New Kicks - Experience

Yesterday was a first for me!
I don't do well with change and today that proved all to true, once again.
Yesterday Kelly & I went to Fleet Feet a local running store here in the South. It was my first time going and I have to tell you it was a great experience. From the moment we walked in the door till we were checking out and leaving. I got fitted for running shoes for the first time ever. After almost two years (it'll will be two year early March) of running and participating in countless races, this was my first time to be professionally fitted for a proper pair of running shoes. For the last year I've been running in Minimalist running shoes with no support what so ever. Although I haven't had any issues with them I knew it was time for a change. I have really bad ankles and I needed the extra support, even more so that I've started adding more and more miles on to my nightly runs. The whole process went very smoothly. I had never felt more comfortable in a shoes store then I did yesterday. The girl helping me started off by explaining the process of what they do and why and how it all works. From there she measured my feet both standing and sitting. Watched me walk around the store and run on a treadmill, gave me different socks to try on and even fully looked over my feet and explained what would be the proper shoe and why. From there I tried on about 4-5 different pairs of running shoes till we found the prefect one. The first pair I absolutely LOVED the coloring, they were hot pink, neon blue and black. They couldn't have said my name more clearly if I wanted them to. Sadly enough they weren't the proper shoe for my foot. But hey that's OK, that's what we came for right. I might have to put color and cuteness aside for a good pair of running kicks. "Might" is a strong word. Once she found what she believed to be the correct shoe for me, I ran a couple minutes on the treadmill again to make sure I was comfortable in them. I even put on one of my minimalist shoes on and one of my new one and ran on the treadmill to see how it was, I felt good in my new Asics. I also decided to go ahead and get a pair of Lock Laces and switch mine out. These aren't only great for quickly slipping on and off your shoes but it saves a lot on wear and tear of a shoe if you don't untie them when you take them off. I have always untied my shoes when I take them off because I have to retie them to put them on so I might as well untie them the first time right. With lock laces your still able to adjust the tightness of your laces and the best part is you never have to worry about the coming untied during your run.

Last Thursday when we went running I had to stop three times to tie my shoes. I seriously don't know what was going on because I normally never have issues with them. Now I really wont at all, so even better. My new asics are purple and gray, most definitely not a color I would have picked for myself (I asked if they had pink, but no such luck) but I have to say they are growing on me and I'm really liking them. I did get the Hot Pink Lock Laces to spice them up a bit and they look super cute. I might be a little biased though. I picked up a few more pairs of comfort fit running socks, I just love how soft and comfy they are. The experience as a whole was wonderful, the store even gives a 10% Military Discount....added bonus, yes in deed. And for whatever reason I'm not totally happy with my new kicks after trying them out on a few runs, I simply take them back and they will help fit me to a shoe of my liking and fitting till they find the right one that I'm comfortable running in. I will never go to a regular shoe store to get running shoes again. As long as we are in the South I will go to Fleet Feet to get fitted / purchase my running shoes and possibly other running accessories that I might need. You might pay a little extra but I'm willing to do so knowing I'm getting what is right for me, my body, the personal experience and the great customer service.

Have you ever been fit for proper pair of running shoes? What was your experience?

Washington DC ~ Day 2

Today we checked out the Monuments & Memorials located around the City.
"The National Mall"

First stop was Thomas Jefferson Memorial / Monument
1743-1826
I liked the outside of this one better than the actual statue its self. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial / Monument
1882-1945
Along with his pup Fala, he had a whole section of the park dedicated to his memorial.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial / Monument
1929-1968
"I Have A Dream"

Korean War Memorial 

1950-1953

Abraham Lincoln Memorial / Monument 

1809-1865

In 2007 it was ranked 7th on the List America's Favorite Architecture.

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Constructed in 1922~ 2,029 ft long, 167 ft wide, 18in deep on the side, 30in deep in the center.
It holds approximately 6,750,000 U.S. gallons of water.
(currently under a $30.7 billion dollar construction that started in November 2010 )

Vietnam War Memorial
1969-1975
(I don't remember the exact dates, the dates online varied)
The walls with thousands and thousands of names listed on it just left me at a loss for words.

World War 2 Memorial
1939-1945
Resulted in 50-70 million fatalities, making it the deadliest conflict in human history.

Washington Monument
Completed in 1884
The worlds tallest stone structure and the worlds tallest obelisk @ 555ft tall.
(currently closed to the public after the Virginia earthquake in August of 2011.)

~DAY 230~

Lunchin w/ a bit of Art

Today at work we had our Teacher Appreciation / Thank You lunch from the EDSPO ~ Parent Organization. The PO is very similar to PTA in a public school, they are the ones that help organize different events and what not that go on through out the year. 

Lunch was catered by Pasta Fresca, the local Italian Restaurant I've mentioned before. (same one I got the gift card for :) There was 3 different pastas, salad, lasagna, garlic bread, cookies and SWEET Tea. I surely didn't leave hungry and best part is, I still had my whole lunch hour to get things done I needed to take care of. Along with our lunch we were given yet another gift card to Target :) as well as a Tumbler with our initial on it. It was a thank your gift from them to us, I've said it before and I'll say it again "I work for such a great school".

This evening I had plans to attend a Company Social (with non other than Alpha Co., we are Delta Co but they don't do a darn thing, A Co has always included us in their outing.) We were meeting up at Mad Platter (a local art studio) to do a little painting. I've been wanting to go ever since I found out about the place back when we first got here, I've just ever had the chance to. A quick example of what you do ~~~~ you pick out a piece of art weather it be a dish, character, wall hanging, doggie bowls, magnets, etc. There are literally tons of items to choose from to paint and then you have your choices of paint colors to use. They even have confetti paint which was way cool, books and books of stencils and stamps as well. Then you go to ton designing your own personal piece how ever your little heart desires. I chose a serving dish as my piece because I wanted something I could use all the time. I started off with stenciling our last name in the center and quickly decided I didn't like it. Thankfully the marker burns off when its sealed. Its not perfect by any means and I know I could have done way way better but for my first time I have to say not to bad. Now that its done you leave it there and they do something called a firing seal. This seals off the paint and brightens the colors (so they will be much more colorful then pictured below) allowing the paint to last for years and years to come. I already have plans to go again and paint a little something for a care package I'm working on. I would have done it tonight but we ran out of time. I had so much fun with the girls tonight it was a small group of us, 3 other spouses, a Drill SGT & the Company Commander. Because the unit is coed (which I'm still getting use to) S who coordinates all of these things included the female soldiers in the company to join.

I'll be sure to post pictures of my finished piece once I get it back.
 (I'm leaving to go out of town in Sunday for a week, so it will be after I get back!)
~DAY 224~

Going Old School

After a wonderful day in Charlotte yesterday it was time to head home. However not before stopping for a little breakfast of course. The plane was to go to IHOP again there's not one near us. The hubbs picked it because it was the place we went for our first date. So sweet of him to remember, although I think he just wanted some yummy food. 

However we missed the exit and kept going, no biggie right we will come across another one soon enough. WRONG!!!!!!!! I google mapped our location and not a single IHOP near us or in the direction we were headed. He says not to worry we will find something, "oh dear, those are never good words". He through Waffle House out there and let me tell you its not on my top list of favorite places to eat at. In fact before this trip I had only eaten at WH one other time and that to was with the hubbs. 

Ok fine what the heck Waffle House it is, in the back of my head I'm thinking this will be great to tell the spouse about. She loves WH, why I don't know but hey it will be enjoyable to tell her about it. 

The menu was old, I mean the pictures on it were so simple and the way it was put together made little to no sense at all. The meals weren't grouped together like you'd think but everything was dirt cheap. I'm talking nothing over $12 bucks that I remember. 

I'm big on hash browns love love them so I knew that was a must. I also like omelets so I figured I'd give it a try. I have to say the meal wasn't that bad at all and I ended up finishing everything. ~ok spouse go ahead and say I told you so~ Now don't get me wrong its not going to be my first choice for breakfast when and if we go out again but I guess I wont be so quick to say no next time either. 

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the place is SOOO OLD, the hubbs says that's the point. It just doesn't set well with me, appearance has a lot to do with things. 

What's your take on Waffle House, love it or hate it?????

~DAY 164~

letting it out

I've had a lot on my mind lately and its really eating me up, I don't know when or if I'll ever post this. However I figured instead of it continually stabbing me in the heart I'd put it in words & maybe that would help. Get it off my chest if you will.

Have you ever had that one person that just rubbed you the wrong way. They may have never really done anything "to you." But yet you just can't seemed to really "get them." Once I get to know you I am pretty open, honest and will do just about anything for my friends. If we don't click we don't and just go our way from there. It does take me a while to really open up to someone, trust them & be myself around them but once I do there is that potential for a life long friendship. The road my not always be a walk in the park but there is always a shining star at the end. There is just this one person that for one reason or another (that I've yet to figure out) I just can't bring myself to click with. We aren't even in the same state so it's not like I have to see or interact with them yet it still gets me down.

I can't seem to put into words my feelings or reasoning, all I know is it really gets to me. I'm not sure if this person even knows how much it hurts me. I know things will only get harder over the next 2-3 years and still there wont be anything I can do about it. I suppose I just have to stay strong, be myself and continue to show the people I carry close to my heart the reasons I love them and why they are so special to me. In hopes that, that will keep us together, keep the knots tight with out any loose strings.

I'm not sure if its because we have been at our new duty station for a bit now and I've still yet to make a single friend. Maybe it's because I'm not totally in love with the way things are here in SC and I'm letting that get to me and so I'm taking everything a bit more to heart. Then again these feelings aren't something that just came up. They have been there for a while now and I just continued to keep them to myself.

In the back of my head I tell myself that as long as I have Gabe in my life and we are together that's all I need. However I know that's not true, in a way it is but I still need my girls & I hope that they will always need me. Though distance may be between us or even separated by the deep blue sea the bonds we built I will always carry close to heart. Maybe its knowing and seeing that those people I hold close to me are also building bonds like we did with others. The fear of being forgotten, left out or replaced is what scares me the most.

What if I become not needed to them any more because they have someone else to turn to, you know since we aren't in the same place. Not being a part of there life as I have been for years will be devastating. Being the first person they turn to when something good or bad happens is a great feeling, what if they have a "new someone else" and I'm 2ND or last. I knew moving back to the Mainland would be hard but I had know clue it would have been this hard. Some days I wish we would have been able to stick with our first orders issued by the Army. Then we would be in OK close to the friends & family were now we are miles away from them. For some reason it seemed different in Hawaii I don't know what it was, maybe because it almost seemed to be a different world. Being back on the Mainland has been a big adjustment for me and its not setting well. Hawaii is home, we built such a wonderful life there & made some fabulous friends. Some of those friends that I know we will always be there for each other, the best of friends and then others were we may drift apart over time. That's life as much as it hurts and as hard as it is there's nothing we can do about it.

I can only hope as things continue on over the next few years that I don't allow this person to get me down. I can't let this person walk over me or the relationships I've built. I can't say that I will ever really let this person into my life. I think what is done is history, I can only move on from here. I can forgive and forget but something things are beyond that, even if there was never anything "done" in my heart I feel as if there was.

You know that moment when your in Jr. High or High school, you find out your classmate who you though was a "friend" turns out to seal your best friend or your boy friend the minute you were no longer in the same class. All along they said that's not what they were trying to do they have a BF of their own but bam the second you were no longer in the picture they stepped in and were quite to take your place. It's heart breaking, almost like a piece of you is missing now.

I have many people in my life I would call "friends" but I have fewer people in my life that I would call "true friends". You know the ones that will ALWAYS be there for you no matter...... how long its been since you have seen each other, talked to one another, the miles between you. Your true friends are the ones that will be there when you are at your worst and tell you, you look beautiful. Your friends will be there to get you & them to the next day. I feel that I have figured out who is who in my world. I have to say I'm grateful for each and everyone of them and I have grown and learned a lot from both sides.

As I was sitting here blogging this evening I received a text from a friend who sadly enough for her can relate as well. And is in the same situation that I am, this person said it really simple by saying "I think I will always be jealous of people that get to spend time with my family & friends". Maybe that's just it I'm just jealous that this person gets to spend time with someone I can't. It's the price we pay living the army life with the one we love.

My First 5K

Today was a first for me, as well as my two running buddies. We were participating in the Honolulu 5K for kids downtown. To help promote health and fitness for Hawaii’s children as well as their families to create a more active and healthy lifestyle. It was a 3 mile race. I have been training and working up to this day for the last two months now. It definitely paid off well to, however I should have worked more on the getting up early part. The plan was to get up at 4am and get to Sarah's house by 5am. I did make it but I was so tired at first, I just wanted to lay in bed. Some how deep down I found some energy and got my butt in gear. Dressed ready to walk out the door just as my husband got on line. AWH, I love him so much and he couldn't have gotten on at a better time. I was able to talk to him the whole way down to the race up until we parked. He is my best supporter and its all because of him that I am able to do something like this. I love love it when he tells me how proud he is of me. It just gives me butterflies and makes me push that much harder.


Here we are right before the start of the racing hanging out and getting all hyped up. We were so excited, but so nervous at the same time. There was so many people there and allot of them looked really really fit and totally knew what they were doing. Not that we didn't know what we were doing but we were definitely beginners at this whole race thing. Seeing all the young kids out there gave me that much more strength to push on and give it my all.

Here are a couple of shots from during the race, we managed to snag. I carried my camera with me, no way we could do this and not document it. Right before the two mile marker we grabbed some water from the aid station set up and were quickly back on our way. As you can see Nancy & I looking back at Sarah as we make our way down the marked street. The three of us below was right before the finish line. We could see it up above in front of us and decided to sprint to the end. The three of us finished together at the same time crossing the finish line right at 43.57 minutes. We started off jogging and then walked a bit and then back to jogging. We continued this pace through out the whole race and finished strong.

We DID IT!!!!! We crossed the finish line like I said just at 43.57 minutes. We were each given a finishers metal as we crossed the finish line. I think I'll frame a picture of the three of us & add in there my bib number & metal with it. I'm so proud of myself for doing this and I want to remember this day forever.

I DID IT, JUST FOR YOU BABE!!!!! COMPLETED MY FIRST RACE OF MANY TO COME, I KNOW YOUR PROUD. HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY SWEET CHEEKS!!!!!!!!!

Now we are off to celebrate our VICTORY with breakfast at the Original Pancake House down in Honolulu. I can't wait for our next race just a couple weeks away. Its twice as long so I better buckle down on my evening run at the track with the pups!!!!

Weekend Wrap Up

The ending to another fabulous weekend in Paradise. It started off early with dinner on the beach with Sandy at the Ko'Olina Lagoons. We picked up take out at Assagio's Ristorante Italiano which I'd never had before ummmmmm SOOOO GOOD. I think I might have a new favorite restaurant that we will have to be going to. Chatting away, watching the sunset over the ocean with out a worry in the way was the perfect way to end a busy day.





Date night with a few friends was set for Friday night. We met up and off to Dukes in Waikiki it was, Sandy and I along with two of her friends. I'd never been to Dukes either so another first for me as well. Over all it was pretty good food, a tad pricey if you ask me but totally worth it as we had a fantastic evening. Sandy had bought the cutest little "Hello Kitty pins" and had written "Army Wife" on them and gave them to the 3 of us girls as our "award" she called it. I loved that she took the time to do something sweet to show how much she cares.




After dinner I had plans to meet up with Branch and a few other people for drinks at the Yard House. It was a night in Waikiki, liven it up that is. Chatting away and having a grand time I was about halfway through my drink and wasn't so crazy about it any more. That's just when they decided a trip to Dave & Busters was a must. I was all over it, big kid games are you kidding what could be more fun at midnight :) I had not been there since my 16th birthday which was forever ago. My talent on the arcade games showed as well, I totally sucked at the racing games and skee ball was not my thing either, I managed to do OK on basketball but still sucked lol. Everyone was a good sport about it and laughed right along with me.

Saturday Branch and I had plans to hang out and go shopping for a birthday party I was suppose to be going to. We ended up meeting up with T and having lunch with her at Dixie Grill another one of our favorite Dine In's. Ummmm I could eat me some BBQ all day long.




That night we all met back up at the Shack in Mililani for the evening, drinks and a good band playing, was a great way to end the evening. Singing and dancing along with everyone just hanging out, this is the life in paradise lol only if he was here to enjoy it with me. I'm just glad that we are able to share pictures and stories so he doesn't miss a thing.




Sunday I was invited to a Polo Game that was going on out on the North Shore by my friend Diane. I invited T and Branch to come along as well, so with the "COOOOLER" (they make fun of the way I say it) loaded we opened up the tail gate of the truck popped open a drink and kicked our feet up. I hadn't ever really tail gated before nor had I ever been to a Polo Game. This was the last one of the season and it just so happened to be Army vs. Navy. (who ever knew the Army had a Polo team). I think we all got a kick out of people watching more so than we did the game its self. It was sooooo much fun, the weather was just perfect, it wasn't to hot and there was a nice breeze as well. I hadn't laughed so much until today at the different out fits some of the people were wearing. I mean it was as if they had NO clue as to where they were or what they were doing. Some of them were dressed as if they'd just got back from their Easter Sunday gathering and then the other's looked like there belonged on a nude beach. I think we missed the memo on wearing the big sun hats (which don't get me wrong they were super cute) and the boots as well oh and our favorite HIGH HEALS on the beach. I mean really come on. I can't say that I will jump at the next Polo Game and make sure I don't miss it but it was a blast hanging out enjoying a glass of wine in the back of the truck with some great friends.

I ONLY WISH THAT GABE WAS HERE TO ENJOY THE WEEKENDS WITH ME AS WELL. I know he would have had a great time, I can't wait to be able to go on these crazy adventures with him. I miss my partner in crime, my bestie, my lover, my soul mate oh so so much. LOVE YOU BABY AND HURRY HOME.

Hickam Sandbar

Last weekend we went to the Sandbar on Hickam Air Force Base with some friends and had a wonderful time. You could walk out in the ocean about 200 feet or so and the water was just above your ankles. It's great for little kids and pups. So many people had their dogs out there with them and they were having a grand old time.

So we decided to go back this weekend and take the pups. We loaded up the truck this morning and made our way down to Hickam. Sadly when we got there we were greeted by a dried up beach. That's right with in a week the tide went down and there were only small puddles of water here and there. It was not as pretty as the weekend before but that didn't at all stop the beach goers and their pups. Bailey and Dingo were eager to get out of the truck as soon as we stop. Checking everything out, running down the beach with the other dogs. Chasing balls and other dog toys through the water and sand. Dingo warmed up to the ocean really quick and was running through the puddles in no time. Bailey on the other hand was a bit more stubborn and scared. I was determined to get her in the water and to make her like it. I mean HECK we are in Hawaii for crying out load she needs to like the ocean as much as me. I guided her in with me, still a bit unsure she finally gave in and came. At first she bounced around like a freaking jack rabbit trying to get out of the water but it didn't work. She stuck close to us, mainly Gabe as we walked around the sandbar. It finally hit her that the water was ok and she wasn't going to die by walking in and started running around more with Dingo when he would go in the water.







I loved watching them play and chasing their toys with the other dogs and run around with them. They were so messy and sandy be time the afternoon was over but they had a ball. We are going to continue to take them more and more so they get more comfortable with the water.







It was a great trip and I had a blast, running around with the pups on the beach. I can't wait to go back and do it all over again.