Hart & McKee: My apologies!

I'm sorry I fell off the edge of the blogging world these past few weeks. It wasn't totally purposeful. I've been working a lot more than usual, and I seem to have much more to do around the house and yard now that the weather is getting warmer. Most evenings lately, I've been so worn out that all I want to do at the end of the day is crawl into bed. Don't be offended, it's not only blogging I've taken a break from - I haven't been reading, cross stitching, or even watching movies either.

My lack of interest in the hobbies I usually enjoy can also be partially attributed to my tendency to switch my life into "autopilot" when the Mister is away. As someone who loves her daily routine, I find myself just going through the motions, not really allowing myself to stop and think much. Although this sometimes works in my favor because it makes the days go by faster and saves me from most of those pesky "I miss my husband" emotions, it is also a detrimental habit in that I forget to appreciate each day and don't let myself enjoy happier moments to their fullest extent.

The Mister has moved to a new base where he is much busier, which is a good thing - he likes to have his time occupied. But it can sometimes be frustrating when our schedules don't have a shared time when we're both available to Skype or Facebook message. Luckily, we were able to talk almost every day this past week, making me much less likely to switch on my cruise control and zone out of day-to-day life. I've always been a person very into the Carpe Diem way of living (or YOLO as kids these days say), so I'm working on not autopiloting. But I think life gets so crazy sometimes that we're all guilty of it. You know that feeling when you're getting in bed at night and you're setting your alarm and you think to yourself, "Didn't I just do this?" Although I'm happy for the days to fly by because it means I'm one day closer to seeing Chris again, I never want to wish my life away. Sometimes it's easy to forget in the mundane tasks that make up each day that every moment is a blessing - moments spent at work, driving, paying the bills, fighting with the sprinklers in the front yard (more on that later) - all gifts. So "Carpe Diem" has been my mantra lately.

During my blogging hiatus, I gathered quite a collection of fun things to share with you. None of these topics are really related, so I'll just list them instead of trying to come up with transitions between them. : ) Let's get the ball rolling...

Look at those roses! Chris is awfully proud of this row of knock outs he planted in the front yard last year, and they have been growing like crazy this spring. They just started blooming in the past couple weeks, and they are COVERED in flowers. I may be biased, but they are the prettiest rose bushes I've seen anywhere so far this year. Not that I had anything to do with it - I sprinkled a little fertilizer at their bases about a month ago, but that's it. Definitely thinking every vase in my house is going to be filled with pink roses all summer...

And check out my baby sunflowers and zinnias!

I can't wait to see some flowers, but it'll be a while.

Our house has been in need of a full length mirror for quite some time. After I sent Chris a picture of my Easter dress by climbing on the chest at the end of our bed to take a photo in the mirror above our dresser, he told me I had to go buy a full length mirror before I broke an ankle. I'd been wanting a leaning mirror forever, so I went and bought one that week to fill the empty space in this corner of our bedroom. Technically, the frame is dark brown, but it looks really black. Even though it doesn't match our furniture perfectly, it'll do. I'm just thankful I'm no longer risking injury when I try to see my whole outfit before work.

Now, meet my worst enemies (other than the spider who lived on our back door for about a week) -

A few mornings ago, after finishing my coffee, I was feeling industrious, so I decided to finally set the sprinklers up and water the lawn like I'd been promising Chris I would forever. I was inspired by how nice the yard looked - Chris's dad came and mowed the lawn the day before, and the Bermuda grass is really "greening up." An hour later, it seemed like everything but the lawn had been watered - the house, the front porch, Chris's truck, the mailbox, me. Even though I was soaking wet, I didn't give up. My ability to dominate the sprinklers felt like it represented much more than just watering the grass. Eventually, I had them rotating in a way that watered most of the surface area of the lawn. Chris can usually set them to water the whole yard, but I was thankful for my small victory. Seriously, why do they have to make setting these sprinklers so challenging? So many pins and tabs... Just a button or a dial would be a little more on my level. I can't help but think the neighbors were all looking out their windows laughing. Hannah vs. The Sprinklers had to have been super entertaining from their perspective.

Every morning recently, the dogs have been having a standoff over Hank's food bowl. (Please pardon the trash can on the kitchen table - sometimes it's easier to put it up there than to tell Lulu, "No," a thousand times a day.) For some reason, Hank has decided he doesn't really want to eat his breakfast anymore. When I give him his food, he just mopes by his bowl and stares at me like he is really annoyed and would rather be back in bed or barking at the neighborhood children, then eventually wanders away without even taking a bite. Since he leaves his bowl sitting full of food, Luellen can't resist the temptation to try to steal a few kibbles every time she walks by, no matter how many times I tell her to "leave it." Of course, when Hank sees her trying to eat his food, he becomes VERY upset (just because he doesn't want it, doesn't mean she can have it). Then they speak dog language to each other for a few minutes:

And eventually they come to the mutual decision that Hank can eat his own food.

I wish Hank would just eat when I give it to him so we could bypass this situation every morning, mostly because I'm worried it's going to result in a fight one of these days. But I do have to admit it's slightly entertaining. I sure do wish I knew what went on inside their heads, why Hank doesn't want his food till Lulu tries to steal it, and how they communicate so effectively with just body language. I'm such a crazy dog lady...

One of our favorite things to do as a couple is try new beers, and seasonal samplers are a fun and easy way to do that in the comfort of our own home. Although I prefer to support local NC breweries, bigger brewing companies usually have a little more variety. I think Chris would agree that we have really enjoyed Samuel Adams's seasonal brews in the past, so I was super excited when I discovered they had released their "Beers of Summer" for this year.

Usually I would be a little nervous to buy a sampler pack without Chris to help me drink it - he typically drinks the heavier beers while I love the lighter ones. But the beers featured in this group are all kinds I enjoy - Belgian, fruit, wheat, etc. I can't wait to try them all! It's going to take me much longer to get through them than it would if Chris was drinking his share. : ) So far I've only had the White Lantern, and it was delicious! I always find comfort in keeping up hobbies Chris and I enjoy when we're together. Chris is beyond ready for a cold beer these days (they're not allowed to drink while deployed) - just as much as I'm ready for him to be here having one with me. The good news is we've made it to almost three months of deployment, which means we're three months closer to having a cold one together!

The Aiken, SC, newspaper The Aiken Standard recently published this article about the rescue organization we adopted our Lulu from. My favorite quote in the piece is, "Weimaraners are considered one of the neediest breeds in all of the American Kennel Club. They want a lot of face time with their humans." You think so?

For anyone who loves The Big Bang Theory (in particular Leonard and Penny's relationship) as much as I do, Leonard and Penny got engaged this past week! I hardly ever remember to watch the new episodes lately, but when I heard the proposal finally happened I had to look up the scene on YouTube to see how perfectly awkward and romantic it was. And I wasn't disappointed. Hopefully I'll be able to catch the whole episode soon, but until then I'll just be watching this video on repeat. I especially love it when she calls him a "Pop-Tart," gonna have to remember that one.

These three songs are seriously all I want to listen to right now:

"Golden" - Lady Antebellum

This acoustic version is even better than the radio single because the harmonies are BEAUTIFUL.

"Meanwhile Back at Mama's" - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

It's like a sequel to "Where the Green Grass Grows" (1997), plus I love a good duet, especially when it's a husband and wife doing the singing. All Chris and I really want in life is a little house on a big piece of land (with some kiddos and horsies and doggies running around) one day, so this song makes me think of him every time I listen to it. I could listen to it over and over and over...

"Where It's At" - Dustin Lynch

Basically, I love this song because of the "yep, yeps" in the chorus, and the, "It ain't in a souped-up, shiny, red, new truck if she ain't to my right" line. It's just so darn cute.