Don't do anything I wouldn't do...

 ....But HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY to the two of you!!!!!
You see my baby brother and sister are turning the big 21 today!! If you'd like to hear
more about our story as siblings, you can read that HERE. In the mean time, I'd like to write
this as more of a post to them but you're more than welcome to eavesdrop.

 

Dear J & J,
I guess I should congratulate you on surviving ten years at mom and dad's without me. I really thought it couldn't be done. I put so much stock in the first ten years I invested in you, that it took me awhile to realize I really wasn't your parent.... lol j/k Mom & Dad!

On a serious note though, deep down, I don't know what you or other people think, but regardless of when you came along in my life and regardless of what I had to give up, I NEVER EVER for one minute hated that you two were born.
I love you two completely.
You may have broken a lot of my things and trashed my room "a time or two", (I blame mom for that though ;),) but I never wished you hadn't been born.
You got me through a lot of low moments.
Even for being ten years younger.

{I mean look at those smiles.}

 

I can still close my eyes and hear your first words and see your little steps. The way you bounced in your Snugli's, pushed your Mickey Mouse walkers up and down the hall.... 

How one of you held corn in your mouth for hours refusing to swallow it, the other that cried at the littlest thing cuz you were so sensitive. ;) 

Hours brushing hair, playing Memory, Life, Dutch Blitz, Uno, Skip Bo, and anything else I could con you into doing to keep me entertained.

  

Some people may say I was keeping you busy and watching you, but I think you were keeping me sane and out of trouble. 

I don't know what I would have done without your sporting and school events! ;)

We kinda started to go our separate ways when I went back to school and then moved out at 21 myself.  For awhile there, after Josh and I moved far away and you two were in HS, I thought maybe I was going to have to open up a few cans of some "W-A," (if you know what I mean.) But again, I'm not your parent, and all I could do was leave you guys in God's hands.

{The twins with our twin nieces:}

But here we are today to celebrate you two. 

I think maybe just maybe you might make it in this big wide scary world. Things are slowly falling into place for you guys and I think it might be ok.
I get to see you and meet your significant others this summer so we will make our 

final decisions than. ;)

{sis and her man}

 

{bro and his fiance}

Love you two and I hope you have the happiest of birthdays yet!!!

~ Love, your biggest and bestest Sister

Class of 1998

14 years ago tomorrow I graduated from high school. 

I realize 14 years isn't anything special, but since I kind of declared this "Way back May" at the beginning of the month, I figured I'd just go all out. I never did go with the norm anyway.

Class verse:
"Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God;

may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

~Psalms 143:10

Yep there's me. Don't mind the funny look on my face, I was kinda breaking up during my speech. 

I may seem like a tough girl, but I'm really all soft and mushy on the inside... ;)

  

 I'm just going to be honest with you right off the bat. Here's the shocker that usually leaves people with their mouths open.

I went to a small private school.
That picture below was my whole graduating class. Yep, 8 students. {My husband had 400 in his, so he really finds this WEIRD.}
The largest high school graduating class they ever had, (and still ever had, they no longer have a HS.)

 Ok you can all stop laughing....

We have stories we could tell you that could entertain you for hours.
I love those people dearly and am still in touch with all the girls to this day.

Don't start jumping to conclusions either because I said I graduated from a private school. Out of us four siblings, I was the only one to EVER attend a private school and my parents scraped and scavenged to make it possible for me to attend for my last two years of school, (I had gone to public and had been home schooled before then.) I thank them greatly for my opportunity!!

Truth be told, I think they felt a little guilty for making me miss out on so much in my early teen years, but I won't tell anyone! ;) ;)

My brother could write a novel about what was going on with his own life at the time, but we'll let him tell his own story at another time. This is my blog! ;)

My Aunties came from Washington, Canada, and even all the way from Florida to make my day pretty darn awesome!!!

All in all, you can poke fun at my small little school, heck we all do, but it was great. 

I loved it and wouldn't have traded it for anything.

Class Motto: 

Just think,

you're here not by chance, 

but by God's choosing.

His hand formed you and made you
the person you are.

He compares you to no one else-

you are one of a kind. 

You lack nothing that His grace can't give you.

He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill 

His special purpose for this generation.

-Roy Lessin

We Remember

{http://hopechurch.org/wp-content/uploads/Memorial-Day-2012-FINAL.jpg}

{http://mikenalleyphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Memorial-Day-2.jpg}

Fill in the Blank Friday

I'm linking up here at The Little Things We Do For Fill In the Blank Friday.



The best surprise ever would be:
~Finally getting to go on a honeymoon or finally owning our dream home with property that we didn't have to give up! ;)

Most Favorite Memory:
~Oh goodness, this girl is full of of favorite memories. But definitely hubby and I's first date was one of my most favorite day's ever! :)

The hardest, but most worthwhile thing I've ever done: 
~Delivering my two precious babies of course!!

The best part of my day:
~Ok this is where y'all might call me a horrible mom. I love love my kids, but my favorite part of the day is when they are in bed and hubby and I climb in to bed for some alone time. Sometimes we talk or watch tv, read or do our own thing, but it is so relaxing and peaceful. lol

Something I like that most people don't:
~To stay at home, to be submissive, to let my husband wear the "pants." Oh you mean that's not what you were going for?? ;)

Something I am willing to fight for:
~I will do anything and everything to fight for my marriage and my kids. My husband and my children are everything to me.

Something you might not know about me:
~I have a tattoo and I have a piercing where the sun don't shine! ;)

Have a great weekend!
:)

You are YOU

Yes I am a Marine wife and I am J's wife, but I am Marcella and a child of God first and foremost.

****

Before we had our second child, my husband and I were going through a rough patch. Mostly in life and his military career, but it was seeping into our marriage. As with most men he probably could have just let it go until he was so unhappy, he would just want out, but I kinda like to fix things before they are UN-repairable. ;)
And again like with most men, getting my husband to open up and communicate is near impossible, but um "big shocker," he finally said I just wasn't like I was before we got married.....

I had lost my "spark".......

Now before you wives go all postal on my husband, think about that for a minute.

In a way I could have gotten mad and immediately started to blame him for all of the million and one reasons on why it was his fault:

• Married a man who joined the military, moved 3000 plus miles away from all family, friends and everything I'd known.
• Married an introvert that didn't have a need for friends.
• Had a baby, gained weight from baby.
• Didn't have the extra money to pamper myself like I did before.
• I am a Christian conservative thrust into a beer drinking, partying, cheating on your spouse life style etc.....

But hello, 

I am the only one to blame.
I let myself lose touch with what made me happy.

I let the negativity of what can happen with this lifestyle overwhelm me instead of standing strong for what I believe in.
There is no one to blame for that but ME.

So here I am today,

warning the young military wives and even civilian wives who might go through life changes.

Be careful.

Don't lose sight of who YOU are;

A child of God. 

(We are examples of Him wherever we go, whatever we do.)
We may have to say goodbye to everyone and everything we've known,
but you are still YOU.

Don't be afraid to StAnD oUt in what can be a very tough life.

Find that thing that still makes you jump out of bed in the morning.
Spend the day in your sweats and then throw on some jeans and put on some make up just before hubby comes home!

Talk to each other....turn the tv off.....even if it kills one of you...

ahem. ;)

to be continued......

 (more of my journey to get my spark back)

(taken in 2009 when my spark was missing ;))

When God's answer is....

....Silence.
~
And when God's best medicine is a taste of your own.....

I have no patience what-so-ever, and it is ever so hard for me to wait on God's timing.
Mostly because I don't know if His silence means I am suppose to take a step of faith on my own or wait until the last second possible for Him to make His move or show us the way.

We're praying about some serious to us issues right now and it seems like there is absolutely NO indication about what direction to go. So we wait.
Haha.

Sigh

Yeah I know. People have serious life threatening issues going on and I'm complaining about this.
I'm cool.
You'd think after being a Marine wife for 7 and half years I'd have this down.....yeah not so much.

I actually can't complain too much about one part though. God did say no about two things we were praying about the last two weeks. One was for fun, so I was sad when we couldn't do it but such is life. The other was concerning hubby's job that would have saved us some $$, but none the less God closed the doors, and I'm ok with that. They were answers. Next.

And the bitter medicine I had to swallow over the weekend:
You remember THIS post I did last week about not judging other mother's?? Yeah well I had a bad attitude develop last week, (mixed in with a bit of anger and down in the dump issues,) and it was just a lot easier to start judging anyone and everyone to make myself feel better...
Absolutely everything everyone was saying on facebook, in blogs, or doing in general was pissing me off annoying me.
Now luckily I kept it all to myself, but the last time I checked, God knows what's in our hearts and He sure wasn't liking the blackness that was swirling in mine.
By Friday I was at a boiling over point and was looking forward to the weekend. I got a text from my husband saying he was going to be let out early and that put me in such a good mood I went upstairs and scrubbed our shower. When I came back down, I discovered another text asking if he could go golfing. My first thought was immediate annoyance, but my husband NEVER does anything for fun outside of the house with anyone else, so I was like ok, what's a few more hours, it will just be like the rest of the work day...
Well,
My husband got home at 8pm Friday night. Yeah, can you imagine with the mood you already knew I was in, how well that went over??
I didn't even take it out on him though. I spent the last 2 hours before he got home balling my eyes out about my attitude over the week and then crying some more over how I hated my attitude. It was one ugly mess.
Needless to say I limited my use of fb and blog usage A LOT this past weekend and even though I am still feeling down about a few things that I am hoping to touch on later, I feeling a little bit better. Anger and grumpiness will get you no where!!

So here I am pouring my heart out to you, or being honest, or maybe just complaining I'm not sure, but I just don't like being fake anymore.
Honesty and realness is the new in.
Life is hard sometimes and it just always seems greener somewhere else.
And even though happiness is a choice and even though some people may seem like they have it all together, they are having their own battles inside.

**On a side note, if one has to take meds to counter-act side effects of a prescription medication they are on, is it really worth it???? These are driving me crazy people!!

"We may have NO idea what's around that bend, but just hold my hand and we'll 

live this adventure together!"

French Toast

Those that know me or have followed me for awhile me know that I love cooking and everything to do with the kitchen > BIG FAT LIE.....

So when my husband made me aware years and years ago that he loved french toast, I immediately pushed my opinions aside and made him some, (another lie......)

Ok the truth: We've been married for almost 8 years and I have yet to make my husband french toast once in our relationship.
I recently decided that maybe, I need to put my stubbornness and dislike of the meal aside and come up with something really tasty like with Father's Day coming up! :)

{Image courtesy of: http://simplyrecipes.com/photos/french-toast.jpg}

 Now I know I could easily hit up the Pinterest boards or go on one of the gazillion recipe websites for french toast recipes, but I wanted to ask you, my readers out there in blog land if any of you had any tried and true french toast recipes that you or your family absolutely love and adore.
I want something that isn't a passing phase and isn't too hard to make, cuz well we all know I am not exactly a whiz in the kitchen....I have been known to boil water away. Ahem.
If you would be willing to share and it isn't some family secret that you and I would both be shot if you shared, let me know!!

Thanks peeps!

Who Am I

Fiction: You're family is always dressed so nicely.
Fact: I wouldn't know fashion if it bit me. If you see something you like on me, more than likely my husband picked it out. My idea of style is jeans and a t-shirt.
I do admit I pick out our daughter's dresses though, but since she has 8 polka dot dresses in her closet, that's not really saying much.

Fiction: You have it all together.
Fact: I often ignore my kids and procrastinate on the important stuff so that it seems that I have it all together...

Fiction: You remember everything.
Fact: I never went to college, hence never filled my brain with extra knowledge....

Fiction: Your house it always so organized.
Fact: Every OCD person has a closet....or a drawer.....ahem

Fiction: You love laundry.
Fact: Ok I can't lie, I really LOVE laundry.

Fiction: You don't care what others think.
Fact: Why then do I have so many mirrors and check constantly for my amount of followers?.....

Fiction:You don't have to worry about money.
Fact: I am the meanest wife EVER, I never let him spend a cent!

Fiction:You have the greatest marriage.
Fact: We choose to not air our "dirty laundry" all over the place. We have a lot of issues that constantly have to be worked through/on. It's a work in progress that we choose to keep God involved in.

Fiction: You're not fat.
Fact: Would you like me to take a picture without my shirt on to prove otherwise?????
 (Spanx) is my best friend people!! ;)

Fiction: You're such a great writer.
Fact: LOL, Not. You should read over some of my old old posts, apparently I didn't believe in proof reading back then!
{Most people say I write exactly how I talk, which is kinda scary...}

Hope you're all having a great week!
We're still waiting on nicer weather to hit here and counting the days til all the fun adventures we're going to have this summer! :)