I'm back from my Disney-Zombie-Baby Fest!!

Wait what? HA! For all three of y’all who are following, I’m sorry it’s been a while.  Last week we were out of town (more on that in a sec) and the week before that, well, I was suffering from blogger-block and really having a hard time coming up with stuff to write,and feeling kind of discouraged, mostly because things really weren’t so exciting, but then they were. Oh yes, they were.

So last week LT. Hubs and I had our 1-year anniversary on the 7^th and celebrated it fancy-restaurant style. We went to Truluck’s and it was fabulous. We even got a free dessert. NOM NOM!!

The VERY next evening we flew out to Orlando to meet my family and we spent the next two days at Disney World celebrating Major Dad’s return from his deployment. Why Disney World, exactly? Well I’ll tell you.

The last time Major Dad deployed was during the Gulf War back in the 90s. My brother and I were bitty at the time—like 2 and 4 years old. When Major Dad came home, we went to Disney World. Actually we celebrated my 5^th birthday there. Minnie Mouse personally gave me my Bath Time Fun Barbie:



And also my Go Go Walking Pup which I proudly paraded around the resort in all of her slow-going animatronic glory:

That’s right, be jealous. Anyway, since then our brood multiplied and I have two younger sisters who are now 17 and 21. And they had never been to Disney World. So my parents promised when Major Dad got back from this deployment, we would all go again as a family. So we did, and it was magical.



LT. Hubs, Moi, Lil' Bro, Bit, Bear

Unfotunately most of the Disney pics were captured on the Rents' camera, and I have not yet gained possession, so you will just have to trust that we actually did make it inside the Magic Kingdom, and it was a blasty.

After two straight days of dawn to dusk Disney, we flew to Austin because LT. Hubs was in a wedding. At that point I was like something out of The Walking Dead but after a good nap I was ready for all the craziness wedding stuff entails. All I can say is thank God I wasn't IN the wedding cause I would have been the worst bridesmaid ever.

Since I suck at selfies (as in, forget to take them, which is apparently a big deal in blogland so I need to work on it I KNOW) the only record of our attendance at this joyful occassion lies with the protographer that was there. My husband was so clearly the best looking groomsman and since he was otherwise occupied I yucked it up with a bunch of his frat brothers and their dates. A friendly bunch.

Saturday afternoon we flew home and I was SO excited to see Winnie because I missed her SO much...and we did nothing but sit on our butts and watch TV the rest of the day.

Sunday I went to the baby shower of one of my very best BFFs, hosted by one of my other very bestest BFFs. I'm still coming up with good nick names for all of my besties, so I'll just use the ones they gave eachother: Tit 1 and Tit 2. Yes, there is a backstory but I don't feel like explaining it--sorry bout ya. Anyway, here they are. Aren't they pretty?

Moi, Tit 1 (Preggers), Tit 2

So as you can see, things really have been cray, and are about to get nuttier because we are about to close on our first HOUSE on Monday! Eeee!! It has been a LONG process but we've been blessed that it's gone relatively smoothly. Suffice it to say the majority of my weekend will be spent packing--No, we haven't started packing, but it's totaly fine, because our lease doesn't end until August 5th so calm down.

It's also possible one or two melt-downs might occur. We shall see...we shall see...

Also...a few more 90s toy commericals. Happy Wednesday!

A Hooah Kinda' Love- Diving in Head First

This week has been somewhat slow-going and I’ve struggled to come up with something of relevance to chit chat about--until this morning.

As I was refilling my Bubba in the break room, a co-worker told me she thought about me the other day because her step daughter just got engaged to a Marine.

***I feel that I must clarify that LT. Hubs is not a Marine. He’s in the Army, but most people don’t understand the difference and tend to lump it all together.  I’ve found it’s easiest to use the analogy that the Army and Marines are like two completely different fraternities. They’re both part of the same military system but they are separate brotherhoods and there’s a healthy competition between the two. Anyways, if you happen to find yourself in a conversation with a soldier or Marine, it’s good to know because if you get them confused they will correct you. Just don’t mix up your Hooahs with your Oorahs.

--but back to the break room conversation.  My friend told me that the Marine is going to be stationed in Japan for a year after the wedding.  I asked if her step daughter would be going along. She said no, she would stay in the states and complete school. She’s only 18.

I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows at this, exclaiming “Oh, wow! She’s a baby.”  Not that I’m opposed to the idea of “young love.” In fact my best friend and her husband have been together since they were 15, so I know it’s possible, but I also know it’s hard. It’s hard enough growing up and figuring yourself out, without the challenges of newly wed life. Toss being a military wife into the mix, with an ocean between you and your new husband, and what chance do these kids have?

If there’s one thing I will say about military life, it forces you to grow up fast. It teaches you the true meaning of sacrifice. You know what you’re getting yourself into when you say “I do” to a soldier (at least, you better) but nothing can ever really prepare you for what it means. I say this, and LT. Hubs hasn’t even been deployed (yet). But we have experienced distance, and it’s hard.

After we got married, LT. Hubs left for nearly six months of Engineer School in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. We had done the long distance thing many times between different colleges and military training, but it was the first time I had ever lived by myself, besides Winnie. It made for an interesting newly-wed experience. We really didn’t have much time to settle into life together before he had to leave. And even though we were lucky enough to see each other a few times, each goodbye was like breaking a bone that had just reset.  The goodbye is the hardest part.

I think military families are more aware than most people that nobody is guaranteed tomorrow. When you fall in love with someone in the armed forces, you have no choice but to dive in head first, knowing that deployment isn’t a question of if, but when. You go in knowing that there will be times when you are lonely as hell, that there will be really bad days. And it doesn’t matter if they are in another state, or another country, you have to learn to make do without one half of your heart. The times you have together you will never back.

In less than a week, LT. Hubs and I will be married one year. It isn’t a long time at all, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot. So as I sit here thinking about this teenage girl about to send her heart overseas, I found myself wondering if maybe a young, reckless love isn’t so bad in this case? Maybe it makes diving in head-first a little easier, a Hooah kinda' love.

Their chances might be pretty good after all.