It's another MONDAY!!!

Just alittle something to help put some pep in your step and get through the week!!! I know I need a little extra boost every now and then to get encourage myself to get through another week of life here in the South. Things are going well though we have been here for going on almost 5 months on the 15th of this month. The hubbs graduates school soon and that will officially start out 2 year count down. 

I know I have been blessed with more than I could have ever asked for in life and sometimes I do need to stop and give thanks for it all. I wouldn't be were I am today if it wasn't for what I've been through. 

 I can and will concur anything and everything when I put my heart, mind & soul into it!!!

This is something that I catch myself saying all the time. Although I'm still finding my groove through life here in the South, I've come to terms that this is it for the next 2 years and I have to make the best of it. 

Cupcakes seriously cure everything, just ask my hubby or spouse :) 

Everyone needs a little YALL & some Sweet Tea in there life!!!

LOVE this one!!!! Glitz and Glamor with a bit of sparkle YES PLEASE!!!!  

Weekend ReCap :)

This weekend has been packed with so much, well not really just more than the usual for us. Friday when I got home I was greeted by the hubbs :) I love getting home and he's already there. It doesn't happen that often right now with Drill School. From there we went and picked up some ammo so he could go to the shooting range in the morning. After that little adventure we headed to the Columbia Craft Show that was going on this weekend!!! I was so excited, I had only found out about it 2 days prior and couldn't wait to check it out. I always enjoyed going to them with my mom when I lived back in TX. We picked up a few goodies before heading back to post & grabbing some grub for dinner.

As you know we went on a little road trip to Greenville yesterday and had a absolute fabulous time. I have to say being able to travel around at a moments notice is probably the only thing I'm loving about being back on the mainland. 

Today was a super windy & chilly day in the South meaning the pups didn't get their walk in. Thankfully I didn't feel to bad about it seeings I took them on a super long walk before we left yesterday. We were pretty lazy for the most part and didn't do much but lounge around the house till dinner time. We had plans!!! Woop Woop!!!! A group of the guys & gals that the hubbs is going through Drill School with had planned a dinner get together at Olive Garden. They were carbing up for  their big PT test tomorrow. It wasn't to bad of a night, I mean when you have a party of 11 people its going to take a bit longer than normal and things are bound and determined to come out wrong. I was the only Milispouse there and the other 10 were Enlisted Soldiers. It was quite the sight listening to all their stories and cracking jokes on each other. 

We finished up and headed back home to watch the season premier of ARMY WIVES!!!!!!

I am so excited that its finally back on and we didn't have to wait till winter 2012 like they had originally said. The first episode really hit home for me during the first 10 minutes in regards to moving and leaving my best friend. I have a love / hate relationship on how the show totally sucks you in. Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that its just a TV show. I'm looking forward to the weeks to come and what going to happen. 

I snapped this picture of the hubbs & I after dinner, I'm seriously blessed beyond belief to be married to such an amazing man!!!!

~DAY 143~

Greenville Road Trip!!!!

We haven't done anything out of the box over the past few weekends. We've either had something going on or the hubbs has been working some of the weekend or we simply were to exhausted from the work week that we just stayed home. That all changed this weekend neither of us had plans no work for the hubbs and we were in need of some US time out of the city.
We decided to take a mini road trip to a local city by the name of Greenville. Its about 1 & 1/2 - 2 hours away from Columbia The forecast was not looking good for Columbia so I was a bit worried about how it would be on our drive and in Greenville seeings we would be spending the day outside.
Thankfully the skies were beautiful & clear for the most part through out our whole day. I was so happy this little trip is what kept me going through out the whole week.

We spent the day down town on Main Street were there are loads of shops and restaurants to check out. We did a lot of window shopping and people watching, which is always fun. We did pick up a few goodies here and there to bring back with us to remember our little trip.

Also included was a stop at two different Cupcake shops that I had happen to come across when doing alittle research online. Gigi's Cupcake was the best out of the two. The cupcakes were ginormous with loads of icing piled 2+ inches high. I tried the Banana Cream Pie ~ a yellow cake w/ a vanilla filling, topped w/ banana frosting, crushed vanilla wafers & a wafer on top. It was beyond fabulous and I didn't leave a crumb behind. The hubbs tried the Kentucky Bourbon Pie~ a bourbon cake w/ pecans & chocolate chips, a cream cheese frosting w/ pecans & chocolate chips drizzled in caramel & ganache. His as well was super yummy, from what he said I didn't get a chance to try it since I was to wrapped up in mine.

Chocolate Moose was the the other Cupcake shop we stopped at. The cupcakes themselves were quite disappointing from the way they looked. I'm no cupcake pro by any means and these seriously looked like something I would have made. lol Don't get me wrong they tasted really good but if I had to pick between the two I'd go with Gigi's for sure.
We decided to take home four different flavors red velvet, white cake with choc. frosting, white cake with white frosting & french toast  flavored.

Next to Chocolate Moose was a little boutique called The Barkery Bistro, all for the four legged fur babies. It was a lot like the Pupcakes Pet Boutique that we have here in FivePoints. With all the accessories you need, clothes for your pouches, food and much more. Even a full on our bakery with home made goodies for the pups. Keeping up with the cupcake theme of our trip we decided to pick up two cupcakes to take home to the pups, a pink for Bailey and blue for Dingo.

We had a early dinner at a local joint called Sticky Fingers. OMG yall I've been craving some yummy BBQ since we moved here to the South but just have not found that one place that's over the top amazing yet. This did it, mouth watering good old southern bbq along side coleslaw, a baked potato  and of course some SWEET TEA. I was in heaven yall and could have possibly had a 2nd plate. Ok Ok not really I was totally stuffed but it was pretty fabulous.

 Falls Park on the Reedy is a beautiful park located at the end of Main Street. We made our way down there after doing a bit of "shopping" and took in the views all around. The Liberty Bridge is 345 ft long, 12 ft wide & 8 inches thick, the concrete reinforced deck is supported by a single suspension cable. The bridge has a similar structural concept as other bridges built in Europe however there is nothing like it in the United States. When you stand still you can feel the bridge moving under your feet. It made me kinda nervous because we were up so high. It almost looks like its floating on air.

MICE ON MAIN ~ based on the book, "Goodnight Moon" by: Margaret Wise Brown.
There are 9 bronze mice along Main street, while strolling down Main street you will see them randomly placed. They make up a family and tell a story its pretty fun to try and figure out. I printed out the clue sheet before we left and although we only ended up finding 3 out of the nine (we didn't put 100% effort into it) it was still alot of fun searching for them. When we go back we will for sure keep a eye out for the other 6.

We had a absolutely wonderful time and it was just what we needed. To get away from Columbia and have a change of scenery and some time together away from the rest of the world.
I am quite jealous of the yummy restaurants that are in Greenville that aren't in Columbia. Its quite depressing seeings that Colu. is the capitol of South Carolina.
A few weeks to go and we will be making a trip to Charlotte to celebrate the hubbs graduation I'm pretty excited!!!!

~DAY 142~

Time for a change maybe ????

As sad as it is to say its been over a year since I've had my hair cut, or even trimmed. For whatever reason I simple just put it off and tend to forget about it. I'm determined to make a change to that and get it trimmed up more often to maintain my beautiful long hair.
The last time I cut my hair I went in to get highlights put in which I did and just a inch cut off and walked out 10.....YES TEN inches shorter. I liked it for about 1/2 a day and then wanted my long hair back. Sadly my hair grows so slow and I knew that it was going to take a long time to grow back out. At that point after the cut it was right at my shoulders. I wanted to cry, people said that it was long but to me it wasn't. 

After cutting 10 inches off. 

 Earlier in the week a co-worker was telling me about Salon 2000 were she goes & how she really likes the girl that cuts her hair. So I made a appointment with her for today during my lunch to get my hair cut. I was nervous because the though of doing something completely different went through my head but I wasn't sure. I knew in the back of my mind that if I did it again I would so made at myself. 

But I tried telling myself sometimes change isn't always bad. 

This is my hair this morning before I went to get it cut, its grown out a good bit in the last 13 1/2 months but not a lot at all. I'm sure it would have grown out more if I would have trimmed the ends more often, but again that's were I failed. I do plan to be better at this from here on out. Its still shorter then it was before I cut the 10 inches off. It's easy for me to tell because of the highlights, were they stop to my scalp is the amount its grown out. Right here its right above my elbow so not quiet to the middle of my back. I don't think you can tell really from this picture but the ends are just awful and really need something done with them.

I went with my hair on this one and stayed true to myself keeping my long hair. I only cut a ONE inch off to kept my length. It was just enough to clean up the ends and make it look beautiful and pretty again. I can tell a world of a difference just by running my hands through it. I absolutely LOVE it, the best part is the hubbs commented on it before I even brought it to his attention. He knew I was going to get it cut, but to have him tell me that even he was able to tell a difference made me feel really good. I'm so happy I didn't change it, maybe one day but not right now.

~DAY 141~
Just for fun I decided to show you all a picture of when I did have really short hair. This was back in 2003-2004 some time around then when I graduated high school. I like the one on the left best, but I'll admit I don't always want to spend the time to straighten my hair so a pony tale is a quick solution.

(I scanned these to my computer so the quality isn't the greatest sorry.)

trying to hold it together

Its been one of those weeks were I just wanna throw in the towel. I haven't, I've kept a smile on my face, held my head high all while still trucking along. Its been one thing after another, changes that have come from no were and people around me that just make me wanna scream. Maybe its the weather that we have been having that's string everything up, its in the 40's-50's on day and the next its in the 80's. I'm absolutely LOVING the warmer weather we have been having, its given us a chance to get out of the classroom which is much needed.
I think today though was just that push that I needed to make me cringe. So myself & the two other ladies (yes the two 60 year old ladies) that I work with decided we needed a adult beverage to motivate our selves to finish out the week. Only one more day but it was needed. After we each got off work we met back up at Applebees for a bit, had a fabulous drink and did a bit of chit chatting. I was nice NOT something I would do all the time by any means. I miss my girl time with my spouse & mistress but I would much rather enjoy a drink & dinner with my hubbs since they aren't here.

This place is so different then were I worked in Hawaii. In some ways I like it more and then in others I don't and I catch myself wishing I was back at Peterson CDC.
I did get a call from the CDC here on post about working there, I just haven't followed through with anything in regards to that yet. Like I said I do like the school I'm at now for many different reasons that the CDC simply does not offer. Although I didn't have the options in Hawaii that I do now, its hard to give that up now knowing what I have. We will see what happens long term. I have two years here which is a good long bit of time and I wont just settle or be stressed or miserable were I work. I do enjoy what I do, there's no question there but I have to be able to enjoy the people I work with and for as well.
It's hard because I'm trying to do what is best for kiddos but ultimately at the end of the day I NEED / HAVE to do what is best for ME and I that is were my heart is pulling in two different directions.

~DAY 140~