Please excuse the interruption

Hello, Dear Readers!

I am healing well after having my wisdom teeth removed last week.  I had a bit of a rough recovery, but I'm eating real food again, yay!  At my check up appointment earlier this week I was told that everything is healing well.  So, yay again!  :)

The pretty flowers that my husband gave me while I was sick :)

In other good news, after seeing the terribly embarrassing video of me singing a Lady Antebellum song while still high on the anesthesia after my surgery (if you would like to see it, click here... you know you want to), a radio station gave me free tickets to go to a Lady Antebellum concert!  I haven't gotten to see them in concert, but I've been a fan for a few years now.  Needless to say, I am super excited!!!

In other (but slightly sad) news, my summer classes begin Monday.  Thankfully they are the last two classes of my undergraduate career.  Graduation is getting closer and closer.

Speaking of graduating, several of my friends graduated last weekend.  So I would like to say a few words to my recently graduated friends:

First, I am so excited for all of you as you begin new chapters in your lives!  I know the amount of hard work it took you to get to this point.  All the late nights you spent working on homework and projects, all the weekends you stayed in, rather than going out... you earned your degree.  With that being said, take some time to relax now.  You deserve it.  I love you all and I can't wait to see what adventures you take next. 

Congratulations class of 2012!!!  You did it!!!

I'm hoping that means that my recently graduated friends will spend some time writing in their blogs (that especially means my friends over at Unwritten, Amapola Style, and Love Fearlessly). :)

Now that it is the summer time, I will have a little more free time (I hope).  So look for new posts coming soon, including some fun DIY projects.  In fact, my first DIY project will be posted no later than Monday, as I am working on the project as I type.  It is really fun as well as useful, so I know you will enjoy it.  There are also several events occurring within the next month (*cough cough* my birthday is Tuesday, May 15th *cough*) haha ;)

If you have any suggestions for new posts, please let me know in the comments below.  I would love some ideas.  Also, if you just want to say hello or tell me what you think, feel free to post that too.  I love hearing from all of you!  Last but not least, if you enjoy reading, feel free to click that button that says "Join this Site" on the top right side of the page, or follow by email (also on the right side of the page). :)

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Wisdom Teeth

I went to the dentist back in December for the first time since high school.  The good news was that I didn't have any cavities.  The bad news was that I had four impacted wisdom teeth that needed to be removed as soon as possible.  Even worse was that due to my school schedule and some insurance issues I had to wait 5 months until I was able to get them out.

Waiting for my surgery to begin.

I decided to get them out May 1st.  Since my classes finished the week before and my next classes don't start until May 14th, I decided it was the best time to have them out.  Being the paranoid person that I am I was completely stressed out prior to my surgery.  Thankfully I had an awesome oral surgeon who was very nice and helped put me at ease.  The last thing I remember before the surgery was the nurse putting giving me some of the laughing gas and telling me to take deep breaths.  I remember him walking out of the room, and because I was so loopy, I remember thinking to myself, "Now I know why people do drugs" then I began to giggle in a really creepy way.  The oral surgeon then gave me an IV and that is all I remember before the surgery.

Afterwards I woke up in the recovery room and I was feeling really good.  The radio was on in the room and a Backstreet Boys song came on, so naturally I began to sing... loudly.  Between the drugs and my mouth filled with gauze it sounded terrible.  My mom and the nurses thought I was hilarious though.  In fact, the nurse even turned up the radio for me since I enjoyed so much.  Haha.

I then sang along to the radio the entire way home.   The anesthesia hadn't fully worn off yet and I was in quite the singing mood. I love Lady Antebellum, so I had my mom play one of their songs for me on the drive home. I wasn't aware at the time that I was being filmed.  So now, I present to you my drugged up rendition of their song, "Just a Kiss."







Sadly, the drugs eventually wore off.  Haha.  The first night and morning after were really bad because the painkillers made me nauseous and I couldn't keep anything down.  The oral surgeon prescribed me some medicine to help with the nauseousness and that has helped tremendously.  On the first day I was told that I could only have cold soft foods.  As big as my sweet tooth is (excuse the cheesy joke) I got sick of sweet stuff pretty quickly.  On the second day I was able to start eating some warm foods and found that refried beans and melted cheese (basically the inside of a bean burrito) really hit the spot.  I have also found that coke Icees, and Jello Temptations are awesome soft foods.  I have been keeping ice packs on my face almost constantly and that seems to help with the pain too.
Besides the pain I have found that one of the downsides to having any type of surgery is being stuck in bed.  It gets kind of boring to be stuck in bed all day.  I'm hoping that I will be able to move around a little bit better tomorrow.  On the bright side, I have found that between my husband and my mother I am being well taken care of.  It is so nice to not have to worry about anything because they have taken care of everything for me.
Well, I guess I better go rest some more.  If you have gotten your wisdom teeth out and have any tips or suggestions, I would love to hear from you!  For those of you who may have to get your wisdom teeth out in the future, I will post my own tips and suggestions after I recover.

 

It's been awhile...

Photo Credit

Hello, my lovely readers!

I know it has been forever since I last posted.  Things have been incredibly busy here.  I thought I would give you a post of the major updates, and then post more later.

For starters, the Spring 2012 semester is finally over.  Hooray!  This semester has been incredibly busy.  It seemed like the second half of the semester was much more difficult than the first half.

Second, we moved once again!  One of my mom's neighbors needed a house sitter for the next several months, so we decided to help her out.  The hubby and I are so excited to be in a house instead of an apartment.  It is a blessing to have gotten such a wonderful opportunity!

Yesterday I got my wisdom teeth out.  Not fun.  All four were impacted and doing funky stuff, so all four had to be surgically removed.  This morning I was in terrible pain, but thankfully I have been doing a lot better this afternoon.

This summer is going to be quite busy!  My birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, and then I will also be starting my summer courses.  As much as I am not looking forward to being back in school so quickly, I am excited that there are only two classes left for me to take before my final internship this fall.  I can't believe that my graduation is 7 months away!  While that still seems pretty far off, it looks pretty close when I look back at how long I have been in school.  The month of May will also be filled with many other fun events, such as the wedding of a dear friend of mine.  In June, I will be celebrating my first wedding anniversary!  I can't believe it!  As for the rest of the summer, I plan on getting my tan on and doing more fun summery things.  It is definitely my favorite time of the year!

Well, that is all for now.  Check back tomorrow for a new, more detailed post! :)

Hospital Misadventures

Benadryl... my new BFF.

Let me start off by saying this weekend did not go as planned.

Friday night I ate dinner and watched a movie with my husband, then decided to call it a night.  My throat felt a little weird.  You know that feeling when your throat gets kind of dried out?  As much water as you drink, it still feels really weird.  Well that's the kind of feeling I had.  It has happened before so I didn't think much of it.  About an hour later, I was lying in bed not able to go to sleep because my throat felt so weird.  I went to the bathroom, looked at it in the mirror and found that my throat was swollen.  Really swollen.  Definitely not a good sign.  I started freaking out and woke up my poor husband because I wasn't really sure what to do.  We didn't have any Benadryl, but even if we did I thought that I may not be able to swallow a pill.  A few minutes later, I looked at my throat in the mirror again and saw that it was even more swollen, and I felt like I couldn't breathe as well as normal.  I, of course, was freaking out.  Thankfully I married a soldier who can remain calm in a stressful situation.  Travis decided to take me to the emergency room.

As usual, it was packed and we had to wait forever.  When I was finally able to be moved from the waiting room, I found that they were out of rooms, so I had to lay on a hospital bed pushed against the hallway wall.  The nurse had to run some blood tests, gave me an IV, and pumped 2 kinds of medicine into it for allergic reactions.  I have to add, it is extremely awkward to lay on a hospital bed, in a hospital gown with an IV in your arm in the middle of a busy hallway.  Not fun.  Then the doctor wanted to give me a CAT scan, leading to more medication being pumped into my IV.

We finally returned home at 3:40 AM (5 hours after we arrived at the ER).  My throat was almost back to normal.  It looks like I had an allergic reaction to something that I ate, although I still have no idea what it may be.  I think it may be a seasoning in the food that I ate, but I am not completely sure.  The doctor gave me 3 prescriptions to help with the reaction and to prevent infections and they seem to be working well.  The Benadryl definitely makes me feel more tired than usual.

Saturday I felt terrible all day and couldn't eat anything solid.  My throat was almost back to it's normal size, and felt tender.  Not to mention I was groggy from not sleeping much the night before combined with stress and Benadryl.  Thankfully I at least felt well enough to get some homework out of the way.  It stinks that even when I'm sick I still have to do homework.  That's college for ya. :/

Today I am feeling somewhat better.  I am trying to take it easy and hope that by tomorrow I'll be back to normal.  I have to add, I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful husband to take care of me when I'm sick! :)  He has taken such good care of me.  It is nice to not have to worry about anything when you're sick except resting.

Well, that's all for now.  I think I might relax on the couch for a bit and read a book I picked up from the library Friday morning.  Here's hoping you all are feeling well and that you have a great rest of your weekend!

Third Grade... Take Two

For those of you who may not know, I am currently attending a university in Florida and my major is elementary education.  This week I had the exciting experience of beginning my second internship (of three).  For my first internship, I worked in a first grade classroom, and this semester I am working in a third grade classroom.  I was very nervous at first.  After all, I haven't been in a third grade classroom since I was in third grade.  I had many questions as I entered the classroom on my first day.  These questions included: (1) How big will the kids be?  (please, please, please let them still be cute and little!) (2) Will they like me? (3) Will they think my Hello Kitty ID holder and folders will be dorky, or is that still cool in third grade? (4) What kind of math are they doing? (please, please, please let it be something I remember how to do so I don't look stupid!)  Thankfully, all of my questions were soon answered and I wasn't disappointed!  I also found out that I will already be teaching Science next week which will be super exciting!

I am truly honored that I get to work with such an amazing class this semester.  I know that I have so much to learn, but I have a feeling that I am going to grow a lot.  I can't wait to see where this semester takes me!

Although I know completely that teaching is the career path for me, I didn't always feel this way.  Until my Sophomore year of college I wanted to work with animals.  But then one day I began wondering if my major (at that point it was Marine Biology) was right for me.  After thinking and praying about it for some time, I felt as though I was being called to teaching.  As I thought about teaching more and more, it seemed like the perfect fit for me.  I had always loved children, but for some reason, until that time I had never considered working with them.  I finally decided that teaching was where I was meant to be, and I changed my major.  I haven't looked back since.  There are times when I feel like I want to work with animals again, but then I remember that I can teach my students about them and educate them on how to help our environment.

Most importantly, I hope to teach my future students that learning can be fun.  I didn't always enjoy school.  In fact, some years I absolutely hated it (fourth grade was one of those years due to my horrible math teacher... but that's another story).  I want my students to know that learning is worth the time and effort.  It isn't a bad thing.  It is a truly wonderful thing.  The same goes for reading.  So many children (and adults) that I know loathe reading.  It makes me so sad because I think that reading is amazing.  How else can you go on a free trip to another time and place without having to leave your couch???

I could go on and on, but I think I will end my story here.  I am sure that I will be writing more about education and learning in the near future, especially as I continue to work in my internship.

P.S. Enjoy reading my blog?  Feel free to click the "Follow" button or subscribe via email. :)

The ABC's of me

First of all, I have now made it possible for you to subscribe to my blog via email.  All you have to do is enter your email address in the box under the section that says "subscribe via email" on the left side of my page.  Once you subscribe, you will be sent an email confirming that you wish to subscribe.  From then on, if I write a new post, it will be emailed to you.  No post, no email.  It's that simple. :)  You can also follow me through Google Friend Connect.  All you need is a Google account (or gmail email address).  Click the blue "Join this Site" button under the "Followers" section on the right, and you're all set.

Now on to the post...

Want to know a little more about me?  Well, here you go!  If you fill out this survey too, please leave me the link in the comments below.  I would love to read it and learn about you too! :)


ABC'S of ME SURVEY

A - Age: 22

B - Bed size: California King

C - Chore you hate: Folding laundry

D - Dog's name: Sadly, I don't have a dog.  Well, I kind of do, but he was a family pet when I lived at home, and he lives at my mom's house.  His name is Max though and he is a cutie.

E - Essential start your day item: My alarm clock.  Otherwise I would probably sleep till 11:00 every day without meaning to.

F - Favorite color: Blue, Pink, and Orange.  Depends on my mood.

G - Gold or Silver: White gold.

H - Height: 5'4"

I - I am: a dork.

J - Job: Right now I have a seasonal position at a textbook store.

K - Kids: None.  I do however have a pet fish.  His name is Mushu.  He was named after the adorable dragon in the Disney movie, Mulan.

L - Living arrangements: I live in a tiny apartment with my husband (and Mushu, of course).

M - Mom's name: Kimberly

N - Nicknames: Riss, Rissy, Rissa

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I had surgery on my finger once.  But I was a 1-year-old baby, so I don't really remembered if I stayed over night or not.

P - Pet Peeve: I have several!  Probably the weirdest one is that I hate it when people touch me with their feet.  For some reason I have always had this weird foot phobia.  I guess because feet are just so weird.  My sister has harassed me with this for most of her life.

Q - Quote from a movie: Once again, I have many.  A few of my favorites:
- "I love you Binky... but I don't have to like you right now." - Andie from "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"
- "I caught you a delicious bass." Napoleon Dynamite
- "Alllllllllrightly then." Ace Ventura

R - Right or left handed: I'm a righty

S - Siblings: I have 1 fabulous younger sister, Darby

T - Time you wake up: 7:30 AM

U- Underwear: I'm not sure how to answer this.  Yes, I wear them.

V - Vegetable you dislike: Brussels sprouts.  But then again, does anyone like them?  I also don't like okra, which my husband (and all of his family) loves.

W - Ways you run late: Usually I just lose track of time.  For example, this afternoon I was almost late for work because I was doing my makeup and watching a fashion video on YouTube and forgot to pay attention to the clock.

X - X-rays you've had: I have had several.  The most interesting one occurred in elementary school.  I was playing this dreadful game in PE where my entire class had to grab hold of a parachute and shake it up and down.  We were each assigned a number.  When the coach called our number we would run under the tent and find another spot.  I'm not really sure how that sounded like a good idea.  When my number was called and I started running, a boy's large head collided my poor little nose.  Once I finally escaped the parachute, I was covered in blood, rushed to the nurse's office, and my mom was told that I had possibly broken my nose.  Thus, the x-ray.  By the way, my nose was thankfully not broken, but my shirt was ruined.

Y - Yummy food you make: I have a casserole that I make called "chicken and cracker casserole" that everyone (including my super picky sister) loves.  I also have a few recipes that I got from my Abuela (that means grandmother in Spanish) that are absolutely amazing including Spanish bean soup and spaghetti.

Z - Zoo favorite: I have always loved giraffes.  When I was younger I had an awesome stuffed giraffe named Giraffey, which we all know is a super creative name for a 3-year-old.  I also had a stuffed dog named Doggly Woggly.  I know that wasn't the question, but that tidbit was so interesting that I had to throw it out there for you.

If you made it this far, congrats!  Thank you for taking the time to read about me.  When I get tired (like I am right now) I get a little weird.  You probably understand what I mean from reading this survey.  I apologize.

Don't forget, if you take this survey yourself, leave me the link so I can learn about you too!

Out with the old, in with the new

"We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." 

-Edith Lovejoy Pierce

 Happy New Year!

I can't believe that it is already 2012.  Last year brought many events and changes in my life.  Because I did not get the chance to do it yesterday, I thought I would write a brief look-back post on 2011.

Looking back on 2011

January was an exciting month for me.  My husband (then fiancé), Travis came home from deployment shortly before Christmas 2010.  It is a little difficult to explain, but when you have been apart from someone for a year, you have to take some time getting reacquainted.

The fact is, you both change, even if you don't realize it.  Although it is a little odd, it is still a wonderful feeling.  Every time you are together you remember what it has been like for the last year.  Sadly, we still lived in different cities at the time, so we visited each other as often as possible, but because I was just beginning a new semester at my university, we were not able to spend as much time together as we would have liked.  The next few months did not pass by as quickly as I would have liked.  I was incredibly busy with school, packing, and finishing my wedding plans.  Finally the spring semester ended and I became even more overwhelmed with the preparations for our wedding.  After what seemed like forever, our wedding day finally approached.  It was definitely the happiest day of my life.  It was such an amazing day, and I couldn't stop thinking, "Oh my gosh.  It is finally happening," (after all, we had been engaged for a year and a half).

We spent the two weeks following our wedding on the beautiful island of St. Lucia.  It was such a beautiful place.  It is difficult to describe how wonderful those two weeks were.  I was finally married to my prince charming and relaxing away the stress of the previous year and a half on the most beautiful beach I have ever seen (and coming from a Floridian, that's saying something).

Once we came home, we lived in Travis' hometown for about a month until we found a place to live in my city.  We finally found an apartment and moved to the city.  Since then, we have had a lot of fun getting used to the married life.  In August, I started this blog.  I have had a lot of fun so far, and I am excited about working on my writing, and hopefully gaining some new followers along the way.  Although I don't have many followers so far, I have had people read my blog from countries all over the world, including Russia, the Philipines, Germany, Zimbabwe, Australia and several more.  It is such a wonderful feeling to know that my words are being read.  So a special shout out to my international readers... THANK YOU!  (P.S. I would love to hear from you!)

This December, Travis and I spent our first Christmas together bouncing around from house to house and visiting family.

My fabulous sister and me baking

Max and me on Christmas Eve

On December 31, we celebrated at my mother's house with family and friends.

I have big hopes for 2012.  2011 was such an incredible year that I am excited to see what the future holds for Travis and me.  I begin my second internship in a few weeks.  I can't wait to put what I have learned in school to use.  This fall I will be graduating.  Between those events, who knows. :)

How did you ring in the new year?  What was your favorite event of 2011?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Well, that is all for now.  I hope you all have a very happy first week of 2012!

'Tis the season... for resolutions

Calvin and Hobbes

As 2011 nears its end, the phrase "New Years resolutions" pops into my mind.  Each year, people all over the United States make New Years resolutions with good intentions, but then find that they are abandoned by Valentine's Day.  This year, rather than make resolutions that I may not keep, I decided that I would come up with a few things that I would like to improve this year.  I know what you're thinking, "that sounds a lot like resolutions to me!"  But they aren't.  This way, I acknowledge that I need to make some adjustments in my life (contrary to the popular believe, I am not perfect... haha), however I also acknowledge that lifestyle changes take time and dedication to make.  Not to mention if I start to fail I won't have the excuse... "well... maybe next year."

With that being said, I give you the following list of things that I wish to change or accomplish during 2012.

1. Cut back on procrastination.  Procrastinating is something that I hate to do, but I do it anyways.  Obviously I am not going to kid myself into thinking that I can completely stop procrastinating.  I can however try to stop procrastinating on large projects and try to start them earlier.
2. Incorporate more organization into my home.  I am that person who has the good intention to organize and yet finds myself unorganized.  I hope to become a little more organized this year (for both my and my husband's sake).  I have recently come across a fabulous blog, iHeart Organizing, which gives tons of wonderful organizing tips and ideas.  If you are like me and have no idea where to begin (or maybe you are just looking for more ideas) be sure to check it out!
3. Exercise more often.  As you may remember from one of my previous posts, I struggle with exercising.  It is something that I know is good for me, and yet it is still difficult to do.  My husband is determined to help me with this.  He has already created a work out plan for me.  One of the benefits of marrying a soldier: a permanent workout buddy!
4. Eat healthier.  I absolutely love Chick-fil-a, Cuban sandwiches, spaghetti, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and candy (no, not all together, sicko!).  Obviously I am not going to be able to eat healthy all of the time. I can however choose healthier meals, and reduce the amount of junk food that I eat.
5. Learn how to sew.  This is not an option.  I got a sewing machine, case, and an adorable custom sewing basket (made by my awesome and incredibly talented sister) for Christmas.  Hopefully by next Christmas I can make some fabulous homemade gifts.
6. Blog more frequently.  I have found that I really enjoy blogging.  As you can probably tell though, I often forget or do not make time for it.  I would definitely like to blog more often (and hopefully you would like to read my posts more often). :)
7. Think more about others, and less about myself.  There are a lot of changes within this category that I would like to make, but I think that this covers them all.  It doesn't always have to be something big, but just taking the time to remember that I am not more important than anyone else.  I think that in our society we focus more on ourselves and less on others.
8. Take a chance.  I am someone who likes to play it safe.  I am often afraid of change.  I am often afraid of the unknown.  I would love to take a chance and do something that no one would ever expect me to.

I suppose that is all for now.  Since these aren't "resolutions" I can change or add to them at any time.  In fact, I just might.  So now it is your turn, dear Reader.  Do you make New Years resolutions?  Do you prefer my idea of "changes-that-are-kind-of-like-resolutions-but-aren't"?  Or do you prefer to skip resolutions all together?  If you said yes to one of the first two questions and wish to share one (or all) of your resolutions, please tell me in the comments below!  If you skip resolutions and wish to share why, feel free to leave a comment about that as well.  I would love to hear from you! :)

Last, I am going to create my first ever poll!  Since I wish to blog more often, I thought I would find out what you would like to read more about.  If there is something that you wish for me to blog about that isn't listed, leave me a comment and I will try my best to make it happen.

I hope that you all enjoy the rest of 2011!

P.S. For those of you wondering, the scarf I mentioned in my last post was for my mother-in-law.  She loved it! :)

An apple a day...

Let me start off by saying this... I hate to exercise.  I hate going to the gym where I am surrounded by people who love to workout, which leaves me feeling awkward.  I don't like getting all sweaty.  Gym clothes are ugly.  And I don't run.  Ever.  I may make an exception if I was being chased by a bear or something... but I can't make any promises.  As for eating healthy... why eat carrot sticks when you can eat something slathered in butter, cream, oil, or my favorite, cheese.  If it has chocolate or basically just sugar, I'll eat it.  What can I say?  I love sweets.

Lately though, I have been having some convictions about not being healthy.  It all started one day in my science class when my professor decided to take us on a "field trip" and basically point out all of the things that our school could do better.  We had to pick one area and try to think of a way to improve it.  With fast food options on campus such as Burger King, Chick-Fil-A, and Subway, and vending machines that sell nothing but cookies, candy, and chips, my class decided that our university needs healthier food options.  While discussed how bad junk food is for you, I began to feel a little uneasy.  It remained in the back of my mind for a while.

A few weeks later I came across an awesome website called Healthy is the New Skinny.  The site promotes that being skinny is not important, being healthy is.  As I browsed the site, I began to think about the awesome message that it puts out.  But then I started to think, "But wait a minute, I'm not even healthy!"  Needless to say, it got me thinking about how unhealthy I am and how I need to do "healthy things" like eating right and exercising.  Once again, it remained in the back of my mind for a while.

A little over a week ago my friend Amy (you can check out her awesome blog right here) and I decided that we would participate in our local Heart Walk with a club that we are members of.  I thought it would be fun and that it would raise money for a good cause.  Then as I looked over the Heart Walk website (you can find out more information and find a Heart Walk near you by visiting their website here) I realized that the Heart Walk, which is put on by the American Heart Association doesn't just raise money for people with heart disease, but they help to educate communities on becoming healthy.  I thought to myself, "how can I promote something that I don't even practice myself?"  Finally I came to the conclusion that it is time for me to try a little harder to become healthy.

Obviously I will not become healthy overnight.  But I am taking baby steps to try to improve.  My husband loves to work out, so I have agreed to go to the gym with him when he goes.  I have already been twice (like I said, baby steps).  I have also started to look for some healthier dinner options.  We even bought some healthy snacks like grapes, apples, and bananas.  Yes, I know I'm off to a slow start, but I really would like to make a change for the better.

So what about you?  Do you live a healthy lifestyle, or do you find yourself like me, wanting to make a change but not quite sure how to do it?  How do you live healthy?  Do you have any tips or healthy recipes for me?

"I like vending machines, because snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at the store, oftentimes I will drop it so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential." 

- Mitch Hedburg

Happy October!

I know I'm a few days late, but happy October everyone!  I love October because it is (in my opinion) the official start of the holiday season.  This month we have many birthdays in my family and Halloween, of course.  Next month is Thanksgiving, and then the day after Thanksgiving is my official start of the Christmas season.  But more on that later.

This weekend was wonderful.  My husband and I went back to his hometown to visit.  His sister and her kids were visiting as well so it was a lot of fun!  We also had the opportunity to visit with some of our friends who we have missed very much since we moved.  We were so busy, bouncing around from place to place, but we enjoyed every minute of it.  Not to mention the weather was ah-mazing!!!

Today is a very special day.  It's Travis' birthday!  Sadly, he had to work so we couldn't spend the entire day together, but we were able to celebrate.  It amazes me how far we have come since his birthday last year.  For those of you who don't know, Travis was deployed last year.  It was a hard time for us, but we made it though.  As he was eating the birthday cake I baked for him today he mentioned that on his birthday last year he was eating cake out of a jar.  Now I know what you are thinking, "Cake out of a jar?!?!  What?!?!"  I believe that everyone should have cake on their birthday.  Deployed soldiers are no exception.  I found a recipe online for baking cakes in mason jars and directions how to seal them.  I packaged them up neatly with a can of frosting and shipped them overseas.  I remember that Travis enjoyed getting them.  It was a nice surprise.  Since then, Travis came home, we got married, and he moved from his hometown to the city to be with me.  The past year has brought many changes for us, but we are loving every minute of it.

Now that it is October I decided to get started on making some Halloween decorations to make our apartment a little more festive.  Look for my post tomorrow with pictures of my creations!

My Fall "Bucket List"

As the fall quickly approaches (according to Almanac.com, Fall officially begins September 23), I thought it would be fun to make a fall "bucket list."  Here in Florida, it is sometimes to get into the seasonal spirit, simply because we don't have much of a "fall."  I know it may seem like much, but I thought it might be fun to try out some new things.  I plan to write about all of my adventures here.  As for my "bucket list," here goes:

1. Carve a pumpkin
2. Make at least 1 DIY Halloween decoration (so that our apartment will be festive)
3. Make at least 1 DIY Thanksgiving decoration
4. Make popcorn balls
5. Bake a pumpkin pie
6. Make carmel apples
7. Knit something for fall
8. Find a pretty fall nail polish color
9. Find a tree with leaves that change colors (after all, most trees in Florida stay green year round)
10. Bake an apple pie
11. Try a new dinner recipe
12. Bake bread from scratch
13. Go to a farmer's market
14. Go to a flea market
15. Go on a hay ride
16. Help someone else in some way
17. Do something good for the environment
18. Start Christmas shopping (find some good deals)
19. Try couponing
20. Read a good book
21. Learn how to do something new
22. Learn about something new
23. Go to a sporting event
24. Make some homemade birthday gifts (my husband's, sister's, and mother's birthdays are all in the fall)
25. Make some treats to give to someone else
26. Learn how to make chicken noodle soup
27. Work on my photography skills
28. Go on a picnic
29. Take one last trip to the beach
30. Improve my (insert random sport here) skills. (Side note, I am terrible at putt-putt golf and bowling, both of which my husband enjoys)

So there you go!  I don't really have any rules for following this list, other than I would like to try to accomplish as many as possible.  I may or may not finish them all, but I will give it a shot.  They don't need to be done in a specific order.  I guess that's all for now.  Who knows, maybe I will be super productive, accomplish all of my goals, and then add more to it.  Well... maybe not, but you never know! :)

Fairy Tales

When I was a little girl, I loved fairy tales.  I spent many hours reenacting my favorite fairy tale of all, Cinderella.  I loved dressing up in my purple princess dress, and scrubbing the kitchen floor while singing, "Someday My Prince Will Come."  I would run through the house, "lose" one of my shoes, and make my poor father bring it back to me (he would have to make sure it fit of course!)  I dreamed that I would one day find a prince, move into a fancy castle, and live happily ever after.

Today, I still believe in fairy tales, only a different kind of fairy tales.  Not make believe fairy tales, with dragons and knights, but the real, true-life kind.  I did meet my prince charming, but he isn’t royalty.  He is a country guy who is often found in Guy Harvey t-shirts and something camo.  He doesn’t ride a white horse; he has a pickup truck.  We don’t live in a big, fancy castle; we live in a tiny apartment in the city.

Sadly, I am not exactly the princess I thought I would be.  When I was a kid, I imagined that when I grew up, I would be the perfect princess.  I would be a wonderful cook, whipping up 5 course dinners for my husband.  I would have the cleanest, most organized house in all the land.  I would always be perfectly dressed (as all princesses are).  In reality, I am a beginner when it comes to cooking.  I have been known to burn things, or pick up the wrong ingredients for recipes.  There isn’t much room to organize in an apartment.  I am often too busy to clean or organize.  To top it off, Florida humidity makes my hair frizz and sometimes, I just don’t feel like dressing up.

The point of all this is not to say that my life is not perfect.  Instead, it is to point out that life is perfect because it isn’t perfect.  What fun would it be if things always turned out how we planned?  Not knowing what to expect is what makes life the experience that it is.  It is always wonderful to dream.  But if things don’t turn out the way that you have planned since you were 5 years old, it doesn’t mean that you wont be able to live happily ever after.  My life didn’t turn out exactly as I planned, but you know what?  I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Let me introduce myself...

Hello everyone!


I thought I would start my first post by telling you a little about myself and my blog.  My name is Marissa.  I am a twenty something newlywed.  I was married in June 2011 to the most wonderful man in the whole wide world.  I am a full time student at a university in the sunny state of Florida.  My husband, Travis, is in the military and he works full time.  I am majoring in Elementary Education.  I love children and I can’t wait to teach.  I would love to teach first or second grade.  I love shopping, the beach, baking, reading, crafts, and pretty much anything that will keep me entertained.  I will try (almost) anything at least once.  I hate sitting still.  I love to talk.  I’m young, and I have a lot to learn about a lot of things, but each day is a new adventure.

The hubby and me on our honeymoon ♥

As you probably have guessed, the title of my blog, "Glass Slippers and Combat Boots," is due to the fact that I am married to a soldier.  At this point, I’m not 100% sure what I will be writing about.  Most will probably be about my life and the things that I’m going through.  I often become passionate about random things and don’t stop talking about them.  Therefore, I will probably be blogging a lot about those things as well.  I love makeup and beauty supplies, so I may post my reviews on those types of things from time to time.  I decided to to start my own blog after seeing that a lot of my friends have them, and I thought this might help me keep track of all my favorite blogs as well.  Obviously I am new to blogging, so keep that in mind when you’re reading my posts.  :)

I may wear the glass slippers... but my hero wears combat boots. ♥