Early Two Year Anniversary Celebration? Yes.

Austin won't be home for our two year anniversary. *Tears* We decided to celebrate our anniversary early. We went to Olive Garden. Of course! It was where he asked me out two years ago, it was perfect. I always enjoy coming here with him. We have the best conversations when we go out to eat! 

We spent the rest of the day walking through this park near the restaurant. It was beautiful! It had a lake and a bunch of trees! Everyone was walking their dogs so we just strayed to the side. It was nice walking around with him. We even carved our names on this bridge!

I love him!

Austin standing on the bridge where we carved our names!

The look i gave Austin when he said, "Let me take pictures of you."

I had to leave Washington on sunday. I always drag the day i'm supposed to leave. We don't know when we'll see each other next. We aren't able to save money because i always come see him. I pay for plane tickets and he pays for hotels and other activities. We're going to try and wait out the next 10 months. We need to start saving our money so we can buy a house or apartment when he comes home. Which is less than a year away. 

Leaving Washington.

Flying into LA!

California Coast Line!

Overall, my trip was a success! I don't know when i'll be back but i hope it's soon because i miss Austin already!

Military Ball 2012!

I made my way to Seattle for the MP Military Ball! We didn't get a chance to go last year so this year i was determined to! What girl would pass up an evening to get dressed up with a soldier? Not this one! I bought this dress that was $125.00 not including alterations. But i just fell in love with it. I knew it would go perfectly with Austin's dress blues! 

The ball was held at the Hotel Murano. Austin bought us a room for the four days i was there. I love this hotel. It's one of the nicest ones i've stayed in. The bed is huge and so comfortable, the bathroom is always clean, the lobby looks the a museum and they let you wear 100 dollar bath robes!

The ball was on October 5th at 6:30 in the evening. We spent the day enjoying each others company and getting ready. Austin was kind enough to help me curl my hair. He secretly enjoyed it! Here's a few pictures we took before the ball started. We met up with some of his friends and i got to see Kailene!

Indira and I



Austin and his friends.

  The ball was everything i imagined. I had heard enough stories on the internet of wifes and women showing up in short dresses, or having too much cleavage hanging out. I saw a few that caught my eye. Kailene and i secretly made eye contact with each other as if to say, "Do you see that woman? Why would she wear that?" I mean any woman in their right mind would know not to wear a short dress or at least a dress that wasn't too revealing!

My date. :)

We looked great together!

Before the ball started everyone spend their time socializing, drink in hand.  We spent our time taking pictures! I needed as many pictures as i could get! I didn't bring my camera because it was too bulky but i got a few good shots off of my phone. 

Lisa & Chrissie!

Kailene took pictures with me!

The night began with long speeches, awards and honorable mentions. I tried to listen as best i could but i really had no idea what they were talking about. I watched the other wives as they knew exactly what to say and do the entire time. I was the newbie. I didn't know what to do or how to stand. I just watched and finally got the hang of it. God forbid i embarrass Austin at any point! I was determined to prevent that from happening! 

Munoz & Rollins

Kidd & Muckle!

We ate dinner, drank some wine and chit chatted with the other couples. Austin was such a gentleman the entire night. He introduced me to everyone as his fiance, which gave me butterflies! Austin got his drink on towards the end of the night. Especially when they made this mixed drink. It was basically all types of liquor mixed in a bowl. I tried it but didn't really care for it. Austin drank it as if it was water!

Dayne & Kailene!

During the middle of the ball i had to go back to the hotel room and take of my dress. It was literally suffocating me to the point where i started feeling dizzy. Austin walked me back to the room and unzipped me. I instantly felt better and sat there for a few minutes. Once i gathered myself we headed back down to the rest of the group. 

From Left to Right: Dayne, Lisa, Chrissie, Laura, Kailene, Me, Indira, Virginia

The girl everyone was making fun of. This is why you don't get drunk at a military function.

 After the ball we made our way to Bobby's house. Everyone was there and it was an overall good time. I really enjoyed myself, and Austin could tell! So i think that made him happy to know that i was getting along with his friends. Chrissie made me lemonade and vodka. It was not too bad if you ask me! I barely tasted the alcohol and i knew she poured a ton in the glass before mixing it with lemonade! To sum it up, i got drunk. Not the i'm-so-drunk-i'm-about-to-puke drunk. It was more of a light buzz until Chrissie and Laura decided i needed more alcohol because they didn't want to drink anymore. 

My first and last Military Ball experience was a success! I was so happy to have met Austin's higher up's and fellow soldiers! It was a great night!

Life Lessons from HIMYM

Nothing good happens after 2A.M.

Don’t chase after what doesn’t work. Let the universe take over.

Things happen for a reason.

Don’t ever give up crazy times with your friends.

Miracles happen.

Things you make not have liked before may not be that bad later on.

Perfect isn’t always perfect.

Some people have expiration dates.

Wait for it.

Don’t postpone joy.

The most important moments shouldn’t be wasted, because you can’t get them back.

Be clear about the things you say.

The most important people in your life are the ones you can picture sitting on a porch with.

The talk is one of the worst things ever, but it is important.

You’re not looking for someone who accepts your quirks. You’re looking for someone who loves them, cherishes them, and loves you more as a person because of them.

Some people are worth a lot of work to keep around.

Get out of the house, go for a walk, get a bagel.

14 Thought's on 50 Shades of Grey

I don't really even know where to begin this one...

I know I'm like the 5th million blogger to write about this but I just kind of really need to get my thoughts out there on this one. And since I don't really know anyone in real life I can discuss it with, you get to read all about it. Unless of course you decide to just skip this one. Which is okay with me. Kind of.

1) The writing wasn't quite as awful as I thought it was going to be...

2) The author is in serious need of a thesaurus. How many can one character say "murmur" "jeez" and "oh my", seriously?

3) Also, commas. You missed a lot of them.

4) I find it seriously hard to believe that a college girl didn't have a cell phone and a computer. It's 2012, ya know?

5) Last but not least: Dear authors of the world, please research an area before you write a novel set there.

6) It's pretty obvious this was a fan fiction.

7) Naive alert: I didn't even know half the "toys" they used were real things.

8) Likewise, people actually do that shit? I mean, no judgement but I might have some questions for you.

9) Also, people read this book in public? You, public reading friends, have guts.

10) Older people saying they've read this book, and couldn't put it down, just makes me really awkward. Sorry, but I just don't need to know that.

11) A movie, out of this? Really, Hollywood? Unless they changed A LOT of what happens in the book, it'll end up in the back room of Family Video. Just sayin'

12) On that note... Wentworth Miller for Christian? Anyone?

13) No? I'll also take Ryan Gosling. Though that might be too much to handle for me.

14) Also, the entire time, whenever Taylor was mentioned all I could think of was Hector Elizondo in The Princess Diaries - he might be getting too old for the role now though.

That's all I have for now friends... if you've read it let me know so we can shamelessly talk about it.

5 people you need to stop stressing about

Your Ex: There’s a reason they are called “exes” and not “currents”. They were in your life, now they’re not. End of story. Look at a tough break up as a chance to grow as a person, and be thankful for all the emotions you are feeling. At least you are feeling something, and that is beautiful.

Your “Best Friend”: Giving someone the label of “best friend” puts a lot of pressure on your interactions. Often times they will disappoint you. Just enjoy the friendship of this person, enjoy the good, leave the bad and get on with living.

Your Arch Nemesis: Everyone has a person that really grinds their gears. Perhaps they stabbed you in the back; maybe you just hated them from the start. Too often, we are forced to interact with this person in one capacity or another. Stop wasting your emotional energy on this person and redirect into bettering yourself. Through improving yourself you will be able to approach your nemesis in a healthy way.

Your Relationship: You really like/love this person. A lot. Sometimes you feel consumed by thinking about them. They are everything you think you want. And you are terrified. Nothing is a turn off like desperation, so stop stressing about your love interest and let things play out how they may. Even if things go horribly, you will have saved yourself a lot of mental anguish in the process.

Yourself: No one stresses you out more than yourself. Your faults, your quirks, your hopes, dreams, failures and successes can all be a source of stress. It is important to consider a larger idea when going through your day to day life: Am I doing what I need to be in order to be happy? I'm just saying.

The Rubber Band Theory

You’ve probably heard of the book, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray. I read the book a few months ago and while I thought a lot of it was a bunch of hooey, there is still one concept that I’ve carried with me ever since reading it.

It’s called the Rubber Band Theory. It plays on the idea that like a rubber band, the man will start to want his space and pull back. Instead of chasing after him, the woman should let him have his space, and maybe even pull back a bit herself. With this space comes tension, just like you would see when you pull a rubber band in two separate directions. But the further you pull the rubber band apart, the more strongly it will come together creating an even closer relationship.

At first I thought this was an odd concept. Why would you want to pull away? But then I realized, the opposite of pulling away is when you cling on and seek even more attention=not good. There’s probably nothing more annoying to a guy when a girl is at his beckoning call, waiting, practically begging for his attention. Being a little mysterious, or better yet, being independent is much more attractive than being a girl who has nothing better with her time than to sit around and wait for some of his attention.

It’s not always easy to live like this but I think our relationships will ultimately be happier when we’re not so dependent. Our happiness shouldn’t have to come from our partner–it should come from within. Now hopefully I can take my own medicine!

Let them wear pink: An open letter to Olympics pundits

Mary Lou Retton, 1984

Dear sports geeks, commentators, politicians, gym rats and couch potatoes alike:

It doesn’t matter what colors the Olympians wear.

You’ve probably seen or read the “backlash” against 16-year-old American medalist Gabby Douglas, who wore—gasp! A pink leotard in her last Olympic appearance.

“It’s not patriotic!”

Excuse me, y’all. Gabby had already competed several times, wearing blue, red, and a whole pile of crystals. By the time she appeared in pink, she was surely a household name. Plus, she was competing individually, not with her team. So, let her wear pink.

Did anyone complain when swimmer Rebecca Soni wore a hot-pink suit as part of the U.S. women’s swim team?

Rebecca Soni

I don’t think so. And not that it mattered much, since those swimmers are so fast in the water you barely see their suits (which are mostly boring black).

You might argue that Olympic athletes should always wear their nations’ colors, and I won’t argue that an attractive color scheme is a nice addition to the proceedings. But look at Mary Lou at the top of this post. I wouldn’t say the American flag motif is that flattering, would you?

And what about our super-patriotic medal-receiving track suits?

Gabby Douglas on the podium. 

Don’t our athletes look so American in our steel-gray windbreakers, black pants, and neon sneakers? It just screams “USA,” right?

I didn’t think so. (Those Russian jackets are even worse, but that’s for a different battle.)

In order to make it to the Olympics, athletes train relentlessly and are pressured to operate not as ordinary humans, but as perfect machines. Opportunities to display personal style at the Olympics should be embraced. Uniform colors aren’t likely to make or break athletes’ performances.

Bring on the pink, Olympians. And the red, white, and blue. And even the neon green.

Go, Gabby!