I swear… I had all the best intentions for this blog the last few months. I was determined to “up my blogging game” while the Hubby was deployed, but unfortunately, I just couldn’t keep up! I truly apologize! And, if I’m being honest… daily life just isn’t too exciting with just me here!

I’m using this post now to catch you all up on what has been going on in these last few months, and my intentions for the future of this blog.

NEW YEARS- TO SET RESOLUTIONS OR NOT?

Christmas had come and gone- and I was so grateful to have the opportunity to go home to Vermont. I was so worried about being here in Florida by myself for the holidays, but luckily I was not scheduled to work, and I spent some wonderful, much needed, time back home in snowy Vermont. When I came back it was New Years, and this is typically a time of year I really do love! I love the idea of a fresh start, of setting intentions and goals to better yourself in the upcoming new year.

This year I had an idea of what my goals for 2018 would be, but I was having a really hard time putting my thoughts into words! I knew in my heart how I felt and what I wanted for the year, but I just couldn’t express it! Until one day, it finally came to me

. . .

Living intentionally. Simplifying my day to day, my thoughts, goals, and life to simply live each day and moment with intent.

I’m a dreamer, always planning my next move before I’ve even finished my current one. And, while in some seasons of life that may be a good thing, I’m not sure it’s so healthy to do in all  seasons- daily.

I was reading about living intentionally one day and came across a quote that really summed up my feelings towards my goals for 2018.

“Rather than broadening our scope, we want to focus our attention on the areas of our lives that are worth giving all we’ve got.”

THIS hit the nail on the head! Like I said, I’m a dreamer, tend to bite off more than I can chew, and am often moving too quickly, putting so  much on my plate (wow… that’s a lot of food analogies!) So, for this year my goal has been to simplify- to live each day with intention- rather than putting too much on my plate, I choose to focus all my attention on the areas of my life that are worth giving all I’ve got! My relationships with my husband, friends, and family, and faith.

 

DEPLOYMENT

AGH deployment- you’ve been a roller coaster. I really haven’t shared too much about our deployment experience because, as any military spouse knows, OPSEC is of the utmost importance (I will explain this in another post). And honestly, it’s been a mixed bag of emotions for me. I typically don’t tend to share too many emotions on this blog, however it IS a new year!

There have been times during this deployment where I truly felt like I was on hidden camera somewhere! The outrageously ridiculous things that have happened around here have made it quite the adventure (and not a fun one!). I’m still not quite at the point where I can “look back and laugh”- but I’m sure I’ll get there eventually.

Murphy’s Law- What Can Go Wrong, WILL Go Wrong

Any military spouse is all too familiar with this. While I had often heard stories, I never really thought it could be all that true. But, Sir. Murphy hit me, and he hit me HARD in the first month of deployment. I won’t get into too much detail, but let’s just say the first 3 weeks of deployment involved an unexpected $400 vet bill, broken dishwasher, Dog vomit all over my expensive bedding at 11pm before a 5am alarm–> while that same night losing power for no reason with a dead phone and dead alarm, and a water leak that still has not been found…all in the first 3 weeks!

Despite the horrible first month, things have gotten better! I had plenty of visitors, wonderful care packages from friends, and the occasional conversation with Conor.

Now, we just not so patiently  patiently wait for his return home!

RECIPES

You may have noticed I had stopped publishing recipes. And to be honest, with just me around here my diet has consisted mainly of cereal, eggs, sandwiches and the occasional sushi takeout. Cooking for one is hard and without my taste tester here, my motivation has dropped! My resolution last year was to cook a new recipe every week to try to become more comfortable in the kitchen, and I succeeded!

I’ll continue to try new recipes and post them on here, they just won’t be as often. Until the hubby returns I’ll probably just stick to cereal….

I DID put together a list of the top recipes from last year, check that out HERE

VISITORS

I’m so incredibly lucky and blessed to have wonderful parents and in-laws who take time to come visit during deployments!

After I went home in December for Christmas, my Mom came out just a few weeks later to spend my first wedding anniversary with me.

Shortly after that, Conor’s Mom came out to spend some time with me. She is AWESOME and helped me tackle so many of the house chores I had planned for deployment.

And then just a few weeks after that, at the end of February, both my parents came out to finish helping me around the house, and get in some much needed “Vitamin SEA”

There was obviously lots of time spent with the dog at the beach!

FUTURE OF THE BLOG

My goal last year was to post more on here, and while I did often with recipes, that was about all I did. This is NOT  a food blog at all, but naturally it had turned into that.

This year, I’m determined to expand this blog more. I’m already crafting up ideas for future posts! By no means do we live this crazy awesome adventurous life, but I do love to write, share, and think I have quite a bit to offer on here!

So, thank you to those who have followed along on this journey so far- I’m looking forward to what the future holds… stay tuned!