Resolutions

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. 

Year after year I make New Year Resolutions. Sometimes I go through with them, some not so much. This year, I am 21 years old. Its time to grow up and be an adult. I am going to compile my list of this year's Resolutions.. and I am going to give my full effort to complete ALL of them, not just what I feel is the easiest. I don't think I have ever been more determined to better my life as I do right now. I am only going to choose five. Better to do a few big goals instead of a long overwhelming list of small goals.

1.) Put more effort in to my marriage to Steve.
     Reason- He is the love of my life and sometimes it just seems easy to give up when things get hard. I need to quit thinking that giving up on him is even an option, because its really not. We live the Military lifestyle, and that just adds on to the stress of what normal civilian marriages have.

2.) Reach my healthy weight by losing 60 pounds and live a healthier life style meaning working out and eating right.
    Reason- I hate looking at myself in the mirror and my health is suffering because of my current lifestyle of being a housewife and not really doing much outside the home during the day (I have acid reflux and anxiety issues).

3.) Put more effort in to college.
     Reason-  I have been doing an hour (sometimes less) of studying a day then quit when it gets hard, I want to start charging through it.


4.) Be happy. Appreciate what I have in life.
     Reason- instead of focusing in what I don't have, I want to focus on what I do have and how blessed I really am. Someone once told me that the happiest of people don't have the best of everything, they make the best of everything they have.. that really stuck with me.

5.) Be more independent.
    Reason- I need to have a mind set that I am my own person, not JUST Steve's wife.. there is a ME here too.. Start focusing on my needs and happiness instead of always making sure he is happy and putting my needs second.


It's time for a change.

Merry Christmas

Meowy Catmas

Steve, Tubbles and I want to wish all of our family and friends near and far a safe and Merry Christmas.

On Christmas morning we got up and opened our gifts from each other.  I got Steve Golf balls with photos of Germany on them, places that we have been to. I also got him a Kindle reader with a case, and a Penn Foster College putting cup so he can practice his swing at home.

For Tubbles, we got her lots of treats, jingle balls, and different toys. Here is a video I took this morning of her playing with her new favorite toy. As I write this, she is still playing with it. Such a good pick for her. She loves it. click here

For me, my wonderful husband got me a bracelet that looks a lot like one I used to have and lost. So beautiful, I adore it.  I also got Coach fabric cleaner for my handbag.

A few more photos of our Holiday season-

Tree and stockings up

I made a coach (my favorite designer) Christmas ornament

Tubbles getting caught up in the tree

winter's first snow

cute ACU stockings at the PX

Laying on my books as I try and study.. can't get anything done with such a cute distraction.

One of my favorite ornaments. Our first Christmas as a married couple (last year). Even with our first Christmas photo.

Baby sticking her tongue out at me.

Cuddled up with Mommy on Christmas Eve

Our stockings about to be torn in to.

Tubbles dressed up as Santa.

 All the snow melted away so no white Christmas for us. We hope all of you are having a great Holiday season! This is the last Holiday season we will spend as an Army family and in Europe. We look forward to the next chapter in our lives. Sometime after New years I will do a blog post about what we are planning on doing and where we are going.. less than three months until we leave Europe and get out of the Army! Wow! Right around the corner. Merry Christmas!

Funny side story- Steve decided to start a water fight as I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed a few nights ago, so he ran in to the kitchen to get a cup of water to splash on me when he decided a wine glass was the best choice, so he filled up the wine glass with ice cold water. He ran to me and as he threw his arm at me to splash the water, he held the glass too tight and broke it in his hand and ended up throwing broken glass at me in the end while cutting himself up pretty bad in the process.. That was a memorable night.

The Irish Pub

What a nightmare. I am telling you this story because it happened, and when it happened I was beyond angry, but now that it is over, I can laugh about it but when it was going on, I was so mad that I think I would of done some serious physical damage to my husband with my inner strength if I allowed myself. It all started last night..

We were invited to a going away get together at the Irish Pub in downtown Schweinfurt Germany for SGT Pampkin, SGT Hurt, and a few others that are PCSing (Permanent Change of Station-moving to a new duty station). I knew Steve would drink, and most likely get drunk just like he always does when he goes there. Everyone was having a good time when I realized that, yep, he was drunk.. he started square dancing (in a bar the doesn't have a dancing area), and almost fell over.. I actually got a video of him doing it.. click here.

At about 11pm, I started to get hungry and knew it was time for him to get home so I started bugging him about leaving.. He ordered yet another beer and chugged it. I still don't know my way around Schweinfurt that well so I followed him and he took us in the opposite direction of the Doner shop. We walked in the cold for about 10 minutes until I realized he we getting farther away and turned around, we went back to the Irish Pub and asked SGT hurt and his wife Nadine where it was and it was literally across the street.

So Steve tried to order our Doners and was slurring to much so I ordered them.. After we paid and got our food to go, Steve started bugging the German on how to speak all the items on the Doner in German.  I could see the German was very uncomfortable so I tried to get Steve out of the shop, when I finally did he took one step out of the building and fell right on his face..  After that, the rest of the night was a struggle to keep him on his feet.

I got his arm wrapped around my shoulders and got him in the car and tried to have him eat his Doner. (On the way to the car, he demanded I tell him my social security number to verify I was his wife). Once in the car, He fell asleep almost instantly. I drove home, he pretty much climbed the stairs to our apartment, and got him undessed and in to bed. I soon went to bed myself.

I woke up to him getting out of bed, I tried to get him back in to bed but it wasn't happening, so I just laid in bed and watched to see what he was doing... He went out in to the hallway and just stood there, then I heard it.. the sound of liquid hitting plastic. He was urinating on Tubbles litter box. I jumped up and saw him standing over the cat box urinating. I started screaming but he didn't seem to hear a thing. I was about to punch him in the face to snap him out of it but decided not to, I didn't know what was wrong with him and didn't know if a hard hit would hurt him.. or make him go a little crazy. I told him to clean it up and he didn't say anything, he just pushed passed me, got in bed, and went back to sleep.

I laid down towels to soak up the urine and checked to see if it has actually gotten in her litter besides just on top and around of the box, of course it had. I waited a few hours until about 6:30 in the morning so I knew he would be a bit sober and I let him have it. He had no idea what he had done. Tubbles is his little girl, he felt horrible and completely embarrassed.

He mopped the floor, cleaned the box, changed out the litter and so on. He doesn't remember anything past 10:30 last night. I guess he blacked out. He said he was somewhat sober all last night and that some one must have spiked his drink, I think he just drank more then he realized. He still feels horrible for what he did to Tubby's personal area, he but cleaned it nice and good for her. He loves her and I know he feels like crap right now.

Please don't judge my husband, he doesn't go out to Pubs at all, just on occasions like going away get togethers and what not. This is meant to just be a funny story to remember and to tell our family and friends. He vowed to never go back to the Pub.

Here are a few photos of when the night was still young..

A toast before they drink their Irish Car Bombs

SGT Pampkin

Steve and his buddies

Christmas party

We had our Havoc Troop Christmas party at Ramon's restaurant. We all brought cookies, the leaders brought Gluwein and hot cocoa, and a special man suprised everyone.. He is on leave from the Northpole.

I made six dozen cookies.. took pretty much all afternoon to do.

cookies in front of our beautiful tree

Seating at the party

all the yummy snacks

Santa talking with the kids

Steve and SGT Weeks

Steve and Santa

Steve and I

Tubbles snoozing the day away

Nurnberg Christmas Market

Welcome to the Nurnberg Christmas market

 The Nurnberg Christmas market is the biggest one in Bavaria Germany. I knew it would be much bigger then Schweinfurt's market, but I was amazed at just how expanded everything was, we were there for a good couple hours and we didn't even get to see it all. It was just too big.. and so beautiful.

City of Nurnberg

Beginning of the Nurnberg Castle

Horse carriage rides

such beautiful beings

Nutcrackers

beautiful Christmas ornaments

Gluhwein stand

Making Chocolate

Candles

German taxies

Statue I thought was interesting

yummy Doner

window shopping.. European fashion