Digital Story of Navitiy

I know that Christmas was already almost a week ago (I know bummer right?) but my mother-in-law emailed this to me today and I couldn't resist sharing it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!



Putting things in Perspective

My laptop died last week. My lovely 6 year old iBookG4 who saw me through nursing school, the computer that I FIRST friended someone I was already friends with on, my first Apple. My computer, my buddy; rest in peace dear friend.

In truth only the monitor crapped out (the computer actually turns on but the screen is completely blank) so today I made an appointment at the Apple store to see if they could recover anything from my hard drive. I have been saving for the last year or so for a new one since I knew that my laptop was on it's last legs and I figured I could talk to the apple reps about the MacBook Pro's while I was there.

So I got into my car, backed out of my new parking spot in the garage, and BAM! right into one of the support poles and off flies my rear view mirror!

 I felt my spleen leap right into my throat. I pulled back into my spot and after much cursing and colorful language I cancelled my appointment with Apple and drove to the Toyota dealership to assess the damages. Turns out the mirror is $250 but the two tenie tiny holes in the bottom of the car door is going to cost a small fortune to repair. The can easily repair the holes but then they have to paint. Of course to paint the door they have to blend into the front panel which involves taking apart such and such part and so on... Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me the "small fortune" is almost exactly the amount of the savings I had for that computer.

I of course was so disappointed in myself for the whole thing. I was really worried about how Kyle would react. I was CONVINCED that he would completely freak out. To my surprise he was pretty ok with it. He was wonderfully supportive and kind. "Yeah we'll get it fixed; but you're not getting your computer next month like we planned!" 

I guess this accident, although annoying and embarrassing; really put things in perspective for me. It really made me think about all of the wonderful things in my life. My patient and loving husband. My job which affords me the ability to have liquid cash enough to pay for these repairs. I work everyday with people who can't afford $4 dollar generic prescriptions; who literally have nothing except the clothes on their back. I really am incredibly lucky and blessed.

So the car is going into the shop in two weeks while we are in Orlando. In the meantime I'm going to duct-tape the driver side mirror to my 2009 Corolla...classy!


I guess my MacBook Pro will have to wait, but i'll get it someday!

All moved in..

So I went out to lunch with a dear friend today that I don't often see and during the meal she told me "Hey you never post on your blog anymore! I have no idea what's going on with you while I'm trying to stalk you online!" It made me smile and warm my heart. So even if it's just the two of us who actually read this, it's better than nothing. So Kendall, this one is for you!

We are all moved into the new Apartment. After a few setbacks and one LONG day of moving and cleaning, moving and cleaning some more we are finally settled into the new place. Kyle was wonderful and did more than his fair share of unpacking (he actually did MOST of the unpacking while I was at work!) We got a new bed and a new bedroom set delivered the day after move in, and after the holiday season we are planning on getting more seating for the living room and possibly a new dinning room table! I have been meaning to take pictures and post them but the hustle and bustle of the holidays has been all consuming (isn't it though?)

Kyle's hail and farewell was this past Tuesday and it was wonderful. It is a tradition for wardrooms to have a celebration to "hail" the new Officers and "farewell" to the ones who are leaving. This time around Kyle was the Officer who was leaving his ship (he's being transferred to another ship next month but it is still home-ported in San Diego so no PCS move for us this time YES!) We had the event at a local bar (I was the DD of course since no drinking for me because of the INH ugh) but I still had a great time socializing. It was a really nice little event and it was really wonderful to hear all the other officers say such positive things about my husband. It really made my heart swell with pride!

After the ceremony we had a White Elephant gift exchange (always FUN!) then we stayed around to Eat and (for Kyle) continue drinking. His boss came over to say goodnight and told Kyle "hey, so, don't worry about coming in tomorrow, take the day off and we'll see you Friday." His mouth almost hit the floor. Nothing could be more awesome than getting the day off at the last minute. It's the adult equivalent of a snow day! I had the day off too so we immediately started scheming on what we were going to do to take advantage of this new development.

During our planning one of our buddies jokingly shouted out "hey! why not Disneyland?"

We stopped, looked at each other.

I said, "hey? you wanna?"

"why not!?"

Best Day off EVER!!!!!

 

 

Will this spoil the fact that we are going to Disney World in just a few short weeks? HECK NO!!!!


At least when I am slaving away in my over crowded ER this weekend I can rest on the fact that without this job, I would never EVER be able to afford to go to Disney on a last minute whim.

Gotta love spontaneity!

New Church

So Kyle and I haven't found a real church home ever since we had a falling out at our previous church here. I went to church service there once or twice since that new minister started but didn't really connect with his message and wasn't really impressed with his sermons. What made matters more difficult was that almost all of the friends I had made there over the last year all left, just like that. They all left for different reasons but I think that the previous pastor leaving severed a hole in the congregation. In less than a month almost all of the young adults left, several of the young families stopped coming and the music director left. It was a really sad situation.

It was hard to leave and part of me wanted to stay there out of principle, (to support the minister, even if I didn't really get a lot out of it) but I wasn't getting as much fulfillment out of it spiritually anymore. Well I stopped going, frankly when you can only go twice a month because of work it's easy to think of excuses to sleep in the few Sundays that you do have off. I also felt uncomfortable starting to go to a new church when Kyle was still deployed. When he came home we went to a larger church in La Jolla for advent and Christmas services but we never really connected there either. I don't know about you other church goers but trying to find a new church home after being raised in one church family primarily for me is like trying to replace a long time boyfriend with one that makes you feel just as good right off the bat. You need to feel the *spark* if you know what I mean.

So we went to this second church for lack of a better option for Easter, then a few scattered Sundays but then stopped going all together for a month. Then one month turned into two and before you know it 6 months had gone by. We were "flailing" as I like to call it. We were both frustrated with our lack of attending church, but neither of us had any drive to start going again.

So finally last week I got sick of my own attitude and started looking for churches on google maps. I found one close to us that looked promising and went to their website. Looked like a church right up my ally; close to home, large congregation and music program (I was really active in the choir at my old church) so I asked Kyle if he wanted to go this Sunday. Today we went to the service.

It was awesome. It has all the benefits of going to a large church (very active in the community, lots of classes and support groups) without really feeling like a large church. The service was impressive, the sermon moving, the choir - amazing. Several times we were welcomed and shown around, introduced to different people and everyone was very warm and kind to us. Finally after almost a year I had felt *sparks*

I have my New Church.

Turkey!!!!!!!!!

Hope Everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

TURKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BBC Book List

Saw this on another blog and I thought I would participate.

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen **reading now!

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma -Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (LOVE this book! and the miniseries.)

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Inferno - Dante

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Results: 23 out of 100....... only 23% I better get reading!!

Run Sara Run!

It's not only the blogging that has been suffering, I have also been neglecting my running - for over two months. I know, it's awful.

I did start again though! I ran 4 times last week; two times outdoors (one with a friend, I love running with a partner!) then it started raining so the next two I had to run inside on the treadmill. Now those of you who don't live in San Diego please don't hate me for having the ability to run outside in shorts in late November (I know it's CRAZY and makes me New England head hurt too). The two days of rain were the first rainy days I have seen here in months! (again don't hate..) I was glad I had the motivation to brave getting soaked to head to the gym, there were several (hundred) times where I didn't want to even bother because I wanted to curl up on my couch and watch TV instead of brave the rain to run.

I did hear somewhere that when you don't run for a week, you lose two weeks of training and I suppose that does ring true to an extent. In late August when I was running 3-4 days every week I could warm up then run 4 miles no problem. Last week when I went on my long run I barely made 3 and that was after stopping a bunch of times to walk. At least I know I'm not worse off then when I started, but it is hard (esp for a hard headed Italian like myself) to cope with not being able to perform as well as I KNOW I can. I guess it's back to training.

I decided I'm making the commitment to run the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon in June. In February my husband is going to run a 5k with me, then maybe I'll try a 10k if I can before I finally run the 1/2.

Wish me luck!

Decision Point

So like most of you have noticed, I haven't been blogging nearly as much (considering this is my first post in November ugh.....) I guess I got into a mood when I really didn't want to blog about anything, then that week turned into two weeks, then I got busy, then life happened. I guess that's just the way it goes.

But the thing is that I missed the outlet. I like having something that chronicles my life. I like to write, I like giving my family and friends back home a way to keep up with all of the mundane, day to day things that make life so wonderful. I miss taking pictures; I haven't even picked up my camera in weeks. Ugh, what has happened to me this fall?

Maybe it's time to rewind a little bit and head back to when I was good at blogging, when I was blogging almost daily and thinking more about posting ahead of time.

It's decision time.

Yet Another Month of No Blogging

Yuck, I hate that this lack of posting is starting to become a trend. I need to nip this in the bud soon!

Here's what's been happening the Rhody Girl House;

• Kyle's still gone, but he passed his board exam today YEAH! and is hopefully due home this week!
• I joined another photography group in San Diego, and I am going to try and get out to at least two events a month
• I'm sick, again, more congestion. Thankfully the neti pot is helping.
• I discovered that buying boots is really difficult for me! I wish that my feet were smaller/my calves were bigger, plus I have discovered a closet need for some UGG boots. (my feet are cold and I PROMISE I will never wear them with a mini skirt...silly girls you know who you are..)
• I think **gasp** that I'm getting burnt out on TV on DVD. Since Kyle left I have gotten through 2 Seasons of Gossip Girl, 3 seasons of Nip-Tuck and 1 season of Gilmore Girls.
• I had my yearly evaluation at work and my PPD came back positive so I'm on INH prophylaxis for Latent TB exposure. I'm not sick/contagious/feeling bad. My chest x-ray was clear so the antibiotics are just killing the microbes that are "allegedly" cowering in the corner of my lung. Oh, also I can't drink for the entire 9 months (yes I said 9 months) that I have to take this stuff......buh...

On call tomorrow.....please oh please oh please don't call me in!

Sorry I've been such a lousy blogger lately. I'm in a funk....

New Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Trailer

I'm SOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

Ree's Mac & Cheese

I really was missing Kyle last night. I was so down in the doldrums that the only thing that could pull me out of my depression hole was the best comfort food ever created.

awww yeah!!!!

MAC & CHEESE!!!

This classic recipe is a great staple to have in the old recipe box. Although not the best homemade mac and cheese I have ever had (that one is reserved for this) It is definitely one work making. I like it especially because it is so versatile. You can use any combo of cheese you like and add as many or as little spice as you want. I used only Sharp Cheddar (I had a Tilamook loaf in my fridge that keep calling to me "make me into mac and cheese! make me into mac and cheese!") for this one but it's really good with Jack, white cheddar, fontina, any cheese you want! I used plenty of pepper because I like pepper on my mac. (Ever try it on Kraft blue box mac and cheese? It will literally change your life)

Here's the recipe!

Classic Mac and Cheese

source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

• 4 cups Dried Macaroni
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• ¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-½ cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated
• ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Mhm, this is the definition of SOUL FOOD!!!!!

Fall into Reading 2010

So I saw this on Becky's Blog, My Life, from {Army} brat to wife and I was intrigued so I have decided to participate too :-)

The main contest can be found on Callapidder Days, Click here to check it out. Basically you make a list of all the books you want to read between September 22nd and December 20th, then at the end of the Challenge you post to see how it went. Very low pressure, all you do is read which was something I was planning to do more of this fall anyway. Liking up on her website will be a good way to share reading lists. I personally have been thinking of doing something similar on my blog to get more of a dialogue happening. Maybe in the Springtime....?

Anyway here is my list

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - My Current Read and a really good one at that!

The Girl who Played with Fire - Another on the list.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's nest - Noticing a Trend?

The Help - I gave this book to my Sister-in-Law last Christmas and two weeks later my Mother in Law was calling raving about it. I have wanted to read it ever since

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom & Photoshop Workflow Bible - This book is amazing! I'm about a 1/3 of the way through it already and I am already learning so much!







Light; Science & Magic: An introduction to photographic lighting - This is very "text-bookish" but is chock full of good information.








Three Cups of Tea: This has been on my reading list since I don't even know when!

 Seeking Him; Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival - I have been wanting to start a bible study series for a long time and this one got fabulous reviews.










That's it for now! I am excited to have a goal to have these books finished by Christmas Time!!

Swagbucks

Yay for virtual money!

I know most of you already know about Swagbucks but this is something that I have just recently discovered. Now I am usually really wary about internet "deals" (a.k.a scams) but after I read multiple posts from you guys about the swag I decided to give it a try.

The designers of the website equate swag bucks to "frequent flyer miles for the internet." It's a search engine tool that enables you to aquire points based on the searches you do on the internet. The points then can be traded for goods like gift cards, DVDs, electronics and clothing. There are a few other ways to get points too such as..

1) Trade in your old cell phone and other electronics
2) Sign up for special offers from companies (I personally think this advertising $$ helps make this program successful. Example - signing up for Netflix gives you 500 swagbucks, signing up for Direct TV gives you 13,000 bucks and so on)
3) Taking surveys
4) Shopping (another good way for me to earn points since I LOVE online shopping!)



So we'll try it for a little while and see how fast I can get some Amazon gift cards ;-) Do you have any swagbuck tips?

My home minus one Naval Officer

Kyle left Tuesday morning.


I've been doing ok since it's only been a few days. It was a quick goodbye which I think is usually easier and I went straight to work afterwards which was a good distraction. Today was my first day off without him here and it has been alright. I'm pretty sure it hasn't had time to sink in yet. Best thing for the heart and mind is to keep busy.

I have still been feeling sick and today I finally gave up and went to my local free clinic (only because I couldn't get an appointment with my regular doctor because I couldn't even get to talk to a real person on the phone!?! when I called to make an appointment. (Don't even get me started, I need to find another doctor) The clinic I went to was actually really great and the MD there put me on antibiotics which already seem to be kicking in because I'm feeling better (yes!)

Unfortunately I have slacked on my domestic goddess duties and I had to spend most of my day off today cleaning up the apartment. This weekend is set aside for photography reading and computing (awesome).

p.s. I booked my tickets today for Kyle & I to fly to Orlando in January (102 days left YES!!!!!)

One more day until the WEEKEND!!!!!

Neti Pots

Have you guys herd of Neti Pots?

Neither had I until a few days ago.

I get really bad sinus infections every so often and when they hit me they hit H-A-R-D. I mean pressure, headaches, going through multiple boxes of tissues, the whole bit. Being a nurse I have full faith in modern medicine but I do think that there is much to be said about homeopathic medicine as well. One of my fellow nurses told me about the Neti Pot when I was at work and she saw me blow my nose for the millionth time. Apparently it is a teapot looking thing that you fill with luke-warm water and an isotonic (fancy word for same pH as your body) saline (fancy word for salt water) solution. You bend over the sink with your head tilted and let the water flow slowly through one nostril and out the other. It's supposed to wash out your sinus passages and break up heavy secretions.

When she was telling me this I was skeptical, mostly because I was picturing how ridiculous I would look bending over a sink with a teapot in my nose but when I couldn't take the sinus pain anymore I went to Target on my way home and picked up a NasaFlo neti pot (same one pictured above) and brought it home to try.

I tell you, I am SOLD. This thing ROCKS! After I used it I was actually able to breath out of the right side of my face for the first time all week! If you guys have sinus trouble or allergies I implore you to give this a try. You nostrils will thank you!

p.s. Amoxicillin helps too (thank GOD for antibiotics!)

Classic Pizza

 

So I have used the Pizza recipe over at Annie's Eats for quite awhile and I have noticed that as time goes on the pizzas become easier and easier to create. When I first looked at her blog and found out she was using fresh dough that she stretched onto a pizza peel and put into the oven herself I was a little intimidated. I mean pulling dough? pizza peels? I knew that It was pretty much a given that I would at least mess up one of those steps. I was especially nervous about the whole getting the raw pizza into the oven without messing it up completely step. I had visions of perfectly formed pizza becoming a gelatinous blob of goo after it flips over on itself when I try to put it in the oven with only a simple flick of the wrist like they do at pizza restaurants.

Well lo and behold I have never had a pizza come out like a gelatinous blob of goo (my husband did once; but here's the secret, it still tastes amazing!) and my pizzas are starting to look more and more like, well actual round, cheesy pizzas that look as amazing as they taste! Last night when Kyle took this out of the oven I was so proud of it that I had to snap a quick picture. Go and try it youself, conquor your fear of pizza peels! Shove that pizza into the oven and say 'I will NOT BE RULED BY PIZZA DOUGH! as you kick the oven closed with your foot.' Just kidding - I've never done that

no way...

Anyway go check out her website - Annie's Eats - for the pizza crust & pizza sauce recipes that I used on this pizza. Then I just topped with red & green pepper, onion and thinly sliced deli ham. Delish!

p90x Update

So Kyle and I were doing really well with p90x for about a week and a half; then he found out he was leaving for two months, and I got sick. So naturally we kind of fell out of it.

I have every intention of jumping right back into it once I feel better. I think it would be fun for me to complete the first round while he is gone then when he gets back we can start fresh and I can do round 2 for myself and he'll start round 1 again. (Then I'd be able to go pull-ups right along with him)

Here is the schedule for next week (Starting Tuesday when Kyle set's sail and I'm 100% recovered **hopefully**)

-Tuesday- Yoga X
-Wednesday- Legs & Back
-Thursday - Kempo
-Friday- Chest & Back
-Saturday- Rest
-Sunday- Pylometrics

Nice, lazy Saturdays and Laundry Advice

Happy Weekend!

This morning we had the physical inspection of the condo, and everything turned up roses. The home inspector found a few little things that need to be addressed (i.e. the A/C didn't cool down the house "fast enough") but all the big things are fine. The inspector even said that our condo was one of the nicer places he had done in a while (he probably says that to everybody, but still it's nice to hear lol). Afterward Kyle and I had a nice lunch and went to the NEX to check out the appliances. To move into this condo we need a washer/dryer and a fridge and we found a lot of nice washer/dryer units at the NEX (and no tax baby!) Maybe I can swing a front load washer (helloooo lover....)

Now I'm still really congested but thankfully the affrin nasal spray worked like a charm. Now it's couch and Grey's Anatomy with the hubby....

Keep your fingers crossed that I don't get called in tomorrow :-)

p.s. I would really appreciate some feedback on the washers and dryer you guys own. Which brand did you go with and why?

A few things about me...

Dana at Sweeping Through Life tagged me on her blog and asked me to answer 8 questions about myself. I can think of no better thing to do while curled up on my couch watching the Golden Girls on WeTV (awesome)


1. Why do you blog?

I first started Little Rhody Girl as a way for my family to keep up with things in my life since I live so far away. Now it's more of a way for me to get stuff off my chest and to chronicle the big (and little) things in my life. I have also really enjoyed getting to know other bloggers!

2. What is your favorite color and why?

I love purple, it just seems to regal and elegant. My bridesmaids wore purple in my wedding. I like pink too (it's for my inner girl tee hee)

3. What is your favorite meal?

This is a hard one but I think I'm going to have to go with pasta and a GOOD marinara sauce (no jars please). Served with artisan bread and olive oil for dipping; salad doesn't hurt either.

4. If you had to choose between playing Wii or Monopoly which would you play?

Please; Monopoly hands down. I have the app on my phone and I play it ALOT. I have fond memories of playing monopoly with my Dad when I was a kid. We were really competitive (still are) and the games could get really cut throat at times. Wanna play? Just don't land Indian Ave, I own it and it's got a hotel biatch!!!!

 5. If I handed you $150.00, what would you do with it?

Put it together with my $150.00 and buy Photoshop Lightroom.

6. What is the best book you ever read?

Hmmm, another tough one....can I say all 7 Harry Potter books?

7. Who is your role model?

My mother, hands down the most awesome woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I hope to be half the woman she is someday. 

8. What is your favorite cereal?

I like Quaker Oatmeal Squares....yum

So this hasn't exactly been the best week ever

I told you guys here that Kyle found out he needs to go to sea for a few weeks to finish a qualification for work. When he told me this last week the idea was that in mid October he would be gone for two or three weeks, most likely on a ship doing pre-deployment workups (meaning that they will sail off the coast of San Diego and do exercises). We would be already into the Escrow process for this house (and maybe even moved in) before he had to leave, so I was feeling O.K. about it.

At the beginning of the week he told me his boss was able to pull some strings for him and get him a spot on a ship that will be able to help him get the testing done he needs for his qualification. The catch is that this particular ship deploys next week and will be gone for at least six weeks. Since it is a deploying ship he has to stay aboard until they reach a port that he can fly out of. So he could be finished with all of the stuff he needs to do in let's say three weeks, he still has to wait until the ship docks in a port that he can fly home relatively easily, which could take another three weeks.

It is pretty much a certainty at this point that I will be going through this house buying process minus a husband. At first I was really overwhelmed by it but now that I have had a few days for the idea to sink in I have confidence that I can make this work. I defiantly had a Tim Gunn "make it work" moment haha.

Even though this hasn't exactly been "the best week ever" (unexpected sea time, laryngitis, and more work) at least we're almost at the end of it ;-)

Every Girl needs a new wardrobe right?

I have decided to start giving my wardrobe a serious update. Since I had the day off today and the clock has officially started ticking down toward the move I decided to spend the afternoon doing some inventory. Today's project was my closet. I wanted to make a rough list of the different types of clothes I had to figure out how many boxes I would need to pack up my closet. The more I wrote down the more telling it was about what my wardrobe is centered around. Do you see that list? I took one good look at the number of t-shirts I have (holy crap) and decided that my so called *jeans and tee* rut has surpassed rut and crossed over into obsession. I need to branch out and buy a skirt or two (especially since right now I only own two). 

I have made a commitment to build a new a versatile wardrobe for myself, piece by piece, over the next two years. My goal is to buy a new item every month, something I don't already own (the key point), more shoes, more dresses, skirts and a wider range of accessories. Using my birthday money I already bought the September stuff. My guide through all this will be the The Lucky Shopping Manual: Building and Improving Your Wardrobe Piece by Piece pictured next to my list. What a fantastic book. It is seriously a lifesaver for fashion defuncts like myself who know nothing about being stylish but are desperate to learn.

One of the things I wanted was an outerwear vest and when I saw this in the L.L.Bean fall catalogue I immediately wanted the look. So I went ahead and got all three (even the scarf, totally cute right?) I am hoping that this is the first step in the right direction. Before you say anything, the long sleeve shirt is technically a tee but hear me out - it's a turtle neck, it's ribbed and it's purple (all three of which do not currently reside in my closet)

October Item: Leather Motorcycle Jacket or new pair of Boots

Sick....

I have laryngitis....I can't even talk right now.

I woke up this morning with a "tickle" in my throat and throughout my 12 hour shift I slowly became more and more Barry White like. By 6pm I had a full on raspy, hooker, phone sex voice (you know what I mean). I had fun sneaking up behind my charge nurse and whispering "can't get enough of you love baby..." and making her laugh. It was all good....until I got home and my throat was so swollen I didn't want to even think about swallowing because it hurt so bad

Awesome, exactly what I need this week......

House Update

We have official signed documents from the seller and if all goes well we should start the escrow process in the next week. The sellers are really motivated to get us to rent out the condo during escrow for a great price (about half of what we are now paying for rent) and it sounds like a good opportunity to me but I don't want to even touch that without looking at a lease first.

We are really excited to get this process going (I have already picked out our fridge and washer dryer haha). I can't wait to have a kitchen big enough for all of my stuff, to have a freezer that I don't have to stuff to the rafters every time I cook anything, to have a backyard to plant roses in, to have an extra bedroom for guests, and more storage storage storage! Can you tell I'm a teansy bit excited!?

There is a slight monkey wrench which is thrown in for good measure. Kyle told me last week that he has an opportunity to go to sea with another ship to finish a qualification that he has been working on for awhile, but this means that he will be going to sea, for at least a four weeks, in October. Which of course is smack dab in the middle of us buying this house!

Such is life as a Navy Wife!!!!!!!!!!

Birthday Birthday Weekend!!!!!

I have just had the most wonderful Birthday Weekend!!!!

Saturday was nice and relaxing, I slept in late and spent most of the morning reading curled up on the couch. Did my p90x workout with Kyle (Chest & Back!) then we went over to a housewarming party before we headed downtown for my Birthday get-together. It was really fun and I had a great time drinking and hanging out with friends!

Today (my actual birthday) Kyle woke me up and when I walked into our living room he had presents for me all over the coffee table (awesome!). He ended up giving me a gift card to sports chalet (workout clothes here I come!), a new camel back water bottle (since I always stole his, haha) and a heart rate monitor. My birthday theme was all about p90x! :-D

I got some beautiful earings from my in-laws and my parents got me the first two books in the Steig Larsson series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Girl who Played with Fire). I also got some cash from the grandparents and I used that to order all of the books on my birthday book list (awesome!!). I got lots of phone calls from family and friends and I was able to facetime with my parents on Kyle's iphone4. 

Tonight Kyle took me out to a fantastic dinner on Harbor Island, where I had the best Sea Bass I have ever had and then we took a nice walk along the waterfront, looking out on the San Diego Skyline in early twilight.

I am so blessed to have such wonderful people to share my Birthday with!! They are the ones who really made it special for me!

Birthday Booklist!!!!

I have compiled a nice little listy of books that I want (please please) for my birthday (which is next week!!!).

can you tell where my head is at?





oh and I want this one too



I have herd good things :-)

Teen Mom

So guys, I have to confess that I have a secret obsession with teenage pregnancy. I was a closet watcher of 16 and pregnant and I have Tivo'd every single episode of Teen Mom (I'm in fact watching it now). I think the one time when my husband sat down and saw I was actually watching it (don't change the channel what are you doing!?!?) was a turning point in our marriage. He finally discovered his beloved wife's love for bad T.V. (Bridezillas anyone??)

I guess i'm not the only one who enjoys some Teen Mom in my life.

I know I know (I did buy one of the US Weekly mags -::ashamed::)

I KNOW I'm not the only one (right?)

p90x - How to bring it!

Yesterday Kyle and I started out 90 day journey with p90x. I was super excited to start working out, my dear husband was still quite skeptical. I had read the user's guide and had already flipped through the nutrition plan and decided that Kyle should just watch the intro "how to bring it" DVD before we started. It was a good intro to the system and included some interviews with the dietitian that developed the eating plan and Tony Horton (the main guy behind p90x). Of course they did spend a little bit plugging their protein bars and workout recovery drink (I would have been shocked had they not) but they did really recommend that we do the fit test, which I was planning on just skipping.

So Kyle and I got ready to work out, took out beginning measurements and (with some coaxing) took before pictures. Now before you even ask we don't plan on posting any physical evidence until we have something to compare it to. (tough luck!) We took the fit test (damn you wall squat!!) and decided we had enough time to start the first workout, Chest and Back.

HOLY CRAP IT WAS HARD!!!!!!!

But I loved it and Kyle did to. I have always been a fan of hard workouts, because I really feel accomplished when I'm done (spinning anyone??) Tony is engaging, encouraging and pretty funny. The DVD was a 30 minute chest and back circuit that was repeated to make it an hour long workout. Push-ups, chin-ups, more push-ups & more push-ups and then, some chin-ups!! We were both sweating like crazy by the end of it but I was pumped and excited. I really liked working out with Kyle, sure we have gone to the gym together but we would always go our separate ways. It was nice to do it together, to push each other and to high five when we were through it. Afterward Kyle was filling in his worksheets and filling in the calendar with gusto, I guess I convinced him! I am looking forward to our next workout tomorrow, Pylometrics.

DO YOUR BEST, FORGET THE REST!!!!!!

Bring it...

Now I gots the stuff........

I just have to bring it.....

eep.....

New Month, New Start, New Home!?

So we've been led around the block a time or two during this whole house search. We found a condo we absolutely loved and put in an offer here then we fell out of the running here. We decided to start looking again the next week and it didn't go well. We found some condos that were O.K. but they were all further away then we wanted to be and the HOA fees were just out of control (one was almost $600 a month! Ouch!) We were getting so frustrated, and frankly I was getting ready to just forget the whole thing.

Then our Realtor called, and told us that the original buyers backed out and we are in at the original property that we wanted. Nothing is definite yet and I really don't want to jinx anything but if all goes well we should open up escrow by next week.

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Michael Buble Concert

 This past weekend was very relaxing and quite enjoyable, a welcome change for both me and the hubby since we have both been incredibly busy at work lately. Friday night Kyle took me to see Michael Buble at the sports arena which was AWESOME!

Oh Michael, you don't need to fix your tie for me!

I saw him a few years ago with a friend back home when he was first starting to get really famous. This time around he was definitely more comfortable preforming. He was really engaging with the audience and very very funny! Kyle laughed when Michael poked fun at "all the husbands who were probably dragged here; no worries guys you'll have a good time, and besides that - I'm taken!" (he got engaged to his then girlfriend, Argentinean actress Luisana Loreley Lopilato de la Torre *that's a mouthful* back in January).

Michael and Luisana, such a cute couple!

I had a great time, we had floor seats and were really close to the stage. While he was singing "All I do is Dream of you" he walked out into the audience and climbed into a platform no joke like 20 ft away from where I was and sang "Home." If any of you ladies are Buble fans you owe it to yourself to spend the $$ to go see him.

He knows what's up too. This sums up his stage presence in one quote; between songs he said; "You guys all paid top dollar to be here, and I want you guys to have a great time, this isn't a concert, it's a party. If you want to sing, sing out loud, if you want to dance, get up and dance. And if someone behind you gets all like sit down I'm trying to watch the concert, politely turn around and tell them to go f*ck themselves.


Awesome


I also wanted to point out the opening band, Naturally 7. This acapella group (although I find the term acapella a little limiting for the awesome stuff that they do, so to they in fact.) They do "vocal play" and it's freaking incredible.

Check this out



Naturally 7 Wall of Sound

Sarah | MySpace Video

What the F***?

Last night we got an e-mail from our Realtor; The seller went with another offer.

Even though we offered equally as much and changed everything they wanted us to change; even though our offer was placed a day before the second one.

Naturally, we are both devastated. I really did like this house; but more than that, I was just looking forward to ending the looking process. I was so sick and tired of spending every day off looking at houses. Since we are only going to be in San Diego for two more years we are probably going to look once or twice more, than if we still can't find anything we'll start looking into renting a bigger apartment/townhouse and waiting to buy until we move out of San Diego.

Either way it's really sad we lost this place.... :-(

On a lighter note I ordered my resistance bands for p90x today: 

Bodylastics ***MAX TENSION Heavy Duty Resistance Bands

Now I need the Pull-up bar and the DVDs and I'll be ready to get RIPPED!!!!

News on the Homefront

So the condo we are trying to purchase is a Short Sale. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about; a Short Sale is something that a homeowner can do (with the bank's approval) to avoid going into foreclosure. In simple terms it defines the situation where the homeowner owes more money than the current appraisal value of the house. Since the housing market took a nose dive last year short sales have become much more common, especially in the San Diego area. The particular condo in question sold for over 400,000 back in 2006, but now is worth considerably less than that (good for us!) Our offer was equal to the appraisal value (the maximum pretty much) and we have good feelings that it will go through.

The latest news we have is that our offer is being sent to the seller for approval & signatures! We are really excited to start moving into escrow (homeowners you know what we mean!) We are very aware that the escrow period, especially for a short sale, will be long and drawn out to the point of tears and loosing one's sanity. For that reason we are more than prepared to buckle down for the long haul.

I'm putting together a list of things I need to start p90x. I need a pull up bar and resistance bands or dumbbells. I want to start out with resistance bands since they are a lot more affordable; if we continue the program eventually I'll want to invest in some PowerBlocks but for now the bands will work fine for both me and my hubby ;-)

Curing up in bed with a good book.

After two long days at work I'm curing into bed with my current read.

gotta love Sookie! What are you guys reading right now?

More Updates

It seems that my summer has been really busy, or maybe I'm just getting more lazy and it just "feels" busier than previous summers; either way I can't freaking believe that we are over halfway though August.

Here's what's been going on.

1) We put an offer in on a house, It a gorgeous and I mean GORGEOUS condo about 10 min away from where we live now. We're waiting to hear if it got approved. More on that later (I don't want to jinx anything)

2) New job change on hold. I figure that with all of the other changes happening now the last thing I want to do is change my job. I am also looking towards making myself more marketable later on in life and the ER experience is pretty much indispensable. So I will most likely be in the ER until we leave San Diego unless things really change. Whether or not its at the hospital I am currently working at remains to be seen. 

3) Workouts: I have decided after being intrigued about it for months to try the P90X workout DVD program. I told my husband about it and even though he is against "working out to the T.V." he is willing to try it with me. My birthday is next month and I want to start collecting the equipment you need (chin up bar and resistance bands) as gifts. I plan to record our progress on the blog, so stay tuned for that. I am currently using Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred and really like that so I want to keep the momentum going after that is done. Anybody have feedback about p90x?

I have had 3 days off so far this week (before you say anything know that I am working all weekend), and finally had some time to cook. I made another pot of veggie chili, roast chicken and homemade chicken soup (from the roast chix...yummm!). I got to sleep in and watch Rachel Ray with a cup of tea, my favorite thing to do on my mornings off. Now i'm having a movie night with the hubby, and the plan is in bed by 10 with my book, because 0530 comes early.

Enjoy the rest of your week and your weekend ladies!!!!

US open Sand Castle Competition - Imperial Beach, CA

Sunday we went to Imperial Beach San Castle Competition. I believe it was the 38th year of this annual event and it was a really fun time. We saw on the news that the Discovery Chanel was there filming a special on the competition and they were filming it in 3-D, the first television special to be filmed in this way. We got to see the camera team while we were there and I am pretty sure that the camera they were using is worth more than my car, it was incredible! I guess I should have taken a picture of it..





















This one of course was my favorite! (and it was a Canon too....awesome)



I herd rumors that sometimes they rig the sandcastles to explode at the end of the day, but not this year (bummer)