20 Things About Myself at 23 (Part I)

I'm not sure if I've ever really listed out 20 things about myself on my blog, apart from blog awards, and I've seen it in the blogosphere as well as on Instagram.  So here is part one :)

1. I got married when I was 21 to a great man, Ryan, while he was in the Marine Corps.  During that time, I experienced the end of a deployment while we were dating, and Ryan was deployed to Afghanistan for almost our entire first year of marriage.  Right now we're in our third year (2.5 years down), but we're still learning a lot about each other, our habits, effective communication, and how to be better partners.

2. I was baptized a Catholic but was re-baptized as an adult, a few months ago, at my new church home.  Declaring a church home has always been something really important to me.  Growing up, I was very much Catholic, but as I got older, I didn't really agree with a lot of the religious doctrine.  It was much more than a time of, "I don't want to follow these rules." Instead, I personally felt that it wasn't a good fit for me or what I truly believe in and support.  I came to realize this more and more as I attended other worship services and realized how much more open these services were and people developed a relationship with God far more than I saw in Catholic services.  In my Catholic family and community, it kind of felt like there was more emphasis on doing things a certain way, instead of living in God's name.  When I went to Great Falls Christian Community for the first time, everything just seemed to click and I love it there.

3. I love dogs.  I have ever since I was a little kid when I would go to the library and check out volumes of books on dogs to learn more about breeds.  One summer, while babysitting, I put together a folder of print outs of different dog breeds.  Probably around that time was when my family got a yellow labrador and it kind of made me realize that my mom and I had very different outlooks on how we thought a dog should be a part of the family.  My parents had an amazing kennel built for our dog that had indoor/outdoor access and it was pretty cool.  However, our dog never was really in the house with us and for me, that was pretty sad.  When I met Ryan and his family, it was a 180.  His mom has three labs and they all are such a big part of the family.  I knew that when Ryan and I got dogs, it would be the same.  I really love having our dogs be indoor dogs and they're like our kids.  Holly and Blu are so spoiled but I don't think I'd have it any other way.

4. I am addicted to Instagram.  Hands-down, it's my most favorite of social media outlets.  I love seeing a snapshot of people's lives, especially awesome people who love to craft, or are awesome parents, or just create really beautiful photos.  The Instagram accounts I follow always inspire me, either with crafting or spiritually in developing my relationship with Jesus.  I need to put together a list of awesome Instagrammers to follow ;)

5. I have been compared to Leslie Knope, and I love it.  In case you don't know who Leslie Knope is, then we can be best-friends.  I'm just kidding...sort of.  She's Amy Poehler's character in the show, Parks and Recreation.  She is hilarious and Mindy Kaling confirmed that she is awesome (she is a writer/actress in The Office).  Leslie Knope has the type of spirit and energy that is intoxicating and contagious- it just spreads to everybody else.  Awhile ago I wrote a really long, really depressing blog post about how I greatly disliked the town that my duty station is located in.  All I could see were the problems and what it was lacking.  Now I can't ignore those things, but I can definitely spin an alternative outlook on it and so I've started thinking more positively.  I try to be an influence for good at work, with my friends, and at home.  I'm enthusiastic about life and I try to bring that to other people to brighten their day.

Part II is coming up!

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Saturday Morning Post

 

 

   

1// This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend. It's a day to reflect and honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.  It was also a time that many of my friends were promoted and it was very symbolic to see new generations stepping up to the plate as leaders.

2// My photogenic kids :) Blu turns 5-months today!  He's now probably over 50 lbs and could rival Holly's size.

3// Tuesday we all linked up for Preview to Summer: A Blogger Book Swap.  I was so excited to share Maria's care package.  You can check out her blog, I Believe in Story, to learn more about her love for books and the publishing world.

4// Wednesday I was officially initiated into my squadron.

5// Downloaded Wheat Belly, finally! Inspired by an old school friend who is wonderfully fit, I plan on reading that as well as 80/10/10.  If you've visited my Pinterest page, you've probably seen my numerous attempts at filling my life with healthy goodness.  My friend Becky is an avid runner and is highly encouraging me to try to train for at least a half marathon.  It's been on my bucket list but I really loathe running.  We'll see how this goes.  I really want to try hot yoga but I'm thinking this area of Montana doesn't really have that.

6 & 7// I was so excited to have found this present for my commander and myself.  I found these dinosaur necklaces and dino boxes at a party supply store.  They totally remind me of my 90s childhood and I love it!  You can see more of the post here.

8// Blu with his interpretive dancing.

9// Coming back from alert and a velociraptor was in our car...go figure.

10 & 11// I absolutely love when bloggers expand into areas like eBooks, classes, etc. I especially love Jessi Connelly and her blog, Naptime Diaries.  She is a co-founder of the Influence Network which is a space to take classes on specific topics and find forums that cater to women.  I was so intrigued when I realized that the bloggers from Naptime Diaries and The Tiny Twig were creating a new eBook.  Refresh: An Experimental eBook drew me in right away as I realized how exhausted I've become in my life.  Seeking refreshment? Yes, that's exactly what I need in my life.  This weekend is a great deal where if you purchase the $4.99 eBook, you're also granted the other two eBooks, as shown above.  I just bought it and I'm excited to be a part of this and to receive the other two eBooks.  I don't know about y'all, but I need this type of refreshment in my life.

12// That moment where you finally feel nice and clean after working.  It amazes me what a shower, straightener and some make-up will do, even if you're running off of a few hours of sleep.

13// The Broke and the Bookish, known for Top Ten Tuesdays, is hosting a book club!  I think I'm part of a zillion of them but their first book selection totally got me.  If you're a fan of Gilmore Girls, you may have known that actress Lauren Graham wrote a book, Someday, Someday Maybe.  It's a fictional book that is loosely based on Graham's experience starting off as a new actress in NYC.  I feel like a lot of wonderful memories will be shared in this book and you can create a post and link-up with the blog for part of the discussion. 

14// As if three book clubs aren't already enough, The Marvelous Flight of Cara is hosting a summer book club but in a little bit of a different fashion.  Each week participants will tackle of a chapter of Captivating by John and Staci Eldredge.   Each week, they will answer questions and blog post a review of what God's challenging us in and bringing to fruition in our lives!  I just downloaded it onto my Kindle so I can participate starting June 3rd!  

15// Project Life digital editions are a cool way to expand into scrapbooking.  I love Becky Higgins' company and with all of my social media interactions and dedication to this blog, I've come to realize that I need to record more of my life.  I need to take more pictures and talk about our daily lives.  I wish I would have documented more of my life in college because so many beautiful memories wer made there. Becky's blog shares some tips on how to create these digital scrapbooks and have them printed.  I just bought the AC Digitals Midnight Edition (one of my favorite editions thus far!) and I would like to start working with it, however, I still have the tangible Clementine edition.  I just need to buckled own and get my pictures printed.