Adventures of a Busy Mom

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I’ve been told by my friends and family for years that I should start a blog to share the inside scoop of my so-called “adventurous life.”

I’m a busy military wife and mom to two lovely little mini versions of my hubby and I (they have my goof-ball personality and their daddy’s slim body-I wish they got their lean body from me but….yeah, I enjoy coffee and tacos too much for that to become a reality any time soon! I am healthy and do hike a lot, but I spend many hikes imagining I’m eating tacos-in fact, I was part of a group of like-minded ladies who called ourselves the Taco Hikers b/c we would always hike and then find the closest taco joint and stuff our faces! ha) Anyway, now that these lovely little keiki’s can feed and dress themselves, I am hoping that I can tackle this latest adventure of BLOGGING! (I can’t help but hear a loud DUN, DUN, DUN when I read that last sentence)

I once heard a comedian say a man’s brain is divided into little boxes. Each box has a different category and each box has its own space in a man’s brain (the nothing box being the most popular but I won’t get into that right now b/c I’m sure my husband will be my biggest follower and read this). When I think of my life, I think of it the same way…different boxes or categories for the things important in my life. If I were to put my life into these hypothetical boxes, they would be: Faith, Family/motherhood, Hiking, Pinterest Projects, Eating, Reading.

Faith:

First and foremost, I am a child of the one true king-God. My faith is very important to me and probably the only thing I don’t joke about-too much anyway. However, I have seen some Christian comedians who have done incredible things by making people laugh with good, clean jokes!

I try to start each morning with coffee and my bible. I recently started bible journaling which has really made my faith grow and start my morning off in a positive way. I mean, how can you go wrong with a little Folgers and Jesus?!?!?! If you are interested in seeing some of my bible journaling, check out the “faith” section where ya’ll see me transform my bible to a map into my heart.

Family/motherhood/military life:

I have been a Navy Wife for almost 10 years and a mom for almost 9 years. Wow, typing that out makes me stop and think how small that feels-just a drop in the bucket of my overall lifetime! However, during those years, I have experienced some of the most life-changing events of my life: marriage and motherhood-never a dull moment there!

Being a Military Wife has taken me all over the US. I grew up in a decent sized town in Nebraska which is where I met my husband who was on shore duty at the time. From there, we moved to the Pacific Northwest, then Florida and currently Hawaii. I always had this dream of living by the ocean but never thought it would happen. I have to laugh at God having me marry a Navy man, b/c now we will always be by an ocean! LOL! I’ve always loved to travel but this experience of LIVING in these places has been incredible! Don’t get me wrong…military life isn’t all palm trees and umbrella drinks! There are definitely some downfalls…deployment, distance from home and constant moving for starters! Although those are MAJOR downfalls, I always try to keep a positive attitude and make the most of our temporary home. I embrace what each place has to offer and make the best of it…thus the ADVENTURE!

Being a mother has changed me in a way nothing else can. I’ll try to not get too sappy b/c face it, we’ve just met! But, becoming a mother has filled a spot in me that I can’t imagine having left open. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to be a mom. It’s something that I take very seriously and embrace each day. I even co-lead a mom’s group called MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). We meet up twice a month and share our experiences and build each other up as women AND mothers. I try to use each day as a way to teach my kids how to live a life pleasing to God and how to be confident, caring and brave.

Hiking:

When we moved to Hawaii in 2015, I was instantly drawn to the outdoors. The beautiful beaches, the unique looking mountains…all of it! I heard of this group of moms that would meet up and take their keiki (kid in Hawaiian) hiking each week. I decided this was a good opportunity to get out and explore safely with my daughter while my son was in school and really lessened the chance of getting lost, stranded or falling off the side of a cliff. My hiking skills eventually got better and I found some other amazing ladies to hike with and ventured off on more challenging hikes. I recently decided to volunteer to lead keiki hikes about once a week in addition to my own hiking adventures. To say I fell in love is an understatement! I LOVE HIKING!

Pinterest Projects:

I’m addicted to Pinterest! There, I said it! I love everything about it! I am also a HUGE FAN of the show with Chip and JoAnna Gains called Fixer Upper! She is my inspiration! I started appreciating old furniture and putting life into it when we lived in Florida. This is also when Pinterest came out. That combination only meant TROUBLE! ha I kept seeing these projects and found myself thinking-I could SO do that myself! I found an old junkyard type place these two ladies started up called Junk in the Trunk (I was instantly drawn to the name). They went to different places in the south and bought “junk” and then sold it in their store for people to refurbish. My first project was freshening up some old shutters and using them to frame an old window which I made into a picture frame (I’ll put some pictures eventually in a blog about that project). I also love Pinterest for its recipes, home storage ideas and pretty much everything else! I felt Pinterest was cool enough for its own “box”. So, I’ll have a whole section for Pinterest-if that’s not an addiction, I don’t know what is! ha

Healthy Living and Recipes:

There is just something special about tacos! As I mentioned earlier, I just love some good Mexican food! Maybe it’s because it’s an excuse to indulge in cheese? Perhaps it’s the sour cream, salsa or guacamole? Who knows, but since I love to eat, I’ve had to really hunt for some healthier versions of my favorite foods and try to train my palate to appreciate healthier foods more often. In this “box” I’ll be sharing recipes (some healthy, some not). So, the next time you have a craving for Taco Bell, check out this section first!

Reading:

When I’m not hiking, playing with the kids or eating tacos, you will find me reading. I got my first job in a library when I was 16. My mom quickly realized that I loved to shop a little too much and was always buying the latest Teen Beat magazines and had a thing for Doc Martin sandals (which she mistakenly felt was a “want” rather than a “need”) so she forced me to apply for the job. I was reluctant because I was afraid it would make me a “nerd.” Well, needless to say, I got the job, kept the job for 10 years and even worked in 2 other libraries after that! I even started Grad School to be a Librarian (and then I had kids and quit). At one point, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror wearing a sweater, glasses and a bun and thought, “WOW! It’s happened-I’m officially a library nerd and I’m only in my 20’s!” ha. In all seriousness, some of the people who have impacted my life the most are also “library nerds”-you know who you are! lol! Reading has become one of my favorite past times…I LOVE to read! Although I don’t blog much about my reading, you can check out what I’m currently reading or what I have read in the past by adding me on Goodreads. It’s a great ap to get book recommendations based on the books you’ve read and enjoyed. You will find a link to my Goodreads on the right-hand side 🙂