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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Dew eyes


My eyes are covered with dew.
My hair is a nest for birds.
I have been conquered with the love I have for all people.

I can't say I'm going to grow up and change the world.
I can't say I'm going to do great things.
But I can tell you I will love people, and I will be overwhelmingly humbled at the chance that I have to be apart of this radically simple thing called life. 

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Meredith Currently...

Do I look crazy?
Because I feel like the past several days have been crazy!

Obsessing over...getting all my Halloween decorations put up! I pulled all my stuff out of the attic, but I haven't had a chance this week to get them out of the bins. I'm determined to get it done this weekend!

Wishing for...goodness. I've been awfully contemplative lately about wanting to simply make the world a better place. I just got done reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller, and this whole week I haven't been able to stop rolling it around in my mind. People set out with grand dreams of changing the world, falling in love, doing something amazing. But the drift toward the merely acceptable happens almost without notice. Every life has a story. I want to make sure that my story is worth telling. How many people do you know truly live life? Not many. I know life can feel just plain hopeless...and hard! The economy isn't the greatest, the world is at odds, leaders are secretly scumbags, and frankly living the dream is intimidating, overwhelming, and risky. Watch out guys, because I'm going to make sure I have a good story. Mark my words. Big things are happening, I can feel it in my bones.

Thinking about...Grad School. Going back now, might be my prime opportunity. My job isn't overly stressful, so it would be really easy to work and go to school at the same time, plus the military spouse discount isn't anything to complain about...but I feel so overwhelmed just at the thought of going back to school. I use to hate school, simply because I didn't know how to study, or how to take a test. Now that I know how to do that confidently, I just need to buck up and take the plunge. I'm so afraid at making a choice, especially one that I have to be pretty committed too, that I'm stuck in the limbo of I don't know. Its not a great place to be, but I'm starting to think I should throw caution to wind and go for it. 

Anticipating...our future. (Do you feel a common theme here? haha) Now I know that's pretty general, but I'm so excited/terrified for the future. Evan and I have talking about so many different possibilities about what we want to do next. Really, we can go in any direction our hearts desire; we literately have the world at our feet and its a terrifying rush of adrenaline. At night when a crawl into bed and think about our lives, it feels like Christmas eve as a 5 year old child...I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL SANTA COMES! I get so giddy I can't sleep! Too many ideas are coming to me all at once. Stick with me, I promise my inspirational/potentially unrealistic rant is coming to an end. Conclusion: I'm so glad I have this place to write about all the things that are spilling out of my brain; if I didn't I might explode. Get ready the journey is just beginning! 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Love Me Like My Dog Does Baby



I'm sure if you listen to country music on a semi-regular basis, you will have heard this song.

I myself am a dog lover. When I was about 9, my neighbors had an outdoor dog named Zoe. Unbeknownst to them, she was my dog. I took her on walks, gave her treats, played fetch with her, and begged my parents to let me have her. The begging and groveling process for a horse, dog, hamster or anything that had furr was probably a monthly occurrence for my parents, poor souls.

After finally being married for a few months, I shipped Evan off to Afghanistan with only one rule from him: I better not have a dog when he got home. Me? Want a dog? Nooooo.

But for real.
What's up with everyone trying to ruin my life dream of owning a furry companion here?

A few weeks before Christmas my soon-to-be brother-in-law found a little puppy, half frozen, tossed in a snow bank. I immediately schemed a plan. I was all alone, poor little Army wife needing something to fill my time. Ok, really there was no plan except the old stand-by of my 9 year old self: beg and grovel. PLEASE EVAN, PLLLEEAAASSSEEE!!!! Its my life dream!!! I won't ask for anything else! I won't even buy another pair of shoes for a year! (Ha. I know, we both knew that was a lie) PLLLEEEEAAASSSSEEEE!

Like the good man my husband is, he gave in to his crazy wife's pleas.
And then laughed in my face ear, when I had to stand outside in the sub-zero winter tundra that is Pennsylvania, to potty train the piss head.

Although there have been many, many moments of (impatient) me wanting to throw Scout out the door, hoping he would run away to another family, I really don't know what I would do without the massive beast. Even when I've yelled at him when I shouldn't have, he still loves me like it never happened. He might be huge, but he has the biggest heart to match. He gets stressed out easily, but will rip any box apart at the possibility of finding a "biscuit" inside. When you talk to him, he'll cock his head and listens with careful content. Most of the time he will answer back with his two, dog-talking cents. During the week I have to practically drag him out of bed, but I can promise you, Saturday morning (on my only day to sleep in) he will be nose to nose with me, giving me his best pitiful, chocolate brown-eyed stare to please get up so he...can go back to sleep in the living room.

What if we all tried to love other people the way dogs love us? I think we can all agree Hitler wasn't the nicest kid on the playground, and was...How do you say it?...one of the worst tyrants of the 20th Century.You have to be pretty consistently awful, even before you decided to wipe out an entire race, to win that title. 
Adolf had been given a German Shepherd named "Prinz." Right after World War I, during his years of poverty, he had been forced to give the dog up. However, she managed to escape and return to him. 
If that isn't an example of a dogs wavering devotion without judgement, I don't know what is.

 Dogs don't judge us if we're overweight, gay, straight, obsessive, depressed, religious, ignorant, old, dirty, anorexic, annoying, black, white, crippled, have a third nipple, or act downright rude. So the next time you scrunch up your nose at someone, or are quick to snap back to a nasty comment, don't. Take a minute to see them through a dogs eyes. "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - John Watson

Obligatory montage of Scout


^
I bubble wrapped him and told him I was mailing him to Grandma's. He didn't think it was an awful idea.

New Halloween Costume

Napping: Exhibit A

Napping: Exhibit B

He really let me do this to him...and liked it. 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Where were you?

Where was I? 
I was sitting in the pew of my school's sanctuary. 
The only thing I remember being confused about is the Twin Towers. What were they? Oil towers? Should I know what they are? Why was it such a big deal if someone ran a plane into an oil tower? Then our teacher turned on the television. I was in 7th grade. Contrary to what most adults may think, I fully understood what was going on. I can remember, just like it was yesterday driving in the car with my family that evening. My mom said to look at the sky, because it would be the only day in my entire life where I wouldn't be able to find an airplane in the sky. 


Today at work was odd. Most of the day I was livid that all the school did in remembrance of this day was flying the flag at half-staff, just like it was just another government holiday. Many of the kids weren't old enough to associate any kind of sadness or feelings to this day. I guess I'm one of the few who were just old enough to remember everything about that day. The adults didn't mention it, like they are already trying to forget. Maybe it still hurts too much. I even had a teacher ask me what today's date was. It almost made me cry, and then snap with anger. How can you not know what today is? Maybe its because this day change my entire childhood, what was left of it, and shaped my whole future. A friend from college wrote this piece, which sums up a lot of people my age are probably feeling. 

by: Josh Kinney

I kind of remember the night before, but it’s hard to say.
That morning came like a tidal wave, sweeping away everything we once knew and thought as safe.
I remember being glued to the television for hours, watching everything on repeat, listening to my mother crying in the other room and holding a newspaper, her eyes red and tired.
We saved all of the newspapers.
From then on The Monster had entered our lives: my life.
He would be there for years to come, causing me to look over my shoulder, judge people I shouldn’t have judged, and imagine things I would’ve never before imagined.
Every time I heard that roaring sound of a low-flying aircraft or saw some kind of embellished or paranoid behavior on a subway train, The Monster reminded me of his nasty presence, his lingering effects.
The Monster was always there.
Every now and then we would hear of one of The Monster’s plans, barely thwarted, but somehow foiled.
New laws and paranoia as well as a new wave of political propaganda swept the land.
As I grew up from a boy to a man, I’d never forget The Monster.
I lived with him, we all did.
The Monster and what he did to us was ingrained in our psyches forever.
The Monster was often a topic of conversation, his lasting mark stretching into and out of our college years.
And then one night we were warned of a great announcement.
Our elected leader had awoken us from an early night and the Internet buzzed with activity.
Immediately we were reminded of The Monster, our stomachs choked in fear, but then – relief!
An ease I only remembered from childhood and had thought I’d forgotten.
Brave men had tracked down and slaughtered The Monster responsible for our fear.
Although The Monster’s minions still lurked about the globe, for the first time in the longest time, I slept with a peace I had only known as a boy.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Today is the perfect day for us.

Its the first day that summer gave in. The air is undemanding, not oppressing. The sun is like the perfect temperature between the covers; just like the ones we would have rolled out of  this morning. The coffee pot would be on like it always is when you are here. We would have taken the top off the Jeep and hurled ourselves into to the countryside. My hair would be flying a thousand different directions, but I know you love it, so I would resist pulling it up. Every now and then I could have caught your smell as the air swirled around the open car. Your smell would brings a smile to my lips, cause lighting to flood through veins, and a weakness to knock at my knees. The baseball cap you would wear hides your eyes, but I already know they are a clear blue, as fresh as the sky we are chasing. Today we would have sung to the radio together, and picked out our farm house along the way. Or maybe today we would've just held hands, balanced on the center console, in the serenity of  us.
We would have gone to the range.
We would have been competitive. 
Our fingers would have brushed as we counted the holes in the paper circles.
We would of had fun.
We would have been together.
We wouldn't have done anything in particular.
We would have done everything.

Today would have been the perfect day for us. 
But you aren't here.
You are an impossible number of miles away from me. 
So I guess today its the perfect day for me to wish you were home.  



Thursday, August 16, 2012

Monday, July 30, 2012

Give Me a Break

Lately all of my thoughts are so boggled, I can't type anything out that makes any sense. 

Right now there are about 15 drafts in my box, in which not one of them is completed, publish worthy post. 

I think I just need a little break from this, and maybe write a few long e-mails to my husband instead. 

Talk to you in a bit. 

- Meredith

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Dear Moochers,

      I'm seriously, completely over you. A number of you have been in my life for entirely too long, and frankly its half my fault for not kicking you to the curb sooner. I'm putting my foot down from now on. I can be nice, giving, and helpful, but that doesn't mean you take advantage of people like me. You will never again make me feel guilty or obligated to cover you, give you money, host you, or help you.   

Dear Facebook,
       Stop telling me I have a message, when I indeed do not. I get overly excited about someone sending me a private message, only to have my hopes crushed.

Dear Good Friends,
       Thanks for everything. I really don't know what I would do without you. Thank you for forgiving me when I'm wrong, loving me when I'm being stubborn, and understanding when I never return your call or text message. I'm still really bad at that.

Dear Scout,
       If you shred a cardboard box, please have the consideration to clean it up. I know you're totally adorable, but I draw the line at slimy, soggy, cardboard. 


Dear Summer,
      Chill the heck out...literately.


Dear the new Batman movie,
     You were pretty good, but not as good as the Dark Knight. 


Dear Life,
     How is it possible to feel overwhelmingly blessed, grateful, and happy, yet completely annoyed, disheartened, and plain crazy all at the same time. I don't even know what my brain is doing most of the time this week. I need to get a grip. Or chocolate. For now I'll go with chocolate. 


Dear Evan,
   You're the best husband ever. I know some people might think they have the best husband, but really, they're very wrong. Even when I'm acting irrational, you go along with me like I'm acting normal. Sometimes its nice to have someone let them be crazy for just a few minutes. I miss you so much all the time, especially because there is a huge lack of coffee in our mugs, boot dirt in my carpet, and boy clothes in the washer. 


Dear Landlord,
     The tree that fell in my front yard in JUNE is still there. Just in case you haven't checked your calender its almost August, and my yard is starting to look like jungle. I've called and asked you nice twice. I don't want to be mean and annoying. Just get it out of here! 


Dear Army,
     You know exactly what I'm going to ask you. Stop making me bother you. I have a feeling this is going to continue for another 4-5 months.


Dear YouTube,
      Thank you for the thousands of mindless videos about kittens and puppies. Most importantly thank you for music, since I'm too cheap to buy it myself.


Sunday, July 22, 2012

October in July

Fall is probably my favorite time of year. Not just because of the crisp air, apple cider, or Halloween, but because I love boots...and scarves...and mustard yellow...and, well need I go on? So it might be July, but I'm already looking forward to all of the pretty things to wear. I can dream, right? If some of you are feeling really generous, or missed my birthday, feel free to send any of these items my way. 

Lace :)
 via

 via



Friday, July 20, 2012

I'm Single & Married

Besides being able to drink out of the milk carton without fear, they'res a myriad of other things that one can do when one's husband is deployed. Like...eating sandwiches for every meal of the day, having a laundry pile in every room, or not wearing pants (so I might do this when he's home...).
^^^
Ok, I typed that spiel first and then found this video...I seriously couldn't stop laughing, its so sad but true! 


"Things that seem normal when you live alone"

So I'm married, but still living the semi-single life. I live alone, cook for one, and have all the responsibilities of taking care of house stuff by myself. I have girls nights, decorate the house without fear of manly disapproval over ruffles or glitter, and most importantly I am responsible for eating the whole batch of brownies by myself (rough life). Its a weird limbo to be in when your husband is deployed. You have to be independent, but still mentally work as though you are on a team. Its so easy to become negative whenever your husband is gone, and many people wouldn't fault you on that, but just today I've realized a lot of positive things about being on vacation from my husband. When I say "vacation" sometimes it can seem like being at the beach, but getting attacked by seagulls the whole time you're there. (Insert live-alone British accent) I say there, you're being quite negative aren't you! Fear not love, your darling will return soon!

I apologize for that. Moving on...

1. First off I'm becoming a better person for my husband. We all have our bad habits, and when we get married these bad habits usually come to the surface pretty quickly, not to mention they can get ugly fast. Little things like not putting the toilet seat down, leaving your finger clippings on the coffee table, or just being plain messy can make it hard to live with someone. For all you neat, organized people out there, sometimes us messy people just don't want to hear you yack in our ear about doing things your way. As you all know, I'm one of those messy people that's constantly doesn't always, keep things tidy consistently. A good thing about my husband being gone? I can work on getting better without constantly feeling like a failure. Evan knows what I suck at, and he knows I suck at keeping dishes out of the sink. If I let a pile stack up he will do them without a single complaint, just because he knows I need help in this department, and because he loves me. If Evan was here, I know every time he saw the sink full of dishes it would bug him, and I would beat myself up for not just putting them in the dishwasher. I hate it that I'm messy. I hate it that I can't seem to get my clothes put away. These seemingly simple tasks just don't work out naturally for me, and it really bothers me (and Evan). Surprisingly I'm slowly getting better. I'm consciously striving to pick up as I go around the house. With Evan not here, he doesn't have to put up with the 6 months of me trying to get it right! By the time he gets home I'll have mastered it, without a single clean-up-your-crap argument! Its a beautiful thing.

2. We all know the saying "Distance makes the heart grow fonder." Its a total cliche, but until you've been apart from your sweetie, you really don't know how true this is. Every minute we are apart makes me appreciate the time when we are together. Military life is a constant wake up call to not take time together for granted. I think more American families could use a dose of this. On a daily basis I am reminded how blessed I am to be an American, and thank God for everyday that Evan and I do have together.

3. I have a lot more "me" time. Getting married means much of your focus goes toward your spouse. Its not a bag thing, I'm just being a realist here. All you married people knew what you were getting yourself into! When you live together its hard to get away from each other. I mean that is the best way possible of course.When you live in the same house, you both are always gravitating to wherever the other one is, even if you don't realize it. You check in on each other just to see what the other one is doing. If I've been in the bathroom longer than normal, 9 times out of 10 I'll see the door creek open and Evan ask what I'm doing. Plucking my brows to perfection, duh! If Evans been upstairs in his office, I'll go up and sit on the couch just because. Having all this time to myself I've done a few things just for me. Making time for a 1 hour workout a day, watching Sister Wives without hearing a single complaint, and traveling around to spend one on one girl time with my old friends are just a few of the me things I am free to do. For example, I got to visit my best friends Krysti and Katie for a whole week this summer, and spent 2 months with my family in Pennsylvania. I would have never had the opportunity to do that if Evan had been home because I would have been busy being a wife! 

If I could snap my fingers and teleport Evan here, I would do it in a heartbeat; Unfortunately I can't. But what I can do is appreciate all of the good things that comes with deployments, then find a way to suck it up and deal with the bad things. I think deployments are a lot like having a baby. For 9 months (or more) you worry, ache, and generally feel uncomfortable. At the same time you feel proud, forming and protecting something that truly matters. Then, you go through hours of pain, labor, and maybe even death. Once the baby is born however, none of the other awful stuff matters. That's exactly what deployments are like. You are proud of your husband for protecting our freedoms, but us wives worry our butts off, we hate having our men away. But, the minutes their boots touch home and we get to grab them, that crazy moment is worth all the late Skype calls, packing care boxes, and waking up with a heart attack because you are absolutely sure there is someone in the house. Oh these husbands...what we do for them!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Guilty as Charged


You can thank my husband for bluntly telling me what everyone has been thinking. So I might have been dragging my feet a little bit, but hey, this is why I need Evan in my life. I love it that he says this kind of stuff to me. 

Funny. 
Blunt, but funny. 

It will happen soon, don't worry. 

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

God Bless America

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me

Chorus

As I was walkin'  -  I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side  .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!

Chorus

In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Meredith Currently...

(Ok so I kind of cheated, but I didn't have my phone to take an instant picture of me, but I am wearing my Bat-Man shirt, and my hair looks gross like in this picture. Fair enough.)

Obsessing over...Ceviche. If you don't know what Ceviche is, its basically a mix of raw fish, shrimp, octopus, etc. that is marinated in lemon/lime juice and spiced with chili peppers, onion, garlic, etc. Costa Rica has some out of this world Ceviche! Basically I've been eating it everyday.

Wishing for...The United States. You don't really appreciate it until you're gone, and in a foreign country where you see exactly how lucky we as Americans are. Even the poorest Americans have infinitely more than the majority of people here. 

Thinking about...nothing. I'm sorry this is such a boy answer. When I hear the word "nothing" come out of Evan's mouth when I ask what he is thinking about, it makes me want to slap a kitten. This week my brain has been running on every cell its got up there. Being in a foreign country, not understanding a word anyone is saying, makes everything, even just trying to talk simple conversation completely exhausting. 

Anticipating...Getting home to see my Scouter. Yeah, he's annoying, misbehaves in public, and shreds his doggy beds like nobody's business, but dang is he cute. I can't wait to see him do power-runs when he sees me. 

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Holla! Amigos! Part 1

So I've been in Costa Rica this past week fulfilling my Cross-Cultural requirement for Asbury. Asbury you say? Didn't you graduate a year and a half ago? ...Yes, well...almost. This stupid Cross-Cultural requirement has been haunting me like Great Caesar's Ghost. Basically I was required to pay lots of money to go outside the country to "experience" another culture. I might be a tiny bit bitter, but we won't go into that. Every trip that came along, either fell through, or was at the wrong time. Luckily, my dad let me tag along with him on a business trip. His company has a plant/branch in Costa Rica that he visits a few times a year. I might have spent a lot of time by the hotel pool, which is totally Cross-Cultural by the way, but I did have a chance to do a few cultural things.


I stayed with my friend's Rob, Yami, and their 2 girls Natalie and Heidi. Rob is from the states, and works with my dad for the plant in Costa Rica. He and Yami graciously offered their home to me for a few days. Yami and the girls showed me around their beautiful town, which included a trip to a volcano, their coffee farm, an oil painting lesson from Yami, and lots of beautiful countryside.

Small view of town

- Side story -
When Rob and Yami first met they couldn't talk. Rob didn't speak a word of Spanish and Yami didn't know a word of English. I asked Yami how they communicated and she slyly laughed and then made kissy noises.

 The Volcano
(left to right)
Natalie, Yami, and Heidi

By the end of my stay I wanted to stuff these two into my suitcase and illegally take them home with me stay for forever. Her girls are simply fun, we had a great time together. Yami and I found a common love of tea, painting, and loving on her girls. I'll post more pictures and write more about our adventures later!



A few things that I've learned about Costa Rica so far:

* Traffic lights, signs, and rules are simply suggestions not regulations.

* Motorbikes have a special lane.
Which would be in-between you, and the car next to you. 
Like this:


* Costa Ricans' always back into a parking spot, and can parallel park like nobody's business. Please come teach Americans your parking skillz asap.

* I hopelessly suck at understanding Spanish. I'm mentally exhausted everyday from just trying to understand what the heck people are saying. Hence why this post might be anywhere from boring, vague, or confusing.

* Loose fitting clothing doesn't exist. The tighter the better.


* Ceviche is amazing.
via

* You have to beg for your check at dinner. They just aren't in any hurry, and don't think you need to be either!

* There are no street signs. All directions are given in landmarks. (Women's paradise!)

* Dad and I rented a car. When we picked it up they explained to us that they would be moving the car rental location Wednesday. We called to get directions (that in itself is funny) only to tell us that they hadn't moved yet, but would for sure be moving the next day. Needless to say, we have called everyday only to hear the same thing, they would for sure be moving the next day. It is now Saturday night and they stilled haven't "officially" moved. All this to say, they don't get in a hurry.

* It's completely normal, and OK to stop in the middle of the road, shut the car off, get out, and take a picture.

Buenos Notches!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

That Guy

So along with the 24,545 things going on this summer I feel like I'm forgetting someone...someone kind of important. I think I've talked about him a few times. That guy Evan. In between driving home, visiting with my family, and now being in Costa Rica (I'll explain about this one later) Evan isn't getting the blogging update he deserves! In real life he is probably thrilled that he has slipped by without me talking about him here. He's not one for attention of any kind. Evan is that guy at a party where you kind of forget he is there. At the end of the night you realize he was sitting quietly in the corner right beside you the whole time. Believe me, don't feel sorry for him. He totally likes it that way, and does it on purpose.  


Its kind of hard to believe that hes been gone 2, almost 3 months already. This deployment is so much different than the last one, in a good way for me at least. Its very low-key. Maybe its because this isn't my first rodeo. Another reason is because Evan's job is so much different this time around. This time its all paperwork and meetings with minimal patrols. (Because of his promotion his job is no longer a platoon leader) They are in the mountains this time, which means IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) aren't as common. Last deployment was a completely different story. A constant cloud of stress hovered over every hour of my life when he was gone. I always felt slightly nauseous when my phone rang, and tried not to go into panic mode when I hadn't heard from him in several days. I had dreams of the casualty notice people coming to my dorm room. Every day that he was on patrol was like waiting for a time bomb to go off. Every other day somebody was shot or stepped on an IED. There wasn't anything any of us could do to stop it. Guys were going to get hurt. Men were going to die for their country. It was just a matter of who it was going to be. Its kind of hard to explain how completely helpless and terrified I felt all the time. I know right now Evan is bored. Part of me says - good! Boredom means safety. But, at the same time, I feel a little sad for Evan. I know he didn't sign up to be bored while he's there. Is that crazy? I'm sure it sounds a little nutty.


  Every deployment has its phases. I'm at the point in the deployment where I miss him, but I don't really think about him being gone. For those of you might have to be around me, here are the phases of my deployment emotions/moods. You're welcome.

Phase I (Month 1-2): When he very first leaves I go half crazy without him around. I wear all his clothes, eat all his favorite foods, (that I don't even like) and send him sappy emails four times a day. I'm whiny, negative, and generally supportive of gushy romantic movies and books. At night I obsessively watch home-videos on Youtube of soldiers being reunited with their families. 

Phase II (Month 3-6): I seem heartless. I go into full blown, emotionless deployment mode. I always, always miss him when he isn't here, but there is a part of me that just goes on with life, without being sad that he isn't here. I'll have little moments - like last night at dinner - where I saw peanut crusted tuna with a spicy Cajun sauce that I immediately knew he would love, and inevitably order if he was here; but other than that I don't think about him too much unless I'm sitting down to write him an email or chatting with him on Skype.

Phase III (Month 6-8): I get mad. It comes when I've mowed the lawn for the 12th time in the blazing heat, or can't open a stupid jar to make dinner. When I've have to go around at night and make sure the doors are locked, yet still wake up in the middle of the night positive that someone is in my house (While Scout doesn't even wake up to protect me!). If Evan would be home, I would be (Inside in the glorious A/C) staring outside at my nicely mowed lawn , making dinner in 10 minutes, and sleeping like a log! I get mad at the Army, I get mad I Evan. I desperately just want to put the blame on someone for why he is away. 

Phase IV (Month 8-10): Finally the restlessness sets in. I get excited, giddy, and down right stir-crazy with waiting for him to get home. Sometimes I'll let out a random scream, run around, and pretend like I don't notice the butterflies pounding through my stomach. I fill the cupboards with all his favorite things. The house sparkles its so clean. All his "civilian" clothes are neatly folded and ready to wear. I'll wrack my brain over what outfit to wear. Should I look sexy? Slutty? Domestic?What will it be like when I first see him?! I wonder if he will think I'm hott?! I wonder if it will be the same?! Should I make a poster to hold up? Hell no. Will he want to talk? Not talk? Make-out? Oh god, did I forget to buy gum? Out of all the crazy questions and feelings, I know I'll always feel one thing when hes home: relief wrapped into indescribable happiness. That one moment is the thing that makes this whole Military thing totally, and completely worth every minute. The moment where that guy, my guy, comes home.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Bears inside of Sam's Club!!!!

Sometimes I hang out with my Mom in Sam's Club instead of blogging...


 Sometimes we get laughed at by old ladies for making too much noise...and laugh louder anyway.


Sometimes we get really tired and take a nap from too much fun.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Thrifty Thursday

Contrary to popular belief, Krysti and I did more than eat lots of delicious food and act like paparazzi towards our dogs. OK, so our Instagrams were embarrassingly plastered with dog pictures, but that is beside the point. (To be fair, we forewarned every follower involved) We gladly made some time to hunt for some things to get a jump-start on Krysti's apartment. She is starting from scratch, so we were looking for anything and everything. 

 Krysti found this gem stuffed under a table. She is planning on using the inside as storage for cute blankets and trinkets, slapping a piece of glass on top, and using it for a coffee table in her new place. The picture doesn't do it justice! Its nicked, worn wood, smoothed over with years of love. This old chest has personality! It's going to look like something out of the pages of pottery barn, expect for a fraction of the price. We almost couldn't believe that it was only $30!

This cute rustic milk-can has such an amazing texture about it. (Again my crappy iPhone doesn't do it justice...reminder to self: stop being lazy and use my real camera) You could set it by the front door to hold umbrellas, put a round piece of worn wood on top to use as an end table, or simply fill it with tall, wispy florals as a decoration. Krysti snagged it for a mere $15!

She also ended up with an awesome shelf for next-to-nothing, a lamp, and some old medicine bottles! Basically, her new future apartment is going to be the cutest place in town.

 
I found these small, rounded flower pictures for my bathroom for $6. I have to admit I have zero things for our master bathroom since I used all of my "cool" bathroom stuff in the main hallway bathroom. That way, when people visit, it looks like my house is totally put together...haha oh the deceitful web of interior design lies that I weave!


By the end of the day, we had so many things, that we ended parked in a tow zone (oops) with our thirfty finds littered around us on the sidewalk. The shelf and the chest were not fitting. We stood there rearranging things for a solid 25 minutes in the sweating hot heat. For a brief 10 minutes, we thought it wasn't all going home with us. Thinking back, we probably looked like wild, crazy hoarders at that point. Finally, the shelf magically fit in the back of the car after trying 2,438 different ways. Success! 

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Charleston

A few weeks ago I visited my sister-in-law in South Carolina. I can easily see why people rave about this place. The mature vine-wrapped, moss-covered trees line the roads and shade horse pulled buggy's that rattle and creek down the old brick streets. The clops of the horses feet bounce down dozens of narrow ally ways all at once. They disappear into delicate wrought iron gates, that guard spindling vines, blooming flower boxes, and secret doorways. The charm. Good lord, the houses! 

Here are just a few pictures of beautiful Charleston, SC. 

I would be so happy, just to walk through that gate everyday.




Amazing details on all of the houses!




Isn't this the cutest, tiniest house ever?

Yes, I would love to come in...Please?


Now that is a porch!

How couldn't you be swept up in this historic place? More on my trip later!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Meredith Currently...


Obsessing over...Teen Mom. I can't help but indulge my trashy MTV side! Come on...I know you watch it too.

Wishing for...a boat. That's totally realistic right?
Saturday my family was invited by close friends to go hang out on their new boat. I didn't think I was usually a boating kind of girl, but I've found a new-found love of everything that has to do with water, sun, and a strong breeze. It was heavenly! I tried tubing, water skiing, and swinging off a rope swing. I was kind of terrified, but I was more proud of myself for trying it all despite the fact I felt like I was going to have a heart attack the majority of the time. After, we spent time just cruising down the Allegheny River enjoying the absolutely perfect day. I didn't have a single thing to complain about.


Thinking about...Shoes. They are my weakness if you don't already know.
 via

Anticipating...getting down to Lexington to visit my friends, and then eventually making my way back home to TN. It feels like I've been in Pennsylvania with my parents for a month, when in reality its only been a week. In my mind the sooner I get home, that means the sooner I start back at work, which means the sooner Evan comes home from Afghanistan.