Not so much.....

Before heading back to Columbia Sunday afternoon we made one last stop at the beach. It's so sad because after we got there I had no desire to stay long at all. Its not at all what we were use to in Hawaii. The beautiful white sandy beaches with crystal clear water was gone. I've missed it so much and as happy as I was to be back near the ocean again I just don't think anything will ever compare to our home in Hawaii. There was tons and tons of people camped out with there big beach chairs and umbrellas just sitting there, no one was really in the water or seemed to be having a good time. They have no idea what they are missing out on, I miss our island life. 

We had a wonderful little weekend get away and I can't wait to come back and do it all over again. I love this man so much, any time we can get together is so precious to me. With the crazy hours he is working this was a nice break for us. Beautiful beach or not we soaked it up and enjoyed it.  

~DAY 241~

Medieval Times Dinner

After the classes this afternoon we went and did a little window shopping along the board walk. I finally found a candle I'd been looking for, we picked up a few treats for the pups and a Christmas ornament. We also tried out a local cupcake shop but its nothing to write home about. We enjoy the afternoon checking out more of what Myrtle Beach had to offer before going & getting ready for our exciting date we had planned for the evening.

That's right we went to Medieval Times along with the other two couples we hung out with the night before. I'd been before but years and years ago for my little brothers birthday so I didn't remember much at all about it. The hubbs on the other hand had never been so we were both really excited. Of course we had to join in and try out the local drinks they were mixing up, I mean it wouldn't be a feast if we didn't right. The hubbs was a sport and wore his crown all night as well, I was quite impressed.

Dinner at MT if you have not been is so yummy but its all eaten with your hands. That's right no spoon or fork allowed, even the soup. Which might I add was Tomato soup which I've never been a fan of but this my friends was fabulous. I have to figure out how to recreate it. (or if any of you lovely readers have a delicious recipe you might want to send my way, I'd greatly appreciate it.)

The chicken was really good to, much more than I could eat by myself. It was a whole half of a chicken, and on top of that we got potato wedges and ribs. Talk about a food over loads, dessert came after and let me just say if anyone left there hungry you were crazy. 

Our Knight was the blue one and although he didn't win the final match we had loads of fun cheering him on and booing the other knights. Through out the night each knight would toss roses into the stands of their section, our friend A caught one, which was so sweet because she's pregers :). The horse's were amazing which was crazy you'd think they be freaked out by all the noise and commotion but I guess they've gotten use to it. We both had such a great time and that's all we talked about for the rest of the evening. I love going out and doing different things together that we haven't experienced before, this was such a great idea.

~DAY 240~

Marriage Retreat Weekend

This weekend we attended our first Army sponsored (paid in full) marriage retreat. When we were in Hawaii they were offered quite often but we never went for one reason or another. When I found out about this one I told the hubbs "we were going" no question. With his crazy work schedule and lack of time off a weekend away to a near by city we hadn't visited yet would be good for both of us.
We loaded up the car and headed further East for the weekend to North Myrtle Beach. (I'd been once before years & years ago but didn't really remember much) We had no set plans other than the required classes we had to attend. So that made it even better we could go and do what we wanted and not feel as if we didn't do everything "my list".
Once we arrived and checked in to the hotel and settled in we met up with some friends at hotel bar for drinks. Of course what better way to kick off the weekend. 

After dinner we along with two other couples headed down to the beach. I was so excited to see the ocean again. However it was slightly depressing because its not nearly as beautiful as what we were use to in Hawaii.

A stop at a local joint for a drink before walking out along the pier. It was a beautiful evening though, not to chilly not to hot. Tons and TONS high school senior grads and kids roaming the streets. We kept asking our selves were the heck our these kids parents. The night life there was crazy for sure from the tricked out cars and bikes, to the way the people were dressed or should I say lack there of. 

 I don't think I'd ever want to live here in this area but it was fun to visit. I'm sure we will make a trip back for another weekend stay while stationed here. That way we can check out more of the area and take it all.

The giant Ferris wheel is actually called the SkyWheel. Us along with the other 2 couples we were with decided to take a ride. Before we even left our hotel room I saw it from the window and told the hubbs we must go for a ride!!!!!

The boys were like little kids, rocking the cart back and forth and talking about how horrible it would be if it stopped working while we were at the top or even fell. Guess they got to make the weekend memorable some how right. 

Here’s our list of fun facts about SkyWheel Myrtle Beach:
•    The R60 Giant Wheel is designed by Ronald Bussink Professional Rides in Switzerland.
•    The SkyWheel Myrtle Beach will stand 200 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.
•    It will be the first observation wheel of its kind in the United States and only the second in North America.
•    This will be the largest wheel of any kind east of the Mississippi River.
•    Each ride will last approximately eight to twelve minutes.
•    42 Swiss-manufactured, climate-controlled, enclosed gondolas are attached to the wheel.
•    Up to six passengers can fit in one gondola.
•    Non-reflective glass will cover each gondola for the best possible photos and videos of the panoramic view.
•    One VIP gondola will have a glass floor and leather bucket seating.
•    The SkyWheel Myrtle Beach is equipped with a state-of-the-art computer-generated lighting system that features more than one million LED lights.
•    Every evening after sunset, a magical light show will take place with several shows nightly.
(I found this info on line and though I'd share.)


It was a long first day, after our SkyWheel ride we made our way to another beach bar and hung out there for a bit before calling it a night. 
I'm so happy that we decided to come, no matter what we get out of the weekend from the class, we are getting some extra special time together wish is all that matters!!!


~DAY 239~

Two in ONE

I wanted to share this fabulous recipe I made for dinner tonight. It was amazing so so yummy, the hubbs had 3 helpings of it, it was so good. Total carb over load but hey your allow to do that every now and then right. It's a two in one that would totally work at Thanksgiving or Christmas, even for a pot luck it would be a great dish to take. Heck I know we will be making it again before any of those events arise because it was simply that good. Don't believe me, try it out for yourself. Best part, its all done in the crock pot and there's no precooking ahead of time. 

DELUXE POTATO CASSEROLE~

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 container (8 oz) sour cream 

1/4 chopped onion 

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons melted butter, divided

1 teaspoon salt

2 pounds red potatoes, chopped

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 to 2 cups stuffing mix

Directions: 

1. Combine soup, sour cream, onion, 1/4 cup butter and salt in a small bowl

2. Combine potatoes and cheese in Crock-Pot slow cooker. Pour soup mixture over potato mixture; mix well. Sprinkle stuffing mix over potato mix; drizzle with remaining 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours or HIGH 5 hours, or until potatoes are tender. 

Its that simple people, and it was to die for. We served it up with some sliced ham and called it a meal. 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

PS: it makes a lot. 

~DAY 238~

Lazy Buds

I seriously hate HATE how tired the hubbs is here lately. Besides him being completely exhausted when he comes home from work this first cycle hasn't been to awful for us. I'm sure I just totally jinxed myself though, right. I hate the long crazy hours he is having to work, getting up at 3:30am and not home till 8:30pm is a joke. I know its only temporary but still it wears on your body something fierce. This evening he came home from work and planted himself right on the couch. Dingo misses his daddy  during the day, they are best buds. He thinks he has to be right up there with him at all time. I love my baby and what he does for our country and training the future of the Army. I just wish sometimes there was something more I could do for him you know. The teachers I worked with in the fall & spring semester gave me a hard time because I cooked him meals ahead of time before going out of time, I do all the laundry, commissary shopping, keep up with the house and so much more because frankly look at that face. That stuff is the last thing he wants to worry with when he gets home. It's not much but it's the lest I can do right now. I just hope April 2014 comes quickly, that's our PCS date from here, which means no more Life on the Trail. 

~DAY 237~

Mad Platter Creation

Remember my trip to Mad Platter a couple days before I left for vacay. Well I finally went and picked up my master piece today on my lunch. It turned out super cute, much different than I though it would. I'm so happy with it. So it's not perfect but I love it and can't wait to go back with the hubbs together. I think I'm going to go back later this week and look into doing something with our kids at school for Father's Day which is just around the corner. 

~DAY 236~

Another day Another $$$

Goodness was I not looking forward to this morning. 
Its so hard to go back to work after being off for vacation. I caught myself thinking this weekend about how nice it would be to be a stay at home wife. It was only briefly though because I can't really justify staying at home for me. If we had kids sure that would be one thing but we don't. Or if I was going to school full time but I'm not. We like to go and do things as you can see and me not working and bringing in that 2nd income would keep us from doing some of the things we enjoy. I mean lets face it guys & gals the Army's going broke right and even before we weren't making millions and never will.

I was happy to see my kiddos that I'd missed over the past week. I wasn't looking forward to staying till 5:30pm though. Sure its only a 30 minute difference from when I was getting off but 30 minutes is a lot. I was a little nervous because it was the 2nd week of summer and first week for me that I would be working with new staff. I don't do well with changes and I like consistency. The ladies I worked with in the mornings were great we had a good system down, plus I just really enjoyed working with them. It was so much fun just to sit and talk to them and hear their stories. (remember they are in their 60's)
Today wasn't to bad at all, you could definitely tell the kiddo's missed me. I only have 5 this summer and they were all stuck to me every were I went. I had 5 extra shadows walking around behind me in the room and on the playground. Oh and goodness if I left the classroom talk about melt down central. The teacher I'm working with in the mornings is super sweet, she to is older and has been at the school for 15 years. My fear was that we would have nothing to talk about and it would be really awkward because we are so different but it didn't go to bad.
I have high hopes for the summer and look forward to whats to come. 

~DAY 235~

Lazy Sunday

It was a beautiful Sunday, the hubbs of course had to work so I was enjoying the day being lazy at home. I cleaned up the house unpacked did all the laundry, dishes and everything else that needed to be done. I told the hubbs I'd pick up the backyard (ie. clean poop) that way he could mow when he got home. Half way through being done I decided my hands weren't broke and I was more that capable of doing it myself. Plus I wanted to give him the night off when he got home. I figure the least I can do is try, I did it a time or two in Hawaii when he was deployed and it turned out ok then. We have a old school push row mower (no gas of anything like that, just the blade) so its super easy to use, there's not even a one or off switch. (its pretty dummy proof) I have to say it turned out pretty good, I even went as far as trimming the edges around the fence line with the weedeater.
After it was all said and done the pups and I sat out back and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. I caught up on some blog reading while that baked in glory.
Don't you just love my new TOMS, I picked them up in Georgetown on during my WV / DC trip. They are so comfy and cute!!!!!
The rest of the day consisted of doing a whole lot of nothing. I did go have lunch with the hubbs at work, which was a nice break for him during his busy day. I hope the new few months go by fast because I can tell right now I'm not going to love spending every weekend husbandless at home. :(

~DAY 234~

Old & New Friends

Last night I made the 5 hour drive from Lansing, WV to Belvoir, VA in the pouring rain. I'm talking buckets and buckets of rain, so bad that I ended up pulling off the highway. I've never been so terrified driving in my life, not to mention I was still in the rental so that didn't help. Thankfully everything worked out with the whole car catastrophe in a good way. I have a good friend from Hawaii that is now station in DC so I camped out at their house Friday night. We stayed up for our catching up and chatting. Her husband works at Arlington National Cemetery so he was able to explain more of why they do things the way they do. It was nice to see them because it was planed during this trip, just so much to do and so little time. I guess everything happens for a reason right. 

This morning Rae made us all (her hubbs, lil dude & I) breakfast, how sweet of her. She new I wouldn't be able to stay long since I had to get the rental car back by noon which was a hour away. Not  to mention I wanted / needed to get on the road headed home. After breakfast we were cleaning up the kitchen when we looked outside to find her lil dude taking a swim in his little pool. It was so funny, he said he wanted to go swim and well he went. How can you get mad at that cute face though right, we just laughed it off and went back to what we were doing. 

A bit later I packed up my things and was on my way, it was so nice to see Rae and her fam again. Its been 3 years since they've left Hawaii. We always hung out, did bbq's & holidays together so having a slice of that back in the middle of chaos was nice. 

Just as the rental car company was dropping me off at the dealer, the service tech pulled up with my car. Everything checked out fine and works properly just if it was brand new. Thank goodness because I don't think I could handle a single ounce of bad news in regards to this car. After handing over my payment gulp :( the detectable I was back behind the wheel. I've never been more happy to get rid of a rental, that thing was AWFUL!!!!!!

One last stop before I really headed home, another one I'd been looking forward to today. I was meeting up with a fellow blogger friend for the first time. She lives just outside the DC city and happened to be free this afternoon. We met up at a local park right near her home so her cute little one could play while we got to know one another more. I love how the blog world can bring people together from all over the world and all walks of life. Aside from the fact that we totally 50 questioned each other trying to get to know one another you would have though we would have met before. It was a wonderful afternoon and I can't wait to met up again and see whats in store. 

When I was driving to the park I noticed signs for local fresh BBQ, and if you know me at all you know I LOVE LOVE BBQ. Its one of my all time favorite foods, since it was just after lunch time and I hadn't eaten yet I figured I'd try to find were the signs were leading and grab me some grub. Sure enough I found my self pulling into a local parking lot were there was a couple different vendors set up selling fresh fruits, veggies, other things (that I didn't check out) and BBQ. I ordered me a plate doubling up the slaw vs. beans and I had myself a tasty lunch. It was just the pick me up I needed to tell myself I COULD make the long drive home. 

I made it home just a little after 8pm not late at all, just shortly after the hubby got home from work. Boy was I glad to see him and the pups again, I sure did miss my love. 

~DAY 233~

Adventures on the Gorge

Our adventure that we were suppose to endure on Thursday was moved to today. Thankfully we were able to reschedule with out any issues. 

We were going Zip lining yall, I've never been. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous at first. We were doing two different tours Gravity first then Tree Tops. Going EXTREME then MELLOWING out a bit. 
Here's a brief bit of info on Gravity that I got on line to help better explain what we did. 


~~~~On Gravity, you're zipping from mountain ridge to mountain ridge. The views are stunning and so is the height and speed. Gravity climaxes with the 3100-foot long Adrena-Line, the longest and fasts single zip line in the eastern U.S. Adrena-Line zippers routinely hit speeds of over 55 mph! And the best part? There are two of them side by side, so you can race your friends!
This open-air zipline soars a jaw-dropping 200 feet above the ground at its highest point taking riders on over a 1.5 mile long tour that zigzags across the ridgeline of a mountain bowl and offers amazing birds-eye views of the legendary gorge and the changing fall foliage in the valley below.
You'll start from a platform on one of the highest points above the valley launching into two consecutive warm-up zips, each about 500 feet long. Then, the real action kicks-in with the third zip crossing a distance of 1800 feet over the bowl of the mountain. The fourth and fifth heart-stopping zips stretch 1,600 and 1,300 feet, respectively, reaching heights of about 200 feet above the ground and speeds up to 50 miles per hour.  Next is the LONGEST zip line on the East Coast - AdrenaLine.  AdrenaLine is 3150 feet long and will get you moving 50-60 miles per hour!~~~~

Here we are getting "schooled" at ground school on the do's & don't of zip lining and how it all works. This one was only 3 feet of the ground from here we went to the next one which was 500 feet off the ground, still in "ground school". After completing and passing through the first zip I was set. I wasn't nervous any more, just ready to get going.

Waiting our turn on the first zip. Don't we just look so cute with our hats on :). I had a blast, the views were beautifully breath taking. So glad I was able to experience this with the Spouse her mom and B, we had loads of fun.

This gives you a idea of how long the zips really are, you can get going really fast if you tuck your knees and lean back. If you look closely at the picture below to the left you can see the deck in the background were I came from. The picture below on the right is the double zip, the spouse and I raced but some how she got a freaking awesome start and beat me out of the water.

All four of us!!!! The last & longest zip AdrenaLine still to come.

S & I coming in on the double zip below to the left. She's on the left & I'm to the right.
After Gravity was over we had a few hours to wait till our TreeTop tour. Lunch was included in our package which we chowed down on while we waited, it was so yummy. Buffet style all you can eat, pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, mash potato's & salad. We all manage to take a little cat nap in the car after lunch, we were so tired from getting up early and making the two hour drive out to Adventures on the Gorge. Our TreeTop tour got going just before 2pm and before the rain started coming in. They told us that they still go through with the tours until it starts to thunder storm and lightening is spotted. All strapped up, we went through "ground school again" (since it was completely different than Gravity we had to go through it again.)
Here's a brief bit of info on what TreeTops is.
~~~~You will complete 10 zip lines. Zip lines vary in length from just over 100 feet to as long as 730 feet, with zip speeds of up to  30 miles an hour! You will walk on 5 sky bridges, take 3 short hikes to gain elevation and end your adventure with a rappel down from the final platform!~~~~

We were about 2 1/2 -3 zip's into our afternoon when the sky let loose, crazy buckets of rain pouring on us. No big deal we kept going on, some of us had jackets on but it was still pretty cold. Sadly the weather got CRAZY!!!!! The wind picked up and literally pushed the trees in over the zip lines causing them to disappear for a moment. We still had a few people on the farther platform that we had to get over to were the rest of the group was. As we heard them communicating over their walkie talkie about what needed to be done, we hugged the tree as tight as we could. You could see the platform swaying back and forth as the wind picked up. Finally we were all on one platform crouched down together as our tour guides fixed up the rappel ropes. It was unsafe to keep going on, with the tree branches closing in on the lines we had no choice but to rappel down a 30ft something high tree. To say I was freaked would be a complete understatement, I was terrified to no end. One by one we rappelled down the tree, my thing all day was I couldn't go first and I couldn't go last, just something about it made me uneasy. Finally it was my turn, leaving S & B behind me, the instructor hooked me up and I lost it. Yup, I cried like a baby I was terrified, I just knew I was going to go crashing to the bottom. After about 3 attempts I finally somehow made my way to solid ground, tears running down my face and all. I think if the whole situation was different and we weren't having to "emergency" evacuate I wouldn't have been as freaked. Sadly this was the end of our tour :(, we were given two options. We could either sit it out and wait for the rain to pass and start over or we could get a rain check. We went with the rain check, I was heading back to DC for the night and S & B were heading to Ohio for the weekend, we both needed to get on the road. Thankfully the rain check is good for TWO YEARS so we will be able to come back next summer and make a weekend out of it. There is so much to do there at the facility Whitewater Rafting, Walking the Cat walk of the New River Gorge Bridge and more. I couldn't help but think that none of this would have happened if I wouldn't have hit that tire the day before. I know it wasn't my fault and I didn't seek it out to hit but still it through a wrench in our plans.
(the picture below to the right is one of the very few I got from TreeTops)















We were soaked from the rain but that didn't keep me from snapping one last picture of the spouse & I before we headed out. I HATE hate HATE goodbyes, even if its just a see you soon it still SUCKS major!!!! We'll be back together in October for our week long trip with the Mistress aka Nancy but that seems like forever away. I had a fabulous trip so many new experiences and memories made that I will never forget. I can't wait to come back for our weekend here at the park, and since we will have plenty of time to plan the hubbs will get to come as well.

Back on the road for me to the DC / VA area, it was a LONG AWFUL 5 hour drive, more on that one to come along with my day back in the city tomorrow!!!! 

~DAY 232~