Date Nights Can Lead to Date Mornings!!!

2 days left of 2011. Why not make the most of what is left? Why not end the year on a great note?

I can't think of anything better then a date night!

Not sure any wife and mother can think of something better than a great date with the man she loves more than anything in the world!

So Scott and I decided to spend last night together just the two of us! We love California sunsets and can and should enjoy them every night. Unfortunately he works until after the sun goes down most evenings. Not yesterday!! They let him out of the cell early so we made a cup of joe and heading to the beach and watch that amazing sunset without a soul around us! It was great! Then off to dinner for 2 at a great Italian restaurant! The food was AMAZING and out time together was priceless! I love nights like this, even if we call it a night at 9pm because we are old and boring!

Beautiful... Isn't it?!

I guess we enjoyed each other so much that we decided to start today off with another date. So we snuck out the door before the kiddos woke up and headed toward the beach for a hike. We got a bit side tracked and headed to what we have decided is our secret breakfast place. It is the kind of restaurant that only locals go to and when you walk in everybody knows your name. Kind of like Cheers! Except they don't know Scott and I because we aren't from around here!! Anyway, after stuffing our faces with yummy breakfast and strong coffee we headed toward our hiking location. Scott had been researching this area for a couple of weeks. He found the trail that would be the least dangerous and least likely to fall into the ocean. The hike would lead us to a private little beach called Paradise beach. It seemed so romantic and a perfect way to end this awesome year! As we approached the trail head the wind picked up. It was crazy...

I have never seen the waves this gnarly!

So as the wind blew our trusty old van around we decided today wouldn't be the best day to hike to Paradise. A bit disappointed we made the best out of our situation! We explored the area by van instead of by foot. Vandenberg AFB is one of the largest bases in the US. It is actually bigger than Washington DC. So it provides lots of unused roads that lead to places that have not been explored very often. It reminds me of North Dakota that way. We traveled on several dirt roads and found some areas that lead to some awesome beach areas that we can't wait to take the kids too. We also found some great spots that provided amazing panoramic views of the ocean. It was another awesome date!

Two dates in less than 24 hours and the last date isn't complete so guess that means tomorrow will be date #3 and date #1 of 2012! I am one very lucky girl!!!

Goodbye 2011...

As 2011 comes to an end I find myself looking at the 365 days behind me with both a smile and some tears. This year is the first year that I believe the good and not so good were balanced. Every not so good thing had a great thing happen near it or it had some good in it!

Scott and I were able to ring in the New Year alone....NO kids!! That was fabulous all on it's own but it was even more fabulous that we got to see the Gamecocks play in the Chick-fil-A bowl! My first Gamecock football game and even though they lost it was wonderful!!! 2011 was off to a good start!

2011 events...

I turned 32!!! Not sure why but I have always been excited to turn 32! I am going to be sad to say goodbye to this wonderful number. However, 33 is sounding pretty cool!! Let me tell ya, I am loving my thirties!

I had a little health scare. OK, it scared the holy crap out of me. I can say it was a good thing though. God has a way of making me realize my faith in him can fall short at times and by placing events in my life like this I grow. I am happy to say that it was just a scare and that I was able to go a full year with no surgeries!!! That is a big deal for me and I am so thankful for it! Praying 2012 brings me the same blessing!!!

Scott and I ran two half marathons and did two triathlons. Yes we did! Two more medals hang on our hooks and 4 more finish lines were crossed hand and hand! I love that we do these together. Let's face it Scott could blow me out of the water but he packs up his manhood and finishes with his whining wimpy wife every time!

Scott's love and willingness to stand beside me through every surgery, every weak moment, every health scare, and every up and down moment is the reason we celebrated 10 years of marriage in April! One decade filled with nothing but love, strength, and encouragement. OK there may have been some hard times that involved some little feuds at times, but I can honestly say I married my best friend. Scott completes me. There is no one in the world that gets me like he does!

Close to our anniversary we received news from the AF, we were notified that CA would be our new home in July! Crazy change from Alabama and not a job we put #1 on our list. So the news was bittersweet. This was the first time I prayed for an assignment. I knew that where ever God placed us was right where we needed to be. So I knew when the news came, there was a reason and that gave me peace. So we spent most of the spring months preppy for our upcoming move.


We also celebrated Jessie's 14th birthday. I was very happy to say goodbye to 13 and hello to 14. Let me tell you this girl is amazing now. The awkward years seem to be behind us. Jess loves us and shows it. She is beyond funny and likes to laugh with us. She is a super fun and smart kid that can do anything! She is turning into a beautiful young lady..


Shortly after the celebration of a big anniversary, news of a move, and our awesome daughter turning 14 we were forced to make a very difficult decision. Our sweet Dixie girl was put to sleep. I have been through a lot in my life but this event was quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of my old girl.


Our frowns were soon turned upside down! June brought lots of reasons to smile! Jillian turned 9 years old and finished out her level 3 gymnastics and moved up to level 4! She is a hard little worker just like her dad, who completed SAASS and received his third master's degree! So to celebrate we packed up the car and heading to our favorite place, Charleston!!! It was an awesome trip filled with visiting our favorite places, eating our favorite food, and visiting friends and family one more time before heading west. After our awesome visit with Scott's grandma we left SC with tummies full of good southern cooking and headed to visit our best friend in the whole entire world in Flordia. We had the best time just chillin and chatting. The trip was way to short but we had to head back to sweet home Alabama and meet our movers.

We got the house packed up said some tearfilled good byes and headed down to our second favorite place, Destin!!! Again we had an amazing time. It was a relaxing trip just hanging out at the beach. Much needed before our multiple state journey began!

From Flordia we decided to head up north and spend some time with my family. The trip was almost cancelled due to the flood that has devasted my hometown. I am thankful that we decided to not let that ruin our plans. Although it was difficult to see the devastation it was wonderful hanging out with my grandparents and parents. I miss my family and love taking my kids to the place I called home for many years.

From ND we headed to our old stomping grounds Mountain Home, ID. Upon entering the state I quickly realized why I loved it there so much! Idaho is a place I could call home for sure. Just an overnight stay in ID than it was off to Portland! Another amazing city! From Oregon we began the trek toward our new home in CA.

California has been amazing! Beaches, wine, perfect weather, what is not to love?! We settled in very quickly this time around. I finally think I have this moving thing down! We started the kids in school and as soon as I hung the last curtain rod the AF agreed that my husband is a rock star and selected him to take command of a squadron in NM!!! It was the best birthday present I think he has ever gotten! I am so incredibly proud of Scott. Squadron Commmand was a career goal for Scott and he is beyond thrilled that he is going to achieve it! It does mean another move for us in 2012 and will make our stay in CA only a 10 month stay, but we are all beyond excited for this opportunity.

October was another celebration month for me! I celebrated 5 years cancer free! Beating this disease has made me the rockstar I am today! It changed my life and I am thankful for what it made me become instead of it destroying me! I am a bolder more daring person since the diagnosis so putting pink streaks in my hair to celebrate seemed like a fabulous plan! It was and I plan on doing it every year from now on!!!

October also brought a reality to life that Scott and I are not quite ready to face and that is, our daughter is growing up! Our brown eyed beauty put on a pretty dress and walked out the door to attend her first dance with a boy! I will not call it a date because I am not ready for that step! I was a mess and Scott was surprisingly cool. She looked amazing and so grown up, I want time to stand still...

Time will not stand still so onto November! Another awesome month! Big J turned 10 the big double digits! That kid is the sweetest boy I know! He has traded in his football helmet for shin guards and basketball shoes and has become quite the soccer and basketball star!!! I love seeing my boy be all boy and love sports! It makes me happy! Another thing that makes me happy is seeing my husband so excited that a smile can not be whipped off his face. Not even when the oath is read as he went from Major Brodeur to LT COL BRODEUR!!!! That was a good day, no that was a great day! Mom and dad came out to celebrate and be a part of this life we love so much. Moments like his pin on our why we keep living this crazy life. I don't think he has stopped smiling since that day! Man, he looks good with that silver on his shoulder!

December is here and in a couple days will be gone. I spent the first part of the month creating things from the website that has taken me away from my blog... Pinterest! I was quite the Martha Stewart this holiday season! It was fun! We were able to celebrate another Christmas all under one roof. I am alway so thankful when Scott is able to be home for the holidays. We have spent way too many apart. This Christmas was the 2nd Christmas celebrated with just the Brodeur 5. Although I missed my parents a ton I am thankful for the bond I have with my family. My heart is full when I am with them. I believe being away from family for so many years has created a very special bond in our home and I was thankful for that this Christmas. It was a wonderful day celebrating all the gifts that God has given us this past year!

2011 was a great year and I look forward to 2012.



Gracefully I look up thankful for a year filled with amazing blessings! I pray that 2012 will be a year full of fresh starts, new goals to achieve, and many things to celebrate! Thankful for a God that no matter what the year brings he is there to guide us and lead us through it all!



Happy New Year My Friends!!!!

Silly Dates!

Everyone has significant dates in their lives. Dates when important life defining events occur. 

I have several dates that run through my mind often. 

A day in May when I became a mother for the first time. A day in November when I became a mother to a little boy. A day in June when I became a mother of three and officially became a member of the crazy club!!! A day in April when I committed the rest of my life to my best friend. 

I can tell you the exact day that all of those events occurred and probably a million other days where something significant has happened. There is one day in October that I could not for the life of me remember. I remember what happened on that day and I can remember that it was around the middle of the month but could not remember the exact day. 

For 5 years I have not attempted to figure out the exact day. Guess I just didn't want to look at that day on the calender and remember the feelings I felt that day. Quite frankly that was the scariest day I have ever faced. A day that made me feel weak, scared, and alone. Three feelings that I hate. 

Right now I feel strong, fearless, and quite possibly the happiest I have felt in a really long time. Our life is full of good news and happy events. Our best friend in the whole world came for an awesome visit! Scott just found out he will be a squadron commander... ROCK STAR!!!! So proud of that dude! My kids are happy and loving life. Which makes this mama happy! We love where we live and all the great people we are meeting. Life is just great and I love it. 

I guess having these feelings gave me the strength and want to look up the date. I have known in the back of my mind for 5 years where I could find that date. So today I looked......

10.19.2006

The day my life began. The day I chose to make the right choices. To live every moment like it is my last. To rock the color pink and live like the rock star I am! 

Looking at that date and sharing it with the rest of the virtual world makes me feel free. I feel like looking it up and putting it down takes off the cancer hang cuffs. Now I can remember that day as a good day and not a sad day. A date when the strong fearless me came alive. A date that now makes me smile!!!! 

Gracefully I look up to my amazing God, thankful that I was given the strength to look. Thank you for the feeling that I feel right now. Thank you for providing us with an amazing rainbow of happiness. Life is amazing and I will enjoy every minute of it. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Fly by the Seat of My Pants

Routine....
I had one.
Yep, one time in my life I had a routine.
I sometimes sit and ponder about that time. That time in my life when there was a routine. When everything worked like clock work.

Oh, heck! Who am I kidding? I have never had a routine.
I have always been a fly by the seat of my pants, moment to moment... That's me!
Yep, that's me! Thank you "Pretty Woman" for that quote! It defines me!

To the point, if there is one. Let's face it, there really isn't. Other then to share with you that our crazy mixed up life is starting to simmer down and I am thinking regular blogging is up and running again...
Maybe!

The house is unpacked. Very proud moment for me. I unpacked the whole thing, hung up pictures and made this sweet crib a home in less then 3 weeks. ALL BY MY SWEET SELF! I can actually say I loved every minute of it! I should also add that the 3 months of OCD organizing that my hot boyfriend and I did back in 'Bama paid off huge dividends. It made this move a piece of cake! Who is laughing at the labels and tubs now?!?! Not sure that anyone was, but I am sure people question our anal ways from time to time!!

We are adapting to the CA life! The weather took a minute to get use to. It is foggy in the morning and evening. Sunny in the afternoon... sometimes. Highs around 55-65. Basically it feels like fall 365 days a year. Fall just happens to be my favorite season, so I am in heaven!!! The weather is perfect for fitness and I haven't missed a workout yet. I am expecting great things with my running. Hoping to get in the best shape of my life while we live here! The kids are outside whenever they have a chance. I think they love not sweating or freezing. It is pretty awesome!

The area, well to sum it up in one word.... AMAZING!!!! 10 miles one way is the ocean, 10 miles another way vineyards, and 10 miles another way fields of flowers and veggies! It is unbelievable. I have never seen such beauty so close to my home. At least one time a week Scott and I look at each other and say, "We live here"! It is crazy cool.

Our home is perfect! It is the last one on a street. Behind us is the woods and to the side of us is a great park with a basketball court and playground. It is in the most perfect location. We feel like we are in our very own paradise! The house is 6 months old, so basically brand new. The layout is wonderful and the best part is the little area that I call my sewing room! Yep peeps, I got my very own sewing area. The sewing machine can stay put up all year round. It is the most cozy wonderful piece of happiness ever!!!

The kids are adjusting very well. They love their new rooms, the house, and all the friends they are making. The freedom to ride bike everywhere is also an added bonus for both them and myself. They are back to school and I will tell you all about that in another post with pictures and everything! All and all they are doing great and adjusted very well. They make me so proud!

Is everything roses and happiness? For the most part I would have to say yes. It wouldn't be a post from me if I didn't keep it real though. So here is the bad part....

Scott's job. It is a good job and he loves it. There is just a lot of hours in the day that he works. Not the same as the school hours and AL. We have made adjustment and are making it work. Dinner is served 3 hours later than before CA, early morning coffee has replaced early morning runs, and run time together happens 3 days a week in the afternoon. Thankful we still get that time together. Our Wednesday dates are no longer, but that was a sweet treat that we knew would only happen while he was in school. The good news is, this is only a Monday through Friday gig except for the BB that goes off from time to time he is home on the weekends. So I can't complain too much. It could be worse he could be deployed. I am very proud of the fact that someone thought that he was superman and can handle this job. They were right he can work 14-16 hours a day and still be an awesome husband and dad. I love that guy!

So back to that routine thing...
I am trying to get on one here in CA. It is just so hard when there are so many awesome things to do and see. We are very happy here and very settled. God has placed us right where we need to be and we are waiting to see his plan unfold for the Brodeur 5!


Gracefully I look up and thank God for placing us in such an awesome place and giving us the positive attitudes to make this crazy life work!

Where has time gone!

Time... has passed by so quickly!

Our time has been filled with getting a house....

Then getting that said house taken away.
Then getting assigned another house.

Oh and keys to the front door and a garage door opener came with that house! So we called the movers and told them to bring on the boxes!!!

So the boxes came....

And I unpacked and unpacked and unpacked some more and now that house that came with keys to the front door and a garage door opener is our HOME SWEET HOME!!!

I am excited, happy, and in love with our new home! It is nice to be back to "normal" for a minute!

I can't wait to continue to share our 15 state adventure with you now that we have internet in our home! Brace yourself folks....The blog writing is back!! Could be some edge of your seat kind of posts coming up....

Well maybe not, but our summer adventure was pretty awesome and I am excited to share!


Gracefully I look up, so very thankful for all that is falling perfectly into place for our family. For the amazing life God has given us....LIFE IS GOOD!!! 

Yep That Smart Guy is My Husband!

The past two months have been nothing short of crazy. From triathlons to a 15 state journey toward our new CA home, this summer has been full of adventure and lots of excitement. Before we could start all the fun we needed to celebrate a huge accomplishment.........

Scott FINISHED SAASS!!!!!

Not a great picture... but that is his third masters degree in his hand!!!

This masters degree was not an easy degree to obtain.

Yes we get to keep every one of them!

Pictured above is the crazy amount of books that were read by him throughout the year. This picture does not include the books needed for research for the 110 page thesis that he wrote. Along with the 110 pages of thesis writing he also wrote a 10 page paper for every class he took throughout the year. To top all of that off, at the end of the year he had to sit in front of a board of 3 professors for 2.5 hours recalling every book he read. 

The books and writing are impressive all by themselves, but Scott did something that impressed me way more than the school work.... He made it look easy to the kids and I. In fact it was not until the end of the year that I realized this was not an easy task for Scott. He looked at me when it was all over and said, "This was one of the hardest things I have ever done." I was beyond shocked at that comment. The kids and I never felt the stress that this year placed on him. That is what I am most proud of. 

Impressed

Amazed

Proud

In LOVE with most amazing dedicated man I know!!! Scott you are a rock star! Thanks for being a man our kids can look up to. Thanks for putting us first even when life is throwing Clausewitz at you. 

Tell those who do what is right 

that things will go well for them, because

they will receive a reward for what they do.

Isaiah 3:10

Gracefully I look up.....

Back On Track... The Tri Story!

Wow, so much has been going on in our lives. So many exciting things have happen. Things that make me say, "I can't wait to blog about that!" Just haven't had the time.

Now, as I sit in a new "home" with a clear calender... I have nothing but time!

So back in time I will go, one Brodeur adventure at a time!

In May, I decided that I was going to do a triathlon, my first! We signed up for the Buster Briton Triathlon thinking this would be a great way to start this adventure! Then heard about one on Maxwell AFB the day before, so we signed up for that one, too! I mean why not??? Back to back sprint triathlons, sounds like fun.

I was very nervous but so excited! Scott and I had really started getting into the training and I was loving it. Being back in the pool was hands down my favorite. I love the feeling of hitting that swimmers high, feeling like you are gliding through the water with ease. I LOVE swimming and I have missed it so much. We also took the bikes off the trainers and hit the road. I had so many nerves with this. Let's just say I am not as fearless as I use to be. Adding these to the run made for a great workout. A workout that made you feel strong and actually felt like you did something.

So Triathlon #1 day came. Scott is so awesome in getting everything ready, to include me mentally. He is a great pep talker and encourager. He knows all my fears and knows how to take them away. Which he did perfectly for this race. I was completely ready for it.

All the gear packed and we were off to the race!

This race was great. It was a pool swim and the route that we biked and ran on was the one we trained on, so I was set. We both swam faster then we did while training. The bike was great! I stayed in the arrow position the whole time, which is a big deal for me. I didn't get scared at all!! I was on a huge high when it was time for the run, which went great also. The whole race was great. I was officially hooked! Could not wait for the next days race!

Triathlon #2....The Buster Briton

Open water swim in an Alabama lake, which means snakes and gar. Hilly coarse, which means fast downhills on the bike. All that did not phase me. I was still on Tri High from the day before. I was a bit nervous, but nothing that would effect my race.

So we lined up for the swim. I got in the water to test it out and all my critter fears went away. I felt like I was ready... Until... this silly lady... said the wrong thing!!! She asked me, "Have you ever done open water training before this?"  My response, "UH no!! Does that matter?" Her response? "Uh, I guess not..." With that look that says, "Silly goose, how have you not swam open water before today!?" That was it, that was the comment that put me in super freak out mode. I entered the water and panic rushed through me. That with half the lake in my lungs, and I went into doggy paddle survival swim mode. I reached the nearest kayak grabbed on while Scott treaded water next to me. He got me refocused and I swam hard and fearless the rest of the swim!

Then came the bike! I got out of the water ran to the bike ready to go, popped down in my arrow position and I was off. Then I felt like I was going way fast down a hill, so naturally I decided to slow it down a notch. Silly Tara, you can't hold on to one side in the arrow position and other side in the regular position, you will loose balance!! Which is exactly what I did. At mile one I had a "Jesus take the wheel" moment and crashed! I was a dirty, teared stained hot mess. My bike was in the exact same state! Then my night and shining armor appeared. Scott helped me get cleaned up, fixed my bike, and got me refocused to ride 13 more miles. With my hands on my brakes on every downhill, and there was a lot, I finished the bike ride.

As we changed into our running gear Scott said, "If you trip on the run you are intentionally trying to have a bad race!" Guess what... I DID NOT TRIP!!! In fact I ran a pretty good run, finished the race and became a TRIATHLETE with battle wounds to prove it!!!

I faced all my fears and conquered them and cannot wait to do another. Next on our list is an olympic distance tri with ocean water swim. I am hoping to not doggy paddle and keep my bike on the road. If I can do those two things, oh... and avoid a shark attack, I will call it a success!