Hello Readers!

I know it has been a bit since I have posted but I wanted to share something cool with you! 4Vets4Life is doing a wonderful giveaway! You could win $100,000 if you are a Vet and all you need to do  is log in to the below website and tell your story! Entry is free and it can't hurt! So what have you got to lose? Know a Vet that should enter? Tell them to do it also!

https://4vets4life.org/apply-now/

Check out this press release for more information!
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4vets4life-program-invites-applications-from-disabled-american-veterans-300678832.html

Nestle Splash voxbox

I got my free Nestle Splash voxbox and was able to try the berry flavored water. It was refreshing like water should be with a little bit of flavor. Love Influenster and trying new things!

Open Letter to all "Skin Care" Direct Sales companies..

     First let me say, I think it is great you are working from home and you believe in your products but let me show you the biggest issue I have with all of your miracle product posts.

You are posting before pictures of women with no makeup on showing their natural skin, acne, or dark spot issues that you are claiming to be able to magically fix. Yet in your After image the same woman is wearing makeup, concealer, and using the lowest resolution blurry iPhone photo.  Her moles/freckles, acne, and age spots have suddenly vanished! Amazingly it only took 6 short weeks to do so!! How awesome!! Only it isn't, because it isn't true.  If you want to sell me a product that "works" so well, then be honest.
       Show me some REAL before and after photos! With all the high resolution cameras running around out there posting a blurry Before and After makes it look like you have something to hide. Then of course there is the makeup.. Come on guys.. you cannot seriously expect me to believe a before and after where they are wearing makeup in the After!! Let's have some transparency here!! If your product really works that well, post the real pictures!!

What do you think? Are you tired of all the fake before and after photos?  If you are a Skin Care Consultant and want to share some true before and after photos with me I would love to see them!

Dear Younger Me....

Dear Younger Me, 

           I know life is hard, I know you are going through a lot of trials. I know that you are screaming out in loneliness, sadness, and despair. I know that all you hear in response to your screams is silence.  I know that what you want more than anything is someone to come along and tell you that everything will be ok and the hard times won't last forever. 
         Dear younger me, if I could hold you and comfort you I would. I would tell you that the future holds wonderful things and love that you cannot imagine because you have not yet felt it. I would tell you that all the terrible, painful, things you are going through and will go through, have to happen. I would want to tell you all of the horrible things that happen, that you could avoid, but I wouldn't. If I told you about the pain and sorrow that awaits, you might change something but that would change us. It would change my now and now is good. It is so much better than you could comphrehend right now. 
         Dear Younger me, trust me, all of the pain will be worth it one day. You will find a life that you never knew could be possible and all of those bad things will be pieces of you that help to lead you there. The one thing I would tell you is to let go of the hurt sooner. It will be hard but holding on to that hurt just creates more pain in us that we don't have to have. Dear younger me, love yourself, every part of yourself. Try to stop looking at what you aren't and see all the good inside you. Dear younger me, that piece you are searching for, that little piece that fills the emptiness, you will finally look up and see it.


I was driving home today and MercyMe's song Dear Younger Me came on and it really got me thinking. IF I could talk to myself, what would I say? Would I change things? This was the letter to myself and the song that inspired it. Would you reach out to yourself in love or would you try to change things?



Dear Younger Me :by MercyMe

Spartan Race Winner!

Hi guys,

I got two entries for the spartan race so I used random.org to randomize the list and choose a winner. Congratulations Greg on winning! Please contact me to get your code.

Spartan FIT! Book & Race Entry Giveaway!!!

Hi guys!

It has been awhile since I have posted.. Life got crazy! I will have to update about all of that later! For now though, I have a free race code to give away!!
Anndddd!!!
Spartan Races has a new Spartan FIT! book being released!!! You are not going to want to miss this!

Sooo are you ready to Spartan up and race hard!!!??


Go now and check out the upcoming events at http://www.spartan.com/en

Now for the fun part.. Comment below and tell me why you want to run the Spartan race! That's it! Then I will Do a drawing on 4/14/16 for the winner of the free race code!!  Entrants will still get something special just for entering!! Do it now and you will be happy you did!

Dessange #Influenster

I received my free Dessange Voxbox from Influenster and tried out the products. I have to say they were nothing special. The scent was very overpowering. I would best describe it as extremely floral perfume. When I used it on my fine hair it made it feel oily while washing and not like it was cleaning it. It did not make it look oily like I expected it to but it didn't do anything good for my hair either. It might work better for those without allergies to floral scents and like oily feeling hair. Not quite my forte.

So my review.. It just isn't worth the hype. #JadoreDessange @DessangeParis @Influenster

Influester GoVoxBox

This is by far the best voxbox I have received!! All the awesome stuff that was included! I mean wow.. I got a mixer bottle, some protein supplement samples from NEXT, a foot scrubber, bath salts, and other stuff that will be pictured below. I haven't had the chance to try everything yet..but I have tried the Next protein powder and I LOVE IT! The taste is great! Plus it makes me feel full.. always a good sign for a meal replacement. I also love the foot scrubber by profoot...It is so soft and squishy yet rough like a loofah.. pretty cool!

Civilian Vs. Military Friendships.. How long will it last?

I have been a Navy Spouse for almost 10 years now. I have met and said good-bye to many wonderful people and some not so wonderful people. Through every move I have the opportunity to meet new people and for us those moves have equaled 7. I have learned to become an extrovert. I have learned to go out to random get togethers and introduce myself to people I have never even seen before. I now start this the moment I arrive at a new duty station in order to form contacts or friends as soon as I can because I know that in only a few short years we will be on our way to a new place again, taking with us only the memory of those moments that we shared.

As a Military spouse we know full well that we will only have a short time in each others presence but with the wonders of the internet and facebook we can "friend" one another and keep in touch over the years and continue to build our friendships.. or so you would think. I have learned over and over that friendships with Military spouses are hard won. I have found that my military friends are much quicker to delete people from their lives as soon as they feel you don't talk to them often enough. A few weeks go by, a month, 6 months, your life goes on, gets in the way, and one day you find yourself thinking of someone you met at another duty station only to find that when you go to contact them you have been "deleted". Now I personally just send the message anyway and say hey, I was thinking about you .. how are you doing?. Most of the time I do not get a response back so I assume they do not want me contacting them anymore and I let it go.

Now we come to Civilian friends. I have had many civilian friends over then years and never had a single one delete me. Not one. You know what, we hardly ever contact each other either but they seem to understand that whether we are in constant contact or not the friendship doesn't change. We can pick up right where we left off. We know that we all have lives and do not always have a chance to contact each other.. sometimes even for years.

I am of the civilian persuasion. I do not delete people. I do not stop thinking about you or wondering how you are just because we moved, haven't spoken for awhile, or you don't contact me every three weeks. You would think the opposite of these two scenarios would be true and as a mil spouse we would cling tighter to our friendships, but it seems instead we have learned that it is easier to just let go than to bother with keeping people around. We blame others on our ease of release and say "Well they haven't contacted me in 3 weeks, 2 months, 6 months, a year, whatever the time line." Guess what .. it is more than likely that you haven't contacted them either.. but have you thought of them? I am willing to bet you have probably crossed their mind but if you haven't thought of them.. you cannot remember where you even met them.. then by all means press the delete button.. Who wants people around that they literally do not even know. Just remember when it is someone you have spent time with that it is not only their responsibility to contact you. (I know I am very guilty of thinking of people but never contacting them, that is one of the things I am working on.) The phone, internet, email, or fb works both ways, you can be just as active in building your friendship as the other person. Don't expect them to do all the leg work get upset when there is no contact between you.

Now I am fully aware that neither of these scenarios are 100%. There are of course several other Mil Spouses that aren't delete happy and several Civilians that are quick to delete. I am just relaying my own personal experiences with each.

In the end you never really know who is going to stick around and who won't but I have learned that a lot of it is based on how much energy you are willing to put into those relationships. Friendship like marriage requires work. You won't always like each other, you won't always agree, but you can still choose to love them and be their friend. No one is perfect, not everyone will mesh with us and that is ok. We just need to realize that caring for one another takes work and whether you are a mil spouse or civilian we all need those people in our lives that are going to stick around and be there no matter what. If you are my friend, know that I am here for you because I want to be, and I don't care how often you contact me, I will still be here. :)

Do you find this to be true? Which side do you fall on?

Before & After

I don't think I ever posted my pictures after my 20 pound weight loss last year so now I am finally getting around to doing it.. Hey, I'm only a year late! lol.. On March 15th 2012 I decided enough was enough and I was going to start eating right and doing some cardio. (My running adventures never made me lose weight) So I started keeping an eye on what I ate and doing 20-30 minutes of indoor cardio a day. 3 months later on June 15th 2012 I had lost 20 pounds!!! Finally after all these years I am back at my goal weight of 125 and holding steady. Although some days that is a little harder than others but I feel better about myself now than ever. I am happy with the way I look and it feels good to be able to run. I recently did the Fort to Base run and did 11.5 miles in 2.26 hours! My best time ever at a 12:30 minute mile! I am thrilled with how far I have come and although I am not a consistent runner in this cold climate I do still enjoy getting out there sometimes. So without further ado .. Here are my before and after pictures.

Beware of MOTOROLA

Shyrlena: Hi, my name is Shyrlena. How may I help you?
Pamela Hughens: Just wondering when I am going to get my phone back.
Shyrlena: I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience; I’ll do my best to assist you on this, do you have tracking number?
Pamela Hughens: RMA 1090320
Shyrlena: Just give me minute I'll just check it.
Pamela Hughens: It was delivered to the repair facility on the 24th at 10:30a
Shyrlena: If that was the case, most probably you will receive the phone by oct. 8, 2013.
Shyrlena: But let me just check it for a while, Did you receive a notification for tracking number from fed ex.?
Pamela Hughens: There is no shipping number attached to the RMA
Pamela Hughens: Nope, The only notification that i have received says you guys don't have my phone.
Shyrlena: We're sorry to hear that, can you please verify the RMA number that you provide me. Because it is invalid.
Pamela Hughens: 1090320
Pamela Hughens: This was the original one 1032721 .. then when I Had to send it back a second time they attached that one to it.
Shyrlena: ok just give me a few moments as I'm goimg to verify it.
Pamela Hughens: yep
Communication with Shyrlena has been lost. Please wait while attempts are made to restore the connection.
You will be requeued in approximately 120 seconds.
Pamela Hughens: hello
Communication with Shyrlena has been restored.
Pamela Hughens: seriously
Shyrlena: hi I am sorry my tools is experiencing an error.
Pamela Hughens: ok
Shyrlena: As of now, the phone is in the repair center and is not yet ship. We are sorry for the inconvenience because our repair center had transfer a placed so in this case there will be a delay for about 3 days.
Pamela Hughens: I haven't had my phone since the 5th.
Pamela Hughens: of september
Pamela Hughens: hello
Pamela Hughens: are you refusing to answer me?
Shyrlena: The time frame is 7-10 business days. We received the phone last sep.24, you should have it by oct,8. however there is a delay in our side because our repair center office had changed place. So please wait until 11th of October. For further assistance please contact our customer service hotline. 1-800-734-5870.
Pamela Hughens: This is the worst company i have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.
Shyrlena: “I'm sorry you feel like that, I hope to rebuild your faith in Motorola.”
Shyrlena: You are still under the time frame of 7-10 business days. No need to worry, we will make it sure that you will have your phone as soon as possible.
Pamela Hughens: You people make me so angry that it is really hard not to say bad things to you when you tell me that I am under the 7-10 business days!
Pamela Hughens: They have had my phone twice! The first time I sent it in was on Sept. 5th. I got it back on the 20th. Sent it back to you on the same day! You received it on the 24th .. It is now the 7th and I still do not have my phone... That is NOT 7-10 business days in any form of the imagination.
Shyrlena: I fully understand that you are frustrated with this issue. Please be assured that I will look into this matter for you.
Shyrlena: The time frame is 7-10 business days. Please have patience.
Pamela Hughens: I am a military spouse and I will be letting everyone in the military community on each forum that I am a part of that they should never purchase a motorola product.
Pamela Hughens: Please don't say that again as it is no where near true.
Pamela Hughens: I have had patience. It has been 32 days since I Have had my phone!
Pamela Hughens: My patience has now run out.
Shyrlena: I will escalate this issue to our repair escalation team to assist you furthermore. Please don't be mad.
Pamela Hughens: I have already tried escalating this situation several times and your company does not care about its customers. They just tell me that I am wrong as you have done and to suck it up and wait.
Pamela Hughens: This conversation will be posted on my blog.
Shyrlena: I can see there has been some misunderstanding about your issue. I will escalate this issue to our repair escalation team, they have your status, and they knows more regarding this. I sincerely apologize for this.
Shyrlena: Hi. I noticed you have been away from the chat session for 2 minutes. I’ll stay here until the next minute so I can continue to help you with your concern. Feel free to contact us again through our chat support so we can further assist you or you may also call our toll free numbers, please follow this link https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/call. Thank you and have a nice day!
Shyrlena: I hope you found our chat to be helpful. I would request that take a moment to fill out a short survey to tell us how we did after you click 'Disconnect', please remember to click on the 'Close' button within the chat window. The survey should only take about 1 minute to complete. Your responses will help us get better at serving your needs.
Pamela Hughens: It has not been helpful.
Shyrlena: I hope to rebuild your faith in Motorola
Pamela Hughens: I seriously doubt that will occur, but thanks anyway.
Shyrlena: You are welcome.

Spartan Race for Free?

As most of you know I have been a runner for a few years now. I enjoy getting out there and accomplishing something along with just stress relief it is perfect for me. I love getting to join in on races. Recently I finished my farthest distance to date and did the 11.5 mile Fort2Base run! It was great! I pushed myself to do more and go faster than I ever have and finished in 2:26:11. I had hoped to finish in 3 hours and I beat that by over half an hour! I am thrilled with that.

So recently I was contacted by the Reebok Spartan Race people about doing a giveaway for a free registration to a spartan race! I of course jumped at the chance to offer this awesome gift to my running readers! So here is what you do. If you want to join in on a spartan race then you need to enter this drawing! Spartan Race also partners with the U.S. Military and Government first responders doing race discount programs at Spartan Race/GovX



Here is what you do.
1) Share my blog with other runners on your fb page.
2) Follow my blog
3) Comment below saying you have done 1&2. Leave me your email address so I can contact you if you win!

That is it! I will be running the contest from today August 30th Through September 8th. Then I will choose a winner and email you the code to use when you sign up for the spartan race!

Myths About the Post-Military Job Market (Guest Blog by Emma)

Myths About the Post-Military Job Market


Transitioning out of your military career into a civilian job comes with a healthy helping of stress, and unfortunately, that stress is often exacerbated by myths that have been perpetuated concerning the process. The truth, however, will set you free. Let’s look at the reality behind a few of the myths about jobs in the private sector.


Myth #1: You don’t have to sell yourself to an employer.
Truth: It is up to you to help potential employers see what they’ll be missing if they don’t get you on their team. Always tell the truth, but be sure to emphasize your best features for the workplace. Highlight your abilities, strengths and experience. Of course, you need to do this in your cover letter and resume, but you also need to do it in interviews and any other communication you have with potential employers.


Myth #2: Finding a civilian job after you’ve been in the military for a long time will be overwhelmingly difficult.
Truth: Although it may seem difficult to face this change in your career, you have gained a valuable skill set during your time in the military that will transfer beautifully to help you in a successful civilian career. Many companies prefer to hire former military members, and organizations such as Recruit Military specialize in assisting veterans and their spouses in finding employment with these companies.


Myth #3: Companies don’t care about job seekers.
Truth: Although many employers see large numbers of job applications on a regular basis, they understand the need to attract top talent to fill open positions. In order to hire the best employees, many companies offer benefits such as free day care on-site or a work-at-home option. Companies have also streamlined the application process to make it easier for job seekers to apply and follow up on employment possibilities. Many have started to partner with services like JIBE, a mobile recruiting company that allows applicants to apply for jobs and upload any job-related documents directly from their smart phone or tablet while on-the-go.


Myth #4: If you have a service-related disability, no one will hire you.
Truth: Not only are many companies willing to hire veterans with service-related disabilities, but also there are a number of programs geared toward assisting disabled veterans. These programs offer rehabilitation, job coaching, on-the-job training and apprenticeships among other services. The VRE is a valuable resource for veterans with service-related disabilities looking to enter the civilian workforce.


Transitions of any kind can be stressful, but changes often come with new opportunities. As you search for your new career, have faith in your strengths and look forward to success.
Emma is a mid 20-something year old with a passion for life, love, fitness, and helping others. She loves to be active and get involved in as many sport and community activities as possible. Emma is currently studying to become a Career & Life Coach, and loves to network with people from around the world! Check out Emma’s blog at http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/!

Ivory® 2-IN-1 Hair & Body Wash (Influenster)

I love how easy this product is to use for my boys! It makes things much simpler when they are showering and can use just one product instead of 3. It has a very fresh clean scent that doesn't over power and effect my allergies. I would definitely consider purchasing this product in the future.

"Global Green USA Green School Makeover Competition Presented by Pureology"

I think that going green is big on many lists these days. We all seem to be trying to do better for ourselves and our children. Making better food choices and recycling more. Trying to create less waste. I think it is just as important for schools to have the ability to do this. With the cost of these changes ranging from the hundreds to thousands of dollars it is impressive that pureology is putting out this program to help schools go green.

GO GREEN USA!!


WHY GREEN SCHOOLS?
When a school goes green, children benefit—as well as the environment! Green schools lead to:

Improved student performance. When children learn in classrooms with natural daylight, improved sound quality and non-toxic building materials such as non-VOC carpets and paints, test scores can improve as much as 20%. Attendance also improves!

More funds for student resources. When green upgrades are made to a school, water and energy costs can be reduced by as much as 40%. These savings can be channeled back into resources that directly benefit students, such as textbooks, computers and other essentials.

Reduced carbon footprint. Greening a school significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.

GREENER SCHOOLS = A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Every child deserves a learning environment that’s safe, comfortable and free of harmful toxins. Unfortunately, many schools across the country lack the funds to carry out much-needed repairs and renovations—subjecting children to outdated facilities with improper ventilation, poor lighting and inefficient energy usage. Global Green USA is working to address this situation and ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn in a healthy, green school.

You can help by nominating a school in your area for a Green School Makeover—read on to learn more, and find out how you can green your school!

Crochet Hat Giveaway!

It is time for another Giveaway!! So send your friends on over to check out Pamela's Creative Creations and like the page for a chance to win. I am offering a free custom crochet hat to my winner! You choose the color and style of the hat! If you are outside of the North Chicago area you will pay a flat $4 shipping fee for the hat of your choice.

The Rules(Sorry, have to have rules..lol)
1) Like the fb page
2) Follow the blog
3) Leave a comment below with the color and style of hat you want
3) Make sure to leave an email address in your comment!
4) Share this with your friends (and post where you shared to get an extra entry)

Here are some samples of the hats I have made.

Bending to his will.

On February 10th I was baptized. It was a very special moment in my life where I offered myself and my devotion to God. I have since felt his burdens placed on my heart to be a better person and a better neighbor. I have even started reading the bible. I had tried many times before but never gotten past the first few pages of genesis. I have also found a great app on my tablet called you version thanks to my great friend Lisa, which makes reading the bible so easy! It offers so many different versions you can find the one that is easiest for you to understand. It is great! Last night I had a not so great first time interaction with one of my neighbors. It ended with me feeling very angry. As I was taking a bath to relax afterwards God put it on my heart to go speak with said neighbor and clear things up. I avoided doing it and had determined to myself that I wasn't going to give in and bend. I told Kris about it and he said "I will tell you this, when God puts something on your heart it is usually better if you just do it." As much as I hate admitting he is right.. I know that is just what I needed to do. So I bent to God's will and went on over to speak with the neighbor. We worked things out and both apologized for last nights interaction. I am feeling much better.. a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I have felt more at peace in the past month than I have in well.. my entire life.

Date Night Giveaway!!!

Ever wonder why you want to get busy and he is just eh about it? Well so have many others. You can check out this book for a little bit of insight. Best of all I am going to be giving away a copy along with some movie tickets so you can have a night out with your love!
"I'm Still Sexy So Whats Up with Him?"


The longer we are with someone the more comfortable we get with them.. so to say the least the sex can slow down a lot. So is it just comfort or is there something else? Here is a quick app test you can do to see if your loved one is suffering from Low T.




To enter the contest there are 2 steps to take.
1. go on over and Like my fb page Hughens Photography

2. Take the test and post your own date night tips in the comments section below.

Thats it! Make sure you leave me an email to contact you at if you are the winner!

Tutu Giveaway???

I have made quite a few tutu's now and have a ton of tulle .. Soooo I was thinking.. why not have a tutu giveaway!

I love tutu's but couldn't find the colors that I wanted so I started making my own! So far I have made a pink and black rocker girl for my daughter and one for my niece. 3 red and green Christmas color tutu's that will be used for pictures very soon and an orange and black Halloween tutu dress!

So here is the thing.. I want to know if there is anyone out there that would like a free tutu?? If I get at least 6 responses to this blog then I will do a tutu giveaway! I will list the colors that I have and you can tell me what you want and even the size! This can be for an adult or a child! I know lots of us runner types enjoy wearing our tutu's to the running events!

So lets hear it! Who wants to win a tutu?

Here is one of the Rocker Girl tutu's that I made!

You would think....

That as a photographer I would always have my camera in hand and there would be more pictures of everyone around me.. but lately I haven't been carrying my camera much.. and I haven't been taking many pictures.. Other than for work of course.

I realized last night after a very frightening dream that I need to change that.. and of course my point and shoot is just not as good as it used to be.. so I don't use it much anymore.. so until Christmas and the present that I know I am getting ;) I will just have to irritate my family and friends with my big camera.. hehehehe..

I did however take a few pictures of us decorating the Christmas tree.. but alas they are on my other computer.... It is time for me to reinstall windows on my laptop again and erase everything so that it will actually work like it is supposed to again.

I have so many pictures that my hard drive hardly has any space left!


So who is enjoying the giveaways??? Share me with your friends cause you can live anywhere and win!