Today is the day

My mother in law is flying in tonight to spend the next week with us and celebrate my baby boy's first birthday! This will be the first time we've seen any of our family since our visit to California in April. I am so looking forward to making memories and celebrating with her, I only wish all of our family could be here to celebrate with us. 

I'm hoping we can take a visit down to St. Augustine once the weather warms up a bit, (this arctic blast is no joke!) and do some sightseeing. We've also gotta get everything ready for Jeremiah's 1st birthday celebration which I have not planned a single thing for yet. 

I know, I know....MAJOR PROCRASTINATION!

 I know I said I was gonna work on my procrastinating, but in my defense these last two weeks have been crazy busy between the holidays, multiple interviews, searching for a daycare, applying for fee assistance and doing my drug screening for my new job. There has been so much going on that my head is still spinning!

 I can't wait to spend some quality time together while my mil is here. I want to soak up every moment with my family and especially my sweet boy before I go back to work soon. It's going to be here before I know it. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! ♥

Adventures on the road

We returned home Saturday night after a full week on the road during our house hunting and although I wouldn't say going on a road trip with an infant is "fun" I definitely enjoyed some aspects of it. This was my first time driving through South Carolina and Georgia so I was pretty excited about that. I wish we could have stopped in Savannah for the night and spent some time there the next day. It's definitely on my list of things to do while we live in Florida.

We made it to Jacksonville after 12 hours (counting stops to eat, get gas and feed and change Jeremiah) so we were exhausted the next day but still went out and looked for houses. We spent the next five days in Jax and finally got a house on Wednesday! We actually ended up staying an extra day because it took so long to get a house. Thursday morning we checked out of our hotel and got back on the road again. We planned on staying the night in South Carolina and stopped off at Myrtle Beach for the night. We got a bit of a late start Thursday since Husband had to go visit his new command, so by the time we got there it was almost dark.

It was so beautiful there! I can't tell you how happy it made me to see palm trees everywhere. ♥ The beach was gorgeous and there was just something so peaceful about it. We had only booked our hotel for that one night and were so sad that we got there too late to do anything. Husband convinced me we should stay an extra day and I am so glad we did! :)

Friday we took Jeremiah for a walk along the boardwalk and enjoyed the sights. I loved this ferris wheel and how blue the sky was that day.

We stopped along the boardwalk to grab some lunch and everyone who met Jeremiah told us how adorable he was, which of course made me smile. :) What Mom doesn't love hearing that her baby is cute? Ok, I'm done bragging, I promise!

After our walk we did some shopping and I was so excited to find something with all of our names on it! We all have pretty unusual names, (well mine's not unusual but the spelling is...) so I was very happy. I also got a picture frame to put in our new house. I can't wait to decorate once we get there. ♥

After we were done shopping we headed back to the hotel and changed into our bathing suits. We decided to visit the pool which Jeremiah absolutely loved. He is such a little water baby! :) It was one of those salt water pools that gradually gets deeper so we took him in and let him crawl around and play.

It was just such a nice, relaxing family day after a long stressful week. The perfect mini vacation was just what we needed to de-stress and unwind.

Saturday came and I did not want to leave, but unfortunately we had to. We have already decided that we will definitely be going back to visit soon! ♥ I absolutely loved South Carolina. Where have you vacationed this summer?

House Hunting

We finally returned home from a week spent on the road and I couldn't be happier to sleep in my own bed again. I love a good road trip every now and then, but traveling with an infant is not the easiest thing to do. Husband's house hunting leave was approved and we had a very short window of time before his next underway, so we decided to head down to Florida and search for a house. I thought we were prepared but boy was I wrong!

I had compiled a list of "favorite" houses in the Jacksonville area and the day after we arrived we began our search. Immediately I realized we were going to have to keep looking. Almost all the houses/neighborhoods we looked at were scary, and just not for us. Obviously having a baby we need to be in a safe place. So it was back to square one. We spent the next few days searching the internet, scouring neighborhoods looking for "for rent," signs and calling realtors. Just when I was getting really discouraged we finally had one lady call us back and show us the inside of some houses.

There were two that we really liked but one was a little over budget and much bigger than we really needed, so we went with the smaller of the two. I was so glad I stuck to my instinct and stayed on track with the budget. Husband wanted to get the more expensive house but I wasn't too sure. I really want us to be able to get some debt paid off this next year, and the last thing we need is to be "house poor." I am really happy with the house we rented anyways. :) I am absolutely ecstatic about having more space.

We have been cramped in this tiny 600 sq feet apartment for the last two and a half years and it has started to drive me a little crazy! Things were cramped when it was just me, then husband came home from deployment and it got even more tight...then we added a baby to the mix and now there is barely room for anything in this place! We will now have 1800 sq feet, (three times what we have now) and I don't think I'm even going to know what to do with all of it. I am so excited at the thought of Jeremiah having room to crawl and play without being so cramped, not to mention our own back yard to have bbq's and hang out together as a family. :) I am also thrilled that I will finally get to decorate his nursery!

I feel like after waiting, and waiting and waiting some more things are finally starting to look up for our family. We have been stuck in Virginia six months longer than we were supposed to, and I've been struggling with Husband being gone a lot this year when he should have already been on shore duty and home with Jeremiah and I. It makes me happy to know after a tough four years of sea duty that he will finally be home more. For the first time in a long time, I am really looking forward to our future. I hope there are many happy days to come in our new home. ♥

Toes in the grass

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day...the type of day you just can't help but go outside. Jeremiah and I headed to Mt. Trashmore Park to enjoy the lovely weather with a few friends. ♥

We took a walk and afterwards settled under a nice shady tree for the kids to play. Jeremiah had a wonderful time crawling around in the grass and trying to pick up the leaves.

 He's such a boy and I love it. ♥ There is something beautiful about watching him experience new things and learning each day.

Oh how I love those eyes and that sweet smile. :) Melts my heart every time. I am sure going to miss this place when we move. ♥

Halloween Decorations Sneak Peek

Happy Monday everyone! :) Today has already been a busy day for me here and I am so excited to get started on my fall crafting/Halloween decorations this year! Since it's officially fall and near the end of the month I figured it's time for me to start getting our apartment all decked out.

Being that we live in a smaller place, I don't have too many decorations yet but I started collecting some last year and have gotten a few new things so far this fall. One of the best places you can hit up for inexpensive fall/Halloween decor is the dollar store...No lie! I was skeptical at first but when I stopped by the local Dollar Tree I found so much great stuff!

I couldn't pass up these adorable hanging signs. I also got some fake spiderweb & a felt black spiderweb for a centerpiece on one of our tables. I still have to play around with how I want it to look, but I have some ideas rolling around in my head! :)

I also got these great little headstones to put out and I know I will find someplace to put this creepy crow. ;)

Hello Creepy Crow...

One of my favorite Halloween decorations is actually a sign I found at Michael's last year. It's just too cute!

I can't wait to figure out where I want everything to go and to make a few more things that I have found online as well. If my husband ever made an appearance on my blog he would tell you that I love Halloween probably more than most people, (it's my favorite holiday!) so I'm sure you can imagine how fun this is for me! :)

My mom always made Halloween very special at our house and that's a tradition I want to carry on with my own family. Are any of you decorating for Halloween this year? If so & you are looking for some cheap & easy craft ideas check out The 36th Avenue! That site is amazing & I have been perusing it daily in search of new ideas!

Anyway lovelies, I am off for a craft/shopping date with Brittany from Tales of a Sailor's Soulmate aka my real life bloggy buddy! ♥ Hope you all have a lovely Monday!! xoxo!

Homecoming Happiness

After 321 days of being apart my husband is finally home!  He has been home for almost three weeks already & I am definitely over due for a homecoming post! I can't believe how fast this month has gone & that next week his leave will be over & we'll both be headed back to work. Time really does fly when you're having fun. ♥

The whole week leading up to his return I was in a state of disbelief. He had been gone almost an entire year and I just couldn't grasp the concept that in a few short days I would have my husband back again. I wasn't as nervous or stressed as the first deployment. It really didn't hit me until the morning of when Sarah and I were driving to the base and I started to get those infamous butterflies that make you feel like your about to be sick. It was cold and windy when we got there but the sun was shining and it was definitely a beautiful day!

I thought I'd share a few photos from that very special day. I hope you enjoy! :o)

This was the homecoming sign I made for my sailor. He loved it! 

Here's the ship when we could finally start to see it pull in. Probably one of the best things I've ever seen in my life. ♥

Here's Sarah and I all smiles while they are slowly getting closer! :)

At this point I was so anxious for them to hurry up and finish pulling in! Lol

I was waiting very impatiently if you couldn't tell. ;)

And finally they started to moor the ship and I knew it wasn't much longer. ♥

To my surprise my hubby was one of the first to get off the ship since he won Blue Jacket of the year.

Here's our first hug :)

And of course the kiss♥ I waited 11 months for that kiss & it was worth every moment!

I couldn't be happier to have the love of my life home safe & sound again.

Although the obstacles we faced over the last year often seemed insurmountable I am proud & thankful to say we survived our 2nd deployment (and a hell of a long one at that!). I couldn't have done it without God, my family, friends, bloggy loves & of course that man of mine. I have grown so much stronger over the last year and learned so much about myself and love in general. No matter how hard things are when you love someone and are willing to keep going you can get through anything. 

Our Halloween Night

{Goodbye October!}

I can't believe October has already come and gone. It seems like the month literally flew by! It's been a bittersweet month for me, because for some reason Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. As a child I couldn't wait to get dressed up in the fabulous costumes my mother would make my sisters and I. Some of my fondest memories are of those Halloween nights. 

Not much has changed since then, except now that I'm an adult I pass out the candy instead of trick or treating but I still love to get dressed up. Usually I go all out and spend between $50-$80 on a costume and accessories since there was always a party to go to back home or something spooky to do. This year I intended on being a little more frugal and opted to not buy a costume. That was until Halloween came and I all of a sudden had the urge to dress up. {Great idea waiting til the last minute, don't ya think?}

So after work I rushed over to Wal-Mart and found some adorable kitty ears, glow bracelets and some candy for the trick or treaters. I was so proud of myself for only spending $12! For the rest of my costume I wore a black skirt, tights and a long sleeve black tee. I did my makeup to match my ears and voila. This kitty was ready to play! ;)

After I was dressed and ready I headed over to my deployment buddy Brittany's house. {Yes we are both Britt's so don't mess with us! haha} We made dinner, handed out candy and watched spooky shows like "Ghost Adventurers," all night. It was low key and relaxing and I loved seeing all the kids in their costumes! Even though I'm no where near ready for kids it made me look forward to having them in the future. 

Here is a photo of Britt and I dressed up...I was a naughty kitty and she was a sophisticated kitty! 

Brittany even got her dogs dressed up, {much to their dismay} and it was the cutest thing. Lady Puggle was a naughty pumpkin and Roland was a naughty hot dog. :0) Aren't they cute? 

We also had a Halloween gift exchange at work and I got my coworker these awesome goodies. I was so happy that she loved everything! ♥

All in all this has been such a wonderful past few days! My hubby was sweet enough to send me flowers on Sunday since he wasn't able to be home to spend Halloween with me. It really touched my heart that he bothered to do something sweet like that, he knows how much I love Halloween and I couldn't stop smiling all weekend!

I hope everyone else had a Happy & Safe Halloween! Now we're headed straight for November and I am so glad the Holidays will be here soon because that means we are getting closer and closer to the end of this deployment!!! I can't wait until next year to finally have my hubby home safe and sound. ♥ Here's hoping these next few months fly by!

I finally did it!!!!

Hello there bloggy loves! So after months and months of talking about changing my blog name, I finally took the plunge and did it!

I am officially now "The Vintage B." I was inspired to transition to "Vintage B" since it has been a nickname I've used for years and I feel like it just fits...in short, it's me. :0)

Don't worry, I'm still going to blog about the trials and triumphs of navy life, but I'd also like to include other topics and open my blog up to a wider audience.

I'm not sure how to change my url or if that will affect whether or not my followers will be able to see my posts in their readers, but once I figure it out I will be changing it.

I would also like to thank my real life bloggy friend Brittany over at Tales of a Sailor's Soulmate for all her help brainstorming and basically redesigning my entire blog!! I am loving it! :)

There are new and exciting things coming up on the blog and I believe that a giveaway is in the near future! I hope you all have a great Thursday!

I love you like a love song baby

So remember a few days ago when I mentioned my hubby was up for Blue Jacket of the Year for his ship?? Well, HE WON!!!! 

I am so incredibly proud of my husband for all his hard work and dedication this past year and for the simple fact that he has made a positive outcome from this deployment. Congrats Baby!

To celebrate I thought I'd dedicate my song this week to my hubby. Today is Thursday and that means it's time to link up with Goodnight Moon and share the song that moves you this week. :) This is mine, cause I can't get it out of my head...Enjoy! ♥

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Feeling Accomplished

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Today I'm feeling really good and have already done so much and it's barely 1:00 pm! I had physical therapy again this morning and got a hot wax treatment on my hand. It felt AMAZING! With the help of my exercises and therapy I have gained 20 degrees more flexibilty when letting my hand hang down and 10 degrees more flexibility when holding it with my palm facing up. 

My pain threshold still varies from day to day but always feels better when I give it some rest on my days off from work. I have a doctors appt this weekend with my primary to check in and see how things are going so far. I am feeling good and hopeful that my hand will be able to completely heal with therapy and exercise rather than needing surgery. Say a prayer for me that it all works out! :-) 

I am happy that I was able to meet two of the three goals my physical therapist set for me within the first two weeks and hopefully it will only get better from here! As for everything else I have been having a hard time with this deployment lately. I thought it would get easier once October got here, but with the holidays fast approaching it is becoming clear to me that the last few months are going to be the hardest. 

My hubby took his Blue Jacket of the Year test today and we are keeping our fingers crossed today that he wins so he can get capped at the end of this year! That would really help us out financially and would reward him for all of his hard work. However it pans out, I can say that I am extremely proud of my husband for all he has sacrificed these last two years and especially this year. The navy is no joke and they are getting their money's worth out of my husband..that's for sure!

I love you baby and I'm so proud of you! 

On another note, since we are close to being in the double digits soon, homecoming has been on my mind a lot lately. I need to start planning and getting ready for it, because although it's still a few months away I know it will be here faster than I think. 

This time around we want to go on a "stay-cation" and just stay in Virginia. We definitely want to get a nice hotel somewhere for a few days and just relax, have some date nights and pamper ourselves...Lord knows after an 11 month deployment we are both going to need it!

What are some fun "stay-cation" activities you've done?

Lucky Girl

Remember this post where I said I was dreaming of a certain Coach bag? Well, lets just say that I have THE BEST HUSBAND in the world and he let me get it as a late anniversary present. Eeeeeekk!!

I'm in LOVE!!! Thank you baby!!! ♥

It's a celebration!

This past weekend my bloggy buddy and real life friend Brittany and I got together to celebrate passing the half way point! It has really helped to have a friend to listen and be there who is going through the same thing and knows exactly how you feel. Thanks so much Britt for listening to me vent and complain and just hanging out and keeping me company on dozens of lonely nights! :) I can't wait for our hubby's to get home so we can all go out for a double date, FINALLY! haha!

Britt has two adorable doggies named Lady Puggle and Roland. Lady just so happens to love me and I think you could say it's a love to last a lifetime. ;) Here's proof!

Isn't she adorable!? :) This weekend we went to Cheesecake Factory in Virginia Beach to celebrate the halfway point and I was so excited we chose to go there. They have one of my favorite drinks called a Georgia Peach and I'm telling you, they are sooooo delicious! ;) If you haven't tried one, get your butt down there and get one...they are seriously that amazing. ♥

We got so much food it was almost absurd, and seeing that it was cheesecake factory we HAD to order dessert. We ordered some yummy nachos and we both got pasta for the main course. I can't remember what mine was called, but it was delicious!

 I ordered the Tiramisu cheesecake for dessert, because if you didn't already know, I'm obsessed with coffee and Tiramisu is my absolute favorite dessert. ♥

Nothing makes me happy like food does, (well except my hubby and family, but you know what I mean) and this feast was perfect for celebrating all the struggles and trials we have overcome in the last six months. I know we still have a long way to go, but with the lord on my side and good friends and family to help me through it, I know I'll survive. :)