To call home..

I'll be honest, I've moved so much with the Marine Corps, that I never really "settled in" to a house. I see my neighbors make their homes look like pages out of Martha Stewart, and Better Homes in Gardens; however, I still have items lingering in cardboard boxes. I've been here for two years. I don't have many pictures on the walls, but at least the walls are painted. I can give myself a pat on the back for that, right? I mean, we even own the house we live in. However, I still look at it as a temporary home waiting for the orders to be cut to send us to somewhere new. I feel like I am in this in-between place, and my husband informs me that he plans to extend at this lovely duty station. I say that sarcastically, by the way.

No, it is not worse than Twenty-nine Palms - although I kinda miss the solitude I felt there - it is the fact I am a born gypsy spirit like my mother. I have the travel bug, and my body feels programmed to move from place to place. Maybe I was a nomad in a previous life, I don't know. Maybe I get excited to see a new place, and see new faces... All I know is that I've been feeling pretty dang anxious lately.
The hubby discusses possibly moving to a higher billet in his MOS, but with it means we are here longer. I should be grateful, and relieved, but I don't know what to think. Does this mean that I can finally make my home an actual home, and finally allow my wall down, and finally be comfortable?

Does anyone else feel the same way I do? Or am I just going nuts? lol

Wanna know something frustrating?

I can't leave anyone comments on their blog. For some reason, I post a comment, it pops back with a captcha-- somehow throws me off blogger all together! Then, I proceed to sign back in, to hit enter...and bam.. kicked off again. What gives? Why can't blogger register me as a user on someone's comment form? Ugh. So, as much as I love reading blogs-- don't worry, I do read them... I just can't comment for some reason! :/

My Spartan race experience

"Spartans return with their shield or on it..."

You will know at the finish line.

I can proudly say that I completed the Spartan Sprint this past weekend. It was hot and humid, and I endured three miles+ with 18 obstacles in mud, mud, and more mud! We had to crawl through barb-wire, drag a concrete block around a hill, and back... get shot at with a paint ball gun... climb up a slippery wall... and be met with the pugle sticks in the Gladiator pit. I wish I could right down everything, but it was intense! If you ever want to earn the title as a Spartan, be sure to check out their site! HERE. And don't forget their awesome videos, HERE. Yes, people were taken away on stretchers-- so make sure you are in good health before attempting these kind of races.

Before the race

One of the last few obstacles

They had to throw in some walls, lol

Me and my girls after we finished-- I am on the far right

After we got cleaned up!

We had to get a picture with the Spartan! :)


Are you Spartan Ready?

Scentastic Winner is announced! :)

Thank you for everyone that participated in my personal Scentsy giveaway! I went on random.org, and inputed all the entries. There were 23, but I had to delete one entry, because it didn't qualify as an entry-- I am sorry. In the future, please make sure you follow the mandatory entry. :)

Erika from Chambanachik is the Winner!!

Congratulations!! I will be sending you an email shortly.

If you would like to order some Scentsy from my personal webite, or know someone that does, it can be direct shipped. Just click HERE to browse my website. Interested in having your own business and LOVE Scentsy, I would love to have you join my team! Just message me, and I will be happy to get you started.

Thank you again!! :)

Milking a sunburn-- literally.

Today, I went to an amusement park, and got my first sunburn for the summer-- right dab on my chest and neck. When I went home and saw myself in the mirror, I was like, "crap! I look like a freaking tomato!"

The summer after my 6th grade year, I had a best friend that was from Jordan. Her and her mother had came temporarily for a year, and I was adjusting to their Middle Eastern ways. Her name was Sandra, and we had something in common-- lack of friends. So, during that year, we had banded together and formed a strong friendship. She was quite bossy, her nose in the air, and wore strange European clothing. {Mind you, I was 12 at the time.} During that summer, my dad let me stay with her, and I remember getting this horrible sunburn. Sandra didn't burn, because, well.. she was dark, lol. So, I came into the house, and her mother immediately grabs a jug of milk, and applies a milky compress all over my sunburnt areas. I looked at her like she was crazy-- the same woman that insisted eating pizza and a hamburger with a knife-- why was she applying milk on me? It was instant relief. Omg, it cooled it right down!

So here it is, 14 years later, a day like this, and I am applying a milky towel across my chest and neck.
If you ever get a sunburn, go ahead and try it!

If you haven't entered in my Scentastic giveaway, click HERE  to find out how! :)

My military child

Today was the first time I really thought about the friends that Miss K makes while at this duty station. She has just completed her first year in preschool, and was able to make some close friends. We live off base, which means that the friends she has made are not really tied to the military lifestyle. This has been a blessing, and a curse at the same time. Luckily, summer has hit, and preschool is out, and she is able to have playdates with one of her best friends from the school.

So, after we let them play at the play area in the mall, we headed over to Chick-Filet to grab a bite with the kiddos. My friend proceeds to tell me, that I might find it weird, but she doesn't think Miss K and Miss L should get too close since we might leave in a year with orders. Apparently, her older daughter had a best friend when they were little, and she moved-- and it was super heartbreaking for her daughter. She didn't want Miss L to have to go through what her big sister went through.

Of course, I am a little stunned. Do people really avoid befriending me and my daughters because they risk us moving? I had calmly told her that my husband just so happens to be from this state, and I assured her that even if we move, I am still stuck coming back for visits. {LOL!} Plus, we really don't know if/and  when we will get orders at this point. We were told by my husbands monitor that we didn't even rate orders until we've reached three years on station. Besides, with the budget cuts, it doesn't look like anyone will be leaving anytime soon. So, she was a bit relieved. But, it makes me sad to think that is why we can't form close relationships with people. Living on base was a bit easier, because we knew we all had to move at some point, but the chances of us finding each other back on another base was always a possible chance.

I literally had a friend that I was active duty with (different branches) that seemed to follow me from state to state. We've known each other when we were single servicemembers to getting married and having kids around the same age. It is crazy, and I am soo thankful to be apart of the military lifestyle. Yes, we move a lot, but I can say that I have made friends in every clime and place. When I go on vacations, chances are, I can call on a friend, and we get to reconnect. Truly awesome. I just hope that someday Miss K and Miss A will realize this, too. The sad day will be when the hubby retires, and we actually have to settle down.

A Scentastic giveaway!!

I am still a fairly new independent Scentsy consultant, and I really love having my own business, and I am wanting to host a personal giveaway of one of my warmers!

This is a special warmer, because it is patriotic, and if you haven't noticed, my blog beams with pride! I have a personal Scentsy fan page on Facebook, that I promote the monthly warmers and scents, and other cool Scentsy related events, and I would like more followers.

So, I am wanting to give away "Star Spangled"; which so happens to be this month's warmer. :)

All you have to do to enter is:

1. Mandatory- Follow my blog-- worth one entry

2. Tell me what your favorite scent is-- worth one entry

3. "Like" my personal Scentsy fanpage at: HERE. --worth two entries

4. Refer friends to "like" my fanpage-- worth two entries {be sure to have them comment that you sent them}

5. Blog about this giveaway-- worth 5 entries

Include your email address!!

Please use separate comments for each entry-- thank you!

Also, I will close this giveaway, Wednesday, June 15.

Don't forget to check out my awesome personal website! HERE!

Hawaii Photos!! :)

All Photos were taken by: Lysandra Cook Photography

See ya later, Alligator...

I know you all want to see pics and hear about the amazing time we had in Hawaii, but I have more pressing thoughts on my mind today-- so I will get to the Hawaii post after this one.

"See ya later, Alligator..."

I found out yesterday that a sweet friend of mine died in a pretty tragic way. After texting some of my closest friends, they were dumbfounded, {and thought I was joking} when I told them that my friend had been eaten by an alligator. *Stunner, right?

I was at my friend's house grabbing a Scentsy order, when I got the phone call from one of my best friends.

"Holly? Where are you at-- what are you doing?"

"I am at a friend's house, what is going on?" I knew from her voice that something didn't sound right.

"You're going to need to sit down." Shit. When someone tells you to sit down, it usually means a death. My mind is racing a million miles an hour because I am trying to figure what could be wrong back home. I think of my dad...

"Little Randee went missing at Kemah last night after drinking with some friends, and they couldn't find her.. She jumped in a pond, and an alligator got her, and they found her body in pretty bad shape this morning." Stunned, and completely in shock... my friend is gone-- and the tears start.

I had to let her go. So, I get off of the phone, crying.

I tell my friend what happened, and I told her not to worry, I was a tough girl.

Luckily, I was on base visiting, and I was already planning on picking him up. Of course, when he calls to see if I am already there, I break down and cry. I can barely breathe out the words.

Randee, was like my extended family--another sister. I dated her older brother for a while when I was 18 and 19. Their family also took me in when I needed a place to stay. (I had left home when I was 18, and this was before I had joined the Marine Corps.) I had gotten along pretty well with the whole family, and then I moved away to live with my mom briefly before I left for the Marine Corps. Her brother and I didn't work out, and we parted ways; however, I was still friends with Randee.

I remember visiting after I got out of bootcamp, and calling her when I reached Hawaii for my first duty station. I lost touch with her over a few years, and about a year ago, we got back in touch. It was when I found out that her father died. That broke my heart, too. He was such a sweet guy. She had a pretty rough year grieving over her dad. It was just a month ago, I was talking to her for hours on the phone. We could always talk about anything under the blue moon. I told her that I would come and visit her whenever I went back home. She had even thought about coming up, and visiting as well.

Now, my heart is sad that we will never get together again. She was so freaking young, and I just wished she had made wiser choices. (I won't post all that on here.)

Yesterday, I was hot mess about this news. Questions keep racing through my mind, and sometimes I have a pretty sick sense of humor-- especially when it comes to death. Hence, my post title.

If you want to read the article.. Click HERE.

RIP, my sweet friend.

Huge Correction: The alligator didn't attack her, and I later found this news out; however, she did drown.

The Marine Corps Historic Half & Hawaii trip

Today, I am sitting cozy in my air-conditioned home, because outside, it is hot-hot-hot!! I know this post is a bit over due, and I finally recovered from jet-lag.


Marine Corps Historic Half

On May 15, I finished my first half-marathon! {For those that don't know, that is 13.1 miles} I ran it in style with the Marine Corps Historic Half, and was excited to hear that Drew Carey was running it, too. Considering I haven't ran like that since I was active duty, I was really surprised that I was going strong by mile 7. It was exhilarating to see the thousands of people running it with me, and I believe that was why it was a lot easier than I had thought. My husband was in charge of water point 5, and at that was around mile 10. I just kept thinking about what a victory it would be just to be able to run to him and give him a huge hug!

After mile 7 or 8, my stomach got extremely upset. Something that I was not anticipating during the race. I had to slow down from my pace, because honestly, I thought I was going to poo all over myself! haha-- I hope that makes y'all laugh! Seriously, though.. it was bad. They said it was completely normal because you are burning so many calories, and it gets your digestion going at a super fast rate. But, anyways, it was definitely taking a toll on me. My husband said that when I came to him at his water point, that it was less than 2 hours. Which means that I should've completed the last 3 miles between 2 hours and 15 to 2 hours and 25. However, I made a lo-o-ng stop at the port-a-john after seeing him. So, it took an hour to finish the last 5k. Ugh, I beat myself up over that, but you know what? I freaking finished!! They said 8,000 started that race, and nearly 5,700 actually finished.

Did I mention that I didn't run for like a 1.5 year before that? I know, my husband thought I was crazy for running half without training for it. However, I did a lot of cardio/circuit at the gym for months prior, and I believe that made a huge difference. Afterall, he didn't expect me hopping along to his water station before 2 hours. ;)

I wonder what my time would be if I actually trained? hmm... My time was 2:59:51. No, it is nothing to brag terribly about, but I finished something I started, and that was huge for me. Did I mention that I was wearing my Vibram Five Fingers the whole way? Oh, yeah!

So, my next race will be the Spartan Sprint in June. I am really stoked about it-- a 5k mud race with Spartan style obstacle courses. I will be training for that one, because I need the strength!

Our late Hawaiian Honeymoon

I will post this hopefully tomorrow, with some pictures. I just found out today, that sweet friend of mine died today, unexpectedly.