My Marine and Me - Milspouse Blog Hop 2012

Hello fellow Milspouse Bloggers!

My name is Allie and welcome to my blog, My Marine and Me. I started blogging back in the summer of 2009 before my boyfriend (now husband) deployed to Iraq. We had been dating over a year, I just graduated college and was about to go intern at Walt Disney World and I realized I might want a space to write out my thoughts.

So, Disney and Deployed was born. I spent six months working at the Happiest Place on Earth, EPCOT to be a little more specific, while the love of my life was in the desert. I missed him terribly but luckily Disney was a HUGE distraction. It kept me sane! It is hard to be down and panicky and worried in a place like that. I had my moments though, times when I was terrified or just missed him so badly I couldn't breathe. You know how it is. But eventually Ryan came home from deployment. He even came to visit me in Disney, and while he was there he proposed. My program ended a few months later and I left Disney. I had a wedding to plan! So no more deployed, no more Disney.... My Marine and Me was born in those months leading up to our wedding. If you cannot tell I have a thing for alliteration!


We got married May 1, 2010 at my church at home in New Jersey and lived in Alexandria VA for two years following our wedding. Well, I was there two years. Ryan re-enlisted last June and had to change his MOS to stay in the Marines. So he went off to 29 Palms California for nine months for school while I stayed in Virginia. For nine months we flew back and forth across the country every six weeks or so and used our cell phones more than I ever thought would be possible!

Ryan graduated in April 2012 and we packed up our apartment in Virginia and bought our first house in Jacksonville, NC, where we recently PCSed. PCSing was an adventure for sure, but I think we got off pretty easy!
I graduated college with a theatre degree, was born and raised in Jersey where giant malls and diners rule, love the Yankees and the Giants, and my tea is usually the Lipton powdered kind. Now I am living in the south in a huge military town where Walmart reigns, pro-sports are second to college teams (at least around here) and there is no tea but sweet tea! It is an adjustment for sure. For now I am keeping our yellow lab puppy Rylie entertained and sending out about ten job applications a week. Hopeully something strikes soon! If not, I will be blogging away here and writing more over at SpouseBUZZ.com when my brain cooperates.

Feel free to Like Me on Facebook or follow me on Pintrest! I don't tweet though. No idea how it works and I am social media'd out for now (: Thanks for stopping by!!!

Q & A

Erika from Chambanachik tagged me in this Q and A. I cannot resist a survey or questionnaire, it is like a disease I swear, so Erica totally picked the right lady! I hope the ladies I tag will reply as well!


The Rules
1. You must post the rules (and link up who tagged you).
2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.
4. Tag however many people you want
5. Let them know you've tagged them!

11 Facts About Me
1. I love love LOVE to travel and my goal is to set foot in each continent at least once before I die.
2. I absolutely hate talking on the phone, I always have... ironically I now do it for a living AND it is my main form of communication with my husband. Typical.
3. If I could perform Shakespeare the rest of my life I'd be one happy lady.
4. Sometimes I wish I could go back to school to become a pastry chef. Couple that with my theatre degree and I am destined to never make any money. Ever.
5. When I am depressed I will eat nutella out of the jar. With a tablespoon.
6. I am a crazy fast reader, I can't help it. I devour books and will read and reread the ones I really like.
7. One day I will own a pair of Monolos. Fact.
8. My weakness is shoes, but I rarely wear heels for more than ten minutes without pain. Shame.
9. Since before I was born basically I have been a Giants fan (and the Yankees!). There are pictures of me in Giants onesies looking almost like a little boy! So I am a life long fan and will want to hit you in the face if you call me a front runner.
10. If I forget to wear my rings I feel downright naked. Besides my wedding band it is my engagement ring and my college ring. Every day a must!
11. When I was little I was convinced I was going to be a famous actress. No questions asked. I miss that invincible, confident, powerful feeling.

Erika's Questions for Me
(plus a bonus one!)

1. What is something you're known for?
My pintrest addiction or my cornbread recipe probably!

2. What dessert would you make for me if I came for a visit?
I'd make my mom's walnut crumb bars... chocolate, walnuts and heaven in a bar!

3. If you could have any animal for a pet, what would you pick?
A giraffe. Hands down they are my favorite animals!

3a. Where do you see yourself in 50 years?
Sitting on a rocking chair next to my handsome old fox of a husband watching our grandchildren run amok.... with my Oscar in the display case behind us :P

4. What was the best day of your life so far?
Ooh tough call. I know most people say their wedding day, and that was definitely up there, but my first favorite was a day on our honeymoon. We went outdoor sky diving over a huge fan, explored the Biltmore Estate and sat on the porch of my parents' cabin drinking wine and chatting all night. It was just perfect.

5. What kind of things do you do every single day, without fail?
Walk Rylie, text Ryan, call Ryan to say good night, play with my iphone and drink diet coke!

6. What subject do you know more about than most people?
Shakespeare. And movie trivia.

7. What would be your perfect date night?
My favorite date night is always dinner and a movie, simple and traditional but it works well for us!

8. Where is your favorite place to be?
With my husband and my family is first followed by onstage.

9. What is something valuable you've learned from your mom and/or dad?
Just one thing? I learned soooo much from them. To be a strong, independant woman who can think for her self. To love and trust, to learn and make mistakes and not let them drag me down. Everything from how to drive to how to cook and bake and change a flat tire. I may owe them quite a bit ;)

10. What color do you like to wear the most?
I hate to say it but.... black. Blue is a close second. I am wearing a black sweater today even. Let's just say years of being a theatre kid made old habits die hard.

11. What did you want to be when you grew up? (And are you there yet?)
An actress. I was that kid who never let go of their childhood fantasy job. Sadly, I am not there yet. Yet. Anyone want to cast me? I'm looking at you Mr. Spielberg.

My Questions for Tagged Friends
1. If you had to eat one thing for breakfast for the rest of your life, what would it be?
2. What is the one chore you despise doing?
3. Are there any books you can pick up and reread over and over again?
4. Who would play you in the movie of your life?
5. If you had to rename your blog for any reason what would be its new name?
6. What is your favorite outfit to wear?
7. If I gave you $100 what completely non practical thing would you spend it on?
8. What is your favorite childhood memory?
9. If you could be an instant expert in any subject matter, what would you choose?
10. What is your favorite joke?
11. Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?

Tag! You're It!
1. Liv at Simply Sunshine and Daisies
2. Mrs. Sykes at Forever Yours Semper Fi
3. Mandy at Mommy Musings
4. Skinnie at Skinnie Piggie
5. Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots
6. Poekitten at Many Waters
7. Erin at Moore to Love
8. Sarah at G.I. Joe's Wife
9. Katie at Like Sunshine After Rain
10. Beckie at Turn for the Nurse
11. Ashley at Celebrating Life as an Army Wife

I'm excited to see your responses!! Happy Monday!

25 Facts About Me

I have seen a lot of bloggers doing this lately and since I don't have twitter (clueless on it!) I am going to jump on the bandwagon here! So, without further ado, my first 25 facts about me! Go link up (:

1. I am a righty and my husband says my right side is my “bad ass side”. Why? All my tattoos are on my right and when my nose was pierced it was also on the right!
2. Speaking of tattoos, I have two of them. I have a blue moon with two black stars on my right ankle and a four leaf clover on my back right hip.
3. I want another one but Ryan isn’t too keen on the idea!
4. I was born with jet black hair that turned brown and then red and then finally blonde before I was two months old. It has been blonde ever since.
5. Except for a month in 2008 when I dyed my hair red.



6. Since a month before my wedding I have had fake nails. Ryan loves them and fought me to keep them after the wedding as I didn’t care too much! So I have my pink and white gels still a year later!
7. My parents have a golden retriever named Princess Diana XIII. We call her Dippy. I am serious.
8. I just got my boobs chopped off. Ok not totally, but I did go from a 36DDD to a 36C. One week from today you can expect my before/after post as I will hit my 6 week mark finally!
9. I wear the same jewelry every day. Besides my wedding band and engagement ring I wear my class ring from college, claddaugh earrings, and a necklace my cousin gave me for Christmas.
10. I met my husband at a Saint Patrick’s Day party, which I love since I am a little bit Irish!
11. I love to travel. I have been to most of the eastern US as well as Canada, St Croix, the Bahamas, England, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, and Australia.



12. One of my goals is to visit each continent at least once. 3 down, 4 to go!
13. I want to own an Irish Wolfhound or a Great Dane. Hubby wants a Yellow Lab. Guess who is not winning?
14. I started blogging once I joined my first Yahoo group USMC_Gals. I joined it in March of 2009 and my blog started that June.
15. Which means I have been blogging almost two years! Crazy!
16. My blog used to be called Disney and Deployed….
17. Because I worked at EPCOT as an intern for six months. Best. Job. Ever. I miss it.



18. I hate talking on the phone but I basically do that for a living.
19. I adore where we live. Old Town Alexandria has my heart and may have it forever.
20. Lucky me has three little brothers. Well, half brothers. Sean, Shane and Stefan. 17, 16, and 14. Seeing those numbers makes me feel old.
21. Photography is a growing interest of mine, I wish I were better at it.
22. If I could go back to school it would be for either pastry chef/culinary, ultra sound technician, or photography.
23. My degree was specialized in the theatre, I want to win an Oscar. Damn I miss acting.
24. In high school I did a lot of sports but wasn’t too good at any of them. Tennis, cheerleading, track and field, and swimming.
25. I have been to most of the east coast, but I need to see more of this country.