Military Wife: Week 8

          Austyn's graduation is quickly approaching! I am beyond excited to see him again.  I am amazed at how fast these past 8 weeks have gone. Each day seems to blur right into the next. I think back to the middle of October and how badly I just wanted to be in the middle of November... and here we are!
          I think when you're apart from the ones you love, you tend to miss the little things they would do each day. I do miss Austyn's actual presence, but it's the little things I go without now that I seem to miss the most. From him leaving his glass on the counter, or even his periodic snoring at night!
--- You know you miss your husband when you miss his snoring.
          Thankfully, we are nearing days rather than weeks now until we see each other. :)
          So as I have mentioned before, I write Austyn pretty frequently, like, everyday. I do my best to tell him about all that's going on throughout the weeks, but sometimes I forget little details. Austyn has missed some big milestones here with Maci and Molli, so I came up with a tip that will kind of benefit your soldier when he comes home.

(From a Mother) Tip #15: Document Your Time Apart

          Because you have kids who are constantly learning and growing each day, your husband is missing out on a lot of milestones. Letters won't always do them justice, so what I like to do is take pictures, videos, and even keep a journal of what the girls and I are doing every week. This is something we would do when Austyn is here anyway, but this will enable him to kind of catch up on our lives, and get a sense of what has been going on when he comes home.

(From a Family) Tip #16: Be Involved

          Whether it's church, sports, community events, getting involved will help time go by a little faster. This is kind of a bitter sweet tip as it may also make you more aware of your husband's/father's absence. But time really does go by SO much faster when you have things going on!

          If you want a flavorful, quick and easy pasta, here it is! Pepper Pasta is a recipe that was shared by a dear friend of ours a few years back. Give it a try! It is sure to be a hit!

Pepper Pasta

Ingredients:

1 Box of Linguine 

3 Bell Peppers

2 Serrano Peppers

3 Cloves of Garlic

A Stick of Butter

1 C Grated Parmesan

Olive Oil

Directions:

• Boil Linguine in some salted water. 
• Meanwhile, cut up the bell peppers, and very finely dice the Serrano peppers (remember not to touch your face after handling those babies)!
• Dice the garlic or use a garlic press
• In a pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add Serrano peppers and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes (careful not to burn the garlic)! Add bell peppers.
• Once pasta has finished cooking, strain, and place in a serving bowl. Combine the sauteed peppers and garlic and mix well. Gradually add in the grated parmesan, and drizzle with a little olive oil.

*Note: My husband LOVES when I put in some

italian sausage. Just heat up some sausage links

on the grill, or in the microwave, slice it up,

and mix it in with the pasta before serving!

Bon Appetit! :)