Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas...

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. December seemed to have flown by and I have lost days somewhere in there with all the hustle and bustle of events that seemed to get packed in.

Where Are You From?

So it seemed like all my friends on Facebook were linking up to this quiz on the New York Times web page. After over 11 years of moving around (Texas, Ohio, New Jersey, California, and now Illinois) I was wondering where I would land on the spectrum. I know a lot of people upon first meeting me wonder where I am originally from...well until I say something that has an "O" in it....then they have a handful of phrases they just can't wait to hear me say! Sure you betcha, I can do dat for youse guys...Is usually my response.

But I guess I am a MN girl at heart.

Even though I recognized a lot of the other answers to the questions I went with my gut, and apparently   22 years in Minnesota still hasn't been beat out of me these past 11 years. I have really enjoyed living all over the country and having friends from different regions that have distinct accents and learning all the different terms or slang for items different then what I grew up with. J may even joke that I must have spent a lot of time with certain friends during the day...suddenly I sound like I am from Mississippi and start "fixin'" to do something and calling everyone sweetie y'all.

Go ahead and see what you come up with. Come back and share. Is it different then what you expected?

Almost Christmas

 Seasons Greetings from the boys. Christmas is almost here and we have been busy with parties, shopping, decorating, and soon baking. Today just so happens to be the boys last day of school, Christmas break starts in 20 minutes or so. It was a great day for them. J is his classes student of the month and I was able to go and watch the presentation (and watch him gobble down two sugar coated donuts) while his two teachers rave about what a great student and fun boy to have in the classroom. M was super excited to have french toast sticks for lunch (yup the little things with him) and N didn't have to change out of his pj's since it was pajama day and movie day in prek and he was thrilled to show everyone his Yoda slippers.

MN Thanksgiving

In most squadrons that J has been in they do a lottery for the leave over the holiday season. In the past when we lived so far away from MN we never really put in for the holiday leave, 5-7 days just simply wasn't enough to drive to one set of parents and then to the other set and then drive back to where we were living. What kind of vacation is that anyway? Living much closer now we decided to sign up for the Thanksgiving break, and got 7 whole days for traveling and visiting family. We managed to see all of our immediate family members and had a wonderful time. On J's side we took the opportunity to spend some time with the matriarchs of the Detloffs and have also snap some pictures...they are a little blurry, my choice of lens and the timer option didn't work out they way I wanted.

Halloween Flashback

I just realized I never posted about our Halloween...you would be missing out if I didn't post about it! The older two boys decided they wanted to think a little outside the box (or bag you could say) this year and M wanted to be Legolas and J wanted to be Robin Hood. After doing some research I found that making their costumes would assure that the boys would be happy. Thankfully JoAnnes had an awesome sale going on for patterns and material so off I went with my ideas and came home with bags full of fun.

I got to work cutting out patterns and material...boy I wish I had a separate craft room!

Zipping Through the Fall Season

So this fall on one of those long 4 day weekends the boys had we decided to do something extra fun. Originally we were going to spend one day at Six Flags with friends, drive to a camp ground and camp, hit up one of the local caves and hike around, camp another night and then off to Zipline in another part of the state. However, with a monster head cold that I ended up with we decided to downsize the plan a bit...which was good because a pretty nasty storm came through and it would not have been very fun. So we streamlined it with a day at Six Flags, coming home, and then driving out to Zipline and Eco Zipline Tours in Missouri.

Race Day, Getting Dirty

 Back in September a group of the spouses in J's squadron decided it would be fun to put some of all our running to a challenge. So after a little research and discussion we decided to try out a 5K Dirty Girl sponsored race about an hour away.

 

First Day...3 Months Late

Ok, I know I am a little late getting these up, but posting all those from the Europe trip took longer then I originally intended. It was worth it though, remembering what we did and saw...it just took a lot of time sorting, posting and adding words.

So 3 months ago the boys had their first day of school, August 12 a little early...but this momma was ready for it! Love my boys, but I was done fighting them over keeping their brains active and it was time for more structured learning.

N-Prek, J-4th, and M-5th

Day 10, 11 and 12: The Final 3 days

After a quick trip on the train from Rome to Naples we were fortunate enough to meet up with our good friends from the past couple of assignments. They were kind enough to play tour guides and opened their house up to us. The boys may have been a little upset that we were staying with them and their wonderful kiddos...the kids that they miss dearly. They may have forgiven us a little when we were able to Face Time with them and also hooked them up with an instagram account to share photos and videos back and forth.

Day 9: All Roads Lead to Rome

So after a restful night sleep at the hotel, we woke up the next morning had our complimentary breakfast on the terrace top over looking the city and formed a game plan for the day. There was another American couple doing the same...using the Rick Steves' guide as well...everywhere you turn you see someone with that book!

We decided to start off with one of the walks on the Rick Steves' play lists (not sure which since in order to clear up space on the phone I deleted all the tours and we also gave our Italy book to our good friends who played host to us when we were in Naples). But I do know that we started at the Spanish Steps and walked past Palazzo Senatorio (Rome's City Hall), and various other parks and monuments to various leaders of Rome. 

Day 8: Vatican City

After spending the day in Florence, we woke up and once again found ourselves repacking the suitcases and making our way back to the train station. We bought two tickets, found some lunch and hopped onto the train to Roma, thats Rome to all of you non-Italian speakers. Over our trip we spent a lot of time on trains and spent the extra money to take the express trains over the local service trains that stop at almost every small town along the way, with limited time we decided that time out weighed the cost of a couple upgrades.

When traveling to Italy in particular you have to do a little research on what days and times the attractions are actually open to the public; some places close mid afternoon, some places are closed on Mondays. We knew we had to get to Rome as early as possible to drop off our bags and hike over to Vatican City, if we didn't get tickets before 4 we wouldn't get to go in at all while there since it was scheduled to be closed the following day.

Day 7: Lean on in to see Italy

So after moving to a hotel closer to the Paris Orly Airport, we slept for a couple of hours in a huge room with a nonfunctioning air conditioning unit....at least we got Hilton points I guess. At 4am we were hitting the shuttle (while others were checking in for the night), and making our way to check into  our Easy Jet flight to Pisa, Italy. For those that haven't traveled to Europe beware of their super stingy luggage restrictions, we planned ahead and had gotten smaller carry-ons (which you are only allowed ONE ITEM) and paid for one checked bag. After boarding and taking off it was a quick flight to our destination, we passed through customs quickly, swapped out our SIM card on the pay as you go phone we bought in London and flagged down a cabbie to take us on a quick tour.

For thirty quick minutes we had the taxi driver take us to the touristy part of town, he zipped around pointing and talking in broken English...mostly Italian...at buildings and other points of interest in Pisa.

Paris Day 6: Put on Your Walking Shoes Once More

On day six of our vacation we put on our walking shoes and took to the streets of Paris and saw as many sights as we could pack into the day. We checked out of the hotel, but as with many hotels you can store your luggage for the day so you can still tour the sights. Many of the museums and points of interest will have bag checks, but with all the metro rides and miles walking it was faster keeping our bags at our hotel. Since we were staying in the Bastille neighborhood we past by this tower many times a day marking the Place de la Bastille. The Colonne de Juillet (July Column) marks the spot of Bastille, a fortress (built to protect France from England during the Hundred Years' War) later turned prison. The Bastille was home to more then just the French, but also was a headquarters of sort for other conquering countries of the time including England and Burgundy. Originally other monuments were to be erected at this square as early as 1792, but with the constant changes and revolutions the final monument wasn't completed until 1840.

We turned to Rick Steves once more and his downloadable app for the iPhone and listened to the many city walks for Paris in order to see the sights on our last day. We started with doing the Marais Walk right at Place de la Bastille. We enjoyed the architecture of the buildings, the unique shops, and watching the people of the streets go about their daily lives. 

European Travels: Day 5 Eiffel Tower and Versailles

On day 5 we made big plans to knock out two big attractions, the Eiffel Tower and taking the train out to the town of Versailles and touring the sprawling Château that was home to the French Monarch. We may have worn our shoes out with all the miles we put on that day, but it was well worth the venture outside the city to see such a beautiful and historic landmark.

Once again we made sure to follow Rick Steves' suggestion in his book about getting to the Eiffel Tower early to avoid the long lines. I think regardless of what time you get to the park, there will be a line, just make sure to grab a coffee and a pastry while you wait.

A Little Distraction From the Real World: Continuing Our European Vacation Day 4

As the country faces struggles over the government shutdown and the uncertainty of whether those we elected can ever agree, I think it is time to get another post up about our wonderful trip we took this summer to Europe. It could be I just wish we were back on vacation, and not worrying what services will be closing and whether or not we will have money come pay day...I know military members will get paid come this pay day, but it is just a band aid for a much larger looming problem. So lets have some fun happy pictures and experiences from this summer.

So early in the morning we headed out of London leaving from Kings Crossing via the EuroStar (aka the Chunnel). It really wasn't a long trip, a little ear popping from time to time, and we were out of the Chunnel and cruising through the French countryside. Once arriving in Paris we swapped out our money, bought the Paris Museum Pass, and jumped onto the metro and quickly found our hotel (Hotel Bastille Speria, once again picked out of the Rick Steves' Travel Guide "Paris") in the Marais District. After dropping off our belongings at the very comfortable and ideally located hotel we ate lunch at one of the many cafes in the neighborhood. We tried risotto for the first time before heading for the metro once again for some time at the Louvre. Buckle your seat belt for another overload of pictures...almost all of it artwork.

London Photo Bomb Day 3

Sorry for the delay, going through pictures, souvenirs, and guide books is more time consuming then I thought. I really want to make sure to document this wonderful experience, but I really thought recapping would be easier then this...I really want to try to remember all the fun and unique experiences that we had.

We parted our friends house outside of London with all our luggage and made our way to the hotel for the night on day 3. We would be leaving early the 4th day on the Eurostar and stayed close to the terminal since we had pre-purchased our transportation to Paris. Most hotels in Europe allow you to check in and leave your baggage in a storage area until your room is vacant and cleaned so it made touring much easier. We relied on our Rick Steve's London handbook when picking out our hotels for most of the trip and he never failed in providing a comfortable, clean, and air conditioned room. This time we stayed at The Sumner Hotel, close to the Marble Arch and several tube stations.

We stayed in a district of London that is now predominately occupied with Middle Eastern Muslim families and businesses. We had been recommended a place for lunch, but we failed to realize that it was Ramadan and they were closed, however, the restaurant across the street was open and serving the tourists...I did feel bad about eating though, knowing that they weren't able to. The hotel was just a couple blocks from the Marble Arch, a ceremonial arch that originally was located by Buckingham Palace, but when the Palace needed to be expanded was relocated to this district of the city.

London Photo Bomb Day 1 and 2

So it has been almost a month since we left for our European vacation and I guess it is about time to share some of our pictures. First stop was London, we stayed with some good friends about a 45 minutes from downtown. The first night we stayed local and went to some local pubs for some nightlife. Sadly this is the only picture I got from that night....we had way too much fun!

Early the next morning we hopped on the commuter and navigated the tube to start seeing the sights.

Whirlwind Adventures to Normal Day Routine

We are back home trying to get back into our daily routine of life. Boy it's hard to come home and have to cook and clean after running all over Europe and having it done for you! The boys have kept me busy getting registered for school, having physicals done and getting some school shopping done before they start of the 12th of August. We also got to host my sister and her family this week, touring the Arch and also doing the local beer tour ;) I will get to posting pictures of the amazing trip the hubby and I went on, but some things need to get done around here first....maybe even a nap or two ;)

Jet Setter

On Sunday we leave, can't believe it is almost here

My head is spinning, vacation planning overseas is so overwhelming 

So much to read and research

Tickets to museums and attractions still need to be bought

Post it notes full of stuff that still needs to be taken care of

Hubby still working like crazy back home and ended up on an emergency mission to Canada

Farm Fresh in Photos

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

Once again days seem to be flying by here. Our days are filled with house chores, outside time, errands, play dates, and trip planning. The boys and I were suppose to leave today for MN, but with not having myself packed, less then desirable sleep the past two nights, and a headache probably due to it we are pushing it back a day. Not only have we planning for our road trip to MN, but also J and my European trip. We have been planning a trip for a couple years, but finally have J's leave in and last weekend we purchased our tickets for the flights. We have some very nice and accommodating friends that will be allowing us to stay with them at the beginning (England) and at the end (Naples), but we still need to arrange places in between and also our train tickets from the various countries/cities we are hitting. 

So where all are we going? We are starting off in England, spending 3/4 days and then heading to Paris. We are in Paris and the local sights for again 3/4 days and then heading to Italy via a night train. We will be spending 1 night in both Florence and Rome before ending up in Naples with another wonderful family that we consider family. From Naples we will be jet setting it to Rome and then Amsterdam so that we can catch our connecting flight back to Minnesota. 

We are super excited to say the least...but I am also nervous...even though I'm married to a pilot, I'm not a huge fan of flying. This is also my first time traveling over seas. The only time I have been out of the country was the 3 times we crossed the boarder in to Mexico when J was at pilot training, before passports were required and when it was still allowed by the base. Talk about anxiety...at least once we get on the jet at MSP its a direct flight. New places, eventually different languages and money, time zones, and not to mention that we will be leaving the boys for almost two weeks. Not that I am afraid something will happen to them, but the boys are ALWAYS with me. I am sure there are going to be times where I scan frantically looking for them before realizing that they aren't with us, or thinking the boys would really like this.

I am very appreciative that we are able to take a trip like this and very exciting, but scary at the same time. Trying to pick out hotels online, spending $$$ on things that you are trusting to be telling the truth that they really do have air conditioning, non-smoking rooms, and an attached bathroom. Another battle I continue to have is determining which sites to see, since we have a very limited amount of time and some things just won't make the cut. We would love to believe that we will be able to return someday and see some of the cities and countries we couldn't fit in, but since my gazing ball isn't working we don't know it that will happen.

I'll just keep using this....

and this

and of course this

 as a motivation to get our things in order and get over all the little fears that creep into the process of getting there.

Greening Things Up

So I have gone missing for a long month due to the beautiful weather we have been having here. We have had a couple wild storms come through, but until this week the weather has been beautiful and not too hot and humid. I have been taking advantage of the weather by getting vegetables planted in the garden box and also cleaning out the the flower beds and making them a little less maintenance (hopefully) with putting paper and edging down. You will have to forgive the phone pics, it what was handy at the moment ;)

About one week after putting the bulk of seeds in.

A Green Thumb

For those of you that know me personally you already know how much I like to dig in the soil. Whether it is vegetables or some pretty flowers, I love to spend some of my extra time outside gardening. For several months I have been pinning gardening boxes to my pinterest account, and then hinting to the hubby that I would love to have something like this to garden in. A couple of weekends ago he asked me what was on my honey do list....specifically the yard list. I had been noticing that the flower beds were getting weedy from some invasive grass and would like to have some kind of trim put in to help keep it out. I also mentioned how I would really love to have someplace to plant veggies as well. I don't think it took very long for him to decided, making a vegetable bed meant he got to go to Lowes and buy some tools he has been eyeing for awhile. After loading up and picking up the the trailer we drove off to pick up supplies. I took the boys to pick out some plants/seeds, while J concentrated on the boards and tools he was going to need to do the project. We joined up outside to pick out the soil and rocks, after 30+ bags to fill the bed being loaded into the trailer we drove off with everything we needed.

Busy As Usual

You may have noticed that there was a long break again from posting, not that it isn't uncommon for me to just not "feeling" like blogging, but this time we have just been crazy busy. A dear friend that we have been stationed with at the last 3 bases just purchased a short sale. Needless to say it wasn't in the best condition after sitting empty for almost 2 years. Her husband is currently deployed and this is their first home purchase, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel with retirement and thought it was time to let the kids have some consistency and finish off school here. 

Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

So the Friday before Mother's Day is once again here. To most people it is just another normal Friday, but to those of us who are married to military members it is a day to celebrate our faithfulness, perseverance, and the trials and tribulations that comes with being labeled a "dependent". I have had the privilege of meeting some incredible spouses (male and female) along the way that support and love not only their spouse but other military families, including mine. Most military families end up hundreds, if not thousands of miles from their traditional families. Luckily over the years we have been blessed with a network of friends that fill some of the void of not having family nearby. They become our family. Watching children when needed, picking up that forgotten item from the grocery store, providing meals when needed, sharing a drink or two when life gets rough, and being there for both the good and bad times. 

I would like to say thank you to all of those that have been there for our family over the years. I hope to repay your kindness by doing my best at providing others with the same friendship and guidance you have shown us. No amount of thank you's seem to be enough, so I will try to pay it forward. Trying to encourage the new generation of military spouses to continue to form relationships with other military spouses, to lend a hand when it would be easier to walk the other direction, to have ears that are receptive to listening, and to know what just to say when advice is needed.

I know I am not the only one that appreciates all that you do, but wanted to let you know how grateful I am for your friendship over the years. A huge THANK YOU to all of the military spouses out there!

Double Digits, Birthday Highlights

So our oldest has hit double digits, making him a tween or pre-teen. Hard to believe 10 years has past since bringing him home from the hospital.

Spring Flowers

Sending all those that are still getting snow back home, yes it is April 23rd, some signs of spring that we are having. Instead of snow we got rain, and lots of it too! My tulips and daffodils are loving it, and I am loving them!

Great Shoes and Creating a Creative Space

As the title states I found some great shoes I just had to show you...made by Roxy and were a steal at the BX on clearance for under $20. Super comfy and have become my go to shoes to slide into when heading out the door (usually in a hurry). J calls them my slippers...they are that comfy ;) but have real soles...so they are shoes for reals!

Hockey Shots

Growing up in a small town in MN I remember playing floor hockey in middle school and broom ball in high school. It made sense that growing up in MN that many of us skated or had access to one of the many frozen ponds that would be cleared for pick up games. I also remember when MN was home of the North Stars, before being moved to Dallas--which seemed awfully silly at the time since we all know that Texas would know the first thing about snow, ice and freezing temperatures. Looking back I  never got to watch the North Stars play, I think the games were shown on one the "snowy" channels.

Google Reader Axed

So Google has decided to ax google reader...those cute little pictures of my friends and followers who choose to openly show they like my blog will be no more. So in anticipation I have chosen a new way to keep tabs of the blogs I like to read and follow, Bloglovin'. Its new and fresh and even has an app for all of us that use iPads or even our iPhones when we are killing time waiting around for appointments, kids to be done with activities, or having some insomnia problems. I am new to Bloglovin', so I don't know all the ins and outs yet, but I am hoping to explore it and the features more this week. Come join me over at BlogLovin' and don't miss out on updates of your favorite blogs!

Fur Baby Photo Shoot

 So Bella is getting so big already. She has a huge personality, laid back and cuddly and yet full of spunk and playfulness. N has really taken a liking to her and insists on petting and hugging her as much as possible. No bed time or departure is complete unless her gets to hug her and pet his cuddle bug.

6 Months at "Home"

So we have hit that 6 month mark, that point in a military families life that you really start feeling "at home"...which if you are doing a special assignment like a school you are usually only there for a year...sad to think you could spend half your time being stationed somewhere just being busy settling into a routine. Some might think that 6 months seems too long, but after talking to other spouses and having personally moved 8 times I think it checks out. Figuring it takes at least a month to unpack and organize all the rooms, getting the kids into their routine of school and activities, figuring out how to get from point A to point B in the local area, easing into making new friends, trying to find time for working out, etc. At the six month point I think I have it all balanced, well maybe.

Snow Day

Forgot to hit publish yesterday...

So the boys are experiencing their first real snow day today. I don't remember there being one while we were in NJ, maybe there was, but all three got to experience being at home a whole day while it snowed and sleeted. It is projected to get so bad that they practically shut down the base. Non-essential personal were sent home at 11am, J showed up at home around 12:30 trying to finish off some paperwork, and the services shut down at 12:00. It is kind of nice to get a day with J, he is leaving again for over a week this time next week, he's able to interact with the boys some while he works from home and studies some of his ACSC coursework. We've been busy playing some WiiU, watching movies and peaking out at the blustery weather from our windows. I love having them home, although I know I will be paying for it...they eat a lot and make lots of messes while home!

My Sweet Valentines

I meant to post these on Valentine's Day, but with the hustle and bustle of activities that the boys are in and also enjoying a quick visit with my parents, it got put on the back burner. So the boys and I had fun picking out some Valentine's Day supplies and coming up with some creative cards, N's used this picture and a glow stick for the light saber.

My "Heart breakers" Valentine's Day morning.

Pet Peeves While Traveling

I was going through my blog posts and noticed that this one never got published from last summer....what a gem! Now that I have cooled off from all the traveling it seems like this might be perfect time to post it for all those friends of mine that will be PCSing (permanent change of station for all those civilians out there) to let them know that everyone has "those" days when one the road for long periods of time.

Written August of 2012
This seems to be our summer for many adventures with lots of time driving on various roads across the US. I started this list at the beginning of our trip as a way to vent, hope you don't mind a little negative Nelly coming out in me.

Silence

So posts have been more then a little lacking as of late...just been really busy, which is a normal thing with three boys...but just being busy trying to be more in the moment with the boys as well. M and J have started two new clubs at the Youth Center, becoming official 4-H members ;) Those that have known J and M know how important 4-H was to both of us. Even though it's not the traditional 4-H club, I love that they are becoming involved in something that uses the curriculum and program put out by the Extension Service. They are participating in SOAR (an aviation club) and Lego Robotics. So Thursday and Friday for an hour after school they can't complain that they are bored...M is also doing Judo on Thursday's. Both of the older boys will be starting floor hockey soon, hopefully they note the conflicts I listed on the registration sheet so the boys can participate in all they are signed up for. If you are military and haven't checked out your Youth Center you really should, it's just not for daycare!

Cleaning House and Scoring Deals

So since we have moved here I have been trying to keep the "extra stuff" from taking over the house. Whether it's the clothing and toys the boys have grown out of, decor that just isn't quite fitting in anymore, or just stuff that doesn't have a home and is rarely touched. Back at Travis I used Bookoo.com to unload a lot of the clutter that we didn't want to move, but found out once here that not that many people use bookoo, but instead use a specific yard sale site on FaceBook. It is a closed group and part of the "rules" is that you have to have base access...which is kind of nice, I got burned more then once in CA when people couldn't pick up at my house. Meeting off base also ate up a lot of time when we were trying to pack, load and get signed out of the house. It was a great resource, but it really wasn't  always a pleasant experience. I ended up waiting more then once for 20 minutes at the visitor center with a $5 item only to finally getting a text that they can't meet or they changed their mind.

Welcome to Our Newest Member

For Christmas J and I decided to go low key for each other due to plans of traveling next summer. A big grown up trip is in the works, no details to share yet. I opened an envelop thinking it was just a letter from my sweetie about the plans for said trip, but instead was starring at pictures of kitties. I grew up loving cats, we always had a bunch of farm cats running around. But also occasionally had a few that wiggled their way into the house. When we were first married we also adopted a cat from my brother, but with moving and being pregnant Simba ended up out at the farm with my parents. Recently I got to cat sit for a friend and loved getting to spend some time playing with them, I guess all that talk about them got J thinking.

Meet Bella, a Russian Siberian Forest Cat. She is about 18 weeks old, and really loving her new home. Diesel and her are starting to bond...as long as she doesn't run like a squirrel.

She is full of energy during her play times and is very athletic. She will be a large cat, Siberians are thought to be the second largest domesticated cat. The breed is also considered hypoallergenic...ya she is a giant fur ball and won't cause you to sneeze. I hope to post some better pictures soon, and maybe even figure out to post a video of her play sessions.

2013 Already?!

Seriously where did 2012 go? We are already days into 2013 and I am still wondering where 2012 went? So much changed this year. I thought I would share with you the holiday letter we sent out this year, the Mr wrote it and I made some additions and revisions...and for those that had difficulty reading the letter due to the small print, sorry it really was only 11 point font! As usual the names have been edited since this is a public blog.