Mason Jar Light Tutorial

 Michael and I have a little porch at our apartment.  There isn't a whole lot of light out there and because we are getting patio furniture soon we wanted a way to have lots of light so we could eat dinner outside in the evenings.  We decided to make jar lights.  We used Mason jars, wire and Christmas lights.  They turned out really cute!

This is the view as you walk up the stairs to our door

This the view from on the porch sitting on the chairs

To make them you will need Mason jars, the lids- not the tops (not the part that seals the jars when canning but the actual lid part that screws on) and wire.  We used 19 gauge stainless steal wire, and pliers so twisting the wire is easier.

I wanted the wire to be secured onto the actual lid so that we could take the jars down and clean them without having to take the whole assembly down, so Michael came up with a great system.

                                     

First you punch eight holes (four set of two) on the jar lid.  In the picture above it just shows two but they will be three more sets of two around the jar.  You twist the wire on itself in order to make it more secure and strong.   Do this three more times with each pair of holes made in the lid.  If the lids were the face of a clock the holes would be punched at 1:00, 5:00, 7:00, and 11:00.  The picture below shows a better picture of the hole placement.

Then you attach the jars to each other and depending on the space you are using you will need different amount of jars.  We used eight for the space we were working with.  These are the jars before we put lights on them.

This is the final product.  Michael did all the handy work, I just supplied the idea.  I think we make a great creative team!

Great Military (and other) News

Yesterday Michael told me some of the greatest news I have heard in a while.  Before I share the news I want to address some military terms to make the story more clear.  There are a few different types of units in the Marine Corps,  some are combat deployable, some are non-deployable and some are MEUs A MEU is a Marine Expeditionary Unit,  this is the unit that Michael is in.  A MEU is a unit that doesn't deploy to combat zones, instead they get on huge boats and sail the Pacific Ocean.  They are a global presence, taking up port in various Oceanic and Asian countries.  MEUs are much easier, emotionally, to deal with for spouses because you have much more of a guarantee of safety on a MEU as opposed to a combat zone.  MEUs are usually deployed for around 6-7 months.  Ok a lot of background but now you will understand why the news is so great!

We were really lucky that Michael got put in a MEU unit, but over the summer they told him that he would be deploying on a MEU in August,  this was obviously devastating news but Michael fought it, told his superiors that he didn't want to go and by some stroke of luck they decided to pick someone else to go on the MEU.  So he dodged one bullet.  Yesterday Michael came home and told me that there is a second MEU scheduled for next summer.  And again, they decided to take someone else on the ship!  So what does this mean... Michael is for sure (as sure as military life gets) not deploying for the next year and a half at least.  He may not deploy at all!  

I am so happy and grateful that we have been so blessed with the timing of everything.  

In other news I am dominating my chemistry class, highest score in my class,  sorry I just have to brag a little.  And also we have been getting very festive lately.  We have been making fall desserts,  decorating our apartment and trying to pretend it feels like fall here even though its 75 degrees and so sunny I haven't worn pants all year.  This is the wreath that I made, with Kate's help- to be fair all of Kate's help and her idea and her materials, its very festive and I'm quite proud.

Michael is back!

Michael has been back from his training for a couple week and I must say, I am so happy he is back!  The day he came I was so excited and nervous, I couldn't sit still!  I went to base two Fridays ago and waited for him to arrive.  It was the longest hour of my life.  They told us that they would arrive on base at 3:00 so that is when I got there.  Then I got a text from Michael saying that they had to have a brief at 4:00 so he wouldn't be out for a while.  I got so anxious and fidgety waiting for so long that finally I couldn't sit in the car any longer.  I called my mom and forced her to talk to me so my mind could be distracted.  After our talk, I was standing in the parking lot and I started to see all these marines dressed in their uniforms walking toward me.  They were all carrying their huge bags and backpacks and I couldn't really see Michael in the group.  As the marines passed me to get into their cars and to go back to the barracks, my heart started to sink because I didn't see Michael in the crowd.  I finally went back to my car and tried to find a song to distract me.  I was looking out the window when I saw a guy walking in my direction.  I couldn't see his face because he was carrying one of his bags like a baby bjorn.  I was getting so excited because I thought it was him but I didn't dare jump out of the car and hug him on the off chance that it wasn't actually my husband.  Finally when he was about five feet from the car I recognized his face and bolted out the driver door.  He dropped everything on the ground, gave me the hug I had been waiting for!  All my anxiousness and bottled up energy just disappeared when we finally got to hug each other again.
That weekend Michael ate a lot, and slept a lot.  He was so excited to sleep in a bed because the cot he had been sleeping in was so small he couldn't get both of his elbows in at the same time.  Geez, what a complainer!
I am so glad he is back!  It is amazing how much you can miss another person.  I took for granted all the wonderful things he did for me.  Silly things like opening pickle jars, and making sure I walked on the not street side of the side walk.  His unit has no scheduled training deployments or regular deployments for the foreseeable future, and I am so grateful for that!  We are both hopeful that we can serve the entire contract without him deploying.  Cross your fingers!

25 days later

Michael comes home tomorrow!   I am so excited that I can't sleep!  It feels like he just left yesterday and at the same time it feels like I haven't seen him in years.   Funny how time works.  I have had a lot happen these past few weeks.  I flew to Utah for a wedding, built closer relationships with my friends in California,  my mom and sister came to visit me and I spend two days in Los Angeles visiting my sister-in-law.
It was so fun having my mom and Anne come visit me for the weekend.  We had a lot of fun while they were here.  We ate lots of good food, went shopping, went to the beach, and visited some of Anne's friends.  It was a great trip and as much as they came for a last vacation before the new baby, the trip was so beneficial for me in many ways.  Yesterday I went to Los Angeles and visited with the only family I have out here.  The new baby is such a sweetheart and I can't wait to see that whole family again in a few weeks.
I have been so blessed and surrounded with love while Michael has been gone.  It constantly amazes me how gracious, kind and warm people are.  As much as I have loved growing and developing relationships, I am so excited to have the love of my life back.  I have missed him terribly, and the fact that I will get to see him in about 17 hours is almost too much to handle!

An Overview

Last week I went home to Utah for a few days.  My sister-in-law got married and also my sister had a baby shower.  I realized while I was there that a lot of people know very little about my life so I thought I would write and answer the most common questions I got while visiting.

Where do you live?
We live in San Diego county, specifically north county in Oceanside.  It is just south of Camp Pendleton.

How do you like California?
We love it!  The weather is perfect, the people are kind, relaxed (for the most part) and the church here is growing but still in need of faithful, strong members.

What does Michael do?
He is a marine and his specific job is aviation ordnance.  Meaning he works with the weapon systems of fighter helicopters.  He likes his job although the people he works with are sometimes a little crazy and irresponsible.

What are you doing out there?
I am going to school.  I am majoring in biology.  I will graduate with my bachelors in about two years and after that I will apply to physician assistant programs around the country. (yes Utah has a great programs so if I get accepted there we could be moving back to Utah in about two and a half years)

How is church out there, do you have any callings?
Church is different outside of Utah but we love it!  I play the organ, I am in the Young Women's presidency second councilor, and Michael and I work at the temple.

Do you get to live with Michael and do you get to see him very often?
Michael and I finally live together.  We have an apartment off base and we love our little community.  Normally, I see him everyday.  He goes to work at around 5:30am and he walks through the front door around 5:00pm.  He gets every weekend and every holiday off.  He even gets random holidays off like Columbus day, and Halloween.

Any children in your future?
No!!!  Thats about all you can say for that question.  Saying "holy crap, no, never, not in a million years, children totally scare us"  is not always the most polite response.

Is being a marine wife as hard as you thought it would be?
Honestly, no.  It is definitely hard, don't get me wrong its probably the hardest thing that I have ever done, but I love it.  People often told me before I married Michael that it was going to be awful.  That I would never see my husband, that he would change after bootcamp etc.  Those thing have proven to all be false.  Michael does leave every once in a while for a couple days and the current month long training deployment has been hard but other than that he is home everyday.  He didn't change after bootcamp, if anything it made him softer and more sensitive because he saw how awful a person can treat another and he promised he would never be like that.   For a newlywed couple, financially,  it is a great option.  What couple in their early 20's can say they have complete job security, education 100% paid for as well as a housing check every month while getting your education after your military contract is up, great health insurance and coverage,  never having to worry about if bills, food, and housing will be paid for?  That doesn't happen very often. We are incredibly grateful for the perks of military service.

Do you like being married?
I love it!  I can't wait to have my husband back in a couple more weeks.

Patience and waiting

I am slowly learning about waiting.  I had a large dose of waiting handed to me today when I told my sweet husband, "I love you, don't forget ok?"  It is a silly worry of mine that I have had since our wedding day that if he doesn't hear those three words from me directly that he might forget.  He is leaving, actually he already left, on a month long training in the middle of the desert.  I won't be able to tell him I love him for a long time.  I think he understands this worry because although we have never discussed this fear of mine he always knows the perfect way of reassuring me that he will never forget that I love him.

I was doing really good the past week, trying to stay in the moment, enjoying our time together, only having like three melt downs (which I am really proud about) but then as we were sitting in the car together this morning it all hit me.  It was like all the times I had choked back my tears, took a deep breath and smiled my way through, were now catching up to me.  "Can I have one last kiss?"  Those were the words he said to me and the flood gate opened.  "last kiss?"  What if I wanted like three more last kisses?  I realized then that this was bye,  that I didn't get to turn the car around and drive home with him, that it wasn't just some mean trick that the military was playing on us, and that he was in fact leaving me to do his duty.  Tears just fell, I wasn't crying, I had just finally allowed myself to release the tears that had been building for so long.   I watched him, in the rear view mirror,  pick up his gear and walk away. 

Then I realized, as I drove away, that I am waiting. I am not being patient.  I am just waiting.  Patience implies that there is something great on the horizon, that you aren't happy with where you are, but that it will get better you just have to be patient.  I am not patient,  I am not using patience during this. I am learning how to wait.  Michael is my something great on the horizon and it is hard without him but but I am still happy.  I am happy with the person I am, with the marriage I have and because of that I do not need to be patient.  Michael is everything to me and he can make me happier than anything else but the great thing about waiting is that I don't have to look to the horizon to find happiness.   I can wait for him for as long as he needs me to, because I am happy, at this very moment in time I am happy!  It is this feeling of peace and empowerment that will help me survive the coming month.  It will be so wonderful to have him back home safe but until then I will just wait.

Busy Life of Mine

I have been so bad about posting on this blog lately!  My life has been busy, crazy and exciting.  I started school again over the summer.  I took a political science course, and public speaking.  They were both easy classes but due to the short time frame for summer classes the course was very dense.  I am in school again after a few weeks of break.  I am majoring in biology and will transfer to CSU San Marcos or CSU San Diego in fall 2013.  As far as the rest of our summer it has been filled with trips to the farmers market every Thursday, beach trips on Saturdays and lots of random unit functions for Michael's work.  Michael and I have been learning to surf and we both really enjoy it.  Michael is much better than I am at picking up the whole surfing thing.  I think that due to the large amounts of upper body strength required to combat the waves here, I am at a bit of a disadvantage.  This Saturday we are going to try out paddle boarding.  It looks much more mellow and I am really excited about it!  The next month is going to busy and very sad because Michael is leaving for a month.  A month is not a very long time at all but I am obviously heart broken to have the love of my life leave for any amount of time.  He leaves on Wednesday, and I am going to miss him like crazy.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that I am coming to Utah because my best friend Andrea is getting married to her sweetheart the second week in September.  I am excited to see family and friends while I am out there.  I am extra excited to come because I get to see my best friend of all time Ms. Elizabeth Pack.  She is my favorite girl in the whole world, and she has been my best friend since high school.  Being able to see her after almost two years is going to be so great!  I also get to attend a baby shower for my favorite sister, Anne.  She is having a cute baby boy in November/December.  It is being thrown by my other favorite sister Emily.  I am lucky to have such a stellar family.
After I get home my mom and Anne are coming to visit.  We are going to have a great time shopping and going to the beach and who knows, if I am secretly gifted at paddle boarding we can try that too.  Are pregnant women allowed to swim...?  Hopefully!
Although it will be hard to have my cute, amazing husband gone it will go by fast because I have an amazing family and amazing friends!