LA Top 10

This past week I went to visit my new 'life' in Louisiana and of course it was nothing but interesting! Hence, my top 10 moments of my trip:

10. Texas Airport Food - By far the best food in any airport I have traveled. I had a yummy burrito, made to order. Both filling and cheap. Go Houston!
9. Painting - Ryan and I painted 3 rooms in our house! We now have a purple bathroom, a light green living room, and a dark blue bedroom. Home Sweet Home!
8. Fire Ants - Louisiana has LOTS of fire ants! They just happened to find my foot too. Lots of pain and swelling. Lesson learned!
7. Turtles on the Run - No surprise that we have two turtles (Ryan's obsession). After coming home one night we noticed that one of the turtles was not in the little aquarium. We searched and found the little guy in the next room. Who knew they could move like that! We now have a 50 gallon aquarium and a beautiful stand for it - no way those little guys are pulling that trick again!
6. Old Friends and New Faces - We were reunited with Dane, Casey, and Marissa! We had them over for dinner and we plan to have many more outings together. Marissa calls us Uncle Ryan and Aunt Sarah. We also met some new faces on post and at our church down there. We are so excited to develop these new friendships!
5. Shopping Spree - Ryan and I went to Alexandria one day and spent all of the gift cards we got from our wedding. We got a bunch of new things for the inside of the house and for the outside! :)
4. Speed Demon - I got to drive around in Ryan's 2010 Charger for most of the time. I just know I will get my first speeding ticket in that thing. It's so fun!
3. Legit Army Wife - I got my ID and learned my way around post. Ryan spoiled me by getting me an Army Wife purse. It has his patches on it! I am so proud to be an Army wife and I am so proud of my husband!
2. Date Nights- Ryan and I are starting to make up for all the date nights we have missed over the past year. We had a few dinner dates and LOTS of time together. I can't wait for more!
1. Last of the Long Distance - Leaving each other NEVER gets easier, but my favorite moment of this trip was knowing that this time would be the last time we would be separated for a while. It gives me some comfort to know that I will be living with my husband starting June 12th. Fancy that! We've got this! :)

My Army Wife Purse

Remote Destination

Remote (re-mote) adj: far away; secluded; distant; synonym: FT. POLK, LOUISIANA!

Ryan and I made it 2 weeks until we HAD to see each other again. :) Being married and apart for the first month or so is no fun, but that reunion just keeps getting better and better. Ryan picked me up from the airport in Louisiana last night. I was SO excited to finally see the 'home' that would be ours for the next 2 years.

All I can say is, I LOVE IT! Of course we have nothing in our house yet (the Army picks up and moves our furniture next week), but I can already see what it will look like. No worries, we will post pics AFTER it's all put together (the curse of being a perfectionist). I think we might even be adventurous enough to paint a room or two! More details to come...

Ryan took me on post today. We sorted out some last minute spouse paperwork AND I got my military ID. Leaving the building, Ryan asked me if I was OK. He said I looked down. He then busted out laughing when I told him I was slightly disappointed that my military ID was black and cream and plain - not like the cool color picture that he has. I wouldn't have done my make-up all pretty if I would have known I was gonna get a black and white, small, blurry picture! Oh well... I'm legit now, so I can go on and off post whenever I want. No complaints. I swear I am like Roxy from Army Wives! If you don't watch that show - you need to!

I have a feeling that Leesville, LA will treat us alright. Even though it is not the most popular tourist spot, I know we will create some wonderful memories here. Love is all we need. :)

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day. We love ya'll!!!

"The world needs the touch of a woman and their love, their comfort, and their strength. Our harsh environment needs their encouraging voices, the beauty that scents to fall within their natures, the spirit of charity that is their inheritance. The God in whom so many of us believe has endowed His daughters with a unique and wonderful capacity to reach out to those in distress, to bring comfort and succor, to bind up wounds and heal aching hearts, and, most of all to rear children with love and understanding." ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Shout Outs

I just wanted to give a special shout out to a couple of VERY special women and their businesses. They each played a very special part in mine and Ryan's wedding - it literally would not have been the same without them. They are wonderful friends and mothers who have incredible talent to share.

Crickett Photography - Crickett is one of the nicest people I know. She has an amazing eye for natural light and contrast. I am so grateful to her because she gave me the memories of my wedding. She also does expecting, newborn, and family pictures. Check her out - http://www.crickettphotography.com/.

Something Swanky - Ashton runs this business and she is SO dear to my heart. Ashton and I were best friends during middle school and high school. She is a wonderful gal in the kitchen, especially when it comes to cupcakes and desserts. I was lucky enough to have Ashton attend the Utah reception AND make the cake & cupcakes for it. Ashton also has LOTS of other great ideas that she posts on her blog http://www.somethingswanky.com/. (ps- she did my engagement pics too!)

Under the Sea..Um...Aquarium

On our honeymoon, Ryan and I went to the Ft. Fisher aquarium. It was the first aquarium that Ryan had ever been to. It was in that moment that Ryan set his heart on....

....the TURTLES! I have never seen anyone so excited about turtles. His eyes brightened and he couldn't stop looking at them. He asked if we could get one some day. How can you deny that face?!?! So, of course I agreed. Little did I know.... 'some day' came real quick!

Ryan got an aquarium when he moved to Louisiana (one that was in his parents garage). Once at Ft. Polk, Ryan got us some fish for the aquarium...and a turtle. He named it Michelangelo (after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). The little guy is so cute that I told Ryan to go back and get me one too. He did and we named him Raphael. :) Welcome to the family, boys!

Roger That

Name changes, Army in processing, and LOTS of paperwork - helloooooo reality!

Today was a big day for Ryan and I. While I took off work to get my name officially changed, Ryan reported for his first day of in processing at Ft. Polk. Normally this plan would be a recipe for disaster; however, things actually went rather smoothly.

I showed up at the Social Security office bright and early with ALL of my paperwork. Luckily I only had to wait for 5 people before me. Not too shabby! As I was finalizing the whole Mrs. Larsen thing, Ryan called and told me to take my stuff to the nearest Army Recruiting place so that they could fax it to Ft. Polk. No problem. When I went into the recruiting office I got some very interesting looks. Thank goodness the recruiters proved to be very helpful after they realized I wasn't enlisting (I think they were seriously worried for a second). After that, I ran by the bank and fixed those accounts. The DMV is tomorrow! DONE AND DONE!

Down in Louisiana - Ryan started his morning off with paperwork for me. He had to get me enrolled/registered as an Army Wife. Then he proceeded to get our BAH in order (yes, PLEASE!). Finally we found out that the Army will move my stuff to Louisiana!!!! That is such a huge relief for us. Now we just have to pick a date for them to pack my house up. Ryan did lots of other stuff on post, but I would need a serious Army For Dummies book in order to tell you all about it. Sorry. I'm obviously the typical 'beginners' Army wife.

The best part of the day - Ryan called to inform me that we are now proud owners of a GE washer and dryer! Whoop!!!! Project Clean Clothes has now commenced!

Things are really starting to fall into place. The month of May will fly by for both of us. Lots to do as far as moving and still getting settled. Our house is slowly but surly turning into OUR home. We are so excited!

Hot Seat

Since being married, Ryan and I have gotten some of the craziest comments and questions. I am not sure what my reaction to these comments/questions looked like, but I am pretty sure that 'dumbfounded' described it best. Enjoy these as much as I have and see what I wish I could have said. :)

• Ms. Wiggins, you are married!!! (Really? I had no idea! When did that happen!?!?!?)




• Oh my gosh, I thought of your wedding while I was taking cover in my closet during the tornado. (This comment is just precious to me - but my wedding was probably the last thing you should have thought about when you were taking cover.)




• Have you taken a pregnancy test yet? (WOW...uumm...let's see...yep, I still don't know what to say to that one.)




• What's your new name? (Larsen) Isn't that a crime? (Yeah....no, it's not. Good try.)




• How is married life? (Well, the WEEK of married life was great, but my husband and I are separated by long distance again... Thanks for reminding me though!)




• Marriage advice - Argue naked! You can't stay mad for long that way. (Yes, this was advice given by Ryan's older brother. All I could think was...hmm, very odd but I could see how that would work. Thanks!)

I have never been able to hide my thoughts with my facial expressions, so I am sure that I have been making some very funny faces this week! :)