Friday, May 11, 2012

Military Spouse Appreciation Day Blog Hop

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day to all of my fellow MilSpouses out there!


Welcome to Life Adventures of a New Army Wife!  I'm Andrea, and this is my very first Military Spouse Appreciation Day, as my husband just joined the Army last year.  You'll find that I refer to my husband on here simply as "hubby" or "my husband."  My husband and I are both graduates of The University of Georgia, where we first met just about 8 years ago and became fast friends.  We've been together for over 4 years and just celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary last month on April 1st!


We were married for all of four months when my husband left to go to basic training, and our lives have been a bit of a whirlwind ever since.  He went straight from basic, to AIT, then on TDY for a few weeks, immediately followed by his first deployment, which he's been on for about a month now.  Thankfully I've been able to see him occasionally throughout that time, visiting him for his graduations from BCT & AIT, as well as driving to see him on the weekends he was 5 hours away from home on his TDY -- however it has still been a difficult journey having to spend so much time away from him, all while not yet living near base and having that military community around me.


I began this blog just after my husband left for basic as a way to document our journey and to become better connected with the military community, at least by virtual means.  Thankfully my husband's deployment is on the shorter side and he should be returning home early fall, and at that time we'll be going through our first PCS and moving from our home in Georgia out to Ft. Sam Houston in Texas!

I have an affinity for wines, pasta, and all things sweet (my Pinterest is largely filled with pasta and baking recipes!).  I really enjoy baking, though while my husband has been gone I've found myself doing less of it in an effort to not have as much lingering around the house for me to consume alone.  I recently purchased a nice DSLR camera and hope to learn all of the ins and outs of using it so I can become a better photographer.  I currently have a full-time job doing accounting, purchasing, and payroll/HR work, but who knows where I'll end up after our big move!


We've got two dogs and a cat that we love to spoil.  Pictures and stories of them are definitely plentiful.  We do not have any children as of yet, but are looking forward to trying to start a family in the near future.

On my blog you'll find a random mixture of topics just covering my every day life as I try to make sense of this new life, including recipes, DIY projects, a Project 52 photo challenge I'm embarking on, and random musings about military life.  Please comment with a link to your site, as I love finding new blogs to follow and new people to meet!

37 comments:

  1. Hello hun! I am The Optimistic Army Wife! Congrats on your 1st Military Spouse Apprecation Day! We all rock! Have a fabulous day and I am looking forward to reading your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! :) I've quickly learned how awesome the military spouse community is, at least through this incredible blogging community we've got going!

      Delete
  2. Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day, Andrea. Love the pictures of your corgies. My parents have one too and she is too much fun. Oh and wine and pasta are way up there on my list too! - Leanne from Our Letters to You, a Military Family blog (htto://militaryblog.militaryavenue.com)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Leanne! Happy MilSpouse Appreciation Day to you too! I love my corgis so much! They're definitely a handful at times, but they sure to keep life entertaining and interesting.

      Delete
  3. Happy (first) Military Spouse Appreciation Day! :) This is my first one, too, as we just got married last year. I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of your blog! :)

    Blessings,
    Heather

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy First Military Spouse Appreciation Day to you too!

      Delete
  4. My pinterest is all of mostly of sweets too! Good luck on your move! I look forward to reading about all your adventures. It sounds like you will have plenty =]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm just glad I don't currently have the energy (or money) to make all of those recipes on Pinterest! But it sure is a great way to kill time and create an ever-growing "one day" list of things to create :)

      Delete
  5. I went back home while my husband was at OCS so I know how sometimes it can be hard to live away from the people and connections of a post. My mom and I went back up to Fort Drum (where he was stationed) a few weeks before he finished OCS and it was so nice to just *see* men in uniform because I hadn't for so long. I didn't know them, but seeing them felt somewhat reassuring.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been really weird still not living near post with how long he's been in at this point (going on 10 months), but they've already begun to feel familiar and homey to me just after spending time on post when visiting my husband. I've got the ID, I've got the insurance, I've got a deployed husband. All of these things that tie me in with a life that still feels foreign to me because of where I still live. So I'm excited for when we finally move and I can finally get fully used to this new normal life and have that support system nearby! I'm just very appreciative of this great blogging community, as it is what's helped to keep me sane throughout all of this time!

      Delete
  6. Happy Milspouse Appreciation Day! Good luck with your PCS! I look forward to reading more about y'all and hope that the rest of your husband's deployment goes by as quickly and easily as possible. Oh, and uh, WAR EAGLE! ;)

    (Had to add that in after seeing y'all were GA folks) ;) lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jenn! And Go Dawgs! lol One of my best friends from high school went to Auburn while I went to Georgia, so they've always been more of a friendly rivalry for me, unlike the nasty, competitive rivalry that is Georgia & Florida (or Auburn & Alabama). But it's nice to meet you and I'll definitely be checking out your blog!

      Delete
  7. This is my first blog hop and Milspouse appreciation too. I can't imagine how strong you must be. Your military life sounds like quite the adventure so far. Hope things can calm down for you this fall.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! And happy Milspouse Appreciation Day to you!

      Delete
  8. Hi Andrea!

    I'm visiting from the MilSpouse Blog Hop! Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day to you!

    I am definitely envious of your DSLR camera.. I have wanted one for years, but I'm cheap and I can't justify spending the money on it when I barely have time to use my regular camera as it is. Haha!

    It's nice to meet you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's nice to meet you too, Brea! My husband and I have both wanted a DSLR camera for quite some time, and then one day I found a pretty good packaged deal on one at Best Buy and convinced my husband to go ahead and let me buy it. His only hesitation about me buying it when I did is that he wasn't home to get to play with it himself!

      Delete
  9. Happy MilSpouse Appreciation Day!

    Love your puppies :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy MilSpouse Appreciation Day to you too!

      Delete
  10. Stopping by from the blog hop. :) Welcome to Army life, and Happy Milspouse Appreciation Day!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is quite a way to spend your first year of marriage! Basic, AIT and a deployment? Phew! It's great that you are PCS'ing to San Antonio! If you ever need a tour of the city or just a lady to lunch with, look me up!

    Happy Mil-Spouse Appreciation Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It has definitely been quite a year! We're both very excited to resume living together again and to move to San Antonio. And I will definitely have to take you up on your offer after I get settled in town!

      Delete
  12. Wine and pasta? We would get along great!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have an affinity for wine, too!! Squee!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Stopping by from the blog hop! Your corgis are sooooo cute! Happy 1st Military Spouse Appreciation Day, diva :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy 1st Military Spouse Appreciation Day! Your Adventure is just beginning and you're going to have so much fun! ;)
    Hope you have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Our stories sound so similar. First, let me say GO DAWGS!! I did not attend UGA but was born and raised in Athens and there is no other way! Secondly, my hubby and I got married after training on his two weeks before he was deployed for a year. Since I was already teaching in Georgia I stayed where I was- also without a military community for support. It was tough at times because no one really knew what it was like but it gets better. I am excited to follow you and read and offer encouragement whenever I can. Consider yourself part of a virtual military community! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi! I am here via the military spouse appreciation blog hop! :) Welcome to the Army life, it is a crazy ride but so worth it :) - Jen @ The Adventures of Our Army Life

    ReplyDelete
  18. Stopping by from the blog hop. Welcome to the crazy, yet wonderful life in the military!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh my! Your dogs are so cute!! Happy MilSpouse Appreciation Day! I was great meeting you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Give me wine any day. :) And pasta!! Thanks for the dinner idea. Lol.

    Visiting from Military Spouse Appreciation hop and now following you. Please stop by and visit when you get a chance. I host Weekend Blog Walk and would love to have you join in. http://www.athometake2.blogspot.com

    Jessica @ At Home Take 2

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi! Stopping in from the blog hop. Best wishes for the upcoming PCS. I love the pic of the corgis with santa. I have a corgi also.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Stopping by from the blog hop to say hello! I am a new follower. I am a reserve wife so I understand about not having that immediate support around. I hope your husbands deployment flies by! We are currently in our first deployment as well. Happy first Military Spouse Appreciation Day (sorry it's a little late) :) I hope you have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am finally catching up on the blog hop. Happy Belated Military Spouse Appreciation Day! I too am a lover of wine and pasta. We just PCSed last month so best of luck with yours (:

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hello Andrea, it is so nice to meet you! I didn't get to write a post for the blog hop, but I wanted to check out all the lovely ladies who did! I can't wait to learn more about you!

    Brittany
    www.talesfromasailorssoulmate.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thank you so much for joining in on the blog hop! And sorry it took me so long to come and visit. It was great reading your party post and getting to know you a little more. Ooooooh, wine and pasta...right up my alley! :) Hope you had fun visiting the other ladies on the list and that you had a fabulous Mil Spouse Appreciation Day!!!

    xoxo
    Roller Coaster
    http://www.ridingtherollercoaster.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi! I am a little late from the BlogHop! It was nice to meet you! Happy belated military spouse appreciation day and Mother's Day!!!! Amanda

    mickandmackarmyadventures.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete