Happy Mother's Day!

(Me, Nickie, and my Mom a long time ago!)

Thanks for being such a great mom! I love you!

Happy Birthday Babe!

I love you!

The Flag

I bought an American flag at Wally World the other day. I had a little garden flag but every time I looked at it, I felt bad. Yeah, I thought it looked cute but it certainly wasn't big enough. I know buying a flag this doesn't seem like a big deal but it was to me.

I will be the first to admit that up until a few years ago, I didn't respect the flag like I should have. To be honest, I am not sure I even noticed one flying half the time. The flag in my life meant saying the pledge at school, staring at the flag when the Star Bangled Banner was played and if I remembered my hand went over my heart. It is embarrassing for me to say now but it is fact.

After being in the military for a few years, I see the flag in a whole other light. Now when I see a flag I see/think/feel ...

- Ben. And I am reminded he is never coming home.

- I think of Lauren Fenty who at two, has never and will never meet her dad. Her memories of him consist of the gravestone she visit with her mom at Arlington.

- My grandfather. A former Sea Bee. I was lucky enough to meet the men he fought along side at one of their reunions. Their passion for this country came through in their stories. And if they were allowed, I am sure they would have entered the service again in their old age to defend her.

- The ladies sitting in the chapel, where we would go to hear the name of a fallen solider in our unit. And the look on the faces of those who had just heard the name of a friend they loved.

Although, I see a lot of pain and sorrow in the flag I also see another side. I see freedom. When I hear the kids laughing and carrying on down the street, I look out and see their dad chasing them. I know they don't have to run from gun fire, rouge soldiers or bombs. I know I can walk down the street with my dog, without the fear of being beat because I am a women out without my husband.

I see the flag now and am grateful for those who have defended this country, are defending this country and will defend this country.

I don't know what you see/think/feel when you see the flag. I am sure everyone has differing opinions and feelings. Just don't be like the old me and feel nothing. I fly my new flag with a new attitude.

This is my new flag!

Bangers and Mash

After church today, Aaron and I were trying to find somewhere to eat. We didn't want the typical Applebees experience so we choose the restaurant, Taste of Europe. Most of you know that I am not a stray from the norm kind-of-gal when it comes to food but I wanted to give it a try.

The menu listed the food with descriptions, which is always a big help for me. I decided on bangers and mash. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Basically, the dish consisted of mash potatoes, gravy and sausage. It was actually very good. The sausages had spices in them that really gave them great flavor.

Since I was feeling adventurous, I tried some of Aaron's pork schnitzel. It was delicious! Although, I drew the line with the drinks. I ordered a coke while Aaron had a spezi. It is a soft drink made with cola and orange soda. I wasn't a fan of this at all. But I am excited to go back and try some more 'worldly' food. Who knew I could love food that wasn't chicken or turkey?!

Definitely Not Hollywood

I was driving to Wally World today minding my own business, when I saw something that disturbed me. I noticed something moving in the truck bed in front of me but I couldn't quite figure out what was in there. Well, a few miles down the road I see it. There is a dog in the truck bed. What is strange about that you ask? It was a dachshund! Can you believe that? For those of you not familiar with a dachshund click here.

I won't even let Aaron teach Boone to ride in the back of the truck because I fear for his safety and he is an 80 pound dog! Who lets a little dog that doesn't weigh much and barley stands higher than a garden gnome ride in the bed of a truck! I thought for sure the little dog would be blown out of truck bed from all the wind. I hope he made it home safe and sound.

As I pulled into Wally World I laughed thinking that crazy people in Hollywood carry their dogs into restaurants and different places. Not here! They won't even let the tiny dogs into their vehicles. :o)

Facts and Festivals

Due to the fact that I haven't really been up to much (It has been raining like crazy!) I decided to find out some random things about Brunswick. For starters, Brunswick is located 25 miles northeast of Portland, Maine's largest city. When trying to find the population, I found only a census from 2000. Although, the average population was around 21,000 on sites I checked, not everyone seems to agree. Oh well, I guess it isn't that important.

Brunswick was founded in 1628, by Thomas Purchase and some other fisherman. The original name of the town was Pejepscot (meaning long, rocky, rapids part of the river). In 1717 the name was changed for the elector of Brunswick, who became England's King George I.

Some random facts about Brunswick:

* Site of the first cotton mill in Maine.
* Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin while living here.
* The film Man Without A Face (1993) was filmed here.
* Bowdoin College is located here. Bowdoin is the oldest educational institution in the state.
* Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of Scarlet Letter, is an alumni of Bowdoin College.
* "The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 16. The number of murders and homicides was 0." I would love to know their definition of violent!

I am not going to lie. I couldn't really find a lot of interesting facts about Brunswick. But then I always look for the quirky things. Maybe not having a lot of crazy facts about a town is a good thing.

So I gave up on my fact finding and started looking into things for the summer. Here are just a few thing fun things I am excited about:

1. Brunswick is known for it's Bluegrass festival held every year on Labor Day weekend at Thomas Point Beach. And for those of you who know Aaron know he is going to love this kind of festival!

2. The Maine state fair which is held in Bangor. I love fair food. I can't wait to get my hands on a funnel cake!

3. The Yarmouth Clam Festival. I don't even really know if I like clams but this will be a good place to figure it out.

4. I think I am most excited about the Maine Lobster Festival held in Rockland. There will be food, parades, music, the coronation of a Maine Sea Goddess and lobster crate races. How could I not to look forward to it!? :o)

I know it seems like all we will be doing this summer is eating but that will not be the case. Aaron has already been searching for places to hunt, fish and camp. I can't wait for our summer in Maine to start! And don't worry I will definitely take lots of pictures for you!

Something about the 25th

Happy Birthday Frannie & Matt!

Happy Birthday Jaime!

Torturing You With Photos

I have decided to start a photoblog. I had been thinking about it and with some encouragement from a friend, I did it. Don't worry I am going to continue this blog. I have too much fun writing it to stop. I will only post photos on the new blog, no stories or anything with the exception of the first post. I need more practice taking photographs and I thought this blog would be good motivation. Also, if you want to give some feedback on the photos that would be great.

New Blog: Photographing My Way Through Life


Since I am posting photos on the new blog, I will be removing the 'My Picture Of The Week' section from this blog. Also, I will be putting a link on this blog to the photoblog for easy access.

Hang in there with me. This photoblog is very much a work in progress. Enjoy (I hope)!

To help cheer up Frannie...

The List

Maine is the first place we have lived where I know no one. Aaron's Aunt and Uncle lived right next to Fort Drum and made us feel like their children. I also made friends quickly. The girls and I ate, drank, laughed, knitted, cooked and shopped our way through our time in Northern New York. We have all become life long friends!

At Fort Knox, I already sort of had a built-in friendship with Lauren. Although, we had never met in person, we talked over e-mail. Once we did meet, we clicked instantly. That girl can make me laugh!

Marrying a man in the military it is a given you will move a lot. And honestly, I don't really mind it. I like the idea of a new house and a new area to explore. I am getting to see places I never would have seen otherwise. But it does take a while to get used to a new place. It is hard to find restaurants that you like and hair salons that don't mess up your hair. It is always nice to have some around to say 'Oh, you should really try this place. It is great!'.

I only had to fly blind in Maine for a few weeks. God brought a new friend into my life, Sara. Through visiting a friend's blog she found me. She too had been stationed here in Maine for a few years. She spoke/typed very highly about her time here.

She was gracious enough to e-mail me a whole list of places from her time here. There were many restaurants to try. The list was even broken down by type of food! The list mentioned places to avoid, which I always appreciate. There is nothing worse than trying a new place and getting a crappy meal for the price. The list also included hair salons, doggie daycares, fresh food markets, good hospitals, etc...

When I opened the e-mail with the list, I couldn't believe that a stranger would be so gracious and kind to share this with me. Aaron and I have read the list and tried multiple places Sara had suggested. Thanks to her, Aaron has quickly found a favorite Chinese restaurant and I found a favorite deli.

I am sure eventually we would have found these great places but who knows how long that would have taken. Sara has helped to make the transition to Brunswick living seamless. And even though she lives in Nevada, I feel as though I have a friend helping guide me in Maine.

Thanks Sara!