seaside ghost

a rainy day

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:13:00 +0000

i was trying to photograph rain drops in motion. didnt work out as i had planned but i got some ok ones anyway.

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time

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:49:00 +0000

i booked my flight yesterday. i have a hotel reservation and a car rented too. now i just have to wait 8 more weeks until i can see hubs again. that makes me really excited, but then i realize i have 8 long weeks to wait and it makes me so sad. but just this afternoon as i was reaching for a delicious, delicious pepsi, it dawned on me that the weeks can only get shorter. all i have to do is count down from 8 weeks. no time will be added and it wont go backwards. only 8 more weeks.

the gym is helping it go by quickly too. i’m taking a class (or 2) everyday except wed and sun are recovery days. i’m really excited, i’ve dropped 2 more pounds and now down to 118 lbs! i’m gonna look so smokin hot when i see hubs again! and i know with all his PT he’s gonna be incredibly hot too! mmm…

i just gotta hang in there. he keeps telling me to just hang in there.

last note: i have no idea how single parents do it. since hubs had been gone t knows he’s gone and doesn’t really understand or know how to deal with it. but either way, she’s driving me nuts.

Day 8

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:01:00 +0000

We have a busy weekend ahead of us with ALL the in-laws in town so today's gonna be our quiet day. We spent the morning working on this world puzzle and here is T putting the final piece in place.

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Day 7

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:14:00 +0000

I mad it through the first week! I'm really pleased with my project thus far and I'm excited for the next few weeks. I have a lot coming up this weekend so it should produce some interesting pictures.

this one I took in the backyard while I was writing Josh his first letter. it was such a lovely evening and watching T and Atlas play was so calming and it made me so happy despite the fact my love is across the country. sitting out there in the California setting sun made me feel like everything is gonna be alright.

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Day 6/365

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:32:00 +0000

How do I have such a fabulous daughter?

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Day 4/365

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:19:00 +0000

Jude's memorial angel that sits out front of my sister-in-laws house.

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Day 4/365

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:13:00 +0000

Yea! A picture of me for my P365! We went to Huntington Beach Dog Park for Josh's last day of freedom. It was a blast to run down the beach with Atlas in tow, he was such a good dog! The dog beach is much more friendly if you ask me. Peoples dogs run over to greet you and people love to 'ooo' and 'ahh' over each others dogs. T had so much fun playing in the FREEZING water (I have no idea how she stood in there for so long) and covering herself in sand. I think we're gonna make another date to go and this time we want to bring Ein and Velvet too.

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Day 3/365

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Sun, 30 May 2010 02:06:00 +0000

This was my view for today. I didn't do much of anything besides clean the house. The weathers warming up and I'm so glad we're going to the beach tomorrow! I just feel like I wasted one of my last days with Hubs before he's gone. Tomorrows P365 should be better.

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Day 2/365

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:09:00 +0000

Today looks like it's gonna shape up to be a pretty boring day so I decided to get my P365 done this morning.

I love the macro setting on my camera. I love the effects you can get even on a little point-and-shoot camera. I do wish I had a little more control over the focus and settings but I'm also hoping through P365 I'll get better and become more familiar with my camera and it capabilities and settings.

This is Atlas. He's my 6.5 week old boxer. Hubs got him for me- I think- to ease the pain of him being gone. He's very rambunctious and has the sharpest little needle teeth, but what puppy doesn't? Luckily my sister-in-law has a pit/lab mix that's willing to put up with his puppy antics. He sleeps about 16 hours out of the day but he also eats like a moose! He's gonna be a big boy!

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Day 1/365

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Fri, 28 May 2010 07:25:00 +0000

My good friend Amanda peaked my interest in this Project 365 and I thought it'd be a good way to document the next year. Hubs is leaving Monday and T and I will be moving to AZ in July. So there will be a lot to document. Plus this will also give me an excuse to bust out my camera everyday. I just hope I can remember to take a picture everyday.

This evening we visited the Streeters and spent some time with them. I haven't seen them in forever but it turns out Michelle wants to run a marathon in San Fran next fall so I told her I'd be more than happy to train and run it with her! She's going to follow a 16 week training plan so I'm gonna Google and see if I can't find it and follow it with her. I wish we lived closer so we could actually run together but I'm hoping we can at least keep each other accountable through txt. I need to start my search for a jogging stroller. It'll be the only way I can get running done with a 3 year old.

So, YEA for my first P365 post! :D

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not quite there

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:14:00 +0000

i’m super glad to be staying with my sister-in-law while hubs is in basic and everything but it’s still weird to see the house filled with Jude’s stuff. his room is still painted, his stuff is in the front closet and in the garage and it just makes me wish so badly he was around.

T would have loved to help auntie with the baby and it would have given me someone else to spoil. i stood in the doorway to his room just looking and imagining a nursery and imagined hearing him cry in the mornings and playing little games with him and watch him crawl around the living room and rocking him and cuddling him and getting to spend the next couple months with him. and i had to leave the room before i started crying.

and seeing kristens tattoo wasnt any easier, either. i got my T tattoo on my wrist because i love her. i couldnt imagine getting her name tattooed because shes gone.

it’s easy to deal and cope with difficult situations when your 1300 miles away but once you find yourself thrown back into the situation, it all comes flooding back and you find being removed doesnt mean the pain is gone.

grilled cod fish tacos

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:03:00 +0000

seeing as today is cinco de mayo, i wanted to make something festive without packing on the calories so i decided on one of my faves: fish tacos! when i googled it, i got tons of fried fish tacos, but that defeats the purpose! but when i looked up grilled, i didn’t get the traditional fish tacos i was looking for. so i combined a few different recipes and came up with this. so feel free to try it and enjoy!

tacos:

1lb. cod or any white, flaky fish

white corn tortillas (taco size)

1/4 onion minced (i used white and it was a tad strong)

1c. finely shaved white or green cabbage (or the bagged kind)

1 tomato, chopped

3 limes

White Sauce:

1/4 c. low-fat mayo

1/4c. non-fat sour cream or yogurt

Directions:

heat grill to high heat. brush grill with olive oil or spray with a non-stick spray. marinade cod in juice from 1 lime for 30 minutes then dry off fillets and season with salt and pepper. grill for 4-5 minutes on each side (may need to cook longer if thicker pieces). while fish is grilling prepare onion, cabbage and tomato and mix mayo and sour cream/yogurt and add lime juice until mixture becomes slightly runny or to your liking. (i used 1/2 a lime and i didnt think it was quite enough). after fish is cooked through and flaky, take 2 forks and shred meat. stack tortillas on a plate and cover them in plastic wrap and nuke for 60 sec. be careful when peeling back the wrap, steam will escape, dont burn yourself!

grab a tortilla, add 2 tablespoons of fish and garnishes. but be careful not to add so much it overpowers the fish, this is the case especially with the onion. add a dollop of white sauce and your good to go! and from my calculations, 2 tacos should be about 194 calories so your waistline wont hate you either!

i had 2 tacos and they filled me up and my husband powered down 3 without complaint. please feel free to tweak this recipe however you like and let me know how your fish tacos turned out! :)

(x-posted to tumblr)

Cali time!

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:48:00 +0000

so 10 days until we leave for Cali! i’m so excited! turns out we’re going to stay with Kristen the whole time. it’ll just be easier that way and i know she could use the company. it looks like we’re going to stay until the 12th so T can go to a friends birthday party.

i’m really excited to be back home but theres still so many things that need to be taken care of, it just feels overwhelming. i have to get my CA drivers license, we want to take T to sea world so her and hubs can celebrate her birthday together, we have a wedding and trying to get together with friends, family, and i have to make sure i get to the gym and eat well.

i feel kinda bad for T. no one can make it to sea world, but i dont have the money for us to go to disneyland, it’s just to expensive. maybe tia can take her, i could afford that.

eh, i’ll figure it out later.

uneasy

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:35:00 +0000

any other family would love love to have their kids visit. not mine. now i have to spend 6 weeks staying with whoever will give me a place. and it’s just because she “likes her quiet” what kinda shit is that?! yes, because me and T are so loud and we just take up so much room.

my feelings are really hurt even though i’m not really sure why. this isnt the first time in my life shes done this to me. i just thought after all the texts about how much she misses us and all the talks about the fun things we’ve done together, things would be different. i guess not.

if it weren’t for my friends begging me to still come and my sister-in-law giving us a place to stay i wouldnt even be going. i’d just make a trip to trinidad sometime in june just to get away for a bit. i’m still not even sure all the hassle is worth it. i still have to find a gym with childcare so i can continue running too. either that or my last resort: finding a jogging stroller. but it’s so hot in so cal in june i know i’m not gonna wanna run outside.

i just have to not develop bad habits all over again! like eating out too much, drinking too much alcohol or coffee, smoking and being lazy. not sure how well thats gonna work considering i’ll be away from a kitchen most of the time.

i also have the 12 hr drive up to trinidad to consider then another 10 hrs from there back home. when i put it into perspective like this, it makes me not wanna go. but the thought of being trapped in this tiny apartment with 8 people for 3 weeks makes me want to leave right now.

it just also really irks me that I PAY RENT HERE but no one bothered to tell me about any of this. the only way i’m finding out about this 3 weeks visit is because i keep discussing my plans. if i could just find a hotel cheap enough, i’d just spend june living in a local hotel. near my gym with childcare.

goals

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 22:42:00 +0000

so i had 2 goals. 1, run 6 miles; 2, get my weight down to 125. my weight i didnt care too much about but i really wanted to start running 6 miles. well, i’m almost to 6 miles, i ran 4 on saturday and i weighed myself this morning and i’m down to 124! i know its because i’m burning over 400 calories per run. but i’m really concerned i’m going to fall back into bad habits while i’m in CA for the summer.

i dont smoke, i RARELY drink and if i do it’s like, a single glass of raspberry cider, my caffeine intake is WAY down. i either have 8 oz in the morning or if i’m in the mood for starbucks, i’ll skip morning coffee and get a skinny dolce latte. i have a routine here and it’s very healthy. i dont eat fast food or processed food. i know that wont be too hard with mom, she eats pretty well. i’m just really concerned about keeping on my running schedule. i’m gonna miss the weekend mom comes in, the drive down to CA then even after we get there we have to go sign up at a gym. and thats not including my cross training i’m missing.

i want to go to CA and visit but i really hate my daily routine being disrupted. i’m just gonna have to make sure i make it to the gym just about everyday.

adjusting

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:48:00 +0000

when we first moved to washington i think i sat in the parking lot crying for about 20 min before i actually got out of the car. all i wanted was to go home. i couldnt stand the weather, the tiny apartment, having to adjust, being away from my family, from my friends.

i still dislike how much its rainy and cold here and i still dislike the fact i’m so far from my friends and family and still cannot seem to make any friends. but thats mostly my fault. i dont really see the use in making friends since hubs will only be here for one more month and i’ll be gone most of the time he’s gone.

and this is the first time i’ve moved and had to adjust without the rest of my family with me. we’ve made some big moves in the past but it’s always been together. this is the first time i’ve done it on my own with MY family. but i think we’ve done a lot of fun things and seen a lot while we’ve been here and we’ll have a lot to tell t about as she gets older and tons of pictures to show her. i’d still like to take her up onto the space needle, to the aquarium (her favorite), zoo, and whale watching. and while hubs is gone we’ll be traveling to southern california to visit family and back to the northern cali coast to spend time on the beautiful beaches up there. i’m kinda scared for it to be just me and her but i’m also excited to make these memories with her. i think i’m the most excited to go whale watching with her. how exciting to see orcas that close! i’m sure i’m about a million times more excited than she is, but that ok. :)

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 02:00:00 +0000

It was difficult for me to decide what pictures I should post for this one, everything was so beautiful. But these are some of my favorites. There's really not much else to say. Pretty self explanatory. :)

See the full gallery on posterous

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First Signs of Life

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:21:00 +0000

T's tomato plant sprouted! I had my doubts about it seeing as it was only $1 from Target and the weather up here has been so cold. But I guess my kitchen window and a few drops of water a day were enough. She's been asking about it since we planted it a week and a half ago. She was very proud to see her progress. :)

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baby thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:41:00 +0000

my sister-in-law called me last night and told me shes pregnant. i excited for her, but at the same time i have mixed feelings. i still don’t feel like i’m fully over jude. i don’t know if i ever really will be. and to be fair, this is her life and what she wants and i really have no place or opinion in it, but it’s just kind of bittersweet in my heart.

and with all the pregnancies around me, it makes me appreciate- even more- my decision to only have one child. i can’t even begin to describe my distaste for being pregnant. the fact that i couldnt see my feet or put on my own shoes was so frustrating! the morning sickness and weight gain left something to be desired as well. and with T going through tactical 3’s, it makes me even more happy i’ll only do it once.

i like knowing that went the hubs retires from the military we will be free to do what we want. hopefully T will be in collage and if she’s not, we’ll have the world to share with her. cruises and exotic vacations. i’m hoping she’ll be my running buddy and we can travel and run races together. theres more i wanna do than raise children into my 50’s.

i’m not knocking anyones desire to that. it’s just not for me. i love kids, especially other peoples kids. but thats because they belong to other people. :)

exercise heartburn

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:26:00 +0000

last night’s run was awful! and i really hate to say that considering i just read an article about not bashing your runs but trying to turn every run into a positive training experience. but i had heartburn almost through the entire run! i know 100% for a fact it was my fault, i should have ran before i ate that pizza. :/

i googled exercise heartburn and found that it’s actually pretty common so for saturdays run and next week i’ll be experimenting with pre-run eating. it’s weird though, i’ve never had this problem before! in all the 5ks and triathlons i’ve done i usually just had like, a bagel on the way to the race then wouldn’t eat until i crossed the finish line to those gigantic beautiful bowls filled with bananas and oranges and watermelon. ;9 ahhh… theres nothing quite like race day. so maybe i should be taking a hint from my race day routine. but like i said, it’s just weird that i’ve only been experiencing this for my last 2 runs! and other wise i’m eating very well! and i’m even drinking WAY less coffee. i went from a HUGE cup every morning to 8oz only when i felt like it, to now, starbucks is like my treat to myself. and it’s always lite or skinny.

the only other suggestion webmb had was changing exercises and theres no way i’m stopping running now! i’ll chew tums on the treadmill if i have to.

barbazon

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:14:00 +0000

i dont know why i go through old photos, they just make me cry. i was looking through my T album on Facebook and it had pictures of T and Lulu, T’s 3rd birthday, just lounging in the living room. i miss that house so much! it was OUR house, as a family! we decorated and picked out wall colors and ended up having really nice furniture and appliances in that house. and a lot of the stuff in that house was free or we found on craigslist. it was only a rental but we tore out ugly bushes in the front and planted california native flowers and plants to cut down watering costs and added walkway lighting.

i miss opening the huge front windows in the summer mornings to let the cool air in and opening the rear windows at night to let the house cool back down in the long summer evenings. i miss my slider and patio off the master bedroom and my huge double sink bathroom. T had her own bathroom in 3 shades of pink and hello kitty, her own bedroom in princess everything, our guest room in powder blue, gold and brown.

i’m not sure what i miss more, my house, or california in general.

love

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:36:00 +0000

i love running. i never in a million years thought i’d say that, but i do. my run went well yesterday but i think the only thing i’d change is eating before i run. i had a weird pain in my diaphragm and i kept feeling like i was going to throw up. when i came home and told hubs, he suggested eating and drinking water. so i made my customary peanut butter and raisin sandwich and felt much better!

today is cross training day and while my training program suggests cycling or something of the such, i really dont feel like doing the stationary bike today. plus, i’d like to get some upper body in so i think i’ll do jillian michaels instead.

productivity

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:55:00 +0000

oh i like today! i got up at 0830 and made the hubs an amazing breakfast of bacon, eggs, pancakes and oj. then i got T up and made her some delicious raisin oatmeal. i went through my closet, cleaned it out of a few items i haven’t worn in just about forever, i also went through my purse/shoe bin and got rid of a couple pairs of shoes and a few purses that no longer tickle my fancy. i dryel’d my delicates, finished T’s laundry, fed her an amazing lunch of pineapple, bananas and grapes and now she’s down for a nap and i’m taking these few minutes to blog.

we were supposed to make oatmeal raisin cookies this morning, but we had no baking soda so the hubs is gonna pick some up on the way home.

my 10k training starts today with a 3 mile run so i’ll head over to the gym after hubs gets home and i’m sure i’ll have something to blog about that! i’m excited though! i’ve done my share of 5ks and a few triathlons and now i think i’d just like to get some real distance in.

i really hate being so far from my friends and family. i know my bff is going through some rough times and it pains me to be so far and the only thing i can do is txt, call or skype her. and now, since it looks like T and i wont be able to make it to so cal till the end of june, it just makes it that much harder. i wish there was something i could do for her. :/

this post feels like it’s so all over the place! but i feel like i got a lot done today and i feel so productive i just had to spew it all out!

let down

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:38:00 +0000

such a bummer. we've been hearing all these different things about space-a flights but according to mcchord air field, t and i cant catch a space-a flight until hubs retires. so i guess we wont be going to cali until the end of june for t's birthday. i was really looking forward to seeing my family and friends.

on a happier note, i went to ross today and got a really cute dress and a Harajuku Lovers bag but i STILL cannot believe i passed up that Guess? bag! it was an amazing bag at an amazing price but it was still a lot to pay for one bag. what i need to do is go through the copious amounts of bag i already have and send some down to value village. my tupperware tub is so full of bags and shoes i cant put the lid on anymore! and i have the largest tupperware bin you can buy. the two things i need when we buy a house is a large shower and a huge closet.

it may sound kinda dumb but i'm actually kind of excited to make dinner tonight. i'm making mushroom-herb chicken with brown rice and broccoli. at 226 calories per serving, not only does it make me feel good serving it to my family but it's also the first time i'll be cooking with sherry. :) since the move i've been much more adventurous but also cautious with cooking. i've made some ok things and some really awesome meals! i also make sure i balance meals and they're healthy for me- whose trying to lose weight, hubs- whose trying to gain weight, and T- whos a growing little munchkin.

hubs also got fresh bacon from the deli today. i'm not thrilled at the prospect of making hubs sodium saturated bacon for breakfast but at least he doesnt eat it all the time. i told him if he wanted breakfast in the morning, i would get up and make some for him.

plans for the tulip fields got rained out this past weekend, so maybe this weekend before hubs goes back down to cali for rsp. we'll see. :)

Tegan's Tomato

noreply@blogger.com (girlgerms) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:58:00 +0000

T got a tomato growing kit in her Easter basket (it was $1 at Target!). So we followed the directions, planted a few seeds and now we're going to wait and see if we get any tomatoes.
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