Where is the Love???

When my husband(then boyfriend) first joined the military, I was terrified. How could you not be when your loved one is entering the military in a time of war? You have no idea how you're going to ever come to terms with it, how he's going to survive it, let alone yourself. And maybe you're like me, you had no idea of this "community" of military families that you would be introduced to through the wonders of the world wide web. When your SO leaves for boot camp, you suddenly stumble across hundreds of groups dedicated to supporting military families and it seems like the best thing in the world! You amazingly have connections with people who know exactly what you're going through and who can help you prepare for the road ahead. You start feeling secure in your new life, knowing that there are people who can answer just about any question you have. Your family doesn't quite understand, neither do your friends, but you have thousands at your fingertips who know what's going on in your mind.

Cheesy Wild Rice Soup

If you follow me, you know that for the past 4 years my husband and I were living in sunny San Diego. 300 days out of the year it was sunny and warm, I could start laying out at the pool in March, sometimes February. I wore flip flops all year long, it hardly ever rained and you never had need for anything more than a light hoodie and jeans on the coldest days. It was amazing when we first moved there, so warm, no winter, we didn't even have central heating in any of the apartments we inhabited. There was simply no need for it. Air conditioning bills ran high in the summer months though, those were routinely $130 or higher for 3 or 4 months as 120 degree heat had us staying inside our apartment with the shades drawn. There was no need to make warm, comforting soups or stews, there were no rainy days to make them on. Well, actually the "rain" was never more than a few drops so it never lasted long enough to whip up a chili or soup.

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

Goodness, I've certainly taken a break from just about everything in life lately. I started feeling poorly around the beginning of March, since we just moved to Virginia the husband and I hadn't gotten around to switching our Tricare from West to North so I was unable to see a doctor. I was in pain and discomfort for about 3 weeks before I finally got to see a doctor. All I needed were some antibiotics and I'm back to normal. However, I'm still finding it difficult to get into some sort of routine to balance housework, my businesses, my support page, and this blog. I want to do more in each aspect of my life but it's a lot to handle, I'm hoping I get the hang of it eventually but until then, I'll just wing it and look forward to June: my 30th birthday is coming up and as of June 22nd, my husband will have FINALLY spent a whole year at home! That's a huge deal, we haven't spent an entire year together since we started dating. It's always been interrupted by deployments, but with him being on Presidential support duty for a couple years I get the privilege of him coming home every night. In this life that's rare, and you quickly learn to be grateful for it.

I found out a few days ago that my husband likes pound cake. Which completely threw me for a loop, the guy eats like a picky 2 year old so I'm always surprised when he actually volunteers to say he likes something other than pizza or tacos. Being a good cook {apparently...according to him anyway} I've opened him up to many things he would have never tried before. And right after I found out he liked pound cake, I saw this beautiful recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction and knew I had to try it. I love Nutella and I love pound cake,  why wouldn't I try it? I don't have much baking experience, all I do is follow recipes and I'm happy if they turn out well.

**Note: my Nutella didn't really "swirl" but that's probably my own fault for not putting enough batter between Nutella layers. I do not care, the cake tastes delicious and turned out amazing! Thank you Sally!**