Re-Enlistment

My handsome husband has been in the Navy now for 10 years. I still can't believe it whether I say it, hear it or read it. I've been by his side supporting him the whole time. I fully support this decision to re-enlist and continue on the military journey. I know he wants to make this his career. He excels in what he does and I know he enjoys the majority of it. It comes with a price, involving much sacrifice in our lives, but it works for us. We've made it this far and have learned how to adapt. It's not easy, but there are tremendous benefits and the Navy provides a pretty decent life. I am so proud of him and have a great deal of admiration and respect as he continues without complaint. It was very moving to watch him re-take his oath during his re-enlistment ceremony. He takes his job very seriously and understands the greater meaning behind this role.

At the end of the ceremony, Becca and I were called up to be given an honorary certificate acknowledging our support. That was a nice gesture that was completely unexpected. Because we spouses do our part too.

 Eric's parents came down for the ceremony. They've gone to every one of them. They are very proud of their son and support him 100%.

My mom also came down for the ceremony. She's never been to one and was so glad she came. She is also very supportive and proud :)

 As you can see, we took the opportunity for some family photo shots. We don't have many with him in his uniform.

Me and my sailor man :) I'm so proud of him. We have a good life together :)

 Becca wasn't really in a picture-taking kind of mood, but that's okay. She was there. And she looked beautiful :)

Book Review: What's Right With Me

I just finished reading this book last week. Somewhere in the past couple years my self-esteem has plummeted into the ground and feelings of not being good enough have taken over. So, I saw this book and decided to give it a try to help me focus on my strengths. This book is a great way to do that and it asks you hard questions and forces you to look deep within yourself to find the answers. It is also part journal, so you can physically write down your answers and look back on them. Sometimes when you see how you really feel about something written in front of you on paper, it makes it more real. The questions force you to give yourself credit for things you may not feel are credit-worthy, and that is really important. I think many of us do that...we focus on the things that need work and overlook the hurdles we overcame and the strength it took to jump over those hurdles. After reading this book I do feel a lot better about myself. I realize some of my strengths and I choose to focus on the things that I do well. Maybe those strengths I can incorporate into my weaknesses for some balance. I also unlocked a secret dream of mine. We all have one....one that would come true if all the stars were aligned in the sky....in a perfect world....the one we think will never come true...but, hey, I can dream right? That secret dream is to become a writer. I've always loved reading and writing, but I didn't realize just how much I love it. So, I think I may look into strengthening this passion and putting a little more time into the things that I truly love and am good at. This was a good book. It accomplished it's purpose and forced me to be the center of attention for a time. :)

I'm an Auntie!!

My niece: Julia Kathryn Corrado Maier

8/15/10 --- 8:59 pm

8 Ib. 2 oz. 20 inches long

Hello to all my beautiful readers. Thank you for continuing to check back on my blog after such a long time away. It's been a very busy couple of weeks. Definitely not the norm for our family to be gone such a long time. We were standing by our phone waiting for the call that our niece was born, and the call never happened. My SIL's (sister-in-law's) due date came and went. So, her and my BIL (brother-in-law) invited our family up that week, hoping something would happen while we were there. So, we left the day of her due date (8/9/10....that would've been a cool birthday ;) and drove up to Connecticut. Friends of theirs went out of town and offered us their house to stay in right down the road from them, so that was real nice that we didn't have to invade their space. We had a nice time with them. We stayed there a week and nothing was happening. Finally, 5 days later, the contractions began slowly and began the labor process. Family drove down and we all waited in the waiting room. The more exciting part of waiting was the fact that they didn't know if it was a boy or girl, they wanted to be surprised and they didn't tell us the names they decided on, they wanted that to be a surprise too. Finally, my BIL Jason walked through the doors and announced...."It's A Girl!!" Tears were flowing from all of us. What a wonderful moment. I am so glad we were there to be a part of it. Mom and baby did very well and are healthy. When I held little Julia it was just amazing. That overwhelming love that flowed over me for her...this beautiful, innocent child that was born from two people that I love so much. I was so happy :) We stayed there a couple extra days so we could welcome them home and see they were settled. All in all, we were there 9 days. It's good to be back home. Although we weren't alone quite yet. Our parents came back with us for Eric's re-enlistment....more on that in my next post :)

Waiting.....

I thoroughly cleaned the house, packed all our bags and they are in the car ready to go. Now, we just wait for the phone call. My SIL (sister-in-law) is due to have her baby any day now. Her official due date is actually tomorrow. She lives in Connecticut and we are waiting for the phone call that she is in labor to drive down and spend time with them and their new baby. It's about an 8 hour drive, so we want to leave as soon as possible, hoping not to miss the arrival. I am SO excited! Becca will have her first cousin only two years younger than her. I'm glad they will be close in age. I am really close to my first cousins. They are like siblings to me. There are so many surprises in store....we don't know if it's a boy or girl, and we don't know the name. So, lots to look forward to. :) Cameras and videocameras are charged....woo-hoo! They are going to be great parents. I'm so excited for them and for me.....gonna be an Auntie! :)

Do you take risks or play it safe?

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
-Joseph Campbell

I came across this quote in a book I'm reading, and it made me pause and think for a moment. When I was young I kind of mapped out how my life was going to end up. Not thinking of details, but I figured I'd get married and have kids and live a happy life. I mean, that's what happily ever after is all about, right? So, I finally got my prince charming and my beautiful daughter...does that mean this is it? My whole life has reached its end result at age 28? Do I spend the rest of my life just coasting through life? I am a very shy person and tend to keep to myself. But, looking back, some of the most wonderful and memorable moments in my life were brought on by challenging myself and stepping outside of my comfort zone. I tend to be a homebody and I stick to my comfortable circle of friends. This is playing it safe. Never trying anything new or going somewhere new. I make up excuses. I stay with what's familiar to me; what I know. But, there's a flip side to this. What am I missing out on? A new friendship...a new favorite restaurant...a new hobby...a new memory or experience? I feel I've gotten into a rut and have gotten too comfortable in this rut. I want to be able to step outside of my familiar and take a risk here or there. How do you guys feel about this? Do you still take risks and challenge yourself or you stuck in your routine as well? I know marriage and parenting bring new responsibilities to our lives, but that doesn't mean it has to be it right? I've decided it's not the end for me. There is more to me that just wife and mother and I'm exploring what that might be. I have interests and dreams that have been pushed aside and I'm ready to re-discover them. But, sometimes I wonder....how come being a wife and mother isn't enough for me? Many women dream of being a stay at home mom....not have to work...for their husbands to make enough where they can be home every day with their kids. And I do love that luxury....being there for every moment of my daughter's beginning years...never missing a thing. But I do miss working, and being a contributor to society. Interacting with the outside world and giving back in some small way. I feel I am isolated and cut off in many way and that can be very lonely. I just wondered what you guys thought about this. Leave me your opinion :)

Catch Up

No big exciting news going on over here to talk about, so I thought I would catch you up on some small random things...
STAR WARS
My husband has always been shocked that I've never seen any of the Star Wars movies, so a few weeks ago, there was a marathon of all 6 movies on the Spike Channel so we DVR'd them. It took a while to find the time here and there, but I finally watched them all. At first, I thought it was going to be pretty boring and uninteresting, but I really ended up liking them a lot. There are so many references to Star Wars in movies and tv shows, it was nice to finally know what everyone's talking about :)
BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING
One of my favorite kinds of shopping is back to school shopping. I have no idea what you must be thinking, this is probably boring and dreadful to most people. Especially since I have never had any children in school, nor do I now. This shopping is for me, oddly enough :) I always do a big shopping trip this time of year and stock up on needed and sometimes unneeded supplies :) I get notebooks, pens, dividers, index cards, folders, binders, and whatever else I need. I've always loved office supplies, isn't that bizarre!? I even like to just walk through office stores as if it were a small Disneyland :) I always wanted to work in some kind of office, even if it was my own home office. I love paperwork and tedious office work. So, anyway, I went this weekend and stocked up. Then yesterday I was completely deflated when I read the newspaper only to learn that next weekend is the weekend with no tax....why couldn't I have waited a week! Oh well, it was still a lot of fun!
MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
Some of you know that I am currently in an online program to be a medical transcriptionist. It's funny, I never took any interest in the medical field, it was kind of a leap. However, the more I'm learning through this program, the more I like it and I can't get enough learning! I am just now beginning the dreaded terminology part of the program. I was not looking forward to memorizing long, boring words that no one seems to understand. But, as I started to get into it, it became incredibly fascinating to me how these words are formed and the meanings behind them. It's like a foreign language that I am picking up fairly well. Half the battle is actually enjoying what you're learning and I am definitely there :) 
7 NEW RECIPES IN 7 DAYS
I have a confession to make...I hate cooking in the summer. When it's 100 degrees out, the last place I want to be is in front of a hot stove or oven. So, I tend to slack in the cooking department this time of year. My husband has been on my case about missing my cooking. I just love to cook any other time of year though, it's not something I usually avoid. So, anyway, I was missing cooking too. So, I flipped through some Wegmans Menu magazines and Food Network Magazines and picked out 7 new recipes for 7 days. I truly love to cook and try new things. And every time I make a new recipe I have my husband rate it on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being amazing). Anything that he rates below an 8, I never make again. Fortunately this has happened less than 10 times in our 8 1/2 years of marriage. Anyway, these are the seven new recipes I made......
1. margarita pizza on Naan flatbread; 2. strip steaks w/ caramelized onions and portobello mushrooms, 3. grilled chicken fajitas, 4. shrimp scampi over linguini in a lemon/garlic sauce, 5. prosciutto, mozzarella and roasted red peppers panini on ciabotta bread, 6. stir-fry with garlic stir-fry sauce and veggies, 7. homemade mac and cheese
*the mac and cheese was the only unsuccessful dish, all the rest I will make again :)
A NASTY FALL
I took a nasty fall a few days ago while walking Max, our dog. He pulled me too hard and I struggled to hold onto the leash. I couldn't keep up with him and I fell down and slid across the sidewalk. Fortunately it happened right outside my house and it didn't do much damage at all. It only took off a few layers of my skin where the bottom of my leg and top of my foot meet. Eric was there to disinfect it with peroxide and put gauze on it. It hurt and stung for days, but I'm better now. I must say, I am a huge baby when it comes to being hurt or sick. My entire body shuts down leaving me completely useless. I think I have a very weak immune system. Fortunately, I don't get sick very often, but when I do, it lasts for a long time. 
So, that is to catch you up. Hope you are well :)