The Mister and I played the tourists this past weekend. We went on a scenic green lava flow tour over near Makapu’u Lighthouse (the hike we took the previous weekend). We had to cross the highway and climb down into the lava tubes.  It looked like something out of a horror film!

Once we reached the other side, we were able to see some really unique sights

Didn’t take the pooch this time–we didn’t think the rest of the tour van would appreciate it–but it was probably for the best as we saw a VERY rare endangered Hawaiian monk seal! There are only 1100 left in the world. He didn’t want to look up (he was in serious snooze mode) for most photos, but he did sit up to check out who was approaching. We’re SO blessed to have seen one in the wild!

We don’t have anything planned for this coming weekend yet. Have to get the oil changed in the Dart and that requires trekking out to Kaneohe to the dealership.  Since we’ve already seen Byodo-In Temple there, there’s really not much to see unless we rent kayaks and go out to Chinamen’s Hat island (Mokoli’i Island). We’ll definitely be driving by and making a stop for a few snaps, but kayak rental is pricey and we are trying to get some funds saved to take an inter-island trip when the Mister gets leave. I might get a few snaps of Ulupo Heiau too if I can convince the Mister to drive out there. It’s an ancient Hawaiian site–more details on that should I get some photos. It’s a bit out of the way though, so I might have to wait on that one for when we do the Maunawili Trail hike. We’ll see!

Until next time,

Cheers!

-A. xoxo

September is off and running. Settling back into a routine took about a minute, but such is life.

I can’t believe it’s already a week into the month. August seemed to fly by and September is sprinting.

Since I’ve been back, the Mister and I have been to a few really neat places. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just going to these places to snap pictures and not really experience it. I know I’ll have my photos to look back on, hopefully the memories stick!

The last few journeys have been a little random and with the four day weekend over Labor Day, we were able to see a lot more than our normal jaunts.

Our first trip was to the much anticipated Lanikai Beach!

This is a serious tourist stop and it’s easy to see why. The sand is easily the softest on the island and the water is a beautiful turquoise blue. Plus, it’s dog friendly, so Audie got to enjoy the calm waters too.

Saturday 8/30 was the first day of college football season, so we stayed home and watched Nebraska and Alabama take charge of the 2014 season!

After some unfortunate sunburning, we opted to take in more air-conditioned sights on Sunday 8/31.

So, we hit up Queen Emma’s Summer Palace.

Then the Bishop Museum.

Monday was spent sleeping in and catching up on all the laundry from the prior week. We also celebrated my little baby turning a whole year old! He has gotten so big. Can’t imagine life without him.

This weekend, the Mister and I had a pseudo date night at Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu. He got off work early Friday and we battled traffic on H1 to enjoy some Bubba Gump’s Shrimp.

We ended up bringing home pilsner glasses and t-shirts along with very full bellies.

Saturday 9/6 was an EARLY morning. Kick off for our football games was at 6am. We both ended up falling back asleep at half time.  But we did manage to drag ourselves up to head to Makapu’u Lighthouse trail. Traffic was abysmal. It took us over an hour and a half to drive 31 miles. We passed some great scenery we’ll be stopping at next time.

We brought Audie on this hike too. He is STILL exhausted and I think he bruised his paws because he doesn’t want to put much weight on them. I checked him for burns (it was SUPER hot) and cuts, but his feet look fine so who knows.

All in all it was a great few journeys and I can’t wait for next weekend.  I’m rescheduling our Green Lava Flow tour.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to cross off Halona Blow Hole and other stops along the way.  We will likely go check out Dole Plantation, Kukanialoko Birthing Stones, and the Wahiawa Botanical Garden as well if I can drag the Mister out of the house for more than just Saturday.

Here’s to hoping!

Cheers!

-A. xoxo

Well…I have arrived back on the island.

I ended up pushing my flights back a few days to avoid the crappy weather. That was an expensive venture. But such is life. I made it back in one piece and my house was still standing, unscathed. 

Before I left, my family went to our favorite place: the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha (not to mention it’s the #1 zoo in the world as voted on by the public!).  I’ve always loved the zoo and it just keeps getting better.  We even recreated a few old photos from when I was little and visiting for one of the first times. 

They’ve added Stingray Beach in the year I’ve been away. Now you can fee stingrays in a pool and feel them. Really neat, although, we’ve done this at SeaWorld.

We even convinced my dad to get in a few photos (seriously, I have maybe a handful of photos with him in them–he hates his picture being taken). All in all it was a nice day trip with my family.  It was super packed though, and there were way too many rude/inconsiderate people.

After the zoo, we stopped at the new Nebraska Crossing Outlet Mall.  This place is a shopper’s paradise. If I wasn’t so strapped for funds (and had a bigger bag to bring back), I would have gone berserk. While my parents and the youngest were back-to-school shopping, the middle sister (I call her Sib–short for sibling) and I popped across I-80 and checked out the Holy Family Shrine.  This building is one we’ve driven by thousands of times and always thought it was so cool.  The walls are all glass and you can see inside from the interstate below.  Needless to stay, it is absolutely stunning up close.

This place was exactly what I needed after the really trying few weeks.  It was so peaceful and beautiful. I am so glad I stopped.

The day before I left, my uncle took me to the gun range. I wanted to try a few hand guns in hopes of maybe getting one of my grandpa’s. He’d shown me so many over the years, I figured I would ask to see if I had a chance at getting one. I shot a few different kinds and all were way more than I expected! Having only shot a BB gun and a pellet gun, it was a real experience.

Then I came back here. 

Now, it was really hard to leave. I really missed Nebraska and my family and friends. It was hard not to stay longer. But once, I got back, the Mister and I were able to take in some more sights. 

We missed our tour shuttle for our green lava flow tour, so we rescheduled for 13 September  and decided to go on the rainforest/waterfall/movie site tour 23 August. 

So…not wanting to waste our day in Honolulu, we decided to check out Iolani Palace.  Thanks to Blue Star Museums for making it a free day until 1 September! The Mister wasn’t very impressed, but being a history buff, I was really excited to check it out.

So much of native Hawaiian history has a very similar feel to my own Tsalagi heritage. It was neat to learn about a culture I’d previously never really studied. 

The following week was filled with some relatively exciting stuff. We finally caught our little stray! I took it to the vet and found out it’s a little girl.  She’s about 10 weeks old and is VERY healthy for being a street cat. No FLV and no fleas. So, she’s been allowed to roam the house while we socialize her in hopes of finding a good home for her.  Originally, we took her to the humane society, but the admissions gentlemen said if they couldn’t handle her, they’d put her down.  So we brought her back home to work with her.  She is still super shy, but she ADORES my Hina girl.  Hina isn’t a huge fan, but it’s really cute to see her rub against our fat girl. Jack absolutely hates her, so she leaves him be.

This past weekend, we went on our tour.  It ended up being a hike to Manoa Falls–another hike we had on our list already. We saw the area that the fog scene from Catching Fire was filmed and the area where the truck goes over the cliff in Jurassic Park.  Not to mention a few spots where Lost and Hawaii 5-0 were filmed. 

The best part, though, was the waterfall at the end. We got there relatively early so it was basically empty when we got to the base.  

While this week has barely gotten started, I am already planning our journey this coming weekend.  The Mister is lucky enough to get 4 days this weekend, so we will definitely be checking some more sights off the list. Saturday is the first college football Saturday of the season, so we’ll be enjoying some games then, but that still leaves 3 glorious days to fill!  I’m hoping for Lanikai Beach and possibly a few stops like Spitting Caves and China Walls on the way back.  If not, I definitely want to see the Wahiawa stretch of sights (Dole Plantation, Botanical Garden, and Birthing Stones).  Here’s to hoping the Mister is in the mood to run around!

Until next time,

Cheers!

-A. xoxo

 

It has been a harrowing few weeks. I had every intention of posting earlier, but certain things kept me from keeping up as I wanted to here.

A little over three weeks ago, my mother called me with devastating news. My grandpa was in the hospital. The doctors had found a mass in his gallbladder that they later found to be cancer.  Despite surgery to remove his gallbladder, the cancer had already spread. He was placed in hospice care with a grim 2 week – 2 month prognosis.  10 days later, my mother said he had passed peacefully with herself and my uncle in the room.  I’m not sure what my reaction was.  I had tried to mentally prepare after the first bit of bad news but it didn’t dampen the pain the second time around.

Immediately, I was living my nightmare again. Being 4000+ miles away from the people I love most and no way to be there for the funeral. I broke down with sobs that rocked my body.

 In the years just prior to leaving for Hawaii, I had been a constant visitor. I worked right up the road and would stop at least a few days of week to sit and talk and watch westerns with him. I learned stories from his Army days, talked hand guns (he was a gun dealer for a lot of years), and poked fun at my uncle. 

Grandpa was a rough man on the outside. He had the gravelly voice from years of smoking and a no-nonsense attitude that hid his genuine care for people. I looked forward to our visits and saying goodbye a few days before I left was one of my harder goodbyes–as he was one of the few remaining grandparents who could still remember me and function highly. We always talked about how much he loved my bright yellow Neon. He never cared for the car, but the color was something he fixated on.  He loved classic cars–owning two restorations that are beautiful.  No matter the time I’d show up, he never failed to ask me if I “wanted a pop” from the big cooler by the fridge.

A favorite story to tell was his return from Europe with the Army.  The plane ride was supposed to take a couple of days and the train a few more.  There ended up being issues with the plane so they had to turn back instead of flying on after already having made it half way.  Then they wanted him to take another plane once he reached the states.  He refused after the debacle previously. So he got a train ticket. The train ride was less eventful. But when going through a dry state, he made sure to buy a case of beer to enjoy on his way through. He eventually made it home, but he has never liked long trips again.

He got a job with the railroad after he returned home and that encompassed his life from then on.  His walls are lined with trains and memorabilia. I remember his huge key ring with what seemed like hundreds of keys he used to carry on his belt. When we moved from Missouri to Iowa, we asked him to watch our dog Lucky while we got things settled.  A week or two later, we realized we’d never be able to ask for Lucky back.  He was his faithful (and SPOILED) companion until kidney failure forced Grandpa to put him down.  He was heartbroken and swore he’d never have another dog.  But my family knew he was missing his little furry buddy. So my mom and I started looking at various humane societies and rescue groups looking for a new buddy. I found a small dog similar to Lucky at the humane society I volunteered at in high school.  They insisted he was 9 years old.  A trip to the vet confirmed our suspicions, he was barely 2 years old. We fell in love with this pooch.  He has a hilarious quirk–if you stop petting him, he will nudge you with his butt and make this growling Chewbacca noise as if to say “you’re not done yet!”.  We had to fabricate a story so Grandpa would keep him.  Turns out we didn’t need to. We told him I had rescued him because he was set to be put down (the humane society wasn’t a kill shelter) and that we were going to give him to my uncle.  Grandpa had smiled and said “I thought you brought him for me.” And thus, history was made and Jake remained his constant companion until the end.  That poor dog is struggling now–he misses his buddy too.  Jake was even listed in the obituary, even before the children.

Remember how I said I was living my nightmare by not being able to come home? My uncle called me at about 3am his time and offered to pay my flights to and from Hawaii so I could come to the service.  So….I am posting from my small Nebraska hometown. The service was last Wednesday–complete with Jake in tow.

Despite the rotten circumstances, we did manage to go out the weekend prior to my flight. The Mister and I finally went on some short hikes. We took Audie out and he was exhausted by the end of the day, but he was loving being outside with us. 

We took on the Judd Loop Trail first.

The Cook pines were the neatest part of the trail. These babies tower over you by hundreds of feet. They have such unique rings around them too.

We lost the trail a few times, but eventually, we figured it out. Only took an hour–even with the my constant stopping to snap photos (much to Audie’s annoyance).

Then we drove up the Pali a bit and found the Kaniakapupu Ruins.

This was the summer palace of King Kamehameha III.  In 1847, it is said that 10,000 people attended a luau here.  This site is technically kapu to visit (it’s on BWS land and is a sacred spot).  But since we respected the place, we didn’t have any issues with authorities.

After the ruins, we went to the tourist attraction at the Pali Lookout. It’s here where Kamehameha forced the warriors of Oahu over the cliff face and effectively united the Hawaiian Islands.  Now it’s just a cool scenic overlook where you can follow the old trail around the mountain to a waterfall (we will likely do that trail another day).

Now that I’m back in Nebraska until Sunday, we’ve had to put a few plans on hold. We have a green lava flow tour and a rainforest/waterfall/movie tour coming up on the 16th (assuming the hurricane and tropical storm coming through doesn’t mess things up too bad). I’m just hoping my flight from Seattle to Honolulu doesn’t get canceled. I’d rather be stuck at home here, than in the airport in Seattle.

Going to be an adjustment going back and getting used to things again, but I do have a phone interview for a job on post tonight so maybe it will work out. We’ll see!

Hopefully things will not be as eventful before my next post.

Cheers!

-A.xoxo

July is off to the races already.

The fourth went smoothly. We didn’t get tickets to the Picnic on the Pier at the Mighty Mo, but we were able to drive over to Ford Island and watch the show for free from the parking lot near the Pacific Aviation Museum. The show was far enough away that the sound wasn’t an issue and since the show was put on by one of the military installations, there weren’t any pointless flash-bang mortar type fireworks set off. It was a great show!

We were pleasantly surprised with the crowd too.  Everyone was really orderly and respectful.  Even leaving the parking lot was smooth–usual traffic on this rock is soul crushing. We had a nice time and saw a really good show for free.

The Mister has had two of the four staff duty shifts.  Just two more over the next two weeks and he’ll be back to a normal schedule.  Our weekends have been really messed up since his shifts fall on Fridays and Saturdays. Our long 4th “weekend” didn’t really go the way I thought it would so the only thing we did was see the fireworks. 

This week it’s Friday, so we’ll still have Sunday to try to go out and see some new sites. I’m going to push for the Dole/Birthing Stones trip.  We’ll see what plays out. It’ll come down to how the Mister feels.  Staff duty takes so much time to recover from!

In other news….

Finally got a snap of the stray kitty in our yard.  

It’s super skittish. I keep moving the food a little closer to the door/house every day and it keeps coming back. I’m considering getting a trap from the Humane Society so I can get it fixed and microchipped in case we can’t tame it–that way it won’t increase the feral cat population on Oahu.  It’s really shy about fast movements. And Hina is a diva so she’s not very thrilled to have it in her yard.  But she’s that way with everything….Secretly, I want to tame it and keep it because I’m a bleeding heart and have a soft spot for kittens.

Aside from all that, I don’t have much to update on yet. I’ve got a dentist appointment and my yearly in the next couple of days (yuck!).  On the plus side, my new workout routine is going to be here in a couple days! I’m really excited to start it.  It’s time to kick this bod back in to shape. 2010/2011 body, you’re welcome to come back any time now!

I’ll keep everyone posted as the rest of the month progresses.  Hopefully, it’ll have more day trip photos and some new sights on film.

Until then…

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

 

 

 

Again, I’ve fallen off the posting wagon.

We spent most of June settling in to the new place. I actually put up curtains! 

We spent our weekends exploring new parts of the island. 

Our first adventure, we checked out Laniakea Beach on the North Shore side of Oahu.  The shoreline is covered with large slabs of rock that have holes worn in them from the waves.  Super soft sand too. Best yet, they allow dogs, so Audie got to come along.  He liked this beach a lot more than the other beaches he’s been to.  The waves were a lot calmer so he wasn’t so afraid of going in the water. We set up the big sports umbrella and brought a cooler.  Made a proper day of it.

We were also lucky enough to see sea turtles UP CLOSE.  The tide was actually washing them up right by our feet.  It was so neat! 

The following weekend, we hit the Honolulu Zoo to celebrate World Giraffe Day. After having an annual pass to one of the top three zoos in the nation, I wasn’t impressed with what Honolulu had to offer.  However, it was a nice little trip and I got to see my favorite animals. They weren’t doing anything for WGD, but for $8, I didn’t expect much. The Mister definitely spoiled me by getting me a load of giraffe stuff since he agreed: the zoo sucked. But, my cheesy selfie was worth the jaunt. We had to experience it to know.

This past weekend, we decided to head back to Laniakea Beach with Audie and just chill. We really love the spot and it’s not overrun with tourists.  The waves were rough this weekend, so Audie didn’t enjoy himself. He hung out under the umbrella while the Mister tried snorkeling on that side.  He definitely thinks Hanauma Bay is a better place to snorkel–loads clearer. 

 

We’re shopping for an underwater camera for those adventures.  We still have a lot of snorkel spots to check out and disposable cameras just don’t cut it.

July is going to be a bear of a month.  Most of the Mister’s unit are on block leave so he’s been put in charge of two different groups while their usual COs are gone.  That means staff duty and a ton of it.  He does get a couple days off for the 4th.  I might try to convince him to check out Dole Plantation and the Kukaniloko Birthing Stones. They’re free and not too far from the house–plus maybe it’ll be another not so subtle hint about wanting a baby. Both are also historical places (the stones for sure are) and I’m a history nerd so they’re on my list regardless! If not there, I’m definitely going to try to get him out to the Mighty Mo for the fireworks.  Since Pearl Harbor cut their show for budget reasons last year, we really need to check it out….however, I’ll have to be very aware of his anxiety levels.  Fireworks trigger his PTSD symptoms big time–New Years was really rough on him.  Hopefully he’ll be better for this round.  New Years was unexpected since we haven’t lived anywhere that’s been real big in to shooting them off for that time of year (hello, it’s cold in Kansas in January). Crossing my fingers. Otherwise, I’m perfectly content cuddling on the couch with the furkids.

Speaking of furkids….there’s a little black and white stray kitten that’s been coming around our yard for the last week.  It’s a scrawny little guy/girl.  Looks JUST like my Hina girl did when she was little. We’ve been putting a little food out every day and it keeps coming around.  It’s definitely wild, but since it’s so little, I’m silently hoping it’ll come around. I only hope I can get it cornered before the 4th. I don’t want it to run into the busy highway by the house and get hit. On the other side, I don’t want it to keep coming around and running from me so when we leave it’ll be without chow. Ugh, struggles of a bleeding heart animal rescuer. 

Let’s see…what else is there?

Been doing some Jillian Michaels workouts and yoga lately. Not really seeing any results, but I’ve barely started so I’m not going to give up just yet.  I have my yearly at the clinic coming up so I’m dreading that scale.  But! Oh well.  Once I can get a good routine going, it’ll be easy to keep it up. Ordered Shaun T’s Hip Hop Abs program.  There was a killer deal on it (a ton of extras for $30 with shipping) and I want to try something different. It looks way more fun than Jillian! And I’d rather be having fun than dreading a routine…

Well, until next time….hope it’s not too far off!

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

 

It’s been awhile, yes. I know. It’s all for good reason though! We moved! We live significantly closer to post now and the house is SO much nicer than where we were. And best yet: we pay $200 less every month for rent, have a fenced in yard, air conditioning, and no bugs! I’m already so much happier here than I was at the last place!

This does mean I’ve fallen off the wagon working out wise. As soon as I get my house settled, I WILL be back on. Even with my PMS/PMDD bloat, I’m down to 148! It’s a step. Not near my goal, but a little bit is a good start.  Stress has had a lot to do with the weight gain. I’ve cleaned out my closet and dresser and realized my weight is unacceptable! I have only my “fat” jeans that still fit and they are a bit tight. I think if I got back in shape, I’d not only feel better about myself, but I would also be able to fit back in to my normal jeans.  I’m basically just sick of feeling fat. It’s really annoying and something needs to be done. After cleaning out my drawers and not being able to fit into shorts I JUST bought a few months back, I realize the need is definitely there.  Now that I am in a better place mentally, I feel like I can relax and start working on me.  Better news still, there’s a lot more jobs in this area that I should have a shot at.  I’m significantly more positive and we’ve only been here about two weeks. Finding my house is an absolute nightmare. We have a lot of stuff and I’ve unpacked as much as I want to. I know I need to get things finished so we can function, but ugh, it’s frustrating. There’s still some fragile stuff that I don’t trust my cats not to knock over.

Otherwise, finding a routine is the biggest thing. Poor Audie struggles every time we leave the house for too long. My lovely felines have also decided they want to explore outside. This is unacceptable. Jack escaped like the third night we were here and I thought he was gone for good. I was devastated. He came home a few hours later, scared as I was.  Then a few days later, he ran out the door when I was letting Audie in and Hina followed.  The Mister had to chase them around the house to get them to come back in. I don’t know why they thought it was a good plan. They’ve never been outdoor kitties and I would never let them roam–we’re WAY too close to a major highway and I’ve lost a furry friend to the road in my recent past. I honestly cannot fathom what I would do if I lost any of my furkids like that again. I’m way too attached.

Other than that, we haven’t done a whole lot in regards to exploring our new area. We did go to the floating lantern ceremony over memorial day.

 It was beautiful and I hope to go again. 50 thousand people attended and over 6 thousand lanterns were released. It was so solemn and I wanted to feel that same closeness with my lost loved ones.I think my great grandmother, grandmother, and grandpa would have loved to see the ceremony. I know they would have appreciated a lantern. I still have a long list of places I want to see on Oahu before I get off this rock so I’m hoping to add some weekend excursions soon. We’ve also celebrated both our one year wedding anniversary and our one year on the island anniversary.

I have no idea where that last year went. I feel like all I’ve done in the last year is worry about the budget, clean up after the bugs, and get by as best we can.  That’s no way to experience life!Time to get back to the exploring. I miss it.

I apologize for the broken babble. I’m trying to catch up on all the stuff I’ve left out in my absence….but it’s not working well.

Until next time (and I hope it isn’t such a long absence),

Cheers!

-A. xoxo

Well, here it goes.

I’m in dire need of some serious weight loss and so, I’m starting a new regime.

First, I’m going to get back with Jillian Michaels and do the 30 Day Shred again.  I did it before my wedding and at least felt better.  Not sure about results, but I felt better and it was becoming habit to get myself working out.

Following Jillian’s butt-kicking (and I know it will be god awful because I’m abysmally out of shape), I’m hitting Biggest Loser’s Yoga work out. Basically, I just miss yoga and I haven’t tried this one yet.

So that’s the plan for awhile. I’m contemplating hitting the C25K after I complete 30 Day. The Run or Dye 5K is September 1 in Honolulu…I don’t want to sign up just yet, but the thought is in the back of my mind.

In addition to the workout regime, I’ve also committed to the Special K Fast 5. Basically, it’s a two week diet that replaces two meals with Special K products and one sensible meal in the evening. Figured it’d be a good boost to the Mister and my better eating plan, plus I actually like the cereals and snacks.  It’s a nice kick start (I hope).

Stats:

Height: 5’6″

Current Weight: 150lbs

Goal Weight: 130lbs

Ideal Weight: 120lbs.

Essentially, I just want to fit back into my jeans and get rid of the excess flub.  Living here is depressing enough, the added weight is not helping that situation either.

I’ll update as I go.

Cheers,

–A. xoxo

First day of April. I’m starting to feel the pressure for our move at the end of May big time!

I’ve been scouring our neighborhood for boxes in preparation.  We’re only moving across the island, but moves always take so much effort.  We don’t have our new place picked out yet, but I’m trying to be ahead of the game here.

On top of that, the Mister has been put on recovery so he’s back to PT every morning and that means we’re both on the hook to get back in shape.  So we’ve started changing our routine.

I’m embarrassed to say, but this is the absolute heaviest I have ever been and I can’t stand it.  I broke down and bought the next size up in jeans and can’t get them on easily.  That was the reality check I needed.

I’ve decided to kick it into high gear and do something about this weight gain and such.  I NEED to get back in shape.  So….I’m going to start with confessions.  Lay it all on the table and hopefully track some progress here.

Here goes…*gulp*

Weight: 150lb

Height: 5’6″

Trouble Areas: midsection, hips/thighs

I refuse to be seen in my bathing suit until I get back to a better weight. It’s not even about the weight so much as how I feel and the restrictions on my wardrobe.  I just want to fit into my pants properly and not be muffin-topping it all the time.  I tried to get dressed for a welcoming party and refused to go out because everything looked shoved in and pudgy.

My plan of action is fairly simple.

• Better diet–we’ve already cut out a lot of crap and started on the Special K 5lbs in 2 weeks plan.
• Walk more — I walk Audie like it’s my job and it helps him with his energy levels
• Start a fitness plan — I have a few I want to try, along with the Couch to 5K work and yoga.
• Garcinia capsules — GNC swears by them over 60% to help with fat loss.  I’ll try anything.

I’m hopeful that I begin to see results soon.  I genuinely hate my scale right now.

On the up side….

Today is my beautiful Hina girl’s very first birthday!  Still a couple more months until she’s lived with us for a full year.  She’s gotten so big….

Nothing new on the horizon just yet….

Will update as progress continues.

Cheers,

-A. xoxo

March is already off to a barreling start. Been so wrapped up in life’s little insanities that I blinked and February was over. As a family we have been trying new things.

Whale watching,

ghost walks,

new tv series….As much of a blast as those high points have been, we’ve had our fair share of lows as well. The Mister is unhappy at work. We can’t really seem to break out of this funk. My days run together. I’ve finished Audie’s blanket, pieced together two more sweatshirt quilts for the cats, and will be working on backing/binding them (as well as my own) since the fabric just arrived.  I only have the yarn to tie the sweatshirt  corners left on my quilt–the new fabric is AMAZINGLY soft.  But apart from that, we’re just kind of stuck.  Neither one of us is doing very well “blooming where we are planted.”  It’s frustrating.

I’ve decided mine is stemming from not only the severe lack of a job, but also from the complete disconnect I feel from my friends back home. I have one friend who calls on a consistent basis, but no one else bothers. I realize a phone works two ways–such a magical little gadget! But with the time change and lacking any knowledge of anyone’s schedules, I feel like I’m just convenient if I’m in the area. I know it’s not really the case but being out here is very isolating. I’ve been here roughly 10 months and no connections have been made. The Mister is a homebody and is content with that, but I’m so not. I practically have to drag him out of the house so I don’t have to go alone. I’ve invited numerous people to come visit but money doesn’t grow on trees. Then again I’ve had others who swear they can’t afford to and then end up going to Mexico a few months later. I know my stay at home life is pretty boring, but come on! Just feeling a bit sorry for myself I suppose. It doesn’t make things any easier when the Mister is just as unhappy with our life here as I am. I can’t make it better and that just kills me. When he feels hopeless and I can’t help it, I start to feel useless. It’s bad enough that work isn’t coming my way, but not being able to help him see the silver lining of things takes the cake. We can’t catch a break either. It’s one thing after another. We start saving up so we have enough to make a deposit and the first month’s rent on a new place and suddenly our cat Hina needs a trip to the vet that drains us. We start feeling like we caught up and the car registration is due and $250 is just county/state taxes. Then there’s his health. Right before his last deployment, he started having breathing issues. Since then, he’s been relying on an inhaler, but the doctors can’t figure out what it is since it’s not asthma. I know it’s irritating for him as much as it is for me. But….still trying to chug along.

In better news, Audie has become insistent of his walks every night so we’re getting out for that. I want to start running with him, but he’s the worst dog to run with ever. He has the attention span of a goldfish. He’s forever stopping abruptly to sniff or jumping around like a hooligan at people going by. I’m trying to work with him, but he’s a fiery little pistol. So I think I’m going to have to just ease myself back into it slowly. I’m so out of shape it’s ridiculous. Broke down and bought new jeans so I’m determined to fit back into the old ones. Diet is actually way better than it was before, but it doesn’t seem to be helping. I can’t handle feeling crappy because I’m not out doing something. Time to get on it!

The sweatshirt quilts are practically done, so now the t shirts are glaring at me. I have way more than I’ll ever needs for quilts, but I’m going to have to start somewhere. I really want to start on the rug, so I HAVE to get those shirts cut. Can’t stall forever….

…though my wine bottle collection is getting rather impressive and I have heaps of neat ideas for those. I’ve taken to buying bottles based on shape than flavor (we’ve suffered through some really awful stuff because of it). Like I said, so many ideas. I really want to start painting again too. I miss it and don’t feel like forking over $35 every time I want to pick up a brush with the painting company that comes through. But those will have to wait because canvas is expensive and I really need to focus on paying off other bills before my hobbies take over.

I guess the creative spark is good. Feeds into that whole ‘progress’ idea. Haven’t updated my Flickr account yet with my recent activities, but I will get to it. I seriously need to start making a list for these things…

Bottom line: progress takes time and this is only a dry spell.

Here’s to hoping for rain.

Cheers.

–A. xoxo