Jo's FFF

I am so excited to introduce the newest segment on Love on the Homefront! Follower Feature Friday!!! Basically I am going to feature a different woman/man who is in a military relationship. I hope this will help with networking for the individuals who are featured and also, I think it's nice to get to share your story once in a while. Without further a-do our first featured milSO is JO.

"Let us live so that when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry." - Mark Twain

Jo is 20-something, and her fiance's name is John. John is in the Navy. Jo & John have been together for 21 months and engaged for 8. Jo is a teacher & her favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird.

Her favorite memory with John was "hugging him for the first time when he came home on R&R from Afghanistan during this current deployment. It was the best feeling to see him, hold him, and know he was safe..." 

Their Story in Jo's Words

"John and I met as members of the trumpet line in our college’s marching band. We went on one disaster of a date in college but remained friends. We gradually fell almost out of contact after college when I accidentally blew off his second attempt at a date. Fast forward a year. John shipped off to boot camp and randomly, I saw that his brother had posted his address on Facebook. I wrote John a note. He wrote back. Letters turned into hours-long phone calls, which (finally) turned into a date that did not end in disaster!" - Jo

She gives this advice: "Take one day at a time. Don’t think about how much time there’s left in your countdown; just think about how far you’ve come."

When asked to explain why she felt her story with John was unique she said, "I think the sequence of misses, poor communication, and dumb luck in our story makes it interesting, if not unique. Had I not been on Facebook at the time John’s brother posted his address, or had the letter not gotten to John, or had I decided never to write him at all, our story would never have happened. It’s pretty incredible that the sequence of events that happened, did."

Follow Jo on Twitter @JoMyGosh & her amazing blog - JoMyGosh.blogspot.com

I've only been communicating with Jo for a little while, but she is amazing and her blog is adorable, please show her some love and let her know how special and how supportive you are of her. Thank you Jo!

I wish Jo & John a very happy life, which I'm sure they will have. Happy Friday loves!

Button Help?

I made my little button and yes I am proud of it, but...I don't love it and I want a different one... lol. If you are any good at such things & have spare time please help me! I know yours will be better than mine.

Email me @ loveonthehomefrontwife@gmail.com if you would like to help me! I'll be sure to let everyone know of your kindness ( :

The day he left

So. I haven't blogged in a while and I was starting to feel a little guilty. Between work, school, and planning this wedding I barely have a second to breathe let alone gather my thoughts. So I'll start off by telling everyone that my hubby is and has been officially overseas. I'll recount the day he left because not only is it still fresh in my mind, almost like it was truly yesterday, but I think it's important.

My hero <3

The day he was leaving Kendall and I drove to the airport alone. His parents were meeting us there.  We had to stop by my dads house so he could tell the little ones goodbye. When we made it to the airport we checked in and his parents met us. We grabbed something to eat in the foot court while waiting for him to board. (Wow, just typing this up is giving me chills all over). I'm sitting there most likely seeming rigid but only because I could tell that he was upset and I didn't want a repeat of the Call to Duty ceremony. I rubbed his back, his mom gave him many words of encouragement and we snapped a few pictures. He went to the bathroom, I still suspect that he got sick, and while he was gone I broke down a little. His mom kept reminding me I had to be "strong" for him. So he came back and it was about time for him to leave. We gave hugs and reminded him that he would be okay and that we would be okay. I kissed him for the last time (until his return) and he headed through security and what not. The whole time he would turn around and look back at us and I so badly wanted to just say one more goodbye...steal one more kiss. After we couldn't see him any more we decided to leave. His parents told me they could drive me home, I declined. Honestly, I felt fine. I told them I'd manage on my own. I made it to the elevator and the floor my car was on in the garage. The walk to the car felt like a long one and I felt the biting cold hit me. By the time I made it to my car I couldn't breathe. I unlocked it, sat down and lost it. I didn't know what had come over me. I would open my mouth ready to scream and nothing would come out. I eventually had to call someone and my aunt answered. I just cried. I felt like I just needed someone to listen to me cry. I clutched my stomach and told her "it hurt." I feel bad that I called anyone because let's face it, I was not coherent by any means. Eventually she was so worried that she wanted someone to pick me up. I just decided to pull myself together and leave. I'm not going to say that I didn't cry the entire way home because that would be a lie. The pain I was feeling was real and intense, I felt it with my whole body. My family wanted me to come over, and to spend time with them but I just wanted to go home and sleep until I couldn't any more, and that's what I did. Eventually I pulled myself out of the rut. I feel much better these days but people going through what I am know about how you can just cry at any moment. And I do. I'm so emotional all the time, it kind of makes me laugh. The day after he left I tried to go to work and that didn't work out. I wasn't five minutes into my shift before I was spilling my guts and crying..

Our first Skype date!

Now, I have a full plate. We are into the nitty gritty of wedding planning. We got to visit a venue for an open house and I am in love. It will certainly be hard to beat. I've also tried on some dresses and have some front runners.

I know, I look oh-so-adorable in my bobcats tee!

Kendall and I Facebook all the time, almost everyday which is amazing. I feel bad because I haven't gotten to write him very much but then again, we still keep each other informed every day. I am done with my first week of school at OUL and I love it, besides the face that my schedule is a little messed up but! I learned how to fix it for next semester. Can I just tell you that in my acting class I am going to be performing "Popular" from Wicked as a project...I'm already nervous! I am so excited with the changes I have made and I'm even more excited to be working toward goals that will better mine and my husbands life.

While Kendall was home we got tattoos. This is not out of the norm for us...

This is obviously mine, he got a matching tat w his mom that I'll try to put up. PS-- this did hurt. But I didn't cry at all, took it like a total champ.

I miss him, more and more everyday. I miss his arms around me, his laugh, and his eyes. I think about him when I do almost anything. Sometimes I dream that he is still here! I just remind myself of that day he comes home and I picture what that will be like. I'll probably cry, let's face it.

But, I know I'll be alright, and that he will too and that's all that truly matters.

UPDATE

I have to take a minute to post about the classes I am taking next semester. I am finally in my Early Childhood Ed classes which makes me so excited! I am taking Intro to Early Childhood Education and Intro to Child Development. I'm also taking a writing class which is pretty standard. I signed up for Introduction to Nutrition because, well it was one of the only "applied sciences" offered that interested me. I'm also taking Acting Fundamentals, which is...an acting class. 

Any ways I'm really excited to start this new semester. I just know it will be much better than my last. Well I need it to be actually.

In between getting ready for hubby to come home & Christmas I haven't had much time to post. Hope your holiday preparations are running smoothly! 

DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater

I have to share the ugly Christmas sweaters that my best friend and I made for a party.

THE STORY:
While sitting at dinner my best friend and I were talking about what we were going to wear to an ugly Christmas sweater party. Erin says "I wish I could somehow say that I am the ugly sweater." I replied "Just put an ugly picture of you on the sweater!" Thus our magnificent Christmas idea was born.

We scoured Goodwill and found two red oversized sweaters, and a few matching ornaments as well as some wreaths.

We printed out some very gorgeous pictures of ourselves and duct taped them onto the front and back of the sweaters. We glued the other ornaments on and hung some off of the sweaters.

We pinned the wreaths in our hair and had an ugly picture of the both of us on the back of our sweaters.

We had a great time and even though some of the stuff fell off of our sweaters we still looked adorable. This was extremely fun and different from every other sweater at the party!

December Goals

1. Try my very best on my finals

2. Work, work, work!

3. Make the best of the week I'll have with my husband

4. Figure out a schedule to work out & stick to it

5. Make some Christmas gifts!

Going to an ugly Christmas sweater party this weekend! The best friend and I have a little trick up our sleeve for our sweaters! I'll let you see the finished product later. Anyways, while shopping I found this adorable sweater.

Too cute and I had to get it, I'm sure my family will get a kick out of it when I wear it to Christmas! I really want to go thrifting soon for some oversized sweaters. There were so many to choose from! An oversized sweater + leggings + boots + scarf = a perfect daily outfit in the winter! I am so excited to put together my special surprise sweater for the party. 

Hope you college kids are surviving the wrap up of the semester. I am struggling, bad. Doing some extra credit tonight and tomorrow and just hoping to squeak by and pass these classes! HAPPY END OF THE SEMESTER! It's almost winter break. Just hang in there ( :

Do you want to be an angel?

Last night I along with tons of others I tuned in to watch The 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. I loved all the cutesie little outfits and the walking and poses. I also thought all of the little themes per all of the outfits in the show fit into were adorable. Shoutouts to Justin, Rihanna, and Bruno because I thought they all were amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the fashion show! I was working on a paper while watching it as well. Gotta love college. These were some of my personal favorites --

(source)

The Biebs was also looking adorable. I just love him. 

Anyways, much later in the night while checking Twitter I saw many girls online bashing the Angels. Comments such as "that skinny is not attractive", and "probably anorexic" floated around the cybersphere. I happen to think these women are gorgeous. I have enough self love and respect to celebrate others beauty. I however, was trying to counteract those thoughts! I even challenged my followers to post some #bikinipics of their own! It got me thinking, why does watching something like the Victoria's Secret Fashion show make women so uncomfortable? Why are we not comfortable enough with our own bodies?

I have to say, these models are not the scary, skinny, unattractive ones. I think the Angels are toned, I think they have a figure. They work really hard for the figure that they have. 

We could all look like Angels! If you want to, you just have to work really hard.

It bothered me that someones first defence was to call them anorexic. I've dealt with a lot of body image issues in my life. I have battled eating disorders and to me, they are not something to take lightly or joke about. I always felt like no one understood what I was going through and honestly how could they? I felt like I alienated everyone around me. I had to retrain my brain. I will always have issues with my body. I am now more comfortable with my body, most of the time. It's been a long road. Loving yourself and the way you look is not easy by any means. I often don't see myself the way others do. As I'm growing up I'm becoming more comfortable in my own skin. 

I knew I had made a large stride when after watching the fashion show I wasn't in a state of self-loathing. I was actually inspired. I could have a more toned body, if I worked for it. And I promised myself I would. I am going to work to look like an Angel for when hubby gets home from deployment ( : 

What a goal!

Anyways lovelies, what did you think of the show?

What was your favorite?