Memorial Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is such a fun time. It is known as the kick-off to summer, the opening of pools, a long weekend, cookouts, music, etc. Who wouldn't look forward to that type of weekend?! My family participated in all the Memorial weekend fun. We all got together and ate chicken and steaks off the grill, played cornhole, played Wii games, and we will be going on the boat too at Lake Gaston. It was nice to be able to spend some quality time with them before I leave for Louisiana...in 2 weeks to be exact! :) 

 

The Dixon side of the family



Memorial Day weekend also has another special meaning - one that has been REALLY apparent in my life for the past 2 years. It is a time in which we remember those who serve and have severed in our military. It's obvious why this is a special time for me - my amazing husband is in the Army! I am so grateful to have my husband also be my hero. Ryan has been in the Army for 3 years now and just got back from a tour in Afghanistan only 6 months ago. Even though the Army life isn't one of the easiest lifestyles, it is one that he is proud of. Ryan loves his job! After hearing stories from him about his deployment, training, and those he serves with, I know without a doubt that those men and women are making a difference in the world. They deserve so much more credit than we give them. So, I would like to take this second to thank my husband, my brother-in-law, and my grandpa for their service to our country. Find someone you can thank too! :) We get to have all of our Memorial Day fun  because of them.



Ryan in Afghanistan





Apple and Tree

Of course you have heard the saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree..." Well, see for yourself! Check out our family member's blogs!

My mom just got started blogging recently (only minor help required :)). I'm sure you will see many parallels between she and I. Since many of my readers also know my mom, I figured I would pass her link along!
Life as the Dixons
http://lifeasthedixons.blogspot.com

Rika Warr (Ryan's sister and my sister-in-law) also has a super cute blog. She just got married this past week and has some uplifting posts!
The Warr's
http://sofballplayer01.blogspot.com/

I know...that was a short family list. Hopefully more of our family members will start blogging at some point! Until then, you will just have to trust what we say about them. Hehe.. :) Enjoy reading about the rest of our family!

Working for the Weekend

Case: Working To Live vs. Living To Work
Victims: Ryan & Sarah Larsen
Date: Week of May 23-28

It's bad when you can't even enjoy a 'relaxing' Sunday because of the upcoming dreaded work week. For Ryan, this past work week never ended! He is on his first training rotation and has worked for the past 7 days in a row (also without a break in the near future...). He has pulled some long hours running around in the hot sun all day. This week will be the portion of the training rotation where he will have even LONGER hours and some overnight shifts in the field. This of course will make communication between us a fun challenge. I'm sure he is less than thrilled, but also excited by the action at the same time.

Although my work is not as physically demanding as Ryan's - I feel as though I need an extra dose of patience and motivation every morning too. This upcoming week is the week prior to student exams. I am still not sure if the students realize this. I am willing to bet that their minds are already on summer vacation. Of course, who am I kidding? - Mine is too!!! Last Friday, my kids were so distracted, unmotivated, and just plain annoying. I would have jumped out my window if the window would actually open! I seriously doubt that this week will be any better! The only good thing about it is that its 1 week closer to the end of school (June 10th to be exact!).

Now, don't get me wrong, Ryan and I have had difficult weeks before. We can handle it and we will make it to the end, believe it or not! I think we are just ready to start working to LIVE instead of living to WORK! I know without a doubt that once I get to Louisiana we will be able to enjoy some of the fruits of our labors with summer fun days and great adventures (yes, even in the small town of Leesville, LA!) :) 3 weeks and counting!

Cooking Faux Pas

A few weeks ago Ryan and I had our first date night as a married couple. No surprise, this was a long distance date night, since he had just moved to Louisiana. We decided that we would have a Skype dinner date. We would Skype while both making spaghetti and then sit down and eat it together. (Sorry if some of you think the idea is disgustingly cheesy, but I think it's cute!)

Well, the time had come and we began cooking. It was somewhat humorous as we were both trying to time the dinner just right. ***Time out - those of you who know me, obviously know that I can't cook!*** We began by letting the water heat up to a boil as we focused on the spaghetti sauce. Easy enough... My way of doing this - dump the jar of sauce into the pan and turn it up to medium heat. Done! Well, Ryan totally showed me up by adding all kinds of things to his sauce. Show off!

Next, Ryan's water started boiling and he continued on with his noodles. Well, it took about 10 minutes before I realized that my water really wasn't boiling. Hhmmm... it took me a little while longer to see that the coil to my stove top eye was loose from cleaning. I quickly pushed it back in and hoped it would boil fast before Ryan noticed. Who am I kidding?! Of course he noticed!!! His meal was done and he asked what was taking so long on my end. Once I explained to him what happened he simply replied with, "Geez, I knew you couldn't cook but I thought you would at least be able to boil water!" Thanks, honey!

Man, do I have some work to do! When I went down to visit Ryan in Louisiana last week, we decided to have some friends over for dinner at our house. Our house? Dinner? Guests? NO PRESSURE! Luckily I made a wonderful meal of chicken and rice with a gravy and mushroom sauce. Nothing major went wrong and I only had a few panic attacks! LOL!

Ryan and I LOVE to eat, I guess the only problem is who can cook. Cooking has been a goal of mine for a while now and I got several good cookbooks as wedding gifts (take a hint?), so now I don't have any excuses! Hopefully I will be able to share some GOOD cooking stories and recipes that Ryan and I try when I move to Louisiana. :)

*Ashton and Caroline - I am totally stealing some from your blog. Perhaps something beginner? :)

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