This Brought Me To Tears...

Hi friends! We are doing something a little different on the blog today. I don't usually do guest posts, but when I got an email from my sweet friend Kourtney, I couldn't resist. I don't want to ruin the post, but I want to preface it with the fact that I was reduced to tears when I read what she had to say. When we decided to share Taylor Grace's story, we prayed it would help someone, somewhere. This post reminded me that Taylor had a purpose in her short life, and I couldn't be more grateful. I'll let Kourtney take it from here...

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Hey y'all! My name is Kourtney and I blog over at The Martins and the Marines. I found Chelsea's blog a few years ago when I was first getting started, and I've been hooked ever since! We've never actually met, but I'm convinced if we were stationed at the same base we'd be quick friends. I sincerely hope our paths cross someday so we can meet! When I'm looking for a blog to add to my must-read list, I generally look for people with things in common. While you won't find me doing book reviews or posting recipes in the near future (with good reason... you'd much rather get those from her), there are a few things Chelsea and I share! 

1. Chelsea and I are both military spouses. We're a Marine family though - hence the blog name. We are currently stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. We PCS'd twice in 2014, so it's safe to say, Chelsea and I both know what it's like to PCS too many times, though I couldn't tell you the first thing about a DITY move and I know she could. 

2. We both love our dogs like they're human children. They are our first babies, after all. See, I can't even go on without including a picture of them. 

3. My love for Taylor Swift. I've been to six of her concerts (and met her after I realized I was sitting next to her mom in the sound booth and asked her for meet-and-greet tickets - and no, I'm not even embarrassed for recognizing Taylor Swift's mom). I haven't been in years, though, so I was quite envious when I saw Chelsea saw her 1989 tour!

4. I try to glorify God any way I can. In the big decisions I make and in the little everyday things. Reading about Chelsea's faith and how she has put her complete trust in Him is such an encouragement to me and my walk with God!

5. I'm sure she'd agree with me when I say that children are a gift from God above and one of the biggest blessing of all. We're both parents of little girls. Mine, Julia Rose. Hers, Taylor Grace.

With Chelsea's permission, I'd like to spend the rest of this guest post talking a little bit about how Taylor Grace has impacted not only Chelsea's family and friends, but also people she doesn't even know. I remember seeing when Chelsea first posted she was pregnant. I was as excited as you could be for someone I'd never met being pregnant. Blogs have a way of making you feel like you're friends. I was pregnant at the time with my first little girl and thrilled to read any pregnancy post I could find. As her pregnancy developed and she announced her complications, I remember my heart breaking for her. I'd like to think I would handle the situation as gracefully and faithfully as she has, but you never really know until you're in it, I guess. As time went on and Taylor Grace eventually passed, Chelsea remained outspoken about her journey with her little Taylor and her trust in the Lord. Which brings me to one of my favorite bible verses:

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

So fastforward a little bit. I eventually gave birth to our sweet girl this past January. She has her Daddy's red hair and my chubby cheeks and she's the perfect little sister we could ask for. After she was born, I found Taylor Grace coming to my mind often. When I was tripping over the dogs at two o'clock in the morning for the third time that night to bring a bottle to Julia. When I was walking through the commissary with my oldest throwing all of the food out of the cart and Julia strapped to me screaming. When all four of my backup pacifiers fell to the depths of the carseat and I had to listen to her scream the 20 minutes home in the car. I often found myself thinking about Taylor Grace and what a blessing it is as a parent to care for these little humans. Even in the hard times. 

I'd like to think I'm not the only reader of Anchors Aweigh that has been impacted by Taylor Grace's sweet little life. She crosses my mind about once a day. And when she does, I take the time to pray over Julia for whatever I'm needing at the moment. Sometimes it's for patience, because two toddlers have a way of sucking that right out of you. Sometimes I pray for a greater ability to appreciate, because I never want to take any of these moments for granted. Sometimes I pray for the strength to make it through the workday and get the kids in bed at night. Sometimes when it's a rough day, I pray for all of these things. Taylor Grace has become my reminder to pray. Even in the hard times. 

If you're interested to read a little bit more about our family, I'd love for you to head over to my page and say hello! 

www.themartinsandthemarines.com
www.instagram.com/martinsandthemarines

Most recently, you'll find me writing about surviving my husband's third deployment and parenting my one and two year old while working full time. And photographing as much as possible along the way! A big thank you to Chelsea for letting me take over her blog for the day! 

Guest Post: Silly Mistakes From a First Time Mom

Happy Friday, friends! I am really excited to introduce yall to Iulia from Best of Baby. I have loved getting to know her via the interwebs, and her blog has quickly become one of my daily reads. She blogs everything from pregnancy to babies to motherhood. Today she is sharing some of the (hilarious) silly mistakes she made as a first time mom. Take it away, Iulia!

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Ever look back on moments in your life and want to do this?

Photo credit: chizoo / iWoman / CC BY-NC-SA

I've had countless of those "what was I thinking?!?" moments since becoming a parent.  As a first time mom, I made a lot of silly mistakes (and probably also as a second time mom...just haven't realized them yet).  I was totally serious about them back then, but now, I can thankfully look back and laugh.  So in no particular order, my "silly first-time mom mistakes"
(Note:  no judgment on anyone else that's made these mistakes...I'm making fun of myself, not you.  You may have been totally justified in your silly behavior.)

The Lysol Incident

That time I dropped Jay's paci on the floor at church...and FREAKED OUT.  I thought for sure we couldn't make the car ride home without a paci (all 15 minutes of it), but I obviously couldn't give him a pacifier that had fallen on the floor...he might catch the Spanish Flu or something!  I know!  There's Lysol in the bathroom.  I'll just spray it with that. Oh my gosh, I just sprayed my son's paci with Lysol, what was I thinking?  I don't even use Lysol in my house!  Anyone have an unopened, newborn sized, orthodontic paci I could have?  No?  It's going to be a long ride home.... (Two words y'all: paci clips)

Hot Lava!

Jay started crawling early...like before he could even sit up. I was SO not ready for him to be mobile...not because I didn't want to chase after him, but because I didn't want to put him on the floor.  Germs people, GERMS. So I had a special blanket that I would put down for Jay to crawl on....but if so much as one toe ventured of the blanket? HOT LAVA! I'd quickly rush in and scoop him back up onto the blanket. Whew, that was a close call...he almost caught that Spanish Flu again. Seriously though...how long did I think I could keep that up? As determined as I was, I had to come to grips with the fact that I needed to let my son crawl around on a surface bigger than just a 4'x3' blanket.  So I went out and bought a bigger blanket. (just kidding!)

Oh no!  Mom caught me touching hot lava! 

Is my baby drunk?

Then there was the time I thought my baby was going to get drunk.  If you haven't picked up on this yet, I'm kind of a germaphobe.  Just kind of.  One day, I was out with Jay when he touched something I thought was dirty (probably hot lava).  Never one to leave the house without some germ killing mechanism, I whipped out my hand sanitizer and sterilized his hands (and maybe an arm or two for good measure...just kidding).  But because I needed something else to be paranoid about, I started to get worried about what I had just rubbed into my little baby's skin...so I turned to the most reliable resource for all parenting questions -- Google.  Oh my goodness did you know that delinquent toddlers across the country are partying it up with hand sanitizer?  Umm, what I mean to say is that there have been cases of kids ingesting hand sanitizer and having highly elevated blood alcohol levels.  And since anything you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body....oh my gosh my baby is going to get drunk!  I know that sounds crazy, but my new mom mind rationalized that if big kids can get sick from licking hand sanitizer off their hands, my little baby, whose body could tolerate way less alcohol than a two year old (#mybabyisalightweight), could too.  I called my husband in a panic, who (while probably thinking I'd officially gone off the mommyhood deep end) calmly reassured me that our baby was not, in fact, acting tipsy.

The Truck Stop

Here's a picture of Jay when we brought him home from the hospital (those cheeks!):

This is quite possibly the only time Jay was ever content in his car seat. He HATED car rides when he was a baby.  We could hardly make it down the street without him losing it.  When Jay was 2 months old, we decided to take an 8 hour car trip to visit my parents.  Now some might say that in itself was a silly mistake, but that's not what I'm getting at.  At some point during the trip he became so hysterical that we decided we just couldn't keep going....so we pulled into the only stopping area for miles:  a truck weigh station (picture the tiniest little car among truck giants).  To make matters even more silly, half of the station was closed and blocked off with cones.  Well those cones may have deterred the big trucks, but not our little sedan, so we just drove right between them, got out, and started vigorously swinging our car seat back and forth to try and calm Jay down.  The cherry on top was when the police officer came out to ask us if everything was ok.  "NO officer, everything is OBVIOUSLY NOT OK.  CAN'T YOU SEE OUR BABY IS CRYING!? Nevermind that we're parked illegally in a truck weigh station.  You must not have kids."

Do you have any silly first time mom mistakes?  If so, I'd love to hear about them!  Stop by my blog, Best of Baby (where you're sure to find a lot more about my mommyhood ridiculousness), and drop me a message!

Guest Post: Needing God During Deployment

I am so excited to have Lydia from The Few, The Proud, and This Marine Wife taking over my blog for the day. I have loved getting to know her. She is just a few steps ahead of me in this military journey, so she has been such a wonderful encouragement and example to me. Take it away, Lydia!

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Hi there! My name is Lydia, and I blog over at “The Few, The Proud, and This Marine Wife.” I’m a lifestyle blogger, so I write about a variety of things: my life as a military wife, motherhood, and my favorite, DIY projects and crafts. Thank you so much to Chelsea for letting me take over her blog today! I feel privileged to be writing here and sharing my heart with you!

Any military spouse will tell you that nothing can adequately prepare you for the separation of training and deployment, except for the separation itself. Oh, there are the deployment workshops and meetings that lead up to the impending moment. Other military wives will give you tips for how to wade through the darkness of the separation that deployment brings. Family will offer up encouraging words and hands to help, but those are still not enough to prepare you.

Despite all the help and support, my heart was not prepared for deployment. I went to all the workshops. I surrounded myself with family. But, I still felt like a fish out of water. When I watched my husband get on the bus that would begin his seven-month stint in Afghanistan, my heart sank. I clung to our 2-month old baby and thought, Now what?

I’ve been a believer for many years, and I knew God would be my strength through that deployment. But, I didn’t realize how big of a role He would play. On that lonely car ride back to our mostly packed up, partly empty apartment, I whispered a simple prayer, “God, please help me.” Every imaginable emotion flooded my heart. I felt lonely, despite our new baby sleeping soundly in his car seat behind me. I felt scared. I felt anxious. I had just said goodbye to the love of my life, and I didn’t know if it was going to be our last. I knew he was going to be facing dangers unimaginable to me. I knew there was a possibility of him getting wounded or worse, dying. I couldn’t let myself dwell on these thoughts or else they would overwhelm me.

The first few weeks went by quickly, as I packed up our apartment and travelled to my parents’ home to spend the deployment there. I knew that I needed to have family around me, especially since I was a new mom and was venturing this path for the first time. I stayed busy. Busyness became my ultimate helper until one long and lonely night. I stayed up late in bed and broke down in tears. I sobbed uncontrollably. It had been nearly two weeks since I had last heard from my husband. Whenever I did hear from him, it was usually a short conversation that always cut in and out because of their satellite phones being in horrible condition. Fear racked my heart.  I don’t know if I can do this life alone, I thought.

Then, a still small voice pierced the loneliness of my thoughts. You’re not alone, the voice said, I am here. I took a deep breath and a fullness filled my heart. No, I didn’t hear an actual voice, but it was as tangible to me as if I had actually heard it. God was reminding me of His presence. He was reminding me how not alone I was. I knew I needed God during deployment. I’ve always needed God in my life. He is my strength and my comfort. But, I didn’t realize how much I needed Him. Curled up in the fetal position, with tears streaming down my face, I could think of only one verse: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; neither will the flame kindle upon you” (Isaiah 43:2). I whispered that verse out loud over and over again. I was passing through the waters of loneliness and swimming in the rivers of uncertainty. I was walking through the fire of fear and feeling the flames of depression. But in all this, God was with me. He never left me, and I needed Him more than ever.

Peace swept over my heart. This wasn’t going to be the last night of facing these emotions, but I knew I could have a peace that passed all understanding. God was holding me and hiding me in the shelter of His loving hands. All I needed to do was trust. I needed to trust that no matter what happened, He was Sovereign. I needed to trust that He was going to protect my husband but that if something happened to him, God had a divine purpose in all of it. I needed to let God carry my fears. I needed God’s peace to overwhelm my soul. I needed to remind myself that God is divine and that this was only a season. I would see my husband again, whether it was on earth at the end of deployment or in the glory of heaven. I would see him again and there was and still is always hope in that. I needed that reminder. Above all the help I had, I needed God.

Guest Post: Lacie with Rodan + Fields

Today, my sweet friend Lacie is taking over the blog to tell about her wonderful experience with being a Rodan + Fields consultant. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a free sunless tanner!

I’m so excited to be able to share a little bit about my Rodan+Fields business and myself, but first I would like to thank Chelsea for providing this opportunity to share my passion with you!

Okay so a little bit about me – I was a Delta Gamma at Texas A&M, which is how I met Chelsea.  I got my Bachelor’s in Marketing and my Master’s in Sport Management. I currently have a full-time job as a Marketing Coordinator for CES Performance, a sports performance company in Dallas, and a part-time job as an Independent Consultant for Rodan+Fields. And here is where I get to share my excitement about being involved with R+F…

In case you aren’t familiar with R+F, here is a short introduction – Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields, same doctors that started Proactiv, launched this anti-aging skincare line that has since grown leaps and bounds. We offer skincare solutions for literally every skin concern (acne, psoriasis, sun damage, aging). You name it; we have a solution.  Celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Britney Spears, Leann Rimes and many others have been touting the success of these products lately. Pretty cool to know celebrities who can afford any skincare they want, choose R+F!

There is one product in particular that I want to highlight for everyone since we are approaching summer -- our Essentials Foaming Sunless Tan. Magic in a bottle. This product has been a lifesaver for many others and me! We just got it back in stock after it was sold out for a month due to overwhelming popularity.  Our sunless tanner goes on light and smooth, does not have a strong odor and does not streak! Elizabeth, R+F customer, exclaims, “Like every other Rodan + Fields product, this sunless tanner has renewed my hope and raised my expectations.” Too good to be true?  Read more reviews!

If you are looking to get the best skin of your life, let me help you choose which products will get the job done! I’m personally using the Reverse Regimen and cannot say enough good things about my results thus far after only one month of use! Email me at laciemullin@myrandf.com and I can get you started!

Lastly, here’s the best part about these products -- they allow you be more than just a consumer! Once you’ve fallen in love with this company, like I have, you’ll naturally want to tell all of your friends and family about them, right? Well R+F makes it simple for you to become a consultant and make money by sharing something you’ll already be passionate about!  Think about it this way, you were already going to talk to your friends about these awesome products so why not make some money in the process!?!?

Once you’ve become hooked, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to become an R&F consultant!!!

  

Please check out my websites for more info!

www.laciemullin.myrandf.com <-----for the products

www.laciemullin.myrandf.biz <----- for the business opportunity

Thank you for letting me introduce myself and give some background on an incredible company and thank you, Chelsea, for reviewing some products!

Guest Post: Free Memberships for U.S. Military & Veterans to TicketClub.com

Hello everyone! My name is Hallie and I am in charge of the Ticket Club™ website over here in South Windsor, Connecticut.

TicketClub.com has introduced a special savings for U.S. active military and veterans. As a special “thank you” for serving this country and protecting our freedom, the company is offering FREE Ticket Club™ Premier memberships, valued at $49.99 each. The membership provides access to great prices on a large selection of tickets to concerts, sports, and theater events, even when they are sold out elsewhere. Additionally, our service men and women can save money on ticket purchases through Ticket Club™, because they will never have to pay service fees as members.

U.S. military personnel and veterans can sign up directly on the Ticket Club™ Military Members page. Soldiers can also share something they have learned or accomplished that makes them proud of their service to be featured on the page. For those of you, who are interested in being featured on the page, please send the following information to militarymembers@ticketclub.com:
•    Name
•    Photo
•    Branch
•    Years of Service
•    Story: What did you learn or accomplish that you would like to share that makes you particularly proud of your service?

Ticket Club™ wants to give back to those who have served and we can’t say thank you enough! Feel free to pass this along to anyone you know who can benefit from this offer.
Enjoy your event & thank you so much for serving our country!

Hallie Faulkenberry
Ticket Club Specialist

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