Weekend stuff

I had a wonderful weekend with the hubby, puppy and in laws. I love my family so much. I feel so lucky to have them. I am cherishing every single moment with my family and friends for the next two months. Before we know it, it will be time for us to leave. I hope you guys had a great weekend with family and friends too. 

Friday night Jarrett and I went to dinner at Golden Corral and then we went grocery shopping. Jarrett had his best fitness test score on Friday and felt like pigging out at dinner time, so I guess Golden Corral was the best place to eat tons of food and not care about what or how much he ate for once. My husband has eaten so much better since returning from Japan and he has been helping me eat better too. Every once in a while, it's nice to pig out and eat what you want. It definitely helped us in regards to grocery shopping. We didn't spend as much on shopping because we were so full. It was a win win situation. Ha! After grocery shopping we came home and played with our little guy. We wore him out pretty good! He makes some pretty funny faces when he sleeps. So hilarious! 

Saturday night, we were supposed to go to Cinebistro to see Man of Steel, but Jarrett and I both worked until a little after five so we were exhausted after our long days, plus we couldn't find a good movie time. I hate going to late movies because I will seriously fall asleep in the theater. Seriously. I am an old lady, I know. We decided to just stay in and have a lazy Saturday night. I drove through Chickfila and picked us up some dinner and then we just stayed in the rest of the night. It was perfect! 

Sunday was Father's Day. Although I had to go into work for a couple hours to help out, we were able to get loads and loads of laundry done before I went to work and then after work we went over to the in laws for an awesome Father's Day BBQ. We ate a lot of food, laughed a ton,  played with the cutest puppy ever and took some funny pictures. One of the best Sunday dinners yet!

Today I did have to work, but thank goodness I'm off work tomorrow now. After work I came home to Jarrett cooking a delicious Walmart pizza. Walmart pizza is seriously the best store bought pizza ever. You should really try it. So much better than any of the other pizza brands. After dinner we went to Yogurt Vi for some frozen yogurt. We've been going there quite a lot lately. So good. We basically made the most unhealthiest cups of frozen yogurt ever. Everyone swears that they eat all healthy and what not when they eat frozen yogurt and Jarrett and I do for the most part, but sometimes we really don't really care. We will go in there sometimes and pile on the chocolate and anything chocolate, Reese's, Oreo, m&m's, Reese's pieces, etc. We will also pile on the hot chocolate, peanut butter and marsh mallow sauce. Sometimes you just need to live a little. We can't eat healthy all the time. 

How was your weekend?

Did you guys do anything fun or interesting?

Are you a health nut when it comes to frozen yogurt?

Do you pile on the chocolate goodness too sometimes? 

Katie<3

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! I have been so blessed and lucky to have the kind of father that I have! He has been there for me always, even when I was doing something that he was not sure of a.k.a becoming a military wife. He was so wonderful when it took everything in me to tell him that Jarrett and I would be married at the courthouse instead of planning a wedding. Especially since I was telling him two months before it was to take place. No matter how hard this military life is, he is always there supporting Jarrett and I on our journey even if that means me moving far away! Dad, it does not matter how far the Air Force moves us, I will always be your little girl and your Katie Punkin! 

I know Jarrett and I are not parents just yet, but we are parents to our little fur baby, Leo. Every one thinks that having a puppy is no big deal and that its not THAT hard. Haha for those of you who have never had a puppy are WRONG! Puppies are exactly like babies! When you bring a puppy home, you have to train it. You have to potty train it, crate train it, train it to eat at certain times of the day, train it to not chew on everything, train it to be alone in the house when you leave for work, clean up after it when it has an accident in the house, clean up after it when it gets sick, take it to the vet regularly and take it to the vet when it's sick. You are basically a parent. I don't care what anyone says, pets are our children too. Some couples, all they have are pets. Their pets are their babies. Leo is our only baby for now, so I think of Jarrett as his father. Not think of, he is his father. And no, it's not silly to think this way! He's a great father to him and he will be an even better father when our children come along! I cannot wait to see him with our children and see just how much he loves them!

I also want to extend a happy Father's Day to both of my father's in law. I am so lucky to have married into a wonderful extended family. I have a father in law and a step father in law, both of whom I respect and love very much! Jarrett has two wonderful role models to look up to for when he becomes a first time father. Our kids are going to have pretty awesome grandfathers! 

Hope every father had a wonderful day!

What were your Sunday plans?

Did you do something fun and interesting with your dad/dad like figure?

 

Katie<3

Transitioning from military life to civilian life

When Emma from Smile As It Happens came to me and asked me to share something that really needed to be shared, how could I say no? With the military being near and dear to my heart, I had to write on the subject along side Emma. The article that she wrote below is about the myths facing men and women of our Armed Forces when they are transitioning from military life to civilian life. Although life is different for each veteran after the military, veterans do not have to surrender to the typical myths of civilian life. There is life after the military. Veterans should not have to worry about their lives after such a huge change as getting out of the military. They should be free to make these changes and still lead a normal life. Life should go on as normal as possible. Emma gives hope to those struggling in her article below. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did. Check out her blog when you have a moment too!

via

 

Debunking Myths on Your Journey to a Successful Career

Change often presents challenges, and this is certainly true for military personnel transitioning to civilian life. If you, a family member or a friend is transitioning from a military career to a job in the private sector, the process may seem overwhelming. Many myths exist that discourage job seekers before they begin the transition. Let’s take a look at some of these myths and learn the truth about your transition to the private sector:

Myth #1: Companies do not look specifically for military veterans to fill open positions.

Truth: Actually, many employers are looking for workers with skills and training that military veterans have. Many of the things you learned during your military career can be useful in private sector work – including leadership, dedication, persistence, teamwork, etc. Furthermore, government incentive programs encourage companies to hire veterans whenever possible. To learn more about job listings from companies that want to hire veterans, check out VeteranJobListings.com.

Myth #2: When unemployed, you should spend all your time applying for jobs.

Truth: Make time to volunteer at organizations whose causes interest you, and spend time honing your various skills. Many potential employers actively seek individuals who are active in their communities and volunteer with various non-profit organizations. Also, putting your talents to work for charities and other organizations can help you network with people who might be able to assist you in finding gainful employment.

Myth #3: There are no programs to assist military spouses in finding profitable jobs in the private sector.

Truth: Joining Forces is a recently-initiated national program focused on assisting military spouses with finding employment. The frequent moves and other difficulties of life as a military spouse make it difficult to develop a personal career. This program works with spouses to help them grow and develop professionally while also working with employers to create workspaces that are welcoming and accommodating to military families.

Myth #4: Asking for references inconveniences your professional associates.

Truth: It only takes a moment to request a reference, and most of those who appreciate your work and service will be happy to provide one. Employers understand that your references are busy people, and it seldom takes more than a few minutes for your references to respond to any questions a potential employer might have about you. Furthermore, companies such as JIBE provide platforms that allow for candidates to request a referral from someone who works at a company they are applying to right through popular social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Asking for a referral has never been easier!

Transitions do bring real challenges, especially in the transition from military to civilian life. Myths, however, serve only to create problems where they do not exist. Seek the truth throughout your job search, and you will find success!

Emma is a mid 20-something year old with a passion for life, love, fitness, and helping others. She loves to be active and get involved in as many sport and community activities as possible. Emma is currently studying to become a Career & Life Coach, and loves to network with people from around the world! Check out Emma’s blog at http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/! 

 

Do you know anyone that will be getting out of the military soon?

Are you, yourself, making that transition into civilian life?

 

Katie<3

Alaska: Officially official

So, yesterday my husband received his official paper work for our orders. We are officially going to Alaska. No backing out. This is real life. Holy crap. I mean, I'm glad we finally received them, but now everything is starting to sink in. There was not much else that we could do until we had the paper work, and now that we do, it's time to get the big stuff done. When I got home from work yesterday, we took the copy of our orders and our letter to vacate our apartment over to our leasing office. Just reading the orders on paper and then reading our letter to our leasing office was enough to make it seem real. Then when we received our letter of notice to vacate and seeing that it said that we would be out of the apartment by the end of July made it sink in even more! Eeeeek! After we put in our notice at our town home, we figured everything else out! Here is our tentative schedule for the rest of the move:

-Leo's last vet appointments in early July

-July 22nd and 23rd the movers are coming then we'll stay at Jarrett's parent's town home until we leave

-The same week of July 22nd we have to take my car to Portsmouth to have it shipped

-August 2nd will be my last day at Hallmark

-August 5th we're leaving Virginia and staying in Maryland for a week to spend more time with family and friends

-August 12th we're leaving Maryland and will officially be on our two week trip to our new life in Alaska

Is anyone waiting for orders right now?

Anyone going anywhere really neat?

Anyone going to Alaska too?

Katie<3

Weekend stuff

Hi everyone! This weekend was the most relaxing one that I've had in a while. It's about time, right? This was the first weekend that I didn't really plan anything. Jarrett always makes fun of me because usually I plan our weekends out every week. What? I just love to make plans and to have a packed weekend. I can't help it. It's a habit! Ha! Any who! Despite my planning ways, I did not plan anything for this weekend, but this is what we ended up doing anyways!

Friday night as you saw in my recent Friday Five, we went to the laundry mat and ate Wendy's while we did our laundry. Does this bother me that this was what our Friday night consisted of? Nope, sure does not! My husband and I are really laid back. Yes we like to go out on the weekends and do fun things and go to fun places, but sometimes we don't care what we do, as long as we are together while doing it! I could be stranded in a desert with him and still be happy because I was with him. I don't care. We don't have to be doing anything really productive to have a great Friday or Saturday night.  

Saturday night we went over to my IL's to have a pizza and wings night. So delicious! This was just the thing I needed after a really long week. Our store manager had to go out of town really quick for a family matter, so I had to run the store for four days. Let me tell you, I was a bit exhausted when I left work on Saturday. I needed pizza, wings and wine bad! Then for dessert she made me a shortcake with whipped cream, honey and cinnamon on it. YUM! It was a great evening with my family. After dinner we walked back over to our town home and I was able to snap a beautiful sunset picture! I live for sunsets like that one!

Sunday, we went to a really good church service that you can read about here. After church we went out to lunch at the yummy Chinese Buffet then we picked up a couple things at Farm Fresh because we'd be going over to my IL's again for dinner. When we got home we decided to take Leo to the little park area on base. We wanted to take him to the beach, but none of the beaches around here allow animals. We had the best time and Leo just acted like he had been there before. He ran and played hard. He wore himself out. I also got a lot of good pictures at the park. There were model planes, little monuments and every state flag all in a circle! So neat! We found ourselves wondering why we had never spent an afternoon there before! It was such a nice, relaxing afternoon with my main men! Then we came home and got ready for another family dinner together. 

Maryland flag

Alaska flag

Model plane and all the flags in a circle

 

Today, I had a "me" day. I had planned to make today a cleaning day, but I never ever get a day at home to myself so I decided to do my cleaning tomorrow night and Wednesday night instead. I slept in a little then went and got a mocha frappe from McDonald's to start my day out. I then decided to do some work on the blog for a while. I have been having some trouble making a layout that I really like for my blog. I'm not really good at blog design and I never seem to be satisfied with how my blog looks. I think I'm finally going to hunker down and just pay a designer to make me a custom design. There are still many other changes I would like to make and I wish I could make them all over night. I guess making your blog exactly what you want it to be takes time. Eventually my blog will be everything I want it to be.

After playing around with the blog all morning, I met Jarrett at the gym when he was done work. We had a great work out together. I absolutely love working out right next to my husband. I bet we look totally cool being right next to each other on the treadmill! Ha! After the gym we came home and cooked our weeknight dinner. We have decided to eat at home all week including cooking dinner together every week night. We are going to save our weekends for eating meals out. After I cleaned up the kitchen, we went to Rita's for a scrumptious Strawberry Gelati! Perfect end to my second day off! 

Hope every one's weekend was great. 

Hope you all had a relaxing time as well. 

Are some of y'all like me and like to plan your weekends out?

Katie<3

What will you pack and what will you stack?

Today was the first day that Jarrett and I have been to church together since he came home. He's been a few times with his parents, but I have not because I have been either out of town or have been so busy. I know being busy is no excuse for not going to church, but we went today and it felt so amazing to be at church with my husband again after going to church without him for four months! The whole service was dedicated to the 2013 high school graduates of the church, so the graduates and youth leader led the whole service. It was wonderful! The sermon was about transition. Perfect sermon for Jarrett and I at this point in our life. 

The youth leader explained that when we go through a big change or transition, we usually leave things behind and bring things with us. We stack things behind us and pack the things that we want to bring with us. He asked our congregation, "What will you stack and what will you pack when going through a transition in your life?" I started thinking about this question immediately. When we move to Alaska, I will leave behind fear, worry, disappointment, weakness, being my own worse critic, trying to please everyone, letting people walk all over me and many other things that I hope to let go of. With me I will take a great attitude, bravery, strength, optimism, faith, hope, love, trust, confidence and happiness and my dreams. 

So now I ask you the same question. With whatever changes or transitions you have going on in your life, what will you stack(leave behind) and what will you pack(take with you)?

Katie<3

Optimism, Faith and Bravery for Alaska

So, ever since I found out about our orders to Alaska, I haven't know exactly how to feel about it. I mean, I have so many emotions all rolled into one. Good emotions and some bad ones. It won't seem real until the movers show up to take all of our stuff and until my car is shipped off! Since the news, I have been thinking, thinking and thinking some more. I mean, I think a lot as it is, but I have been critically thinking about how I will deal with this huge transition in my life when it is reality. If you know me well, you know I am a huge worry wart. I have been worried sick since this news. Will I hate Alaska? Will I obtain a career in Alaska? Will I have a hard time adjusting? How will our two week drive go? Will all of our stuff really be there when we get there? What will our new house look like? And the questions go on and on!

When I moved to Virginia three years ago, I had SO many expectations and I was determined that I would love up to them! I didn't worry at all about this transition! I actually didn't worry all that much because I knew everything would work out perfectly somehow. This was my ultimate plan: move to a new state to finally be with my husband, obtain a really good high paying job that I would love, meet a lot of military wives and be just like Army Wives, start a family right away because we would both have fantastic jobs and would be able to afford to do so, not get stationed else where, buy a nice house, settle down here and not be home sick at all! Yes, those were my exact plans that I had set in my head of how I wanted my life to be. Although it did not turn out that way at all, this turned out to be three of the best and most challenging years of my life. I honestly would not change a thing. 

Now here I am, going through the same thing that I went through three years ago. May it be just a little different, it is still the same thing to me. I still have those same expectations for myself in Alaska. I think it's normal to have these expectations. I mean, don't we all have them? Although I have been worrying a lot about things not working out as I have planned for myself, I am choosing to be optimistic! I am choosing this attitude. I will not choose to worry nor will I choose to be pessimistic, although it may be hard at times. I am choosing to have faith. Faith that God will be right by our side as we go through this. Faith that God will provide a wonderful life for us there. Faith that the transition will run smoothly. Faith that everything will fall into place when it is time. I will not expect things to go my way, but I will have faith that things will work out no matter how hard things may be. I will be strong. I will be brave. Above all, I will trust The Lord!

Katie<3

Friday Five and Friday Letter's

Welcome to another round of Friday Five and Friday's Letters! Hope you all had an easy, good week. My week was busy, busy, and more busy! You know, the usual. I am definitely looking forward to this weekend with my husband. If the weather cooperates, we will be headed to Busch Gardens again on Sunday. Yay!

 

1. Hurricane season

It's that time again. Tropical storm and hurricane season is among us, and I am not a fan at all. The past two years we have been hit pretty hard here in Virginia and my family were also hit hard in Maryland. It has been pretty rough, but somehow we've all pulled through with only minor issues. I cannot complain though, considering this lovely gal in the picture below me moved to New York during this time last year and was hit very very hard by super storm Sandy. Her and her boyfriend, Patrick, basically lost their apartment due to heavy flooding and they also had many problems with their vehicles. I am so thankful that they are okay, but I felt for them when I realized just how much they had lost. I am happy to report that they are doing great today and were able to get another apartment not too longer after the storm hit. I did ask Jarrett the other day if there are any hurricanes in Alaska. His response was, "No, but there are earthquakes and volcanoes." Ummmm honey, that's not what I want to hear! Eeeek!

 

2. Amanda 

So, this my friends is Amanda, the girl of which I spoke of above. To make a really really long story short, she dated my younger brother, Chris, for four or so years. During that time, her and I became really really close. Even when her and my brother parted ways, we still stayed close friends. She has been one of the most loyal friends to me while I have lived here in Virginia. Last year she graduated college and did exactly what I did when I graduates; she moved away to live with her significant other. She left everything that she had ever known and moved to New York for a boy. After she moved, we still stayed in touch, but it was hard to see each other. We would plan trips home to Maryland, but our trips were never during the same time. Well folks, today we reunited! She was in town in VA Beach to see the Kenny Chesney concert with her mom, and she was able to stop by my store before leaving to drive back to Maryland. It had been a little over a year since we had seen each other and it was amazing! I miss her face already! Whomp!

 

3. Laundry date night 

Yes, you saw that correctly. Laundry date night. Jarrett and I have been incredibly busy this week which meant that housework may have suffered a little bit. I have promised myself that I will catch up on my cleaning on my days off on Sunday and Monday. For now, the main thing that suffered from the week was laundry. Loads and loads of laundry. Usually when we have a ton of laundry, we just go to the laundry mat because they have bigger washers and dryers, plus we can fold everything there on those neat tables so all I have to do when we get home is put everything away. Voila! It cost a little more than doing laundry at our town home, but it basically cuts my laundry time in half. So, in true Katie and Jarrett fashion, we drove through Wendy's and ate it at the laundry mat while we waited. Perfect little date night. It doesn't matter where I am with my husband, we always enjoy each other's company.

 

4. Skype/Face Time with mom

My mom has entered the IPhone world! I am really glad she has because now we can do Face Time and even Skype through our IPhone's. Awesome considering we are about to be thousands of miles away for four or more years! Tonight, we tested Skype out and it worked for a little bit then our Internet connection went crazy and it stopped working. We then tried Face Time which worked way better than Skype. It was so much fun for my mom. She has never done anything like this before, so she was pretty excited when she saw my face and heard my voice all at the same time. I am excited to do this with her our first day in Alaska!

 

5. Scentsy love

My oh my, I am in love with Scentsy. I first introduced Scentsy in another Friday Five segment of which you can read about here. The first scent that I put in my warmer is called "My Home" and it is burning as we speak. Swoon! It smells just like I would want our home to smell when someone walks in the door. I have our home decorated with a little bit of modern flare and a little bit of country flare, so this scent reflects our home perfectly. LOVE!

 

Dear Hubby, Every time you walk by me as I type up this blog post, you kiss my cheek. Could you be any cuter tonight? It is little things like a random couple of kisses on the cheek that make me fall in love with you all over again. How do you do it? Dear Leo, How in the world are you managing to jump over your kitchen gate almost every time we leave the house? You amaze me every single day. I mean, at least you aren't taking any harsh feeling out on my shoes anymore, but still, this is crazy! I really have no clue what to do with you sometimes. I think we might just have to get a second gate just like the one we have. Ha, I'd like to see you jump over double gates! Dear PCS to Alaska, You are getting closer and closer by the minute. In two months we will be just about ready to head off on our two week driving adventure to get to you by August 31st! This still does not seem real to me. It will not seem real until the movers come in and take my car and all of our stuff. AHHHH!

 

Katie<3

Jarrett's first month home

Jarrett has already been home a month now! Yay so exciting! Within his month, we've already done so much and already gotten a lot done in regards to our orders. At this point, we are waiting on the paper orders and then we can officially put in our vacancy notice at our town home, figure out exactly when the movers should come and figure out exactly when we will drive off to Alaska for four or more years! Nothing will seem real until we actually get there, so at this point I am just staying calm, cool and collective! 

This past month we have been busy busy busy running around on base to appointments left and right! My husband has to be at way more appointments than I do and he has to do it all while balancing work too. He has so much on his plate, but I am already so proud of him for getting everything done that needs to be done. 

Aside from dealing with our orders, we have spent a lot of time going to the gym together, cooking meals together (healthy meals too) and seeing family and friends over this month. Pretty much every weekend has been packed for us. The first weekend Jarrett was home we just spent time with each other and some time with my in laws. The weekend after that my dad and Kelly came down for the weekend and we went out to dinner and went to the movies. That weekend we also spent time with the in laws. Pretty much every weekend we do dinner at my in laws. It's the perfect little once a week get together! 

The third weekend we went home to Maryland for my brother's graduation. We had a blast then! The next weekend was my trip to Massachusetts of which Jarrett could not go so he stayed home, got some more stuff done on base then had dinner with his parents a couple nights in a row. I missed him a lot, but I was glad he got to spend some quality time with his parents! I just updated about this past weekend where my best friend Christina came to visit. Jarrett and I both had a blast with her here. This weekend coming up, I promised him that we wouldn't make a lot of plans. Maybe just eating dinner at the in laws Saturday night and if the weather is okay, going to Busch Gardens on Sunday. Other then that, we are going to take it easy this weekend!

The next two months are going to be so hectic with going home to see family and friends as much as we can and getting final things done for our move. A couple of peaceful weekends at home with Jarrett before all the chaos starts will be just the thing we need!

Here is a little article about Jarrett on the Joint Base Langley-Eustis website. I love how the article is focused on Jarrett and Leo's homecoming haha! It's the sweetest article ever! LOVE! 

 

Katie<3

A homecoming letter to my husband

Dear Jarrett, 

So, I wrote you a deployment letter a little while back and just realized that I didn't write you a homecoming letter. There were so many things going on in my mind when you walked off that bus on homecoming day. Every homecoming, my heart literally jumps out of my chest when I see you for the first time. This time was no different. I cried. I cried like a baby. You walked off that bus, reached your arms out for me, took me into your arms and I lost myself. When we hugged, it was as if the world stood still and we were the only two on the planet. You have this amazing power over me that you've always had. 

You are absolutely amazing! I am so proud of you for all of your accomplishments over the past eight years. I am so confident in the man that you've become and will become in the future. You simply blow me away every single day! I mean, I always feel so strong when you are deployed, but you have to stay strong for everyone that loves you while you are gone. You have a ton of people missing you when you're gone, but you have a ton of people to miss, so everything is so much harder on you. You have so much to deal with and so much to deal with now with our orders.

Ever since you came home you've been running around all over the place trying to get everything done and in order for our move, and I am so proud of you for working hard. I am really looking forward to finishing everything for this move and finally starting our next chapter in Alaska! Our adventure there will be one that we will never forget!

I love you

xoxoxo

Katie<3

Weekend stuff

Hello everyone! I'm back for another weekend recap! Hope your weekend was wonderful. Mine sure was! Friday night after work, I met Rachel for dinner at our new Longhorn Steakhouse! This was the second time I had been to Longhorn, and this time I actually ordered a steak. I'm a big fish person, but lately I've been loving steak and this steak was amazing. Rachel and I had a great time eating and catching up! I hadn't seen her in about a month so it was great to just get together and just catch each other up on life!

Saturday night, my best friend Christina came to town for the weekend. We had a blast as usual! Once she got here, her, Jarrett and I went to dinner at Cheddar's which is always delicious! After dinner we took her to Yogurt Vi to get frozen yogurt. I had tried to take her there last time she visited, but it was seven o'clock on a Sunday when we tried to go and they were closed. Whomp whomp! After frozen yogurt we just came home, hung out and played with Leo! Jarrett may have put Leo on top of the kitchen table too when we were playing! Whoops!

Sunday was the perfect day! We got up a little early and went to Busch Gardens. We got there a little after they opened, so they weren't that busy. Actually, the whole time we were there it wasn't that busy and the weather was not that hot. Score. Usually every time Jarrett and I go  there it's either hot as crap or it's pouring down rain as soon as we get there. We got lucky this day! Jarrett also got lucky and won a huge wiener dog for Leo to destroy. So hilarious! We stayed at Busch Gardens till about three o'clock then we just went back to the house and stayed in since we were so exhausted! It was a great day with my husband and best friend!   

Monday, Christina and I just took it easy for a while. We went out and ran a couple errands then went to Panera for lunch, but ended up taking our food home because the restaurant was so busy! After lunch we took naps and just relaxed! Later on we decided to go shopping at the outlets in Williamsburg. We had a great time and got a lot of cute stuff! We left the outlets around eight-thirty then stopped and got yummy Chickfila for dinner and brought it home. Another great day!

Tuesday, it was time for me to go back to work and time for Christina to go back to Maryland. Nooo! She is probably coming back again the third week of June so I cannot wait to have another fun weekend with her! So stay tuned for another fun weekend with my best friend!

Katie<3