Afterburners and Aprons

one after the other...(and Vegas)

2012-01-19T12:03:00.002-06:00

Just when I start to relax and breathe, another jet takes off and I have to hold the picture frames to prevent them from falling off their nails on the wall. And these are just the "little" jets! At least it's safe to say we'll be living away from base the next time.

So I had a great weekend. It was a blast getting to know better and hang out with the ladies my husband's friends have married. (Make sense?) Here are a few pictures (Thank you, Buddy, for the prompt) and a shaky video of the Bellagio fountains.

I don't know why, but I just love the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. It's so iconic. Sadly, I did not get this mug. But not so sadly, it means we found a Starbucks close to us!

Paris! It was a great hotel to stay in--I thought of my friend Audrey a lot and know she would have LOVED it. the hotel itself seemed to be rather quiet (and romantic...) except for our immediate neighbors across the wall. I don't know if they were all sleeping there, but there were at least 5 guys and 2 girls who walked out of the one room when we were in the hallway (where one of the girls slurred that she had lots of single guys for us, and where Whitney wittingly responded that we have lots of husbands who wouldn't like that very much) Yeah, they were fun to hear at 6am when they would just be getting back from a fun night/morning...

So the following pictures represent me trying to take a picture with Buzz and Woody (which is sort of an inside joke for Tyler's flight). They refused unless I put money in the tip jar so this is me not wanting to put money in. (Tyler says you can really see the sass and "hear" what I'm saying with this pose)

Courtney saved the day, though. And I got my picture.

We had a mini bachelorette party with this lovely "bachelorette". She's getting married (again) in July in Utah and we are SO excited to celebrate with her and Tim. (Whit-those suit measurements are coming on Saturday-I promise!!) And these are the shirts Tyler helped me make...They say "McBride" and "Friend Fries". (cute, huh?) I decorated them with a few sparkley gems and we added boas (that shed ev-ery-where) I had actually bought really cute shirts from Spencer's in the mall (the most wholesome store ever) but then got home and realized I could make them exactly how I wanted them...

Do pictures of the Strip ever get old? ;) (Don't answer that)

Whit's first time pulling the slot machine. Except for this machine was a fake pull so it was her first time pushing the buttons on the slot machine. We didn't gamble at all until the last night, where after walking around for what seemed like forever (and avoiding a creepy old man and his friend) we sat down at a Texas Hold Em table and each walked away with quite a bit of money. It was fun chatting with the dealer and the other couple at the table, and I think they liked helping us with how to play (It helped that we were winning, of course) We walked away early and slept peacefully that night.

These pictures represent Whitney and Courtney's FIRST time eating at an Inn-N-Out Burger. I had googled their locations in Vegas and were disappointed that they were out of walking distance from the Strip. Until.....we decided the get our nails done at a salon that required us taking a cab, that was also right down the street from the burger joint. It was delicious, as juicy and greasy (yet fresh) burgers go. And we were starving. It was perfect.

These pictures are all from the restaurant we ate at the day we went to the salon (and got the recommendation for the restaurant) It's a Tapas restaurant and SO worth the cab ride...The pictures are dark/flashy because the restaurant was dimly lit. We got a cool table that was low to the ground and got to sit on a couch/foot stool. The food was delicious -- I ordered bacon wrapped stuffed dates and filet mignon, grilled shrimp and chorizo skewers. Oh, and our Sangria was yummy as well.

CUTE! I love this picture. This is in front of our hotel.

Here is the shaky video of the Bellagio fountains. It was our last night and we still hadn't made the loooong trek across the street to stand over the water to watch the fountain/music/lights display. It was gorgeous. And worth the wind and cold.

And I just had to add these pictures from my flight home (when I finally got a window seat!) Beautiful, huh? Of course Tyler responded with, "This is what I see everyday". Lucky guy.

I thought about taking a picture of the Chipotle I went out of my way to get after landing and getting my car in Oklahoma City, but I was so upset by getting LOST (on an unmarked interstate heading West to Amarillo instead of South to Lawton) and then finding a connecting highway that had no speed limit sign and then getting my FIRST speeding ticket on a road that I wasn't even supposed to be on. The worst way to end a fabulous weekend There goes all the money I won gambling. :(

However...good news in on the horizon. I PASSED my final test to becoming a Certified Teacher in the state of Texas-wahoooooo!! I believe now my "folder" just has to go through the board (or something) It's all very unclear to me, and gets me even more frustrated with my certification company. Oh well. I still passed. Maybe we should celebrate by going to a concert tomorrow night at a local pub....Maybe that was already planned, but now we have an even better excuse!

I am also looking forward to breakfast at Cracker Barrel (they have THE BEST breakfast) with the Bible study gals to (sadly) say goodbye to yet another lady who is moving on. I'm really going to miss Char-she and her husband attended the same church and Sunday school that Tyler and I have been going to. It's been so much fun getting to know them.

We've got Tyler's solo and naming party on Saturday night (where the wives were almost not invited but thanks to a change in heart by the men folk, we get to attend...and be strict observers. But I'm also making food for it, so at least I've got that going for me.) Should be another fun and busy weekend!

Hope you all have a great weekend-thanks for stopping by!

when I have nothing else to do...

2012-01-12T17:34:00.000-06:00

I really AM going to Las Vegas in less than 24 hours, whether I have the packed bags right now to prove it or not. In case you're curious, I am sad to be leaving my husband, but I have left him with a fridge full of leftovers, freshly baked banana bread and Frosted Flakes. He is going hog huntin' tomorrow/Saturday so I'm pretty sure he'll be juuuuust fine.

Tonight for supper I'm making what I have in my house:
Something with potatoes. And bacon. And sausage. And cheese (pepperjack and cheddar). It will be a loaded baked potato hotdish of sorts. And hopefully good. I offered to take my dear sweet husband out for supper to Cracker Barrel but he declined gracefully. We might be going there for dessert/course two, depending on my concoction's result.

I cleaned my house yesterday and I think there must be something little black bugs love about the cleaner I use on my floors. I mean, it is all-natural and smells amazing, but really? Ev-er-y-time I mop, they appear. At least 6. It's getting old.

I'm glad I cleaned my house yesterday because the maintenance man came to fix our toilet and fan in our bedroom today. I was gone, but I know he was here because he left me a note. When he was here fixing our door before Christmas (we have a lot of house problems, don't we?), we had a good little chat about cameras (and since I know nothing about them-he had seen our Canon sitting on the desk-he had a nice chat and I got to practice my listening skills) And when he left he joked about one woman who ran out of her house with a Hershey's chocolate kiss to give him for fixing something at her house (he commented this after seeing my two-month-old stash of Christmas kisses on the tv stand). Anyways, the note read like this: I BOUGHT A NIKON FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR. I'D GO BACK TO CANON IN A SECOND. ALREADY HAVING LENS PROBLEMS. BY THE WAY, I STOLE A KISS. Tom.

There ya have it. I'm thinking about watching What Happens In Vegas with my fav, Cameron Diaz, tonight to get pumped for my trip tomorrow. Or to have a good laugh.

Last random thing (of this post)
Why do people do this:
::....commentwordssomethingwedon'tcareabout....::
In case you're not getting my rather vague complaint, what I mean is why do people use the characters on a keyboard meant to show punctuation to make up a weird design/"look at what I'm saying because I put a colon and exclamation marks around it"? Just curious. One of my weird facebook pet peeves. Food for thought: Are online pet peeves in the same category as real-life pet peeves? Like when I stepped in water today while wearing fresh socks (you know, before you've had them on for too long and they've gotten all stretched out) and I didn't have my slippers on? Since I can't actually do that in the online/cyber world, is it the same category? And since I can't get mad at people for the punctuation (or lack thereof) they use while typing weird facebook statuses in real-life, are they different? I digress.

I hope to not be updating my blog while on vacation so I shall see you back here next week! Ciao! (Or since I'll be staying in Paris, au revoir!)

to teach

2012-01-11T13:11:00.000-06:00

if you would have told me 7 years ago when i entered college i should immediately change my major to education, i would have laughed. and laughed some more. but, nearly 4 years after graduating with a degree in communication, i have changed my career to become (gulp) a teacher. as of monday, i have completed all of my requirements for the state of texas. and if (when) i pass my final test tomorrow, i will be certified to teach in the state. i had a great few months working with my cooperating teacher and while i was very busy, it was so worthwhile.

now that it's back to reality, i should probably shower (because it's been since monday since i've bothered with that) and finish the laundry that has piled up in the spare bedroom. (i'm not even going to think about how long that's been collecting) i do have banana bread baking in the oven so i can feel somewhat productive while i blog.

and this weekend...in honor of my friend, Courtney's husband's deployment, my other friend, Whitney's husband still being stationed at a remote base in Asia and Tyler still being swamped with pilot training 'stuff', we three girls have decided to meet up for the long weekend. in Las Vegas. we decided rather quickly that the timing couldn't be better and that shopping, shows, and spas are a welcome distraction. this could be the start of a deployment tradition...

i am currently taking suggestions. i am going to start learning a new language. my options are: german, italian or french. i'd love to learn norwegian so i can impress the norwegian students here and my friend Kristin, but she's already told me that it'd be nearly pointless to learn it. shucks. i'll just resort to google translate. i am almost set on german but i am tempted by french because i took it in 7th grade and remember more of that than i do from the 2 years i took of spanish in high school. and also, it would help me to understand more from my new cookbook that i plan on making many meals from. (especially with my beautiful new dutch oven that my husband spoiled me with for Christmas this year) i've already made a delicious leek and potato soup (that i was pretty worried about during the looong cooking phase)

see? can you see why i'd be interested in learning french?? :) and italian because i've always wanted to travel to italy, nothing more. thanks for the input!

and a quick movie review...Tyler had a rare night where he didn't have to study as much, so we took the opportunity to redbox a movie and decided on Crazy, Stupid, Love. we love steve carell (and i love ryan gosling) and it was one (of many) we missed while in the theater. we both agreed it was so much better than we expected. i'm tempted to watch it again today since i have until 9pm to return it but i'm hoping my productive and practical side wins. while the majority of it involves steve carell's character trying to find his 'manhood' (and in doing so wooing countless women at a fancy bar night after night) in order to get his wife back, the movie does have some impressive wholesome values. the sarcastic, dry humor balances out the serious tone perfectly and i may have wiped my eyes twice.

another movie that is finally on redbox is moneyball, which we actually did go see in the movie theater. there were a few draws to this for us: brad pitt (for me) and baseball (also for me). it was basically the 21 version for baseball (perhaps the draw for tyler). but not only was it inspirational (yes, i was the person who found herself clapping in the theater. in the middle of the movie.) but it also doesn't end as cliche as you'd like, which always makes me like a movie more.

thanks for checking in.
i'm off to be productive with the remainder of my wednesday. and since i'm going to be an official teacher, and for my dad's sake, i'm going to start capitalizing things when i write. starting next time. (hopefully) have a great rest of your week!

i tried.

2011-12-13T20:28:00.000-06:00

i tried.
feeling guilty when i bought frozen foods for suppers this week at the commissary on sunday. delicious, fake, guilt-ridden foods such as chicken nuggets, jack's pizza and corn dogs. i even tried feeling guilty when i planned out which night we could eat what. and still, the guilt hovered when my cart was a refuge for the following items: two avocados, cilantro, eggs, doritosspanishricemilkywaymac&cheesetostitochipsANDbacon (gasp!)
try as i might, the guilt still escapes me. mostly because tyler's schedule this week has had him home at 9pm (and last night he came home with two other guys to study for a flight that actually got cancelled), and i am chest-deep in teaching, finishing up my steps to my certification, taking care of a puppy, cleaning/laundry, thinking of/shopping for/wrapping Christmas presents, thinking of meals that don't actually involve cooking, cooking those meals and then cleaning up after them.
but this isn't a complaining blog.

this is a blog to tell you all about our new puppy, ada. who, when she finally learns her own name, will realize she also goes by ada pup, ada bear, ada baby and Adelaide.
Ada bear looks like a little bear cub; she loves to be outside and also loves eating. in fact, our floors have been clean ever since we got her. i don't appreciate the fact that she has such sharp baby teeth and that she's a great chewer, but it has gotten better.

her favorite spot.

in case these pictures were no indication, we're the annoying pet owners who take way too many pictures of their ~~child~~ ahem dog.

on the way TO the vet. i didn't get pictures on the way home FROM the vet because ada was too busy puking and then eating ALL of her own puke. and i was too busy being disgusted and trying not to watch, after failing to pull her up to the front seat with me.

it was so good to have tyler home from his cross country to florida! ada missed him, and so did i!

Ada loves her playdates with other dogs and loved having tilly here for over two weeks. we're so lucky that so many of our friends have dogs that like to play and will tolerate her 'puppyness' (she even got along great with two HUGE great danes!) as a puppy she's not shedding, except for when she rubs her body all over our white couch (which so far hasn't taken as much a beating as i thought it might) we don't know what breed she is, other than some sort of shepherd. we think possibly chow, but aren't advertising that due to the fact that chow dogs are not allowed on base housing.

in addition to keeping busy with the aforementioned items, i have been 'being crafty' as well. i hope to share those pictures with you sometime soon! (and there we have my next blog subject) ciao!

earthquakes and other texas storms

2011-11-07T16:44:00.002-06:00

the storm is coming.
yes, i took the picture below while driving. and yes, i was annoyed to be stuck behind two tractors going 40 in a 70. and yes, i was very glad to have something to take a picture of. thanks for asking. the storm we've been hearing about for a week is on it's way. and while i believe that the great city of wichita falls, texas can experience earth-shattering storms, since we've been here, we've heard countless warnings of such storms and never see even one. but we did have an earthquake on saturday night, the first one i've ever felt and it was pretty cool. actually, i'd like to say i responded with a little more clarity/wisdom/excitement but mostly i was just dumbfounded and said nothing until it was over, then admitted to thinking there was a (very large and angry) cockroach/armadillo/jackrabbit hybrid that had somehow inhabited the chair i was sitting in and decided at that moment to make himself known. one of my finer moments, i assure you. but alas, just an earthquake. whew.

on to bigger and better things. like what i made for tyler's post-solo flight supper last week (remember when i used to post awful photos of mouth-watering food?) well i have been waiting to try this recipe and decided last thursday was the perfect night. let me tell you, it.did.not.disappoint. granted, we were rather hungry, but it created in both of us a new found love of bleu cheese (which always makes me think of my college roommate, sara, because i used to get a salad for lunch/supper at the dc at bethel and pick off every bleu cheese chunk and give to her..:) anyways, the combination of the grilled (after boiling) potatoes and slightly melted cheese with the steak smothered in Worcestershire sauce was fantastico! and it's making my mouth water again. try it, please, for the betterment of the world, or at least your supper repertoire. and then tell me how you liked it. here's what mine looked like:

next on the list. i'm about to reveal a secret that i have not yet disclosed to the world wide web of wonder because i would like some help (whine, wimper, plead).

here it is

tyler and i have decided to get a dog (yayyyyy!)

here is our problem: we each would like different dogs and have been civilly discussing it for mon-ths. and we've finally come to terms with the fact that neither one of us is going to bend, break or snap. so we've moved on. we're not getting a golden retriever (tyler's choice) or a belgian shepherd (my choice). here are our conditions:

the dog must be medium to large in size. color not really an issue. i would prefer a guard/watchdog but we both don't want the dog to be vicious with strangers. (and at the same time, friendly with children, you know, just in case) i want a dog that will help me get into running (shudder). a hunting dog is not off the list, but would probably not be used too much for that, at least not now. we aren't afraid of training and will give it plenty of exercise, so those are not issues. i've been doing a nerdy amount of research and while we're not opposed to going to a breeder, we've also been to the animal shelter here in town. we're being snobs, though, and want a puppy and apparently a lot of shelters don't take puppies because they come with diseases(?)

i tread lightly here but while it nearly broke my heart about the dogs at the humane society, i will never care more about saving the life of a dog/animal than that of a child/person. that's just all there is to it. (and according to the World Vision Christmas gift catalog i got in the mail today, there are plenty of children that need our time, money and energy) okay, that's it. i'm done.

back to the dog thing. this is where YOU come in. what kind of dog do you think would be good for us? what kinds of dogs do friends of yours have? what type of dog would you like to have? i have come to my last rope in researching. ready, go!

thanks for the help and for stopping by. also...since i've started this and gotten to these words, still no storm. have a great week!

T-6 solo

2011-11-03T21:56:00.002-05:00

Tyler soloed for the first time in the T-6! I was able to take off the afternoon from school to hang out a bit in the flight room, observe the pre-flight checklist, watch him take off and jump in the dunk tank. it was a lot of fun to see him "do his thang" (he's going to hate me for saying that). i'm a proud wife! here is the afternoon in pictures. they're pretty self-explanatory, so i'll spare you the captions.

(isn't my hubby handsome?)

(tyler actually JUMPED by himself into the tank/bowl...crazy man! beats getting thrown in, i guess) and that's the dunk tank he and his class took a saturday a couple weeks ago and painted the tank for breast cancer awareness month. cute, huh?

i snapped a short video of the taxi, mostly for thorough documentation. then tyler asked me tonight if i noticed the crew chief dancing a little bit as he directed tyler, which of course i didn't notice. (did you notice?) now go to these videos; apparently crew chiefs know how to have a little fun with the pilots. click here and here and here.

yeah! solo #1 down! hope you enjoyed the pictures! it was sure fun to be a part of. we're looking forward to the weekend. no huge plans, just relaxing.

bahumbug

2011-10-31T18:52:00.001-05:00

i have been in a very scroogey/grinchy mood about today the past couple weeks, ever since the 31st appeared on my numerous october calendars. mostly because i'm not usually a good halloween dresser and i could care less about scary things and (don't shoot me) i could definitely live without candy.

however, my mom was always awesome and sewed all 4 of us kids costumes until we were old enough to care (or when we moved to the country and trick-or-treating driving from farm to farm in the van got a little tedious) so i can't complain about that. it wasn't long, though, until i decided that, sure, going to a halloween party was fun and while i managed to put together one or two costume-looking outfits...(a lumberjack with my roomies and a flapper girl) but really...an entire night of makeup (more specifically red lipstick that either rubs off all over your clothes or never comes off when you want it), panty-hose or tights and clothes and shoes that were never really intended to wear as legitimately supportive body-coverings. some people can pull the costume look off very well. i hope to never be one of those people.

and now here i sit, waiting for the trick-or-treaters. since i haven't lived in a door-to-door conducive neighborhood for...10+ years, i'm not sure what to do. how many pieces of candy do i give them? do i talk to them? should i sit by the door? should i keep my main door open? how many pieces of candy can i eat? can i do a candy swap with someone who has better candy than me? what if no one comes to my door? what if they walk right by and i can see them on the sidewalk through my window? is my pumpkin not friendly enough? what do i say back when they say trick-or-treat? smell my feet? tyler is sure going to be upset when he realizes how much he missed--they picked a good day for their 12 hours to start at 8:20am.

(and since i started this, i've had two groups of kids come to the door. the first one i gave three pieces of candy each and they turned around and said "wow! she gave us a lot! let's come back!" the next i asked what he was dressed up as and he didn't know. so: one piece each, and don't engage them in conversation)

in the meantime, i'll find something to do whilst i wait. read a book, perhaps? i just got my new healthy book, "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan and perhaps someday when i'm more knowledgeable about it, i'll write a very educated post for you all to awe at.

costumes and sheetrock

2011-10-30T19:36:00.002-05:00

the holiday season is coming closer. wasn't it just last week that i was sitting out at the pool in our neighborhood in july, sweating past the point of recognition? can it really be true that halloween is tomorrow and thanksgiving a short few weeks later? we've got great holiday plans--tyler's family is coming here for thanksgiving and we are heading up north for christmas! i know i shouldn't get ahead of myself and start getting too excited for family time, but i can't help it!

here's what we were up to this past weekend:
friday night was tyler's B flight changeover party (costume themed, of course) and apparently an '80's theme was easy to do with stuff we both had in our closets, so ta-daa! if you're wondering what a changeover party is, basically it's the B flight right before tyler's class chance to tell tyler's flight about the instructors and different things about the flight, etc. it was a fun night with a little bit of hazing and a lot of giving each other a hard time.

saturday afternoon we had the chance to do another habitat for humanity build with tyler's class. instead of helping build a shed like last february in houston, we were helping to sheetrock indoors. (and we had the dust to prove it!)

i thought this was a great because you'll probably notice that kristin is doing the work, and the men are 'helping'. :)

misty found some safety glasses towards the end of the day.

i was having a disgustingly awful hair day but i still like this picture of us.

we WILL survive pilot training together!

a little action shot of working in the hallway.

we had a great crew for the afternoon shift (there were more people who helped in the morning) i like this picture because it looks like tyler and i are angels because of the sun. where's the harp music?

just a little irony-the Ferrari and Camaro parked in the projects. (and yes, Jonas did give me a ride to supper in his Ferrari and no i didn't get us lost just so we could keep driving)

our weekends always seem to zoom right by without a thought to be considerate and slow down. fortunately, we've managed to keep our sundays as relaxed as possible, with a little football watching and some chores, if need be. tyler will hopefully do his first solo this week and i'm excited to go out to the flight line and watch him take off and get dunked in the tank after he lands (if he can make it back to the flight room without getting caught, he's safe, but that "never" happens) stay tuned for pictures of that! have a great week!

same 'ol mantra...

2011-10-24T18:26:00.000-05:00

i always start my posts the same way...
"yes, yes it has been too long"
"i'm still here"
"i've been busy"
and still...the first few eye-rolling words never seem to motivate me to update more regularly.
but thank you, to my faithful [few] readers who maybe keep checking back. or maybe only remember to check once i put a link (and friendly prod) on my facebook page. to you i say...gracias.

i have been staying busy. honest. tyler's nearly two months into UPT (undergraduate pilot training) and i am nearly two months in to being a lonely housewife. (10-12 hour days with a chat or two during supper and then hubby studies until bedtime. and as bored and missing him as i am, i'm not the one working and studying so hard...i can't imagine how he's doing it) however, you could say that i am a lonely housewife with a twist--i have been student teaching at a local high school up the road. and i have been having a blast with it. kids say the darndest things indeed... and it certainly applies to high schoolers. my schedule is 7:30-3:30 and when i get home, i usually try to get cleaning, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping or schoolwork (clearly not this blog) finished so i can spend uninterrupted time with tyler when he is able.

on to the fun things. we have a pretty fun time on the weekends. there always seems to be something going on. there are drop nights every six weeks (and spouse coffees the day before each drop night--of which, i hosted last week's coffee), this past weekend we also hosted the class and had a pumpkin carving contest. this weekend tyler has his changeover party, we have a habitat for humanity build and i'm trying to decide if i'm going to run a 5k for charity or just give them my money. like i told tyler, pilot training is so much fun!! ;) (poor guy)

here are a few pictures from the fall fest/pumpkin party/carving contest (just testing my alliteration skills, no big deal)

oh, alright, here are our first days of school. i know, i know. but we just had to. :) we both get up rather early (and actually go to bed pretty early...so long, night owl danielle...what's happening to me?!?!)

in this picture, it looks like i'm awake (i'm not) and it looks like the sun was just starting to rise (it was). now, i'm more awake in the morning (thanks to a few pots of strong coffee) and the sun doesn't get up until i'm nearly to school. sigh.

here were a few of the group for last saturday's carving contest. we had fun in the garage until the swarm of flesh eating mosquitoes attacked. (and a life growing up in minnesota in no way prepared me for it)

isaiah's "level 2 intermediate" pumpkin was rather impressive and if there was a 2nd place, he would have won.

my bud stephanie and me. we survived our hubbies being at IFS together, and we'll survive pilot training together. :)

the pumpkin carving crew (i was taking the picture and clearly not in it)...we had a few more people inside watching the world series game who would not be persuaded to join us.

aren't they all great? they were all so creative! we are really enjoying tyler's class and love the community here at sheppard. i'm looking forward to student teaching picking up and having to be a bit more selective with my activities, but it's been a great shift into it. thanks for stopping by...don't give up on me yet!

schnitzel go-round

2011-09-27T21:33:00.000-05:00

in an attempt to recreate some of the german goodness we experienced in fredericksburg last month, i tried making these potatoes with sauerkraut, pork and cheese with no recipe or recollection, only the above photograph from my phone. this is that story. in photos.

3 russets, split in half with the bottoms sliced off, covered with tin foil, buttered up, and way too long in the oven later (45 min...who has time for that?!), they were soft enough to pile on the toppings. first the pork...aka kielbasa (my favorite) and then sauerkraut (i only started to tolerate the sour cabbage a little while ago, and i'm glad i changed my mind!)

another 20 or so minutes in the oven...at this point, my husband is home from work (and i've been at this for nearly two hours) and telling me how delicious it smells, etc...and as soon as he sees the potatoes and i explain what i'm trying to do, gently comments that he thought we had eaten loaded potato skins and not whole potatoes. duh. i thought something was off...if only i have the memory he does! the potatoes still tasted great, now i just know what to do differently! :)

below is the finished product with the homemade schnitzel i fixed on the side. that was quite delicious, as well, and if you feel like making it at some point click here for the recipe (don't forget to make the awesome sauce too!)

thanks for stopping by! i've got quite the rest of the week ahead of me...i start student teaching tomorrow morning (!!), the air force vs navy game and oktoberfest AND the air show are all on saturday.. whew! my throat started hurting today, so i've been taking lots of vitamins...no time to get sick!

jet noise...

2011-09-24T13:01:00.000-05:00

living on an air force base is not always the quietest. i imagine it's consistently noisier here because it's a training base. each and every weekday the buzz of the t-38's wakes me up. fortunately, the t-38 zoom is a little quieter than bigger jets found at other bases but that small fact isn't usually at the forefront of my mind when carrying on a conversation outside is impossible. sometimes i still get all starry-eyed like a child (or like the first week we were here) and take a few minutes to watch the planes fly their pattern. at times, the takeoffs are like clockwork, one after the other and i've got a pretty good view from our yard (or an even better view when i'm running on the track, which is right next to the runway) the other plane has a different runway and their pattern is more north, so we don't usually see those fly from the house. either way, from early monday morning to late friday night, the roar of jet engines is a regular part of life living here. but saturday it changes. saturdays and sundays are special. all is quiet and peaceful and serene for those short two days and i have time alone with my thoughts. and just when i get too used to it, i'm jolted awake by a roar and the week starts again. yet another reason to love the weekends, when life gets put on hold for a few hours.

tyler's been in training for three and a half weeks now and after this coming week, he'll start flying and the whirlwind will really begin. i'm very excited to start student teaching this coming week. after my work doing online classes (that i would never recommend to anyone), it feels good that it was for something. after 12 weeks student teaching, i'll be recommended to receive my teaching license in the state of texas! so by this spring, i'll either start looking for a job, or at least start subbing as much as i can. i've been enjoying my irregular schedule running errands, cleaning the house, and going to fitness classes at the gym. it'll be nice having a 'real' schedule, even if that means i'll have to do better at planning and trying to not get worn out.

i've been collecting pictures for quite some time and thought you'd like to see a few. :)

tyler's birthday present to me was a trip to fredericksburg, texas, in hill country. it's a cute little german town that is known for it's overpriced antique shops and wineries. so we went tasting to a couple places and were fortunate enough to get a tour!

we went to a couple different german restaurants and the second one definitely won my heart. my mouth is watering just thinking about these potato skins (i'll have to recreate them sometime)

like i said...many antique/artsy shops. we took a lot of pictures of signs/sayings that we liked with the hopes of making our own. :) that's what we are. cheap. and trying to be crafty.

tyler built this awesome bookshelf from throw-away boards in at home depot. i like how it turned out for his office...now we just need to fill it with more books!

my handsome 1LT on his first day of UPT (undergraduate pilot training)...we were going to take the picture outside, but it was still dark. (yes, i woke up that early)

the rest of these pictures are of our kitchen project...the finishing touch of my attempt to liven up the top of the cupboards and get my grandmother's china out of boxes. it was a very fun project and i really love how it turned out. i'm still going to stain it, but it's displayed until i get to that.

thanks for stopping by on this beautiful saturday! it's a marvelous 82 degrees and i'm very tempted to make a starbucks trip to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte. happy 2nd day of autumn!

neglect.

2011-08-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

the title of my post is how i'm feeling about my blog. rightly so, i know. but i have a good excuse! my hubby has been home and we've been busy! since he hasn't started training yet, he doesn't work much (just a few hours a day) and i've officially had the longest summer break ever (no work since the middle of april...whew!) but that will all change very quickly!

i've been going to a Bible study with other wives on base, and we're doing the beth moore study on david. i finally see an end to my teacher requirements (just five more days of 1 hour online chats), and not a moment too soon. i'll be getting an assignment to start student teaching for 12 weeks starting towards the beginning/middle of september. i've also started going to a few fitness classes with some friends (mom? dad? you still alive?)...and we're going on a day trip to dallas (did somebody say shopping?) on thursday.

tyler has been busy with projects around the house, which i love! i thought i'd have pictures to show, but i guess i haven't uploaded any in a while (surprise, surprise) we're hopefully going camping this weekend and then on my birthday trip to fredricksburg next monday-tuesday. thanks for checking in...i swear i'll have some great pictures next time! :)

three bowls...

2011-07-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

okay, so i had a problem, rather, a couple problems...
pause. let me add here that some would argue the past-tense usage is, naturally, incorrect. others might question my understatement of "a couple problems". i digress.

my problems...

i had a beautiful set of my grandmother's china that had been in boxes since 'winning' it on the night of our rehearsal dinner (for those of you who don't know the story, when we were packing up my grandpa's house after he had passed away, there was a set of my grandmother's china that was going to our family. since we didn't know which one of us four should have it, and the crime of splitting up a china set is unspeakable, i suggested the first one to get married should, obviously, inherit the china. (this was before any of us were dating anyone) and so, as the first of us to get married, i was able to have grandma's china, fair and square). back to it being in boxes. we had neither the space nor the money to buy any sort of hutch for proper display in houston, so it sat (sigh) wrapped tightly in 2007 newspaper. problem one: needing to let my grandma's china breathe and be on display, while at the same time pushing all possibilities of a hutch in our near future away.

problem two: i have been, for whatever reason, hooked on interior decorator blogs, crafty blogs or sewing/cooking blogs. it's been bad. knowing there is only so much i can do with our house, as renters (and moving out in less than two years), our home is going to have to look spectacular as-is...with a few minor "cosmetic" upgrades. i found one blog in particular, the handmade home and one particular picture of a kitchen that got me all worked up. problem two: wanting desperately to decorate my kitchen in a cute, fun and fresh way.

so...my problems clearly laid out, i got working on a good solution (if only marriage were this easy!!)

three beautiful bowls in tj maxx sent me spiraling downward, upward, sideward, every 'ward'. until, here i sit...10 hours (and a few breaks) later...and a new kitchen. for the most part. i, fortunately, have some sort of picture documentation. not necessarily the process (something about spray paint and indoors getting to my head...and spray paint and outdoors making me sweat uncontrollably) but here ya go!
(as always, if you would like to see the picture larger, just click on it!)

so this is what my day started out with...a bunch 'o' junk! i was very pleased with what i found. i am, obviously, most excited about that birdcage and ALMOST spray painted that baby red to match. but i didn't. and now, i'm glad i didn't.

cute cafe sign. that i should have lied flat to spray paint, but i didn't. this was the first thing i did, and inside. (i know, i know...but the can said to use at room temperature, 70 degrees. um...it's never 70 degrees) later, i did move outside to the garage. my linoleum is thankful.

middle process. have i mentioned how much i love spray paint? no? well...i DO! it's wonderful! even if it does get all over everything. that can-looking thing in the middle actually a "milk" imprint on the side, so i painted over it with some paint we never used.

and ~~a few~~ many tries later, this is what i came up with for the corner and loved it. you can see the milk can, front and center. (rather, front and right...but you get it) i'd love to find a plant that hangs down the side of the cabinet, so we'll see...also...the sign says "if you don't like the food...have more wine"

and the other side of the kitchen. i also love this set up, but couldn't decide if it should be next to the corner set up, or in the other corner (it's a BIG wall!) or what. so i experimented. rather, i scooted it up to the right corner and that's where it stayed.

see? lots of wall. and there was another four feet on the left side before getting to the corner.

sooo...i tried putting some other random stuff on the left side to make it stretch out more, but obviously that's not looking so good. (even though it's my wonderful painting from painting class with tracee)

and THIS is what i ended up with. and i really like it. but i'd also be persuaded to push it to the other dark, boring corner to see what that would look like.

and the finished project! and because i just found the picture...this is what inspired me... (click on 'this')

so...as you can see, i've solved both of my problems AND added a little fun to my kitchen. i'd love feedback! (and not on my poor photo skills or the fact that i took this at night...or the goo gone/hammer seen in some pictures) hope you have a happy friday and a GREAT weekend!

scarves!

2011-07-26T16:15:00.000-05:00

i couldn't have been any more creative with the title, right? i know.

you've probably guessed what this post is on, but allow me to elaborate. since i can remember, i've been collecting/obsessing over/buying scarves. out of all of my fetishes, (ahem...shoes, purses, cheap/tacky jewelry, jeans, sunglasses, white tank tops) this scarf thing has lasted the longest. fortunately, i've also never spent more than $10-$12 on a single scarf. (i guess if you count up how many i have, that's a loot of dough) but that is irrelevant and doesn't make me feel any guilt.

i realized this scarf thing was on a whole different level when my college roommate, sara, came back from her month abroad to england with a charming blue pashmina. i still adore it and after a few years and many more scarf additions, it is still one of my 'go-to's'. my scarf collection now not only includes scarves from all over the U.S., but many different countries around the world.

the obsession also hit a new high when i 'had' to buy a cute little rack at hobby lobby to give my beautiful accessories a home, where they wouldn't have to be wrinkled and ignored. not only did it give the scarves somewhere to hang out, it has always provided fun decoration on my bedroom wall.

so...without further ado and in no particular order, here is my cast of characters aka wall of scarves.

this first set are scarves i will always treasure and love. my grandma let me go through her scarf drawer, since she doesn't wear them anymore, and pick out ones i liked. these are all fabulous and go great tied tightly (but not too) around my neck.

the blue scarf is the one previously mentioned from sara from england, and the one on the right is from her second trip to england, a year later.

the following two pictures are not necessarily boring scarves, but they are ones i've picked up, or gotten as gifts, from different retail stores around the U.S. most are from target, forever 21 and h&m.

and with the exception of one (the multi colored animal print), i found them all at forever 21 (back when i frequented that store more than my college library)

this beauty is from israel. buddy (holly) gave it to me as a bridesmaid gift for being in her wedding in august of 2009. she and most of her family took a great trip the the Holy Land just a few months before she got hitched and i LOVE this scarf! it has beautiful details and is perfect for a chilly day.

these three scarves are all from vietnam. tyler gave these to me before we were "officially" dating after his spring break trip. they are so pretty, feminine and light and airy and they will always make me think of how much fun tyler and i had dating each other.

this is from malaysia, when tyler went on his 60-day trip after graduation to many different asian countries. i LOVE this scarf, he totally nailed it with the animal print.

these final two i picked out in thailand when we went there in may. they are both beautiful and while the temperature has been too hot so far, i can't wait to wear them both!

and here is my beautiful wall of scarves. (with one half of the curtains i hung so well... :)

thank you for coming on my 'tour de scarves'! i can't wait go to many more amazing places and come back with such a fun memento!

newsy news...

2011-07-25T00:33:00.000-05:00

after a week griping about all the work it is to get an alternative certification, (bad attitude alert) and how user friendly the program i'm using IS NOT, and how i'm ever going to get all of my work done in time to start applying (which that point is past for most, but hey...schools could hire late!)

i just found out that i passed my exam! i am now considered qualified to teach 8-12 english and language arts (maybe now i'll have to start capitalizing my blog entries...??) i still have a few program things to finish up, get fingerprinted, and do 30 hours of observation (summer school?)...

anyways! i'm also...going to houston next week! my last job asked if i would help train in the new person in my position. (and also because seeing my husband for more than 4 days is a crime, apparently)

i'm really very excited about all things happening in my life. i have planned none of this, by the way. it's funny how God just works things out. simple as that.

in the meantime.....here's a little bit about my new frame i was working on. i saw this a pier 1 imports and thought that $35 was waaayyy too much to pay for it. so i hustled over to hobby lobby and hancock fabrics and got to work! i probably spent half as much money, all said and done but it was a good project.

start with some great red felt...and a loooot of hot glue. i found a great frame at hobby lobby (always 1/2 off) that would work with a 5x7 photo...i cut the parts equally...maybe 1-1.5 inches thick. glued on the bottom and started placing!

i'll be honest, this actually took 3 or 4 times stopping and starting this project. i couldn't decide if i liked it and then once i realized it was too late, it was just a matter of finishing it. it really does look good, especially with our picture of the grand canyon in the background. a layer of ribbon around around the outside of the frame helps. here's the finished $12 vs. $35 dollar frame cover. :)

and here's hoping i get to see my husband this week! ciao!

cooking for a loner

2011-07-23T14:00:00.003-05:00

so i've been back to my single gal diet since tyler's been gone. i love rice, popcorn, chips and salsa and diet coke. and before i got married, those items were all i knew about food. (i'm almost 98% serious) but inspiration from new cookbooks made me want to cook a good meal for myself (and hope for a little leftovers...you know, to avoid having to cook again)

it turned out absolutely delicious!!

and it even looks good, despite of my poor, poor photography skills.

(and yes, those are lo mein noodles...i'm branching out, i know) the awesome addition in this vs. other recipes i've made like this is a chili pepper jelly i added at the end...delicious! a definite repeat when ty gets home (and no...i did not eat all of that)

i guess i can't forget about my birthday supper, where i was just craving pioneer woman's grilled corn guacamole. and to have grilled corn guac, you have to grill the corn, which meant learning how to start the charcoal. and since the grill was lit, i thought i should grill something else beside corn. so chicken it was (watch out, i know) but it was delicious. and so were the grilled onions. :) i don't think i got a finished product picture, but by the time i figured out how to do all this stuff, i was starving. so excuse me.

delicious.

thus concludes my cooking ventures for the past two weeks. made me tired. back to rice and popcorn today.

no name

2011-07-22T22:38:00.002-05:00

i wasn't sure what to call this post, so as you can see, i got creative. it's tough being such a genius.

since i've clearly either been too busy to post, or have been thinking since the last post what to say (i'll let you decide) i thought i'd show you a couple other cute garage sale finds.

these little guys are perfect for our living room, or more seating for when we have our big barbecues, or just for fun decoration...

there was a $1 sticker on each one of these and while we liked them, weren't sure. then the man said that everything in his lawn was 1/2 off. so $.50 each? well sure!

we were just going to cover what was already there, but tyler started cleaning and ripping and just kept going. we bought foam at hancock fabrics (on sale!) and fabric from the bargain bin (cuz that's who we are) and paint (ahem...also on sale...) and got to work!

we had the first one completely finished before our little june/july travels, and i took advantage of a hot sunny afternoon (only had to take three breaks to go inside to cool off) and painted the second one outside.

ta-da! the finished product! cute, huh? (and in the background is the plant i am unintentionally killing quickly...) not too bad for a fun, bargain project.

thanks for checking in! i'm crossing my fingers that tyler will be home at the end of next week! (wahooooo!)

and also, happy birthday (the 23rd) to my wonderful mom!

my talented husband...

2011-07-13T12:28:00.000-05:00

made me....THIS!

tyler had helped Nat make his picnic table a while back in Houston so he knew just what to do! :) i was very impressed to come home to this after my two weeks away. the cute little grilling table is just perfect, too. (sorry, honey...i'll never call your table 'cute' again) he got the chairs from a garage/estate sale and we spray painted them black and added new cushions (from ikea), as you can see.
just thought i'd share with you our awesome picnic table...ready for many bbqs and visitors (yes, that means YOU!) okay...back to my schoolwork!

monday night fun...

2011-07-11T20:17:00.000-05:00

it doesn't take me much to be entertained. monday night, some quality trash television and a pair of sweatpants and i'm good. fortunately (for him), my husband isn't here to quickly move to a different room while i sit through two painstakingly dramatic hours of the bachelorette.

today wasn't as productive as i had hoped it would be. i did get started with some 'schoolwork' and worked/sweated a bit outside. other than that, i got frustrated with my sewing machine, paced the living room and made a list of things i need in the outside world, when i get around to it. not really bored, or lonely, i guess...just lacking some motivation (so far, season 8 of friends has kept me more than occupied...don't tell my husband...)

allow me to fill you in on a treasure that tyler and i found at some garage sale when we first moved here (i say that like it was so long ago...if you're not keeping track, we're just past a month in this house)

so this is just a cute little table, but it is perfect for the landing on our staircase...tyler sanded it down real good and took a layer off the top. but we need suggestions...we love the colors coming from the bottom part but don't know how we can make the top look good to match it. any help?!

this is what it looks like now with a little decoration. i loooove that picture frame from my mother in law and i love that i see it every time i walk up the stairs. i first thought i'd hang it, but i sort of like it just leaning. hmm...

well there ya have it! there are storm and heat advisories tonight, but all i see are clear skies. stayed tuned later for more projects/pictures. goodnight!

day two...

2011-07-10T16:29:00.000-05:00

i'm back in, people! after a very crazy few months, things are finally slowing down a bit here in north texas. my summer trips have winded down but unfortunately, i said farewell to my handsome husband yesterday morning as he goes through training for a month. which is why i will hopefully have a million hours to devote to my lovely bloggy. i also have quite the list to tackle...wanna take a peek?

-scrapbook
-order pictures so i have things to put in the scrapbook

-sew bean bags for cornhole
-look up instructions to sew bean bags

-sew pillow covers for bedrooms and couch

-find out why our new couch isn't here yet (2 months late, helloooo!)

-~~hang curtains in bedroom~~
-avoid putting extra holes in bedroom wall while hanging curtains (this i failed to accomplish yesterday, but if anyone points them out, they do not belong in my house:)
~~-find/buy/hang curtains in family room and dining room~~

~~-exchange bedroom lamps~~

-wash 4runner

-garden: plant herbs, flowers and lay mulch
-weed out front and in the back yard
-mow lawn (find a lawn mower to borrow from a neighbor)

-make grandma's strawberry jam

-paint/cover 2nd stool

-clean house

-find wooden frames to cover with fabric

whew!! oh, and all of these should be done in addition to my major summer goal: (start) and finish my teaching certification. and look for teaching jobs.

no big deal, right?? :)
oh yes, it's also my birthday next sunday so maybe on that day, i'll park it in front of the tv and watch seasons of friends allll dayyyy looooooong. (what would you do if you were alone for your birthday??) :)

for your viewing pleasure:

yes, i did ask tyler to take this picture the day before he left just in case i forgot what he looked like. ;)

my gorgeous sister...isn't she beautiful? ben is a lucky man. :)

i'm glad mom snuck us in for a picture. we got married in the same church a year and a half earlier (almost to the day)

the wedding and reception was a blast! i'd like to think i made a pretty good matron of honor, but i also hope i didn't scare anyone off if they weren't following directions... :) it was great fun seeing so many friends and family. we weren't sure if my dad would be able to make it to the wedding, much less perform the vows between jenilee and ben, but he was able to get a day pass to leave the hospital, walk jenilee down the aisle (with many sniffling witnesses), clearly officiate the vows and even dance with her at the reception. (good job, daddy!) it was the best day. :)

my man in uniform was an usher in the wedding, the MC and DJ at the reception and ran around for two days straight helping get things done. if i had a dollar for every person who told me that i found a good one, i'd have a house full of new shoes and purses. :)

the newlyweds at the gift opening.

it was a great trip but i sure am glad to be officially unpacked for more than a few days. thanks for stopping by to check in!

here

2011-06-21T00:57:00.000-05:00

if you're wondering if i realize that it's been....21 days since i've last updated, well...i do realize. but thanks for bringing it to my attention, anyways. :) if you're friends with me on facebook, you'll probably understand why i haven't exactly had time to sit on a computer (longer than updating my facebook status, ahem) but before i get into that, i want you to read what i was working on wednesday, the day after i drove. and two days before my whole trip changed.

(june 8)

i've been here before. through years and months of change, i can finally say i've been here before.

here is the breakfast bar in my parent's kitchen. here is the sleepy town, the one constant in many of our lives. and here is home. a different home than where i left, but still home.

even if i had no idea where i was going as i drove the 16 hours yesterday, as the grass got greener, the sky got clearer and the air crisper, i could tell i was driving here. even if i didn't have the atlas in my lap the entire time, i knew by the cars next to me and the farms zooming by that i was getting closer. i did, in fact, know exactly where i would end up at the end of my long trek. i knew, when i finally turned the car off, that my parents would be waiting. and that when it turned light in the morning, the driveway would be the same, the old, rusty red truck would be parked across the street, and the trees would still be a lush green and still waving in the wind. even though so much has changed, there are some things that will stay the same.

(today, june 20)
that's where i pushed pause for the time being and i simple never got back to it. thursday i was having a blast seeing friends and preparing for shelley and kory's wedding celebration for the next day. friday is when my two friends started their lives together and also when my trip got a little shaken up.

my dad works in a town an hour away from my home and where the wedding was, and was finishing up his delivery route to rush back home to get ready for the wedding. we aren't sure exactly what happened, and we may never know. but my dad was found on the sidewalk in the warehouse lot unconscious due to a fall. he was brought to the emergency room and was in a coma from then until sunday morning.  i rushed up there first thing saturday morning and played the waiting game with my family. he had broken 6 ribs and was bleeding from injuries at the base of his scull.  the biggest prayer was that the swelling would go down in his brain.

we are convinced dad was part of miracle when he came out of his coma on sunday morning, right around the time he was supposed to be preaching at church (which he was so excited about!) he was moved out of ICU the next day to another room downstairs and then to the rehab hospital a few days after that. i was able to leave town for a couple of days and help my sister with a few wedding details (and see some friends!) but my mother has never left his side, only to get some rest so she can be useful during the day.

days have passed and blurred together with dad doing rehab and therapy all day, sleeping in between sessions, and most of us camping out in the family room a few doors down. dad's getting better. he walks with a walker and sits with a wheelchair, but he is most comfortable lying down.  it's hard to see him not remembering what we spoke of before he took a nap and not being able to sit up on his own, but he's still my dad. not the dad we're used to, but still daddy.  so many people have stopped by to see him, some more than once, and there were flowers, balloons and cards displayed all of the desk and windowsill. there are even more people praying for him than we could even imagine.  all areas of the country. it's incredible and i know God is listening to each prayer.  my trip has changed, from being at the house i call home to being in the hospital with the people who are home. i'm so glad i was able to be here. (good timing, daddy!)

tomorrow i leave for my new home, where my dear husband has been living in the house that i spent just a few nights before my drive north. i'm traveling with my friend maria and we'll spend a few days there and then grab tyler and head back up for my sister's wedding (all that driving? tell me about it). in that time, i know that my dad will be closer to the dad i know so well. he is going to be well enough to walk my big sister down the aisle. and well enough to remember it. :) that's the prayer now!

sorry for the delay in updating, but i'm sure you understand. and if you're one of the people who have been praying, we celebrated father's day this year with our dad because God has heard your prayers and through His power has answered them. thank you.

more trip :)

2011-06-01T12:37:00.000-05:00

~~monday~~
~~tuesday~~
wednesday
thursday
FRIDAY

friday...move-in day!!
after dealing with ants, bugs, hot toilet water, non-nonstick cookware (and smoke detectors), more ants, and a broken dishwasher, we are ready to move. :)

we're looking for garage sales and on craigslist for furniture that would work with our couch (that is currently on hold due to an "inventory discrepancy") and our bedroom, and also for a lawn mower and washer and dryer. whew!

here are a few more pictures from our trip (which feels like months ago) for grandma and grandpa. :)

we found a starbucks while doing some street shopping in phuket, which was a nice treat. :)

our second time around in singapore was a much better experience than the first--we hopped on a bus and got off at a stop that looked like it might be 'downtown'. it actually turned out that it was across the bay from downtown, but we were still very fortunate to have stumbled upon this.

that hot dog looking building is the fanciest hotel i have ever walked in, and the hot dog part is a look-out (that would have cost us $40 to go up to).

the double helix bridge was pretty sweet.

aaaaand THE most AWESOME shopping mall i have EVER seen. there were stores i couldn't even pronounce, much less walk into with my backpacker clothing on. :) there was also a river that ran through the whole thing and boats that you could ride in and a casino and a skating rink. no big deal.

we landed back in california at 3:30am and went to ihop at 5am (where i ordered an hour-appropriate breakfast and tyler ordered a chicken sandwich, but since it was 5pm where we had just come from, i didn't give him too much grief :) that day we went to napa valley and explored just a couple vineyards and then headed to san francisco and saw the golden gate bridge for the first time.

the above picture is from the beautiful filoli gardens (that i always spell wrong).

and here we are on the new bridge at the hoover dam. we also saw the grand canyon and drove south to phoenix and then tucson and hung out with good friends.

well, it's time for lunch! i'm headed north next tuesday (driving again, only because i'm totally not sick of that) and looking forward to seeing my family!!

house...

2011-05-27T12:34:00.000-05:00

it's funny how often my blog gets updated when i...
a. don't have anything else to do
b. don't want to do what i have to do

weird, huh?

tyler called the housing office today to see if they had a different date for our move-in (other than june 10, which is shelley and kory's wedding, which means i'll be long gone in minnesota) "just so we can schedule our movers" and we heard great news...

our new move-in date is NEXT friday, not two weeks away friday. hallelujah! i'll be able to move our stuff in and get settled before i leave for three weeks! also, they gave us the wrong address before. now instead of our backyard facing the road, it's facing a playground and a huge open field. not complaining there.

we're headed to shreveport, louisiana tomorrow morning for a wedding celebration with some of tyler's buds from the academy. we couldn't decide if we wanted to go, but after realizing the few things there are to do in this town and how much we'd rather not stay cooped up in this little suite, taking advantage of the holiday weekend and getting out of town did seem like the best option. :)

today is promotion day for the 2009 graduates!! my husband is now a 1st lieutenant!
it's also Mel's birthday, so happy birthday to my favorite mother-in-law! :)

happy memorial day weekend, everyone! i hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy some grilled food!

trip pictures

2011-05-26T14:21:00.000-05:00

I know most of you who read this are also friends with me on facebook and probably saw the pictures i just uploaded, but for my wonderful grandparents who are now reading my blog (yay!) i am going to post some of our favorite pictures, (probably repeats for some of you) and later the video tyler is putting together (stay on the edge of your seat for that one...it's going to be pretty sweet!)

this was the C-17 we rode in to Hawaii. Or was it Japan? Or Singapore? I really can't remember, but one of the planes had nothing in it, so Tyler and i made beds with the blankets and pillows they have for the 62 passengers they can usually fit on the plane...

We got to a hotel in Singapore (finally!) and wheel of fortune was on! it was wonderful. :)

the advertisements in singapore were very unusual. everything was bright and obnoxious.

this is flying over indonesia.

finally made it to phuket, thailand! the views were beautiful. i had never seen such a stark contrast of ocean, beach, and mountains before.

and here we have not one, but two, cats in the fridge. right next to the bottled water and veggies, as normal as can be. asia is filthy. i can't even start. japan, not so bad. the rest of it. yuck.

this was on the boat ride from phi phi to phuket. our other option was to sit inside, where it was stinky and smelly and filthy. all that was separating us from the roaring sea was that little railing. very fun, but very scary. :)

alright...i do have more pictures to show, but i also have other things to do this afternoon (shocker, know). i'm working on the invites for jenilee's bridal shower and i'm also in over my head with teaching certification stuff. yuck. (and i need to dye my hair...obv...) chow!

good thing/bad thing

2011-05-23T11:20:00.000-05:00

since being surrounded by very few walls and an even smaller space for the last 3 days (has it only been 3???), i've had some time to think.

and what i've come up with is not deep or meaningful.

but it's truth.

so here's my segment of good thing/bad thing.

it's a bad thing when your shower head doesn't reach the top of your back.
it's a bad thing when your shower curtain doesn't cover the whole length of the shower.
it's a even worse thing when the tub does not drain, and by the end of your shower, you have to rinse your feet.

it's a good thing the bathroom door closes tightly.
it's a bad thing when the bathroom door only closes when you're standing in between the toilet and the tub, meaning the bathroom is smaller than most kitchen pantries.

it's a bad thing when the refrigerator only reaches your shoulders.
it's a bad thing when you have to get on all fours to reach a bottle of water at the back of the fridge.
it's a bad thing to have to buy bottled water, but one taste of the warm tap water deemed this 'have-to' situation.

it's a bad thing to have to walk through the courtyard (and past the doberman) to the laundry room.
it's a good thing when laundry is free.

it's a good thing to cook.
it's a bad thing to spend the rest of the night getting the smell of what you had for supper out of the room.

it's a bad thing to keep finding bugs everywhere.
(there's nothing good about that)

it's a good thing to have internet.
it's a bad thing to have your internet come through a cord (are we still in 2005?)

it's a good thing to have a housekeeper come by the room everyday.
it's a bad thing to have an efficient housekeeper who knocks on the door at 8am (and will come in)

it's a good thing to stay in one spot for three weeks.
it's a bad thing when it's this.

it's a bad thing to have no reason to leave the space previously detailed.
it's a good thing to have nothing to do and no reason to leave the TLF, which means--sweatpants all day.

it's a bad thing when the only suitable name for your place of residence for the next 3 weeks is TLF, or 'temporary living facility'. the word, 'facility', sums it up nicely.

sorry for the blurry pictures, but you get the idea.

and don't worry, we are surviving! it's not a miserable as i make it sound, just semi-awful. now just 2 and a half weeks until we get our house! (and it's going to seem like forever) :)

*and on a much more serious note, please keep the town of joplin in your prayers today and this week! my dear, sweet friend, carrie and her family live there and i am still trying to get a hold of her.*