Four Months Later...

Here we go!  Well, 4 months have passed and life here has been, well, busy.  I still work 7 days a week: 5 in the classroom, and then 2 days at home preparing for those coming 5 in the classroom.  I love being there, I really do.  It's just so hard doing it with a husband who's job calls for him to work more than I do and most often in other time zones.  So, it is what it is.  I will leave the job in the classroom for the job inside the home.  I'll probably go back to school and work towards something even better that I can do sometime in the future.  Like, when Ava's in Kindergarten, kind of future.

I've managed to get really excited for an upcoming move, although we're not sure where we're headed yet.  I have a gut feeling you'll be hearing me talk of high heat and the west here soon enough.  But, Curt has yet to fill out a dream sheet so for now, we just wait.

We are still hoping to make this family of three a family of four, and believe it or not, we were so very close.  Back in January, I found out I was pregnant!  We were thrilled that after months of trying with no success before the deployment it happened so quickly when he returned.  It felt so natural because little Miss Ava was also a post deployment baby.  We felt like God had a plan for us and that was why we waited so long.  We shared the news with family and the closest of friends.  However, about 2 weeks in to the pregnancy, things started happening that, well, shouldn't have been happening.  Those things, well, they got worse.  When all was said and done, we had 3 emergency ultrasounds and on the 11th week, our sweet #4 was without a heartbeat.  In true military wife style, I took the news alone while Curt was on the west coast for work.  My mom, thankfully, was here as we knew that the way things were progressing could take a turn for the worse and I certainly didn't want to be alone if that were to happen.  I had a D&C to help close this chapter in my life and was told by my doctor that we should wait until we were all physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared to try again.  And so, we wait...

I pray to God that we never, ever have to go through something like that again.  It was 11 long weeks of living in fear and hope at the same time.  I felt so helpless as I tried to make a cozy home for this little life inside of me.  I know that He has plans for me, for us, and for our family.

As I look optimistically to the future, I'm really excited to welcome a summer that has ample opportunity for this family to make their way up to Pennsylvania for as much time as we can, knowing that our time on the east coast is limited.  While North Carolina has been good to us in many ways, I feel like I never gave this assignment a chance.  I miss our close friends and while it goes without saying, I miss my family.  I ready to start over in a new town, in a new home, and hopefully with some friends that I love enough to call my family.

**While this news obviously isn't a secret to some, it's not something I chose to broadcast on FaceBook.  Thanks for sharing your comments here!  :)

Life: Updated

Well, well, well...

Where to begin?!

I think the most important thing to write about is that Curt is H-O-M-E, HOME from "A-can-a-stan" and we are just elated. I mean, what could be better?! Curt went off to save the world in the middle of September and we weren't expecting him to return until about mid-March. Well, around mid-October, he called to let us know that the squadron was set to send home about 1/3rd of their force due to down-sizing. Thanks, Obama! We didn't find out he was officially coming home right before Thanksgiving, PTL, and 5 days before Christmas, he was here. I mean, could we ask for a greater gift?

The answer is clearly, NO!

Seeing how Curt was on his 4th deployment and most of the guys there were on their 1st or 2nd, they "asked" him if it would be okay to send him home. Phew!

To put into words how excited we are to have Curt home is impossible. There are no words. We're just so thankful he's here.

Curt's now stationed in the OSK at work and he's attached to the Fighter Squadron, the Chiefs. What's the OSK, you ask? The answer is, I have no idea. He's in the Weapons part of their squadron and that's about as far as I can get you. You'd have to ask him, I guess. Here's the best part! I'm the new Key Spouse for this squadron! (Keep your laughing to a minimum...) Don't even ask me how this all came about but I'm just hoping I didn't bite off more than I can chew.

More about Curt...

He's been a "Major Select" for about a year, I think, and he's set to pin on Major in about 2 months. Hello, raise! (Pay and rank...yes, please!). He finally finished his Masters Degree after a late start due to this lil thing called, "Weapons School". How he didn't walk out of that with a Masters in SOMETHING, I'll have no idea. But, I'll keep my opinions to myself. He's also a "School Select" and I do believe that in the coming years he's headed to another school. I think that's all I need to say about C and his latest ventures in the Air Force.

We're proud of our pilot and will continue to follow him and his dreams around the globe!

Now. More about my dreams. :)

As most of you know, I decided that going back to work would be a fantastic idea while Curt was deployed. Well, I'm here to tell you that it was quite possible the craziest thing I've ever done. Like, what in the WORLD was I thinking?! Here's the thing, I'm really passionate about my job and was finding myself up until about midnight each night doing plans. Well, when you need to wake up at 5 and get yourself and a toddler out the door by 6:45, you're going to run into some problems. Especially if you're doing it solo. My hats go off to all the single mama's out there. Holy smokes. You're my hero. They pay here in the country side of NC is peanuts. So, while the extra cash we've put away because of my return to the classroom has been great, the stress that came along with it was more than I bargained for....a lot more. I'm finding that the girls I work with each day have been a gift from God because they constantly have me laughing and smiling. Who doesn't want a job that makes them laugh to tears on a daily basis?! I do think that these girls coming into my life was a blessing, and for that, I'm thankful.

What else am I thankful for?! Well, my mom decided that this past summer she was ready to put away her plans and pencils and retire after 39 years of teaching, so any time I had steams of stress pouring out my ears, she dropped whatever she was doing and came to my rescue. That's right, an 8 hour drive south, just to play and love on Ava so I could get some work done.

Let me give you a for instance: Ava had a stomach flu in October that last 11, yes...ELEVEN, days. Like, for real?! Two visits to the pediatrician and one to Urgent Care. I was paying a babysitter $100 a DAY to stay with her. Holy crap. After the 4th day I waved my white flag and my mom came down to take over. While I didn't pay her to be here, if I did, she would have been worth 5 x's the amount I was paying our babysitter. I mean, 11 days. We're still recovering from that nightmare.

What's new with Ava? Oh geez, where to start. She's a beauty, we think. I could stare at that sweet face for days. And...she's smart. I take the credit for taking the time to teach her while she's playing but I give Curt the credit as far as her genetics are concerned. She knows more than some of the children in my Kindergarten class and she's three. I know, I know. Parents are their kids biggest fans. But, this girl is something real special. She talks to me like a grown up. It's just plain crazy. She has whole books memorized, VERBATIM. And while they are books she's heard a couple times, that's it. We're talking after a week of reading, she'll read it right back to you. She hears about 4-5 books a night and it's a requirement as far as Ava's concerned. She will not let you put her to bed without some reading. How can this teacher deny such a request?! She's got a ton of her letter sounds down and she's growing all the time. She writes her name, my name, Mimi's name... She can spell a couple things too. I mean, it's crazy. I can't wait to see what we take on next! I'm happy to say that song and dance is still Ava's #1 passion. She's obsessed with dance and the expression she puts out when she's singing is downright...funny...great...amazing. She bows at the end of every performance, even when no one is watching. We start ballet again tomorrow and she's THRILLED. Ava loves her day care and talks of her friends all the time. The owner/director is there from open to close and he runs the school with his sister. They're amazing. Her teacher takes great care of her and she never cries when we drop her off. I'm so thankful for her little school and they way they care for my child. I would expect nothing less than perfect for Ava. I am her mother, after all.

Thank you for checking in on our family! Now that Curt is back, I'm really hoping to get back into my blog. Plus, I have some pretty decent purchases to write about as well. Most importantly, we welcomed a new Louis into the family. Major. ;)

What's up next for this little family of ours?

That's a great question.

We're most likely going to be moving in the coming year. To where?

We still want more kiddos running around. When?

Only time will tell...

Summer Gold

While I was out shopping this afternoon, I can across some really great pieces of gold costume jewelry that I wanted to add to my collection. I have a slight addiction to gold during the summer time. It just works so well with my (faux) tan and all the bright clothes that summer has to offer! Plus, the great thing about buying costume pieces is that you can find some really great things that don't cost a lot of money! Today my luck was found in Francesca's and Express. The both had really great sales on their accessories as well. WIN!

Here's the new pieces I picked up today! A couple new bracelets and two pair of earrings!

(ps: Um, I have no idea why some of these descriptions are underlined. A computer savvy girl, I am not... Oh well!)

Three great bangles which can be worn alone, or stacked. The orange one is clearly a take on the Hermes bracelet for a fraction of the cost. I can easily wear these with both my gold or white Michael Kors watches.

I've been keeping my eye out for a big pair of gold earrings and I think these fit the ticket. They're really lightweight and just the right size. Obsessed.

Gold Hoops that are really sparkly when you wear them. Too bad my camera isn't doing too good of a job showing that!

...And, here's the things that I've had for a while:

Christmas gift from my parents. It's a Delicate Raymond pendant necklace with an "M" monogrammed on the front for my name. I wear this ALL THE TIME!

I bought this necklace from JCrew maybe a year or so ago and I can't even tell you how many compliments I get when I wear it. It's called the "Fireball" necklace and for good reason. It shimmers like crazy in all kinds of light! So pretty!

Michael Kors Runway Watch. It's huge. It's perfection.

I bought this from Ann Taylor around Christmas and it's one of my favorite necklaces. It makes a statement all on it's own. Big. Flashy. Pearls. Gold. Man - so many good things going on here. I love them all!

Here's the team! All my favorite pieces for summer! I can't wear to pair it all with the great dresses I bought for my sister in law's wedding in a few weeks.

Black Belt: In Shopping

You see, friends. This is why I need to STOP napping with Ava during the day! Who do I think I am, a toddler? Yikes. So here I sit at 1:30 in the morning and I'm all motivated to write a little something on my blog before I attempt some sleep.

Let me just start by giving one of my best friends, Deena Madsen, credit for the title of this post. Here's the background. This past Sunday, I ventured out into downtown Raleigh to try and find a one-of-a-kind dress, or two, for my sister in law's upcoming wedding. I'm so over prom-like, cocktail dresses, I could scream. I searched online and in the stores for weeks trying to find something that I couldn't live without. Nada. Zilch. Nothin'.

Then, low and behold, in the beautiful boutiques of Raleigh, I finally found some really amazing things. Here's the best part about shopping the little stores: The buyers for these little shops only purchase maybe 5 of one item, in a variety of sizes and then let the crazies, like myself, fight tooth and nail to bring one home. It's cool, I own my crazy. Heck, I write about it all the time! So as I'm walking through the store, "Scout and Molly's", I spy THE ONE. Yup, almost like seeing your wedding dress. Almost. I take it off the rack and to my complete disappointment, it's a "large". Now, I'll fully admit this last year hasn't been the best to my waistline, but a "large", I am not. I could have probably taken the leftover material and made a dress for Ava. (Wait, that's brilliant! Darn...).

Anyway. Here comes the "Black Belt Shopper" in me.

I spend the next 72 hours scouring the internet, calling other stores, and even emailing the PR representative AND customer service rep for the company, Alice and Trixie, asking for help. I'm actually being serious.

Finally, the CS rep hunts down my dress somewhere in the lovely state of Georgia where they, FOR FREE, shipped it to another store in North Carolina, who then shipped it, FOR FREE, to my house. My latest stalk on UPS.com tells me that my dress will be at my house by the end of the day tomorrow.

I think I should do this as a side job, yes? You can't find it? I bet I can...

The icing on the cake for this little experience is that not only was the dress found, it was on sale.

Holla!

And, for your viewing please: THE DRESS! It's so unlike any thing I've ever worn to a wedding and while I don't plan on wearing this to the church, it's FOR SURE going to be out and proud for the reception. It's so perfect and summery!

(A quick shot of the one being sent to me. The lovely girls at Luna, www.shopluna.com , were just the best.)

Tim McGraw Concert!

Hey y'all!

We hit up a country concert last night and made sure we were dressed for the occasion! What? You don't think Louis Vuitton is country? Psssshhhh. I finally got to break in my Frye cowboy boots last night, or rather, they broke me. I have the blisters on my heels to prove it! Oh well, fashion can be painful and I'm willing to make that sacrifice.

One of my closest friends from high school, Nicole, and her hubs Brian went with us and we had such a great time! Did a little tailgating before we went in to save some money from the 12 dollar beers and 8 dollar pretzels. We originally had lawn seats, but as always, you could trade in your tickets for seats if you got there early enough. We were hoping to avoid any rain so we did a swap only to realize we were still uncovered. Awesome! Thankfully there was no rain by the end of the night and we had a great time!

The Band Perry and Luke Bryan opened for Tim and they were really entertaining! Curt is a big Band Perry fan and Luke Bryan has a couple great songs out there as well (and pretty easy on the eyes, if you ask me!). Tim McGraw doesn't age and still looks amaze in a pair of jeans, a tshirt, and his trusty hat. Yum.

Here's some pics from our night out!

Curt, myself, Brian, and Nicole

Nicole and I with our 24 oz CANS of beer. Have mercy!

Tailgating in style. Like the big truck behind me? There's a whole lot of those in the south.

Curt's boots he bought over 10 years ago! No blisters for him!

The Frye boots Curt bought me for Mother's Day. Wearing for the first time meant I did get the blisters on my heels. Totally worth it.

LUSTING...

...these few items:

(Feel free to let my awesome husband know! Oh wait, he already does...)

This beautiful bag is a Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Galleria PM. It's stunning. I need it. (Read: Want).

These shoes are Tory Burch Revas in Silver. And while I'm at it, I think a pair of these in every color of the rainbow would work out just great in my closet.

Don't laugh. I am completely obsessed with these gold sandals made by the one and only, Ivanka Trump. In my defense, this line is sold in Nordstrom. That has to make up for the ridiculousness that is the "designer". Any way, I love these something real bad.

Finally, I have a gorgeous Michele watch (with the black strap) that was given to me by Curt for our 2nd anniversary. I have a couple straps (white and red as well...) but I think green would look wonderful on my arm, yes? Yes.

July!!!

Before I start, I know I promised a picture post and I swear, I will try and get that up tonight. Posting pics on blogger, as you all know, is a major pain in the rear. Takes for-ev-er. But, what I'm really trying to say is, I'm procrastinating. Moving on...

Curt and I have so much going on in the month of July, it's going to be crazy. With so much in the works for the next couple weeks, it gets me thinking about the big "D" coming our way and even though I've tried, we can't stop time.

I seriously need the next two months to be the slowest months of all time. We haven't had a deployment out of Curt since 2009 but trust me, he's been gone quite a lot since then. Remember Weapons School? That was 6 months. It was a LONG six months. I'm trying not to focus on the upcoming 6 months that Curt will be gone and instead, I'll be focusing on the time that he's here and when he'll be back. And there you have it.

Okay, so coming up in July, here's fun stuff!

Who's that handsome man in that F15? Oh right, my hubs.

-4th of July weekend! Curt and I are taking Ava down to Wilmington for the day to check out the beach and just get the heck out of G'boro for a mere moment. Man, this place doesn't have much going on, that's for sure.

-Tim McGraw!!! What, what??!!??!! Curt and I are going to see my old friend, Tim, in Raleigh next weekend and I'm so pumped. Notice the title of my little bloggy here? "Set this Circus Down"? Oh yes, that's a Tim favorite of mine and we both have many, many more that we love and know by heart. It will surely be a blast as we're going down with my friend from high school, Nicole, and her hubs, Brian. What else is so perfection about this concert? Just that I am going to wear my new cowboy boots. Finally! *happy dance*

The Blushing bride and her husband-to-be! "Warrrrrrrrren!"

-Angela and Warren are getting married!!!!!!!!!! I honestly love weddings and when it just so happens to be a loved family member, well, it just becomes all the more awesome. Ava is going to do her thang as she struts down the aisle as a flower girl. What can we say. She's a natural. Girl loves the limelight....and her future uncle Warren. Should be an amazing weekend!

-It doesn't STOP there. The morning after the wedding Curt and I are headed down to Atlantic City for a kid-free, 2 days with my most favorite friend, Katie and her hubs, Joey. Hopefully Drew and Sharon make the trip as well. We plan on gambling, eating at restaurants that don't have ketchup on the table, and wearing nice clothes that are virtually in hiding so our little love bugs don't put their precious little hands all over them. We shall stay up late and sleep in for the entire time we're there. Glorious.

-After the little rendevous in AC we'll take a short drive to the Jersey Shore where we'll vacation it up with the Dougherty crew. Heck to the yes. Lots of beach days and boardwalk nights, naps and good meals, and time with family before Curt goes off to save the world. Sounds like a great week to us!

Phew! I have a feeling that Curt, Ava, and I are going to schlep back to North Carolina after that whirlwind of events and just be happy we're home. Until then, we can't wait to get OUT OF HERE!!!

Happy Summer, Friends!