Memorial Day Reflections

 Before I met T, I didn't really have an opinion about the military and war in general. But ever since he has entered my life I have truly realized how much gratitude I owe ANYONE and EVERYONE who has served this country in times of peril and great need. If it weren't for their sacrifice, I would not have the opportunities that I do today. This Memorial Day I have had the time to reflect on the sacrifice that every fallen Sailor, Solider, Airman and Marine has made, essentially, for me. Without them I would not be able to live my life, day to day, (for the most part) worry free. Not only do I DEEPLY thank all the men and women who lost their lives in defense of our wonderful nation, I thought about the sacrifices family members make as well. The young wife and mother that loses her husband in combat. The mother that loses daughter in the fight for freedom. The sister that loses her beloved brother on the front lines. I thank you too. I thank those men and women who stay strong when war has claimed the lives of one, or more, of their family.  

"I thank God for my life

For the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring.
Salute the ones who died
And the ones that gave their lives
So we don’t have to sacrifice
All the things we love"

~Zac Brown Band

Too Much Stuff!

PLEASE, somebody tell me, how the heck am I supposed to fit all of this:

Into this:













I am trying to pack for our vacation but my suitcase is ALREADY FULL! I am thinking of using space saver bags but that would require a vacuum, in which I do not own. So now I have a few choices:

1. Be a creep and ask to borrow my neighbors vacuum.
2.  Reevaluate, reorganize and streamline my suitcase.
3. Stuff all I can in my suitcase and TJ's.

I am thinking I will stuff everything I can in my suitcase and T's. I can't go on a 15 day vacation with 7 days worth of clothing (what woman can?)

In any event, I am extremely excited to go on vacation and not do this for the next 15 days:

Doesn't my desk look wonderful? (And yes, if you were wondering, I was watching Glee while sorting all these Req's.) But, I do not have to do this for 2 weeks! Whoot!


Alright, off I go to finish this packing shenanigans. Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Much Love,
Delainey

Quick Update!

So for our anniversary we kept it mellow. Just got some dinner and cruised (In my AMAZING rental car. The Camry is definitely a step [or 10 steps] above my old little Focus but I could never buy one, that would ruin my allegiance to American cars.... anyway...) around Oceanside, Fallbrook and Bonsall. We decided were going to do something romantic while Teedle is on leave, which we will be in 3 days! We're flying to Salt Lake to see family (and apparently shoot some bunnies on Grandpa Holt's farm. I think I will be accidentally missing every time.) and go where ever the wind takes us!

But there are a few things I must do on vacation, and by a few things, I really mean one thing, lose some weight. 3 days after we come back is the Navy Corpsman Ball and I have the PUURRRFECT dress, the only problem is that I've gained a tad bit of weight so the dress DOESN'T FIT! But no fears, this problem is nothing a bit of running and a pair of Spanx can't fix.

Much Love,
Delainey

Anniversary!

Today is our Anniversary! Whoot! We have been together for one year as of today. Exciting huh? So now were off to have a barbecue and some hot coco on the beach.

Much Love,
Delainey

(Quick Post, I know, but I shall elaborate on our anniversary later)

More Bloggy Love!

Thanks to my girl Staci at Random Ramblings of a Military Wife I  have received another Blogger Award! The Versatile Blogger Award to be exact!

So as the rules go, I must divulge 7 facts about me and pass this lovely award on. So let's begin!

1. I have a weird phobia of peanut butter. I am almost certain if I eat it, it will kill me (which, theoretically, any food I eat COULD in fact kill me. There is always a chance that I will choke to death on tomatoes [my favorite food]. Then how ironic would that be?), therefore I will NEVER eat it or anything containing the vile, woman killing, substance.

2. I am a Seventh Day Adventist. Most ask, "What the heck is that?!". Well, the main difference between the SDA church and any other Christian denomination is the fact that our day(s) of rest and worship is from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown. The reason for this is because the Romans changed the calendar from Sunday-Saturday to Monday-Sunday. If Romans did not change the calendar the Sabbath (the 7th day, when God rested) would be a Saturday. Hence, the Saturday worship. We also emphasize good health and overall wellness so promote this by our many medical schools and hospitals across the country, most notably Loma Linda University. Fun Fact: John Kellogg, founder of the Kellogg brand (and yes Corn Flakes) was an Adventist.

3. To save some cash, and produce some awesomely clean clothes, I make my own laundry detergent. I know what your thinking, "GIVE ME THE RECIPE", it's right here. It is amazing stuff. I also make my own deodorant (Alcohol + Spray Bottle =  Deodorant, interesting huh? And it works!). Most people would call me cheap, but I prefer the term "money conscientious".

4. Speaking on my frugality, I don't ever shop for myself. Of course I buy the necessities but clothes, shoes, accessories etc. not so much. I don't like spending money on myself and if I do, it is for a vacation or some fun adventure.

5.  I still sleep with the same stuffed animal that I have had since birth. He is a bear named Puffy/Puff-a-Luff. He is a bear that is all deflated, drawn on and still has and rattle in him but I can NEVER let him go (I am so attached, I don't think I'll even give him to my first born.).

6. As much as I threaten to leave California and move elsewhere where the cost of living is cheaper and the people are "real", I secretly never want to (Oops, secret's out). Orange County is all I know, and, well, I love it here. Occasionally you find the rude, fake, money driven individuals, but there are also amazing, smart and caring people around these parts. Not to mention it is a great place to raise a family. But I guess it's not up to me, it's up to the Navy where we plant our roots.

7.  I LIVE for Black Friday. It is my favorite time of year, hands down! I am that person who looks up all the sales and maps out my plan of attack 2 weeks before this wonderful day. I wake up at 3am, wait in lines and  nonchalantly knock over a children who stand in my way. Just kidding, I have yet to be that person you read about in the paper that is getting in a fight over an item  (Although, that may happen this year because I will be buying a TV, so I have to be prepared to beat someone down [if need be])

So now I shall pass on this award to:
Amber at Goodnight Moon
Via at Cloud Nine and Counting
Brittney at A Day In the Life of a Navy Wife

It's Money Honey!

Man, it has been forever since my last post, but, sheesh, was this week the most hectic week imaginable. But thank goodness it is finally over! So now I must tell you about the most important part of this week, the Scholarship Ceremony!

(Below: My mom, me and TJ)



This Friday, among billions of other things, was the Saddleback College Scholarship Ceremony. The way it normally goes, the scholarship recipients check in, and was given a card that shows which scholarship they received and how much it is for.

But when I got my card, it was empty! Everyone else knew what they were getting except me (and Mel. I found her and her card was empty too. It made me feel slightly at ease, but not by much.) Turns out, my scholarship was a surprise. I received the Saddleback College Outstanding Student Scholarship for $3,000 dollars! What? I know, right. I was only expecting to get a couple hundred at most, but 3 grand! 

I am so excited. That money will cover classes and books for the rest of my tenure there. WHOOT! I was also extremely honored to be deemed as the (most) Outstanding Student,  that during my acceptance speech I felt some tears coming on. So naturally I ran off stage so I wouldn't be crying in front of hundreds of people. Sadly my dad, my sister and KB were not able to make it but I know they were with me in spirit!

Now, here are some of my favorite pictures from the ceremony:

  (Waiting, Waiting, Anticipating)

 

  

(Presentation of the Outstanding Student Scholarship)

(My acceptance speech. Don't ask what I'm doing. I do not have the slightest clue)

(Look at that plaque. Isn't it gorgeous?)

(President Tod A. Burnett and I)

(And, of course, me and my other half)

Blog Hop!

Well, I wanted to join the MilSpouse blog hop but I felt weird because I am YET to be a true, certifiable, Dependent ID carrying, MilSpouse. So I am super excited to find this blog hop hosted by the wonderful Mrs. Staci at Random Ramblings of a Military Wife.

I LOVE making new bloggy friends. TJ thinks I am a nut but I am obsessed, and it makes me quite happy to see new followers.

A little about me:

Let's see. Where do I even begin. I am 19 years old and will concluding my 2nd year of college tomorrow. I have an obsession with belly buttons. Sounds crazy but it is true. I have the most amazing man in my life (with an equally amazing belly button), Troy (commonly referred to as TJ, T or Teedle). He is currently a Corpsman in the US Navy and  3 weeks ago he returned from a 7 month long deployment in Afghanistan. I must say, I am quite glad to have him back (and in one piece)! I love kiddies, ergo my plans to become an Elementary School Teacher, but with the way California's education system is looking lately, I am not sure if that is even possible. In any event, children are my favorite. I am an AVID procrastinator, I cry far too much, and you can never stop my undying love for Judge Judy. I HATE driving and I am not very good at it, so I try to avoid it as much as possible. Anything else, feel free to ask! Or cruise my blog, you'd learn much more about me!

Much Love,
Delainey

Buffets, Bodies and Frozen Hot Chocolate

As always, I am exhausted, and I should definitely be asleep but there are posts to be written! So here I am, awake and on Blogspot.

First, I must say, I suck! I only have one picture from Vegas (maybe this means I need to buy a smaller camera, nothing is more discrete than this:

BUT I love this camera and will never sell it.) Anyhow, that is not the point of  this post, the point is our fun and fancy free trip to Sin City, although no sinning did occur and nothing about it was free. First and foremost, this is the only picture from our vacay (thanks to Cristyn and her wonderful, discrete, point and shoot camera):

We all had a grand time. It was nice to see Matt again after almost a year, and meet his awesome girlfriend. After we checked into the Excalibur (which is quite ghetto by the way) naturally the first thing we did was hit up a buffet, the Rio World Buffet to be exact and  MAN was it delicious!! Then we walked all up and down the strip, my favorite is the new Aria hotel they just built. It is so beautiful and a true architectural gem. Google it, it's sweet.

The next morning we went to the Bodies exhibit at the Luxor:

Oh my gosh, it was beyond amazing. You learn so much about the human body. It's almost unbelievable that all the things I saw in the exhibit are in me as well. We all LOVED it! Then we headed to Serendipity 3 at Caesars Palace for some YUMMY ($13) frozen hot chocolate.

It sounds crazy, and it made no sense to me at first, but man was it tasty! And with that Me, T, Matt and Cristyn parted ways and T and I began our trip home. We ended up staying one night to save some cash, and our little vacay may not seem like much but it was marvelous nonetheless.


Much Love,
Delainey

Vegas or Bust!

Today, after we get off work (yes I am blogging at work WHILE Judge Judy is playing in the background. Ohh, I love Fridays.) T and I are going to VEGAS!!  There are still, like always, a billion things I have to do before we leave but I am quite excited. Although Sin City isn't my favorite place ever, I'm still rather excited to go on a mini vacay and see T's cousin Matt and his girlfriend and hopefully see a Cirque Du Soleil show too.

Hope all of you ladies, and gentleman, have an amazing weekend!

Much Love,
Delainey

Bloggy Love!

Thank you Miss Brittney at A Day In the Life of a Navy Wife for my first blog award!!

Thank you so much for thinking about me when you received this award and for following my "Sweet Blog". Now the rules are simple, pas it on to 10 other much deserving ladies. But since I have such few followers I am going to send it to 4. So here I go!

•  Willis, Party of 6
• My Life as a Sailors Princess
• Just know that you move me like I've never been moved
• My Adventures in This So Called Life

Pass along the bloggy love!!

Much Love,
Delainey

This Has No Purpose, Whatsoever.

Bleh,

That is how I feel right now. Will I feel better later, possibly so, but do I feel like shiz now. Definitely, yes.

That is all for now. I hope you all are doing awesome

P.S, Send some of that awesome energy my way!!

Much Love,
Delainey

Cash for College!

I am extremely tired and as of right now my snuggley bed is trying to suck me down into a deep slumber, but I am still awake. Why? Well, to share some exciting news of course. I was informed 2 days ago that I have received a scholarship! I am so excited and touched to think that the scholarship committee feels that I deserve this reward to so I can further  my education. I cannot wait to see who my donors are and how much money I have been granted. This has put a fire back into my educational goals. For lack of better words, college is not really my thing, even though I am quite active on campus and in student government. I have been struggling with what I wanted to do after I received my Associates degree and I was truely leaning towards stopping school all together, but I'm beginning to think it is time to rethink my goals.

In any event, I am incredibly excited for the scholarship ceremony and extremely thankful to Saddleback College and whoever my donor is!

Now I MUST sleep.

Much Love,
Delainey

Wordless Wednesday

Who are these two beautiful people?

A Heartfelt Homecoming!

It has been over a week since TJ has come home. After a week of being absolutely carefree and now that we are both back to the everyday grind, it is time for our homecoming story!!

TJ's homecoming was amazing in every way. Let's start from the beginning. He was due home late Sunday afternoon at 5:30pm, lo and behold I get a text from TJ's mom that they are due home at 1:30pm. WHAT?? I know right? Are you as shocked as I that they were not late, but EARLY?! SCORE! So I decorate my car and off I go!

(It is hard to see but it says: "204 Days Later, I Finally Get to Kiss My Sailor!")

So at 1:00 I arrive at the Motor Pool where they are set to come home. It was amazing, I was really excited and anxious to be so close to seeing, holding and kissing the love of my life. So I walked around, snapped some pics, then sat my self down in the rows of folding chairs and waited.

While we waited the FRO was awesome. She told us how close they were and gave us updates, and just like clockwork at 1:30 the first bus rolled in.

At this point I start to cry. He is on one of those buses. This is truely happening! The crowd was awesome, people were cheering, laughing, smiling and crying.

And all five buses roll in and the Marines and Sailors begin to file out.

After this point I am crying so hard for many reasons. I was so overwhelmed with emotions I did not even know how to handle them all, so I just cried. This is why there is a lapse in the pictures, I was crying so hard and searching frantically for my baby I couldn't even hold my camera steady. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, and seeing EVERY OTHER wife, girlfriend, mother, father and child find their loved one I finally found mine! (Sadly there is no romantic first kiss picture because I was alone)

 I FINALLY HAVE MY BABY BACK!! But wait there's more. When he arrived and we walked hand in hand to wait for all his gear we walked up to the parking lot to this:

THEIR GEAR WAS ALREADY THERE WAITING FOR THEM!! And wait, even better, no formation or accountability shenanigans. No debriefing. No ceremonies. I got to whisk TJ away within 10 minutes of  his lips reuniting with mine. Needless to say we locked ourselves away from the real world for  a week and enjoyed each others company.

It is absolutely amazing to have him back. And because I know he reads this I have to once again say: Welcome Home Baby!