New Year's Eve, another favorite of mine. Last new years was no fun at all, and the year before that in Vegas, fantastic! This year, we planned for it to be fantastic (it still could be, I should have hope) but upon waking up this morning, everything was white! I knew we were expected to get snow overnight, they said 3-4 inches, and instead I think we got anywhere from 4-8 depending on where in the city you are. At my house, I'd say maybe 5 inches? My friend Aaron Speed (generally referred to as A. Speed) was supposed to be here by now but his flight into Albany got cancelled from Baltimore. He tried to find out if he could get a later flight in but they told him all the flights were cancelled. I checked the Albany website and not all flights are cancelled. I'm still even shocked that they cancelled his flight because it's not like we got 10 feet or anything. And besides, they are used to this up here so it's not like a shock or anything. So to avoid the potential of spending his new year's in the Baltimore airport, he told them to send him back to Norfolk.
So, Marisa and I are planning on either still going out downtown or just hang out at her apartment. It's only 1:45pm so I think by the time we plan on going out we'll be good to go. It's no longer snowing and it looks like the sun is trying to come out. Hopefully we'll get downtown. After all, it's Wednesday which means dollar pints at our favorite bar Trotter's! New Year's Eve and dollar pints, what's not to like about that!!
I guess I should put some things away in my house since I don't have to stop to go get Aaron from the airport anymore. Happy New Year's to you all and I'll be putting up some pictures now that I found my cord! Stay tuned :)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
It's been a while
I can't really remember the last time I posted something, I know it's been a while, but I'm here to tell you....I baaaack! Well, at least I think so.
My time in Cincinnati was great. I got to see some friends (unfortunately not all of them though), made a little bit of money working at Trashgate (that's Northgate for those of you that aren't familiar with my ghetto terminology) mall at The Children's Place and enjoyed every second of Christmas being with my family.
On Saturday the 27th, I left my parents house at 5:10am with a full tank of gas and a car full of crap and headed East to New York. The drive up wasn't too bad for the most part. Hit some heavy rain in Buffalo and the surrounding area for about an hour or two, and the rest of the way wasn't too bad. I got to my friend Marisa's apartment around 4:15pm. I changed clothes, stunk up her bathroom (sorry for the TMI, but I have a hard time pooping in public) and then went to meet my landlord at my new house. He gave me the keys, showed me a few things, and then it was all me!! I unloaded my car and left to go eat dinner and have a few pints at my favorite bar downtown called Trotters.
Marisa spent the night with me that night and we slept in my room on air mattresses. We both had on sweat pants, t-shirts, socks, and hoodies with the hoods up, then covered in blankets. My room was super chilly for some reason. We woke up the next morning to some banging noise downstairs. We sat up and looked at each other. I thought someone was in my house. I later found out that a ceiling fan outside on my porch is missing a paddle so when the wind blows, it knocks around back and forth and makes this crazy loud noise. So the next night, I asked Marisa if I could crash on her couch since it was a little bit breezy and I didn't want to hear the fan beating around. Not to mention I just wanted to sit on a couch and watch some TV after being in a car for the whole previous day.
The movers arrived on Monday around 10am or so and were here until 3pm unpacking 90% of my boxes. Some people think I'm crazy for having them unpack me, but I'd rather them unpack me and me have to just put thing away rather than me unpacking a few boxes a day, and then having all those empty boxes and paper sitting in my house until they came back to get them. So my house is pretty much in shambles right now. My bedroom is set up, or my bed I should say. Everything else is pretty much strewn about. The walk in closet looks like it threw up all over. The den is a wreck and my downstairs dining room table is a clutter catcher right now. I'm estimating that it will take me about a month to have things looking the way I want them too. I wish they looked that way now.
My friend Aaron is coming to stay with me tomorrow for the next week so the guest bedroom is the most put together room in the house. Mind you, there's not much more than a bed, night stand, dresser, and tv/stand in there. But it works. I thought about sleeping in there tonight, not because it's together, but because it's warm! There is something wrong with the heating ducts in the house because our bedroom gets very little heat. During the day today I think it might have been 50 in here? I kept the door shut because it was making it drafty downstairs. I figure that I might as well not try and heat it from the other rooms and save my propane versus having the furnace keep running to try and heat it. Apparently there is a guy coming on Friday to fix it. I hope so! I had to buy a space heater to heat it up tonight, but that's not even doing a very good job. But, it's better than nothing though.
I'm super tired and need to get to bed. I've got lots of things to do before I head to pick my friend up tomorrow. Not to mention John will be calling sometime in the middle of the night/early morning. He was supposed to have been gone today from port, but he said something broke, so....they are back in port for repairs. I told him they should just let him come home! To my surprise, he said he thinks they might let him go at the end of January so that would be good. He is offically done at the begining of January but they're keeping him for another month, until the end of February, so if he gets to leave late January I'd be happy!
With that being said...I'm off to bed. Now that I'm here in NY and not traveling for a few weeks or so, I should be back on track for posts!
My time in Cincinnati was great. I got to see some friends (unfortunately not all of them though), made a little bit of money working at Trashgate (that's Northgate for those of you that aren't familiar with my ghetto terminology) mall at The Children's Place and enjoyed every second of Christmas being with my family.
On Saturday the 27th, I left my parents house at 5:10am with a full tank of gas and a car full of crap and headed East to New York. The drive up wasn't too bad for the most part. Hit some heavy rain in Buffalo and the surrounding area for about an hour or two, and the rest of the way wasn't too bad. I got to my friend Marisa's apartment around 4:15pm. I changed clothes, stunk up her bathroom (sorry for the TMI, but I have a hard time pooping in public) and then went to meet my landlord at my new house. He gave me the keys, showed me a few things, and then it was all me!! I unloaded my car and left to go eat dinner and have a few pints at my favorite bar downtown called Trotters.
Marisa spent the night with me that night and we slept in my room on air mattresses. We both had on sweat pants, t-shirts, socks, and hoodies with the hoods up, then covered in blankets. My room was super chilly for some reason. We woke up the next morning to some banging noise downstairs. We sat up and looked at each other. I thought someone was in my house. I later found out that a ceiling fan outside on my porch is missing a paddle so when the wind blows, it knocks around back and forth and makes this crazy loud noise. So the next night, I asked Marisa if I could crash on her couch since it was a little bit breezy and I didn't want to hear the fan beating around. Not to mention I just wanted to sit on a couch and watch some TV after being in a car for the whole previous day.
The movers arrived on Monday around 10am or so and were here until 3pm unpacking 90% of my boxes. Some people think I'm crazy for having them unpack me, but I'd rather them unpack me and me have to just put thing away rather than me unpacking a few boxes a day, and then having all those empty boxes and paper sitting in my house until they came back to get them. So my house is pretty much in shambles right now. My bedroom is set up, or my bed I should say. Everything else is pretty much strewn about. The walk in closet looks like it threw up all over. The den is a wreck and my downstairs dining room table is a clutter catcher right now. I'm estimating that it will take me about a month to have things looking the way I want them too. I wish they looked that way now.
My friend Aaron is coming to stay with me tomorrow for the next week so the guest bedroom is the most put together room in the house. Mind you, there's not much more than a bed, night stand, dresser, and tv/stand in there. But it works. I thought about sleeping in there tonight, not because it's together, but because it's warm! There is something wrong with the heating ducts in the house because our bedroom gets very little heat. During the day today I think it might have been 50 in here? I kept the door shut because it was making it drafty downstairs. I figure that I might as well not try and heat it from the other rooms and save my propane versus having the furnace keep running to try and heat it. Apparently there is a guy coming on Friday to fix it. I hope so! I had to buy a space heater to heat it up tonight, but that's not even doing a very good job. But, it's better than nothing though.
I'm super tired and need to get to bed. I've got lots of things to do before I head to pick my friend up tomorrow. Not to mention John will be calling sometime in the middle of the night/early morning. He was supposed to have been gone today from port, but he said something broke, so....they are back in port for repairs. I told him they should just let him come home! To my surprise, he said he thinks they might let him go at the end of January so that would be good. He is offically done at the begining of January but they're keeping him for another month, until the end of February, so if he gets to leave late January I'd be happy!
With that being said...I'm off to bed. Now that I'm here in NY and not traveling for a few weeks or so, I should be back on track for posts!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Why Did I Ever Leave.....
Las Vegas that is. Dark and early this morning at 6a.m. I boarded a plane with a final destination of Indianapolis, IN with a layover in Las Vegas. Coincidence? I think not. I purposely booked that flight because even though it was only for an hour, I wanted to fly in, be surrounded by the desert, and then fly home. Once I got there, blue sky, sun shining, I asked myself why in the world I ever left?! Yes, I left because I got married and I don't regret the getting married part, but leaving there really made my heart sad and nothing reminded me more of that than today. I seriously entertained the thought of just skipping my connection to Indy and staying the night, but I didn't have any clothes in my carry on and I didn't want to spend the money on a rental car. Had I picked up the phone last night and called my friend Leigh Ann and told her I was seriously going to think about staying a night there, she said she would have played hookie today to come and hang out with me since she's got 30 sick days. I'm so dumb...I should have planned it better. So instead I tourtered myself with being there for a measly hour in the airport. Although it made me sad, for that hour my heart was full and I felt at home, even in the airport.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Boxes....boxes....boxes!
My house is empty, the bathrooms, walls, linoleum, cabinets and counter tops are all clean. The only thing left is the carpets, however, they should already be clean and almost dry by now and I'm starting to panic that they aren't. I went over on Friday to take care of all the cleaning before the carpet people came and at 1pm, a kid from the company shows up when my appointment isn't until 5 or so. I told him I would just grab all the stuff and get out so he could do the carpets and he advised me to just finish cleaning and call him when I was ready. He asked if I knew how long I'd be and I told him no more than 2 hours. So about 2 hours and 10 minutes later I call this kid, get no answer, so I leave a message and say the house is clean and empty and ready to have the carpets cleaned. I was a little worried that he didn't answer, but figured that maybe he didn't since he didn't recognize the number.
Today, at 11:30, my friend Mary and I are out running errands and I told her I wanted to stop by to see if the carpets have been cleaned. Yeah, not cleaned. The check was still sitting on the counter and no clean carpets. I'm less than happy about this because my walk out is on Monday at 3pm and I am leaving at 6am on Tuesday. It states in our little check out paper that the carpets much be clean and dry by check out (and if they have to come and reinspect, they want to charge you $50!) Mind you, I even used the company THEY suggested. So I don't know what I am supposed to do if tomorrow afternoon rolls around and I go over there and my carpets still aren't clean! I called the company today and left a message on the cell phone (I'm assuming) of the guy I originally spoke with and set up the appointment with.
I'm starting to stress because I will not be changing my flight, nor will I allow them to charge me extra money for something I didn't do, and is the company THEY recommended. I just hope that tomorrow when I wake up and go over there, that there is a carpet cleaning truck in my driveway, doing their job!!
In the mean time, all the things I did not have the movers pack are in random boxes. I feel like I have boxes everywhere! My poor friend Mary is probably going to throw me out on my ass before Tuesday morning. I promised her that by Monday I will have dealt with them all and have them in an ordly pile. She said she is not worried, but I am!
Today, at 11:30, my friend Mary and I are out running errands and I told her I wanted to stop by to see if the carpets have been cleaned. Yeah, not cleaned. The check was still sitting on the counter and no clean carpets. I'm less than happy about this because my walk out is on Monday at 3pm and I am leaving at 6am on Tuesday. It states in our little check out paper that the carpets much be clean and dry by check out (and if they have to come and reinspect, they want to charge you $50!) Mind you, I even used the company THEY suggested. So I don't know what I am supposed to do if tomorrow afternoon rolls around and I go over there and my carpets still aren't clean! I called the company today and left a message on the cell phone (I'm assuming) of the guy I originally spoke with and set up the appointment with.
I'm starting to stress because I will not be changing my flight, nor will I allow them to charge me extra money for something I didn't do, and is the company THEY recommended. I just hope that tomorrow when I wake up and go over there, that there is a carpet cleaning truck in my driveway, doing their job!!
In the mean time, all the things I did not have the movers pack are in random boxes. I feel like I have boxes everywhere! My poor friend Mary is probably going to throw me out on my ass before Tuesday morning. I promised her that by Monday I will have dealt with them all and have them in an ordly pile. She said she is not worried, but I am!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Hollow house
39 degrees outside on this beautiful, surprisingly sunny Thursday morning here in Silverdale, Washington! Temperature inside my house....maybe 58 by now? The movers are taking the remainder of my household goods and I am left sitting here (for now) in my recliner, writing this post. The front door is WIDE open so they can continually carry things out in an efficient manner, but damn it's cold in here. I turned off the heat because it's pointless to have it on while the door remains open, but there are moments that I'm thinking I don't really care if it's a waste because IT'S COLD!!!! I has almost lost the feeling in my fingers, toes (with socks on) and for all I know my nose has fallen off of my face. However, I am ok with this, as it means I am on my way to being one step closer to moving on and away from the dark city (as I like to call it anyways, althought today looks to be a beautiful sunny day!) and on to newer, better, much colder things in New York.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Tornado
12 hours from now there will be movers in my house, packing up my belongings while I sit helplessly and watch. Not that I'm complaining about not having to do it myself, but it feels odd to be in your own home with strangers around packing up all of your worldly possesions. This will be the 4th or 5th time John has moved, but the first time I've been the one here by myself to deal with it all. I'm completely overwhelmed right now. It looks like a tornado has come through and just ripped my house apart. I am NOTORIOUS for having lots of papers shoved in drawers, and I'm trying to get a handle on that before tomorrow. I don't see it happening.
On top of watching all of my household goods packed up, I'm also taking my husband to work at 6am knowing that I won't see him again until sometime in February. That kinda sucks. I feel like it sounds mean to say I won't miss him, because I will miss him, however, I have SO much on my plate the rest of this week that I won't really have time to think about missing him. Then, once I get back to Ohio, I'll be with my nephews and family and once I get to NY, I'll be busy getting the new place in order and catching up with old friends that before I know it, John will be back. So....that's what I know for today. It's 8:30 and I'm heading up stairs to spend the last hours with my hubby before the darkness of morning falls upon us!
On top of watching all of my household goods packed up, I'm also taking my husband to work at 6am knowing that I won't see him again until sometime in February. That kinda sucks. I feel like it sounds mean to say I won't miss him, because I will miss him, however, I have SO much on my plate the rest of this week that I won't really have time to think about missing him. Then, once I get back to Ohio, I'll be with my nephews and family and once I get to NY, I'll be busy getting the new place in order and catching up with old friends that before I know it, John will be back. So....that's what I know for today. It's 8:30 and I'm heading up stairs to spend the last hours with my hubby before the darkness of morning falls upon us!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Dinner of Champs
On tonight's menu:
Turkey burgers....on hot dog buns. With the remaining few squirts of the ketchup bottle for me, a piece of cheese, and John, a piece of cheese and some leftover mustard before chucking it in the garbage can. Leftover rice from a night or two ago and 2 pieces of garlic bread for each of us (to use up what was left in the freezer). Pictures will follow in a few weeks when I can find the cord to upload my pictures.
Turkey burgers....on hot dog buns. With the remaining few squirts of the ketchup bottle for me, a piece of cheese, and John, a piece of cheese and some leftover mustard before chucking it in the garbage can. Leftover rice from a night or two ago and 2 pieces of garlic bread for each of us (to use up what was left in the freezer). Pictures will follow in a few weeks when I can find the cord to upload my pictures.
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Feeling empty
I started to empty out the refridgerator today, throwing out condiments that I know we won't be needing in the next 2 days, taking pictures off the front of the fridge, and clearing out cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen. It feels so empty and it's only going to get worse as the days go on. I'm excited to get out of here, but at the same time, it feels really lonely.
We went out for dinner tonight with one of John's cousins who is in town to see his girlfriend. She is also from Ohio and happened to move up here with friends. It crazy because who the hell just decides to move to Silverdale? Either way, it was nice to meet her and see his cousin and catch up over dinner. We ate at Outback and it was delicious! Better than the turkery burgers that are waiting to be eaten in the freezer. They will meet their fate tomorrow, despite my unwillingness to want to cook them. Ugh.....the last boring dinner....I hope!
We went out for dinner tonight with one of John's cousins who is in town to see his girlfriend. She is also from Ohio and happened to move up here with friends. It crazy because who the hell just decides to move to Silverdale? Either way, it was nice to meet her and see his cousin and catch up over dinner. We ate at Outback and it was delicious! Better than the turkery burgers that are waiting to be eaten in the freezer. They will meet their fate tomorrow, despite my unwillingness to want to cook them. Ugh.....the last boring dinner....I hope!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The "what's left"
Dinners at our house are getting to be VERY boring. I'm not one who likes to waste food (we only make enough for the 2 of us and if there is anything left, if it can be eaten for lunch, even if it's a few bites , I'll save it) so we're eating what's left in the cabinets or trying very hard to. Needless to say, everything we've been eating doesn't really go together, but hey, it works. We're supposed to go out to dinner with John's cousin tomorrow who is in town and then on Tuesday, he wants to go out for his "last supper" on land, so we're down to tonight and Monday to finish up the turkey burgers in the freezer and I think he's got some TGI Friday's frozen meal...but he will probably eat that for lunch tomorrow. When it's all over, I will be so glad. I can't stand to eat out and it's even more annying when you can't buy food to cook at home!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Black Friday
4am this morning....it's early, very dark, cold, wet, WAY too early to be up. That's why I was still sleeping in bed.
Every year I entertain the idea of getting up and braving the crowd, searching for deals, but the problem is that there is never anything that I HAVE to have and can only get the best deal on Black Friday. I'm sure at some point in time that might happen, but that has not been the case in years past, nor this year. We're very much wanting a new flat screen TV for the new house, but until the one we have kicks the bucket (God willing in this next move) it will just have to wait.
So we spent our day buying a few odds and ends that we needed (lightbulbs to replace burnt out ones before we move out) and then cleaned some things around the house so that way when they come to pack us out on the 3rd, I don't have that much to do. It's hard to believe that in 5 days, my house will be empty, or close to it at least.
Hope you all spent your day either shopping or relaxing. If you had to work, my apologies to you. It's time to switch from Thanksgiving to Christmas! My, where does the time go!!
Every year I entertain the idea of getting up and braving the crowd, searching for deals, but the problem is that there is never anything that I HAVE to have and can only get the best deal on Black Friday. I'm sure at some point in time that might happen, but that has not been the case in years past, nor this year. We're very much wanting a new flat screen TV for the new house, but until the one we have kicks the bucket (God willing in this next move) it will just have to wait.
So we spent our day buying a few odds and ends that we needed (lightbulbs to replace burnt out ones before we move out) and then cleaned some things around the house so that way when they come to pack us out on the 3rd, I don't have that much to do. It's hard to believe that in 5 days, my house will be empty, or close to it at least.
Hope you all spent your day either shopping or relaxing. If you had to work, my apologies to you. It's time to switch from Thanksgiving to Christmas! My, where does the time go!!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Ahhh Thanksgiving. The day that we are to give thanks for the things in our lives or just in general that we are thankful for and the day that we eat lots of turkey and other goodies. I would like to say all the things that I am thankful for, but at the same time, I fear that if I do that, I will forget to mention something important and those of you that read this might think that I'm ungrateful for things I might fail/forget to mention. So, I will just say that I am thankful for every day that I wake up and all the things around me which make my life what it is. I am thankful for my family and friends, they have made me who I am today. I am thankful for much much more, but I will not continue to elaborate.
Yesterday was a very busy day for me. John's boat came in around noon so my friend Caroline and Sarah went down to the waterfront to watch them pull in and wait for them to get off so we could say hello to them. My mom made some cookies on Monday night for me to bring home, so I took those down to pass out to the guys. I generally bake something to take down, but considering I didn't get home until 4pm Monday evening, baking was NOT on my agenda. So thanks to my mom, the boys still got baked goods :) They didn't last very long down there...they LOVE when the women bring them food.
After getting to see John, I had to leave and come back to my house so the car transport company could pick up my friend's car from here. They have moved on to DC so I told them they could leave their car here until the company could pick it up.
I had a doctor's appointment at 3pm for my ear...again. On Tuesday when I left my parents house, I was so excited because I could hear for the first time in almost 2 weeks. Some nasty peanut butter colored gum looking like stuff came out of my ear which seemed to be what the problem was. Well, when I woke up on Tuesday, I couldn't hear and felt the pressure, so I figured I should get it checked out again just to make sure something isn't wrong again. He prescribed me some ear drops that seem to be helping, but he told me I should go back in a few weeks to have my ear drum checked out to make sure it's healing because if it's not, I'll have to have surgery to get some flap put over it to help it heal. I'm hoping it's getting better, I can already hear better today so I'll take that as a positive sign. The downside to all of this is that I spent an hour and a half at the pharmacy waiting for my prescription!!! Being in the military has some advantages like, not having to pay for going to the doctor or getting prescriptions, but the downfall is WAITING to get your drugs filled. If you go in the early morning or right before it closes it's not bad, but at 3:15 after my appointment was over...yeah, RIDICULOUS!!!
Yesterday was a very busy day for me. John's boat came in around noon so my friend Caroline and Sarah went down to the waterfront to watch them pull in and wait for them to get off so we could say hello to them. My mom made some cookies on Monday night for me to bring home, so I took those down to pass out to the guys. I generally bake something to take down, but considering I didn't get home until 4pm Monday evening, baking was NOT on my agenda. So thanks to my mom, the boys still got baked goods :) They didn't last very long down there...they LOVE when the women bring them food.
After getting to see John, I had to leave and come back to my house so the car transport company could pick up my friend's car from here. They have moved on to DC so I told them they could leave their car here until the company could pick it up.
I had a doctor's appointment at 3pm for my ear...again. On Tuesday when I left my parents house, I was so excited because I could hear for the first time in almost 2 weeks. Some nasty peanut butter colored gum looking like stuff came out of my ear which seemed to be what the problem was. Well, when I woke up on Tuesday, I couldn't hear and felt the pressure, so I figured I should get it checked out again just to make sure something isn't wrong again. He prescribed me some ear drops that seem to be helping, but he told me I should go back in a few weeks to have my ear drum checked out to make sure it's healing because if it's not, I'll have to have surgery to get some flap put over it to help it heal. I'm hoping it's getting better, I can already hear better today so I'll take that as a positive sign. The downside to all of this is that I spent an hour and a half at the pharmacy waiting for my prescription!!! Being in the military has some advantages like, not having to pay for going to the doctor or getting prescriptions, but the downfall is WAITING to get your drugs filled. If you go in the early morning or right before it closes it's not bad, but at 3:15 after my appointment was over...yeah, RIDICULOUS!!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Goodnight!
I made it safely back to Washington (yet again) and it's been another one of the longest days of my life. It seems as though I'm having more of those days than I'd really care for! I haven't done much since I got back here and I don't really plan on doing much more. I'm protesting!!
With that being said, I'm off to bed for some VERY much needed sleep.
With that being said, I'm off to bed for some VERY much needed sleep.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Time's up.....
Well, the very few days I've spent here in Ohio are up and I'm heading back to WA in the very early morning. I should be used to getting up at the butt crack of dawn, but man am I tired of it! I wish that I could just stay here until after Christmas and have John do the move (the supervising of the pack out) for me...that would be great! But, if I'd have done that he'd be spending Thansgiving alone and I didn't want to do that to him, but at the same time, I don't think it's that big of a sacrifice to ask him to make...but oh well, that's not happening anyways. So I should just stop thinking about it.
I spent my weekend with my nephews on Friday/night, Saturday night I took my friend Amanda out for her birthday which was on Friday, but I was beyond tired to take her out Friday night. Sunday, my nephews came to my parents house for a sleepover and were here most of the day today. Spending time with them was great. They wanted me to sleep on the pull out coach with them so I did. Fun, but BIG mistake. I got head butted and smacked (not on purpose), Ben talked numerous times while Max snored like a freight train. I woke up thinking, "How in the world can a little boy snore so loud?" God love them though. As much as I didn't sleep last night and referred to the night as napping, it was good to be with them. They are just too cute for words!
It's approaching 10:30pm and I need to figure out what I'm putting in my bag to take back to WA. Some day, all this traveling will be over!!
I spent my weekend with my nephews on Friday/night, Saturday night I took my friend Amanda out for her birthday which was on Friday, but I was beyond tired to take her out Friday night. Sunday, my nephews came to my parents house for a sleepover and were here most of the day today. Spending time with them was great. They wanted me to sleep on the pull out coach with them so I did. Fun, but BIG mistake. I got head butted and smacked (not on purpose), Ben talked numerous times while Max snored like a freight train. I woke up thinking, "How in the world can a little boy snore so loud?" God love them though. As much as I didn't sleep last night and referred to the night as napping, it was good to be with them. They are just too cute for words!
It's approaching 10:30pm and I need to figure out what I'm putting in my bag to take back to WA. Some day, all this traveling will be over!!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Day 3...the arrival
My apologies for no post yesterday. After driving for 13 hours, leaving in the dark and arriving in the dark, having to eat dinner and then think about the next day's drive left me no time to post.
The drive yesterday wasn't too awfully bad. We had some terrible weather for about 2 hours in Montana and it was white knuckle driving for me. It was 15 degrees and the highway looked (from what I could see with my headlights) looked like a solid sheet of ice with only one set of tire tracks to follow. It was snowing, WAY early, and all I wanted to do was make it safely. Like I said, it was only for about 2 hours before we drove out of it and into sunny weather for the rest of the day. We stayed in Clear Lake, Iowa and my Lord it was FREEZING!! When we got up this morning it was 4 degrees and the weather said it felt like -14. YIKES! My poor little car has never been in such cold temperatures...guess she'll have to get used to it living in upstate for the next 3 years!
Today's drive was much more tolerable. We left at 4:30am and I was able to drop Mary off at 3:30 around Dayton. She called her other son and asked him to pick her up at the 70/75 interchange so I wouldn't get stuck in rush hour construction Dayton traffic. I told her she didn't need to do it, but boy am I glad she did. The construction traffic was a bit harry, but not too bad considering it was only 3:45. I could only imagine how bad it is around 5! So Mary, thanks so much for having James come get you!!
After dropping her off I came to my sisters to see the kids. Poor Max has strep throat so I'm hoping that tomorrow he will be feeling better. I'm also hoping that I don't catch it! I'm already on ammoxicilin for my ear so I'm thinking I'll be ok. Please God let that be the case!
I'll only be here until Tuesday morning when I'll fly back West. This traveling thing is really getting old. But it's not over anytime soon. I'm just glad for now that I made it to Ohio safely and that I don't have to make the West to East coast trip again until February, but that time, I'll be a measly passenger! I'm definitely not nice enough to drive John's truck here when I leave in December. I'm checking the "NO" box on that one!
The drive yesterday wasn't too awfully bad. We had some terrible weather for about 2 hours in Montana and it was white knuckle driving for me. It was 15 degrees and the highway looked (from what I could see with my headlights) looked like a solid sheet of ice with only one set of tire tracks to follow. It was snowing, WAY early, and all I wanted to do was make it safely. Like I said, it was only for about 2 hours before we drove out of it and into sunny weather for the rest of the day. We stayed in Clear Lake, Iowa and my Lord it was FREEZING!! When we got up this morning it was 4 degrees and the weather said it felt like -14. YIKES! My poor little car has never been in such cold temperatures...guess she'll have to get used to it living in upstate for the next 3 years!
Today's drive was much more tolerable. We left at 4:30am and I was able to drop Mary off at 3:30 around Dayton. She called her other son and asked him to pick her up at the 70/75 interchange so I wouldn't get stuck in rush hour construction Dayton traffic. I told her she didn't need to do it, but boy am I glad she did. The construction traffic was a bit harry, but not too bad considering it was only 3:45. I could only imagine how bad it is around 5! So Mary, thanks so much for having James come get you!!
After dropping her off I came to my sisters to see the kids. Poor Max has strep throat so I'm hoping that tomorrow he will be feeling better. I'm also hoping that I don't catch it! I'm already on ammoxicilin for my ear so I'm thinking I'll be ok. Please God let that be the case!
I'll only be here until Tuesday morning when I'll fly back West. This traveling thing is really getting old. But it's not over anytime soon. I'm just glad for now that I made it to Ohio safely and that I don't have to make the West to East coast trip again until February, but that time, I'll be a measly passenger! I'm definitely not nice enough to drive John's truck here when I leave in December. I'm checking the "NO" box on that one!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Day 1
12-13 hours of driving really takes it out of a person. We made it to Billings, MT today and we got a little bit of everything on the way. Sun, clouds, little bit of rain and some snow (more than I really wanted to deal with, but not too bad). Tomorrow's destination is Iowa, the city is yet to be determined. We'll see how we feel. Getting up and getting on the road is not a problem, and even the drive is not that bad, but it's losing an hour every day that REALLY sucks. So with that being said, I need to get to bed so we can get up and get moving at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow. Please pray again for safe travels for us and good weather again :)
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Curfew
It's 9p.m. and I told myself (and my mother-in-law) that my goal was to be upstairs for my curfew pre-travel day by nine o'clock. Ha ha! I wish. We're leaving at what my friend Julie and I call o' dark thirty which tomorrow translates into 4:30am. We were going to do 5, but I want to drive 12 hours a day and with it starting to get dark by 4:30pm...we thought we'd get an earlier start so we don't have to drive much in the dark evenings. So with that being said, I should get myself upstairs so I can hopefully go to bed by 10 which means I need to be IN bed by 9:30 so I can wind down. Pray that we have nice weather and safe travels!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Farewell
Tonight, the wives from the wardroom on the boat threw me a farewell party. It was SOOO nice. One of the newer wives to the boat, Melissa, hosted at her home and I have to say, it was pretty fabulous. She completely outdid herself as far as food, presentation and drink go. It was so nice and relaxing, and everyone was able to attend except for one wife who was out of town. It was nice to get together with everyone one last time and in a way, is going to make me sort of miss living here. It's taken some time, but I've met a lot of really good people up here who I'm going to miss. But at least we will keep in touch which is one of the ups of moving around so much, the meeting so many people.
I'll post some pictures later of the marvelous food!
I'll post some pictures later of the marvelous food!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Introducing......
Our brand new house beginning December 1st!
After much looking, negotiating, and thinking we were going to end up with a different house, I saw this one on Tuesday night online and asked my realtor to show it to me on Wednesday, right before I was going to sign for a different house. Upon going inside, I fell in love!
It is on the lake, well, the only thing between the house and the lake is the road, but there are NO obstructions of the views in any room of the house. It's brand new, and was within our price range for renting which really blew my mind. The landlord is giving it away based on what my realtor said he could probably rent it for, let alone if he wanted to sell the whole property. It's a duplex, but as of right now no one lives in the other side. Hopefully whoever does is nice and quiet....I don't want to have to get anyone evicted!
Across the street we have 100ft of private lake front...too bad we don't have a boat! However, I am not above buying a blow up boat for the summer and floating out there and getting a tan, although, I don't swim in lakes. Maybe I will just have to start :) I'm not going to write much more since it's been a VERY long day and I have been lucky enough to get and bring home a nasty ear infection which is NOT fun. I'll leave you all with a few pictures that were listed with the house online. I didn't take any pictures since I really didn't think I was going to end up with it...I'm so happy we did!! Too bad I'll probably cry in 3 years when we'll have to move out :(
Here is the fire place in the family room
This is my DREAM kitchen! I can't wait to get in there and cook!!
This will be what we get to see every single day...minus the guard rail. I took this from the driveway.
I can't wait to take a soak in this beauty!
Master bedroom
Dining room...although ours will not have patio furniture there :)
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
After much looking, negotiating, and thinking we were going to end up with a different house, I saw this one on Tuesday night online and asked my realtor to show it to me on Wednesday, right before I was going to sign for a different house. Upon going inside, I fell in love!
It is on the lake, well, the only thing between the house and the lake is the road, but there are NO obstructions of the views in any room of the house. It's brand new, and was within our price range for renting which really blew my mind. The landlord is giving it away based on what my realtor said he could probably rent it for, let alone if he wanted to sell the whole property. It's a duplex, but as of right now no one lives in the other side. Hopefully whoever does is nice and quiet....I don't want to have to get anyone evicted!
Across the street we have 100ft of private lake front...too bad we don't have a boat! However, I am not above buying a blow up boat for the summer and floating out there and getting a tan, although, I don't swim in lakes. Maybe I will just have to start :) I'm not going to write much more since it's been a VERY long day and I have been lucky enough to get and bring home a nasty ear infection which is NOT fun. I'll leave you all with a few pictures that were listed with the house online. I didn't take any pictures since I really didn't think I was going to end up with it...I'm so happy we did!! Too bad I'll probably cry in 3 years when we'll have to move out :(
Here is the fire place in the family room
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
This is my DREAM kitchen! I can't wait to get in there and cook!!
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
This will be what we get to see every single day...minus the guard rail. I took this from the driveway.
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
I can't wait to take a soak in this beauty!
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
Master bedroom
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
Dining room...although ours will not have patio furniture there :)
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Urgent Care X 2
Before I flew out here Sunday night, I noticed that my ear was starting to hurt on Saturday when I woke up. I figured that it would either go away or that I'd just end up with a stupid little sore throat. Well, Monday and Tuesday it hurt just a little bit, but I thought for sure that I could hold out until Saturday when I got back home. Yeah right. Last night around 8pm, I started to feel the worst pains in my ear. If felt like someone was cramming cotton in my ear with needles and wouldn't stop to save my life. I decided that I was going to have to break down and go to urgent care the next morning (which was this morning).
Knowing what a nightmare most urgent cares are, I planned on getting up and getting there right at 7am when they opened. Clearly my body had other plans for me. I went to bed around 11:30 last night and laid there for hours! At 3am I decided that I'd get up and get online, watch tv, and anything else to pass the time until I felt tired. 5am rolled around and I figured I might as well try to go to bed since I was planning on getting up at 6:50 so I could call urgent care and make sure I could go there with my insurance. When my alarm went off, I immediately turned it off and didn't wake up until 9 when my phone rang. After that, I figured that I should get up and take my sorry self to urgent care.
Poor Marisa got up and had a headache that she'd been having for the past 3 days. I told her to put a coat on and just go to urgent care with me. She thought I'd already gone, so was happy to know that we could both go together. So we put on our shoes and coats and took the trip up the street to urgent care. What a sorry bunch we are! The doctor gave me some drops to put in my ear and some ammoxicillin and Marisa got an IV that cured her headache. We're both feeling much better now, but unfortunately I'll be driving back to Connecticut tomorrow to spend the night so I can fly out early on Saturday. But oh well, we're planning on going out for pizza with our friend Kurt, so we at least went out one night!
Knowing what a nightmare most urgent cares are, I planned on getting up and getting there right at 7am when they opened. Clearly my body had other plans for me. I went to bed around 11:30 last night and laid there for hours! At 3am I decided that I'd get up and get online, watch tv, and anything else to pass the time until I felt tired. 5am rolled around and I figured I might as well try to go to bed since I was planning on getting up at 6:50 so I could call urgent care and make sure I could go there with my insurance. When my alarm went off, I immediately turned it off and didn't wake up until 9 when my phone rang. After that, I figured that I should get up and take my sorry self to urgent care.
Poor Marisa got up and had a headache that she'd been having for the past 3 days. I told her to put a coat on and just go to urgent care with me. She thought I'd already gone, so was happy to know that we could both go together. So we put on our shoes and coats and took the trip up the street to urgent care. What a sorry bunch we are! The doctor gave me some drops to put in my ear and some ammoxicillin and Marisa got an IV that cured her headache. We're both feeling much better now, but unfortunately I'll be driving back to Connecticut tomorrow to spend the night so I can fly out early on Saturday. But oh well, we're planning on going out for pizza with our friend Kurt, so we at least went out one night!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
House hunting
Well I made to New York safely on Monday morning after a long ride overnight. I guess it really wasn't that long since I slept the whole way, even though I really wouldn't call it "sleep" as more of "nodding on and off until something feel asleep." But it wasn't that bad of a flight and then my layover at JFK was fairly quick and my flight to Hartford was even quicker. The drive to Saratoga was not too bad, however, I got a little bit of every kind of weather. Sun, sleet, rain, and even a bit of snow...nothing major though.
I only looked at one house on Monday. Based on the pictures the owner had sent to, I was really excited to go and see this, thinking it could very well be "the one!" As soon as I walked in, I was immediately let down. The walls of the family room were stucco, the kitchen didn't have much cabinet space, and the garage had been turned into an extra room which I could have done without. With as cold as it is up here in the winter we need to have at least 1 car that goes in a garage. So, needless to say I walked out the door disappointed.
Today was much better than yesterday though. I had 4 to look at and 2 of them were a bust. Of the remaining 2, one is within our price range but will be a 45 minute drive for John to work, while the other is 300 over our BAH. We decided that we'd rather live within the BAH amount and him have to drive versus paying more than the Navy gives us. So when I called the realtor of that house and told her why we were deciding against it, she said she would contact the owner and see if they would drop it. She said she got someone else a house today that was listed for 2400 for 1850...that's some wheeling and dealing! So, I'm hoping that house will drop their rent asking price so we can take that instead...but we'll see.
So, those are my adventures so far. Keep your fingers crossed that the house in Saratoga drops their rent or that something else miraculously falls into my lap in the next day or two. I'll keep you posted...stay tuned!!
I only looked at one house on Monday. Based on the pictures the owner had sent to, I was really excited to go and see this, thinking it could very well be "the one!" As soon as I walked in, I was immediately let down. The walls of the family room were stucco, the kitchen didn't have much cabinet space, and the garage had been turned into an extra room which I could have done without. With as cold as it is up here in the winter we need to have at least 1 car that goes in a garage. So, needless to say I walked out the door disappointed.
Today was much better than yesterday though. I had 4 to look at and 2 of them were a bust. Of the remaining 2, one is within our price range but will be a 45 minute drive for John to work, while the other is 300 over our BAH. We decided that we'd rather live within the BAH amount and him have to drive versus paying more than the Navy gives us. So when I called the realtor of that house and told her why we were deciding against it, she said she would contact the owner and see if they would drop it. She said she got someone else a house today that was listed for 2400 for 1850...that's some wheeling and dealing! So, I'm hoping that house will drop their rent asking price so we can take that instead...but we'll see.
So, those are my adventures so far. Keep your fingers crossed that the house in Saratoga drops their rent or that something else miraculously falls into my lap in the next day or two. I'll keep you posted...stay tuned!!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Procrastinating
Here it is, 3pm and I have yet to pack for my flight to New York tonight. The captain's wife will be picking me up in 5 hours to take me to the airport, so really, I have plenty of time to pack, I just find myself waiting until the last minute to get it done. I've found many things to do in order to help me further procrastinate, but I'm thinking I need to stop before it gets too late and I'm panicking at the last moment.
I worked out for about 45 minutes in an effort to calm my jitters and found that it didn't work that well. After I was finished with that, I decided to drag my suitcase out of the closet downstairs. While doing that, I thought to myself, "I should empty out this box (from the stuff my mom sent me LAST Christmas)and get rid of it so we have a little more room in here." Mind you, we're packing out in like 3 weeks maybe, so do I really need anymore room? I didn't think so, but hey, it sounded like a good idea. So then, after I do that (the empty box is now sitting in the middle of my living room)I decided I should take the spiderwebs and Halloween things down and put them in the other box my mom sent me this year (for Halloween stuff of course). So now that that is completed, I've found that my kitchen seems very empty. I normally have up coffee pictures, plates, and some glass hurricanes with coffee beans and candles in them (yes, my kitchen has a coffee theme), but I figured it's useless to put them back up only to take them back down again in a few weeks. I never really thought it would feel that empty. I didn't have those things up until sometime at the beginning of the year maybe, so there was a time when there was nothing up there, but I just don't remember it feeling so empty. I guess I'll just have to deal with it as things are going to only get emptier (is that even a word?) as the days go by.
Now that I've finished this, I'm guessing I should take a shower and begin packing. I have enough anxiety on my own on the days that I travel, so last minute packing is the last thing I need to add to my list. Plus, I need to dig up some medication or go buy some that has an added sleep agent. I have 5 hours on the plane that I need to use to sleep. Leaving at 10:50 pm which is 1:50am East coast time and arriving in JFK at 7am, flying to Hartford and arriving at 9:45am only to drive 2-2 1/2 hours to Saratoga...yeah, I'm going to need to sleep on the way out there.
I worked out for about 45 minutes in an effort to calm my jitters and found that it didn't work that well. After I was finished with that, I decided to drag my suitcase out of the closet downstairs. While doing that, I thought to myself, "I should empty out this box (from the stuff my mom sent me LAST Christmas)and get rid of it so we have a little more room in here." Mind you, we're packing out in like 3 weeks maybe, so do I really need anymore room? I didn't think so, but hey, it sounded like a good idea. So then, after I do that (the empty box is now sitting in the middle of my living room)I decided I should take the spiderwebs and Halloween things down and put them in the other box my mom sent me this year (for Halloween stuff of course). So now that that is completed, I've found that my kitchen seems very empty. I normally have up coffee pictures, plates, and some glass hurricanes with coffee beans and candles in them (yes, my kitchen has a coffee theme), but I figured it's useless to put them back up only to take them back down again in a few weeks. I never really thought it would feel that empty. I didn't have those things up until sometime at the beginning of the year maybe, so there was a time when there was nothing up there, but I just don't remember it feeling so empty. I guess I'll just have to deal with it as things are going to only get emptier (is that even a word?) as the days go by.
Now that I've finished this, I'm guessing I should take a shower and begin packing. I have enough anxiety on my own on the days that I travel, so last minute packing is the last thing I need to add to my list. Plus, I need to dig up some medication or go buy some that has an added sleep agent. I have 5 hours on the plane that I need to use to sleep. Leaving at 10:50 pm which is 1:50am East coast time and arriving in JFK at 7am, flying to Hartford and arriving at 9:45am only to drive 2-2 1/2 hours to Saratoga...yeah, I'm going to need to sleep on the way out there.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Rain, rain......GO AWAY!
I will not write much for this day as nothing positive will be said. I am SOOOO tired of it raining. It's been raining at some point in the day for the past, 6, 7, 8, hell I don't know how many days it's been now. I stopped counting. It just keeps coming and it's literally making me crazy. Thank God I am leaving tomorrow night for NY, and there is rumor that the day I'm coming back it's supposed to be sunny. I won't be holding my breath. My hats off to the people who weather doesn't effect them because it takes a baseball bat and beats the hell out of me.
John and I went to see the movie Role Models this evening and I gotta say, it was pretty funny. It had a good message overall and was pretty funny all the way through. The only highlight of the day.
Well, I don't really have much else to say, that's nice at least. So, for all of you who are wishing for rain, live out here for a year and a half, you'll never want it to rain EVER again!
John and I went to see the movie Role Models this evening and I gotta say, it was pretty funny. It had a good message overall and was pretty funny all the way through. The only highlight of the day.
Well, I don't really have much else to say, that's nice at least. So, for all of you who are wishing for rain, live out here for a year and a half, you'll never want it to rain EVER again!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Stalker Mail
When I got in my mailbox today, amongst the junk was this envelope.
As I looked at it, I'm thinking, "What the hell is this?" So I open it up and here is what's inside.
I immediately started laughing out loud because I know exactly what this is about.
When we threw our Halloween party, we told people that they could park on the street that is facing toward our house. The only reason I did this is because I've seen people park there before and walk to a house that is down one of those side streets. The pictures of the signs are signs that are posted when you drive into our subdivision. It cracks me up because I know it's this old man who lives here in the subdivision. I'm sorry, but if you have a problem with something I've done, knock on my door and tell me to my face, don't send me some stalker mail with photos and no return address. And if you have nothing better to do than to watch what the hell I'm doing? For all I know they are looking in my windows when I'm not home to make sure my house is clean or some crazy shit like that. It really kinda pisses me off because like I said, knock on my door and tell me I'm in "violation" of your signs, but by all means, don't single me out. I am not the only person who has every had people park on the street. Are they doing this to other people too? I can understand if it's something I'm continually doing, but for one night? Yeah right! It just reaffirms my belief that there are some old people who don't have anything better to do than to be up in your business. Needless to say, I'm glad I'll be out of here in less than 30 days. On top of that, I'll be sure I don't live in a neighborhood where the neighbors house isn't on top of mine!
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
As I looked at it, I'm thinking, "What the hell is this?" So I open it up and here is what's inside.
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
I immediately started laughing out loud because I know exactly what this is about.
When we threw our Halloween party, we told people that they could park on the street that is facing toward our house. The only reason I did this is because I've seen people park there before and walk to a house that is down one of those side streets. The pictures of the signs are signs that are posted when you drive into our subdivision. It cracks me up because I know it's this old man who lives here in the subdivision. I'm sorry, but if you have a problem with something I've done, knock on my door and tell me to my face, don't send me some stalker mail with photos and no return address. And if you have nothing better to do than to watch what the hell I'm doing? For all I know they are looking in my windows when I'm not home to make sure my house is clean or some crazy shit like that. It really kinda pisses me off because like I said, knock on my door and tell me I'm in "violation" of your signs, but by all means, don't single me out. I am not the only person who has every had people park on the street. Are they doing this to other people too? I can understand if it's something I'm continually doing, but for one night? Yeah right! It just reaffirms my belief that there are some old people who don't have anything better to do than to be up in your business. Needless to say, I'm glad I'll be out of here in less than 30 days. On top of that, I'll be sure I don't live in a neighborhood where the neighbors house isn't on top of mine!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Weather channel = nightmares
Presently the weather channel is giving me nightmares. If any of you have the weather channel and happen to tune in, you might notice that the Pacific Northwest is presently getting LOTS of rain. Tomorrow they are saying we'll get 5". It rained all day today and there are no signs of it stopping. Needless to say, I am counting down until they pack up my belonging and ship them east. But on the other hand of that, I'm praying that it is not raining or snowing on December 3rd or 4th when they will be packing out my house. The last thing I need is to worry about my bed and couch showing up 2 days after Christmas moldy as hell. I talked to a woman once who had that happen to her. It makes me shutter just thinking about it.
In addition to all this fantastic rain we're getting, Montana and the Dakotas are getting hammered with snow and blizzard conditions. This too is giving me nightmares! It shouldn't give me nightmares just yet since I won't be driving through there until 2 weeks from today, but it still gives me cause for concern. If these conditions keep up, I haven't the slightest idea how I'm going to get to Ohio. For those of you that are wondering what it is I'm doing...my newest plan is this. I have now decided to drive my car home on the 19th and leave it at my parents house. This way, I can fly back here (on the 25th), John and I will just share his truck, they will pack out my house on the 3rd and hopefully pick up his truck a few days later. Then on the 8th (assuming they've picked up John's truck by then) I will rent a car and then on the 9th, catch a flight back to Ohio and all will be right with the world. The reason I'm shooting for the 9th is because my friend Mary is flying back to Louisiana for the holidays and if I have to take her down, I might as well peace out too. She's one of my best friends up here so it would be nice to be able to say goodbye to someone before I get on the plane.
So those are my plans. Pray that it all works out and that the weather cooperates with me while I drive. It's all happening very fast, but it's falling into place for the most part. Let's hope it stays that way!
In addition to all this fantastic rain we're getting, Montana and the Dakotas are getting hammered with snow and blizzard conditions. This too is giving me nightmares! It shouldn't give me nightmares just yet since I won't be driving through there until 2 weeks from today, but it still gives me cause for concern. If these conditions keep up, I haven't the slightest idea how I'm going to get to Ohio. For those of you that are wondering what it is I'm doing...my newest plan is this. I have now decided to drive my car home on the 19th and leave it at my parents house. This way, I can fly back here (on the 25th), John and I will just share his truck, they will pack out my house on the 3rd and hopefully pick up his truck a few days later. Then on the 8th (assuming they've picked up John's truck by then) I will rent a car and then on the 9th, catch a flight back to Ohio and all will be right with the world. The reason I'm shooting for the 9th is because my friend Mary is flying back to Louisiana for the holidays and if I have to take her down, I might as well peace out too. She's one of my best friends up here so it would be nice to be able to say goodbye to someone before I get on the plane.
So those are my plans. Pray that it all works out and that the weather cooperates with me while I drive. It's all happening very fast, but it's falling into place for the most part. Let's hope it stays that way!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Lifesaver Sarah
Today I went to my friend Sarah's house again to work on this scrapbooking business for deployment. I sat for an hour at her dining room table in bewilderment wondering what in the world I was going to do for these calendar days we have to decorate. She told me on Monday when I was there that she had bought a digital scrapbooking kit from Best Buy that was cake to use and that if I wanted to use it that I was more than welcome to. I told her it was ok and that I'd figure out what I was going to do. Yeah, big fat lie.
So today, she showed me what she's done using the program and just how easy it was to use. At that point, I was sold. She installed the program on my laptop and I gave it a whirl. Why the hell I ever told her I'd do it by hand/paper I'll never know because this program is a Godsend! It took me a little bit to learn how it worked, but once I got the hang of it...it was so easy!! I ended up getting 4 days finished which never would have happened if I would have gone about it the traditional way. So Sarah, this post is dedicated to you! You are a Lifesaver!!
So today, she showed me what she's done using the program and just how easy it was to use. At that point, I was sold. She installed the program on my laptop and I gave it a whirl. Why the hell I ever told her I'd do it by hand/paper I'll never know because this program is a Godsend! It took me a little bit to learn how it worked, but once I got the hang of it...it was so easy!! I ended up getting 4 days finished which never would have happened if I would have gone about it the traditional way. So Sarah, this post is dedicated to you! You are a Lifesaver!!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day
It looks to be a historic day in our country this election day. Politics is something I generally don't discuss and is not something I'm going to dedicate this post to either. I don't think anyone can deny what a mess this country has been in lately and the only thing I will say is that with Obama projected to win the presidency, I think it is a sign of good things to come. I'm very excited to see what happens when he takes over...as an educator, an American, and a human being.
On another note, things are changing yet again on our front. I am scheduled to leave on Sunday for New York and John was supposed to be gone, but now he will not be gone. It sucks that he won't be able to go with me, but it will be nice for me to be able to talk to him while I'm there and to be able to send pictures of the houses I look at. This way, we'll be able to make a decision together and I won't feel like it's all up to me. Well, it really is all up to me if you really think about it, but it's nice to talk it over too.
Tomorrow it looks like I'll be doing crafts all day for John's upcoming deployment because God knows I'm running out of time....and fast! So, I should probably shoot to get them done by Friday if that's even possible. I'm not a person who likes to do crafts because I have to but more because I want to. And even though I want to do this, it's not my first priority by any means. It is with that, that I'm going to wrap this up, watch John McCain concede, and head upstairs to relax.
Tomorrow is a new day!
On another note, things are changing yet again on our front. I am scheduled to leave on Sunday for New York and John was supposed to be gone, but now he will not be gone. It sucks that he won't be able to go with me, but it will be nice for me to be able to talk to him while I'm there and to be able to send pictures of the houses I look at. This way, we'll be able to make a decision together and I won't feel like it's all up to me. Well, it really is all up to me if you really think about it, but it's nice to talk it over too.
Tomorrow it looks like I'll be doing crafts all day for John's upcoming deployment because God knows I'm running out of time....and fast! So, I should probably shoot to get them done by Friday if that's even possible. I'm not a person who likes to do crafts because I have to but more because I want to. And even though I want to do this, it's not my first priority by any means. It is with that, that I'm going to wrap this up, watch John McCain concede, and head upstairs to relax.
Tomorrow is a new day!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Yet another rainy day
It is the time where the sun has packed it's bags and headed elsewhere and the rain has come and set up shop. We saw the sun on and off yesterday, but for the more than half of the day (at my house anyways) we had rain. This would make it day 5. Yippie...can you sense the sarcasm?!
I did, however, spend my day over at a friend's house working on scrapbook stuff for the upcoming deployment. I should say that she and one of the other wives did more scrapbooking than I did. My brain has checked out so I did what I could. I guess it's better than nothing.
The last thing I did this evening was make some chocolate chip banana bread. It smells good and I'm hoping will taste just as good. It even looks good too. What do you think?
The big chunks on top are nilla wafer cookies. We'll see how it tastes tomorrow!
I did, however, spend my day over at a friend's house working on scrapbook stuff for the upcoming deployment. I should say that she and one of the other wives did more scrapbooking than I did. My brain has checked out so I did what I could. I guess it's better than nothing.
The last thing I did this evening was make some chocolate chip banana bread. It smells good and I'm hoping will taste just as good. It even looks good too. What do you think?
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
The big chunks on top are nilla wafer cookies. We'll see how it tastes tomorrow!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Stroking out
Let me begin by saying that I hate this daylight savings fall back business. Most of you enjoy the extra hour of sleep, but I do not. At least not today. I didn't sleep worth a damn last night and I was not so happy at 5:00 when it was pitch black outside. The weather has been less than appealing the last 4 days which is making this transition that much worse. On top of all this wonderfulness, we scheduled the pack out today for one month from tomorrow. And then, I've been looking at the houses we have on our list and trying to make contact with the owners and Realtors to set up appointments for next week while I am in New York. It's frustrating because one of the houses online says it's still available and when I emailed the realtor to set up a showing, I get an email saying it's no longer available. So now I'm overstressing about this potentially happening with other houses we have on the list. I know that this is something that is out of my control, but that's just the way I am. I feel like I'm going to stroke out before I ever get moved. I been in this position before and I've made it out alive, but continually going through this is taking it's toll on me. I'm scared to check my blood pressure as I'm sure it's even higher than it has been. Pray that I have the strength to get through this yet again!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
It's Official...
...we're moving...again! Most of you already know that we were going to go Saratoga Springs but the paperwork has arrived which makes it official! John doesn't have to report until March, but he'll be on the boat until sometime in February. When he gets off the boat, he'll fly back here to Washington to check out of the command and then he will fly to meet me in New York.
My plan is to schedule the pack out the same day that John leaves for deployment. Might as well say goodbye to everything at once! Then I'll have to get my carpets cleaned, wait a day or so for them to dry, make sure everything is cleaned and then I'll begin my journey back East. I'm hoping that whichever way I plan to drive will be snow free until I've passed through, however, I'm not sure if that will happen or not since it will be December. Then I'll be home for Christmas and probably head to New York a day or two after that.
I'm hoping that since now we have papers in hand that all my plans will fall into place and things won't be as stressful. It will be nice to say, "My pack out is on such and such date and I'll be leaving on blah blah blah day to head East." Now all I have to do is hope I find a house for us when I make my trip to NY.
My plan is to schedule the pack out the same day that John leaves for deployment. Might as well say goodbye to everything at once! Then I'll have to get my carpets cleaned, wait a day or so for them to dry, make sure everything is cleaned and then I'll begin my journey back East. I'm hoping that whichever way I plan to drive will be snow free until I've passed through, however, I'm not sure if that will happen or not since it will be December. Then I'll be home for Christmas and probably head to New York a day or two after that.
I'm hoping that since now we have papers in hand that all my plans will fall into place and things won't be as stressful. It will be nice to say, "My pack out is on such and such date and I'll be leaving on blah blah blah day to head East." Now all I have to do is hope I find a house for us when I make my trip to NY.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween
My Old Navy purchase for 2.47!
Have you ever waited until the last minute to buy Halloween candy? I didn't, well, I kinda did. I bought some candy over the weekend, sweedish fish and sour patch kids, but I wanted to have some chocolate in there too. Stupid me waited until today which was a BIG mistake. I went to Walmart thinking they'd have a bunch. Yeah, right. The only "candy" they had left was the candy you don't want to pass out because you know that kids won't eat it. And by candy, I mean popcorn balls. That was all they had left. So, the kids that come to my house will not be getting any chocolate.
Happy Halloween to all!!
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
Have you ever waited until the last minute to buy Halloween candy? I didn't, well, I kinda did. I bought some candy over the weekend, sweedish fish and sour patch kids, but I wanted to have some chocolate in there too. Stupid me waited until today which was a BIG mistake. I went to Walmart thinking they'd have a bunch. Yeah, right. The only "candy" they had left was the candy you don't want to pass out because you know that kids won't eat it. And by candy, I mean popcorn balls. That was all they had left. So, the kids that come to my house will not be getting any chocolate.
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
Happy Halloween to all!!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Kickboxing kicks butt!
I went to my first kickboxing class today at the gym and it was absolutely incredible! One of the other wives has gone a few times and I told her I would join her today since I've been wanting to take a class for a while. I didn't really know what to expect when I got there. I walked in, showed my ID and the woman handed me the group exercise pass (how they track how many people come) and then asked me if I needed gloves. Gloves? I said yes. Caroline arrived a few minutes after me and we walked back to the room. She informed me that on Thursdays, you actually get to punch and kick a bag. Sweet!
An hour later when it was over, I felt so energized!! It was a great stress and tension reliever to punch the crap out of one of those big bags that stands on the floor. But I have to say, after punching and kicking for an hour, I was WIPED OUT!It was super fun and I can't wait to go again on Tuesday, however, I have an appointment with John at Navy Legal at 9am so I'm hoping it's over by 10 so I can make class by 10:45.
An hour later when it was over, I felt so energized!! It was a great stress and tension reliever to punch the crap out of one of those big bags that stands on the floor. But I have to say, after punching and kicking for an hour, I was WIPED OUT!It was super fun and I can't wait to go again on Tuesday, however, I have an appointment with John at Navy Legal at 9am so I'm hoping it's over by 10 so I can make class by 10:45.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Contemplating My Death?!?
Today, John and I went to Navy Legal to get his power of attorney squared away for while he's gone next month for 2 weeks, and then again for the deployment in December. This way, I will be able to rent a house without John being there to sign and all that good business. In addition to the power of attorney, we made updates to his will too. As we were talking to the attorney, she said that it was a good idea for me to have a will also and that she could do it in addition to updating John's. Now mind you, this is a pretty easy process in the Navy, they pass them out like candy to kids on Halloween. This is what all the guys have to do and keep up to date before they do a deployment.
For the most part, it was pretty cut and dry. But then there was talk of a living will and blah blah blah, and basically asking what you want done in the event of your possible death or in the event of you not being able to make decisions for yourself. I didn't know that when I woke up this morning that I'd be contemplating my death or the events that might possibly surround my possible death. That's some scary shit! At one point when we were talking about the living will, all I could say was, "I don't know." Death alone scares me. Sometimes I'll think about it at night (don't ask me why) and I think, "What if I didn't wake up tomorrow? That's it. No more anything...FOREVER!" That scares the hell out of me. I believe in God and Heaven and all, but just to think about the logistics of death is scary to me.
So, this is how I began my day. Fun times, eh? Thank God it was sunny today :) I'm taking a kickboxing class tomorrow with one of the wives, so I'm looking forward to that. It's getting late though and "The Ultimate Fighter" is one, so I'm going to go upstairs and watch with my husband. Then it's off to bed. I got up way too early to start the day with thoughts and talk of death. Ugh, makes me shiver....
For the most part, it was pretty cut and dry. But then there was talk of a living will and blah blah blah, and basically asking what you want done in the event of your possible death or in the event of you not being able to make decisions for yourself. I didn't know that when I woke up this morning that I'd be contemplating my death or the events that might possibly surround my possible death. That's some scary shit! At one point when we were talking about the living will, all I could say was, "I don't know." Death alone scares me. Sometimes I'll think about it at night (don't ask me why) and I think, "What if I didn't wake up tomorrow? That's it. No more anything...FOREVER!" That scares the hell out of me. I believe in God and Heaven and all, but just to think about the logistics of death is scary to me.
So, this is how I began my day. Fun times, eh? Thank God it was sunny today :) I'm taking a kickboxing class tomorrow with one of the wives, so I'm looking forward to that. It's getting late though and "The Ultimate Fighter" is one, so I'm going to go upstairs and watch with my husband. Then it's off to bed. I got up way too early to start the day with thoughts and talk of death. Ugh, makes me shiver....
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Repeat
I'm starting to feel like my days are being recycled and every day is like the one previous. I'm sure most people feel that way in their own lives, but I guess I feel like it's worse for me in particular since I don't work. To make it worse is that John is still on leave and we haven't really done anything this week. Granted, we've done things as far as figuring out financial situations and planning to come, but we haven't done anything together...like go on a day trips or anything exciting like that. As much as I want to bitch, I know I shouldn't because we have A LOT that is going to be coming onto our plates here in the next few weeks. It's just frustrating because it's harder to see the things that aren't here yet, but that you know are coming....but we really don't know the extent of the things to come. I feel like I'm planning like a crazy person, but my plans are not concrete and won't be for a few more weeks. And my plan...well hell, might not even be my plan when it all comes down the pipe! This is what I hate the most about John being in the Navy. Nothing is known, everything always changes, and it just frustrates me. It's just one frustrating repeat after the next. If I could repeat anything in my life right now, I think I'd go back and repeat my time in Las Vegas!
Monday, October 27, 2008
#1, #2, #3, #4......
Today was another beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest. Beautiful blue sky, sun shinning, and not a cloud to be seen. These days are far and few between, and needless to say, won't last but maybe 3 more days before the gloomy gray clouds will blanket us until I pack up and leave. Ok, there might be a few sunny days in there, but we don't anticipate it.
John and I spent our day grocery shopping in the early afternoon and then numbering our house picks in order from most liked to least liked. I'm heading to Saratoga on the 9th (late) and will be coming back on the 15th in order to look at houses we're interested in renting. There is one in particular(#1) that we are both in LOVE with (ok, maybe it's just me who's in love with it, but he likes it too). We call it, "The Dream House" and it is every bit of that. I'm not going to tell you all about it as I don't want to jinx it. But we do have a few that rank behind it that we'd be happy with we didn't get it, but they will never be the dream house. So, we'll see what happens with that. Keep your fingers crossed for the dream house though, that it will work out, and that the owners will be willing to negotiate on rent as it is a bit steep (but still within our means).
John and I spent our day grocery shopping in the early afternoon and then numbering our house picks in order from most liked to least liked. I'm heading to Saratoga on the 9th (late) and will be coming back on the 15th in order to look at houses we're interested in renting. There is one in particular(#1) that we are both in LOVE with (ok, maybe it's just me who's in love with it, but he likes it too). We call it, "The Dream House" and it is every bit of that. I'm not going to tell you all about it as I don't want to jinx it. But we do have a few that rank behind it that we'd be happy with we didn't get it, but they will never be the dream house. So, we'll see what happens with that. Keep your fingers crossed for the dream house though, that it will work out, and that the owners will be willing to negotiate on rent as it is a bit steep (but still within our means).
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Aftermath
Let me begin by first saying that I have the greatest husband in the world. In the aftermath of last night's events, needless to say I was not feeling so hot this morning. My husband laid in bed with me for awhile why I was fighting the urge to throw up asking me if he could do anything for me to make me feel better. He encouraged me to drink some water and take some Excedrin (which eventually made me throw up) and literally applauded me when I took sips. After about an hour, he got up and went downstairs to clean up.
Not only did he vacuum everything downstairs, but he cleaned the kitchen floor...I'm sorry, scrubbed it with Mr. Clean, and put away everything that was left out due to my inablity to care about the odds and ins last night. He has cleaned up everything downstairs so well that it looks like we never even had a party last night. This doesn't happen very often folks, but let me tell you, I am more than thankful and appreciative of him doing this for me. I guess this is his way of thanking me for tending to everything last night while he was out in the garage playing beer pong. Either way, I don't care. He's fantastic for cleaning up for me!!
On to last night's events.....
The party went off without a hitch and I'm hoping that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did. The cosutumes were great, we had lots of food and lots of drinks. John set up a beer pong table in the garage which was a big hit for the guys. Caroline and I tried our hand at it and lost, but we went down swinging which is the most important thing. Everyone left by midnight, and John went upstairs and passed out probably an hour before that! My only complaint about the party is just that I wish my house were bigger. Next year we'll have something bigger hopefully :)
I don't really have all that much else to say really. Party was great and today is not so great. It's been a beautiful fall day and I have spent most of it laid up the couch. Just when I think I'm feeling better, my stomach decides otherwise. I think I'll be done drinking for a while...however, I'm pretty sure that it's the shot of tequila that is making me feel this awful. I don't do tequila at all and I decided to do a half shot last night...big mistake!
So, without further chit chat, I'll give you to pictures I know you're dying to see!
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
Not only did he vacuum everything downstairs, but he cleaned the kitchen floor...I'm sorry, scrubbed it with Mr. Clean, and put away everything that was left out due to my inablity to care about the odds and ins last night. He has cleaned up everything downstairs so well that it looks like we never even had a party last night. This doesn't happen very often folks, but let me tell you, I am more than thankful and appreciative of him doing this for me. I guess this is his way of thanking me for tending to everything last night while he was out in the garage playing beer pong. Either way, I don't care. He's fantastic for cleaning up for me!!
On to last night's events.....
The party went off without a hitch and I'm hoping that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did. The cosutumes were great, we had lots of food and lots of drinks. John set up a beer pong table in the garage which was a big hit for the guys. Caroline and I tried our hand at it and lost, but we went down swinging which is the most important thing. Everyone left by midnight, and John went upstairs and passed out probably an hour before that! My only complaint about the party is just that I wish my house were bigger. Next year we'll have something bigger hopefully :)
I don't really have all that much else to say really. Party was great and today is not so great. It's been a beautiful fall day and I have spent most of it laid up the couch. Just when I think I'm feeling better, my stomach decides otherwise. I think I'll be done drinking for a while...however, I'm pretty sure that it's the shot of tequila that is making me feel this awful. I don't do tequila at all and I decided to do a half shot last night...big mistake!
So, without further chit chat, I'll give you to pictures I know you're dying to see!
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
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| From Someday We'll Put Down Roots |
Friday, October 24, 2008
Counting Down
In less than 24 hours from now, my house will be filled with munchies, friends dressed in Halloween costumes, food out the wazoo, and drinks to make you drunk enough to forget your worst nightmares. I prepped all the food today so tomorrow morning all I have to do is put everything together, store it in the fridge, and then pop it in the oven and hour before people show up.
My mom sent me some Halloween stuff last week and amongst it was a Halloween cook book. From it, I made some stuff called Monster Munchies. Doesn't it look good?
I am hoping it will go over well, but what's not to love about white chocolate covered pretzels, golden grahams, marshmallows, and Reece's Pieces?!?!
Amongst the other goodies we'll be providing to our haunting guests will be a devilish potion called Black Widow.
It consits of 5 different kinds of liquor, Sprite, and Sweet and Sour. My bartender back and Cincinnati introduced me to it, and boy, I tell you what, it will sneak up and punch you in the face. And what's even better, is that it's tastes NOTHING like alcohol!
Tomorrow should prove to be one hell of a time. I will be sure to post a quick pic and update before the party begins!
My mom sent me some Halloween stuff last week and amongst it was a Halloween cook book. From it, I made some stuff called Monster Munchies. Doesn't it look good?
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| From Blogger Pictures |
I am hoping it will go over well, but what's not to love about white chocolate covered pretzels, golden grahams, marshmallows, and Reece's Pieces?!?!
Amongst the other goodies we'll be providing to our haunting guests will be a devilish potion called Black Widow.
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| From Blogger Pictures |
It consits of 5 different kinds of liquor, Sprite, and Sweet and Sour. My bartender back and Cincinnati introduced me to it, and boy, I tell you what, it will sneak up and punch you in the face. And what's even better, is that it's tastes NOTHING like alcohol!
Tomorrow should prove to be one hell of a time. I will be sure to post a quick pic and update before the party begins!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Pumpkin Masters
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| From Blogger Pictures |
What a day it's been! I worked out, ran some errands with Julie, came home, ate lunch, met Mary at Toys R Us to help her with buying a stroller, went tanning, stopped by Mary's to drop off her stroller and borrowed her crock pot and dinning room chairs, came back home, went to Walmart to buy pumpkins, came home because I couldn't find my Costco card, figured out in was in a purse I change out in my back seat, went to Costco, came home, showered, fixed dinner, carved pumpkins, and now I'm finishing my day with posting this. Are you tired yet? Because I sure the hell am!
I thought I'd be crafty and buy the Pumpkin Masters book to carve my pumpkin this year. John and I usually just carve our own faces, keeping them a secret from one another, and then revealing them when we are finished. Well, I wanted to do the haunted house from the pumpkin book and damn, was that a BIG pain in my ass. John was done in maybe a half hour with his pumpkin. Me? Yeah, like an hour and a half I think? I thought it looked like garbage but after sticking a candle in it, it doesn't look half bad. I tell you what though, I will NOT be doing that again any time soon. I bought 2 pumpkins for myself and IF I have the time to carve the other one before Saturday, it will NOT be a Pumpkin Master carving...that's for sure!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Everything's Spookier with Spiderwebs
Saturday is a few days away and I've been diligently working on prepping the house for our Halloween party. Today's tasks completed so far are clearing counter space in the kitchen, picking up anything that is lying around, putting spiderwebs on pictures, and distributing Halloween accessories where they are needed (or where I think they are needed).
Here are the pictures in the hallway
The mantle
One of the spaces above the kitchen cabinets
Sconces in the dining room
Now that all that is done, I've got LOTS of cleaning to get done. All 3 bathrooms need to be scrubbed, dining room and living room need to be dusted, vacuum needs to be run...and the list goes on.
Here are the pictures in the hallway
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| From Blogger Pictures |
The mantle
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| From Blogger Pictures |
One of the spaces above the kitchen cabinets
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| From Blogger Pictures |
Sconces in the dining room
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| From Blogger Pictures |
Now that all that is done, I've got LOTS of cleaning to get done. All 3 bathrooms need to be scrubbed, dining room and living room need to be dusted, vacuum needs to be run...and the list goes on.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Why is it?
I've always wondered, why is it when you wake up way earlier than you're supposed and all you're trying to do is go back to bed, does everything sound 10x louder than it really is? I woke up at 4am when John's alarm went off and I did not fall back asleep until 6:15. I heard him in the shower blowing his nose (which pisses me off more than you'll ever know). Not sure why the man can't wait until he gets out and use a tissue like a human, but he feels the need to blow his nose in his hand while he showers and then rinse it down the drain. It's lazy and disgusting. He used to just put his finger over one nostril and blow, but I chewed him out because I was tired of having to clean buggers when I cleaned the shower. I can't even talk about any more because it makes me THAT mad. I've asked meanly and nicely for him not to do it, and he refuses.
At 6am I decided to watch the Golden Girls, and that's when I finally fell asleep again. I woke up at 7:30 when my alarm went off and did NOT wanna get up. Lying awake for 2 1/2 hours when I should have been sleeping didn't go over well with me. So I laid in bed until 8:15 and then got up.
I need to go to the tanning bed, workout, and start cleaning my house, but all I really want to do is just go back upstairs and take a nap. If I do that, I will not sleep well tonight and that really makes me unhappy. Even though John has duty tonight and I should sleep well anyways, I don't want to take any chances. It supposed to be sunny today, so I should get started on my day.
At 6am I decided to watch the Golden Girls, and that's when I finally fell asleep again. I woke up at 7:30 when my alarm went off and did NOT wanna get up. Lying awake for 2 1/2 hours when I should have been sleeping didn't go over well with me. So I laid in bed until 8:15 and then got up.
I need to go to the tanning bed, workout, and start cleaning my house, but all I really want to do is just go back upstairs and take a nap. If I do that, I will not sleep well tonight and that really makes me unhappy. Even though John has duty tonight and I should sleep well anyways, I don't want to take any chances. It supposed to be sunny today, so I should get started on my day.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Betty Crocker
Last night we had a Hail and Farewell to go to at the captain's house to say goodbye to the XO Chuck since he got orders for his shore duty, and to say hello to 5 new officers that have just signed onto the boat. Chuck and his wife (who is my good friend Julie) and their 3 kids will be relocating to Washington D.C. They will be here for a few more weeks, but he is officially done on the boat which as much as I think Julie would've been happy about that, I think she's tired of him being home. But I think that's how all of us military spouses feel at some point in time. We bitch and bitch about our husband's being out to sea, or working long hours, but then when they get a week or two off, after a few days we're ready to send them back. I guess it's just because we spend so much time alone, we're just used to not having to deal with them.
The new officers seem nice, and the ones that are married, their wives seem like they will be a great addition to our wardroom. I'm happy that there is one of them who doesn't have kids yet. I've been looking for a gym buddy to go to aerobics class with me, so I'm hoping that she'll be interested since she doesn't have kids. However, my time left with the boat is limited since we'll be heading to shore duty soon enough.
The party was fun and the spread that the Captain's wife put out was phenomenal! She had a good friend of hers make some party appetizers and it was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. Sumiko (the Captain's wife) is from Japan so she had her friend make sushi, but then she also had her make a lunch meat type sushi that didn't have fish in it for people like me who don't like fish. That was just one of the various things she had for appetizers. She completely outdid herself, but everything was delicious! My contribution to appetizers was a vegetable pizza that was super yummy. For dessert, I made a 2 layer strawberry cake with homemade icing and some brownies. Everyone raved about the cake and I'm guessing they like the brownies too since there were none left. So spending my Friday night and Saturday morning as Betty Crocker paid off.
There was much talk about our upcoming Halloween party which makes me that much more excited it. It seems like just about everyone is coming so we are going to have a very full house. I'm curious to see what some of these guys come up with for costumes, I'm sure it will be quite the sight. One of the guys Span asked if there was any sort of stipulations on what he could dress up as. I told him I didn't care if it was appropriate or inappropriate, just as long as he had a costume. I told the single guys if they showed up in regular clothes telling me they were something, I'd make them put on one of my bathing suits and a sash so they could compete with each other in the Miss Hawaiian Tropic swimsuit competition we could make up. They didn't seem to like the thought of that, so I trust they will come in a costume. With that being said, I've got a lot of things that need to be done this week so I guess I should start today!
The new officers seem nice, and the ones that are married, their wives seem like they will be a great addition to our wardroom. I'm happy that there is one of them who doesn't have kids yet. I've been looking for a gym buddy to go to aerobics class with me, so I'm hoping that she'll be interested since she doesn't have kids. However, my time left with the boat is limited since we'll be heading to shore duty soon enough.
The party was fun and the spread that the Captain's wife put out was phenomenal! She had a good friend of hers make some party appetizers and it was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. Sumiko (the Captain's wife) is from Japan so she had her friend make sushi, but then she also had her make a lunch meat type sushi that didn't have fish in it for people like me who don't like fish. That was just one of the various things she had for appetizers. She completely outdid herself, but everything was delicious! My contribution to appetizers was a vegetable pizza that was super yummy. For dessert, I made a 2 layer strawberry cake with homemade icing and some brownies. Everyone raved about the cake and I'm guessing they like the brownies too since there were none left. So spending my Friday night and Saturday morning as Betty Crocker paid off.
There was much talk about our upcoming Halloween party which makes me that much more excited it. It seems like just about everyone is coming so we are going to have a very full house. I'm curious to see what some of these guys come up with for costumes, I'm sure it will be quite the sight. One of the guys Span asked if there was any sort of stipulations on what he could dress up as. I told him I didn't care if it was appropriate or inappropriate, just as long as he had a costume. I told the single guys if they showed up in regular clothes telling me they were something, I'd make them put on one of my bathing suits and a sash so they could compete with each other in the Miss Hawaiian Tropic swimsuit competition we could make up. They didn't seem to like the thought of that, so I trust they will come in a costume. With that being said, I've got a lot of things that need to be done this week so I guess I should start today!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Adventures in Babysitting...And Then Some
Yesterday was my the first time I got to babysit for my friend Mary, whose daughter, Sophie, is 3 weeks old. First I have to tell you that she had Sophie dressed in a Halloween onesie with little black pants. She looked so cute! Mary told me that she put it on her just for me since I love Halloween so much. My friends knows I'm a freak and they help indulge me :) We chat for a few minutes and then Mary left to go get her eyebrows waxed. Well, she wasn't even gone for one minute before I heard it. Yes...IT. The dreaded dirty, wet, the, "Oh God, I'm gonna vomit it's going to smell so bad," fart. I looked at Sophie and shook my head. "You just had to do it didn't ya kid?" I said with a laugh. Being the smart person I am, I decided to wait a few minutes because I was sure it wasn't over. And I was right. A few minutes later, I heard it again. So I wait another minute or so and decided we could go for the change.
I picked her up, laid her on the changing pad, got a diaper and some wipes and prepared for the worst. Luckily, it didn't smell as bad as I had anticipated, however, it leaked out of her diaper, onto her onsie, the inside of her pants, and on her leg. Lucky me! So I gave her a Mexican bath, changed her clothes, and then we were fine. Oh, except it's been WAY too long since I've put a diaper on an infant, which resulted in what Mary called, "the low-rider" diaper." Yeah, I didn't quite get it over her little butt, so she had some crack showing. Thank God she didn't poop again before Mary fixed it and laughed at me! So sue me, if that's the worse I can do while babysitting, I think I'm alright :)
Today was pretty uneventful except for the usual things...working out, tanning, running errands. I did, however, get my Halloween costume and I am more than excited about it! I can't tell you what it is yet, you'll have to wait and see. We are throwing a costume party next Saturday which should prove to be a good time.
Oh, and here is my rant for the day. I went to the package store to buy a bottle of wine and some beer for tomorrow's Hail and Farewell party we have to go to. As I'm standing in line, I see the second cashier making a phone call asking about Visa gift cards. No big deal. So when she hangs up the phone, she starts talking to the other cashier who is checking someone out. Keep in mind, at this point there are 3 people behind me. So she finishes whatever she's talking about, and calls me up to ring me out. As she's scanning my 2 items, another guy that works there walks past me and the display at the edge of the counter to go around. As he walks by, he knocks off one of the bottles, it breaks, and spills everywhere. So the woman checking me out looks over, and says, "Oh my gosh, let me go get a mop." That's fine and all, but she walks away, and just leaves me standing there, I've already swiped my card, and it's waiting for her to push the debit on HER side of the counter. So I'm thinking to myself, she's just going to grab the mop and give it to him. NO!! She proceeds to start moping it up while I'm just standing there! And there are still 3 other people waiting in line! I'm usually pretty patient but for God's sake, the man could have mopped it up. It wasn't like there was no one there to mop it up and it was going to be a hazard to customers. After the other cashier finished checking out her customer, she came over and asked if I was waiting for something. I told her I was waiting for her to push the debit key. So she finished my sale, I thanked her, and walked out rolling my eyes at the thought of the cashier that just walked away while checking me out. Fantastic customer service!
I picked her up, laid her on the changing pad, got a diaper and some wipes and prepared for the worst. Luckily, it didn't smell as bad as I had anticipated, however, it leaked out of her diaper, onto her onsie, the inside of her pants, and on her leg. Lucky me! So I gave her a Mexican bath, changed her clothes, and then we were fine. Oh, except it's been WAY too long since I've put a diaper on an infant, which resulted in what Mary called, "the low-rider" diaper." Yeah, I didn't quite get it over her little butt, so she had some crack showing. Thank God she didn't poop again before Mary fixed it and laughed at me! So sue me, if that's the worse I can do while babysitting, I think I'm alright :)
Today was pretty uneventful except for the usual things...working out, tanning, running errands. I did, however, get my Halloween costume and I am more than excited about it! I can't tell you what it is yet, you'll have to wait and see. We are throwing a costume party next Saturday which should prove to be a good time.
Oh, and here is my rant for the day. I went to the package store to buy a bottle of wine and some beer for tomorrow's Hail and Farewell party we have to go to. As I'm standing in line, I see the second cashier making a phone call asking about Visa gift cards. No big deal. So when she hangs up the phone, she starts talking to the other cashier who is checking someone out. Keep in mind, at this point there are 3 people behind me. So she finishes whatever she's talking about, and calls me up to ring me out. As she's scanning my 2 items, another guy that works there walks past me and the display at the edge of the counter to go around. As he walks by, he knocks off one of the bottles, it breaks, and spills everywhere. So the woman checking me out looks over, and says, "Oh my gosh, let me go get a mop." That's fine and all, but she walks away, and just leaves me standing there, I've already swiped my card, and it's waiting for her to push the debit on HER side of the counter. So I'm thinking to myself, she's just going to grab the mop and give it to him. NO!! She proceeds to start moping it up while I'm just standing there! And there are still 3 other people waiting in line! I'm usually pretty patient but for God's sake, the man could have mopped it up. It wasn't like there was no one there to mop it up and it was going to be a hazard to customers. After the other cashier finished checking out her customer, she came over and asked if I was waiting for something. I told her I was waiting for her to push the debit key. So she finished my sale, I thanked her, and walked out rolling my eyes at the thought of the cashier that just walked away while checking me out. Fantastic customer service!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
It's About Time
I can't even begin to tell you how much time I spent yesterday trying to figure out how to upload pictures to this blog. On top of that, I noticed that all of my paragraphs became one giant paragraph. I felt like I was back in Las Vegas, reading some of my 7th graders papers. Trust me, it's enough to make your head spin. So I did what every good teacher does, I decided that I'd had enough for one day and that I'd screw with it today.
When I logged in today, I messed with some of the settings and TA DA!! I figured out how to post pictures and what I did yesterday that screwed up my paragraphs. I was beyond frustrated so figuring this out makes me feel so much better. I knew I had a college degree for something!
Now, the next thing I need to figure out is how to get Facebook to stop emailing me when people comment on a photo of someone else's that I too had commented about. That's starting to annoy me. In the age of technology, as much as I love it..I hate it!
When I logged in today, I messed with some of the settings and TA DA!! I figured out how to post pictures and what I did yesterday that screwed up my paragraphs. I was beyond frustrated so figuring this out makes me feel so much better. I knew I had a college degree for something!
Now, the next thing I need to figure out is how to get Facebook to stop emailing me when people comment on a photo of someone else's that I too had commented about. That's starting to annoy me. In the age of technology, as much as I love it..I hate it!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Choppity chop chop
Yesterday I had an appointment to get a much needed haircut. Back in June before the summer hit, I decided that maybe it was time to go for a shorter, more sophisticated look. So when my hairdresser cut my hair, I loved it! It was the shortest I think I've ever had. Mind you, my definition of "short" is not everyone else's definition, but for me, it was short. I've only had one hair cut since then and it just didn't seem the same since my Ohio hairdresser Martha cut it and not my Washington hairdresser Mandy. My cute cut has since grown out, and just looked mangy to me.
Anyways, I had a date with Mandy yesterday and I told her to choppity chop chop chop my hair. After she cut and styled it, I loved it, but told her I'd like it just a bit shorter, so she happily cut some more. Let me just tell you, THIS is the shortest my hair as EVER been! I can't put it in a ponytail and the back of my hair doesn't touch my neck. YIKES! But man, it's the cutest haircut I've had yet!!
As I was washing my hair in the shower today I kept trying to run my fingers through my hair, only to be shocked at how much hair there isn't there! When I was finished and went to squeeze the water out of my hair, there was nothing there the squeeze. I had to press my hands against my head to get as much water out as I could. I felt like an idiot, but hey, I don't like to drip water all over the floor. It bothers me (and I WISH it bothered John)!
If you happen to read this before I put a picture up...be patient. I'm still learning how this works. I hope you enjoy my new hair as much as I do!
Anyways, I had a date with Mandy yesterday and I told her to choppity chop chop chop my hair. After she cut and styled it, I loved it, but told her I'd like it just a bit shorter, so she happily cut some more. Let me just tell you, THIS is the shortest my hair as EVER been! I can't put it in a ponytail and the back of my hair doesn't touch my neck. YIKES! But man, it's the cutest haircut I've had yet!!
As I was washing my hair in the shower today I kept trying to run my fingers through my hair, only to be shocked at how much hair there isn't there! When I was finished and went to squeeze the water out of my hair, there was nothing there the squeeze. I had to press my hands against my head to get as much water out as I could. I felt like an idiot, but hey, I don't like to drip water all over the floor. It bothers me (and I WISH it bothered John)!
If you happen to read this before I put a picture up...be patient. I'm still learning how this works. I hope you enjoy my new hair as much as I do!
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| From Blogger Pictures |
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
One Decision After Another
With October passing right before our very eyes, November is quick to knock on our doorstep, and with November hopefully comes orders. What are orders you say? For those of you that are not military lingo savvy, orders are the pieces of paper that the Navy sends to John to tell him where he will be going next. Granted these orders don't just come out of the blue and John does have a say in where they (the Navy) potentially will send him, however they make the final choice for him.
Back in August, we had the big discussion about where we'd like to go next. We looked at the options and both decided that Hawaii sounded like a great idea so John filled his first 3 picks with jobs in Pearl Harbor. We were constantly talking about it and how great it would be. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Well, my sister told me in September that she was going to have a 4th child. All I could think about was how I would probably only see this child 1, maybe 2 times in the 2 years that we'd be living in Hawaii. It bothered me, but my sister and I both have webcam, so it's not like I wouldn't ever really see this kid.
On September 4th I flew to Hawaii for 10 days since John's boat was pulling in there before they came back from their 2 month underway. From the moment my plane touched down and I drove down to the apartment we were staying in in Waikiki I kept saying to myself, "I'm going to live here!" Being able to walk to the beach, seeing it from the balcony, and never needing to wear a jacket, I thought, "This is great!" Well, as the days went on, John and I were discussing his picks for shore duty and whether or not we really wanted to be in Hawaii or not. I was sad to admit it, but I just didn't feel like I could live there. I know you're all thinking, "You're crazy!" But, I had to go with my gut. Every place I've ever been/moved to in my life, I've known in my gut that I was going to live there. Saratoga, Vegas, and here in Seattle, when I visited these places on vacations, something in my body told me that I was going to live there someday...and I just didn't get that feeling in Hawaii. So, John emailed his detailer (the guy who picks his job for shore duty and who sends his orders) and told him we'd like to go back to Saratoga Springs, NY.
Now we are patiently waiting for those papers to arrive, telling us 100% that we'll be heading back East. The job up there is not something people like to volunteer for since it's shift work, so when you do volunteer, you're pretty much guaranteed that job, but I've learned that NOTHING is ever guaranteed, especially in the Navy. Even though I say that, it doesn't stop me from looking every single day for a house to rent. It's one decision after another, and it never seems to get any easier!
Back in August, we had the big discussion about where we'd like to go next. We looked at the options and both decided that Hawaii sounded like a great idea so John filled his first 3 picks with jobs in Pearl Harbor. We were constantly talking about it and how great it would be. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Well, my sister told me in September that she was going to have a 4th child. All I could think about was how I would probably only see this child 1, maybe 2 times in the 2 years that we'd be living in Hawaii. It bothered me, but my sister and I both have webcam, so it's not like I wouldn't ever really see this kid.
On September 4th I flew to Hawaii for 10 days since John's boat was pulling in there before they came back from their 2 month underway. From the moment my plane touched down and I drove down to the apartment we were staying in in Waikiki I kept saying to myself, "I'm going to live here!" Being able to walk to the beach, seeing it from the balcony, and never needing to wear a jacket, I thought, "This is great!" Well, as the days went on, John and I were discussing his picks for shore duty and whether or not we really wanted to be in Hawaii or not. I was sad to admit it, but I just didn't feel like I could live there. I know you're all thinking, "You're crazy!" But, I had to go with my gut. Every place I've ever been/moved to in my life, I've known in my gut that I was going to live there. Saratoga, Vegas, and here in Seattle, when I visited these places on vacations, something in my body told me that I was going to live there someday...and I just didn't get that feeling in Hawaii. So, John emailed his detailer (the guy who picks his job for shore duty and who sends his orders) and told him we'd like to go back to Saratoga Springs, NY.
Now we are patiently waiting for those papers to arrive, telling us 100% that we'll be heading back East. The job up there is not something people like to volunteer for since it's shift work, so when you do volunteer, you're pretty much guaranteed that job, but I've learned that NOTHING is ever guaranteed, especially in the Navy. Even though I say that, it doesn't stop me from looking every single day for a house to rent. It's one decision after another, and it never seems to get any easier!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Births and Death
In the past 24 hours I've heard of 2 birthds and 1 death. As I mentioned yesterday, my friend Erin gave birth to her 2nd child, a daughter named Alayna (who by the way is beautiful!). Well, I called Amanda during my time waiting for John to come home and she mentioned she was at Niki's house, hanging out with her since she was upset over the death of her grandpa. I have had the pleasure of meeting Niki's grandparents a few times in the past and her grandpa was just the cutest and sweetest old man. I've heard that his health was up and down in the past year, and yesterday, he passed. I'm sad for Niki's and her family's loss. I can only hold them and her grandma in my prayers.
Today, after I got out of the shower, I got a phone call from my friend Bethany who lives in South Carolina. She sounded odd so I asked her what was wrong and much to my surprise, she told me she and her husband just had their baby boy who was scheduled to arrive on the 30th of this month via c-section! It was crazy because I just read up on her blog last night (again, while waiting for John to come home) and I was thinking how lucky she was because she had mentioned how God had gotten everything in order for them as far as getting time off before the baby arrived. So, it looks like God was looking out for her. They named their son Ethan Michael and he will be little brother to his sister Maggie, and their late son Chase. She said that Ethan is still in the NICU with some fluid on his lung, but his weight and everything else looks good, so I am hopeful that all will be well and they will all be able to go home soon, happy and healthy.
They say that these things come in 3s, whether that's 3 births equal 1 death, or 2 births to 1 death...I don't know what the ratios are, or even if it's true. It's a saying and I'm sure it doesn't mean anything. After all, I don't know anyone else who is supposed to give birth in the next few days and I'm hoping that no one else I know dies (I'm not trying to be morbid).
Births and Death......that sums up today.
Today, after I got out of the shower, I got a phone call from my friend Bethany who lives in South Carolina. She sounded odd so I asked her what was wrong and much to my surprise, she told me she and her husband just had their baby boy who was scheduled to arrive on the 30th of this month via c-section! It was crazy because I just read up on her blog last night (again, while waiting for John to come home) and I was thinking how lucky she was because she had mentioned how God had gotten everything in order for them as far as getting time off before the baby arrived. So, it looks like God was looking out for her. They named their son Ethan Michael and he will be little brother to his sister Maggie, and their late son Chase. She said that Ethan is still in the NICU with some fluid on his lung, but his weight and everything else looks good, so I am hopeful that all will be well and they will all be able to go home soon, happy and healthy.
They say that these things come in 3s, whether that's 3 births equal 1 death, or 2 births to 1 death...I don't know what the ratios are, or even if it's true. It's a saying and I'm sure it doesn't mean anything. After all, I don't know anyone else who is supposed to give birth in the next few days and I'm hoping that no one else I know dies (I'm not trying to be morbid).
Births and Death......that sums up today.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Jumping On Board
I've known quite a few people to do this and the more people I know that do it, the more it made me want to do it too. So here I am, jumping on board.
I figured it will be a good thing for me to do, not only because I live away from my family and friends, but I think it will help me put things going on in our life into perspective and maybe I'll give my husband a break from time to time :) I figure it will give me a chance to sort of keep in touch with everyone I grew up with, friends I've made along the way, and friends I will make in the future. Being on the West coast has it's advantages and disadvantages as far as keeping in contact with people goes. Phone calls with those that live on the East coast are pretty easy for me to keep up with since their evenings are my afternoons for the most part. The friends I have up here, well, they all are housewives as well, and all of them are mothers, so we can talk during the day or during nap times. My Vegas friends, I can talk to them before John gets home from work or once he goes to bed. That will be a little tougher if we ever move back East. So, all around, I am assuming that this blog post will be good thing.
I'm going to make a conscious effort to post to this daily. Whether it be an all out account of the daily happenings or just something good, bad, or interesting that I've come across in my day, or John's day for that fact, but he'd actually have to talk about his day for me to comment on that!
Speaking of John, I am waiting on him to come home. Since he's the super smart guy that he is, he gets to be the ENG this week while the current ENG goes on leave. What that means to me? Well hell, I don't really know. I think it means longer hours at work, phone calls at night when we're trying to sleep, and a crabby husband when he gets home. Whether or not that will be the case is beyond me. I'll tell you next week. As thankful as I am that John is as smart as he is, it has it's downfalls too. Poor me right?! I know none of you are giving me any sympathy, and I'm ok with that :)
I figured it will be a good thing for me to do, not only because I live away from my family and friends, but I think it will help me put things going on in our life into perspective and maybe I'll give my husband a break from time to time :) I figure it will give me a chance to sort of keep in touch with everyone I grew up with, friends I've made along the way, and friends I will make in the future. Being on the West coast has it's advantages and disadvantages as far as keeping in contact with people goes. Phone calls with those that live on the East coast are pretty easy for me to keep up with since their evenings are my afternoons for the most part. The friends I have up here, well, they all are housewives as well, and all of them are mothers, so we can talk during the day or during nap times. My Vegas friends, I can talk to them before John gets home from work or once he goes to bed. That will be a little tougher if we ever move back East. So, all around, I am assuming that this blog post will be good thing.
I'm going to make a conscious effort to post to this daily. Whether it be an all out account of the daily happenings or just something good, bad, or interesting that I've come across in my day, or John's day for that fact, but he'd actually have to talk about his day for me to comment on that!
Speaking of John, I am waiting on him to come home. Since he's the super smart guy that he is, he gets to be the ENG this week while the current ENG goes on leave. What that means to me? Well hell, I don't really know. I think it means longer hours at work, phone calls at night when we're trying to sleep, and a crabby husband when he gets home. Whether or not that will be the case is beyond me. I'll tell you next week. As thankful as I am that John is as smart as he is, it has it's downfalls too. Poor me right?! I know none of you are giving me any sympathy, and I'm ok with that :)
Congratulations to my friend Erin Darringer today for giving birth to her 2nd baby! A baby girl named Alayna Jo. I can't wait to see pictures of her!
Other than that, I have nothing else to report on...for now at least :)
Until tomorrow......
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