Moments of Musing

6 Months a Mrs.

Filed Under: Marriage //


Saturday marked six months of marriage for T and me. We spent Friday night watching our wedding video and Saturday adventuring throughout Chicago (more on our day later this week). When we got home, it was studying and school work until Netflix time. After my studying, I spent a good portion of the night looking through photos taken throughout our relationship. It got me thinking. We’ve done time on a aircraft carrier and deployments (T), law school (me), 5,000 miles of long distance for years, various moves and now here we are– very happily married. 

In the short time I’ve been married, marriage has taught me a lot. In honor of six sweet months, here are the top six things I’ve learned:

1. Life has a funny way of working out. Never did I think I’d meet my future husband out in Las Vegas. Never did I think my future husband would be in the military and never did I think I’d ever be able–or willing–to be in a long distance relationship. 

2. It’s important to appreciate everything your spouse does. I’d be lying if I said T and I didn’t get into little tiffs. About dirty clothes and dishes. About eating out too much. About the silliest things. But it’s important to realize all that he does. Honestly, I wouldn’t eat dinner everyday (when I lived alone dinner sometimes may or may not have been a smoothie or a bag of baked chips) and the house would fall apart without all his help and I try my best to acknowledge this. 

3. Having photos and video of our wedding was the best decision, next to choosing one another as husband and wife, of course. It allows us to relive the fleeting moments of that special day that at times felt surreal. From our video we were also able to capture some pretty awesome stills (like the ones in this post) different from photos taken by our photographer. Photos and video of our everydays are also just as enjoyable to look back on.  They help to put things into perspective when I’m being bratty, too. 

4. Being both best friends and lovers goes a long way. I’m not sure if it’s love talking but T is the funniest person I know. I know a bunch of people who would agree. It’s one of his greatest qualities so we are constantly joking around. I love to laugh and I love to make him laugh. It’s helps us so much when we’re stressed but it’s also in those moments when I feel absolutely head over heels for him. 

5. Honesty really is the best policy. This should go without saying but hiding things from one another–whether it’s feelings or a purchase–would be toxic. We’re really open with one another and joke that we need more private space. But honestly, I hope we’re always this open with one another. 

6. Say I love you as often as possible. We probably say it more on any given day than we can keep count of. I think that’s good because they’re my favorite words to hear from and say to him.

As you can tell, he’s pretty much my favorite human.




Making a Difference – Caliber Collision

Filed Under: Uncategorized //

 The following is a guest post by Valerie Cox, who handles media relations for Caliber Collision:
 
Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”  At Caliber Collision, our team is focused on giving back to our local communities and helping those in need.  Since many of our employees are veterans, serving military heroes and their families is an issue close to our hearts.  As a corporation, we participate in 3 military support programs, and many of our 300 locations also participate in local military organizations.  Our Caliber team believes in combining our talents and strengths as way to assist our military heroes.  We are so thankful to participate in these programs as a way to restore them to the rhythm of their lives®, and while we cannot completely solve all of their challenges, we are proud to help ease the burden any way our Caliber team can.

Easily the pride of our company, Recycled Rides is a program our Caliber team created in an effort to provide proper transportation for our military families.  We give refurbished vehicles to veterans and current military, and it truly is a labor of love for our team as we prepare the vehicle for the deserving recipient.  When we hand the keys over, there is never a dry eye in the room, including both our team and the recipient.  In 2014, Caliber was able to gift 20 vehicles, and we have over 25 scheduled for 2015.  We have donations scheduled throughout the US so be sure to regularly check our website and social media for your chance to nominate your hero.

Carry the Load is an organization designed to raise awareness and support for our fallen military and law enforcement.  This 27 day relay will start in West Point, NY, and finish in Dallas, TX, and the route covers cities including Washington D.C., Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, Nashville, TN, Memphis, TN, and Little Rock, AR.  Anyone can join in and walk to “carry the load” in memory of those who sacrificed their lives for our country.  Carry the Load will conclude at the Dallas Memorial March in Dallas, TX, and for those in Austin, TX, the Austin Memorial March is scheduled to honor our heroes.  These events are designed to restore the meaning of Memorial Day, and we are grateful to serve as both participants and sponsors.

Transitioning from military to civilian life can be a struggle, and Caliber is committed to helping veterans throughout this change.  We are partners with 3M’s Hire Our Heroes program which assists veterans in finding careers within the collision industry.  Hire Our Heroes provides scholarships and support for auto body repair training, and this program is a wonderful stepping stone for those looking for employment within the collision industry.  With Hire Our Heroes, Caliber is also able to provide monetary support for wounded veterans through Operation Comfort’s Automotivation program, and this program is a skill-based rehabilitation program specializing in automotive skills.  On a local level, many of our centers employ military veterans.

For our Caliber team, we are focused on unifying our talents in an effort to support our military heroes and their families.  All of our centers work together to give back to those who fight for our independence, and we are so thankful to serve our military in these ways.  We hope to encourage others to give back, no matter how big or small your effort is because every act of kindness makes a difference.
For more information, visit http://calibercollision.com/. 

My Mom

Filed Under: Uncategorized //

Fortunate to have a mom who always has my back, who’s always there to comfort me, who always lends a helping hand–a strong, stylish, beautiful, loving mom who’s taught me most of everything I know. 
I can never thank her enough for being the very best friend and supermom she is. I love her so much (and tell her that I do), everyday!
I’m sad to be far away but hopefully that won’t be the case forever. Happy Mother’s Day to all the special moms out there!

Age is Just a Number, Right?

Filed Under: Uncategorized //

So many times we hear that phrase. Then, why is it that the older we get the more we worry? Our stresses are more. Our responsibilities are greater. So many times we think we should be behaving, succeeding, and looking a certain way. But my 26th year of life is likely very different than someone else’s.
 
Now, I’ve worried about all of the above things for as long as I can remember them mattering to me. I’d never worried too much about looking my age until very recently, though. I came across a website, how-old.net, and the darn thing supposedly guesses your age. Well, up until I tried it I’d been told I look great for my age–years younger even.
 
And then I put a photo into the website and it told me I look 31! In another it told me I looked 36! But wait… Then, there was this one from our honeymoon:

Basically, I’ve reached the following conclusions:
 
1. Maybe makeup and glasses make me look older.
2. Maybe I don’t look as young as I thought.
3. Maybe I should get more sleep so I have less eye bags.
4. Who cares how old I look as long as I’m happy and healthy?