Navy Wife Life

Show Us Your Life - Military Families

2012-01-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy reading Navy Wife, Navy Life. Watch me sink or swim and found that Kim's doing an interesting thing through another blog. So I found on Kelly's Korner that she does a 'Show Us Your Life' and this time it's about Military Families. I think I can actually comment on this one for once.

Wedding Day

For those of you who know me or think you know me you can feel free to skip this. If you don't, feel free to read on and learn about my ongoing journey as a Navy Wife.

So who am I?

My name is Michelle. I'm from Illinois, but honestly I don't miss it. Especially since I've seen how cold and snowy it is there and it's not here. I'm a Midwestern girl who has discovered that the ocean is a wonderful thing!

I married my high school sweetie just days after he graduated from boot camp. Yes, we were young. Just out of high school.

Friendship Oak in Mississippi

Dining Out

During our wonderful journey my sweetie went through NROTC and was commissioned as an officer in the Navy.

We've moved 10 times in the 18 years that we've been married. I've had more jobs than I'm willing to recount, but I don't care.

I feel that I've been really lucky since we have been on both sides of Navy life. As enlisted wife and as an officer wife. Which can bias some people against you.

Deployment 2010

We've been extremely lucky in our adventures. We have only deployed twice. How that happened I have NO clue. I know people who've been out more than they've been home.

We've made wonderful friends along the way and it's been a great learning experience. There's good and bad, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-25T15:04:00.000-05:00

Even my animals understand that on Christmas everyone should get along.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Darby, Pumpkin & Kyla

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T22:31:00.000-05:00

Just a heartfelt thank you to all the veterans out there.

You are appreciated!

Trick Or Treat!

2011-11-03T15:40:00.000-04:00

Pirate Ship Jack-O-Lantern

Posh Kitty Jack-O-Lantern

Most people know that Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday!

If you didn't know before, you know now.

Every year, when home, the hubby and I carve pumpkins while watching 'It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown'. Normally we would eat cheap pizza as well, but we're on a diet so that was kept out of this year's festivities.

As he does every year, the hubby carved a pirate ship. He got a number of compliments this year from adults as well as children. I did the cute little kitty this year.

Fear the Darbysarus!

I don't want to look at the camera!

Now I normally make fun of people who dress their dogs, but now that I have a small dog myself I just couldn't help myself.

I really got a chuckle out of this costume. Darby is in NO way mean or aggressive, so turning her into this fearsome creature was quite funny. She doesn't sit well for taking photos, but this time I think she was mortified. I will have to do a photo shoot with her again soon.

When my friends came over to trick or treat their son thought she was so cute and wanted a photo op. Who was I to deny?

All smiles!

Don't they look a bit evil?

And as with every year since my buddy and her little one started trick or treating, they came to me for the photo op. He's a ninja and the closest I can think to describe her costume is a modern geisha.

She's the cool kinda mommy who will put on a costume to go along with her kid's costume. Cool mommy points there!

We gave out full size candy bars this year. We had on hand a little over 90 pieces of candy. At the end of the night we had about 20. Close to 65 trick or treaters this year. Lighter than last year, but still pretty good!

Halloween Bash!

2011-11-03T15:01:00.000-04:00

The phantom greeter

The masquerade centerpiece

My friend Angie has a Halloween party every year. Every year has a theme. Last year was come as someone or something dead and was a hoot! This year was masquerade.

Had I known it was more geared towards Phantom of the Opera (my favorite!) I would have chosen a different costume. Oh well!

Upon arrival you noticed the phantom at the door. And of course I could not pass up on the photo of the lovely center piece. There was trivia posted all over the house that you had to answer in order to play the game. There are always prizes!

Our hostess

Stacey looking sexy!

As you can tell our hostess was lovely. As always!

I do apologize for the quality of the photos, but all I had on me was my phone camera and the lighting was more for ambiance than for photo ops. LOL

And I had to get one of my buddy, Stacey, she just adorable.

Honestly these photos don't do them justice. And I do have to admit that I was suffering from some major costume envy!

Sponge Bob and Tavern Wench

I must say that I was really glad that I wasn't the only person who wasn't exactly sure what the costume of choice was. Many people were in gowns and masks, but there were a number of people like me who just wore a costume.

I was really lucky this year too! Although my dear hubby was unable to go with me, my buddy Deborah drove. Which meant I could try all the drinks that were offered. And I did!!! In fact I went back and 'retried' two that I wasn't so sure about. LOL

A pirate and his queen

There was video trivia at the end of the night.

I had to duel this vicious pirate (lol) but came out victorious in the end. What can I say? I'm a geek about horror movies. Although the newer ones were harder for me because I don't get to watch them as often. *sigh* Luckily for me he was gracious about my win.

It was such a hoot!

A group of gals from SOS

I had to get a photo of this group. Everyone in this group is a member of SOS. That's the Surface Officer Spouse group.

It was so much fun to get to catch up with each other and dress up for fun instead of formal or semi-formal.

Angry bird and pig

I just had to get this last photo. It was quite clever on the parents part. Mom and Dad wore jeans, green long sleeve shirt, painted their faces green and had a pig snout. The little one wore all red and had a angry bird mask on a stick.

I thought it was very well done.

The party was a blast! Sadly this is the last one because, as is the case in the Navy, Angie will be moving.

Thanks for all the fun Angie!

And the better quality photos? Well Angie took those. Thanks for that too!

Afghans In Heaven

2011-09-03T20:53:00.000-04:00

I meant to post this sooner, but as per usual I got side tracked. So my apologies for the tardiness on this.

I no fear your camera!

The first of this month TJ, my mom's cat, passed away.

We got TJ when I was in high school. He didn't leave with me when I left home as he was truly my mom's. He lived for 22 years. And as I type that sentence I just realized how old I am and now you will all know. Oh well, so now everyone knows I'm ancient. I think I'm okay with that.

The running joke was always that TJ was older than dirt.

I still remember him as a young cat. He'd wander the neighborhood we lived in with no fear. He used to leave 'presents' for my mom on the front door steps. It could be a mouse or a bird or any other small critter that was unfortunate enough to cross his path.

TJ napping

I still laugh at the thought of him sitting in the recliner like he was Al Bundy, if you don't understand that reference Google Al Bundy sitting on the couch and then you'll see. He'd actually have a paw over his privates. You know this thought just made you snort a little.

As he got older TJ got cranky. He got the nickname of grouchy old man and many other names that weren't very nice. His only joy in life was the afghans that we had, but I'm not going to tell you what he did to those things. I'm keeping it classy.

He had a tendency to get pissy and would attack your leg for no reason. Well I'm sure in his mind he had a reason, but we were not privy to that information. Your best bet was to show no fear. That's why my legs were relatively unscathed.

He is what started me calling certain cats 'guard cats'.

Farewell TJ!

You will be missed.

Hurricane Irene (Aftermath)

2011-08-30T11:07:00.000-04:00

So after having no power for 3 1/2 day, Dominion Power came through and got it back up and running. I didn't realize how much I missed noise (the TV or the A/C running). Nor did I realize how much my animals missed it. LOL

Boy Scout Pumpkin

I had to laugh when this arrived the day AFTER Irene left the area. Pumpkin feels he is now totally prepared for the hurricane. And when the next one comes, he's all for bugging out. I on the other hand am not so sure. But it's good to always be prepared.

He'll be glad that we're moving back into the bedroom. The air mattress is fine, but life is so much better when you sleep on a mattress that won't eventually deflate. Not that we're spoiled or anything. lol

Darby's Elation!

Darby greeted me in the window when I came back from running some errands. The power was back on and she was OH SO happy! She definitely did NOT like the air mattress.

Life is going to start getting back to normal now that we have power. And now clean up can begin in earnest. It's hard to undertake any major projects when you know that you have no A/C to go to. I really don't like being hot, sweaty and tired. And really who does?

Thanks again to my friends Steve and Greta for coming over to help me chop up the larger branches in mine and my neighbors yard. I really appreciate it. And a special thanks to Dominion Power for being so quick to return power. I know there's over 1 million customers that are without power, so kudos for the quick response.

Hurricane Irene (Weathering The Storm)

2011-08-27T09:57:00.000-04:00

The wind and rain has started, but the main event isn't supposed to happen for another 5 hours. We've already had a tornado warning.

So I thought the animals and I would check in and let you know how we're fairing.

And fair warning, I named none of my animals. They came to me this way. So laugh at your own peril.

Commander Poo Poo is a bit nervous, but he's an old man.

Darby is a touch nervous.

Kyla's not worried. Just make sure the feeding schedule's not interrupted.

Pumpkin could care less. Why did I interrupt his nap?

So I bet you might be wondering what I'm doing while we are being inundated with wind and water. Besides keeping an ear out for a change in the wind and watching the news.

Well let me show you!

Plenty of reading material as well as a crossword puzzle.

Yes I color and doodle. I get bored. And how can you not love a fresh box of crayons or colored pencils?

Also having a yummy beverage near is a good idea.

Fear not family and friends, we are safe and sound! And as you might notice, I still have power. Fingers crossed that this continues.

Hurricane Irene (Incoming)

2011-08-26T18:08:00.001-04:00

Everyone has a plan for emergencies. Right? Especially if you live in an area where hurricanes can happen. And anyone who's weathered a hurricane is now nodding their head in agreement with me. If you've never experienced this joy, let me share with you what happens in my household.

As any Navy spouse knows, if you're spouse is on a ship then said spouse will NOT be home when the hurricane hits. The Navy will be sending him or her out with the ship to avoid the incoming weather. So you're on your own. Take a deep breath because you can handle it.

First and foremost you should keep an eye on the news. That's what's going to give you your heads up. Sadly, I'm REALLY bad at this. But I always manage to have enough time to take care of what needs to be done.

Secondly figure out if you're gonna stay or if you're going to flee the area. I stay, because I'm not that worried. I've weathered numerous tropical storms and 3 or 4 hurricanes. It's old hat to me. I'm no wimp.

Next? Be sure to stock up on your supplies early, because the stores can get crazy as the hurricane gets closer. People panic. Here's a small sampling of things you should have on hand.

* Stock up on bottled water. Enough for everyone in the house for a week at least. This includes your pets. Fill up containers as well.

*Get enough food to last 7-10 days. Go for the prepackaged stuff that does not need refrigeration or heating. You never know if you're going to have power or how long it will be out. I get granola bars, trail mix, tuna and crackers. And don't laugh, but we have MREs too.

* Pet food. Be sure to have enough food for your furry babies in this 'emergency'.

* Batteries and flashlights. I personally like the single touch puck lights. Candles and matches are a good idea as well. I personally do touch puck lights because I have cats that are WAY too curious.

* Refill any prescriptions that are needed. You have no idea when the pharmacy might reopen and if you, someone in your family or your pets need a prescription you don't want to be caught empty handed.

* You can never go wrong with a little more TP on hand. Ever notice how you seem to use more when in a crisis of some sort?

* Find things to keep you and your family entertained (books, games, coloring books etc.). Nothing's worse than a cranky pants whining about how BORED they are.

* Be sure to have a first aid kit. Especially if you're accident prone like me. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best is my motto.

* If you have a generator (and they really do pay for themselves after 2 power outages), be sure to get gas for it! Nothing's worse than having the means to power your home, but not the way.

There are a few things you should do around your home before the hurricane hits too. You need to make sure it's ready.

* Put away your lawn furniture. You don't want that patio table and chairs to do damage to the house. Tie loose things down or put them in a shed or garage.

* If you have branches you're worried about, then get them down.

* I mow my grass before hand so that I won't have to worry about it after the hurricane. No one wants to mow their grass after a hurricane and go back into an un-airconditioned house. Ick!

* Fill up your vehicles. Gas stations can run out of gas (believe me it's already happening) and you don't want to have an empty tank if you need to leave.

*Do all your laundry before the hurricane arrives. Why stress about dirty socks when you don't have to?

*If you have a dishwasher and it has dirty dishes in it, then run them through a cycle. You don't want that stinky smell do you?

* Act as if you are going to loose power. Charge everything that can be charged. Your phone, your ipad, your kindle, flashlights, whatever needs a charge. I highly recommend buying something that can charge your portable items. I found a Black and Decker Power To Go. I've charged it and am ready.

If things get hairy and you do have to flee, be sure to have a bug out bag ready. Be sure to take important paperwork with you. And anything you just can't bear to be without.

And the most important thing??

Stay safe!

I Felt The Earth Move Under My Feet

2011-08-23T15:19:00.000-04:00

Okay I was sitting when the tremors from the earthquake that hit Mineral, VA hit us. Norfolk is about 146 miles away from Mineral.

But I couldn't let this pass without at least mentioning it. I mean two nuclear reactors in Virginia went offline and Congress evacuated the building. Not that I really care about Congress, but it's newsworthy. Right? I promise not to start ranting about Congress. This is not the post for it.

Oops, sidetracked. Sorry!

The earthquake registered at 5.9 and was felt from North Carolina all the way to New Hampshire (I'm just saying what they report.).

Things here are fine though. Nothing came off the walls. No damage as far as I can see. Since I was at the dealership, I wasn't home so I don't know how my animals reacted. I'm betting they didn't even notice. I got a bit nervous at first, because I thought something was wrong with me but was relieved when the other customer in the room looked around nervously. Then there was a break in the news reporting what had happened. Color me thankful. I was wondering if someone had slipped me a mickey. lol

Now as long as Hurricane Irene by passes me I'll be fine. Fingers crossed.

INSURV

2011-08-12T20:11:00.000-04:00

In know many bad words, much to my mother's dismay, and most of them are of the four letter variety except for INSURV.

I wasn't sure if I wanted this to be a rant or a bit on the educational side.

So, I've decided to do a bit of both.

So I'll put it in VERY simplistic terms. Think of it as end of the year exams. I know I'm over simplifying it, but it's the best way I can think to explain it. The ship goes through all of these inspections to make sure it passes some set standards.

I can hear you now. What's wrong with making sure the ship is running as it should? What makes this a bad word?

In theory? Nothing is wrong with it. In fact, I'm sure it's a good thing.

In reality, the crew of said ship tends to go through a lot of work and stress. They work L-O-N-G hours.

So, what makes this a bad word? If you ever ask a Navy wife what her spouses ship is doing and she says INSURV the entire group will groan in understanding. It means late nights, long hours and a stressed out and grumpy hubby. And in some cases it means your spouse will work on Saturdays. Possibly even Sundays. So possibly you won't even get to have a day with them.

Why is this so awful to me? Did you not read the above? I rarely get to see my sweetie. He's gone before sun up and home way after sun down. I joke with him that he doesn't know what the sun looks like any more. He's stressed, as is everyone on the ship.

I'm not complaining though, I promise. Just thought to educate (very slightly) anyone who was interested in what INSURV was like and what it was kind of like for the families.

However, I think it has taught me a great deal about patience. My hubby has WAY more than me. :-)

To learn more about INSURV please click on the link and read away.

Check Me Out

2011-07-19T21:54:00.000-04:00

I know you HAVE to have noticed the new look of my blog.

Right? Right?

This fab new look was done designed by my buddy Jiza.

I told her what I wanted and she gave me this! I LOVE it!!

If you want something as fantastic as this (And face it who wouldn't?) you need to visit her site and let her know. Tell her you loved the look of Navy Wife Life!

It's A Girl!

2011-06-19T17:13:00.004-04:00

So the FUBAR incident from yesterday we now have our puppy! As of 12:30 pm EST we are again the proud parents of a 15 lbs. 2 oz. dog.

And she shall be called... Darby!

She's a one year old chihuahua short hair mix. At least that's what the SPCA claims. I don't really see it, but what do I know?

This is the first small dog I've ever owned, so there are a lot of things that will be new to me.

Like the fact I can pick her up. With ease I might add. I'm so not used to that.

Also she has no problems with any of our flooring, which means I have to do something to keep her away from the litter boxes. Which, by the way, she's found interesting.

Also she seems to feel the cold very easily, so it looks like I'm going to need to get her a doggy sweater.

The cats are peeved that we've brought home another animal, but other than that are unfazed. She's sniffed them but other than that could care less.

She enjoys sitting on the couch, under a blanket and watch TV with us. Cuddling is a really GOOD thing. And she's extremely fond of my hubby. What is it with animals of the female persuasion and my hubby? They can't seem to get enough of him. She likes to give kisses and hugs, because I honestly believe that she understands what we took her away from and the wondrous possibilities that lay ahead for her now.

Welcome to the family Darby! Prepare to be spoiled for the rest of your life!

A WTF Moment

2011-06-18T17:28:00.002-04:00

So the hubby and I decided that we would like to open our home to a dog again. The house just feels empty with out a dog. So we go to our local SPCA, we've been the second home to most of our animals and felt it appropriate to find another dog who 'needed' us. We're not snobs about our animals pedigrees.

So we went to our local SPCA and found a dog that we liked and thought would be a good fit. We filled out the mountain of paperwork and spent some time with her. Of course there were 3 pieces of paper they needed before they could send her home with us. So we left at 3:20 to get said paper work. We were assured they would be open until 5. We got back at 4:05 to locked doors and a piece of paper taped to the door saying sorry for the inconvenience. I managed to get it and they REFUSED to even hear me out. Three pieces of paper for them to glance at and I could have paid the 'adoption' fee and taken the dog away. But no they could not be bothered with that. They had new dogs coming in and couldn't be bothered with me.

Needless to say we were OUTRAGED. What do you mean you don't want us to take the dog? Isn't that what you're try to do? Adopt dogs out? I'm sorry. How silly of me to think you would do your job!

I found the number for their Chief Executive Officer on the administrative staff and let him know exactly how I was treated and what I thought of all of it. Oddly enough, I got a call back within hours. The apologies abounded and I was assured that the manager of that locale would help me when I came in.

Still a 'What The Frak' moment. Are they not in the business of adopting out homeless animals? Shouldn't they want to help me?

This is not the first bad encounter I had with the SPCA. I have a feeling I may not be going to them again.

Farewell Friend

2011-06-05T19:54:00.002-04:00

It has taken me a few days to be able to actually blog about this.

On June 1st, my husband and I had to put down our 14 year old dog. Kaiser had been diagnosed with cancer and there was nothing that could be done. It had progressed too far.

Kaiser was a smiler, as you can see from this photo. We 'rescued' him, but in reality I think he rescued us. He was so loving and protective of his pack. How can you look at that beautiful face and not smile yourself? I dare you to try. You couldn't do it could you? I know I can't.

Kaiser has been with us since just slightly before the hubby was commissioned in the Navy. So yeah, he was a Navy brat. He'd moved 7 different times. Weathered one hurricane and two tropical storms. Gone through two deployments. And even visited two battlefields with us. But most importantly was protector and friend for fourteen years.

And he was such a ladies man. I don't think he ever met a female he didn't like. Men? Well that's a different story. But he'd perk up as soon as a lady walked in the door.

Time takes it's toll on everyone. It slows us all down. I'd like to think that Kaiser had a great life. I'm not trying to look at this through rose colored glasses, I know we weren't perfect.

Farewell my wonderful friend.

You will be missed!

Decisions

2011-05-27T19:07:00.003-04:00

Being an adult sucks! I wish I could go back to the days when the hardest decisions I made were what flavor Kool aid I wanted, which toy to play with and what cartoon to watch. Back when all boo boos were fixed with a kiss from Mommy. And our parents were super heroes. I was just waiting to see their super hero costumes.

Today I had to take my 14 year old dog to the vet. He'd been having some issues and I was hoping against hope that there would be an 'easy' fix to this. Sadly, this is not the case. The word cancer was mentioned and a biopsy was taken.

Now I wait to see what the results will say. However, we aren't very hopeful.

I know there are a lot of people out there who would shrug their shoulders and say so what, it's just a dog. Kaiser is not just a dog to me though. He's so much more. But I'm not going to go into that.

So this weekend is all about him. Naps with him when ever and where ever. Outside time even if I think it's too hot. And car rides!

What's that buddy? You want a cheeseburger? Okay lets go get one.

Yeah, he's spoiled but he's mine. And I'll do whatever I have to to make things better for him. That's part of being an adult who cares for their pet and realizes how precious time is.

Soon I'll have to make decisions. And it sucks! But I'll do what's best for him.

A Mother's Day Wish

2011-05-08T15:40:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all the mom's out there a Happy Mother's Day. I don't care if you are a mom by birth, adoption, marriage or if your 'children' have fur or feathers. Know you are appreciated.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

A Parody That Rocks!

2011-03-27T12:59:00.001-04:00

The pictures/videos could have been better, but I do love this! So I thought I should share. It's well done.

Vanity.....

2011-02-17T08:35:00.002-05:00

Comes with a price!

I'm a jeans and tee shirt kind of gal. Not glamorous. I'm all about comfort.

However, last Friday I attended an event for Surface Officer Spouses (SOS) that required just a bit more dressing up.

So I wore some adorable high heels. What was I thinking? I was thinking they were CUTE! Not how comfortable would I be through the evening. Not a smart move on my part. I'm not the most stable in flats, what made me think I could teeter around in high heels?

So vanity won out and I paid the price.

I spent most of that evening sitting or without those shoes on. And worse yet? The next day my feet and calves hurt.

When am I gonna learn?

Homecomings!

2011-01-20T16:31:00.008-05:00

In case you couldn't figure this out, I am a Navy wife. That means my hubby deploys and is gone for long periods of time. I do not post when this happens for a plethora of reasons. But the main one is for security. Both for myself, my hubby and his ship. This is something that the Navy tells you not to do. That's why I find it both funny and irritating when the local news names the ship, how long they're deploying and where they're going on the day they leave. But that's a rant for another time and place.

Needless to say these are homecoming pictures. My sweetie has been home for a bit now and I figured I could post this with no issues. Not that I have a bunch of readers or anything out there. Thanks to all (what?) three of you!

The first one is the FIRST glance I got of the ship. There was a tent set up outside to protect us from the chilly weather and seats, because let me tell you standing on concrete for over an hour can do a number on you. Plus we had a DJ, which was cool but I really wanted to tell him to play some up beat tunes and to shut the *@!& up! I didn't need him to tell me that the Navy is like one big family or how much we've missed each other.

The second shot is the ship coming closer.

The third shot is a tug helping the ship maneuver in. Some people had never seen a ship coming pier side and were asking random questions. Luckily a few of us around them were able to answer.

You could feel the anticipation! The crowd was getting SO excited. When did those butterflies turn into a herd of stampeding elephants? It seemed to take FOREVER. I know it didn't, but when you've waited six months to see the one you love and know they're only yards away it can really get you psyched.

Finally they're pier side. Now all we had to do was wait for the first kiss, first hug and the new babies to be seen first. Then chaos ensued! There were TV stations there filming, but I was in no way going to be seen blubbering on my hubby's shoulder, glad that he's home, or our first kiss. Sadly I didn't get a photo of that first hug or kiss, but I got the important thing... My hubby!

So now he's home safe and sound. All we need to do no is readjust to living together again and drive each other crazy doing it. It's fantastic!!!

12 Days Of Christmas

2010-12-22T19:07:00.005-05:00

So my sweetie really likes getting photos via email. But there are only so many pictures you can take of your animals and yourself. I don't do many of myself, because I REALLY don't like having my picture taken. But about 12 days ago someone mentioned to me that the 12 days of Christmas were coming up and that she normally sent her husband photos for each day. So I decided to put my own unique spin on things. I realize I'm a day early, but my sweetie is nearly a day ahead, so he needed to get these photos in time.

So I've posted the pictures and will say what I emailed him. Then I'll give a short explanation. Enjoy!

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Pumpkin by the Charlie Brown Tree.

I didn't put up the tree this year, so my buddy got me a Charlie Brown Tree. My sweetie wanted a photo and just as I was taking this photo my orange kitty decided he wanted to be in this photo op. Who was I to disagree?

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Two Blonde Buddies.

I thought this would add a bit of whimsy.

This is a photo of my buddy, Greta, and I. Luckily we were at our favorite coffee shop and the owner was kind enough to take this picture (with my phone no less). I just love how it looks like we're being towered over. It was so much fun! And those who know me, know I HATE having my photo taken. We almost look like we just got caught doing something bad.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Three Awesome Pens.

I was truly in a bind of what to do for this one. Then I remembered that I have three pens that my friends have made for us. One I had made for Jim a year or so ago for Christmas and the other two are mine. So why not?

They do mean something to us. Well they do to me anyway.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Four Mobile Phones.

Luckily I was in my favorite coffee shop (yes again) and was able to borrow three other phones in order to get this done. We had joked that it would have been really funny if all four went off at the same time. Of course, the title would have been totally different if that had happened.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Five Loving Rings.

Each one of these five rings means something special to me.

The class ring is Jim's. I wore it through a large chunk of our high school lives. There's my engagement and wedding ring. I would hope you would understand the importance of those. The other two rings? One was a gift when my sweetie got back from his first deployment and the other a gift for Christmas (I think).

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... One New Truck Battery.

I know! I know! There aren't six of these.

What was I thinking?

Well to be honest, I couldn't really think of anything really cool. However, I did by this on the sixth day so it has to count.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Seven Sea Gulls Standing.

Something about sea gulls just tickles us to no end. We either giggle like children, all because of the movie 'Finding Nemo' or we get sentimental. Somewhere it's written, where I have no idea, that seagulls are the souls of sailors who have passed on.

I know! Two sides of the coin. But we always watch seagulls when we see them.

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Eight Flowers Blooming.

So the eighth day is actually my birthday. My darling hubby sent me flowers (and a teddy bear and chocolates) for my birthday and I just had to take this photo, because he did send it to me on the eighth day. I know there are more than eight, but pick out your favorites and know those are the ones. I'm not gonna argue!

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Nine Kitty Whiskers, Still Attached to the Pretty Kitty.

This one happened completely by chance!

I was trying to figure out what to do for this one when I glanced to my left and saw my little girl kitty, Kyla, sitting there staring at me. Kyla is my hubby's favorite and I thought this a perfect chance to get her photo. I mean I had used Pumpkin. It's only fair to use her as well.

I know there are more than nine whiskers, but just count the more prominent ones. Once you get to nine stop. Come on humor me.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Ten Toasty Toesies.

So these toe socks were given to me and I thought this would be funny for the tenth day. And it's very Christmasy.

I have learned something from this.

One, toe socks feel funky. And two? I really don't like them.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... Eleven Lights a Twinkling.

This is the hubby and mine's favorite thing to do during the holidays. We will drive to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens and view their holiday lights. One of our favorites is the Starry Night section. You feel like you've left the world behind and are drifting in space.

You don't have to keep counting after eleven. Really, you don't.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... Twelve Christmas Roses Unfurling.

So I just got these roses today.

A Christmas gift from my sweetie.

So I thought it quite appropriate to use this for my final day of Christmas.

I hope everyone enjoyed my rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas as much as I enjoyed making it up.

Merry Christmas!

Traditions...Of A Sort

2010-12-21T17:54:00.006-05:00

It doesn't always happen, but when my hubby is unable to be with me on my birthday my buddy and her hubby like to do something for me on my birthday. Sadly this year was one of those times, but Steve had duty on my actual birthday. So they did it a day later. What we do is get special coffees and then go to check out Christmas lights. After that we tend to go out to dinner.

So I was picked up and we got coffees from Java Cup Cafe. From there we headed out to Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Every year they do a light display for the holidays. It isn't just Christmas, they have all the seasons on display. Normally this is something my hubby and I go drive through every year, but as stated before he's not here to do this. Side note? Greta HATES nutcrackers, so I took this as a joke. We were making jokes about this one the entire drive up to the opening.

There's an 'Under The Sea' section. So I had to grab this one of the Norfolk Mermaid. I did get a new perspective this year. I've never seen Christmas lights through the eyes of a child. Well that and I normally ride up front. lol Sometimes, with the 'help' of a child, you see things you never saw before.

Of course, as a Navy Wife, I HAD to get a picture of Santa flying off the aircraft carrier. This is a staple in the light display. And I'm always proud to see it.

One of my husband and mine's absolutely favorite parts of the light display is the starry nights. They've added something new this year. You enter into a 'meteor shower'. Which is really cool and totally new! I do hope they do it again next year so the hubby and I can go view this.

One of my favorite parts is when you come over the bridge and look out into the lights. It almost feels like you're suspended in space. Really cool. Luckily my buddy, Greta, took these for me. I couldn't really get a good shot from the back seat.

The spiderweb used to be in with the fall decorations, but now it's at the end. And now the spiders move more. Really neat.

After this we had dinner and then went to one more lights display. All in all it was a very good night. Thanks Greta, Steve and Monster!

My Hubby Is The...

2010-12-19T18:19:00.003-05:00

Sweetest!!!

Since he couldn't be with me for my birthday today he sent me this.

Not only did he send me flowers, but I also got an adorable bear and chocolates. And the best part? They weren't in Christmas colors. It's really hard to order anything this time of year without it being red and green or Christmas themed. Not even a winter theme. Thank goodness! So I TRULY appreciate the effort that was put into this.

It got to me a day before my birthday, which irked my hubby, but it gives me all of my birthday to enjoy the gifts!

Thanks again honey!!

Christmas Cards

2010-12-11T16:59:00.004-05:00

So today I went out with my friends to get some pictures for their Christmas cards. I really enjoy taking people's pictures and rarely get to do it.

So we went to the zoo in our area, because Monster loves the zoo.

I think the statue of the elephant in front of the zoo is awesome! It's made up of butterflies. Hopefully you can tell by looking at the picture. It's hard to tell from further away.

What's really neat, in my humble opinion, is that the butterfly on the trunk is made up of an elephant. So I titled the photos butterfly elephant for the first photo and elephant butterfly for the first.

I think it makes sense.

Don't you?

Our first stop was the turtle statue. This is something Monster's been playing on since he was knee high to a grasshopper, so I thought it quite fitting. Imagine my sheer delight when Daddy climbed on behind his son. It was like the inner child had just emerged. And I was so NOT missing that opportunity.

Of course it didn't take much convincing for Mommy to join them. I think this is just an adorable photo.

I can almost see the statue coming to life and plodding along with the trio on his back.

Our next stop? Why to view the most dangerous animal.

What is it you ask?

HUMANS!

Yet another cute photo of some of my favorite people.

And I couldn't end this without another photo of Monster. I told him that all monsters should be in cages, because they're scary. He thinks I'm nuts. He's probably right!

All in all it was a nice time. We didn't stay terribly long as it was chilly. But that was a good thing. It meant there weren't lots of people there to get in the way of our pictures.

Christmas Lights

2010-12-04T23:32:00.002-05:00

I refuse to check out Christmas light displays until after Thanksgiving. So after we got back from Disney my sister's family decided to take us all to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO.

This time I did take my camera with me and got this shot of just a small sample of the lights while we were there. There were tons more, but I liked this one near the water the best.

I rarely have pictures of myself since I'm normally the one taking the pictures. That and I just don't like having my picture taken. Body issues. But that's another story entirely. In case you didn't notice, it was very COLD that night. So I have this one thanks to Phillip, my brother-in-law.

Phillip also got this one of me with my sister and nephew. Isn't the one in the middle adorable? He's my little Tater Tot! And such a little snuggler. That may have had something to do with how cold it was. lol

I had to get this one of the entire Toto family. It was just too funny to pass up! And as you might be able to tell there were many in the group who were willing to ham it up. Since there were only 4 gingerbread people I told my little Tater Tot to pretend like he was going to take a bite of them.

We did 5 theme parks in 4 days. One of those days was devoted to travel. So to say I'm exhausted would be a bit of an understatement.

Thanksgiving Disney Style

2010-12-04T23:00:00.004-05:00

So where was I for Thanksgiving Day?

Disney! The happiest place in the world.

This was something my dad put together. He flew everyone out and then paid for the tickets to Disney and our meals. Very generous! And something I am truly thankful for.

I got matching tee shirts for everyone. It said Warren Family Vacation at the top and then a silhouette of Cinderella's Castle. Under that it said 'Don't Worry Daddy Paid For It' and my dad's said 'Yeah I Paid For It'. We got tons of comments on it. I was lucky enough to know someone who could do this for me.

I decided not to take my camera with me, so luckily my brother-in-law, Phillip, took some pictures and shared with me. I did do the photo pass, but am having some issues at the moment, so I don't have them.

The very first thing we rode was the Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride. Of course I had to give Phillip a huge cheesy grin when I noticed him taking pictures. Hey! It's hard not to be goofy when you get to Disney!

Of course I had to get a picture with Abby and Noah. Gotta get my Auntie Shell cred.Too much orange? Made it easy to find our group. And got tons of compliments.

This was taken on our last day at Disney. It had just rained and we gave JD a mohawk. Just too cute for words so he was in a Mommy/Aunt Shell smooch. I think he enjoyed it. No matter how much he denies it.

Warming Up For Winter

2010-12-04T22:07:00.006-05:00

So where were your around Thanksgiving time?

Me? I was on my way to Florida. With family.

So my sister and I (You can see our reflection in the windows) had to snap this photo of my niece and nephews. We flew out of Tulsa, OK to Tampa Bay, FL.

So what did we do once we got to the hotel?

Donned our swimsuits and hit the hotel pool. I mean it was over 80 degrees and the kids did need to burn off some steam. And we had late dinner plans. So we were hoping to tire them out.

I just had to share this photo of my brother jumping into the pool with his niece and nephews. It was just too perfect an opportunity to pass up.

And of course I had to share this photo of my parents.

My dad paid to fly us all down for the holiday. Is that not a great Daddy? The only thing I had to do was show up.

Later that night we all went to Arabian Nights for dinner and a show. I took a number of pictures, but I think I liked this Santa one the best. However, I think Jack Frost was pretty cool!

Tagged - I've NEVER Done This Before!

2010-11-07T06:46:00.003-05:00

Lala over at What? Mermaids? tagged me for a meme... I've never done this, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I tagged a few people, but if I didn't tag you, feel free to play along, and if I did, feel free to not play if you're not interested...!

The rules are:

Link to the person who tagged you.
Paste these rules on your blog post.
Respond to the following prompts (in bold).
Add a prompt of your own and answer it.
Tag a few other bloggers at the bottom of the post.
Leave "Tagged You" notices on their blog/Facebook.
Let the person who tagged you know when you've written the post.

1) The best investment you ever made:

Probably my camera. Since I do get a lot of enjoyment from taking photos.

Wait! Can I answer my hubby? He's the best thing in my life! And you do invest a lot of time, energy and love into your spouse. So yeah the hubby is THE best investment.

2) If you could’ve written any book, directed any movie, and composed any song, which three would you pick:

I would have written the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Love the books! But I think I would have ended it just a touch differently. It seemed a bit rushed.

I would have directed Die Hard. I know it seems like an odd choice, but it was Bruce Willis's first movie as the action hero. I think it launched his career.

This one is a toss up. It's between Lady Antebellum's 'I Run To You' or Christina Perri's 'Jar of Hearts'. I really enjoy them both. I'd post the videos, but something's not working at the moment. Trust me they are good! I think I lean more to the first one though.

3) Weirdest quirk:

I'm sure I have one, but I can't think of it. And really people in general tend to think I'm weird.

4) One wish immediately granted:

The perfect body. Hey it asked for a wish. Didn't say it had to be plausible.

5) Most expensive hobby:

Probably my photography. Although I don't spend a lot on my camera. I love it just the way it is without all the bells and whistles. But I think maybe I spend more on the scrap booking aspect of it.

6) An inexhaustible gift-card at which store:

I'm one of those weird people. I really don't like to shop. So I guess I'd want the card to go to Amazon.com cause I do like internet shopping. Can't beat sitting in the comfort of your own home and getting the things you need. Plus you don't have to deal with idiots!

7) In another lifetime, you’d be:

A writer

8) If you could go back to your time in high school and change anything, would you:

The only thing I would change would be my studying habits. Other than that? NOPE!

I Tag: Denise, Sarah P. and Kim

Halloween Giggles

2010-11-04T21:12:00.008-04:00

So Halloween is really a big deal to the hubby and I. We really love it! We decorate and carve pumpkins and enjoy all the trick or treaters.

However, I just couldn't get into the holiday this year. Possibly because the hubby couldn't be with me that day. Don't get me wrong. I still love seeing the trick or treaters. And all the scary movies.

But I didn't carve the pumpkin or decorate the house. I just couldn't get into the spirit of the holiday. It's sad, but true.

However, I did spot these cuties at Target on Halloween day. And something about them just made me giggle. How can you not smile when you see these?

I mean honestly how can you not smile at a pumpkin, candy corn, skeleton, convict,mummy or Frankenstein and witch piggy bank? You'd have to be a little bit dead inside to not at least grin.

Didn't it at least make you chuckle? Just a bit?

Halloween Night

2010-10-31T22:23:00.003-04:00

So on Halloween night I sit outside to give the trick or treaters their candy. The constant knocking on my door drives the dog insane and he in turn drives me up the wall.

It was nice enough that I had my windows open to let in some of the nice, crisp fall air. When I turned around this is what I saw. Pumpkin spent about a half hour trying to convince me that he needed to be outside as well. It was too funny so I had to share. Sadly he didn't get his wish.

Every Halloween my best friend brings her son over to trick or treat and I take a picture of them. This year she dressed as Buffy and he dressed as Spike. If you ask him he'll tell you that he's a Billy Idol vampire. This is them hissing at me. Sadly Buffy didn't kick butt and Spike got the better of her.

Of course we had to have one of him hiding behind the cape. Look into my eyes! Insert that maniacal laughter in here.

I think he had a great time. Of course he kept eyeballing my bowl of candy even though he just got a treat bag chocked full of treats. Probably didn't help that Mommy kept snagging goodies. I thought it was funny though!

Before it got too dark I did manage to snap this shot of a dad and his two daughters. You can't beat Batman leading the way for Batgirl and Superwoman. Gotta love it!!!

Is There A Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown?

2010-10-28T15:04:00.006-04:00

Normally I absolutely throw myself into Halloween. By this time I would normally have gargoyles and all sorts of creepy stuff up. I even have a mix of music that I listen to. It would be going.

And we would be getting ready to carve pumpkins while watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown right about now. A classic!

I love Halloween and all sorts of scary stuff.

However, this is not the case this year. Nothing has gone up. I feel like the Grinch of Halloween. Is there such a thing? A Grinch for Halloween?

I have no jack-o-lantern and no plans to carve one. No spooky stuff up and my tunes haven't been of the spooky variety.

I have purchased the candy for the trick or treaters, but I didn't put the thought I normally would into it. The only thing I've done as a nod to Halloween is watch as much scary stuff on TV as I can find.

*sigh*

I fear the Great Pumpkin will not be stopping by me any time this year.

Well there's always next year.

Find Your Smile Where You Can

2010-09-30T20:42:00.002-04:00

This past week has been rainy and very dreary. So I've been feeling kind of down.

Never a good thing.

So I decided to find my smile where I can. The first photo is a fun picture of Pumpkin. The way he was laying there and looking at me just gave me a huge grin. He's so sweet.

The next one is of my toes. Normally my feet do NOT make me smile, but I really liked how this pedicure turned out. I always have them do a little artwork on my big toes. And really how can you not be happy after a pedicure? Now each time I look at my toes I smile a bit.

The next one is a picture of one of my new favorite coffees at my coffee house. It's chocolate, caramel and spiced brown sugar. It's recently been named the Carm-olate Latte. Very yummy!!

Then there's the Bacon Risotto that I made by myself tonight. My brother taught me how to make it and I'm just pleased that I remembered how to make it. Very tasty!

And it's been a while since I've actually cooked for myself, so that made me even happier. I'd gotten out of the habit of doing this. Which isn't good for me. I need to take better care of myself.

The last picture would be a glass of wine. I'd forgotten how nice it can be to just sip on a glass or two of wine while watching TV. And of course this is one of my favorites.

What I'm Lovin (In September)!

2010-09-26T21:10:00.004-04:00

So I'm trying this one out. KK does this on her blog and I think it's really neat. So here I go hoping I can come up with more than two thoughts for each category. Thanks again KK!

Music That Make Me Stop On The Station (For This Month)!

Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri

Animal by Neon Trees

Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert

I Like It (feat. Pitbull)by Enrique Iglesias

Misery by Maroon 5

I Run To You by Lady Antebellum

Love The Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna) by Eminem

TV! Shows That Grabbed My Attention So Far!

Normally I love fall for the season premiers, but this year I've been fairly unimpressed.

Supernatural

Castle

Warehouse 13

GLEE!

Chuck

Top Chefs: Just Desserts

Hawaii Five-O

Books! Yeah I Have Time For Them (Most of The Time)

Needful Things by Stephen King

Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay)

Movies

Letters to Juliet

Killers

Beauty and the Beast (I can't help that I love Disney and this is my fave movie!)

Birthday Celebration

2010-09-26T07:53:00.002-04:00

So on Wednesday I met up with some friends at the Melting Pot for a birthday celebration. Jack Jack turned 13 and he decided he wanted the Melting Pot. It's something neither he nor his sisters had been to so I thought it was a GREAT idea.

Now I will admit, I didn't take most of the pictures on this blog. I have to give the credit to Super Freak, because she brought her little camera and all I had was my camera phone. Which didn't do well in the dim lighting.

Now this one I did take a picture of. It's their Yin Yang Martini. Very yummy and very cold. If you sip to quickly you can get brain freeze.

I only had one of these. I'm more for liquid than slush. :-)

I thought this one was pretty funny. Super Freak was, well freaked out, by the lobster. They had sliced up the lobster meat and placed it back on the tail for presentation.

So there was a LOT of goofing off with that. Their lobster tail even got a name. So I thought it appropriate that there was a picture of Super Freak and Larry the Lobster.

And Super Freak was nice enough to get a picture of me and her mom, Deborah.

I had a fantastic time. And was glad to be included in the celebration.

Happy birthday Jack Jack!

Show of Pride

2010-09-23T21:10:00.005-04:00

So this month Virginia Beach had the Show of Pride at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. I don't think it was advertised nearly enough. And I truly hope that they hold it again next year. It was open to the public and completely free.

The Coast Guard, Army, Marines and Navy were all present. And had brought a number of things for the public to inspect. Which was awesome since you got to actually got to climb on the vehicles and explore them.

There was a shooting video game, which was constantly busy. More often than not it was filled with big boys. There was also a bomb sniffing dog there. He's retired, but it was interesting to hear what he did.
The Navy and Coast Guard both brought ships. While the Marines and Army both brought transport vehicles. There were also a lot of vendors there and military support groups there. All of them had materials letting people know what they did and how they could support people.

There were lots of demonstrations. I was able to catch the Marines showing some of their martial arts. So I thought I would include that. I managed to get a number of photos through my phone. And luckily my buddy Vickie brought her camera and sent me a lot of pictures.

And yes that is me learning to tie knots with a few of the guys from the Navy. There are a few times that I'm caught off guard and you'll catch me with the camera.

Movie Night

2010-09-19T10:00:00.002-04:00

So Friday night my FRG (Family Readiness Group) got together for movie night at Mt. Trashmore. It was lots of fun! Tons of kids around and a few activities. You could bring blankets, beach chairs and a picnic lunch. I wish I had known about this sooner. This was the last movie for the season.

Chick-fil-a was there and Emma, Jack and I had to go get our picture taken with the cow. Emma was freaked out by the cow, which explains the look on her face. I, of course, was laughing when the photo was snapped.

The movie was Little Giants and was quite good. I've noticed I rarely have pictures of myself. Something I will work on. But I will definitely keep an eye out for this next year as it was tons of fun. And those who went did have a good time. Which is the point. Right?

A Farewell To Totos

2010-09-05T09:46:00.003-04:00

So the day my sister and her family left, I had Phillip, my brother-in-law, take pictures of me and the kids. We should have done it in my back yard so the sun wouldn't be in everyone's eyes, but they were about to head out. So we made do.

The first photo is of my niece, Abby, and I. She's the oldest, just like I am.

Thankfully the kids were agreeable with the picture taking this time around. They get so tired of all the picture taking they go through. And I guess it is kind of boring to those who are 10 and under. Well then again I think it can get boring for anyone after a while.

The next is of my nephew, Noah and I. He's the middle child. It's also hard to get a photo of either of us. We're always looking goofy. So I thought this one was pretty good. I did have a few to choose from, but either our eyes were closed or we were making faces. Such is life.

The final photo is of my nephew, JD and I. He, of course, is the youngest. I only had one photo of him and I together. Not sure why I didn't have more to choose from, but at least I had the one.

And I had to add a picture of my sister, Sarah, and I. I'm glad that they could come for a visit. I only wish I could have had more than 3 days.

Sandbridge Sunrise

2010-09-04T20:41:00.003-04:00

I finally downloaded my camera photos from when my sister and her family were here. So I had to share.

I of course had to share one of the kids watching the sunrise. I mean how cool is it to actually watch the sun rise over the horizon?
My sister snagged my camera and took this one of me. As I've stated in the past, I really do not like having my photo taken. So she took a few for me so I'd actually have a few for me to keep.

The kids had a blast playing in the waves. And I had to get a snapshot of the three of them facing me.

Family Visit

2010-09-02T19:22:00.002-04:00

So while my sister and her family were here for a visit I took them for to the beach to see the sunrise. This is something that the hubby and I do on the weekends so I felt a bit sad when we went.

My sister's hubby took this photo of me and my niece, Abby, as we were walking towards the shore line. I thought it was an awesome shot and had to share it.

The MUST Read For The Summer

2010-08-24T20:27:00.005-04:00

Those of you who know me may remember me mentioning 'The Hunger Games'. It's a trilogy of books. I was originally introduced to it by a friend who wanted to do it for book club. I grudgingly got it and started reading. I was HOOKED! Finding out there was a second one made me nearly giddy with joy!

I tore through that one. Suzanne Collins had me enthralled. I fell in love with some of the characters and wished the worst upon some of the others. I nearly cried when I got to the end. Cliff hanger!!!! And I had to wait over a month for the next book to come out. I thought I'd have fits.

Today the final book came out! The heavens have opened and angels are singing. I have the book and am on my way. I can't wait to see what happens!

The funny thing? It's written for teens, but in no way is it angsty like so many teen books are. And those I hate. This? I ADORE!!!

I highly recommend you read these. Rumor has it that they'll be making a movie out of it. If so, I'll so be in the theater watching it!

Welcome Gifts

2010-08-24T20:09:00.003-04:00

So my sister and her family are arriving at my house in an hour or so. So I had to make sure I had things for everyone. I can post this now because I know they're on the road and won't be reading this.

I painted each of the kids a bag. Most people call them tote bags, but I call them around town bags because I take mine just about everywhere and they hold a lot of stuff.

I have a niece and two nephews. I did the mermaid for Abby and added some colors to her hair that are favorites of hers. The boys each got fish, but I tried to make them a little different. Noah likes blue, so that's what I did his fish in. JD likes orange and yellow, so that's what he got.

Everyone got the same amount of stuff in their bags. Tervis Tumblers and lids, gummy bears, a disposable camera and a photo album. Just a few things to make the trip memorable and so they have something.

This tote I didn't make. I got it from my good friend Jenny. She has a fantastic site and I appreciate the fantastic and quick job she did for me.

So at least I will know that the Totos will leave with something other than a sunburn. LOL I'm really looking forward to their arrival. Yes, even my brother-in-law.

My Sweetie...

2010-08-13T14:27:00.004-04:00

Is the best!

We celebrate 17 years together today. And he sent me 18 roses. The note says that they wouldn't let him order 17 roses, so I'd have to make do with 18 and promise to stay the extra year.

Not a problem!

I love him so much!

Now I have something lovely to look at today. That is as long as I can keep my orange kitty away from it. He REALLY loves plants.

Road Trip!

2010-08-05T14:12:00.004-04:00

So yesterday Tim and I went on a road trip. We headed for North Carolina at 0530. That's 5:30 in the morning for those of you who can't read military time. So yeah we were up REALLY early.

I just had to snap this picture of the bay as the sun is rising. I'm not sure what ship this is, but I thought it made a good shot.

We drove all the way to Old Fort, North Carolina. It's an almost 7 hour drive there. I was lucky that my brother drove. I'm not sure I could have done it.

We went to Pigsah Yarn & Dye, which is home to Peaches & Creme Yarn. Not something I'm really into, but Tim is. He has a loom and crotches afghans and scarves. So we did this because he wanted to. He walked out of there with a lot of yarn, but he also has a few baby blankets to make.

I just HAD to get this shot. It had Tim and I cracking up.

We also went to the Biltmore Estate Winery. Well we didn't actually go to the winery itself, you have to pay $60 a person to get on the Biltmore property and I wasn't paying that, we went to the gift shop. We were told the gift shop would do a limited tasting, which was better than paying the $60. We got to try something like 21 wines. If that's limited I don't need to do the full tasting.

And yes my brother and I are wearing matching shirts. They read 'If found, please return to the nearest winery. We thought it was very appropriate.

Jazz Festival

2010-08-03T18:07:00.007-04:00

On the 24th of July Norfolk held a Jazz Festival at Town Point Park. And this year Keep Norfolk Beautiful asked for volunteers to pass out pins to people who were doing good deeds. Things like recycling, picking up trash and things of that sort. Sadly, I must report that I only gave something like 5 pins out from 5 to 9. In 4 hours I only saw 2 adults do something like picking up trash. The 3 others were small children. What does that say about our society? Or am I just expecting too much?

On a brighter note, this is a statue in the park. I really like this statue. It's of a sailor returning and embracing his spouse and child. What could be more poignant?

I could only get one face out of the crowd of people that attended this event. And it's really hard to get good pictures of people acting naturally. They tend to stiffen up when they see a camera. So I had to pretend I was taking a photo of something else. I think he was catching on to me though.

And of course I had to get an action shot. I probably could have watched this couple dance most of the evening, but I had to be on the look out for people doing the 'right thing'. I believe they were with a television station. Don't ask me which one, because I have no clue.

I had to get this shot. Emerson's had a stand at the Jazz Festival. No I'm not kidding! They were selling cigars at this thing. I guess cigars and jazz are supposed to go hand in hand.

And of course they had alcohol there. All proceeds went to a charity. I don't remember what the charity was, since it has been a while since the event.

I couldn't end the blog without a photo or two of the sunset. It was lovely!

The only fly in the ointment was the heat. It was 107 degrees at 7 at night. At least there was a breeze coming off the river. Or it truly would have been unbearable.

Passion: The Cooking Class

2010-07-20T12:41:00.003-04:00

So the other night I went with some of the wardroom wives for a cooking class. I'd never been to Passion's before and had no idea what I was getting into. I've had a hard time figuring out how to describe this experience. It's like sitting at the chef's table. The chef told us about each dish and answered any and all questions.
This was a four course meal.

The first course was White Truffle Risotto with Asiago Cheese and Parmesan Cheese Crisp. I LOVED this. I'm a big risotto fan and the truffle in it was just so yummy! It was paired with Kung Fu Girl 2009 Riesling. The label gave me a chuckle and I thought the pairing was very nice. A bit of effervescence on the tongue and nice and crisp.

The second course was Fried Soft Shel with Bercy Sauce and Seared Asparagus. Originally they were going to pair it with Craggy Range 2007 Chardonnay, but the wine steward wasn't happy with the wine so they switched to a Petit Chenin Blanc by Ken Forrester. It went nicely with the crabs. I have learned that I'm not a soft shell crab fan. Although it was good, I just wasn't into it. I'm glad I tried it. Lesson learned. I think another factor was that it kind of creeped me out. I don't really care much for the look of crabs. They look like mutant insects.

Brandy, who was sitting to my right, has a seafood allergy and had Chicken Francis instead of the Fried Soft Shell. She was kind enough to let me try her chicken. Thanks again Brandy!

And of course the asparagus was fantastic. I don't think I've ever had asparagus that I don't like. It was crisp and still that pretty green color. So I was extremely happy with the veggie portion of this dish.

For the third course we had Crispy Skinned Seared Duck Breast with a Ginger Plum Sauce, Brocollini and Garlic Mashers. They paired this with a 2008 The Stump Jump Shiraz. I wasn't a big fan of the wine, but the duck was fantastic. Duck is either done well or poorly. This was done well. And I loved the sauce with it. I will admit I'm a bit of a potato snob, but the garlic mashers were so smooth and creamy that I could have made a meal out of them. Then again I am the carb queen. Also I'd never had brocollini before, so that was a first. And it wasn't bad. I actually had them box up most of this course because I was filling up and I definitely want to keep that yumminess for later.

The fourth course was Strawberry Passion - Macerated in Orange Cognac and Flambe with Fresh Mint. We cheered, of course, when Chef Barner lit the cognac. I'm not much for ice cream, but this was yummy! They paired this with Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut. Which was very nice. I always love the sparkling wines and the lovely pink color of the wine was a nice compliment to the dessert.

Of course I can't finish this blog without a picture of the chef. The evening was wonderful and Chef Garett Barner did a fantastic job. This is DEFINITELY something I will do again and suggest to as many friends as possible. I had a fantastic evening!

Sometimes You Wanna Go

2010-07-16T08:14:00.003-04:00

Where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came.

Okay I'll stop singing now. I know you're relieved.

I have found such a place. Java Cup Cafe!

It's this awesome little coffee shop that's not that far from my house. Coffees, teas, smoothies, frappe and food. You tell them what you like and they can make it for you. A friendly atmosphere where you can take a book or your laptop and while away the day. Which I am, but that's another post entirely.

Bella, my fave barista, made me this yummy concoction yesterday. It's a chocolate, pistachio coffee. It was SO yummy! I don't normally do hot drinks during the summer months, but yesterday I was in need of a coffee fix and didn't want it cold. Although, this is very good as an iced coffee. Which I am having as I write this. And yes I'm at Java Cup right now!

So if you're in the area I highly recommend a visit. And if you're not into coffee, that's okay they make wonderful teas too! It'll put a smile on your face. And some days that's what you REALLY need.

Weekends

2010-07-09T18:27:00.002-04:00

So on the weekends, the hubby and I try to do one of three things. Go out to breakfast, a midnight drive or watch the sun rise on the beach.

This past weekend we opted for the sun rise on the beach. The beach was a little more populated. It is tourist season now, but I didn't think they would be out so early. We strolled the water front, only meeting a few people that close to the water and happened across these bird prints.

It was neat to see the paths the birds took. Some meandered, others a straight path to the water, while another set went in circles. So I just had to snap a photo of these.

And of course, I HAD to get a shot of the sun rise. Can you believe that I got this shot with my phone camera? This always makes me feel so peaceful and puts a nice spin on the day.

Of course we went home and went back to bed. LOL

Monday's Adventure

2010-06-28T15:00:00.005-04:00

So my best buddy, Greta, has been wanting a tattoo forever. So she finally found a place, after a lot of research, that she wanted to get it done at. She asked me to go along to possibly take a few pictures and basically be moral support.

I must say Fuzion Ink is very clean and professional place. The front lobby was clean and smelled sort of like bleach. A good thing in my opinion since this signifies cleaning has been done. We were greeted almost immediately. Since we were a walk in, we did have a bit of a wait. However, once we got in the back we were done in almost 20 minutes.

Greta didn't want a big or complex tattoo. Which I think helped with the speed. Well that and the guy was just good at his job. Greta got her own set of needles, still in their packaging. I know that seems like an odd thing to take a picture of, but I think it's really important to know where your needles are coming from.

I had to get a picture of the stencil that he put on Greta first. It was more of a specialty tattoo. It's a mixture of a Pisces sign and Sagittarius sign. Greta and her hubby are Pisces and her son is a Sagittarius.

The 'H' is the Pisces part and the arrow is the Sagittarius sign. I think it's cool how she incorporated both signs. And it makes the tattoo special to her.

Of course I had to get a picture of Jude, the tattoo artist. I got to admit some people are thrown by Greta and I. We can be a bit much at times. But he handled us in stride and did a fantastic job on my best friend. He warned her when it might be a bit more painful.

I was stunned to learn that he's close to my own age. He seems a lot younger than that. But he was extremely professional and that's all that matters. If you're looking to get a tattoo, I would recommend him.

Almost done in this photo. I took lots of pictures so Greta could send them to her hubby, who was unable to be with her. I think the end result was great! Originally Greta was thinking of just doing the outline of it in black and leaving it be, but I think it looks much better with the blue ink and I love how he blended a bit of black at the tips and made it fade into the blue.

This is something I will NEVER do, but I'm glad I got to go with Greta and share in her experience. And she's VERY happy with it. And that's all that matters.

Reunions!

2010-06-06T21:03:00.006-04:00

So one of the things we were able to do while on our baseball vacation was see two friends from high school. It had been 17 years since I'd seen Denise (the lovely brunette) and around 14 years since I'd seen Sheila (the lovely red head). I met Denise in Jr. High and we hung out pretty much our Freshman and Sophomore years. Jim and hung out with Sheila a lot our Senior year. In fact Sheila came to our wedding. Not many of our high school buddies can say that. It was FANTASTIC getting to catch up with them. I've told them that they and their families are welcome in our home any time. I even got to meet Sheila's daughter, who I held as a baby. Wow has she grown up! I miss you guys already!

Jim got a few pictures of the hotel we were staying at. We had stayed at Union Station for our honeymoon, so it was kinda nice to revisit it after nearly 17 years.

Although back then it was a Hyatt (I think) and now it's a Marriott. Still looks the same. Just different management. And sadly, Union Station' shopping isn't nearly as busy as it used to be. That's the way of things though I guess.

The really cool thing is that my baby brother, Tim, works there. So I got to see him. Which made me really happy. And yes I do realize that he's really tall. I am the oldest of the kids and the shortest. The little kids I used to rule over as the big sister? Well now they tower over me. I think that might be karma coming back to bite me.

Road Trip!

2010-06-06T20:57:00.003-04:00

So the hubby and I made a decision to drive my Saturn (Sally) all the way to Illinois. And yes I do name my vehicles. We've gotten a new vehicle and since my car is still very usable, we decided to pass it on to someone else.

So my sweet husband drove the 16 hours with only a 2 hour nap. And yes I stayed up with him. Hence the goofy photos. We were a bit punch drunk. And we still had a Cardinals game to go to.

I don't know about you, but I think we're pretty darn funny!

A Belated Nod...

2010-06-02T19:44:00.005-04:00

To those who served and those who paid the ultimate price. Thank you.

I'm sorry it's late. I was out of town and without computer. And of course you know I can never be too serious.

Strike Two and Three

2010-05-29T16:53:00.002-04:00

I know this is going to sound kind of odd... But hey that's me. I've noticed that celebrities tend to die in sets of three. I know it's wonky, but it's true!

Sadly Dennis Hopper passed away today. Most people more than likely know him from Easy Rider as Billy. I'm more inclined to say he was in True Grit as Moon. I've never seen the first movie, but I love the second.

I know you're saying well that's only two silly. Hopefully you noticed yesterday's blog? Well Art Linkletter also passed away this week.

So as you can see my theory holds a bit of water. Sad but true.

Whatchoo Talking Bout?

2010-05-28T16:49:00.002-04:00

You may or may not know that Gary Coleman, a.k.a Arnold from Different Strokes, passed away today. He was an adorable child and this is a show that I remember while growing up.

I just HAD to include a clip of him with his catch phrase.

Lazy Days

2010-05-16T19:30:00.003-04:00

Have you ever had a pajama day?

No?

Seriously you MUST try this.

Last night the hubby and I camped out in the front room, listening to Coast to Coast. I really like it when they do spooky stuff. Now I don't recommend sleeping in your front room, because I woke up with a sore back. But I digress... And honestly this is not part of pajama day.

I told my hubby to stay in jammies and today would be a lazy day. Everyone needs one or two of these. So we stayed in jammies, ate junk food and watched movies.

It started out with Sherlock Holmes. Which I'm sad to say was a disappointment to us. Kind of predictable and definitely left it open for a sequel.

Then we moved on to cheesy movies from the 80's. Gotta love that. First was Navy Seals. A must since we're in that general area. Plus my bff cut class to see this being filmed. Sorry didn't mean to rat you out there Greta. I think it was awesome and wished I had known you back then. Luckily she has the good taste to be there for Michael Beihn and not Charlie Sheen.

We've since moved on to Die Hard. Which we also consider a Christmas must. Plus that was before Bruce Willis was even considered an action star. And possibly, after that, we'll watch Red Dawn. I'm still having a hard time believing that they're remaking Red Dawn.

If you haven't seen any of these, then you are missing out on excellent 80's cheesiness. Gotta love it. Go on run out and get them. You know you'll love it.

Face Lift

2010-05-11T06:17:00.002-04:00

No I'm not talking about surgery on me. You might have noticed that I've changed the look of my blog. If not... Well I'd say you might wanna get your eyes checked out. I was tired of the boring look of it and had noticed a number of blogs looking really cute. So yeah, I had envy. So I started my search, which really didn't take all that long. I got all of this from The Cutest Blog On The Block. There were tons of choices and it was pretty easy to do. And who knows? Now that I've got this slightly figured out I may do even more. Insert evil laughter here.

I've Learned No...

2010-04-27T16:13:00.004-04:00

IS a complete sentence.

And sadly, I have yet to learn how to say it. And make it stick.

Women always seem to take on much more than they honestly should. We strive to do it all. We're the stay at home mom/wife or the career woman. Plus we are our spouse's better half. ;-)

As a military spouse I feel we some times take on even more. We are the maid, chauffeur, at times a secretary, chef, maintenance man and yard boy. Not to mention if you have kids there are times when you are mom and dad. And I'm sure that there are many other jobs that I have left out. Not to mention any social groups you may be involved in. Be it the PTA, the Civic League, a book club, a sport of some sort or social group.

I'm learning I'm a bit of a people please-er, always taking on more jobs because it's asked of me. Never thinking that it's okay to say no to all these things.

That is until my body revolted. After all the stress of trying to do it all my body has informed me I MUST slow down. So I will listen and start turning things down. Politely I promise! I guess I'm a slow learner. But I promise I will learn this lesson.

So don't be surprised, to all my friends and family, if the next time you ask me for something I tell you no.

And that's my ten cents for the day.

Saying Goodbye...

2010-04-25T19:27:00.002-04:00

Is never an easy thing to do. So I won't. Best wishes at your next duty station Ruth, John and Theo! We'll miss you guys. And Guinness and Aslan too.

Lonely Hearts Club

2010-04-25T19:06:00.004-04:00

We all have our own group of friends. And as military wives, I think it's really important for you to have your own personal support group. When we first moved to the area we're in my hubby had a shipmate that lived just a few blocks away from our new place. Said shipmate had his wife call me up within a week of us moving in. The guys were gone, so we met up for lunch. She's been my bff ever since.

Our hubby's were on the same ship so we knew EXACTLY what the other was going through. Not long after meeting Greta, she introduced me to John, our other Navy wife. Yes I see the irony in it. His spouse is the military person.

So while our spouses were gone we would get together once a week and have dinner and drinks. We'd take turns hosting it at our homes. We all lived within a two mile radius of each other, which made getting home very easy. lol We loved it when it was John's turn, because he's a FANTASTIC cook. Greta normally ordered something and I would cook. My cooking in NO way compares to John's. The Lonely Hearts Club was formed. This first picture is of all of us in 2002 Christmas time.

We've moved away and moved back. Such is the military life. But we've never lost touch. We still call on each other. They've pet sat for me and I've baby sat for them. This one was just taken this month at John's house. Luckily his wonderful wife, Ruth, took the picture. She was in town. Greta and mine were not. We do not say good bye to our buddy John. We say fair winds and following seas, because we know we will see him again.

It's A Small World After All

2010-04-18T21:57:00.003-04:00

One thing you quickly learn is that it's a small Navy. You will meet up with people from your past at the oddest moments. I met Karen while my hubby was on shore duty. She also went to department head school at the same time. Well she was in town for a week doing some training. She and three of her class fellow classmates were sans vehicle, so I offered to drive. We went to movies, dinner and on their next to last day in my area we went to Busch Gardens.

And what was our first stop you might ask? The pub in Ireland of course. Karen brought a camera and I just got the pictures to post on my blog. So here we are at Grogan's Pub where we stopped for a beer and soft pretzels. So it was me (Yes I am hidden some what. And yeah I did plan it that way.), Karen, Craig and Ted.

So Karen and Craig decided to take me on the Griffon first thing. I'd never been on it before and they decided it would be a hoot to take me on it and put us in the very first row. Luckily I didn't scream any profanities on the first drop. And I did enjoy it by the second hill. Ted opted out on us. Not much of a roller coaster man.

It was a fun day. We had a few beers, ate some good food, saw some shows, and rode the roller coasters. Well Ted didn't do the last. But I think everyone had a good time.

And of course we couldn't pass up on a funny photo like this. Craig and Ted were good sports for posing for this one.

Fair winds and following seas guys. I'm sure we'll meet up again sometime in the future.

The Easter Bunny Cometh

2010-03-08T17:52:00.002-05:00

You know the season is upon you when these commercials come out. Gotta love the cat try outs!

Holy cow! Greta I see a road trip in our future. Honestly I do!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T16:13:00.002-05:00

We don't actually celebrate Valentine's Day. Our big celebration is the day before. See 18 years ago my sweetie and I started dating (again) exclusively. So that's the date that means something to us. Not the day that is commercially acceptable.

And honestly I don't ask for anything. Don't need it.

But my sweet baboo did go out and get me some roses. And these mean more to me than a dozen ever would.

Why you might ask. There's only three. Exactly! Three sweet roses in a small vase with a stuffed orange kitty on the side. He chose this one because of the cat. It looks a little like my cat, Pumpkin. Pumpkin is my buddy. And my hubby knows that. So he put thought into the gift. And that makes it even better.

Meandering St. Louis With My Brother

2010-01-25T17:22:00.007-05:00

So over the weekend I flew home for my mom's surprise 60th birthday party. My brother was sweet enough to let me stay with him. He also was kind enough to play tour guide. He took me to his place of work, St. Louis Union Station Marriott. I didn't realize this is where he works was where I honey mooned some 16 years ago. Funny how life works.

I had to get a picture of my brother at his bar.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity of getting a picture of the glass floor. Or the safe that the queen stored her jewels in.

I'm interested in the history of Lemp Mansion. I didn't realize they had opened it back up and turned it into an inn and restuarant. If I'd had the time I would have gone to dinner there.

The brewery itself is a stones throw from the house. So of course I had to snap this photo.

And Bevo Mills is just a few blocks from my brother's house. So we stopped to take a picture. It had been closed down, but has apparently reopened.

Awaiting 2010

2010-01-02T14:34:00.011-05:00

So for New Year's Eve we had our friends over for dinner and drinks. Of course their son didn't get the drinks. I'm trying harder to bring my camera out more. And as you'll be able to tell, Colten does enjoy having his picture taken. He is by no means camera shy. Which is good since I need to get back in the swing of taking pictures.

I even got my buddy to drink some of our wonderful Special Reserve Petit Verdot. She's not much of a red wine drinker, so I had to snap this one. I now have proof that she will drink red wine, but only if it's exceptionally good. And ours was.

My husband's grandpa used to make him do this. Kid's are so gullible! So he decide to dry it on Colten. And it did work for a bit. He kept looking around wondering what was so funny.

The silly things we do as children. Sadly I now have the evidence to torment him with when he's a teenager. He he he.

Seeing as we have no children, this makes our house just an awesome place for younger children to explore. There's so many things to get into and so many closed doors for them to open. Our treadmill was something that just HAD to be used. So the hubby turned it on and Colten walked on it for a bit. Which gave all of us a chuckle.

So Colten, after being told not to point his play gun at my cat, offered the gun up to Kyla. The funny thing was, it looked like Kyla was trying to pull the trigger. She was the only one of our two cats who would hang out with Colten. Pumpkin was just out of sorts with all the noise. Not that Colten was bad, he's just a little boy and little boys tend to be loud.

I had to get one of the guys. That's right I'm trying to do more pictures. In fact, I think I'll be taking my camera with me more often. The guys are having a beer and watching the Navy/Mizzou game. Yay Navy! Stomp the Tigers! While Colten demonstrates what a LOT of people will do to ring in the new year.

The hubby tried to tire Colten out by chasing him around and such. But it didn't seem to really work while they were here. The kid is the Energizer Bunny! He just kept going. Never slowing down. Apparently he went to bed not long after they got home. Which was before midnight.

Anyway here's to a happy new year!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T10:56:00.002-05:00

It's just not Christmas without hearing this song at least once. So this one goes out to my buddy Greta and her boy Colten. Since I know they'll appreciate my warped sense of what is Christmassy.

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-22T09:50:00.003-05:00

So this year for Christmas we decided to get a real tree. The hubby will be around so I had no problem with this one instead of our artificial pre-lit one. Normally we get a Balsam, but there wasn't one on the lot that we go to that called us. So we got this one instead.

We actually let this one stand for 2 days, a record for us, to let it's branches drop. And I'm really glad we did, because it seems so much fuller than when we bought it. And we were happy with it on the lot. They even put it on the tree stand we bought. Bonus!

So Sunday I pulled out all the Christmas paraphernalia that we have. And I've come to realize that we have WAY too much stuff. And we decorated the tree. Had to get some Christmas cookies, I've yet to make mine, and drink hot chocolate while we did it. And yes we have the old large lights on them. We love it.

Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that the cats won't climb it and will leave the tinsel alone. I so don't want to find cat poo with tinsel in it.

And of course I found this cute little present under our tree not long after we'd finished. I guess Kyla feels her presence is a gift to all.

Christmas Traditions

2009-12-21T21:14:00.004-05:00

Everyone has them. Right? At least one. Maybe two or three. It's okay to admit it.

I admit we have a few ourselves. Like watching A Christmas Story on TBS for 24 hours. We will sprinkle in A Christmas Carol, I have 3, for a change of pace. George C. Scott is one of my favorite Scrooge's. And having Chinese on Christmas day. If you've seen A Christmas Story, you'll get that one. One thing that we have started as our tradition is going to the Botanical Garden and seeing their lights. They don't just do Christmas either. They do all seasons.

This year we stopped by Starbucks for some hot drinks first. Yum! I've fallen in love with the Caramel Brulee Latte. They do have a radio station that you can tune into and listen to Christmas music, which is very cool, while driving. Sadly reception was bad so we found another radio station to listen to Christmas music. I almost wished we had taken one of our Mannheim Steamroller CD with us. The first thing we drove into this year was a sea theme. Very cool. They made it look like you were driving underwater. And of course, there was a Norfolk Mermaid,in lights, in the beginning.

I also have to say that I like the Santa taking off an aircraft carrier with his reindeer at the very beginning. But I do have to admit that the fire breathing dragon is one of my favorites. What can I say? I like Chinese dragons. And just to clue you in that's for the Chinese New Year. At least I'm pretty sure it is.

One of our absolute favorites is the night sky. I know that sounds bland, but it is breathtaking. As you drive over a bridge you feel as if you are in the middle of the sky. Surrounded by stars, twinkling blue and white, with the moon in view. I wish there was actually more to this one than the short bit they have.

All in all it is money well spent. If you're in the area I urge you to go see it. Get a hot drink, crank up some Christmas tunes and enjoy. If you aren't in the area, well... I hope you find something similar.

Oh and side note. I didn't take these pictures they are from The Botanical Garden site. I need to remember to bring my camera with me from now on.

My Birthday

2009-12-20T01:11:00.004-05:00

How does one tell if they have a fantastic hubby? He buys you a present that you've really been coveting and spends the entire day doing what you want.

So yes, I've been wanting a Kindle for a while. For a few months actually. And it arrived the day before my birthday. I'm still playing with it and so far I LOVE it!

So the hubby got major cool points for this one.

To make things even better, he took me to breakfast at a little place we really enjoy and then took me to see Planet 51. Then he took me to Romano's Macaroni Grill for lunch. Originally we were going to go to Bonefish Grill, but they didn't open until 4. Who knew? I must note that my sweet hubby was willing to come back out so I could have Bonefish if I so desired. I did not, because it was cold and rainy.

We had a late dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant and afterwards we drove to a nearby Starbucks for some coffee. I must say I'm hooked on the Caramel Brulee Late. It's yummy! And by they time we were getting a dusting of snow. So it was really appreciated.

All in all, I had a great day. Got tons of birthday wishes on FaceBook, emails and phone calls. And I owe my happy birthday all to my sweet baboo. Thanks honey! You rock!!

Muppets Bohemien Rhapsody

2009-12-01T21:38:00.002-05:00

Awesome video!

Words can not describe it. Gotta love the muppets. I would have posted this, but the embedding had been disabled

Why My Animals Hate Me

2009-12-01T09:30:00.004-05:00

Over the weekend I rocked my pets world. Well actually only the cats, the dog is kind of used to it. I decided that our animals needed baths. It was the first time we'd ever given the cats a bath. I thought Kyla, our stripey/spotty cat, would give me the most trouble so I bathed her first. Boy was I wrong. I did get a few scratches, but she was the best behaved and quietest of the two cats. No the award for most vocal and squirmy goes to Pumpkin.
I think this was their first baths EVER. And they treated me like I had just tried to kill them. And I most definitely need the hubby's help to get the job finished.

They looked like drowned rats and I just couldn't pass up the photo opportunity.

And yes I have since been forgiven. But only after they dried and got their new collars.

Kaiser's used to it and is a long suffering, good puppy dog. No whines or scratches. Although he does splay his legs when you pick him up to take him in the bathroom. He's just trying to dodge the inevitable.

Whimsical Wines

2009-11-20T19:41:00.003-05:00

I have been a bit remiss in my posting as of late. I could blame it on the fact that we lost power for a bit during the weekend, but that really doesn't hold water. I'll admit it. I've been lazy.

So on this past Friday the Surface Officer Spouse group hosted a wine tasting. Yes I realize it was Friday the 13th, but really who is put off on that day? I mean I got married on a Friday the 13th.

The theme was 'Whimsical Wines' and we tried about 10 of them. There were three reds and three whites. Two sweet wines and a sparkling wine as well. So no matter what your taste, you would find something you liked. My favorites were Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc and Misterio Malbec. A white and red. See I can be well rounded.

We did have a Nor'easter blow through, which made for a lot of nasty weather. But that did not deter many from attending the event. In fact I was eager to attend since I had no power.

A good time was had by all. There were door prizes, wonderful wine, yummy food and great conversation.

And to think all the proceeds from this event are used as seed money for the Auction that SOS holds in the spring. That in turn goes to scholarship money. All for a good cause.

Any Port In A Storm

2009-11-12T12:05:00.003-05:00

So here at our house we're weathering a Nor'easter. If you don't know what it is, then let me educate you. The best way for me to describe it is a wanna be hurricane. Only the rain stays for more than 8 hours as does the wind. My cats have decided to hunker down together to weather this one out.

On the bright side, my sweet baboo is home. So it's junk food, movies and sweats day! Luckily we had some branches trimmed off one of our trees a week or two ago. So we don't have to worry about branches. We're just listening to the wind and watching the rain come down in sheets. Flooding is predicted.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T22:38:00.003-04:00

So every year the hubby and I carve pumpkins while watching 'It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown'. I wised up and bought the DVD so we could carve when we wanted and not when ABC dictated.

We carved much later than we ever have before. Today in fact. Normally we do patterns of some sort. I just made up a face and did a more traditional jack-o-lantern.

The hubby does a pirate ship every year. This year I actually finished carving before he did, but his was MUCH more detailed. I just didn't have the energy this year for some reason.

It was a good Halloween though. We sat outside and handed out candy. Our house was a hit since we gave out full size candy bars. We had tunes playing, our neighbor over and adult beverages in hand.

I hope you had as good a Halloween as we had, if not better.

Don't Be A . . .

2009-10-25T20:28:00.004-04:00

That's right! You know exactly what I'm talking about.

I have an issue with some people out there. I'm tired of the sniping, the back stabbing and the all around grade school behavior of some people. We're adults now people. Please act like it.

Leave your problems behind or just plain old deal with them. And don't drag other people, kicking and screaming, into your crap. Ugh!

I'm not naming names, cause that would be wrong. But people FIX YOURSELVES!

Nuff said.

Oh and on a side note. To all those stores out there that have Halloween on one or two aisles and then three aisles down has Christmas stuff... You make me want to vomit! Could we get to November before putting out Christmas? Please?

Okay, honestly, I'm done.

Howl-O-Scream

2009-10-17T10:54:00.002-04:00

So last weekend the hubby and I went to Busch Gardens for the day. We haven't been in like 2 years and figured we should go. It's Howl-O-Scream and that used to be a tradition for us when we were in the area. Plus free tickets. Busch Gardens used to do a Here's To Our Heroes thing that gave military and their dependents free tickets for one day.

Not sure if that will be going on anymore due to the new management. Many things have changed since the Busch family sold the place. Most importantly? No more beer tastings! WTF? Not smart in my humble opinion. Why not try out your newest products here? You have a large buying base that comes to the place. Ugh!

Don't get me wrong, they still sell beer on the premises. Thank goodness!

Of course the favorite ride of the hubby and mine is the Big Bad Wolf. You can see it in this photo. Sadly it's been closed down. It was having too many issues and I was told it would be closed down by the end of this season. So we were hoping to get one last ride. That was not to be though.

I'm not sure that we'll be going back though. The price has gone up. Again. And the food really isn't that good. The ride we enjoyed is gone. And lets face it, we hate crowds.

So sadly, I'm saying goodbye to Busch Gardens. We've been going there for probably 15 years and I think our time has come to an end. It was fun while it lasted.

Question

2009-10-08T23:09:00.003-04:00

I'm wondering why certain people suffer from this odd disorder of spouting off when really they shouldn't. In this day and age of instant contact, I think sometimes that silence is golden. You don't always need the last word and sometimes it's truly disrespectful. And honestly not everyone cares what you think. But then what do I know? I'm blogging. So I'm spouting my own opinion. Still Silence can be golden.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

A Tribute

2009-09-17T11:51:00.002-04:00

A quick note, you may want a tissue.

This is Queensryche singing Home Again. A group I haven't thought of in years.

A Farewell To King

2009-09-07T15:37:00.002-04:00

As many people know I'm big into family pets. So I was saddened to hear that my mom's dog, King, was no longer with them.

King was a misunderstood dog. And extremely lucky to have ended up at my mom's farm. He was a bit cranky and not everyone liked him, but he loved my mom.

You can't really tell from the picture, but he was a black chow. And every year before summer kicked in he would get shaved so he wouldn't be too hot. I'll miss my yearly photos of King's new haircuts. He always looked so embarrassed, but I know it helped during the hot months ahead.

So farewell King. You will be missed.

Change of Command

2009-08-17T07:52:00.002-04:00

So Friday was the Change of Command on the ship. Sadly I was unable to attend due to an appointment that I could not get out of. Dolia Gonzalez is a really neat woman. If you watch the video you get to see a snippet of her. And at 1:40 you might recognize the sailor that the camera pans over. Dolia does consider the sailors her family and that extends to their spouses and children. I was very fortunate to meet her the night before.

Gonzalez Video

2009-08-13T10:36:00.003-04:00

This morning my little cockatiel, Princess, passed away. I couldn't let it just go without saying something. She was a quiet and unassuming thing and always greeted me in the mornings with, of all things, a hiss and nibble on my finger nail. This is a routine that I will greatly miss.

My few lines just didn't seem enough for the joy I think she honestly gave me. She was nine years old, which is a good long life, but it seemed too short to me. I already miss you Princess.

So here's Emily Dickinson's 'In The Garden - A Bird Came Down The Walk'.

A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sideways to the wall
To let a beetle pass.

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad, --
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head

Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, splashless, as they swim.

Hail And Farewell

2009-08-13T10:05:00.003-04:00

The title pretty much says it all. When a new person comes on board or someone leaves the ship the wardroom holds a 'Hail and Farewell'. We had one of these on Monday at The Winehouse in Ghent.

Normally it would be held at someone's house, but this time we held it at The Winehouse in Ghent instead.

This time we were saying farewell to our current CO and his wife. And we also hailed our new CO.

There's normally a few speeches, some longer than others, and of course gifts. Gag and heartfelt gifts. The wardroom wives also pool together and give the outgoing wife a gift of some sort to remember the ship by.

A nice time was had by all. There was food and wine. And lots of conversation.

So farewell Fort family. I hope all goes well in at your next duty station.

A Woman Who's Missed

2009-07-27T10:35:00.005-04:00

On Friday, July 17th my grandmother passed away. It was not unexpected as she'd been hospitalized on the 11th.

I thought it only fitting to post some photos as a celebration of her life. I think she would have approved, had she known how to use the Internet or a computer for that matter. So consider this a stroll down memory lane.

There's a picture of the house where she lived and I have so many childhood memories.There's the park where I spent many a summer playing with no cares.

And I remember when they built this, back then it was painted green and yellow. I remember Grandma taking me to the park when I was young and in later years going by myself. I remember the sheets of wax paper she would give me so I could go down the slide faster. And thinking to myself how smart she was to figure out a way for me to go faster.

And it wouldn't seem right if I didn't include a snapshot of her garden. I'll miss the big garden with all it's fresh veggies in the summer. And her flower were lovely. She did seem to enjoy weeding. Who will do it now?

I thought it'd be fitting to take a picture of her entire brood. It's the first time we've all been together in years. There's her two girls, my dad (her remaining son-in-law), six grandchildren and five great grandchildren. That's three generations. We've all decided that we definitely need to get together more often. And not just for funerals. Which is the reasons I've been home as of late.

I had to include a photo of me and my grandma at the end of this post. It had been three years since I had last seen her. I don't have that many pictures of the two of us together, so I will treasure this one.

Everyone has their favorite memories of her. She was a contrary person and I know we'd referred to her as a tough old bird, but she will be missed.

Our Fourth of July Weekend

2009-07-07T09:09:00.005-04:00

So over the Fourth of July weekend I flew out to Jacksonville, FL to visit my sweet baboo. He was in Mayport for a short duration.

And he did his best to make sure that I had a blast. So we got 5 day hopper passes to Disney!!! How absolutely cool is that?

So where were we on the Fourth of July? Epcot Center!

I think our favorite thing was the Test Track. I also enjoyed Mission: Space. Was not really what I expected. But I thought it was fun. A little disorienting, but fun. We also went to The American Adventure and watched the show.

We managed to get in at the German Octoberfest. We ate at a buffet and sat with total strangers. Something that I wasn't sure if we'd like. But it was actually tons of fun. And the hubby and I both had 1/2 liters of German beer. The glasses were HUGE!

We also managed to stop briefly to the Magic Kingdom. We did not stay for the fireworks. I was exhausted and so was the hubby. And we had a 2 1/2 hour drive back to the hotel. Thank you my sweet baboo for doing the driving. I really appreciate it.
On the second day we started out a Animal Kingdom. Their Tree of Life was really kind of cool to look at. I'm sure we could have spent hours trying to identify all the animals in it. However I had other things I wanted to do, so we didn't meander through the paths to the tree.

We rode Kali River Rapids, which I wasn't all that impressed with, and Expedition Everest. I really liked the last one. It was a fun roller coaster. This was the day that I got to meet up with the characters.
Of course I had to have my picture with Eeyore. How can you not love him? He's adorable. And I must say that there were more adults, like me, in line than there were with children at times. And honestly I will not bore you with all the pictures we got, but will share a few.

Tigger was a lot of fun. He actually got into the hubby's face and practically dragged him up to have his picture taken with us. He even put his nose in front of our camera. So we do have a sot of Tigger's nose. He liked the fact that the hubby's shirt was orange and striped just like him.

One of the things that I did notice was that the characters noticed if you had a lanyard with pins on it. And they would look for themselves on the lanyard. I had to pinky swear to Donald that I would get a pin of him for on my lanyard. Yes you read that right! I had to pinky swear. So this is a picture of me explaining myself. To a duck! He wasn't the only one to notice. Goofy and Tigger noticed as well. But Donald was the only one to make me swear that I would remedy the situation.
So after spending half the day at the Animal Kingdom we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

We finished the day off here.

We only did one ride, the Tower of Terror. I'm not sure I liked the ride, but seeing as it was hot and I was a bit dehydrated I think that may have had an impact on my feeling.
We mainly wandered around and saw a show or two.
I was highly disappointed to find absolutely no Si and Am merchandise. So the hubby took a picture of me in the Villains in Vogue to try and ease the disappointment. Nary a pin, tee shirt or mug had my favorite Disney characters on them.
And since I could not find Daisy, my sweet baboo took this picture. We know that Colten really likes Daisy Duck.

Girls Night Out

2009-06-25T17:24:00.004-04:00

So on Tuesday I went out with some of the wardroom wives for dinner and a movie. This is by no means the whole wardroom. A number couldn't attend. And they were missed.

It was Kelli and her girls, Caroline, Sarah, myself and Emma. Emma and Ellie are not completely in the picture.

We went to California Pizza Kitchen in MacArthur Mall. I had the Wild Mushroom Pizza and a Sauvignon Blanc. The pizza was wonderful and I had to take some leftovers home.

After that some of us went to see The Proposal, which was pretty good.

I didn't get home until after 9, but I had a lot of fun and am glad that we decided to get together.

My Cousin Justin (The Star)

2009-06-21T15:22:00.003-04:00

That's right, he is! My cousin, Justin, is an aspiring actor. And he is actually in a movie that is about to come out. July 1st! He's in Public Enemies. It may be a bit part, but hey you actually see his face. And you have to start somewhere. Watch out Hollywood! It's based on the story of John Dillinger.

Pause it at 41 seconds into the preview. The young man in the brown hat, behind the larger man, is Justin. It's a brief appearance and I'm hoping it's a bit longer in the movie. So please go see this movie. And if you hear someone shout out 'That's my cousin!'. I apologize in advance.

Have You Ever Wondered...

2009-06-05T16:29:00.003-04:00

How do squirrels nap?

Well I do. I mean do they curl up? Lay on their backs? What do they do? I don't watch documentaries on animals or anything. Unless I've got insomnia. Hm. Maybe that will help with the sleeping issue I have. I need to see if there are any documentaries on. Sorry got off topic there.

Well we have a family of squirrels in our back yard. They provide lots of entertainment for the cats. Well maybe not entertainment for the cats, but I laugh a lot at their antics.
So over the past weekend my sweet baboo spotted them up in the tree and brought it to my attention.

I tried to be as quiet as possible when I snuck outside, but as you can see from the first picture I disturbed some one's nap. The other guy just didn't care. He never even moved.

Now my only other question is..

How do they keep from falling off?

Cause that would really suck to fall off a tree limb and splat to the ground while sleeping. Ew. Hope they don't dream of falling.

Mother Nature Isn't As Sweet As Some Claim

2009-06-01T02:23:00.004-04:00

You know how they say it's not nice to mess with Mother Nature. Well I'm declaring war on the witch! And she started it.

It all started over the Memorial Day weekend. My sweet baboo and I were working out in our yard. Mowing, raking, cleaning and pulling leaves. You know trying to keep our property healthy. On Monday I notice a rash on my neck, elbows and chest. I figured it was heat rash, due to the location of it and the fact that I had been sweating a lot. Hey it was hot that weekend.

However, it started to spread. So I know I have poison ivy,
poison oak, poison sumac or, get this one, Virginia Creeper. I didn't even know about this one until yesterday. It doesn't affect most people. Which would explain why my sweet baboo is unaffected. But can apparently present like poison ivy. At least that's what I've been told. Ugh!

So I started using Benadryl cream, calamine lotion and taking Benadryl to keep it at bay. I also started sleeping on the couch to prevent infecting anyone else in the house. Needless to say I've been miserable.

By Friday it was so bad that I couldn't use the Benadryl cream because it hurt. Brought me to tears, that's how bad it was. So I immediately made a doctor's appointment. Luckily they could get me in the next day, early. I wished it was sooner, but hey I'll take what I can get.

So now I'm on a steroid to help keep the itchiness down. And of course one of the side effects is sleeping problems. Hence the reason I'm up at two in the morning writing this. I got about 3 hours of sleep before I decided to start this rant.

So it's on Mother Nature. I will get you back for this. Not only are you making me itchy and irritable. You are messing with my sleep. No one wants to be around me when I'm crabby. Hell I don't even want to be around me. I will get you back for this. I don't know how and I don't know when, but I will.

Now I need to put more calamine lotion on and try not to wake the hubby.

The only thing keeping me sane (or somewhat sane) is the calamine lotion and the Poison Ivy soap my buddy Greta makes. BTW Greta I need more!

Farmer Pumpkin!

2009-05-26T09:06:00.002-04:00

Kitty Pumpkin had a farm.

E-I-E-I-O

And on this farm he grew some grass. (Not that kind you sickos! The kind for your yard.)

E-I-E-I-O

With a chomp, chomp here. And a chomp, chomp. Here a chomp. There a chomp. Every where a chomp, chomp.

Pumpkin Kitty has a farm.

E-I-E-I-O
So yes, I did plant a little pot of grass for Pumpkin.

And he LOVES it.

He'll rub his face in the grass and then chew on it. As long as I keep it watered, he's happy with the healthy grass. I just have to pick up all the little blades of grass that he plucks from the pot.

He truly enjoys it and that is all that matters to me!

Nearing The End

2009-05-18T07:38:00.016-04:00

So tomorrow is the beginning of the end for this season of American Idol. Yes I admit I watched this season. And I was actually watching for the music, not the drama. Actually I really like the Ford commercials. I know I'm weird. Was it a fantastic season? I'm not so sure about that. This year they had 13 instead of 12, started a 'save' that could only be used once and added a fourth judge. Trying to create more drama. And do me that smells like a sinking ship floundering at sea.

But let's take a look at this season's contestants. Shall we?

During the first there were two contestants that were eliminated during Michael Jackson week. Yes you read that right, they did a Michael Jackson week. Jorge Nunez sang 'Never Can Say Goodbye' by the Jackson 5 and Jasmine Murray sang 'I'll Be There' by the Jackson 5. Obviously these were not well received since both went home. Alexis Grace's rendition of 'Dirty Diana' by Michael Jackson really rocked!

The second week they did Grand Ole Opry and the mentor was Randy Travis. Sadly Alexis Grace went home. She sang 'Jolene' by Dolly Parton. This was a massive mistake in my opinion. I was so NOT impressed with Adam Lambert's Middle Eastern twist on Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire'. I almost started hating him immediately. What a way to mess up a good song! I did truly enjoy Megan Joy's version of Patsy Cline's 'Walkin After Midnight'. And she even did it while she was recovering from the flu!

The third week was Motown Week and the mentor was Smokey Robinson. They were celebrating 50 years of Motown. Sadly Michael Sarver was eliminated. He sang 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg' by the Temptations. He was one of my favorites and I was hoping he'd make it to the top three. Honestly I think they should have eliminated Anoop Desai. He may have sounded good to others, but to me he sounded like a bad lounge act. His rendition of 'Ooo Baby Baby' by the Miracles made me want to hide under the blankets.

The fourth week was Popular Downloads. Really? Do they not have enough to draw from that they had to choose something like this? Insert the eye roll here. Megan Joy sang 'Turn Your Lights Down Low'. Which I agree with the judges. Not so much in the loving it department. But Simon was a prick about it, saying they wouldn't even consider saving her. Allison Iraheta sang 'Don't Speak' by No Doubt. Defintely showing her age there. While Scott MacIntrye sang Billy Joel's 'Just The Way You Are'. Very nice!

The fifth week was, predictably, Birth Year Songs. They do this one every year. And now these songs are making me feel old. Scott MacIntyre sang 'The Search Is Over' by Survivor and was sent home. Paula and Kara wanted to save Scott, but Randy and Simon did not. And it has to be a unanimous vote. Boo! He was another of my favorites. He did tend to use the piano as a crutch. I must say Adam Lambert made up for week two with 'Mad World'. And Danny Gokey sang 'Stand By Me' by Ben E. King. One of my favorites.

The sixth week was Songs of the Cinema. The mentor for this week was Quentin Tarintino, which I thought was a really weird choice. But he was, in my opinion, quite good. No one was eliminated. The judges saved Matt Giraud. Really? He sang 'Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman' by Bryan Admas. Not impressed really. They save this hack? Threw away that save for someone with much more talent like Alexis or Allison.

The seventh week was Disco. Much harder this time around since two were to be eliminated since no one was eliminated the previous week. Lil Rounds sang 'I'm Every Woman' by Chaka Khan and Anoop Desai sang 'Dim All The Lights' by Donna Summers. Both went home. Honestly I thought Matt Giraud's version of the Bee Gee's 'Staying Alive' was sub par. Yet again the judges wasted a save on the wrong person. Lil Rounds was robbed.

The eighth week was Rat Pack Standards with Jaime Foxx as the mentor. He was very in your face with the contestants. Which I think freaked Danny Gokey out, but he did very well. So he must have remembered what he was taught. Matt Giraud's 'My Funny Valentine' by Frank Sinatra did not make it on to the next round. This took way to long to get this man eliminated. I thought the contestants did a really good job at this one.

The ninth week was Rock Week with Slash as the mentor. Okay that was just too cool! Slash? This should be very interesting. Allison Iraheta sang Janis Joplin's 'Cry Baby'. And she was sadly eliminated. Danny Gokey sang 'Dream On' by Aerosmith and I think it was awesome. I also loved the duet by Kris Allen and Danny Gokey of 'Renegade' by Styx. It was truly awesome. However, I thought Kris Allen's rendition of 'Come Together' by the Beatles sucked. I thought he should have gone home.

The tenth week was Judge's Choice and Contestant's Choice. Paula chose Terrence Trent D'Arby's 'Dance Little Sister'. Let's try choosing songs the audience would recognize you hack! Kara and Randy chose OneRepublic's 'Apologize' for Kris. And Simon chose U2's 'One' for Adam. Which was a very nice choice. Adam chose 'Cryin' by Aerosmith, which he did well. Kris chose 'Heartless' by Kayne West. And Danny chose Joe Cocker's 'You Are So Beautiful'. Sadly Danny was sent home. Which sucks! He was the last of my three picks. Honestly I thought he'd have been a part of the top two.

The final two are Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. Of the two, Adam has the most talent. I think Kris got in on his looks. Don't the girls know he's married? So for this week it will be the contestant's favorite, Simon Fuller's choice and the Winner's Single. I'm predicting that Adam Lambert will win. We'll see come Wednesday night.

Spouse Appreciation

2009-05-12T21:12:00.003-04:00

Friday was Military Spouse Appreciation Day. What pray tell is that anyway? It's not something that I would normally really care about. I mean why should I get any sort of recognition for being married to my sweet babboo, who just happens to be in the military. I think Hallmark is trying to make another quick buck.

But I digress...

I've always appreciated my husband, but today it was made abundantly clear to me how much he truly means to me. In the nearly 16 years that we've been married, my dear husband has ALWAYS put together anything that claimed some assembly required. Today, however, that changed. I put together bookshelves and a small entertainment center for our game room. First time EVER!

Now I could have waited for my darling husband to return, but then the game room would have stayed a mess. That was not an option. So I knew basically what I wanted and deliberated for a day or so on which type I wanted. It may not be the best in the world, but it's what I liked.

So again, I say thank you to my sweet babboo. I appreciate all that you do for me.

Photo Shoot

2009-05-12T12:26:00.002-04:00

So today I went to my friends, Becky and Ryan, home to take some family photos.

With a little one in the house it's always good to get photos every couple of months. They tend to grow like weeds. And I swear Clare looks like she's grown a foot to me.

Plus it's always nice to have pictures with both parents in them. I know normally one parent is taking the photo and is, therefore, not in the picture. Which is normally the mom. So that's what I really enjoy about doing this.

The second photo really gives me a chuckle. It was near the end of my time with my friends. And little Clare almost seems to be saying 'Gee Mommy can you make this crazy woman stop? I'm tired of looking so adorable.' It's a tough job, but I think Clare is up for it.

And how can you not have a photo of the family without one of Mom and Dad smooching?

Clare may not looking too happy in this photo, but years from now she will look on this and see how much her parents love not only her, but each other. And I think that is VERY important.

All in all I thought it was a great morning. But I think it's easy when you have good subject matter. Clare you can be my model any day of the week.

I took 117 photos today. Hopefully Ryan and Becky have found at least one that they can use.

Growth Spurts

2009-05-06T09:06:00.002-04:00

So yesterday I went to lunch with my friend Becky and her little girl Clare. I'd just seen her a month ago. But I swear she's grown a foot.

You know I always claim that I don't like to have my picture taken. I'm uber critical about my appearance. But I seem to have quite a number of pictures of myself on this blog. Hm.

That's the 'problem' with cell phones that have cameras. It's great for parents to catch adorable moments of their children. But the unsuspecting childless friends get caught in the line of fire. Yipes!

Anyway, Clare was demonstrating how she could fit the small rubber duck in her mouth. Which was pretty funny. And of course it was sent to Daddy.

Thanks Becky and Clare. I enjoyed our lunch together.

Luncheon

2009-04-25T07:12:00.003-04:00

So Thursday I attended a Joint Services Luncheon at Fort Monroe. It was held by the Fort Monroe Spouses & Civilians' Club. And for those of you who may not understand any of what I just posted, it was a luncheon for spouses from all branches of the military. I know Navy, Air Force and Army were represented, but I'm not sure about the other branches.

It was a lovely event. There were even vendors there showing off their wares. Sadly this will be the last Joint Services Luncheon held at Fort Monroe, because the base is scheduled to close in 2011. That's why they entitled it 'Thanks for the Memories...'. There were many pictures of past luncheon gatherings. It was very interesting to see the pictures, because styles have drastically changed. As do many things. I can only imagine what people will think in 20-30 years about the styles we wore.

Our guest speaker was Heloise. And yes I mean the woman of Hints from Heloise fame. She was a wonderful speaker. She kept things light and made us all laugh.

I never realized she was a military brat. But then how well do we know anyone. It's not like we were best buddies or anything. But she has a way of making you feel special. And I'm glad I got the opportunity to hear her speak.

And yes I took that photo with my phone. I had to take quite a few of them because she moved around a lot. Which was nice, since I didn't have to constantly crane my neck to see her.

Double Baby Shower

2009-04-20T13:42:00.004-04:00

So Sunday afternoon I helped co-host a double baby shower for two of the women on the ship. Both of whom are due in May. One of whom is about to leave the ship. My house isn't big enough to accommodate groups larger than five or six. So Kelli was gracious enough to help me by having it at her lovely home. Thankfully her daughter, Madison, was there to take a group picture of us.

The back row is Diana, Nora, Kelli, me, Sarah and Jacqueline. The front row is Gabby, Sandy, Emma and Jasmine.

Jasmine was kind enough to make diaper cakes for both of our mommy-to-bes. I'd never seen or heard of a diaper cake before. So we were all interested at taking a look at it. I must say that I think Jasmine is very talented and if I have another baby shower to attend, then I'll be giving her a call.

Since neither mother-to-be knew the sex of their babies we did all the colors in yellow, green and a bit of purple. Not knowing the sex of the baby seems to be the latest trend. I'm not sure why, but it's the thing. The not knowing would drive me bonkers. But that's me. I like to know everything.

Of course I had to take pictures of the Mommy-to-be. For some reason pregnant women just glow.

And yes that is a tiara on their heads. Sunday was their day and we wanted to treat them like princesses.

Sandy is our lovely blond mommy. Her darling little girl, Melissa, didn't attend the shower. But she did get a few gifts of her own.

We didn't want her to feel left out. Becoming a big sister can be a bit hard on a young child.

We're sure she'll do just fine.

I got a close up of Emma. I think she looks lovely in this photo.

For closing in on the due date for her first child, she is extremely calm. I think I'd be a nervous wreck.

One of the many reasons I'm not going to have any!

We played a number of games at the baby shower, but there was one game that I think everyone will agree was the most fun. The Toilet Paper Diaper was a hilarious hit. We were laughing so hard I nearly fell over. I took a lot of pictures of this, but am only posting the end result.

The object of this game? Besides hilarity and humiliation?

Well two teams make 'diapers' out of toilet paper and tape on their adult baby. And this case they also used masking tape and markers. The moms then chooses a winner. We had a tie. But after the coin toss, Team Pamper won. Team Couture was given an honorable mention.
I had to take a front and back shot because both teams did fun things with the back of their 'diapers'.

All in all everyone had a really good time.

Cabin Fever

2009-04-12T14:34:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous day. Getting up to somewhere in the 70's. So my sweet baboo and I opened the windows and went outside to work on our yard.

It was so nice I actually put on shorts. Thankfully I was in the back yard so I didn't blind anyone with my shiny white legs. Argh! I'm blind!

That is until the cold front came through and the temperature dropped 10 degrees or so. That's when we beat a hasty retreat into the house. Of course we also figured out that we needed to go out and get a few things. Upon leaving we both noticed Pumpkin sticking his head out the window to see where we were.

Can you hear him asking to go with?

I'm A Geek!

2009-04-12T14:01:00.003-04:00

I had meant to post this sooner, but as some of you know the past few weeks have been a bit busy for me.

So a while ago I was working with the SOS on getting our auction items put together. One of the women there was doing a lot of the data entry so I was being the cheerleader and telling her how much she was appreciated. She, being the witty one, told me that if this was a horror movie I would be the first one to go. Not missing a beat, I replied 'Thank God! I don't want to have to run around for the next hour or so screaming and trying not to get killed. I'll sit here with my drink waiting for the rest of you to get offed.' They laughed, protested a bit and I then replied, 'Resistance is futile.' Which got them laughing harder.

Michelle's a geek!' One proclaimed. 'She knows about the Borg!'

Now most people would be offended by this statement. I know in my teen years I would have probably wanted to crawl in a hole. But I'm an adult now and words like geek really don't phase me anymore.

We went on to talk about how we watched Star Trek: The Next Generation when it originally aired. Of course this was nothing we would have freely admitted at the time for fear of being labeled a geek. One of the women even said that her husband would torment her if he knew, because he thought he was cool. And he's a nuke. Insert the eye roll here!

Man what a great group of gals! I really enjoyed working with them.

I digress, my geekdom goes back further. I watched the original Star Trek episodes, in reruns of course. I'm not that old. In fact it's one of the things that brought my sweet baboo and me closer. During a conversation I'd quipped 'Ah the trouble with tribbles.' At that moment he knew I was the one for him.

You'd think I'd matured as time went on and I grew older. But that is so not the case. It may no longer be Star Trek. Although I am anxiously awaiting the release of the latest Star Trek movie this May. It's ranged from many things. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the series not the movie), Stargate SG-1, Battlestar Galactica (although the ending sucked for me on the latest one), Supernatural, and Firefly.

Heck my best buddy and I will discuss episodes on end. We used to call each other after some of the shows to dissect them. And we still think that Firefly is shiny! And we don't just watch the show for the gorgeous men. Although, it does help.

So for all those who think to taunt someone with the word geek and mean it as a slur. I say geeks rule! Who else could have the imagination to come up with some of the most fun TV to watch. And I proudly say I'm a geek!

And for anyone to whom read this post and is completely confused all I have to say is ask a geek. Just prepare for a long discussion.

Girl's Only Lunch

2009-04-01T15:19:00.003-04:00

Normally I'm hesitant to post photos of myself. I never like the way I look. Yes I know, I'm vain. Get over it.

But Clare's mommy got this one while we were having lunch at Panera's. And I think it's pretty good. She caught me as I was giving Clare a smooch upon those adorable cheeks.

So go ahead, soak in the cuteness of Clare. I'll wait.

You didn't go into cute overload did you?

And if you were really observant you'll notice that Clare is featured as my photo entitled 'Untouched Laughter'.

So Becky thanks for passing along the beautiful photo.

And that was from her phone. Aren't these new cell phones awesome?

I had a great time with you girls. We need to start doing this on a more frequent basis.

The Things You'll Do For Your Child

2009-03-31T17:56:00.004-04:00

So when we went to Blue Bird Gap Farm Greta and Steve took Colten to the swings. Of course while Daddy pushed the baby (Oops! Sorry Colten, I meant little man), Mommy showed him how things are done.

As a good friend of mine once said, it is better to ask forgiveness than permission. So Greta, please forgive me for posting these.

Hey once you become a parent, you'll do just about anything to keep them happy. Sadly your childless friends might find it more fun than your kid.

Honest Greta I would have joined you if there was another swing. Then my hubby could have taken the picture and I swear I would have posted it. You know I don't embarrass easily.

And on a very side note. Hi Ryan! Now you know what you sister has been up to.

No Fear

2009-03-31T17:27:00.004-04:00

So over the weekend the hubby and I were able to get together with some friends that the two of us haven't seen in quite some time.

We went to Cheeseburger in Paradise for lunch on Sunday. It's kid friendly and serves very good food. We had fried pickles, something I'd never had but found quite tasty, and spicy queso and chips to start out with. Of course Greta and I had a few of their tasty drinks. Everyone was happy with their burgers. And we shared their chocolate nachos for dessert. Very yummy!

So I know you're looking at the pictures and going what does this have to do with the price of tea in China.

And what's up with that title?

Fear not that was the appetizer, now I will get to the meat of the matter.

How was that for a pun?

What don't I even get a chuckle for that? A smile at least? Geez tough crowd.

After lunch we went to Blue Bird Gap Farm so Colten could run off some steam. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

That's where the peacock comes in. I thought I would get a picture of the bird. For some reason I find the animal not only lovely, but intriguing. I was hoping to see the white peacock, but he was no where to be seen. I stayed in one spot and the bird approached me. Fearless little shit. I'm sure he thought I had food and was looking for said hand out. He was sorely disappointed.

And I had to get this shot of Colten and Steve feeding the deer. Another animal that hadn't shown any fear when the three year old ran up to his area.

But that's how most of the animals are at this farm. Very used to people and always up for a hand out. Which is fine by me. The place runs on donations. I think it's a worthy cause.

If you're in the area, stop by, check the place out and make a donation.

Homecomings

2009-03-26T12:20:00.002-04:00

I meant to post this sooner, but I must admit I have been very busy. It's not an excuse I swear. So I start out with an apology.

All military spouses know about homecomings. Your spouse has been gone for six months or more. It's a happy time. But it's also a time of readjustment. You've spent all this time by yourself. Or with your children, but either way you've been the only adult in your house. You've done things the way you want, eaten when you wanted and basically done things your way.

Now your spouse is back. There is someone else to consider now. And said spouse tends to question everything you do and why you do it that way.

Most people don't understand the military marriage. You do everything while your spouse is gone. And it can be hard to release that control for some. For others they can't wait to hand over some of the load.

So welcome home to those who have returned. Fair winds and following seas to those who have gone. Take hope spouses your dearest loved one will return to you. And if your spouse has returned home, congrats. If said spouse is starting to drive you nuts then all is returning to normal.

And on that note... Welcome home Steve! We missed you.

Navy Wives Winery Get Away

2009-03-09T12:16:00.007-04:00

So on Saturday, March 7th I went on a winery tour with a few of the wives from the wardroom. No hubbies were allowed on this trip.

Starting from the top it was Kelli, Gabby, Sarah, myself and Jacqueline on this trip. I had scheduled five winery stops with the hope of making four. And that was, in my opinion, a real accomplishment. We planned to stay overnight in Charlottesville and drive home the next day.
Kelli's hubby was kind enough to take a picture of all of us before we headed out. Thanks Brian!

Our first stop was Veritas.

It was by far the most lovely of all the wineries. I wanted us to stop there first because they were the only ones to offer a tour. Plus I know we could get a little something to eat before heading out again.

After we did our tour and tasting we sat out on the deck with our cheese platters. It was a lovely day.
Upon our arrival at Veritas we were able to take a quick bathroom break. Yes I know I have a tiny bladder! And then we were off on a tour. Thomas was our tour guide.

He was very knowledgeable. And really seemed to love doing what he did. Which always makes things nicer. I think we all learned something from him. A tour can be interesting, but not many wineries offer a tour. So if you have the opportunity to go on one, I highly recommend it.
We then went to the cellar to learn what happens during fermentation.

It was quite chilly in there and I'm sure the ladies were glad that I had warned them ahead of time, so they were slightly prepared for the chill.

We also got to see the stainless steel tanks and oak barrels.

After the tour we were seated at a table to do our tasting.

Our pourer, Michelle, was very personable and knowledgeable. She had lots of information on the wines. Kelli and Jacqueline seem to find whatever she's saying here very interesting.

And I think we all had lots of fun here. At Veritas you even got to try their sparkling wine. Which most wineries don't do.
Sadly we did have to leave for our next winery. It was so relaxing we had trouble prying ourselves away.

Our next stop was Afton Mountain. It was just a short drive from Veritas. Down the road really.

Sadly I don't have very much to say about the winery. I didn't even catch the pourer's name until I looked on their website. I won't drag him into this as he seemed like a very nice young man. Unfortunately we couldn't find a single wine that any of us liked. There was a very strange taste to the wine. Almost like a cider vinegar. Very sad.

They did have some very good snacks there though. So we did purchase some goodies to take with us.

Our next stop was Cardinal Point. I just had to get a photo of the ladies at the tasting bar.

There were a number of wines that the ladies liked here.

Only one tiny complaint, it was quite hot in there. But the day was getting progressively warmer, so it wasn't completely there fault. They were very busy and it had just started to warm up.

This fine young lady was our pourer. She was very knowledgeable.

She had lots of energy and made you just want to smile at her cadance.

And she wasn't thrown by the number of tastings in different parts or the numerous questions that she was getting. A true mark of an experienced wine pourer.

Near the end of the tasting our wine pourers switched on us. Which can be a shock when you aren't paying attention. You look down a girl is pouring your wine. When I looked up it was a young man pouring my wine. Color me shocked.

Both did a very good job.

And we left with a number of bottles.

Our next stop was Wintergreen Winery.

We only had to wait a few minutes for our tasting, since the tasting bar was filled up.

So we all wandered around their gift shop. There were a lot of neat things in there, so many of us did a bit of shopping. Our wine pourer was pretty good and their wines are nice. They also had two fruit wines, which were very nice. Plus they mulled their apple wine. Which many people enjoyed.
Our final stop was Pollak Vineyard, which is fairly young. They opened their doors just last year.

The ladies enjoyed their Meritage and we took a bottle home with us.

Sadly our pourer didn't seem to want to work with us. I didn't realize we were such a intimidating group.

Seeing as I used work in a winery, I had no sympathy for her. That's your job. To pour wine. I realize we came at the end of the day, but when you have no enthusiasm for your wines, you really don't make us interested in buying any.

After our final stop we headed to our hotel room and found a place to eat. We went into downtown Charlottesville and had an extremely nice dinner at C and O Restaurant. It was very small and at times we wondered if we were ever going to see any of the wait staff, but it was very good food.

After that we headed back to our rooms for girl talk and more wine!

The next day we had a lovely brunch at a place called Rapture. They have a nice brunch with reasonable prices. We wished we had known about it sooner, because it would have been a nice place to have after dinner drinks at. Ah well maybe next time.

I had a lovely time and I'm pretty sure everyone else did too.