10 Years of Wedded Bliss

On this day, 10 years ago, I married my soulmate. It's so weird to be able to say that we've been married for 10 years! I don't feel like we're old enough to have reached this milestone yet. On one hand the time has flown by and I find myself desperate for more time with my lover (darn deployments), and then on the other hand when I look back at the multitude of fabulous memories we've made together, I know that we've had a blessed, exciting, colorful, and full 10 years together. 

It's been a decade of multiple combat deployments, countless schools and training/field problems. Many days, weeks, and months spent apart, but our hearts have always been intertwined through it all. Our love has stood the test of military strains, and the strains of life in general. Reality is always good at throwing a monkey wrench into our love bubble. Fortunately, we have thrived as a couple, discovering a more mature, pure, and passionate love along the way.

We were young and naive, but crazy in love when we promised our hearts to one another forever. Without a doubt, we both didn't fully realize the magnitude of such a promise at the time, but I can say it was the best decision I've ever made, and I know he feels the same way. I wouldn't change a thing about the last decade of our love story. Through the struggles and separations we have found a way to persevere and grow into greater beings contributing to our success as a couple. I know that I wouldn't be the person I am today without the love, support, and partnership of my lover. There's something magical about a love that can make you feel exhilarated & forever young, while also making you feel protected & significant.

Reflecting on the last 10 years of being The Missus, I have an even greater appreciation for this momentous milestone. When I was 18, the life I had envisioned for myself was nothing like the life I have today, and I'm thankful it's not. My life has turned into something far greater than I could've ever imagined. It hasn't been without its challenges, but it's also been filled with extraordinary moments that make my heart swell beyond immeasurable means. 

I'm lucky to have found my soulmate at such a young age. I'm even luckier to be able to say that we're a gazillion times more in love today (that's a lot of love, folks!) than the day we said "I do", and we still have an entire lifetime ahead of us to continue loving and living in one another's arms. It makes me giddy to think that I get to continue making new memories with my best friend, especially knowing that there's an extraordinary amount of fabulosity in store for us.

So it's with an enormous amount of love, gratitude, and pride that I say 

CHEERS TO US!!

Lover of mine, you are still the only one who can make my heart skip a beat!! I can't wait for the new adventures that await us. I love you with every ounce of my being...every moment of forever!!

Vantini Winery

On President's Day, my lover and I took an impromptu trip with friends to a winery near Verona by the name of Vantini. They are known for producing Valpolicella wines; dry, sweet, red, white. My palate leans towards the super sweet variety, although I did give a few of the dry reds a try.

We were graciously greeted by the owner's daughter who educated us on the various wines produced by her family as we sat in an area that closely resembled a family dining atmosphere. She was hilarious and inviting...it was like sitting down with an old friend. We were especially spoiled when she brought out a large sampling of the salami they make on site. I've never been a fan of salami, but I certainly didn't want to come across as rude by not trying it. I took a thin baguette slice, drizzled it with olive oil (also made on site), and placed a paper thin slice of the salami that was marinated in their Amarone wine on top. Oh. my. word. It was SOOO delicious! So much so that we had to buy some. This surprised me immensely. Looks like it's time for me to invest in a deli slicer.

In addition to the indulgent wine & food tasting, we toured the facilities and met the current owner (the founder's grandson). He was rather excited to see my lover, squeezing him to pieces. After a little help with the translation, we learned that he thought my lover bore a striking resemblance to a famous Italian singer. This was incredibly amusing for us, especially considering my lover couldn't possibly look more American, freckles and all.

We had a wonderful time at the winery and definitely plan to go back in the future. For now we grabbed a modest selection of wine and salami to hold us over until the next time we visit the winery.

What types of wine do you prefer?

Ruffle Tree Skirts

A few months back while milling about on Pinterest, I saw a DIY ruffle tree skirt made using only hot glue. I was in love immediately! You could say I have a mild obsession with ruffles. Well leave it to me to resist the hot glue method when it came time to making my actual tree skirts. Sewing ruffles has become second nature to me this year, so I thought how hard could a tree skirt be. The answer is not very hard if you know the precise measurements and have a list of supplies. I had neither one when I made the decision to make the tree skirts. I guess I like a good challenge.

For the first tree skirt, I actually used a round fabric table cloth as the base because it was the only neutral colored fabric I could find on the island that I liked, and it was big enough for me to use part of it for ruffles as well. I slid it under my Hello Kitty tree to figure out the size I wanted and went from there.

Fortunately, after several days of cutting, sewing, ruffling, and attaching, I finished my first tree skirt. I happened to have the thread and ribbon I needed on hand, so I only had to purchase the fabric. I was happily surprised by the final product.

The second tree skirt came together much more easily since I finally knew what I was doing. I bought double the amount of Hawaiian print fabric before knowing how much I would really need. It's a good thing I did this because the second tree skirt ended up needing to be larger to fit our Norfolk Pine. Once it was finished it was the perfect touch to our Hawaiian Christmas tree.

I worked on the tree skirts here and there whenever I could squeeze them in. I continually referred to this project as the "Longest Sewing Project Ever". It took much longer than I anticipated, and several times I wished I had just hot glued the darn things. However, once I finished both of them, I was so happy I decided to sew them. They both have a polished appearance and I know they will hold up for many years to come.

No project would be complete without a little horsing around. I tortured my lover a bit with my first tree skirt. He was a good sport about it though.

I also danced around a bit with them. I had to have a little fun. How else was I going to remain sane working on this project? I seriously thought I was beginning to lose my marbles making these.

In the end, all of the hours, days, and late nights spent working on these were absolutely worth it. Now I have two fabulous unique tree skirts that compliment my trees.

O Christmas Tree!

This Christmas will only be our second Christmas that we've ever spent in our own home in the last 10 years. There's been no need to celebrate in our home due to our trips to see family and several deployments separating us for the holidays. The first year we were married, we went all out and bought loads of decorations for the inside and outside of our house. They were only used that one time, thus the reason we donated everything, except for 3 items, a few years back.

Knowing that my lover will be gone next year for another deployment, and with us getting ready to leave Hawaii for a few years, we really wanted to enjoy a Hawaiian Christmas. With this in mind we decided to have not one, but two trees. We have two living rooms so it only seemed suitable to do so. I'm also adamant about doing anything and everything to make this Christmas special knowing what lies ahead for us in the new year.

I actually started planning for this Christmas last Christmas when my lover was deployed, which is a good thing. It gave me a chance to slowly add to my Hello Kitty collection so that I would have enough items for my Hello Kitty tree. Does it really surprise you that Hello Kitty would be one of the themes? I couldn't resist!! The artificial white tree is adorned head to toe, front to back, with 46 Hello Kitty items; an assortment of mini and full size Hello Kitty ornaments, plush and plastic toys, in addition to green, pink, and silver ornaments. Pictures really fail to capture just how spectacular the final product is in person. I love it! If I could I would keep it up year round, but that would be overdoing it.

Our second tree is our Hawaiian tree. This is the Norfolk Pine we got from the tree farm. My lover helped me decorate this one while we listened to festive music. He was the hooker, as I liked to call him much to his dismay, and I was the hanger. We made a great team.

To continue with the Hawaii theme, we adorned it with the cutest Hawaii ornaments we could find: spam musubi, shaka santas, honus, menehunes, shave ice, tiki faces, rice bowls, maneki neko, our annual HCL ornaments, and a few lovey dovey hearts just because. Oh and how could I forget my lover's Starbucks and Ranger ornaments. He thought they were the perfect final touches.

Being able to put together two Christmas trees has reminded me of how much fun Christmas can be. Of course now I wish we could do this every year just so I could do a different theme each year (might get expensive though). I suppose that's what our retirement will be for, especially since neither one of us will be home for the holidays next year, so who knows when we'll have Christmas in our own home again. More reason to enjoy our special trees this year.

How did you decorate your tree this year?

Christmas Candle Tutorial

Although I'm rarely at my own house for Christmas, every year I still make a candy cane Christmas candle no matter where I'm at. It's one of the easiest ways to make a candle more festive for the holidays. This year my lover wanted our house to have "the Christmas tree smell"...his words, not mine. I was happy to oblige and saw it as an opportunity to make my annual candy cane candle over Thanksgiving weekend. The one difference this year is that I've put together a quick little tutorial for my blog.

To begin with you will need a candle of your choosing, preferably in a glass container. My lover selected a Christmas Wreath scented Yankee candle.

Other supplies include:

- 3 boxes of candy canes or peppermint sticks

- 1 hot glue gun

- 4-8 hot glue sticks

- 15 inch piece of ribbon

- 1 clothes hanger

I must mention that all candy canes are not created equal. Although they come in the same box, they are not always the same length. This is where the hanger comes in. I hung the hanger from my oven handle and arranged all of the candy canes by length. This is an optional step.

Starting with the longest candy cane, place a line of hot glue down 3/4 of the back of the candy cane. From there line the piece up with the bottom of the candle and place against the glass. Repeat this step until the entire candle is covered. Keep in mind you may have to raise shorter candy canes in order to keep an even top on your candle.

Once the candle is covered it's time for the final touch. I decided to use an extra piece of red grosgrain ribbon I had in the house. Centering the ribbon along the base of the candle, place a drop of hot glue on the inside of one end of the ribbon, then glue it against one of the candy canes. Wrapping the rest of the ribbon around the candle, allow it to overlap a bit before gluing the remaining end on top of the first ribbon end. And voila! You have a beautiful festive Christmas candle!

It looks super pretty at night too...don't you think?

I originally wanted to use peppermint sticks, however after looking at 6 different stores with no luck, I went with the red/green/white candy canes. It just goes to show you that the options for this project are endless. You can add more flair with a bow or decorative accents. This year I kept it simple so that it would go along with the rest of my decorations more easily. If you have a candle on hand, then the total cost of the project is less than $4....pretty sweet!

If any of you decide to try it, I would love to see your candy cane candles!