2-60th Battalion Ball

We had our Battalion Ball / Dining Out this evening and we'll it was a nice evening out but it didn't last long. It started at 6:00pm (we arrived just after 6pm) and we were on our way home by 8:30pm. Our Ball that we went to in HI after the guys got home from Iraq was so much fun, the guys all had a blast. There was so much cutting up, story telling and drinks, catching up with everyone, meeting new people, did I mention drinks. Tonight was NOTHING like our last ball, there was about 100 people give or take a few. I was looking forward to tonight all up until we arrived at the venue. When we found out we had assigned seating that we had not choice in whom we wanted to sit with. So needless to say we were set with several other couples who I had no clue who they were. Talk about awkward. Seeings that it wasn't a formal, formal event I opted to save money and do a simple bun and a little black dress I had already had. It worked out perfect and the hubbs loved it. I'll say that was a win. 

I was awarded for the volunteer work I have done within the Battalion for our Company. I knew I would be getting recognized and that was the whole reason we went. Truth be told the hubbs had no desire to go at all. He's so over being here with this unit and the people he works with. I'm quite certain if he doesn't see most of them again he'd be just fine. 

I enjoyed getting dressed up with my love and going out for the evening even if it was just for a couple hours. The Color's & Flags were presented, a guest speaker spoke, the grog was mixed and poured, dinner was served and finished, awards & recognitions were giving and the retiring of the colors were done all in a matter of about a hour and 45 minutes. I got talked into doing the Cupid Shuffle (which really didn't take much convincing lol) and then we said our good byes and headed out the door. We both had a long day at work and were just ready to get home and relax. 

Absolutely love this girl, only wish they would have gotten stationed in the South sooner. Thank goodness we'll always have each other from here on out!!! That's the good thing about the Army Life, friends become FAMILY. 

All in all it was a good evening out, I'm glad we went. I did meet a few new people, had some good conversations and not to mention I got to see my handsome Drill SGT in his Blues. Always a bonus. 

We came home to this yummy goodness awaiting us for dessert. It was the perfect way to end our evening. You simply can't go wrong with Strawberry Cake, even if I did make this one from the box. shhh don't tell. 

Happy Valentines Day, By the way we're MOVING!!!!

We agreed we weren't doing anything for Valentines Day because we were going to be traveling on the  actual day. Well let me tell you I should have known the hubbs wasn't going to stick to our plan. He got off CQ Friday morning and came home, came up stairs as I was still in bed and had the day off due to a snow / ice day. He told me good morning, wished me Happy V-day and said he had to run back to work and would be right back. Not thinking anything of it, I decided to get up and start getting ready for the day. I went down stairs and that sneaky man had picked up flowers, cupcakes a balloon and a card wish all was set on the kitchen counter. He completely melts my heart, I can't take it!!! 

Now this girl stuck to the plan and did absolutely NOTHING for V-day for the hubbs. I felt like a complete failure, but we did have a agreement. I had a few things to do while the hubbs took a nap so I figured I'd stop off at the PX and pick him up some of his favorite sweet treats. Made for great road trip snacks. 

While I was out I picked up our special order of Valentines day cookies "conversation hearts" we ordered from our favorite local bakery. Ally & Eloise makes the best cookies in the South hands down!!! 

Mid afternoon we loaded up the truck and said goodbye to the puppies and headed out on the road to our new future home state. That's right we are MOVING in just a matter of months. Literally 2.5 months. We're headed to the Music Capital State, Tennessee. We will be just 45 minutes north of Nashville and I can't wait. We've got some good friends that live in Clarksville (were we're moving) and I have a cousin that lives in Nashville, not to mention I have a few friends that live there as well. So unlike when we moved to the South we will actually know people. Some of which we were stationed with in Hawaii and consider family. 

Its about a 7ish hour drive from the South to our New Home State were we are going to be living. Almost to the Kentucky boarder but not quite. We planned out the weekend to go up there to check out the area and look at house's. We knew we wouldn't actually probably settle or pick a house while we were there but at least we could settle on a area. One step at a time right. We actually have the option to live in either Tennessee or Kentucky seeings that the post sits on the state line of both. Half in TN and half in KY. I was pro TN but the hubbs was hellbent on the KY side. 

We arrived late Friday night and spent Saturday out driving around checking out the area with our friends R & C who we know from Hawaii and were staying with. They took us all over the local area showing us the good, bad and ugly. Even on to post, for a quick tour. Although I have a feeling we are going to need a good couple days to fully see the post because its HUGE!!!! This will be our first experience living OFF post and I'm a wee bit nervous but excited about the opportunities that lie ahead of us. Saturday night R & C had a sitter come over and we went out on a double date night down in Nashville. I seriously love how quick it is to get there, we got in the car, hoped on the highway and next thing you know we were there. After checking out a couple restaurants we settled on Hard Rock Cafe. They had a wait of about half a hour which was much more appealing then the 2+ hour wait every were else. We enjoyed some yummy food, even better fruity drinks (the guys got beer) and fabulous conversations. It felt so great to be back together with them again. It was so perfect, nothing like what we have here in the South. I swear there's something about the people you meet at your first duty station. They are with you forever and nothing will ever compare. It was a great night and I can't wait to do it again. Luckily we'll have a good few years to enjoy many date nights with them. 

Sunday the hubbs and I headed out for the day to look at some houses with our newly found realtor Jeremy. We were introduced to him by R & C, they are currently using him and had nothing but good things to say. We had so much fun looking at house's driving around seeing more of the area. Its absolutely beautiful here and I have a feeling we are going to LOVE it here. Its such a country area and I can't wait to soak it all up. I grew up in the city and have always been very much a city girl. Well up until here the last couple years. I never pictured myself living in the country but I can't wait till we get our forever home. Country living all the way!!! But that's a story for another day. 

We saw several homes and various area's, there's so many options when you live off post. So much to take into consideration and to think about. Pro's and Con's of both and the various area's.  

That evening we headed back to the house and we all decided to go out for dinner. Mexican was the choice of R and well we never turn down Mexican food. I seriously think we could live off of it. Talk about some good chips and salsa. Good to know we've already found one good Mexican place here. After dinner we walked a couple doors down for Frozen Yogurt at Berry Bear. I've developed a slight addiction to frozen yogurt with yummy sweets inside. It's a weakness. 

Monday I went with R to take sweet Savvy girl to school. It was so sad to have to say bye to here but thankfully we'll be seeing her much sooner than later. The hubbs and I went out early to look at a few other homes before meeting back up with R & C to look at a home a friend of theirs has listed. We knew we had to get on the road soon because not only did I have to go back to work the next day but we would also be loosing a hour crossing over the state line. 

It was most defiantly a wonderful little getaway. No set plans, just a go with the flow and take the punches as they came kinda trip. We enjoyed it and can't wait to see what else lies ahead of us in the up coming months getting ready for our move. We obviously didn't settle on a house while we were there or a area but I did fall in love with one house. I guess time will tell what we end up doing. 

A stop for lunch before getting to far into our drive back home was much needed. One thing I did come to terms with about TN is they def. don't know good sweet tea. They simply need to add a bit more sugar and I think it will be just right. lol 

Until we meet again Sweet Sweet Tennessee, 

Stay tuned for some exciting news……….

Southern Snow Day Take--2

The weather has been crazy in the South this winter, it will go from super nice out in the low 70's one day and then the next freezing cold. After our last snow day no one really saw another one coming. Not until the weather started predicting it that is. I was hoping praying and wishing it didn't happen. It was the hubbs last Graduation and I took Wednesday and Thursday off work so I could go to both of the Ceremonies on Family & Graduation Day. I was there for his first one when he got awarded and I wanted to be there for the last. Mother Nature had other plans though. Monday night our Battalion Commander made the call that Family day on Wed. was canceled. Bummer, but ok we still have Graduation. I emailed my director to cancel my off day, This way if school did get canceled I'd get paid for the snow day. We pretty much new going into work Tuesday morning that we weren't gonna be there all day. Parents even made comments that they knew they'd probably be getting a call to come pick up there kids soon. We were expecting sleet and freezing rain over the next 2+ days. Why even risk it and bring your kiddos in then, knowing your gonna be picking them up with in hours. Never the less everyone was at school that morning in my class. 9am rolled around, we heard that several of the school districts around us were having a early dismissal. We were just waiting it out to see if our district was gonna call it. What do you know right around 9:50am or so we got word that district one was calling early dismissal. Even being a day school we follow district one, when they close we close. Some parents don't like it but they know how the school works going into it. Everyone had to be picked up by 11:30. I thankfully only had 8 parents to call to come get there kiddos and everyone was gone just after 11:30 in my class. I stuck around making sure I wasn't needed any were else and that all the classes were covered before heading out myself. I wanted to beat the sleet getting home even though it had already started. Thankfully it wasn't to bad at all, not yet at least. Once I got home though it just kept coming down and didn't let up. All through the next day it was just freezing rain / sleet. By the end of the night the streets were frozen over solid. They had officially canceled the Graduation ceremony and were just allowing the PVT's another off post pass for Thursday with their families. Go figure this would happen on our last cycle. The parents were more heart broken than anything though, they came all this way to see a ceremony and it wasn't happening. There wasn't any way to post pone it due to travel and training that started the very next day. It happens, that's life in the army, they will get used to it. It might take them a while but they will figure it out. As hard as it is some times for me to wrap my head around the army does come first.
I spent all of Wednesday and Thursday at home deep cleaning the house and going through things getting ready for our upcoming move. I almost wish we could do our Final Out this week because the house is so clean. Then I wouldn't have to do it again, however we still have about a month or two before that happens.   SouthernSnowDay = Operation PCS Deep Clean!!! In Full Effect. Post was closed both days as well, but duty calls and the hubbs had to go in. Thursday night he had CQ, the roads were semi ok from what I'd heard and I contemplated taking him dinner. I always do, but tonight was different. I just didn't feel safe or comfortable driving and didn't want to take a chance of something happening just over dinner. Thankfully our sweet friends R & C had made dinner and C took some up to the hubbs. What a life saver, seriously they are the sweetest ever. I don't know what I'm gonna do when we have to leave them. Ok Ok let's not talk about that right now.
We all waited patently through Thursday to hear if we were going to be closed another day. District 2 closed, Post school's closed, then a couple hours later District 1 (that would be us) closed but we still hadn't heard if we were for sure following. The board of directors for the school still have to make the final call. Think about it, half our staff have kids in both of those districts, some staff aren't going to come in due to road conditions. Are we really going to have enough teachers to cover all the classrooms??? Chance's are very slim. And its a Friday, just call it one more day and let the roads and weather clear up over the weekend. Finally about 4pm-something I got a picture text from one of my assistants of the email that went out to the parents stating the school was once again closed and following District One. A 1.5 day work week talk about crazy, I still haven't worked a full work week since before Christmas break. Since we've had so much doing on. But I have a feeling that will all change the week after next. :-/ (Monday's a holiday- lol) We have had plans to take a mini road trip / vacay to our future new home state this weekend since the hubbs has a four day and I'm off Monday. Now we can get on the road earlier than we had planned. We want to do some looking around the area to see were we are wanting to live since we are going to be living off post this time around. But that's another story for another post. Late Thursday evening some of us girls got word that the 4 day for the Drill SGT's had been canceled because they were no longer shipping the PVT's out on Friday due to the road conditions. They needed everyone there to cover down. With Monday being a Federal Holiday that left Tuesday for ship day. I was on edge waiting all night he wouldn't know if his was getting taken back as well till Command came in the next morning. I was determined I was going one way or the other, with or with out him. Thankfully he had told his CO and 1st SGT where we were going a few days back just so he didn't get put on the CQ roster. This morning when he came home, he came up stairs to say good morning and let the pups out (because I was being to lazy to do it). The first thing I asked was do you still have your 4 day. Forget the Happy Valentines day, for the get I love you Baby, for get the Good Morning Love. I wanna know are we going or not. Thankfully he is good to go and they didn't take his 4 day. Now I only wish I could say that for everyone else but sadly enough I can not. It does suck because I'm sure many of those families had plans as well. I think the only thing that saved us is they know he's done and off the trail at the end of next month and he won't be here for the next full cycle due to training he is taking.
He's snoozing a bit before we hit the road and I'm of course doing some cleaning and going to run a few errands. I seriously contemplated going for a run this morning because I'm itching to get out there on the streets but I'll save it for when we get back. Fingers crossed the roads are fine and we won't have any issues this afternoon.

My FIRST Fried Egg!!!

Apparently its un-american to have not made or eaten a fried egg at the age of 27. So what if I had to ask how to make one. You can't blame a girl who's never tried right. When it comes to eggs, scrambled or in a omelet is the only way I've ever had them. Ok and boiled to but still. I've never made a Fried egg until tonight. While fixing dinner the recipe suggested serving it topped with a fried egg. No thank's I'll pass. Although I asked the hubbs if he wanted one and he was all over it. Ok, "so how do I make it". He explained, I was still not to sure about how it was gonna turn out but I gave it a try. I'll have you know it wasn't as complicated as I expected it to be. Shocking right!!! 

I'll have you know I caught a bid of slack for not even trying it from a few friends. But really the inside was runny and not fully cooked, that's just as bad as eating steak and it still being red on the inside. 

Yea NO thank you. I like my steak burnt. 

Dinner turned out fabulous even with out the egg on mine, there wasn't a single serving left. 

This was hands down a quick and easy dish and very filling

You can find the recipe here ----->>>>Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Asparagus