one year in

Kirk and I are celebrating our one year wedding anniversary and I can hardly believe it! I know Kirk and I both would go back to that day in a heartbeat. Being surrounded by all of the people you love the most is one of the best feelings ever. Another great thing about that day is that I honestly had no worries that day. Not one. As long as I snagged my man, I was happy.

Kirk and I have been through a lot this past year with one of the biggest things being, life overseas. It has its ups and downs but at the end of the day my home is where my husband is and I couldn't be happier to be sharing a home with him.

A few things I love about Kirk:

-When I gently wake him up at night to tell him he's snoring, he ALWAYS responds with, "Sorry...I love you" and then rolls over. I instantly forget my restlessness caused by his snoring and am reminded how he tells me he loves me -- every chance he gets. How did I get so lucky to have such a loving husband even when he is woken up in the middle of the night?! :)

-He says it feels weird without his ring on. Maybe that's not something I love about him, but just something that I love in general.

-He knows me so well that he will speak up for me when I am too prideful to do it myself - (aka when I wanted so badly to opt out of the "barrel racing" on horseback at the ranch, because I didn't want to humiliate myself in front of his family once again -- Kirk sensed this and kindly stepped up to whisper in our wrangler's ear that I was gonna sit this one out). I can't even tell you how much I loved Kirk in that moment. He didn't make a scene about me not wanting to race, and he stood up for me and saved me from embarrassment. He seriously is the BEST!

-He is considerate enough to tidy up the house before I come home from a trip so that I don't walk into a disaster zone.

-He lets me try to sleep on his shoulder during long flights even though it's probably annoying.

-He will have my back in ANY situation. Always.

-There is not a lot that makes him cranky. Actually I can't even think of one thing that makes him cranky.

-He doesn't hold it against me when I have a cranky moment.

-He truly makes me want to be a better person.

-He has a positive attitude at all times. He is such a "Positive Polly" and it can be so refreshing.

-His green eyes, which I hope at least one of our children inherits.

-He is trustworthy, honest, and genuine.

-He is proud of me when I succeed and encourages me when I am not so successful.

-He is going to be the BEST dad and role model for our children one day. They will adore him.

I'll stop the list there, but could go on and on about how amazing Kirk is. I wake up every day feeling lucky to be his wife. I have loved our first year together and can't wait for a lifetime spent with him!

He is SO handsome!!

The only thing I don't like about this one year milestone is that perhaps we are referred to as an "old married couple" now as opposed to "newlyweds". Can we still be newlyweds? I like that better... 

-MB

bye bye patty

The time has come (and gone) to say goodbye to my first car, "Patty" the Pathfinder. She was my very own car that was not a hand-me-down and I LOVED her. I got her after my freshman year of college when the old Dodge Intrepid (which was my grandparent's at one time) bit the dust. I must say, I wasn't nearly as sad to get rid of the Intrepid as I was Patty. The Pathfinder was a 1998 but had hardly any miles on it and was in fabulous shape. I drove her EVERYWHERE. Patty took me on all sorts of trips down the east coast and throughout the south. I cried, laughed, went on road trips, got pulled over, learned to drive four-wheel drive in the snow, got a flat tire, and even got an egg thrown at my windshield in that car, but it was the most trusty vehicle I ever drove and I sure do miss it!

We had to sell Patty to another lucky owner because it just wasn't worth shipping it to Germany because of the fact that it probably wouldn't have passed German inspections... she was trusty, but she was pretty old...

Selling her was like losing a friend. I know that sounds so ridiculous but I became so attached to that car for some reason. Anyone else have this experience with a car?! Or am I just crazy? Anyways, I just thought I'd write a little tribute to Patty. May she bring as much joy to her new owner as she brought to me!

-MB

forced to shop

I recently went home to the States for a few weddings. The first wedding was for one of my best friends from college, Rachel, and the other one was for my sister in-law, Autumn. They were both beautiful, full of love, and special in their own ways. 

I was SO excited to get back to "B'ham" (aka Birmingham) for several reasons: good eatin', great friends, and fun times. Some of my college besties would be there and I could hardly contain my excitement! We would be reunited once again since my wedding in July. It had been WAY too long. My time with them was everything I thought it would be...a BLAST! However, a lot of our down time together was spent shopping. That may not sound too bad, but I was shopping because the airline lost my baggage on my way to the US!!! Airlines have lost my baggage before, but usually it's just put on the next flight. This time they had no clue where my bag was, what country it was in, or when it'd get to me...that was concerning. I usually don't stress too much about lost baggage because in my previous experiences, it has gotten to me later that night. But this bag in particular had some very important items in it, including my bridesmaid's dress!! So I was definitely sweatin' it out there for a bit.

I know, I know. Everyone reading this is probably thinking, "you dummy, you should know to pack important things in your carry-on". I know... lesson learned. I guess I am too trusting of airlines. NEVER again will I be without toiletries, some basic make-up, and important clothing in my carry-on. Luckily I had my trusty friend Laura with me who is the bargain shopping queen and we found some AWESOME deals at TJ Maxx and various other places to fully clothe me for all of the wedding festivities for the weekend. We were even able to find another bridesmaid's dress for $10 on clearance at Belk!! That was insane. I thought I'd have to spend like $200 on a new bridesmaid's dress but we really lucked out. Laura got a matching dress since she was the maid of honor and I was the matron of honor (I know, that sounds old but I've accepted it). That way, if she and I matched it wouldn't be THAT weird if our dresses were different than everyone else's. Long story short: my bag arrived at the church on SATURDAY morning. I then presented my dress and shoe options to Rachel who ended up picking the $10 dress anyways! Problem averted... but not without some stress and shopping!

Here's our adorable $10.89 dress:

Luckily there were no more baggage problems for the rest of my flights which surprised me because Kirk and I had a layover in Paris... home of the most inefficient airport EVER. That's where they lost my bag on the way over and I was pretty much expecting it to happen again. I packed my carry-on accordingly with extra underwear, toiletries, clothes, and shoes... JUST in case. But, in the midst of their inefficiency.... they got my bag to Germany. Way to go, France... your people were rude to us but you didn't lose my bag this time. 

I will leave you with an example of the rudeness of one of  France's finest citizens. During our layover in Paris, we had to get on a bus that would take us to the proper terminal. We were literally packed in the bus like sardines. We were all up in each other's space, embracing each other's odors and trying to find something besides the person next to us, to hold on to. The thing that irked me most besides the uncomfortable bus ride was the fine Frenchman. Kirk and I were standing in the middle of the bus, pressed up against everyone else, and I was practically sitting on this Frenchman's lap who was sitting in an aisle seat. The window seat next to him was empty. It was empty. Despite the dozens of women and children standing, he refused to scoot over and offer someone the empty seat next to him. He was purposely sitting in the aisle seat so no one could get to the empty window seat. Big jerk. I was thinking, "what if I were like 8 months pregnant right now, would he offer it to me then?!" Probably not. Every time the bus turned (and I basically fell on him), he had an opportunity to scoot over and let someone (preferably me) sit next to him. But no, he held his ground and allowed my bag and body to hit him with every twist and turn. "Fine" I thought. "If you're not annoyed with my huge shoulder bag hitting you then I don't care either, because this problem would be fixed if only you'd SCOOT OVER!!" If only every man were a gentleman like my husband. :)

-MB

deutschland dentist

I had my first German dental appointment this week....

Thank goodness that military insurance hooks us up with some English-speaking dentists, or else I probably would've just put the whole appointment off until I learned enough German dental lingo to communicate (and that would've taken a LONG time since I'm having trouble getting motivated to learn German right now). They were super nice and helpful though and I went right on back to the dreaded dental chair after filling out a very short and simple form (unlike forms in the US).

The doc came in with his tight white jeans and purple polo and introduced himself. He asked if I was having any problems before he checked me out and I told him about my sensitive/painful gum problems that come and go, but that was it. After assessing my teeth and telling me I had "some inflammating" (aka inflammation?) on some of my gums, he told me there was a cavity beginning to form... which I expected. I literally have another cavity every time I go back to the dentist. I promise I brush my teeth, yall. Ever since I turned 20, I've been getting cavities like it's my job.  I don't know what the deal is...

He said he could go ahead and fill it that day, which was nice. I asked if it would be a similar procedure and the same type of filling as they use in the States...he said he didn't know. I'm thinking, um... America is the best at everything, why don't you know what Americans are doing in modern dentistry?!! I mean I was fairly certain the filling would be similar to the other fillings I have, but hey, I didn't want some faulty filling to fall out in a few years because I got it done by some behind-the-times German dentist. But, on the contrary, maybe Germany is even MORE modern than America! Maybe my filling was done with some new innovative procedure that American docs don't even know about yet!! I'll never know... it seemed pretty dang similar, so I'm guessing they do it the same way.

Before he started the filling he asked if I would like "anesthesia" for the procedure. First, I'm thinking, "you're gonna put me OUT for this!?" As a nurse, when someone says "anesthesia" I just automatically think of being put under, so I found the need to clarify. After some broken English and charades, I eventually got the impression that it would be a local anesthetic injected into the gum like normal (and by normal I mean like in America).

Secondly, I'm wondering why he's asking if I want it, like I would turn down numbing medicine to feel the drill in my tooth. No thanks. I of course agreed to the "anesthesia". Germans are hardcore when it comes to pain tolerance I've learned. In my experience (in the US) they just give you the anesthetic as standard procedure, no need to ask if you'd like it. I guess us Americans aren't as tough as Germans when it comes to pain.

Well, I DID get to feel the drill and experience all of its glorious functions, just as if I had refused the anesthetic. My tooth wasn't quite numb yet when he started and just typing this makes me cringe. Needless to say, the drill grinding on my tooth's nerves was quite unpleasant. He was done in a jiffy though, so at least it didn't take long.

Then came the even worse part. The dental hygienist! She was just as rough as if she were flossing and polishing on dummy teeth in dental school or something. Did she not hear me when I said I have sensitive gums?! Well, she didn't and because of her violent technique, I could hardly eat a thing all day because I practically had open wounds inside my mouth. Literally, pieces of my gums were peeling off by the end of the evening. Sorry for the graphic nature of this post...

As I was spitting up blood in the tiny sink attached to the chair, she tried to get the toothpaste off my shirt that she somehow got on there despite my bib. Thanks for trying to make me feel better dental hygienist, but I'd rather have toothpaste on my shirt than torn up gums...

Can't wait for next year's appointment...

-MB

deployment dread

Part of being an Army wife is dealing with deployment. It's not easy for anyone, but for me I feel like it will be completely terrible the second time around. Kirk was deployed to Afghanistan this time last year and was deployed until right before our wedding. My heart ached so much while he was gone, especially when I had to say goodbye to him at the airport. I hardly stopped crying that day. The only thing that made it bearable when he was gone was the fact that I lived with three of my best friends, lived in the same city as my Aunt and Uncle, and I flew home to Virginia fairly often for family events/wedding planning. I was surrounded by people who loved me and supported me pretty much all the time...

One of my many flaws is that I dread or worry about things WAY in advance...I am already dreading Kirk's next deployment. He is scheduled to possibly deploy next spring or summer of 2013. With the military, you never really know if it's definite until closer to the time, but I think Kirk and his unit are fairly positive this deployment will be happening. I keep hoping they are wrong and that a lot will change in the next year so that they won't have to deploy... but I don't want to get my hopes up. For some reason, I am especially sad about it today. I'm not sure why it's hitting me so hard today except for the fact that Kirk is away for the next 5-6 days for gunnery training and I am getting a taste of what life will be like without my hubby around.

Last year when he was deployed, I wasn't forced to come home to an empty house or deal with day-to-day life without him at home because we didn't live together yet and were used to doing long distance. So in some ways, it felt "normal" to not be around him. But now that I am used to having him around and spending every moment with him when he's not working... I don't know how I will cope when it's just me holding down the fort. I was doing laundry today, folding and putting away his PT clothes and just started crying because I realized that next year I won't be doing that. His ACUs won't need washing, his boots won't be by the door and he won't be snoring next to me at night. I know you're thinking I am completely crazy for thinking about all this so soon. TRUST me, I know it's ridiculous, but I can't help it! Unfortunately, it's what I do and it's something I'm trying to work on--to not worry about things so far in the future.

What I do know is that I need to cherish every moment he is here. We have a wonderful year ahead of us  and I can't wait for every second of it. We'll deal with deployment when it comes. For now, we'll enjoy this year being together! Today may be hard, but tomorrow will be better. I'll go awhile without thinking about all of this and then it will hit me again randomly. I knew what I was getting myself into when I married my soldier and I will never regret it. I admire him for what he does on a daily basis and couldn't be more proud of him. My mom offered for me to come back home the next time he was deployed... part of me really wants to take her up on that...

-MB

back to what we call home

Kirk and I had the wonderful opportunity to go home for about two weeks for Christmas. It was fabulous. We went to all of our favorite American restaurants including: Chipotle, Sweet Water Tavern, Panera, Starbucks, Manhatten Bagel (hadn't had a bagel since I've been in Germany), and Chik-fil-A. As much as we love our mothers' home-cooked meals, we had to opt out a few times so we could get in all of our USA favs. Was that rude?

Aside from loving the American grub, we absolutely loved being with our friends and family. It was a much needed break from Army life (for Kirk) and housewife life (for me). Living in Germany has been and will continue to be a wonderful and unique opportunity for us as a couple and as individuals, but we definitely miss the comfort of home and the time with friends and family...

There is something so special about sitting on the couch with my mom and just catching up. I also cherish our time spent shopping together and getting mani/pedi's. Spending quality time with our siblings is always so fun and reminds me of how blessed we are to have such tight bonds with our brothers and sisters. Seeing our nephew reach new milestones (like rolling over) is so incredible and makes me wish that I could be there for ALL of his milestones. I'm jealous that my mom will get to hear him babble his first words, chase him around the house when he starts crawling, and eventually watch him take his first steps. We hate being the Aunt and Uncle that live so far away. But, I guess we have to look at in a different light. We will be in little Britton's life during some very influential years once we move back to the States. For now, we should soak up our opportunities and be grateful to God for presenting them.

That is easier said than done though sometimes. At times, I look at living in Germany as an annoyance, a hassle, a stressful circumstance. BUT, I also look at living here as a blessing, an adventure, and a time to learn how to live outside my comfort zone (which I think everyone should do every once in awhile). Yes  it was SO nice to be able to speak to the employees in Target and ask questions if I wanted to. (side note: I did ask a Target employee where the shoe section was JUST because I could....In Germany I would walk around forever until I found what I was looking for because I wouldn't know how to ask). But, it forces me to learn and stretch myself when I want to communicate in German. I could go on and on about the pros and cons of living in Germany but I'll save that for another post. When it comes down to it -- I love the new "normal" that we've created here, I just wish our friends and family could share it with us!

Kirk and I slept in WAY too late today and that is the reason we are both still up at 2:52AM. I guess we should start hittin' the hay...  I'll leave you all (and by "all" I mean the one person that follows me) with a picture of our sweet nephew, Britton who just started on solid foods over Christmas break! Yay for Britty :)

-MB