When did you learn to swim?

For me, I have always been terrified of the water. I had a bad experience with it growing up and didn't learn the basics until last Summer. Thanks to a dare from my 8 year old niece and a little liquid courage.

Yes, I know. Alcohol and water should NEVER be combined. But in my case, a margarita did a body good :)

So today was another huge milestone for me. I managed to swim from one end of the pool to the other AND hold my breath under water without my nose clips.

Now, I know these are probably things you learn to do when you're my daughter's age. In fact, I know they are because she is learning it right now! But, for me. This is a BIG deal. I never in a million years thought I would look forward going to a pool. Or a water park. Now, the Summer has endless possibilities! :)

How old were you when  you learned to swim? Any other adult learners in the house?? :)

Some things about me...in case you just HAD to know! ;)

1. How did you and your spouse meet?

Online. Weird, I know. My friend was in a chat room. Started talking to him. Next day he messages me (she was signed in under my name). I ignored him at first. Then started talking to him. Next night, we spent 6 hours on the phone. It's all history from there :)

2. How old were you when you two met?

I was 18 and he was just shy of 21.

3. How long have you been together?

9 years

4. Where are you and your spouse originally from?

I am from Ohio. Born and raised. He moved around a lot, but was living in TN when I met him.

5. How did you feel about him joining the military?

He was already in when I met him. I really was not sure what I was getting myself into marrying into the Army.

6. Where did your spouse go to Basic Training?

Ft. Benning

7. Has your spouse ever been deployed?

4 times. And still see at least one more in our future.

8. Ever been to his promotion ceremony?

Believe it or not, I haven't. He's been promoted 3 times since we've been married and he was either away at training, or deployed each time he was pinned.

9. How long have you been a military wife?

It'll be 9 years June 6th :)

10. Did you marry him before or after he joined?

After

11. How did your husband propose?

Depends on which time we're talking about.

#1- Over the phone. Before we had met. He asked. I told him he was crazy.

#2- In the car on the way back from the commissary. Random moment. One that we will cherish forever.

#3- When we renewed our vows in the church. The day before he got down on one knee and asked if I would be his wife in the eyes of God. Amazingly romantic, for me!

12. Where did you get married?

Fayetteville, NC courthouse

13. How old were you two when you got married?

I was 18 and he was 21.

14. Did he wear his uniform on his wedding day?

For our renewal ceremony he did. He was so handsome.

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15. Where are you and your spouse currently stationed?

Dahlonega, GA

16. Do you live on base?

Technically. It's not actually on post, but military housing non-the-less.

17. How long were you married when you had to go through your first separation?

About a month. He had to go to the field. Then at month 2 of marriage he went to PLDC and then at month 3, he deployed to Iraq.

18. What is your favorite base so far?

Baumholder, Germany. Hands down. We liked Bragg a lot, but there is nothing like getting lost in a sleepy little German town. NOTHING.

19. Do you think your spouse looks good in his uniform?

Of course :)

20. Do you think military life is more advanced than civilian life?

I think the younger you start out as a military wife, the more about life you learn, and quicker. I was thrown into this at 18 and I've learned a lot about people, cultures and life in general. I've had the priveledge to have some amazing mentors

21. Do you like the benefits you receive as a military dependent?

We are very lucky to get what we get. It isn't always enough, but compared to the economy today, I am very grateful for what we have.

22. Do you have a lot of military wife friends?

I am very Blessed to have an amazing group of friends, current and past. I still chat with friends that I knew 9 years ago when I was just starting out. It's amazing the people you meet! :)

23. What is the hardest part of the military life?

I could go on and on about hardships. Sometimes, life in general, just isn't fair. Being apart from my husband so much is the biggest downfall. We didn't know what it was like to have an actual functioning marriage until we moved here and had some down time. Leaving friends is a big thing. I know leaving Dahlonega will be especially tough for us. We've made some amazing friends, civilian and military.

24. Do you own military wife stuff?

A few things, but nothing I tend to show off. It's kind of tacky to have all the 'I'm a wife' 'My husband is a soldier' and all that other jazz.

25. Do you support your spouse as a member of the military?

110%.

IF YOU’RE A MILITARY SPOUSE, TAG YOU’RE IT!!Any of my military bloggy friends.. you should do this!! Let me know if you do so I can come check it out :)

This is March, isn't it??

I can only imagine what July is going to feel like!! :-/

The kids are happy though :)

Sweet tooth!

We've all been there. That dreaded 3-6 days where our hormonal balance is out of whack and our husbands accuse us of being possessed :)

For me, this is the hardest time to live Paleo. All I want to do is attack the candy stand in the checkout line. Give me sweets and give me them NOW!!

After taking the kids to Dunkin Donuts (my Z got a great report card with a '2 free donuts sticker' to boot) my craving was in full swing for something sweet. So here is what I did:
handful of raw shrimp
OJ
Unsweetened coconut
Coconut oil
Veggies

Marinade the shrimp in about 1/2 cup of OJ for a few hours. Heat teaspoon of coconut oil in pan. Roll shrimp in coconut and 'fry' until pink. Steam veggies and voila!

It was just what I needed!

What is your way of dealing with sweet cravings?

Sometimes you just need to vent...

And sometimes, you just can't.

That's been my week this week. Some things I want to talk about, but can't. Some things I want to talk about, but choose not too.

It's been a struggle this week. Stress has gotten to me. I am trying to ignore it, but it's building up. I am trying to avoid people so that I don't just end up word vomiting on them. I feel like I am going to break soon.

But soon, yes soon, I shall have a moment to breath! Tomorrow night I am going with one of my dear friends to see the Hunger Games! YES! Mommy has a sitter and is going out! Watch out world!

On a plus side. I am still sticking to Paleo. No cheats so far since Sunday. YAY! Week one of school is almost over. 7 more weeks to go and about 4 times as many assignments due. Ok, I just depressed myself again. Head up. Chest out. You can do this.

Paleo planning 101

Tonight, this is my workspace.
I have my trusty schedule of meals and my week 1 grocery list in front of me :)
Meal planning is fun for me. I like to be one step ahead of my meal.
That's all I got :)

Let's get this started!

I am so excited {and inspired} tonight!
A {happy to say new} friend is joining Strend with me this session!! YAY! Misery loves company I always say! :)
It's going to be great. This girl is motivated and her motivation is getting me pumped up! Enough so that I want to blog about a few things Paleo tonight!
Recipes
Cheats
How to get your kids to enjoy Paleo
Everything I know so far. It's been almost a year. Cheese and sprinkles. Did I just say a year?!
WOW!
Hard to believe that a 2 week diet turned into almost a year of living this lifestyle.
I won't lie. I haven't loved every minute of it.
But that is ok. It's done great things for me.
Here are my stats after 10 months of Paleo, 4 months of exercise and one round of Strend {crossfit style workouts}

Lost 22lbs {I have been fluxuating (did I spell that right?!) but try not to be too hard with the numbers}
Lost 6% body fat in 8 weeks. YAY!
Lost 4 inches on my {sexy~HA} body
Shaved 17 seconds off my 400m run
I can now do 29 pushups, 22 situps & 20 pullups (jumping) in 1 minute for each event.

Not too shabby considering a year ago, I couldn't have done any of this! The things I have learned this Strend session are priceless.
I learned it's ok to lift weights. It's not going to make you look bulky. My husband kind of likes the fact that I know what a proper deadlift is. It's his kind of sexy ;)
I learned that my weight will change. And change again. But as long as I am feeling like I am accomplishing my goals, I am good. And I am now ok with that.

My trainer has taught me a lot. I <3 her. She knows when to get angry at you and push you, but then she's also a good friend who is willing to listen and give her advice when you need it!
I feel Blessed to have discovered all of this about me here in Dahlonega. I know these are life/health lessons that I will carry on for the rest of my life!

ok, so here is what I know you are waiting for. The recipes! These are some of my favs. Easy to accomodate to your family. My kids are about 80% Paleo converted. We're working on the rest. They are kids. I still want them to enjoy certain things :)

Paleo Fajitas ~ We eat ours in the lettuce boats, but we let the kids have some cheese and tortillas :) I also like to make some lime shrimp too so we have a variety when it comes to leftovers :)

Paleo meatloaf ~ You can make these mini style. Don't add all the 'yucky' stuff the kids won't eat. Then in the end, add the rest of the ingredients. We always end up with 2 bland mini loafs and 2 yummy ones  for us :)

Paleo Spaghetti ~ Absolute favorite Paleo dish! We use the spaghetti squash or shredded zuchinni for our pasta. The kids get regular pasta thanks to Z's avoidance to spaghetti squash. One day she will learn all the yumminess that comes with spaghetti squash :)

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin ~ 'Nuff said. Yummy!

I will add some more later. The kids are demanding baths right now. Who needs to be clean when there is blogging to do?! ;)