Hey Guys!

Holy crap! I didn't realize it had been so long since I last updated the blog! Well I'm back to check in and share what I've been up to by way of the bullet point. Enjoy!

• We moved!  Lots of changes in our life prompted the move but it was mostly to be closer to my dad and brothers while I prepare for and recover from surgery.

• You read that right, I am in the process of choosing a world class surgeon for my surgery! I was sent the provider list a couple weeks ago and now I'm just waiting for my appointment. :)

• I've been trying to get out of an emotional rutt by being more social. Moving and getting ready for surgery has been really nerve racking and I just need to forget about it sometimes. My friends and husband really help me out when I need it! I went to a BBQ this past weekend and Wan and I went to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library last week. All of which I hope I get around to recapping for you soon!

• I love to drive! Since my injury I can't drive any long distances with my back and leg pain but when I do get to drive my car I really love it. I've been able to drive myself to my doctors appointments now that I live closer and those few minutes of alone time in my car with the music turned up is the best!

• With surgery getting closer, I've started to plan some of the things that I want to do once my recovery is complete. The first one is Disneyland! Too cliche? Lol. No but really, my sister and I have been talking about it for quite some time and with her in Colorado she really misses it. I live about 1 1/2 hours north of Disneyland and have not been since my high school grad night! I can't wait. Hoping and praying my surgery comes quick and I recover well without living in pain everyday. "I can't wait" is an understatement!

And that is all she wrote! For now. I'll try to work on some recap posts this week so I can capture all the wonderful things I've been up to this summer.

I hope you have a great day!

Home for the Holidays

It seems like so long since my last post! Lot's going on with Christmas just around the corner. Last week I got the news that my mom would not be joining us for Christmas. The tickets are insanely expensive this time of year and it just doesn't make sense to come now. Hopefully next month. I've accepted it, but not after crying like a baby because I wouldn't be with my mom for the first time in my life on Christmas. Yes, I am a cry baby.

The good news is that I got a brand new "fake" tree this year and I love it so much more than our last one! My mom also sent me my stocking and I got my husband and "fur baby" Rocky stockings too! It's time to start our own traditions and I am so excited to see how much the holiday grows in our home. :)

(excuse the fuzzy phone pictures)

 

With all the warm and fuzzies that the holidays bring I was super excited when I found out my custom order from DefineBliss is on it's way! Back in October I entered a giveaway over at Katie's Camo-Colored Chaos and I won! I began emailing with Jessica at DefineBliss and she came up with the most beautiful custom order for our family! I should have it this weekend and I can't wait! This was my first time ordering something from Etsy and Jessica made the process so smooth and effortless. I got my husband in on it and we agreed on the font, color, and placement of everything! I definitely recommend her for all your custom needs! She's awesome!

 

This baby will be hanging right above our TV in the center of our little home. :)

 

 

After a little over a year in this tiny apartment of ours, it's really starting to feel like a home. It's custom pieces like this along with lots of love and memories. :)

 

 

I hope you all have a great weekend!



Feeling OK

I finally got there. Today I felt OK. I mean I'm still dealing with this back pain and some anxiety from my injury case, but overall today was good. Yesterday, I mustered up enough energy to declutter my side of the bedroom. Mostly just getting laundry organized and some dusting. I found a journal that I wrote in for some of the 10 days that I spent in Israel a couple years back (that journey is definitely another post!). What I wrote in it reminded me of my time there and that I was pretty healthy for the most part and that I climbed a freakin' mountain! It was pretty motivating I guess. I know that I will get back to the healthy Kim again.

Smiling after climbing Mt. Masada, Israel (2010)



I also dusted off a collection of pictures I have of loved ones on my Dad's side of the family that have passed away. I'm a strong beleiver in "the other side" and know that they are looking over me and helping guide me through life. My dad had 5 sisters (he was the only boy!) and 4 of them passed away. My Aunt Esther (my Dad's twin) passed away this past May and I spent time with her while she was in Hospice. My other Aunts had passed away when I was a child so I don't really remember a lot. I held my Aunt Esther's hand and told her it was okay to let go. It was one of the hardest and most difficult things I think I have ever gone through. I miss her so much. Even in her last breaths she made me promise her that I wouldn't leave her and that I loved her. Those dusty pictures brought up a lot of those memories. It also reminded me that I have them with me and that I'm going to get through this difficult time in my life.

My beautiful Aunt Esther
(she hated to take pictures so I don't have any recent ones but this is probably how she would like to be remembered) :)

 

So with all that randomness that yesterday was, it really helped me get through today. My bedroom is less cluttered, my heart is full of memories of past adventures and loved ones, and I finally completed a document from my injury case that has been looming over me.

Tomorrow, I plan on visiting with my Dad for a little and getting through some of that laundry that I bagged up yesterday! I'm so thankful for my husband who takes me wherever I please and helps me do my laundry. I love him. <3

I hope you had an OK day! ;)

A Fresh Start

I've decided today that whatever happens with my life I will look at it from a new perspective.

I've been able to text and talk to Wan daily and that definitely has been helping me feel less lost in this whole thing.

So today I'm going to start fresh. I'm going to start blogging about things that I truly enjoy talking about and stop sharing all my drama with you all. As much as it helps me to write it out, I know that airing out all my "personal" laundry may not be the best for me or my husband. I will still be updating things about my husband, especially when he comes home! Yay!

This past weekend I went out shopping for some dresses to wear when my husband comes home. Wan and I are very into the retro style and love going out to rockabilly shows and having fun at some of our cities retro hangouts. So here are the two amazing dresses I got that I feel so wonderful in!

 The dress I'm wearing on the day he comes home!
source

The "just because" dress
source

I'm so excited to get all dolled up for my man and feel that sigh of relief once he's back home in my arms. <3

So this is the last week I'll be living in the apartment with the noisy neighbor! Yay! I'm getting the keys for our new unit in the building on Friday. I'm looking forward to finally unpacking everything and getting settled in. I've also made sure that there are no noisy neighbors around! It'll be nice for Wan to come home to some peace and quiet.

With this new place comes new adventures and a feeling of renewal. I plan on cooking and baking a lot more here (in the old place I've only cooked once on my stove!). I want to bake lots of comfort food like filled pastries, cakes, cookies and many more yummy savory melt-in-your-mouth goodness! I love the smell of baked goods in a house, it makes it feel like a home.

The hubby and I also plan on buying a new couch, tv and KING size bed! We definitely need a King bed and I know it will bring us many nights of peaceful comfort :).

I'm going to also catch up on lots of reading. I love books! I love the feel of them, the smell of them and the comfort of just settling in on the couch with some good entertainment. I've purchased a couple books this past month that I want to read...but first, I MUST finish Twilight's Breaking Dawn. I've been so bad about this book that I need to finish it before the movie comes out. I think I'm going to start on it tonight, hopefully I can finish it soon. Next I want to read Water for Elephants and Horse Soldiers.

It's time to focus on myself a little and stop feeling sorry for myself! I have it so much better than some and I need to be grateful for this life I have. Hoping for good news with my husband soon and an all around better look through these eyes.

Where I Left Off

It's been quite some time since I've posted anything here. Not that I've forgotten, this journey has been a non-stop roller coaster since my husband left. Honestly, I don't know where to start or how much I should share. I guess I'll start where I left off with some of the milestones...

Once Wan got to basic I was able to settle in to things pretty quickly. His company got a Facebook page so I was able to see pictures and connect with the family members pretty easily.
I was looking for our first place together as a married couple. I could not find anything that was in our budget! This just added to the frustration and stress I was experiencing. I kept a lot of this from my husband for a while because I didn't want him to worry or get distracted from his training. I was finally able to find an affordable place in our budget and moved in June 1st! I was so happy and thought things were finally going to settle into place...

Night one at the apartment I noticed my bedroom wall was against my neighbors living room. He's a young guy who LOVES loud rap music! It was horrible, I ended up sleeping in the living room for quite some time after too many confrontations with him to the point that I'm scared of him. It's a horrible situation that I hope to never find myself in again. Thankfully we just got approved for another unit and are set to move in September 1st!

Like I said...my life is a roller coaster!

Along with the stress of Wan being gone and the apartment, I found myself having severe side effects to the cortisone injections I got to treat my back pain. It made my Cortisol Hormone (manages metabolism, stress, etc.) sky rocket so bad that I was crying ALL the time! I thought I was going crazy because I could not control my crying. It was embarrassing and affected my work and social life a lot. Thankfully my doctor was able to treat it and my supervisor's at work were very understanding.

I decided to tell my husband what was going on and I'm glad I did. He was very supportive and did his best to give me comfort and kind words. He's so amazing. I'm very luck to have married my best friend. His training is going great and we are only a little ways away from being together again! It's been a long 6+ months and I am so ready for him to be back home.

My husband has lost over 50lbs while at FLW and I am so proud of him!

My handsome man <3

I know it's hard to include what's been going on in my life the past 6 months but I hope this has shed some light on this crazy ride I'm on. I am so blessed and grateful for these experiences and I know I will learn so much from all of this.

I can't wait to be back with my husband again and continue on this journey...through these eyes ;)