And we're back!

I've made it to Biloxi! The drive was looonnngggg and very interesting. Day one was short, day two was very long and at the end of the day as I was exiting to find a hotel the Jeep started acting up! So the next morning I took it to the Jeep dealer. EESH! Service in the south has been terrible! I sat at the dealership for 3 hours before they even came and talked to me!! After almost 5 hours of waiting the Jeep was fixed and I was back on the road. So three days on the road.

I pulled in to Biloxi at 4, got my apartment, moved in, showered, and headed to base to see Levi! The weekend has been great! I'm cleaning my apartment and settling in now. Tomorrow we are picking up a bed and hopefully a small table!

I'm so excited that Thanksgiving is this week! Not only does Levi have a 4 day weekend (yay!!) but we'll also be eating pecan pie and other festive foods! And I'll be with my husband which makes me VERY happy. :) (have I mentioned how THANKFUL I am for him??)

Here are a few pictures! I'm sure I'll have more tomorrow!

This is the beach that is just across the road from my apartment!

The long white fence is Jefferson Davis' house. He's about two blocks from me, we're practically neighbors!

This is the pier that is just across the street and down a little from my apartment.

And Levi got a hair cut today! 

And I thought I'd include the next two books that are on my reading list!

  

Tomatoland            and        From the Bottom Up

Off to do some crafting now, and kill some cockroaches I think (ish...)

Hello

Hello,

I feel like we're starting from scratch. Maybe we are.

My name is Ally, I grew up on a small family farm in Minnesota. I married an amazing man on July 2nd, 2010. He balances me out perfectly and is my best friend. Somewhere in there he decided he wanted to join the Air Force. So here we are! Today is my last day in Minnesota. We will be residents of the south! First Mississippi and then Louisiana (at least that's what the AF is telling us for now...). Levi is doing avionics in the Air Force. I'm hoping to start graduate school in Environmental Science in January. I have a passion for environmental issues that are tied to social justice. Together we like being involved in church, walking our dog, being outdoorsy, and making pesto pizza. In my free time (which I will have a lot of for now!) I like to cook, bake, sew, crochet, bike, hike, and read. I also like kicking the soccer ball around, drinking good coffee, hanging out with my husband, and making friends!

I'm hoping this becomes a place where I can record bits of our life, new places and faces, and (soon!?) my newly acquired cajun cooking skills (and disasters). :)

~ Ally

On my mind

This is my 100th post, how interesting. Just thought I would jot a few thoughts down for the evening.

- Being a new military wife has been an experience. I think I've grown a lot in the last few weeks. (More to come on this later this week?)

- I LOVE fall. I love the colors, the pumpkin awesomeness, the friends, the weather, everything

- My poor baby gets declawed on Tuesday :( Poor Harriet!!

- I think we need to become more sensitive to people around us. I know I'm a little (a lot??) tactless at times but I'm going to try and work on this. There are more hurting people than we notice.

- I feel like the American culture has desensitized us to... well... everything. I need to work on my eternal perspective. :)

- God is so good.

- When I'm really tired and my vocabulary fails me I start using noises to describe objects

- I'm ready to put on my cooking shoes again and get back in the kitchen after an extended break. Up for today: flaxseed and hemp protein pancakes! I'll keep you updated

Miss you

Moving galore!

What a rollercoaster of the last two weeks! A brief fill-in is in order! We are moving out of our house! My parents have so kindly loans us their cabin for the next three weeks to bunk out there. Meaning! ALL our belongings are packed and in storage at Levi’s parents house! How odd. It all seems real now, that Levi is really leaving, that we’re outta here in a matter of months. Woot! (And also very sad but tonight is a woot night!) Now praying harder than ever the house will sell!

I got moved at my job from days to nights back to days! I’ll start back on days sometime later this month but thank the Lord the end is coming quickly to working nights. My body, mind, and emotions were fraying quickly, even within this short week and a half.

A friend and I are going to start doing the 4-hour body next week or the week after. Kind of excited/kind of nervous. All you get to eat is protein, beans, and veggies. Eeesh. Should be good for some diet changes though!

I’ve made a fun list of goals to shoot for while Levi is down in Texas. I’m really excited for all of them but here are just a few: Work on my life plan, bike 300 miles between Sept 6 and Nov 6, sew more fun things, go to pilates/yoga as often as possible, cook new fun foods, and try to see as many friends as possible (without over packing my schedule) ((Mel, Kinsey, Jess, and Katie be expecting visits! Yay!)).

Enjoy your beautiful summer day! 

Happenings

A lot has happened in the last few weeks. Sorry to not keep things updated.

1. Levi is leaving Sept. 6th for basic training!! (sigh, excited yes but also overwhelmed at this point)

2. Due to that we have begun a mad-rush packing session at our house. It's been a little hectic (ha!), but it's getting done. (part of the overwhelmed problem)

3. This evening was the first time I really got too emotional about the whole ordeal since finding out last Thursday. It finally really set in: we're leaving our first house, Levi and I will be apart for at least a full 8 weeks, then we are leaving our families and the only area we have ever lived, we are leaving our friends and our fabulous church family. And we'll be on a new adventure that involves weird schedules, being married to the military, and making ourselves at home in a new place (we don't even know WHERE yet!). So far I'm still more excited than emotional but we'll see how long that lasts. :)

4. I have begun reflecting on the last two months and feel I have learned quite a few valuable lessons about future career goals.

5. I got hired at a real job (the type that has things like benefits...) it's been interesting and so far I'm liking it. I switch to nights starting on Friday so that will be.... interesting. I **hate** switching my sleep schedule so we'll see how it goes!

6. I've been making high and lofty goals for the two months Levi is gone. We'll see how many I accomplish but it's at least fun to have things planned. :)

And I think that's about it. Talk about a lot of change in a very short time frame! Yikes! I haven't finished my book for July yet but I'll let you know when I do that too. There just hasn't been enough hours in the day it seems! :)

10 questions from B'ahava

Today I'm following B'ahava and sharing a little about me and maybe learn a little about you! Here are her 10 questions of the morning:

1. what books are you reading?

2. what movies/tv shows are you watching?

3. what’s your favorite color combination today?

4. what’s the first word that you see in the room around you?

5. what’s on your song playlist lately?

6. pottery, painting, or drawing?

7. walking on the beach or laying on the beach?

8. ruth, esther, or mary?

9. matthew, mark, luke or john?

10. get up early or stay up late?

************************************

1. I am currently reading Uranium by Tom Zoellner and Plan B by Pete Wilson. Uranium is a fascinating non-faction book. I'm glad I picked it up!

2. The husb and I have really been enjoying watching an episode of 24 every night or so for the last 4 or 5 months. We love action/adventure.

3. Fav. color combo! Today: green and brown, I'm a sucker for earthy colors.

4. Sadly, there aren't many words. So I guess I'll go with Uranium. 

5. Song playlist lately... Mostly Dave Matthews, a little bit of bluegrass, and a few odds and ends. In the car I listen to MPR.

6. Pottery and painting! I love doing both! I just took a ceramics class last semester and had a blast. I also like watercolor, challenging and beautiful. 

7. Walking on the beach, I tend to get antsy after 10 minutes of laying on the beach. :)

8. Ruth for sure. 

9. John.

10. Getting up early! The morning is so peaceful. (On not hot/humid mornings) I love eating my breakfast outside and listening to the birds chatter.

What are your 10??