my life at 36

10 things i want to do by 36

road trips to boston, nyc, chicago & dc

read 10 good books

organize my craft closet

actually start doing crafts again

make baby jones #2 (officially trying now)

see doug do an improv act (with an audience)

scrapbook our portraits

take a cooking class

become debt free (minus our vehicles)

congratulate doug on MSgt and shirt so we can get a better base ;)

if you are wondering why 36 (it does seem like an odd number), the list was originally 35, but with doug deploying i lose 6 months...plus it gives me a little longer - so maybe i'll get them all done.

will keep you posted!

what's wrong with this picture?

6,721 miles. 182 days.

doug got his orders to deploy on may 31st. he is excited to get his hands dirty and work in a *M*A*S*H* tent.....but we will be very sad to share him for 6 months. good news is that three of his good friends will be in the same band as him. this is his second round in kuwait and although i don't think he wants to leave us - i think he is chomping at the bit to go back.

with all the modern technologies....FB, Skype, etc, we will still be able to talk to him all of the time, but huston and i are sure going to miss him! huston is young enough he won't even remember...let's just see how i can handle being a single mom for 6 months ha ha. doug is a lot of help even though i give him a hard time. i could be selfish and say i don't want him to go, but the fact is i am really proud of him.

yesterday at the mall we saw the most disturbing thing. a young couple was walking with their baby and a grown man - probably 50 yrs old - grabbed the guy by the shirt and took the drink from him and threw it all over him and his family, screaming "get out of my sight". at first we thought it was a family dispute, but the girl broke down in tears and came and asked the store to call security. it was then that we found out the man had been upset at the young guy's shirt. it was a band t-shirt....and their name was "Anti-flag".

now i don't know that man's story - for all we know, he had lost someone in a war. but his actions completely go against what is being fought for. that boy has the right to wear whatever shirt he wants. and his family, especially a 3-4 month little girl, doesn't deserve to get doused in soda over it.

i'm not really one to get caught up in politics and i am still not sure that i agree with us sending soliders over, but i am proud that my husband is willing to go without question if that is where they need him. it's one of the many things i love about him.

happy tape, happy me

what a find! i love wrapping presents more than actually buying the present....check out this happy tape. i gotta get me some.....

book learnin'

Huston's Bookshelf

we are really excited about all of the books that huston has been getting. we both want him to love to read as much as we do. since his shelves are filling up fast, we'll keep an updated list to share with those that want it.

all because eight people fell in love.....

this is my favorite wall in our home. it is a collection of pictures of our biological grandparents when they were young and in love.

it is a constant reminder where we came from and and the love that it took. the fact that doug had a copy of his grandparents and is sentimental as i am makes me love him even more....

new look

well...our blog has a new look! doug has never actually posted anything on here, so it's become more of my spot. noodles of my soul if you will. i saw that phrase somewhere once and it stuck with me.

i am mother.....

.....hear me roar.

i went to a MOPS meeting tonight and the speaker really hit home with me. her topic was "are you embracing motherhood?". i thought i was. and then the more she spoke, i realized i was not. every since i have started staying home with huston full time, when people asked what i do, i said full time momma with a little bit of shame. i think i felt like it made me sound lazy. my whole life i have worked so hard, i was beginning to feel worthless not bringing in that big paycheck or flying off to meetings or trainings. listening to this woman, who had a career much like my own, and how her new life is so different than what she had done before but so much more meaningful - i realized how lucky i really am. i love being home with huston and i am the one who gets to watch him learn new things each day. what i never stopped to think about is how being a mom is really my purpose now and that raising a child might be the most important thing i will ever do.

from now on, i will say with pride when someone asks what i do. i am a mother.

what we don't control, controls us

this was the status on one of my friends FB pages today. it is so true. i see so many people struggle and give up on things when they get hard. i've always been known for stating my opinion (maybe too abruptly) when there is something on my mind. i have a such a hard time understanding those that do not try and take control of their life and make it be what they want it to be, or just deal with a situation and think they have no control over it.

the specific status was just a friend reorganizing her closet and was referring to "hoarding" in a joking matter. unfortunately it is a real thing that does control others in a vicious cycle. how can you feel good about the day when you wake up in a house full of piles and piles? then...you don't feel good so you don't want to do anything about it. doug watches the show "hoarders" and it is so sad. eventually the homes become uninhabitable and unsanitary. the people become hermits because they do not want others to see how they live. they go through depression. their heart rate actually goes up at the thought of losing some of their "collections".

this could just be my anxiety talking - i can't sleep if i think a candle is out of place, but this is just a shout out into the web-universe to those that are open to hearing.

this is my favorite thing......