not yours.  There’s something incredibly sexy about a woman who knows who she is, who has direction and ambition, and who isn’t afraid to chase her dreams.  You don’t need anyone in this world to do that.  Develop a relationship with God, and use the way that God intended relationships to be as a beacon to find the man you deserve.  Make sure he is strong in his faith, and can help be the rock in your family. 

But most of all – love yourself.  Know that you deserve happiness.  Don’t settle for the wrong person because you are watching all of your friends get married.  Take my word for it – it won’t end well. 

Be you.  Love you.  

E I G H T E E N | Traveling

Ahhhh.  Traveling.  The one thing that I've always wanted to do more of, but never had the time or money.  But the most memorable trip I've ever taken was a trip to Las Vegas, NV to meet some of the most incredible women that I've ever been blessed to be a part of, military wives, from across the country.

I wish I could recreate that trip & those memories with those women all over again. We've discussed making it a yearly thing, but time and life gets in the way, so it hasn't happened yet. 

I left DFW International Airport to travel to Vegas on a Thursday, and come home on Sunday.  We spent four glorious days shopping, walking, talking, laughing, people watching, drinking, and just all around being incredibly silly.  And it was an absolute blast!

I'm trying to find photos so that I can update this blog post with them, but I'm having trouble accessing them online, so I'll update when I can.  :-)

S E V E N T E EN | A vlog!

If you've noticed - I skipped Seventeen.  The goal was to post a vlog.  I don't have the recording capabilities, except through maybe my iPhone.  Quite frankly, I have no interest in trying to figure that one out.  :-)

S I X T E E N | Most people don't know this but...

Wow.  This one is tough.  I'm really an open book.  I guess the thing that most people don't know is that at one point in my life, I had my cosmetology license. The state of Texas changed the requirements to keep it, and hair stylists now have to do 40 hours a year of continuing education.  Without being in the industry, it's tough to get those 40 hours, and I have no desire to ever cut hair again, so I let it go.

Basically, because I'm an over-achiever, when I was in high school, there were three graduation plans.  The bare minimum, recommended, and advanced.  Guess which one I picked?  As part of the advanced graduation plan, I had to have an certificate of some sort... cosmetology, real estate, etc.  I picked cosmetology.  I tested in Austin in March of 2001.  

Upon graduating, I worked at Toni & Guy for probably 6 months, until I realized that it just wasn't for me.  I left, went into accounting, and haven't looked back.