Meatloaf Failure.

Disclaimer: I make a kick butt meatloaf

Disclaimer #2: I use a recipe from a popular food blog, so technically she makes a kick butt meatloaf.



Disclaimer #3: My husband thinks I make a kick butt meatloaf that is all my own. I plan to keep it that way.



Today my kick butt meatloaf failed. I have to say this is solely because I was trying to be thrifty and prior plan.

Growing up my dad always had this saying. "PPP, Tiffany, Prior Planning Pays". No Dad, today I learned that is not always the case. I guess I should get to explaining!

So there is this meatloaf recipe. It is amazing. I'm not one for meatloaf normally but this one has tons of parmesan cheese in it, it is covered in bacon, and you cover it with a homemade spicy ketchup so I HAD to try it.

So I made, the Mr. loved it, and that was that. The Wheeler's now had a "family recipe" for meatloaf that I could pass on for years and years stamped as "my signature recipe". Whoo hoo!

This recipe also make a GIANT loaf, and since it is just the two of us for the time being, I thought to myself, "Hey! Why don't I divide it and freeze half! That way we can have meatloaf in a pinch!"

I felt like a genius :)

Well tonight was the night, I set the loaf out to defrost this morning, went to bake it up and then disaster struck:

We are out of bacon.


Deep breaths, deep breaths, it's ok. This meatloaf has to be good alone, it's not like bacon makes the meal right?

(wrong)

The meatloaf was a failure.

I mean on the grand meatloaf scale it's probably like a 6 or 7 which isn't bad.

and I guess the Mr. will still eat it. (guys, psh)

But I'm pretty disappointed :(

On the bright side Apollo was a fan.

So much for thrifty-ness.

XOXO
T

The Lonely Hearts Club

I'm not one to actively complain about Army Life.

In fact, most days I really do love it. I love being able to flash my ID at the gate, the little decal on my car that gets me onto post, being able to see helicopters flying over my car and landing a mere 100 yards away, the great perk of tax free goods, and the joys of free health care and not having to work.

Because of the sacrifice my husband has made to serve our country, a decision he made way before he even knew me, I am able to focus my energy on house keeping, school, and spending time with my Army Wife friends. It sounds boring to my college friends but I really do love it. Being a housewife was all I ever wanted to be, after all.

Recently, however, the Army Life has been wearing on me.

It's not so much the Army Life per say, but more the work schedule required of my Mr. and his job as a Military Police Officer.

{Now before I get into this let me assure you that I in NO way thought military life would be easy, and I know I signed up for this life. I don't regret my decision one bit, but a girl's gotta vent from time to time!}

During the work week I maybe see the Mr. a total of 5 hours. His schedule sucks! Prior to him working this schedule he was so excited and continued to assure me that this will be so great! "We will get to spend so much time together!" he said.

I'm still waiting! :)

Basically our day goes like this:

The Mr. goes to PT at 3:00 pm

I spend the day cleaning or hanging out with my lady friends and then go to bed around 11:00pm

The Mr. comes home at 3:00am and tries to start up a conversation with me while...

I'm fast asleep drooling on our down comforter and splayed out across our bed.

I tell him to go to sleep.

He keeps talking to me :)

I wake up around 9 and head to the gym

I bother him to wake up about every hour from 11-2

I accept defeat.

The Mr. wakes up at 2:45 with just enough time to throw on some PTs and run out the door.

Goodbye Husbanddd!!.

Repeat.

Now I KNOW he works hard for us. I am so proud of my husband and so thankful for what he does for us. And I KNOW the man has to sleep! I'm not mad that he's sleeping I promise you.

My problem is having him home, but sleeping, is the worst tease ever!

He's here so I want to spend time with him, but then I know he needs to sleep.

Why must I like him so much??

So there is my rant and rave for the evening. Hopefully his schedule will be switching up soon and I will get all the husband time I want...and then some ;)

XOXO
T

Lifetime

 Don't think Lifetime Movie's are the only thing this network has to make you weep. They have other things up their sleeves.

Military things...

Freaking military shows keep making me cry!

Tonight's episode of Army Wives had me bawling on the couch curled up in a ball off estrogen and kleenex.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Lifetime has decided to follow it up with none other than Coming Home, a show centered around deployed soldiers and their homecoming.

Needless to say I have zero make up left on my face and I'm pretty sure my husband will be making fun of me until our 50th wedding anniversary.

humph.

Why do I do this to myself??

I promise to post something more legitimate tomorrow, for now I'm headed to my bed with a bowl of Mocha Almond Fudge and my cat. Please don't judge.

XOXO
T

I'm Still Alive!

I'm still alive I swear! I have been so irritated lately because the blogging app I use to update this post while I'm on the go hasn't been working out and I have so much to share.

Today I realized that making friends on any military installation is a lot harder than you might think.

With the separation created by branch, rank, communities, and units it is almost impossible to meet people, let alone form friendships.

For example, say you are a new Army wife and you are at an event for military spouses (the post/base puts on convention type events for spouses to get out and mingle). You see a girl who dresses similarly to you and looks around the same age, you check her hand to see that she too is married and then you prepare yourself to start up a casual conversation-

I'll pause her to point out the fact that making girlfriends is very similar to dating, and you know it. You start out with a girl crush, this girl is cool and you could see yourself being friends, you go on a "girl date" and then BAM you are in a relationship friendship.

But in the military setting it is so much harder! This girl has to be married for one, or it will be hard for her to understand what military life/married life is like. She has to be affiliated with the same branch (Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines) or she might not associate with you. Her husband has to be of or around the same rank as your spouse- too high ranking and she isn't allowed to associate with you by Army standards, too low ranking and YOU aren't allowed to associate with her. Then, if all this checks out, you have to hope she isn't one of those wives that will stab you in the back or gossip behind your back. Sounds silly but I have heard MANY horror stories. Don't reveal your secrets right away!

This Army Life sometimes reminds me of high school with all the drama and cliques but as I age I'm starting to think girl drama will be where ever girls are.

Lord help me. :)

XOXO
T

In a Nutshell

My view at the moment:


Hello Lovelies!

I know I have been away from my blog for awhile but here is what I've been up to the last 5 days, in a nutshell.

Army Wives premier was good but not nearly as emotional as I was expecting.

The new series that now follows Army Wives (Coming Home)
had me crying like a baby. Something about soldiers reunited with their kids just makes me weep. Not cry. But weep, big, sad, red in the face, puffy eyes the next day, crocodile tears.

Monday I got into a little
Tiff with the Mr and took my aggressions out at the mall. (I now have some awesome
behind-enhancing jeans.)

Tuesday I got to tag along with my two best Army Wife friends to the airport and watch a family be reunited when Daddy came home from Afghanistan for two weeks of R&R
(That wasn't a catchy use of R&R, the Army actually calls it that!)

Wednesday I took a big, long, much needed, but very lazy 3 hour nap and ate leftovers. (I'm and awesome and very productive wife, I know)

Yesterday, I literally spent 5 hours getting my hair done. We had pizza for dinner

As I write this today, I am sitting in the food court of the PX reading the post calendar and waiting on my Mr. while he gets his weekly haircut.

( yes we do this EVERY WEEK )

Sometimes Army Wife Life isn't all that eventful :)

Have a great weekend!

XOXO
T


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Lifetime!

Army Wives premiers tonight people!

I have been so excited for the return of my favorite lifetime series, however, due to the recent casualties here at Fort Lewis and a rush of deployment related emotions I never knew I possessed, I am a little apprehensive to watch the new Army Wives episode tonight. :(

But that won't stop me! (I am an Army Wives addict after all) I will be on the couch in PJs, tissue box in hand and with my real life Army Wife friends, watching the new season unfold!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Sunday!!

XOXO
T


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Baby Sitting

I'm never going to need to have my own kids! I have the perfect set up.

When I first moved to Washington I decided to make a conscious effort to make friends with other wives who were sans kids like myself. I wanted to find wives my age and who never had to find a babysitter just to go and do something.

Silly me!

Everyone (or most everyone) has kids in the military if they are married. Since I have been here I have only met one other spouse without kids!

But little did I know, friends with kids are the best kind to have. I get to spend so much time with my friends' young children an babies that I have no need to have my own children.

Babysitting is now one of my favorite past times because I can essentially rent-a-baby, then head home to my quiet apartment with just me, the Mr. and Apollo. :)

Silence can be so blissful.

But for now, I am spending the evening with two of the cutest boys and couldn't be happier.

Today I am loving my Army Wife Life. <3

XOXO

T





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The Reality of Army Life

While much of this blog is about how crazy Army Wife Life is and poking fun at the very old fashioned traditions that have become apart of my life, I'm starting to realize that there is a very REAL part of Army Life that many of us choose to either ignore or don't give much thought to.

The reality of deployments and soldiers at war.

While many of us in this neck of the woods are married to soldiers who have deployed before, it's easy to forget about the seriousness of deployment, and when something happens that hits a little to close to home, it seems we are blindsided by the possibilities and outcomes that deployments bring.

For my civilian friends out there (holla!!) let me explain what I have learned about deployments thus far. In the civilian world many of us know of a "friend of a friend" who is deployed or has been before. All we most of us know about deployment is what we have seen on t.v. or on the news and, while we know it is scary and horrible, that is pretty much the extent of it.

As some of you may know I met my husband while he was deployed. I was a part of a group of ladies who wrote letters of support to soldiers who were deployed and through a long series of God created events we met and married shortly after he returned. I had know idea what he went through in combat or what it might have been like.

As civilians, it is important to know that every single soldier that sets foot in a war zone is in danger. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is a group effort and is not fought by any one unit or organization of the military. In time of war we should be grateful for every soldier that returns home and pray for every soldier that deploys.

You may be asking what I'm getting at and that is this:

Recently, a soldier from Joint Base Lewis McChord (where we are stationed) was KIA (killed in action) and he just so happened to be in the same unit of one of my friend's husband. I did not know this soldier and he is in no way directly connected to me or my husband, however, when a friend of a friend, or your friend's husband's battle buddy is KIA it hits just a little to close for comfort and you are forced to recognize that this is a very real war we are fighting.

This post is not about if this war is right or wrong. Supporting our troops should not be a political statement. If you believe in the war or not, you still have to understand that their are husbands, wives, sons, daughters, sisters, and brothers fighting for our country and putting their lives in danger.

I believe this quote says it best:

If you can't stand behind our soldiers, feel free to stand in front of them :)

The family of this fallen hero is in my thoughts and prayers, feel free to click on the link below for more info.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/117161108.html

I will end this post on a good note with a random picture of my cat :)

now go hug your loved ones!

XOXO
T

Random Thoughts

I have a pretty new blog! I love pink so I thought it was a little bit of a misrepresentation of me if I had an olive green blog (and it just screamed HOOAH a little too much).

My Mr. has to work on his day off tomorrow :( this means after 5 12-14 hour days I got to see him for one day, and now he starts a 6 day work week of more 12-14 hour days.

Sad..

My cat is a heathen. I don't even think that is how you spell that word but it doesn't matter. He's a brat. He has made a sport out of going into hunter mode, attacking me, and then running away! Not a huge issue if I'm awake and can see it coming but he does it when I'm asleep! I have the scratches and scars to prove it....ugh.

I am exhausted. I have successfully completed 4 days of running and workouts. WHOO HOO! But I am SO tired and my muscles have had enough. I think I deserve a day of recovery, hopefully I jump right back in on Thursday. (fingers crossed)

I just want you all to know that I just LOVE blogging again and thank you so so much for your wonderful feedback and encouraging words! If you like my blog and check back frequently please feel free to hit the "follow" button or follow me on twitter :)

[shameless plug :) ]

For now I am off to a relaxing bath for these very sore muscles and a serious attempt to turn in early for the evening.

Wish me luck!

XOXO T