Whirlwind Trip

I just returned from a fast and fun trip to Pennsylvania. I visited to see my sister the former Jennifer Byerly and now Jennifer Byerly Tackeberry get married. It was a hectic , fun, and crazy week leading up to the wedding. Here are a few pictures mixing in a little crazy and a little sweet. Enjoy.

Two beautiful sisters and Bridesmaids

The lovely bride on the day of setup.

My brother and sister make good  french fry models don't ya think?

The bride and her gorgeous maid of honor and stunning bridesmaids.
<3 All these Girls

Me and yes I am hiding in the shade because I don't like pictures!

The Bride and her adorable flowergirl.

Precious.

OPSEC and PERSEC

I have recently educated myself on Operation Security. I felt that it was important to know what I should and should not post on my blog regarding my husbands military career. OPSEC is known as operation security , Operation Security is not only the soldiers job but the spouses and family members as well. OPSEC is simply being careful not to give away deployment details and military work and such. Those of you who are civilian blogger's already use PERSEC and that is know as guarding your personal information from people lurking on the Internet. The whole point to this post is we never know who is reading our comments on facebook, or our blog posts or even listening in on our conversation at the grocery store. You can read more about OPSEC and PERSEC if you click the OPSEC button on my sidebar.

Some military wives go as far as not giving out their names, spouses names, children's names and such so that they cannot be identified easily. I will be nicknaming my husband for his security and would please ask that no one use his name in any of the blog comments. He will be nicknamed "Bright Eyes" why "Bright Eyes" you ask? If you have ever seen Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes then you would know that he has the most amazing blue eyes in the movie and one of the Apes calls him "Bright Eyes". And if you know my husband you would know that his eyes are ethereally blue, hence "Bright Eyes". I will still be "Laura" and my dog will still be "Remy Dog" and when we have children they will get nicknames of some sort. Some of you may think I am a bit paranoid but understand that this is necessary for my husbands, and many other soldier's safety.

Retro Refurbishing

My mother had an old 60's vintage Petersen Metal High Chair in her attic. We recently drug it out because my niece is now in need of a high chair. It was not in the greatest condition . The high chair had been attacked by mice. The 60's yellow , green, and orange flower power vinyl on the cushions was chewed up and so was the plastic feeding tray. So we refurbished it and it only cost us $10.00 and a little bit of time. I still wanted it to have a vintage feel so I went with an Owl fabric that had some retro colors in it. Plus it can be used for a boy baby or a girl. My Brother mike was able to make a tray out of wood and paint it white, then he secured a place mat on top so that we can wipe off the tray easily.

The owl fabric I picked out.... I LOVE BIRDS!

                                                  

TADA!! Cushions done with the help of my Dad and a staple gun!
We also covered them in clear vinyl to protect from food spillage.

Debut of the new wood tray, my brother Mike took the fittings off of the
old tray and affixed them to the new wooden one...Thanks Mike!

Baby Bethy trying out the new seating arrangements.

MMMMMM....Abuela is shoving Apple Bannana Oatmeal into me!

The ABC'S of Me

Print By: Mateoandtobias@Etsy.com

I decided to post the ABC's of questions since I didn't want to clear my mind and think of anything else to post.

A- My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: 75 I usually don’t use it though, Unless my Remy dog looks longingly at it, begging for the coolness.
 
B- My BEDROOM theme is: Small very small. Being that I live in an RV right now. But my favorite art is in the bedroom. My gorgeous sister Rose drew two pictures for me that are worthy of every future house I move into. One of a Sparrow ,because I adore sparrows, and one of a full, fresh red rose.

C- The CAR in the driveway is: I don’t have a driveway I have a dirtway. And in that dirtway is a Suzuki Sidekick Sport 4X4. My husband hates this car because he feels it lacks sufficient horse power but it is our only car. And I am proud to say I purchased it with my own money and the last and final payment was paid as a wedding present by my parents. Thank you Mom and Dad!

D- My DESK looks: Clean, there is nothing on it because I am currently in the process of packing for a big move at the beginning of the new year.

E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is: 05:00 Because I get up do P90X and then run with my Remy Dog. Plus one time I tried to sleep in and my Remy Dog decided to start digging at my stomach until I woke up.

F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: My armpits! Doesn’t everyone start there first?

G- My GARAGE is filled with: Nothing I don’t have one. Not having one is sad come winter time when you can’t get into your car because the doors are frozen shut, so you climb in through the rear door over Remy Dogs giant food bag and the back seat, and pray you don’t break a frozen finger off while doing so……True Story.

H- My HOUSE is: An RV , and no my life is not like the movie RV. That is my mother in laws life. Truly I feel that the movie RV was stolen from her diary.

I- If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you'd see: A lot of pillows. Pillows to hug in place of my darling who is in basic training. And two of Remy dog’s teddy bears.

J- My favorite JUICE is: Sugar free White Grape Juice Peach. My mother bought some for my niece and I tried some and It is quite scrumdiddlyuptious….. I just had to figure out how to get scrumdiddlyuptious in this post!

K- The best part of my KITCHEN is: It is never dirty. Because ever since my love left….I DON’T USE IT!!

L- The LAST person who visited my home was: My dad he was helping me get rid of some stuff that I would not need after the big move.

M- The last piece of MAIL for me was: An I pod Nano 4^th Generation that I bought off of Ebay. It came in awesome condition and I got an awesome deal on it.

N- My NEIGHBORS think I'm: Crazy because Remy dog keeps chasing their cattle. And I keep screaming REEEEMMMMMY,REEEEMMMMMY, COOOOOMMMMMEEEE.

O- If you OPENED my fridge you'd see: A jug of water, a half eaten chocolate bunny that my husband left in there, and a bottle of mustard. Like I said I don’t use my kitchen.

P- My last house PARTY was: I have never had a house Party.
Unless you count Remy dog and I throwing it down Wii style Boxing to get some more exercise.

Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is: Go to my moms house! Hey I do pay them grocery money weekly just while my love is gone of course.

R- My favorite ROOM of the house is: My bedroom , Here is where I snuggle with my darling husband and my Remy dog.

S- The SHAMPOO brand I use: Wild Harvest Hair FX Silk Serum Shampoo and Conditioner.

T- My largest TELEVISION is: My husband’s, and it is not even being used now that he is gone.

U- UNDER my bed you will find: Nothing my husband’s clothes used to be stored under that RV compartment but now they are all packed up.

V- The last time I VACUUMED was: A week or so ago and it was my Remy dog. I furminated him “brushed him” and then sucked the fur off of Remy dog.  

W- Looking out my WINDOW I see: Trees, and cattle and chasing those cattle is my Remy Dog.

X- I wish I had X-TRA: Time , I would give anything for one more minute, hour, day, or week with my husband.

Y- My YARD is: One acre of mostly dirt but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: I have a hard time sleeping without my sweetheart. So usually whenever my mind shuts down. Around midnight.

Full Speed Adventurers

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I have so many adventures on my agenda for the rest of the year. I have my sister Jen's wedding in Pennsylvania to attend in August, I wasn't going to attend it because I did not have the funds to pay for airfare , but I was blessed by my sweet, selfless little sister Joycelin who is making it possible for me to fly out for the August wedding. Then I must come back and make arrangements to attend my husbands Army Basic Training Graduation in September . I will drive to his Basic Training location to see his graduation and send him off to his next training location, where he will attend AIT for his MOS 12T , or translation to civilian speak , he will attend school for four months to prepare him for his career as a Technical Engineer for the U.S Army. The military abbreviates everything and I realized I am started to speak in abbreviations..... It is so so sad but convenient. During my darlings time away at school, I will be packing up our home and getting ready to move to whatever state or country the U.S Military sends us to. My darling husband and I will be reunited around the second week of January in the new year. And then shortly after, if it is the Lord's Will we shall embark on another mission....... Parenthood.

They Let God Choose Well

Picture By: lepetitelefant Etsy.com

Today is my parents 28th wedding anniversary. And their children , one of them being me is so thankful for that long ago day of their union. My Mother was born on an island in the Azores, the Azores are a chain of islands owned by Portugal. Her father was in the service and was stationed there at the time. During my grandparents stay in Portugal they visited a catholic church that ran an orphanage. The orphanage did not take infants but someone had left my Mother on the steps of the church so the nuns had no choice but to keep her . My grandmother during her visit to the church was presented with my Mother and begged to take her. So she did! My Mom slept her first night in a dresser drawer and the rest is pretty much history. She was brought to the US and was raised as an American. Some many miles from my mother my Father lived a simple life. His family had little money and he lived a hard life. They worked the land and drove a horse and buggy to town, the trip sometimes taking a couple days to a week. After my Dad's Father died, my dad tried to join up for the draft to Vietnam. The Lord did not make it possible for him to join due to a medical reason. He then moved to Denver ,CO where he started his own janitorial and landscaping business and met my Mother. My Mom and Dad met in church a few years later, they noticed that they had the exact same Bibles and they started up a relationship. The two married shortly after , have been married for 28 years , raised and home schooled 4 children, and are now enjoying one grandchild. God weaved an amazing path for them, God made it possible for their lives together. What can God do in your life if you just let Him?

Table for One ....... Oh what will I do without you?

                                       Photo: CarlaDyck Etsy.com

I have started officially living as a single person now, and I have a few observations ....... plus I think I was a little spoiled by my husband.

1: The Bed is still not big enough ......... Especially since I insist on sharing it with my gangly legged dog.

2: Mouse Traps after sprung must be emptied, I thought the mouse just dissipated.......Sadly not so.

3: I have to test the Milk for freshness myself .......... I miss seeing my husbands sour milk face.

4: Remington my gangly legged dog now wakes ME up when it is time for him to go outside.

5: The sound of the Xbox fan whirring and explosions are now absent in my home ...... I miss it.

6. Who will change the toilet paper roll? ....... We have reverse roles in this department, I never do!

7. The smell of gun cleaning oil has never been so coveted ........ I Love that smell.

8. My car doesn't clean itself anymore.

9. My husband's laugh will be better than any music I have ever heard when I hear it again.