The End Has Finally Come

Three months ago my squadron started a biggest loser contest. I decided what the heck why not try it, and for three months I kept with a steady diet and workout routine. Today was my final weigh in, and I was the first to do so....so now I wait 24hrs while everyone else comes to weigh in. I will not lie it is a little un-nerving, and I am anxious to see how I did against everyone else. So here are my stats:

Start weight: 164
End weight: 143
Pounds Lost: 21
Body fat percent lost: 12.8%

The first place prize is the pot which right now teeters to around $440.00
Second Place a WII Fit
Third a 96 hour special Liberty
Fourth a 72 hour special Liberty

As much as I would love to win and be the champ, I have to keep my goals real and know it is very probably that I may not win. However, I consider myself a winner at heart because not only is ALL of pregnancy weight gone but so is an additional 16 pounds. I feel great and accomplished. I stuck with this and it benefited me the entire time. At this point though all I can feel is fabulous!

So with all this being said here is my positive thought today as I looked in the Mirror: You have amazing legs, and strong determination. Your strong, and goal oriented. You are a winner today no matter the outcome of the contest! 

Fall, Winter and Life

Ok I am going to be honest here I live in Hawaii. It's not a bad or horrible life by any means. However, it has made me miss the fall and winter time. I miss season changes and everything. Funny enough I deployed to a site also where the weather never changes. Please do not take this as my complaining, but man nothing beats the autumn breeze and the smell of winter fires.

I consider myself very lucky for the life that I live. I have been to amazing places and seen beautiful countries. However, I always find myself missing winter time. I have a hard time feeling like it is Christmas when it is 70 degrees outside. It is one of the reasons why I can not wait to transfer to my new duty station next summer. To show my son all the season, build snowmen, and play in the fall leaves. To have him expierence his first snowball fight and snow fort. To walk around and see Christmas lights and drink hot cocoa.

I believe I love the fall and winter time so much because of the holidays. It has such a essence of family that comes with it. Reading stories while sipping hot apple spider, seeing all the Halloween, Thankgsiving, and Christmas decorations everyone puts up. To spend more time as a family. Maybe for me it is also bittersweet ending to this last year of not having my family whole. Right now I am missing alot of this, and this is probably leading towards my pull of the seasons. When I get home for the first time in a year we will be a whole in our family and experience holidays missed.

My love for my family has been tested this last year, and I think it has passed every test. My main goal at this moment is to just make it back home to my boys. To concentrate on brining my family back whole, and to overcome my homecoming obstacles. I look forward to coming off that plane and just be in my husbands arms and hold my little boy. They are the sole reason for my strength and pushing through with this deployment.

After expierencing both sides of being home and being away...I have to say that there is no winner in the who has it harder game. It is hard for both sides, and the stressors are different in each area.For those that think your loved ones back home have it easy think again. That goes vice versa, because neither position is easy to deal with. The important thing is to just remember your love and faith. To believe in yourself even when others do not believe in you. To push through all the hardships and ultimately prove you can handle it.

A  good friend once told me "Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength." This has been something to stick with me during my deployment. Something that I took to heart, and some of the best advice I have also recieved.

From Yuck to Yum!

At one point this year I was a single mom while my husband was deployed. For six months I lived that role. Not only did I live the role of the single mom, but it was the role of the single working mom. My life was very busy, and on the go. As much as I hate to say it I found the temptation to just grab food for my child at McDonald's so easy. In fact I really had to talk myself out of it each day I thought about it. Ultimately I continued to choose my childs health each day.

There is nothing good about all that beige fast food. If there is a healthy option is equally right next or paired to an unhealthy option. Then I started thinking like my parents did when I was young. No other options...if I do not give other options for my child to eat dinner, then he will ultimately choose to eat what I make or at least try it. So it became my goal to always have a healthy snack and well balanced dinner ready for him. He eventually got to the point where he would ask for fruits as a snack. His dad also followed my lead after I left for deployment. Making sure he ate healthy and was not consuming junk. Then Phil introduced our child to Ovaltine...and Johnny loved it. So now that his one of his favorite requests is for Ovaltine, because he does not get normal chocolate milk.

Now I am sure some of you are reading this thinking what the hell Danielle he is not even 3! However, this is how I feel. If you want your child to have a healthy diet you need to start from day one, and not make excuses. Jonathan's health is my number one priority. He is the reason why I started being healthier and I plan on seeing it through. I am in love with the fact that my child would rather have fruit than cookies (although he gets those when he is good).

Here are some alarming facts:

1 out of 3 kids now considered overweight or obese.
Many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the TV, computer, or video-game console.
One third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives.

Sites:
http://www.letsmove.gov/learnthefacts.php
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/obesity/l/aa012503a.htm
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/overweight_obesity.html

The worst part about all of this....it is 100% preventable with a little effort. So I have taken the time to share some of the healthy snacks and dinner I made for Johnny.

Snacks:

Fruit Bowl:
Diced Apples,Pears, Peaches, Bananas and Grapes. (and any other fruit you want to add)
Arrange the fruits on a plate around a small bowl of plain, or flavored yogurt to dip. You can also use peanut butter.

Bean and Cheese Quesadillas:

1 TBS of Olive OIl
1Pkg (10 Count) Whole Wheat Tortillas
1 Can (15oz) Of Black Beans Drained and lightly mashed
1 small finely chopped onion
8 oz shredded reduced fat cheese of coice
1/2 Cup of Cilantro leaves
1/2 Cup of Low Sodium Salsa (or home made salsa yum!)
1/2 small green,orange,yellow, or red pepper of choice. ( I like Yellow and Orange because they are typically sweeter)
Option: Add left over grilled chicken or make some chicken for it. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder.

Heat the oil in a large non stick pan over medium heat add the onion and peppers. Cook for approx. 4-5 minutes.Stir in Beans and Salsa ( if you choose to add the chicken and/or chili powder do it here.). Cook for Approx 3mins stirring occasionally. Once made set aside.

Either clean that pan or grab another non stick pan. Spary skillet with cooking spray. Place the pan over medium high heat. Place one tortilla in the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Spread 1/3 cup of the bean mixture and 1/3 cup of the cheese evenly over the tortilla. Sprinkle some of the cilantro over the top. Place another tortilla on top and cook 1 minute. Press gently with a spatula and turn. Cook for 1 minute or until browned.

Place quesadilla on a baking sheet and keep warm in 200° oven. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make four additional quesadillas. Allow skillet to cool slightly if it becomes too hot.

To serve, cut each quesadilla into quarters.
-Recipe Curtosey of Parents.com I altered it slightly to my liking and taste preferences.

Confetti Yogurt Pops:

  2  cupslow-fat vanilla yogurt

  1  cupassorted berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, chopped strawberries)

  5  pretzel rods, halved, or 10 baked snack stick crackers

Directions 1. In a large bowl gently stir together the yogurt and fruit. Spoon into 4-ounce ice-pop molds or 3-ounce paper cups. Cover molds or cups with foil; use a sharp knife to cut a small hole in the foil and insert cut side of pretzel rod or snack stick. Freeze until firm. Remove foil and mold or cup before serving.
2. Store for up to a month. Makes 6 pops and are only 67 calories!

-Recipe Curtosey of Parents.com

Yogurt Smoothies:

1 Cup of Plain or Vanilla Yogurt
1/2 Cup of Natural fruit juice of choice
1/2 Cup of Blue Berries
1/2 Cup of Strawberries
1/2 Cup of Rasberries
2 Cups of Ice

Blend and then drink! Best part is that this is an absolute easy and fast breakfast or snack when you are on the go. It can be altered however you want it. I prefer this because it is an antioxidant.

However you can add whatever fruits you want in it like bananas, kiwi's, and black berries. The more colorful the fruit the more antioxidents that are in it.

Meals:

Spagehtti and Meatballs:

Jenni-o Turkey Meatballs
1 pkg Wheat Spagehtti Pasta
1 Can Ragu Garden Veggie Spagehtti Sauce

You make this as you would normal spagehtti. You can doctor the sauce how you see fit. I usually add about 1TBS of sugar and Red wine into the Mix.

Chicken and Rice:

1pkg of Chicken Breasts (skin removed)
Enough Brown Rice for your family
1 Cup of shredded lowfat cheddar cheese
Sea Salt
Coarse Black Pepper
Rose Mary
1/4 Cup of White Wine
1/4 Cup of Chicken Broth
Asparagus

Cook the brown rice. Keep in mind that the amount you make will be served off to the side and wrapped in the chicken breasts.

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix your white cooking wine and chicken broth together and set aside.

Butterfly your chicken breasts. On the outside and inside of your chicken season it with black pepper, sea salt, and rosemary. Spoon in the cooked rice and sprink about 1/4 of your cheese on the rice. Wrap the Chicken breast up and then tie with cooking tie. Repeats this with the remaining chicken. Place your chicken in a shallow casserole dish and poor the white wine and chicken broth over the chicken. Cover with tin foil Bake Approx. 40 mins and then uncover for a remaining 5-10mins. Make sure that the juices are running clear for your chicken.

These are just a couple of recipes. Simple changes such as adding more color on your plate (meaning more veggies and fruit) can make a world of difference.  Just small changes can jump start a whole new life.
For example that Spagehtti was actually my husband...he has been trying very hard to keep with making healthy meals for our son. Funny enough our son LOVES this spagehtti. Even sick he will eat this. If you think your going to be busy and not have time to make dinner why not make a roast? You just toss it in the crock pot and let it go.

Through The Looking Glass

10 lbs there, fat, stretch marks, imperfection, ....still fat. That is my looking glass to me still, and why? I am at the smallest I have been in years, and yet I still felt prettier at 15lbs heavier right before I found out I was pregnant.

My body is more toned and skinnier now than it has been in 3 years, and all I still see are perfections. Every morning I wake up and look at myself in the mirror in disgust. It's ludicrious! I mentally know I am prettier, and feel healthier. I asked my husband his opinion about it this morning, and his answer was complete honesty. I feel this way cause of my belly...and I have to learn to let that go. I had a baby and I have to get over the fact that my tummy will not be as tight as it use to be. My looking glass....or so it use to be.....

I went to the store today and I was just walking around thinking about everything. I walked straight past a full length mirror and stopped and stared at it. I honestly wanted a dry erase marker at that point. I wanted to cirlce the great things about myself. I wanted to write what I felt good about. Healthier, no more double chin, fits back into all my old clothes, happier, less self concious, good person, loving mother, loving wife, and finally always there for my friends.

What I realized is that I was so hell bent on that one part of my body that I refused to see the better parts. I refused to actually see myself as skinny. From now on when I wake up in the morning, even when I feel my absolute worst to walk over to my mirror close my eyes, and when I open them to think of only positives aspects of what I see. No more will I focus on the negative, because it gets me no where except for feeling bad about myself.  I believe everyone should do this...to take the time to look at yourself through the mirror and be positive. Forget the negatives, and just focus on the positives. Only then will you be able to truly focus on the good in your life, when you can destroy the bad feelings toward yourself. That is my goal no more feeling bad about myself. I am a strong woman, mother, daughter, wife, and friend.

With Tired Minds, and Tired Souls

Abraham Lincoln once said "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years. "

I am sitting at my desk right now, and thinking of the last 24 hours. What had started into such a great day took a horrible turn into an awful day.  I was given the news that one of my friends had passed away. As my husband told me this I could not think of anything to say or do. I sat there quietly and felt nothing. Not because I did not care about her, but because I was in such disbelief. She was younger than me, with two children, and a loving husband.  Everything started going through my mind, and then ultimately the feeling of invincibility just floated off of me.  The reality or mortality hit hard. Then all the what if's hit me. What if it had been me, what if it had been Phil, what if, what if, what if. I had to stop myself with it, because the ultimate reality of it all is that she is gone and it was not me, phil or anyone else I knew.

I began to remember being a child, and having no fears. That nothing could hurt you ...(except maybe the switch you were about recieve via pissed off parent). That life was endless, and we were invincible. Sometimes those feelings come back as adults and you become fearless for a short while. I had not had those feelings in a while, but I wish I could have them now. It is not the fear of my mortality that scares me, but leaving the ones I love behind.  To know that my son and husband would carry on with out me. To know my son would no longer have his mother....

When I went to bed last night all I wanted was to be back home. I just wanted to be off this deployment, and be held by my family. I wanted that comfort from them so much. Instead it was in my small bed, in the barracks that I slept. I do not think I have wanted to be home more now than ever. To just hug and kiss my little boy, and to hug and kiss my husband. To know that for now it was not our times to leave. I know it will come eventually but I really want to be there for both my boys. I want to grow old with my husband and see my son get married and have his own child. I pray that this will happen, but I know it may not be what is in my destiny. For now though....I want to enjoy my family as much as possible. All I want is to be home right now. I want to take every moment I can to be with the ones that I love.

I want everyday that I am still alive to count for something. I do not want to waste my days on regrets.  There are 352 days in a year...only 52 weeks. That is not long at all when you think big picture. So until I get off this deployment and back into the arms of the ones I love I will make them count.

My heart deeply goes out for her family and everything they are going through right now. She was a great person, and so funny. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Amanda Kennedy is was great to get know you, and you will be missed dearly.

Finding Myself

"Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!" ~ Og Mandino

This last year has brought many changes to my life. Changes I want to keep with me, and bring to my family. Changes in attitude, nutrition, work, and my family life. Everyday I feel like I learn something new about myself. How I want to be...scratch that who I want to be. I am 26 years old and I am still figuring myself out. I am still realizing my potential. Potential I wish I would have known about when I was in high school. I never realized how strong I could be, and how much I would have to overcome.

I believe Mary Schmich had it right back in 1997 when she wrote the column "Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted On The Young" for the Chicago Tribune. However, most of my generation knows it as the Sunscreen Song performed by Baz Lurhman. However, one of the quotes that stuck with me the most was "Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young." Yes I am only 26, but I refuse to keep letting my nomadic lifestyle seperate me from those that knew me. I have had so many great friends...all of which played a role in my life that lead me to where I am today. Most of my friends are my family to me at this point, and I am lucky to have a pretty extensive family. They have been the ones to help when I am on deployments or dets, when I am away from those that I love. Some of which have been in my life day in and day out for the past 6 years. Others I have known since the 5th grade, and lost touch with. However I am trying to retie those bonds.

It was easy to be selfish in the past. That was exactly how I was...I was so selfish. I can not be like that anymore. I wont be like that anymore. My life  stopped being about just me years ago and there have been times where I tried to make it about just me. It's not though, and I have a bigger grasp of that situation now. 

My family, and friends...they are my inspiration to want to be a better person. They inspire me to be strong, and passionate about the obstacles thrown in my path. With them by my side I feel like there is nothing I can not do or face. I have an incredible life, but it has not been without hard decisions. Every choice I made whether it is good or bad I will have to live with. The only thing I can do is learn to forgive myself, learn from, and then let go of the bad choices I have made. I have a trend of holding on to the bad things so long, and its a heavy feeling on me. I do not want those feelings anymore, and I refuse to be weighed down by the choices I made in my youth.

My life has been a wild rollercoaster ride, and it probably will still be that way. That does not mean it has been a bad roller coaster ride just a loopy one. I am coming to realize though that it's ok, and that everything will be ok. My inner strength comes from wanting to be there for everyone, but I cant be there for them unless I can be there mentally for me. It's so easy to push everything going on in my life to the back of my mind. I am realizing more and more though by doing that I never dealt with what is going on with me. I never dealt with my issues and I unitentionally caused myself to be held back. Once I started dealing with everything though and started talking with my friends and letting them be there for me I was able to let go. I was able to work on me, and my issues. Which directly resulted in me being a stronger person both mentally and physically. I find myself pushing harder and harder. Whether its to get back in shape, be a better parent, or be better at my job.

I have taken the negative out of my life, I am letting go of those that are negative in my life. I do not need to have their negative energy to feed on mine. I have postive friends, and postive lifestyle. I want to keep that and I will fight like hell to keep it. I want to get rid of the negative feelings and energy. I do not want it to have any control on my life. I want Johnny to have postivity in his life...I want him to look at me and be inspired to be his best. That's what I want out of my life...to be the very best person I can be and for my son to want that same drive and motivation.

It does not get any better than this. He is my inspiration to be a better person.

A Healthier Life A Healthier Me

Over the last year I have been making drastic changes to my diet and workouts. All of which have paid off. Since everything has been working so well for I have been having people ask me what I am doing. It's very simple actually...I made a decision and stuck with it. My decision was that I wanted to be healthy for myself, my family, and friends. To do that it meant that I would have to make changes. Changes that involved kicking caffeine addictions, eating junk, and ultimately a lazy behavior pattern.

One year ago my friend Jessica introduced me to Insanity. It was great and the results started showing within the first week. My fat kid cellulite was leaving and my legs were showing the first sign of changes. I was sucked in instantly afterall I was already showing results so fast, so why not engulf myself into it. Well here was where I already messed up. First off although I was showing signs of change already I was not changing my eating habits. So my results were going nowhere near as fast as they could have been. Granted over the last year I have lost 44lbs, and I love every minute of it. Do not get me wrong about that. However, it sure would have been great if I would have focused so much more on being healthier overall.

It was right around the Feburary time frame where I realized that to loose more weight I was going have to change more than just my workout routine. So I started making slow changes at first. Nothing drastic because all drastic was going to do is cause me to relapse back into my un-healthy ways. So I started with bringing more healthy snacks with me to work, and leaving my credit card at home to avoid the geedunk. Then I started substituing butter for olive oil, baking or grilling instead of frying, and I started walking more with my friends at night strollering my rugrat up what I would like to call the hill of death. I tried to go walking everynight with my friends on top of working out, to add a little more boost into my workouts.

With these slow changes my body had started to really respond favorably, and I was loving it. From there I continued to explore other alternatives...such as getting fresh vegetables instead of canned ones. I started slowly intergrating organic foods into my diet. I took my soda consumption from 2-3 cans a day to 1 can about once every 3 days. I am now drinking black coffee for my caffeine needs, and enjoying a relaxing cup of hibiscus tea to avoid getting bored with just water.

None of these changes were simple or overnight. They are slow processes that I took steps too. During all of this I have never felt better about myself. I feel confident, energetic, and happier all the way around. To make things even better my husband has come on board with my health craze and is adjusting himself to the same changes. I could not be happier to have an amazing husband that is being supportive of me and my life changes. What is even better is that I feel like I am setting my son up for a healthier and happier life. I love the fact that to my son a treat is blueberries, and bananas...not chips, soda, or candy. I feel like this is why he hardly ever gets sick, because we maintain a strict and healthy diet for him.

So this is how I have lost my weight in a nutshell. Small changes, amazing support from my family and friends, and most of all being surrounded by those that want the same out of life that I do. To be healthy and in shape.

So if I have not said it enough to you yet thank you Jess and Kim for being my workout buddies and support while my husband was away. Thank you Phillip for supporting all these changes. Thank you to my sister, dad, mother, and my aunts for being my long distance cheerleaders and advice givers. Thank you to my co-workers that have told me to keep it up and continuing looking hot...you know who you are! Finally thank you Johnny for creating my desire to be a better role model, and supporter for you. I truly am blessed for everyone that I have in my life. Even if some of you are long distance...it all means so much to me. Without all these components I do not think I could have done so well. So once again THANK YOU!

"Fireproof doesn’t mean that a fire will never come, but that when it comes, you’ll be able to withstand it"

The Love Dare is a book written by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. It is a 40 day journey that is not to be taken lightly. Each day is broken into 3 parts. The first is a unique aspect of love will be discussed. The second you will be given a specific dare to do for your spouse. Lastly you will be given a journal space to log what you are learning,doing, and how your spouse is responding.

The reason why I bring this book up is because of the movie Fire Proof. In the movie you are introduced to a husband and wife that are at wits end with each other. The husbands father then dares him to take the 40 day dare.  As I watched the movie I could not believe how so much of the little things start adding up to big issues. I felt myself suddenly consumed into the movie and comparing my marriage to the movie. Realizing that maybe it would be best if I did not say anything negative to my spouse when the temptation arises. How one heated comment could go into a full blown argument, and over what exactly? What would be the benefit...to be right even though now my spouses feelings are hurt. What did I gain from the negative comment other than negative feelings and hostility in return?

Granted I have not taken the journey but just seeing how a simple change could mean so much...that  is inspiring. So now I find myself wondering how much will my marriage change if I choose to do this journey? Do I need to take it to save my marriage...absolutely not. I have an amazing marriage, but could this book possibly give me more insight to be a better person to my spouse? I think there is definently no harm in giving it a try, and in fact I may try this when I return from deployment. The self discovery maybe the biggest reward of it all. Granted I am not seriously religious by any means, but maybe getting a little more religion in my life will be worth it. There are great morals throughout this book and movie that can put alot into perspective. I would at the very least recommend the movie to anyone married. Who knows what you will discover about yourself, but I do know some things I have discovered about me. Some of which I plan to work on.
Fire Proofing Your Marriage

Overcoming Obstacles of Life

Let me first state that I am by no means an expert when it comes to advice. All I can give is what I have gone through myself in my own life. I understand that everyone is different, and like any advice given it needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

Mother Teresa once said "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.  I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." When I had my first miscarriage my good friend Jackie had told me that "God will not give you something you can not handle." I believe strongly in these very statements. Bad things happen to good people, and it is these very same people that pick themselves up everytime. Granted it may not be an immediate action and it may take time. That is what healing is though, it is a process for the body and soul. Whether or not you believe in god or a religion at all, it will not stop life from happening.

Faith for most people this is what get them through the hardships of life. The ability to trust in complete confidence of friends, family, or religion. It does not matter how you use it as long as you have it. I have to believe that there is something much bigger than myself and that miracles happen. I have faith in my family and friends. Lord knows they have been through alot with me. I have faith in my own abilities to be a great parent for my child, and know I will be able to provide for him.

If I put a wall in the way of your path what will you do? Will you merely stare at it or will you hop it and say this is not going to stop me? This wall is only an obstacle, how will you encounter it? Obstacle by definition is something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress. However, one thing this definition is lacking and must be remembered is that an obstacle is not impossible to get around. For some it is mearley the use of creativity and immagination to get around. Others however allow it to overwhelm their life.

Obstacle: I had a miscarriage
Feelings: Lost, lonely, empty, my body failed me, and the impending feeling I would never be able to have children.
Outcome: I needed to find healing within myself, and have faith that there was a reason that my first pregnancy was not meant to be.Two years after my miscarriage I concieved and carried to full term my adorable little boy.

Obstacle: Beig sent into a job that I had recieved no formal training.
Feelings: Overwhelmed, stupid, lost, and finally feeling like a failure.
Outcome: With dedication and lots of question I was able to learn a new job.

Obstacle: Due to my lack of self control I gained 60lbs during my pregnancy.
Feelings: Ugly, fat, slob, no self confidence, blamed the pregnancy, and finally despair.
Outcome: The first step in this entire process was putting the blame exactly where it belonged...on ME not my pregnancy. The second part figuring out how to fix it. Finally the third part realizing that this will take commitment and results will show overtime...not over night. This entire process took 2 years to work through but it was well worth it in the end.With that being said, I lost all 60lbs and 10 extra to boot!

These are all very minor obstacles in my mind though. There are people that have gone through so much more than me. The biggest aspect for all of these was realizing when and when I was not the one at fault in each obstacle. From there I had to work on my own healing, and stop casting blame on others.

Ultimately when an obstacle gets in the way it will be your decision how to get around it. Whether the choice is to self loathe or to sit down and figure it out. What is important is the drive to never give up stays constant. So I will leave you with this quote:

 

"Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else."

~ Brian Tracy

Body and Soul

So one of the blessing that I have with being deployed is my location. Where I am at has given the opportunity to work on craft skills that I did not have before. Since being deployed I have learned to make pottery using the wheel, how to make candles, and how to make my own body scrubs. With each skill that I have learned it allowed me to explore different parts of my soul.

For instance pottery. I have found this to actually be quite relaxing, because I don't have to think about it. I sit at the wheel and close the world around me. I open up my mind and fully concentrate on the task at hand. My focus has improved so much better with this.

Just a couple of the pieces I have made.

Making candles is allowing me to experiment with scents and colors. To try my hand in creativity and see what I can do. I can not wait to get back stateside to further explore this craft.

These are two of the candles I made. Phillip brought them back home with him when he was visiting.

Body scrubs...now this was fun. Talk about enjoying something! I absolutely loved doing this. Almost all senses were involved (except for tast ;) ) and I can not wait to start making more. After making the scrubs it lit a fire for me to want to learn how to make my soaps and shampoos. What's even better is that by knowing how to make them that it does not matter where I transfer with the military. Everything can pretty much be found in the grocery store! So I thought I would share just how easy the body scrubs really are!

Steps to Making your Scrubs:

1. Sterilize everything your using, and countertops your working on. Ensure you have also washed your hands. Remember you do not want to introduce bacteria into your scrubs.

2. Combine the sugars/powders/salts until they are blended well.

3. Slowly add your oil to your sugars/powder/salts blend. You may want to add mor or less depending upon personal preferences. What you are looking for is a slushy-like consistency. Blend oil and sugars together with a wooden spoon. If you feel it is too dry, add a little more oil.

4. Add your fragrance, if desired. Mix until it is well blended. Ensure your fragrance/oils are able to use in soaps. I would recommend goin to a local store that sells essential oils and ask. Or if you order it online then ask via email.

5. Scoop your mixture into your sterile container.

6. Use your sugar scrub on your body whil in the shower. It will leave your skin feeling soft.

Tips:
Do not make too much scrub at once ir you are only making for yourself. There are no natural perservaties in your scrubs unless you use salt in it..Also ensure to not get water into your container while taking a shower, since bacteria can grow in water.
Make sure your sugar scrub is closed tightley while not in use.

Some recipes:
 Sea Salt and Sugar Scrub
1TBS baking soda
1/2cup cane sugar
1/2 cup of turbinado sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup of sea salt
-Vanilla extract (or essential oils)
*if you added the amount of fragrance you wanted but your scrub is too dry mix in olive oil or liquid glycerin

Brown Sugar Scrub:
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of almond oil
1/4 cup of liquid ivory hand soap
1/4 tsp of vanilla

Sea Salt Scrub:
1 cup of fine sea salts
1/2 cup of oil- sweet almond, grapeseed, or olive oil
5-15 drops of essential oil

Friends and Family

For those that have not found out about Skype I would look it up. My nights when I get off work are made special everyday I get on Skype with my husband and son. Yesterday my son was reading (as much as a 2 1/2 year old can read) his book to me. Pointing to the puppies on the the page and turning to a new page. It made me realize instantly how lucky I am to have this technology available to me. My mother was in the Navy and retired 16 years ago, and nothing like this was even close to happening. So now when I find myself looking at my son I can not help but smile.

Right now my husband is serving as the role of a military spouse while I am on deployment. I have to admire any man going through this or one that is a single daddy handling his business. I know from experience being in the role of a single parent is so hard and time consuming. To be one though, and not feel inconvienced by your child...that right there is greatness in the making.

Tooka bean and Daddy at an airshow. Sending mom pictures of their fun.

Tooka bean and Daddy knocked out. Picture curtosey of my friend.

I find myself to be truly blessed with everything I have in life. I have found that with family not being relatively close to where we are stationed that good friends are now family. It is these very friends that I could rely on when my husband was deployed to help me out. Now it is also these very friends he is relying on to help him out with me deployed. Friends... It is amazing to truley see what you are capable of with great ones by your side. My very best friends are not friends at all to me anymore. They have become my family and I love them all very much.

Myself, Jess, and Kim...I can not believe how lucky I am to have them as my friends. I do not know what I do without these two by my side.

Jackie and Myself. Without this Blondie right here god knows where I would be. She has absolutely been through the ringer with me.

This pretty lady is Ami pictured with my puffy eyed Tooka bean(puffy eye caused by being sick). Talk about having a friend by your side and not leaving you. She stayed by my side my entire pregnancy, and was in the delivery room with me while my husband was on deployment.

Those four women right there are my very best friends. Who are actually more like sisters to me than anything. I am also blessed with a little sister though and she is equally as amazing.

Kiwi and Tooka bean. She came out to Hawaii to see him after he was born.

 With friends and family like mine I consider myself lucky. It is your friends that help shape you and if they are true friends they will help keep you in check.

Delicious Apple Pie

Here is my version of apple pie...it is slightly different but has always been a hit when i make it.

Delicious Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS:

½ CUP OF WHITE SUGAR

½ CUP OF APPLE JUICE

½ CUP OF BUTTER

½ CUP OF WHITE SUGAR

1 CHEESE CLOTH

1 TABLE SPOONS OF NON-CRUSHED CLOVES

2 TABLE SPOONS OF CINNAMON

1 TABLE SPOON OF NUTMEG

2 TABLE SPOONS OF CORNSTARCH

2 (9 INCH) PIE CRUSTS

3 GRANNY SMITH APPLES

3 GALA or MACINTOSH APPLES

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Peel and Core the apples.
3. Wrap the cloves in the cheese cloth to create a bouquet.
4. Combine the apple juice, 1/2 cup white sugar and the butter in a sauce pan and heat until melted. Add the apples, bouquet, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cook until fruit is tender.
5. Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with the cornstarch. Stir into the fruit mixture, and then cook until thickened. Remove clove bouquet from mixture. Cool then pour into the pie shell. Cover with the top crust and seal.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until the crust is golden brown.

Things no one told me about having children

Alright there would have been things that I would have LOVED to known about having little kids. So since I was never told this I will share it so someone else will be prepared.

1. Yes babies have projectile poop. By projectile poop I really do mean it can shoot across the changing table and hit the wall. Wish I would have known that before I hung a picture there.

2. They have a sense of humor from day one. I swear for the first week it was like a game for my son to see if he could pee on me. I did everything from having a warm wash cloth over his little guy parts, to keeping him in a warm area to change him...NOTHING worked he was bound and determined to pee on me. Once he did he never tried again...I was marked as mommy from then on.

3. Be prepared to have either spit up or puke to land in or around your mouth....

4. They feed off of your energy. If your in a great mood your baby will be happy. They have their own little kid ESP.

5. They are your biggest motivators and self esteem boost. My son consistently makes me feel like I am the funniest person alive (this is far from true). He has also inspired me to want to live a healthier life and be a better person.

6. All they want to do is everything you do! My son learned from watching a good friend of mine to sweep and wipe down counters. At 2 1/2 I think I have one of the most OCD cleaning child ever.

7. If you don't cater to your eating to theirs they will eat what you eat. It's just a matter of will power to see who caves first.

8. The best wake-ups in the morning involve getting sloppy toddler kisses and hugs followed with wake up mommy.

9. Their ability to learn is so fast. At 9 months my child was sitting in a chair and eating at a table at school. At 18 months he was washing his hands, sitting at the table, learning to to scoop his food, put his dirty dishes in the sink, wash his hands after and grab his cot for nap time. At 2 1/2 years he is learning to wipe down the table after dinner and then go sit on the couch and wait until daddy is done mopping.

10. Not listening to people that said I should have used a pacifer to help soothe him was awesome. I never had to deal with taking that stupid thing away!

11. It's ok to get advice from other parents but ultimately your going to do things your way.

12. I never felt true true love until the first time I held my son.

13. They will continue to surprise you every single day.

14. The reason why most people have pictures of their kids sleeping....half the time that is the only time they can get them to hold still.

15. Your child is just like you...if you never took alot of BS from people neither will they. Case and point... The tooka bean was at school trying to go down the slide. A little kid kicked him 2 times when he tried to go up the the playset to get to the slide. The third time little bean moved out of the way and grabbed the other kids leg and jerked him off the playset. While the little kid was on the ground crying the little bean was going up and down the slide having fun.

Ok so some of these things you may have already known or do not care about. However these were things that I either learned or never really thought about. Take it for what it's worth.

Welcome to My World

Hi! My name is Danielle.I have always been told that being a military spouse is the toughest job you can have. Those that have preached this to me are correct, but I have a tougher life than the average spouse. I am also a United States Sailor. Welcome to my world! This is how my adventure started....

I have been in the Navy for over 8 years. My adventure started my senior year in high School. I joined the Navy on September 11th, 2001. It had nothing to do with what happened that day in history. I had already been in the process of joining. I just happened to be in the processing center that day signing my contract. Do not let me fool you, part of me almost changed my mind when I saw the news. So why did I join?

Since I was about 6 I wanted to join the Navy. It was the first thing I said I ever wanted to do in life. The decision was made on a bring your child to work day adventure with my mother. She was a Senior Chief at the time and I got to go with her. That was when I told her this is what I want to do. Of course as every parent she told me thats sweet baby, but your going to want to be alot of things when you grow up.

She was right, but I stuck with my original decision in career choice my senior year. It actually made my senior year very relaxing. I had not a care in the world about college, and I had no desire for a boyfriend or long term attachments. I grew up in the Navy world, and knew that I was about to be a nomad essentially. Moving every 3-4 years, and establishing family within my co-workers in the Navy.

See when your single you need that feeling of belonging, and sense of family. It is hard trying to go home at times and see everything is right where you left it. When you return to the "military world" things have moved forward at a faster pace. Something has usually happened that needs to be taken care of immediatley. Some days are harder than most, and some days nothing is going on. It is a life you either get use to or don't. This life is not for everyone. However, being in the Military does not make me anymore special than anyone else.

I met my husband in my first command VP-5 home of the "Mad Foxes". He was in training for his job at the time. I had been in for about 4 years when we met. My husband's job makes our life a little more hectic than some. He is a flyer and subject to a flight schedule. Which makes planning our weekends and trips slightly harder. We have to wait until at least 6pm friday night to even know what our weekend holds in store for us. He gets sent away on detachments quite a bit.

This is the love of my life!

Currently we are both on Sea Duty which for the last 10 months has kept us seperated. We have only been together as a family 3 weeks out of 10 months. This would not be so hard if it was not for him:

This is Tooka Bean...my little rugrat. He is currently 2 1/2 and probably one of the strongest kids I know. He has had to deal with not having both his parents around for practically the last year. Amazingly he has done so well with it and has made us very proud parents!

So as you can see my life is not like most, but there are others that have this kind of life. Here I will post about crafty things to do, recipes for the on the go parent, great places to visit, and my adventures. Welcome to my world....