Memorial Day: We will always remember.

Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and their families make sacrifices everyday to help protect our country. Whether it is going on a patrol in a remote village, or raising children as a sometimes-single parent, they persevere so that you can carry on your normal day to day. Please take a moment to remember the reason behind the holiday as you celebrate.

I especially want to take a moment to honor those who gave their all, 

who have been a personal influence on my life:

CPT James Blackshire

 January 5, 1945

PFC Bryan Spry 

Iraq, February 13, 2004

SFC Clint Ferrin

Iraq, March 13, 2004

SGT Daniel Londono

Iraq, March 13, 2004

PFC Joel Brattain

Iraq, March 13, 2004

PFC Sonny Soto

July 2, 2006

SPC Jeremy Woods

August 27, 2010

You will never be forgotten.

New Car!

Whoohoo!  Christmas has come a little bit early to our house!  I got a new car on Sunday night and it is fantastic!  It's a 2007 Jetta :)

We got it just in time to take it across the country for the holidays!  I am really excited about having new wheels, and I got a great deal on it too!  Vroom Vroom!

Sweet Surprise

This week has been very hectic!  I don't know if there was actually more going on, or it it is because it is the first full week that I have had to work in a while, but it felt like it took forever to get to the weekend!  

Today was no different, and I didn't get home from work until after seven! But as I walked into the house I spotted a little box on the counter.  There was a note that said, "Early Merry Christmas!  Love you baby!" and a sweet surprise inside!

Thank you so much Jeremiah!  You are so thoughtful and it is 

exactly what I wanted to start our collection!  

It has already found a home on our tree <3

O Christmas Tree!

The best part of having Jeremiah home for the holidays this year is that we get to start making our own traditions!  We got to get all the Christmas decorations out and put up the tree today.  We even made some stovetop popcorn to make the garland. :)  I am so excited about how it turned out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a great day!  This week has been all around fantastic!  It snowed starting on Monday, and because the roads were bad I had the rest of Monday off, Tuesday and Wednesday!  So I spent the days getting the house ready for the holiday. I got almost everything ready before Thursday, or at least prepped and ready to go.

My favorite things to make for Thanksgiving are my Apple Pie and my Great-Granny Kennedy's Stuffing. Both of which turned out amazing this year.  Jeremiah woke up extra early and started smoking the fresh turkey that we got from Tacoma Boys.  We had some friends over and filled our bellies of smoked turkey and all the fixins!

I hope all of you had a great holiday filled with family, 

friends and great food!

Gobble Gobble!

It's just around the corner, and the plans are starting to take shape... 

 Thanksgiving!

It is one of my favorite holidays, as it involves large quantities of delicious comfort foods and the gathering of friends and family.  And this year, Jeremiah and I are hosting some of the single soldiers at our house since they may not have anywhere to go for the holiday.  I definitely think that it is a better alternative than eating at the chow hall on a holiday that is meant to celebrate friendship and coming together.

We ordered our turkey today from a local grocery store, and I am really excited to get to have a fresh turkey instead of a frozen one.  It tastes so much better!  Other items on the menu include:

Cranberry Orange Relish

Sweet Beets

Green Bean Casserole

Corn Bread

Sweet Potato Casserole

Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar and Walnuts

Granny Kennedy's Turkey Stuffing

Jeremiah has also requested a selection of five kinds of pie.. although he hasn't narrowed down what kinds he would like.  He is very excited about the pies :)  I will probably make an apple pie and one other here at the house and then order the other three from a local bakery.