Ehllo to 2012!

Hi all,

So I hate when I wait so long to write a blog that I have so much that I want to talk about and don't know where to start.

Let's just start by saying that so far 2012 has begun amazingly. I have clear goals in mind and I am more motivated and determined to accomplish them then I ever have been before. I have felt very peaceful and happy recently and I think that only breeds positivity.

With that being said, this year I want to run 2 half marathons, GIVE more (time and money), stick with school, learn to meditate, watch tv no more than 3 days per/wk, cook more, eat healthier and the list goes on... OH! And blog more, duh.

One thing that I've realized lately is that yes, I have been married to the MR for over FIVE years, but I haven't been the most domestic wife and I'm not afraid to admit that I have lacked in the maturity department (at times!). What can I say, I like the jokes! (insert the "am i saying too much" face) However, If I'm ever going to be a Mom and raise a family, I'm going to need to make some changes; like get myself out of bed in the morning and learn how to cook something other than a bowl of cereal...my fav! And I would do ANYTHING in the world for the MR so I guess I better get my ass in the kitchen more, eh?? (insert winky face)

Now that I've brought the classiness to my post I should probably sign off (winky face)

I hope you have your goals written down and get to 'em, 'cause it's 2012 BABY!!!!!!!!! (insert game face)

Nice chat!

CW

Ps: notice anything creepy about my collage? Anything? Other than the entire collage? Bueller?

Not So Cut and Dry.

Have you ever needed to have such an important conversation with someone you love dearly, but know just how fine that line is between pushing them away and actually being able to help them? I have one question that has been looping through my head all afternoon, "what is the best way to approach this conversation?" If I knew the one thing to say that would fix it all, I would be one happy, thankful sister. If there really was one cut and dry answer that would fix it all, all the problems in the world would be non-existent. I guess that's what makes the world go round but makes life so complicated at times. Sometimes no matter how much you want the best for someone, they've got to want the best for them self. And sometimes, we have to learn the hard way. The word of the day: helpless.

On the flip-side, it's Friday and I am so thankful for that! A weekend of rest and relaxation. Just what the doctor ordered.

Have a wonderful weekend!

CW

5 YEARS!

The MR and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary this weekend. We rented a boat this morning and are keeping it until tomorrow. We love the "boat" life and have dreams of someday owning one and possibly living aboard.

Of course today has been filled with lots of love, sweet surprises and romance. We sailed for several hours then anchored to have snacks and sun time. Snacks: cheese, crackers, chips, fresh strawberries w/ whipped cream and champagne to toast our 5th. Don't worry, we are documenting every moment...obviously.

After dinner we set sail again to finally pull into our home port. We've been listening to sweet tunes, playing cards, eating/drinking rootbeer floats, telling stories and learning even more about each other. I always learn something new from the MR about his life, and I fall even more in love with him with every story.

A moment came when I thought I was sooo clever and made up a card game where we would flip a card and talk about what ever thoughts spiraled from the suit or number. At first I got a sarcastic answer and eye-roll from the MR but then guess who was sharing allll of his life stories by the 3rd card?? Yep, you know it.

All jokes aside, I am truly thankful for my life, family, marriage, friends and job...especially when I'm out on the water, peacefully reflecting on life and loving every minute of it.

I believe in being who you are deep down inside no matter what anyone thinks of you. I know sometimes it's hard but, rid the negativity in your life. It's all nonsense and not worth your energy. I get so tired of all the judgement and what certain people or groups think is right or wrong. All that matters is that you love, laugh, smile, follow your heart, think for yourself, be active and think of others often.

Until next time...

Yours truly,
CW

Today is...drum roll please...

MY BIRTHDAY!!!

I've had so many calls and messages today so thank you, thank you, thank you <3

Several people have asked if I have any special plans today and I think they might have been a bit shocked when I told them I didn't.

First of all, I am SO grateful for all of my family and friends. I have a lot of people that love me and I have so much love in my heart for all of them; I feel extremely lucky and fortunate to have them in my life. Second of all, February has been an all around awesome month for me/us! I've been completely spoiled and let me tell you why...

Three weeks ago I passed real estate school and now I belong to a real estate company here in town. My sister-in-law and I decided to become a team which is nice because we're both new to the business. I am so excited to get the ball running. You may think I'm crazy for going into real estate right now, but I think there's no better time than NOW!

Valentine's Day was wonderful! Dave and I went to dinner, drank wine and really enjoyed each other's company. We had our celebration early because I was out of town for the actual day.

After our Valentine's Day I flew to California to visit my family. My brother, his wife, their two kids and my Nana met me at my Mom's house. We had an awesome and much needed time together! I ended up getting sick a couple days into my trip but what's new?! I am guaranteed to get sick every time I travel...every time. It's really pathetic. We spend most of our days at the beach. We took a trip to the Americana in Glendale, CA which is beautiful and I recommend you see it too. My Mom, sister and I drove to San Diego to have happy hour with my old work peeps. I loved seeing everyone, especially my Mom. She is so special to me and I just think the world of her. If you've met her, you understand what I mean :) Sadly, I had to leave everyone but I was so excited to see the MR! So I jumped on a plane and 7hrs later I was jumping into his arms (ahhhh).

Our puppy was born while I was in California. We are going to meet her on Saturday but we can't bring her home for another month. The breeder has been sending us pictures and video footage. We feel like adoptive parents...well, we kinda are. When we finally bring her home, don't worry, you'll see PLENTY of photos and video. It will be a joyous event as long as she doesn't peeuoop everywhere.

On Monday night, 10 of us piled into a limo and we went to the Black Eyed Peas concert. It was the boom boom pow and had an absolute blast! A great night with lots of dancing...and drinks!

And, last but not least...(are you ready for this???)
On Saturday, we're leaving for 7 days on a cruise ship to the Bahamas!

What an amazing end to the month!!!

I'll keep you posted! Lots of exciting news to come.

Update

It's been a while so I thought I'd give you an update. Dave has been out to sea since Tuesday last week. I've been keeping busy with work, Pilate's, piano lessons, a baby shower and hanging with Nana.

For the last three months I have really gotten into Pilate's. I love the way it makes me feel and look. I am seeing a great improvement in my body. I hope there's a studio where we're moving on the east coast.

Nana and I have been playing a lot of gin, eating tasty meals, laughing, visiting with friends and drinking wine. We really have an awesome time together! We have always been really close and have a great relationship. There is something that Nana, my Mom and I love to do together; we love to stand in the greeting card section of a store, read greeting cards, pass the funny ones around and laugh hysterically. It is so fun and it's something that I have been doing with them for years. And it works because the three of us all have the same sense of humor. Some of the cards actually almost bring us to tears from laughing so hard. I'm sure we've disturbed 100's of shoppers.

My Mom is coming to visit Nana and I tonight. We're going to have dinner with our good friends which I'm sure will be a blast. Tomorrow we're going up to see Julian. I've never been and I don't know what to expect, but I'm excited to explore.

I'm missing Dave so much! It's comforting to know that this will be one of the last times he will have to go out to sea...hopefully for life. He's been emailing me every now and then but I just can't wait to see him!

It's getting to be that time. My last day of work is on the 19th. Now I've left jobs before and never thought twice about it but leaving the place I work now is going to be the hardest. I really love the people I work with and have grown very close to them. They have been my family for over two years now and I'm so sad to leave them. I started training my replacement last week. She is great and is catching on to the job quickly but that doesn't mean it's easy for me to hand it over to her.

I'll do my best to keep you posted on everything that's happening in my life but just know, I'm going to be very busy over the next few weeks. A lot of change is on the way and you'll be the first to know all the details!

Until next time,
Cw

Life Reflection

The MR and I didn't have much planned for the weekend which was fine with me since we always seem to have plans. I awoke a little unsettled this morning and i'm assuming it was the result of a conversation the MR and I had last night. We are still adjusting to him being home from his 5 month deployment. Thank goodness we communicate well because otherwise this transition might not be so easy. Along with some of the more serious things we discussed we also discussed the possibility of driving up the coast to visit family but when I really focused on what I needed, I realized that was personal time. I contemplated staying home while he went up north to go spear fishing with my brother but I wasn't too into the idea. I'm the type of person that doesn't require a whole lot of time alone but when I start to crave it, I need to make sure I allot time to do so.

I finally made up my mind (the MR was happy about that) so we drove about an hour to my brother's house. My brother and the MR decided they wanted to snorkel and spear fish. We got in our suits (swim that is) then took the trolley to the beach. Free public transportation = Genius idea! They got all their snorkel gear on while I set up shop on a cluster of rocks much like the birthing rocks in Hawaii which are really neat. I felt more like a mermaid boss than a woman on a birthing rock in the Forrest . While they were out in the water I planned to spend some time in my head without interruption. However, I made friends with the lifeguard and spent most of my time people watching and exploring the beach. It was such a beautiful day...well most days here are beautiful. Unfortunately we forgot our camera :*(

Before I knew it, the boys were back on shore. That time to myself was much needed even though there were distractions. It was peaceful which is just what the doctor ordered. Aside from my alone time, it was so nice to see my brother. We had a lot of laughs and catching up to do. {My brother introduced my husband and I - They've been really good friends since junior high so they get along really well} I usually get to see one of my other brothers, sister and my Mom but it didn't work out this time. Hopefully we'll see them all next weekend.

Before I head to bed I would like to say, pay attention to what you really want and do it. Life can be difficult but remember not to take it too seriously...enjoy it all you can!

Good night ;-)

All About The S'mores!

There's nothing better than lying in bed with my husband when I should be at work. Luckily I work for wonderful people who are very kind to me.

I got off work at one o'clock today when I normally get off at five o'clock. There's something so exciting about being off work when everyone else is still working. It doesn't happen too often but it feels very liberating when it does. I couldn't wait to get home to be with my love. We had a very nice nap, of course I couldn't sleep much, but it was relaxing.

After our nap we decided to coordinate a bonfire with a few of our friends and everyone was to bring specific items. To be honest, my main concern were the s'mores. I wasn't even really concerned if we had wood for our fire >:-) I wanted those damn s'mores! We could have cooked them in the microwave, I didn't care. Of course, the guys were more interested in having enough alcohol. You know, the key things men need to have fun; fire, alcohol, food and a lot of rambunctiousness. We finally had our supplies and were headed to the bonfire. We were at a stop light next to this lady who we thought was listening to "Scrubs" by TLC. I'm still not sure if she was but we started singing it ourselves not realizing we were getting so carried away. About 3/4 of the way through the song, rapping, harmonizing and doing solo performances in the Nissan Frontier, it hit us. We stopped our performance, looked at each other and I said "were we really just singing "scrubs"?" We laughed hysterically!

The bonfire was fun. I got my s'mores :) No one really understood why I like my marshmallows burnt, but what is it to them?! We shared some good stories and when the guys started talking about their nerd gadgets or work, us ladies made sure they knew how boring it was.

I'm so happy it's the weekend! We're going to try and cram as many fun and exciting things into our schedule as possible.

For me, life is about smiling, love and laughter. Life is being yourself, creating yourself and loving yourself. It starts with you! Who cares if others think you're weird. I love being at home with my husband because there is no holding back. I am 100% me; goofy, un-ladylike (at times), immature, emotional and he still thinks I'm beautiful, so he says. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Enjoy every moment!

Have a wonderful weekend and do something fun that you wouldn't normally do. Step outside your regular routine - You may enjoy it!

Quote: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them." - Maya Angelou

Cereal Writer-