This week I had this award kindly bestowed upon me by the fantastic girly over at High Heels & Combat Boots! Thanks, lady!
I guess that means I have to come up with my 7 most favorite things ;)
1. Creatures in the infant or toddler stage. Really, anything this age. This includes children, puppies, kitties, hamsters, birds...if it's little and has that awkward head-too-large-for-body-size thing that Mickey Mouse has evolved into, I love it. This rule, however, does not apply to creatures with more than four legs or less than two.
2. Grilled Cheese. This was my first love, and will be my last. I am constantly made fun of for going to nice restaurants and ordering a grilled cheese. Even places without grilled cheese on their menu, I can probably be found asking for it anyway. And yes, it is usually from the kids menu. And yes, I am secretly 10 years old still.
3. My family. We are crazy, nuts, and 99% of the time there is a huge tiff (currently it's the fact that too many of the guys want to use the barn at the same time and no one wants to clean it...life altering). But we love each other, I love the way I grew up, and I wouldn't have changed it for the world. Some people think we're nuts for all living on the same road right next to each other, and from the outside I can easily see this, but from the inside I'm very glad it's like this.
4. My friends. I don't see them as often as I used too, and many don't live anywhere close to me anymore, but the few I still keep in decent contact with know when something's going on before I tell them, and are always there. Especially my bestie. They are amazing.
5. Boy Meets World. When the crap are all the seasons going to be released? Seriously?!
6. Music. Country, pop, rock, alternative, jazz, score, even rap on occasion...anything. I love it, and I need it, and I have it all the time (even now, sitting here, there is music playing). Especially 90's music--it melts my soul.
7. B. No one is better. We've known each other for 9 years, and he knows exactly who I am...and he loves me despite it. He's there when I need him, and there when I don't. He accepts the fact that I never remember our anniversary, and that he does more future-talk than I do, and lets me have control of the radio in both cars. If I ask him to do something with me, even if he really doesn't want to, he willing does it because he knows it's important to me. He is amazing, and the most important thing in the world to me.
(First...do you see the new background? And does it look huge to you? I swear I followed the directions, but it looks oversized to me...)
That's right! I went on Monday to Dillard's (which I try to avoid at all costs, but they tend to have more gowns that look less like a crayon thrown up all over them than most other stores) and found a Dining Out dress! Please excuse the excessive italics used to show dramatic effect in the following paragraph..
I walked in, and I saw it from afar like we were long lost lovers. It was the only one in that style. And I walked over with Angelica and I said "It's probably like a size four, as if anyone can actually wear that size." No, no. I checked, and double checked, and triple checked and it was my size! Plus it had the magic tag on it: the 70% off tag. And then I thought 'well, it couldn't possibly look good on me, it's meant for boobless women.' But just for kicks, I took it into the dressing room and tried it on--figured I might as well start out my gown search with a real loser. Well, lo and behold, sucker had a built in bra! So I bought it. And I love it :D
I won't lie, I did alter the front a little. Because it is meant for those random boobless women (who I despise, just for the record) and I felt it was slightly too much of the cleavage for a formal military night, so I closed the front up just a little bit. It even has a little trail in the back that's amazing (which means I'll be tripping over it all evening, but I still have unconditional love for it). Of course, I'll post pictures afterwards!
Moving on...
It was 70 degrees and gorgeous for a few days here this week! I am so happy in the heat. Sooo happy. I'm pretty sure if I had any kind of disorder (or syndrome or whatever they are calling them these days to avoid calling them "pleaseplaceyourselfintoastraightjacketimmediatelydisease") it would be that seasonal thing where certain seasons are depressing. I mean, I could win the lottery on a day when it's 5 degrees outside and still not be as happy as I would without the lottery on the first 70 degree day of spring. It's sad, but true.
Also, paint.net lost and I removed the program from my computer. However, I'm impatient and want to remake the background (which did not save, by the way), so I might give it another go tonight or tomorrow. Might. ;)
I was introduced to this fabulous knockoff, free photoshop-like program called Paint.net today from thecutestblogontheblock.com. I have never used photoshop, I have never used gimp, I have never used anything for anything other than Microsoft Paint and the Kodak picture editor program that came with my digicam four years ago.
So, after spending an hour pretending to learn what the crap I was doing on Paint.net, my Norton Security Scan decided to run. It has never, ever run before...three years, not one scan. Instant freezage of the Paint.net program.
I spent another hour trying to finish the background I was making by making one movement every five minutes, when it decided to unfreeze to let me anyway. Failure. I finally just shut it down when I got home a half an hour ago. I'm hoping it saved, but I'm not crossing my fingers. It's a shame, too. It was an adorable background I made using a kit from Tony's Mama Designs.
Although I suppose it's just as well, as I have no idea what I'm doing and it probably wouldn't have worked anyway. I need teknulogy edumacation.
P.S. If you are reading this and the background is actually different than it was before, I regained some patience and fixed it :) Or killed it...depending on what you see...
First, the most important thing: the ocean. It wasn't clearwater, but it was a small, non-crowded, five minute drive away beach that burnt me just the same (trust me). I'd post pictures of the burn, but then you'd see my leg.
Spent most of the time hanging around with the family. Apparently the cool thing to do in florida two years ago was to get pregnant have have a boy...at least in my family...because we have three boys: 18 months, 15 months, 12 months...all in Florida. And they are all equally adorable. My favorite kid pic (the 12 month old):
But on Friday we went to the Flea Market. I know what you are thinking and no, I am not a hillbilly. Well...not that big of one, anyway. But I love Flea Markets because you can find some of the most unique things at prices that are at least closer to what you should have to pay for them. My purchases (except the dog crate in the back...that was not mine): The bracelets are actually magnetic, and you unravel them and then roll them back around your wrist or neck or ankle or wherever you want. For $1 each, I decided I could have them. The elephant is spectacular and goes amazingly well in my room (I should probably take a picture of my room so that you understand this...maybe next post haha). The hat is for B, because he certainly does not have enough Air Force hats and I certainly did not just buy him another one a month ago. The bag was just too adorable to pass up. The other things I probably could have left there and not have been hurting, but then I would have been disappointed :] I also fell in love with this dog while there, an 11 week old siberian husky/retreiver mix:
But onto Busch Gardens - Africa!
This place was awesome! So gorgeous, and had some of the best exhibits (attractions? I don't know what to call things in a zoo/amusement park). They just opened a new thing called Jungalla, which is a Bengal Tiger exhibit. underneath the main area there is a place where there is a bubble stuck up into the middle of the exhibit and you can go up into the bubble (just big enough for one person) and get up close and personal with the tigers. Well, while we were there the tiger decided to lay on top of the bubble. (p.s I have no idea who that child is, but I thank him for posing automatically for my photo) The tigers were very cool. (things I need: a camera that will let me have control over the focus) The gorillas were fascinating as well: And these elephants made my life: Bang Head Here The landscaping was absolutely gorgeous: Although I was unaware that there were electric lanterns on stone walls in Africa. But, this was also very close to the "Stanleyville trainstation". Because everyone knows the famous Stanleyville, Africa.
And there you have it! A weeks worth of photos! ...well, 6% of the weeks worth of photos :]
I spent more money at the flea market down here than I did the mall. And I got a seriously amazing elephant that I will post pictures of next week when I'm home. :)
I cannot eat fish when it looks like a fish, and I do not really enjoy it when it doesn't. My vegetarian friends find this thoroughly fascinating and don't understand why I am not one because of it.
I absolutely hate the new facebook. They just changed the damn homepage a few months ago, can't they just leave it alone? I barely got a hang of that one as it was. I'm considering running a little boycott, because I don't have time to figure it out, and it's making the computer incredibly slow.
Technology and I are not people who keep up with each other. I do not have a twitter, and just recently started hearing about it and have no idea what it is. I had to look up what "FML" meant when it started showing up all over facebook. I have a playstation (the original, thankyouverymuch), and the cheapest laptop I could get at the time, and when it freezes, I just turn it off and hope it fixes itself. I think I'm getting old.
Upon my return on Sunday I am fully prepared to promise B a year of no-air-force-hat-buying-for-him because everytime I go somewhere I come home with one and his collection is ridiculously large now (But I find the coolest ones, I just can't pass them up!)
I also come home with many books that I could have bought at home for cheaper.
Men in Florida have zero confidence issues. And I apparently appear to be a native.
B got the list of bases that house his top job choice. The closest one to us? Georgia. Which is actually great, because I have family in Georgia and my parents are there often to visit--and my family there has a beach house in NC that we would most likely be granted access to :) Everything else is out West or in Delaware.
Heading to Busch Gardens tomorrow (never made it Thursday) and then driving into Georgia directly from there.
B and I may be coming back down here to the keys to do some SCUBA in August. Lobster diving. Although, I have zero idea what Lobster diving entails.
My best friend is leaving for Turkey tomorrow. I'm excited for her. But nervous that I won't hear from here for two weeks!
I 100% love the 80 degree weather down here and would have no problem with it all year round. But, I am incredibly ready to be home with B and my family. It would be different if I was with people I typically spend time with, but I'm very out of my element since I haven't been here or traveled with my father in 7 years, and it's nerve wrecking. I'm very ready to go home and have normal conversations with normal people.
Every year, without fail, I tell myself a mixture of these lies upon my first encounter with the heat that I love so much:
"15 is good enough sunscreen." "It's not that hot out." "I'm not burnt, I'm barely even brown!" "I don't need sunscreen on my stomach." "Nah, my legs aren't burning. They're just red 'cause they're hot." "Take aloe? No, I won't need it."
This year was no exception. I just got back from spending a glorious four hours on a little tiny beach (because the water is too cold to swim in anyway). I did put sunscreen on my face, because it always burns, and a little bit on my shoulders because it really, really sucks to put a bra on burnt shoulders. But I ignored my legs and my belly, and spent most the time sitting in a (devil) chair so my back is fine and my front is completely burnt. My Italian/Czech (or as my relatives down here say, "Eye-talian") half is easily coaxed into brown-ness, but the German/Welsh half of me fights it and immediately turns my brown to red upon prolonged sun exposure. Damn Germans. ;)
(I was affectionately referred to in these sentencee today: "Via, you're already brown! You little shit.")
Yup, learned my lesson this year, yet again!
Florida is glorious, though. It's turned out to be wonderful weather this week (in the 80's and sunny with no rain, in fact they are in the middle of a drought!). Thinking of venturing out to Busch Gardens tomorrow (...and wearing 50 sunscreen).
Hopefully I'll have some good pictures up for ya by next week!
Friday night we headed off to the circus, and E was a perfect child the whole night. No sarcasm included here. He was every parents best dream. Really! So much so that I was afraid he wasn't feeling well. He's star at the circus, looking completely bored, and then he'd suddenly turn around to me and say "I love the circus, don't you love the circus?!" and I'd agree and then he throw out an incredibly quick "I love you." for no reason and turn his attention back to the circus. Repeat this process every five minutes for the first half of the show. He didn't ask for one thing the whole night. Cotton candy, snocones, flashing toys...they all went by, and he didn't even hint to wanting any of it. It was my decision to get the snocone and the flashing sword for him, he didn't ask for it. I couldn't believe how great of a kid he was. Things that suck: my camera in the dark.
The best part of the night, though, was thirty seconds after we sat down. There was a clown out who had kicked off his shoes and was trying to show us the holes in his socks. A little kid, maybe five or six years old, that was sitting behind us goes: "We don't care 'boutcho feet!" I laughed for upwards of ten minutes.
B got his new car. A mazda 3, 2009. It has good cupholders. But no powerlocks or powerwindows. He promptly pointed out the carseat holster in the back to me, however. I have no idea how I got so lucky to find a guy who likes kids as much as I do.
And Baby B came about two hours after E left on Saturday. She was a delight all weekend. Happy as a clam (...although, I really don't understand how a clam can be happy) and just giggly the whole time. (yes, that is me in shorts. why? because it was 75 degrees out yesterday. the baby in socks is Baby B's cousin K. and the jeans is my mom.) And she learned how to play the organ, and got a little Stevie Wonder/Ray Charles on me (excuse the darkness. things that also suck: my video camera):
Also, Beyonce makes all things better:
(and I keep forgetting that I can't take a portrait video)
And I have just finished packing, and have decided that I packed more skirts than I even knew I owned. I don't know how to pack for heat anymore, since it's been winter here for an eternity lately. ;] But I did my best. And I'm sure I'm forgetting something I'll regret later. Off in the morning!
Oh yes, that's right. Apparently I only know how to make plans last minute, and I'm leaving for Florida on Monday! In four days. I found out about it Tuesday night around 10pm. Yes, it's that splendid.
The drive is about 950 miles and I'm hoping to be there around 1pm on Tuesday, which will put me in the middle of 84 degree weather :) Staying with relatives, so it's basically a free trip other than the gas and the hotel rooms on the way there and the way back...which will be paid for with travel points so that's even basically free. I'll be heading back on the following Saturday, but only driving a couple hours that day and then having a full out 9-10 hour drive on Sunday to get back home (it's about 14-15 hour total).
On a side note, I'll be visiting some attraction while there. I'll be close enough to Orlando and Tampa Bay to visit pretty much anything, but I'm debating between Sea World and Busch Gardens-Africa. There is a whole $5 difference in admission price so that is not helping me make a decision. I have been to Sea World, but not the Busch Gardens. However, I have been to Africa so...it almost defeats the purpose. I'd be more going for the zoo part than the rollercoaster part. Has anyone ever been to the Busch Gardens-Africa in Tampa Bay?
^busch gardens (...not me) ^Kenya. (me)
But, last minute plans also mean last minute busy-ness. I have three assignments due next week during spring break (because our professors just hate us that much) and I'm trying to get them done so I don't have to tote my computer around. But, it's proving quite difficult as I have a full weekend of kids. E is staying over Friday night and I'm trying to get him to the circus, which would be a lot easier to do if I could afford it, and then Baby B and the siblings are staying over Saturday night and we're having a big family dinner thingy...for which I must, at some point, make dessert. And I work on Sunday. Not to mention the laundry and the packing and the sunscreen shopping and such that needs to be done. I'm going to go ahead and say I have maybe a 10% chance of getting my schoolwork done before we leave.
Will you hear from me again in the next week and a half? This, I do not know. I know that my aunt and uncle who we are staying with have internet, but I don't know if it's wireless. If it's not, then I'm not going to sit on their computer much. If they do have wireless, I'll probably be around a bit towards the end of the week because the weather is not supposed to be all that great at that point. And if I do post, it probably won't come with pictures. :( But, be prepared to get bombarded with them when I get back! :D
And because Melissa reminded me of this and this picture makes me laugh everytime I see it, here's the best picture to come from the SCUBA certification in the Keys a few years ago:
Monday nights are my nights out. I know this sounds stupid, because it's not as if I couldn't go out on other nights--I have nothing really holding me in. But on Mondays we have Girls Night Out with the most random group of girls you'd ever meet (and you would question our friendship within minutes of doing so). But, because I'm so addictive to the Bachelor this season for reasons I have yet to uncover, I decided to stay in and watch the finale tonight. The recap:
Tonight the girls met with Jason's family, and his son--Ty.
Melissa is first, and immediately clicks with Ty. So much that when Ty wakes up from his nap, he immediately asks where Melissa is. And Melissa is great with Jason's parents and brothers, who are skeptical of her only because Jason hadn't met her parents (this whole situation makes me wonder if the producers discriminated against actual orphans when doing their casting...get over it already). But, she quickly wins Jason's dad over and they all think she's the one.
When Molly's turn comes up, Ty dislikes her...basically...until she manages to throw a frisbee properly. But, by the time they make whats possibly the worst attempt at kite flying ever known to man, Ty is giggling. And she does well with Jason's family, and they all say "there's a sparkle in your eye with her!"
We also find out that Jason is apparently the only one in his family capable of tanning. Second Dates.
Melissa and Jason go on a sightseeing sailtour, which fails miserably and they just end up soaking wet before they decide to jump off the boat into the freezing cold water. Yet, they still have a great time doing it, even though they are both secretly thinking "Geeze, now I have to shave again."
With Molly, we never actually know what Jason had planned. But, she makes her own plan anyway "because it's rainy"...which turns out to be terribly convenient since she had two massage tables and oils set up perfectly at "her place" that would have just gone to waste had it been a beautiful sunny day. We get another one of those steamy moments where we aren't really sure if we should send the kids out of the room or not as Molly straddles Jason's back and rubs oil all over him slowly, and then commands that he turn around so she can straddle his front.
And then we question how Molly really got her job as a department store buyer.
The Return of DeAnna.
DeAnna, the one who left him without a rose to pursue her failed relationship with Jesse, comes to visit. In this visit, she proclaims, "If I had listened to my head and my heart I would have chosen you." And America wonders "...then what is it that you listened to?" And she basically tells him to pick Melissa, and then leaves. End season long drama build up. The Rose Ceremony.
Molly is first up. She's very confident, "It will be great when he proposes to me." Jason, however, tells her he has to let her go, and offers zero explanation for the decision, and Molly just keeps saying "You've made the wrong decision."
And then there's Melissa. Jason calls her up and immediately tells her that he's in love with her and she does this cute little squealy thing and jumps into his arms and it's all very charming. He gets down on one knee and asks her to marry him, and as she is about to bust she says, "Can you just give me one second?" and then turns around and does another little squealy thing (the cone of silence was still not perfected by the release of this episode, apparently). Then as Ty comes and joins them, they all take a very cute little clothed swim in the gorgeous pool associated with Jason's 9283928498520 square foot rental.
The End!! ...or is it? No, it is not.
The Bachelor: After the Final Rose comes on.
Here, we find out that Jason's words to Molly were actually, "You're awesome, and I lo--loaned your ring to Melissa for a few weeks."
First Jason comes on alone, and explains how he can't stop thinking about Molly and how Melissa and Jason's relationship has not been the same, even though they had spent all the holidays together and gone on a few trips together since the show ended. Which is great, since it's been an entire six weeks.
So they bring out Melissa.
Jason starts this conversation out with how they had talked about the relationship changes, and Melissa avoids eye contact and throws out a record number of "umhmm"s to keep from ripping Jason's head off. And Jason finally gets to the "It's not you, it's me." portion of the speech and Melissa mumbles, "you're such a bastard" so perfectly (and no, I'm not embellishing on that, she actually said that...and it was awesome).
She hand him back the ring and the host "excuses" himself to let them say goodbye...while the cameras still roll and all of America watches, and so does he from backstage. Melissa says, "Don't call me. Don't text me. Just leave me alone." and leaves.
And then we see Jason cry for the...fourth? fifth? time in a span of three hours. (At which point my mother says, "Why does he look like such a dork?")
And then it's time for Molly. Molly is still a little peeved that Jason didn't pick her, but "still has the feelings from the time I left to today." Which is so very convenient for her, as Jason immediately comes out after that and asks her to go for coffee. She has a lot of questions to ask first, and after she asks nothing, she calmly massages Jason's leg and leaves in his arms.
I smell yet another failure under ABCs file for love. Nice try, though! I was at least mildly entertained. ;]
And if you are in need of a good laugh, I found this video on accident. It's about 7 minutes long, but hilarious:
A few things, because I haven't updated since Wednesday (I know, crazy!), that went down this weekend:
B had this list of things he wanted to do before we got engaged. This involved getting the okay from his parents, getting the okay from my parents, buying a new car, and switching the insurance over for it. A couple weeks ago he got the green light from his parents, Saturday he bought a new car (black Mazda 3, 2009) which came with the insurance switchover (I will post pictures of this when he picks it up this week, he's having a spoiler put on. It doesn't have power windows, but how dare it not have a spoiler), and Saturday night while I was trying to get my niece and nephew back with their parents B came over and asked my mom for permission to marry me. And yes, to you people who have normal families, you are looking at this and thinking "Um, he asked her mom?" But, if you've ever seen the show Gilmore Girls, my life is pretty much an exact mirror of Rory's (and my mom's Lorelei's), minus the rich grandparents, so my mom was certainly the right person to ask. This means the list is done! And I know he's got something up his sleeve, I just don't know what it is, and I'm excited :)
As you kind of noticed in passing above, my sister surprised us this weekend by visiting. And by surprised, I mean we were on the phone Friday night and we were having this serious conversation about the breast cancer gene testing and to do it or not and the insurance and the preventatives and yadayada, and she all of a sudden busts out with Sister (v.1977): "Where are you?" Me: "On the way to dinner, you?" Sister: "Oh we're on the way there." So they showed up around midnight Friday night, as they don't live in this state...SURPRISE!
^ My first niece. In Kmart the guy said: "Is that your baby? She looks just like you." ...somehow the blonde hair and blue eyes vs. my brown hair and hazel eyes says differently to me?
It got really warm this week, and it was sunny and brilliant out. So when I got home I waited for the boys to get home from school (12, 8, and 6) so we could go up to the park. No, not so much. By the time we got there, the sun was gone and it was windy and freezing. But, we still went. If only to take some pictures :)
And lastly, the bookstore I work at changed their store hours today, so I have now been off for coming up on five hours. I don't know what to do with all this time (well, except for blog, of course!)
And there's this, which is just fun as long as you ignore how incredibly out of focus it is:
I have a degree as a Secondary English Teacher but am currently a stay-at-home Mama to a wonderful baby boy. I'm a children's advocate, a writer, a reader, a baker, a painter, a family prioritist, a traveling fool, an Air Force wife, and a soccer enthusiast--navigating the world one PCS at a time.
