Do you like to know?

I woke up early this morning and laid in bed just talking with Al. We got on the subject of his tattoo and he revealed to me that the real reason for getting it wasn't what I thought.

In fact it represents a close-call experience the two of them shared in Iraq. While I wasn't upset about the tattoo and in fact, I'm grateful there is an even more legitimate reason he got it, it really got me thinking.

I didn't know he had this dangerous experience while he was over there. He chose not to tell me "for my own good." And I get that. But I am torn a bit...

I've always been someone who wants all the details. I want to know what I'm getting into. I want to be fully educated and blatantly aware. But, I don't think I feel the same about this.

In fact, I'm glad he didn't tell me while he was over there. He probably would have gotten out half the story before getting disconnected, leaving the rest to my mind to conjure. Or he would have told me on the day of an exam or big speech and I would have been less focused. Either way, he made the right decision.

At least for the current circumstances he did. But, it leaves me wondering... Do you want to know?

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Christmas Rewind

After three straight days of celebration I am worn out!

We've had lots of family, friends, gifts, food, games, fun and love...

And BOY am I wiped!

I don't have much to share about Christmas itself. We had a great time with my family and I am really blessed to have Al here with me.

We still have his family Christmas this week and we'll probably just spend the New Years weekend out at the farm with them. Should be another great time.

I am back to blogging (for real) this week, but I am headed to bed early to catch up on sleep missed from the exciting weekend.

Stay tuned this week for:

My response to the DADT commentary

A letter to my sister

Engagement Party recap

AND...a sneak peek at our engagement photos

(I've got the first batch, but we're waiting until they're all in before we select and post.)

Happy Monday, ya'll!

Merry Christmas!

{I am a guest blogger today at iFROG, thanks to LaDonna. Check me out!}

Other then that MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Shoe Spectacular: Winter Solstice

So, my lovely friend, Ashley asked for some help with cold-weather shoes since she has little experience and will be moving in the near future to a place MUCH colder.

This got me thinking that a shoe spectacular featuring great cold-weather boots and shoes would be a fun thing to post.

Some are more fashionable, some are more practical, but all are good quality and all of them are really warm - a total necessity for Minnesotans and cold-weather residents alike!

I hope you enjoy!

Timberland Earthkeepers - found at Zappos

Kodiak Chestnut Mukluks - from Mukluk.com (Minnesota-based company)

Columbia Bugaboot Omni-Tech - at Columbia.com

Trapper Mid-Hi Boots - from Minnetonka Moccasin (another great Minnesota company!)

Whirlwind

I spent most of the day Monday in a tail-spin, while studying for my LAST final and trying not to worry about Al and his incoming flight. We were supposed to get 6 more inches of snow and projected flight delays as a result.

In fact, his flight was delayed about 2 hours. But when he got to Denver for his layover, he was put on the list for an earlier flight. I was worried that I would head into my final not really knowing when his flight would get it and that it would be hard to concentrate.

Luckily, I got a text from him 10 minutes before my exam saying he got on the earlier flight and would be in 2 hours BEFORE his original flight time (4 hours before the delayed time!)

I was so happy!

The last couple of days have been really nice. Just spending time together wrapping Christmas gifts and running around town for dinners and drinks with friends. He was even a good sport when I dragged him shopping for a few nice shirts for himself (which he absolutely HATES!)

Today we have engagement photos with some good friends of mine.

I had this idea to do a city-girl/country-boy theme.

The session today will be the city side and we'll take some photos in St. Paul near my school and the Governors mansion. There are tons of great churches, buildings and architecture that will provide a great backdrop and if we do some nighttime photos, with everything lit up for Christmas, it should produce some wonderful results.

In the spring, we'll get Al in ACU's and head out to the farm to do the country-boy half of the session. Maybe some tractor shots and great Minnesota-countryside views as our backdrop. Either way, the fierce and fantastic Brandi will help with this part. (Yes, this is me asking...)

I'm off to pick our outfits for the shots, and run a bunch of errands before our session tonight.

{I haven't forgotten about my previous post on DADT and all of your wonderful input. I will still put together a post in response and to provide my stand on the issue, but I would like to wait until after the holiday. I just think it's more appropriate to leave politics behind when it comes to family and friends.}

This Guy...

Is coming in from Texas tonight!

Yep, he's a hick. But he's MY hick.

And as stupid as his new tattoo might be, I still can't wait to throw my arms around that man and smother him with kisses.

DADT: Your thoughts?

So, I don't have a lot of time...One more final on Monday.

But in lieu of today's decision by President Obama to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, I wanted to open my blog up for a free-speak on the topic.

I'm curious as to the general consensus on DADT, the repeal of it, and how this will affect the military. I'll leave this up for a couple days for everyone to give their opinion and then I will tell ya'll what I think/feel about it.

I have a few rules:

1) Be polite, respectful and appropriate. I will NOT tolerate disrespectful or rude comments. I will delete anything you say that attacks someone or is downright rude.

2) That said, I will NOT delete any other comments. I want this to be a "safe area" to speak on the topic. Whether I disagree or agree, I want to know what you have to say.

3) Please limit your discussion to DADT. I don't want to get too political on the topic, and hope we can come at this from a place of friendship with educated, respectful thoughts so we can all better understand each other.

Discuss.

I've got a little time...

To say HI to my blog-lovers.

Although, I'm not sure there is anything major to say.

I've got a final this afternoon, which I feel OK about. I studied with a group yesterday and that helped (it usually doesn't work for me, but this one did.)

Then I'll have ONE final left, on Monday, and I'm already making progress on studying for it.

I've also got a small list of things to do before Al gets here (also Monday).

But perhaps the most exciting part of my weekend will be Saturday.

I'm going over to my parents house to try on my wedding dress.

Yes, I bought a dress.

I've had it for over a week and haven't tried it on. I pulled it out of the box, but otherwise I haven't even really looked at it. Assuming it fits, it's "the one" so I'm not too worried.

I'm that girl who has a dress before I even have a wedding date.

Oh well, I have my priorities, I guess.

Did I mention it was less then $300?

Yeah, I'm super-proud of that.

And it leaves more money for a nice pair of wedding shoes.

Like these:

(found here, although I'd probably buy them at Macy's)

They're delicious, huh?

We {heart} It Wednesday

I would rather be in any of the following places...

Follow the Light

It's there, at the end of the tunnel. It's so close.

I have an exam tomorrow, another Friday and my final exam on Monday.

I'm trucking along, slowly but surely.

Thanks for your patience, my blog-loves. I promise I will be back to blogging as soon as I can.

In the meantime, I give you a video of the Meterodome (our pro-football stadium) collapsing from the weight of all the snow from the storm! You may have seen this already, since I know it made National news, but I still think it's pretty incredible. ENJOY!

Snowed In

Minnesota got 20" of snow last night. Some parts of the city had a little more; some a little less.

We're lucky enough to rent a house and have a garage off the alley out back.

Most of the time this is a blessing, because when the city calls for a "snow emergency" so they can plow the streets, we can just stay parked in the garage. This is fine for normal snow.

Not so much when you get 20". Why?

Because they don't plow the alleys.

Imagine walking out your back walk to snow drifts up to your waist, sometimes higher.

{Sorry I don't have photos, I'm trying to work the kinks out of my camera USB cord}

It's pretty spectacular.

A fresh blanket of snow is gorgeous, especially this time of year.

And on Saturday, when the snow was falling, I was perfectly content hanging out indoors.

I was able to get a lot of homework done. I planned on getting it all done and giving myself Sunday off to go spend some time with my family.

My plans were foiled by a typical (maybe not TOO typical, but nothing us Minnesotans can't handle) snowstorm. I expected to shovel the walkway and shovel out the drive. I even expected to dig out of the alley a bit.

I DID NOT expect it to take 4 hours and 4 trips inside for cocoa to warm-up (which I had thanks to the fall swap and LaDonna at iFROG.)

It would have helped if I had a snowblower rather than a shovel. A shovel just doesn't cut it when it's 20" of snow! But it was also really disrespectful of my neighbor for not clearing their part of the alley. They cleared enough to get their car out, covering up a large portion of my section in the process. It's incredibly surprising since we're a state that EVERYONE helps, especially when it comes to the weather. We're "Minnesota Nice" after all.

My faith in humanity was restored when I headed out for my (hopefully) last trip. My roommate and I devised a plan to get rid of the rest of the snow, so we could pull our cars out of the garage and make it through the alley. As we walked out, we saw a different neighbor snow-blowing the last little bit of remaining snow.

So, after all was said and done it took teamwork, 4 hours, 3 mugs of cocoa, lots of muscle, snot and frozen eyelashes and one incredibly good-samaritan neighbor to clear up the biggest snow-storm Minnesota has had in over 20 years!

Mil-Spouse Friday Fill-In

1. What do you see your life like in 10 years?

I will be a wife and (hopefully) mother, practicing law and living with Al in a nice house outside the city (but not too far away.) Al will be done with school and start a new non-military career. We'll have a wonderfully happy life.

2. What do you like most about your job?

Right now, I enjoy simply having a job in the legal field. It's not where I'm going to be forever, but it's experience and making my resume better. All good things.

3. What are three things you do every day, no matter what day it is?

Drink coffee, eat and check e-mail. That's the only consistency I have in my days.

4. What would you do with an extra five hours in your day today?

Study and sleep. Lots of both, but in that order.

5. What is your favorite Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate) cookie recipe (please share!)?

Oooh. I really love these Andes mint chip cookies, but I don't currently have the recipe handy.
I promise to share it before Christmas, though.

Toodles, blog-land.

I'm a Leaky Faucet

I'm not an overly-emotional person. I consider myself to be a realistically emotional person.

Meaning, I cry when it's necessary and I don't when it's not.

{The only exception to that is sappy movies/TV shows/etc...I can cry at the drop of a hat when it comes to that stuff. Otherwise, though, I'm pretty emotionally stable person.}

Until lately.

Finals are kicking my butt. Completely.

I've been at my peak stress level.

I've been just entirely exhausted.

Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely worth it. Well, I think it is. Right now, it's hard to see past the work to the future payoff. But I know I have to keep plugging away.

But that doesn't help with the stress.

As a result, I've been overly emotional. And driving Al crazy.

Actually, he's amazingly patient.

{Although he's a typical guy and rarely knows what to say. Sometimes he's trying to be funny and screws up royally. But most of the time, he's supportive.}

The worst part, of course, is that he can't be here to wipe my tears and hold me.

He watches helpless through webcam.

I cry. He tries to console. I cry more.

We're 10 days away. I'll be finished with finals and that same night he gets in from Texas.

We get to spend our first Christmas together in 3 years!

I took a week off of work so we can just enjoy each other and not worry about books, clients, class or homework in any way.

And hopefully, there will be a LOT less tears.

Wordless Wednesday

Finals can suck it.

Monthly Thought-Provoking Question: December

I've mentioned before how much I love Christmas. And since the season is in full-swing, I wanted to make the December TPQ centered around just that.

Obviously, we can say that having those we love around us is the ideal Christmas.

But, I want to know that separate from family and loved ones (and our wonderful men overseas) what is one thing you just HAVE to have at Christmas?

And what is something you aspire to have someday, that you don't right now?

The one thing I need at Christmas is egg nog. I love egg nog. Sometimes I'll mix in a little Baileys, but mostly just a tall class of thick, creamy goodness is enough to make my Christmas Eve delightful.

My aspirational Christmas?

I want to host Christmas in my own home. I want to have a home that allows me to have a decorative tree for display, like these:

(all photos courtesy of Google images)

And another tree downstairs for the colored lights, the Minnesota Twins ornaments and all the tacky (and AMAZING) handmade reindeer and plastic cartoon ornaments that the kids love.

(image courtesy of Google images)

That's the kind of Christmas I want when I grow up!

Happy December, ya'll!

Wedding Ring: A Symbol

I've been thinking a lot about wedding rings. This was prompted from recent conversations Al and I have about him wearing a wedding band. I want him to wear one, he doesn't want to.

I'm not asking for matching rings, or a gaudy gold ring with diamonds all around it. Just a simple, lightweight titanium band he'll barely know is there.

To be fair, his reasons are pure.

(1) The daily tasks of his job put the ring and him at risk for various reasons. I know a lot of soldiers will wear their ring on their dog-tags or on a key fob while working in order to keep the ring safe. And I'm fine with that. My step-father works with machinery quite a bit and removes his ring when he does as a safety precaution. But he wears it the rest of the time.

(2) Al doesn't like jewelry. He's a guys-guy and barely wears a watch (when he doesn't have to) let alone jewelry. I personally don't see a wedding band as being the same thing as a gold chain necklace or other article of jewelry. Mostly though, I feel like he should want to "tough it out" and wear his band.

But why does this matter to me so much?

It's not a trust issue. I'm not that traditional.

I needed to dig deeper to find out why this was a battle I wanted to pick.

Most of us know the modern reasons for wearing them: as a sign of eternal commitment. But historically rings mean so much more than that.

Read this article (really, read the whole thing, it's really nice!)

I'm seriously almost teary-eyed just reading the article.

My favorite paragraph is here:

The ring is of course a circle and this was the symbol of eternity for the
Egyptians as well as many other ancient cultures. It had no beginning and no
end, like time. It returned to itself, like life; and the shape was worshipped
in the form of the Sun and the Moon. The hole in the center of the ring is not
just space either; it is important in its own right as the symbol of the
gateway, or door; leading to things and events both known and unknown

The article says that it's worn on the left hand ring finger because that contains the artery that flows directly to the heart.

My heart is his. His is mine.

I want to wear my ring so every morning when I wake up I am reminded of the everlasting commitment I am making and the window of possibilities that our love can bring.

And with these rings, we can constantly be reminded how unshakable and unyielding that love is. We can be reminded that our future brings endless opportunity for success and happiness. That is what my ring means to me.

And maybe, just maybe, he'll see it that way too.

Friday Fill-In

I am up to my ears, eyeballs and neck in finals and just am not able to give a full post today. I do have an interesting post rolling around in my head for the weekend, but I've got to get through the muckety-muck of Constitutional Law and Agency first.

So, without further adieu, my Friday Fill-in Answers:

1. If you were given $1000 right now, how would you spend it?

Savings. Lame, I know, but this girl has a lot of school debt and is saving for a wedding.

2. If you had to choose a movie title (a real one that already exists) for your life story, what would it be?

Oh geez, I don't know that I can answer this. I just can't think of one!

3. If you were a teacher, what subject would you like to teach?

Civics or Social Studies. Although, I've actually considered teaching at the college or law school level at some point.

4. Has being a Milspouse changed your views of the holidays? If so, how?

I don't know if it's changed per se, but I definitely appreciate certain things more. Like the fact that I will spend Christmas with my man for the first time in 3 years. And how that is so much more important then food and gifts.

5. What is your favorite Christmas memory?

It would have to be when I was a kid and my Grandparents still lived in Germany. Oma would send us wooden shadow boxes that she turned into December advent calendars and each day would have a gift, treat or toy in it. It was really awesome!

Wordless Wednesday

Al and I will be taking our engagement photos the week before Christmas. I want some cool shots along the city streets by my school, possible even at night. Likely in the snow.

Here are some shots I'm inspired by from random photography blogs (props given accordingly.)

Found at Hoffer Photography.

Found at Blink Photography.

Found at Blink Photography.

Found at Snippet & Ink.

Found at David & Charlotte.