Dear New Police Wife,
I am thinking of you this week, remembering you as a distant memory. Those first nights alone, how you woke up in the morning so excited you "made it through the night." I remember when you first realized this was going to be your life. It seemed so bleak and lonely those first few months. A new wonderful husband, a new wonderful life, and 3-4 nights a week, you live it by yourself. I promise you, you will be able to rally all kinds of support of people who think this life you lead is treacherous. You will get used to people saying, "I could never do that." or "I can't believe you do that." I hate to say it, but you have to (as my dad always said to us growing up), "grow some hair on your chest" or maybe "be a solider" would be less graphic and weird description.
I know, I know. It is easy for me to say this where I sit, but if you knew me before I was a police wife, you would know I was the least likely girl on the block to adopt the phrase, "be a solider". I would simply say, "no thank you." With a smile of course.
The list goes on and on how to adopt this new mentality, but here is really the only thing that matters- you love your officer. Done. He picked this very noble calling, and for all the sacrifices you make and all the sacrifices he makes, why not push him to greatness. Encourage him to enjoy it, cry when you need to, have your rants, indulge in the occasional pity party from your friends who complain that their husband missed dinner. But find a stopping ground and remember you LOVE your officer. Remember that he is more lonely that the average office working Joe too. Remember that everyone has down sides to the career they choose and everyone has things that are worse than you. Do NOT let yourself believe that your situation is the worst. You are not eternally unique.
Soon, you will look back on the past 3 years as I do. I stand in awe of the journey the Lord has taken me on. I can't believe who he has allowed me to be and who he has given to me along the way.
Hang in there.
Be a grizzly.
~an Officer and a Mrs.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
An Officer and a Mrs. do Paleo
As I mentioned on our Fav Friday post, we are trying Paleo with a few exceptions. I know, I know...you may think to yourself, "doesn't that defeat the purpose of a diet"?
My answer would be, maybe.
But the Officer and I are going for life change, and sometimes you have to ease your way into it.
Why paleo?
1. I am married to a carnivore. He is all guy, therefore loves a good hardy meal. We could not pick something where he lost that because he would never stick to it.
2. We are Cross Fit groupies. If you do cross fit and we know about it, we think you are pretty amazing and kind of treat you like a celebrity. Officer and I have been wanting to do it for awhile and it hasn't been affordable for us. Now that it is, we are jumping on and paleo is their recommended way of life.
What are the exceptions we decided on?
All of these exceptions, we will give up as we get more used to the diet but since this was such a drastic change for our life style we decided on a few exceptions.
1. Officer still drinks milk. He would pick milk over ANY other drink. This would be his desert island drink. He loves it. When we go on vacation, its the first thing we have to find so he can have his usual every night glass of milk. I am serious about this.
2. I still have the occasional slice of bread. When I saw no grains, my heart stopped- literally. I wasn't ready to go cold turkey with that. I would definitely have the shakes...but I will say, a week in, I could give it up now, so I am phasing it out this week.
3. We have eggs in the morning. We are not great cooks, still learning recipes so we have allowed eggs.
4. We have a cheat day every Saturday. We don't go crazy but we allow ourselves a few splurges.
We have to lead by example.
We decided we wanted our little Fox to eat healthy, and stay as far away from processed as possible. How could we expect this of our child if she saw her parents doing something totally different? We had to change. Also, right now Fox is allergic to oat, so if she doesn't grow out of this, we needed to learn to cook and live in a way where she could eat with us.
Officer has already gone down a size and I have gone down a half size. 1.5 weeks people. Now what this really shows, is how our diet had to change. It had to. We were making terrible choices, and for those who know me, you know I almost always, 100% of the time had candy with me, loud and proud. I am now seeing this had a much greater effect on me than I ever wanted to admit.
We are officially in cross fit and can't wait to see results here.
It's ah-mazing how good this diet makes us feel. So far the amount of meat intake has been good for me, which I never thought it would. Different diets do different things for different people. It is A LOT of cooking and planning so each Sunday we plan out the whole week, breakfast - dinner. We are committed to change and will keep updates as we continue to eliminate those exceptions.
This is so fun to do together. I think life change has to happen as a team, because you are so encouraged and excited as you see the other feel better and look better.
If you are thinking about making the switch here is my fav book and blog I have found so far.
~an Officer and a Mrs.
My answer would be, maybe.
But the Officer and I are going for life change, and sometimes you have to ease your way into it.
Why paleo?
1. I am married to a carnivore. He is all guy, therefore loves a good hardy meal. We could not pick something where he lost that because he would never stick to it.
2. We are Cross Fit groupies. If you do cross fit and we know about it, we think you are pretty amazing and kind of treat you like a celebrity. Officer and I have been wanting to do it for awhile and it hasn't been affordable for us. Now that it is, we are jumping on and paleo is their recommended way of life.
What are the exceptions we decided on?
All of these exceptions, we will give up as we get more used to the diet but since this was such a drastic change for our life style we decided on a few exceptions.
1. Officer still drinks milk. He would pick milk over ANY other drink. This would be his desert island drink. He loves it. When we go on vacation, its the first thing we have to find so he can have his usual every night glass of milk. I am serious about this.
2. I still have the occasional slice of bread. When I saw no grains, my heart stopped- literally. I wasn't ready to go cold turkey with that. I would definitely have the shakes...but I will say, a week in, I could give it up now, so I am phasing it out this week.
3. We have eggs in the morning. We are not great cooks, still learning recipes so we have allowed eggs.
4. We have a cheat day every Saturday. We don't go crazy but we allow ourselves a few splurges.
We have to lead by example.
We decided we wanted our little Fox to eat healthy, and stay as far away from processed as possible. How could we expect this of our child if she saw her parents doing something totally different? We had to change. Also, right now Fox is allergic to oat, so if she doesn't grow out of this, we needed to learn to cook and live in a way where she could eat with us.
Officer has already gone down a size and I have gone down a half size. 1.5 weeks people. Now what this really shows, is how our diet had to change. It had to. We were making terrible choices, and for those who know me, you know I almost always, 100% of the time had candy with me, loud and proud. I am now seeing this had a much greater effect on me than I ever wanted to admit.
We are officially in cross fit and can't wait to see results here.
It's ah-mazing how good this diet makes us feel. So far the amount of meat intake has been good for me, which I never thought it would. Different diets do different things for different people. It is A LOT of cooking and planning so each Sunday we plan out the whole week, breakfast - dinner. We are committed to change and will keep updates as we continue to eliminate those exceptions.
This is so fun to do together. I think life change has to happen as a team, because you are so encouraged and excited as you see the other feel better and look better.
If you are thinking about making the switch here is my fav book and blog I have found so far.
~an Officer and a Mrs.
Friday, March 23, 2012
FAV things Friday....
Happy Friday!
Here is what the Officer and I have been this week....
the Mrs. Fav spot- baby girl is getting to be a bit picky with her food so I have been ALL over this blog for helpful tips!
the Officer's fav spot- next week him and I are starting CROSSFIT....yikes. I am terrified. I love fitness and working out but it has been a LONG time since I have been challenged in this way. However, as we firmly believe and talk more about here, its important to have goals and have fun together. SO we are doing CrossFIT!
OUR recipes are coming from here. We are doing a hybrid of the paleo diet as we begin Crossfit. We are wanting to increase our discipline but be realistic so we have made a few modifications. More to come on that.
the Mrs. is drooling over the new line of baby clothes here...
the Officer is really wanting to vacay some time soon here...
the Mrs. is reading this book and this book right now on marriage and health.
Happy Friday!
~an officer and a mrs.
Here is what the Officer and I have been this week....
the Mrs. Fav spot- baby girl is getting to be a bit picky with her food so I have been ALL over this blog for helpful tips!
the Officer's fav spot- next week him and I are starting CROSSFIT....yikes. I am terrified. I love fitness and working out but it has been a LONG time since I have been challenged in this way. However, as we firmly believe and talk more about here, its important to have goals and have fun together. SO we are doing CrossFIT!
OUR recipes are coming from here. We are doing a hybrid of the paleo diet as we begin Crossfit. We are wanting to increase our discipline but be realistic so we have made a few modifications. More to come on that.
the Mrs. is drooling over the new line of baby clothes here...
the Officer is really wanting to vacay some time soon here...
the Mrs. is reading this book and this book right now on marriage and health.
Happy Friday!
~an officer and a mrs.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
School of Rox - 7 MONTHS!!!
Say HELLO to our 7 month old...WHERE did the time go? This month SHE TOOK OFF!!!
We started wearing polo's from H&M...(insert mom happy dance here because they are so affordable!) and making faces full of personality.
Wearing bows IN OUR HAIR!!!! Like a big girl and posing...
We flew to New Mexico to see our besties Lesley and Baby Boy G...and can I add we flew just the two of us. I now feel like a real MOM.
Girls picture that Baby Boy G snuck in. We cant wait to meet you and had such a blast visiting you.
At the air port headed home to Dal...mom booked a late night flight which wasnt the smartest thing she could have done so she pretty much got whatever she wanted...post to come about traveling with a baby.
I learned to sit and watch Elmo with my buddy Jackson who calls me "Saucy" . We love it.
Still teething....so Sophie is still our number 1.
Finally fit into my "newborn bow"
I often try to get of my car seat if mom doesn't buckle me in really quick. I am only going to fit in this one for 2.5 more pounds!!!
Stats:
-17.5 pounds
-9 month clothes
-size 3 diapers
Updates:
-You started crawling the day before your 7th month birth date. And not the army hybrid crawl. Real crawl. But just a few steps.
-You actually would love to walk and apparently love yoga. Downward dog is your favorite pose and sometimes you try to push to your feet. Don't rush growing up my love. You will walk soon enough!
-You roll all over the place in your sleep and talk occasionally. You have totally taken rolling to a new level.
-You told Dolly (your favorite soft toy) your first words while we were in Target. You said "dadadada" . You are starting to connect that it means Dada and who Dada is but it melts our heart every time. You also like, bababa and mmmmmmm.
-You flew with mommy to New Mexico, adding another state to your belt of flying in your first year.
-You seem to understand one of your baby signs. You smile every time I do the "all done" sign. Mostly because it means you get to be free and out of your high chair. Its not your favorite thing.
-You can wave when people say hi to you and bye you. You finally figured it out right when we got back from New Mexico and then showed your true skills to the chickfila worker at lunch. I was so proud!
-You can go from laying down to sitting up when you have self play in the morning. You do such a good job Roxie, entertaining yourself. I love listening to you talk to your toys.
-You started stage 2 foods and it has been so much easier. You like combinations more than single foods...most of the time.
-You are in between 3 naps and 2 naps so the hour before bed time is a little rough some times but you sleep solid for 12 hours and mommy appreciates it.
-You have started this nose crinkle when you don't get your way or what you want. You have quite the attitude some times little miss.
-You were in a wedding and were a CHAMP! You made it all the way down the isle in a wagon that daddy pulled. Cant wait to show pictures!!
-You started tagging along mommy's runs in the jogging stroller creating a whole new level of running for mom....what a work out.
-You LOVE interacting with kids. You smile so big every time mommy lets you near another kid. You giggle and get so excited. Sometimes we grab faces a little too hard but we are learning.
Nicknames:
Fox (family)
Lamby (mom and aunt gu call you this one)
Pumpkin (dad's fav)
You are loved little girl. You are the joy to your mommy and daddy's life. We are so humbled by the fact that we get to raise you and can't believe how you have grown up.
Love,
mom & dad
~an Officer and a Mrs.
Wife Wednesdays
Dear New Detective Wives,
Can you give me your thoughts? I am new at this. I am learning about words like, "sting" and "on call" (which seems like all the time) and getting used to meeting my hubs for lunch in a "civilian" looking car while he is wearing a suit and tie with a big ole' badge and gun holster on his belt. I laugh, but smile with joy when I see the Officer growing into a........Detective. Among those funny words and new schedule is one happy officer, excuse me...Detective. You might have weird hours, or our husbands might be getting into stuff that makes our hairs stand up or even worse, make us afraid to go outside, but thank God people desire to do what our guys do. Thank God men want to catch the bad guys. Thank God men who love the Lord want to catch the bad guys. What would we do without them.
If you feel like you now look at places with these dingy glasses (the opposite of rose colored) and see how bad the world is, then this is how our husbands must see the minority of the world the majority of the time. Does that make sense? It helps me sleep at night. Hope it helps you.
In the mean time, I am enjoying the ride of detective wife. We have seasons of life. Seasons where your schedule seems perfect, and seasons where your schedule seems impossible to participate in society as anything other than a vampire. Maybe you have been a vampire for awhile. Find joy in it, no matter what. Life is too short.
~an Officer and a Mrs.
Can you give me your thoughts? I am new at this. I am learning about words like, "sting" and "on call" (which seems like all the time) and getting used to meeting my hubs for lunch in a "civilian" looking car while he is wearing a suit and tie with a big ole' badge and gun holster on his belt. I laugh, but smile with joy when I see the Officer growing into a........Detective. Among those funny words and new schedule is one happy officer, excuse me...Detective. You might have weird hours, or our husbands might be getting into stuff that makes our hairs stand up or even worse, make us afraid to go outside, but thank God people desire to do what our guys do. Thank God men want to catch the bad guys. Thank God men who love the Lord want to catch the bad guys. What would we do without them.
If you feel like you now look at places with these dingy glasses (the opposite of rose colored) and see how bad the world is, then this is how our husbands must see the minority of the world the majority of the time. Does that make sense? It helps me sleep at night. Hope it helps you.
In the mean time, I am enjoying the ride of detective wife. We have seasons of life. Seasons where your schedule seems perfect, and seasons where your schedule seems impossible to participate in society as anything other than a vampire. Maybe you have been a vampire for awhile. Find joy in it, no matter what. Life is too short.
~an Officer and a Mrs.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Communicate Communicate
Good Morning from the Mrs.
Man are we in a busy season. I am queen of "over committing" and for me to be turning things down, you know its busyness over here. Mostly because we have a lot of friends getting married and a LOT of friends having babies.
Before August we are expecting....
6 new babies in our world- 3 boys, 2 girls and 1 unknown (i am partial to the unknown! Click here to know our story)
7 weddings- Jeff is best man in one and I am maid of honor in one....
This is loads of fun because we are seeing our friends and family enter into a beautiful season of life and marrying their better half. I love it, but it has just has made for some crazy weeks and will continue.
Officer and I had to have a time out last week, and catch up because sometimes in craziness your communication, well, sucks.
We were totally not doing life on the same page and had to get back in sync. We got inspired by this blog, as we always do, and decided to write our own Tuesday questions. Their questions are so great, but we tweaked them a little bit to fit the Officer and me.
1. What does your week look like?
2. What do we need to do for Roxie this week (baby sitter, help watching her when Mrs. works, medicine, appts, etc...)
3. How can I better serve you this week?
4. What are you doing this week to better your relationship with Christ, to better your relationship with others, and better your career?
5. What do you need prayer for this week?
These help with a lot of miscommunication we have so we are going to commit to regularly going through these...follow up to come.
~an Officer and a Mrs.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday FAVS
Happy Friday!!!
This week flew by. We have a busy day ahead of this, but I realized how much I like reading blogs that do some sort of favorite during the week so I decided to try it out!!
My FAVORITE new blog discovery who always makes it worth your reading pleasure!
My FAVORITE item on my summer wish list!!
My FAVORITE new etsy shop (I am a COMPLETE etsy junkie and half of Roxie's style come from there!)
My FAVORITE crafting product right now is spray pain chalkboard. I put it on everything. I am totally obsessed. If you are due for a birthday or a shower from me in the near future, chalkboard paint will most likely be included.
Rox loved it too!
My FAVORITE picture of my loves this week!! She is such a ham!
My FAVORITE teething toy is Sophie. We never leave home without her. Clearly its a hit!
Have a great weekend!!
~an Officer and a Mrs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)