- A Life Update – February 2022
It’s never easy to come back after a long hiatus, but I’ve been thinking of you lately. We all have those friends that are gracious enough to overlook our absences and welcome us back with open arms when life allows us a bit more time. I like to think we’re those types of friends. The …
- We’ve Moved on to a New Adventure
If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you probably know that our little family has lived overseas for the last three years. We moved to Japan in 2018 and loved every second of that adventure. You also may have noticed it’s been a bit quieter on this side of the internet lately. I …
- 9 Things I Learned in Winter 2020
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been. – T.D. Jakes If you’ve been around this space for a while, you probably know I practice a quarterly habit of sharing some self-reflections and things I’m learning. Self-reflection allows me the opportunity to put words to experiences after they’ve …
- Hygge at Home: Cozying Up in the Winter Months
Hygge implies comfort, warmth, a feeling of well-being, and a state of relaxed mood. – Judith Friedman Hansen It’s the end of February, the longest short month of the year. It’s no secret that a part of me loves winter. There is good work that happens within me in these months of huddling at home …
- 2021: My Word of the Year
“There are far, far better things ahead than anything we leave behind” – C.S. Lewis If you’ve been around this space for a while now, or if you know me in real life, you probably know that a few years ago I gave up the idea of New Year’s Resolutions. I found that setting hard …
- 2020: A Look Back
“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. – Hal Borland Usually, I spend the week between Christmas and New Year reflecting on the past year. I like to look back before setting an intention for the upcoming year. I’ll …
- Grounding Practices for Stressful Times
I’m kind of all over the place, and I need grounding – Courteney Cox This past weekend was World Mental Health Day. With all that’s happening in the world, mental health has been a hot topic of conversation. And for good reason; 2020 is testing all our limits. Nearly every facet of our lives has …
- Grief is like Moving Furniture
Grief is the price we pay for love – Queen Elizabeth II Warning: This post deals with the sensitive content of miscarriage and grief. Please protect your heart, friends. A year ago, we were expecting a baby. It was a surprise, and while we had discussed “trying to start trying,” it was still a few …
- Inviting Fear into the Passenger Seat
Fear is static that prevents me from hearing myself – Samuel Butler Friends, in the spirit of honesty, I have a confession to make. Writing is hard for me. Ok – so writing is hard for a lot of people. But as someone who feels a tug on her heart to share via the written …
- 8 Things I Learned – Summer 2020
Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action – Peter Drucker Every quarter, I follow Emily P. Freeman’s practice of reflection. It was only in the last few years that I realized how much I learn about myself through reflection. As an avid journaler, I might have …
- Now What? Tips for Adjusting to Your New Home
There are things I can’t force. I must adjust. There are times when the greatest changes needed is a change of my viewpoint. – Denis Diderot Whew! You did it! Maybe you flew across the country, or across the world, and are still waiting on your household goods to arrive. Maybe you loaded up the …
- Get Organized: Creating a PCS Binder
With organization comes empowerment – Lynda Peterson Moving seems to attract paperwork. If you’re a military family, that paperwork seems to double, sometimes overnight. It’s imperative during a PCS to stay organized. Inevitably, an office will ask you for a copy of something you didn’t think you needed, so it’s better to be prepared. While …
- The Pre-PCS Purge: 7 Tips to Declutter Your Stuff
Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want. – Kristin Armstrong My first PCS move left me wondering why we owned so much stuff. Our small shipment of unaccompanied baggage …
- Moving to Japan? What to Know for Your PCS
All great changes are preceded by chaos – Deepak Chopra In spring 2018, I embarked on the biggest, and longest, adventure of my life. Husband and I relocated to Japan with the military. Moving is one of the most exciting, and most heartbreaking and stressful parts of military life. As a new military spouse going …
- 10 Things I Learned This Spring – Pandemic Edition
You’re always learning. The problem is, sometimes you stop and think you understand the world. This is not correct. The world is always moving. You never reach a point you can stop making an effort – Paulo Coelho It’s hard to believe it’s nearly June. This summer is likely our last in Japan, and honestly, …
- Blessed Ordinary: A Life of Small Moments
Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now – Eckhart Tolle Like many of you, my current pace of life has forced me to slow down. Although …
- Two Years + Beyond: Our New Focus for 2020
We can become anyone we want to become. It takes focusing on the aspect of ourselves we want to change and reflecting on the beliefs that cause us to act in ways that are counter to the change we seek. –Vanessa Diffenbaugh I’ve been blogging at Coffee + Camo for two years. That’s hard to …
- 12 Things I Learned This Winter
The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection – Thomas Paine If you’ve been visiting the blog for a while, you know that I’ve adopted Emily P Freeman’s quarterly habit of reflection. Reflection, in one form or another, has been a part of my journaling routine for years. …
- Learning to Dance in the Rain
Into each life, some rain must fall – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow When it rains, it pours. But I’m learning rainy days are good too, even if they don’t always feel like it.
- The Work of Winter: A Season of Growth and Renewal
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter – Rachel Carson Winter is the loneliest season. The bustle of the holidays seems like a distant memory. The house is empty of decorations, and gifts have found a home. Life has …
- New Year, New Word, Same Me
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream – C.S. Lewis I’m sitting in “my” spot on the couch, sipping tea, listening to Explosions in the Sky. Fred is, as always, to my right, making sure I don’t do anything too crazy. Life is, generally speaking, the same …
- 9 Things I Learned – Fall 2019
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards – Søren Kierkegaard The new year is prime time for reflections. Especially this year as we mark the movement into a new decade. I’m a bit late on my reflections for the fall, so it seemed like a good idea to start here. …
- Saying Yes: The Practice of Inviting People In
Eating is so intimate…When you invite someone to sit at your table, and you want to cook for them, you’re inviting a person into your life – Maya Angelou This post was not originally on my calendar. To keep myself motivated and in the habit of writing, I do have a loose calendar of what …
- What I Learned – Summer 2019
Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence – Abigail Adams Well, here we are – back for another edition of what I’m learning. If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you know I’m a long-time fan of Emily Freeman. Each quarter she …
- The Sound of a Living Heart
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it – Proverbs 4:23 Two weeks have passed since I last wrote. Sorry about that. With two trips in two weeks, life has been busy. I’ve been enjoying seeing new things and soaking up this glorious life I’ve been given. And I’ve been …
- Finding Community: Together at the Table
People need to spread love toward strangers. We all bleed the same blood and we are all part of a global community now. – Aloe Blacc As some of you know, this year has been the year of international travel for me. As of the end of June, I’ve spent time in 5 countries, not …
- What I Learned – Spring 2019
By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. – Confucius For me, spring is an easy season for reflection. The cold and often dark months of winter are behind us, and new growth and sunshine are …
- 8 Tips to Rock Your Military Move
Packing is always a nightmare – Stefanie Powers A new year means a new PCS (Permanent Change of Station) season is fast approaching! Spring of 2018 was my first PCS and my first truly big move. Going from the States to an overseas duty station was daunting. Until then, I had only relocated within a …
- Day 1 of 1,095 – How We Met
Falling in love with you was easy / You were always meant to have my heart / I was broken all to pieces / You were there to be the missing part. – JJ Heller, “Until You Came Along” It’s our third wedding anniversary. It feels both like we’ve just met, and like we’ve been …
- What I Learned This Winter
It is only by reflecting on the past that one can create a better future. – Rithy Panh I’ve been following Emily Freeman’s What We Learned blog posts for years now (You can find some of her old entries here). While she used to compile them more often, a while ago she moved them …
- My 2019 Word of the Year
Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want – Kristin Armstrong Here we are, already a few days into 2019. How are you feeling? For me, the start of …
- Why We Host Thanksgiving
We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community. – Dorothy Day Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take …
- 6 Tips to Thrive When You Move to a Foreign Country
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” -Maya Angelou Have you ever been in a place where it was difficult to communicate with other people? I’ve spent plenty of time choosing not to talk to …
- I’m Leaving Expectations Behind
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what’s truly important” – …
- Life In Japan Gets Real
“The best stories come from real life” – Diane English “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings” – William Arthur Ward “All of life is a foreign country” – Jack Kerouac It’s hard to believe a month (or more!) has passed since my …
- Practicing the Art of Presence
“Moment by moment, we have the opportunity to say yes, to move into our lives and open ourselves to the adventure – but that doesn’t mean that we ever really know where we’re going or that we can predict what we’ll find when we get there. If we’re lucky, though, the life we end up …
- Dream Big
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain “I am not afraid of storms for I am …
- 5 Things I Didn’t Expect Our First Week In Japan
“You have to take risks. We only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen” – Paulo Coelho Hello from Japan! Husband and I have been here for about a week, learning our way around and trying our hardest to stay out of trouble. I think we’re both finally over …
- Welcome to Coffee and Camo!
Well hello there! Welcome to Coffee and Camo, my tiny corner of the internet! I’m glad you’re here! I’m new here (and I suppose you are, too!), so I want to take a moment to introduce myself and this new space. If you’re wanting to see the short version, check out my About page. For …
It’s never easy to come back after a long hiatus, but I’ve been thinking of you lately. We all have those friends that are gracious enough to overlook our absences and welcome us back with open arms when life allows us a bit more time. I like to think we’re those types of friends. The …
If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you probably know that our little family has lived overseas for the last three years. We moved to Japan in 2018 and loved every second of that adventure. You also may have noticed it’s been a bit quieter on this side of the internet lately. I …
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been. – T.D. Jakes If you’ve been around this space for a while, you probably know I practice a quarterly habit of sharing some self-reflections and things I’m learning. Self-reflection allows me the opportunity to put words to experiences after they’ve …
Hygge implies comfort, warmth, a feeling of well-being, and a state of relaxed mood. – Judith Friedman Hansen It’s the end of February, the longest short month of the year. It’s no secret that a part of me loves winter. There is good work that happens within me in these months of huddling at home …
“There are far, far better things ahead than anything we leave behind” – C.S. Lewis If you’ve been around this space for a while now, or if you know me in real life, you probably know that a few years ago I gave up the idea of New Year’s Resolutions. I found that setting hard …
“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. – Hal Borland Usually, I spend the week between Christmas and New Year reflecting on the past year. I like to look back before setting an intention for the upcoming year. I’ll …
I’m kind of all over the place, and I need grounding – Courteney Cox This past weekend was World Mental Health Day. With all that’s happening in the world, mental health has been a hot topic of conversation. And for good reason; 2020 is testing all our limits. Nearly every facet of our lives has …
Grief is the price we pay for love – Queen Elizabeth II Warning: This post deals with the sensitive content of miscarriage and grief. Please protect your heart, friends. A year ago, we were expecting a baby. It was a surprise, and while we had discussed “trying to start trying,” it was still a few …
Fear is static that prevents me from hearing myself – Samuel Butler Friends, in the spirit of honesty, I have a confession to make. Writing is hard for me. Ok – so writing is hard for a lot of people. But as someone who feels a tug on her heart to share via the written …
Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action – Peter Drucker Every quarter, I follow Emily P. Freeman’s practice of reflection. It was only in the last few years that I realized how much I learn about myself through reflection. As an avid journaler, I might have …
There are things I can’t force. I must adjust. There are times when the greatest changes needed is a change of my viewpoint. – Denis Diderot Whew! You did it! Maybe you flew across the country, or across the world, and are still waiting on your household goods to arrive. Maybe you loaded up the …
With organization comes empowerment – Lynda Peterson Moving seems to attract paperwork. If you’re a military family, that paperwork seems to double, sometimes overnight. It’s imperative during a PCS to stay organized. Inevitably, an office will ask you for a copy of something you didn’t think you needed, so it’s better to be prepared. While …
Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want. – Kristin Armstrong My first PCS move left me wondering why we owned so much stuff. Our small shipment of unaccompanied baggage …
All great changes are preceded by chaos – Deepak Chopra In spring 2018, I embarked on the biggest, and longest, adventure of my life. Husband and I relocated to Japan with the military. Moving is one of the most exciting, and most heartbreaking and stressful parts of military life. As a new military spouse going …
You’re always learning. The problem is, sometimes you stop and think you understand the world. This is not correct. The world is always moving. You never reach a point you can stop making an effort – Paulo Coelho It’s hard to believe it’s nearly June. This summer is likely our last in Japan, and honestly, …
Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now – Eckhart Tolle Like many of you, my current pace of life has forced me to slow down. Although …
We can become anyone we want to become. It takes focusing on the aspect of ourselves we want to change and reflecting on the beliefs that cause us to act in ways that are counter to the change we seek. –Vanessa Diffenbaugh I’ve been blogging at Coffee + Camo for two years. That’s hard to …
The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection – Thomas Paine If you’ve been visiting the blog for a while, you know that I’ve adopted Emily P Freeman’s quarterly habit of reflection. Reflection, in one form or another, has been a part of my journaling routine for years. …
Into each life, some rain must fall – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow When it rains, it pours. But I’m learning rainy days are good too, even if they don’t always feel like it.
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter – Rachel Carson Winter is the loneliest season. The bustle of the holidays seems like a distant memory. The house is empty of decorations, and gifts have found a home. Life has …
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream – C.S. Lewis I’m sitting in “my” spot on the couch, sipping tea, listening to Explosions in the Sky. Fred is, as always, to my right, making sure I don’t do anything too crazy. Life is, generally speaking, the same …
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards – Søren Kierkegaard The new year is prime time for reflections. Especially this year as we mark the movement into a new decade. I’m a bit late on my reflections for the fall, so it seemed like a good idea to start here. …
Eating is so intimate…When you invite someone to sit at your table, and you want to cook for them, you’re inviting a person into your life – Maya Angelou This post was not originally on my calendar. To keep myself motivated and in the habit of writing, I do have a loose calendar of what …
Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence – Abigail Adams Well, here we are – back for another edition of what I’m learning. If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you know I’m a long-time fan of Emily Freeman. Each quarter she …
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it – Proverbs 4:23 Two weeks have passed since I last wrote. Sorry about that. With two trips in two weeks, life has been busy. I’ve been enjoying seeing new things and soaking up this glorious life I’ve been given. And I’ve been …
People need to spread love toward strangers. We all bleed the same blood and we are all part of a global community now. – Aloe Blacc As some of you know, this year has been the year of international travel for me. As of the end of June, I’ve spent time in 5 countries, not …
By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. – Confucius For me, spring is an easy season for reflection. The cold and often dark months of winter are behind us, and new growth and sunshine are …
Packing is always a nightmare – Stefanie Powers A new year means a new PCS (Permanent Change of Station) season is fast approaching! Spring of 2018 was my first PCS and my first truly big move. Going from the States to an overseas duty station was daunting. Until then, I had only relocated within a …
Falling in love with you was easy / You were always meant to have my heart / I was broken all to pieces / You were there to be the missing part. – JJ Heller, “Until You Came Along” It’s our third wedding anniversary. It feels both like we’ve just met, and like we’ve been …
It is only by reflecting on the past that one can create a better future. – Rithy Panh I’ve been following Emily Freeman’s What We Learned blog posts for years now (You can find some of her old entries here). While she used to compile them more often, a while ago she moved them …
Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want – Kristin Armstrong Here we are, already a few days into 2019. How are you feeling? For me, the start of …
We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community. – Dorothy Day Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take …
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” -Maya Angelou Have you ever been in a place where it was difficult to communicate with other people? I’ve spent plenty of time choosing not to talk to …
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what’s truly important” – …
“The best stories come from real life” – Diane English “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings” – William Arthur Ward “All of life is a foreign country” – Jack Kerouac It’s hard to believe a month (or more!) has passed since my …
“Moment by moment, we have the opportunity to say yes, to move into our lives and open ourselves to the adventure – but that doesn’t mean that we ever really know where we’re going or that we can predict what we’ll find when we get there. If we’re lucky, though, the life we end up …
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain “I am not afraid of storms for I am …
“You have to take risks. We only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen” – Paulo Coelho Hello from Japan! Husband and I have been here for about a week, learning our way around and trying our hardest to stay out of trouble. I think we’re both finally over …
Well hello there! Welcome to Coffee and Camo, my tiny corner of the internet! I’m glad you’re here! I’m new here (and I suppose you are, too!), so I want to take a moment to introduce myself and this new space. If you’re wanting to see the short version, check out my About page. For …