rambling.

 well y'all, i survived christmas and the new year!

christmas is really one of my favorite times of the year, not just because i get to be blown away by the incredible sacrifice our Lord made for us by coming down from heaven, but also because people are just a little friendlier (except -- not in the stores!). the older i get, the more i believe in the idea of "holiday cheer". i love new years too, because there is nothing like a "clean slate".

we didn't do much this christmas. it didn't even feel like christmas. it was hot. the sarge and i went outside with gracie and hung out on our back lawn for a while before the sun beat us into submission. then we went and had dinner with a new-ish friend. this was the first christmas that i didn't go to church ON christmas or the day before -- which was weird. our church had services starting on thursday. 

other than that, we didn't exchange gifts, really. except gracie -- she got greenies because her breath is so bad haha. but it's time for a new year. you know surviving the holidays is a big deal for my high-anxiety, but i even met some nice gals along the way.

have you made any new year's resolutions yet? i am committing to trying new things in 2012. off the shelf in 2012 -- that's my motto. why not be great this year? i'm praying for the sarge every day -- 31 one days to pray for your spouse. how are you kicking off the new year?
 

Source: 31daystopray.com via aleasa on Pinterest

random updates

so, now that things are less hectic and i'm in a better place, i decided i should get back to updating everyone on my random life.

i know.

you're excited.

i'd like to blame the layout that i made: it's cute but uninspiring. so i'll be updating that soon. here are the things you'll want to know to catch up with me and the sarge...

1. we took a three week vacation to arkansas. we drove. gracie came with us... AMAZING.

 she saw her first snow...

2. we adopted a baby.

ok just kidding... that's our nephew. but we did decide we want to adopt, rather than go the fertility route. maybe, just maybe, i'll get one of these:

Source: kinkycurls.tumblr.com via aleasa on Pinterest

3. we are getting a new couch... praise the lord. this is the one i love the most -- it's SO comfy!

4. we had our two year anniversary! yay! the sarge did SUCH a good job. he SURPRISED me and took me to catalina!

Source: my-photo-blog.com via aleasa on Pinterest

5. we decorated our FIRST christmas tree. it's REAL. it's the sarge's first real tree, ever, and my first one in a long time. it smells HEAVENLY in this house!

well, merry christmas. (hopefully) i'll see you WELL before christmas :)

what better way to re-appear?

 ...than on my favorite link up?

 okay. this is a double duty wilw. i will update you on my life and tell you how great things are!

first. i'm loving a house FREE of puppies. i mean. REALLY loving it. i thought the puppies were precious and cute and sweet and funny and all those good things, but they also pooped on my floor and woke me up in the middle of the night. and wouldn't stop nursing (what?). and almost drove me literally out of my mind. so i'm glad it's just us three again.

so cute. but glad they're gone.

second. i'm loving a new found joy. i needed a refresher and somehow, i got one. as you know, we have had trouble conceiving and well, that whole journey has been one big disappointment but you know what... sometimes God is SAVING YOU FROM SOMETHING... do ya'll know what i'm talking about? i don't know if that's the case but i trust the Lord and that means i have to trust his timing and his plan.

third. all this joy has brought me to a place where i am a] not avoiding leaving the house (for the most part); b] not dreading social interaction; c] not ditching work; and, most excitingly -- WORKING OUT. and this means.. i am LOVING the c25k app and that last tuesday, for the first time in many (many) attempts, i ran all the intervals! last night (also a tuesday) i ran all the NINETY SECOND intervals. that's a minute and a half ya'll. what what?!?! ...and my mantra?

Source: beprettythinkpretty.blogspot.com via aleasa on Pinterest

fourth. i'm loving true blood. and homeland. these helped me while i was depressed :) hello premium television!

via

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fifth. i'm loving my dog. she is finally spayed and we are no longer at risk for family expansions!!

sixth. i'm LOVING my small group. my women's small group is studying the tabernacle and let me tell you... diving into God's word is the quickest way to refresh yourself. seeing his unfailing love for us, consistently throughout scripture--from eden to end times--has no parallel on this earth. how i thirst to know him more! plus, i met a fun new friend. 

and as always.. i'm loving my supportive, sometimes not-knowing-what-to-say, sweet, strong, southern MAN!! :))  

life is good heree. i hope all is well for you guys. see you soon (very soon)!

doctor's office woes

yesterday, i went to the doctor for a couple things. i'm constantly nauseous and i've been feeling in a deep blue funk these days. the chances of me being pregnant are slim to none, as usual, and i don't have any other real symptoms. at the urging of a good friend, i made an appointment.

i told him all my little problems and he basically ruled out everything on my nausea, except maybe stress/ulcer formation. to be sure, he had me tinkle in a cup. he suggested that i see a therapist for my down and out feelings, which i'm okay with. if you know anything about me, you know i have dealt with some of these things in the past. (i believe in a God of healing, but i also believe in a God who gave us the ability to learn about treating illness!)

anyway, on to the pregnancy test. of course the text was negative, but for some reason it really bothered me. i can't really get into the details, but let's get to the ridiculous portion.. the part that makes this an aleasa-only experience: something, somewhere aligned in some way and caused all the "trying" realities to hit me in his office while i waited for him to find me some samples. and i burst into tears.

via
ps this is from an article entitled "8 reasons to spank your kids". and i like it.

 i know you don't want to laugh at that, but you can. i was bawling in his office. you should have seen his face when he walked in and i was crying. it wasn't simple, cute, quiet tears. it was big, fat, ugly tears, complete with gasping. here's the reality. yes, it's sad. anyone who has tried to get pregnant for any amount of time can imagine that. but i think i scared my doctor with all my unexplained tears -- he walked in and looked at me like i was a hurt puppy!

speaking of puppies, we have two left. they're really cute. (the one in the middle was just over to visit).

well, feel free to laugh at the idea of having a break down in a public place (because that would only happen to me), but also think of me when you're praying for your virtual friends out here in cyber space. just for peace.. i'm thinking we're going to stop trying (if that's ever what we were doing in the first place), because i'm not sure we really want kids.

ANYWAY!

on another note ...we are doing an AWESOME study in my women's group by beth moore. if you have never done a study by her.. you MUST sign up next time you see one offered. if you just like in-depth studies (aka NOT FLUFF -- i hate fluff) i recommend the precepts studies. i am doing one on my own, but i think they offer small groups led by certified instructors. anyway. beth moore is awesome.

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she is inspiring me to write and/or teach, which i've been thinking about for a long long time. and now it's out there on the world wide web so i better stop procrastinating!!

and i'm making this, this weekend. crafting is good for the soul.

Source: danielleburkleo.com via aleasa on Pinterest

yall have a great weekend.. and hopefully i'll be back to normal very... very shortly!
 

8:46 am

 

at 8:46 am, eastern standard time, ten years ago today, a plane crashed through our belief that everyone on earth loved america and her ideas. 

on base, ten years later, a single verse of taps is played.

Day is done, gone the sun
from the lakes, from the hills, from the sky. All is well, safely restGod is nigh.
Fading light dims the sight
and a star gems the sky, gleaning bright. From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.
Thanks and praise for our days,
Neath the sun, neath the stars, neath the sky.
As we go, this we know,
God is nigh.  lyrics 

life.

can i tell you about my last 24 hours?

first of all. i have six puppies. i can't believe i thought i could participate in a blogging challenge. they are crazy. they have just found out that they can pick things up in their mouth -- and steal things out of their siblings' mouths. it's so stinkin' cute.

what is not cute is that they continue to jump out of their "puppy area". and can't get back inside in time to poop on the pad (which they are amazingly good at doing, usually). and poop on the floor. it doesn't happen as much as it feels like i suppose, but when you're the one cleaning up after them all, it is quite overwhelming. even if it is only 2 or 3 times a day.. it feels like a hundred times. i have puppy postpartum. i love them, but there are times that i wish i could just leave them to roll around in their poop and never see them again.

then we had the massive power outage yesterday, that you may or may not have heard of (or experienced). ALL of san diego county, some of orange county, east riverside county, the imperial valley, palm springs... millions of homes from the coast to yuma, az and beyond (including northern mexico) lost power yesterday afternoon.

i was at home and the Sarge had come to change clothes before a hair cut when it went out. he called me a few minutes after he left and said that he thought all of base was out. then we found out oceanside was out. then san diego county.

my first thought?

terrorists.

i think it was everyone's first thought.

but it was likely one guy -- "carrying out a procedure". sucks to be that guy.

anyway, we decided to take the pups outside since we couldn't rot our brains on tv. but, about dusk i realized i should clean up the kitchen and cook dinner (we have a gas stove). thanks to scentsy, i was running low on the candle front so i rushed to get that all done before nightfall.

imagine life back in the time of no electricity. i would sleep SO much. 

and now our water on base is not safe. but i won't complain. there are a lot hotter and wetter problems across the country.

anyway. i may be back with some challenge posts, but no promises. here is some puppy cuteness for your afternoon :)

days 3-5: weekend post

i decided to combine the weekend topics into one post. my weekend wasn't really interesting enough to write about, so on to the challenge!

Day 3: Tell us about your job

Day 4: Tell us about your family
Day 5: Share a picture of something that makes you happy 


day three: my job

i work at a church, in the facilities department. i basically receive and process room requests and help manage the maintenance and janitorial teams. some days i love it, some days it is really challenging to deal with people. members of churches can sometimes feel very entitled to the space... and their less-than-christian side comes out. i have an awesome, awesome boss, and i love most of my co-workers to death. i go back and forth between wanting to stay at home full time or up my part-time hours to work full time. i have a hard time making decisions haha..

my second job is that i sell scentsy. and it is work. but it's fun work. if you haven't heard of scentsy, you should check it out.. i love all the pretty warmers and smelling the scents. i love making samples and visiting my customers every month with monthly specials. i love collecting and sorting through orders. it's like a hobby or volunteer work that i love and get paid for!

my MAIN job, of course, is being a wife/cook/entertainer/home manager. i'm obsessed with home cooking and recently, home economics (homemade cleaners, sewing, DIY projects and decorating, budgeting, etc). as i mentioned in the first post of this challenge, i want to be susie homemaker. badly. and i'm getting there!

day four: my family.

it's just me, the Sarge, and gracie.

oh yeah, and her six puppies.

i do have an amazing extended family as well. my folks are awesome. i am the youngest and only female child of four. and by youngest, i mean youngest. my nearest brother is 12 years older than me! i even have in-laws that i happen to like. we're totally different families, but thank God i inherited a loving "new" family. everyone has family drama, and we have plenty.. but i adore my family none the less. you can read a little more about my family here.


day 5: something that makes me happy 

i live here. i see gorgeous sunsets over the ocean from my living room window every evening. our life is so richly blessed that sometimes i can't handle it. God has completely showed out in our relationship and marriage... i could not ask for more.

now go link up with katie :)

day two, and 5qf

day two: about my blog. 

i talked about this once before in this post. basically, it came from two sources: the first being my pastor saying "happy wife, happy life" (lol) and the popular "no bad days" sticker.

it's a philosophy.

i guess it's not really about being happy but about being joyful in all things. as a believer, i have faith that all things are working together to the ultimate glory of God, including the things that we don't understand. just being given the gift of a salvation i didn't deserve is enough. of course, not every day is fun or easy or "happy" but i know that i have a hope that is greater than the worst "luck" working against us all some days. so, it's not a fake and unrealistic life philosophy...

as far as what i write, i have absolutely no theme other than every day life. there is no reason anyone should be interested in what happens to me. (except when i fall in public, inherit a pregnant dog, encounter all kinds of critters, or have a dramatic, out-of-shape five mile walk.) i have expanded the  blog to include a dedicated cooking and genealogy section, neither of which i have updated recently. i blame the six puppies that turned my kitchen into a play pen.

occasionally, i also give away free scentsy. you know you love that part.

so tell me about your blog and link up with katie for her 30 day challenge! (see bottom of post for the hop!!)

AND it's been a long hiatus from five question friday, so i'm linking up with mama m. again for old time's sake.

1. Shoes in the house - yay or nay? ideally, nay. i think shoes are gross. but the truth is i don't really like being barefoot either. especially on non-carpeted floors. and yes, that includes my bathroom floor. my answer has been to compromise by having "house shoes", which tend to be one of about fifteen pairs of old navy flip flops.

2. What do you call them- flip flops, slippers, thongs, etc? flip flops -- thongs make me think of butts haha.butt floss for your feet! yuck.(nothing against actual thongs, by the way. they are practical and impractical at the same time.. and anything that lives in a conundrum like that makes me happy.)

3. What song are you almost embarrassed to admit you know all the lyrics to? pretty much any britney spears song... i know a few. in fact, i had one of her albums, the one with oops on it lol. i get it. some of you love her, but she was a joke in my circle of friends. sorry.

4. What is the best quality to have in a friend? this is a strange answer, but friends who take the initiative. i am not a good friend -- if we don't live in the same city, it's difficult for me to keep in touch. i LOVE my out of town friends as much as i ever have, it's just a hard concept. i don't really like talking on the phone. so, maybe friends who take the initiative, and are persistent. and don't have their feelings easily hurt. i'm a terrible person.

5. Do you know what you want for Christmas? my parents to come visit. and a couch. but i'm probably only going to get one of those.. and i am quite happy to sit on a broken couch for another year.

 

day one: me!

day one: introduce yourself.

i'm aleasa.

i'm a military wife with ambitions of being ridiculously organized, extremely efficient, important in someone's chain of command, having optimistic and intelligently cynical opinions, a theology and christian history guru, susie homemaker with a daily, weekly and monthly cleaning schedules, a cook and baker, and a ton of fun... all at once. i do none of these things at the moment.

this is my least favorite kind of prompt. so hello. nice to meet you. :)
 



link up and hop along!

a new 30 day blog challenge!

this is exciting for me, because katie's 30 day blog challenge last year marked my "dedicated blogging". of course, anyone who has followed my blog for any period of time knows that i use the term "dedicated" very loosely. but having this challenge in the fall and my spring forward challenge in the spring really manages to keep me on track. (as much as possible, that is.)

anyway. the challenge is back.. and that makes me happy! first of all, here are the topics. go link up and join the FUN!!

Day 1: Introduce Yourself

Day 2: Tell us about your blog

Day 3: Tell us about your job

Day 4: Tell us about your family

Day 5: Share a picture of something that makes you happy

Day 6: Favorite movies

Day 7: Tell us about your favorite vacation

Day 8: Share a picture of your friends

Day 9: Tell us about your must watch TV shows

Day 10: Tell us about your special someone

Day 11: Something you’re afraid of

Day 12: Share your goals you would like to accomplish in the next year

Day 13: Favorite Bible Verse/Quote

Day 14: Share something you are looking forward to

Day 15: 3 tips for a new blogger

Day 16: 5 blogs you visit daily

Day 17: Something you regret

Day 18: Something you miss

Day 19: Share your nicknames

Day 20: Picture of Yourself

Day 21: Something that stresses you out

Day 22: Share about your hobbies

Day 23: Favorite blog hop that you participate in

Day 24: Favorite places to shop

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle and share the first 10 songs

Day 26: Best concert you have been to

Day 27: 3 wishes

Day 28: Favorite books

Day 29: 3 things you cannot live without

Day 30: Share a picture you love