Updating

This blog of mine might be a little dark and dusty until the end of July.

My family is here and since it's been almost a year since we've been together, I'm not spending too much time on the computer, but I thought I'd take a moment for an update post.

I made the announcement last week, but just in case you missed it, my husband has re-enlisted and we will be moving from NC back to CA to go to the Defense Language Institute for a year and a half.  The DLI is located basically in our hometown, so we're moving home. We're super excited, but pretty sad to be leaving North Carolina and our little friend-family here, but it's just all part of the adventure!

I'm sure you've heard/read this a million times but Google reader is shutting down today.  Find me on Bloglovin if you like reading the random things I write (There's a little button on the side of my blog that will take you right to it!).

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July holiday and that this fun Summer month treats you well!

Dear mosquitoes and other letters..

  

Dear mosquitoes, there is a time and a place for everything.  No one can begrudge you when you decide to make a meal out of us when we're camping, hanging out on the dock watching the sunset, grillin' out, or playing cornhole.  We're outside, in your realm of suck (literally) and if we forget bug spray, hey, go at it!  However, when I am inside and in my bed, it is not time to go have yourself a feast on my feet of all places!  This means wearing shoes in unbearable and falling asleep takes a million times longer because I can't stop wanting to claw my feet off. Stay out of my house!  

Dear rain, go away. Last weekend was perfect summer adventuring weather and this constant downpour is throwing off my mojo and fading my tan.   

Dear JD Mass, last night you cooked us dinner and put the best bacon pieces on my pizza #husbandoftheyear.  You also never fail to encourage and try to help me, you're pretty much the best thing since pre-sliced bagles.   

Dear Bec Nicole, less than 20 days until I get to see your pretty face and our house becomes a bit more livelier and a tad louder. I can't wait!

Dear family, a little over 20 days until I get to see all your faces and man, does that make me happy! Now we can have awesome face-to-face conversations, instead of hilarious group text messaging.  I swear we need our own reality show.

Dear life changes that are around the bend, I'm excited and nervous for you all at the same time.  Bring it on (no, I am not pregnant...y'all need to chill).

Dear husband, who always gets two letters, in just 42 days we celebrate our first year of marriage.  Can you believe how quickly it's gone by?  It's been one of the best and toughest years of my life and I can't wait for the next 50 or so. I love you.

I'm getting really excited!

There are fun times ahead for us and I can't wait! Next week we're getting our first house guest from home.  Cassie is going to Europe and she's making a stop in Raleigh and hanging out with us for a day or two before flying again.  Don't we look cute as 50's gals?

Then in just over a month my whole family is going to be here for almost a month! I'm soooo dang excited.

We're going to DC and spending time in our town and then going to get our tans on at the river.  So so so excited! Look how tan we get spending a couple weeks in sun, this was from two years ago.

Blogging hasn't been my priority lately, but I'm going to get back into it.

Have a good weekend loves!

birthday.

My beautiful mom turns 50 today.

I don't think she'll mind me telling you how old she is because, like she said today, "You only turn 50 once."

She is truly my role model and has been even more so now that I'm married.  My mom is an amazing wife to my dad and she is equally amazing as a mom.  Of course no one is perfect, but I want to be just like her when I grow up.

Happy Birthday mom! I love you and I miss you every day!

letters

Dear reader...

So today I started working out again.  Last Summer, before the wedding, a group of my favorite women and I did the Color Run in San Francisco (a bunch of them are doing it again tomorrow!).  I ran every day and worked out to different videos.  Ok, to the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader videos, moving on.  Since we got married and moved I think I've ran twice.  Not having a job and not having a lot to do (and little motivation to do anything other than play with my dogs and watch tv and cook) other than eat three meals, plus snacks, a day means that my once toned butt, legs, arms and abs have reverted back to a state of neglect.  Sad face.  

Hence the newly renewed attitude to get back in shape.  Plus our ball is in a month and I'm planning on wearing a snazzy cocktail dress that shows my legs, which means I need to do this.  Wish me luck!

Dear husband...

When you get back get ready to be working out with me on the weekends! Aren't you excited.

Also, thank you for letting me go dress shopping with the girls and for wanting to take your wife to dance.

Dear family...

Have fun at the run tomorrow!  I'm so jealous of you all and wish I was there!

Dear puppies...

Oh Ripley and Abby...I love you, but you guys need to get along so I can actually do normal things without having to watch you.  I need a dog break sometimes.

Dear MIL...

Happy Birthday!! Hope you have a wonderful birthday weekend!

Dear cottage...

I walk around you every day and see all your potential for being such a cute place.  I wish I had money to fix you up all pretty like I dream about.

another birthday

 

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

In (almost) six years, this is only the third birthday we've been able to celebrate together.

I'm looking forward to never having to spend a special day apart again.

Our wedding photos still make me giddy.  I'm so thankful for Joni and I love this picture above more than anything else.  It's the moment when he became mine and I became his.  It's the moment that started this whole journey.  I don't think I've ever been happier.

I know birthdays sort of become just another day as you get older, but I'm determined to make this day special!

I suck...

I could not go back to sleep this morning and I was looking though my blog posts and I realize that I suck.

I was so excited about all of our birthdays last year and then I completely forgot to blog about the last three.

I guess that's what happens when they were right before holidays and we were trying to move.

I'm sorry sweet sisters! Happy late birthday to all of you.  I love you guys!

Birthday #2

Happy Birthday Becca!

This picture sums up a lot of our relationship.  You're silly and make me laugh. 

You dream without any hesitation and have the sweetest heart.

You also are incredibly wise for your age and I want to be like you when I grow up. 

  

I can't wait to see you this coming summer!

I love you!

All photos by Joni Llyod Photography

Bring on the birthdays!

Fun fact about my family!

All of us Mann, and now Massingale, siblings have birthdays within a few days/weeks of each other.

Except for husband...he misses out on being included in this super fun fact. Sad face. Moving on.

Starting in October and ending in December we get to usher in this fun time of birthdays and holidays.

To kick off these next few months is the only baby brother of the bunch.

You wouldn't think by looking at him now, but there was once a time in his life where Matt weighed just a couple pounds.  He was supposed to be due in November, (which I was excited about because I would have a sibling with a birthday in the same month as me...I was also the only one that wanted a baby brother...let that be know) but God and Matt had other plans and he was born early on October 11.  Now, he's 6 ft. tall, swims like a boss when he wants to, plays the guitar and drums, and can legally drive in about 6 months.  Shut the front door.  

I must admit that sometimes I wasn't very nice to my baby brother while he was growing up and for that I'm very sorry, but that doesn't change the fact that I love him like crazy and I'm super proud of the teenager he's becoming. 

Happy Birthday Matt! 

We love you!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!

Last year I was braving the crowds at Huntington Beach with some lovely ladies and watched an awesome fireworks show from the pier.  This year I'm going to be hanging out with family and friends.  We'll probably be a little loud and crazy, but hey, we should be celebrating!

Have an amazing day lovelies!

Insane.

Sometimes my house is insane.

There's always people here and we're always loud and doing crazy things.

Tonight it made my chest feel tight and brought tears to my eyes.

In 48 days I'm leaving and while I'm going to love my house with my husband and our dog, I'm going to miss the craziness of home.

We're hittin some big numbers over here

Today was a day of big and small, but big numbers around these parts.

My dad turned the big 50 today! 

We celebrated by throwing him a surprise dinner with 20 of our closest friend. It's always a great time when we get together.

Today is also the 2 month mark in the wedding countdown! 

Two months?? We've got this. It's going to go by so fast and I can't wait!

Hope everyone had a good Monday!

Dad's day

I for the life of me can't find a decent picture of my dad and me on my laptop. 

This picture of him and my baby sister Becca will have to do!  It really is the cutest picture ever.

My dad is pretty amazing. He's super hilarious, kind, loving, stubborn, and is one of the best gift givers I know!  He also loves Jesus Christ with all his heart and is a great role model for me and my siblings.

He and I butt heads a lot, but that's just because I inherited my stubborn streak from him.  We're two peas in a pod sometimes.

Happy Father's Day Dad! 

I love you!

Momma's Day

My mom is pretty amazing...and pretty...and awesome.

She is such a huge example of how I want to be when it comes to being a wife and a mother.

I like celebrating her and all the other moms in my life who have made an impact on me.

I love you momma!

A birthday.

Monday is my sister's boyfriend's birthday.

We kinda like him around this house. 

Today we went go kart racing up near San Francisco.

It was a blast and we had all a lot of fun. 

On our fun laps I came in 5th...out of 6, but who really cares right?

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

as of right now..

I saw this idea on Bright Wishes and Brooke got the idea from Sometimes Sweet.

Loving... Lazy Sunday afternoons, sans parents, with my siblings.  We came home and ate lunch after church, napped on the floor, watched "The Incredible Hulk" and "Iron Man," snacked, laughed, and played guitar.  I love you Candace, Becca, Matthew, Cassie and Colin.

Anticipating... August. Duh. 104 days left till I get to skip down the aisle and marry my best friend and end our 5 year long distance relationship and move to my favorite state in the world with him.

I.  Cannot.  Wait.

Listening to... Since the Hunter Hayes concert the other night we've been on a constant country music kick.  His CD has been on repeat since Thursday.

Watching...  The Avengers.  Have y'all seen it yet?? Go quickly to your nearest theater and see it if you haven't.  I honestly wasn't expecting it to be that good and wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did.  

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

popular

So as I was reviewing our guest list with my mom tonight this song went through my head.

Not that I think we're super popular...but holy cow, we really do know a lot of people.

On another note, it's making me really excited that in just a few weeks all of those people will know our date and details and will hopefully be just as excited for that day as I am! 

My house is in full wedding planning  mode. I love it when my dad comes home and says stuff like, I figured out how I'm going to make "this" and build "that," and my mom is constantly calling me into the other room to talk about something wedding related or show me something on Pinterest.

So fun!

Hope everyone had a terrific start to their week!

Home

Thank goodness the baby finally fell asleep. My arms are tired!
We went out for a walk earlier today down by the harbor.
It was such a pretty day outside!  I can't remember the last time I walked around Monterey without a jacket.
Most of the time I rant and rave about how awesome NC is and how excited I am to move there this year.
It really has been a goal of mine, even before I met my future husband, to live back East.  It's funny how perfect all of this has worked out.

What I don't really do too often is talk about where I've grown up and how great it can be too.
Yes, I can think of more downsides to Salinas than I can upsides, but it's always going to be my hometown.
For awhile anyways it's still going to be where my family is living and where we'll be visiting when there's a chance.  I'm sure I'll be just as excited to come to California then as I am when I'm going to NC now.
I'm sure I'll get a little homesick and I'm positive that I'm going to miss my family and days like today make me think that I'm going to miss this area just a little too.

Happy birthday!

Today is my amazing mom's birthday.

She is my hero and I aspire to be like her, especially when it comes to being a wife and a mom.

Thank you for all you've done for me over the years mom.

Happy Birthday! I love you!

"We've got bonds baby, just try and break them"

The internet has not been my favorite thing in the world lately and unfortunately that means I've been neglecting my blog and writing about my psalms. I'm still not feeling all that into it, however; like this print said, everything will be alright eventually.

It's already a million times better because of the people that have come alongside us with their love and words of wisdom.  I truly have the most amazing group of men and women in my life.  The ties and bonds between us are something that will never be broken and our lines of communication will remain strong for the rest of my life, no matter what.  My family is my life. My parents and my siblings are amazing and I'm so proud to be their daughter and their sisters.  My soon-to-be-husband is my world. Without him there would not be near the amount of love and joy in my life that there is now. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

I promise I'll get back into the internet eventually.

Have an amazing week everyone.