New Followers and Awards times TWO!

It seems like just yesterday that I started this blog (ok, so it really hasn't been too long ago...end of June, but whatever) that I started this blog and I had no followers for a long time. Last Monday, I had 13 followers. Now, as of today, I have 20 followers! Seven new followers in less than 7 days!! Sweet, huh?!? I think so! So HELLO new followers!! It is nice to "meet" you!! Please introduce yourself and feel free to ask me any questions. :)

I also got my first two "blogger awards" in the same week, within a day of each other!! The rules of the game are:

That I list seven facts about myself and then pass it on to 5 friends.

And, since the award is titled "Stylish Blogger Award," I need to give credit where credit is due: Brea at Utterly Chaotic recently redid my design, so she gets the credit for it being so stylish!!!

Without further ado...(and I'm combining these two awards)...so here are 14 facts about me!!

1. I really hate open cupboards and drawers.


2. I love drawing in paint, like the paint program on the computer. One day I'll feature my artwork masterpieces...yes, they are truly amazing and you'll be blown away. Just be patient for this! It'll be worth it!!
   


3. I really hate windshield wipers and the annoying sounds they make on a dry windshield. AHHHHHHH.


4. I'm a sucker for proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. I try to be really good about it, but I'm part dinosaur human and sometimes make a mistake, but I always try to correct myself where I notice it.
   


5. I'm always freezing cold. It's 76 in my apartment right now...because I've been baking...but I'm still fairly cold. Ironically, Seth thinks I'm a "human heater" and doesn't like to snuggle in bed because because I'm so hot. I don't get it.
   


6. I have a pretty bad potty mouth, but I'm working on cleaning it up. I'm not trying too hard though. Well, just around certain people.


7. I have an ongoing love affair with high heels.
   


8. At this moment, I currently have 4 different kinds of shampoos and conditioners in my shower. Yes, I use them all regularly too.
   


9. I don't spell my name StacEy. It's just Y. No EY. No IE. No I. Just STACY. I hate when people I've known for 1032983029 years spell it EY.
   


10. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the one with Jim Carey) and Serendipity are my favorite Christmas movies.


11. I love cleaning, especially toilets. I just love a sparkling white toilet! So beautiful. I actually love all cleaning in general, and doing laundry too. Oh, and I hate dirty mirrors and windows. And I HATE when toothbrush spray stuff gets on the mirror.
    


12. Which leads me to...when I'm brushing my teeth, I cannot stand still. I always walk around my apartment, doing this or that while brushing my teeth.


13. When I was younger and my little sister and I shared a room, and we had to clean it, I always told her she could sit on the bed and just watch me. I never asked/made her help. I just liked my cleaning style better than hers so this way I got it done exactly how I wanted.


14. I'm really very girly, but I'm very tomboyish at the same time. I love manicures/pedicures, shopping, shoes, gossiping and watching trashy reality shows, but just as much, I love camping, playing in the mud (side note: when I was little and just started walking, my older brother would make us a mud pit in the backyard and walk me out there and we'd play in the mud until our mom came to find us!!! oh God how I love mud), cars, computers, shooting guns, swearing, fishing...you know, boy things.
    

Thanks to Erin at Amateur Hour in NC and Sebs at Newlywed and Deployed for the awards!!!

In Case You Haven't Noticed...

Thanks to Brea at Utterly Chaotic Designs, I have an awesome new customized blog!! She is working on her degree in multimedia design and did a post a few weeks ago that she’d be offering free blogs to those who signed up. So I signed up and got a really cute totally me blog layout. She is an Army-fiancé too and has two very handsome little boys! I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for, so I was very happy to see what she created, and it was exactly what I was wanting!

She’s also offering a 25% military discount, too!!

Thanks again, Brea! I love it!!

New Blog Name: "for ever & for always, no matter what"

I started my blog back in June on a whim, basically. I had contemplated it for a while and had just started reading some, but then talked myself out of it many times. The names of them were sooo clever and I was insanely jealous, but I couldn't think of anything creative for mine. I was talking to a friend about it, and she encouraged me to create one. If I didn't do it then, I probably never would have. So I came up with something not clever and not creative and I've never really liked the name of it. Since June, I've been thinking of new names for it. One finally hit me last night: "for ever & for always, no matter what."

I saw this little quote when I was in a little store last week when I went to the lake shore. I liked it immediately. (Yes, it's been almost a week since I've seen/heard the quote, and it just dawned on me to make my blog name that). So I emailed Seth last night and asked his opinion on it, and he said he liked it. He also suggested I do an & instead of the word "and." So there we have it, with a bit of team work. :)

I think it's a fitting title for us too, because no matter where we end up because of the Army, or how often/long we're separated, or any decisions the Army makes for us, we're in this together, "for ever & for always, no matter what."

I've also been wanting to contact someone to make my blog all fancy and cute and ME. But I didn't want to spend the money until I knew what I wanted it to be titled. Any suggestions?!?! So now I've got the title and soon I'll have the fancy page to match it!!!

Stay tuned...

I have another busy Saturday/weekend. I made my to-do list yesterday:

• Gym training session today at 11 AM
• Get a birthday present for a friend (this was also on my to-do list last weekend and I never got around to it. But her birthday is this Thursday so I don't have a choice now!)
• Drive to the lake shore and watch the sunset and find pretty trees and capture it all with my new camera
• Email future mother in law about getting together to finalize our guest list
• Complete our Save The Date card. I need to have them in the mail by the end of the month.
  
• Work on our TheKnot.com profile (I'm mostly done...just need to put a few more things/pictures on there)
• Start and finish Halloween themed care package
• Call art place about mosaic class

I better get going!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In!

1. What is a weird/funny superstition that you have? (from A{muse}ing Mommy on a Pink Park Bench)
   Ummm, I don't really have any. Oh! I used to always pick up pennies if I see them on the ground, no matter if it was heads or tails up. However, a few years ago, a friend told me that they are only good luck if it's heads up. I've been ignoring and keeping away from tails ones for a while. And if I'm having a decent day and find a heads up one, I'll leave it for someone else to have a good day on.
   
   
2. What are your hopes and dreams for the years AFTER the military? After all, we aren’t in it forever! (from Stetsons, Spurs and Stilettos)
   Just to be a "normal" family. Whatever normal is. I've always thought that he'd LOVE being a soccer coach for our kids' teams (and he'd be really good at it), whenever we have kids. Not that it's my dream for him to become a soccer coach, but I think it'd be cool.
   
   
3. Since [this] month is National Apple Month (no really!), I’d probably ask: What is your yummiest apple recipe? (from NH Girl Displaced)
   Hmm, I like canning apples! Last year when my sister was home, we canned a bunch of them. By "a bunch," I am talking 48 jars of apple butter and 11 jars of sliced apples for pies. Here's a picture of my sister filling some jars:
   
   
   
4. How long have you gone as a military spouse without talking to your husband/wife during service? (from A Navy Princess and Her Little Sailors)
   I think a week. At the beginning of this deployment, we talked on Sunday's only. It was rough. I don't think we've gone more than a week without talking, thank God. A week was long enough.
   
   
5. I occasionally watch When I was 17… on MTV. So, what was something that was significant about your 17th year of life? (from Ashley Amazing)
   I was starting my senior year in high school. Umm....I got my braces off in October of my senior year after having them for 4 years. That was 9 years ago!! It's pathetic that getting my braces off was the highlight of my senior year. I'm sure there was more, but I can't think of any right now.
   
   

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

I feel like I've been slacking on my blogging lately. I've had a pretty busy last 2 weeks, and it's not going to slow down for another 12 weeks at least. With that said, here's a lameass re-cap of the last 2 weeks, in bullet form, so as not to get too wordy.

• I'm done house-sitting and I made $100. Not too shabby (especially considering my dad let the dogs out half the time!!!) and that's $100 towards my wedding shoes, that I'll be buying in the next few weeks!!! I might consider it again, I don't know. And I only do it for families that I babysit for...no one else.
  
• My vanilla extract is coming along nicely! It's been brewin' since August 2nd, and I'd say it's ready! But I'm not going to use it just yet, I'm letting it sit for a few more weeks. I'll post the starting and middle and end pictures one of these days. Here's the recipe I'm following if anyone is interested.
  
• The other day when I went to the wedding location, D and Nana were asking me what kind of wedding gift I wanted. Honestly, the only gift I really really really really wanted was a Kitchen Aid mixer. It's $299 (or more, depending on the size) and I wanted someone to buy me one instead of spending that money myself. That sounds extremely greedy, I know. So I registered for one and decided I could wait a little bit longer for one. I told D and Nana that this was what I wanted and they said right then and there that they would buy it for me!! D texted me earlier this week and asked what color we wanted, so after I emailed Seth, we settled on "Bayleaf" or "Caviar." D had a 40% off coupon at Kohl's and she was going to buy it on Thursday!! She said she'd probably have to special order it because of the color, but I am 99.9% sure she won't keep it for 10.5 months until our actual wedding. I told her I would bake lots of stuff for her and Nana as soon as I got it!! I CANNOT wait to get it!
• I think Seth and I are going to try Skyping tomorrow. I have not seen his face (in person or on webcam) since we said bye at the airport in Germany on March 9. That's over 5 months in case you're wondering. I cannot wait to see him!! I am also excited to get a little glimpse of his tent. I'm sure he thinks I'm lame for wanting to see it, but I really am curious.
  
• I ordered a tote bag from Land's End earlier this week and after consulting with Seth on the color, size, zipper or no zipper, monogram or no monogram, I finally got it in the mail on Friday! It's "seaport" blue and I got it embroidered with a B, which is the letter my new last name will start with in a few months! Until I become a B____, the B is for Bitch. haha
• Last night my mom and I canned some blueberries! I can't wait to try them. We made 11 jars, and I'm taking 3 of them. I'm sending one to Seth (he loveeeeees blueberries), I'll bake a pie for the girls at work and my parents, and I'll save a jar for when Seth is home so he can bake a pie. My mom also canned some of her tomatoes earlier this week and she gave me a jar of that, which I'll also save for when Seth is home so we can make some chili....he will totally be into this.
  
• I went shopping today and got a lot of new stuff. I got Seth some new socks, and a t-shirt, and for me, I got some new tennis shoes, 3 pairs of jeans, some bras and panties, a really cute sweater/cardigan with ruffles for work, another comfy sweater for weekends, and some more sweaters for work. One of the pairs of jeans has little fancy things on them...I keep thinking rhinestones, but they aren't. They aren't shiny, and I can't think of the name of them, but when I put the jeans on, I felt I really needed a pair of cowgirl boots. Soooo, I got me some cowgirl boots too!!! I haven't had cowgirl boots since I was about 6 years old when my grandpa bought me a pink pair with sparkles and pink fringe from Mervyns. Oh man those were cute boots. These are just brown boots, but they are super cute and I can't wait to wear them!! I'm ready for fall!!!
  

I guess that's it for right now. Happy Saturday night -- I'm going to clean out my closet a little bit so I can make room for my new stuff!! :)

Dang it!!

My one (so far) gripe with Blogger is that often times I will write up and work on a blog a few days before I actually post it. Apparently there is a time stamp on it somewhere that I cannot find, and then when I actually do post it, it gets posted on the day I started it. This has happened twice, and it's annoying. I want to post them on a particular day, such as this one and this one were intended to, but they posted on the original dates that they were drafted, making me look look like I don't know my dates! Oh, I just remembered another gripe: when I'm putting in my labels, after I enter the last one, I press enter (habit, maybe), and it automatically publish's the post. This too pisses me off. I wish it would not automatically publish it, I would rather it just save it. I've accidentally published things.

Does any more experienced blogger have any ways to fix this, or do I just have to be more careful about the early posting, and the invisible time stamp?

Aches and Pains

I have not been sleeping well lately. I don’t know why, but it’s been annoying. I have been going to bed at around my usual time of 10, and I’m just not tired. I’ve been reading, and usually reading puts me to sleep pretty fast when I’m all cozied up in my bed, but I’ve been reading for almost an hour lately. I’ve been awake reading until after 11, which is really late for me. I’ve also been waking up with a sore neck…like I feel when I’m under a lot of stress. This too is annoying and I’m about ready to call my friend Laura and book a massage with her (she went to massage school). I don’t feel more stressed than normal , so I don’t know why I’m not sleeping well, and waking up all sore.

I do know that I am so over this. And I’m also my wisdom teeth that are coming in on the top and bottom.

Whoops

Ok, I made a mistake in my blog. I typed one up a few days ago (about how Seth proposed!) and accidentally posted it on 7/22, but it was supposed to be posted today. I un-posted it for that date, or so I thought, and I re-posted it today, but it's really under 7/22's date. So, that's lame. I could delete it and re-do it, I suppose, but there are lots of pictures, and I'm finding that pictures are difficult to arrange because, well, it just is.

So here's a link to that post, which is supposed to be posted on todays date. Pretend that I did it right the first time. I'm still semi-new to all this and Blogger was being a bitch that day.

36 Things Every (single) Girl Must Do Before She Settles Down

I saw this article on MSN today and it’s an excerpt from Glamour Magazine. It’s titled 36 Things Every Single Girl Must Do Before She Settles Down.

Although I’m not “single” by the definition in this article, I’m single in the aspect that Seth is deployed and I spend most of my time alone.

Here’s the list and I’ll work on some of these during the rest of this deployment. Some of these I really can’t do because they involve dating…and well I’m not THAT single. Nor do I want to be.

To Build Your Confidence…
1. Go to a movie alone. (I’ve never done this… too shy, but maybe now is the time. Hello massive tearjerker movie!)
2. Lift weights. When I bench-press 45 lbs., I feel like the bomb. (CHECK! Although I’m not at 45 lbs, I can do at least 23 and I’m working my way up one pound at a time).
3. Try surfing, water-skiing, or some activity you don't already know how to do. Could be riding a bicycle. (I’ve never been into water sports, I don’t even like jumping off a diving board or off the side of the pool really. I will commit to working on that, but don’t count on me surfing or water skiing…and I do ride my bike regularly. Any other ideas? I'll think of something).
4. Take out the trash, set a mousetrap, do your taxes, build a bookcase. (Check! I’ll call maintenance. Already do. I’ll build a pretty box for our wedding cards…I’ve been thinking about this already).
5. Live alone, or at least move apartments in NYC without the help of family. (I already live alone. I’m not moving until we’re married and I move to go be wherever Seth is at).
6. Train for (and finish) a huge physical test like a half-marathon. (This sounds like a big undertaking. How about I commit to losing 15 pounds and we call it even? Deal).
7. Go to a scary doctor's appointment by yourself. I once dragged myself to a CAT Scan in the dead of winter, all the way over on 1st Ave., post-break-up. I felt like I was made of steel. (Check…multiple times. However, whenever I get pregnant, we’ll revisit this one).
8. Quit your job. It feels so good to take a job and shove it (and not be affecting anyone else's livelihood). (Can’t do this, don’t want to do this. Financially, I can’t and I mostly like my job. I’ll be doing it soon enough though, after we’re married. Let’s put this on hold for a year).
9. Fly to a foreign country by yourself. I was nervous on my first solo trip to Europe, even though I almost always have to travel alone. (I’ve done this. Of course, Seth was on the receiving end and I was going to visit him in Germany, but I still flew across the Atlantic Ocean by myself. I’ll be doing this again next spring when I go back to Germany for his homecoming. Then I’ll be finding my way to his town all by myself, which includes train travel. This will be accomplished).
10. Learn to stand up for yourself. (If you're not naturally assertive, may I recommend moving to New York City? It did wonders for me.) (Hmmm, I’ve done this before. I’ll try it some more though).
To Be Able to Look Back and Say "I Had Fun"…
11. Witness something once-in-a-lifetime, like Jokulsarlon, a lake next to a melting glacier in Iceland (see photo). (I’ve been to Alaska twice and saw glaciers and whales! I’m waiting to go again with Seth. We’ve been to a castle and a concentration camp in Germany together. I’m choosing to postpone more fun experiences until we can do them together, because I’d so much rather do them with him).
12. Revel in being able to watch all the reality TV you want. I'm pretty sure no man will be able to stand as much Bravo TV as my roommate Erica. (Ohhhhh, trust me, I already do!! Bekah and I have The Hills and The City marathons).
13. Get drunk during the day, just because you can. Attend Santacon, the convention for Santas, or something similar. (I’ll get drunk this Saturday during the day, just because I can and this list suggests it. Instead of a Santa convention, I’ll go to Amish country for the day and live like the Amish).
14. Go on a date with someone who actually makes you nervous. I can’t/don’t want to go on a date with someone other than Seth. However, I will be somewhat nervous going on our first date after he gets back, after not seeing each other for ohhhh, say like 9-10 months. So, this too is postponed until he’s back).
15. Go out with an older man who takes you somewhere nice and makes you feel like a million bucks. (I can’t/don’t want to do do this except with Seth. He is a year older and w’ll do it when he’s on leave and I imagine we’ll both get dressed up real nice and go to a fancy place and he’ll make me feel like a million bucks. Another postponed one until we’re together).
16. Go out with a guy who makes you laugh ‘til it hurts. (Done. Doing it now. Even though we’re half a world apart, he still makes me laugh. On the phone, in emails, on instant messenger, hopefully on a wecam soon. This too will be done in person when he’s home).
To Get Perspective…
17. Be a good wingwoman. It's not always about you. (Actually it is all about me, but I’ll work on my wingwoman status).
18. Chill with your widowed and single grandma. She knows "alone"! (I have one grandma left and she’s in Oregon. I have another 'adopted' nana though that I can do this with, and we have something planned later this summer…wedding shopping!)
19. Volunteer. (Ok. I really should be doing more of this. I have no excuse).
To Make You Appreciate the Next Guy…
20. Do at least one Valentine's Day alone. (Done and done. This year and next).
21. Attend a wedding (or 15) alone. (I’m not invited to any weddings in the next few months, but if I am, rest assured I will go…alone).
22. Date the creeps. You'll really value the nice guys afterward. (No thanks. Never been a fan of the creeps. I have a perfectly good guy who I am waiting patiently for, thankyouverymuch).
To Make You Feel Sexy and Attractive…
23. Buy yourself some flowers. (Already do…at the farmers market).
24. Invest in a LBD (little black dress) and some sexy stilettos. (Ok…it’s about time I do this. I already know what shoes I want! . I don’t like martini’s and I don’t go to bars by myself. This might be difficult).
26. Buy something frivolous and expensive that you LOVE wearing. (I will do this in a few weeks. I’ll be buying my wedding shoes for $298. Eeek!!! That’s a lot for shoes, but holy crap they are cute as hell!!! See?)
To Make the Most of Your Free Time…
27. Finish all your schooling if you can. Not that it was ever my goal to go to grad school, but I did, and it would've been tough dragging a guy up to isolated New Hampshire and making him sit there in the cold for two years while I studied (and partied). (I should start taking a class again. I’ll look into it. I promise).
28. Throw yourself into something time-consuming, like learning a foreign language. You may not have time to do this again until you retire and the kids are off to college. (How about planning a wedding? I think this will suffice!)
To Make Yourself a Better Partner in the Future…
29. Make a list of all your faults. (Yikes, this doesn’t sound fun. I’ll do it. Maybe I’ll get the nerve to post it).
30. Learn to cook well. (I'm still working on this. This is a constant work in progress).
31. Get some hobbies. Something's gotta keep you occupied—plus it'll make you seem interesting. (I have hobbies, but I could use more. I’ll google “hobbies” and see what it suggests).
32. Let your married friends edit your online dating profile. My dear friend Cheryl has caught a few doozies. (I don’t have nor do I need an online dating profile).
33. Get your finances in order. (This too is a current work in progress).
To Appreciate Being Single…
34. Babysit someone's baby for an hour. (Done. I do this frequently).
35. Help a friend through her divorce or a bad break-up. (Current work in progress)
36. Host a girls-only night. I think some coupled-up women forget how much we need each other. (Ok).

So in summary, lots of these I've already done. Also, some of them really are for the truly sing girls. I'll work on the rest though. And sorry this turned into such a long post. Damn, that was not my intent.

My blog

Seth and I are talking on gmail right now and he's pressuring me into letting him read my blog. I don't know why, but I'm shy about it. I'm not usually shy, but right now I am. I didn't want friends or family to read it really. He promises he won't tell anyone about it, and I fully trust him not to, but just....I don't know. I was super shy about even starting this blog and totally unsure of it to begin with. He knows my gmail account info, and I told him he could probably find my blog by that, but that's all I said.

Damnit, I apparently gave him too much information because he just found it. Busted.

Oh, hi Seth :)

Waiting and waiting....

It's approximately 11:53 AM right now and I should be getting my weekly call within 2 hours. I give myself until about 2 PM on Sundays to wait for his call and during that time, I limit my activities. I don't want to put myself in a position of no cell phone service and therefore miss his call. So I wait; sometimes I do a little work out, sometimes I do laundry, sometimes I clean, sometimes I shower (sometimes I don't), sometimes I go grocery shopping early in the morning when I know the probability of him calling is slim to none. However, the last few weeks, he has been calling a little closer to noon than 1:30, so I don't know what to expect today.

But this morning, I've been still catching up on her blog. I didn't let myself read it yesterday because I didn't want to be crying and show up to the BBQ having to explain my puffy eyes and red nose. They wouldn't understand anyways. So I just didn't read it. However, I did read one post last night before I went to bed, but then I caught up on the rest this morning. On Friday night, I left off prior to her March postings, because March was the month of the "accident," as she calls it. This morning I read her March and April postings though. I've been crying and I have a bright red nose and puffy eyes. Cool. I've stopped reading now though, because I know my love will be able to hear it in my voice that I've been crying, from even some 6,000 or 7,000 miles away and he'll ask me why I've been crying. (And when I try to lie and tell him I haven't been crying, he'll tell me to not lie to him and to just tell him why. Damn, he's good.) I don't want to explain it to him either, I don't think it's a good idea for me to talk about other fallen soldiers when he himself is deployed, and in an active war zone. So, the more time I have of getting back my normal, non-crying voice, the better it is for both of us.

The BBQ was fun last night. Of course, it would have been 23020839 times more fun if he were there with me, but I digress. Such is life, and we all make sacrifices. I made a raspberry pretzel jello-y salad, which is always a hit. I reversed the middle and top layer though, and I put the white layer on top, and then made it into a pretty flag pattern. I was so friggin' excited to show it off, but I didn't have the heart to cut into it myself. So I made someone else do it. It was just too pretty. Now, I know it doesn't have the 50 blueberry stars, and the 7 raspberry red stripes, but I was limited on space, so I had to work with what I could. Please don't find this offensive. We had a little bit of fire works, rode the quads, hung out, and then had a bonfire and made s'mores. My mom found some extra huge marshmallows, seriously like 3 times bigger than regular big marshmallows. I was playing "chubby bunnies" with my friend, and I was determined to fit 2 in my mouth. I had a hard enough time fitting one in my mouth, but I was determined. My mom was taking pictures of us playing "chubby bunnies" and she made the comment, something along the lines of, "no wonder he is marrying her! she can fit so much into her mouth!!!" Thanks, mom, for declaring that in front of like 8 people. It's not like I was deep throating them, I was just stuffing them into my cheeks. Funny thing is, though, when I was stuffing them in, I wanted to fit 2 in there to make him proud. haha I just wasn't going to share that with the whole group!

Here's my dessert!!! (I guess looking at this picture, I need to work on straightening my stripes. There's always next time....)


After our phone call, my only plans for the day involve going to the pool and working on my tan. It's supposed to be hella nice today and I'm excited to do nothing. Again, I really wish he were here to do nothing with me, but I shall digress. Again. I'm missing him extra lots right now.

Oh, and sorry for all the misspellings and incorrect grammar in my last post; as I said in it, I was in the back of my parents car on my cell phone and it was a bumpy road and my fingers were flying all over my tiny keyboard and well, I was mad.

12:21 and BAM GUESS WHO IS CALLING RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow, I'm good!!!! Talking to him now and my voice isn't cry-y!!!