Update

I'm finally finished! I have finally taken the AFOQT. Now all I have to do is wait for about two weeks for my results. In the meantime, I've got a book list to get through.

Also, for the next three weekends Jared and I have plans. We have a wedding, parents coming to visit and a hiking trip. Once I have test results I'll be busy doing paperwork so I might not be on the blog very much.

Thank you for the prayers and positive thoughts.

Wish Me Luck

Tomorrow I take the AFOQT. My stomach is in knots and I'm nervous as I can be. Why? This test determines my future for possibly the next year.

It will determine if I will join the military or not. If I fail the test, I will have to find a regular job and in six months (if I want to) I can retake the test and hope to pass. My hopes are to make good scores in the areas that I'm interested in and I'll be shipped off into basic training by the end of the year. I'm also praying if all goes well I will be stationed here in Fort Worth and we don't have to move anytime soon.

With Jared "possibly" leaving for deployment at the beginning of next year I'm hoping that I'll be done with basic training and tech school before then to spend time with him (and hopefully get preggers).


I need prayers and positive thoughts/energy right now. Wish me luck!

Marriage Monday

One of the main things I love about our little farm is that Jared and I work together maintaining it. Kuddos to those who have a much bigger farm and more animals AND taking care of it alone. It's hard work.

This past weekend Jared and I did nothing but yard work. There were chores and extra things that needed to be done on our list and we decided to tackle it all during the weekend.

I love that we do the work together. There are some chores that he strictly does (like cut down dead branches) and chores that I do (water and weed the garden) but there are things we help each other with like trimming goat hooves (that takes an army to do). When I was done with the garden chores I noticed Jared was still working on trimming trees and cutting dead branches, and they were scattered all over the front yard. Since I was available I went ahead and grabbed the wheelbarrow and my gloves. I love that we don't have to (mostly) communicate that we need help.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL this weekend and I was bummed that half the time we were doing yard work and the other half I was studying. But I'm sure there will be other chances to enjoy nice weather.

Saturday night we went out to dinner and got Jared new cowboy boots and Sunday morning we got to worship the Lord. It was a great weekend spending time with the hubby.

We Remember

Today marks the 14th anniversary of 9/11, one of the most terrifying moments of American History. I was only ten years old when it happened and I remember my mother pulling my brother and I out from school early so she can bring us home. The t.v. was on and showing two buildings (I didn't know what they were called at the time) on fire. I didn't understand the significance of what was going on. It wasn't until a few days later my parents explained what had happened and what it would possibly mean for our future.


Now, I am 24 and it is because of today's reflections I wanted to share that I am joining the military as an Air Force Officer. Next Thursday I will be taking the AFOQT, or Air Force Officer Qualification Test. If I pass then I will begin the paperwork and prepare for basic training and technical school. This is a life-changing decision that I'm happy to make. Almost every man in my immediate and extended family has served our country and I want to be part of that legacy. I am wanting a career I can be proud of and inspire other women and, possibly, younger women to get involved. Plus, there's a lot of benefits involved like a good retirement. 


The military has always been a subject I get passionate about. God bless those who have to say something bad against them because I will not tolerate it. There are times when I get on Facebook and I have to turn it off because of how angry some people's actions make me. For example, the flag stomping rave. Let's not go there!

Thankfully, whenever I have shared my intentions people have been positively supportive. My mother may not be happy about it but I know she's proud of her daughter stepping up. It's a comfort too when Jared has been so supportive and helpful. There are nights when he wants to take care of errands or chores that need to be done but, instead, he helps me study. When there are times when I start to doubt myself, he knows the right words to say. I could not have a better support system.


Today, let's remember not only those who've died on 9/11 but also for those who've died protecting us for the past 14 years.

Written Word Wednesday

I will be starting a new novel soon but in the meantime I'll be posting great quotes that stand out to me on Pinterest. Have a great Wednesday!

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

This could never be more true about me lately.

After witnessing my cousin's wedding, I am reminded how much I dearly love my husband. This quote speaks volumes of what we've been through together and what we will experience in the future.

Marriage Monday

Jared and I had an amazing time at my cousin's wedding. It was a great opportunity to spend some time with family that I don't get to see or talk to much. Even better, my husband got to meet them. There was a lot of dancing and laughing throughout the night.

There was not enough time.

Congratulations to Bryce and Aubrey! And have a wonderful Labor Day!

Random Friday Post

Good Morning!

When it comes to the blog I haven't done anything so today's post is a bit random. Jared has a four-day weekend starting today-Yay!

We are hanging out with some friends tonight and I love entertaining!

Last night Jared and I bought four different kinds of alcohol...I promise we're not alcoholics. We initially got Smith&Forge cider and Strongbow cider. Later when we went to World Market (I love that place) we found Jared's favorite Ace pineapple cider so we obviously had to grab it. It's hard to find it consistently anywhere so when we see it we get it. And we also, for the heck of it, grabbed Angry Orchard's Summer Honey. We really love our ciders.

For the entirety that Jared was gone for TDY, Annabelle was in heat and I had to put her in doggie diapers. That sucked. For two weeks I constantly watched Ranger and yelled at him every time he would go near Annabelle, I would watch her from chewing the butt part of the diaper off AND make sure it stays on her, and keep them separated when they would have to go outside to do their business. I couldn't leave the room for two minutes without Ranger trying to hump the poor girl. It was sooooo annoying and I'm glad that it's over.


Apparently, I have a new tenant in my garden named Mr. Banana Spider...I'm not happy.

How terrifying is that!?!

Jared tells me that I should keep him around so he can eat the bugs but I have chickens for that! I hate spiders! He's currently eating a dragonfly (I love dragonflies). He's going to be kicked out of my garden one way or another.


On a happier note, Sunday is my cousin's wedding and I am so excited. He's from my  birth father's side of the family, which I don't get to see very much. I found out several other members of the family will be there so I am really looking forward to it, especially for Jared to meet this side of my family.

Last but not least, my goddaughter, Raevyn, will be turning 3 tomorrow! I wish I could be with her. Jared and I already sent her a gift and a cute card. I can't believe how big she is growing!

Have a great weekend!

Marriage Monday

I have decided to take a two week vacation from blogging for a few reasons: writer's block, my husband was sent off for TDY for two weeks and took my laptop with him, and I just wanted to take a break from a lot of things.

The two weeks that Jared was gone seemed forever. It was nice for a couple days to have the house to myself but then I started to struggle to sleep at night without him. I have a horrible time sleeping without my husband home. I just can't do it without the help of a few glasses of wine, which is a horrible habit to have. After the first week of him being gone, I had a late night scare that kept me awake for almost the rest of the second week.

My dogs are usually good at letting me know if there's someone around, or close to, the property and I've been relying on them as alarms. As for personal protection, I don't think they're much help. So I had kept two impressive looking knives and a pellet gun, loaded with pellets that could injure someone enough to, hopefully, scare them off. Thankfully I never had to use them. I've once or twice woken up by Ranger barking but it ended up being kids passing by our house to the bus stop.

I'm just glad that Jared is back home.

Farm Friday

Sorry for being gone for a while. A lot has been happening and this past week was nuts between my grandparents visiting, a backpacking trip and me studying for an important exam (I'll talk about it Monday).

About three weeks ago I've planted a few things a little late but I figured with Texas we'll be warm for a little while until late October. I planted summer squash, cucumbers, pumpkin, and green beans.

 

 

This is the green beans about a week ago. They're twice as big now. I'm super excited to see what will come out of this.


This past weekend, Jared and I met his parents halfway to Arkansas to go on a backpacking excursion. We picked out a trail that was about five miles long. I've never done anything like it and it was such a blast. The pictures below will show you what we mostly took, and who carried what.

I was in charge of snacks, meals, and clothes.

Jared was in charge of the big, heavy stuff like our tent.

 I'll have to admit it got pretty miserable the first evening and trying to find a place to hunker down for the night. We wanted to be near the lake but it was mostly surrounded by rocks.

 

No bueno! But my father-in-law found a spot that looked like it was used as a camp site. It had rocks formed to make a fire pit and a table...weird.

 Once we settled in and jumped in the cool lake I felt loads better. Our way back felt it took less time and it was very rewarding because at the beginning of the trail we discovered a creek with running COLD water. That was all we could think of on our way back. As soon as we were done, we changed and got in the cold creek. It was definitely the perfect ending of a hot hike. The evening of the second day we camped out on the official camp grounds near the trails and relaxed on the lake and played games.

Not only am I proud of myself for doing it but I'm proud of my in-laws. They have incredible strength and endurance. I love that we were able to create amazing memories like this trip. It will definitely be something I will never regret. We agreed that we are going to make it a tradition to meet halfway and go backpacking...but we'll do it in the fall, not in the summer. haha!

Written Word Wednesday

"...I love the early mornings that get me outdoors before the sun crests the tree line. Ad I love the early nights tucked in under heavy blankets with my kind dogs, too tired and too grateful for their heat to kick them out from under the covers. I love holding baby chicks in my dirty palms and feeling their rapid-fire heartbeats under baby down. I love the black soil of spring, the sweat and humidity of summer, and even the downpours that wash away three months of work inn the garden. To become a farmer is to accept the worst offerings of chance and laugh at them, understand that there is no difference between the pleasure or the pain because feeling either is proof you are still waltzing among the living. You pray to the fireflies and black flies alike. You learn to love both the smell of baby lambs and the blood buckets on hog-slaughtering day. They are the exact same thing in the end. Life. All of this, proof positive that life surrounds us, and leaves us, and we're just another bit of blood and meat blessed with pleasure..."


"...My spring garden is tilled up with a hoe, shovel, and pitchfork as soon as I can work the ground(which is generally in April), and then I seed directly into the soil. My growing medium is a combination of the rocky topsoil and compost from the piles of animals' bedding and manure that break down over the seasons. Any particular garden bed may receive the gifts of last winter's pigs', chickens', and horses' plop. Time and the magical heat of decompositions turn the manure into a black, worm-filled powerhouse of veggie nutrition...All winter I eat good, filling meals, but they mostly consist of root vegetables, meats, and soups. The kind of comfortable foods you mop up with a chunky of heavy bread, that leave you ready to curl up and take a nap by midafternoon. But as spring awakens I crave lighter fare; my body screams for it..."

Foodie Friday

Normally I don't like to be a "hater", well, I don't think a hater is a good word. I guess maybe a "negative nancy" when it comes to restaurants. But last date night was not a good night. I don't mean as in the worst night in the world but it still sucked. So I feel compelled to share this with everyone as a warning of what your getting yourself into when you go to this place.

Jared's friends at work highly recommended Woodshed created by Texas-known Chef Tim Love. Some of his other restaurants include the Love Shack and Lonesome Dove. I looked up the website because I wanted to be ready to pick a dish when we get there; it looked great. They even had ramen on the menu, score!


We drive up to the restaurant and its packed; that's usually a good sign. We didn't have to wait even 5 minutes to get in-even better. But things started to go downhill when I ordered a drink. I asked for a pint of Woodchuck and they bring me this.

A small plastic cup for $10!  (it was filled up to the top, no ice) That is not a pint! That was rape. I should have sent it back but I didn't.

Looking at the menu, the dishes sounded amazing. We were a little nervous about the pricing though. Jared went with the rib meat tamales and I got the bourbon and coke "bahn mi" tacos. Our dishes did not come with sides; that was going to be $5 a piece so we didn't get any.

 

 

First of all, there was nothing "bahn mi" about these tacos. Even with quotation marks on the menu. Just don't. You can see the pile of sliced jalapeno peppers on the side that I had to scrape off from my meat. Shame on you whoever thinks that a mountain of peppers will hide the lack of flavor. The meat was ok, but it had a dryness to it and I was in need of some sauce. I got three tortillas for the dish but the meal was still small. My dish cost $9.



Jared only got two tamales and they were small. He said the filling was ok but nothing special. He, too, paid $9 for this. That's $4.50 a tamale. A bit ridiculous for the size and lack of flavor for us. Granted, Jared ordered from the 'Simple Plates' section of the menu but the pricing and flavors still stood out negatively for us.

We left pretty shortly after eating everything. We were still hungry and that made me mad. No customer should leave a restaurant hungry. Ever. We were not willing to pay extra $20 or so to fill us up. I expected a lot from Chef Tim Love's cooking. No I didn't expect him to cook the meal for us personally but I expected his cooks to prepare the dishes exactly how he would have presented the food.

I have never left a restaurant frustrated like that before which is why I feel that I should warn people that if you come to this restaurant, be prepared to get raped. The atmosphere was chill and definitely our kind of scene and the staff were great. You should definitely go for the atmosphere and the live music but don't buy the food. Jared and I are considering giving Woodshed another chance and try their ribs or some other BBQ, but it will not be any time soon.

Written Word Wednesday

For my next novel I've chosen Cold Antler Farm by Jenna Woginrich. This novel got me inspired to start my farm dream. The story is a woman's account of how she got started with her 6 acre farm and how she manages it on her own.

"...I had been offered a job working for a clothing retailer on the Northern Rockies. They paid for my move, and once again I drove a packed station wagon to my new home. In hindsight, it was an erratic and crazy change in my life, but I am certain that surviving that jump was the only reason I could pack up from the city and move cross-country alone. If I made it that time, I could make it again. SO I left the city and everything I had built, career- and relationship-wise, to follow an idea I understood only from the vantage point of a bookstore cafe's magazine racks. For me, it was 2,800 miles and three time zones away to turn glossy pages from a farming magazine into reality. "

"The 1860s farmhouse had my name on the deed just three months after the day I first saw it. Sometimes things simply work out.
    And sometimes there's a reason: the house wasn't very popular on the local market. Families and professionals weren't interested in the old, wavy floors and the single bathroom on the first floor. I can't blame them for not investing in exactly what they wanted, or envisioned. However, I was not buying with such concerns on the table. I didn't need something for a magazine shoot or a remodeled kitchen with steel appliances. I needed land, water, grass, and possibility. The little house was a blessing, a perfect fit. I didn't care about my furniture sitting level, but I did care about the pasture, barns, forest, pond, stream, and outbuildings crying for a caretaker. It became home that moment I pulled the driveway. .."

"I, Jenna Woginrich, am weather's bitch.
  I didn't always live like this. I can remember-just a few years ago-the days of waking after hitting SNOOZE at least four times and staggering like a zombie to the coffeemaker. I'd shower and dress myself, and only when I realized I was about to walk outside to my car did I even consider the atmosphere. And even then it was only for reasons of fashion. Was it a light jacket or heavy cardigan day? Should I avoid the suede boots in case of puddles in the office parking lot? That brief acknowledgment was all the import I assigned to weather. Meteorology seemed archaic to me back then, lost lore, something for someone else to worry about."

Marriage Monday

Lately Jared and I have been, well, frustrated, with life for a while. There are a few projects in the farm and home that we want to take care of but we have been super tight on money. Jared is, especially, frustrated because there are a few things he's wanting to buy, including a tractor that would help get a few of the yard projects done quickly, but that's not happening anytime soon.

Plus I'm under a bit of stress regarding my future (that I've yet to reveal) that involves taking an important test.

So a little bit of positive energy and prayers would be super.

Farm Friday

Wednesday evening, I (well my husband did first) discovered one of the younger chickens had died. It was the little one that turned out to be a cockerel, my sweet boy Beckham. I am not sure if it had just happened yesterday or the night before. We have suspicions that it was our new puppy Annabelle, but there was no blood or bite marks that we could see.  There were several bald spots where his feathers have been ripped out.

I was devastated, knowing that there was an opportunity to save him and I didn't. I hated that he suffered. But my husband made a point that we were going to have to choose to get rid of him (meaning make him Sunday dinner) or our other rooster. I would have rather he had died by my hands than in a fight with something else and suffer for it. 

Then yesterday, we left the dogs out in the backyard while hubby and I went for a short run. As soon as we came back we noticed one of the other younger hens had died too. There were feathers all around Annabelle's muzzle. We found the culprit!

Jared was livid with her. He picked up the dead chicken and tried to bring it to Annabelle so he can punish her for it. Obviously, she was scared of him yelling at her so it didn't work so we had put her in her kennel. Our puppy is grounded for the weekend.

I'm not happy with this at all. If it was one of the older hens I probably wouldn't be as upset but the babies are the ones we've raised since they were days old chicks. I have motherly feelings toward them and now we only have three younger girls.

I don't know how to train our puppy from staying away from them but we've got to figure out something. This is not ok! We don't intend to get rid of her; we already have a bond with her and she's part of the family. But something needs to be done.

Written Word Wednesday

"...The young woman's hand, touching her skin, sent something like an electric shock through The Queen. People didn't usually reach out to touch her at unchoreographed moments. She knew how to keep her distance when they looked like they might want to grab her hand. This woman had touched her unexpectedly and the human contact suddenly revived her. She remembered how people sometimes glowed when she reached out to shake their hands, usually with gloves on, but sometimes not. They all seemed to adore it. It was a power she had, touching people, the royal touch, a power she'd at that moment just recalled. From the Middle Ages up until Queen Anne's time, people had believed in the royal touch as a cure for illness. The woman had given her a jolt, but not an unpleasant one..."


"...Under normal conditions Lady Anne certainly would have stood up when The Queen entered the room. She was literately doubled over with the combined pain from her shoulder and headache, however, and found it impossible to move.
  "Forgive me, Your Majesty. Feeling a little under the weather at the moment. A kind of migraine, I fear." She pronounced "migraine" as if it were a French word.
  "I expect it's the stress," said The Queen kindly. "Happy Baby would help with that."
  "Happy Baby, Ma'am?" The stress?" Anne was beginning to fear that The Queen had given in to old ladies' confusion again.
  "Happy Baby. Yes. Yoga pose. You roll on the floor, while holding your legs in the air and massage your back. Relaxes you no end. I could show you here, but we'd need some yoga mats. The stress of looking for me, I meant."
  Anne shot a cautious glance in Shirley's direction. When they'd discovered The Queen on Waverley station the previous evening, they'd been so relieved to have found her that they hadn't required any explanations of her. They had wondered whether she hadn't had a small stroke, or was showing the first sign of dementia , not uncommon for someone of her age...


"...Diana died quite a long time ago," observed Lady Anne into her lap. "What is it? Ten years now surly?"
  "Well, yes, it was some time ago," agreed The Queen. "But I may have been having a delayed reaction. And then Mummy and my sister dying together in the same year. Barely a month apart. At first that was liberating in a way. One was old, the other unhappy. They were both ready to go. But recently it has seemed to hit me more forcibly. That sense of being alone. It'll be me next, of course."
  "And the winter coming on now," said Anne bending sideways to look at The Queen. "The darkness doesn't help, does it?" she asked sympathetically.
  "Oh, I don't know. That may be contributing. But it just struck me. And I was quite sad. I felt quite, well desperate. And I thought to myself, 'When are the times I've been happy?' Britannia of course came to mind. I thought I might run up and have a look at her I had a wander over to the Mews to look at the horses. Talked to Rebecca about the cheddar that Elizabeth likes. Some painters turned me out into the road. Didn't recognize me. I had on Rebecca's jacket, you see? And I thought, well, now I'm out, maybe I'll catch a train to Scotland. Did you know the Prime Minister told me they want to abolish the royal train? I'll have to learn to live without it. So I thought, 'I'll sample the public train, have a look at Britannia, and take a bite of that cheese from Paxton & Whitfield.' And, well," she put her hands on her hips and began chuckling, "I was away. I was off."


"...After forty-five minutes, she turned to Luke, and said, "Now, Major Thomason, can you help me find Mrs MacDonald, please?" He had inquired earlier where the room was and led her to the lift that would take her up to the eight floor. The private secretary had telephoned when Shirley was admitted to ask that arrangements be made to give her a private room, rather than in a crowded ward, where most of the cardiac patients on the National Health Service were placed. When The Queen, Luke, and Anne arrived at the room, they all three looked in with trepidation, slightly fearing what shape they might find the patient in. They were surprised to find that William, Rajiv, and Rebecca had preceded them, all three having walked over from the Old Vic while The Queen was downstairs making her rounds. Rajiv was in the thronelike visitor's chair, singing a Bollywood tune from the play they'd just seen. Rebecca was standing awkwardly behind him, looking embarrassed. William was bending over Shirley and trying to persuade her to have a plastic spoonful of ice shavings.
  Rajiv leapt to his feet when he saw The Queen, William straightened up, with the spoon still in his hand, and Rebecca continued to look ill at ease. Shirley was awake, alert, and angry. She had an intravenous tube in her arm. She was still too weak to stand unassisted.
  "Ah," said The Queen. "Here before us to attend the patient, I see. Still in one piece, Mrs MacDonald?"
  "Semi," said Shirley, unwillingly.
"Well, you look all right. Now, gentlemen, that will be all. This ward is ladies only."
Rajiv protested, "We've been here for the last fifteen minutes and it was all right with them."
"Yes, but you're no longer wanted. Lady Anne and Rebecca and I shall be taking over. Thank you very much, Cheddar. Thank you, Mr de Morgan. Thank you, Major Thomason." There was nothing for the three men to do but gather their things and depart, two of the three squeezed Shirley's hand and William kissing her cheek on the way out....


Her nerves felt overly stimulated and she knew that, though she was exhausted, she would not sleep unless she took some measures to relax and calm down. She suddenly recalled the traditional last pose of her yoga practice, savasana, in which, at the end of all the hard work and stretching and holding difficult positions, she lay covered up on the floor, breathing deeply, listening to her breath, but purposely not allowing her mind to wander onto any discordant thoughts. She went and found Rebecca's hoodie, which she had not yet returned to her, put it on, and, stepping out of her shoes, lay wrapped in the hoodie prone upon the floor on top of a yoga mat. She stretched out her arms and legs, closed her eyes, and lay for five minutes, doing nothing, thinking nothing, but breathing deeply.
  When she opened her eyes, she felt better. She said a brief word of thanks to her body for supporting her through the practice as she'd been instructed to do by her teacher. Then she pulled herself to her feet by gripping the side of a chair, changed into her nightgown, and walked deliberately over to the small laptop computer that was on her bedside table. She got into bed with the laptop computer on her knees and her copy of Henry V. Like the others, she was feeling unusually moved by the conclusion of the play. She found a vaguely remembered passage from Act V, where the French Queen hopes Henry's former hatred of France will come to an end in his marriage to her daughter, Katherine. She notes how angry and poisonous his former view of his French antagonists had been, then adds, "The venom of such looks, we fairly hope, have lost their quality, and that this day shall change all griefs and quarrels into love."

Marriage Monday

When you marry your spouse, you marry their families. You are told this millions of times but you don't fully understand the concept until you are in the middle of a situation; and you think "I'm married to this family! How did that happen?" Most of the time it can be a blessing, while other times it can be a struggle.

Yesterday was very stressful and a bit too much for my taste. In result, I became stressed out. I have found a few tricks that were able to help me get through the 18+ hours of crazy my family and I went through recently.

Trick #1
If you are a stress eater, try drinking a cup of tea. Teas with lavender are great in calming you down. Make a mug. Find a quiet spot. And focus only on the tea and breathing. I know that sounds hippy dippy but this helps focus your energies on what you are currently doing; it distracts you from the noise of everything else.


Trick #2
Go outside for about 5-8 minutes and meditate. Politely excuse yourself and find a quiet spot outside. Take a few deep breaths and soak up the vitamin D from the sun.


Trick #3
Think of at least three positive things in your current situation. What I mean is-count your blessings. This trick is supposed to help you see the bright side of a bad situation. After you hit three positive thoughts, try to keep making the list and I guarantee you will feel better.

Written Word Wednesday

"...She recalled with shame how little she'd taken it seriously when Diana Wales was suffering from depression. None of them had. In her generation depression was really only something that soldiers returning from battle suffered, 'shell shock,'yes, but everyone felt dejected every now and again. You didn't take medicine for it. You pulled up your socks. You went for a walk. The whole Diana business had taught her that depression was an illness and that there were drugs that would help if it didn't lift after a month or two of feeling unhappy. Still, she couldn't bring herself to ask the attending physician for these pills. It would have been too humiliating, much worse than asking for more help on the computer. So she fell back on her usual tricks to try and feel better...


"...Now with her hood up, the rain mixed with sleet, and the wind moving the big wet branches of the plane trees, she felt in a holiday mood. She loved wet weather, and a storm always cheered her up. She could recall being in a California rainstorm with the Reagans one afternoon when they were driving her up a hillside to their ranch in Santa Barbara. The President wanted to show her his horses. She liked him. He might not have been all that bright, but certainly he was the most charming of all the American presidents she'd met. The rain came down in buckets and the mud flowed down the gravel road. Mrs Reagan twisted her handkerchief and wailed about the luncheon being ruined. "Nonsense!" The Queen remembered telling her. "It's an adventure!" She meant it."


"...'I did find a picture of him in the paper the other day."
 "Oh?"
"In a pontoon boat, harassing a Japanese whaler. Trying to prevent them catching whales. Greenpeace."
"Good cause. Brave chap."
In her heart, Anne loved Luke more for saying this, as it was near one of her own divided reactions to the picture. She articulated the other reaction, "But he should be working toward a degree now. Greenpeace could wait for later."
"Got to discover that for himself."
"Why risk his life six thousand miles away?"
"Why go to Iraq?"
"That's different surely?"
"Not that different. Chaps like showing their stuff in a Boy's Own Paper sort of way. Scouting. Going into the wilderness. Living off nuts and berries. Oriental travel. Enduring hardship. Contributing a very little bit to a very big cause."
"Yes," said Anne bitterly, "and getting themselves killed."
Andy's face passed in front of Luke's eyes for a moment and he stopped walking. Anne turned around to look at him behind her, leaning on her stick. His face was blank. "Oh! I am so sorry. Forgive me." She walked back two paces to collect him. She said, "Come now, help an old woman whose rheumatism is bothering her." She put the walking stick in her right hand and slipped her left through Luke's arm. She knew in her aching bones that now was not the time to bring the friend Luke had lost. He will have regretted telling her as much as he did..."


"...The Queen kept being drawn back to what had been bothering her even though her whole purpose in coming to Britannia was to think of happier days. "Let's see, where did we go after Florida?" The Queen thought they went to Mustique to see Princess Margaret for a night or two. Not too long, as her sister had a way of getting on her nerves, but she was curious to see what kind of life she had down there. Margaret had built a house which had been decorated with about thirty varieties of bamboo. Someone had snapped The Queen's picture on the beach. In a straw hat. Wearing trousers! Almost as outlandish as the private secretary in his shirtsleeves. She remembered the photo, and, yes, she had been happy then. The dogs hadn't liked it, though. Sand too fine for their paws, and being at sea often disagreed with them. She was forever cleaning up after their seasickness in a way she rarely had to do elsewhere. But this also made her feel useful..."

Marriage Monday

When you get married, you are pretty much expected to have visits from extended family members and sometimes it'll be a crowd. My lovely sister-in-law, her Italian sweetheart, my four nieces and nephews, Italian sweetheart's mother and his two daughters are coming to visit us for a week.

Yeah, it's a lot of people but I love my family and I'm super excited to see everyone. The kids absolutely love our farm and the farm loves them. There's so much to prepare and plan.

For the type of person I am, I am a planner. So what I do when I know I'm having family or friends staying for a period of time, I take my planner and look at the time frame that my guests are staying. I'll get with my guests and ask them what they would like to do during their stay; I'll probably add one or two more things on the list and start from there. I'm going to use my sister as an example.

Heather wants to do some fun stuff with the kids but at the same time don't want to constantly run around town when the main focus of the trip for them is to spend time at the farm with the animals. Her Italian sweetheart's , Matt, daughters and mother are coming down for a couple of the days during the visit too so we need to plan something fun with the girls as well.

So that means I plan on stretching out some farm time and fun stuff throughout the week. For example, Saturday we plan to go swimming, either at a water park or the base pool, and either Monday or Tuesday we'll go bowling or have a picnic at the Botanical Gardens.

Meals are another important factor when it comes to taking care of my guests. Some of the dinners I've planned include nachos, a taco buffet, and spaghetti. Easy stuff that will not take long to prep, they're something almost everyone will love, and it can feed a big group of people.

Spaces for guests to sleep is very crucial. Thankfully our home will be big enough to accommodate everyone that's coming. Just in case, we have two blow mattresses, one queen and one twin.

I'm super excited to see everyone and meet Matt's mother and his girls. I'll be posting pictures on my instagram feed and facebook. Have a great week!

Farm Friday

The younger females are finally starting to lay eggs, or at least I'm assuming it's them. I'm finding smaller, more white than tan, eggs in the coop and I'm very excited.

Just started planting some more veggies: pumpkins, cucumbers, summer squash, and spinach. We are still having issues with chickens getting into our garden. We are hoping that this weekend we can fix the netting so we won't lose anything again.

We are preparing for family to come down next week so I'm hoping that I'll have pictures posted soon.

Have a great weekend!

Written Word Wednesday

Here are more excerpts from Mrs. Queen Take the Train by William Kuhn.


"...If there were no official dinner or other evening engagement, Luke usually stopped by The Queen's sitting room before leaving for the evening. He would ask her if there were anything more she'd like. Most of the time her answer was a not unfriendly negative as she looked up from the news on television or a racing paper she'd spread out on the sofa next to her. If she were in an expansive mood, which was rarely, she might say, "I suppose you're in too much of a hurry to have a drink with a granny," her eye twinkling-it was the side of The Queen that still surprised him the most. Of course, she was not to be refused. He tried to rise to her tease with something in the same spirit. "Well, if Ma'am will take a drink from the hands of this establishment's most junior barman, he'd be delighted." A smile was The Queen's assent. He didn't have to ask her what she'd like. A potent combination of gin and Dubonnet was her usual, and, like the senior officers at whose tables he'd sometimes dined, she never acted as if she'd sipped anything stronger than lemonade...


...He fully expected to finder her reading briefing papers at the desk while the dogs slept on the carpet. He tapped gently with his knuckle and waited for her reply.
   Instead of The Queen's voice what he heard was a strange noise from the dogs. It was not unusual for his knock to make the dogs bark, but then he would hear her shushing them. Now they did not bark. They whined.  He knocked again, which prompted somewhat louder whining from the dogs, and an isolated howl. He opened the door a crack to see the door to the garden terrace ajar, A December shower wetting the rug and blowing the curtains into the room. He walked in and shut the door into the garden. She'd clearly been here and was gone. Stepped outside for a moment? Gone for a walk in this weather? If she had, she would have taken the dogs with her. Instead, they waddled back and forth between the door and the center of the room, as if they were children shocked at their abandonment...



...He (Andy) looked up to find a British major saluting him with the kind of formal, angular gesture of his hand and elbow he'd been expecting all along. He was briefly torn between helping Luke back to his feet and jumping up to return the salute. He stood up, leaned over to give Luke his hand, pulled him up, and then turned smartly to salute the British major.
   After that, Luke and Andy became friends. They planned maneuvers together. They listened to lectures together. They deciphered maps together. They tried to figure out computer software for the weapons systems that often malfunctioned together. Outside of duty hours, they spotted one another lifting weights in the gym. They got on the cardio equipment and ran in place until their T-shirts were soaked with sweat. They exchanged playlists of their favorite music to listen to on their iPods. Their favorite thing to do was to play video games. They had each taught the other rules of their national sport: "Football," Luke said. "Soccer," said Andy, refusing to retreat. "Better than American football," said Luke. "No, it's just 'football,' not 'American football," said Andy, standing his ground. They saved their best jabs for when the video games grew heated. "You fucking take that back," Luke would say in an accent that was part Arnold Schwarzenegger and part Bruce Willis. Andy replied in a voice drawn from somewhere between Austin Powers and Harry Potter, "Goodness me, clam down, my dear."

Marriage Monday

Yeah, I didn't post last week. I forgot to take my laptop. My bad.

In any case, some plans I've been discussing with my husband I have also shared with my family. Thankfully, they were very supportive which makes me feel so much better. Once my husband and I get the details figured out I'll be happy to share.

The 4th of July holiday was super fun and it was nice to be back in New Mexico. The only person I didn't get to see was my niece since her family and she went camping for the holiday. But I did get to see my goddaughter and my folks.

We got home around 11 pm last night but we were so happy to be back. I missed our critters! My best friend who was housesitting for us surprised us by planting flowers in our front garden. She's amazing! It certainly helps enjoying a vacation when you have someone reliable watching the farm for us.

I hope everyone had an amazing 4th of July holiday!

P.S. WAY TO GO USA WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM!!! WE ARE #1!!!

Marriage Monday

Jared and I are getting ready for our trip to see my parents in New Mexico for the holiday. I'm so excited that we are going to be spending some time away. One of my best friends is going to be watching our critters, thank God for that blessed soul. I know I'll be leaving them in good hands.

For now we are cleaning the house, doing laundry, and taking care of a few chores before we head out late tomorrow afternoon.

I'm taking my laptop so I will continue to post for the rest of the week. But time's up for break. Gotta get back to work!

Happy Monday yall!

Farm Friday

The reason I didn't post last Friday was because of the crazy week we've had last week and I did not have anything ready for Friday.

To start, Jared and I decided to get our sweet Ranger a wife and found a blue heeler on Craigslist. She's adorable and sweet; I fell in love with her immediately. We named her Annabelle.

We went to get her Tuesday morning and brought her home; that day I went to work and came home with my husband telling me that she ran away. We were looking for her for hours and finally able to find her but were unable to catch her. That evening I left food out for her to try to lure her closer to our home so we have a better chance of catching her. She did not know us so she would flee and she is fast! Jared took Wednesday off to help me keep an eye out and try to catch her. Thankfully that evening we were able to trap her between two fences in the neighbor's yard and we were able to get her home. During these two days it has been pouring down raining. Almost nonstop. I felt horrible, scared, and just distraught during those days.

THEN, our boy Ranger got out of our yard and was gone all Thursday evening. We went looking for him and called for him but he didn't come back. He is normally very good about coming right back and if he's in the front yard with us he's good about staying with us instead of wandering off. It was very weird of Ranger to just disappear on us like he did. I left some food out for him. I didn't sleep at all that night and I kept getting up and going outside to call for him but I still didn't find him.

Friday morning I got in my car and drove around and called for him-still nothing. For about an hour I decided to come back home and see if he'll be back. Later that morning I heard a jingling sound, like a dog collar, and I peeked out from the front door and there he was trotting up to me and he came in. He was wet from possibly swimming in the neighbor's pond or from numerous puddles from the bad storm we had earlier in the week.

But I noticed he wasn't his usually tail-wagging self and took note of him licking his paws. I checked them out and saw that he has little blisters on three out of four paws. It could have been from him walking on the hot concrete for a couple of hours or he was running around all evening. I'm not sure but he did not like walking unless he had to. He has been resting all weekend and is doing a lot better.

Annabelle is doing well also and follows me around the house a lot. She's still skiddish, especially around Jared for some reason but we know it's going to take some time for her to get used to us.

So it was a crazy, emotional week for me and I pray I don't have to go through that again.

UPDATE: Annabelle is still adjusting to us and her new home. She's learning to chew mommy's favorite wedges, destroy movie cases, and pooping in the house...we still love her though.

Written Word Wednesday

For the next few weeks in 'written word Wednesdays' I'll be adding excerpts and tidbits of Mrs. Queen Take the Train by William Kuhn. This is my first time reading it and I've been enjoying it so far. The story not only surrounds Queen Elizabeth but the staff members that work under her. Bypassing security without detection the queen disappears and it falls on a few loyal staff members to go find her before there is a catastrophe. Hope you enjoy it as much as I am.


"...Prince Edward had created an account for her with Miss Twitter. He asked her what she would like as a username. She looked at him blankly. "What do you want to be called on Twitter, Mummy?" he said with some exasperation. "Little Bit," she said, and he'd entered that as her Twitter name and then come up with the idea of using the Buckingham Palace postcode as her username, @SW1A1AA. In fact there hadn't been time for her to do much exploring, but she'd made a few notes on the back of a used envelope she reclaimed from the wastepaper basket as he'd talked...Next she put in "Duchess of Cornwall" and up came a photo of Camilla next to @DuchessCornwall. Here the text was more interesting, absurd, rather funny actually. Camilla had described herself as "Future Queen of England. One does like to chat with the public...but from a safe distance. Lover of Horses and Gin." All that was true enough, thought the Queen to herself, except the "Future Queen of England" bit."


"When the Queen called Shirley "Mrs MacDonald," it was a kind of diminutive. It was affectionate. But she almost never asked for personal information, and to ask Shirley to name her favorite things was very unusual indeed. Shirley guessed that the Queen was looking for some way of speaking about what was bothering her. She also could list with confidence some of the Queen's favorite things, so she decided to answer with something that might plausibly be on her list of favorite things, but which was certainly on the Queen's list too.
 "Well, Ma'am, I did enjoy working on Britannia."
 "Oh yes," answered the Queen, as if an invisible bell had just been rung. "Have you been to visit her?"
 "No Ma'am, I haven't."
 "Moored at Leith, I believe."
 "Yes, Ma'am."
 "A pity."

Marriage Monday

For the past two weeks Jared and I have been discussing the possibilities of my work career. We both know that I will not be working as a bank teller for a long time. I don't see myself in a way that I would retire from a bank.

I would like to see myself using my journalism degree since I have put time and money into it. So my husband and I were coming up with ideas to incorporate that and there is one possibility that I'm about 75% sure I want to pursue; it's something that has been brought up to me before and I've immediately shut it down. It's mostly fear that has kept me from trying it out but now I have an encouraging husband who believes that I can do it, and we both have looked at the pros and cons of the 'idea' and there is a lot of pros/advantages of the 'idea'.

I won't say much else until I've decided on it for sure but I can say it's a big possibility. I will definitely share with everyone once the decision has been made but until then I am going to pray and think about it.

Have a blessed Monday!

Written Word Wednesday

With the tropical storm "Bill" rolling in we're hunkering down. Jared closed up misty's pen to keep it as dry as possible. All the other animals are doing well so far.

I finally found a book that I'll be starting for next week and I'm very excited. In the meantime, here are a few quotes to get you through the rest of the week.

Marriage Monday

In ever marriage there are moments that will make you laugh and moments that will make you cry in frustration. There are highs and lows that you have to accept in marriage. It will never be rainbows and sunshine 24/7 in a marriage. If someone is claiming that then they are lying.

So you have to learn to ride through the lows and enjoy the highs while they are happening. Here are a few examples of the highs and lows in my marriage.

Lows-

This past weekend I tried to color my hair blonde at home (don't ever do this. EVER.) and after a few attempts it came out terrible. My hair was fried and orange in a not so attractive way. I told my husband that I was going to a salon to fix it. He was not happy because I wasn't happy with it and it's going to cost a pretty penny for it. The whole point of doing the coloring at home was to save money but that was an expensive lesson. We got into a huge fight leaving me in tears and feeling unloved, and him feeling angry and disrespected. Thankfully the stylist did an amazing job fixing my hair by coloring it a light brown (the best route after what I did to my hair) and cutting a few inches of dead hair off.


My husband and I had a period of maybe two weeks where we just weren't getting along, and it was around the time when we were discussing having a baby. There was a lot of indecision for the both of us. I was getting frustrated with him and everything he did and said just pissed me off. He was feeling pressure from me and me exploding on him didn't help him either.



Highs-

We got to spend our second anniversary camping out during a rain storm. The camp site was packed because of memorial weekend and we were the only ones that were camping in a tent. We had a blast though. As soon as we unpacked our stuff the weather began to change in our favor. We got to go fishing for a while. It felt so good to be doing something different.


Another high is the moments of sitting out on the hammock with Jared and laying out in the cool evening while listening to the frogs and bugs singing. We'll have a beer and watch the sun set. It's such a nice quiet moment for us to relax and just take in the joy that we are able to do this in our home because you cannot get that in an apartment without hearing traffic noise or loud neighbors.



If you want a healthy and long marriage, my belief is that you have to accept that not every day is going to be a good one with you and your partner. There are going to be periods of lows and they may take a while (like months). My mother-in-law said something to me once that has helped me ride through the low times. She said, "You have a choice to make every morning you wake up, you either choose to love your spouse or not to. If you choose to love your spouse, then everything is going to be ok." What she has said has made an impact on me and it has helped me get through tough times with Jared. I hope this helps whoever reads this. Have a fantastic Monday!

Foodie Friday

Browsing through Pinterest for a great new pizza idea I found one involving peaches.

Here's the recipe.

I have tweaked it a bit. Instead of using ricotta and asagio I just used mozzarella and parm since I already have these cheeses. Also I have used a ready made pizza crust that you can buy in any grocery store.

 

The balsamic 'glaze' made me nervous because it gave off a smell that it was burning for a second but it came out ok. It didn't get to thicken like it was supposed to.

 

 

 

 

This is the final product for me. Not as pretty as the photos in the link and as I explained before my 'glaze' didn't thicken so it bled around the pizza, giving it a dirty look.

Overall it was pretty tasty with the sweet peaches and the salty prosciutto. But I might want to add arugula for color and possibly substitute with a different protein.

Written Word Wednesday

 

 

 

Had a busy day today so I forgot to post this morning. Here are a few quotes that made me smile. (all from Pinterest)

 

 

 

 

Marriage Monday

Last week my husband was given some unpleasant news, of which I cannot go into detail because A. it doesn't involve me and B. it is a personal matter that does not need to be shared with the world.

He's trying not to show it but my husband is devastated. He's feeling a lot of emotions and cannot decide which emotion he wants to stick to right now. I've tried to discuss it with him once or twice. Jared has shared a few things with me, which I know is very hard for him. He's the type of guy who will go out of his way to say he is ok when really he's not just so I don't have to worry about him.

It felt really good to connect with him and to comfort him since it is usually the other way around. I love that I can return the favor for him. Ever since he got the news I knew that all I can do is just love him and let him know that I'm here for him...and remind him to not let the devil mess with his head.

I love that we can support each other in bad times and I praise God that he has blessed us both with a marriage that is nothing but love and support instead of one of resentment and anger.

Written Word Wednesday

A few encouraging quotes to get through the rest of the week.

*all from pinterest

 

 

 

 

Marriage Monday

This past weekend was our 2nd year anniversary. We decided we wanted to camp out and Jared was going to take me fishing for my first time. At first he wasn't sure camping was going to be a good idea because of the rain we have been getting for about two months now and it doesn't seem to want to stop any time soon. He tried to explain to me that it'll be miserable and he was not going to be happy if I get cranky because of the weather.

I told him it would be fun. It'll be like an adventure. He said, "Oooookkk." So we packed up, made sure the animals had plenty of food while we were gone, took our dog, and took off.

The weather was decent on our way over there and about half way unpacking our load it started to shower a little on us. Thankfully Jared had a large canopy to cover the picnic table so we can cook.

We had steaks for dinner and Moet from a friend of mine as a gift.

 

 

 

We were finally able to get the tent up. We discovered that we were the only ones pitching a tent at the campgrounds. Everyone else were in RVs or cabins. I felt pretty cool.

 

That night we fell asleep to the sound of the storm over us.

 

 

The following day we went fishing. We went out on the fishing docks trying to get some catfish but the only thing we got were bug bites. So we took a lunch break and then tried the fishing pond.



 

I was able to get three perch fish. 



 

 

 Jared was able to get two perch. No catfish unfortunately.

Overall it was a great weekend. We both had a great time and despite what the photo shows Ranger had a great time too. He did very well camping out with us. I'm so gad that we love experiencing new things together and doing what we love. I can't wait to go out camping again.