I'm BACK

Yep I'm back! Between moving, Jared leaving and trying to get settled here at my moms, I haven't had much time to post. On top of that Rylan got me sick 2days ago. I've been fighting sickness since I got here. It happens every time I come to the valley. It usually ends up in my lungs and takes about 2 weeks to get over. This time though I have a feeling it's a mild flu.

Anyway. On to what I really wanted to talk about. Money!

So this coming paycheck will be Jared's first "deployment" paycheck. This means big things for us. Probably not what most would think though. A trend that I have seen with some military family's is major spending during deployments, the husband coming home to really no more than a new huge tv. It's amazing to me the amount of family's who are in needless debt acquired while in the military.

Yes we have done our fair share of frivolous spending but we live with in our means.

This is Jared's 3rd deployment. Our mentality on money between his first and now is vastly different! We were young and it was the first time either of us had had that much money. I paid no attention how much he was making or what our expenses were. I lived with my mom(I was 19, maybe I'll tell the story some day) and my car was given to me by my mon. So we started out pretty good.

We have managed to pay of the debt we had other than our car, 2yrs ago, and only accumulate a small amount since then. About a year ago Jared got a Discover card with now interest for a year. The limit is $500 and only once have we met that limit. We looked at our budget and decided how much we could use on it and be able to pay it off in full each paycheck, which is $300. Then we have a reward zone card with best buy, which saved us when both of our computers got viruses , the balance on that is $300. What we have left on the car is $600($6,900 in 5years is awesome!!).

So my plans are to pay VERY close attention to what is coming and going with pay and expenses this time.

I'm keeping my personal expenses low. My mom is letting us live here rent free, I help with food though, and watching my brother to help reduce her daycare bill. Eventually I hope to be working to though. All extras were canceled when I moved so this is the list of expenses for right now-

-cell, $168 but 1 line is up in feb and then the bill will be less

-storage $95

-car insurance $141, full coverage can be dropped soon

-car payment $160,our plan is to pay the car off with taxes and owning the car outright!!!

There are only 2 plans that will require money to be spent. Fixing Jared's car and saving for my own car.

I want Jared's car to be in nice working order when he gets home. Starting civilian life with a car that is fresh will be nice.

A lot of this will be made easier if I can get a job. Hopefully I can make enough to cover the small daycare expense(family is helping and Ry will be in preschool) and what ever small things I can. Therefore saving Jared's whole check.

Our whole goal is to start civilian life with no debt other than a house!

Just checking in and some Good News.

I realized that I have not posted much the last week or two. I posted about BB, but after that it was just hard to find the time. Even as I'm posting this I should be doing more productive things, but I just need a break.
Thanksgiving went well. It was just the 4 of us so we didnt go ALL out. Jared made a turkey and it came out delicious. The inside was still a tiny bit frozen because we didnt read the directions all the way and didnt take the bag off for defrosting! It all worked out in the end though!
After that I started the packing.
Although I had my doubts, we were still going with the plan that army was going to move all our stuff back to the Valley. As I suspected, they will not move us. So that sent me on my search of finding a moving truck. I about fell off the couch when I saw the quotes. $409 from Uhaul and $500 from Budget! Those are only 2 options because they are the only ones with locations both here and in the Valley. So not only was I stressing about the cost but also about who could be here to help me. Both Jareds mom and Meghan want to come, not only to see Jared off but to help me move. Between work scheduled, reliable transportation, who could and wanted to come and of course cost, the plan changed so many times. There is also the issue of getting over Snoqualime Pass which so far is looking like it will be ok.
Which in turn brings up anxiety for Me, Meghan and Jared. Ever since our blizzard incident in North Dakota, the three of us get anxiety driving in snowy conditions, and even just cold air from the car vents blowing on my face gives ME that feeling.
So at one point Stacy(jareds mom) and Meghan were going to rent a small car and come up. Stacy would drive her rental, Meghan would drive my car and I would drive the moving truck. Stacy has never driven a moving truck and there is no way I would make Meghan drive it so that would leave me.
Well then things changed and they were not sure if they could make it. So I was going to have my Uncle fly up and drive back with me. Then that changed.
At this point my anxiety was worsening and I think Jared could tell. While talking to his mom he came up with the perfect idea.
This is why I love him, He is always able to bring me back down and calm my anxiety.
His idea-Put our stuff in storage here!
Why did I not think of this!!!
It makes perfect sense. Im going to be living with my mom. Literally all I would be using anyway is out clothing and vital papers. My mom has beds for me and the boys, I don't need furniture or anything! All of this stuff would be in storage there anyway.
We were not planning on me moving into my own place until he gets back anyway, unless we find a house we ABSOLUTELY want to buy. In the event of that it would be less stressful to come back up and get our stuff. We would be more financially able to, it wouldn't be winter and I could plan it around Meghans work scheduled.
Thankfully I have a pretty awesome mom who initially OFFERED for us to move in with here while Jared was gone this time. Not only that but will let me stay as long as needed. She really does want us to be able to save money and get the best possible start with civilian life. That and she gets to have her babies close, and Myles will have the boys to play with!!!

So the plan now is to have all of our stuff in storage here, aside from essentials.
Stacy and Rod and the 3 boys(Jareds younger brothers) are coming up in their van and bringing Meghan with them! Then Meghan will ride in the car with me on the way back!
That is a BIG stress off of me and Jared. While there are a few other things to finalize all of this, we can spend the time we have left with out worrying so much.

So here is my good news.
Stacy has a close friend who works at the dialysis center in the valley(conveniently located next to her house!), she has been talking to her every so often about me and that I would be looking for a job there when I got back. Well last week Stacy texted saying she had just talked to her friend and there might possibly be an opening! She wanted me to call her so I did! Apparently one of their "students"(the train you there) gave notice and they really need to fill the spot. So I told her about my schooling and she said she would give my name and number to the main person who hires. I also filled out an application on the hospital website. Then I didnt hear anything....until yesterday!
The woman called Jareds phone and left a message, but didnt leave her extension number. Jared also gave me the wrong name! So for about an hour a searched every where I could to find her, finally calling HR and leaving a message. About an hour after that I got a call from her!
She said that they were very interested in me and that when I get back and have a min, to just stop by the clinic for an interview and that she is pretty informal about interviews so what ever worked best for me!!!
I was SO over the moon and texted everyone I could think to! This would be such a blessing if I got this job in quite a few ways.
Part of me moving home and living with my mom, is to save money. Even if I did not get any job at all we could save an ok amount if I kept my expenses low. I would still be helping my mom with food and stuff though, Im not a free loader lol! BUT If I can get this job, keep my expenses low and live off my pay check alone, we could bank Jareds ENTIRE pay check each month, putting us in the LOW range of $17K or high of $20k. Which a LARGE portion will be used for a house down payment!!!
The other benefits are that this will be less stress on Jared when he gets out and is trying to find a job, instead of both of us searching for a job at the same time. This will also make it more possible for him to get a part time job and still go to school(which will also bring in money threw the G.I. Bill). Ideally both of us need to be working full time to live comfortably in this economy but I really want him to be able to go to school!
Lastly, working at the Dialysis center, which is owned by the hospital, offers benefits including Medical and Dental(if FT) and Tuition assistance, which could be helpful if I decide to get my RN.
All in all it would just be awesome for us. So please, any good luck you could pass my way would be awesome!!

Well I think that is it for now, sorry for making this so long! Im not sure how much I will be able to write in the next few weeks but I will try and update for those of you who do read!!

Bountiful Basket!

Im a day behind. I know.

Like I said in my last post, I ordered 2 things this time, the conventional and the hostess pack. I was too excited and didnt get any pictures before I got everything on the table! It was seriously like Christmas!
So I will start with the pictures.

We got SO much stuff, I had a hard time finding places for it all!
Some interesting things were the Oroblancos and the parsnips. Neither of which any of us have had. The orobloncos are a hybrid of a grape fruit and a persimmon and are supposed to taste like a sweet grape fruit!
So far we have used 1 pineapple some potatoes some apples and some oranges.
This morning made some delicious cubed potato hash browns with onion, the grape tomatoes and the onions!
Next we have plans to make our own potato soup!

On a side note-we did not make it to Multnomah falls today :( . Maybe next year!

Up coming posts and some not so good new

I just wanted to fill you all in on some posts I have coming up. Im hoping that by doing this I can hold my self to it and actually blog on a regular basis!
Tomorrows post should be about our Bountiful Baskets. I ordered 2 this time, a conventional basket and a Hostess pack. I'll have more detail and pictures tomorrow!

I am hoping that we make it Multnomah Falls on Sunday as it seems to be the last nice day for a while, well at least in Troutdale OR! I have been there SO many times its not even funny but it never looses its allure. I have family(on both sides) that live on this side of WA but more south, so we would often travel up threw the Columbia Gorge, stopping at the falls, but it has been a good.....oh 8years! Jared and the boys have never seen it so I figured now would be a good time!

Here in a few weeks I am going to commit to myself to take a picture every day. I have a good reason and hopefully it will keep me occupied. Although it kind of relates to the bad news.

So as is par with the military life style, deployments come around. We can prepare ourselves as much as possible emotionally but it still does not take the anxiety/sadness/pain away from the time leading up to one. We have known when Jared was going to deploy for about 2 months, I had things planned out time line wise but as is also par with the military, dates have changed, and not in our favor. Our whole time line has been put on a tight crunch. I just found out this afternoon so its still kind of settling in. Thankfully though he wont be a full year because of his ETS(getting out of the military) date.
So my first picture will start the day/night(dont know which) he leaves. It may not be a picture I take if we have some family there with us but there will be one!
Be prepared though it could be a sad one!

Which brings me to a question, and I hope SOMEONE, will speak up lol
Who knows of a good site for doing something like this that I can link to my blog and facebook?

My biggest parenting challenge and joy.

So while looking threw my blog feed I read a post from Motherhood Truth. She was writing about the Seven wonders of HER world. It was in response to a blog called Mama's Loosin' it. Every Tuesday Mama Kat give out some writing prompts and then on Thursday and post your URL to the post you wrote using one of the prompts.
I thought this would be an awesome thing for me to try. Often times I get the urge to blog, but really have no idea what to say
So I chose the writing prompt: Your biggest parenting challenge and/or joy.
So here I go.

I have only been a mom for 4years. Needless to say Rylan was a surprise to my 18yr old self. Jared and I were engaged at the time and I was planning to go to culinary school in Portland OR. I was also still in HS. So a lot of things changed for me in a very short amount of time. Rylan was born a little less than 2wks before Jared deployed. So I raised him for the first 15months of his life. I got do do things the way I wanted with him. I guess you could say that my control issues are related to the military life style. I dont have control over or say in a lot of things, some pretty big things. So when I do find something that I have total say in, I get a little obsessive over. After Jared came home it was a little difficult for me, to let someone else make decisions about Rylan was frustrating. Even the simplest things like picking what he should wear. If it wasnt what I thought he should be wearing it was hard not to say something. Then as Rylan started getting accustomed to Jared, he started listening to Jared and not me. Once again I had no control. Since then things have gotten better and Im more able to enjoy things and not worry about how I think it should be.
Rylan is in some ways, my exact opposite(which would be his dad lol). I am quiet, I dont talk a lot and I hate repeating myself. I REALLY dont like talking in the morning. Rylan on the other hand is a chatty cathy ALL THE TIME! The mornings and when he is in the car are the worst. Its like the time that he slept he was accumulating all these things to tell me and he HAS to say it all the second we get up. I also have NO imagination! Even since I was young. So sometimes it is hard for me to relate to Rylan and his huge imagination.
Rylan is a big joy in my life. He is amazingly smart, so I dont have to really dumb things down for him a lot. I enjoy seeing him learn. He is very curious and I feed of what he is talking about for the day and we learn about it. He is such a sweet and love child, and he is kind of attached to me. He can also be very whiny, over dramatic and crys a lot. I think this has been my biggest challenge with him. It can be difficult to go about our day because he is crying about something that is nothing.
Then there is Gabriel. Sweet, chunky, stubborn, almost 2, Gabe. He has been challenging and joyfull in such different ways than Rylan. Like I mentioned he is STUBBORN! He makes things exponentially more difficult than it needs to be. Rylan was never stubborn like this. I took him everywhere when he was this age. He would sit in his stroller, sit in a restaurant booth and be good to go. Gabe is a different story. If he can not walk, and destroy, he is NOT happy. We can get about 5 min out of him and then its preventative measure time. Making sure there is nothing in his reach(he will throw it, eat it or rip it up) making sure he has a snack(although it only quiets him for a while) and keeping him from screeching.
Im sure people love us at the mall when he is hanging half out of his stroller screaming like we are torturing him.
It has been a big change learning how to deal with him as compared to Rylan.
Like I said he is BIG and very physical. Sometimes I have to have Jared hold or handle him because he is just to strong for me.
The joys of him are pretty awesome though. He is very funny. He is going to be the class clown, we can already tell. From a young age he has been making faces at people, he has a pretty good stink face! His emotions are plain to see and usually LOUD no matter what they are. He loves to sing and dance when Jared plays guitar, he loves to run(away from me usually) and he loves to cuddle with Jared.
Overall my challenges can be summed up in that, I had my children when I was still making the transition from "child"(Ive always been more mature for my age though) to young adult, at the same time my children are going threw the first few years of their lives, which are difficult. Doing this together, while a learning experience, is kind of stressful!
Threw all that though is the joy of experience my children, good and not so nice. Getting to teach them such things that are so exciting to developing minds. Getting to see the excitement on their faces, brings me such a warmth that I never knew existed.
I am so thankful for my boys who are so unique, fun, trying and exhausting.

Our first Cloth Diaper experience.

So like I have mentioned before I bought some cloth diapers for Gabe. Well the arrived a few days ago. My first step was to wash the prefolds a few times to get all the oils off and get them nice and quilted. I washed and dried them in all-5 times.
Gabes first time wearing it was part of the morning and then at nap time. It went AWESOME! No leaks! He even had a NASTY poo waiting for me when he woke up lol! So I set that prefold and cover(some got on it) in water to soak for a few days.
Then last night was his first time going over night in it. Again it went AWESOME! Jared was the one who got up with him and said that there were no leaks even though he had a massive poo again!
As of right now we only have the two diapers so I don't have a sprayer. Which left me using the toilet pretty much as a wash basin to get the poo off!
So a sprayer is going to be a must once I move.

I also found a small store in Tacoma called Best Loved Baby that carries cloth diapers. I plan on going in sometime this week to check them out, get a better fell for ones I like!

Day 3/4

I didnt get a chance to post last night, we kept our selves pretty busy and then Jared and I watched the UFC fights, then he went over to the neighbors for a bit.
I ended up watching True Blood.....odd show.

Anyway, last night we FINALLY ate the Elk shoulder. It was pretty good. We did it pot roast style though and neither Jared or I are fond of pot roast. It was good though taste wise. Ive never had Elk before but I am not a fan of game meat. The boys were not interested in it either :( .

Tonight........we had McDonald. Bad, I know!
We took the boys to the park late in the day and were not coming home until....wow I just realized that it was only like 4:40 when we were coming him. Damn time change....
Lets just say we were lazy today lol!

Just some random news

Today I ordered 2 Econobum one side diapers. They were buy one prefold and cover get one(set) free. For $9.95 with free shipping. After tax it only came to $10.88.

I have tried to do cloth before.
A local consignment shop had 2 gdiapers for really cheap. Gabe looked so cute in them. But the only prefolds I had were some old Gerber ones I had been given as burp rags for Rylan.
Gerber prefolds(or flats) are notoriously bad among CD people. They certinly did not work for us!
That and a combination of the covers being just to small for Gabe. He woke up damp so I didnt keep going.
Well Ive had renewed interest in CDing him. I hate the price of diapers!

I was also looking for an alternative for Rylan. He is potty trained, just not at night. I hate the fact that I have to buy him something just to pee in!!
He could probably fit in to a large "normal" cloth diaper because he is skinny But they would probably be to short in the front because he is tall.
So I got to looking around and found something awesome!

Flip Potty Trainer!
This is perfect for Rylan. Hes not a super heavy wetter but he still wakes up with a wet pull up. That and he is a very heavy sleeper so I think it will be awhile before he is able to get himself up at night to use the bathroom.

Next topic!
This one is kind of random but I just have to share.
Jared is brewing his own Hard Apple Cider!
Random, I know! We bought two jugs of UV Pasteurized apple cider when we were in Clarkston, from Wilson Banner Ranch.
One jug he added yeast and brown sugar to, it has the airlock on the top, borrowed from his beer making stuff. The second he let naturally start to ferment on the kitchen counter, then added brown sugar and honey.
Both are fermenting like crazy!
The former is much lighter in color and will likely be more alcoholic. The later is darker and will be less intense.
Next is to bottle it mid next week!!

Day 2(PC)

Had to run out for a few things today....
Yeah I know we are not good at this! I got orange juice, more Worcestershire sauce. Diapers and (generic) pull ups.

SO anyway!
Dinner tonight was-
Oven roasted chicken breasts
Green beans(canned)
Baked potatoes.

Well Jared decided he wanted to do the potatoes in the coals on the grill. All was good until he was like well they aren't done, they are still hard. So we just fed the boys what we had anyway and figured we could eat them later or save them.
2 hrs later and he takes them off and realizes they are so hard because they are BURNT!
Yep, Potato FAIL for us!

Our big accomplishment though is dinner for tomorrow.
Elk Shoulder Roast!
Which is in the crock pot bathing in a Worcestershire and home made beer bath, with potatoes celery and carrots.
Smells DIVINE!

Self Sustainability

Jared and I talked on and off the last few years about self sustainability. With the reality of moving back to our home town, and Jared leaving the Army, its becoming more of a reality for us.
Threw talking to our friends there who work, about their wadges(we have pretty open friends) it has finally hit Jared that we will both need to work full time(like most people now). So we are looking even more, it to ways to help us save. Not only save but to become less reliant on grocery stores. I guess you could say we are going a little Hippy! Basically we want to be able to support our selves(and hopefully others) when times get hard.

Both of us were raised in a fairly rural area. His mom had a garden, and animals. He raised a pig for FFA. I raised a steer for 4H. Unlike many kids growing up today, we know where food comes from, the good and the bad.
We know the process of life, that chickens and cows don't live for ever.
We know the horrible things that are being done to commercial produced foods. From the way animals are treated to the way farmers are treated.
We are also realizing that if major things happen MANY people will not know how to continue daily life. Simple things, like making a fire, making bread, SURVIVING!
Skills that just 2 generations ago, were a necessity to daily life.

So this starts our journey. Learning trades that can benefit us in the future. Learning more about alternative energy, raising animals.

These are our plans.
When I move home I will start the search for our home. The requirement is a large yard, which where we come from is not hard to find, most already have garden areas in them already.

Chickens and a garden will be our first steps. Having chickens will be beneficial in 3 ways. First they will help fertilize and cultivate a garden. Second, they make eggs!! We love eggs around here! Lastly, the meat its self. Some of them will be raised for meat alone, the others for eggs and then meat when they stop laying eggs.
Luckily Jareds mom is experienced with gardens so she will be a BIG help to me!
Im thinking- tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, some sort of leafy greens and some flowers to start with!

Another perk is that Jareds mom and step dad have property in the mountain areas outside of town. This gives us a little more land to work with.
Jared has dreams of starting a bee hive, a little ambitious, but a really cool idea!
We also would like to raise a pig and maybe eventually a steer.
Either of those can be bought and slaughtered locally though so we have options.

Hunting. Its just a way of life there. The Elk roast we will be enjoying soon was a product of hunting(legally!). Its a great way to provide that extra meat for your family. Again Jareds mom and step dad are invaluable here because they dress their own meat(jared knows how also). There is no way on earth I could do it. It has nothing to do with blood or killing an animal. Its the smell. The last time I was at his moms house and they were cutting and packaging deer meet, I had to leave. It smells of very strong iron to me and that is just one smell I am very sensitive to!

We also have yet another avenue. We live next to a reservation. Jared and his siblings actually went to school on the reservation(although they are not native). Jareds mom and step dad have many friends out there who they trade goods with regularly. Mostly Salmon, and buffalo(usually jerky).

As I type Jared is brewing his own hard apple cider. He has brewed his own beer to and is now trying to learn how to grow all the ingredients to be able to make beer from his own ingredients!

Eventually we will be doing solar panels, when we have the money.

We hope to grow a relationship with those around us threw sharing our goods and knowledge. Bartering can be a great thing in times like these.

Most of all, aside form what I have already said, we like the effect this will have on our children.
The knowledge of just where your food comes from, how it got to your plate. How to grow food, and the importance of stewardship of the land and animals around you.
Accountability. Its already decided that collecting eggs in the morning will be Rylans chore, and he is very excited about it!

So in closing I want to share some awesome sites and blogs I have found while doing research.

A Year Without Groceries
Love this blog! Not only informative but honest! I love how, if there is something they dont have or cant grow, they use other avenues like Co-Ops and farmers markets!

Urban Sustainable Living
Tons of great info for beginners!

There are many more out there!

Day 1

So Im thinking this pantry challenge is not going to be super strict lol!
I went out and bought a few things-
Worshtishire sauce
Old Bay seasoning
Sweetened condensed milk
a lemon
and Irish Spring Soap

For dinner tonight we had-
Cedar plank Salmon seasoned with Old Bay seasoning and lemons
Cheddar Broccoli pasta salad, which was a packaged side thing and was disgusting to ONLY me!
Canned Corn

I added the corn because there really was no broccoli in the pasta, even thought it was another starch :(

What I loved about this meal is the fish. We got it from Jareds mom, who got it from her friends on the reservation. Which means it was wild Salmon. This gave it a different flavor and texture that what you would buy in the store. Store bought fresh Salmon is good too and normally what we get but this just felt better!

Jared and I have fallen in love with Old Bay seasoning! Its perfect and has a good kick to it!

So that is pretty much it for today.
Our upcoming meals will be-

Elk Shoulder Roast

Seared/baked Bone in, Skin on Chicken breast

Sides- To be determined!

PANTRY CHALLENGE!!

We just recently got back from visiting our family in Clarkston and needless to say we spent WAY to much money while there! To add to that we got a flat tire on the way back so now we have to purchase a new spare(our spare was an actual tire not a dough nut).
Thankfully our need for groceries has been about 4-5 days later than 1st and 15th paydays so, we had food left when we got back AND while back home we acquired some meat from Jareds mom.
She gave us 1 side of smoked salmon, an Elk shoulder roast(guesstimating 2lbs) and a half side of frozen salmon. There might be something else I am for getting...
What I like about this is none of those meats were store bought. The elk was shot by Jareds step dad, and the fish came from his friends on the reservation who catch and smoke the fish themselves.
Here at home we had- 1/2 lb bacon, 1lb stew meat, 1lb ground pork, 2lbs ground beef, and about 4lbs chicken breasts(with rib bones?)
So, I am fairly sure we are set for meat until the next payday if not longer!
Along with the meat we also have a lot of canned food like vegetables, tomato products, chilli, soups. Noodles and rice. pre packaged sides, which I really dont prefer but we are trying to save money and finish out the pantry.
I did have to make a trip to the store for Milk, OJ, lunch meat, Bread(x2) and some fresh veggies but only spent $24.

So in my next post I will give you all a full run down of what we have and what we plan to make with it all!!
I may decide to extend this to how ever long we can but for right now its just until the 15th of November.

Jared is home/School is over/weight loss/Bountiful Baskets

Boy do I have a lot to write about! For once though its all pretty good stuff!!

Jared is home-
So I picked Jared up a week ago today! It was crazy! I had the time line off the vFRG page, he was one of the last flights to get here. The ET for him was evening time so I had all our stuff planned out, like feeding the boys, cleaning the car while they napped. Last minute stuff. Well as I was cleaning the car, he called and said they were almost there!! I had about 20min to get dressed, wake Gabe, dress the boys and get to the Gym. I made it there with 5 min to spare lol!! Just after he had called me I started shaking so bad, I was so excited to see him!
When the bus pulled in I could spot him instantly and apparently everyone could spot me lol. His LT. was like "woho thats some bright hair" lol.
So after a few minutes of their 1sgt talking to them, and me realizing that MY husband was carrying a 9mil on his thigh(OMG SEXY!). He was able to come over and see us! Jared always makes sure to have a special treat for the boys when he comes back from places weather its sweets or a stuffed animal, he never fails. This time he had suckers for them! They loved it!.
After that it was pretty much life back to normal thankfully!

School is over!-
All I can say is Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! That had to be the worst school experience ever.
The last day we had 4 finals because the teacher was actually 2wks behind schedule.
Our first test was phlebotomy. All but 1 person FAILED. I got a 66% and that was higher than only 2 others. Even the "smart" people got less than me! So he lowered how much that grade impacted our over all grade. I have no idea how I did on the other tests though because they were written and he had to grade them. Our group model was AWESOME though. We received and A- and he didn't hound us like he did some of the other groups.
Over all I passed all my classes with C or B. I'm just glad its over!

Weight loss-
So last post I had lost 3lbs. Im happy to say Im down another 2 lbs!! I haven't been working out this week that Jared has been home. Its a hard thing for me to do while he is here lol! And despite the eating we have been doing I haven't gained either!! So now that he is back to work, I work out during the day while he is gone. Anyone else weird about working out in front of their so?

Bountiful Baskets-
So I ordered our first Bountiful Basket on Tuesday night!!! Im so excited to pick it up Saturday!
Ive been looking at them for a while but just needed the push, which was 2 things. 1-Jared(and I) is doing the Paleo Diet. Its interesting, but not totally for me because Im no where near as active as he is but I do like how well its getting him to think about food and our increase in veggies. 2-WINCO failed me. Almost every piece of produce we bought from there was moldy the next day or 2 after buying it. Jared is allergic to mold(even penicillin), so that isn't even close to ok. Aside from his health, that was a BIG waste of money and we cant keep doing that. SO that night I saw a post of FB by Bountiful Baskets saying there was an hour left to order. I quickly told Jared what it was and we both agreed to try it.
I only paid $19.50 which included the $3 first time fee(for the basket at the site) for their conventional basket. I dont think any of the extras are available at my nearest sight yet, like organic basket or bread packs.


So be prepaired for my posts to come starting Saturday about BB and what we are making with it!!

The insanity is creeping in

I hate this feeling :( I just want to crawl under a rock and sleep for a few months.
I have about 4 days until Jared is home and it still feels like for ever away, and he has only been gone for a month. But this has been the hardest month in a LONG time. I feel like the boys are revolting against me, knowing that I feel pretty helpless right now. Just the general issues that come along with their ages. Rylan broke his bed and Gabe fell out of his crib. So now they are both on their mattresses on the floor, leading to a much longer bed time because they just play until they pass out. Going anywhere is a struggle. Gabe screams bloody murder for no real reason, the second we walk into a store. Rylan constantly asks me for things and then starts BAWLING when I tell him no. Its not like getting stuff/treats for him is a norm, its in fact RARE!
Our trip to the farmers market today was crap, people are rude and Gabe was screaming.
To top it all of I have 1 day of school left, with 4 finals crammed into the day. We are building Water treatment rooms in groups of four. We have only had 3 days to work on it, so I volunteered to take it home and finish up. In this week our teacher has made everything as unpleasant as possible. We got chewed out Tuesday morning, because he got in trouble from the dean. I guess when the computer people came in to replace the computers in the class(which have been there for 10 years) the key boards and under the computers was "disgusting". Excuse me but NO. Our teacher MAKES us clean the computers!!! Under the monitors, AND in the keyboards. So we got bitched at for that and can no longer eat in there. Not only that we cant even bring food in, cant even bring water in! While one of the girls was gone he took her food(that was tied up in a plastic bag) and locked it in his room! One word of advice to him though, dont mess with a stressed out Brazilian woman. She does not care that you are a teacher(who is the same age as her), she will tell you off!
So this same day they are painting the outside of our building(and yest our school is SO poor) and had all the windows taped off. In a feat of amazement it has been HOT here in WA. So we are baking our buts off, painting and gluing stuff and he refuses to let us even have water.
He then kicks us out of the calls during the "lunch hour"(this is supposed to be college for Christs sake). I had planned on staying during lunch to work on it, so I scrambled to grab what I could to take it outside and work on it.
He did this every day.
So on top of this water treatment room we have to know EVERYTHING about but yet haven't actually been taught ANYTHING about, we have phlebotomy test, professionalism, and vascular access.
Maybe I just dont know much about college but are teachers not supposed to teach you??
I mean pretty much all he has done is shown us a power point on each subject.
We work out of a book for phlebotomy, which he does not go over or anything, its self taught basically. AND The book we have been working out of is NOT the one he is testing us from!!
Professionalism-He gave us a bunch of stacks of papers, then we watched 12 videos that had to do with "professionalism" and were a WASTE of time.
Vascular access-stacks of papers again, video, and canulating rubber tubing.
Water treatment-A power point and this model and reading our "core curriculum" which is what he is testing us from the other stuff. He told those doing clinical to have their preceptors teach them! Every person said their preceptor didn't know anything either!!
So Im stressing about getting all I need done, and passing my classes.
Im just looking forward to this being over and Jared being home, even though he will be leaving again in a month or two and then deploying shortly after that.

This has put the worst taste for school in my mouth.

1 wk down 3lbs gone!

So I started working out on Tuesday I think it was. Started my first night with a yoga ball core excersise. I have absolutely not core lol so I wanted to get that back to work before starting 30 day shred again. The subsequent days I 30DS except for Thursday and Friday. Thursday I just had to much studying to do and I was in so much pain lol. Friday I totally intended to but then my night went to crap. Apparently Jared was able to get on FB with the kindle. I missed it Thursday because my phone does not show every status update. I missed him again Friday even though we were posting at the same time, Im not sure he saw the comments I was leaving him, trying to get him to stay on. So I was just really depressed after that and lost my motivation.
Saturday I decided to do my work out while Gabe was napping because I was having a friend come over for dinner that night. We also went to the park so I got some extra work in there!!
Ive been drinking SO MUCH water too! At least a liter a day!
When I weighed Tuesday I was 154 and some change. I stepped on the scale this morning and was 151!!!!!!
I haven't been here in about a year lol!

Im so excited to be seeing results which is keeping me motivated.
Im also setting mini goals this time.
Instead of focusing on the 20-25lbs I want to loose, Im taking it 5lbs at a time.
Ive almost met my first goal of 150lbs and hope to achieve my goal of 145lbs by the time Jared gets home from ntc.
So I have about 2wks to loose 5lbs which I think is totally doable!!

The unpredictable Army

Do you ever feel like the army knows all of your plans for the future(outside of the army) and then does every possible thing to mess with it? Or that "they" enjoy watching us scramble to make a new plan.
I guess Jared and I were just to jaded in thinking they wouldn't deploy him again so close to his ETS. We always said, when asked, "no he won't have to deploy again, but you know the army". I cant speak for him, but, I never believed that last part. My mistake was thinking logically. Which 9 times out of 10 is not how the army (or some commands anyway) thinks.
These were my thoughts: why send a guy when your just going to send him back in a few months? Why put him in a squad that he is just going to leave, that is not fair to those men, creating a bond knowing one of you is just going to leave?(he may have avoided this one though, I'll mention it later).
Now instead of thinking logically I have to think about where this leaves us, how this changes our plans, immediately and long term. I have to find the positives, push threw the crap, anger, and overwhelming fear. Be strong for Jared, me being a panicky wreck will do no good for him while he is there. Be strong fory boys, rylan is old enough now that he will realize daddy is leaving.

We had planned on staying here for a while after jared gets out. He would get his purple belt, and I would get work experience to have a better chance of a job back home. We had our money saving plan all worked out, setting ourselves up for an "easy" transition.

Our new "plan". Jared is deploying sometime in December. To Afghanistan. His first time there. I will now be moving back home, for good.
During predeployment leave we are traveling home(7hrs away). Leaving the boys with our moms, renting a moving truck and coming back to get all our stuff. It will all go in storage back home for a while, I'll stay with my mom for a month or two, just until things settle down and i find a place for the boys and i. Meanwhile Jared will come back here and find somewhere to stay until they deploy.
He will be deployed about 6months(unless he decides to extend his contract for the length of the deployment). They will send him back here(ft. Lewis) to start the process of getting out. He will then be under geographical bachelor status and be in the barriks. The boys and I will be waiting for him back home.

This whole thing has effected so much. I have to change how my job/school plan will go. Trying to get a clinical set up back home, trying to get a job with them. Jareds plans for jui jitsu and school.
All of this pales in comparison to my biggest fear.
Maybe I'm alone in this thought, maybe I'm just overly paranoid or pessimistic.
Do you ever feel like multiple deployments push fate? How many times can you come out on top?
I know, there are men who have done multitudes of deployments and have come back, and there are the unlucky ones who didn't make it there their first. But it is still there in the back of my mind...

So here we are, pushed to find the positives of a situation we never truly thought would happen. The positives are only there to attempt to make you feel better though, they still seem so small and insignificant compared to having your husband home and safe.
So here they are, our "positives"
-saving money.
Rent is MUCH cheaper back home. Deployment pay. Me finding a job. Tax return.
I am so much more money conscious than I have ever been. I understandbwhat are needs and wants, what I can live with out. I will live on the budget we have now.( my next post will be more about money), banking at minimum $1000 a month, not counting what I may make,
-having family around.
Not only the benefit for the boys of having the bonds with their grandmas, but a benefit to our money savings goal. Daycare costs in general are high but they are higher here. If I stayed here and did my clinicals and got a job, anybthingbi made would go straight to daycare. Not to mention i would be doing 12-14 hr shifts. Both grandmas have agreed to watch the boys as much as possible keeping day care to a very minimum if at all.
-easy transition for Jared.
Instead of worrying about getting home or finding a place, Jared will be able to just come home. He will finish ets and have no stress.

I'm ok with change, I really am, and im pretty good with going with the flow. Sometimes it just pushes me to my limits though. I have a lot to be thankful for and that is what I have to focus on.

so....how about an update lol.

So. Every computer in our house is dead lol. I'm typing this on my crappy phone that chooses when to charge and auto correct at the worst times. So forgive me if things look wonkey!

Let's see, since posting last, a few things have happened. Jared went to YTC for 3 wks and unlike everyone else he dis not take his phone(following rules lol) so we dis not speak for 2wks! We havent gone that long without talking since his first deployment so that was a little tough. His friend got him to call me though so we talked twice before he came home.
He was then home for a week, and then left for a week. He missed fathers day again but oh well we still celebrateed when he got back!!!
The week he was gone just happened to bee the week of my finals for school.
I passed every class and passed overall with a B-.
I'm proud but honestly not THAT proud. Some classes I just made the cut. Balanceing everything just got hard. Sometimes I didn't study, or I would misplace papers, get behind on modules.
The one that stressed me out most of all was ly machine set up test. I don't like the way the teacher runs things. He tricks us left.and right.
I lost my log of machine set ups, which he was apparently basing our finals off of. If we had a full log then he would juat ask you questions. For me I had to do a set up and answer question. I'm not quite sure he understood how close I was to barfing and or bawling, because I was so nervous.
Despite watching set up videos the night before I made a few simple mistakes that should have been second nature. I was so flustered at that that I had trouble answering the questions. On top of that he had a former student and current tech in there visiting. While I was doing my final!!!
I left.crying.
But I passed.with a 70%

I see lots of.room for improving though.

I have decided to drop my clinicals though. When i found out that my clinic was to be in Bremerto, and talking to Jared, I just don't think this is the right time. I have the option to take just the clinicals at a later dated and possibly get a closser clinic.
Working out mine and jareds secheduals and adding the boys in there, with only 1car is just to hectic. Jared leaves way early and never gets off the same time. With out him having the car he can't get home or pick up the boys, if he has the car I can't get to clinics. This would also mean me being gon 14hrs a day (12 at the clinic and 1 he drive each way). If Jared at least had a car he could pick them up earlier!

Anyway, I'm realizing that this is all a lot harder than I thought, and that tuition is a crock.
I'm not sure I would recommend this school to anyone. I've seen so many students be screwed over by the FA department including myself. You can't get anyone to answer their phones and dnot expect your phone call to be returned anytime soon! I will be happy when I get this all out of the way and can move on!

Random side note. I've been looking on to American military university and their terrorism studies and counter intelligence degrees..... If only I had the money lol.

And I did it again

Ive been gone for a while lol.

Im still adjusting to this whole school thing. It usually takes me a week or two to get back in to a routine when I switch things up but this is the biggest change Ive made in a long time so its taking longer.
Getting school and home life coordinated is difficult. Keeping up with my household stuff, time with the boys and jared and my school work is crazy.
I am just now getting to the point of a routine and "normally" which is actually going to change a little with finding a new babysitter. Miss Lauren is moving back home so I need to find someone new. Most of my prospects are on base so thats going to be an adjustment.
Also after this month is over my class schedule changes again. Right now I dont have to be to class until 10am except on fridays I go in at 8am. It will switch to 8am everyday. Then once this quarter is up it will change again once I am assigned a clinic! OY!!
At this point Jared is getting a ride to and from work every day. He pays a friend who lives near by $40 a month which is less that what we would be paying for another car(in payment and gass) plus we use less gas since my school and the babysitter is only 5min away.

So with my house a mess, laundry piling up and dinner being later I think I have a routine made out.
Mornings are flexible at this point. Im "usually" up by 7:30am which lets me get dressed and the boys clothes layed out and I eat. Then I wake the boys up at 8am get them dressed and feed them a little. Then we get to the sitters by 8:30(or 8) and I go to class. Getting to class this early gives me extra time to study, make sure I my assignments are correct and to sit in and watch the other students do machine set ups. Its also nice on test days because I can do an extra study so its fresh in my mind!

Finances and school are TOUGH! Thats another thing we are adjusting too. We had everything set perfectly to live with in our means and have money to put into savings. The money we normally put in savings is going to daycare now. Not that Im complaining about that lol. I was lucky enough to find a friend I really like and am comfortable letting her watch my kids, I was also Extremely lucky that Im not having to pay 1300+ a month like I would at a daycare!!
School came with so many more expenses than where divulged to us. Having to buy extra items, only being able to buy them at the over priced book store.
I did everything as inexpensively as I could. Used what I had at home(pens, notebooks, stray backpack).
We are doing ok, bills are paid and we are feed. There is just NO wiggle room!

I am liking class though. We got threw dry stringing the machine and have moved on to adding a saline bag, so there is actually liquid moving threw the tubing lol.
Its difficult when you only have 1 day of instructed machine set up during the week. You can take turns during down times in class but its hard getting the teacher to help you in depth with each and every alarm going off.
Today he would have a group go up but stop at any point during their set up. He would call up a group and they would have to figure out where the last person left off. That was HARD! 1 figuring out where they left off and 2 remembering the process its self. Its hard from start to finish anyway but doing it like this was harder.
Then he would do something wrong with the machine and the next group would have to trouble shoot what was wrong with the machine.

My group has done 2 field studys at 2 different clinics in the area. It was neat to see how different companies run(one was non profit and one was FOR profit) It was nice to see patients and get good information on the field.

Well Im tired so I will write more later!

Does this mean Im getting older?

In High school I wasnt a bad student but I didnt really try my hardest. I got ok grades with out really trying or studying. I took the minimum required classes and had a short sechedual my junior and senior yrs because there was nothing else I could take. I had double the "extra curricular" classes than needed!
In starting college I knew I would be a little different but worried(and still do) that I would fall back into that pattern. My goal is to have a 4.0 and ALSO learn the non book taught aspect of my field.
I went to school 3 days last week but have yet to recieve the syllabus. We are having out first vocabulary test on Monday. Friday during free time I wrote out the definitions of the words and studied a little. Tonight I ACTUALLY studied the best I could. I actually feel very confident for my first test!!
Well then I got to thinking. If I had bought my medical terminology book/cd I could be studying even more right now. The modules are work at your own pace, so I could be getting a head start. Im a little mad at myself that I am not able to do so. I couldn't afford to buy my $90 medical terminology book Friday because the bank still had the hold on my Pell Grant, but now its good and I can get my book Monday. But thats a whole weekend I lost!
This leads me to the title of my post. Iam starting to realize that postponing school and not going straight out of HS may have been a very good thing for me. I am more motivated now, more focused and more confident!
So maybe it is not a situation of just age but life lol. Im an adult now and I can do this better than I could have then!

Im still alive, I promise!

I have really let this fall behind!!!
Things have been so chaotic lately that by the time I have time to blog(after the boys go to bed) I usually just want to spend some time with Jared, and go to bed!

So here what has been going on.

Wednesday I started school!!!!!
The day didn't start out to great.
Around midnight someones car alarm started going off. This wasnt your normal beeep beeep beeep, kind of alarm. Its 5different noises that go ON AND ON AND ON! Then it will stop just long enough for you to think that it is off.......then it starts again!! The people would let it go off 4-5 times before shutting it off!! This went on periodically until around 3am!!
Around 2:30 Rylan woke up. He had wet the bed and had a nightmare. So I changed him up and put him in bed with us. Needless to say neither Jared or I got a good nights sleep.
We then had to get up at 4:45am to take him in to work so I could have the car for the day to get to school.
Once back home I feed and dressed the boys and myself. Took them to Laurens and headed to school!
It was interesting being back in a school setting. I only have one teacher and 1 class room. Because this is a course that you get a certificate in and not a degree, I don't have any pre requisites like say English 101 or math 101. Although I do have medical math!
There are about 24 people in my class. I was intrigued to see the variety of people in my class. From older(40+) women AND men(5 one of which has identical triplet girls on the way) to just out of highschool, 4 foreign students, 2 sets of sisters and many of us with children!
We are in class every day from 8am to 3pm.
This next month is a little different though. In our class room there are only 4 dialysis machines to work on. So Mr. Ken(or instructor) put us in to 6 groups of 4. Only 1 group will come in each morning from 8-10(or machine maintenance and set up class) and the rest of us come in at 10, every day that is not our assigned day.(when our next class starts). This enables 1 on 1 time with Mr. Ken when we are learning how to dry string a machine with blood lines. He has shown us once and its kind of complicated mostly because you have to do it in an exact order due to policy and procedures. Not only that but you are dealing with the machine simultaneously because its detecting levels and such.
Most of the projects we will be doing are group based. We already have our groups and that is it for the year.
Our first project is 2wks long doing a field study. We have to contact 2 different company's( main are Davita and Fersinius?) and ask if our group can come in and basicly interview them. We can ask them any questions we feel we need to pertaining to the whole realm of dialysis. We then compile everything and EACH make our own books with all the info we gathered in them.
So we go as a group and share info but our books are individual.
I actually like my group. Im not a big fan of group projects because I like doing things on my own and MY way lol.
But Im glad I was pared with who I was for 2 reasons. 1)I didn't get any annoying people, and yes after only 3 days they have already made themselves known! 2) Out of the 3 other girls I am more outgoing. Granted Im not as out going as others in the class but in my group I am. This I hope will get me more notice at a clinic than if I were with the others. This sounds horrible but its the truth!
I can very well gain a job from my clinicals so its very important to me!

Ive only hit a few snags in these 3 days but they are kind of major. I'll start with the smallest one.
1)So I got my pell grant the first day of school. I found a "shared" bank here that works with Potlatch back home. I deposited my money but got $200 out for Lauren. It was lucky I did that because the bank is holding my deposit!!!! And it takes 3 days to go threw! The money is there but I cant access it!
So I wasn't able to get any of my books or my scrubs and shoes. I did get some blood lines, a stethoscope and a face shield. So I have to go BACK to the book/clothing store to get my stuff early Monday morning!

2)We have to have specific immunizations to do our clinicals next symester. Well I found out(after doing a worthless test) that I was never immunized for Hepatitis A B or C. All of which I need to do clinical s(c is optional I guess). So now I have to wait for the worthless blood test to come back and then get my immunizations!!

3)At this point I dont have a car.....We had a plan and everything was working fine until we were denied a loan.
After I buy my scrubs and stuff I will have about $1000 left of my pell grant. We were going to refinance the car to lower our interest rate with state farm. They said they could give us a $5k loan to pay off the 2k left on the car and use the left over, plus my 1k to buy me a new car. I even had one picked out too and it was less than 4k. Then they told us we had been denied. That was yesterday and we still dont know what we are going to do.
I dont know how much more I can take of getting myself and the boys up at 4:45am. Its gotten all of us out of whack and I almost fell asleep in school. I know its stressing Jared out too.

Anyway. Thats what has been up with me!

Day 8

Day 8 - Post your favorite deployment photo (a photo of "see you laters", him coming home, or him deployed) and tell why it is your favorite

So Im bending the rules a little again. I can pic just one photo!
This is the first time Jared met Gabe. Because of the length of his deployment he didnt get to come home for Gabes birth. So this was it at about 2am to boot!

I love this one for 2 reasons.
1) He is in "full battle rattle" i.e. all gear. Which I find incredibly SEXY(who wouldn't lol)
2)He is actually SMILING! A true smile from Jared is elusive. I don't think he has a real smile in any of our wedding pictures!
(this was on his first tour)

Lastly this one.
This is our last Homecoming picture.
While it is AWESOME that we dont ever have to go threw a deployment again, there is something about the feeling of it that I will miss.
Some people may not agree with what Im going to say but its how I feel.
I DO NOT wish my husband to go back to a war zone ever again.
BUT I will miss the feeling of the moment he comes home. The moment I see him for the first time in real life after so long. The feeling of hugging him after so long. The feeling of seeing him with our children again.
Its a weird feeling if you haven't ever gone threw something like this. Its special, amazing and indescribable.

Day 7

Day 7 - Post a picture of a wonderful friend that you’ve made because of your spouse being in the military

This is Nicole, Nate and Aiden.
I met Nicole for the first time just after Jared and I had gotten married. I went back to Ft. Campbell with Jared for a visit(which turned into me staying to have Rylan).
Jared and Nate worked together and they lived 1 apartment complex down from the people we were staying with. They would come over every once and a while with their adorable son Aiden.
Shortly after, the menfolk deployed. Well except mine, he got to stay for Rylan but then deployed.
Nicole moved back to her home town and I to mine. We never got to say goodbye or exchange numbers.
Fast forward about halfway threw the deployment.
I get one of the calls that we never want. No it wasnt that my husband was hurt, but that there had been a death in the unit, but who it is they dont tell you.
My heart stopped. I could only think of Nicole and hope it was not Nate.
But I had no way to contact her and if I did I had no idea what to say.
"Hey is your husband dead?" isnt every eloquent.
About an hour later I get a text from my SIL who we had loaned Jareds phone for the time he was gone.
She says some girl named Nicole texted her asking if I had Jareds phone.
Morgan answered her back telling her the situation. Nicole asked if she could have my number and Morgan said yes.
Nicole wanted to know if everything was alright on my end. I.E. is your husband ok.
I asked the same of her.
We were both good our husbands were just fine.
She said when she got the call she felt the same way I did and couldn't help but try and contact me.
We have been friends since.
We coordinated our arrivals back to Ft. Campbell, I was able to be there to help her unpack her things on Halloween night with her FIL and BIL.
We watched each others kids, had party's at each others houses, met up for Starbucks and the park with the boys.
We even shared our first Thanksgiving away from home together. The men attempted the first deep fried turkeys for any of us. They were amazing!!
Unfortunately, as with army tradition, we were separated.
We PCSd here to WA and they stayed in KY.
Our men deployed again. Hers to a much more dangerous place than mine. Knowing where he was and what was going on I worried for her so much and wish I could have been there more for her. Im over joyed to say that he is coming home to her soon though.
I also very much plan to go see her again soon I may even surprise her!
We have been trying to coordinate a trip to Vegas too!

Day 6

Day 6 - Post a picture of the base your spouse is stationed at and tell 5 cool things about that base

We are stationed at Ft. Lewis WA or more recently known as Joint Base Lewis McChord.
Jared re enlisted while he was in Iraq on his first tour, specifically to come here. Our home town is about 7 hrs SE of here.


So this is actually on post a little ways after you go threw the main gate. Its across from the PX.
In the back ground is Mt. Rainier!

Fun facts
1)It was established in 1917 originally as Camp Lewis
2)Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base were combined to establish the Joint Base Lewis-McChord on February 1, 2010.
3)Almost every time you go threw main gate they will say, I Corps or Americas Corps.(we thought they were saying "nice car" when we first got here)
4)Ft. Lewis is about 1hr from Seattle WA and 2hrs from The Pacific Coast!
5)It rains A LOT with the average annual precipitation being 43.3 inches

Day 5

Day 5 - Post a pic of the branch he is in and list your favorite "stay strong" quote.

Jared is in the United States Army!


This in quite a "stay strong" quote but its my favorite.


"Loving a military man means knowing what its like to have your heart be a thousand miles away........and still have to breathe."

Enich-ritos anyone?

I don't post food things often but this was to good not to share.
If you dont know what an Enchi-rito is I will inform you. Basically its an enchilada and burrito combined. Instead of corn torillas like with normal enchiladas you use flour like for burritos. I also add refried beans to the ground beef to make it go further.
So here goes.

1lb ground beef
1 medium onion
1 can chopped olives
1 can diced tomato
1 can re fried beans
6 large tortillas
1 large or 2 medium cans of Enchilada sauce
2 bags of cheese- 1 Mexican blend 1 Monterrey Jack
1 9x13 baking dish
Taco seasoning
Cumin
Paprika

Brown Hamburger and diced onion until. Season with taco seasoning (etc) to you liking.
Drain.
Add tomato
Olives
Re fried beans
Heat until warm

In baking dish pour a little enchilada sauce.
On a plate place 1 tortilla
some shredded cheese
and filling
Roll up and put in pan
Repeat until you have use all the filling
Pour the rest of enchilada sauce on top and sides of tortillas
Top with more cheese
cover with tinfoil
Put in oven on 425 for 15min
The last 5min take the foil of and finish baking!

Tah dah!

Day 4

Day 4 - Post a picture of the family he had to leave behind to protect his country

OK LAST one and I will be caught up lol!
There are a lot of us!
The first tour it was just me and Rylan. Rylan was 14days old when we had to leave Jared in TN.
Then second tour I was pregnant with Gabe when he left.

Then-
His mom, step dad. dad.
Siblings-
Travis
Morgan
Robin
Thomas
Brandon
Michel

Day 3 - Post a a random photo of how you and your spouse met. Did you know then that you’d be where you are with him today?


So this is going to be my favorite on I think and Im going to tell you the story.
The first time I saw Jared was in early February. A few months earlier, around October, Meghan and Beth were trying to get me to go to a concert for a local band. One of our classmates and friend was the drummer for the band. We were at a football game and I had a boyfriend at the time so I said no.
So back to February. Said boyfriend and I had broken up. Once again Meghan asks me if I want t to another concert for this band. I agreed after being told their singer was hot lol. I was also informed that he may or may not have a girlfriend. So we go. I walk in and see Jared and I couldn't take my eyes away. I couldn't take my eyes away the ENTIRE concert.
Then at one point I told Meghan and the girls that I was going to date him.
Did I believe that? NO. I was so shy and meek and dorky. To me he was on a totally different level than me. After they got done playing he walked out a side door where I saw him hugging a girl. My heart sank. It was the girl that was rumored to be his on again off again girlfriend.
So the rest of the night was a little awkward, I tried to stay as far away from him as possible.
At one point we were helping the drummer pack up and take his stuff to his car. We were at the car and I guess Jared had said something to me and I just looked at him and walked away. Meghan had to tell me this because I have no recollection of it!
ANYWAY long story short, the girl was no longer his girlfriend(although she couldn't quite grasp that). We met up again at a party and were dating a week later.

This was the night and he was looking in my direction. Even though he didnt see me lol.

Just some fun facts for those not yet board lol.
This was not our first encounter, we later realized.
Going in order.
1)His mom and him used to walk past my grandparents house to go to the store. Jared would always ride his big wheel. My grandparents own their own small auto shop with a bugs bunny sign(autodoc).
I distinctly remember looking out their window seeing a kid riding his big wheel!
2)My mom worked at a daycare that was in a neighborhood so there were residential houses all around. The kids who lived behind the daycare(which I attended) were infamous.
They were HORRIBLE kids lol. They would climb the fence and take the daycare kick balls. They would teach the kids bad words and were always being bad.
I remember one day sitting on top of the monkey bars looking into their yard. I see the older 2 boys chasing the younger sister around the house and her running into the sliding glass door!
That would be none other than my husband and his brother Travis chasing Morgan!
3)The month of October which I talked about earlier, I went to a dance with my then boyfriend.
He went to a different school than me so I didn't know anyone there. I had walked out to my car and when walking back some guy on a skate board almost ran me over. Im sure you can guess who that was lol. Jared and his girlfriend at the time where at that dance!

Day 2

Day 2 - Post a picture of you and you military spouse being silly

This was just after he got home from his first tour. I was actually trying to take a cute picture and this is what I got lol.
I <3 him.

Day 1

Day 1 - Post a photo of your military spouse and list 10 facts about him


This is Jared on his first deployment circa late 07'

Here are my 10 facts about Jared
1)He is left handed
2)He plays guitar(very well)
3)He sings
4)He is amazingly creative with a passion for drawing
5)Once you getting him talking on a subject he likes he becomes Chatty Kathy.
6)He is really silly
7)He loves our boys with everything he has
8)He has ADHD
9)He does Jui Jitsu
10)He loves me :)

30 Day Challenge: Military style.

So I got this from my Friend Katelyn over at Livin' our Love Song and she got it from another wifes blog at Everyday That Your're Away.
Now I dont normally do things like this because Im just not that open about the military and my marriage and how they inter twine. Im not a "hooah" wife as some people put it, you'll find now ACU purse on my shoulder or dog tags around my neck and the only time Ive ever worn part of his pts is a shirt to bed. Please dont take that as a slam on other wives but thats just not me. Please dont mistake that as me not being proud of my husband and what he has done because I very much am.
This is a way I can outwardly show how much I do think of him.

On to the challenge-

For thirty days, I post a picture every day. And here's the list:

Day 1 - Post a photo of your military spouse and list 10 facts about him

Day 2 - Post a picture of you and you military spouse being silly

Day 3 - Post a a random photo of how you and your spouse met. Did you know then that you’d be where you are with him today?

Day 4 - Post a picture of the family he had to leave behind to protect his country

Day 5 - Post a pic of the branch he is in and list your favorite "stay strong" quote.

Day 6 - Post a picture of the base your spouse is stationed at and tell 5 cool things about that base

Day 7 - Post a picture of a wonderful friend that you’ve made because of your spouse being in the military

Day 8 - Post your favorite deployment photo (a photo of "see you laters", him coming home, or him deployed) and tell why it is your favorite

Day 9 – Post a picture of your favorite thing that you or your spouse has made and tell what it is.

Day 10 - Post a photo that you or your spouse took on webcam or cell phone

Day 11 - Post a picture of the stationary you pour your heart out onto in letters to your spouse

Day 12 – Post a picture of a book you are reading/have read because of your spouse being in the military and tell how it has helped you.

Day 13 – Post a picture of your favorite military support accessory and tell where you got it from.

Day 14 – Post a picture of what consumes most of your time when your spouse is away

Day 15 - Post a picture of your spouse during your proudest moment of him

Day 16 - Post a picture of your favorite piece of jewelry that your spouse has gotten you and why it is your favorite!

Day 17 - Post a picture of something your spouse left you while he was away and how that helped you… did/do you carry it with you or sleep with it?

Day 18 – Post a picture/video and the lyrics of your and your spouse’s song and tell how/why it became y’alls song

Day 19 - Post a picture of his favorite show and tell of one episode you watched with him

Day 20 - Post a pic of you in something military (shirt, camo, etc.)

Day 21 - Post a picture of a movie or show you watch when your spouse is away that you usually don’t watch when he is home and tell why you don’t watch it when he is home.

Day 22 – Post a picture of what keeps you strong when your military spouse is away

Day 23 - Post a picture and tell what your life would be like without your spouse

Day 24 – Post a picture of your spouse's favorite sports team

Day 25- Favorite moment or experience you have had with the military

Day 26 - Post a homecoming picture and tell how you felt that day

Day 27 - Post a picture of something that reminds you of your spouse and tell why it does.

Day 28 – Post a picture of the band that sings the song of your significant other’s ring tone while they are away.

Day 29 – Post a picture of the coolest place you ever got to go to because of your spouse being in the military


Day 30 - Post a picture of your favorite military spouse support group and tell how it has helped you.

Thank you Eat at home!

So Ive tried to menu plan in the past but always fell short. Lets just say Im lazy.
SO in an effort to make dinner time easier on myself I decided I should actually try a little harder!
I found this awesome site called Eat At Home. This site gives you a weekly menu which includes 6 dinners and 1 dessert! Not only that but you get the recipes and a shopping list!!

This being my first time using a REAL menu plan, it took me a while to get everything together into a coherent plan. Not only did I need the food on the list but I needed the normal stuff too.
I shop at Winco every 2wks. Its a small distance for us so I don't go back weekly.

First I went threw my pantry and refrigerator and cleaned them out. Things that had gone bad or were half used(and couldn't be used again). This gave me a good idea of what we did have to work with and how much we would need.
Then I picked out my menus for 2wks. On each menu I picked a dinner that I like the least and replaced it with steak night. That will keep Jared happy!
My next step was to combine the 2 shopping lists and take out what I already had on hand. It was pretty simple since a lot of the ingredients were similar so I just had to up the amount.
Then I added the things that we needed that were not on the list i.e. things we get normally that are not dinner items.
I then tipped up a new list just because I can lol. I left it in the format of the website though. Produce, Can/dry, meat etc.

So I was ready for grocery shopping. The only things I dont by at Winco are meat products. The commissary has much better pricing on their meat. I bought 4lbs of ground beef 1lb ground pork, 1pack of 3 thick cut Top loin(N.Y.) beef. For about $20. I cant hardly find steaks at Safeway less than $13 or 1lb of ground beef for less than $4.

OK on to Winco. Once again this store makes it possible for me to buy everything I need and stay on budget!
I spent $173 at Winco.
Thats 12 dinners, plus breakfast stuff, plus lunch stuff for us at home and for Jared to take to work plus snacks. I had 97 items.
My most expensive item was a 3lb bag of frozen chicken breasts for $5.98. The close second was the self dispense Clover Honey which is $3.23 per lb costing me $5.07
Everything else was under $4(usually $3 or under).

My 2 menus are Week 14 and Week 3. I wont be making the depression era bread from week 3 though.

Last night I made the Shaker Tomato Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.
The soup was AWESOME. Its the perfect easy way to spice up basic canned tomato soup!

Is this uncommon

So I tried searching for tips on money saving/budgeting while in college. Everything Google brought up was for a single person.
There is not much out there(if anything) for someone with and established family. I know my situation is not that unusual. A lot of people go to college after they have their family, I guess none of them blog about it though lol.

So Ive had some ideas about what my upcoming posts are going to include.

1) School supplies on the Cheap.
*I had contemplated using my laptop but its not to reliable and fixing it will cost more than its worth. I also think I will retain more by simply writing and re writing my notes.

2) Books on the cheap.
*I only need about 6 books this first quarter but at least one of them is $100+ so Im going to do my best to find the least expensive option.

3)Scrub review.
*Since Im going to be a "medical" student I have to wear scrubs. Ive heard walmart has some pretty cheap Dickie's ones. I also found a website called Scrubsandbeyond.com that was then recommended by a friend, and the brand Laguna was also suggested.
I will probably just get the Dickies at first since I need them the first week of class but dont know if I need specific colors or not. Then later on I'll try out some from the website and tell you all how it goes!

4)Budget tips.
*Once I get a hold on how our budget will look I will tell you all how Im doing it.

5)College and FOOD!
*So since I will be in class from 8am to 3pm every day, with a 1hr break once day and half hour breaks the rest, Im going to have to figure out how to eat cheaply and healthfully.
Im thinking easy snacks I can munch on during my walk to my next class or (discretely) munch on during class(is that allowed lol).

Im really excited to have new things to blog about!!

A little refreshment!

So with some news, this blog is going to take a new path!

I am officially a.........COLLEGE STUDENT!!!
Im so excited. I signed up for my classes yesterday, got my funding threw MYCAA approved and this morning got word that my data sheet got to the college for my Pell Grant.

MyCAA will be paying for all of my base tuition except for 1 class. You can only recieve FA for 6 classes a quarter with mycaa and I have 7. So I picked my 1 credit class to leave out. Its only $54 so not a big deal. Unless and until I receive my pell grant I will have to pay for that class and all the other "fees" out of pocket. That totals about $420.
My classes start the 30th of March.
The boys will be watched by my friend Lauren who has so amazingly agreed to an amount MUCH lower than what I would be paying at a daycare or someone who required minimum wage!
AND I will be looking for a car!!

So with that new, this is the turn the blog will be taking.

Budgeting while dealing with college and daycare.
My monthly cost for daycare will be $400. 8am to 3pm M-F.

This will change how our grocery's will be bought since no one will be home for breakfast or lunch and morning/mid day snacks.
I will have to budget for foods I can make at home and take to school with me, trying to keep it low cost and still healthy.
Once I do get a car I will also have to work in gas and insurance and the initial registration costs.

My next few post though will be about budgeting for the upcoming costs towards school supplies and text books, scrubs and the like.

So until next time!

Falling into place.

This post might be a little introspective.
I realized recently that my life is really falling into place. Relationship, parental, personal wise. Its just going well. Its an overwhelming feeling knowing that I don't have drama looming over me all the time. I don't have a stressful relationship with Jared. Yes we have our moments, our annoyances, but we have a very good relationship. No worry of cheating, no money problems, no inattentiveness, no absent father syndrome. He loves our children with everything he has and has grown so much as a man and father. I see so many couples our age and it makes me sad. Men(if you can call them that) not yet accepting that they have made another human being that needs more than food and clothing. Seeing men who take for granted the little person that adores them whole heatedly. Taking milestones so nonchalantly when they should be cherished and celebrated.
Seeing women so warped up in themselves and their frivolous wants that they demean their S.O. Being so selfish to make a one sided relationship that lacks respect for one another. To not realize that the child that came out of them is THEIR responsibility now. That that person needs to be put before partying and friends. Life changes with children and a husband.
It also hurts to see the wife who has given up everything of herself. For some women, being a stay at home mom or wife is their ultimate. There are those though that want other things. Like a job, or to obtain higher education or to have a hobby.
It huts because Ive been there and still kind of am. Ive not taken anytime for my wants. That is changing though. Ive realized that me being happy is going to make me a better mom and wife. I cant sit her any longer and dwell on what I have not done, I just have to do it.
That is why going to school is so important to me. Which is all in motion.

Even though we have been threw a lot, we are very blessed. Our relationship was unconventional, fast and young. I know we had many doubters in the beginning but we have proven them wrong. Not for them but for us.
We were only together about 2wks when Jared told me he loved me.
Only together 3 months when he joined the army
4 months when he left for basic
We were only together for 9months when he proposed to me.
We were only together 11 months before we got pregnant
Together 18months when I graduated HS
Together 19 months when we got married.
23 months when our first son was born.
23 months when he first deployed.
Then he was gone for 15 long months.
Together 38 months when we survived our first deployment.
38months of being together before we actually live with each other!
43 months together when we made our first cross country move from TN to WA.
44 months when we got pregnant with our second son.
51 months when our first year FULL year of living together had concluded, with him deploying again.
53 months when our second son came into this world not getting the chance to be greeted by his on daddy.
61 months when he again came home and for the first time met his second son.
68 months is where we sit now.

68 months.
That we have pushed threw so much stuff. Dealt with so many emotions, stemming from deployment, from being alone, from just trying to find our normal. To make the adjustments that most couples get to make around the 24month mark. To adapt(for him) to being a father when you haven't been able to for 15 months with the first and 7 months with the second.
To release some control and figure out how to live with your husband as an equal, not the head of the house.
While we have had our ups and down with in these last 68 months it has done nothing but make us stronger. Our commitment to each other never wavered. Our commitment to make our relationship better grew stronger. Our commitment to make our selves better pushed threw.

I can not tell you where we will be in the many months to come, there should be some crazy ones. The month I start school and have to send my babies to daycare will be a hard one. The month I graduate will be a prideful one.
The month(s) Jared gets out of the army will be stressful/exciting/unknown.
The month(s) we move back home will be challenging.
But I am, at least, calmed by the fact that I know my husband and I can make it threw.

Using a Professional Organzier

So Jared came home today and said that he thinks we should hire a professional organizer. Fine with me lol. Did he think I would be like "Oh no, no one is coming in here to help my decrease my clutter and maximize my space!!" ?
So he called a local company to ask how much they charge and get a feel for what all they do.
The woman said she charges $50 an hour(I don't know if that's a good rate lol) but that she likes to work at a quick pace. She comes prepared with stuff beforehand and all that jazz. Shes not a minimalist so she understands if *I* really don't want to get rid of something.
She asked Jared a lot of questions over the phone about us. I'm assuming to gauge how willing we were to get rid of things and if we were hoarders lol.
So she is coming on Wednesday to do an "evaluation" to see what she can do for us.

I said *I* in a previous statement because I will admit that I hang on to things.
No I dont keep trash, like wrappers and crap, but I do keep some things that most people would just toss. Like boxes for things. Mostly odd shaped things like Rylans piggy bank box with the original Styrofoam. I know we are going to be moving again and finding something that would fit that, very breakable thing, would be very hard. I did how ever let that go. OR like the boxes for the new printer and wireless router I just bought. The guy at walmart told me it would be easier to send them back if something was wrong since I got the protection plan, if I had the box too. I also saved the wrappers for the pieces of the printer just in case I needed to replace a piece I would know exactly which one I needed.
Awhile ago Jared and I did attempt to de clutter and we actually did A LOT. I threw away so much stuff.
I have a file box full of papers, instruction manuals, information papers I might need. I also recently went threw that and paired it down.
Jared thinks that the woman will say we have to many clothes. I think she is going to ask where all my clothes are. Seriously I have 2 pairs of jeans and 8 shirts! Jared on the other hand.......
Hes lucky I don't buy clothing like other women! Shoes too!

I am excited though that we can have someone help us get organized. I always just get so overwhelmed that I get no where. That is when I get the time to even try!

So have any of you ever used a professional organizer? WOULD you ever use one? Oh yeah, can anyone else admit they hold on to somethings a little to long lol?

The Zombie Apocalyps

So Im just throwing this one out there lol.
I was doing laundry and for some reason started thinking about the zombie apocalypse(Im strange I know). I was thinking how we would take the closet doors off out of the boys room and cover the sliding glass door with them. Yes we live on the 3rd floor but the trees are a mere 6ft from our patio and we of course dont know if the hypothetical zombies can climb!
My friends and husband and I have discussed many times at length, what we would do in case of an apocalypse.

Small details vary but we have our basic outline.
Jareds mom and step dad have property in Idaho and by property I mean going up a long winding dirt road with maybe 2 other houses, up into the woods. They have 2 large trailer campers, a potty house(lol) and an open pole barn (the campers underneath). At the bottom of this dirt road is a rural highway and a river and more mountains on the other side.
So from here in Lakewood after things died down a little and we knew what type of zombies we were dealing with. We would make our way to Clarkston.
Some of my plans come from watching Zombie movies lol. Like once I know all this is going down, you bet your but Im packing a backpack with some essentials in it. Medical stuff, an extra pair of clothing for me and the kids(maybe jared too..lol) and some non perishable foods.
Every time I watch dawn of the dead and they are in the mall, I scream at the tv. Why the hell would you not take advantage of being in a mall with pretty much EVERYTHING you would need if you needed to move on. Alas it is a move though.
So once we made it to the property, assuming they had not been attacked, Jareds family would probably be up there. I hope that my mom and brother at least would be able to make it there too.
Jareds idea is to take inventory first. Make sure the neighbors are ok and that we can have communication with them. If they are not....well we wont hesitate lol.
Then set up an immediate perimeter. Then we would go back to town and find whatever supplies we could, lighting, fencing, medical, ammunition, food.
Luckily our home town is pretty.....industrial? Lots of wear houses and supply stores and a bullet factory! Not only that but between my husband, my father in law and my mother in law we have a lot of things covered. Jared has the tactical training and is capable of setting up a compound of sorts. My fil builds pole barns for a living and is the build it all kind man, he has tools galore. My mil is also the type that sees a few things and can make something useful out of it. She is also good with food. They kill and butcher their own meat, grow gardens. Pretty much going pioneer would be no problem lol. Jareds little brothers know how to shoot guns also(the family has guns)
One thing that would be of some issue is weather or not animals would contract the infection and weather or not it would be in our water. Living on the property would give us the advantage of being able to get deer meat and if we were desperate there are other peoples cows roaming around....ok so probably even if we were not desperate!
Jared wants to go back into town frequently to look for survivors but I am very leery of having to many people with us. With a lot of people you need some kind of order and there is always going to be that one guy(yes I specifically mean a man) who wants to be the "leader", and then you have a problem......
Or you have the not so bright person that leaves a door open or falls asleep on guard, or the chick who screams at the smallest things.

SO with that I have a question. Have you thought about what you would do and(of course) what is your plan of action!