almost over

I can't help but get a little nervous/giddy when I think of A coming home.. of what I'm going to do and how it'll be.. I mean, its like starting your relationship over -really- and being all ninja about it. 

Homecoming #1 Aloha Skies Photography 

This year is a little different seeing as I probably wont be able t pick him up because of my own work schedule (lets keep our fingers crossed they come in on a Monday!!!) but then I remind myself that its not a big deal and we'll be able to be together that night -or maybe my lunch break! 

Homecoming #2 Aloha Skies Photography

No welcome home pictures.. no big hug or sitting around at the international gate for hours (literally) waiting for A to make an appearance. Though I am really sad that our reality is us getting together that night, or maybe on a 30 minute lunch break, I am happy that I get to welcome him home. Now to just figure out what to do with the house as far as decorations! Any and all ideas are welcome, especially if you have pictures or something.. man.. so soon. so tired of waiting! 

-Acacia

My beautiful boy

I remember when A said we were getting a puppy, and by we.. I mean he, and I was utterly terrified. A dog, insanity! But here you are, almost one year later from your 'gotcha' date (I'm borrowing the term from legitimate adoption) and you're one! A whole year, I know its been tough on you, you've had to watch daddy go off to war and have been my best friend for the last few months.. and even though you ate my boot and chewed on the table AND learned how to open the baby gate with your mouth.. I still love you. You're the best dog anyone could ask for, and I am so lucky that you are apart of our family. 

Brutus, my love, my genius and the light of our life.. heres to you! 

I can't believe how big you are! :) 

Fashion | Washington + Rain

So I've been in the PacNW for the last four years, Washington for three... and I have to say that for the first 3 years I didn't own a winter coat, rain jacket, umbrella, rain boots or anything remotely decent for rainy weather. I'm from Arizona, this mythical thing called rain rarely happens there.. and yet I moved to the raniest state.. genius award. 

Now things that you definitely should spend your money on? A good rain coat w/ the zip out liner. I recommend Columbia or North Face, both amazing, but Columbia is a little cheaper -at times- than North Face. 

Rain boots- just get some, trust me. 

Boots - I had some cowboy boots, till Bru ate one, now I have no boots and am sad.. bring on the sister and her $10 Frye boots! 

Umbrella, though I don't use one, I hear they work wonders! 

But just because its chilly and rainy doesn't mean you have to turn in your summer wardrobe. In fact I wear my summer/spring clothes year round by layering on with my fall clothes. These two style boards are from my pinterest that I absolutely LOVE. Though add more color if you live up here, seasonal depression is a killer. 

I hope to make more attempts at fashion blogging, with my sister moving up here I'll finally have someone that I can A. have dress me + update my style and B. take pictures. You'll more than likely see her fashions on here more than mine, but hey.. use your resources, right?! 

I hope you ladies enjoy the fall/winter, and those in the PacNW feel free to let me know your must haves for the rainy season. 

-Acaica

Lifestyle

My lifestyle is sorta weird, I'm not a spouse to an airman, I am just the girlfriend... I don't want my blog to be all military since it is my blog... but then I run across the fact that I am pretty freaking boring. I work, take care of Bru and the house and wait for my man to come home. I daydream at work about how it'll be to hold him in my arms again, and at the same time I kick butt and realize that my parents raised me right i.e. not lazy. 

After so long with someone whose job is so "high speed" you start to get tired of it, I'm tired of missing my best friend and of the SAT phone cutting off. I am tired of this lifestyle. I want a home, kids, decent sized yard and a detached barn style garage for portraits.. I want the mundaneness of A coming home day after day, tired and only wanting to hang out with the dog. I want to actually have time to plan out my life more than a month or week in advance..

I am proud of A, don't get me wrong, but A isn't everything.. do you know how hard it I just want to tell people he works in an office doing adjustments or something equally boring?? Everyday. I stopped even bringing up the fact that he's in the military, when people ask I always get the same question "so has he killed anyone?" Uh.. none of your business? The second someone finds out he's military its like my accomplishments don't matter, just that I've stood by his side.. well guess what, it isn't that hard to be there for someone, it probably harder on him to be there for me, than the other way around. In the last few years I've discovered the importance of being proud, but in a quiet manner. I no longer flaunt his job, his successes or the things that truly don't matter to him, instead I talk about him as a person. He's more than a uniform and this lifestyle is just a temporary speed bump in what we really want. 

Like I said, I am proud, A is my best friend and he does so much for this country by just being overseas.. without him someone else would have to be there.. and while it sucks, I would rather it be him than the guy with kids. But this "lifestyle" isn't ours, and the military can keep it...along with the rest of the crap we don't care about. 

-Acacia 

Exciting

My big sister is moving to Washington!!!!!! I'm so excited, I finally get to have my best friend (girl) in my life again, full time, and my very own fashion expert. Seriously, you have no idea. 

K & I are four years apart, and it took us living apart for the last 5 years to really value our friendship as sisters.. so to say having her be here is amazing is probably an understatement. 

I can't wait. 

These next 1.5 month(s) will hopefully go by quickly, since I get two great presents before Christmas it truly makes life better... now if only A could come home early.. hmmm. 

who I want to be

I want to be that woman, yes woman, who you look at and say "look at her go, Ms. got everything together" but lets face it.. it'll never happen. I'm okay with this. 

I want to be an amazing photographer.

I want to ROCK my new job so hard that I get promoted in three months! 

I want to be more Godly, I want to live through Him and His word.. and I fail all the time. 

I want to be more positive. 

I want to be a professional

mother

lover

wife

girlfriend

friend

best friend

sister

daughter

I want to be all of these things, because all of these things mean something to me.

I want to be the kind of person that my parents would be proud of, God would shine down on and my (someday) children can look back and say "that's my mom, she's rad" cause my kids will say rad.

In the end... I'll be myself, I'll become this woman and in the end I'll have so many other women to thank for becoming the person I have/will become. 

This is random, but I found out that Jen Burgess -photographer- passed away from her fight with ovarian cancer this morning, this wonderful and compassionate mother, wife, daughter and follower of Christ... I read her blog once -beginning to end- and was just put in awe at the kind of woman she is was.. all I can think is that I will someday be woman like herself. With her strength and the beauty she saw the world, even in the wake her diagnosis. 

I want to be like her.. and I can say this about many, many women in my life. Thank you. 

a little lump

So its October, YAY! We -women, and most everyone- knows what October & October is breast cancer awareness month. Around the beginning of September I had a genius idea to get a physical which is pretty important to do as a woman and you know.. I hate needles, doctors and all things that involve a pelvic exam. 

Via

Well during this exam I was talking to my doctor about the boob history of my family, and this is all while she was giving my boobs a feel.. when she goes "you know there's a lump in your left breast" and I am fairly sure that my response was to have the color drain from my face and say "no" literally one of the scariest things to hear at 24 years of age. The mood of the room is quickly changed from laughter to seriousness, words like "tests, breast cancer and lymph node" are thrown out as well as "immediately/concerning" my doctor was worried, which worried me. Literally after 10 minutes of me sitting there thinking that I am an idiot for not checking my own boobs, and running across the hall to make an appointment for the following week I was able to go sit in my car and just have a moment of freak out.

I informed those closest to me, I figured it was important.. A my dad and grandma, the people who know me best. I kept the majority of it under wraps and felt that it was probably a good thing. I missed my first appointment and I was angry as all get out! I think part of that situation led to me being let go, but to be honest.. my boss was extremely inconsiderate and I am not at all against putting this out there. I felt like she didn't respect me enough to ensure my health was a priority to her, I was literally let go that following Sunday and my new appt was on that Tuesday. 

I showed up, nervous, and laid down as they ultra-sounded my boob, yup cause at my age mammograms have a tendency to be only used after an ultrasound has discovered something of concern.

My lump was cause by excess tissue (big boobs) cause fluid to become trapped.. it would break down eventually... and I was so, so thankful for my ultrasound tech Chicken (she told me to call her it) who was very calming and reassuring to me during the whole appointment. 

I wont lie to you, its scary to think that I didn't even know I had a lump in my breast.. we are told every year to examine ourselves, to pay attention and to see our doctor if we felt something. I didn't examine myself, I can say I have since this experience, but it is hard to remember. The biggest thing I've taken out of this is that early detection is key, doctors reiterated this to me before and after knowing the results of my test... take a moment and feel your boobs, get to know them so you know what feels out of the ordinary. Sharing this part of my life is only here to remind you others who are in your twenties that it IS possible for us to get breast cancer and we should start listening to our doctors when they say to self exam! 

- Acacia