Drum Roll Please...

So Christmas has come and gone and it was filled with great time with the family! We were so excited to have Logan with us for the holiday once again, especially this year. We headed home to Indy once again to spend it with Chris' family. Our usual 9 hour trip turned into almost 11.5 with an 8 year old, snow and traffic... it was a rough trip to say the least! But we made it in one piece :-) The weekend was filled with smiles, laughter, and lots of memories!

The best part came on Christmas Eve when we asked mom and dad to open 1 gift each from us... dad opened his and was completely lost... but when mom opened hers and saw the bib she was super excited. Yup, you read that right, bib! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!! We're super stoked and couldn't be more excited with this wonderful blessing!

Now to get in to see a doctor... the Navy seems to be ok with taking their sweet time at getting patients in to see someone so we shall play the hurry up and wait game. Until then, we're cherishing every moment! I'm trying to take better care of myself, I just received 2 pregnancy workout dvd's in the mail so I can start those and have no fear of doing exercises that may harm me or the baby-bean during pregnancy.

Onto starting the New Year off with a clean slate :-)




<3 *B*

Christmas Cards

Well, it's that time of year again... Welcome to the holidays!! I can't wait to send out our Christmas cards, I need to try to convince the hubby to write our 'year in review' letter... My family used to do it and part of his family does. It's always a good way to get caught up with everyone. We're getting our photos done in a few weeks and are so excited! Now the question is what cards to choose... We always use Shutterfly for our cards but it's always a struggle to decide on what card style we want to use... should we go with traditional, fun, sedate? There's so many options to choose from! Here's the link to their photo cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

Let's see what our front runners are!!

How about this one?


Or this one perhaps?


I like this one too, it's so simple:


This is my front runner:


Perhaps we'll make calendars for presents for the parents?

Or maybe even a mug with all our pups???

The possibilities are truly endless!!!

What do you think???

Note: Shutterfly is currently offering 50 free holiday cards to bloggers who write a post about their holiday products, so I am being compensated for this little dose of holiday stationery cheer. If you have a blog check it out: Get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly! http://bit.ly/sfly2010

GLEE (anti-christian?)

So there's apparently lots of controversy about tonight's Glee episode... As of this moment it's still going on, so this controversy kind of upsets me. Many people are saying that it's sac-religious and anti-christian. I can see where people are coming from, but I also have to look at it with some realism... this is what goes on every day! This is what our children face every day at school... we face every day at work... this is the way our country is. Not everyone believe the same and haves the same religion, or any at all... We as Christians need to do just as Mercedes did and look down at them but show them that maybe there is something better than nothing. I'm interested to see how this ends, but so far it seems pretty straight forward and on point with our society today... More in a bit!

OK, so now that it's over I'm gonna say that I didn't see anything sac-religious or anti-christian. In fact, it showed nothing more than what we, as Christians, go through every day. Mercedes showed great strength by doing what she did and we should strive to do the same. While I'm not sure I agree with how they brought the points across, I do agree with the outcome and the moral... Good job Glee.

A new Leaf

So I've figured out lots of things over the last year... A lot has changed, some things have come, some have gone, some good, some bad, and a lot of things will continue to change... and I'm ok with this... God is good and he knows what's best!

With all that said, there is one thing I know for certain: I'm not happy with the way I look... it affects the way I think, the way I act and especially the way I feel. So, I'm going to do something about it... I'm not sure exactly how just yet but I know I'm going to work out more. I'm already eating better then I used to so I'm not sure how to make that much better...

My biggest issue is motivation and time. Between work, photography, editing, home, school that's starting back on Monday... I just seem to never have any time. I'm vowing to all of you (or perhaps just to me... hehe...) that I'm going to work out more, and by that I mean at least 3 times a week. My hope is that 1. by putting this on paper (Internet?) I can hold myself more accountable and 2. perhaps the one person that actually reads this will hold me accountable? I really wish I had a close friend that lived near me that would help me feel better about myself but right now, I don't. I have a few people that I hope will become great friends but all my established friends are away from me... so to the Internet I turn.

Now, I'm going to eat my domino's pizza to celebrate my new leaf and get ready to kick some booty tomorrow!! Happy Thursday everyone :-)

A day in the life (9-27-10)

Conversation a few days ago:

Me: Baby will you wake me up at 5 tomorrow?
Baby: Wake you up before I go go... got it...

Lol... he's so cute :-*

Fall is in the air!

There's so many things that I love about fall... the weather, the colors, the beauty that God has created!
Being able to layer clothing, scarves, and oh my goodness BOOTS! Being able to snuggle under the blankets with my baby because it's getting cooler, not to mention the cheaper electric bills because we don't have to run the AC as much!

AHHHH Fall...

It's been a busy few months...

yes, yes... I know... It's been a while. But ya'll love me so you'll cut me a little slack, right??? :-)
OK, so I'm taking a break from editing the thousands of photos we have to finish up in order to post a few... posts? hehe... guess that's all I could come up with.
Chris and I have been crazy busy doing photo shoots... which is good but oh so exhausting too! Here's a quick run down... Aug 14: shoot, Aug 20-22: Indy, Aug 21: shoot, Aug 28: 2 shoots, Sept 4: wedding, Sept 11: wedding, Sept 12: wedding... busy, right? We also had family up for visits twice within that, doggie sat for a weekend and had friends from VA beach up for Labor day weekend... And that's only part of it!!
Don't get me wrong, I'm LOVING every minute of my life... but man has it been exhausting lately... ugh. More soon, Promise!! *B*

The zoo that is our home

**edit:  this should have went up months ago, right after we got Tink but here it is anyway**

 

Blogosphere meet our pets…

Lady: King Charles Cavalier.  Born September 2008.  ~ 13 pounds. Named after Lady from Lady and the Tramp.  She's positively the sweetest little girl I've ever seen or owned for that matter.  She has such a personality and if I didn't know better, I'd think she was a human! 

 

Kitty: Domestic Short Hair.  Born July 2008.  ~10 pounds.  Named after Sully from Monster's Inc. Kitty is independent but sweet and cuddly when she wants to be.  She also has seizures; we're pretty sure they're panic attacks and she doesn't get them that often anymore but it's so scary when she does.  Sidenote:  One of my best friends is named Cat (Catherine who has now decided to go by Cate but whatever... haha) Anyway, Logan came out to visit when we lived in SD and we were able to get him to call her Kitty so he'd walk around going 'KITTY!' just like Monster's Inc... haha.  He was a long younger then...

 

Oliver: Domestic Short Hair.  Born March 2009.  ~8 pounds.  Oliver is the only boy in our mix… and he knows it!  He's sweet and playful.  His favorite place to sleep is cuddled up to me in bed.  If you get him purring you can hear and across the room… perhaps he'll even start drooling!

 

Tinkerbell (Tink): Chihuahua.  Born January 2010.  ~1.4 pounds.  Named after who else?  The lovable little Disney Fairy (NOT Paris Hilton's dog).  She is the most recent addition to our family and we're still feeling her out… but she's so sweet and so cute!  She fits in with us so perfectly! *edit* She is DEFINITELY part of our family, she fits in oh so perfectly and has a personality all her own... she shakes when she's scared, happy, excited, sleepy, cold, just about all the time!  lol. 

 

This ladies and gentlemen is our zoo.  I'd adopt all the animals in the world if I could, but alas, I can't.  I'm so glad that my hubby is so understanding and loves animals as much as me!  J

M.I.A

Yes, I know, it's been a while.  Ok so that's a BIT of an understatement but I do have a few posts written and lined up... it's just been, well hectic. :-)  Lots has gone on in the last 2 months and especially within the last week!  WOW.  I'm gonna go ahead and post a few of my posts via my email, but I think I'll have to reedit them when I get home and can actually access blogger... or perhaps I'll be too lazy and just won't care...  haha...

 

Hugs and Kisses All!

*B*

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From my inbox (4-26-10)

So I got this email from my uncle the other day. This morning when I got to work, I was going through the randomness that is my yahoo account and read it. It made me cry :-( At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.' Then he told the following story: Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.' Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!' As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team. 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'. Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

What's for dinner? (4-22-10)

So in the process of trying to be healthier, I'm going to try a new recipe for Meatloaf tonight. I haven't made meatloaf in... goodness knows how long! Needless to say it's time to start branching out on my cooking again. Recipe below, I'll let ya'll know how it goes!
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
5 multi-grain saltine crackers, crushed
1 large egg
1 package knorr spring vegetable recipe mix (I have no idea what this is, so I'll probably substitute seasonings)
1 can RoTel

Nutritional info: Calories: 258/slice, Fat: 16.7g, carbs: 9.9g, Protein: 15.4

Now as mentioned above, I will be modifying this some, I think... so I'll post the actual recipe I make a little later, I think.

UPDATE:
OK, so here's the final recipe I used last night

1 pound ground buffalo
1 handful Frenchie's onions
2 handfuls Ritz crackers (crushed)
1 large egg
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Celery salt
Oregano

Ok, so I realize these will be EXTREMELY technical directions, so try to pay attention.

- Place all ingredients in bowl.
- Take hands and place in bowl.
- Using said hands, mix to your hearts content... hehe... (technical, right?)
- Now, part of this may need a little clarification. As for the seasonings; I can't tell you how much because I literally poured some in my hands and put it in the bowl.  If you FORCED me to guess, I'd say maybe a tablespoon, perhaps? The crackers and onions are the same way. Put in onions to taste, and use the crackers to get the right consistancy. The meatloaf shouldn't be soggy but shouldn't be dry either, it should hold itself together. (I also probably would've added the Rotel except the can that I thought I had, apparently walked off :-l oh well)
- Form meatloaf into, well, a loaf... hehe and place in a loaf pan.
- Bake on 350 for 45 minutes to an hour (the original directions said 30 minutes but it SO wasn't done!)
- If wanted, spread a thin layer of katchup over loaf.

AGAIN, IT WAS OH-SO-YUMMY! :-D ENJOY!!!

Things I Love! (4-21-10)

-When the boss is out of town ;-)
-Clean, crisp, egyptain cotton sheets
-My friends.  No matter if you're here, across the country, or a cousin I've never actually met, I hold you all SO close!
-Our DVR!!

Work today?

DWTS! Yup, I have figured out that I can watch DWTS while at work... ahh, what a productive day! Happy Wednesday everyone! :-)

Fun from A-Z

Can't resist a questionnaire or a survey. This one is from Janis. And yes, this counts as me trying to catch up on my blogging :-)

A - Age: 28. I turned 28 in February... Baby took me to Punxsutawney to see
Phil!! It was so cool (literally, like 4*!!)
B - Bed size: Queen. Chris and I bought a new bed a few years ago, LOVE our
pillow top mattress.....zzzzzzzzzz
C - Chore you hate: Laundry. I would be perfectly happy if a fairy godmother
would just come do it for me... bleh!
D - Dog's names: Lady and Tinkerbell. Lady is a Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel, and OH such a girl! Tinkerbell (Tink) is a Chihuahua (she'll only
be about 3 pounds when she's full grown)
E - Essential start your day item: A shower. MUST HAVE SHOWER! Some people
need coffee to wake them up (Chris), me, I need a nice, hot shower!
F - Favorite color: I'm sure you never would've guessed but it's pink ;-)
Ironically enough there's NO pink decorations in our house... wait, let me
take that back, we have a painting of some penguins that a friend painted for
me, the sunset behind it is pink. Needless to say I can't WAIT till we have
a little girl! ;-)
G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: White gold or silver. I'm not extravagant
enough for Platinum but gold just doesn't show up on my paleness... hehe...
H - Height: 5'3" (if I'm lucky!) . . . Heels are my friends! I actually
bought my first pair of flats a few weeks ago (with the exception of my
converse and tennis shoes of course)
I - Interesting fact about yourself: hmmm... not sure what ya'll would
consider interesting but; I LOVE taking pictures, love all things Disney
(Lady, Tinkerbell, Kitty and Oliver are proof), and I can't seem to decide on
paint colors for our house... lol...
J - Jewelry you wear everyday: I wear silver balls in my ears, a silver
necklace with Chris' rolling ring on it (I've had this ring for 4 1/2 years
and RARELY do I take it off), my wedding/engagement ring, my rolling ring and
a ring that Chris bought me to wear when my wedding ring has to go in to get
re-dipped.
K - Kids: Logan Michael Crossno. He's my baby, and always will be. Most of
the time I call him Monkey, when he was little he had a TY stuffed money that
he loved!
L - Living arrangements: Chris and I bought our first place this past
October. It's a townhouse that likes to be called a condo (apparently the
only difference in the 2 is if you own the land or not). It's a great first
home for us, but eventually we will have a single family home instead.
M - Mom's name: Bonnie
N- Nicknames: A guy I used to work with on the boat used to call me B...
that's about it unless you count Chris' little pet names for me.
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: hmmm... I think the only time
I've stayed overnight was when Logan was born. I was admitted at 7 am,
induced at 8, had Logan at 332 and lucky for me, I don't remember much pain!
:-D
P - Pet Peeve: Adults that don't have manners! I mean really, how can you
expect our children to have manners if we don't?? And we wonder what's wrong
with the world today!
Q - Quote: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -Eleanor
Roosevelt "This is my temporary home... not where I belong..." -Carrie
Underwood (ok, so that's a lyric, not a quote... whatever!)
R - Right handed or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: I have 2 older sisters. Debra will be 30 in August and Crystal
will be 32 in December. Both live in Houston near my parents.
T - Time you wake up: During the week my alarm goes off at 515 and I get up
at about 530. I'd like to say I/we get up at a decent time on the weekends
but it's usually close to 9...
U- Underwear: Intrusive much?? Hmmm... how about a political answer: yes.
:-)
V - Vegetable you dislike: Peas, Brussels sprouts, lima beans, kidney beans
(heck any bean!), eggplant and squash, I think.
W - Ways you run late: PRO-CRAS-TON-ATION! Nuff said ;-)
X - X-rays you've had: I honestly can't remember ever having an x-ray...
except when they x-ray my teeth perhaps...
Y - Yummy food you make: LOVE to cook! Everything I make is yummy, just ask
Chris!
Z - Zoo favorite: hmmm, does this mean WHICH zoo is my favorite, or WHAT at
the zoo is my fave? I'm gonna go with Which. LOVE the San Diego Zoo. I
remember going here when I was little and loved it so much, going back as an
adult was just as magical!

What's currently on my Nook:

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.

I'm a HUGE advocate for reading books prior to seeing the movies made after them, and I REALLY want to see this movie... it looks so sweet. So here I am starting a new book. I'll let ya'll know how it is :-)

Roadtrip!

So this should've gone up WEEKS ago but what can I say... such is life... Better late then never, right?

So this past week was... a trip, to say the least... (you'll notice the play on words in a minute!). Chris' oldest brother, David, got married on Friday evening in Ohio. This means starting Thursday night Chris and I were going full steam. From the moment I got home from work I had to finish cleaning the house, pack, finish their gift, get the puppies ready to come with us, get the kitties ready to stay behind, pack, cook dinner, pack and sleep at some point! Did you notice all the packing? Yeah, well, that's because I tend to procrastinate... it really is one thing about me that I'm not too fond of, but I really do work well under pressure! I promise I do! Anyway, we were finally able to get to sleep at 11 just to turn around and wake up at 230! Our flight left at 6 which meant we couldn't ride the metro to the airport... instead we had to call for an airport shuttle, that was picking us up at 330 :-( So off we went with 2 bags and 2 puppies in tow...

The wedding was nice, I took some great pictures, and it finally ended near midnight... soooo sleepy! The next day us girls headed off for our road trip. Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, hotel, South Carolina, and Florida! After some averted driving disasters (mom REALLY can't drive, but I love her anyway) we finally made it to Florida to drop off Miss Abby. Then we were off again. Florida, South Carolina, hotel, Couch outlet, North Carolina, Coach outlet, Virginia, HOME! What a road trip... 4 girls, 4 days, lots of laughing, lots of joking, lots of scared looks from the peanut gallery (that's all of us that weren't driving at the time) and me taking of the wheel and we finally arrived home. It was DEFINITELY an adventure to say the least! I'm sure there'll be many more of these to come... or at least I hope.

This is my temporary home...

I love Carrie Underwood.

I especially love that she's not afraid to display her faith in her music...

New discoveries!!

So I realize while I'm sitting here at work trying to be productive (personally productive, not work productive) that I can finally access google docs at work! Don't know when this started but it's GREAT! Instead of writing up posts and them emailing them to myself, now I just just sit here and write them up in Google Docs and then copy and paste into my blog... Great, right??? :-) Now if only I could actually access my blog while I was at work, wouldn't that simplify things? Oh well, progress is progress none the less! Until then I will simply have to get my lazy butt to actually post these when I get home...

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Things I Love! (3-29-10)

-Spending a lovely weekend with my favorite/only husband
-Watching spring appear out of no where. It's so refreshing to see winter melt away in an instant!
-Being able to put all my jackets, sweaters, scarves and hats into storage for the next few months
-My new Nook. My baby bought me a Noon for our 4 year dating Anniversary. I'm in love with it already! It's so nice to cary around a simple device that holds hundreds of books! Especially with how fast I go through them... the one thing I miss??? The smell of new books... mmmm... it's such a wonderful smell!

Happy Monday!

I have a Personality??

After reading a friend’s blog I decided to take a personality test. I wanted to take them same one she did so I could see exactly how we compared but her link didn’t work (hey Janis, ur link doesn’t work… hehe). After about 20 minutes of questions (I was at work, it probably shouldn’t have taken this long), here is my result!

Your Type is
ISFJ
Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging
Strength of the preferences %
22 25 50 56

We are lucky that Protectors make up as much as ten percent the population, because their primary interest is in the safety and security of those they care about - their family, their circle of friends, their students, their patients, their boss, their fellow-workers, or their employees. Protectors have an extraordinary sense of loyalty and responsibility in their makeup, and seem fulfilled in the degree they can shield others from the dirt and dangers of the world. Speculating and experimenting do not intrigue Protectors, who prefer to make do with time-honored and time-tested products and procedures rather than change to new. At work Protectors are seldom happy in situations where the rules are constantly changing, or where long-established ways of doing things are not respected. For their part, Protectors value tradition, both in the culture and in their family. Protectors believe deeply in the stability of social ranking conferred by birth, titles, offices, and credentials. And they cherish family history and enjoy caring for family property, from houses to heirlooms.

Wanting to be of service to others, Protectors find great satisfaction in assisting the downtrodden, and can deal with disability and neediness in others better than any other type. They are not as outgoing and talkative as the Provider Guardians [ESFJs], and their shyness is often misjudged as stiffness, even coldness, when in truth Protectors are warm-hearted and sympathetic, giving happily of themselves to those in need.

Their reserve ought really to be seen as an expression of their sincerity and seriousness of purpose. The most diligent of all the types, Protectors are willing to work long, hard hours quietly doing all the thankless jobs that others manage to avoid. Protectors are quite happy working alone; in fact, in positions of authority they may try to do everything themselves rather than direct others to get the job done. Thoroughness and frugality are also virtues for them. When Protectors undertake a task, they will complete it if humanly possible. They also know better than any other type the value of a dollar, and they abhor the squandering or misuse of money. To save, to put something aside against an unpredictable future, to prepare for emergencies-these are actions near and dear to the Protector's heart. For all these reasons, Protectors are frequently overworked, just as they are frequently misunderstood and undervalued. Their contributions, and also their economies, are often taken for granted, and they rarely get the gratitude they deserve.

Mother Teresa, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Stewart, and Tsar Nicholas II are examples of Protector Guardian style.

What are you???

I won the Bronze medal at work!

Or so says my wonderful hubby. I’ve been at this command for a little over a year and have been doing everything I can to ensure I pull an EP on my eval. How does one break out in a joint command? By volunteering for EVERYTHING! Ladies and Gentlemen, you are looking at the NMCRS Rep for DI, the CFC Rep for JWS-1, an assistant proctor for both spring and fall PRT cycles, SSO, ASC, TSCO, timekeeper, travel officer, e-task POC, administrative assistant and the keeper of all things important to her division. Or at least that was me all of last year… wow; I’m exhausted just thinking about it! BUT, a couple little birdies told me that it paid off. I came out ranked #3 out of 60 E-5 in the command… I couldn’t be happier about it. Instead of waiting the mandatory 3 years from E-5 to E-6, I only have to wait 2 years making me test eligible this September instead of next!! I’m so glad that I pushed myself so hard… it makes me feel so accomplished… now onto studying :-(

*note* yes, I realize this is a little late, but I have a few posts written that I just haven't posted... but here we go :-)

One stylish cook

It’s no secret… I love to cook, bake, entertain… all of it! But what is this cook missing??? A stylish apron in which to keep my clothes clean… *sigh* aren’t these just adorable???



SOURCE
My wonderful hubby has had these picked out for me for quite some time… but never gets around to actually ordering them. At least I know one day in my future I will own such beauties!

Wicked

LOVE this play... I'd see it over and over again if I could. I really wish they would release it on video (that sounds so old school, doesn't it?? hehe...)

This is by far my favorite song in the play! The lyrics just touch me... This, dear friends, is my New Years resolution!

Defy Gravity
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I am defying gravity
And you wont bring me down!

I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!

I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you wont bring me down!

I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!
bring me down!
ohh ohhh ohhhh!

Tips

I saw this one someone's blog the other day:

Why is it expected for people to tip waiters and waitresses 15-20% for a service that is their job but we only give God 10%.

Does this seem right? I'm not saying that they don't deserve a tip for a job well done, but if 10% is good enough for the Lord, shouldn't it be good enough for them? hmmm...

Four Christmas'

We've had such a fabulous weekend! Chris finally got all his school stuff taken care of so that's one stress off our shoulders. He's going back to school to get his degree, while continuting his full time job... many prayers that his sanity level stays decent... kisses baby! This is such a blessing... our bills have been running SO tight recently so the fact that he'll be receiving BAH (housing allowance for the non military speakers). God does provide! Just when you think you can't do it anymore... you can't make it... HE provides! Ok, back to the weekend...

We slept in yesterday and then decided to do some shopping. LOVE shopping... hehe. Anyway, we got lots of useful stuff for our wonderful house. Since the basement is where the cat litter box is, we decided we needed an air purifier in order to ensure that the room itself didn't become overswhelmed with the kitty smell... we found a great air purifier at Target. We finally bought curtains to put over our kitchen windows. Eventually we want to put plantation shutters up but those are kinda expensive... this is a wonderful fix for now... Chris put them up today and they look great. For now they look kinda plain since they're white with black accents against white walls... but we'll be painting the kitchen red shortly. Can't wait! Chris also got a pull up bar to put in the basement... and is currently searching for a couch to put in there... then we can use it for a little more then just a work out room.

Now onto the fun part. So we decided to try out a new church this morning, something closer to the house. We chose a 'community church' that's not too far away. WOW... I mean seriously, WOW! Have you ever seen the movie Four Christmas'?? The preacher that is dating Reese's mom... well that was how this was. Lights, huge screens, lots of fanfare and not much of a sermon. I'm still confused as to if I was in church or watching an info-mercial... :-/ The entire service (if that's what it should be called) was over the top... but alas, I'm getting ahead of myself. The first thing I noticed when we got out of the car was that EVERYONE appeared to be in jeans. Now don't get me wrong, I've worn jeans to church from time to time but on a normal basis I feel it a necessity to dress well. So we walk in and notice the coffee house, yup, a coffee house complete with barristas and a fireplace! We are quickly distracted by the music and light show coming from the sanctuary. In we walk to find 3 HUGE (I mean like the size of a jumbo-tron at a football game!) screens lining the front wall. As we make our way to a seat (theater seats, no pews here) we notice the 4 large screen TV's on the stage (yes, stage) in the shape of Ipods... hmmm... now this starts peaking my interest. Apparently the church is doing a group on sermons about 'there's an app for that'. The concept seemed interresting enough but it sure came off as a commercial for their small groups. There was a mention or two of a bible verse (Acts 2 to be exact) but it was only mentioned twice. The oddest part was near the end of the service they decided they were doing communion. They stood at the front of the church with a platter of wafers and a cup of grape juice (to dip the wafer into). As we were in line to receive our communion Chris turns around and whispers to me 'They're going to say something just say Amen'. Sure enough they said something, I said Amen, and walked back to my seat. Apparently this was straight up Catholic (I wouldn't know, I'm not Catholic... but Chris was when he was younger). Not a church we will be going back to... but interresting to say the least...

Just another page in my book :-)

Back on the bandwagon...

Back on the bandwagon... I've decided on a lot of things in the past few weeks. The one that is on the forefront of my mind right now is getting back in shape. I suppose I wouldn't be considered 'fat' by any one's standards but my own... I mean, I'm still within the 'healthy limit'. That means everything's fine, right??

Well not in my world. I've been there, done that, and don't like it one bit. You see, I'm not exactly the tallest person in the world, this tends to make my small frame change completely when I gain a pound or two. I suppose since no one's reading this I'm completely capable of being 100% honest, right?? hehe...

So at 5'3" tall, 137 pounds, I'm not happy with myself. When I left the ship before coming here (I used to be stationed on the USS Ronald Reagan), I was in FANTASTIC shape. Chris and I would work out Monday-Friday for at least an hour and I felt wonderful! I was probably only 10-15 pounds lighter, but I was in shape, I was tone. This makes all the difference in my book.

So, tonight I started back. I made Chris promise to help motivate me... I can't do this alone, I need support. I've decided to start off slow at least for the rest of this week. Tonight's work out? 25 minutes speed walking on the treadmill. Not really a huge work out but it's a start. Pray I can continue and stay motivated! :-)

Food for thought...

So I've finally decided to join the cyber world and start blogging. I'm not doing this because I really care if people read it (although YAY for those that do!), more in the hopes that I can get my thoughts and feelings out. I'm hoping that by doing this it will help my sanity level stay more level... :-) Can't we all use a little bit of an outlet in life?

So here I am... 27 about to turn 28... where has the time gone? Graduate, college, marriage, quit college, child, join Navy, boot camp, Florida, California, divorce, deploy, meet furture husband, become engaged, fiance' heads to Iraq, deploy, fiance' returns from Iraq, deploy, leave Cali and head to DC, FINALLY marry fiance'... this is life. Nothing more, nothing less. Simply life. My life. Our life. Sure bad things happen, but just as many good things happen, right? :-/ Good things are BOUND to happen sooner or later no matter what you do in your life, right? The bad thing is that the same can be said for bad things as well...

So here I am... with the love of my life, stationed in DC... hmmm... Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore. Although in my case I do believe 'Lady, we're not in Cali anymore' would be more appropriate. Quite an adventure so far... *sigh* but more on that later I'm sure.

So here I am... off to my basement gym to get back into shape... I've asked Baby to help motivate me... I need it! Baby thinks he needs a whistle to get me motivated. I'm pretty sure sure that would just piss me off... hehe... Wish me luck!!