If I Were To Win the Lottery... (52 Weeks of Blogging With a Purpose)

If you'v been following my blog, you will know that I've been participating in a weekly link-up with From Mrs. to Mama. This post is about a week late (oops), but forgive me. This topic is a fun one, and I'm excited to write it all out!

If I Were To Win the Lottery, Five Things I'd Buy

1. Donate (significantly) to Serenity Springs Wildlife Center. 

Serenity Springs is a wonderful organization in Calhan, Colorado, just thirty minutes from Colorado Springs. They take in mostly large cats, but they have bears and a few others animals as well.

Their mission states: "Through educational programs and community outreach, we strive to raise public awareness of the existence of the large numbers of captive wildlife and the continuing need for sanctuary from exploitation, abuse and neglect. Through introduction to, and education about these magnificent creatures, we promote compassion and respect for all animals while fostering recovery for endangered species."

It is SUCH an amazing place. They do so much for the animals, and the entire staff is so friendly. If you'd like to look into them more or donate, check them out at their website:

Serenity Springs Wildlife Center

I have been twice, and I got to hold a baby tiger each time! If you're ever in the area, seriously check them out. They are WONDERFUL, and it's pretty cool getting to play with the cute little babies! 

2. Buy a home. 

I don't know where exactly this home would be. Ideally, I would like to own a place in Colorado... close to Colorado Springs (either in the city, in Black Forest, or in Woodland Park). Being a (soon-to-be) military spouse, I probably own't have the opportunity to own a home for many, many years. When we can own one, though, it will definitely have a cupula for me to read in, like the house pictures below.

I love everything about this house! So cute! 

3. Buy a new car.

I love my 2006 Ford Escape. It's like my baby. That said, I would upgrade to something newer and bigger if I had the money. I think I'd go with a Ford Explorer (I will always buy Ford). It's big enough for all of our outdoor needs and trips with the cats, and it's also so nice looking and not TOO big.

I really like how sporty these look! This is the 2014 Explorer. 

4. Invest in a cleaning service. 

You all know: I HATE CLEANING. No, it's more than that. I loathe it. I NEVER want to do it. It is NOT enjoyable AT ALL... in ANY WAY. I really really really passionately HATE it. I always have, and I likely always will. I DREAD cleaning... no matter what it is. Dan has to practically beg me to clean my own house. It's awful. Yes, I do feel a little better when my house is clean, but... it's not THAT big of a worry to me. I hate the thought of even thinking of cleaning. Ick.

I would probably need two cleaners. I am a pretty messy person, after all. 

5. Buy an airplane for Dan -- a PINK one!

Everyone knows Dan wants to own his own plane. He's had his Private Pilot's License for longer than his Driver's License. It's his passion... and it would make travel much more efficient if we could fly instead of drive everywhere. I'm not a big fan of flying, but it would save us a lot of time... so I'd go with it. My one stipulation, though? It needs to be pink. Dan would complain and complain, but he would cave in because it would be a FREE airplane (and of course free fuel for life! Duh!). Who wouldn't want to be seen flying in this bad boy? :)

This looks way cooler than your average Cessna...

It's always fun thinking about what you would buy if you had all the money in the world! 

What would YOU choose to buy?

My Biggest Weakness (52 Weeks of Blogging With a Purpose)

Today marks week number four of my link-up with From Mrs. to Mama for the 52 Weeks of Blogging With a Purpose!

You may check out my other posts ON THIS SECTION OF MY BLOG if you're interested; it's a pretty fun link-up, so I highly recommend participating! :)

This week's topic is my biggest weakness... so here we go.

My Biggest Weakness

This one is easy to answer, unfortunately. I am VERY aware of my biggest weakness. It's something I'm working on, but it's still glaringly there in front of me:

PATIENCE -- or rather a lack-thereof.

My lack of patience affects me in several ways.

1. People. If I arrive somewhere on time, and I end up waiting for someone, I really don't like it. I know most people in the world are not on my time schedule, but hey, I can wish.

2. Surprises. I LOVE surprises, but waiting to find out what they are KILLS me. I don't have the patience for it! Example: Dan is planning our honeymoon for next summer. He has already booked some of it. He won't tell me where we're going. He says I'll find out when we get there... so yes, BEST surprise EVER, I'd say, but do I REALLY have to be PATIENT for THAT LONG?!?!

3. The Military. Since my fiancé is in the Air Force, it's tough running on THEIR time all the time. They will tell him he can leave at a certain time, and then it doesn't happen. My patience runs thin then. I hate having to wait for him all the time...

But I will say that my biggest patience isn't the worst thing in the world. I know that. It's just the reason that I am *ALWAYS* that person who carries a book with her -- AT ALL TIMES. You never know when you're going to end up waiting!

My Life Five Years From Now (52 Weeks of Blogging With a Purpose)

I am continuing to participate in the 52 Weeks of Blogging With a Purpose, a link up that From Mrs. to Mama is hosting in the blog-world. Like I've previously mentioned, I won't be able to write about each week's topic because some simply do not pertain to me, but this week's does! I will tell all about how I picture my life to be five years from now.

If you'd like to check out my first two posts from this link up, you can see them HERE (Who I Am) and HERE (Ten Things I Live For).

My Life Five Years From Now

Age: In five years, I will be *gasp* 30, and Dan will be 29.

Where We'll Be: We could be living anywhere in the world by then. Dan will be graduated from USAFA, finished with pilot training, and flying an airplane (who knows which one?) by then. He will be a Captain in the US Air Force by then, and we will have lived in a few different places at that point. It's hard to predict where we'll be, but let's keep our fingers crossed for Germany. ;)

Family Life: We'll have our two cats, Gilligan and Stormy (though they will be aging by then, which breaks my heart to think about) and at least one dog that we plan on adopting next summer after our wedding. Hopefully by then we won't have just four legged children, as we'll be getting old as well. Hopefully we'll have a Baby Cookie or two by then! (Last name Cook... funny? No? I like it.)

Relationship: Dan and I will be celebrating FOUR years of marriage at that point and NINE years of being a couple! That is SO crazy to think about, but it makes me happy.

Career: If we are living somewhere for a long time, I may be teaching. However, if we have those Baby Cookies by then, I likely will not be working outside the home any longer. We'll see, though. This is something I go back and forth on ALL THE TIME. I think we'll just have to see what is best for our family at the time. I do love my job, though, so we'll just see.

Health: I hope to still be running and eating well at 30! That's a goal for the longterm, actually. I want to be that old lady you see running 5Ks! I will have completed a full marathon by then (hopefully while I'm 26, actually), and I hope we will live somewhere that has fun races all the time like Colorado Springs does. Dan and I love being active together, and I don't see that changing.

Travel: As a military spouse (not yet but next May!), I hope I will have the opportunity to see much of the world. I can't wait for our honeymoon next year, though part of that is top secret information (aka Dan is surprising me) because I'm sure I'll get to see a lot of things I have never experienced living in the USA my whole life. Our goal is to travel abroad every even year, and we have a savings plan to make that happen!

10 Things I Live For (52 Weeks of Blogging With a Purpose)

Last week, I began a weekly link-up with From Mrs. to Mama. It's a 52 week series of blogging with a purpose. You can check out my Who I Am post by CLICKING HERE (warning: there are a LOT of pictures).

This week's prompt is: "10 Things I Live For", and it was a lot tougher to think of what to write than I'd previously thought it would be. It wasn't difficult to come up with things, but I did not want to repeat many things from my Who I Am post last week... so I tried my best to vary it.

1. Quality Time With Dan

Being in a relationship with someone in the military is oftentimes similar to being in a relationship while in middle school. You don't get much time together, and there are all kinds of rules. As much as it sucks not having Dan around all the time, we have certainly learned how to spend our time together and to not take that time for granted. When we have the opportunity to hang out, we try to make the most of it!

We have a lot of fun together! :) 

2. Making Memories

Like I just mentioned, Dan and I always use our time together to do really fun and exciting things (okay, so maybe not always, but we sure try). Naturally, doing those fun and exciting things leads to many amazing memories. I love looking back on all of the cool things we've done!

This photo is from the Air Force Academy Ring Dance that was a month ago exactly! That night/weekend will remain one of my favorite memories for a long, long time. 

3. Learning

Yes, I know I'm a teacher, but I would love to be a lifelong student. Learning is a passion of mine, and I am always trying to learn new things. I recently started re-learning French on a great website (Duolingo.com), which is free and fun!

I bought a new notebook and a new pack of my favorite pens before attending a writing conference in February -- I wish I could go to more events like that to learn new things!

4. Making a Difference

One thing I am always trying to do is to make a difference in others' lives. Naturally, that happens in the classroom, but I do like to extend that goal to other areas of my life as well. I love reaching out to people who need help, and if there's nothing else I can do, I aspire to be that person who can give a pep-talk. Dan says mine are great, and he has been a frequent recipient of them.

A couple of my sweet students from this past school year :) 

5. Fur Babies

My two cats, who I still adoringly refer to as kittens (though they are definitely not), are my life. That may make me sound a bit crazy, but I am always thinking about Stormy and Gilligan when I am away from them. I try to love on them as much as I can, and they follow me around everywhere. I love my little sidekicks!

These two love lounging in the sun :) 

6. My Health

As difficult as it is sometimes, I try to make my health a priority. I have always been active and involved in sports, but it's a whole different ballgame as an adult. I don't want to end up with diabetes like my mom or have a heart attack like my dad, so I try my very best to eat well and exercise as much as possible. Of course I have my lazy days where I don't go for a run, and of course I eat my fair share of desserts and fried foods, but when I think about my future, it makes decision making much easier.

I juice almost every single day. The one pictures includes carrot, celery, cucumber, orange, lemon, and apple, but sometimes I add lettuce, kale, peach, lime, etc. 

7. Alone Time

I used to dread alone time. I didn't like when Dan had to be somewhere because I didn't know how to fill my time. Now, I almost look forward to it sometimes. I have gotten far more comfortable with being in my own company, and I even enjoy it much of the time now. I make things to put around the house, create things for our wedding, read, write, go out to eat alone, etc. I'm really glad I have grown into spending time with myself.

This is an incomplete craft that will be displayed at our wedding and in our future home; it is just one example of how I fill my time alone.

8. The Great Outdoors

You want to know what makes me feel free like nothing else? Spending time with Mother Nature. Colorado is the best for this (or at least it was before all of the fires), and I can't wait to go on more hikes this fall. It's a great feeling conquering an obstacle, and the beauty of the outdoors always leaves me breathless.

I felt like I was on top of the word after Dan and I hiked to the Pancake Rocks formation in Teller County, CO last fall.

9. Finding Happiness

I'm a happy, cheerful person. I've always been this way. I can't help it. Some would say I'm easy to please. Others would say I'm easily amused. I would say that I simply CHOOSE to be happy. Life is what you make it, and I am constantly searching for further happiness. Life has a lot to offer, and I am bound and determined to take advantage of that!

Sometimes all you need to be happy are a glass of wine, a good book, and a sunset over the mountains! 

10. Capturing Memories

If you've spent any amount of time with me at all, you know that I take a lot of pictures. No, I'm not a professional, and no, I don't have a nice camera. I am usually snapping photos with my iPhone. I just LOVE capturing memories. I have this irrational fear that I will lose my memory one day (thanks, The Notebook), and I want to be able to look back and see what I did with my life.

This is only a portion of the magnets I have made out of photos for my fridge. I have since added another three or four rows, and I'm running out of space! 

Well, that's it. You now know ten of the most important things in my life.