Baked to Perfection!!!

DAY 110

Cake anyone ?!?!?!? 

Yes I'm tootin my own horn!!!!!!

I work with two teachers in the mornings they are both old, older like in their 60's but they are the sweetest ladies ever. Today was Mrs. E's birthday & I wanted to do something special for her. Monday before I left work I hung up the birthday banner in our classroom, (we do this when ever a child has a birthday) and that evening I started on her cake. The toppings & icing it had to wait till the morning. 

I knew right away what kinda of cake I wanted to make for, her favorite candy is Butterfingers, she's always munching on them through out the day. I knew it could be done, I'd never heard of a butterfinger cake but I wanted to give it a try. I googled like crazy, looked all over Pinterest and finally came up with the perfect recipe that was simple yet had some twists  to it as well. I was a bit nervous on how it was going to taste since it was the first time making one. I though about cutting a slice to try it before I took it to work but then figured nah, I'll just wait and see. 

I just knew Mrs. E would have never had a butterfinger cake before, I mean who thinks of these kinda things. Oh boy was I wrong, when I walked in to class to show her the cake first thing out of her mouth was "OH YOU MADE A BUTTERFINGER CAKE".....my face dropped. I was totally caught off guard & not excpecting that one. I said, yes why have you had one before she replied with "Oh yes, my sister makes them and I've made one a time or two before." I was like whelp this is dumbed to fail, she Mrs. E is like THE Betty Crocker when it comes to cooking and baking. I was so worried that my cake would be a disgrace to the butterfinger cake makers and that it would be a total disaster. 

During our snack time with the kiddos we went and got the cake out of the frig. along with ice cream that the other teacher brought and dug right in. I was still nervous when we started cutting in to it, I just hoped it would turn out at least edible. 

OMG~ let me tell you about this cake, I'm completely TOOTIN my own horn over here because it turned out FABULOUS. So much better then I had expected and Mrs. E loved loved loved it. YEAH!!!!!!!!! I scored, I was so happy with her reaction and it just made my day. 

There was so much cake and there was no way we were going to be able to eat it all, so we decided to put it in the kitchen / break room were every body could enjoy it as well. We had people coming in our classroom all morning long asking "who made the cake" saying "it was so good, I need the recipe" it was like I was on top of the world and really it was only over a CAKE. But if you knew how stressed out I was about how it was going to turn out you would understand. I even had the hubbs telling me now to worry that it was going to be good. 

I guess when you try something new for the first time though you never know how the out come is going to be. I can't wait to have a reason to make it again and share with everyone at work or home!!!! 

You should give it a try for your next family gathering or work pot luck hey or even at home!!!!  

Butterfinger Cake Recipe 

1 box yellow cake mix~ fixed as directed on box

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 jar Smucker's caramel ice cream topping 

1 8oz tub Cool Whip

1 bag mini butterfingers ~ crushed 

Bake the cake according to the direction on the box. 

While the cake is baking, mix the milk & caramel topping until well blended. 

When the cake is done & while still hot, poke holes in it with a fork. 

Pour milk mixture over the cake

Allow cake to cook completely. 

Sprinkle half of the crushed candy over top of the cake. 

Spread Cool Whip over top, then sprinkle the remaining candy bars on top. 

Store in the frig. until ready to serve !!!!

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

Lunch Break

DAY 109

Thankfully I only work about 6 miles from home, its not on post but still close. I'm able to come home on my lunch every day if I wanted, this way I can let the pups out. Most of the time I only come home on Tuesdays & Thursdays since I go to spin class right after work.  Today I came home because I had plans to go to spin this evening since I wasn't going to be able to make it tomorrow. (I was going to dinner with a co~worker for her bday.) 

While cleaning up the kitchen and picking up from the weekend I remembered I had a full dishwasher of clean dishes. We had a couple of the guys over for dinner last night & I cooked dinner for them while they studied for a up coming test. Normally I wash everything by hand right then and there but there was just to much and I was being lazy. Needless to say I was hating myself for not just washing them last night. I hate unloading the dishwasher just as much as I hate loading it. Oh well someones got to do it, when I was living at home I always made sure to get every last dish in there because I didn't want to do anything by hand and now as weird as it sounds I prefer to wash everything myself. 

When I was putting the dishes away I had the back door open so the pups could go in and out if they wanted. It was such a beautiful day out and the sun was shinning bright!!! I looked out to check on my babies and this is what I found. Bailey Girl was laying out there sun bathing, soaking up the sun. She LOVES to be outside just laying in the yard. I wish I wasn't so nervous about leaving them outside when I go back to work some times after lunch. I'd only be gone for 3 hours but I just can't bring myself to do it yet. I know I'd be worried sick about them the whole time I was back at work. I want to try and leave them outside on a weekend day when we run to the PX or just a short trip here on post some were just to see how they do. I'm not worried about them digging out or getting out any other way, I'm kinda worried about random people just coming and letting them out. Our gate is securely closed but that doesn't mean someone couldn't get in. Thankfully our house backs up to a big wooded area and neither of our neighbors mind our yappy mutts out when they are barking. It's to pretty to be inside all the time, they want to get out and enjoy the fresh air, I don't blame them either. 

Isn't she just the cutest thing ever!!!! She's my baby girl, I'd be lost with out her. 

My Commissary Shopping Adventure

DAY 108

Before the hubbs started Drill School he told me he probably wouldn't want to go deal with the craziness of the commissary shopping while he was going through school. Ok, I suppose I can deal with doing it on my own for a couple trips. I HATE THE COMMISSARY, when I moved to Hawaii the first time I went he was still deployed. Lets just say I NEVER went alone again unless it was just for one or two things. That place is a freaking nightmare and its no different here. It's always been our thing to sit down together figure out our meals for the weeks to come for that month and then I make the shopping list. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to the list, I type it up on the computer by category and aisle to make for a easier shopping trip. 

This week I figured I'd go before the guys / military got paid to avoid the massive crowds and un~stocked shelves. I had my list in hand ready to go, I asked the hubbs if he wanted to go one last time in hopes he would feel pity on me and say yes but it didn't happen. He was going to stay home and study. Ok Ok, you get a free pass because your in school right now but buddy I tell you when you graduate its back to the BOTH of us. lol. 

When I got to the Commissary thankfully it wasn't to crowed and I was able to get a decent parking spot along with a cart. This is rare here because everyone one and their old retired self likes to use more then one cart. I decided that I wouldn't rush myself in hopes of not forgetting anything on my list and having to back track through the store. See my "Runner" wasn't with me and I didn't want to have to go back for something I missed on a previous aisle, that's what the hubbs is for. Oh and pushing the cart, I hate pushing the cart, especially with a 45lb bag of dog food on the bottom of it. Sure I could have got it last and made pushing the cart easier but my luck I would have for gotten and the pups wouldn't of had food. 

 We have a very small commissary, I was just about done. After I would say about a hour, I told you I took my time. I had to look up a couple items to figure out what they were or were they were located. I also searched and made sure to get the best deal on each item I was purchasing. Picking up some fresh fruits and veggies before I headed to the check out I was walking through the bread section when I happened upon a shelf that I knew the hubbs would LOVE. How we've missed this before I have no clue, or maybe its new. Anyhow I was so excited, it was his all time favorite cookie ever. He seriously loves these soft frosty lemon cookies and we can never find them any were. A couple times we found them at the commissary in Hawaii but after that they were either always sold out or never in stock to begin with. His mom would send them to us for the longest time, but after a while they stopped stocking them at the commissary were she did her shopping. Its probably been a good year or more since he's had any and so as soon as I saw them I grabbed a few boxes, snapped a picture and sent it to him. 

Me~look what I found!!!

(picture below)

Hubbs~ that's a Hell of a find!!!!!!

I started laughing so hard right there in the middle of the aisle because it was just so funny. I knew he would be excited about them and sure enough he was. I don't know if we just hadn't paid attention before or if it was just the fact that I was taking my time and looking at every square inch of the shelves as I shopped but I was so glad I came across them. It's little things like this that makes me smile, he is so easy to please when it comes to yummy snacks and sweets. :) I hope they keep them in stock here and its not just a tease. I've gown quite addicted to them as well. 

Feeling Fit

DAY 107

Once again it started off being another morning of not wanting to get my booty out of my cozy warm bed.  I kept thinking about how much better I would feel after the Zumba work shop, that some how got me out of bed. 

I managed to arrived right on time at the church / gym were the Health & Fitness Expo was going on that our zumba instructor was hosting. I registered and purchased this fabulous tshirt (above) to help support his growing company. Attending James' classes over the last 2 months has really opened me up to a new world so the least I could do is help support what he is doing. We started the morning off with some pretty hard core stretching and then bam right into his Master Zumba Class. This was in no way what we do on Wednesday nights, we were only 45 minutes into the 4 hour class and I was already feeling it. The next 2 & 1/2 hours was spent doing various styles of Zumba. James also taught us proper arm & leg exercises that we can do right in our own home. Through out the morning we would take a quick water break, while doing so he would tell us more of his story. Were he came from and how he got were he is today. How awesome is it to be able to say that you started your own Fitness Business at the age of 19 and now at 24 it is your whole life. That's just a brief overview of how fabulous (and yes he is a bit fabulous himself) he is. Coming from a very hard teenage life to were he is now he has such a wonderful out look on life and wants to share that with the world.  His motto for 2012 is "Extraordinary People Do Extraordinary Things" I truly believe that and have that quote stuck in my head. I was seriously exhausted at the end of class, we ended with a few floor stretches & I think I sat there after for a good couple minutes before I got up. I had a fantastic time, I feel so much better about myself after working out, even if its just for a hour. A year ago if you were to ask me about working out I would have told you, I never knew it could be so much fun. YES I said fun. Its not that horrible people you can do it and enjoy it at the same time. Sure it might hurt in the process or after but that means ITS WORKING!!!!!!!!! 

Theresa & I (my co-worker) are meeting with James this coming Wednesday after zumba to talk with him about doing personal training sessions. Really this guy does it all zumba, personal training, massage therapy & fitness best part is he is down to earth and keeps it real. He understands that everyone works at their own pace and is willing to work with you to meet your goals. I'm looking forward to coming that much closer to having the body that I'm in love with & proud of. 

I want to challenge you this week to get out of the house and do something different. That could be anything from going on a walk around your block, parking farther away from the store when you go, go a week with out soda or sweets, attend a class at your local gym, take the stairs vs. the elevator. The possibilities are endless you CAN do it, you just have to put your heart into it. 

I'd love to hear what you plan on doing different or what you did once you accomplish it :) 

Get in my BELLY!!!!!!

DAY 106

Its been one of those days......or should I say one of those WEEKS!!!! 
Were this was much needed. 

It's always 5 O'clock some were right?!?!?! 

As soon as it hit 5 O'clock here in the South I was off work & headed out the door. I was so ready to lay back & enjoy the weekend. I needed it heck WE needed it so badly. I made a pit stop by the Class Six on my way to the house & picked up a couple bottles of our favorite Moscato d' Asti wine. Last night the hubbs said he might be at work as late as midnight tonight, I wasn't looking forward to that. I was determined to stay up till he got home and we would enjoy a glass together. He needed it as much as I did if not more. Much to my surprise my phone started ringing about 5:30pm and it was MY LOVE calling to tell me he was off work and headed HOME for the evening. YAY!!!!! 

We decided to take advantage of his early evening, we took the pups on a short walk & then went out for a wonderful dinner date. He passed his first 3 tests in Drill School today so celebrating was a must, plus we needed some US time. We had decided on Olive Garden but the wait was crazy long so we changed it up & though we would give Carrabba's a try since neither of us had been there before. We had a great dinner, a wonderful waitress & best of all plenty of us time with out anything interfering. I'm so glad we ended up going out for dinner I really enjoyed our little date. It was totally unplanned and a nice change from the normal that we have been living over the past couple weeks. 

Needless to say we never ended up popping that bottle of bubbly, shortly after we got home we both were so ready for bed it has been a LONG day. 

I can guarantee that we will dive into it tomorrow night though. Umm I can't wait so so yummy. 

Whats your weekend splurge after a long ruff week ?!?!?!?! 

Making Up is easy to do!!!!!!!

DAY 105 

I had lots of making up to do after yesterdays lunch and dinner. Last night on my way home from zumba I called the hubbs to see if he wanted me to just pick up dinner vs. cooking since it was almost 8pm & he had to be back to work at 1am. I knew he was wanting to get some sleep. We decided on Chick Fil A Yum Yum, you really can't go wrong there.
 So knowing he was going to have a really long day today I wanted him to come home to a yummy ready on the table dinner. On my lunch I came home to get everything ready and the crockpot going. For the first time ever we were having homemade scallop potatoes, crockpot bbq chicken & a side of green beans. I was really excited to try my hand at the potatoes, not to mention I can't remember the last time I had BBQ chicken. I made it home after spin class this evening & after a stop at the shoppette still before him, but just in time to get the potatoes in the oven. Ok so it wasn't ready on the table when he walked in the door but it was pretty darn close. We had enough time to clean up and settle down for the evening before we enjoy what turned out to be a fabulous meal. I was a tad worried about the potatoes once again only because it was my first time making them, but they were great. Only thing I would change or do different is maybe add a bit more cheese to them, we love cheese :) It was the prefect meal after a busy day for both of us, I can't wait to make the chicken again. 

Crockpot BBQ Chicken: 

4-6 pieces of chicken, we use boneless

1 bottle BBQ sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar 

1/2 brown sugar 

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Mix BBQ sauce with all the ingredients listed under it, place chicken in crockpot. Pour sauce mix over the chicken and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Really its as easy as that, there's nothing else you have to do!!!!!

Scalloped Potato's 

Cooking spray
6 medium peeled yukon / yellow potatoes, sliced thinly
2 tbsp melted butter
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1 bay leaf
pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp thyme 

Preheat oven to 425 & spray a 9*13 cake pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine potatoes, melted butter, salt, pepper & garlic powder mix until potatoes are coated well. Place half of the peeled potatoes in the bottom of the pan evenly top with half of the shredded cheese & then evenly place the remaining potatoes on top of that. In a medium sauce pan bring milk, nutmeg, bay leaf & thyme to a boil & then poor over the potatoes. Top with the remaining half of the cheese, cook for 40-50 minutes or until potatoes are nice & tender. ENJOY!!!!!!!

Total Regret

DAY 104

This morning my co-worker Elaine had a Sonic drink and breakfast french toast sticks that she was munching on through out the day. I kept eye balling her drink and thinking how badly I wanted a Large Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper with easy ice. This use to be my go to drink at Sonic before I moved to Hawaii and I would always get a Bacon, Egg & Cheese Toaster Sandwich cut in half with a side of Tater Tots. Since we've been back on the mainland I've only been to Sonic a couple times & that was in Texas, shocking I know right. Well I gave up soda almost a year ago now and I haven't touched one since. (FEB. 1st will be a year.) Other than the breakfast sandwich I've never really been one for there food. Shakes and Drinks yes. So there's not much of a reason for me to go there, plus trying to cut out greasy fast food is another reason to stay away. Other than Chick-Fil-A!!!!

 After we got our kids down for there nap the three of us were sitting around talking about fast food and soda and it only made me it that much more hungry. I was sold, I had to get Sonic for lunch I could taste it on the tip of my tongue, I wanted it that bad. I rushed over to drop off the rental car and picked up our Subaru thankfully I didn't have to wait long because I only had a hour. The body shop is about 15 minutes from were I work, add another 5-10 minutes there then a 15 minute drive back that left about 20 minutes for me to grab some lunch. I was still determined to get Sonic, I knew in my head I would hate myself for it afterwards but at the time I didn't care. 

I went with my old bacon, egg & cheese sandwich, a side of tater tots and a Oreo shake. I was in heaven.....well for about the next 25-30 minutes that is. After I got back to work I was totally feeling my lunch, my stomach felt try crap and I just knew I was going to be sick. I wanted to take back eating that horrifying "delicious at the time" lunch. But I couldn't, lesson learned and I will not be revisiting Sonic for any lunches.  Shakes maybe but that would be my only reason to go there, even then the location that is near us I very rarely pass by it so half the time I forget we have one here. 

Thankfully I had Zumba tonight so I was "hopefully" able to work off all that crap I had eaten. 

Just another day

DAY 103

Nothing to exciting happened today other than the fact that the hubbs got home at a decent time. Even before I got back from the gym. SWEET!!!!!!! He had called me while I was still at spin class to let me know he was on his way home & to see if I needed anything. I tell ya I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Since school has started for him out time together has been far & few. I keep telling myself its only temporary but its still hard. You get use to someone being there all the time and then all of a sudden thats changed. He's been having to study a lot which is a given seeings they have so much to learn and he is only getting a few hours of sleep at night. We've heard that after a couple weeks in to the course they will have Saturdays off as well, right now he just has Sundays off. So I'm really looking forward to that and hoping that change happens soon. 

We got a call this evening that our car will be ready to for pick up tomorrow, thank goodness. I'm really not digging this rental car. I driving a Kia Soul which is so not me, it was that or a PT Cruiser. I should have made the hubbs drive the rental & I take my car back but since he all his gear and bags in the Chally we just decided we would switch back this weekend. No reason to switch back for 2-3 days and then do it again. 

It was Mexican night for dinner at our home. We've been trying out new meals for the last couple days I gave this Mexican Casserole a try. It turned out really good, between the both of us there wasn't any left overs.  We will definitely be making this one again in the near future. 

Only In TX Yall!!!

A cowboy, who just moved to Wyoming from Texas , walks into a bar and orders three mugs of Bud. He sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more.  The bartender approaches and tells the cowboy, "You know, a mug goes flat after I draw it. It would taste better if you bought one at a time."  The cowboy replies, "Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in Arizona , the other is in Colorado . When we all left our home in Texas , we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together. So I'm drinking one beer for each of my brothers and one for myself."  The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there.  The cowboy becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way. He orders three mugs and drinks them in turn.  One day, he comes in and only orders two mugs. All the regulars take notice and fall silent. When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your loss."  The cowboy looks quite puzzled for a moment, then a light dawns in his eyes and he laughs.  "Oh, no, everybody's just fine," he explains, "It's just that my wife and I joined the Baptist Church and I had to quit drinking."  "hasn't affected my brothers though."

Its so ugly!!!

DAY 102

Its been really rainy a lot here the last few days, I don't mind it at all as long as I don't have to get out in it. Today has been super crazy foggy, I haven't see it this bad ever here, not even in Hawaii or in Texas. 

I left for my lunch to go drop off the Subaru to get fixed, from the fender bender and when I walked out side I was greeted with FOG. Thank goodness we went yesterday so I could figure out how to get to the body shop. I would have been a nervous wreck driving across town in this mess, not knowing were I was going. 

It only seemed to get worse as the day went on and it got later. I figured for sure it would be cleared up some what once I got off work. But I was wrong, as I was leaving I could barley see the cars in front of me. When driving through post I passed the hospital but you couldn't even tell the building was there until you were right next to it. 

I stopped by the small lake / pond near our house and took a few pictures. This still doesn't do it justice on how foggy it was out. But I though they were pretty cool and water to share. It's like a ghost town around here right now, there aren't many cars out and I'd didn't see many soldiers out either. 

The tree line goes on & on but you can't see it after a while do to the fog. 

This bridge leads out to look over the lake. 

Looking out back from our patio 

I took the pups for a walk when I got home since they had been inside all day. I was a little nervous because I couldn't see the cars passing me till they got right up close with there lights. I'm really hoping this doesn't hang around to long, because it doesn't set well with my hair lol. 

oUr LaZy SuNdAy

DAY 101

Today was a bit different then normal Sundays for us and its something I'm going to have to get use to at least for the next 8 weeks. 

The hubbs only day off right now is Sundays, during the week he is working from 4am-9pm or later. It really sucks and I don't understand how they can have class that late every night but thats the army for you. Before we went to sleep last night I asked the hubbs what he wanted for breakfast in the morning after he got back from Staff Duty. UGH, yes even on his day OFF he had to go in for 2 hours from 5am-7am. I was still in bed when he got home so its not like it was time we were really missing out on together but it was sleep he was missing out on. He has been so tired the last 4 days I can only imagine how its going to be in a few weeks. 

Any how back to breakfast, he wanted pancakes BLAH....I LOVE pancakes but I am not a fan of the mix he picked out from the commissary. I offered to go get his favorite Dunkin Donuts while he went in to work but nah, he wanted pancakes. So like a good wifey I made him what he wanted and had myself some as well. As I was making breakfast he was out back with the pups and I kept thinking yay its only Saturday.......wait no its not, its freaking Sunday we only get one full day together. 

After breakfast we took the pouches on a walk, we've been trying to take them out at least once every weekend. This gives them a chance to really run around, go crazy and get all their energy out. I love taking them out, it makes me smile so much to see them running around enjoying the great outdoors. I snapped a few videos on my cell when we were out and wanted to share one with you.

After our walk we decided to take a trip to Target, the hubbs needed a few things for school and I wanted to see if they had something back in stock that I'd been looking for. Sadly they didn't have what he was looking for but lucky for me they had what I was looking for. I finally broke down and purchased my first Ipod Nano and its PINK, this is the first Ipod of any sorts that I own. I know crazy right how have I gone this long with out one. I've been running while using me cell phone in a arm band listening to Pandora but lets just say thats its become a b~sting to get in and out. I'm not techno savvy at all so I had been hesitant about purchasing one but the hubbs assured me I would be fine and he would help me set it up. I can't wait to go on my run tomorrow and try this baby out, I'm so sure that it will be much more enjoyable to run with. 

Before heading back to post we stopped for a quick lunch at a place called "Cook Out". I've been wanting to try it out for a few weeks now and every time we are out I completely forget about it till we pass it after we've already had lunch or its not that time. Today we REMEMBER, to best describe it you could say its a burger joint with a little bit of everything else and milkshakes. I went with a BBQ plate that came with french fries, coleslaw & huss puppies total cost $3.99 & the hubbs had a Chicken plate that came with fries $3.99, I also got a sweet tea that was $2.00. Our entire meal was less than $11.00 I was in love and couldn't believe how good the food was for such a awesome price. We will for sure be visiting back again, I so wanna try their milkshakes but it was just way to cold out for that today. 

As we headed back on post this was the truck in front of us. The hubbs made a comment to the gate guard about it possibly being some type military explosive devises. That's when he said "no its 1200 boxes of pizza....PIZZA...... 1200 boxes really thats a whole lot of pizza. The gate guard said they were headed to the Solomon Center which is the community center on post. The pizza was all bagged up in black trash bags, I'm sure to make transporting easier. But gosh I would hate to be the person eating them, it was so cold out and who knows how long the have been sitting there while they loaded it all up. When we got up to the red light next to the truck we noticed the truck ahead of this one was also loaded down in the back with bags of pizza CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!

The rest of the afternoon we spend at home relaxing and being lazy, the hubbs went to a study group the guys were holding for a hour. I took advantage of him beginning gone and ran to the commissary for a few things. I feel like we've done really well together this week with him having to take extra time outside of work to study & sleep during odd hours. The only thing I'm still trying to figure out is how I'm going to manage dinner. Not knowing when he will get off each night makes it hard to plan what we are having and when to cook. I want him to be able to come home to a freshly cooked meal, not leftovers that I made a few hours prior that he has to heat up. However at the same time I don't want him to have a super late dinner because I know he's going to be tired when he gets home, wanting to get some sleep shortly after. 

Any suggestions ?!?!?! We do at least one maybe two crock pot meals a week, and that always seems to work really well for us. 

Did Ya'll know I'm from The Lone Star State !!!!

ALOHA I'm Tiffany

Wife to a hottie tottie of a US Soldier since Nov. 9, 2007.

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We've been together since Nov. 29, 2006

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Born & raised in Texas, moved to Hawaii to be with my love.

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Who was born in Germany but claims Arizona as home.

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Now we are living life in the South, 

both in our mid 20's trying see the world on the Army's dime. 

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We have two fur babies named Bailey & Dingo. 

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We've survived two long deployments, with hopes of none in the near future. 

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We each have one brother, mine is younger & his is older. 

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I'm a city girl all the way around but I LOVE the beach. 

Sand between my toes & the sun kissing my skin. 

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Give me a ski & put me behind the boat & I'm set.

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Capturing life through pictures is a true passion, that I'm slowly improving.

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I'm a neat freak, maybe a bit OCD you could say,

I can't leave the house unless it's spotless, even to run to the Shoppette. 

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I like to plan each and every detail out. 

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My two favorite places in the world are Hawaii & New York City. 

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I have a passion for running & have fallen in love with working out. 

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If my husband would let me our home would be decorated in PINK!!

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I love cooking, baking and trying new things in the kitchen. 

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I currently work at a day school were I get my kiddo fix. 

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I love to travel & hope to visit all 50 states before I'm 30.

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I'm probably one of the most organized people in my family. 

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We've recently taken up shooting as a new hobby. 

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I dream big & will do anything to follow those dreams. 

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I drive a 2011 Dodge Challenger, my dream car. (for the moment)

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ps: I have a pretty FABULOUS best friend & we refer to each other as "spouse".

(just so your not confused when I talk about her lol) 

I write because I want to remember our life together 20, 50, 75, 100 years from now. Each and every part of it, the good, the bad and the ugly. This is were I shed my blood, sweat and tears for you all to read. Its my space to vent with out being judged, were I can pour my heart out. It's a place were I can build life long friendships that I will hold close to my heart. 

 I hope you will stick around and "follow me" through this crazy journey called LIFE.

The Wobble WHAT ?!?!?

"Extraordinary People do Extraordinary Things!!!

James our zumba instructor kept saying this during class & it really stuck with me!!!

DAY 100

I totally wasn't feeling it this morning when the alarm went off at 7am. I wanted to sleep in and be super lazy, but I reminded myself that I made a commitment. I had to be at the AC Jackson Wellness Center by 8:30 for the 5K Memorial walk / run they were doing. I wrote about how I signed up for it earlier last week after Zumba, you can read about it here. 

I sucked it up, got my booty out of bed and got ready shortly later was out the door. There was a 50% chance of rain today and the event was set to go on rain or shine. As I headed off post it wasn't raining but sure enough as soon as I got out the gate it started pouring. Blah really I wasn't wanting to do this in  the rain but I guess I didn't have much of a choice. 

Thankfully when I pulled up and parked the rain had stopped. 

We all gathered in the gym were the different pastors said a few words, we did a bit of stretching and then we headed outside to get the show started. This was the 2nd time the church has put this event on. Last year they had 300 people & this year they were expecting 800 people but were hoping for a 1000+ people and I think they surpassed that goal. 

This is Theresa & I before the event started, my co-worker / zumba partner in crime :) We make a great time busting it out in the center of the dance floor during Zumba. 

I was so glad that the rain stayed away for the walk / run I walked out of the house with out a rain coat so that would have sucked. I started off walking because there was so many people there was no way to get around but once the crowd slowed down and cleared out I was on my way. I ran pretty much the whole way and felt great doing it. As I ran pass walkers they would say the kindest words that motivated me that much more. 

After the run was over we all gathered back in the gym (well those that wanted to stay) and James our Zumba instructor did a low impact mini class. This gave people the opportunity to see what zumba was all about at a more moderate pace. The gym was full I think about half the people ended up staying to try it out, but that only made it more exciting and fun. 

Before we started J turned on a song and everyone jumped up and starting dancing. One girl standing next to me yelled its the Wobble. WHAT????? I have never heard of the wobble dance but it was really catchy and fun. I opted to stand to the side and watch because I didn't want to make a fool of myself. I did snap a short video clip of them dancing. The girl in the orange & the girl in all black behind the girl in red are the two girls I work with both super sweet ladies. 

I ended up having a really good time and a fantastic work out. I was definitely glad that I dragged my butt outta bed and went. I'm looking forward to the Health & Fitness class that is going on next Saturday!!!! 

Drill School is in FULL SWING!!!!!

and he's still NOT loving it


DAY 99

(it is a long one but totally worth reading I promise!!!!)

My husband always continues to amaze me with all that he does. The Army has really opened up some amazing doors for him. He has been able to go places and see things that most of us would never wish for and yet he enjoys every minute of it for one reason or the other.
Wednesday he started Drill School that will carry out for the next 9 weeks. This was one thing he was NOT looking forward to doing through out his career in the Army but he was DA selected for the job. Wednesday morning he had to report at 0800 and didn't end up getting home till about 2030, for you nonmilitary people thats 8:30pm :(. When he did finally make it home I picked his brain with loads of questions on how his day was. Long story short he said it was gay and was going to be a long 9 weeks & they made mention that his hair was to long. (which he had gone to get cut the day before) He didn't at all seem worried about it and said he was going to ride it out as long as he could. So typical of him.
Thursday night he called me about 1930 to tell me he was on his way home. He said he would have been home 30 minutes earlier but he went to the PX to get his hair cut. That riding out didn't last to long I told him. He said they commented on it again this time saying the front was to long. (really, his hair to long, come on now he's going through school not freaking basic) When he got home I had made him dinner and we were in the kitchen talking and he said he had some good and bad news for me. I freaked because today was the BIG PT test that either made you or kicked you to the curb out of school. Basically if you didn't pass you got kicked out right there on the spot. I asked him a few times before if he was worried about passing and he said no not at all. Still that didn't mean I wasn't worried.
So the first thing out of my mouth to his good news bad news was "you didn't pass the PT test".  "I PASSED, I would have been home hours ago if I didn't pass." The bad news was he had Staff Duty on Sunday which is their day off. (school is Mon.-Sat.) (Staff duty for a normal unit is a 24 hour shift which takes place at the battalion or unit building) The good news was that through out drill school staff duty was only two hours. Freaking awesome I can handle that one, he then told me that his hours on Sunday were from 0500-0700 in the morning so I would still be asleep when he got home. Meaning we would still have the whole day together. After that he told me of a few other days that he had SD he said I have it on the 20th from 0100-0300, really so like tomorrow morning. He said NO the 20th, right babe tomorrow is the 20th remember today is the 19th. By this point its about 8:45pm and so I said you have to be there in like less then 5 hours. I then asked him what time he had to report in for formation and he said 0400, are you seriously. You should have seen the look on his face when he figure out he had his days wrong. I felt horrible for him and just gave him a big hug. The rest of the night was very short lived he was in bed by 9:00pm.

Friday night he called about 2045 to tell me he was finally on his way home, I hate that they keep them there so late. Really its so annoying but not much we can do about it. I had left over pizza from lunch for him for dinner and he was in heaven. Seriously its the simple things that make him smile.
I asked him how his day was and he just laughed and said I had lunch with the SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE ARMY.  He then proceeds to say I don't know why in the world they sent me to go. He was one out of a handful of guys were picked from his class to go. I asked him why he was shocked that he was picked to go. Apparently he made a racial comment during class today,

 NOW WAIT before I go on let me just stop and say that by no means is my husband racist at all. He his a man of many words and simply does not have a censor. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. If know him at all you will understand what I mean by this. He has been told by many of the instructors and other Drill SGT's here that they really like him because he is so real and speaks what is on his mind. 


So back to class ~ he made the comment during class that he hates Arabic people. The girl sitting next him just so happened to be Arab, and just as she was about to call him out on it a instructor stopped him. He then proceeded to correct himself, saying "what I should have said and what I mint was I hate Arab people that shoot at me." (being deployed twice now is were this comes from) At this point Im shaking my head because there is a perfect example of my non-censored husband. He said after class before going to lunch with the SMA he and the girl from class had a talk and he made sure that she understood what he was meaning to say. Thankfully she was kinda hearted and completely understood were the comment came from and the air was cleared. Him and one of the instructors also had a chat about it and  made sure things were cleared over. This is when he asked why he was selected to go to the lunch. The  instructor proceeded with "you are outspoken, you don't hold anything back, you are real, we believe you are going to make a great Drill SGT and I know you will have good questions to ask him. Apparently they were told to make sure and think of good questions to ask the SMA when they went to lunch. Not that he didn't appreciate being given this opportunity he is just not one to stand in the spot light and drawl attention to himself or jump up and down with his hand in the air saying oh pick me pick me.
I asked him how it went and what questions were asked from the other guys. He said they all asked lame typical questions pertaining to the Army downsizing and Promotions. I asked if he asked different questions and he said yes but I didn't think to ask what he asked. lol At one point the SMA asked who was DA Select for Drill and 2 other guys along with the hubbs raised their hands. He asked them how they felt about it and the two guys came back with "I'm really happy to have this opportunity, I look forward to bettering the army and new soldiers, along with some other crap he said". When he looked at the hubbs and asked him how he felt about being selected for drill he answered with "I called branch when I came down on orders for drill because I don't want to be here. I've only been a  SSG for a year & a half and I want my squad leader time. I want to be out on the line doing fun stuff, not training New Bee's."
(again non-censored / speaks his mind to WHOEVER)

You really did NOT say that to him did you, I asked as I'm seriously laughing & shaking my head. Ya I did he said its the truth and he asked how I felt so told him. The SMA told him that he completely understood because many times in the Army his has been asked / told to do things that he didn't want to do at the time. But that it only made him a better Soldier.

After lunch the SMA pulled the hubbs aside to give him some words of encouragement, shook his hand and gave him a coin. (pictured below) I asked him if everyone there got a coin and he said yes, he was just the only one he took time to talk with individually. Yeah go figure that one, dork.
He really does say the craziest things but he truly does mean well.
He said he did enjoy meeting him even though he still didn't understand why he was picked.

I know he is going to make a great Drill SGT as much as he doesn't want to be here doing this. Its what the cards have dealt for now and they must be played out. I hope we are able to find our groove through school and that the time goes by fast. I'm hoping once he gets on the trail (starts training soldiers) he will start to enjoy it more. This is a two year assignment so end of March Early April will officially start our two year count down to getting out of the South. WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!! 

US Army Coin given to the Hubbs
(front)

From Raymond F. Chandler III
14th Sergeant Major of the Army
(back)

Soldier UP!!!

DAY 98

Suck it up & Suck it in ~ That's what My Soldier would say!!!!

(the lighting in the spin room is horrible, sorry for the awful picture.)

Talk about a hard core work out tonight, I'm beat and its still early. When I went in to spin class this evening I was already on the bike warming up when the instructor walked in. She looked over at me and smiled as she said go grab a set of hand weights. hahaha I just looked at her and kinda chuckled as if she was crazy or I miss understood her. She got on her bike only to notice that me & the other guy in the class (the classes are small maybe 2-3 people total) hadn't moved. She said it again, "go grab a set of hand weights, we are going to work on upper body". You have really got to be kidding me :( there was only one set of 4lbs weights which I was lucky enough the other guy let me have.
We started off on our normal routine with the weights just sitting there staring at me in the face. I kept thinking in my head "I wonder how well this is going to go over". Much to my surprise I did  a lot better then I though I would. I was worried about sitting on the bike and sliding forward as we were lifting and making a fool of myself having to stop every couple minutes. We ended up doing about 15 minutes up upper body lifting, I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow I can feel it already.
Is it weird for me to say that I really like the spin instructor ?!?!? I mean she is really great (spouse, its the same girl that did class when you were here, shocking right lol) so motivating and encouraging. Always pushing us that extra "mile" and pumping us up to make it through the end of class.
I'm really glad that I found something else that I enjoy doing, for me its so much easier to go to a class and get a good work out, vs. working out on my own. I seem to push myself so much more when I have someone instructing me on what to do.
I ended up staying after class this evening to talk to the instructor about something. I have flat feet which means I don't have a bone holding my foot up to support my ankle, which means I don't have a arch in my ankle. Hard to explain but basically this causes the inside of my ankle to hit the bike pedal bar as it goes around. I can handle the pain for the most part but sometime my left ankle ends up hurting worse then the right, simply from it knocking against the bar. I wanted to see if she had any suggestions on a quick fix for it. She had me show her what I was talking about and sure enough she was able to see how my ankles not supported. She suggested getting a fitted ankle brace to help support my foot and hold my ankle up. She also encouraged me to talk to my doctor on options for what I could do to have this corrected. I'm pretty sure I know were my doctor would go with this and frankly that's not a road I want to go down. I have managed to push through the pain for the past 20 something years now and I think I can continue to. I love to water ski, run and just be out and about, I work full time and have a home to keep up with, so the option of having surgery to fix the problem is not the solution I am looking for. As I was leaving she told me that she really enjoys me coming to her spin class and doesn't want to loose me. I insured her I wasn't going any were and she could count on me being there next week!!!!
The hubbs has always said if our kid get my good looks and his ankles then we will be good.

I don't know if you can tell much of a difference in the pictures below but in person its a crazy difference. Whenever I point it out to people they always say how strange or weird it is. Yes I know crazy I have weird ankles thanks for reminding me.

Standing normal with no support,
you can see how my right ankle
(smaller heart tattoo foot) goes in more.

Standing straight having to hold my
ankles up, which hurts to do after a few minutes.
You can see how the right ankle still isn't fulling straight.

New Smells

DAY 97

I'm seriously in LOVE!!!

A couple weeks ago the hubbs and I stopped by the local book store on our way home from a day out and about. After about a hour of wondering around looking through way to many cook books & magazines we finally decided on one called "Southern Living dinner in a dish". We sometimes spend way to much time at the book stores but I love it. When we went to check out I noticed a shelf with Yankee Candles on it. I did what everyone else does and spent the next 5 minutes smelling all of them. I absolutely LOVE Yankee candles but I only buy them from the PX because they are a little cheaper there. I can't bring myself to pay $30+ dollars for a candle, even if it is going to make my home smell super pretty. However I found a sent that I hadn't seem before and couldn't stop sniffing it, it smelt so good. I had told the hubbs a few weeks back that I wasn't going to buy any more candles till we went through all the ones we had at home. Seriously I have a ton that I brought with me from Hawaii plus what we've purchased here. I'm really wanted this one but I kept telling myself no, even though it had a 50% off sticker on it. Finally after much convincing from the hubbs I gave in and got it.
I decided that I HAD to finish and burn out the three candles I had downstairs before I started on this one. This weekend I did just that and tossed all three jars. Tonight when I went to light the candles I remembered I never put a new one out.  It wasn't a hard decision on which one I was going to go for I had to break in my newest addition.
I'm pretty sure that this one's from their Holiday selection from the name "Cherries On Snow". OMG its my new favorite, I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to top this one. It smells so yummy and that's one thing I love about Yankee candles, they really smell how you smell them when they aren't lit. (if that makes any sense at all lol)
There's a Yankee Candle store here at one of our local malls and I'm thinking this weekend I might take a drive over there to see if they have any in stock. I really don't want to have to wait till next Christmas to get another Cherries On Snow candle that would just be so sad. :( lol

Whats your favorite candle sent ?!? Are you as much of a Yankee fan as me ?!?

How's it Cookin Good Lookin ?!?!?!?

DAY 96 

So I'm a bit OCD sometimes. 

When I asked the hubbs what he wanted for dinner last night he told me Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti. This was a new recipe that I added on to our weekly menu, so I was excited to try it. Lucky for me it only took 3 hours to cook in the crock pot, meaning all the cooking was left to my wonderful hubby. Since Tuesday nights are spin night I don't get home till 6:30. Even if I came home on my lunch at 1:00 and started it, it would still be done way early. 

I told the hubbs that it was going to be all on him if he wanted spaghetti for dinner and he was totally fine with it. So this morning I took it upon myself & went ahead with getting things set up for him and prepped. I try to make things as easy as possible for him, I've come to find that this also makes for a much simpler clean up in the end. 

I printed the recipe, laid out all the needed ingredients, along with the can opener, cooking spray, crock pot & cookie sheet to cook the garlic bread on. I even left a note on the cookie sheet saying that it was for the bread that was in the freezer. I'm positive that he could have managed everything on his own with only me printing the recipe (which he asked me to might I add). But I do have a bit of OCD when it comes to the kitchen, things being in there place and just so. 

I'm pleased to say that I came home to dinner cooked, the kitchen cleaned and dishes done. Dinner turned out fabulous, we both loved loved loved it. I think I have a new favorite meal that will be added on to the must have once a month or so list. lol  

I'll go ahead and share the fabulousness below for you all to try, seriously its got to be one of the simplest recipes ever!!!! Try it out and let me know what you think!!!! 

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Serves 12 ( one cup each)

16 oz. dry spaghetti, cooked
1 lb. Velveeta Light (2%)Cheese
12.5 oz can chicken breast, drained & flaked
1 can 98% FF cream of mushroom soup
1 can 98% FF cream of chicken soup
10 oz. can diced tomatoes & green chilies (Rotel)
4 oz can mushroom stems & pieces, drained
1/2 cup water
1 small onion, diced
1 med. green pepper, diced
salt & pepper to taste
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to mix well. Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours. Stir again just before serving.

It's still ME!!!!

DAY 95

I'm sure many of you have noticed a complete change on my blog over the last day, even a name change. I had been contemplating changing the name up for a little while now and it just seemed fitting to go ahead with it since I was changing the look.
I'd like to take a minute to give a fabulous shout out to the wonderful lady over at Whiskey Tango Foxtrot for helping me and completely making over my bloggie!!! It all started after I won her custom blog header give away she was doing. (you can read about it here & here.) From here we spent the better half of today emailing back and forth going over details and what I wanted out of my blog. I am so happy with the way it turned out and I love the new look & name. Its so me / us the quote "all because two people fell in love" is carried out all through our home.
It was a much over due & very much needed. I even have a "button" now so if you'd like to swap buttons please let me know I'd gladly love to share your blog on mine!!!!!

If your looking for some help with your blog or needing a make over don't wait, head over to WTF and she will take care of you!!!!!!
I've also finished recapping our wedding today, it brought back so many memories going through the pictures and writing about what went on that day. I'm glad I was able to share our special day with all of you & I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I did writing about it.