Failure To Launch...

Well, I had my first (and hopefully only!) false alarm yesterday…a little annoying at 39 3/7 weeks pregnant, if I do say so myself.  I will spare you of all the nitty gritty details on the topic.  My official due date is June 23, so I am hoping our little man will decide to be timely.  Since I’ve been home, I’ve been walking a couple miles a day, bouncing on my exercise ball, eating spicy food, you name it!  I think all I have achieved by the spicy food is giving myself indigestion and giving him the hiccups…but it was worth a try.  I guess in the end, he will join us when he is ready.  Assuming I am still pregnant next week, I have an appointment Wednesday June 27 – and at that point, my CNM will schedule me for a non-stress test and possibly an induction.  Let’s just say that I hope I am no longer pregnant next Wednesday! I am ready for the little man to make his appearance and get into our new routine J

More updates to come!

Army’s 237th Birthday Celebration

David just returned from New York for the Army’s 237^th birthday celebration.  Over the course of the past two weeks, he was able to meet the crew over at Carlo’s Bakery (http://www.carlosbakery.com) from the TLC show Cake Boss (they made the Army’s birthday cake).

He was kind enough to bring his 38 week pregnant wife back some bakery treats ;-) They were absolutely delish! I couldn’t help but share them with the ladies in my Bible Study group – from the looks of it, I believe they were equally as impressed!

My VIP ladies ;-)

It was actually really neat…as we were sitting at the table (after we stuffed ourselves with pastries) a little boy and his mother was sitting behind me. She lightly tapped me on the shoulder and asked if “that box” was from THE Carlo’s Bakery (her son wanted to know…) I said, well, actually it is! Her son’s face just lit up with excitement. So, I did what any girl would do and I offered the boy a treat from the box. It was a really awesome experience to share!

Anyways…the following week, David went back to NYC for the actual celebration. He and a couple other soldiers were some of the honored guests for the Army birthday celebration.

They attended the cake cutting ceremony.

2LT Clark and Mary of Cake Boss

They toured the 9/11 memorial.

Freedom Tower

 

The New York Stock Exchange.

General Odierno and the NYSE CEO

General Odierno and 2LT Clark at The New York Athletic Club.

As you may have noticed, the other two handsome gentlemen in the photos have their significant others with them…since at this point, I was ready to pop out a baby literally at any moment, I was not able to go (pretty sure it isn’t safe to fly this late in the game…and I wasn’t too keen on my plumbing breaking 30,000 feet above the nearest hospital – bad mental picture!)

David and I talked about how, ironically enough, had I not been pregnant he may have not had this AWESOME opportunity to experience everything over the last two weeks – and because I was pregnant, he did have the opportunity. It is crazy how God works in mysterious ways. Every day I am reminded of the fact that just because I may not understand the WHY of what is going on right now in this moment, He sees and knows and has a purpose for everything, and it will be revealed to us at some point in the future.

Epic Fail

So, my "weekly post" goal has officially failed. So here are the updates:

Feb. 15: My car got totaled. RIP Onyx 7/2011 - 2/2012.

Feb. 18-20: Went back home for not one, not two, but THREE baby showers! Thank you for all who took time out of your weekend to help plan and attend :) It was MUCH appreciated! I am ALMOST done with thank you notes...emphasis on almost!

Feb. 21: Prenatal Appointment - everything is still looking good! (Except the scale, IMHO!)

Feb. 25: Purchased our nursery furniture :) The bedding is still on order and it should be here any day now! I will post pics once it is all set up! The canvas on the wall is coming down...it was already hanging there and we have not redecorated yet!

 

This Highchair is $115 at Target...I got it for $40 off Craigslist - Oh how I loveeee Craigslist!

This glider cost me $20 on Craigslist ... Yes, it is green and arguable ugly - but just wait until you see the after pics!!! :-) Beats paying $200+ for a brand new one!

Feb 29: LEAP DAY! I actually took the time to get domesticated and cook dinner for David and his boss man ... we had pot roast, but unfortunately it was a smidge bit dry. Guess that is what I get for cooking it for 6 hours instead of 8. The cobbler turned out delish though!

 

Annnddddd TODAY March 1: I am getting caught up on the past two weeks of CPA review that I have missed due to all the craziness listed above!

We actually have a dinner date tonight at Carrabas- and I am so excited! I am trying to look at the car totaling thing as a blessing...the folks that own the body shop the car was sent to are becoming some nice friends of ours. We went to church with them on Sunday, are going again with them tonight, and afterwards we are hitting up the restaurant for some Italian. This will literally be our first meal out in a restaurant with another couple since we  have been stationed here. Glass.Half.Full. =)

That is all.



A Humor Break

This is week two of studying for the CPA exam. I am struggling! I do not understand how people memorize all this material...it is just mind boggling!

The longest lecture of the week is a three hour lecture on Corporate Taxation (C Corps and S Corps) and I have never felt so incompetent! So, since it didn't sink in the first time, I now have the pleasure of RE-listening to the whole lecture again...and again...and again until it DOES stick into my mind. Oh the joy!

So, in light of my acute depression over the matter, I decided to take a Pinterest break and check out some things to make me laugh...and since I am sharing my misery with you, it is only fair that I share the humorous things too! So, here they are!



Not sure why this made me laugh...but it did. Unfortunately, I'm a sucker for sarcasm.

Couldn't get away with NOT putting a tax joke in here!



 Sometime this is how I feel!

 

Pretty much!



And here is the seal ;-)





And for some reason...this seems to get me in trouble!



Because I found a typo in my CPA review materials ... but, it's ok...the F and the G are next to each other, so in this case it is socially acceptable. Little old me found an error in a thousand dollar book (pats self on back) =D

Ok, so it was nice to get a little giggle session in...even though this may seem to be one of the hardest things EVER, I must keep reminding myself that:



Quote of the Week + More!

Quote of the Week: "Do what you can with what you have with where you are."

- Theodore Roosevelt

This has certainly been a BUSY week (hence this is the first post of the week). You may remember a few months back my posting about the CPA exam...well, I took the leap and I am now in the process of studying my boo-tay off to pass this thing! I am surprised at how much I actually remember from my college days - but also surprised (well kinda of) at how stupid I feel going through some of this material...all at the same time.

It has been somewhat challenging balancing "studying from home", doctors appointments, and the general day in and day out life activities - but I am finally starting to get into a routine. I am now what military folks refer to as a SAHW (Stay at home wife...but soon to be mom!) I never really wanted to be classified as this, but it is where I am right now, so I'm making the most of it! :)

As of now, my first exam date is at the end of this month. I will let you know one way or another how I do on the exam...hopefully I will pass the first go around!

Baby Pictures!

So it just occurred to me that I have not posted any pictures of our house OR of our 3/4D ultrasound (what kind of mother AM I?!)

So, here they are J

 

I love this one because he looks like he is smiling!

 

Waving Hi!!!

This is when we first moved in - the tree still had some green leaves!

Then they turned for the fall...although I think most of them got blown off the tree before they could change.

Living room at Christmas time =)

Fire place that still doesn't work...because we are too cheap to spend $500 on a gas tank for it. It's ok, summer will be here soon (I hope!)

Another Weekend Retreat

Quote of the Week: I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our joy or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances. – Martha Washington

This weekend was a relaxing whirlwind – if that makes any sense. I started my Thursday/Friday off coming down with yet ANOTHER cold. I was looking forward to a nice, slow, relaxing weekend home with the hubs (home being the KEY word). Well, I received a phone call from David at 4:30 Friday afternoon saying that we had been selected to go on a weekend army retreat (bodies were needed in seats and our bodies were apparently the only ones available). While generally, under any other circumstance, I would have thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity, I felt less than thrilled on this particular occasion…

About 5 minutes later, I received an email from the brigade with all the information about the retreat. It appeared to be more of a spouse retreat, as opposed to a soldier-spouse retreat. I called and confirmed that it was A-OK for David to actually go (I mean, he WAS the one they told to go!) Long story short, the answer was YES, he could go and it was for spouses and soldiers. Great. The retreat began at 5:00PM, was an hour away, my husband was still at work, packing still had to be done, and it was 4:45PM.

So we went.

The retreat was actually pretty good. It had a lot of material we had already seen, but it was very nice to have a refresher course. It was especially nice to meet other ladies that had spouses in David’s brigade/battalion. And if you’re wondering – there were NO other soldiers there (other than the chaplains conducting the retreat) because they were all at pre-deployment training. The only thing that is MORE awkward than being a new military spouse, albeit an officer’s spouse, is bringing your husband to a Deployment Readiness Retreat (for spouses) when they actually should have never been there to begin with.  Ugh is all I had to say. Luckily, the ladies were kind and understanding (after a bit of light hearted explaining on my part).

Anyways, the retreat was held at the Pinehurst Resort and Spa … a nice southern fancy place. It was very pretty and a place we probably would have never decided to go if we were not in the Army.

I was a little disappointed that we did not get a king bed in our room (as shallow as it sounds, it played a BIG factor in me even deciding to go in the first place…we have a queen bed and it is definitely nice to stretch out on a king if given the chance!) It’s ok though…David squished the two full size beds together, so we had a double full size…or something like that!

It kinda freaked me out a little when we found some random man’s shoe under one of the beds David moved…

You know you are at a fancy 4 star hotel when you have $14 M&Ms in your room. And no, I did not open them…

But, the most amazing part of my WHOLE weekend was meeting my dream horse. On the way home Sunday afternoon, I wanted to swing by a horse farm to take a look around. Well, there happened to be a horse show that was going on that day. As we were walking by, I saw the most beautiful Friesian horse. So I was obviously compelled to walk up to the owners and dote on him…and they surprisingly were thrilled we walked over J Score! So, here’s a pic of me and the beautiful man!

I am not a person that fills my head with “One Days” and “I Wish’s”…but seriously, ONE DAY, Lord willing, I will have a Friesian!

This was THE perfect ending to a not so perfect weekend.

He Had A Dream

Quote of the Week: THE ULTIMATE MEASURE OF A MAN IS NOT WHERE HE STANDS IN MOMENTS OF COMFORT, BUT WHERE HE STANDS AT TIMES OF CHALLENGE AND CONTROVERSY. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

So as I said in a previous post, I love to listen to Joyce Meyer.  There is one more article that I want to share out of her magazine, Enjoying Everyday Life.  The article below is actually by Dr. John C. Maxwell and it is titled Dreams Are Not Free. 

I want to share this article because David and I are on this journey all because of a DREAM.

Here it goes.

Have you ever been strolling through a shopping mall or car lot when – POW! THE perfect product captures your attention? Perhaps it’s the sporty convertible with a V-8 engine and unbelievable acceleration. Maybe it’s the adorable dress that’s exactly your style, has a flattering fit, and accentuates all of your finest features.

Whatever the case, there’s an initial moment when you’re enamored with THE product. For a split second, reality is suspended as you imagine the joys of owning it. Unfortunately, two words generally bring this pleasant daydream crashing to a halt: price tag.

The Dream Is Free, But The Journey Isn’t.

When you first think about a dream, you only see possibilities and potential. As my friend Collin Sewell observed, all dreams begin obstacle-free. However, at some point we have to confront the Cost Question: Am I willing to pay the price of my dream?

If you want to achieve a dream, you have to be willing to do more than just imagine the outcome. You have to be willing to pay a price to start the journey. Dreams don’t fall into our laps by accident or good fortune. They must be attained at the cost of personal sacrifice.

The Price Must Be Paid Sooner Than You Think.

Dreams can’t be bought on impulse. Buy now, pay later financing isn’t an option. If you want to own a dream, then be prepared to make a hefty down payment.

I think most people realize that there will be some cost for achieving their dream. They have a vague notion that someday they will have to pay a price. But they don’t realize how quickly the cost comes. Stepping toward a dream is like launching a rocket; massive amounts of energy must be expended at the beginning. Otherwise, gravity takes hold and the journey never gets off the ground.

The Price Will Be Higher Than You Expect.

All dreams have price tags attached, and the cost is always higher than we expect to pay. Not once in my conversations with successful people have I heard someone say, “Getting to the top was much easier than I anticipated.” The reverse is true. Those at the pinnacle of their professions point to the hardships and sacrifices they had to endure to reach the top.

Having done a good deal of traveling, I’ve learned the taxi principle: ALWAYS find out the cost before you get in the cab. Unfortunately, dreams are far too complex for us to accurately assess the cost up front. A noble dream is worth the expense, but the full cost won’t be apparent until we’re already on the journey.

The Price Will Be Paid More Than Once.

As a young leader, I mistakenly thought acquiring a dream was like buying a ticket to Six Flags: Pay once and enjoy the rides. Experience has taught me otherwise. Following a dream forces you to make continual sacrifices.

Just as a rocket must shed weight to escape gravity, so too, a leader has to let go of some goals to accomplish others. You have to give up to go up.

Let’s face it: Dreams don’t work unless you do. Easing off the accelerator and coasting won’t get you to your desired destination. For dreams to be apprehended, leaders must have an appetite for hard labor.

It Is Possible To Pay Too Much For Your Dream.

Although sacrifices go hand in hand with success, it is possible to overpay for a dream. Don’t mortgage relationships or discard your moral compass in pursuit of career goals. I’ve seen it happen all too often. I’ve watched people sacrifice marriages, neglect their kids, ignore their health, and abandon their conscience – all in the name of a “dream”.

As Jesus of Nazareth once said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul?” (See Mark 8:36) Some prices aren’t worth paying. Do not allow your dream to dictate your values. Rather, make sure your values inform and govern your dream.

Weekend R&R

We decided to take a much needed weekend get-a-way to Myrtle Beach this weekend since David had a 4 day... With that said, I'm testing out this mobile blogging app, so we shall see if it is up to par ;)
We drove over Friday and arrived around lunch time. After checking in to our hotel, we drove around and ended up eating lunch at Senor Frogs. It was nasty. I think it must only be good if you are drunk as a skunk in the Bahamas. Anywho...
After shopping around for a while, we ate dinner and headed back to the room.
Saturday morning we went to a "time share" presentation (I SEE you rolling your eyes!!) Well, we are now the proud owners of two weeks vacation! One at Atlantis in the Bahamas and the other in Rome. We are stoked! Now if we could only get more time off!

Ok, just kidding. We didn't buy a darn thing. We are young, not stupid. In spite of what many may think, those words are not synonyms. ;)
We did however, sit through a two hour one-on-one low pressure presentation, ate a less than perfect "breakfast", and escaped with two "FREE" Ripleys Aquarium tickets, two $25 Margaritaville gift cards, and a 50% off hotel stay coupon. 
So, what did we do the rest of the day? The Aquarium, duh!
First, we went and had lunch...and used our coupon :)
Then we went to see the sharks...believe it or not ;)
We went shopping again, and I finally put a gift card to use I've been carrying around for ages.
Then we had dinner and used our second coupon. Our grand total of the day was $11 (& that was a tip!)

Trying to upload some photos from the day...we shall see if it works :)

We will be heading back to Bragg tomorrow at some point. Other than that, I'm not too sure what's on the agenda...and honestly, I like it that way :)

Until next time!

Power Thoughts

Quote of the Week:

YOUR PROBLEM IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM; IT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS YOUR PROBLEM THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM. – Joyce Meyer

Let me just say that I love Joyce Meyer. She has such practical sermons for today’s world. I heard this quote from her a couple months ago and it has stuck with me ever since.

If the biggest issue with a “problem” is attitude, then we have to figure out how to adjust our attitude.  I believe it is safe to say that our thoughts play a significant role in our attitude. Are we thinking positive thoughts, fearful thoughts, negative thoughts?

I came across one of Joyce’s articles in Enjoying Everyday Life entitled Are Your Thoughts Powerful or Pitiful?  I would like to share some of that article with you here:

Power Thought: God Loves Me Unconditionally

You may not feel like you are amazing or awesome, but God says you are. Psalm 139 says we are fearfully and wonderfully made – the human body is a truly amazing creation when you study it. And when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, something happens to you on the inside (the heart and mind). Paul writes of it this way:  Therefore if any person is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Once you’re “in Christ”, a gradual and patient work of transformation is underway. You may not notice any difference when you look in the mirror; your behavior may not change overnight; but God is working…He sees the end of things from the beginning, and He sees you as new and completely righteous – and He loves you unconditionally.

Power Thought: I Will Not Live In Fear

Is fear holding you back in life? Do you struggle with worry and anxiety? When fear rears its ugly head next time, say out loud, “I will not live in fear.”  In fact, meditate on it.

By doing this you will be even more prepared to stand against fear when it does come. Remember, it will take time. Be committed to stick with it until you see change.  I still say, “I will not live in fear” out loud when needed. This morning, I woke up and said, “This is the day the Lord has made. I will enjoy this day and I will not live in fear.”

It’s OK to feel fear, but you can move beyond it by realizing it’s just the devil’s attempt to prevent you from enjoying life or making any kind of progress. Do what you believe you’re supposed to do even if you have to “do it afraid”.

Power Thought: I Am Difficult To Offend

Some people say over and over, “I am just touchy and get my feelings hurt easily. That is just the way I am. I can’t help it.” They believe this about themselves, and this belief controls their words and actions, which is so unfortunate because it’s so ungodly!  It’s also an excuse to continue wrong behavior. I cannot stress enough how important it is to become a person who is difficult to offend.  Satan desperately tries to prevent us from making spiritual progress. If he can keep us focused on who we are angry with and what they did to us, we cannot focus on God’s Word and His plan for us. Plus, we won’t grow spiritually.

We should be spiritually mature, patient, kind and gentle with others, and wise enough not to allow them to offend us. We cannot control what others do to us, but through God we can control the way we respond to them.  So say it with me, “I am difficult to offend.”

If you would like to read more about this topic, you can read more about these thoughts plus nine others in Joyce’s book Power Thoughts. It is available wherever books are sold.

IT'S A...

BOY!

Yes, David and I will be having a precious little boy sometime next June J Up until the last couple weeks I have not had much time to think about being pregnant. Now that I am almost 16 weeks and we know we are having a boy, reality is somewhat starting to set in.

I had my very first Centering appointment this week.  I had never heard of Centering before the military, but it is a new trendy type of prenatal care being offered to women.  At first I was completely against it because I thought it was just one more way to cheapen a women’s prenatal care. The more I researched it, the more I considered that it might actually be a very good opportunity for me.

You may be wondering what Centering is – it is basically a group of about 8 to 12 women who are due around the same time and they all go through their prenatal care together in a small group environment.  Centering provides a setting for women to take control of their own prenatal care, learning to take their own blood pressure, temperature, weight and also to track their own progress by keeping their own medical charts throughout the pregnancy.  There is also short one on one time spent alone with the health care provider to take the fetal heartbeat and ask any personal questions a women may have that she does not feel comfortable bringing up in the group setting.  Appointments last approximately two hours and also include prenatal education information. Arguably, one of the benefits Centering can provide is the camaraderie among women that develops over the course of the meetings.  This is especially important in a military setting due to the nature of the reality of deployed spouses during pregnancy and birth.  To give you an idea of the frequency of deployments and pregnancies over lapping each other, 50% of the women in my Centering group will have deployed spouses during the pregnancy, birth of their child, or both. Many have no family within hours of where they are stationed. It is definitely a unique situation.

Lately I have really been trying to focus on establishing relationships here and creating a solid support system so that when the baby comes I will have a few people to lean on.  I am staying positive and drowning out any negative thoughts or contacts I may encounter.  My recent obsession is planning the nursery. Here are some pics so far of what I really love!

This is the crib bedding - I have decided to do a black and white theme and add a gender appropriate accent color. That color is still up in the air.

 This is the actual crib I want.  All the furniture is black. I've read that it scratches pretty easy, but I'm sure that scratches on the furniture will be the least of my worries once the little man gets here.

 This is the chest that goes with the crib. It is also black. 

 I was debating on even getting a changing table.  I wanted to just use the top of the dresser (not the one pictured above, but a different one) as a changing table, but the add on part that converts the dresser top to a changing table was only $30 cheaper than this whole changing table.  So, I figured I could use the extra storage space.
For now, I have opted against getting a glider for the nursery and I am looking at rocker/recliners for the living room. I may regret that decision after the baby gets here, but I am sure the rocker/recliner will get MUCH more use for many more years compared to a glider. If I find a cheap, nice, used one on Craigslist or something, I may cave and buy it...keeping my options open.

This is the first little outfit I bought him...before I knew it was a him.  I saw it and thought it was just SO cute, and being only $3.97 for a pack of three AND it being the last one, I couldn't pass it up!

This is the other one that came in the pack. The camo one is just plain camo with no writing on it. I love them!