We NEED This Space...

I've mentioned it many times before, that we travel a lot. As in 40+ weeks a year! We usually leave on Thursday evening, and return Sunday night. And 99% of the time, we have our motor home, that we stay in. A rather "fancy" little home on wheels.

Before meeting this guy, I thought motor homes/coaches were used for camping. You know, you take it out to the lake. Make a few hook ups, and you're good to go. I never realized, that you can customize these sweet homes on wheels! That they could provide more, than just a comfort for camping.

Heck, our motor home has a better kitchen, than my home has. Comfy couches, internet access, 2 HUGE TVs, wood floors, and anything you could need, while on the road. It's hilarious! But according to this guy, when you spend this much time on the road, it's essential. Our views vary on this. But it can also be, because we have very different careers. And we're in very different financial situations.

Very recently, My Love came home with a brochure. Apparently, it's time for a new "Home on Wheels." Hundreds of thousands of miles later, our home will retire this winter. I'm sad. When we met, it was a shiny new home. And over the last few years, I've made it our home. Not just a place where we eat and sleep, while on the road. But a real, comfortable home!

What made me laugh this week, was this little picture. That My Guy sent me. Because he wants me to be oh so comfy in there. And after our recent trip to Michigan, it's become oh so real, that I'm going to have a HUGE say in our new "Home on Wheels!"



I'd adore a place like this. But I just don't think it would match this guy's style. I really don't. But I might use this picture, as inspiration. I'd adore a "Reading Nook" like that. And comfy furniture. Maybe a place to store a sewing machine. And a "hideaway" desk, for me to use when studying. Oh, and that ceiling, is just screaming my name! My Love, might just regret sending me this picture. :)

But I am at a loss. I don't know the first thing, about designing a motor home. I know what we need. And what we like. But that's it! I've NEVER done this before. To be honest, I don't think this guy has either. I think he had other people do it for him, the last time. And where do you research these things? Can you tell, I'm a fish out of water?!?!?! ♥

Little Nooks

With all this "Making Our Houses, Homes," I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest! I can't lie. When I've got some down time, I'm on Pinterest. Searching. I just NEED some inspiration!

My latest obsession, is "Reading Nooks." Mostly because, I spend a GREAT deal of time, reading. Whether for school, or for personal reasons. I've ALWAYS got a book in my hand! Just look at some of these ideas I've found!



It's actually funny, that I found this picture. We have a space like this in our home. It's on our back staircase. Right now, we have a bunch of plants up there. I NEVER thought of putting some comfy bedding and pillows up there. It would make a cozy little nook. For all sorts of things! :)



This tepee just makes me smile! Little K adores it too! And asked me, if I could make us one. Looks like Little K and I, have a few things in common. We both want to put it out in the woods. And just hangout. Sounds like fun to me!



And lastly, this is MY FAVORITE!!! In our new home, we have a little attic overlook. And I just didn't know what to do with it. A little office would be nice. Where I can write. And that little nook, is just perfect! For curling up, with my favorite books.

All these pictures, just make me so HAPPY! I want to get started ASAP! I think part of it is, I HATE to have unfinished projects. These unfinished homes, are stressing me out! This man, provides so much for us! And I want him, to be able to go to any of his properties, and enjoy them!Not walk into a home, with no furniture. Worrying about buying furniture, picking out paint colors, and all that other stuff.

Do you know what I mean? Personally, I've owned my home for a few years now. I purchased it almost 11 years ago. It's nowhere near complete. Heck, there is A LOT of work, that needs to be done. But, I'm OK with it. It's mine. And I'm in no rush. I have a long list of things, I want to do with my home. And I have lots and lots of pennies to save.

But when this man buys a home for us, I want to complete it. For him, and I. Yes, My Love works so hard. And I want to do the same for him. That's why, this blog seems to be currently exploding with decorating ideas. I'm sorry if it's boring anyone. But right now, it's all that consumes my thoughts. And I just need to get these projects completed! ♥

Finally!!!

Let me tell you a little secret. I have the most annoying hair, known to man! It's not curly, not straight, not pretty. Just frizzy. And puffy. It has a mind of it's own. And honestly, I call my hair..."The Chia Pet."

I'm not blessed. You see, I have 3 older sisters. 2 are my Dad's daughters, 1 is my Mom's daughter. They all have this glorious curly hair! The kind that is insanely kinky, curly, and gorgeous. Mine...looks like I've stuck my finger in the socket. Oh ya, I did that once. When I was a baby! Did that mess with my hair? I don't know. But it is so annoying!

In high school, almost every girl that I cheered with, wanted to "straighten" my hair. Well, I avoided them at all cost! My best friend, became the clip barrette. And the scrunchy...when I cheered. Sponge rollers, and eventually the hot rollers, were my best friends.

But right before I started college, I found the good 'ol hair straighteners. I bought a cheap-o pair at Target. I don't even remember the brand. But I spent $15. They worked OK. But with my thick and frizzy hair, I was far from perfectly straight hair.

Months later, I found CHI. Oh my goodness! My life changed. My hair, for the first time ever, could be stick straight. It introduced me, to new hairstyles. Easy, breezy days. Simple life. If I just had those bad boys with me. :)

Heck if I remember the brand of the 3rd pair I got. I can't remember. But these 2 pair, have been life changing. I know, that sounds crazy. Being that it's just hair. But honestly, it's the truth. That pair of CHI, are worth every penny! Dry hair, from beginning to end, could be straight in under 5 minutes. No lie! Pin straight, in 5 minutes.

Then, last summer they died. OK, I'd had them for almost 10 years. But my babies were no more! I took to that other pair. The ones I can't remember the brand name. And well, they got me through 3 and a half more hairstyles. Yes, I said a half! In the middle of doing my hair, there was no more heat...

Well, I didn't feel like investing another $100 or $300 at the time. So I tried to embrace my crazy hair! I bought all sorts of hair products. Researched them. Asked around. For almost a year now, I've embraced the texture of my hair. A little curly, a little nutty, a little frizzy. Seriously, my hair has a mind of it's own! All it's own!!!

We'd been going good. I took to braids. Various "up dos." A range of products. Silently, I welcomed the days when Manders was in charge of my hair and makeup. When I had to perform. When for a few brief days, my hair could be tamed.

I also did research. And had my little list, narrowed down to 2. The GHD. And Sultra. Pretty decent investments. I'd recently purchased a Sultra hair dryer. And well, I just couldn't make a decision on hair straighteners. No matter how many reviews I read. How many YouTube videos I watched. Or how many people I asked. But it was down to 2...

I never talk about these things. Especially with this guy. What would he think? Until about 2 weeks ago. My Guy finally asked why I've been wearing my hair up so much. I never wear it down anymore. See ladies, guys do notice these things! I told him what had happened. And he gave me that look. Like why in the heck, haven't you bought whatever you need to buy? See, I told you, I rarely shop. And I almost never, use this guy's money, for myself.

On the second day that my friends were here, I got a little surprise. I'm almost 100% positive that Mrs. Manders helped out here. :) I got this precious little package!!!



Life changing I tell you! Life changing. :) I get to now straighten my hair. Whenever in the heck I feel like it! Since I got my set of GHD straighteners, that's been every single day! I know. But really, even I had missed those super straight locks.

If you're on the fence about hair straighteners, I'd say..."Bite the Bullet!" If you have fairly fine hair, not too textured, a pair from Target will do fine. But those of us, with more complicated hair, well save your pennies. These are worth every single one!

Had I not been so stubborn, I would have bought these months ago! Perfectly straight hair, in just minutes. I've also curled my hair with this set. Super quick! And curls that last all day. Believe me, in the heat and humidity that we've been dealing with lately, this is pretty incredible! I just can't believe, that I lasted 11 months, without my "hair best friends!" ♥

Lucky Girl

I have to say this, I'm a lucky, lucky girl!!! I have this A-M-A-Z-I-N-G man in my life. That LOVES me much more, than he should. It's no secret. He goes over and above any expectations, that I could ever have. He's my honest to goodness, Prince Charming. Sent straight from God!!!

Sunday, I hopped on a plane. Headed out to visit my Mom. For her birthday, and Mother's Day. Zo and I, also had a credential thing to attend. You know, hours and hours of medical talk. To get that certificate that says, you in fact learned something.



Yesterday evening, we finally got back. If you follow me on Facebook, you could tell, I was happy to be home!!! I missed this man. More than words could say. The band, with their significant others and kiddos, arrived on Monday. And for the next almost 2 weeks, it's going to be so busy! Lots of work and performing, coming up.

So when I walked in the door, I was pleasantly surprised. Not just by the man that I love. But by the amazing things he had done for me. Like cooking a yummy dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and fresh corn. A little fresh strawberry cobbler. With vanilla ice cream. Delish!!!

After a delicious dinner, my Mr. cleaned up the kitchen, as I made my way, to a beautiful bubble bath. With a new book waiting for me. And I met this guy, in a beautifully crisp, cool, and gorgeous white bed. Where we caught up. On the last few days. Spent some good time cuddling. And just enjoying, being back together.

After crazy traveling, chaotic schedules, and life in general, it's nice to come home. To the man I love. And just be. To catch up. Enjoy life together. And embrace the few hours of peace and quiet, before our week gets nuts again!!!

I'm one very lucky woman! One that knows, men like this, are few and far between. I was that awkward girl in school. The one, that people wondered, "How could she be a cheerleader?" "What a dork!" "Poor girl." In lots of ways, that's still me. I'm not perfect. I've never been that "knock out." That is naturally a size 0. With perfect skin, hair and teeth. I'm not cool. I prefer for others to do my hair and makeup. Because, I'm still not confident in it.

In fact, I have lots of those awkward moments. When I wonder, "Why is he with me?" The fact is, this man, could have any woman!!! He's dated models, celebrities, and down right gorgeous women! But the one thing I'm positive about, is My Guy's love for me. He shows me all the time, how important I am, to him. And he's not afraid to tell me either.

This Man, is amazing. He's given up a lot, to be with me. To share these little moments. The ones that make life worth living. I'm so glad that we found each other. I'm so glad, that we're together. In this crazy thing we call life, he makes it worth living! And makes me feel, like I'm finally more than enough. The woman I am, right now, is perfect in his eyes. ♥

Why We Hide It...

"Love is patient. Love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag. And is not arrogant."
~1 Corinthians 13:4.

People ask me all the time, why would My Guy and I keep our relationship out of the public eye. Why doesn't my family know? Why would I be OK, being in the background, when we are in public? Why am I OK, with him paying someone else, to publicly take the heat? Why am I OK with all of this?

To begin with. It didn't start this way. We had a long distance relationship. My close friends knew about My Guy. My best friend met him. Loved him. Fell in love with his best friend. My Mom knew I was dating someone. And after 6 months or so, they had a long conversation on the phone. Later, she would meet him. While my Dad was in the hospital.

But this entire time, I've also been battling the Big C. Dealing with all that it is. Trying to stay on top of it. My Guy, has never once failed me. Or been upset with my situation. He's right by my side. Takes care of me. Holds me when I'm at my weakest. Takes me to doctor's appointments. Changes his schedule, to fly with me. So I can meet with specialists.

And that's exactly, what My Guy has always been all about. My biggest cheerleader. We both have very public jobs. Jobs that put us out there. Places that we're not always comfortable with. But we've signed up for our jobs. So we take all that comes with it.

That doesn't mean that we have a magic wand, that makes everything perfect. But we've both learned from our past relationships. Learned what works for us as an individual. What we both want in our lives.

From the beginning, we've had those ridiculously serious conversations. I've been blunt with my health. Never holding back. Never holding back, what I wanted, or expected from a relationship. My Guy, also laid it all out on the table for me. And we just have this understanding.

I moved East. So that we had a chance. So that we could figure all this out. And now, we're like a married couple. In many ways. Mondays are our Sundays. We spend most of the day in bed. Sleeping. Recovering from the other 6 days of the week. I cook every meal that I can. I clean. He works Tuesdays. And usually Thursdays-Sundays. We have those disagreements about clothes all over the floor. Where we're going to be, for various holidays. How and when, we're going to travel. Things like that.

But guess what else? My Guy supports me going to college. Getting these ridiculous degrees. Working crazy hours. He understands that I want to pay for my education. And at times, that's not easy. So I work. In music. A very demanding schedule. Many times, we spend many hours flying, from state to state, to be supportive of one another.

He sits in the audience. Watching me. Cheering me on. Being my biggest supporter. I still sit on Sundays, cheering him on. Making sure that he has everything that he needs, to be successful at his career. We're always there for each other. Especially on the bad days. Like when he walks in, and tells me, "I'm done. It's time to walk away. This job is too much." I get him to calm down. Realize it was a bad day. Things are going to get better. Work isn't always going to be like this.

Not everything is perfect. We don't have anyone to look at. To use as a guide, for our lives. Because our situation is different. He has a very public job. Makes money, from fans. And "Meet and Greet," type of situations. He has asked me many times, do I want to be more public? Do I want to go to these events? Not wear his company's shirts. You know, be at his side. Do I want to stand at his side, in public, every weekend?

I want to scream "YES," from the rooftops. Like I know he wants to do. But with my health, I just don't think it could be a possibility. Not right now. It feels unfair. Tough. I feel like, I'm a bad girlfriend. I should be stronger. I should be able to handle this. But when I first got sick, I was in another relationship. One that found people following me. To write about me. About my situation. To add these stories to "rag mags," and blogs.

This time around, I'm more cautious. Few people, really know who this guy is. His friends know about us. His family knows. A good group of my friends know. My Mom knows. But we're careful. My Guy is someone that wants to make sure, I'm safe. And taken care of. That I'm OK. This isn't his first rodeo. He's been through this before. And realizes how hurtful and nasty the public can be.

So we've talked about this. We have a plan in place. People don't realize, but we've almost been in this relationship for 4 years. 4 YEARS!!! We're happy. We live as "normal" a life as possible. We still eat dinner together. We travel together. We sit and watch silly movies. Weekly, we try to have dinner with his family. For a few months, his nieces lived with us. We're dedicated to each other. 100% That's all that matters!

But this past week, I knew he needed someone at his side. His PR team had been putting the pressure on him. We talked about this. Almost 18 months ago, a similar situation had come up. Then, we paid an employee of his, to stand by his side. That's it. Stand there. Don't say anything. Just be there. At the same time, it helped to calm the waters for us. I found that people stopped looking at me, every single time I ventured out. My life got simpler. When they thought he was with her...

Late November rolled around. And we knew something had to be done. A meeting was called. His close family came, his team, and boss. The decision was made. Call that same employee. All week, they've been seen publicly. All week, I've been there. In the background. Not having to deal with nonsense. Being able to enjoy myself. My Guy has been able to relax a little. Enjoy everything that has come, from all his hard work.

All week, at night, we went to many private parties and functions. Where I was able to be at his side. He came to see me, and the band perform. We could walk out, hand in hand, not having to look over our shoulders. It was amazing! The exact reason, why we keep "us" secret.

But Friday, people got crazy. This guy showed up for an event. Moments later, things were blowing up. People had lots of stuff to say. Nothing too nice. About his companion. About his decisions. Immediately, he was sending me texts. "We were right." "Glad we decided not to tell." "I'm glad you don't have to deal with all this s*&t!"

And there you go, the real reason why we keep "us," from everyone else. His company has received so much inquiry, about that poor girl. So many people are mad. Upset. And that person, well, people won't leave her alone.

Yes, I'm glad we decided not to share "us." I couldn't handle it. Not right now. Not with my health. Not with my Dad's health. I know how these people work. And right now, it's honestly too much to handle.

Like I said, I know we picked our careers. But we didn't necessarily pick everything else, that has come with them. We'd like to keep our "privates lives," well...private. That shouldn't be too much to ask for.

After the event, and my show, on Friday night...My Guy took me in his arms. Whispered in my ear, "I'm glad your in my life. Dang it, I wish that I could show you off to the world. I've never been happier. Never in my life. Never been prouder of anyone. Whatever it takes, I'm going to keep you safe. I love ya Doll Face." My Love, I LOVE you too! I'm not going anywhere. Regardless of what happens, I'll always stand by my man. ♥

Money, My Guy, and Me

I get lots and lots of money questions. Everyone wants to know. Does My Guy pay for everything? Do I really work? What do I spend my money on? How does it all work?

Well, I work. All the performing that I do, it's to pay for things like my college tuition, books, internships fees, insurance for working at the hospital, my home, all the costs associated with my home, and anything personal like that. Why? It's my decision.

My Guy from the very beginning, wanted to be able to pay for it all. Honestly, he can afford it. But I wasn't having any of that. I've never been the type of woman, to just let someone be completely financially responsible for me. Call me crazy but that's how I feel.

When I was 18 years old, I moved out of my parents' house. I actually moved a few hundred miles away, to go to college. From the beginning, I was pretty lucky. My parents convinced me to buy a house. It would be an investment into my future. And I had a really good job in music at the time. So I bought a house.

It hasn't always been easy. But I've done it on my own. No matter if I was dating someone or not. In a serious relationship. Or just by myself. It didn't matter to me that I was only 18. Or single, in a family sized home. Seriously, my house is bigger than any other on my street. I didn't plan it that way. But I got a good deal on the house. So I bought it.

That's my way of having independence. I'm financially independent. I have always paid for my education. I have a few small scholarships. With the issues in the economy, you've definitely seen scholarships dry up. And I get help from the various doctors that I work with. But I pay for 99% of it. I've also paid off my home. I did that in just over 7 years. Yes, it's possible to pay a 40 year mortgage in 7 years. Is it easy? No way! But again, I was single at the time.

I didn't have kids to worry about. Or anything like that. I could just take an entire paycheck and send it to the mortgage company. Living like that is tough. Because you sacrifice other things to pay off your home. Like furniture, decor, and sometimes even the basics in life. I never had cable. I watched the thermostate like my life depended on it. And I lived in the desert with no AC. I didn't go out with friends. Shopping was almost nonexistent. I rarely if ever, had a decent meal. Times were lean. But if there is a will, there is a way.

I'm not saying that I do it all on my own now. Yes, My Guy does pay for a lot of things. Like travel. Because we travel mostly for his work. So that cost, is purely up to him. He also pays for me to be able to go home to visit my family and friends. Because he knows that I moved to be closer to him.

As far as our day to day costs, again My Guy pays for most of those things. Groceries, bills, utilities...those sorts of things, he pays for. He makes sure we have what we need. Or in his case, what he enjoys. So ya, he pays for movies, dates, anything like that. And for anything for his house. I know what he'd say there..."Our House."

Like now for Christmas, he pays for the decorations. He also pays for the cleaning lady. Although, we really don't need one. But he's had her working for him for over 10 years. And well, he never had a girlfriend who did housework and cooked before. So he kept our cleaning lady. And now, we just kind of hangout and talk when she comes over. :)

My Guy also owns a large lot of land where we live. Our friends say we live in the BFE. And with that much property, well you need people. People to help you keep up with it all. So My Guy obviously pays for that.

But I'm still pretty stubborn. I don't spend My Guy's money on myself. As an example, if I go shopping for me, I pay for it. Regardless if it's clothes, makeup, craft supplies, a movie, a haircut. Those things, I still pay for. And that is the point were we don't agree...

You see, My Guy has more than enough to take care of me. And a small country to be honest. But I still feel like I don't want to "burden" him with the responsibility. Or make him solely accountable for everything. I think it's because I was raised to be so independent. Now one day, you know when we are legally wed, I won't have a problem with that. But right now, I feel like I need to support myself.

So there you go. I still pay for most of the things in my life. My home, my car, my bills, my health care, my shopping. But My Guy provides us with all the other stuff. The stuff that I probably wouldn't have encountered otherwise. We fight about money. But not like most couples. More because I don't spend enough of My Guy's money. Isn't that hilarious? But we've finally agreed on a little set of rules. And it's made life a lot easier. Even for this insanely independent woman. ♥