Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Owners...

The owner of our condo is coming to see the place tomorrow. That means I should be cleaning... Im NOT! I REFUSE! At least, I do until the hubband arrives home from work in about 2 hours. THEN I will clean, and nag him to help me clean. Great, eh?

In other news, hmmm. There really isn't news. We have just been vegetating. And we went to a movie and grabbed dinner with Q and her hub-unit. Tons of fun, loads of laughter, and sadly... Q also got tons of sick. Feel better, Q!

Im off now. Must do all important things like... watch Buffy while folding laundry... nap on cleanly sheeted bed... eat homemade peach crisp...

Friday, July 22, 2005

Hubband countdown

He'll be home in... 5 hours and 29 minutes....w00t!

Irony...

We called our first day of canning "burning down the house" because we blew out the fuse on the stove. However, in a strange flick of Irony's impossibly tiny wrist... on the SECOND day of canning, we DID burn down the house! Well, not totally, but the stove sort of... combusted. One of the pots of syrup for the peaches boiled over and the sugar in it formed this ... crystalized LUMP under the burner. Since there was a big pot ON the burner, we dealt with the overflow and didn't see the lump. A few seconds later we realized something smelled bad. Thought at first it was just the stuff burning off, and we saw FLAMES shooting out from under the pot! Being the BRILLIANT kitchen folk that we are, Queenie grabbed the pot and I threw water on the fire... but neither of us TURNED OFF THE BURNER. heheh. We are SO lucky we didn't blow up the house and ourselves along with it! Turned out the fire stopped, we realized the burner was on, turned it off, cleaned up as best we could then pretty much laughed ourselves silly....

I think canning might not be a good passtime for us. Q has been banned (by her husband) from taking up any more hobbys unless it involves playing with rubber legos. On top of her injuries on our first day of canning, yesterday she managed to get a splash of boiling water in her EYE, steam burns on her wrists and fingers, and stepped on a piece of ice (causing her to shriek, drop what she was holding, and skate across the floor with a very cold foot). Even though I am not the one who choses the queenie awards... Queenie gets her own award this week. I think she went above and beyond the recommendations!

In any case, we are very proud of ourselves. We have about 20 jars of fresh canned peaches, 9 jars of homemade kosher dill pickles, and 9 jars of blueberry lime jam. Not too shabby for 2 chicks who hadn't ever done this before! Next time... we just have to be sure and wear fire-retardant clothing. Oh, and try not to plan our TWO-DAY project for the 2 days before my husband comes home and hers runs out of laundry...

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Burning Down the House

The Queen and I taught ourselves to can today... WATCH OUT OAK HARBOR!

Where to begin...let's see...

The day started innocently enough with us running around like fiends all over the city looking for our ingredients. These included 30 lbs of peaches, 10 lbs of cucumber, and 5 lbs of blueberries. In the middle of blanching our peaches (we're doing both brandied and regular peaches), the phone rang and I was offered a job I have been angling for. Hurrah! After several minutes of running around screeching and scaring the cats out of their winter fur we realized the pots were ready and the peaches needed to be pulled out of the juice.

Started a second batch of jam... and realized we had only 1/3 the amount of pectin necessary! I ran to get more, leaving the Queen to cope with finishiing up that first batch of blueberry lime jam alone... I came back and in the middle of doing another batch we BLEW A FUSE ON THE STOVE! We were BOILING WATER. That's it. Does that tell you how OLD my stove is?

Of course, what's funnier is that we didn't realize what the freaking loud POP was (scared us both into shrieking and the cats disappeared for about an hour). We looked high and low at every bottle in sight, thinking that one may have exploded... noooo, it was the stove. We didn't realize it until we had been standing there staring at the pot of blueberries for 20 minutes and going "what is TAKING so long for this to BOIL?!"

So after running around waving our hands in the air and muttering "FUSE" and "what?!" and "OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!" we finally figured out how to flip it back. The fuse, that is.

And by the way... the Queen herself is being awarded the next Queenie for single-handedly removing several layers of skin from 2 fingers on the same hand within about 2 hours! She also wrenched her hip and got a couple steam burns over the course of the day. It is the QUEENIE award, but I told her she had no choice but to give it to herself... :-)

Tomorrow we're finishing the peaches and doing some pickles... Beware apartment! Beware cats! BEWARE OAK HARBOR!

Oh, there is other good news. Husband is coming home earlier than we had planned. Hurrah!

Sunday, July 17, 2005

COMPTUEX Tales

I just got a note from the husband with some really cool pics in it! Im posting them so ALL of you can see ... There are 3 from the ship, with his records and such, and then a few from his trip to Disney World over the holiday. :-) Any captions will be placed after the picture.

Andy called this one "geared up"... He is in his flight deck gear in their ready room place... don't know the "real" terms. hehe.


This is Andy's "rack" or bed, and his locker. The bed part is also the LID of the locker, so what you are looking at is his dresser and his bed, with the bed pulled back to reveal the dresser. hehe.

Andy at work... these are all his records for the guys and gals in his squad.

The following are all from Disney... pretty fun, and self-explanatory! I actually left a couple of the ones he sent me off the post as it was getting too long. These are the best ones. :-)




Isn't he CUTE?!


Diva's

Wow! Diva night turned out to be a blast. I got very loud and rambunctious and B and T and I were throwing the innuendos around thick and fast... I think their men were a bit overwhelmed. hehe. What is Diva Night, you ask?

We went to Paint Your Art Out, a pottery painting studio here in town. They have diva night every 2 months, dinner and painting of pottery with door prizes, tiaras, and sceptres for all the ladies. No men allowed! The food was dee-lish... and we all laughed so much Im surprised we didn't come out of there with abs of steel. :-) Trekked over to Queenies and collected the menfolk for a run to the Donut House. I had never been and this fact horrified all the others. Those donuts are YUMMY! We're planning a return to the studio to finish our projects sometime this week. That means my project list this week is:
  • teach self to can (pickles, preserves, and jam/jelly) with Queen
  • Write 15 neurology abstracts
  • Take Obie to the vet
  • Clean house (including sorting through 2 weeks of mail and filing it)
  • Edit and format chapter 4 of Mom's dissertation
  • Empty out garage of trash and get car washed
  • Finish project at the paint studio
  • Fold laundry

That's the basic gist of it. Just another slow week for the stay-at-home-owns-her-own-business-and-still-has-a-social-life Navy wife...

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Singing in the Shower

I have a hard time going to church when Hubband is gone. Our church is GREAT, loving, friendly, supportive, and our pastor's sermons are interesting and uplifting... but it is an hour's drive away. That isn't so bad, usually, but to drive that far and then sit alone and drive back again... for some reason it depresses me. Sometimes my friend Matthew and his girlfriend will go with me, or I'll go by myself, but when I woke up at 10 am this morning and realized that to make it to church after sleeping through the alarm I woul dhave to leave within 15 minutes I lost all drive. Instead, I listened the service of my college church over the internet. Turned out to be a good choice.

The speaker talked about how we, of all other creatures, were created with the right to CHOOSE and asked all of us to look at our own lives and choices and think about which ones we HAD made that we would change. Then he asked us to look at the choice to follow Christ and, for those who had already made it, asked if we would change it. He talked about the choices we make and how they always are accompnaied by consequences, both good and bad. While the bad ones may cause us to change our relationships on the human plane, how many of them have made us change our relationship with God? It got me thinking... and as I sang the old summer campfire worship songs in the shower (with a cat hiding under the shower curtain waiting to pounce on my ankles when I got out), I realized that of all the choices I have made in life, most of them have had SOMETHING good come out of them. Even the choices that led to my being date raped and not turning the guy in or even reporting it ended up leading me to New York City and that was one of the best choices of my life. If the rape hadn't happened, I may never have gotten the courage to leave a steady job and home with my sister and father nearby and go to a city where I knew only 2 people out of millions. My time in NYC taught me of myself, of courage, brought me contact with people who have shaped who I am, and brought me back in touch with the man I eventually married.

So many people go through adversity and turn their backs on God, blaming Him for all the wrong that has occurred, the horrors they experienced and had no part in bringing about. Someone else's choices foisted off on the innocent and bringing them sorrow. But what did that sorrow do in your life? That abusive relationship, or terrorist act, was not YOUR fault, YOU did not choose to have it take place in your life, but it DID... did you react by turning AWAY from Him? I think more people turn away during times of peace and prosperity...but that's just me.

What choices have you made? Have you ever looked back on those times and experiences and choices that you regret and traced them forward, learning how they have made you the woman or man you are today? Whether you believe it is just fate, destiny, happenstance, or God it is still interesting to trace the time- and event-line of our lives. For me, a believer in Christ and His sacrifice, it is amazing to see His hand in my life... I firmly believe that is He who leads us through the hard times, always there whether we acknowledge Him or not...

Even when Im singing in the shower, joyful that Life is good.

Random photo posting! I just got this back from processing today...First birthday's are a ton of fun... but next time Auntie knows not to use RED frosting! Jax had a blast, but his clothes and skin were both stained for days! hehe. In fact, the shirt was ruined... Oh well, he sure had fun!

Friday, July 15, 2005


My family... Dad, stepmom, aunts and cousins, adopted mom and dad, sisters and brothers in law, grandparents... you name it and HALF of it is here! This is my random posting for the day.

Deploy.

Looks like they are taking my husband about 2 weeks earlier than we had thought. >snifff<

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Overdose

I think I may have overdosed my brain and my eyes. I have been watching tv and on the computer (not always both at the same time) since 9 am this morning, with only about a 1.5 hour break to take Queenie to pick up her china. Ridiculous woman at the shop had this dog that would yap its heart out, lick me, and yap again. Poodles. Need I say more? Anyway, the whole point here is that my brain is starting feel mushy and unreal. I did a walk around my housing division a few hours ago, but it didn't help. Now, Im sitting back here in my living room, with my cats sleeping on the love seat next to me, and trying to figure out what I could do this evening to get some zing back into myself without going to eat because I have gained 15 pounds so far this year... that's a bit much for 6 months when your diet hasn't changed any. I think its my birth control, which is highly annoying. >sigh< Ah well, what can you do. I'll just go off the pill and go on a diet and... get pregnant. hehe.

Ok, Im babbling... its just been one of those days I guess. I'll be back tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005


I won the QUEENIE! THE FIRST EVER QUEENIE! WOO HOO! I thought ORDERS were a woo and 2 hoos... this is BETTER. ok, maybe not BETTER... but still! My raw and red shoulder now has PROTECTION! W00T! Click HERE to see the story of what happened...if you haven't read me recently.

Woo and 2 Hoos

It looks like the orders dance may finally be settled. We will ... PROBABLY ... be staying with VAQ-141 after all! We will have to extend our out date by 2 months (to November of 06), and A will have to deploy this winter, but we avoid being sent somewhere randomly chosen by the Navy and we prevent the necessity of re-upping for 2+ years. Pros and cons on all sides.

In other news, I have become quite a social butterfly lately. Dinner with friends last night, dinner with another group of friends tonight, Diva night with a gang of gals on Saturday night...helps with the separation blues, that's for sure! And dinner last night? Was DELISH! I know spend an inordinate amount of time raving about food on this site, but I have to rave again. Queenie made egg and chorizo empanadas from scratch and topped them with a fresh salsa made with avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro, and garlic. Wow. Was so good and filling we are all having it for lunch today, too!

Titania is attacking a rubber band that was on a set of my work. She loves the things. Puts one end in her mouth and the other around her paw and literally SHOOTS them around the room so she can chase it. This provides her and her slave (me) with at LEAST 15 minutes of amusement, hilarity, and exercise (I have to dodge the band as it flies...)

Ok, now that I have woo'd and hoo'd and generally blabbed, Im off to fortify myself with coffee before embarking on the work day. Gastroenterology, here I come!

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Chews-day

Im feeling very creative in my blog titles, can't you tell? Those torn up days of the week are just... inspiring. Right. I just realized I have nothing to say. Gastroenterology is so uninspiring a topic to edit that I have lost all my creative abilities in the process... Maybe I'll come back later after my day gets interesting. I have faith!

Monday, July 11, 2005

Manic Monday

This was one of those Monday morning's where NOTHING goes right. I woke up this morning 2 hours after my alarm when the FedEx guy rang the doorbell with my packet of work for this week, tripped over the baby gate (no babies, but our cats attack the door if we don't ban them from the upper floors at night...), skidded down the stairs practically on my nose and made it just in time. Logged online to find that I had accidentally sent out the WRONG CD to a guy who bought from my husbands online store at Amazon.com (Husband is currently on a carrier in the middle of an ocean somewhere). THEN I got my mail and found out that someone has been stealing my mail and the USPS wants me to fill out an official 4-page report stating that I do not know her and did not give her permission to take, open, and who knows what else my credit card statement. My morning ended with me at the bank arguing with the manager that my check really WAS a paycheck and could they please please please waive the 5-day hold period since the check was already a week late! (they did, thus restoring my faith in human nature and a well-placed break in your voice).

The day has since gotten a bit better...I convinced Queenie to join me for lunch at Erawan and we had sticky rice with green tea ice cream for dessert. Diet be DAMNED! :-) I came home and got a decent deal on plane tickets for the first "real" vacation my husband and I have been able to take TOGETHER (known each other for 10 years, half of that was long distance, and we have never flown together before....insane), and Im gearing up for a nap.

Just thought I would share my day so all of you had a BAD day could say "Im not the only one" and those of you who had a good day could say "Im so glad that wasn't me". Something for everyone! W00t!

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Apologies

Ok, so it wasn't really the Queen's fault. She wisely pointed out that the award was for PAST occurrences, not FUTURE ones, so it actually ruled out my burning myself as an effect of the award's creation. (did you follow that?) Im a bit out of it tonight, we ate burgers, corn, macaroni salad, and chocolate fondue with strawberries, almond cookies, pears, pretzels, and pb graham crackers. Then we played the CSI game. After the game... my brain kind of shut off. I broke the game (SORRY, Queenie!), whined about orders for a while, stumbled up the stairs and nearly broke myself, and then went to get in bed and realize IM NOT SLEEPY. Again. >sigh< I need to get an exercise routine that I can do at 2 am...Im awake anyway! Might help me drop this extra 20 pounds Ive gained since the wedding... Of course, not eating meals like the one we had tonight might help too....

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Me or the Sauce

I think the WHOLE thing is the fault of the Queen, who just posted her little thing about the kitchen catastrophe award, because this kind of thing DOES NOT USUALLY HAPPEN TO ME! Ok, maybe that's stretching it a bit... after all, there was the affair of the magically multiplying honey... but STILL! THIS was taking it a BIT far. I have, in fact, applied for the above award after the happenings of the evening. So what happened, you ask? I'll tell ya:

WHAT HAPPENED

My college roomie is here this week and we're chumming around by ourselves and with the Queen... watching movies, eating good food, etc. The food part came into play tonight. Now my friend is lactose intolerant and has some pretty severe allergies, so when dinner time came we decided on a nice, healthy, vegan meal. We did veggie choplets, breaded and fried, macaroni salad with olives, peas, and black beans in, and some fresh steamed broccoli (trees only... stalks are ICKY) and then decided we wanted to do a sauce for our choplets. I could have just opened a can of premade and toss it in the microwave, but NO, I wanted to be CULINARY ELF-ish so I decided to make my own. I took some of her special tofu cream cheese, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and various and sundry spices and tossed them into a pot where they immediately began to perfume the house with their spicy goodness. The pot was just starting to simmer, so I turned to the broccoli, and as I pulled the cover off it, the sauce exploded. I kid you not. The stuff had been boiling underneath and just blew up in a big bubble that popped. The result? Sauce ALL over the kitchen and a HUGE burn on me. Not in the normal cooking spots like, say, my HAND, or my ARM... no, this is a big nickel sized blister on MY SHOULDER. My SHOULDER! Im telling you... of course, the capper was when Ronnie went to put the sauce away in the fridge after we ate, played games, etc. and she was just fetching a bottle of water from behind it... it exploded again. This time because the tupperware leapt from the fridge to the floor and landed... you guessed it....upside down. I don't think I'll ever make that sauce again......After all, this is MY house, and its me... or the sauce.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Frankie, Boopy, and Gastroenterology

Whoop boop de boop, bah bah daaaaaaaa......Listenin' to old blue eyes, watching my cat knock things off the shelves cause he wants in Daddy's office and I won't let him in, and length editing gastroenterology abstracts. Im in a remarkably good mood. Realized today that I should see hubband in less than 3 weeks... that could be part of the reason. Planning some game goodness this afternoon with my freshman year college roommate who is visiting me this week, pasta night tonight, and then fondue-y goodness tomorrow with the LP family... I might even do the dishes! W00t! >sigh< Ok, so the last bit is SO not part of the fun-filled ideas for the week. I'm trying, really!

Waiting for my check to arrive so I can buy our tickets for vacation. It better hurry! Prices are rising as we speak....

Ok, I think I have sufficiently established that I have nothing to say today, so Im off to continue the boop-boop-WHAAAAA-ing and keyboard tapping while reading about the genetic and molecular pathways of colon cancer.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Unky?!

What happened to Unky?! I can't find them... my mood is going to to fall into disarray! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHKKKKKKKK!

Today's posts...

I was flipping through the pictures on my hard drive and found these of my grandparents. I think they are GREAT portraits! Had to share... I miss them! I thought I was going to get to see them this summer, but thanks to the whole Navy/leave/traveling before cruise thing I won't be able to. >sigh<

Aaaaaannnndddd .... my Handsome Grandpa!

My Bee-yew-ti-ful Grandma...

Liberty

The holiday weekend was fun...but I miss my husband. I guess that's something I need to get used to for the next few months. >sigh< Not much else to say. Oh, the weekend packed an extra 4.5 pounds on me. Diet starts now. Well, as soon as the leftovers are gone......

Friday, July 01, 2005


Bug and Bee at the Renaissance Faire in 2001.... Today's random photo posting is brought to you by Bored Navy Wive's Who Don't Want to Clean Their House International. I think Im going to get my hair cut like that again... I really like it!