my "re-engagement" *hearts*

since you've come back to me...

blessed...more photos of my family dinner, bridal shower, bday, and amber's wedding to come....

busy busy busy til we are FINALLY able to get BUSY ;)

I'm off to Michigan in a few days for my bridal shower hosted by my friend Kate, who I've known since I was three, and then to spend my birthday tasting cake and food at the reception hall with my Mom. Im also going to be spending time with dear friends this time around, and I am particularly excited to be standing up in my friend Amber's wedding. When I return, the boys will be about to arrive shortly. I couldn't be more elated! Between work, working out, hanging out with the girls and having multiple visits from family the deployment has gone by pretty darn quickly..and I am so so SO grateful :) I will be posting pictures soon


<3

hearts

"You were and are my first and only love, there has never been another. You are beautiful, sexy, kind, sweet, caring, giving, understanding, and you are driven...why else? Not to mention, it is because of you that I believe in God...I could go on forever mi amor :D" <---his answer to when I sarcastically asked "and WHY do you love me so much again?"

He always knows how to make me feel good....I cannot wait. So soon!

God

...Is truly great :)
____ more weeks till my love is home, I can't WAIT <3

Sabado

So, today turned out to be a darn good day :)
Last night I was actually supposed to hang out with my friend Rebecca, but I was bit by the tired bug at work so I called her to cancel and spent Friday evening lounging around and making it to bed by 830, yes....it was SO needed!
This morning I woke up, ran to the base to get gas a run some errands, and then I came home and headed over to Santee. The day itself was lovely to start, but it got overcastY, so instead of our initial idea to lay out by the pool, we decided to go for lunch at OG <3 I love Olive Garden. We enjoyed our soup and salad, along with a lovely bottle of Asti. After lunch we ventured out to a few different stores (I'm amazed at all they have out there, and jealous, quite frankly...barnes and noble, target, kohls, tj maxx, old navy, bed bath and beyond, etc, etc ETC?! Yes, please). So I didn't want to go too crazy, I bought a very cute hat at old navy and used my military discount, and then a pair of glorious shoes at TJ Maxx. The shoes were steve madden, and only 20 bucks, so I went ahead and got them. I can't decide which purchase I'm more excited about...the cute hate or the shoes? So anyway, we went back to Becca's house, where we watched a few good shows, and now I have another show to add to my ever growing list of shows to watch while my others are on hiatus. Since we skipped dessert at the OG, we decided to make milkshakes...only we nixed the milk and substituted kahlua and a bit of baileys. Ahhhh. I got tired early again, so I headed home and drew myself a bath. I soaked for a good 20 minutes, and then I put on my face mask and emailed Mark some more. I am hoping my good sleep schedule sticks, because I need to be well rested for the exam this week. Wish me luck, y'all! Then my sissy is coming to visit! I'm very excited. Hope everyone is doing well. Goodnight love, goodnight world.

Oh, here are my shoes....LAHV <3

"Essings-Blay"

A friend of mine from college and I do this thing where we text each other one-word reminders throughout the months, of things that are great, things that are appreciated, well...you get the gist. We spoke in pig Latin with some of the kids we worked with in Campus Ministry back when we used to do our fundraisers and bake-sales, so I literally had to laugh out loud. Blessings. Ain't it the truth. Three blessings this week that stood out to me were:

1: While my Mother in Law was here, her and I were speaking of all the knick knacks I have bought for our apartment. I told her, I wish I could do more, but for now...all of the little treasures I have collected will have to suffice, bc after all...they are the first of many pieces we will collect throughout the years..and even though I didn't spend much money on them, they will hold that much more value. I'd mentioned I wanted a springy sign on my door....and she sent me the one pictured to the left! 2: Earlier this week when I came home from work, I had received a package in the mail from Aunt Treasure, with a Thank you card for having her, and my very first Apron! I made them a home cooked Peruvian meal, so when I kept wiping my hands on my dish rags I though, man...I wish I had an apron. She sent me this one, isn't it cute?! I love it. Marleen also send me a lovely Thank you card...I should have sent some to THEM! I think I will. They were a joy to have here, even though I still had to work...3.   I went running (actually, more of a light jog) by the beach in Coronado, and it was breathtaking. I can't wait for Mark to come home and enjoy the jogs with me, I live in one of the most beautiful states ever, and although I'll always be a girl who believes in "seasons of love," I wouldn't mind if the Spawar gig worked out for Mark, and the insurance kicked off for me as well...Who knows, God works in mysterious ways...and so far, I have no complaints. Thank you Jesus! I am also thankful it's Friday. TGIF!!!!        

Mid-Afternoon Update

I have been balls out tired as of late, and to be honest, I have no idea why. Maybe I am not getting enough sleep? Who knows, I've always been a squirmy wormy, even when mark is there to "bear spoon" (think bear hug..only spoon (?)) me into slumber. Anywho, I woke up today and made it JUST in time for work (eek)! I also got paid today and **drumroll please** paid of my Capital One! I feel so accomplished and relieved. We still have other debts to pay off of course, but knowing that I came out here, got myself a job, and knocked the digits off that annoying damn near 3,000 balance by myself is just...another reason to feel blessed. I know Mark changed me for the better, so I can't thank the Lord enough for bringing us to where we are now...a loooong ways from stolen glances and bad flirtation over the bank counter :)
I used to be so careless with my paychecks and reckless with my credit cards (as Mark, he used to ask his manager to waive my overdraft fee's..before he even KNEW me!) and now I don't even use them (except for gas and groceries, which we know we can pay off right away). Thank you Jesus! I am very much looking forward to the weekend.....next week I am taking my licensing exam, and then my sister is coming to visit!

<3

P.S. No picture, because...well....no picture :-p

never

Never in my life have I had someone be hesitant towards me about our friendship. I'd be lying if I said it did not bother me, but the truth is....I'm not about to let it. Those who know me, know who I am and what I stand for. And so...I will proceed with much caution.
Lies have been told, jealousy and contempt have been expressed, and well...I don't feel I should apologize for being happy, even to those who aren't. Happiness is a state of mind. Am I miserable Mark is gone? of COURSE! But I have too much going on and too many things to come that are making time go by quicker. My husband works day in and day out, is woken up in the middle of the night, gets little to no sleep...and still manages to keep in contact with me on a regular basis. When people make comments like "oh well, I guess my husband just works harder," or "oh, I don't think your relationship is normal" and "I don't want to hear about how much he calls or writes," then I am further more convinced I not only have it good, but I am also envied for that and that alone. I am not mean, I don't tell lies about people, I have a big heart, I choose to see the good in people....but if someone is going to spread lies, or hate me because I have a strong marriage, then that person is not a good friend, and I have no business trying to cultivate that friendship. Aren't good relationships about being able to share your happiness with others and lean on them when you are in need? So wait....you get to lean on me, and get my support but...God forbid I cry tears of joy because my husband was able to call on a day I realllly needed to hear his voice? Nu-uh. No way. I am nice, and downright naive sometimes...but never stupid. I digress...proceeding with caution.

the plus about today? a phonecall from my love, a phonecall from my bestie, and well...take out thai food from a local restaurant. I am being a couch potato and totally loving it!

all i can say after today is...

...thank GOODNESS! The Lord is great. Life is still good, but I'm missing Mark like CRAZY! <3 I'm also looking forward to working out again more regularly and sticking to my resistance training. I can do this!

algo que me dejo pensando....

"The greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being"- Tenzin Gyatso

Tengo cantidades de compasion, pero hay personas que simplemente niegan ver la verdad ...y la verdad siempre nos libera.

Como siempre, pidiendole a Dios que continue bendeciendo nuestras vidas..y las de los que queremos

Weekend update :)

The halfway party was absolutely wonderful. My friend Becca drove down a little bit early so we could get ready together before heading over to the party. We went and got our hair done by my friend Shelly -after she did me a solid and squeezed us both in before another appt she had a 5:15. Nothing too major, just some styling and product. Shelly is a great friend and the fact that she works at an awesome salon and is an is an even more awesome hairstylist, well..that is just a plus!

The inspiration Hornblower was breathtaking, and astonishingly romantic. That was the bitter part of my bittersweet evening. I couldn't feel like it was a total loss though because I saw a few friends, met a few new ones, and enjoyed sharing stories between my sweet mother in law and some of the new wives we met. The wine was lovely and never stopped flowing, and although my heart ached for mark, the evening was most definitely a success. Life truly is good.

Today was great. I got to sleep in until about 9 am, and then I woke up and found Marleen and Aunt Treasure watching t.v. with a fresh pot of coffee on. I have been so spoiled by these remarkable women.  Every single time I got up to do a dish, or tried to help set the table, or pick up a tab at the restaurant, they have persistently begged me to leave it be and let them take care of me so I can continue to take care of bills, savings, and well, still have a little bit to indulge with :) I have enjoyed their visit so much! After Breakfast, Marleen and I went to my Church for the eleven o' clock mass, which was beautiful. I cried like a baby, because each time I lay out my "burdens" to the Lord, I realize that...in this pro and con list that is life, i have so much more on my Pro list :) I am truly blessed...To have a man who gained faith and grew in faith right along beside me, who loves me, who lets me know how much he loves me everyday, who calls me every week, who supports me when I am driven to study for school and finish another class towards my license...and also to have such a wonderful family who takes care of me and visits me so frequently. And lastly, great friends....who can understand and not resent my busy schedule, my innate ability to be a scatterbrained forgetful Fran, and well, who are simply there. I can't tell you how many phone calls, e-dates, skype sessions, movie dates, field trips, and spiritual moments I have shared with each and every one of the important people in my life. And the amount of encouragement I have received....well, I have never felt more loved, more missed, more worthy of all I have that is good...

The Lord is remarkable, and on that note...


Dear God, couldja throw a good night of sleep my way? If you're too busy, it's cool...that's why you created coffee...right? Wahhh, waaaaahhhhhhhhh. 


..Hey you, the one judging me for joking around with the big Guy...him and I have a pretty good relationship, and well....we cool.


Sincerely,
Mari 

st patty's parade

Terror

My heart and thoughts go out to everyone affected by the disasters, and who it will still affect....How awful. What else is there?

be

"be the living expression of God's kindness..."
















...And what I know I inherited from momma? Forgiveness. Wisdom. A Big Heart...sometime's too big for comfort. But all of these, forgiveness is the most valuable, for "if we really want to love, we must first learn to forgive." -M.T.

And I think to myself...what a wonderful world

This weekend was amazing. I headed over to lakeside Friday night to have a movie night with Ashley and the kiddos. Since I headed out around 6ish, I spent the night. Saturday morning we had breakfast and then headed to the wild animal park. What a place! We went on a safari ride and saw so many beautiful animals! We were literally within feet of the giraffes. I have never seen one so close before..they were amazing! We walked around and saw some birds and bought some souvenirs and then my favorite part of the day...the elephants! Oh my goodness, I wished Mark could have been there with me...they were so cute, and we saw a newborn elephant. So cute! All in all it was amazing...After a long day of running and walking around, we went to Chipotles for dinner and then to Jamba Juice for  a well deserved treat. Yum yum YUM! When we got home the kids were still amazingly hyped up, so we played and had craft time. When the kiddos made it to bed we watched some TV for a bit and then I headed home. Whew, was a happy to see my bed :)

Throughout the night I was emailing Mark, and I tried desperately to stay awake to talk to him...but to no avail. I drifted in an out of sleep and next thing you know it was 9:30 am. I scrambled out of bed,  got dressed and headed to the gym, I made it to about 35 minutes on the elliptical, but then I had to rush home to take a quick shower and make it to church on time. I literally took a lightning bolt shower, and dried my hair and was ready in 20 minutes. Church was amazing. I sat and listened to the sermon and thought so much about my life and everything I have to be thankful for. The choir was absolutely amazing and moved me to tears. When mass was over I said hello to the priest and then headed home. I did some cleaning and organizing and then decided I was going to go to the mall to try to find some leggings, but they didn't have the brand I buy :( oh well. I realized how much more comfortable I am with driving. I def feel proud of myself for that. When I made it home I cooked dinner, updated my itunes and made a new workout playlist. I went to the gym again and had an amazing workout. Can I just say that Cee-lo's "forget you" is my favorite workout song? man, it really got me pumped! I am now currently at home watching SATC reruns, in between emails from the hubby...I hope this week is as magnificent as my weekend was. Updates soon, dolls!

Told y'all I was a slacker :-p

Well let's see, the past week has been, well....a big jumble. I've been doing the gym thing a little more often, so hopefully it will stick, because I was slackin for a while. I use the word "slackin" lightly though because when I first moved to San Diego I was sooo bad about working out (granted I didn't have free access to a gym OR live in a nice neighboorhood). Regardless, that, being a nerd and reading, catching a few free movies on the base theatre, getting my first parking ticket, and hitting up happy hour with my coworker has pretty much been what I have been up to. Oh, and puchasing knick-knacks to make my home "homier." I haven't been good with posting photos, so I promise I will take some more this weekend. I'm going to be visiting my friend Ashley tonight in Lakeside, poor doll has been on "house-arrest" since her kiddo's have been nursing everything from ear infections, fevers, bronchitis, etc. I think it will be fun! Let's see....My mom might very well be flying out at the end of February, so I'm kind of excited to spend some mommy-daughter time together <3 The internet as of late has been very poopy on the husband's end, so not be able to email back and forth was for sure frustrating. Luckily he called me to tell me the internet wasn't working, and shortly after it started to...and I got 23 emails in my inbox all at once :) I hope everyone has been doing alright. I posted a picture of my bedroom, because quite frankly, that is the next part of my home I would like to "build on." As you can see we don't really have nightstands yet, so I'm going to continue looking for an affordable pair that I actually like, instead of settling for some plain old "build it yourself" walmart ones. I was thinking either black or expresso colored. They aren't cheap! I might venture out mid-february to one of those furniture warehouses and check what they have out. I also want to start putting up a few more things on our wall, because as of yet I think the wedding photos over the bed aren't really enough. I was thinking of getting those 3-photo-space frames, only I will flip them vertically and put one on each side? eeeesh, who knows. I am open to suggestions! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend <3

p.s. I finally hit the one hour mark on my workouts! I know to some that may seem like not a big deal, but to me it is! I felt so triumphant. I love the eliptical machine! Also, they are going to start offering classes in the early evening now on base. Well, one of the classes is at 515-530 which is perfect for me, the others start at 415 but I figure I can bring a change of clothes to work and head straight for the gym afterwords. I really want to try their Latin-Core Dancing. Anyone care to join? :)

Thursday..blur-sday?

Hi all! I just wanted to write a little bit about myexciting day! It was a blur...get it? *wah-wahhhhh* Okay. But in all seriousness, as some of you may know I entered a photo contest via the Women of the Carl Vinson facebook page. I learned about the contest 2 days before the deadline..and it was basically whoever got the most "likes" on their photo won. I didn't have the most likes (but I for sure had the most accumulated in the shortest amount of time....I got just over 60 through the help of great friends and family..woop WOOP!), but I was one of the top ones, and since the admin of the group had bought a handful of customized care packages off MissYourVoice's Page, I was awarded a small one *pictured above with the yellow*! I was so elated, I usually never win stuff, and I was even more overjoyed knowing that it wasn't really a contest I won for myself, but for Mark. At any rate, I think he will LOVE it. I had her include some pictures of us, a special inscription and a bible quote I love. She also included a buttload of snacks, so he is going to be one happy camper! Thank you so much Bonnie (prior/amazing admin to the women of the uss carl vinson page) and Amanda (care package creator)!!!  Speaking of care packages, my christmas and "just because" packages I had made for Mark took about a month to get to him, so I figured I would send him his valentine's day one early, right? Well, he got it waaaaay early (I should have written him a note to not open it until valentines day so I guess it was my mistake) and so I decided to make him another one I am working on now. I am willing to be it will be late, but in case it is early...I'm going to give him strict instructions not to open the second one *pictured above with the adorable v-day card I made for him with an online photo editing program I found*. Here is hoping he likes his second Valentine's package...although I'm sure he will, he absolutely LOVED the first one! Hmm...so after work I was feeling a bit blah and needed to run up to the store to get some more stuff for Marks pckage and some donation supplies for the ship, and I came across a nice pair of Nike sneakers, for 49.99! I had to get them, since my current pair I have owned for oh...about 6 years? I figured it was a great deal, til I got to the register and they said, "Miss, these are actually marked down even more." Um....hello!? Music to my ears...so I ended up only paying 39.99 for them. I decided to take my new digs for a spin at the gym on base (I was already wearing yoga pants and my pink nike tee-shirt...coincidentally it matched my shoes!). Man, it was a good work out, but I tell ya...I got so sad. I stupidly decided to go to the warehouse gym only because it was late at night and the other one is farther down and more secluded. Not only was I the only girl there, but I stuck out like a SORE THUMB in my Pink shirt (they were all of course in their Yellow Navy workout shirts). Oy. I guess the sadness I felt from missing Mark made me work out that much harder...I was a sweaty mess when I was done. I hope the deployment keeps on going as fast as it has been for me. I really miss Mark. Even now that he is working nights so we can be on the same schedule is a bummer, since the internet has been lagging like none other. I guess I should just be thankful we can speak at all, but I just miss him so much! Anyway, that was my day...hope you all are doing great! Xo's

Mon-Wednessday

 So this week has had its fair share of ups and downs. Monday was just not very productive for me. I decided I wanted to try to eat more protein and less carbs this year, so I drove home on my lunch break and made myself scrambled eggs with 98% fat free turkey chili, salsa, jalapenos and some cheese...I thought it was pretty freaking good.  Then, to continue my good ole' health kick I had going I decided to drive to the gym. I forgot it was a holiday though! I was so bummed when I realized it was closed..So what did I do? Came back home and watched re-runs of Sex and the City. Bomb diggity right? I suppose. I felt like such a chick. What am I going to do when Mark gets back and I've settled back into my "secret single gal" behavior? Whoa whoa, no jumping to conclusions. I meant dancing around the apartment listening to embarrassing chick music (like...the Veronicas or Sugarland (two totally different ends of the chick-music spectrum, but still), watching SATC re-runs, putting on a face mask while waiting for my toe-nails to dry...etc. Guess I could still do all of that, but while I blushed underneath my mask I'm sure he would somehow find it extremely quirky and mildly entertaining..then laugh. I HATE when he laughs at everything I do. It's not a "you're retarded" laugh, its the oh-too-familiar "you're adorable" chuckle. Either way its laughing...and I get huffy-puffy about it. Anyway, I went off on a weird tangent. Tuesday was excruciating (literally). I got a phone call from mark at like 3:30 am and although I was still asleep, I managed to grab the house phone and answer groggily. We spoke briefly, and I don't remember many details, but I did tell him I had to wake up in 3.5 hrs to meet erika for spin class and then there was crying (on my part, not his). I think it was the exhaustion/frustration of being on opposite schedules that really got to me. I went back to sleep for what seemed like a minute. Although I was dead tired, I managed to scramble out of bed, throw on some yoga pants and kick spin class in the butt (or so I thought...). Let me just tell you about spin class. IT. WAS. SO. DIFFICULT. The energy in the room was amazing, the music was so upbeat, and the teacher was acting like she had downed 3 red-bulls, but...I was in so much pain after class. I thought if I stretched out it wound hurt less later in the day even, but oh no. I went to an FRG meeting for the navy families, and as I walked up the stairs in my new boots, I felt like both of my quads were spasming. No joke! I carefully made it to the top of the stairs and was soooo thankful to see chairs set up for us (right next to a table of cookies...yumm...but that's beside the point). I plopped down next to Ashley and we made it through the meeting via help from our trust smart phones, texting about the obnoxious and rude girls who kept talking loudly and shouting out questions and rude "SPEAK UP!"'s at the Ombudsmen and even the C.O.'s wife. Really. REALLY? Ugh. After the meeting Ashley and I went to Olive Garden for dinner since she was able to get a sitter for the kids. Oh man, I missed their salad and bread sticks! We talked, laughed, reminisced about our hubbies and whined about the time difference. It was a good time! I can't wait for her mom to come into town so we can all have a fun girls night without her worrying about the kids (her mommas got it covered). After dinner I just sat on the couch and started to re-read my favorite book. I know it makes me a total dork, but I've read "The Sunflower" at least 7 times and I feel like it tells me different things each time I read it. Today was brutal as well. My legs still ached--to the point where i had to skip out on some filing because i couldn't squat down to get to the bottom shelves. I got my doormat and plaque from personalization mall. the mat was fine, but they sent me a navy blue name plaque. I wouldn't care, but you can totally tell its blue and I specifically ordered black to go with my color palette. Maybe I'm a bit anal, but it totally bugged me. I'm still waiting to hear back from customer service after I sent them the photo...argh. Hope you are all well and in Good Spirits!

Sunday Funday

It truly is a wonderful life. I was missing Mark today, they're in some pretty rough waters right now, so I think the internet has been dropped as of today, but sketchy since they left Korea. I woke up early to ride my co-workers bike back over to her house, since she loaned it to Mark while he was still here. When I got there her friend and hairdresser Mel was over there dying her hair for her. In true Vicki fashion, she insisted I have  drink with her. I was like "Oh man, it's only 10 am!" And although I insisted I hate tomato juice, she exerted the same insistance in me trying her world famous "bloody mary." I said"Okay, okay...a quarter of a glass." She took that to mean a full one :-p (not to worry friends, I drank very slowly and only drank a quarter glass before I pulled the ol' *looks at watch* "Oh my! Look at the time..." Her and Mel were going up to Costa Azul. I had her drop me off at home. I went inside, grabbed my iPod and headed to the gym. I went home, showered and headed over to Ashley's to spend the day with her and the kiddos. I won't lie, the drive was fine til the end, then I got a little bit ansy. I think it is because I have to get on like 4 or  different freeways to get to her. Oh well, it was worth it. We had a blast. 

We drove to Santee lakes, and man was it a perfect day for it. Warm, sunny..the kids had a lot of fun playing. Then we found a spot by the water and attempted to feed the duckies (I say 'attempted' because the duckies were kind of being snobby...they wouldn't come towards us even though we were chucking cheddar popcorn into the pond...perhaps they were lactose intolerant...hmmm). After waiting around for the persnickety ducks to no avail, we ventured over to Yogurt Barn.You know when someone has a great meal and they say "this is the best ____ i have ever had!" Well, this is hands down the BEST yogurt I have ever had (and I am not lying). We went back to their house and ate our yogurt, and chit-chated after playing with the kiddos. I swear. Whenever I feel like I want to wait on having children, I see her kiddos and feel a tug on my uterus. For real. They are just entirely too cute. I kept telling ashley that if my kids turned out that cute, I'd be in big trouble..they would walk all over mommy! Hah. Anyway, I went home after Ashley made an impromptu pasta dinner for us. I didnt realize how late it got. Time flies when you are having fun and in good company. Thank you Langtree's, for the 

lovely Sunday Funday <3 I can't wait to check out the Wild Animal park with them next week! Hmm, if I keep having so much fun with my friends and planning little adventures like today, I feel like our boys will be home in no time. I digress as always, I am so blessed.