9.18.2013

Chapter 38: The day he proposed & the day I said YES!


Today is a special day for me & my husband. Why?! Because it's the day he asked me to marry him, 3 years ago It was one of the happiest days of my life. Being the hopeless romantic sap that I am... I'm guilty of reminiscing about that very memorable day/trip. I'll never forget it.....

The Proposal Story

I later found out he spent over a year
searching for the perfect ring for me ♥
I flew to Florida the last weekend before my senior year in college to visit Robert for the first time since he got stationed there. I was only visiting for a few days but it was a trip we would never forget! We went out to dinner, the movies, the beach, & just enjoyed being able to spend time together. On Saturday [September 18th 2010] Robert took me some shopping before taking me to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner.

After dinner we got back to the hotel to pick up blankets so we could lay out on the beach. Before leaving we realized we didn't take very many pictures that day, so Robert decided to set the timer on our camera & balance it on top of the microwave. After taking 2 shots Robert said, "lets take more pictures". During the 3rd shot I got ready to pose for the camera while Robert got down on one knee & asked me to marry him [but not before calling my parents & asking for their blessing]!!! As soon as he pulled out the black box containing my engagement ring, I quickly covered my mouth in shock!  I kept saying, "Oh my gosh!", "Really?, "Did you really just ask me to marry you?", "Are you sure?!" It took a little while before Robert said, "Yes! Well....?". My reply was, "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! Yes! Yes! Of course, yes!". After I took off my promise ring, Robert put the engagement ring on my finger & grabbed a teddy bear that he had bought for me. Still in shock, I used the teddy bear to cover my face as we stood there holding each other. When I said, "I think I'm going to start crying", Robert replied with, "Honey... you already are." After many kisses & hugs, we finally made it to the beach to lay out under stars.


Us at the beach & newly engaged! The nice thing about Florida
weather is that it's still warm in September!
The next day, happy & newly engaged, we spent the morning taking pictures on the beach before I had to leave. That trip was the only time I said goodbye without crying because I was too happy to be sad about leaving. I went to Florida on a Thursday & came back to California on Sunday ENGAGED to my best friend, soulmate, & love of my life! I started my senior year in college the next day with a big smile on my face & a new beautiful diamond ring on my finger ♥ [Our proposal story & love story is also posted in the 'Mr♥Mrs' section of my blog]















9.15.2013

Chapter 37: The Importance of Documenting Memories [+video]



In my opinion, you can never have too many pictures or videos. Why? Because we're humans, not elephants. You may ask, "What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Face it. We don't have the best memory. There are so many special moments in your life that you remember so clearly shortly after it happens, but as the years pass, you may start to forget little bits & pieces of it. Yet, those little bits & pieces of a memory makes all the difference. I take so many pictures & videos, & I post so much on Facebook, Instagram, my blog, etc... so that I can remember. It's another reason I've been writing in a journal/diary [whatever you want to call it] since I was about 6 years old. I know that I won't be able to hold every single detail of every special memory as the years pass, but that doesn't mean that those memories have to be lost forever. I can't stress it enough... document everything. You'll thank yourself for it later & I'm sure others [including your loved ones now & future generations] will thank you for it as well.



I had to go through my photos/videos & delete stuff, because my iPhone kept notifying me that my storage was 'almost full'. While doing this, I found a video in my phone that I recorded the day I bought my wedding dress. It put a big smile on my face & had me crying happy tears to 'discover' this forgotten about video, so I posted it on my Instagram [@withlovedarlene]. Why did I get so emotional? Maybe it's because my wedding day was one of the happiest days of my life. Maybe it's because I'm on 'that time of the month', so my hormones are all over the place [TMI?]. Maybe it's because my husband is on another long underway & I miss him so much... Ok, it's probably ALL of the above.



Weekends are the hardest on me, because after a long week of work, all I want to do is enjoy my weekend by spending some quality time with that one special person who means the most to me. My husband. However, my husband is a sailor in the U.S. Navy, so I don't get to see him every night. This is where pictures & videos become even more important & special to me. To keep my heart happy [& keep myself sane] I often re-watch video clips from our wedding, home videos, look at our wedding photos, other photos of us, look through my many scrapbooks, etc... This is why my iPhone's storage is always on the verge of becoming 'full', because I don't like deleting anything. It's hard for me to do. This is also why I post so many pictures on my social networks. When I can't keep everything on my phone, at least I'm able to log onto my sites & use them as my own personal mobile scrapbook/photo album! :) It doesn't take up any space on my phone because it's all online. Winning! ;) Lol. So call me sappy, mushy, cheesy, or what have you! I know that doing all of this is what helps me get through the loneliness that comes with being a military wife.




Maybe you don't have the problem of missing loved ones because you're blessed to have them all in close proximity of you. Therefore, you don't take that many pictures or videos since you see them all the time. Am I right? Be careful with thinking in this mindset, because this can be your downfall. How? Well, we never know how long we have here on Earth. God forbid you don't wake up tomorrow... What then? Your family would be sad if they didn't have many pictures of you because perhaps you always shy away from the camera. Or God forbid a loved one passes away, leaving you wishing that you took more pictures with them or got them on video... Unfortunately, these are the sort of tragic events that happen before people wake up & realize just how short life is. Don't just live life to the fullest. DOCUMENT it. Have proof of it. Freeze the memory in a photo. Capture it in video. Once again... you'll be happy you did. You'll thank yourself for it later 

So go LIVE.
Go ENJOY.
&& make sure you document it all...





Here's a really cute article about just how good a elephant's memory is :)
http://www.elefantasia.org/spip.php?breve165

9.07.2013

Chapter 36: Singing a tune about LOVE [+video]



"Distance is just a test to see how far love can travel" —Unknown

Last month was me & my husband's birthday month [shout out to all you August babies!]. He turned 25 [that special quarter of a century birthday!] & I haven't spent a birthday with him since he turned 21. He missed my birthday too & last year was his FIRST time celebrating my birthday with me. That's Navy life for ya, right?! I wanted to do something special for him even though we couldn't be together due to him being underway, so I decided to record & upload my 1st YouTube video in over a year [video is posted below]. He loves when I sing to him, so I thought it would be a good gift. I also emailed him a lot & sent him a 15sec. video of some of my co-workers wishing him a happy birthday. Lol. Any way.... I sang the boy version of "The Girl" By City and Colour. We love this song & enjoy singing/playing it on guitar together. Music was my first love [sorry, honey! Lol] & I think this world would be so boring without it. I sing to my husband whenever he asks me to [everyone loves to be serenaded, right?], because as the saying goes, "If music be the food of love, play on..."—William Shakespeare

Maybe it's just me, but I find it very easy to spend a good chunk of time listening to music, sitting on the couch [or lying in bed], & just staring at the wall [or ceiling]. I catch myself doing this quite often. I can become so consumed in my thoughts & emotions that it can take me a while to snap back to reality & get up to do something productive. In my opinion, I would describe this type of behavior as typical for a Milso [military significant other] or person in a LDR [long distance relationship]. When your love isn't home to spend time with, you involuntarily daydream about spending time together again in the future OR reminiscing about times you've spent together. For couples who spend a lot of time apart due to different circumstances [military, school, work, etc...], this song goes out to you. I hope you enjoy it

My YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/withlovedarlene




My original post on Facebook:
I just uploaded my 1st YouTube video in over a year...
This song is dedicated to my handsome, loving, & hard working husband while he is out at sea....
[NOTE: I'm sure all of you Navy wives can relate to this song. This goes out to all of you ladies too] 
Happy 25th Birthday, baby ♥ Since [once again] we can't be together to celebrate your birthday today, here is my gift to you. Incase you ever had any doubts about my love & faithfulness [though you have no reason to] this song says it all. I love you with every fiber of my being, every ounce of my soul, & every inch of my heart. We have to make a lot of sacrifices in this military life of ours, but I wouldn't want my life any other way if you weren't in it. Whether we're inches apart, miles apart, or oceans apart—I'll always stand by you, stay true to you, support you, & love you. Take care of yourself & come home safely to me. I love you, Robert. Miss you ♥ 

*   *   *   *   * 
To all you Milsos & LDR couples:
 Stay strong & stay beautiful!
*Keep smiling & keep singing...