Guest Post: The Foreign Domestic

Hello Lovlies, I have another very special guest blogger visiting us today, Kirsten from The Foreign Domestic. Kirsten and I are connected because her brother-in-law is my hubby's best friend, so we have met each other several times over the years. In fact, right after we got married, Kev had to head to Kansas to train to deploy again and I could not be with him during that time. As it so happened, Kirsten was stationed at the same post and on more than one occasion graciously let me stay at her apartment even though she didn't know me well. I literally flew to Kansas with the hope of seeing Kev for dinner.. when you are about to spend a year a part, it is totally worth it and Kirsten understood that and opened her home to me. So I can tell you that the genuine kindness and zeal for life with which she blogs is completely authentic. By the way, thanks again for that Kirsten :) Make sure you head on over to The Foreign Domestic to read my answers from our swap! Now, on to a little more from Kirsten.

**********

Hello Daffodil's readers!  I'm so happy to be here today for my very first blog swap.  It almost feels like my first day of school--I'm all giddy, excited, and even a little nervous!  Just a little background info on who I am.  My name is Kirsten and I'm, relatively, new to blogging.  I met my husband in college and the Army took us to different places when we graduated.  We got married this past January, and four months later (after five years of service) I resigned from the Army.  We're at our current duty station for only a few more months, so I decided to do some freelance writing/reporting in the midterm. When I'm not doing that, I'm cultivating my skills as housewife and sharing all of my adventures and sometimes misadventures at The Foreign Domestic.  I'm not sure if I'll ever get this opportunity again, so I'm really enjoying it.  I should also share that my husband and I l-o-v-e to travel and I enjoy sharing/recommending different places we visit. 

Me and my handsomely, handsome husband on our wedding day.

Let's get started!

• Why did you start blogging?

As I mentioned in my intro above, a few months ago, I began my transition from being an Army Officer to being and Army wife.  I knew this transition would be more like an adventure so I wanted to document as much as possible as I explored all things domestic.  Also, our families are spread across the world, so I thought this would be a fun way to keep everyone up-to-date with what we were learning and experiencing.

• What is your favorite thing about blogging? 

My favorite thing about blogging is by far the relationships I've developed with other bloggers.  This was a completely unexpected surprise!  Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started blogging.  I thought, okay, I'll post some things here and there and my family can see what I'm up to as I learn to be a wife.  Man, this has turned out to be something much more meaningful.  There's just so much talent, creativity, and love in 'blogland'.  And, as The Carpenters so aptly put it, "[I've] only just begun"! I'm inspired everyday when I read others' posts and I'm encouraged to know anyone outside of my family (and even in my family) responds to what I'm posting. 

• What do you like best about being a military family (either growing up, being active or as a wife)? 

There are so many dimensions to this question, but the answer really comes down to one word:  relationships.  As you can tell from this answer and the previous answer, I'm big fan of relationships!  Friends my family made when my parents were in the Army, friends I made while serving, and the friends my husband and I are making now together have been a huge blessing.  Not all of the relationships I've formed in the military have been with other military servicemen/women.  But I wouldn't have met them had I not been stationed in a place where our paths could cross.  For instance, I probably never would've moved to Kansas on my own if I hadn't been stationed there, but I thank God I was because I met some awesome people! Needless to say, I have a lot of long distance friendships.  Sometimes when I think about it, I get a little sad because I wish I could gather all of my family members and closest friends and plop them down in one town.  But, it's fun to know someone in almost every State and in different countries across the world.  Relationships are definitely the biggest blessing the military has given me. Besides, that's how I met my husband!!

• What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish and why? 

Alright, I'm actually going to name two dishes here.  Is that cheating?  I hope not!  My favorite dinner dish is my mom's amazingly tasty broccoli casserole!  I know it's not a traditional Thanksgiving dish like stuffing or cranberry sauce, but I adore her casserole.  The sad thing is, she makes it from memory so I don't know exactly how to make it and I can't share it with you all today.  But, next time she makes it, you better believe I'll be hovering over her shoulder writing down everything she does so I can properly document it.  My second favorite dish is a dessert dish--pecan pie!  I grew up eating pecan pie after Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  To me, these meals just aren't complete without a slice of pecan pie.

• What are your Thanksgiving plans?   

Well, I'm happy to say that it's me and my husband's first Thanksgiving as a married couple!  Yes, our first major holiday as husband and wife.  This year, we'll be spending Thanksgiving with some of my husband's family.  Our travel plans don't have us arriving until Thanksgiving morning, but it's just enough time to join in the Thanksgiving festivities.  I'm really looking forward to it!

• What current or future projects are you working on?

I'm actually working on a few projects right now.  I'm in the process of redecorating our living room on a tight budget and deadline.  In fact, tomorrow is the big reveal!  I hope you'll check out the before/after pictures!  I'm also in the middle of a photo challenge.  Have you ever done one?  It's been a fun learning experience so far and I can't wait to continue with it. If you've done one before or if you're currently doing one, email me a link to your blog, I'd love to check it out.  Hope you'll visit me and read about all of my adventures at The Foreign Domestic .  Thanks for having me, Kate!

**********

Thanks Kirsten! Make sure you stop by and tell her hello!