two years ago today...

I married my best friend.

to cherish.

 I just gotta smile.

Well... it's one of those days.  The days where all you do is look at blogs on the internet and do all the things you've always wanted to do but haven't had time to, like read a book or something (or maybe that's just me).

The other day David told me he wasn't feeling well; in fact, he lost his voice and has since been whispering everything he says (which is worse for his voice, but don't get me started there).  Well, the other night I wanted to cuddle.  I mean, we are married, c'mon! So as we were laying in bed I put my head on his chest and kissed him.

Wrong move.

Yeah, apparently you can catch your husband's sickness if you lay next to him.
Who woulda thought?


I took today off from work, or more like I was told to.  Nobody wants you to take care of their children when you're sick.  It probably has something to do with the fact that they would get sick, too.

I hope you are enjoying this sarcasm as I blow my nose every 5 seconds and think about what I should eat.  I'm also pretty sure I'm dehydrated.  For those that know me well, I can be stubborn beyond belief and today is no exception.  We, scratch that, I do not drink Florida faucet water.
I'm sorry if this makes me sound like Paris Hilton, but, really, I just don't go there.  We ran out of bottled water this morning so now I am sitting here parched.  And I'm too lazy to get up and drive a half of a mile to the store to get more, okay? It's just one of those days.  Sue me.  We also don't have a water filter so if you'd like to send one our way, I'll be happy to give you my mailing address!




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Crazy Halloween makeup pictures from a haunted house I was in:

I was the scary looking creature at the end of the tunnel.  I had some very good screams coming from that tunnel, but some of the kids were being complete punks and decided to keep coming around and picking on me.  They acted all tough, but as soon as I started to slowly walk toward them, they took off running!  It was good to have that power for one day. ;-)


In my black cape before it went down!

I ended up working on Halloween again this year.  It's not where I wanted to be, but hey, I was able to earn money and finally tell Canon to fix and send me my lens that broke back in September.  This is exciting!  David wonders why I can't take pictures with the standard lens.  (Ummm... because that's not the best, and I want the best!) I've had several people ask me to take Christmas pictures this year and I am very excited to do it.  Now that my lens is being shipped back, I can do it!  So, if you're reading this right now and you are thinking you would like pictures taken, let me know! I would love to do them.  I also still consider myself to be starting out so my prices are pretty much non-existant.  Who doesn't want close-to-free photos, right?

A fun collage of some of my favorites I have taken throughout the years for your viewing pleasure

I'm very excited we are already into November.  Our wedding anniversary is this Monday, and I think we are celebrating on Sunday. I don't even know if David is planning anything.  Hopefully he is and that's all I have to say about that.  But two years.  Feels like longer,  yet time has flew by.  It's very hard to explain, but I'm excited for what's ahead.  The last 24 months have been very hard, but I think adjusting to life and culture here in Florida has been a big portion of that.

As Maroon 5 says,

"It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along"

Hm, isn't that the truth?  Still, though, I try to cherish all that I have here.  I say try because I'm a woman and a realist at that -- I see things for how they are.  And though I have my happy days, there are also trying days where my heart aches to go home and build a life in the land I love the most.  But in those moments I must turn my focus to all the good things ahead, and the things right in front of me.  David and I are homeowners, we have two cars completely paid off, we have jobs (though they may not be steady, they have given us what we need),  we have David's family here, and we have each other.  We are immensely blessed and God has given us all we need during this stage of our lives.

And I also just gotta say that I am completely cherishing the fact that both David and I are laying down right now, resting.  There are so many couples out there who work nonstop to pay the bills, and we have not had to do that quite yet.  I work Monday-Sunday, but I don't bust my butt, you know?  What I do for a living is fun - I get to work with kids and play with them, and in my spare time I get to sell products I love.

And although David did lose his job at the church we were serving/attending over a month ago, we are trying to remain positive.  It wasn't like the last time we left a church, and because of the first experience, we knew how to handle it better with God's help. We have clung to each other in support. Right now we aren't part of a church family.  We have been attending different churches every week getting fresh perspective.  Each church we go to has a few friends we know, and we are always meeting new people.  It's been nice.

These are good days.  And one day, we are going to miss them.

But for now we are going to cherish them.



---------------------- For those who have been trying to subscribe to my blog but it has not let you, just know that you are eligible to win the fall bundle giveaway iffff....
You are active commenter and supporter of the page!  I will be announcing the winner next week so don't forget to come back!  What could you win??

The Fall Bundle:

falling down (plus giveaway).

There aren't many signs of fall in Central Florida.
Here are the only ones I can think of:

1. It goes from HOT, to really warm
2. SOME of the bugs almost disappear, but not completely
3. The "real" Floridians will be seen shopping in boots (SNOW boots, mind you) and a jacket.
(Oh goodness, that may become me one day...)
4. People are happier.

And yes, I am happy when fall comes. Really happy! I've been starting to wear shirts that aren't tanktops. Jeans are bearable to wear now. I can drive in my car with the windows down (which, let's face it, makes life ten times better) and outdoor activities are more often!

On Saturday we went to a church in Orlando that was selling pumpkins with some friends. We were originally going to go to a pumpkin patch but we had schedule conflicts. It was still so fun, though. I think we searched for hours on finding the perfect medium-sized pumpkin. David is especially particular. He likes them short and round and they have to be "orange and have lines" (his words). We ended up finding one, but my camera wasn't there to capture that special day so I made David drive me back so I could take pictures.





I saw so many children, some really really small and some in their teens. It was funny watching some of the kids trying to carry their pumpkins, and how some were so stubborn to take pictures in front of their find.

I can't wait to do that one day with future Meurer babies. The moms look so blissfully happy, knowing they've found one of their biggest purposes in life. They smile with pride and joy. I know it isn't always easy. Kids are hard and a big responsibility - they change your whole life. And I can't imagine how hard it would be bringing a child into this world, but I know one day I will be in complete peace over it. One day it'll change from a longing to my purpose. This may sound selfish, but it's just not there yet for me. I love children but I have dreams and things I want to do. I'm only 21 and would feel a little robbed from some of my younger years. I think David may be in a different place, considering he's 24. But God has a plan and I know I can't plan anything.

I can just watch families and smile knowing one day I will have that, and even take pictures of kids when their parents aren't looking.


That sounded really stalkerish. I'm sorry.


And speaking of pumpkins and kids... I got some shots today of the two little boys I nanny for - Bradyn is 3 and Kailen is 1. They have so many matching clothes so I figured they could rock the orange in honor of fall and pumpkins. :)














I need to take fresh breaths today. It's been one of "those days."
Luckily, it's also a fall day.

ANDDDD...
I am giving away a fun little "fall bundle" to a special reader of this blog as a way of saying thank you for your support. I started this blog with no intentions to really grow it. But now, as a blogger, I want my voice to be heard. I feel like God has given me a lot of words to say and pictures that speak. I'm grateful for those gifts, and I'm grateful for you!

So, if you would like a chance to win (it's worth almost $20) then do the following:
1. Subscribe. If you are confused on how to do this, I made a whole page for it here.
2. Refer friends. Each person you get to subscribe, you get your name entered in the drawing again. So if you refer 6 friends, you will get your name in 6 times, plus 1 for being subscribed yourself!! :) I'll post pics of what it looks like next post, and winner will be announced first week in November.


Thank you and good luck to all!

diy: iPod Halloween Costume (plus other creative costumes).

If you're like me, I generally wait until the last minute for things. David and I were asked to come to a costume party for the Pop Shop and to play games with the kids and just love on 'em all night. We were excited! But what were we going to wear? After perusing the web for a bit, I came across a fun template idea for an iPod costume! And since they had both white and black, I figured that would be perfect. I only spent about $20 total (maybe less) for both, and they took an hour maximum to make! Plus, the kids really loved it.

What you need:
Black iPod:
-Two black posterboard
-White Chalk
-This template
White iPod:
-Two white posterboard
-Black Sharpie
-This template
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Make sure the posterboard is thick and can endure strings hanging from them for hours
-Hole puncher
-String or yarn
-Two plates or other objects that can make circles
-Glue
-Scissors
-Printer


What to do:
-Round the sides of the posterboard
-Punch two holes on each side
Make sure they are in the middle, pretty close together
-Print off the template and glue the objects to the "back" of your iPod (I had to look at a picture of an iPod to make sure I was doing it correctly)
-Draw a large circle on the "front" of your iPod. Then draw a smaller circle inside that one. I used two different sized plates for this.
Start with a pencil always! When you get it the way you want, then go over it with the white or black marker
-Glue the other parts of the template in between the circles. (The menu, fast forward, rewind and pause/play ones)
-Make a screen. I just compared it to a regular iPod to see how big it needed to be.
-When your iPod is finished, tie string between the front and back holes, so they hold together. Remember to keep the string relatively short so it looks like your body is the iPod!
-Wear it and rock it!





Some of my favorite Halloween costumes that the kids wore...

Raggedy Anne and a Pirate girl

Box of Popcorn

He-She

Tinman

Static Cling

XRay Man

Charlie Chaplin

Rock Star

Basket of Bunnies (and other animals)


Aren't these costumes all adorable? Maybe you got some ideas!

my brother is an airman & san antonio adventures.

Well, here I am in Panera Bread where I know my posting won't be interrupted. I'm also staring at the Cranberry Orange Smoothie sign and deciding whether I want to spend the money and buy it already so I can wipe the drool off my face...

Last week was amazing. I'm seriously still in awe of how perfect it almost was. There was chaos of family, and yes, some silly arguments (due to lack of sleep or maybe even heat) but to me that makes it even more perfect because it was real.

He became an airman this week.

I still don't know what to think about it. I feel an overwhelming array of emotions. I'm proud, excited, even...
After waiting a full day in San Antonio before we were able to see him, when we finally did it was so powerful. He may find it silly that I'm saying these things, but I don't care. He was more CONFIDENT than I have ever seen him in the last 20 years of his life. And that's why I can cry happy tears at night even though I miss my little brother so badly sometimes. He has found his calling at this time in his life and he's living it. He is wearing honor everywhere he goes. I wanted to walk next to him everywhere I went just so people would know my brother is going to fight for our country and he just endured 9 weeks of torture to bear that title.

Oh, and not only did I get to see him, but my entire immediate family. My grandparents on both sides, my parents and my mini-me (little sister).





My sweet parents...the other day was their 22nd anniversary!



On our first day, we walked around downtown, ran into a small street with Spanish flair, and decided to eat at La Cascada. It looked beautiful outside with all the colors and we were all starving.






Before we knew it, a Mariachi band came over and started singing away. We all really got into it, until the end, when they asked us for $6. Apparently, Mariachi bands aren't free anymore.


At that point, we were annoyed.

Her face says it all...

Three messed up orders later, we decided we weren't coming back.

A lot of laughs were had later, but at the moment? Not so much. We wanted our authentic Tex Mex!



Everyone was tired afterwards, so we said our goodnights (after Kiley and I worked out the disgusting food) and we were up bright and early for Jeremy's run & graduation ceremony the next morning.
Early as in 4 a.m. Yuck.
But the anticipation was on!


His banner at the Airman's run



Gramps and David hung out the whole time. I didn't even realize it until I edited these pictures!




When we arrived to the bleachers for the graduation ceremony, we realized very quickly it would be hard to find our airman in the crowds. They all look the same. But when we heard his group, we looked very carefully and I spotted him! I just knew it was him, it didn't matter that there were 400 other people on the field that looked almost exactly like him. DAvid didn't believe that I found him, but in the end I was right. :)


The ceremony was beautiful and heroic. I teared up a few times, but that's not too hard for me to do! We couldn't wait to see Jeremy, to talk with him longer than 5 minutes, to just see him smile after enduring a hard three months.

I love hello's.






His hard-earned token

We got out of the hot sun and found our refuge in a buffet. Apparently, my brother grew a second stomach while he was at basic. I don't know where all that food went...


Together at last. :)

I could tell that he was ready to relax, to be with people who loved him and weren't going to throw orders at him. I was worried that he would lose his wonderful sense of humor- sarcastic and dry- that has bonded us from brother/sister to best friends through the years. But it's still there. He's still himself.



Gangsta Gramps



So blurry, but I still love this picture of my grandma and me












The next day was the parade - also known as a lot of marching where we all got to wear our Air Force shirts. :)











Jeremy had a few free days with us, one day where he didn't have to be on base at all! So we did what typical San Antonio tourists do: We walked to the river walk and the Alamo (just a mile away from where we were staying).





The River Walk is so pretty and serene. We took an afternoon boat tour where we were drenched with torrential rain for the first half. It was funny and entertaining.





A scene from Miss Congeniality was filmed on that stage


In front of The Alamo


Bulletholes from war


Texas is cool.



















And just as there are hello's, there are goodbye's. And they come too soon.













And as I snapped this last picture my eyes were teared up so much that I couldn't even see what I was doing, so it's a miracle that this even turned out the way that it did.


This is just another fantastic memory of my brother and me -- piled in the midst of tea parties, worm digging, fake carnivals in the backyard, snow forts, fake weddings with our neighbors, the birth of our sister Kiley, moving to a new house when we didn't want to, crushes that we both had on weirdos, talking all night and sleeping all day, to graduations, my wedding, and his new adventure.

These memories make up a huge portion of my life and my being. I thank God for the family He has blessed me with, and the brother He has given me who will always be here for me and I for him. I'm proud and I can't wait to see how God uses Jeremy.

And that night Kiley and I had to get cheered up so we watched mean girls and took silly pictures just like the good ol' days.



Woo, this post is finally finished!
(edit: I started this post on a Thursday, and finished on a Monday... so it may be a little unorganized and crazy!)

I hope you all have a great week and set out on the adventure God has planned for your life!