House Hunting

I think this is going to be a very helpful blog for my thought process on what I'm looking for in a house. For anyone reading this who doesn’t already know, Matt and I are officially in the house hunting process! We weren't really expecting it, but somehow it became the most logical financial move to make. We're currently a one car family, which has worked out remarkably well over the last nine months. However, my wonderfully creative husband now has a job working at Crossroads in Cincinnati... I'm still in school at NKU and our apartment is also on the Kentucky side of the river. On top of that, I have to be at Ft. Knox one weekend of every month for another two or so years and weekends are Matt’s busiest time of the week... yeah, it's going to get a bit hectic.

Now I understand that the most logical explanation to all this mess would be for us to buy a car. New, used - anything that can get us from point A to point B.  This was our plan as well until we started looking at prices for used cars and then prices of new cars...and all along we keep going back to the fact that every car (unless it's vintage) depreciates in value as soon as you drive it off the lot and who wants another car payment that runs between $100 and $300? Certainly not us. Logically, we decided, if we can't afford a car... we're going to buy a house. Ha! I know that sounds crazy, but we already throw away about $750 a month into our rent anyway. That doesn't include utilities. The beautiful thing about buying a house is a) most of the mortgage payments for the houses we're looking into will cost us less than our current rent and b) we're actually putting our money into something... not just handing it over to our Apartment complex.  

So now that's explained - the real purpose of this blog was to talk about my hopes and dreams for whatever house we end up with. I've been scowering pinterest for any and all ideas. However, I am trying to be realistic, practical and a little hopeful as I search. I'm very aware that Matt and I will never own a home like this:

And I'm okay with that. However, there are certain things I know Matt and I can accomplish and that list goes something like this: 

                                                                               Organization. I want everything to have a place - not that everything has to be in its place at all times, but when we go to clean up, I want it to be super easy to simply put whatever in its designated bin or drawer. At the moment, we don't have the storage space for everything to be organized in that way and we can't go building shelves or extra cabinets. Personally, I hate fighting with inanimate objects for space. Sometimes I won't put away a pot or a pan because I hate trying to jiggle everything just right in order to make it all fit.

All of these organizational techniques makes me so so so so very happy. I'm not naturally an organized person. I lack the OCD for it I think, but I DO truly appreciate organization. And although it might drive me a touch crazy sometimes, Matt does have the OCD for organization, so I know he'll be especially helpful in making sure these projects happen.



Style. I don't mean IN style. I mean, our style. I want our friends and families to walk in our house and say, "Matt and Catie live here." Matt is naturally inclined to rustic, wooden textures and colors and I'm naturally inclined to beachy clean styles and palettes. He's a cozy cabin in the woods -- 

and I'm a classic Charleston beachhouse. However, I think combining these two aesthetics is even better than trying to attain one or the other. We both appreciate each other’s style and so blending them together is natural and easy. I want this to come across.

Comfort. We have talked extensively about making our house a home for anyone who crosses the threshold. I want people to feel invited, comfortable, and safe. I think this kind of ties into the organization bit as well. I don't want chaos, but I certainly don't need perfection. I grew up in a house where a stain on the carpet was not the end of the world, and dirty feet and hands were a common occurrence. It was neat and organized but not freakishly clean. Rigid is not a word I would use to describe my family and it is NOT the word I want when people describe my house.

That's pretty much it... This wasn't what we described to our realtor, of course. However, I think we listed off the practical things that could help us achieve these goals: three bedroom, two bath, decent yard, full basement, and fairly large common areas. Hardwood floors and a working fireplace are also things we're hoping for.

We start our search today, so let the hunt begin!

Forks over Knives

Get ready for a long one, because I'm discussing nutrition and theology - two of my passions in life. I should also throw out a disclaimer that the religious nature of my blogs is simply a product of learning and growing in my faith. I do not mean to offend anyone or shove my beliefs down the throats of others. This is me simply writing about my life as I see it.

So last night, Matt and I watched the documentary Forks over Knives. I thought it had a lot of really good insights on cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and every other degenerating disease Americans seem to suffer from. It really helped me to contextualize the rate at which these diseases occur compared to other countries in the world. This all leads me to believe what my own mother has been saying all along - our diet of processed foods, trans fats and high fructose corn syrup is the # 1 thing to blame for the aforementioned afflictions our country faces. That, coupled with our insatiable need to eat meat and dairy at every meal, is the source for our debilitating health status.

The doctors and biologists featured in this documentary gave absolutely amazing stats. They have study after study showing that a proper diet of whole foods and plant based meals will prevent cancer cell growth AND eliminate cancer as well. There are statistics that show 18% of our population actually have pre-cancerous cells due to genetics. Which means something else is contributing to the rise of cancer patients we've had since the 1950's. Here's another little fact - The 1950's was the start of "convenience" and fast foods and the push for more milk and meat in our diets. This is also the time in which heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and all that other jazz started to increase. Coincidence? I highly doubt it.

Featured in the documentary were also patients who had undergone heart surgeries and battled cancer - many of them were told to prepare for death. Their medications weren't doing the job and they could expect to die within a year. Not ready to throw the towel in just yet, they searched for a more holistic approach to their problem and found eating a whole foods, plant based diet might just cure every issue they have. And it did. Most of these people took between 2-6 medications a day for their health problems. In months, they cut their medications in half, improved their energy level, and even reversed the diseases they had in the first place.

I'm sorry, but the evidence is so obvious. My own grandfather told me about eight months ago that he was going on this diet. I was surprised - Granddaddy is a meat loving, salt adding, cheese on everything kind of guy. But he had some health issues as men in their 70's often do, and he wanted to cut back on his medications. Today, I think he's lost something like 20 pounds and he is taking less than half of the medications he was taking just a few months ago. He's healthy, he feels great and I'm pretty sure he's added years to his life.

Now for the theological portion. A few months ago, Matt and I decided to cut way back on meat. We're not strictly vegetarian but we realized that we felt better, our skin improved, and we didn't feel as sluggish after meals when we restricted the amount of meat we ate. After praying about it and investigating just what the Bible says about food, we came to the conclusion that we would start a pseudo-vegetarian diet. We reserve meat for when we're eating with our friends and family, but in our house, we don't have any meat (Except the celebratory steaks I bought for Matt). We both felt this diet was closer to what God intended originally. 

Before the fall, Adam and Eve were vegans. They lived in harmony with every living creature and all living creatures lived in harmony with each other.

Genesis 1:29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Even the other animals were vegetarians.

Genesis 1:30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

After the fall, the world order was shifted and the food chain was created. God tells Noah he is free to eat whatever he can.

Genesis 9: 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. ³  Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.

It's my belief that God knew as the flood waters receded and Noah's progeny multiplied, the expansion of cultures would bring people to live in extreme conditions (the arctic, the desert etc) and they would not have access to as many plants or grains. Instead, they would need the higher fat and protein from fatty meats for energy to make it through the harsh climates. It is for this reason; I believe we are permitted to eat meat. However, as Americans - most of us don't spend all day outside cultivating the land for food. We don't spend hours of our lives trying to survive. We sit in air conditioned/heated rooms for 8 hours a day (some of us are running around watching children - usually inside as well). Our lives are not difficult (all things considered) and therefore, our diets don't need to be filled with the higher protein and fat dairy and meat provide.

This is all to say, I believe the closer we get to the way things were intended in all things - food, relationships, morals etc - the healthier we are in mind, body and spirit.

Now Matt and I have another step to getting our diet on track - keeping the dairy products to a minimum. This is going to be hard because we love cheese and we use milk daily in cereal, coffee, and cooking recipes. However, I think we can start substituting with almond milk - I hate soy milk so that won't work. I don't think meat and dairy are foods we need to avoid like the plague. There are vitamins and nutrients we can get from both of them, however, the amount and the rate at which we consume these products is too much. I wasn't sold on the dairy thing until I watched this documentary. I still have some questions about it though. I know that goat milk is better for us than cow milk and the majority of the world actually consumes goat milk instead. So I'm curious if goat milk is something our bodies handle better.  Over all I definitely see the benefits of increasing fruits, veggies, and whole grains and decreasing dairy, meat, and animal based oils.

I'm actually excited. Understanding why it's so important to eat this way helps to solidify my reserve to keep cooking this way. By the time we try to start having kids, I want it to be a habit. Right now, we're experimenting with recipes trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. We both have cravings and still eat out more than we should, but I think we have a clearer understanding about food.

If you have Netflix, go watch Knives over Forks. It's streaming for free right now. If you don't have Netflix, find a friend who does and make them watch it with you.

You can also visit http://www.forksoverknives.com/ for more information and recipes!

I made pesto!

And I finished school! But I'm more excited about making pesto. It's actually super easy as long as you have a food processor and thanks to Kohls (Or, Mizz Kohls as Matt would say) we finally got one! So the great thing about making pesto is that it's super easy, super fast, and super tasty! 

The bad thing about making pesto is that pine nuts are one of the main ingredients and pine nuts are stupidly expensive! The Kroger brand baggie of pine nuts is literally 1/2 cup and roughly $5.50. What's up with that? I haven't looked into where pine nuts are from or why they are so expensive, but my reasoning tells me that pine nuts come from pine trees and pine trees are literally everywhere but the tropics/ deserts/ the amazon... I think. Therefore, the supply of pine nuts should be plentiful and the demand... I'm not so sure about, but I'll tell you what I am sure about - pine nuts are way too freaking expensive. I realize I could Google it really quick and keep myself from sounding as ignorant as I am, but I'll save the real reason pine nuts are so expensive for another blog. 

Anyway, I made pesto and after making my pesto I put about a tablespoonish of it on some leftover rice, along with a little butter, microwaved it for a minute and a halfish and garnished it with goat cheese. I finished off lunch with an orange. It was all very delicious. I wish I had the drive to create new foods everyday instead of sticking with the same old soup and sandwich schtick. Not that soup and sandwiches aren't delicious, but too often, I keep myself from making new foods because other things are more convenient. 

Okay, I want to back up to the part of the paragraph where I was talking about goat cheese. Because I'm obsessed with goat cheese. I'm pretty sure goat milk would be even more disgusting than regular milk (I love all dairy products, I even have milk in my cereal, but I cannot drink white milk by itself without gagging), however, goat cheese is like the ranch of cheese. You can put it on anything and it makes food taste incredible. Put it in a salad with cranberries, use it instead of Parmesan on pasta, smear it on a Triscuit with a cherry tomato a basil.... There are just endless and wonderful things one can do with goat cheese. Too bad it's also more expensive than your average crumbled feta or blue cheese. Oh well. 


In further news, I've finally come to the conclusion that I'm switching my major. Currently I'm doing Public Relations with a minor in history. But I've already re-registered for fall classes with the intention of getting my BA in history with a minor in Medieval and Renaissance studies. I'm EXTREMELY excited about this. I have a passion for history and if Matt can get a salary paying job with a BFA in musical theatre, By God, I can do something awesome with my history degree. 


So yes, Matt did get an AWESOME job offer from the church we attend in Cincinnati. And he excepted (duh) and his first day is May 22. We're pretty excited about this. Crossroads is notorious for taking care of their employees and their families and it shows. We feel so absolutely blessed and its such a perfect confirmation that God works in mysterious and awesome ways. This time last year, we were wondering if I was going to make it out of Taji, all the while questioning why Matt wasn't getting the kind of work he had been told he would get. Well, I'm back from the desert and he's back from LA and I don't think either of us would change anything. We love Cincinnati, we love our community, and there is no doubt in either of our minds that we're right where we need to be. It's a nice feeling. 


I'm jumping around a lot but I have to mention that I finished my first semester back at school and I feel pretty good about it. I ended up with all A's and one B+. I'm very pleased. Summer break couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I'll be ready for classes to start in August but until then, I'm going to enjoy myself!  


Well that's pretty much all I have to say for the day. In a final summation of this blog - I made pesto. It was good, but the price of pine nuts suck. I love goat cheese. Matt got a job - Praise the Lord! And my first semester back at school was pretty sweet. 

Apparently I can't blog and be in school at the same time

Unfortunately being back at NKU means writing 800 papers, which then makes me not want to write anything else - ever. Well, that's a little extreme. I just haven't had any motivation to write on here because I spend so much time on my laptop and I don't want to spend a second more on it than I have to. Even my Pinteresting has come to a severe decline. However, I suddenly had a burst of motivation to write a quick update blog. I think this happened because I have less than a month until I'm done with the first half of my Junior year :D 

I really like being back at school, but I'm not sure how long that's going to last. The rest of my friends who didn't graduate last May, graduate this May. And I've found that the social college life I enjoyed before my deployment, isn't really what I'm looking for now that my deployment is over. I just don't have a community in college and I'm not necessarily looking for one. I'm married, I'm not a huge party kind of person, and I'm 23 with most of my High School and early college friends already done with their college career. So I'm kind of ready for summer break. Actually, I'm VERY ready for summer break. 

The last two summers have kind of sucked. The year before last I was counting down my days with friends and family before I started pre-deployment training and then last summer I was obviously in a desert. I think now is a good time to make a list of things I'm excited for this summer (I love lists). 

1) Laying out at the pool. Now, I should explain that I actually did this last summer. There was a pool at Camp Taji and I frequented this pool on my day off. But now I don't have to look at ugly dust, worry about Incoming alarms, or be outnumbered by males 10:1. Also, I can enjoy the pool with Matt AND it's not a mile away and its not 130 degrees outside. God Bless America (Except the parts that resemble Iraq). 

Pool times!

2) Grilling out! There is nothing that says "It's Summer Time!" like the smell of freshly grilled meet, veggies, pineapple, whatever-the-hell-food-you-want-to-grill! Matt and I don't have a grill and we aren't permitted to have one because we live in an apartment, but I'm pretty certain our friends and family will be grilling out a few times this summer :) <--- Emoticons replace punctuation. 

Just a stock photo of grillin' out

3) Lake-house! My best friend, Melissa, has the most awesome lake-house ever. Well its not just hers - her dads side of the family owns it. But we always have the most amazing time going out on the pontoon, drinking mixed drinks, driving the jet-ski (before we've had the mixed drinks, of course) and TUBING.  There is literally no cell phone reception, internet, or even a Starbucks nearby. It is the perfect getaway and I LOVE it.

 <3

4) Experimental Cooking! For my birthday, Matt got me two awesome cook books. One was a binder filled with recipes I grew up with. He asked my mom for my favorite home cooked meals and so now I have that little part of my past to take with my into my future. He also got me my very first official cookbook called Clean Foods  by Terry Walters - It's a seasonal guide to eating close to the source. It's mostly vegetarian and it gives you recipes based on the seasons and what is naturally growing in winter, spring, summer and fall. I love it. Matt and I made the decision a few months ago to go pseudo-vegetarian. Basically, we're just limiting the amount of meat we eat. We've stopped buying meat from the grocery, but we have no problem enjoying it at a friends house or when we go out to eat. There was a lot that went into this decision so I'll have to save it for another blog. 

Get it! 

5) More time to  play with Boswell, tan, work out, and spend time with the people I love! Working, going to school full time, and trying to make meals that are healthy instead of eating out all the time is very time consuming. But when I'm just working part-time, I'll have a chance to really rejuvenate and get back into a work-out schedule! Matt and I took Boswell for a little run the other day and he did great! I'm thinking I've found my new running buddy when Matt isn't around :) 

This is Boswell. He's my favorite. 

So that's the update/the plan for the summer.

In a quick summation - life is good, school is good, lots of papers, can't wait for summer, got a dog, and I'll hopefully be updating more often in a month! 

Catie Home-Maker

Isn't it funny how much we don't want to be like our parents growing up?  Aaaand what's even more funny is how we turn into them without realizing its even happening...  Inevitably, we all come to a point in our life when we do come to find - The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, now does it? 


As a girl, a series of events in which little Catie got burnt by stove-top and or oven, quickly had me swearing that I would never cook like my mother. My mom always had home made meals prepared for us breakfast, lunch and dinner. We only ate out on vacation/REALLY special occasions. I probably asked for McDonalds every time we drove by it and I was greeted with a very resounding and resolute, "No, Catie, we have food at home." 
"Well I know we have food at home, mom, but I don't want that food".... I wasn't a very appreciative child when it came to the healthy and balanced meals my parents provided me. (Dad cooked too, but it was definitely more of moms thing.) So, until rather recently, I just knew I would never cook. It wasn't something I was sad to admit, it was an absolute statement that I would NOT be cooking meals. I would marry a chef if I had to or a Boyscout because they cook over fires and fires are even more unpredictable than ovens. 


Well guess what... I love cooking. I love the produce section of Kroger. I love grilled onions and peppers in everything. I like baking, sauteing, grilling, crock-potting, and boiling. I like looking up recipes and gathering up the specific ingredients needed for whatever the hell I'm getting ready to whip up. But, what I love the most about cooking - is serving. I like knowing that I picked out healthy, and usually, organic/natural foods to give my guests. I like the look of someone being satisfied from something I did. I'm still in the process of trying different recipes out. I'm no Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, Paula Deen or Bobby Flay or any of those other fancy chefs on Food network. But I have yet to see anyone run to the bathroom or suavely spit a bite of something out into their napkin.  


I think another reason for my new found joy of cooking has to do with having real cookware and cooking utensils. Let me tell you two things that will change your idea of cooking/preparing healthy meals, especially if you're afraid to use vegetables. 


1. The Chopper aka the Chop Chop - This magical device prevents anyone from chopping up vegetables with a knife ever again. I can use the chop chop on anything and it takes a fraction of the time. Even though I have to chop smaller portions at a time, its still MUCH faster than taking a knife and trying to nicely and evenly cut that stuff up. Also, it's much less hazardous AND it's super easy to clean. Thank you, Chop Chop inventor - you just made my meals 30% more healthy. 


2. Garlic Press. I saw this neat little device at my brothers apartment a month or so ago. Matt and I were both fascinated by it. A very simple machine in nature, but so powerful. 

(I just considered using Luke Skywalker & friends trapped in the garbage disposal of the Death Star from Episode I (or IV if you count those stupid prequels) as an allusion to what the garlic press does, but figured showing a picture was a better reference) 


No more chopping garlic up in a plastic bag with a hammer... you know to keep your hands from smelling like garlic for the next 24-36 hours. Now, we could put cloves upon cloves of garlic in whatever we wanted in a matter of minutes. Also, cleaning this contraption is super easy and not time consuming.  I know garlic is a weird thing to love, but there are SO many health benefits to garlic. It is proven to assist in lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and it's a natural antibiotic. Garlic = Awesomeness. 


So those are the two big things that have made a huge difference in what Matt and I cook. The other day we made the most AMAZING Quesadillas. We drove by a Taco Bell on our way home from Kroger and I immediately went into crave mode. I wanted a steak quesadilla in the worst way and if Matt had consented to a quick drive-thru pitstop, I wouldn't have felt guilty... until about 5 minutes after consuming that quesadilla in approximately 3 minutes. 
Well, instead of wasting money on crappy food (that tastes Oh so good), we made quesadillas ourselves using: 


1. Two whole wheat, all natural tortillas. 
2. Grilled organic onions, pepper, and garlic. 
3. Grilled organic chicken. 
4. Organic Black Beans
3. Trader Joes shredded cheese... which is, of course, organic. 
4. Organic sour cream. 


Let me just say - they were the BEST quesadillas either of us had ever consumed. We finished the meal off with some white wine . Awesome. It was also awesome, because we both worked on the meal. It was so much fun cooking with him. Matt is always encouraging me to experiment with the ingrediants we have in our cabinets. He's just wonderful like that... oh, and btw, he also happens to be a better cook and MUCH more knowledgeable about the kitchen than me. So between my experimenting and his expertise, we make a pretty good team :) 

I'm Home! I'm Married! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! It's time for school.

I know it's been a while since I've written anything in here, but I promise I've been thinking and formulating this blog for months! I want to continue to blog my life on here especially now that I'm out of Iraq. I think it would be something neat to look back on in 5-10 years. I'd like to think that I'll continue blogging about school, married life, traveling, babies and everything that life happens to send my way. I also feel like blogging is a good way to measure my growth in my faith. I can scarcely talk about the events in my life without reflecting on the how and the why and I usually find that those answers have something to do with the way God is working in my life.

- By the way, I'm blogging while watching Julie and Julia... seems fitting.

So the quick summary of the last few months goes something like this: I got home in a whirlwind of emotions. It was an amazing feeling to be home with my friends and family but also there to greet me, was a funeral for my uncle. It was not expected, but very sudden and tragic. There is still something about it that doesn't seem real or make any sense. In the end, I'm glad I was able to make it home in time to be with my family during such a trying time. And since my return, it has been go, go go for the last 3 months.
Matt and I moved into a one bedroom apartment that we LOVE. It really does seem like the perfect place for  a newly married couple. Or a couple that has been legally married, but are newly back together and just got covenantally married.... That is something that should be explained a little better.

Matt and I have been legally married since September 26, 2010. This was for all the added benefits soldiers and their dependents get for having a spouse. If something had happened to Matt while I was gone, as my husband, I could have taken emergency leave no questions asked. But as my boyfriend or fiance... I would have had a much harder time convincing anyone to let me leave. Also, Matt was automatically covered for health and dental insurance while I was gone.  Before I left, there was no time for us to have the wedding that I had been planning since I was a little girl. So we planned for a December wedding in 2011 instead.

And what a wonderful wedding it was. I don't know if it was the smartest idea to have a wedding in between two major Holidays, but I certainly wouldn't have changed a thing. It was perfect from sunrise to sunset. There was laughter, and some tears... but only the good kind that comes about because your head and your heart are so full and happy that there is nowhere else for them to go except out from your eyes. There was a lot of dancing, good eating, and beautiful people. When all the pictures come in, I'll have a blog dedicated to that day. It is just too much to put in a catch up blog.
The Honeymoon was sublime. But also needs its own blog to go over the details of getting there and what a trial that was.
Matt and I brought in the New Year with a few good friends and a few good drinks at Habits Cafe in Oakley Town Square. We had a great time talking and laughing and at 10 till midnight, we went outside Habits to stand in front of the 20th Century Theatre. We watched their version of the ball drop, which was coupled with fireworks and singing. Good times.

And now, I've started school again. I also picked a major and I'm actually very excited about it! Two years from now, I should have my degree in Public Relations. I've never been more excited to be back at school. Now that I have a goal to reach, I'm definitely taking my education more seriously. Its a good feeling.

I'm going post this without editing because its nearly 11:00 and Matt and I are getting up at 6:45 in the morning to work out..... But I wanted to post something and revive this blog so I can finally start doing this on a weekly/monthly basis again!

The Leaves have changed a time or two...

And now its time for me to be on my way home. In the near future I will board a plane that will finally take me away from this place back to my family, my home, my husband. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to end this chapter of my life and start the next. Already I'm aware that my homecoming will not be filled with the ecstatic smiles and the overwhelming joy that I have long day dreamed of, but just the same, I'm excited to go back to the United States/the tri-state area and just stay there. 
I'm actually still wrapping my mind around that thought. I'm going to be home for good in about a weeks time. No more counting down the days until I report back to some state or country or continent far, far away from everyone I love so much. 
However, I am thankful for my time away. I am thankful for the lessons I have learned and for realizing that I'm made of tougher stuff than I initially thought. I'm very much aware that my strength comes solely from my faith in God and all the blessings I have incurred from my deployment are all because of Him. I won't lie - There were many times that I was scared. My initial entry into Iraq left me feeling homesick like I use to be as a little girl. I was suddenly aware of how far away everyone was. I use to think I would be deployed with one or both of my brothers... but God had other plans and that safety net was not there for me to hold onto. Its interesting, though, that God puts the right people in your life to help you through the situations you fear you can't overcome. And within a few days of arriving into country, I realized that a certain person was there in place of my brothers and I was comforted. 
There were nights after May 4th that I lay in my bed straining all thought and energy on the sounds outside. Was that the air conditioner finishing a cycle or did we have incoming? Would I wake up to those heart stopping booms... would I wake up at all? At that point, all you can do is pray for mercy and the Lords will to make things right. And in my time there, God was merciful.  So did I learn to overcome fear? No, not necessarily. I simply learned to trust in God in a much deeper and more meaningful way than I ever could have back home where we all sleep safe and sound.


So here I am after all of that. I didn't think this year would ever end and here I am... on the cusp of finishing. I have my ticket... and I just want to go home. 

Of course I have a Civil Wars song to reference. I literally spent all day listening to this song... numerous times on this deployment. 


My Fathers Father


I hear something hanging on the wind
I see black smoke up around the bend
I got my ticket and I'm going to go home

The leaves have changed a time or two
Since the last time the train came through
I got my ticket and I want to go home

My father's father's blood is on the track
A sweet refrain drifts in from the past
I got my ticket and I'm going to go home

The winding roads that led me here
Burn like coal and dry like tears
So here's my hope, my tired soul
And here's my ticket
I want to go, home
Home
Home