Fall has arrived!

I am not particularly fond of how quickly it's gotten cold,but I do love fall decor. Today I decorated my pumpkin. That's right, I said decorated. I am not crazy about carving pumpkins, I have actually never done it. I think I am too OCD for that much mess. It was never a tradition in my family.
So here's what I did with my pumpkin:





How cute is that?! I saw it on pinterest. Speaking of pinterest, I am completely obsessed! If you'd like an invite, comment below with your email address and I'll send you one!
The rest of my porch is decorated for fall too of course. I'm not sure when I became the crazy seasonal wreath lady, but it happened. (is that showing my age?)
I got this wreath from sam's club.




I also got this mum plant (more like a bush) from sam's







As much of a summer girl as I am, I do love aspects of fall.

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"Finally."

I've known Ryan was up to something for awhile now, because I can't stand secrets. On Sunday last week we went to have dinner with my parents. I went out to walk the dog, and when I came back in everyone got really quiet. You know the feeling when you walk into a room and everyone shuts up because they were just talking about you? That's the feeling I got. So I was pretty sure Ryan was asking for their blessing, but I kept my mouth shut. On Monday, we were on our way to the Natural Bridge when Ryan got a phone call from an unknown number. Since we were in the car, he turned down the volume on the phone real quick so I wouldn't hear. Lately he's been wandering outside when he gets a phone call. Not to mention he's been very secretive with the computer, as well as his phone lately. Which of course has only made more me curious and suspicious!
On Wednesday my curiosity got the better of me, and Ryan had accidentally left his phone unattended. I checked his email and one said in the subject line "your blue Nile order has shipped." I immediately texted my friend who is also in limbo (living with her boyfriend, impatiently waiting for him to propose), and said "crap! Ryan bought the wrong damn ring! Now what am I going to do??" I followed that up with "don't respond to that, sometimes Ryan checks to see if I've been snooping, so I'm deleting that."
So she facebooked me and said call her, but Ryan kept following me around so I was having a hard time getting a chance. So I told Ryan I wanted to go hang out with her yesterday, because her boyfriends parents are visiting and starting to drive her crazy. We went hiking at back bay refuge in the morning, but I wasn't feeling good so we left. When we got home Ryan said something about needing to go get air filters, and he left in a hurry. Turns out he had the ring fed exed to the same friend that I was going to see yesterday. He was really rushing to her house to pickup the ring before I got there. We just missed each other, and my friend kept me totally out of the loop. Turns out she had helped him pick it out last week when I was taking the RVE. He had planned to propose at the top of the mountain when we hiked crabtree falls, but my ring size is smaller than average and had to be custom ordered and didn't get here in time. His backup plan was to go back to the restaurant we had our first date, Stove. We always go around the beginning of the month since our first date was December 1st. Ryan will frequently say he's going to make reservations and then doesn't until the day before (which drives me nuts!). Being the type A personality that I am, I called and made a reservation myself. Apparently that messed up his other plan. (We all know he couldn't have held out til Tuesday anyways)
So after I got home from my friend's house, I wasn't feeling good. (I may have been sulking a little too, knowing he had a ring and thinking he'd bought the wrong one). So I laid down, playing a game on my phone.
Ryan came and laid down next to me, and wanting to cheer me up but I was ignoring him. He sat there with the ring for a few minutes and I didn't even notice haha! When he proposed, my answer was "finally."
That's our engagement story :)
As far as the ring...I have been panicked the last 6 months, worrying he would pick something I didn't like. I've emailed him thousands of suggestions. I've emailed my friends thousands of suggestions. I shouldn't have worried, it's perfect and I love it. I posted a picture of it already (by request), but here's another from a different angle.




Ryan has much different taste than I do, he likes simple and plain while I like more ornate styles. So I was surprised to see he chose something my style.
Blue Nile always takes a professional picture of their ring before they send it to you, and posts it with the setting under recently purchased rings. Here is the professional picture





Now it's the day after and I've been making a list of possible locations. I'd really like to do the botanical gardens, but we'll see what happens with availability. Neither of us have the most flexible schedule. My OCD is going nuts not having a plan yet, so I think I'll feel better when we have a date and a place.



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I could just pee.

I am so excited!! It is July 2nd. Holy freaking crap. It's almost my Christmas! I am slightly stressed out because I have a bajillion things to do for school and they're all due within the next week. I was also trying to paint the bathroom before Ryan comes home, but it's not looking good.
I keep saying it'll be worth it but sometimes I'm not so sure.
I saw this on someones Facebook today:
If you ever think about giving up...don't. God gave you your life because he knew no one else could handle it.
Sometimes I wonder why other people have had it so easy, and my life has been a crazy roller coaster. But it was worth it. I'm not sure I would have found Ryan if I hadn't hit a few of those hills along the way. I am happier than I have ever been and I am really just so excited he's coming home I could just pee.
When he comes home he gets some vacation time, so we're going to the Shenandoah valley. We're going to visit the natural bridge and luray caverns, do some hiking, and maybe white water rafting. So far I haven't been able to find a company that does rafting trips in Virginia.
We're staying at a Bed and Breakfast that used to be a mill. It sounds interesting. Check it out by clicking Here .
I can't wait! Especially since the last time we went away for a weekend was awhile ago.
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Tell me you're not getting an enema?

So I have been considering doing a master cleanse for awhile now. I have been sick way too much this past school year, and I want to get all the junk out of my body.
When I told Ryan about it, this was his response "What does a master cleanse mean? Tell me you're not getting an enema?"
After I recovered from laughing so hard, I explained that NO I will not be getting an enema :D...unless it is required  by a doctor. For the master cleanse, you spend 10 days drinking and eating nothing but this lemonade mixture 6 times a day, and drinking regular water in between. If you want to read more about it, click here. My main problem is I don't know if I can actually go ten whole days without eating! I mean I love food. I love cooking. I love the smell. I love eating. I love the first bite when you close your eyes and it takes you somewhere else. And I am going to spend TEN DAYS not eating. What the heck am I thinking??
I'll let you know how it goes and if I am actually able to stick to it.

Deep dish cookie pie

I have been on a major sweet kick lately, so I was super excited to discover chocolate covered Katie, a blog about making healthy treats taste naughty.

You'll need:

2 cans white beans or garbanzo drained and rinsed ( I used garbanzo)

1 C quick oats

1/4 C unsweetened apple sauce

3 T canola oil

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 C brown sugar ( I didn't have brown sugar so I used regular sugar and added a tablespoon of molasses)

1C chocolate chips



Blend everything but the chocolate in a food processor. Stir in chips, and pour into well oiled pan. I used a 10 inch spring form pan typically used for cheesecakes. The recipe calls for baking at 350 for 35 minutes, but I ended up leaving it in closer to an hour, and it's still a little gooey.



I know when I first read it, I thought beans...gross! But I swear you can't even tell. This is a must try! You won't be sorry. I don't joke about chocolate.

So stop drooling over my picture and start baking!















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Warning: This post is sappy.

I went to the FRG meeting tonight. For those of you non military, FRG stands for family readiness group. They're pretty much the go between for the families and the ship. I haven't been to many of the events they plan, mostly because they're geared more towards people with kids. Oh and most of the girls are snotty and full of drama.
I did however go to the meeting tonight, because the captain calls into the meetings with updates and this was the homecoming meeting. That's right I said homecoming. It's kind of crazy to think back to the beginning of this deployment and when I thought about X months, I put a smile on my face while my heart was breaking and I was really pondering how on earth I'd make it this long.
Now thinking we have X amount of time left, I can't believe it's almost here and I'm so proud of myself for not falling apart. (the house on the other hand is another story)
I've tried not to be one of those boyfriend obsessed girls. I really have. But as the end is in sight,it's hard to think about anything else. How am I supposed to focus when the other half of my heart is on the other side of the world?
With each day that draws us closer, my heart feels more heavy. I swear it's going to burst by the time he comes home.
So as I crawl into bed, I remember we may not be under the same roof but we're always under the same stars.

Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

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Brace yourself...

This recipe is going to rock your world.
Samoa babies. As in the girl scout cookie, but without all the gluten :)
You will need:
1/2 C packed dates
2 T shredded coconut
splash vanilla
scant 1/8 tsp salt
1 T chocolate (at least softened, but I melted mine)

Throw it all in the food processor, and blend. I was going to take a picture to show you, but I ate them all before I could get that far!

There are soooo many varieties of babies...I have tried the Samoas and the original fudge babies so far.
I got the recipe from this AmAzInG blog, Chocolate Covered Katie. Her moto is "Where healthy tastes naughty." Check it out. You know you want to.

Christmas!

It's my favorite time of year. I love everything about it:the smells, baking, decorating, buying gifts, etc.
I know when Ryan comes home it won't be Christmas, but it sure feels like it. It's a little similar to anticipating opening presents, except I already know what it is. (I usually do anyways, because I have a habit of unwrapping and rewrapping-shhh that's going to be our little secret).
I'm laying in bed, blogging from my phone, it is way past my bedtime. Yet I am not even the slightest bit tired anymore because all I can think about is Christmas.
I am really excited about the next FRG meeting, because it's the homecoming briefing. Thinking back to the beginning of this deployment, I never thought this moment would get here. And now that it finally is, I'm feeling so overwhelmed with emotions. I want to laugh and cry and throw up all at the same time. I'm nervous, excited and I have crazy butterflies. It just seems so surreal. HE'S COMING HOME.


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Location:Christmas!

I have a problem.

I am addicted to sweets. Seriously. I have been trying to diet while Ryan's gone (I'd like to get down to pre-Ryan weight...which means I need to lose 20 pounds). Have you ever been without for so long you start to smell things? I dream about cupcakes. and Chik Fil A chicken biscuits but that's another post in itself :). At the moment I reallllllllllllly realllllllllllly want carrot cake. I don't know why, it's not even my favorite. I think it's the cream cheese frosting that's sucking me in. Anyways I can smell frosting. I know that makes me sound like a nut case. If I was really crazy, (and really skinny) I'd just go buy a can of cream cheese frosting and call it a day.
I suppose I will settle for some gluten free cookies. I just have to order them. A few months ago, I bought this and I can't believe I haven't already used it. After looking at the shipping estimates, they won't be here until WEDNESDAY. I don't know if I can wait that long haha! I am having a serious sweet craving. I found a recipe for brownies, if you want it click here. 105 calories and 2 grams of fat sold me. I'll let you know how it goes, I'm off to the grocery store before it closes!

My favorite Qoutes

These are some of my favorite qoutes. I say some because the list is constantly growing. There are a lot of love qoutes because I think about Ryan a lot since he's not here.
"sometimes you have to be apart from people you love, but that doesn't mean you love them any less. Sometimes it means you love them more." -The Last Song

"Missing someone gets easier everyday because even though it's one day further from the last time you saw each other, it's one day closer to the next time you will." I don't know who said this one.

"The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected." -Nicholas Sparks

"We were given two hands to hold, two legs to walk, two eyes to see and two ears to listen. but why only one heart? because the other one was given to someone else for us to find." unknown

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk forever in my garden." -Claudia Ghandi

"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." Aristotle

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
Helen Keller

"It's hard to fall asleep when you're in love because reality is better than your dreams."
Dr. Seuss

"One shoe can change your life."
Cinderella

"I'm no model lady. A model's just an imitation of the real thing."
Mae West

"If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?"
Thomas Jefferson

"The difference between genius and stupidity is: genius has it's limits." Albert Einstein

"To succeed in life you need three things:A wishbone, a backbone and a funny-bone."
Reba McEntire

And my All time favorite qoute is from When Harry Met Sally

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

What is your favorite qoute?



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I love Mike and Molly!

Mike and Molly is a TV show that comes on Monday nights on CBS. If you haven't watched it, you should. Mike is a policeman, and Molly is a teacher. They started dating on the pilot episode.
On last night's episode, they were eating dinner at Mike's mom's house and her boyfriend brought up marriage.
This is what Mike's best friend had to say on the subject:

"Once somebody drops the "M" bomb, it changes everything. It never goes away. Its like trying to get dog crap out of a tennis shoe. You can hose it down, take an old tooth brush to it. Don't matter that shoe ain't never gonna smell right."
This show is just so funny. And it's so true! Haha! Ever since we talked about getting married its all I think about. I am way to OCD for this waiting game. Maybe God is trying to teach me patience.
When Ryan gets home I'm making engagement chicken. Google it. It's been proven to work. I'll let you know how it turns out.

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Tastebuds

Have you ever wondered where you get your specific tastes from? I wouldn't consider myself a picky eater. I like most things, but there are definitely foods that I do NOT like.
Since meeting Ryan I have tried more new foods than I ever have.

Today, when making myself a hot dog ( ok I was pretending it was a hot dog, but really it was a turkey sausage in disguise with about a 1/4 of the calories) I was trying to decide what to put on it. I have a hard time eating meat without some kind of sauce or dressing.
If you had asked me 2 years ago what I like on my hot dog, I would have answered mayo and ketchup.
What did I put on my hot dog today? As I opened my refrigerator, there it was...my taste buds were already salivating at the sight.
Relish. In my pre-Ryan days, I was disgusted at the sight of relish. And sauerkraut. They have such a distinctly sharp almost spicy taste. Now I can't get enough of either. Weird??!?! Is it true you adapt to people you live with? Ryan loves food. All of it. He eats everything from hot dogs smothered in sauerkraut to foie gras.
He has opened my taste buds to things I never thought I'd like and turned me on to foods I used to hate!


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Baking for Gigi

When I'm sad, I like to bake. And/or shop. Neither of which are good for me, my wallet or my waist. So I have found a new outlet! Baking for Gigi, my dog. :)
I know that sounds nutty, but I'm not tempted to eat it. And it fulfills my incessant need to bake something.
Today I made Tuna Triangles, here's the finished product.





And here is my over eager taste tester :)






The verdict is....she loves them! Not that I was worried, the little tubba wubba will eat anything.

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Ryan sent me a package!

So earlier I was outside walking the dog, and the mailman drove past and waved on his way to the mailboxes. I left to go to the grocery store, came back to mail on my porch and one of those little pink papers. You know the kind- it nonchalantly says sorry we missed you! You can pick up your package tomorrow after 9 am. It said the package was from Ryan, and apparently when it goes thru customs, someone has to sign for it. I was really bummed, because I've been waiting for that package for almost 6 weeks! 4 weeks of Ryan procrastinating + 1.5 weeks actually in the mail :)
So I started cleaning-what I usually do when I'm upset, and a few hours later my doorbell rang. Insert psychotic dog here. Who was at my door? None other than the best mailman EVER!!!!!  He came back after delivering the rest of his route, just to see if I was home and try to deliver that package! Yeah, he'll be getting something extra in his Christmas card this year.

Anyways, Ryan sent me some chocolates from italy,  which of course were a little soft. I stuck those in the fridge for later :) He also sent a fedora, probably just to irk me-he has one already and I hate it; a t-shirt with his cologne (which I have now sniffed so much I'm surprised I'm not high!), an SD card with videos and pictures, and a belly dancer costume. Yes you read that right. As in the hand made beaded things you can find in Turkey. I'm not sure who he thinks will be wearing that?!?!? But here it is...

This just made my whole month. Now I'm going to go back to sniffing my t-shirt :)

I'm a military girlfriend

I saw this online today and thought it applies pretty well. Except for the crying myself to sleep-never done that.


I Am a Military Girlfriend.....

I am a military girlfriend.I hold no formal recognition with the powers that be.I am at the bottom of the chain. I hold no Military ID card; I am not a "dependent" or parent.The man i love may face unspeakable dangers, and I am at the mercy of those who possess this recognition for news.I understand this and accept this.

I am a military girlfriend.I have promised to be here for him upon his return, no matter how long he is away. People may say I am insane for making such a commitment with no quarentees, but i hold onto our promises and have faith that he will come home safe to me. I know full well that my love for him fuels him in the worst of times.

I am a military girlfriend.There is no ring on my finger to symbolize our commitment, though I love him no less forit. I hope every day that he will be able to call because a simple 30-second phone call can bring the greatest spectrum of emotions...smiling with tears in my eyes from so much joy and pain. My relationship is based on brief communication where "I love you and I'm okay" speaks more than volumes and gives me the strength to keep going.

I am a military girlfriend. I take no moment spent together for granted.I hold onto every touch, caress, kiss, and every word.I have memroized the feel of his skin, his smell, the sound of his voice,and I play it over and over in my head so that I will not forget. I cry myself to sleep some nights because missing him hurts so badly, but wake up the next morning, brush myself off, and start a new day.

I am a military girlfriend.The events of the next serveral months hold my life, my love, and my future in the balance.When you watch the news reports, you may turn away and go about your business relatively unaffected.When I watch the news,stories of the war, I do not see nameless soldiers a half a world away.I see individuals who will be forever changed by the way news of everyday casualties causes me physical pain and deep sadness

I am a military girlfriend,not a spouse or family member.When you say your prayers for the wives,mothers,and fathers, please dont forget about me too.

Love my fur child!

How cute is she??!? I just love her. I would be so lonely going through this deployment, living alone if it wasn't for my little fur-baby. It's funny how she always know exactly when I'm sad, and she gets very concerned when I'm sick. Sneezing freaks her out, and she gets very worried when I sneeze. It's so cute! When I'm reallllllly sick she stays close by and watches me. It's kind of weird but it's like she senses my feelings.
I feel bad I can't always give her enough attention, and I want another dog. She needs a friend! Unfortunately it's hard living in a townhouse/condo and not having a fence. Although the neighborhood has the space, and they've talked about a dog park, they have yet to do it and fence anything in :( So for now, we'll remain a one dog family.


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Care packages

I have gone a little overboard lately with packages. I was doing good in the beginning spacing them out, but the last 2 weeks my life has become consumed by care packages! I sent him this, an assortment from here,  an easter package filled with fake grass and plastic eggs with candy. Today I sent out the first package did not contain food. He asked for a few random items- hygiene stuff, and his bible. I had already started what was originally going to be an April fool's gag gift box but I didn't get it out soon enough. So I added his requests to that box. It's a goofy, random assortment of whoopee cushions, fart putty, hillbilly teeth, puzzles, cards, etc. I think he'll get a good laugh out of it. I also have another box waiting to be mailed, that I'm going to put some oatmeal raisin cookies and other goodies and snacks in.
  The other box I've started is baseball themed. I ordered a SF Giants pennant for him to hang up in his rack, some big league bubble gum chew like this, and I'm going to pick up some cracker jacks and espn/baseball magazines. Oh and I ordered a 220 count tub of fire balls that I'm going to send with a card that says I'm hot for you. HAHA. I know. I'm corny. After that I think I may be out of ideas?!?
Clearly I need a hobby. or an intervention.

Birthday Blues:26 on the 26th

So it's my birthday. It feels like any other ordinary day. I overslept, the dog got out and I chased her around the neighborhood like an idiot, I set the house alarm off and couldn't remember my password, I have to work tonight at the crap hole, etc. 
 Of course I'd love Ryan to be here but that's not what I'm depressed about. I do NOT want to be 26. I'm not where I wanted to be at 26, I feel so behind. I hate reading about other people from high school and all the exciting things they're doing with their lives. At 26, I am still in college, not married, and I have yet to travel out of the country (Canada really doesn't count). Enough of the pity party. This just in:


Breaking NEWS: The Pity Train has just derailed at the intersection of Suck It UP & Move On and crashed into We ALL Have Problems before coming to a complete stop at Get Over It. Any complaints about how we operate can be forwarded to Email whocares@notme.com. Reporting LIVE from Quit Complaining


I am going to do some homework, and get ready for work later. Can't wait for tomorrow to have my burger on a gluten free bun!

Another appliance bites the dust.

Is it possible to steam clean your carpets too often?? I do it once a week, usually Saturdays but I was off today and bored. I loaded it up like I was preparing for a battle, against my carpets. So I turned it on and let it warm up a few minutes. I pulled the trigger, releasing the soap and it made this loud purring sound, only a lot less pleasant and much louder than a cat's purr. It also wasn't actually cleaning anything.
My conclusion is this: Another appliance bites the dust. I've averaged about one a month so far this deployment, so it's only fitting something else would go down for the count as we're about to start a new month.
The OCD in me feels very sad that I won't be able to clean my carpets every week anymore :( I am slightly obsessed with the smell of it being very fresh and clean.
I haven't told Ryan yet. He'll probably just laugh. I'm not good at stuff. I break things, I'm clumsy, and stuff falls apart when I touch it.
We're not even at the halfway mark yet so I'm wondering how many more things will break before he comes home! As long as I don't burn the house down, it'll be ok.

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Spring Break

For the first time in my entire college career, I'm having a real spring break. It starts tomorrow after I turn in my last assignment. I have no big plans of Cancun or Girls Gone Wild. I was thinking about painting the house but I'm going to wait, probably until May. I want it to still be fresh when Ryan comes home and I'll be done with the semester in May. I've already decided on the color I want, it's called brownstone walk up. Ryan wants to be included so I guess I'll have to do a test area and send him a picture.
Tomorrow I have an appointment to try on wedding dresses. Just for kicks, I didn't even invite my mom.( for some reason she doesn't think i'm serious about getting married in January) I'm a little worried I won't like anything, because I'm feeling so overweight right now. When I met Ryan I was down 96 pounds. Since then I've gained 25 back. I've been going to the gym recently and I was doing really well dieting...until I started baking cookies and brownies to send to Ryan. I was down 12 lbs again, but gained 5 back since I started baking and stopped keeping track of calories. I've decided since spring break is next week and I don't have any homework to do, I'm going to the gym everyday next week. Twice a day if I have to. I will live in the gym until I lose that 5 lbs again. I have to get back on track. I'm excited to be skinny again when Ryan comes home. It'll be like we just met all over again.

On another note completely off subject, I saw the Justin Bieber movie today. Don't hate. No I am not 15 but I do think he's cute and I love stories of people who made something from nothing. I even like a few of his songs. :) He definitely has a lot of talent.

7 weeks :)

It's been 7 weeks since Ryan left. I'm still doing ok I think. I went to Richmond this past weekend for the wine expo. I had planned to try on wedding dresses before coming home but ended up getting sick and spending the night in the ER. Being the hypochondriac that I am and completely obsessed with web md, I really thought I had an appendicitis, I was having extremely sharp abdominal pains. Turns out my ovary was really full and enlarged, and they recommended making an appointment with my regular doctor and scheduling another ultra sound.
Poor Ryan was completely panicked. He's had a rough week. At his annual physical, he learned he has a blister on his ear drum that's causing hearing problems. Hopefully that heals and he's not permanently deaf or he could be medically discharged. They were also unable to email because of the high security risks with the pirate/hostage situation near Somalia. According to the news they're headed for Libya now, but that hasn't been released from a military source so who knows. I've sent him a card every week, and 2 packages. I tried to space them out so he'd get something every month. Unfortunately with all the craziness he hasn't gotten any mail. When they don't follow their planned schedule of port calls it messes up the mail. He said they're supposed to be receiving over 100 pallets of mail in the next week so he'll be getting it all at the same time. Oh well.
My first class at liberty is coming to an end, it's hard to believe it's been 8 weeks already. As busy as I've been it's been hard to keep up with the cleaning the house. I read in someone else's blog about their schedule and daily maintenance. So I came up with my own schedule, so far it seems to be working. It's much less stressful to have a clean house with minimal work everyday. I am soo excited about my new classes starting in a few weeks. I am hoping to paint over the yellow and redecorate over spring break. I've decided I want tan, white and navy for the color scheme in the living/dining room. Anyone want to help paint?!?

1 month down...

 So it was a month ago today that Ryan left. I guess it's gone by pretty quickly. Aside from my forgetfulness anyway. Last Monday I baked chicken in the toaster oven at 9 am, making my lunch for the day. I got distracted, and left for work. (with my lunch but the toaster oven still on :O) When I got home I still didn't realize I'd left it on...in fact I didn't notice for about 3 hours! (when I went to use it)


This is what I said to Ryan :

So don't be mad but I accidentally left the toaster oven on all day. I've even been home for 3 hours and didn't realize it was still on. I didn't burn down the house so don't worry.

I know it's amazing how retarded I am sometimes. 

and this was his response:

OMG! OHHHH MMYYYYYY GGGGAAAAWWWDDDD!

You are really going to burn the house down, aren’t you. Anyways, I only have a sec, but I wanted to tell you that I am crazy about you and I love you and I miss you and I think about you all the time!!! I could not stop laughing “I know it's amazing how retarded I am sometimes. “

I can't believe he hasn't run after 436 days ;)

It's only been 2 weeks??

A little recap from last Sunday to Friday- either some freak in my neighborhood or a cat (I can't decide which) left a mutilated squirrel on my front porch. I have yet to clean up the remnants because 1. we don't own a shovel (I don't know what I'll do if I ever need to bury something or someone haha) and 2. I don't want to touch it or go near it. I am now paranoid and not sure I can live here alone for the rest of deployment. I know Ryan's worried. He should really be worried about the power bill...I've been sleeping with the lights on :O

 And the transmission in my car died. My car that I just got last October. That only has 59,625 miles on it. :( 

Sooo I'm driving Ryan's truck for now, which is breaking the bank over gas. It cost me 52 bucks to fill it up today!!! And that was at 2.93/gallon, the cheapest I could find. 

 I am definitely ready for this summer. Mostly because I want this semester to be over with! I'm already over it. Not to mention I've had enough of the cold weather and I'm ready to start laying out at the pool again. I plan to be skinny and tan when Ryan returns :) My goals for this summer are 1. To be black 2. Look damn good in a bikini 3. Learn to sew 

   On a brighter note, I went to my first bridal show today! I think I'm now even more confused about what I want. There's just too many choices! It was a blast. There was cake EVERYWHERE! yes, I broke my new year's resolution already and cheated. I couldn't help myself. We're talking cake here. I am very weak when it comes to cake and theres not a gluten free option. I'll be honest. I sampled about 15 different flavors. :O 

   I'm sending Ryan his first care package tomorrow. He's decided it would be fun to send each other videos. Since the ship's email blocks any kind of media over a certain amount, we're exchanging SD cards (the little thing in your camera that holds pictures/videos). When I say videos, no they are not dirty. He thinks it'll be better than email, but honestly I think mine are boring. lol. They are all "Hey, this was my day...." and "heres Gigi being crazy again..." He's sending me a video and pictures from his first port call to Portugal (that's where they were last week). I'm excited to hear all about his experiences with their green wine, and what the food was like. I'm sure he has a lot more exciting things to tell than I did. He's been hinting around about snickerdoodles, so I'm going to include a batch of those too. We'll see how well they hold up in the mail for a week or so. 

  I found a farm in Ohio that makes jam, and all sorts of other goodies. So for his next care package, I ordered some gooseberry jam (his favorite) and boysenberry jam (since I ate all of it). He thinks I'm nuts for eating it with a spoon but I have a feeling he'll be doing the same. 

  I'm not sure how this post turned out to be about food after beginning with a dead squirrel, but regardless now I'm hungry and it's too late to eat :( Guess that means I should stop procrastinating and write my paper and go to bed!

4 Days In

    I'm still feeling good. Even though the blender blew up today, and I can't figure out how the heck to get the apple tv connected to my itunes, I'm still feeling good. I know Ryan's feeling homesick already, but I'm confident this deployment is just going to breeze by. I have no doubt we'll be a stronger couple for it. I'm so excited about the future and when he comes home, I'm not sure how I'm going to find the focus to get anything done!
   My classes start tomorrow and I'm really excited to be starting classes online. I think it'll make my life so much easier, I can do them whenever I feel like it. I am so ready to be done with school and move on with the rest of my life.
 On another note, I've been looking at paint colors. I told Ryan before he left to take a good look around, because it was going to be completely different when he came back. I'm really looking forward to selling this house and Ryan and I have a place that's really ours. Meaning we picked it out together. I will NEVER live in a condo again. I really hate not having a fenced in yard for Gigi to run around in, or even a yard period. I hate the Condo Association and the Home Owners Association here. Between the two of them, we can't plant flowers, not allowed to have a storm door, not allowed to have anything other than the ugly white vertical blinds, not allowed to power wash the house (it seriously has cob webs), and the list goes on and on.

It's a brand new year.

Last year was one of the best years of my life. I am kind of sad to see it go but definitely excited about the coming year. I usually break New Years Resolutions, so I'm hesistant to make any. However I do want to stay active, get healthy, feel comfortable in a bathing suit this summer (if that's even possible!), and maintain a 3.5 GPA. Maybe if I don't refer to them as resolutions, they will come true. So we'll call those my short term goals.
On another note, we took down the Christmas tree today. My house has officially been "undecorated." This makes me a little sad,it's my favorite time of year afterall. It's only 313 days until I can decorate again :) yes that would mean I put my tree up on veterans day. A month just isn't long enough to celebrate Christmas. I like to decorate early. I am already thinking about next Christmas, and getting a REAL tree. I think we should have one upstairs (Ryan's artificial heartfelt, meaningfully decorated tree) and downstairs in the kitchen will be my pretty tree.
This past Christmas was pretty amazing. Ryan and I flew out to California to spend it with his family. I discovered I don't like flying, Ryan's mom makes the best potato salad I've ever had, I learned how to make tamales, and realized we will have really well-behaved children or they won't be able to sit down. I'm not sure how we'll top it next year but we'll see :)
I am really looking forward to the future and spending the next year with Ryan .