Military Wives... The Best Friends A Fellow Military Wife Could Ask For!

I have been in the military for almost five years. I have been the Girlfriend of a Soldier for almost three years and the Wife of that same handsome Soldier for almost three months. I can honestly say during these past three years, the women I have connected with that were military girlfriends or even wives were the best ever! Now don't get me wrong, you are going to have a few bad apples in every lot but in my experience, the girls that I am honored to call my friends are the absolute best any girl could ever dream to have! Since the Hubster deployed, I have added to that list of amazing ladies. Some of these ladies I have yet to have the pleasure to meet in person, yet they welcomed me into the company FRG as if I lived in Hawaii with them and saw them on a weekly basis. Before the Hubster deployed, the week we got married, we stayed in a wonderful couple's house while they were on leave back in the states. They opened their arms to my hubby and I, even though they had never met me and also knowing that they probably wouldn't before our husband's deployed. I have never experienced such an instantanious bond in life as I have as a the significant other of a Soldier. I don't think my life would be as wonderful as it is without these amazing ladies! No matter how far apart we are, there is always someone there who knows what I am going through. Someone who is willing to listen to my fears when I havn't heard from my Hubster or my excitment when I have heard from him. If you have yet to experience the friendship of a military wife, I suggest you find one and hold it near and dear to your heart. The friendship will withstand the miles and last a lifetime!

Friday Fill-In

Woohoo for Friday's... especially the Friday that my Hubster's birthday falls on! Happy birthday babe!!


1. Do you think civilians, in general, understand the meaning of Memorial Day?For the most part, I do believe that most civilians understand the true meaning of Memorial Day. I do also think that alot of people get sidetracked as they get excited about a holiday weekend of fun in the Sun. I think that most American's regardless of where they were raised are patriotic and remember our fallen military members as well as those still serving.

2. What are your plans for the Memorial Day Weekend?I am in North Carolina for Memorial Day weekend, spending time with my family since my Hubster is deployed. I will most likely end up spending most of my time finishing up my final exam's and a research paper! What fun!!

3. What skill/talent do you wish you had? submitted by The 3 Turners
What skill/talent do I wish I had... hmm. I wish I had my Papa's intuition and knowledge of the Stock Market. I look at the reports and they are gibberish to me, but he made a pretty penny off of the market.

4. Which came first: the chicken or the egg? submitted by I Married Into The Army
I say the Chicken... because God created all the animals and two by two they were loaded onto the Arc. I could go back and forth with this for hours though!

5. What is the best thing about your post (base)? The worst? submitted by Randomly, Robyn
This one is a little tricky for me. Where I am stationed in DC, there isn't really anything good about my base. We are in a crime ridden community where it is nothing if we get placed on lock down because there is a shooting right outside of the gate. Where my hubby is normally stationed when he is not deployed, well I have only been there twice. The worst part about it is that it is in Hawaii and I am in DC. The best... the amenities... a Commissary, PX, Class Six... we don't have any of that on the base that I am stationed. 


Extra:
For everyone who views this recipe, Taste of Home will donate 10 cents to the USO. This pays for a service member to call home free of charge. So go view and pass it along!

Wordless Wednesday... What fun!

Cakes in a Jar... Travel Afar!

My Dear Husband's birthday is this week... Another that we will spend apart. So I got to thinking about a month ago about how I could possibly make his birthday a little more enjoyable in the Sandbox. Knowing that my DH has a sweet tooth, I scoured the net looking for somthing unique and sweet to send my husband. I ran across Cakes in a Jar on a blog and knew immediately that it was perfect! I went out and bought my jars, cakes mixes, and multiple tubs of icing. I chose a yellow cake batter and a strawberry cake batter. I was a little nervouse that it wouldn't turn out right because I have never canned anything, but with following the instructions on the blog (I will post it at the bottem on this post) it was easy peasy and FUN!!

First step, wash your jars and boil the lids in a pot while the cakes are baking. Mix the cake batter as instructed on the box and fill each little jar about half way with the batter. I watch alot of the food network so I used a little trick I witnessed on a show... place the batter in a ziplock bag and cut a bottem corner off and pipe it into each little jar, less of a clean up!

Step two... bake the cakes by following the instructions in the blog link that I post at the end of this. Take the lids out of the boiling water, dry them off and put them on the jars. As the cool, you will hear the tops pop as they seal themselves. The cakes will pull away from the sides of the jar as they cool, which makes it easy for the recipient to slide the cake out of the jar to enjoy.

Now the fun part!! Decorating!! I purchased some fabric and ribbons to decorate the jars I was sending to my husband. Once the cakes and sealed themselves you are able to unscrew the ring and place fabric over the jar and screw the ring back on.

That's how I decorated my hubbie's birthday cakes. I send different flavors or tubs of icing over so he could share with his men... I didn't expect him to eat all 8 cakes by himself! Have fun decorating them ladies!! They will mean the world to the soldiers when they recieve them! My husband absolutely loved his! You don't just have to make cakes, you can also bake breads to send!

Don't forget the most important ingredient....  LOVE

The blog where I found my inspiration and directions http://awtr.blogspot.com/2007/09/cake-in-jar.html

Until next time, I'll be thinking of you all!

XOXO,

Survey Says...

Just a little survey to get to know the Hubby and I...

1. What are your middle names?

Dale and Elizabeth... well Westbrook if you count that I dropped my middle name when we got married.

2. How long have you been together?

We have been together for almost 3 years... we have been married for a little over two months.

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? 

We were pretty much inseperable for the most part after we met... so a week at most?

4. Who asked who out?

I am sure he asked me out but it was pretty mutual!

5. How old are each of you?

We are both 23... He turns 24 this upcoming Friday, May 27th!

6. Did you go to the same school?

No way... I grew up on the East Coast and he grew up on the West Coast.

7. Are you from the same home town?

No... Again we grew up on opposite Coasts.

8. Who is the smartest?

Our smarts compliment each other... He is smarter in subjects that I am not so smart in... and I am smarter in subjects that he may not be so smart in. We mesh well :).

9. Who majored in what?

My hubby majored in being a BAMF!!! I am currently majoring in Public Health.

10. Who is the most sensitive?

Oh!! Definitley me!!

11.Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

We drove to Indiana and back!! :)

12. Who has the worst temper?

I think he probably has the worst temper, wonder if he would agree ;)...

13. How many children do you want?

At least two or three!

14. Who does the cooking?

Me usually, but he helps sometimes! 

15. Who is more social?

Definitley him! He could make friends with a tree! lol I LOVE YOU BABE!!!

16. Who is the neat freak?

Neither of us are neat freaks!! He may say I am anal about some things... such as how the towels are folded... but not a neat freak by any means!

17. Who is the most stubborn?

We are both pretty darn stubborn... I say a tie!

18. Who wakes up earlier?

He definitley wakes up earlier!

19. Where was your first date?

 Our first real date... we went to dinner at HOPS and then went to the movies... where my dear husband SLEPT through the movie lol... Gotta love him!!

20. Who has the bigger family?

Me! He has one brother... I have 6 siblings :).

21. Do you get flowers often?

Before he deployed, YES!!

22. How do you spend the holidays?

Apart right now :(

23. Who is more jealous?

I think we are both equally jealous.

24. How long did it take to get serious?

We were serious right off the bat... we cooled off for about a year or so... broke up when he transferred to Hawaii, but got right back together within two months. We were as serious as we had ever been and got married on 11MAR11! 

25. Who eats more?

Definitley Him!! He is a growing boy ;)!

26. What do you do for a living?

I am in the Coast Guard with a desk job... and he is in the Army fighting for my freedom to be blogging at 3AM!

27. Who does the laundry?

We each do our own because we are apart... but we share the duties when we are together.

28. Who's better with the computer?

Him.

29. Who drives when you are together?

Him, I prefer to ride and nap lol.

30. What is your song? 

We love quite a few songs such as "Big Green Tractor" by Jason Aldean and "Love Your Love the Most" by Eric Church.
 

I have been bitten by the bug...

The BLOGGER bug that is!  Who knew that you could do so many cool things to personalize a blog! The internet has a plethora of resources available to assist you!  Whether you are looking for a cute background, a signature block, or cute little additives!  I was initially inspired to start a blog during this deployment by another amazing Army wife... Jane Adensam.  You can check her blog out here http://janeysfavoritethings.blogspot.com/ it is pretty amazing!

Today is May 21, 2011, the supposed day of the Rapture.  I have to admit I was a little scared or freaked out by it.  All who really know me though shouldn't be suprised by that because they all know I get scared easily... yes... yes... I am a little worrier!  I was able to talk to my dear husband both on Facebook and on the phone!  It's amazing that he is off fighting this war for a year, yet he is still able to calm my fears from so far away!  I do love that man!!  Believe it or not, I was actually worried about not being home at 6pm my time which was the time that they said the rapture was supposed to start.  Why do you ask?  Well because I was worried about not being with my puppy if the world really was ending!  Silly? I don't think so!  Either way I went off to the BBQ like I had planned to do before I got all unsettled by the hype of the end of the world.  I had a pretty good time! 

The bad news that I recieved today...  I got a call from my mom somewhere around 8pm with the sad news that my Nana, who is my great grandmother, passed away today around 5pm.  I figured I would be a little more upset than I was.  It was bittersweet because she had really deteriorated in the last few years and in the last few times that I had seen her.  She was a frail little old lady with the kindest heart!  I wasn't aware that she was in the hospital, I guess that's what happens when you are in the military stationed away from your family.  I miss her and love her very much, but I know she is loving it in Heaven, able to walk without being out of breath, and spending some much needed time catching up with my Grandma and Papa.  In ending this post, I will leave you with this poem.


"If tears could build a stairway,

And memories were a lane,

I would walk right up to Heaven

To bring you home again.

No farewell's were spoken,

No time for goodbye,

You were gone before I knew it,

And only God knows why.

My heart still aches in sadness,

And secret tears will flow,

What is meant to me to lose you,

No one will ever know."

-Author Unknown-