Friday, November 30, 2012

Fill in the Blank Friday #26


(Lauren @ the little things we do)



1. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is...   maintain a cheery attitude, although, this is probably fairly helpful for day to day activities as well.  

2. The holiday season is   something I feel like I've missed out on from being in bootcamp and overseas, along with fall.  I try my best to soak in every moment, from the allergies/cold, runny nose to the midi christmas music that the stores have been playing since Halloween.  I appreciate it now more than I ever did before I joined the Navy.  You really just don't know how good you have it until you don't have it anymore, seriously.  

3. When it comes to holiday decorating...   I'm a huge fan of color year round, so you can bet that it bleeds into the Christmas season as well.  I've never had a "fashion-conscious" Cmas tree, ever.  I always dream of how pretty it would be, but I can't tear myself from my colored lights and my personal ornaments.  I also hang garland and lights randomly throughout the living spaces.  There's a house down the street that has decorations outside and they are my favorite part of coming home/taking Phil on a jog after dark.  

4. The thing I look forward to most about the holidays is   the lights.  That probably definitely confirms that I am Teh Mom's daughter.  She's a HUGE fan of Cmas lights.  Also, I'm a huge gift giver, so I like hearing how much people loved the gift I got for them, especially when I put lots of thought into the "perfect" gift... (sometimes too much thought... like the "alarm clock" for Teh Bear last year......)

5. My favorite holiday tradition is   We didn't really have many traditions, but one that I went through a period of not really liking, but miss it now...  is that Teh Mom and Teh Sister and I (and whoever else was around on Cmas eve) would read the Bible story of Jesus's birth.  I miss that one the most.  The other holiday tradition we had was hanging our personal ornaments on the top of the Cmas tree, which I still do.  

6. This year my Christmas plans include   hanging out with Teh Phil for the time being.  If the schedule works out, then there is a possibility of my going home, home, but I'm not planning on it if I have to drive back to S.MD on Cmas day.  

7. My favorite holiday food is   Lemon pie, then chocolate pie, then stuffing from inside the turkey, then sweet potato casserole, then Teh Mom's lumpy mashed potatoes, then more lemon pie, then chocolate pie for a snack later.  



Monday, November 26, 2012

Why 4-day weekends should be longer...

 My motto for Monday was, "I have more to be thankful for... so I'ma need more days off."

I didn't want to get out of bed and go to work, I didn't want to be at work, I didn't want to put on my uniform, I didn't want to leave Phil.  But I did it, cause that's what adults do.

My weekend started on Wednesday night.  I don't recall what happened Wednesday night, so it might have been me sitting at home, surfing channels/trying to find something that wouldn't distract me from editing vacation photos, hanging out with Phil.

Thursday, the fun began.  Kody (the dog I was keeping) woke me up before 8.  He didn't understand sleeping in.  Although, he definitely understood taking naps.  Usually after going out in the cold and being fed.  PS, as much as I go on about Kody, he is a great dog.  He's a puppyhead through and through and his snuggles and kisses make up for all the abuse and things he's destroyed.  I edited photos while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (on CBS since the ABC lady was scary, although I learned that NBC is the channel to watch).  I chatted with Teh Bear for a while until it was time to get ready to head to Thanksgiving dinner at Teh Singing Cat Lady's in-laws.  I wasn't planning on doing anything for Thanksgiving, so I was very excited that I was invited to their dinner.  Everything was delicious, AND there was stuffing from the turkey's butt, which meant that Thanksgiving was complete!  After socializing for a while and agreeing to go Black Friday shopping with Teh Singing Cat Lady at 0600, we had pie and I had to head back to my house so I could take the dogs for a walk before it got too dark.

This getting dark early thing is for the birds, despite how much I love the dark, 6:30pm was such a better time for it to get dark.

After the dogs were walked, I did more photo editing and finally headed to bed, where I learned (via late night text messaging) that Teh Humanitarian had been home all day and hadn't went out of town as she had planned!  I roped her into going shopping with us in a mere 6ish hours and finally went to sleep.

Too few hours later, I woke up to Suzy (my cell phone) telling me it was time to get up.  Kody and Phil were both like, WTF, mate?  Phil didn't even move until I jingled his leash/collar to signal it was time to go business.  After the dogs were fed, it was time to meet Teh Singing Cat Lady, so we headed out.  We hit up JCPenny's, Belk's, and Target before Teh Singing Cat Lady started having belly issues and bailed on us.  Teh Humanitarian and I trekked on through Dick's Sporting Goods and Kohl's.  We came home for a break and I talked her into going to Waldorf with me to get Yurtle's (my car) oil changed.

After we got back, Teh Humanitarian and I each brought up a load of stuff (she was leaving here stuff here so Teh Coast Guardian wouldn't see any of his presents).  I went back down to get the remainder of the items we'd left in Yurtle and stopped to talk to Teh Flying Metal Mouth for less than 10 minutes.  When I came back upstairs, loaded down with 30 pounds of dog food on my shoulder and 15 pounds of Pyrex in my other hand, I was blocked by Teh Humanitarian who said to me, "I didn't know what to do since it wasn't Phil..."

She then allowed me to enter my apartment.  I looked around and didn't see anything that I was going to be upset about.  I set down the stuff and she led me into the spare room where all the items we had bought were.  Still in the Kohl's bag was the brand new dog bed that Phil was going to get for Christmas...  except it looked like this:


I wasn't even mad.  I actually took the photo while laughing and sent it to Kody's Mom.  Teh Humanitarian knew it was Kody since he finished his "project" and came up to her with green fuzz on his nose.. that and Phil had been standing beside her while she'd been talking on the phone getting pettin's.

When it was time to leave, we met my new downstairs neighbors on the way to the car and it turns out the husband works with Teh Coast Guardian.  We made it to Waldorf and dropped off Yurtle, then we crossed 8 lanes of traffic (probably not our brightest idea ever) to go shopping at TJ Maxx and grab a late lunch since neither of us had eaten on our shopping break.

We got lucky that the Kia service guy couldn't recreate the noise that Yurtle was making, so he picked us up in the shopping center we were at.  It's a very strange feeling to flag down someone driving your car.  After a 20 minute search for speed bumps in the closest residential area and shopping centers, I decided that the lack of speed bumps in Waldorf was probably a population control thing and gave up.  We found 2 speed bumps at a gas station and then some small speed bumps at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and still we couldn't recreate the noise.  On our way back into the dealership, we went over a speed bump and we all laughed since we'd been unable to find one.  The Service Guy said he didn't even know that speed bump was there which made it even funnier.  After dropping him off, we headed back to the shopping centers because we are hard-chargers.

First off, we refueled on canolis then hit up the Five Below store next door.  It was like we'd entered knick-knack heaven.  When we left, I checked my watch and realized it was 6pm and it was time to feed the beasts!  We headed back home and finally concluded the (successful) shopping day.

Saturday, I had thought was going to be a day where I'd sleep in and do mostly no moving to make up for Friday, except in that plan I had forgotten that I'd agreed to baby-sit for my LPO/boss while she moved.  She verified my arrival at noon while I was chatting with Teh Bear.  Finally, I got ready and drove 1 minute down the street to her, soon to be former, house.  I got to play with the baby while everyone was packing and moving stuff, but everyone agreed I had the hardest job.  :)

Right as I got in Yurtle to head over, this happened:
Teh Bear: Hey, serious question. Justin just called and told me that the Target near me still has Nook's in stock for $50...I need to know, should I get it or were you going to/already handled that?
Teh Megan: Tell justin to call me? :)
tB: lol (a minute later) alright you caught me, I TOTALLY called to see if they had any and they did
tM: Lol.. Go get it
tB: hahahah
tB: ok
tB: sorry if I 'ruined' your gift for me  
tB: I'll try and make up for it
tB: which pretty much means I'll have to REALLY work at your gift this year
tM: Lol, its ok  
tM: We'll see what happens.

After the last load had been delivered to the new location and brought inside, all the help went home.  Despite how tired I was, I ventured over to Teh Coast Guardian/Teh Humanitarian apartment to meet my new downstairs neighbors and hang out for a bit.  By 9pm, I was pooped and I could tell I was getting grouchy, so I came home and chatted with Teh Bear for a few minutes..  where I further learned that he hadn't called Target, he was there picking up some groceries and "wandered over" to the electronics section where he saw they were still in stock.  He actually came home to message me to find out if I had purchased a Nook for him (since I went Black Friday shopping) and then went back to Target (this is the same guy who hates having to go to a further store which is more than 2 minutes down the road) to pick up his very own Nook.

This "scenario" will never be lived down.  Mostly because he lied about it, twice to me, which I find pretty amusing.

Sunday held church in the morning, returns to Belk's and Target for an item I had purchased duplicates of as I found it cheaper and cheaper at the next store, then back home to skype with Teh Bear.  I snuck in a nap when Teh Bear had to leave, which was deeeeelightful.  I finally had to will myself to get up after 2 hours because I knew I'd never go to sleep that night if I didn't.  I also willed myself to take Phil out on a run.  We really slacked off last week since it was a holiday and before that was vacation and before that was "walking training."  We're trying to get back into it, but I can tell Phil isn't where he used to be.  Now, after a mile Phil is pulling me back where before vacation, he would go the full 2 miles without too much drag.

That evening, I got motivated and decided to cook dinner.  Chicken and salmon were easy to thaw from the freezer, so I invited the new downstairs neighbors and Teh Humanitarian/Teh Coast Guardian over for dinner.  They brought the sides and I provided the meat and dessert.  After dinner and dessert, Teh Humanitarian and I wrapped Cmas presents and everyone else socialized outside while smoking hookah.

Overall, it was a very successful 4-day weekend.  I wished there was more days to add to a 4-day weekend, so it would be an infinite-day weekend, that would be delightful!

I am continuing to work on editing photos.  It really is slow going since I've been so busy.  Ya'll remember back in the day when I didn't have so many friends and didn't do anything but sit around and play on the internetz and write blogs?  Yeah, those were the days.

One day I'll get the recaps complete.  YAY for this being my blog and I do what I wawnt!!!





stillbeingmollyPhotobucket

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Pre-Adventures with Teh Bear

There was this one time..  that I was afraid that I wasn't going to get to go on my very much planned out and long awaited vacation.  That one time.. was at the end of October.  I'm 100% certain that at least 75% of the zits that popped up on my face within the last week and a half of the month were due to Hurricane Sandy stress.

I wasn't worried about my power going out, I wasn't worried about getting wet, I wasn't worried about Phil, I wasn't even worried about starving (I didn't go to the Commissary until 2 days after we knew a hurricane was pulling in)...  No, I was worried beyond all measures of sanity about not getting to go on leave.

All my plans of Denver, the Grand Canyon, hand-holding with Teh Bear, Renn Faire, Biltmore... all those plane tickets and admission tickets that I'd already paid hundreds of dollars for.. GONE.  I was beyond worried, ya'll.

On the other hand, I did get to spend some quality time with Teh Humanitarian and Teh Coast Guardian and Teh Korean and Teh Flying Metal-Mouth.  Since we were out of work on Monday and Tuesday we banded together against the storm.

Honestly, Hurricane Sandy didn't really affect Pax River that much.  We got lots of rain and wind probably some flooding in some areas.  But, Phil wasn't even deterred by Sandy.  I donned my Goretex pants and coat (thanks GTMO) and put Phil in his fleece jacket and we braved the storm for morning and afternoon potty walks.  Our walks weren't as long as normal, but I learned the hard way after not taking Phil on his walk on Sunday evening, that Phil's walks are an integral part of Phil being a less needy dog.

Teh Phil had the aft watch!
After some tangles in the pre-hurricane plans (as in, leaving a day later than I had planned), I went into work on Halloween and was released early.  I packed up the car in a tizzy, leaving Phil as much room as possible, which was a lot more than he got on the way back to MD, and headed to NC.

Upon arriving in NC, I dropped Phil off with Teh Dad and Teh BFF and I went out to get Yurtle inspected before the mechanic shops started to close.  My original goal was to have arrived in Lenoir the night prior so I could take care of all Yurtle's stuff in one day, but that didn't work out.. so I saved the taxes/tag stuff for the next day.
Also:  HAPPY ONE YEAR IN TEH MEGAN'S OWNERSHIP, YURTLE!!!!  Yurtle was at 16,500ish miles at the one year mark.  She's so good!

After Yurtle passed inspection, Teh BFF and I headed to Not-Quite-Podunk, NC to go to Dick's Sporting Goods for some hiking socks for me and then to Target to browse and then we made the worst decision we've made as shopping adults...  We went to the mall on Halloween.  The safest place in the entire mall was the lingerie store.  It was like a conga line of dressed up children and disparaged teenagers and mostly tortured parents.... that went the entire length of the entire mall.  /wrist.

We then made an equally bad choice to go to Wal-Mart on a Friday night.  Since being a freak is perfectly acceptable on Halloween, there were plenty of flags a' flyin'.  Teh BFF and I had our nails did.  I even did fingernail polish for the first time since before I left Bahrain (when painting my fingernails was part of my costume).

After all the excitement, it was my bedtime.  The next day was the official start of vacation since I was getting to Raleigh that evening to fly out on Friday morning.

After a haircut with Teh BFF, it was time to get Yurtle all squared away.  Which meant a stop at the tax office where I learned that my car taxes had been due 3ish months after buying the car... Meaning, last March.  Somehow, North Carolina had found and used my Bahrain mailing address, so the bills never reached me (surprise).  I paid the bill with only a mild dose of bitterness, then we were off to the tag place where I ordered my NC State vanity plate.  Woo!

After all the errands were accomplished, it was time to re-pack my stuff in the car and start headed to Raleigh so I could beat rush hour.  Teh Advising Sister had offered to let me stay with her for the night since my flight left in the morning, saving me from the 3 hour drive to Raleigh the morning of my flight.  We caught up for a little bit then headed out to dinner at a place called Tra'li which was described as an Irish Pub.  The food felt very English, so I agreed with their theme and there were choirs of angels rejoicing when I realized that Sticky Toffee Pudding was an option on the menu.  I ordered it and was pretty disappointed, but I was still excited to even see it as an option in the US.

We watched a movie that I can't even remember the name of anymore it was so bad then it was bedtime.  Teh Advising Sister got up the next morning to attend her bootcamp workout class and I got up and showered and packed up Yurtle.  I was waiting on her to get home so I could thank her for letting me crash at her house and to say bye and she was very confused when I explained that I had already loaded my stuff in the car.  She then said to me, "But I thought I was bringing you to the airport!"  I explained that she didn't have to do that, but she insisted, because she's awesome.  She said that parking at the airport was stupid and expensive and Yurtle was fine at her house (which is in a gated community) and that she was planning on picking Teh Bear and I up when we returned.

Speechless, I accepted her offer and I reloaded all of my stuff into her car.  She dropped me off at the airport and I went to check-in where I learned that I needed to drop 12 pounds from my luggage... or be charged $90.  Seriously?  I had to call Teh Advising Sister back and ask her to come take some stuff.  Very patiently, she came back for me and took some stuff with her.  Remember when I said she's awesome?  She is.

It wasn't actually snowing.. it was just chilly.  :(

Good-bye RDU, I'll see you in a week!

Teh Bear huntin'.

After a very long 2 hour flight, we finally landed in Minneapolis.  I practically walk-sprinted to my next gate, all the while keeping an eye out for my scheduled surprise.  I looked all around at the next departing gate and couldn't find my personally planned surprise, so I decided to go bear hunting.

I didn't get far before I found Teh Bear!!!  His plane had landed a concourse away so he'd had to hike to our departing concourse/gate.  After hugs and bathroom breaks, we headed to the gate to wait on our flight to Denver..  WOoooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

I found a Teh Bear!!!!!!!!  Woooo!





Vacation Recap Map:

Pre-vacation    (this blog)
Being in Denver for the weekend, part 1  
Being in Denver for the weekend, part 2
Being in AZ for half the week, part 1
Being in AZ for half the week, part 2
Being in AZ for half the week, part 3
Being in NC for an extended weekend
-Carolina Renn Faire (photos)
-Biltmore Flowers (photos)
Being in MD for the remainder of vacation

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Reflections of a dutiful watchstander... #2

I'm on watch again.  Holding down the proverbial VX-1 "fort," making sure the fire department arrives with expeidence if anything catches on fire, and making sure that all calls are transfered to their proper destination...  WOOO. 

I've got 8 whole hours of this... let's get this party started!

-I hope this watch passes quickly.

-I really like when my duty driver goes out on a run and he can also pick up "supplies" for me.

-Why does one schedule the special duty driver to make a run if there is only one vehicle for the command currently, which means that if the van is gone, the regular duty driver doesn't have anything to do... except relieve me for lunch.... 

-I would totally have edited photos my entire watch if we were allowed to bring our laptops.  I'll probably write blogs in the meantime, in additions to my comments here.  Hooyah productivity.

-Holy crap.  A Ford F2/350 just drove by the hangar.  It was painted white.. but had camo trim.  To include camo print window covers and a runner stripe along the bottom of the truck..  I think some of these folks need to take the redneck down a few levels, seriously.

-You can really fit a lot into a seabag.  It's funny to see women my size (5'2") carry something that weighs almost as much as them. 

-Awww, CO, it's funny when you think I'm someone I'm not, then tell me that we look alike (the person he thought I was).. when in actuality, we don't.  She has strawberry blond hair, I have brown hair.  She has to wear her hair back becuase it's long, I don't.  I don't work with aircraft, she does...  At least we're both kinda psycho...  But, if I had been nominated to take a pie in the face, I would have eaten the whole pie.... 

-When the Skipper is a normal person and talks to me in a friendly way, it catches me off guard... always.  This is the same guy that almost put me to sleep when I had my scheduled meeting with him when I checked into VX-1.  Off.Guard.

-I'm spoiled by vacation.  Why do we have to work tomorrow?????  Ugh.. Why couldn't we have a 5 day weekend for Thanksgiving.. I'd be SUPER thankful for that.

-Bing, why do you even exist?  You are the "wannabe" search engine that will never be Google.  Microsoft just needs to acknowledge this and start setting Google as the default search provider in Internet Exploder... or stop making Internet Exploder, that would be the best move.  That way NMCI would have to switch internet browsers.  I should be thanked for all these good ideas I have.

-Holy crap.. It's only been 2.5 hours.  This getting dark early crap throws me off.  UUUUGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH.  During the summer when it got dark, it meant there was only a few hours left.  This shit sucks.

-YAY Lunch break!
a.  Kody is a silly puppy.
b.  It's so much easier to manage food with 2 dogs with the crate being put into use.
c.  YAY for seeing the house with all the Cmas lights 3x tonight!! 
d.  To the person that keeps parking in MY spot every time I'm not home when you get home.  You're a douche.  Seriously.  Find your own spot.
e.  I seriously love 40-50°F.  It's my fave.
f.  Boo for missing Teh Bear on my break.

-Boo to coming back to duty.  Only 3.5 more hours to go!

-YAY for parking in unauthorized spots that are closer to the duty office and not having to walk in the dark to my car at midnight.

-I feel like the night won't be complete without at least one game of Bubbles.

-I'm still super excited for all the folks that made rank this time around.  I actually get excited every single time I see someone's name I know on the lists for advancement.  I always remember how excited Miss Reflective and I were about advancing and in the military, there are few things to get that excited about.  I feel proud to know several people that have deserved to be advanced for a while now and finally picked it up this time around (or last time, in a few people's cases). 

-I've had a rough time today and yesterday about not getting Junior Sailor of the Year/Quarter/Month.  I've been sad and at the same time, upset at myself for being petty..  Although, I am a Petty Officer, so I feel like some of that pettiness is validated (hehehe).  I was glad not to have to work today (since I'm on duty tonight) so I wouldn't have to listen to people apologize for me not getting the award.  It's been a back and forth day for me becuase I feel like I deserved it, but at the same time, the persons that won these awards also deserved it (via a subjective (imo) board).  It is what it is.  Maybe next time... And all that other encouraging crap.  I suggest we create an award for the "Black Shoe of the Year".. There's less than 10 of us total.  We can just pass the award around.  I mean there's an "Airman of the Year" and "Mechanic of the Year"...  I totally feel like "Black Shoe of the Year" is valid since we don't fall under either of those 2 awards.  I'm only half joking. 

For my non-military/Navy Gentle Readers..  "Black shoes" are those people that are NOT a part of the aviation community.  The aviation community (when they reach rank E7 and above) are allowed to wear brown shoes, which is a way they distinguish themselves from sea-faring sailors.  Aka, the aviation community is "special" and they want everyone to know by their shoe color....  Yep, totally went there.  :)

-I should be reading my "Game of Thrones" book.  Apparently, Teh Bear is almost finished with book #3 and I have book #4 and he's going to want to read it and he will give me shit for reading so slowly if I'm not done with it soon.  I'm about halfway through it, which I feel is pretty good considering how busy I've been.  Most of that was accomplished during plane rides.

-"Because when I arrive
I, I'll bring the fire.
Make you come alive
I can take you higher
What this is, forgot?
I must now remind you
Let It Rock
Let It Rock
Let It Rock"
Yeah, that just happened.  What?  That was totally my ring tone while I was at NMITC. 

-FB is boring me.  But I'm a blog writing FIEND.  I'm up to the Grand Canyon... wooo, halfway through blog writing.. Sadly, the end was way more busy than the beginning....

-2 more hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ugh.

-15 minutes passes more slowly in the duty office than in my work office.  But I'm being so blog productive, I almost like it.

-1.5 more hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-The AC/heater in the duty office is annoying.  It's either too cold or too hot.  My fingers are getting cold.  Probably from all the typing I've done this evening.  We're back in Phoenix!

-Best idea for the duty office ever:  setting the moniter on 2 4" binders so I didn't have to look down at the screen all night, meaning my back doesn't hurt as bad as it used to during prior watches!

-Sometimes, when you try to help someone out and they make excuses not to do the work and then it bites them in the ass (big time) when they don't.. I get really happy.  Sorry you didn't get that job because you never got the clearance I was helping you get because you were "too busy" on DET to fill out the paperwork.. the same paperwork that someone else on that same DET completed.  Enjoy your civilian life, good buddy.  BAahahahahahahhaa.

-Yay for having completely filled out the logbook on my last watch.  That means that there's no more pages that need to be filled in by Miss OCD (me).

-I'm always very amused by the security folks who ride the bike with the basket in the front around the hangar.  I can't take you seriously on that bike.  It's like an adult tri-cycle.  Where is your self-respect?

-I'm pretty sure 40-50% of this watch has been spent waiting on Internet Exploder to switch between tabs.  What self-respecting network continues to use such a crappy browser?  Seriously?  SERIOUSLY NMCI!  MAN UP!

-Talking with Teh Bear makes watch pass quicker.  Although, him going to see Wreck-It-Ralph without me makes me sad.. especially since he was here A WEEK AGO... WTF, TEH BEAR?

-I turned the heat up.  It's warm again.  But I know if I open the window, I'll be chilly.  First world problems.

-It really is unfortunate that NMCI has blocked Google Chat.  That really makes my life difficult.  Assholes.

-I just remembered that this isn't Chrome so there's probably a mabillion spelling/grammar issues in this post.  Oh well!  NCMI Problems.... :(

-It's also annoying that because NMCI hasn't updated to the newest Internet Exploder browser, Blogger doesn't load correctly and I can't use the buttons to make links/attach photos/strike through words because they don't have keyboard shortcuts... Again, First World Problems AND NMCI problems.

-I could keep doing vacation recap blogs... or play Bubbles.  It's a very hard decision at this point, but I feel like blogging is a more effective use of my time... now that my fingers are no longer numb.

-30 more minutes!!!!

-I'm halfway through NC part 2!  OMG so much accomplished this evening!  WOOOO!!!  It really is unfortunate that I couldn't edit photos, cause that would mean so many blogs to publish/schedule!

-OMG OMG OMG 10 minutes (if I'm relieved on time)!!!

-WOO RELIEVED ON TIME!!!!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Vacation Hangover

I'm working on vacation recap posts, in addition to editing photos, but in the meantime, I figured I'd try to get back on the blogging track with a weekend recap.... which is soooo much simpler than recapping 2 weeks with Teh Bear.

So Friday was my Monday and Friday, since it was the last day of the work week, but my first day back to work after being on vacation for 2 whole weeks.  That's still strange to me that I took 2 whole weeks of vacation to actually vacation.  I kinda walked into a disaster, but things quickly calmed down and the work day wasn't as bad as I had feared it was going to be.  I left work at 3 to start my weekend.

I came home and took Phil on a walk/run.  We're trying to get back in the groove of things since I haven't worked out (except for lots of walking around) while on vacation, and then the few weeks prior to vacation I was "practicing my walking" because Teh Bear told me he'd leave me to die in the Grand Canyon if I hurt myself because I wasn't prepared.  True story, Ya'll, true story.  We really need to get back on the running train fast because I stepped on a scale Friday morning after my swim and I was NOT pleased.

After our outside time, we came in, then Phil actually vomited on my leg.  There was actually food chunks in the vomit, which made it worse than if it had just been water spit up.  I couldn't even yell.  I was too amazed that he'd actually projectile vomited on my LEG.  Can't even make this stuff up.

I made dinner and then headed to game night with our 20/30s Group at church.  A little bit later, I got the message from another Greyhound mom that she was on her way to my house.  I volunteered to watch Kody, her crazy dog, over Thanksgiving.  I came home to meet her and after chatting for a little bit, she left and we started getting settled in.  I did do some photo editing that evening, but I only made a not-real-dent in the 2300 photos.  /siiiigh.

Kody says, "Where you sleepin' tonight?"
Kody isn't like Phil.  Kody is very vocal and Kody is "broken."  Meaning... Kody gets on the furniture, which I definitely do NOT mind.  I love snuggles, and Phil isn't a snuggler.  So Kody and I shared my, apparently, not large enough queen size bed and he energetically woke me up Saturday morning at 0530, 0600, 0630, and finally, I succumbed at 0700.  At 7 in the morning, Kody barked his excitement at me and I might have barked back..  something to the effect of, "ENOUGH!"  After everyone went business and had breakfast, I decided it was naptime after being awake for only 2 hours.

I stood up Teh Singing Cat Lady in order to sleep a little more, which I felt kinda bad about, but I didn't want to get tired and irritated if we were out, so I went the route of being a bad friend and backing out of our adventure that morning instead.  Teh Bear finally roused me out of bed with his message at 11.  We got to have a Skype date (which warrants a :) and :( face since we got to chat, but we were no longer face to face chatting) which included watching an episode of Game of Thrones.  After Teh Bear left to go to work, I decided on an early run/walk with the doggies then came back to go on a photo editing spree.

My dent this time was a little more significant.  I got through 1 whole day of events, which is a lot, which you'll understand better once vacation recaps start.  Most of the pics really are pieces of panoramics which is why there are 2300 photos.  One panoramic is usually at least 3-5 photos.

Saturday evening, I played the 5th wheel to Teh Humanitarian, Teh Coast Guardian, Teh Flying Metal Mouth, and Teh Korean (and their baby, which kinda makes me the 6th wheel, if you count babies).  We were going to go to a French place in Leonardtown, but the wait was going to be 1.5 hours, so I suggested Salsa's, a Mexican place that Teh Bear and I had went to with Teh Singing Cat Lady and Teh Guitar Playing Podcaster this past week.  The wait at Salsa's was only 30 minutes, so we all packed into Yurtle to stay warm, since there was no where inside to stand.

The food was delicious again and afterwards, we all came home stuffed and with leftovers.  My companions agreed they were going to go on dates to the French place.  I told them my date was far away now.  After dinner, Teh Humanitarian came over for a little bit, then I worked on photos a little more and uploaded some to FB so Teh Bear would stop giving me crap about not showing people my photos after vacation.  He is still bitter about Scotland pics taking a month to be edited and get posted...  Really, I think he's bitter because while he was in MD in May, he didn't ask to look at my Scotland photos, so all he ever saw was what I was (very slowly) posting.  Wah.  I do what I wawnt.

Not helping myself get back on my normal time schedule, I finally went to bed around midnight.  Kody let me sleep till 0700 this morning, when he proceeded to step on my arm, barely missing my face.  I had to "bark" at him again, but I got up and everyone got to go business and had breakfast.  After church, I headed to Kohl's to acquire a Christmas tree.  I wasn't actually sure they were going to have what I was looking for, but I'd heard they had some good sales going on, and I had a coupon (when don't I have Kohl's coupons?), so I figured it was a good place to start.

I knew that I wanted a 4 foot, non-lit tree.  I walked around the minuscule Christmas section at our Kohl's while talking to Teh Dad since we missed our regular Saturday call.  Then, I found a 4 ft tree, which was actually the hardest part of tree hunting.  I'd seen 3.5 ft and 5 ft+ at the places I'd looked online, so I was pretty discouraged.  Unfortunately, this tree was pre-lit, but I bought it anyway since it was only $20.  I also bought a few other things, including a $1.99 pillow that matched one that I bought a few months ago (that I couldn't find a mate to at the time (score!)).

I came home and chatted with Teh Bear for a little bit, while de-lighting the tree, before he left for work.  Once he left, I got motivated on my Christmas decorating.

Quick tanget:
Yes, I am decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving.
1.  I wasn't able to really decorate last year since all my belongings were in the black hole that is customs.
2.  Thanksgiving is only a few days away.  Between now and Thanksgiving, I have to work and I have duty one night.  If I need supplies, I probably won't acquire them during the work week due to lack of motivation and tiredness and having an extra dog (just to be precautionary).
3.  I decorated in Bahrain, but with everything I already owned (despite having the space for a mega-huge tree), since buying Christmas stuff in an Arabic nation probably would have gotten my car IED-ed.
4.  I was also using limited resources in GTMO due to size constrants.  Not to say that my Cmas tree balancing on the side of my counter wasn't super cute, but I knew that I'd like to pretend to be an adult with a real, big, tree.
5.  The year before that I was in bootcamp for Christmas.. and Thanksgiving.. and New Years..  There weren't Christmas trees... except the paper ones that Teh Mom sent with some quilled papers so we could decorate the Christmas tree notepad.  Super awesome thought, even if we didn't get to decorate them.  She even sent a glue stick that I had to get RDC approval to keep.
6.  Ok, the year before that I probably had a real Christmas, but I wasn't on my own yet, so it wasn't a "Megan" Christmas then either.
7.  I do what I wawnt.
8.  Yes, I care about Thanksgiving.  As much as I care about Halloween.  I LOVE FOODS.
9.  I also care about Thanksgiving because it means free lunch on Monday from the Khaki's (E7 and above for my non-Navy/military) in addition to days off of work.
10.  Stuffing cooked in the turkey is my favorite food ever.  Seriously.  But stuffing from the turkey is only cooked once (or twice if you have turkey at Christmas) a year.  Do not tell me that I don't appreciate Thanksgiving...  OR I WILL BITE YOUR HAND.

See that was quick..  :)

WOLF!
PACK!
I pulled out all my Cmas boxes from the storage closets.  I didn't have as much stuff as I thought I did, which is ok with me.  Most of it ended up being wrapping type stuff that I bought last year during after Cmas sales with Teh BFF.  I collected all my travel ornaments from my trips this year, in addition to the ornaments that were stashed away in a box and put them on the tree.  Then.. I took all the ornaments off so I could put lights on the tree.  My 4 foot tree has 300 lights on it.  That's how you know I'm Teh Mom's daughter.

I'm making a list of things I want to pick up for decorating, including more garland (for the tree), a tree skirt, a stocking holder for the shelf.  Hopefully, I will acquire these items before Thanksgiving, but if not, then I'll have a reason to go out on Black Friday... bwahahah.

After re-lighting the tree, I hung garland and my Merry Christmas sign from Teh Bear's Bahrain Christmas box that he sent me last year, hung some lights around the bar area, and hung my ornament bar (circa Christmas 2011) in the window.  I also wrapped some garland around my banister outside and rehung my wind chimes that I took down pre-Hurricane Sandy.

I made some delicious bbq chicken for dinner and Teh Humanitarian came over for a little bit to socialize and see my hard work.

It was definitely a good weekend to re-start getting back into "work" mode.. bwahahah, who am I kidding.. It's a short work week!  YAY Thanksgiving/holidays!








stillbeingmollyPhotobucket

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Liebster Award!

While I was on vacation, grateful for my limited internet, the real world keep going on.  I was still able to check my email and even scan the mobile version of Facebook, but I tried not to do it constantly, as I was with Teh Bear and I do enjoy his company quite a bit.  

One morning I woke up (we were in the mountain time zone, so 2 hours behind all my east coast homies) and there was so many emails!  Apparently, I had a few more comments on the scheduled blog than normal, one of which was Brittany @ Delightfully Award Brit leaving me a comment to tell me that she'd nominated me for the Liebster Award.  

What is a Liebster Award (don't worry I'm answering this for myself too)?
It's an award for small blogs (less than 200 followers (yep, definitely me)) that you enjoy.  Really, it's the blog community's way of acknowledging your blog is pretty cool and a way of spreading the word about other awesome blogs.

So lets get onto it.

My 11 Facts
1.  Our vacation was awesome.
2.  I miss Teh Bear already.
3.  Teh Phil has been rock climbing.... we'll get to that in vacation recaps.
4.  I love all things rainbow.
5.  I am an NC State Alumnae, this has significantly affected my wardrobe... especially recently.
6.  When the television is on, I can't get anything else accomplished.  My eyes must be glued to the TV, it's super annoying.
7.  Since I've had my own vehicle, I've had 7 different license plates.  2 of those are NC State plates.  1 was a GTMO plate.  1 was a Bahrain plate.
8.  After growing my hair from 8th grade to 12th grade, I cut all my hair off (as in pixie cut short) the day after I graduated high school.
9.  I am super happy that "Winter is coming" and that fall has definitely arrived in S.MD... and that Hurricane Sandy didn't blow away all the pretty yellow leaves.
10.  I was accepted by Greyt Expectations Greyhound Rescue to be a foster house for Greyhounds waiting to be adopted.  I'm suuuuuuuuper-duper excited, even though I haven't got a foster yet.
11.  I find it hilarious when Phil jumps up and gets excited when my phone rings.  

Brit's Questions:
1.  What are you listening to right now?
The sound of aircraft landing...  Oh, Pax River.... how I didn't miss thee.

2.  Cats or dogs- and why?
Dogs.  They love you better.  And my allergies are happier with dogs.

3.  Favorite season?
FALL/WINTER!!!

4.  If you could get paid to do anything- I mean, anything- for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Take/edit photos on my own time schedule.

5.  Why did you choose the blog name you did?
When I decided to start blogging again, I went through a 24 hour period of name brainstorming.  I asked people for suggestions and I didn't want it to be anything corny.  When I was talking to Teh Ginger I said, "Can I just decide another day?"  It stuck.  I didn't mean for it to, but we both agreed it definitely reflected well on my procrastination problem.  Teh Bear told me that I didn't have to pick a name within my own set deadline, but after I'd come up with cIdad? I wasn't easily swayed with any other names.

6.  What is the best vacation you have ever been on?
Probably the one that just ended.
1.  We did an obscene amount of travelling, it was a blast.
2.  The company was awesome (which is very helpful when you're doing a lot of driving).
3.  We got to experience a lot of "first-times" together, which made everything we did even more special (including our first time flying together, cheesy, I know).

7.  Is there anything special you are hoping to get for this upcoming Christmas?
My own Teh Bear for permanent?

8.  If you could only buy clothes from one store for the rest of your life, which store would it be?
Kohl's.  They cover all my needs.

9.  What's one item on your bucket list?
See the Grand Canyon Attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

10.  What's your favorite color?
All of them.. It's very problematic sometimes.

11.  If you were a super hero, what special power would you want?
The ability to teleport.  I'd be able to snuggle with Teh Bear where ever he is AND still be able to work in MD.


My Nominations (in alphabetical order to keep it fair)

Ally @ Keeping it Trashy in the Bible Belt
Amanda @ A Whirlwind Life
Bree @ .simply.girly.
Cherry @ Crucial Crumbs
Cindy @ This and That
Kate @ Marsh Mellow Goodness
Katie @ Struggling Single Twenty-Something
Jen @ "Jen" e Sais Quoi
Phil @ Long Nose and Long Legs  (ok, so this one is tooting my own horn)


My Questions for Nominees
1.  What was the first thing you thought of this morning when you woke up?
2.  What is your favorite thing to make in the kitchen?
3.  Why do you think your blog is awesome?
4.  How old were you when you got your first cell phone/personal mode of communication?
5.  Are you the oldest/youngest/middle/only kid?  List 3 pros and 3 cons.
6.  What is the best book you've ever read, in your whole life?
7.  How many places have you lived in?  Which state do you think would be the best to live in?
8.  What is your favorite holiday tradition (which ever holiday you have traditions for)?
9.  What is your favorite card game (52 card pick up doesn't count)?
10.  Name (at least) one way your parents scarred you growing up.
11.  Beach or mountains?



Thanks Brit for the nomination.  Can I put this on my resume when I get out of the Navy???  :)

Friday, November 16, 2012

Fill in the Blank Friday #25

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1. My best quality is   how funny I am... or how honest I am.  Honestly, I'm really funny... :) 

2. One of my less flattering qualities is    my gullibility..  or my overly large-I'm-pretending-to-smile-but-I'm-really-not smile.. 

3. I'd rather be  
  at home, hanging out with Phil, potentially working on photos, while practicing listening to the TV in the background.   

4. Something I have been challenged with lately is     not letting stuff get to me... and not being impatient... 

5. I am looking forward to    sleeping in tomorrow.  And having a lazy weekend...  I'm still trying to fight the urge to be mopey cause Teh Bear is gone though...  

6. A super random factoid about me is   I pick lint off of blankets/sweaters/socks and roll it into balls..  if you know, know me, this isn't random, but for strangers, this is pretty random.

7. I want to   figure out what I'm doing for the holidays...  and potentially figure out if I'm renewing my lease in the apt that I'm at currently..  and see Teh Bear get a job in MD so I can get permanent snuggles...  I'm not needy in any way... Ever. 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Glossybox #2

It's Bree's fault that I subscribed to Glossybox, so giving credit to her again this month when I got my 2nd Glossybox!!!

I was excited this month cause I got really big samples!  And a lipstick that I'll probably never use (other than testing the color to take the pic to show you), but it isn't a completely atrocious color, so this is progress!

L to R:
spa water
shampoo
conditioner
concealer?/foundation?/skin cream
lipstick

My reviews:
*oops, my bad if I slaughtered any of the names of these items

Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water: This is actually a makeup remover.  I used it to remove Mary Kay products (after our girl's night (which included facials) on the 6th) and it seemed to work well.  It kinda burned my eyes when I left the soaked cotton ball on my eyelashes to help get the mascara off, but it didn't really have a smell.  I don't often wear makeup, so this wasn't really useful to me.

Global Keratin Hair Taming System with Juvexin Balancing Shampoo and Conditioner:  I used this for several days in a row to see if anything awesome would happen.  My hair was a bit smoother, but the humidity was down that week, so maybe the weather had something to do with it?  The smell was something that wasn't unplesant, but not something I'd choose.  I've smelled something like this before, but I can't remember where/what it was.  My only issue with this product was that I had a migraine one evening so I went to bed early and I was apparently sweating very heavily in my sleep.  When I got up, my head smelled bad.  The worst part was that I hadn't planned on taking a shower because I was going out to help with the PRT.  I put half of my hair up and hoped that no one else could smell the same thing I was smelling.. or that no one got too close.  Not happy with this issue.  I'll stick with Herbal Essence's Tousle Me Softly..  it smells like candy.*

*quick story time:
So for our last PRT in April, I was doing the swim for my cardio portion and we were waiting on everyone to arrive and I kept smelling candy.  I was standing around with a bunch of dudes, so I was concerned that it was one of them.  Maybe someone had put on their wife's lotion or something?  I finally asked, "What smells like candy?"  No one else smelled it.  We did our situps and pushups and I kept smelling it.  I asked again later, still no one else could smell it.  I finally figured out what it was as I was getting ready to get in the pool to do my swim when I put on my swim cap and realized it was MY hair that smelled liked candy.  It even smelled like candy when I finished my swim.  Herbal Essence's..  YOU WIN.

Missha M Perfect Cover B.B Cream (No. 21):  Honestly, I haven't really tried this.  I put some on my hand and it seems like it would be a good color for my face if I used makeup.  It has sunscreen in it, which is always a plus.  On my hand it feels pretty oily though, so not sure if I'd like it if it was all over my face.  I can tell you Teh Bear would hate it because he would be able to feel it if he touched my face.  The instructions are all in Asian characters, so I just assume its either a foundation or concealer since it "lightens skin tone by healing visible wrinkles and blemishes with excellent skin-cover ability, and prevents skin aging through effective whitening and anti-wrinkle properties".  This did smell pretty good, I'll give it that.

Glossybox Lipstick (color: Glossy Pink):  I was excited to see a color that wasn't... last month's color, whatever you want to call that.  ICK!  Pink is do able.  It makes me look sassy or girly or something?  It was bearable and potentially wearable in public.



This is the face I make when I wear lipstick.  Or when I'm not wearing lipstick.
But this time, I was wearing lipstick.


4 more months of exciting products to try out!  Wee!



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

A real post.

We have arrived back in S. MD from vacation!  Yet, the vacation is not yet over.  Meaning, I'm really just checking in to let you know that I'm alive.

While I was away Brittany nominated me for the Liebster Award..... as in almost 2 weeks ago.  I haven't forgotten, I've just been ridiculously occupado!  I promise to get to it, seriously!

Recap of things that have went down since my last real post:

Denver (including some surprises I didn't see coming)
Driving through Arizona
Petrified Forest/Painted Desert
More driving through Arizona
Grand Canyon (including a delightful headache from being at too high of an altitude)
More driving through Arizona
Sedona/Red Rocks/Jerome
More driving through Arizona
Driving through North Carolina
Lunch with Teh Worldwide Jesus Lover
Carolina Renaissance Festival (including that one time where Teh Bear got kissed by a Tortuga Twin)
More driving through North Carolina
Self-guided candlelit tour of the Biltmore Estate
More driving through North Carolina/Virginia/Maryland

All of the above things included the planned hand-holding that I warned you about.  Woo!

Now I'm going to enjoy a few more days of snuggles with Teh Bear and proving to my S.MD friends that he is real!

Proof we actually went to the Grand Canyon!
Teh Megan on the left
Teh Bear on the right

Friday, November 9, 2012

Fill in the Blank Friday #24



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1.   My favorite color is   all of them.  Check my closet.  It's proof.

2.  My travel destination of choice is   THE GRAND CANYON.. ok maybe that's because we just went there.  

3.  My favorite food is   chocolate.. or the caramel dipping sauce..  it's a toss up right now.  

4.  My happy place is   under the Christmas lights with Teh Bear.  

5.  My favorite saying is   "This too shall pass." (unknown) or "Words don't mean things, people do."  (I.A. Richards)  

6.  My dirty little secret is   I'm writing this blog to be scheduled and it's making me late for a hair appointment.  Don't tell Teh BFF.  

7.  Something friends might say about me is that I   am ridiculous and/or crazy.  But that they can't live without me.  :)


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Glossybox #1

So I was reading Bree's blog at Simply.Girly. and she is subscribed to Glossybox.  I'm not usually into beauty products, but I figured it was sample sizes, so why not?

For $19 a month, Glossybox sends me 5 beauty product samples.  They aren't teeny tiny samples either.  You can get several uses out of these sizes.

My first month receiving my Glossybox was Septempter (I signed up at the end of August).  Apparently, it's cheaper if you are Canadian (Bree is), but I sucked it up and paid 4 more dollars and I get the American version.

My first Glossybox has arrived!

It comes in a snazzy box.
I actually reused this super sweet box for my Reddit Teacher Exchange.

Goodies!

L to R:
Nail polish
some anti-aging stuffs
oil treatment for hair
lip gloss
foundation base

My reviews:
*oops, my bad if the names are wrong.  Some of these names are just reeeeediculous.

Illamasqua Nail polish:  Honestly, I haven't used it yet.  I rarely paint my fingernails because I'm too lazy to take it off and I'm not allowed to wear anything that isn't skintone based in uniform so it's really just a pain in the ass.

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster:  I used this for a few nights while I was in FL visiting Teh Bear.  I couldn't really tell a difference in my skin.  I could prob use this sample for a month because it takes so little... and I was using it all over my face.  Not sure if that's what you're supposed to do.. but I'm not a beauty supply master.  /shrug.  It felt sticky while I was putting it on and until it dried completely, but Teh Bear didn't even comment on the smell or feel of my skin, so there weren't drastic results from applying/using it.

Matrix/Biolage Exquisite Oil:  I used this hair treatment and liked it.  It has the classic Biolage smell which I love so it was easy for me to like this.  I rubbed a few squirts on my roots before bed and when I woke up I showered so it wasn't too awkward that my hair was oily.  I got a compliment on my hair that day, but I think it was just the person trying to be nice.  My hair didn't look any different, in my opinion, but it felt bouncier.. if that is a valid description.

Ellis Faas lip gloss (color L209):  ..... .... 1.  I had to look up how to use the applicator online.  I couldn't figure out how to get the gloss out.  There was an obviously twisty part, but nothing was happening when I twisted... and I twisted for several minutes, several times.  I seriously thought I got a defective one.  2.  This color was something else.  It looked atrocious on me.  Also, after the excitement and newness and coolness of "elite" beauty products wore off, I realized the applicator could have been mistaken for a vibrator.... Teh Bear actually asked me if I had purchased a "special friend" for my visit when he saw it on the bathroom counter!

Touch in Sol Feel Like Honey Moon Skin Base:  This stuff smelled pretty good, but it felt really goopy and kinda sticky going on my skin.  I put this on when we went out because it has SPF in it and we were going to be outside (at least for the first day when we went to Universal Studios).  Again, Teh Bear didn't comment on the smell or feel of my skin, so results from applying/using it weren't drastic.


Proof of the lip gloss color disaster:
I was only smiling because I finally got the stupid gloss to come out and hadn't seen how horrific the color actually was.
PS.  Please don't judge me from this photo.  It's scary.
The things I do for blogging!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

A Pinterest Success

A few weekends ago, the 20/30s Group at church met up and we were hosting the dessert part of a Progressive Dinner for InterVarsity, a christian group for college students.

I found a 2 ingredient cake on Pinterest.  I'm a huge fan of easy, so I figured it was worth a shot.  Additionally, I had to make this cake on Friday evening after work, so I needed something easy and quick.

Ingredients:

Cake ingredients

Icing ingredients..  The container = powdered sugar.

To make the cake:
Set the oven to 350°.  Mix the pumpkin and cake mix together.  That's it.  No eggs, no oil, no water.  Just the pumpkin and cake mix.  2 ingredients.  For realz.  Yeah.  Oil/spray your baking dish (I used 9x13, but the original post did cupcakes, but I needed this cake to serve at least 30 people so cake it was) so the cake doesn't stick.  After batter is mixed, put it in the baking dish and smooth out as well as possible.  The cake shouldn't be lumpy, but it wasn't super easy to spread, so I wasn't too concerned over perfection.
I cooked my cake for 35ish minutes and I live at the beach, so if you're higher altitude, do your own adjustments.  Ya know, like with a regular cake.

Ingredients for the icing:
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened (don't try to soften cream cheese in the wrapper in the microwave.. apparently the wrapper is actually metal.  Lessons learned.  /shrug)
1/4 cup of butter, softened
1 teaspoon of cinnamon (or maybe 1/2+ a teaspoon, I felt like it was a little cinnamony for my taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions for icing:
Mix all ingredients together.  You may want to add powdered sugar a cup at a time so you don't end up with a huge cloud of powdered sugar all over your counter (not that I've ever done that before.. pffth).  No real special directions here.  Mix and blend until the icing is creamy.  If the icing feels.. granulated (for lack of better words), keep mixing, your sugar isn't melted enough... Teh Sister taught me that with the buttercream icing.

Damn, Bets does good work! 
Once the cake is cooled (yes, this is actually important), spread the icing over the cake.  If the cake isn't cool, the icing will because melt-y and more like a glaze... and it will all run to the edges since the middle will probably be higher than the sides.  I was in a hurry, it couldn't be helped.

There was no cake left at the end of the night.  It was devoured.  I got compliments on it ALL night long.

This is how pumpkin spice cake should look.
Oh, wait.  JK.

Since it was so easy, after dinner this past Friday night, a few girls came over and we were going to watch What to Expect (don't waste your money, seriously).  We were also in the mood for some dessert.  I had picked up all the ingredients for pumpkin spice cake when I'd went to Walmart with Teh Humanitarian the evening before.  So I, easily and quickly, whipped up the cake while they were changing into warmer clothes, wimps.  I didn't have all the icing ingredients, but luckily I still had some extra icing from the prior weekend.  Before the cake was cooled, I spread the icing on (which was only ok, since I needed the icing to thin out so it would go further.  The little bit I had left covered almost the entire 9x13 cake.  WIN!).

Since I remade the cake, I was able to get a photo of it this time around!

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.  PS.  Happy October!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Fill in the Blank Friday #23

The next two weeks holds lots of ridiculously fun activities so plan for some blogging silence (not that this hasn't become more a habit of late).  

Want a review (Good.):
Tonight:  Raleigh to spend the night with Teh Advising Sister (because she's awesome and is letting me stay the night tonight so I don't have to get up suppper early on Friday morning to get to the airport at 6am).
Friday-Sunday:  Holding hands with Teh Bear, hanging out with our Denver Friends
Monday-Wednesday:  Holding hands with Teh Bear, hiking the Grand Canyon, maybe finding other Arizona/Grand Caynon-y-ish/Painted Desert type things to do.
Thursday:  Holding hands with Teh Bear, Arrive back in NC
Friday:  Holding hands with Teh Bear, Reunite with Teh Worldwide Jesus Lover!!!!
Saturday:  Holding hands with Teh Bear, Carolina Renaissance Festival!!!!!!!
Sunday:  Holding hands with Teh Bear, Biltmore Candlelight Christmas house tour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday-Thursday:  Holding hands with Teh Bear (really tight), back to S.MD to prove to all my MD friends that Teh Bear is real!
Friday:  No more holding hands with Teh Bear... /tear.  Back to work (because they'll have started to miss me by this point).

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1. My favorite feeling in all the world is   feeling loved.  Like when Phil gives me stinky breath kisses or Teh Bear gives me random kisses.  

2. My favorite smell is   clean laundry or Teh Bear after a shower or when he wakes up (unless he's stinky, not then).  

3. My favorite taste is   white cake batter and/or chocolate of most kinds.  

4. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen was   the first snow fall when I came back from overseas.  

5. The best sound ever is   silence while I'm trying to go to sleep.  

6. A smell that reminds me of my childhood is   Bruitt aftershave/cologne.  (probably could write a "Ways my parents scarred me for life" on that one)

7. My favorite of all the senses is   smell.  I go CRAZY in stores like Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candle and in every single laundry section I pass in the store.