Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad.

Well, music is a huge part of my life.  Most people don't know that, but I listen to music all the time.  I play different music for the different moods that I am feeling.  Here are some of my favorites...in no particular order!

HAPPY/HYPED

Garth Brooks: Callin' Baton Rouge (live version)

Garth Brooks: Standing Outside the Fire (live version)

Chad Kroeger: Into the Night

Ben E. King: Stand by Me

Black Eyed Peas: I Gotta Feelin'

Bryan Adams: Summer of '69

Buddy Jewell: Sweet Southern Comfort

Zac Brown Band: Chicken Fried

Cyndi Lauper: Girls Just Want to Have Fun

DJ Khaled: All I Do is Win

Flypside: Someday

Frankie J: Obsession (no es amore)

Elton John: Tiny Dancer

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Jaron and the Long Road to Love: Pray for You

Jason Aldean: She's Country

Jay Z/Linkin Park mix: Numb/Encore

Jo Dee Messina: I'm Alright

Journey: Don't Stop Believing 

Lonely Island: I'm on a Boat

Luke Bryan: Rain is a good Thing

Michael Buble: Haven't Met you Yet

Milow: Ayo Technology

Panic @ the Disco: I Write Sins Not Tragedies

SAD

Limp Bizkit: Behind Blue Eyes

The Wilkinson's: 26 Cents

Blake Shelton: The Baby

Mark Chestnut: Almost Goodbye

Alan Jackson: Sissy's Song

Simple Plan:Untitled (how could this happen to me)

3 Doors Down:

Brad Paisley: Whiskey Lullaby

Fort Minor: Where'd You Go

Heart: Alone

Jamie O'neal: Somebody's Hero

Bette Middler: Wind Benaeth My Wings

Johnny Cash: Hurt

Maroon 5: She Will be Loved

Michael Andrews: Mad World

Michael Jackson: Smile

Miranda Lambert: The House That Built Me

Rascal Flatts: Here Comes Goodbye

BORED

Billy Joel: Piano Man

CKY

Clay Walker: She Won't be Lonely Long

Craig David

Cyndi Lauper: Time After Time

Fort Minor: Right Now

Frankie J: Suga Suga

The Fray: You Found Me

Gretchen Wilson: Redneck Woman

Ironik: Tiny Dancer

Jason Aldean: Amarillo Sky

Joe Nichols: Gimme that Girl

Joe Nichols: Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall Off

John Legend: Ordinary People

Justin Timbelake: Love Stoned/I think She Knows

The Killers: Mr. Brightside

LL Cool J: Doin' It

Ludacris: Southern Hospitality

Milow: You Don't Know

Outkast

Phil Collins: In the Air Tonight

MAD 

Dixie Chicks: Not Ready to Make Nice
Simple Plan: You're Love is Just a Lie
DMX
Jamie O'neal: There is No Arizona
Jo Dee Messina: Lesson in Leavin'
Justin Timberlake: What Goes Around
Leah Andreone: It's Alright, It's OK
Lil' John: Bia!
Miranda Lambert: White Liar
N.E.R.D.: Posers
P.O.D.: Youth of the Nation



I think that is enough for now.  Like I said earlier, I LOVE music, and it's a form of expression for me.  I could literally be here all day long adding more music!

Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days

I got Lily's costume finished up this week, and I got all the laundry put up.  That says a lot, b/c I hate putting up laundry..haha  I also helped Lily study for her spelling test, so we will see how well she does.  We took about 20 minutes every afternoon to go over her words.  Not to mention all the other homework she has!!  I also was there for a really good friend when she needed me and was having one of those days.  You know the kind...it's just more bad news after more bad news.  I was there just for moral support, and then I was able to help her out with her family too.  You gotta love friends like that!

Day 08-Short term goals for the month

Well, this month is pretty much over, so I will go with the month of November.  I want to get all of my x-mas cards sent out this month.  It never happens b/c I am such a procrastinator, but I am going to try to make it happen this month.  That goes for the shopping too.  I am always waiting to the last minute to get stuff.  Another goal is for Eric and I to go on a date night.  We haven't done that in a while, so why not now!  There really isn't a ton of stuff that I need to do, so this blog is a little boring this time...lol

Day 07- Someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

Hmmmm...the biggest impact on me...  I think I am going to go with my family on this one.  My mom, dad & Eric (Lily too) are the biggest impact on me.  I constantly turn to them for support, comfort and love whenever I need it.  No matter what I have to say, they listen and give me feedback, whether I want to hear it or not.  And, truth be told, they are right most of the time...but don't tell them that..lol  I am fortunate enough to have such a wonderful family and support system.  I also want to include some friends in this blog, and you know who you are.  A few of you have definitely made an impact on me, and I will always be grateful that we met.  It's hard to find friends that you consider family, but I have found some here in Italy, that I can't imagine us ever growing apart.  That's what family is though, you grow closer, stronger & love each other un-conditionally.  You will grow older together, but never apart.  I may do something or say something that upsets you, but my family will always be there to pick me up when I am down or tell me when I am wrong...never kick me while I am down.  Eric is probably the biggest impact on me.  I mean, he is the father of my child..lol  He has been there for me through some very hard times, and even more amazing times.  Never judging me, but helping me instead.  That alone shows me that he is the one meant for me.  Just like I can't see myself without my family, I sure as heck can't see my life without him in it!  Ok, that's enough mushy gushy stuff for.  I gotta go watch Glee now....lol

And that's another thing...Eric always watches Glee with me too....just another crazy reason why I love him...haha 

Day 06 - Favorite Super Hero & Why

Hmmm....not so sure I can answer this one.  I really don't like sci-fi stuff at all.  And the only time I watch it is when Eric makes me...lol  So I am gonna go with a comedy super hero...b/c I love to laugh!  Eric made me watch this stupid movie, and although it had some funny parts, it wasn't great by any means.  But it get's my vote in this blog b/c funny is always better than sci-fi...haha

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

I have been to so many places, that there is no way to pick a favorite, so I am going with the latest place that I have been.  Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany was one of the highlights of us living in Europe.  My only regret is that we never went before.  Eric and I had soooo much fun!

What the inside of the tents look like...

Dancing the night away in the Lowenbrau tent!  With tons of strangers...lol  And getting pulled off the table b/c apparently you aren't supposed to dance on the tables...who knew...everyone was doing it!

Some friends we met at one of the random tents..lol

Mmmm...pretzels and fries w/ mustard...delish!!

I know that I am very fortunate to be able to travel so much while living in Italy.  I will forever cherish my memories here, and hope to come back one day.  For me, it will be a very sad day when I have to leave Italy :(

30 Days of me, Day 4

A habit that you wish you didn’t have

Hmmm...I pick at my nails constantly.  My nails are always breaking, and I sit there and pick at the flakes...eww!  Another really bad habit, and I know I'm not the only one b/c a friend told me she does the exact same thing, is running my fingers through my hair and finding the coarse ones and pulling them out...weird!  Not like I pull all of my hair out, because there aren't that many, but I find them and pull them out.  The texture of them is just weird to me!  Another weird one is combing my cats for fleas...I hate fleas, and if I can see one on them, I have to get the brush thing out right then and comb the cats...lol  That's all I can think of for now, but I am sure there are more.  Those are the 3 that popped into my head.

Day 03- A picture of you and your friends

I have chosen to post pics of all of my friends here in Italy.  I have way more pictures of these people than of the people I went to school with..lol  These are in no particular order, just friends from Italy that have some kind of impact on my life!

These are 2 of the first friends that I made here.  Jessica and Cheryl.  I have tons of crazy pics of Cheryl and I together, but I wanted to go with something nice...lol  Although we don't talk nearly as much as we did before, I am grateful for the friendship that I had in both of them.

A group shot of a few of us.  The original "coffee & coke" gang!

Brooke and I at the BEST chicken place ever!!  Velden, Austria

I love this girl so very much!  CG knows how to make me laugh hysterically all the time.  I know her and I will always be close to one another.

Trish, Brooke & I.  I didn't get to know Trish that well until the last year or so, but I would consider her a great friend.  I hate that she is moving next week!

This is Anne.  Her and I grew very close while her husbnad was deployed, and have grown even closer since then.  She used to live down the street, but has since moved to Germany.  We still talk quite a lot, and still see each other just as much.  I am going to be very sad when I have to move back to the states!  I know that we will always be close though.  Our love of all things southern, Prins (her dog), shopping, maybe gossiping some, and our overall likeable personalities make us great friends!

This is Rach.  She is my partner in crime when it comes to musical theater.  She makes me laugh so hard that I alnmost pee myself.  I miss her and her family very much too!

These are some of me newest friends here in Italy.  From left: Mandy, Kassandra, Jen, Melissa, Doris, Nicole, Me, Trudy & D'anne.

 Melissa and Malik are by far the funniest, loudest, craziest friends that I have.  And I mean all of that in a good way..lol  I love Alyssa's head at the bottom of the pic...haha

This is Ryan & Nicole.  Ryan started off as Eric's troop, but we all quickly became friends after Eric left to go back on flight.  They know that we will always be there for them!

Brooke, Anne & I in Salzburg.  December 2008  Forever friends!

These are my deployment buddies.  Mandy & Jen.  All of our husbands were deployed together, and we all 3 stuck together through all of it.

 Ha!  Halloween 2008.  Man, we had a great time!

This is Doris, and she is my cajun friend!  She is one of the most sincere people I know, and I love her dearly!

This is Trudy, my other cajun friend!  How do we not have a pic together???

Last but certainly not least is my Mom.  She is one of my best friends!

Okay, I know that I am leaving some out, but that's all that I can think of for right now.  I apologize if I left you out!!  I may come back and add more though.  Friends come into our lives and leave at different times.  It all happens for a reason, so because of that, I am grateful for these friends listed above.  They have helped make me who I am today!

My love of all things Fleur De Lis

I call it my love for all things fleur de lis, but some might call it an obsession.  If you know me at all, you know that one of my favorite things is anything fleur de lis.  I thought I would share with you all how much stuff I really have....

One of my favorite buys from Nove!  I love this bowl!!

If I am reading a book, it is always goes inside this book cover.

 A random flag that I found.  I use it as a wall hanging though...

My most recent painting.  

My wallet that I love dearly :)

Just a hook thingy...

Fleur de lis night light

Spoon rest...kinda dirty, sorry...I just made dinner...

Cookie cutter!

 Bottle opener

 Random wall hook...

Wall hanging

 You can clearly see that I like these things.  Not sure where this obsession came from, but I just can't stop!  I have countless necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, clothes, shoes, stationary, etc.  You get the idea.  Maybe I'll have a fleur de lis Christmas tree!  I am even working on a fleur de lis tattoo.  To each his own....lol

Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name

I changed the title just this morning.  I titled my blog Michelle in Italy because I couldn't come up with anything better.  Then it hit me this morning...why not name it the same name that I use for my usernames on email and everything else.  So that's how Redafem's Blog came about.  Now, the meaning behind redafem.  I have been using this username a little over 9 years now.  It breaks down like this:

red: My red hair

af: Air Force

em: Eric & Michelle

Put that together, and you get redafem!  Clever, I know...lol  So that's the story behind the redafem mystery!

30 days of me DAY 1

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

This is the most recent pic of me..and I look a little crazy here..lol  A night out for Melissa's b-day!

1. I am a junk food junky!  I don't eat anything healthy or green at all really...lol  It's a little crazy...
2. When I gave birth to Lily, the epidural didn't work.  I felt everything.  Matter of fact, as soon as they were done sewing me up or whatever I got up and walked to the bathroom...crazy!
3. I have some of the best friends a girl could ever ask for.  I know I count on them to be there for me whenever I need to vent, cry, yell, scream, be happy or whatever.  Example:  Just 2 days ago, a friend of mine is in Germany and happened to be online when I got on the computer.  It was a sad day for me, and I was crying.  She knew that and comforted me without me having to say anything.  I love friends like that!
4. I am very close with my Mom.  I love her dearly, and usually don't go a few days without talking to her on the phone.  We email quite a lot too!  I find it odd that there are some people out there who don't talk to their families at all.  Or go months without talking to one another.
5. Eric is the goofiest man that I have ever met.  It's one of the reasons that I love him.  He can make me laugh atleast once everyday by doing something retarted.  Just being himself..lol
6. I LOVE to laugh.  It's so therapeutic!  Funny movies, funny people, it doesn't matter.  There was this one time when Rachael C and I were in Germany in a hotel room with no tv or radio.  We just started talking, and maybe we were disillusion or something, but we were laughing hysterically!  About anything and everything.  I mean tears coming down and all!
7. I used to love to read when I was in high school.  Back then I read a lot of Stephen King books...dork, I know.  When Eric deployed, I picked up the habit again.  I think I read about 8 books in 6 months.  Glad I picked it back up again!
8. If you ever listen to my i-pod, you will think I am crazy.  I have been told by several people that I have an eclectic taste of music..lol  From The Beatles to Ludacris.  Lots of music from different plays too.  So many mixes of music!
9. At 11 am, most days, I am sitting on the couch waiting for Judge Judy to start.  She is awesome and I love that show!
10. I am a bargain shopper.  I hate buying something if it isn't on sale.  
11. I loathe putting the clean clothes up.  I don't mind doing any of the laundry, it's just putting all the clothes up that gets me.  
12. When I start cleaning the house, I always start in the kitchen.  If my kitchen isn't clean, I can't do the rest of the house....weird...
13. I hate winter time.  Sure it's pretty and all, but I am a southerner.  I want to wear flip flops and t-shirts or tank tops all the time.  I HATE wearing long sleeves.  Especially if it's too tight...eww  And I won't wear turtle necks.  I have made one exception to that rule though..I have 1 turtle neck, but the neck on it is huge, so it's ok.
14. Driving a stick shift is great!  I actually enjoy it quite a bit.
15. Moving to Italy has opened my eyes up to the Susie Homemaker that is inside of me.  I started cooking and baking so much.  I truly enjoy it too.  I like to try new things out that I make up in my head, and Eric gets to be the taste tester..lol

 

Jumping on the bandwagon....

So I have decided to jump on the blog bandwagon.  I love to read all of my friends blogs, so I figure why not me?!  I am going to start this blog off with something everyone else is doing.  The 30 days of me blog.  I figure it's the perfect way to get to know me and it might be a little fun!  So starting tomorrow, I will do a blog everyday for 30 days.

30 days of me
Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 03- A picture of you and your friends
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 06- Favorite super hero and why
Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one
Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future or about your spouse. 
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Your favorite song.