Something Fun

A few days ago, I saw this on a friend's blog and thought I would do it too. =) It's a little handwriting game. Since we're all on the typing side of life here in blogland, I think it's fun to see everyone's handwriting styles. Mine is not the best... And if you look closely, I even misspelled a word which is very rare for me. =P Here are the questions/prompts:

1. What is your name/blogger name?

2. What is your blog's URL?

3. Write: The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog.

4. Favorite quote?

5. Your favorite song?

6. Your favorite band/singers?

7. Anything else you want to say?

8. Tag 3-5 other people

Katie (who I "stole" this from) was all cutesy and used a legal pad. You know, since she's a lawyer and everything. ;-) I thought I'd go old school and use a spiral bound notebook I have lying around. The teacher in me hates spiral bound notebooks (unless they're being used for journals, in which case I actually prefer them) but they work well for random note-taking and the occasional blog post. =P So, if you've been tagged please feel free to do the same ASAP whenever you please. And if I didn't tag you and you still want to do it - go for it!

And while we're on the subject of fun... I have purchased some books for the giveaway to celebrate the big 4-0-0! =) I have no idea when they'll get here, but I will post the giveaway as soon as they do! I'm also keeping the names of the books a secret until then. (But if you're a smartie and have been paying attention to my blog at all in the last few weeks, you may already know. ;-)) I have about 16 posts before I hit 400, so I hope they get here before then!

Disappointed

When you grow up in Oklahoma, you have a certain expectation when you hear words like "warning," "thunderstorm," and "stay indoors." You also grow to expect certain things upon hearing thunder. Eventually, you learn to fully believe the weatherman when he says that it will most certainly storm today, even if it's the middle of January. Crazier things have happened in Tornado Alley. Here in Hawaii, there is much disappointment to be had for the native Oklahoman.

I might have heard the weatherman say there would be storms today. I just brushed it off. Yesterday, we were guaranteed rain and I do believe it rained for 20 minutes on my side of the island before the clouds cleared. Since I was forced to stay home today thanks to good ole Aunt Flo instead of going to the museum, I saw a fictional ray of light when I heard the first rumble of thunder. Finally my day was looking up!!

I watched as dark clouds made their way toward my house, hoping they would bring lots of thunder and rain. There's nothing quite as satisfying as being home while it's pouring down rain and storming. We "crazy" Oklahomans like to sit on our porches and watch these storms as if it were simply rain. In fact, I did this a lot as a child. We'd all sit on the porch, listening to the thunder, watching the lightning and rain. I won't lie that I would jump at loud claps of thunder. I still do when I'm at home, where the real storms are.

After a while, it started to rain but even that didn't last long. The thunder would rumble every once and a while, but it was nothing exciting. I didn't see any lightning, but maybe that's because it was daylight and it doesn't get as dark here during storms as it does at home. After an hour or so, the thunder stopped altogether. It's sad. I was all geared up for some serious thunder and all of the rain that those "flash flood warnings" had predicted earlier.

Only an hour ago did the lightning start appearing. I can still hear some low rumbles of thunder, but it's disappointing. I know that the east (?) side of the island is getting hit hard with the rain, but I would at least like something to happen over here!! The best storm we've had all season was when Joe was home on R&R. It was absolutely pouring, the thunder was loud and crackly and there was a fair amount of lightning. It was almost like being home. Joe even laughed at me because I was jumping around all excited and even took a video of it. 


What can I say? I'm an Oklahoma girl, raised where summer nights were spent in cellars or bathtubs, listening to the weather radio and watching my dad "stand guard" watching the storm. I was woken up by many a tornado siren during the middle of the night and forced to run across the backyard into the safety of the storm cellar. Our schools all but shut down when Severe Thunderstorm Warnings/Tornado Watches were issued. When in a random store during a bad storm, we would think of places to hide just in case. One night after church - while Joe and I were engaged - I went home with him (because his house was closer) and hid in his parents' hallway closet with him, my SIL, my nephew and my MIL for a good 2-3 hours before the storm had passed. I'm used to hail, 60 mph winds, the loudest thunder you've ever heard, funnel clouds, wall clouds and pouring rain. So this - this rumbly thunder and sprinkling rain - is highly disappointing. 


When can I go home again?!


Here's hoping an awesome thunderstorm is waiting for me the next time I travel to Oklahoma. ;-)

Normal to Hormonal in 3.5 Seconds

Oy vey. It's been one of those days. Well, more like one of those evenings. My day was actually pretty good. I just can't seem to get a handle on these emotions and I have the lovely Aunt Flo to thank for that. She's not here full force just yet, but her presence is evident.

I cried last night while trying to get to sleep, which I just chalked up to my monthly deployment breakdown. I figure that since my hubby is gone I deserve at least one breakdown a month. I did feel better afterward and finally fell asleep. This evening? Oh so different.

First it was the old emails I had saved in a folder from my trying-to-get-a-teaching-job days. I remembered all the trouble I went through calling, emailing, interviewing and searching and how I came up with nothing and neither did Joe. I remembered how I loved teaching... How I always knew I'd be a teacher. Yet, three years after those interviews, calls and emails I'm not a teacher.

Then it was a card found in my household notebook, given to me by my former Chili's co-workers on my last day. I would never have thought I would actually miss working there. Maybe I don't and I just miss those friends. I miss a lot of my friends from home... But I spent a considerable amount of time with these people while Joe was in BCT. I saw most of them every day, 5 days a week.

And then my brain moved on from there to when I leave my friends here or vice versa. Then I was missing my bestie...and then my brain finally landed on the one person I miss the most. My hubby. That was all it took to turn me into a big, weeping hot mess. I shot what was probably the most unintelligible email ever to my bestie and about 2 minutes later my hubby got online. Praise the Lord! Within mere minutes of seeing his face, he had me laughing. How does he do that?! How does he take a weepy, emotional me and turn it into a happy me? He must possess some sort of magical powers. ;-)

In other news, I got some awesome things today. Both of them make me smile. I think we shall start with the prettiest. =)

Folks, you are looking at exactly 2.5 dozen roses. =) Pretty, pretty, pretty! These were supposed to arrive on the 16th (the same day as the tulips) but never did. Once again, my hubby got screwed by the online flower companies. Hence the 1/2 extra dozen of roses and an "we're sorry" note card. Hubby also got them to refund a small percentage of his money... Which really isn't doing very much. But, I really can't complain. I mean, look how pretty!!! =D Even better, they were waiting on my when I got home. Hehe.

I finally found a frame for my Blue Star!! I got it at the PX of all places. I spent probably way too much money for it (considering I could have gotten a cheaper one at Ross or WalMart) but I didn't feel like going anywhere else and I've been dying to put it up somewhere. Originally, I was going to put it on a shelf but it was too big! So, it's going to hang here in the entryway under the frame with our names in it (which is why you aren't allowed to see it =P) until the rest of the living room is properly decorated. I like it.

The best part about it? My husband had no idea what it was when I showed him. =P His reaction was exactly this:

"I like it! But, um, the star is the wrong color..."

Hahahaha! I seriously had to explain to him what the blue star meant!!! Ah, my sweet hubby. Silly as he is, he remains the only man alive who can cheer me up from thousands of miles away. =)

Decisions...

❊ Even though very few people commented on my suggestion of a book giveaway to celebrate the upcoming 400th post, I think I'm going to go ahead with it. Since I've been reading romance-y novels and wedding-related books lately, I thought I would do something along those lines. What would y'all think about that? Please let me know!! I want to do something that's fun for everyone. =)

❊ After receiving some very pretty tulips from my hubby last week, I think I've decided to start getting fresh flowers for the house more often. For some reason, they really make me happy. It could just be that I know they're from Joe, but I like the idea of having flowers in the house all the time. We'll see how it goes.

❊ I am officially booked to fly back to the mainland for my BIL's wedding in May! I'm not real thrilled about making that trek alone...again...but it wasn't too bad last time. Plus, I get to go to a wedding and see family and friends. And this time, I'm pretty sure I'm going to rent a car. My mom won't be off work this time I go in, and the rest of my family works (except for the grandparents of course) and I don't want any of them to go carless just because I want to run around and see people. Since my in-laws are paying for my plane tickets and I'm staying with my parents, I figure we can cover a one week car rental. And supposedly, I can get like 25% off through our bank. Gotta love the military. I just hope the discount works.


❊ Our church recently did a series called "Do Something," which I'm sure is based off of Miles McPherson's book. The idea is that so many Christians in America are comfortable. We go to church, get "fed" (spiritually speaking) and then go home...and never act on what we learn. So, he urges us to get out there and "Do Something." (Oh, I should probably mention that Miles McPherson is the pastor of The Rock Church in San Diego.) I've been thinking of what God wants me to do... Why I'm an Army wife... Why I'm here... I've been thinking of a couple things, but I haven't had a clear word of what I should be doing yet.


I've decided that I'm going to start small. I want to reach out to other military wives, who may or may not have a relationship with God. I can do that partially from here (which is one of the things I've been mulling over) and partially "in real life." I want it to be encouraging, thoughtful and helpful. (That's sort of a "duh" statement, I think.) So tomorrow, I'm going to get a package together for someone I've never really been close to. We went to school together and now she's also an Army wife and her husband just got deployed. She's nowhere near an army post because her hubby graduated from AIT, got PCS orders and then got deployment orders. I won't say she's having a really difficult time, but we all know that deployments are hard. I know that having other spouses to talk to about deployment really helps me, and she just doesn't have that. We've been Facebooking back and forth, but I want to "do something" more. =)

❊ So that's it, really! I've had a pretty good weekend. Since it's a 4 day weekend for most, I'll count Friday too. =)

Friday, I got the oil in the car changed. It took them just under an hour. They were super-swamped, but I think they did mine first because I was one of two people who actually waited there for their car to get done. I'm ok with this. I even managed to run to the commissary for a few things, go home, change and head to our FRG meeting.

Saturday, I managed to do 3 loads of laundry (and put most of it away) and a load of dishes. I talked to my MIL for a while and then got a call from my FIL, who booked my flights for the wedding. I finished the day with dinner with our little group of girls. Christina made the best red velvet cake I've ever eaten in my life and I had a glass of red wine...which affected me more than it should have. =P Red wine hits me HARD! We also played Bezzerwizzer, which is a fun trivia game... Even though I really SUCK at trivia games. Joe would probably love it though.

Today, I went to church against my mother's advice. =P I seemed to have hives this morning...but now I'm not really sure that's what it was. I've been sorta itchy for a few days, but I figured it was just the different lotion I've been using. Well, when I got out of the shower today, I had red bumps all over my chest, back and some on my legs. Wha?! Naturally, I called my mom. (Don't tell me you don't do the same!) She and Dad deduced that it was hives because of the itching. "Dr." Mom told me to take benadryl and stay home. Benadryl knocks me out, so no driving while "under the influence." =P Well, I don't stay home from church unless I'm deathly ill. I feel like it's just letting the enemy win when (hello, homonyms!) I stay home if I'm not dying. =P Even though I didn't take any medicine, I'm not really that itchy anymore... And the bumps on my back aren't nearly as red. Who knows?! I've been lazy most of the day (in an attempt to get rid of/ward off the hives), which included cat-napping on the couch and watching movies on TV.

Now, I'm off to download another book for my Nook (which may or may not include romance, weddings and history). =)

Hope y'all had a great weekend!!

Thursday Things

I really was going to try to have a nice, coherent post for you today. Apparently, my brain didn't think that was a good idea because I now have no idea what it was going to be. =P It may have something to do with the fact that I just watched Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice which were both sad and...somber. Plus I seem to be emotional today. *sigh*

Minus the emotional issues, I had a pretty good day. Nothing really special or anything, just a good day. I did end up spending three hours at the museum going through photos from the 70s and 80s, searching for women serving in the Army. I think someone wants to put together an all-important PowerPoint presentation depicting women serving in the Army in days past. Yesterday I covered the 50s and 60s and actually found more than I expected to. Today? I found ONE. PHOTO. One. Out of probably thousands that I went through today. Literally. I opened two large photo boxes and dived in. Most of them are combat photos which - guess what - women aren't in! That was a little irritating. Luckily, K (the curator) is fairly chatty herself. At least that passed the time a bit.


Other than chatting with my husband, I got a couple things when I got home that made my day. Remember, I love getting packages.


Package number one came with a little something I ordered from Etsy last week:

Isn't it great?! I love it. =) As soon as I get a frame for it, I think I'm going to sit it on the bookshelf until the living room is ready for its makeover. Oh. I think we decided to go ahead and do the red, white and blue theme in the living room. We're just going to do it slowly, though. Pick up things here and there. I'm thinking that around June I'll start seeing July 4th decorations and hopefully be able to pick up some nice decorations. And then, of course, there are always the post-holiday sales. =) Those will be key! And I'm still going to use all - or most - of the beachy decorations I have. We'll just be moving those to the bathroom and possibly the hallway.


And then there's package #2:

Since I blacked out our names and addresses, I'll go ahead and tell you it was from the best sister {in law} ever Anna. =) I had asked her about a week (ish...) ago for some Mary Kay eye makeup remover. I was completely out and she's our "resident" consultant. ;-) We talked on Friday and she mentioned she was sending it to me on Monday, but didn't want to send just that. Well, I really thought about it hard, but I couldn't think of anything else I needed! She, however, went ahead and filled that sucker full of goodies!

Look at all the stuff I got!! Isn't it awesome?! I am especially loving the cute water bottle {other than the MK stuff, of course}! I've actually just been thinking lately that I wanted one, but had yet to go shopping for one. Now I don't have to! And I so love that she sent "dessert gum" (it's mint chocolate chip flavored) because she knows I'm trying to lose weight. So thoughtful! Those two beach prints are about to find their way into my bathroom. =) Haven't decided about the photo album yet (that's what's in the back of the box), but I'm sure I can find something to do with it. I have such a thoughtful sister in law. =)


I was talking to Joe about it earlier and I said, "This must be how you feel when you get packages!" I mean, I didn't ask for anything other than the MK stuff and she just added all the rest. =) He said that getting packages was really nice. I think I've sent him too many...or that my last one was way too good. ;-) He's getting spoiled! Is it really sad that I am thinking of going to the gym just so I can show off the water bottle?! Haha! Probably is...but, whatever gets me to the gym, right?! Honestly, I think that will depend on the weather in the morning. It's supposed to rain all night and possibly tomorrow. Rain = no gym. But, I'll probably do that killer Pilates workout even if I don't go. That one requires lots of water.

So. My 400th post (400?! Wow.) is coming up soon. Like in the next 2 weeks soon. I've been considering doing a book giveaway. I like to read a lot as some of you know. I think most of you do too. So, would you be interested in something like this? And if you are, what kind of books do you prefer to read? Let me know what you think!


Does anyone have any ideas how I can shove myself into scrapbooking again? I promised my bestie that I'd make her little girl one... And that was several months before she was born. She's now one month old. Bestie FAIL. Luckily, the bestie knows me well enough to know that I'm a serious procrastinator and it will get done eventually. =P So gracious, that one. I also have to work on a blanket for my newest little nephew's arrival in May. Lots of crafting to do and no "want" to do it! I'd rather not wait til the last minute to do it, but...as one of many queens of procrastination I make no promises. 

That needs to be on a wall in my house somewhere. Should have been on a poster in my bedroom when I was in high school and college. =P I have 2 "worst procrastination ever" stories. 


One: I stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m. my sophomore? year of college working on a portfolio for Intro to Ed that was due the next day. I started and finished that thing in one night. It was a very bad idea...and I'm pretty sure I didn't get an A. But, really, who can recite and give appropriate examples of all 10 INTASC standards at midnight when you've been up since 6a.m.?! 


Two: I waited until 2 days before a 10 (ish) page paper was due for my American Revolution class my junior year. I worked on it all weekend, and then the day before my class and still just couldn't finish it. I was at that point where you just can't focus on it anymore. As another girl in my class, I was tempted to flat-out lie to the teacher and tell him that I'd had so many other things to do that I couldn't possibly finish it, knowing he'd take at least 10 points off for it being late. I didn't. Instead, I told a partial lie. =) I told him that I could have handed it in (which was probably true to a degree) but that I didn't want to give him a paper that could be done better. I got a 98%. ;-) I also remember him leaving me a note on the paper saying that it was very well done. I guess those 2 extra days helped. Thanks again, Dr. Monotone! (He gave lectures in the most boring tone ever. Still not sure how I stayed awake.)


Since we're on the topic, I have some FRG files to work on before tomorrow's meeting. *sigh* The joys of being co-leader [and procrastinating/forgetting]. I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow with a lovely FRG story for you. 


Smile! It's almost the weekend!

Betcha Didn't Know...

I'm feeling quite random today. Part of it is because I'm tired and the other part is...well, just me. ;-) For your reading pleasure today, I'm treating you to a list of what I like to call "Fun Facts" about me. Enjoy. =)

❊ I drink sweet tea by the gallon. If there is a tea shortage in our house, beware!


❊ I like to be organized, but I hate filing things away. Instead, I organize them into a drawer.

❊ I love coffee, but I rarely drink it anymore.

❊ I'm a sucker for cute socks.

❊ I still make CDs to listen to in the car. Ours doesn't have the handy "Audio In" jack. *sigh* Also, Joe has my our iPod. {Which may or may not have bitten the dust. Literally.}

❊ I over analyze ev-er-ry-thing. Something stupid I did or said...an entire day's events. Someone else's motives, thoughts, actions... It's bad. Really bad.

❊ Before I met Joe, I hated wine. I'm slowly getting to the loving-it stage.

❊ I have known my bestie's husband longer than I have known my own.

❊ I'm a freakin' klutz. Walls, doorways, cracks in the sidewalk, random steps and the "little man" in the carpet are all out to get me. I have, indeed, fallen UP stairs. That, my friends, takes real talent.


❊ I sleep with a daddy doll tucked in on Joe's side of the bed. Yeah. I'm that girl.


❊ I really miss playing the piano. 


❊ I was never, ever, ever a partier. Not in high school or college. I have been drunk maybe twice...and still coherent enough to remember everything and form sentences.


❊ Chocolate is my weakness. Oh wait. I think you knew that already. ;-)


❊ Tulips are - by far - my favorite flower. They're just so happy and sweet! I've loved them as long as I can remember. Nana used to plant them in her garden when they lived in AR. I can remember drawing them - as part of Nana's garden - when I was little. This is why, when I got "my delivery" today, I was more than thrilled.

Eeeep! =D

The best part is...we had just talked about this last night. Well, he was frustrated about the situation and said he'd contacted another company, etc. I very discreetly (*wink, wink*) asked if I could have tulips. He replied with the typical "we'll see" and left it at that. Since he'd said "we'll see" last night, I thought "Oh my gosh?! Did he order them just because I asked?" Then I felt bad. (See? Over-analyzing.) And then, I looked at the card:

Epic, epic FAIL. He did tell me something was supposed to come on Saturday. I didn't believe him. So, my VDay gift was really 2 days late for VDay, but FOUR days later than it was supposed to be delivered. Joe was glad that I'd finally gotten them, but he's still not happy about it. I'm totally with him on this one. But, that means that he ordered me tulips without me asking for them!!!! Major, major points for the hubby. Oh, if he was home.... ;-) Hahaha! 

Being the lover of tulips that I am, I grabbed another vase, put water in it and took two tulips out of the larger vase. I think I need to be able to enjoy my flowers in more than one room. So, I put them in my bedroom on my night stand. =)

Now I have my happy flowers right where I can see them in the morning! I also have a very sweet card...but I'm thinking that's going to stay with just me. =) No need to make all of you ladies jealous. Haha! According to Joe, I also have one more surprise coming. Can't wait to see what it is!

Hope y'all enjoyed my randomness!

Post-VDay High

I went in to good 'ole VDay with a pretty good attitude! My hubby called me just after midnight while I was still in bed reading. It was definitely a surprise and those always make me happy. I also had the promise of "a delivery" later in the day. Joe had encouraged me to go shopping for an outfit at Charlotte Rousse, but I declined because I wanted to be home to get "my delivery."

I started the day with a workout (that's definitely a new one for me!) and shortly after, my mom called. I think she was just calling to make sure I wasn't in a deep, dark, depressing hole. I was cool. I had lunch, I showered and that's when things started going downhill. See, I was hoping "the delivery" would come earlyish so I could still go shopping. Well...since I'm not going on and on about how I got flowers yesterday, you can guess what happened. I ended up being home all day doing dishes, laundry and attempting other things...and getting nothing. Joe got online that night and I told him (he was upset too..just in a different way). To top everything off, he couldn't talk but for about 3 minutes. 

Best VDay ever, right? {sarcasm}

Later that night, a friend of mine popped into town! This in itself is extremely random given the fact that I live in the middle of an ocean. She works for an airline and randomly takes trips across the world. Anyway. She posted on FB that she was here and I commented, of course. We talked back and forth about getting together and finally decided on lunch today. Yay! I was so excited! I really haven't seen her in years, so it would be nice to see her. After a quick email to the museum curator letting her know I wouldn't be in, I decided on the next day's plan: Lunch with friend and then shopping! Doesn't get much better than that, right?!

I got up and around earlier this morning than I usually do. My friend and her, um, guy were planning on going to Pearl Harbor and then we were going to do lunch. Most people go early because you can't get tickets if you don't. I assumed early. I got ready. I sat. I waited. Nothing. Noon rolls around and I'm absolutely starving. People with hypoglycemia really can't wait until 1, 2 or 3 p.m. to eat lunch. After confirming my thoughts with Melissa, I ate lunch and then headed to the outlet mall.

Friend never called (but she did text around 4p.m. inviting me to dinner. I politely declined because of my Skype date with Joe. =)). But it was ok. I did some serious shopping! And only in one store! Would you like to see the loot!? What am I thinking? Of course you want to see it! ;-)

I SO love all the bows!!

This is my favorite, I think.

I love this one too, but it's not grey.

My camera sucks.

I also got these cute sandals!

Can't go wrong with those!

I was getting very excited about all of my clothes, until I saw this:

FAIL.

I don't know what to do about this. Should I attempt to remove it myself? Should I take it to another store close by to see if they could remove it? Or should I wait until Sunday - when I'm back in the area - and take it to Charlotte Russe? 

After calling my mom and hitting up the commissary for some much-needed food, I came home. As usual, I put the groceries away, brought in my cute clothes and took Jasper to get the mail. And what did I find in my teeny tiny mailbox?! This!

The package, not the phone silly readers. =P

I got a thrill out of seeing Edmond, OK on my package.

Home! =D Well, OK is home. Not Edmond.

Lookie what I got!!!! 

Protection for my precious iPhone!

Tada!

This thing was a pain in the BUTT to get on!

But (haha) it looks cute and keeps my phone safe from all my klutziness.

The back. I *heart* being able to see the Apple.

I also got this...contraption.

I was terrified that it was part of the cover and not an extra part.

How hideous would that have been!?

I have to say this is the first time I've had such a great day after a really crappy VDay. I still haven't gotten "a delivery," but I think the hubby is more upset about that than I am. He's supposedly working something out to make it up to me. Belated VDay gifts through out the week? Yes, please! ;-)

I hope y'all enjoyed the VDay blog swap yesterday! Thanks again to Wife on the Roller Coaster for hosting! And if you missed my post, you can go here to check it out.

Valentines Through The Ages

A few weeks ago, Wife on the Roller Coaster proposed an idea: a blog swap. A bunch of milspouses got together, were paired up and today we are invading each other's blogs! If you would like to check out the swapping and invasions, just click the handy-dandy, adorable button that Mrs. Muffins made for us! And speaking of Mrs. Muffins, guess who's taking over my blog today!? I'm super excited to have her as a guest on my blog. Enjoy her post and share the love!

 

Six year old girl: “I really hope my crush puts a card in my Valentine’s mailbox!!!”

Six year old boy: “I hope some of these cards have candy.”

Sixteen year old girl: “My boyfriend BETTER get me the biggest bouquet and teddy bear or I’m going to be so embarrassed in front of all my friends.”

Sixteen year old boy: “I hope my girlfriend likes this bear my mom picked out.”

Twenty-six year old woman: “I hope my husband gets the hint and buys me those earrings I’ve been wanting!”

Twenty-six year old man: “If I buy lingerie for my wife, is it my gift or hers?”

Fifty-six year old woman: “I really hope my husband doesn’t buy me lingerie again this year.”

Fifty-six year old man: “I hope my wife picks up some candy at the grocery store.”

Eighty-six year old woman: “I love you, husband.”

Eighty-six year old man: “I love you too, wife.”

xx

P.S. You can check out my post for the swap over at Julie the Army Wife. Happy Valentine's Day!

'Cause I Can

That is pretty much what today has been all about. =)

Last night, Joe had told me that he'd be getting online late the next morning {for me, night for him} because he had to do practice with the FOB chapel's praise team. {He plays piano for them. Probably sings too.} I so love it when he does that. It's like a little, "hey, you can sleep late" message. That's exactly what I did. Though, these days, late is 0800 or 0830. Today it was 0800. But I did manage to lay in bed and check emails, Facebook and Twitter for at least 45 minutes. I may or may not have attempted to go back to sleep too. =P

I got up leisurely and in about 20 minutes, my hubby was on iChat. =) Yay! We talked for as long as he could before he about passed out from exhaustion. Thanks to some idiot in his unit, they now have to get up super early for some sort of accountability. Then PT, then work. And after work, he had practice so naturally he was exhausted. Anyway. We had a good little chat. He's been super romantic since he got the VDay package I sent him. {No pictures on here until VDay!} I guess I inspire him or something. ;-) He thought he was "needlessly flattering" me and I could have let him go on for hours. Haha! I do believe I have myself a keeper!!

After he went to bed, I watched TV. I have really done nothing other than that today. Seriously. Yesterday, I was determined to clean on Saturday. There would be laundry, dishes and sweeping. I had different intentions when I woke up this morning...and I followed them to the letter.

I stayed in my pjs until well after 1300. I say that's allowed on a Saturday. I have watched movie after movie on TV today. I was pleasantly surprised at the selection today! Ella Enchanted (super cute movie!), Cheaper by the Dozen, part of Hope Floats, Pride and Prejudice, Sex and the City and now Enchanted (Patrick Dempsey - enough said). Quite a mixture, isn't it? I'm loving it though! And watching Pride and Prejudice made me want to read the book...again. Sort of. I halfway read it for class in high school. I'm thinking round 2 is required. Anyway.

I also became a popular person today! Let's see, I got 3 phone calls: 1 from Melissa, 1 from my Nana (*sigh*) and one from my MIL. I got texts from my SIL and Melissa. And Skype messages from Melissa. =P See? Popular! I suppose I should count the iChats with Joe too. {I should note that I NEVER talk to people/receive calls this much. EVER.} I had good chats with everyone too. My SIL's birthday was Friday, and I sent her a package on Monday. I made her the aforementioned laptop cover and 2 matching potholders, and I also sent her a box of Hawaiian Host chocolate covered macadamia nuts. She texted to let me know she got it. =) For the record, I L-O-V-E love chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Another score on the new foods list for Sarah since moving to Hawaii! Chocolate is my weakness, so it's probably not that big of a score. =P


To top off my "'cause I can" day, I made myself a lovely dinner of penne pasta with spaghetti sauce and caesar salad. For dessert, I had a bowl of vanilla frozen yogurt with M&Ms. It was soooooo good. Now I'm even more glad that I bought the frozen yogurt {which is 100 calories for 1/2 cup, in case you were wondering}. 


In between the movies and commercials, I've been doing lots of reading. Just a few minutes ago I finished book #3 of the Bride Quartet Series by Nora Roberts. I really just started book #1 a week ago. Geez, addicted much?! They really are that good though. I've been reading in between commercials all week! {Except during Grey's, of course. Must pay complete attention during Grey's. ;-)} I highly recommend them to anyone who's a female with the "romance gene."


So far, my weekend has been pretty awesome! How's yours going?


P.S. If you're down or just plain bored, you really need to visit this website. It's full of the worst {and by worst I mean best} iPhone/Autcorrect FAILS ever. I've been laughing a LOT today. Enjoy!

Decorating and Other Ideas

So. Today was the monthly spouses' club luncheon. Always sure to be a good time with friends. There is a little shopping involved and even a little game playing. I bought a pair of earrings (no photo yet, please don't hurt me), gandered at more Scentsy, ate some good food (that sent me wayyy over my calorie limit) and played bunco.

It was the Scentsy that got me thinking about decorations for my living room. Strange? Maybe. Typical for me? Definitely. I've been mulling over redoing our living room for a while there. I have to admit, though, that there isn't much redecorating to be done. I have a few cute, beachy decorations and two framed photos. I try to make it look cute, but it gets expensive. I've been looking for teal-ish curtains and haven't been able to find any that don't break my budget. The same for rugs. I'd kill to have a nice coffee table with {at least partially} matching end tables. I mean, geez, we've been married for {almost} 3 years and still have the "we just got married" furniture. I know that's what it screams. None of it is bad...but none of it really matches either. Currently, our living room is supposed to be beachy. Lately I've been thinking of going in a different route. One that matches our lifestyle and screams patriotism.

The Liberty warmer from Scentsy

You really can't go wrong with red, white and blue. You just can't. As my bestie pointed out a while back, I'm a patriotic person and always have been. Even before my life met the Army. I've eyed this Blue Star Banner from Etsy for a while now...just thinking of where I could put it.

I just don't know if I should commit. It'd probably take some funding...which I'm not sure the hubby is up for. Plus - and this might be the biggest issue - my couch is green. Not ugly green. More of an olivey green. I also have a darker green chair (which I might be willing to get rid of). The rocking chair I have could most definitely stay, seeing that it's beige and will go with anything. The beachy decorations could easily be moved to the bathroom which is already headed in the beach-theme direction.

If done correctly, the patriotic theme could look very nice...especially against the always-white walls we all have come to know and loathe. =P I even imagined getting dark-ish blue curtains for the living room. But then, there's the green couch again. What do you guys think?

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Now. For the "other ideas" portion of this post. =P

At the FRG "meeting" we had the other night, we discussed doing baskets for the company when they return from deployment. Since 3 of us there had just attended the FRG bootcamp, we're trying to look for ways to do things for everyone. The majority of the company is made up of single soldiers. We had thought about getting sheets for them, making up the beds in their barracks and maybe making up a little basket of toiletries. I loved the idea. However, all our funds have to benefit the entire FRG - not just the single soldiers. 

You would think - as a married person - I would have some sort of idea as to what to do for the returning married soldiers. I've got nothing! Nothing! The second part to this particular situation is that our FRG has very little funding. It's a small company and our FRG has had 2 (possibly 3) different leaders all in the last year. So the things we want to do need to be cheap. We considered just doing a basket of baked goods for ALL the soldiers, doing welcome home cards (possibly from Shutterfly so no handwriting is involved) for ALL soldiers, and then getting sheets for just the single soldiers (these would hopefully be donated...in a perfect world).

So, for all of you experienced milspouses, what does your FRG (or FRGs past) do for your spouses when they return? Or do you have any ideas if you haven't been through a deployment before? Any advice/tips/whatever would be helpful!

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And just because it's fun, I'm going to leave you with this. It's a screen shot of one of the apps I have on my computer. A simple - yet cute - weather app.

I'm assuming this is rain gear since it's pouring down rain.

P.S. All it takes is a little thunder and lightning to make this Oklahoma girl happy.

Blast From the Past

I kinda love it when these things happen. You see something or hear a song and BAM! you're back in the past. =) Well, not literally but you get the idea. Think flashback moment in a movie. I had this happen to me twice today. Funny, if you ask me.

Both of them happened while I was in the car. Now that I think about it, they happened within minutes of each other. Anyway. Flashback #1 came thanks to this lovely tune. ;-)



Haha. =) This song came out while I was in high school. I can remember driving to or from school (in my beat up car...) and cranking the radio when this song came on. Most of the time, my brother was with me and he had to endure my music. ;-) That's what little brothers are for, right!? I can also remember cranking this song in our band director's office. Either she bought the CD or one of the other kids in band brought it and put it in in her office. Ah, the good 'ole days.

Flashback #2 came courtesy of this:

 See that blue arrow? It's pointing to a hubcap. Totally, completely random, right? It made me laugh. I thought, "Who the heck loses a hubcap in the middle of an intersection!? *pause* Oh yeah, I do!!"


A few years ago, I had to get new tires. I took my car to good 'ole Walmart to get new ones. They have decent deals and my dad didn't disapprove. (Joe and I were dating, but well...he's not too handy with cars.) However, something had broken off of the wheel - well, not off but it was close to off. They claimed that they had nothing to do with it and that they wouldn't touch it because they didn't want to be liable. Hmmm. So, I called my dad. Dad manages a shop (owned by Goodyear, essentially) that repairs the tread for 18 wheelers' tires. He's been there for well over 20 years... The man knows tires. He called a sister shop in another town and made sure they had the size tires I needed, and told me to go on such-and-such day. I went. 


As always with car repairs, I feel awkward. It's always a bunch of men and little 'ole me. I don't like it. I did know one of the guys who worked there (We used to go to church with him. His kids were also in my wedding.), but he wasn't working on my car. About 30 uncomfortable minutes later, I had new tires. I paid my bill and left. I'm driving down the road, trying to figure out how to get back on the interstate... I made a left turn when I heard BING! I looked to the right and my hubcap was spinning off to the other side of the road!!!!!!!! Noooooooo! So, I made the turn, made a u-turn and attempted to find my hubcap... While I was talking to my mom, laughing and freaking out. After a good 10 minutes of searching the field for my hubcap, I gave up.


Seriously, who does this kind of crap happen to?! Only me... Lol! That car had 3 hubcaps until the day I wrecked it it died. Good times.


While we're on the topic of memories, a girl I went to HS with posted a picture on Facebook from Senior Skip Day. Where I grew up, this takes place during September on the Wednesday of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Fair. (I grew up on the border, remember?) Every year on Wednesday during the fair, students get in free. A TON of people skip school that day, but it's widely known as Senior Skip Day. Everyone gets counted as absent...except the seniors. (I think. Am I wrong on that, Melissa? It's been too long for me to remember. =P) Anyway, girl posted the picture. A couple of days ago another friend from HS commented, stating how he missed those days. Two other people commented, agreeing with him. And then it occurred to me. 


I do NOT miss high school. At all. I like my life NOW.


And then I kind of felt bad for my classmates. I mean, if they're missing "the good 'ole days" and thinking of how things use to be...how bad do their lives suck? Or are they just wishing things were as easy as they were then? If it's the latter, I agree. Things were definitely a lot simpler then. No bills, no responsibility other than homework, no boys (except those I flirted with, of course)...no nothing. I had homework. I was in band. That's pretty much it. I remember at one point... I think it was my freshman/sophomore year, my grandparents said, "I wish my only worry was that I couldn't get my locker open." Very much the teenage girl, I thought, "Oh if you only knew." Or something like that. How the tides have changed!

I do miss having it easy... But I LOVE my life. If I were to miss any time in my life, it might be college. Still...I like things the way they are. It's certainly not easy. I never pictured myself married to a Soldier, living in Hawaii - alone and surviving a deployment. But, it's all worth it. I love my husband. I wouldn't trade him - or our life together - for the world. I certainly wouldn't trade him for a trip back to high school!

Rainy Days and Mondays

"Always get me down."

It's quite possible that I will never forget that line from a Carpenters' song. I had a professor in college - whose classes were HARD, but I really liked him - who said that one rainy Monday afternoon and it's stuck with me ever since. Funny how the little things stick with you over time.

Anyway, it's been rainy for the last two days. Yesterday the rain came in almost-epic proportions. I say almost because I'm starting to expect this from Hawaii. You know how they say "when it rains, it pours?" I think a Hawaiian came up with that. During the winter, of course, because that's the only time it RAINS here. I took a few shots of what I call the "angry clouds" today. They sure did look angry, but all that came out of them was rain. This Oklahoma girl was disappointed. Not that I expected a thunderstorm, but a girl can dream right? ;-)

See? Angry clouds.

Despite the rain (which really wasn't much compared to yesterday), I had a good day. I got up, iChat-ed with Joe for a while and then got to Skype with Melissa! I'm all about the IM/video chat programs these days. Proof? I have Skype, AIM and Yahoo on my phone....just in case. And you guys saw that crazy screen shot from last week. (And this is not that shot for those of you who missed it.)

Just one more reason I love my phone.

Moving on. I sewed a little somethin' somethin' for Anna today too. I took a picture, but it's kind of a sneaky picture. Hehe. I'll give 2 brownie points (or kudos, whichever you prefer) to whoever guesses what it is!

After lunch, I headed out to the commissary and post office! 3 lucky people will be getting a package from me...hopefully soon. I couldn't understand the guy at the post office when he said how long it would take. I'd never seen this guy there before and the line was extremely long so I wanted to take as little time as possible. Soooo, here's hoping the packages make it to their destinations!


For not doing a whole lot today, I feel pretty accomplished. I did run the dishes and clean up the mess that is my spare bedroom/craft room. That's something, right?! ;-) I'm such a lazy housekeeper these days. I'm much better when I have someone to keep the house clean for. It's rarely perfect, but usually neat. Notsomuch when I'm "single girl" in survival mode. I can only imagine what would have happened if I hadn't gotten married after college. Whatever apartment I would have lived in would probably resemble the aftermath of a tornado. =P My bedroom growing up was rarely clean. I like to say that I am an organized messy person. I can tell you exactly where everything is, but it ain't pretty!


One thing I have been doing a lot of lately is reading. When I was home over Christmas, Melissa gave me 3 of 4 books of a series by Nora Roberts. I'd sort of been neglecting them until...Wednesday maybe? And I can't even tell you why I picked the first one up. Maybe there was nothing on TV. =P Anyway, I finished the first one on Saturday and I think I'm about halfway through the second one already! (I can't tell how far I'm in on the second one because it's on my Nook. E-readers have weirdo page numbers.) At this rate, I'll be finished with all four books by next week! In case you're curious, this is the series:

{not my photo/link to book #1}

These books are a really good, really fast, really easy, fun read. They can get a bit, um, racy at times, but what's a good romance novel without some raciness? ;-) Seriously, I'm enjoying them. Nothing better than a whole bunch of weddings and happy endings. =)

I hope your week has gotten off to a great start! Tomorrow holds another FRG meeting for me. Stay tuned for the latest developments. ;-)

Success and Failure

Today was full of highs and lows. Personally, I prefer days that are all one or the other. Seeing how I'm a member of the girly emotional club, I'm not sure it's always possible to have those. Anyway.

I woke up after hitting the snooze twice, and read my email. Don't tell me you don't immediately pick up your phone and check the morning "news." Joe had emailed me, letting me know that he was going to be doing PT late and that I could sleep in if I wanted. SCORE! Although, I was already pretty much awake so sleeping in was out. I did manage to stay in the bed until after 0800 though. =P

I got up and waited for Joe to get on iChat. He's "grounded" Skype because it hasn't been cooperating with us lately. Lol! He finally got on and we talked for a while before he had to get some sleep. (Oh the joys of being 13 hours apart.) Then I did more Pilates and talked to Melissa for a while! See what a good day I was having?

After lunch, I decided I would test out my sewing machine's buttonhole feature. After a few minutes, I had sewn my very first buttonhole!! Yay, me!! I was so stinkin' excited!

Do you see it?

Just some scrap material. In case you were wondering.

Anna. ;-)

What about now?! =D

After I put in some laundry and took a quick shower, I started on my next project for my SIL! I'll just go ahead and say what it is, because it's not like she doesn't know. =P I am sad to inform you that I spend about 3.5 hours on a laptop cover. *sigh* I attempted a new pattern...and one that was slightly confusing. After sewing part #1, I realized I had done it completely wrong and didn't feel like ripping the stitches out and starting anew. Instead, I cut more fabric. It's a good thing we got what was left on that bolt! I got back to work and things started to look up.... Until the tutorial I was following confused the crap out of me. It was like my mind just turned itself off. I sewed the outside perfectly...after ripping a seam or two. The lining? Notsomuch. I sewed. I ripped. I sewed. I ripped. I sewed. I racked my brain. I sewed.

I still can't believe it took me that long. I'll show you a picture when she gets it, but for now I'm just glad it's done and looks good. I guess all that effort was worth it. =P

I got to talk to Joe again tonight. Unfortunately for him, though, I ended up complaining about things that either 1) aren't necessarily true or 2) don't really matter. Poor guy...I totally dumped my feelings on him. All he was doing was trying to get ready for work and here I was complaining left and right about being "stuck here so far from everyone" and feeling left out of any and everything that goes on with my friends/family back home. I really am going to have to get use to this at some point. For right now, I just don't do well with being so far out of the loop. So, as we're chatting back and forth I ended up in tears.


Wha--?! Here I am happy to talk to my hubby... Then I end up complaining... And then crying?! What the H?! To top that, I needed to eat dinner and ended up burning it. =( It wasn't horrible, but I do. not. burn dinner. Ever. Cookies? Yeah, occasionally. Never, dinner though. 


Thank God I had some Skinny Cow ice cream in the freezer and a good book to read. Tonight might not have been salvageable. 

Random Hilarity

Do you ever just have those moments? You know the ones. You're going about your day and BAM! something incredibly funny happens, but you don't have anyone to share the laugh with. 


This has happened to me several times lately. At the beginning of this deployment, I might have been really upset when experiencing this. Now? I simply laugh out loud...no matter where I am. 


Fortunately for the general public, it rarely happens when I'm out and about. I could just imagine all the stares I would get if I were to bust out laughing - alone - in the middle of the PX, Commissary or WalMart. Scandalous! ;-)


Example #1:


I was walking back to my car after a brief stop at the PX a few weeks ago. It was the Saturday after payday, which means the parking lot was insanely full. I'm walking to the car, happy about my purchases and enjoying the pretty day when I hear a car alarm. This car alarm sounds vaguely familiar.

Then it hit me. A memory of listening to a little Dane Cook spoof...



I kid you not. This car alarm said, "Helloooooooooooo, I'm a carrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Gasoline makes me run. Back-seeeeats, truuunk space..." And yeah, I might have though, "Oh, Dane..." ;-)

Right there, in the middle of the parking lot, I died laughing. Joe and I absolutely love us some Dane Cook. I thought of all the "funnies" that would come from both of us after hearing that car alarm. Fantastic.


I'm sure the passers-by got a good kick out of seeing me bust out laughing...for no apparent reason. =P


Example #2:


Just happened to me. Here I am, sitting on my couch watching NCIS. Not expecting anything. 


Dude gets blown up while about to get in his car. Dude gets blown back by the force of the explosion. Normal day for NCIS. *Commercial break* DiNozzo and Duckie are at the crime scene making tons of jokes... Why? The guy was blown OUT of his shoes. Insert typical "knocked his socks off" and "blown away" jokes from the cast. 


What else but another Dane Cook spoof would come to mind?! Of course. It could only be Man Gets Hit by Car. =) Enjoy, my friends.





"Has anyone seen my shoes?! I kicked them off in a fit of joy!" 


Bahahahaha!


Sometimes, you just need a good laugh! Please tell me I'm not the only one who busts out into laughter while by themselves...


Happy Hump Day!

Hello, February!

For some reason, I'm really excited about this new month! It may have something to do with this:

Yup, I'm getting a little excited! 

It makes me feel so much better when I open "the donut" and see more green and a new phrase! Yay for milestones!! 

Over the last 2 days, I've gotten 2 pretty awesome packages in the mail. Let it be known that I love getting packages!! =) Yesterday, I got some pretty cute nail polish in the mail... 

 I love the way they package the polish.

Nice and snug and safe in there. =)

 Oooh, pretty!

This one has my name on it!!! =D

I'm currently wearing it on my toesies too. 

But I forgot to photograph them.

Blogger FAIL.

Anyway. Today, got another package I'd been waiting on!!! You may not find this quite as exciting as I do, but that's the way it goes.

Murad Skincare!!

Just in case you wanted to know... ;-)

I've never tried Murad before, but I've heard and read great things about it. Unlike ProActive, Murad doesn't use bleach or any overly harsh chemicals. The thought of using something that will bleach my towels on my face just makes me hurt. Murad uses salicylic acid which is easier on your skin, but still cleansing. Even though I know it will get worse before it gets better, I'm really excited about using it. Everything else I've tried has been okay, but not good enough. Especially since I got off the pill. I promise I will let you guys know how it goes. =)

Ready for a tad of randomness? Yes? Yay! =) While I was fixing my hair (insert Joe's snide remark: I didn't know it was broken), something random and silly happened. I had grabbed a clippie from the drawer to hold part of my hair back while I straightened the other part. Then I heard "SNAP!" And the clippie went flying. Quite literally.

 Clippie part #1

Yes, that's my phone...it goes where I go.

Thanks, deployment.

Clippie part #2

Clippie part #3

In the tub. Um...? Ok, whatev.

Poor little clippie never saw it coming. =(

At least my hair still turned out ok. =P

After that, I went to the museum where fun was had (really, we're not that boring) and work was done. I've been helping them deaccession (get rid of) books, but I didn't today because I wasn't feeling well. Most likely, it's my allergies bugging me. After I did what they needed I was told to go home. =P I'm not someone who likes to make decisions, so D told me to go home and rest. That was exactly what I did.

On the way home, I was singing along to the CD I'd just burned and just thinking about things when out of nowhere...

A wild boar darts across the road.

2 seconds later, her "piggies" join her.

Not wanting to hurt any piggies, I slammed the brakes and waited for all SIX of them to cross the road.

Random much?! Holy cow! First, I was just weirded out by it. I've seen a boar or to near the entrance to our housing area, but I'd never seen piggies! And then I thought, "Where else in the US do things like this happen!? Stopping your car for a BOAR and her piggies?!" Growing up in the boonies, I've stopped for cows, goats, deer, turkeys and chickens...but never BOAR or pigs. =P

Sometimes, you just have to laugh. =)

To end this lovely post, I leave you with this: my attempt at communicating with my husband this evening. Oh they joys of military life and deployment.

If you can count how many IMs I was using, kudos to you.

After editing that for last names, I feel like the US government just edited my life. =P

I hope your week is off to a great start!