Homemade Mountain Christmas

Rebecca's Thoughts:  "Majestic Mountains, with beauty and grace; they didn't get that way overnight."

     Making a house a home is a task that cannot be done overnight.  Although everything is in it's proper place, there are still a few things missing to make this a home.  Soon enough, upon walking into our door, this place will scream, "Mr. and Mrs. Stefan live and love here."  It took a while to get everything moved in and unpacked, and we finally got internet yesterday!  So thats the reason why there haven't been any updates on here lately.   

Anyway, we have been very busy and have many exciting things going on in our lives!  I am so excited about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!  We have one of Michael's friends coming in for the Stefan House Holiday Extravaganza, and I will get to Skype with my family both nights!  

Michael and I just celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary.  We didn't have to do anything special, because we are both simply content with finally being in a home together.

I apologize for the shortness of this entry, but more to come later--After Christmas!!!!

:D <3

A New Home for The Holidays

Two days away from moving into our new home, and boy can I say I am so glad we decided to live off post.  Not only did we find a fantastic home in a wonderful neighborhood, but its also a lease agreement with an option to buy, which is something we are interested in, but also because the post is so small and there isn't much around for stimulation-- everything is Military mandated and such.   I think I would much rather live off post.  Besides, our new home has a huge yard (WITH GRASS) with a wall instead of a standard fence.  And the view of the snowcapped mountains is breath-taking. I can't wait to get my family out here to visit.  We will have plenty of room, since it's a three bedroom.  Plus, Timberly's room will double as an extra guest bedroom.  I will post pictures very soon, but for now all I can send is the picture of the front door and the view from the back yard.

There will be more to come, and for the most part, more memories to be made!

-With a Smile,


The Stefan Family

Back Intact: Heart and Family

After being apart another long haul, this time three years, we are all finally back together as a family and have almost completed our cross country move.  We are now in Arizona where my husband, Mike, has been transferred.  We are in temporary housing until we move into our brand new home on Thursday!  We are all so excited and cannot wait.  But with the excitement, comes a touch of sadness: due to the move, cost of airline tickets, and home furnishings we will not be back in North Carolina for Christmas.  It saddens my heart, but one must adapt, accept, and acquire new traditions.  Which is our plan and ultimate goal for the holiday season.

On a side note, the drive from NC to CO to AZ was adventurous, fun, stressful, tiring, and beautiful... Oh yes, yes, yes, and very eventful!

We left NC on November 3.  We loaded everything and everyone in the Expedition and with deep emotions both excitement and melancholy, watched as the home I've known all my life shrink into the distance.  Once my town was out of sight (but not out of mind) we focused on the road ahead (and yes that is also metaphorically speaking for our future).  Day one of our journey was smooth and filled with excitement and three small bladders belonging to Timberly and our two huskies, Wolfie and Mable.  We stopped in Missouri for the night for some much needed sleep after fourteen hours of driving.  Day Two on the road was less exciting, a little more tiring, and slightly more stressful.  The dogs were tired of being in the SUV, Timberly had a super small bladder and had to "potty" what seemed to be every two hours!  But we kept our sights on the road ahead.  We finally rolled into Colorado late that evening while getting some giggles when driving through a town called Punkin Center (yes spelled punkin) we weren't just laughing at the name of the town, but the fact that whole town consisted of a caution light, one stop sign, and four (count them) four buildings.

We spent a few days in Colorado Springs with Mike's family.  We had a wonderful time.  Zoo, dinner, cruising around, Garden of the Gods etc.

Upon leaving Colorado, we were very excited as we neared our new home!  But we had made plans and set a strict driving schedule and it humored God, because just as we were entering Santa Fe, New Mexico, the unexpected happened just as if it were written for a comedy television series.  I was the driver, the highway had a few cars, and clear weather no rain or wind.  Suddenly, I felt the car sway violently.  I blamed it on a rogue wind and continued to drive.  Again the car swayed and the weight didn't feel quite right.  I feared a flat because we left NC without a spare.  I pull over to the shoulder which is decorated in dirt and tumbleweeds and Mike gets out of the car to check.  So far all the tires seem okay, until he checks the last one.  It was unsalvageable.  We made it this far with out a spare, and go figure it happens.  So we call a tow truck.  We give him the wrong location.  Finally he finds us, takes us to a tire shop and charges us nearly $200.  Then another $280 for a new tire and a few repairs. We ate lunch at an amazing Mexican Cafe while we waited.

Nearly $500 later, we are back on the road and finally reach AZ late that night.



So here we are and now we are just a few days away from moving into our permanent home.  Pics and posts will follow soon.

Until next time,
Rebecca 'Bexy' and the rest of the Stefan clan

Day at the Zoo with Timberly

So to take a break from all the political drama. Timberly and I took a trip to the NC Zoo. We are seeing so many creatures large.and small. Timberly is having a wonderful time and learning so much about.different animals. Right now we are currently taking a lunch break and talking over all we have seen. It feels great to get away from the stress of everyday life. We still have more to see and do so there will be more posts coming along. I do hope that Timberly 's paperwork gets completed and we can go to Germany to be her Daddy.  Keep hoping and praying that we don't have a shutdown that prevents us from getting paid because if we do there will be no more days like today just hanging out at the zoo. :)

The Effects of A Government Shutdown on Military Families: Entry ONE: An Angry American

As many of you are already aware, a "Government Shutdown" is in our midst. This shutdown is due to improper spending in our House.  Apparently, these House Representatives have frivolously been spending tax payer dollars, and money lent to the U.S. as though we were all attending a fabulous county fair; purchasing mass quantities of corn-dogs, immense amounts of cotton-candy, and taking turn after turn at the most expensive kissing booth.  Obviously each of these items are metaphoric of the actual spending spree of our government.  I will explain:  Every one acquires hunger, a basic human NEED.  The corn-dog is a staple in fighting the war on hunger; thus metaphorically paralleling the need of ammunition for the War on Terror. The funding for ammunition and supplies for all our troops is a NEED. The amount it costs to wage war is understandable.  While the price-tag is still hefty and shocking to the average American citizen, think of the families of our troops who would pay ANYTHING to have their husband, wife, father,  mother, son or daughter home and out of harms way.  The cotton-candy is not a need, nor is it even good for any one who CRAVES it.  It is a DESIRE; a WANT.  The cotton candy represents the "FLUFF" being spent from our budget. This "fluff" includes travel-pay for House Reps and Senators, raises, bonuses, and any sort of personal gain that may be DESIRED by the individual.  These men and women are paid appropriate amounts that one will not suffer to "fund" themselves, as this should be DUTY to our nation and NOT A PRIVILEGE. The kissing-booth, which receives tons of revenue from PRE-PUBECENT BOYS, is an obvious metaphor, giving credit to all of the House Reps, Senators, and Council- men and women who repeatedly spend government money on affairs, vacations with lovers, and sex related spending sprees.  This metaphor extends further to include our PRESIDENT who uses money to KISS-ASS: According to CNN World Obama recently took a trip to Brazil to do what? In my opinion Kiss-Ass and hope to stumble upon a miracle treatment to help America's struggling economy. (Which means, I think he just wanted to get away, and had to kiss-ass as not to get into trouble).  Instead of trying to find far off solutions for Libya, and the Oil companies of Brazil, help the Citizens of the United States FIRST! And if he must talk with these "OFFICIALS" do so on Skype.  I use Skype all the time to talk with MY HUSBAND, whom I cannot see as often as I'd like due to the raging fuel prices that make overseas journeys near impossible.
How can this crisis be fixed? How can we as a nation come up with a spending budget? The House has taken months to try to come up with a solution:  And here it is.  A government shutdown, closing multiple agencies, such as Passport offices and stopping paychecks of MILITARY PERSONNEL!  Seriously, HOUSE???? Is this situation that much of a brain teaser for you?  Where did you all attain your degrees, because I will refuse to send my children to such institutions! How about this option instead of shutting down agencies and keeping military families without money for God knows how long until you people get over your arrogant, self-loving, big-headed attitudes?! Let's keep all of you from receiving any sort of paycheck or pocket-money until a spending plan is agreed upon.  Oh, yes, and while WE AMERICAN CITIZENS who put you in your seat with-hold your money, we just go ahead and use what every SENATOR, HOUSE- REP and other GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS "earn" during with-holding and pay off a portion of our country's debts?  Our service men and women have already paid the ultimate sacrifice to fight for our country why would you people starve their families as well? In my opinion, each and everyone of you should pay your dues to this nation just as our troops have. Add up the figures and crunch the numbers... how much of our debts can you pay off?  I'll bet its quite a large sum.  So pay up, shut-up and quit with the selfishness.
Thanks,
The United States of America, aka YOUR BOSS.

Heaviness of the Heart: 4,504 BPM

As many of you all know, Michael and I have spent far much more time apart than together. Sometimes, I feel that even though we are so far apart, that he is right beside me and at other times it feels that he is 9,008 miles from me instead of 4,504.
     With that being said, there are many couples that I see/read posts on facebook who take advantage of the other, and neglect the precious time that they have together.  I can only dream of the opportunity when I feel that I have had enough of Michael. (But lets be honest, I don't think I will ever get enough of him!)  Many people tell me, "You guys must really have something good!" Or I may hear, "You guys are Sooo strong!", or some bad comments like, "You must be one of the loneliest women around" and "Are you sure that being apart is worth all the trouble?" Well here are my answers to those questions:
     "You guys must have something good."  Yes, what we have is good, but its better than that.  What we have is RARE, its truly wonderful, and beyond great.  The way we are able to make each other feel like we're falling in love over and over again, well, its mesmerizing to me.  It doesn't take work, its natural for us to feel the way we do.  We had sparks even before our first date several years ago.
     "You guys are Sooo strong!"  This is the part that takes work.  Being strong.  Like building muscle for strength, you must strengthen your heart and your soul.  Being apart not only takes strength, but it takes a TON of patience! It also takes knowledge- knowledge to know when to be upset and the knowledge to know the difference between being upset and missing someone terribly.
     "You must be one of the loneliest women around!"  Lonely?  NO.  A big fat NO! If anything, I feel lucky and blessed just feel Mike's presence or to dream about him.  Is it desperation from being lonely?  Again, No. Its the joy of feeling close to him, even if only for a moment.
     "Are you sure that being apart is worth all the trouble?"  First off, homeslice, there is no trouble, never was and will not be!  If anything, our relationship gets more and more rewarding as time goes on.  Its an investment with an extremely high APR.  So is it WORTH it? You tell me, if you put $2,000,000 in the bank and after a year you have $50,000,000- would you keep doing what you were doing?  Yeah. Bottom line, Michael and I are happy, we are whole, we are ever changing, and growing together for the best years to come in our lives!
     Mike and I are both confident that we have made the right -here it comes, some Southern slang- pick'n's  for each other.  As a matter of fact, we're like two hawgs in a mudpile!

     On a side note, Timberly has been showing her country butt here lately. She has been trying to exert some defiance.  Here's the kicker, she only does it when I'm on the phone WITH Mike.  So, I'm sure more entries concerning this will be making its way here VERY soon.  Any suggestions on this issue would be great.

Keep reading to take part in our Fiascos!

Good night, sleep tight and don't let the chiggers bite!

The times, they are a' changin'

     I have done the blog thing before, but I haven't had much of a reason to do it until now.  My closest friends are furthest away from me, and I find myself POSSIBLY preparing to move half a world away and I have decided that doing a blog is the best fit for our futures and keeping up with everyones lives.  Long phone calls at long distance rates are rare, so in a nutshell this will compliment the conversations had by phone.  The possibility of communicating everyday is also a bit more difficult with time-changes, work-schedules, and children. But the main point to this blog is to introduce or re-introduce you to The Stefan family, where we come from, and our future plans.  Blogs following this initial entry will contain information from our everyday lives.

     If you are reading this, then Welcome to The Stefan Family Fiascos!  You will be reading entries about Michael Ray, Rebecca Lynn, and Timberly Danielle Stefan.  Michael is 27 years old.  He has been in the US Army since September of 2001 and is currently stationed in Germany where he is expected to PCS back to the states sometime in the fall of 2011. Mike has only been able to visit with us, his family for short periods of time since Timberly was just an infant. This is because of trainings, changing his MOS, schools, and a lengthy deployment.  Timberly is our 3 year old princess.  She was supposed to be born September 15, 2007 only 4 days after her daddy's birthday, but decided to take her time (AS SHE ALWAYS DOES!) and grace us with her presence on Tuesday September 25th, 2007.  She has already traveled thousands of miles!  She flew to Arizona to visit Daddy, she went to Colorado to see Papa Stefan and Auntie Eileen, and she has been on 3 Carnival Cruises visiting Mexico, Belize, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, and Bahamas. Soon, she will be able to add Germany and other parts of Europe to the list!  She has the makings of an Army Brat already!  I, Rebecca, am the main care-taker of our daughter and I'm currently holding down the fort here in the states while Michael is in Germany. I have lived in North Carolina my entire life and I am a true Southern Belle who was raised in the Bible Belt of the South.  I love hot, humid weather and day trips to the beach for laying out and shopping! There's nothing like fun loving, Carolina Girls! :D That's why a Colorado Mountain Man found his place in my heart.  I am currently pursuing my BS in Environmental Science and plan to obtain my Masters as well. I love nature and all that nature provides us humankind. I am 23 years old and enjoy the life I have been given.  

     Thanks for reading our family introductions check back daily for more "Fiascos"

Good Night, Sleep Tight, and Enjoy that Carolina Moon.