Over it.

Alrighty... Now I apologize for being a little grumpy but sometimes that's just how it is. And right now I am feeling grumpy. 


I want to talk to my husband. For more than two minutes. I want to share my day with him. I want to tell him the stupid blonde things I do at work. I am a little over this right now. 


Also, if one more person tells me about how their friend's friend's, friend who was in the military totally cheated on his wife (or wife cheated on her husband) I might scream. Do you really think that I need to hear about that right now? Not that I think J would do that, but seriously people! What is wrong with you? Do you think that your story is making me miss my husband less or feel better about the situation we are in? NO! You jerk face! 


Okay and now that that's out I feel a little better. I realize that J is only in basic, and there really isn't much we can do, I still miss him. Thankfully he graduates soon and I am crossing my fingers that I will get to talk to him more. And praying that the time goes by SO fast. 


Ahhh....Bed time! Nighty night!

Blog Hop -Whoop Whoop!!!

I am so excited to join the MilSpouse Blog Hop. Thank you Wife on the Roller Coaster for starting this! Since my hubs is just finishing up basic, I am super new to the military spouse things and I am ready to meet some other lovelies who are going thru the same thing!

So here is a little bit about me: I married my high school sweet heart in May of 2008 at 21. We had dated for about 4 years before getting married. He is my best friend and the man who makes me laugh harder than anyone else. He has recently joined the Navy and is graduating Basic in about a week. Up until now we have only spend about 3 weeks apart in the last 6 years. This is a whole new experience for us but is making us a stronger couple. As you know, I am super new to this so I can't wait to meet some other MilSpouses and hear their stories and learn from their experiences. I'm not sure what else there really is to tell, so how about I tell you 5 things you may or may not know about me. =)

1) I LOVE coffee. Like a lot. J knows the way to my heart is to bring me coffee in bed. Some of my favorite moments with J is him bringing me coffee in the morning and setting it on my night stand before I wake up.

2) I can't watch scary movies. They give me nightmares. I know, I'm a baby but they scare me. I used to make MP watch George of the Jungle after she made me watch scary movies with her.

3) I love listening to artists like Michael Buble or Jimmy Needham because they make me feel like I am in a love story.

4) My husband is my best friend and closest confidant. I share everything with him. A lot of people didn't think that we would make it, and who would when you are in high school? I lost a few friends over this and I can't say that I miss them. Family means everything to me and I will fight for my family (and my friends who ARE family).

5) I will be a social butterfly in a room full of people who no one knows each other. I can talk with everyone and make friends in a snap. But get me in a room filled with people who all know each other but me and I can hardly speak. For some reason this intimidates me, but I am trying to get over it and pretend to be my happy bubbly self even when I'm not feeling it.

and I'll add a little extra one for flavor. 6) Sometimes I use words because they make me laugh. When I say things like word, or yo, or anything a little off the wall its because I love laughing. I may not look like a girl who should talk like that, but sometimes it just slips out. I may not always be what you expect, but know that I am just a girl living out these three words: live, laugh, love. Always!

Any whoo....check out Riding the Roller Coaster's Blog Hop. All of the lovelies out there worth checking out!!!

Love and God Bless!!
L
Or as my niece calls me... LiLu

I Have a Passion...

For personal finance. I know. I am a weirdo. I enjoy personal finance in my own life and seeing where my money goes, and how I spend my money. I enjoy helping others find where their money is going. Pay day excites me because I get to tell my money where to go. I know, I know, I am a loser. But this is my passion and I am really not worried what others think at this point. Now I wonder how to make my passion into my work. 


Currently, I work at a bank, and it surprises me how many people have NO IDEA where their money goes, and how much money they are spending on unnecessary things. I wish that I could help people, but it's not like you can tell customers "Hello!!!! If you didn't go to Dutch Bros 14 times in the same day while you were overdrawn you wouldn't have $175 in overdraft fees! Don't be an idiot!" Sadly you cannot call customer's idiots. Even when they deserve it. I'm not sure how to marry my passion for PF, and my desire to make a paycheck. I'm sure that one day it will come to me, but for now I will ponder it. And if anyone wants any help with budgeting, balancing your checkbook, or any other similar topic, holla at your girl! 


Off to go dream about numbers...and thank God for a husband who loves me in spite of my loserish-ness!!!


Love ya!
L

If only...

I had $200 extra to buy jewelry... then I would buy this...



Ahhhh T&Co. how you tempt me... 


But since there are many other things that I need and want to spend my money on, I will share this with Mr. J and hint. Not so subtly. =) 

Strongly Dislike...

I strongly dislike military forms...Mostly because they stress me out to fill them out. I don't want to put the wrong thing. And I never read them correctly. Ugh... I'm not even sure that I even want to fill this out. Darn you military forms. You confuse me. 


On another note, I strongly dislike not talking to my hubs. I miss his voice. I miss making him laugh. I miss telling him stories several times because I forgot I've told him in the first place. There is a reason you get married, and it isn't because you dislike someone!

On the other hand, I strongly like fruit salad (especially with cool whip), coffee ever morning, talking with my husband (even when it's only for 2 min.) and I love wearing stilettos with jeans. 

Just thinking about beautiful shoes makes me happy... Ahhh!! Now I can go to sleep in peace.


Love and God Bless!
L

Easy Like Sunday Morning

I love Sunday mornings, almost as much as Thursdays. There is something to be said about drinking coffee late into the morning, watching my church service online, finishing up chores, grocery shopping and relaxing. Today that relaxing is going to be done in the sun. Even better. 


This week has gone really well. It's not that I have been missing J any less, but I feel like I have fallen into a routine. The weekends are nice. I've been spending at least one day doing something fun that distracts me from being lonely. Last weekend was hiking, this weekend was baby showers and an awards ceremony for work with drinks with my che'lu and some friends afterwards.


I can't wait until J is  based so I will (hopefully) get to have these relaxing Sunday's with him once again. This time apart has just proven to me that my marriage is one of the best decisions of my life. Second to deciding to have a relationship with Jesus. With out those two things, I would not be the person I am today. I am so thankful for that. Spending this time apart from J makes me realize all of the wonderful things about him and also reminds me of all the fun we have together and the things I want to do in our future. I can only hope and pray that our relationship continues to grow in this way. But right now I am ready to see his face again. I miss that boy!


Love you all, and God bless!!
L


P.S. Che'lu means brother or sister in Chammoro (Guamanian). I mean my sister-in-law here, but she needed a cooler name that sister-in-law. And I lover her like a sister, so che'lu it is!

Thursday's are my Favorite.

They are my favorite because it usually mean's letters from J. And I love letters. Today was especially special because I not one letter but THREE letters. And one of them was two pages, front and back. And for anyone who knows my hubs, knows that this is impressive. 


It is so good to know that he is doing fine and passing all of his tests. I love to hear about his life and what is going on. That was what my long letter was about. Also, I had a mini freak out about person that was bugging me. And after my mini freak out, I apologized but I didn't want to re-write my letter, but felt bad about my freak out. And you know what my FABULOUS husband said? He agreed with me, and I should tell that person to be nicer. Well, those weren't his exact words, but close...Sorta. He backed me up, that's all that matters. =)


You know what? Time is flying by. It is only 15 more days until I fly to Great Lakes to see the Fabulous Mr. J. I for one, cannot wait. And while I know that he will have to go to "A" School right afterwards, I am still so happy that I will get to see him for a little bit. Maybe a few days if I am lucky. This is so doable. Only two more Thursdays to go. I think I might miss looking forward to Thursday so much. Maybe I will still get letters while he is in "A" school. And hopefully I will get some more phone call. 


I love my life. I hope you love yours too!
Love and God bless!!
L


P.S. Can I say that I dislike this new little upgrade to blogger? It was much easier to upload pictures the old way, plus I liked the old text colors better. Any one else feel me? 

Blessings

I have been complaining a lot on here and that really isn't my personality so I thought I would focus on the things that are going right in my life. 


1) We are so blessed for J to be in the Navy. As tough as this is right now (and it will probably only get tougher) I am so thankful that he is in. Not only will this bring exciting changes for us, but it is also something that I am so proud for my hubs to be doing. I am also blessed to have arguably the best husband ever. He is continually looking out for me and taking care of me. He makes me smile every day, and is always looking for ways to make life more interesting. He is my best friend, my rock, and he is pretty darn hot. I love his face!


2) I am so FREAKIN' blessed to be living with the best in-laws ever. Seriously. They have made my life so much easier. And I can just imagine how lonely I would be wandering around my empty house all by my self. God really knew what He was doing when he brought them into my life. 


3) I have some of the best friends that a girl could ask for. They pray for me, laugh with me (and sometimes at me), cry with me and know how to have a good time. Most day's I would be lost with out them. Even when we go weeks or months with out talking, I can pick up the phone and it's like no time has passed. They are amazing. 


4) I have a wonderful family. There are times when we do not always agree but they are family none the less. I am blessed to have them in my life. 


5) This may seems a little silly to some, but my puppies are a blessing to me. They bring me joy when I am sad. Gotta love man's best friend!


Well this is a short list today, but I am thankful none the less.  God has blessed me and my family so much and truthfully I can't believe I ever lived life "without" him. 


Love and God Bless!
L

Why do I always do this?

Do you ever find yourself just worry, worry, worrying and stressing yourself out only to pray about things and have them work out just fine? I swear this happens to me all the time! I am a worrier. I should be in W.A. (worriers anonymous). I learn this lesson every time too. Isn't that the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? Great. One more thing to worry about. =)

All of those things that I was worrying about yesterday have all been resolved (mostly). All it took was a lot of prayer and a great to do list. Weird, would any of you imagined that I have a to do list? Or several for that matter? Haha! Of course!

So I just want to say thank you to those who believed in me, and those who told me to pray and that everything would be fine. I love you and an so thankful for you. I'm blessed to have you in my life! (Amanda and Sashie!)

Love,

L

Sometimes Life Is Hard..

Sometimes life is just hard. This week has felt hard for me. It was easier when J was here. Someone to share the load with. Someone to take charge of half the duties. We have received two letters from the DMV this week to register vehicles. One vehicle we sold, the other is a motorcycle something that I pay no attention to because I don't drive (ride?) it. So this week I've had to figure out how to find out our insurance information for a vehicle that I am not insured on and now I need to write a letter stating that I don't even own the other vehicle. And I have no idea who it was sold to or when, because of course I don't have a bill of sale for it. Great.

Then I get a letter from my insurance people saying that they do not believe that I need to be getting further treatment for an accident I was in back at Christmas. They apparently are not paying for any treatments that I have received since the sometime in March. Awesome. That is over $1,000 in medical treatment that I might have to pay. I still need to talk to my insurance company to see exactly what the heck is going on, but that about sums it up from the "explanation of benefits" they sent to me. I am so glad that my chiropractor did not tell me that the insurance was not paying them.

Then today I received my dress for a wedding that I will be in, in August. It doesn't fit. No way no how. Not gonna zip. I haven't gained weight (I swear!) and this is the size that they associate helping me told me I should get. But there is no way that this dress should have fit me at any point. All I can think of is that the dress she had me try on in the store was bigger. Somehow. And I signed a receipt saying that I understand that there are no returns. Great. So maybe I will get to buy two dresses. And I can't tell the bride, cause she will FLIP. These dresses needed to be ordered (correctly) back in August. Ugh....So tomorrow will be spent gong to David's Bridal trying to fix this mess.

Ugh. I wish that J was here to share the burden with me. He would know what to do. Know how to fix things. Be my shoulder to cry on. And I know that these are all little things, but they are adding up to me. And I don't want to worry J while he is at basic so this will become my place to vent. It will all become easy once again I am sure. This moment is just a little hard.

Love and God Bless,

L

Missing Him...

Miss him...That's about all there is too it. Thank God I am living with J's parents. Not only is it nice to have voices in the house, but they understand when I am a little teary. MoLaw texts and asks if she can bring me home ice cream. Seriously? Heck yea!

My In-Laws are amazing. There are times when Faasha will say things and my only response will be "I don't even need my husband here. That is exactly what he would have said!" The invite me to things and make sure that I am not spending too much time alone. They care about me, and they care about J. The love me like I was their daughter. Being here feels like coming home. I am so blessed.

So I Feel Like A:

Jerk Face. Yup I said it. A jerk face. Here I am moaning on about how I miss my husband and how much being away from him stinks and you know what, there are tons (like bazillions) of lovely military wives out there dealing with their hublets on deployment. And what am I complaining about? Stupid Basic Training. Yep I don't get to talk to him except for maybe a letter a week, but he is safe. He is not in another country, he is a few states away.

In the giant scheme of things I really should be counting my blessings. And trust me I am. But let me tell you, those wives are the ones who are amazing. They are the ones who I look up to. And one day I will be one of them. But right now, my prayers go out to the wives of men who are serving our country. May their hubbies be safe. May they come home quickly. Lord please bless them. And comfort them. Thank you Lord!!!

Here is my verse of the day: Hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. Psalm 130:7

I am always failing the expectations I have for myself when it comes to loving others. From the love that I show my hublet, to the love that I show my friends or family. I am falling short of being the loving person I want to be. But I am thankful that God is perfect. And because of him, I can try again every day. Woo Hoo!!!

Oh and P.S. Another place I fail at is taking pictures. Do you know that I took my camera in to watch my hubs get sworn in and I DID NOT TAKE A SINGLE PICTURE?!?!?! I suck.

=)

Goals:

One of the blogs that I read regularly is called budgetsaresexy.com Super funny. Any-who, JMoney was talking about financial goals and how many is too many. And I thought maybe I should share what my goals are. The way I see it is if I put my goals out there then I will feel obligated to complete them. Which is a good thing. So here it goes:

Goal #1

Pay off all credit card debt. This is something that J and I have been working on for a while. We are down to our last credit card with less that $3,000 to go. Which may sound like a lot to some, but to us this is a whole heck of a lot of progress. Should be paid off in less that 8 months. 6 if we are really diligent.

Goal #2

Create an Emergency Fund of at least $5,000. This number makes me feel safe. Actually I would feel even better at $10,000 but I think that I should set my sights a little lower at first. Right now we are at just over $2,000. We should get to 5K in less than a year. I am putting all of our excess money towards savings but I need a little more time to estimate what J's paychecks are before I nail down a better timeline.

Goal #3

Save for fun stuff. I would really like to have a bigger budget for things that are fun in our lives. We have two trips that are coming up that we would like to go on. Maui 2011 and Guam 2012. I know that we will make them, we just need to save for them now. Also I know both J and I would like to do more fun things. Wether it is going shopping, out to dinner, or something else, I know that we both would love a little more fun in our lives.

Goal #4

Buy a new mattress. OMG we need one badly. We own a full mattress that is very old and very used and been passed on down to us. We would love to buy a brand spankin' new queen Temporpedic (or off brand) mattress. In a perfect world we would get this mattress directly after we get based. But I feel like J should be involved in the process so I sort of need his body to test with me. It's gonna happen. Sleeping on a full mattress (and a lumpy one at that) is making me even more grumpy in the mornings than I usually am.

Welp, those are my goals. Mostly financial, but what can I say. I am a PF nerd at heart. =)

*Paraphrased*...For I know the plans that I have for you. Plans for good and not for disaster. Plans to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29-11

This verse is my life verse. I am a planner at heart and I continually need to give my plans over to God and let him take control in my life. He always knows where I am going and where I have been. He has the map, I'm just along for the ride.

Love and God Bless!

L

I Rock!

I forgot to mention that not only did I get my military ID today, but I also worked out, drank coffee, and was productive at work. Does this day get any better? Yes it does! I wrote my hubby a letter and am currently cuddled up with my puppies watching NCIS. Life is good. The only thing missing is J.

Moo-Lah!!

So I don't know about anyone else, but if there is money in my checking accounts that I should be able to spend it! That has probably been the hardest part of having J gone. I am getting extra money, he is not spending extra money and there is more in my checking account than should be. And that is a GREAT thing. The only down side is that I seem to be finding things that I "need." And by "need" I mean a wish list at Victoria Secret of about $100+, or a $60 winter coat that I "have to have." I actually bought the jacket...Oops! But this has been a great lesson for me. Make a plan for your money and follow thru with it. Had this money been in my savings account I would have never touched it. Or had I put it towards my credit card debt (should be paid off in less than 6 months WOOT WOOT!) it would have been used towards something productive. And while I am glad that I have this new jacket there is a sort of guilt that goes along with it. There are other things that my money can go towards and I buy something frivolous.

Well it's all said and done now and there is nothing to do except live and learn. Make a plan for my money and follow thru with it. Put the money in savings. Or put it towards the credit card. Or deposit it into J's spending account so he will have money to buy something fun after basic. Continue to give myself an "allowance" and stick to it. And give myself a little slack every now and again!

"He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a broken down city without a wall." Proverbs 25:28

A broken down city is not something I would like to be. Let me be whole and thriving. Again, Father, let me be a good steward of the money that you give to me. And help me have a plan in place for when J and I are reunited. Let us bless others in the way that you have blessed us. Thank you Lord!!!

Navy Man

Only 25 more days until I see my Navy man! I am so excited to see J and catch him up on all the things that have changed financially in our lives. I enjoy being the PF geek in our family and J is more that happy to let me take charge. I cannot explain how much of a relief a constant paycheck has been. Plus it is giving me the ability to pay off debt, save some money, and have a little bit extra to have some fun with. One thing that I have learned over the last year or so is that when you don't have a little extra money for fun, life is not so fun. Not that money is everything but it definitely is a blessing. Thank you Lord for blessing J and I. Let us be good stewards of the money you provide us, and let us be a blessing to those around us!

Amen and God Bless!

L

This has to be on my own personal "Top 10 Things That Annoy Me":

Here is the deal-eo. I have a "friend" who is always complaining about how the don't have any money. They have a ton of credit card debt, large car payments, a large house payment and no budget. The No Budget is probably on my top 20 list of things that annoy me, but I'll save that for another post. So this "friend" announced that she and her husband planned to buy a camper trailer. It started out as a $4,000 trailer to replace the one that they bought last year. Then it turned into a larger more expensive camper before finally buying a brand spankin' new camper trailer. Now I have no idea how much they paid for this, but I know it is a lot. About the price of a new car, I am sure. And along with telling me that they bought this new trailer, my "friend' told me that she refinanced her car to make her payments lower so they can afford this trailer. Oh! And in a few (like 3) years their truck will be paid off so that will free up a ton of money. Also, she was wanting to get rid of her car only a month ago to upgrade to a bigger mom car. She drives a full size SUV by the way and has no children. I want to take my "friend" and shake her! She is a few years older than me and I feel like I have learned this lesson and want to share my knowledge with her. So, instead of shaking her I will share my advice on here.

First and foremost, how can you know how much money you have (or don't have) if you do not have a budget. Or spending plan. Or just plain keep complete track of where your money is going. Mint.com is free and easy to use. Or I use a spreadsheet. There are free and easy ways to track your money. How do you know if you can afford things if you don't know where your money is leaking (or hemorrhaging) to?

Secondly, there are always going to be new things that you will want to buy. Once your truck is paid off, do you really think that your husband will not be itching to buy a new car? Or you will want to upgrade your current car? Probably so. Or maybe you will have different wants or need. Maybe you will want a new motorcycle. Or you have taken up rock climbing and want to build a fake rock wall in your back yard. I'm just saying, there is always something else to want on the horizon.

And lastly, why must you talk to every person you see and tell them about this trailer that you just bought and the fact that you and your husband will be trying to have children in the next three weeks. These people are not your friends. They see you because they have to. Not that they probably don't like you, but some things should be reserved for close friends only. Or people who see you because they like you, not because they have to. Not everyone wants to hear about you procreating. Or about the newest thing that you bought.

Moral of the story is: Please share your good news with people who truly care about you! Also, not everyone wants to keep up with the Joneses. The Joneses are so yesterday and you my friend are today. Make your self a little happier and a little less stressed by paying off your debt and saving for the things that are truly important to you and your family.

As I finish this post I find myself thinking: Maybe I should be praying about my attitude towards this "friend" of mine. Maybe I should be finding ways to love her and show the love of God to her and not my annoyance over the things she does. So I will sign off with a verse that I am going to pray will change my attitude:

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32

Love,

L

My First Post

Well Mrs. Amanda, I've done it. I created a blog. And it was just as easy as you said. Hopefully you will be my very first (and probably only) friend. Maybe this will encourage me to take more pictures, post them on here so you can see my very crazy life.

Today there are only 26 more days until I see the fabulous Mr. S. He will then be an official Navy Man. I still cannot bring myself to say Seaman without giggling, but hopefully by then I will be able to restrain the giggles. I am so proud of him for joining the Navy. I know it was a really hard decision for him to make and he prayed long and hard about it. He knew that he would be putting his life on the line, leaving his family often, and changing our lives forever. I could not be more proud of him. While I wish he was here I know that this separation has only made us stronger. Right now there are many days that I cannot wait for. The day he graduates and I finally get to see him again. The day he gets based and I can finally live with my husband again. Well, there is two at least! Our lives have forever been changed, but I can tell you for sure that I can not wait to see where life takes us!!!