Happy Saturday everyone! I sound like a broken record by now, but I am really glad to introduce Karen to those who don’t already know her and follow her blog. Jamie always laughs when I call someone “a doll” because he said that that’s how he knows I really like someone. Well, I think Karen is a doll. 🙂 She is a great, honest story teller and a fantastic writer.
Quick story about her that I’m sure she would never want the praise for: She bought one of my dresses during my IG closet sale last year, and when she noticed that I charged her less than the shipping price, she emailed me a Starbucks gift card. Seriously?! She is the nicest! Meet Karen. 🙂
Q: In three sentences or less, tell us a little bit about who you are.
A: I am one of the million thirty-something women bloggers infiltrating the internet and loathe the sound of nail clippers. I love the outdoors, being active, traveling, eating delicious food, 80s-era Tom Selleck, and writing all about it. I’ve been married for over 12 years to my husband, an Army officer, and we have two amazing children and a wonderful chocolate lab who has been with us since almost the beginning.
Q: How long have you been blogging, and what is your main motivation to keep it going?
A: I have been blogging since 2006 over the course of three separate blogs. I’ve had to change my blogging style a bit over the years as my husband’s career progressed and I made the decision early on to never monetize my blog, so it doesn’t necessarily feel like a typical milspouse blog. I view my blog simply as a place to share my thoughts and I never let myself feel pressured to write a post. I just write when I feel like it.
Q: I know you all have done quite a few moves with the military. What has been your favorite duty station and why? Least favorite?
A: Ooooh – this is a tough one. We really enjoyed our time at Fort Drum, New York when we were first married. We were DINKS (dual income, no kids) and lived in the gorgeous resort town of Sackets Harbor. Our place was on Lake Ontario and we had kayaks that we would place into the water about 100 yards outside of our front door. We were able to walk to fun bars, a comedy club, and great restaurants in sub-zero weather. And the friends we made while with the 10th Mountain Division are friends for life. It was the quintessential Army experience – tough and dangerous deployments, deaths, injuries, and a close-knit group of spouses back home praying that their soldiers came back alive.
We also loved our year at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for CGSC. It really has been the best year of our Army lives thus far. We lived on post in Infantry Barracks and it felt like ‘college with kids’ in the best way possible. I didn’t love Fort Sill, Oklahoma. We made the best of our time there but we were happy to PCS to the Washington DC area after only living at Fort Sill for 18 months. We really enjoyed living in the nation’s capital and look forward to going back someday.
Q: I loved your post a few months back about how manageable you found your kids’ current ages. How old are your kids now, and what do you enjoy the most about the ages they are?
A: We have a seven-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. While I adored my children as babies, I absolutely love watching them relish in their independence. Witnessing their curiosity and thirst for life is an amazing blessing and my favorite thing about being a mom.
Q: What advice would you give to moms with toddlers?
A: It’s all about survival! Don’t compare yourself to other mothers because chances are, they feel just as clueless as you do. The ones that appear confident are probably just better at faking it.
Q: What do you enjoy the most about being a military spouse?
A: My husband and I were college sweethearts and have been together since we were 18/19. We met September 9, 2001 – he was an ROTC cadet so the majority of his Army experience (and thus mine!) has been shaped by the events that unfolded two days later. I have thoroughly enjoyed moving every 1-3 years and having the opportunity to live places I wouldn’t necessarily choose myself. The friendships I’ve formed have been invaluable. And I truly feel like my husband and I have an unbelievably close and deep connection due to our unique military-related experiences.
Q: If you could escape for an entire day all by yourself, what would you fill your time with?
A: Traveling somewhere I’ve never been before and exploring with no plan other than to soak-in the culture, food, and people.
Q: Where should new readers start on your blog?
- A military experience that shaped us: 5 Years. Remembering.
- We love to travel and I write about our adventures quite a bit: O Were My Love Yon Lilac Fair – Scotland
- I had a post go viral back in 2013, some of the comments were pretty insane! Lifestyles of the Rich and Camouflaged
And just for fun…
Zoo or aquariam? Zoo
Thin crust and deep dish pizza? Deep dish pizza
Watch a movie in a theater or wait until it’s available to rent? Movie theater
Mac or PC? Mac all the way.
You can find Karen’s blog here or you can find her on Instagram.
Click here to read more features from the Saturday Sit-Down series!
Want to be featured as a Saturday Sit-Down blogger? I have openings starting in November 2017! Please email me at WHIMSICALSEPTEMBER@YAHOO.COM to talk about possibly getting on the schedule. 🙂
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo