See You Later

Esther, Nicole, Danielle, Dao, Shaira, and I 

The beautiful thing about becoming part of a military family is that brings together the most unlikely people. I did not come from a diverse hometown. Growing up I didn't know what it was like to travel, meet new people, or experience different cultures. I had never seen a skyscraper until I was in college, and the farthest west I'd ever traveled was still in North Carolina. At some point in life, I realized that I was not meant to stay in one place forever. Although my plan changed quite a few times, the Air Force has still found its way into my life and changed it forever.

Nearly two years ago I found myself uprooted and in Arkansas, friendless. I formed an online friendship with two very different young women, and a month after I moved we met up at Starbucks for the first time. The rest is history. Since my first coffee date with Dao and Esther, our group has grown to include three other ladies- all of whom have brought their own style and sass to our unique friendship. 

The downside to forming relationships with other military families is that we are forced to say goodbye sooner than we are ready. The first of our group to go is Danielle. Her sweet little family will be moving to Germany at the end of the month. To celebrate our friendship and her new adventure, we held a multi-cultural potluck dinner! I can assure you that if these ladies were not part of my life, I would have no idea what any of these foods are. The closest I've ever been to Asian food is Chinese takeout! 

On the menu was Filipino pancit and lumpia, Vietnamese spring rolls, Mexican mole, and vegetarian sides! I made an all-American dessert...apple pie! 

We spent the evening taking way too many pictures, gossiping, laughing, and eating everything in sight.

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We're sad to see Danielle go, but we know her family is going to make awesome memories in Germany! A reunion will certainly be in the making (I'm thinking when we force our children to marry each other). I know I have many other friendships awaiting me over the next 18 years of military life, but nothing will beat this first group of women (we like to call ourselves The Dream Team). They are beautiful, talented, and a little offensive, so there is literally no way I'll ever be able to forget them. 

The Dream Team official selfie

Welcoming June

The first week of June has been rain, crazy wind, and more rain. Kuzco didn't seem to mind, though! He passed the time by playing in my flower pots. 

"Dirt is for digging; even if it's in flower pots!" -Kuzco

I took full advantage of the one or two days of sunshine and spent it at the pool with some of my favorite ladies.

We haven't let the rain stop us from enjoying our weekend! Friday we went to a barbecue, and Saturday we went to little Liam's first birthday party. Look at how much this lil' chunk has grown!

Liam and I after he was born, and this weekend at his first birthday party!

His party narrowly escaped more rain! 

Sunday brought even more rain and thunderstorms. To pass the time, my sweet husband let me drag him all over Lowe's and Walmart in search of materials for a terrarium. It wasn't as cheap as I thought it would be, but it was extremely easy and looks super cute! I made a tutorial about it for those of you who are interested :) You can check it out here!

I hope everyone's summer is off to a great start!

DIY Terrarium

What better way to spend a rainy Sunday than with an indoor project! 

You will need:

• Glass jar or bowl (I got mine from Michael's using a coupon)
• Cactus potting soil 
• Decorative rocks (and fine screen or mesh if you want your rocks to show and not get covered by dirt like mine...)
• Succulents a/o cacti
• Spoon (aka mini shovel)

Optional items:

• activated charcoal ONLY if you make a terrarium with a lid
• small rocks or sand to layer across the top

I purchased my medium glass bowl from Michael's. The original price was $11.99, but I used a coupon and got it for $8.34! The succulents and potting soil came from Lowe's. The succulents ranged from $2.98-$3.98 and I bought a total of six. We later saw the exact same ones in Walmart for 50 cents cheaper! The soil was $4.24. My decorative are from Walmart and cost $4.77. I purchased two bags but only used one! 

Total cost: $36.23 (this is with a Michael's coupon and military discount at Lowe's)

Instructions:

1. Place your rocks in the bottom of your bowl or jar. You need rocks! They will help any excess water drain from the soil. Otherwise your succulents and cacti may suffer from root rot. As I mentioned earlier, you may want a screen to keep your dirt from settling and covering your rocks. I really wish I had done that! 
2. If you chose a terrarium with a lid, layer your charcoal between your rocks and your soil. The charcoal you need is the same kind you purchase for fish tanks! The purpose of it is to help filter and circulate the air in your closed terrarium.
3. Dump in your soil! Make sure you have the kind for cacti :) 
4. Using your spoon as a shovel, plant your succulents.
5. Place sand or small rocks on top of the soil. I really wanted to do this, but couldn't bring myself to spend another penny on this thing!