Who's side are you on???

Happy new year from a small dive bar in Indiana and 10 degree weather!! Wow it's cold! Wherever you are, I hope you're happy and ready for a new year...and eating a bowl of cereal :-)

By the way, is it now two thousand ten or twenty ten? Really, what do you think? Just who's side are you on?

CW

Are you there Christmas???

This is usually the time when our home is filled with Christmas decorations and we're in the holiday spirit, however, this year is a little different.
This year our home is filled with boxes and aside from buying gifts for everyone, I keep forgetting it's Christmas! We've only been in our home for a little over a week and we're leaving to a friends wedding in Indiana next week. With that being said, we didn't buy a tree or decorate since there wasn't enough time enjoy it. Meanwhile, we're enjoying them elsewhere!

I'm excited to report that we had some snow!! It wasn't a lot but just enough! It started snowing in the evening and I couldn't wait to wake up the next morning, look out the window and see snow! There was a lot on the cars and rooftops and little on the ground... so no snow angels or snowmen. It started to melt immediately and we haven't received any since. It's a lot of fun to experience "winter" since we don't get the real deal on the west coast.

I started this post before Christmas and am just now posting it, jeeze cw! We had a great Christmas with all of our family and many festivities! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with the ones you love :-)

CW

The Neighborhood Clique

Yesterday while I was watching out my window I noticed that we have a clique of neighbors who look to be in their 80's. They were chatting out front, observing the neighborhood and seemed to be best friends. And since I'm on the market for new friends I was thinking that I could introduce myself and maybe become a new member of their clique. It seems like there would be a lot of good benefits such as; watching over each other's houses, bingo night which would be exciting, great conversations, trips to the mall and maybe a baked goods exchange. What do you think?

Home Sweet Home!

In case you were wondering, I didn't throw my phone into a swamp even though it's still acting up and I've given it way too many chances!

We made it to our new home on Monday afternoon and let me tell you, we were so relieved and happy to be here after 40hrs of travel! It could have been worse; if we traveled by horse and buggy. We managed to unpack all our clothes, family room and thanks to our family for unpacking the kitchen and buying some groceries prior to our arrival. It's amazing to finally be in our own bed and have our own furniture again!

Tuesday we went to the nearest community college to enroll. I can't wait to sign up for classes tomorrow when we get Internet. After the trip to the college we went to Home Depot with two main purchases on the mind; blinds and new door locks. We walked out with new door locks, an area rug, a 2x4 and realized we were driving my two door car. We decided that Dave should get in first and roll down his window. I then attempted to cram the area rug and 2x4 in the back seat leaving whatever didn't fit in the car, outside of the car which made it a comfortable ride home for Dave. He escaped without any injuries or splinters, phew! We ended the day having dinner with Dave's parents and shopping for fruit to prepare for our 48hr cleanse we planned to start the next morning...genius idea.

Wednesday we woke up and drank our not so appetizing juice which I repeated three other times throughout the day in between eating fruit. I started my first day of work with my sister in law. It probably wasn't a great idea to start the cleanse on my first day of work mainly because, as I was eating loads of fruit and drinking the barf juice, all I could think of was protein while day dreaming constantly. After work I attempted a pilates class which I was in no mood for being that I was ready to chew off my own arm. My patience started to wear thin as the teacher instructed me to tighten my stomach muscles and point my toes. After pilates I met up with Dave. He said "should we go get a salad?" with an enthusiastic smile on his face. I looked at him as if I was about to snap and said "I will be having a hoagie with turkey...you can get whatever you want." So he got a salad and I got my hoagie :-) Goodbye fruit cleanse hello happiness! I decided it wasn't for me since I don't function well without food. He's still going strong on the cleanse and I commend him for it!

Today has been a little bit of a struggle for me. Dave left a few hours ago for work and I don't know where to start to build my new life here. I know it might take a while for me to get comfortable and feel settled but the process is always overwhelming. On top of feeling unsettled I'm trying to find my purpose and individuality which I feel is important. It took me a while to get out of bed this morning. Once I got my coffee I moved to the couch to read and look out the windows. I've been watching the neighborhood and people move around. I'm still waiting for our welcome cookie/cake platters to arrive and wondering who our neighbors are. It's time I stop being so pathetic and get ready for the day. I need music and a little movement. It's so quiet around here right now. I can't wait to start decorating and the first step is getting rid of these hideous drapes! Need to make a few phone calls, eat, run an errand or two then pick up the niece and nephew from school...I'm really looking forward to it!

I hope you're farther along in your day than I am, wherever you are!

CW

The things we do...

Like going on a fruit and juice cleanse for 48hrs! I've almost made it the first day and all I can think about are the things I cannot have. I'm like a dog drooling over every piece of "real" food ready to pounce on anyone who gets in the way. I'm grumpy, my level of concentration is at ZERO and I'm absolutely starving! I want a sandwich tonight and it's going to take an army to stop me...

And I wish I had the patience right now to give you an update but I don't. I'll write you when I've had enough sleep an am not malnourished or drooling which I'm sure you'll appreciate ;)

Cereal {Grump} Writer

Memories and BBQ

We use to live here in Mississippi when Dave's ship was being built and of course we had to stop at our favorite BBQ joint of all times...The Shed. Many memories! Now headed through Alabama.

Tex-Mex and the Alamo

***Warning*** If you haven't read the two previous posts, you might want to do a little catching up...just sayin.
San Antonio is a neat city! It rained all night after we arrived but that didn't stop us from walking the riverwalk or getting ice cream; which are both perfect for my cold. Dave and I shared a 60oz margarita at dinner. After dinner we went to Coyote Ugly and had a couple drinks then headed to a brittish pub called Mad Dogs; where {I} had a great time. The entertainment consisted of two women who are best friends and 40 years of age. Their chemistry was hilarious! Dave implied that I was "old" for enjoying it so much. My father in law ended up getting a lap dance by one of the ladies and I'm still mad at myself for not getting our camera out fast enough! When we got back to the hotel, Dave and I decided to take a dip in the outdoor pool that was closed. So, being the kids we are, we jumped in! Did I mention that it was 42 degrees and raining??? We lasted long enough for Dave to dip his cast in the chlorine water hoping it would take away that funky "cast" smell. Unfortunately for me, it didn't work. I need to confess, I allowed Dave to book our hotel again. I wanted to give him another chance and he did a great job! We slept well that night minus the insects and our gas station attendant roomie.
The next morning we had breakfast at a local joint then went to see the Alamo and take pictures. I heard that Ozzy Osborne is banned from San Antonio for peeing on the alamo but I'm not sure if it's true. Just wanted to throw that interesting piece of info at ya.

Then we hit the road again and this time to New Orleans.

Off to bed now...

PS: The blog app I use on my phone keeps forcing me to close it, really testing my patience since it erases either some or all of my unpublished entry. What I'm trying to say is if you don't hear from me for a while it's because I threw my phone in the Louisiana swamp.

Chose your roomates wisely

This was one of those "blink and miss the whole damn town" places. We stopped there simply because we needed to sleep. Just so ya'll know,Dave isn't allowed to book our hotels anymore. After a night of chasing insects around our room, hearing the gas station attendant that sounded like he was sitting on the edge of our bed all night long and sleeping on paper stuffed with cotton balls, I think we've had enough of his picks. Oh and I failed to mention the bath tub that had "disease" written all over it! Are you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down? Needless to say, we didn't sleep at all and left in the morning before checking out the "free" breakfast. I have to be honest, I knew that if I laid eyes on that "free" breakfast, I was guaranteed to lose my appetite for the day, so we went to Wendy's. That was our Van Horn experience.

On the road again

We left my brother's house about 10am. I felt sad to leave everyone but I find peace in knowing I'll visit often. I try not to look at things as though they're set in stone. We had a blowout in Texas which was scary. We called road side assistance and they sent the tow truck man. He of course didn't see us around the curve. The moment I turned my back on traffic I heard tires screeching so I turn around to see tire smoke from fellow traffic trying to avoid a pile up. He slammed on his breaks and met the curb, jumped out of his truck and said 'That's no big deal...happens all the time' then changed my tire within 3 minutes. It looked like a scene out of Ace Ventura or Inspector gadget. We drove to the tire shop in rush hour. They were about to lock the door and had all the lights turned off. Dave was able to get in just in time, ask for a new tire and told them he'd change it himself. The guys at the shop were kind enough to lift the garage and fix the tire for us. I love people like that! We definitely didn't want to be stranded in that town tonight so we were very grateful for their help. We got back on the road and made it to our final stop for the night two hours later. I hope to get some good sleep tonight. Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow for the next leg of our road trip.

Sweet dreams,
CW

It's not guaranteed

On Friday my great uncle passed away and today was his memorial service. I have so many great memories with him; his laugh, warmth and the times we spent in Mexico and Pinetop. He was such a fun and loving person. We are going to miss him greatly.

On the way home from the memorial, I received a text from a friend saying that one of our mutual friends died last night. I was immediately overwhelmed with so much sadness. She was 27 and just got married a little over a month ago. I have been thinking of her husband and family all day and I cannot even begin to imagine the immense pain they're all suffering. I'm a mess right now and in complete shock! I'm lying here thinking how close in age we were and how she dreamt of all things in life that I dream of. How full of life she was and such a warm person. How do loved ones cope with this kind of pain? When I think of being in her husband's or family's shoes I can't stop crying. I often hear "you have the rest of your lives ahead of you" but I know it's not guaranteed. This is a terrible reminder of just how fragile life is. She will be missed by so many.

Sorry to hit you with such a sad post. I've found that writing helps me sort my thoughts and feelings and brings me peace...lucky you ;-)

I need to get to sleep ASAP! We start the next stretch of our drive in the morning. Not only do I have a lot on my mind but I'm also sick so it's important I get enough rest.

Write you on the road,
cw

Bobbing for Apples

I'm experiencing this overwhelming and anxious feeling right now. I can't really pin point the exact reason because there is so much happening. I have this desire to be home. When I say home I mean being in our home on the east coast, at my Mom's house or with a group of people who make me feel at home. Oh, and a place to put my belongings other than in our cars which is like bobbing for apples every time I want to find something. I am going to read now to take my mind off things, relax then maybe I'll rejoin the party. By the way, the pork shoulder was delicious AND I made special applesauce brownies which were also delicious!

Freezing in this state and I'm not even on the east coast yet!

First State

Good morning! We left my Mom's house yesterday afternoon to start the road trip. I never like leaving my Mom because she gets really sad but I know she understands why we're doing what we're doing. It's just life. I know I'll see her very soon. We reached the first state of our journey back east, last night. Dave's Dad flew in the night before last. We asked him to come out and drive Dave's truck back east for us since Dave can't drive with his arm in a cast. We're very grateful that he was able to come. Our friends held a get together for us as soon as we arrived. It makes it much easier to have everyone come to one place rather than us driving all over town. The get together wasn't your typical get together and it never is with this particular group of friends. There's always a lot of rough housing, drinking games, music and alcohol involved. We had a great time and I was exhausted from trying to mediate all night.
T came into the room this morning to wake us for the hiking trip. Yes, hiking trip, after a night of fun and staying up until nearly 4am! The moment I heard the word "hike" at 9am I immediately felt regret for ever mentioning I'd go along. Who goes hiking after a night of partying? Not me! After Dave and a couple guys left on their hiking trip, I got up to help my brother start the process of smoking a pork shoulder for the BBQ this afternoon. Yummers! I love hanging with my brothers weather they're fixing a car or smoking a pork shoulder :-)

I'll catch up with you later,
CW

The close of another chapter

I just dropped Dave off at his ship. I am happy to report that today they will give him his final tour pin, ding him off the ship and release him. Today concludes another chapter in our lives and we will start a new. Scary and exciting! I am so proud of Dave and his 6yrs of service. Today is a big day for him, us and our future. Wow!

Ms. Grumperton

I met with my good friend "M" yesterday morning at a coffee shop. We were having such a nice time catching up when a woman came and sat down next to us. She interrupted us and said to M, "are you sick because you have a cough?" M said, "I'm getting over a little cold but I'm fine and it's not the H1N1." For the record, M had a slight cough, not a hack. The woman preceded to tell us how the government says that anyone with any cold symptoms should stay home, how selfish and uneducated M is for being out in public with a cough and that it wasn't all about her. We were so caught off guard and who was this woman anyway?! Our lovely meeting over coffee suddenly went sour because of this grumpy woman who decided to butt in to our conversation instead of minding her own business OR, moving tables for that matter. M decided she was done dealing with this woman and got up to leave, I followed her. Sadly, at Ms. Grumperton's age, she hasn't learned that she can't control what others do or say but she CAN control herself...by staying at home. In my opinion, Americans constantly live in fear and that includes me. The flu is the flu and it's been going around for years. We don't need to squabble around as if everyone with a cough or a sneeze is an H1N1 dispenser. Just sayin'.

Thanksgiving Week

In our family, Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving unless we had 15 people and two dogs crammed in the same home, the sound of broken glass, screaming children, love, laughter, stuff everywhere, a fall down the stairs, broken bones and blood. Lets just say, there was a lot of testosterone in this house, a lot! I know, it sounds crazy but that's exactly what we are and we wouldn't have it any other way. With that said, we're still recovering.

Now that the house has cleared out and all the chaos, great chaos has come to a brief end I wanted to tell you about my Thanksgiving week; it was wonderful! That's not to say we didn't have a couple bumps in the road but those were small little details in the grand scheme of things.

Over the Thanksgiving week Dave and my brother went to our cousins house for a BBQ. Dave was practicing his wrestling moves with a friend and came home with a lot of pain in his wrist. He was trying to exercise it knowing it was in the healing process while I was running around trying to find a splint. Dave doesn't complain so I could tell something wasn't right when he was moaning and groaning. I don't want to bore you with all the details because I know if I'm exhausted talking about it, you'll be exhausted and logging out of my blog within seconds of reading it ;) After driving 1.5hrs to the base and getting the typical Naval runaround, they told us we had to come back the next day to get Dave in a cast since the cast place at the Naval Hospital was closed...at 11:30am...on a Tuesday morning. Needless to say, we had a very frustrating morning. Just as we were driving off base I looked in my rear view mirror to see flashing red and blue lights. Yep, I was getting pulled over. When I asked the officer why he pulled me over he said, "you failed to stop at a stop sign. In fact, you didn't even try to stop. I thought to myself, "no shit, I didn't see a stop sign!" He continued, "I need proof of insurance, license and registration." I handed him my license, registration and a pdf of my insurance on my phone which he didn't accept...which I also got a ticket for. DOESN'T HE KNOW IT'S 2009!?!?! Thank goodness this all happened on base because it didn't go on my real driving record, just on my military one. After we actually left base we headed to the happiest place on earth to meet my family. Anytime you go to Disneyland you feel as though you need to stay there from open to close just to get your money's worth. Well, that's how my family feels. Dave and I ended up staying for 9hrs and rode every ride possible. It was a great time as it is every time! My favorite thrill ride is the Hollywood Tower of Terror. I can't get enough of it. I guess I love the stomach dropping, shaky leg feeling that comes along with it. Who doesn't want to be dropped from the 13th story of a building??? We were standing in line at our last ride of the night, space mountain when I realized everyone had dropped out of line except for Dave and I. Two were nearly asleep sitting by the wall and one had severe blisters on his feet. At that point I realized, that one last ride wasn't worth waiting in line for at 11:30pm.

The next day we arose bright and early to get on the road to Dave's cast appointment. We arrived 10min early because if you don't arrive 10min early you're considered late and they make you reschedule. That rule is pretty funny since we ended up waiting for nearly 2hrs before they called Dave's name. How ironic!? They gave him two options; 1) Have surgery and wear a cast for 8 weeks after. 2) Just wear the cast for 12 weeks and hope it heals right. If it doesn't heal after that he'll need to have a screw put in the bone to hold it together, then wear the cast for another 8 weeks. He opted for the 12wk cast without the surgery in hopes it would heal. It's a full arm cast from the top of his bicep to his hand for twelve...long...weeks. After that, we made our way to the Naval Traffic Judge to get my ticket squared away. When the judge called my name I went up to his desk. He asked "where did you get pulled over?" I told him it was by the commissary. Then he said "did you run the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd stop sign?" I answered, "I'm not sure, I didn't see it." He smirked, stamped "warning" on my ticket, gave me my decal back and sent me on my way. Piece of cake! That concluded our dealings with the Navy for the week.

During the Thanksgiving week, we spent a lot of time with my family, went to the park with my niece and nephew, checked out the black Friday sales, ate lots of leftovers, watched movies, moved my brother out of his house, flew remote control air planes, picked on each other and just hung out. We really missed one of my brothers who couldn't make it but I'll be seeing him in just a few days :)

It's been a little over a week since I stopped working. Not working has its advantages and disadvantages...what day is it? I'm hoping to stop in and see all of my peeps next week. I really miss them! I also miss pilates. I was taking classes 3-4 times per week for the last 2.5 months. Now I'm just eating a lot of turkey minus the pilates. Maybe I'll get in a class next week before we start our road trip to the east coast. Since I stopped reading my most recent book last week, I've been craving for another one. I bought "are you there, vodka? It's me Chelsea." By Chelsea Handler. I'm burning through the pages. I like her sense of humor a lot.

What book are you reading? Do you have one to recommend?

I'll catch up with you again soon,
CW

Farewell

Thursday was my last day of work and I knew it was going to be full of goodbyes. I don't really care for the word "goodbye", I think it sounds too sad. I prefer "see you soon" or "farewell." Thursday morning was going well until I started opening cards from different people in the office and the tears began flowing. It was a tough morning because these are all people who I have really bonded with over the past two years, they are a huge part of my life. I have left jobs in the past and have been okay about it, but this one was different. After opening a few cards I decided that I wouldn't open anymore, take them home and open them later. After work they had a farewell party for me. It was great to have most everyone there with me. We all had a few drinks and a couple toasts. Dave and I continued to party with a few others who decided to stay into the evening. I am going to miss all of them but I know I've made friendships that will last a lifetime.

Update

It's been a while so I thought I'd give you an update. Dave has been out to sea since Tuesday last week. I've been keeping busy with work, Pilate's, piano lessons, a baby shower and hanging with Nana.

For the last three months I have really gotten into Pilate's. I love the way it makes me feel and look. I am seeing a great improvement in my body. I hope there's a studio where we're moving on the east coast.

Nana and I have been playing a lot of gin, eating tasty meals, laughing, visiting with friends and drinking wine. We really have an awesome time together! We have always been really close and have a great relationship. There is something that Nana, my Mom and I love to do together; we love to stand in the greeting card section of a store, read greeting cards, pass the funny ones around and laugh hysterically. It is so fun and it's something that I have been doing with them for years. And it works because the three of us all have the same sense of humor. Some of the cards actually almost bring us to tears from laughing so hard. I'm sure we've disturbed 100's of shoppers.

My Mom is coming to visit Nana and I tonight. We're going to have dinner with our good friends which I'm sure will be a blast. Tomorrow we're going up to see Julian. I've never been and I don't know what to expect, but I'm excited to explore.

I'm missing Dave so much! It's comforting to know that this will be one of the last times he will have to go out to sea...hopefully for life. He's been emailing me every now and then but I just can't wait to see him!

It's getting to be that time. My last day of work is on the 19th. Now I've left jobs before and never thought twice about it but leaving the place I work now is going to be the hardest. I really love the people I work with and have grown very close to them. They have been my family for over two years now and I'm so sad to leave them. I started training my replacement last week. She is great and is catching on to the job quickly but that doesn't mean it's easy for me to hand it over to her.

I'll do my best to keep you posted on everything that's happening in my life but just know, I'm going to be very busy over the next few weeks. A lot of change is on the way and you'll be the first to know all the details!

Until next time,
Cw

The Perfect Morning

Since Dave and I started dating, we've never had the chance to wake up at the same time in the morning... except for this morning! Now, this is what I call the perfect morning. Dave didn't have to go into work at 5:30am because he has the day off. We woke up at 6:30am, got ready and went to a local coffee shop. We sat outside with our coffee for a half hour, enjoyed each other's company and watched the town move around. The early mornings are beautiful especially when you catch the moon falling and the sun rising. Oh the simple things in life! This is the kind of morning that we long for. One where we're not rushing to the office or sitting in traffic. One where we can slowly awake next to each other. And, this morning, the one morning we're together, we received a call from Dave's sister letting us know that we officially own a home! We raised our coffee cups and toasted to a new chapter in life.

I called my Mom to let her know the news and she said "that's great honey, but it's in the wrong state." I understand that she is beyond sad that we're leaving, she's my Mom and will always want me close to her. The thought of leaving our family and friends here in California and Arizona is heart breaking too, but I know this is the best thing for Dave and I. We're very confident in our decision and excited for a new adventure in Virginia, with his family.

Be back soon,
CW

Short but sweet

I had an awesome weekend in Arizona! The trip was short but sweet! I really enjoyed being with my family and visiting our friends. What a fun weekend!?

CW

Camping

There were 10 of us who went camping last weekend. In order to prepare for the trip I created this long list that was, in Dave's words "a list to move to the wilderness forever." I mean, I didn't miss a thing on that list. Then my brother shot back a list of his own after telling me how ridiculous mine was and here is what he came up with:

CAMPING LIST
1. Beer
2. Liquor
3. The Rambo Knife (It has almost everything you will need to survive in any terrain.)
4. Beef Jerky
5. Minds willing to be molded because I will be the teacher!!!!
6. The cloths on our back
*Don’t worry about food, wood, tents, antibiotics, tooth brush, or anything else. Nature provides all of that for us.

Okay, so his list was accurate for the guys but us ladies needed to at least have a tooth brush and our face wash! The guys created tools out of branches to roast marshmallows and hot dogs. Made hot water by letting all the air out of a plastic water bottle, sealing it tight and setting it in the hot coals for 5 minutes. It may not have been the healthiest way to heat water but it worked great! Then once we had an empty glass bottle of liquor, they were able to use that to heat water for our coffee and hot chocolate. I learned some pretty neat things!

While we were camping we played games, sat around a camp fire, cooked, went on walks, explored, made s'mores (delicious!), chopped wood, watched the wildlife (birds, deer and etc.), went fishing, drank, laughed and had great conversation. Now that's what I call life! No one was worried about what to wear, how their make-up looked or their hair style.

There's something very calming about being in the middle of nowhere with people who are important to you, no phones, no TV and minimal supplies. I never realized how much Dave and my brothers knew about the wilderness. I was constantly fascinated by the alternative ways they did things. These guys were in their element and I felt very secure out there with them. We stayed Friday and Saturday night then came home Sunday early afternoon. I could have stayed at least a week if not longer. Dave and I often dream of a more simple lifestyle. We get worn down by the daily doings and the fast pace living, which I'm sure most of you do. We're grateful for all we have but it's nice to step away from it all every now and then.

I would love to go camping again some time soon and you should too!

Will be posting pictures soon so stick around!

Cereal Writer

Bad habits

I've created a habit over the last few years that I want to throw out the window! Ever since the MR and I began dating, he has been going out to sea or on deployment and I've had this bad habit of wishing the time away until he would return home. Now that we're moving away from our friends, my family and he's getting out of the military I no longer want to wish the time away. I feel like I can relax for the first time in a long time. I am going to stop this bad habit and enjoy all the time I have with my family and friends. Life is too short to wish it away!

Do you have a bad habit you want to throw out the window? Remember, any input is welcome here and it's easy to do; just click "comment" at the bottom of my post!

On another note, we have a very fun weekend coming up so don't be shy!

Cereal Writer

You'll never guess! (video included)

Do you have any idea what the MR and I did this weekend? Take one guess......Nope, that's not it! The MR and I had our first Trapeze lesson.

When we arrived there we immediately signed a waiver then got started with a mini "how to" course. My first time up the ladder was very challenging due to my fear of heights. I climbed to the half way point, looked down and nearly started to cry. I was terrified! I said to the instructor "I think I'm afraid of heights" and she said "that's okay, don't look down and keep climbing." That was the best thing she could have ever said to me. Once I got to the top I was fine. Well, not completely fine since I knew what was coming next, the jump! I waited for them to strap the MR in and watched him jump. He did very well considering he was just as nervous, which I was surprised to hear. Then it was my turn. I followed the commands, however, I'm not sure if I jumped willingly or if they pushed me. Either way, I made it off the platform and was swinging in the air. I have to admit, I did have a hard time following the "drop" command. I thought they were crazy to expect me to let go of the bar and fall to the net. The net seemed fairly far from me. Their pleading and begging went on for a good minute and a half until I finally let go and landed on the net. I had to realize that I needed to trust these people and if I let my guard down I could potentially become better. Once I finally started to trust them I did get better and was able to fulfill the tricks they were teaching us.

I would do this again in a heartbeat and definitely want to progress. This was by far the MOST exhilarating thing we have done thus far. You have do to it too! We go to bed talking about it and wake up talking about it. It was extremely exciting. Who knows, you may see me in the circus one day!

Below is a video of my final trick.

Below is video of the MR's final trick (he caught on faster than I did!)

I hope you enjoyed this post! Please write me a comment and let me know your thoughts, or else, I'll never know you're thinking ;)

Cereal Writer

Out on the town with Nana

Nana came up the coast to see me today. She was going to meet me for lunch but I told her to go to the doctor to get her toe looked at instead. It was infected and I knew she was in pain. I called to check in on her at about 4pm on my lunch break. When I told her I was on lunch she said "you're not going to be hungry for dinner tonight. I might as well drink my dinner." That's Nana for you!

I'm hungry now so I asked if she'd like to go grab a bite to eat. She accepted but had two requests; the first was that we go to a sports bar where she could watch the game and her second was that we play cards while there. She still insists she's keeping a running gin score but I don't believe her! Or maybe I'm just in denial? Any who, she's playing the piano while I'm supposed to be searching for a bar (writing this post). She's yelling at me from the piano "YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH FEELING, LIKE THIS (insert piano noise here)!!!" I have never met such an energetic 83 year old in my life!

We're off to the bar!

Oh and I'll let you in on a little hint; the MR and I are doing something really exciting tomorrow afternoon. I promise to tell you all about it. Can't wait!

cw

Oh and by the way...

I'm dying to know what you think about my blog. Please leave me a comment at the bottom of any of my posts and let me know how you like it. I would love your feedback!

Thanks,
Cw

Move #1 of 2

In case you haven't read my previous posts, the MR and I are going through a lot of life changes. One of the major ones is that we're moving across the country in December. A lot has happened in our life the past couple months.

Since we want to have a place to live when we move east in December, we decided to take a trip there last month to search for a home. Our first home together!!! We were there for 5 days. The first day we saw and drove by at least 30 homes. What a day that was! The rest of the days we saw more homes and wrote offers on a few others. The home shopping was fun and exciting which over powered the stress of it all. We were able to spend a little quality time with family. We love seeing them and now we're going to live by them very soon! After all the home shopping and enjoying the moments with family we headed back to the west coast.

We arranged to move out of our current home 9 weeks early and move into a friends home to save some money. That move was going to happen a week after we returned home from the east coast. It seemed like the moment we hit the ground we started packing. We had 4 days to pack before the movers arrived to take our things. We wanted to pack ourselves to save $1,500. We thought, how hard can packing be? So, we began packing on Monday. He decided that I would only pack the kitchen and he would do the rest of the house when he got off work early the next day. I'm pretty sure he decided he had to take control because I was packing as if I were playing a game of Tetris. I'm waaaay too thorough for him. By Tuesday the MR looked at me with beer in hand and said "how much was it again for them to pack this for us?" We laughed about it knowing that we realized just how much work it was. We finished up odds and ends on Thursday night and the packers arrived bright and early Friday morning. Friday evening we were going to sleep on a blow up mattress in our empty home, however, when we peeled it apart, it was covered in colorful, gushy mold. Lets just say, whatever was in my stomach before we opened the mattress was no longer going to be there after we opened it if I continued to look at it longer than .02 seconds. It was horrific and beyond disgusting. The most disgusting part was that it looked like that because one of our friends who ate TONS of garlic shrimp and had too much to drink one night, decided to puke all over the blow up mattress, another mattress in the room, floor, wall and ceiling fan (I know, baffling). It was scrubbed that night, rolled up and put away. I don't know whose idea that was! So, guess what Mr. Frugal Steel Stomach said? "Oh, fshhhh, I can spray this down with bleach and we'll be good to go!" You should have seen the mushed up, disgusted look on my face. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. There was NO way I would sleep on that thing. I repeat myself, NO WAY! I would rather sleep on rocks than sleep on that thing. I put my foot down and decided we should go to Target to buy a new one. The MR didn't like this idea but I wasn't budging!


The next day we moved into our friends home 15 minutes from our old one. We love their home, dogs and neighborhood. During that week the MR was out to sea and I was handling a never ending to-do list that mostly had to do with real estate transaction documents, loan documents and leaving our old home. Once the MR returned home he was able to help and the storm started to calm. We are really enjoying our new neighborhood, it's quaint and quiet. We walk everywhere with the dogs. We will be in our friends home for another 6 weeks then we start a whole new adventure...the move to the east coast! We're really going to miss everyone here on the west coast but we can always visit :)


Stay tuned...

Good news and bad news

I have good news and bad news for you. Which would you like to hear first? Okay, good news it is! The good news is that my weekend was great. The bad news is that we didn't go streaking or blackout, sorry to disappoint.

The weekend was pretty smooth other than a couple of my "moments." I, took these moments well, however, I'm not sure the MR enjoyed them so much. Let me share with you one of my finest from this past weekend. I was trying to figure out what I should wear to our friends' comedy show (of course the MR had been dressed and ready for 45min by this point) and was really stuck on the shoes. I wanted to wear my red pumps so I asked the MR what he thought about them (mistake #1 - If I had already made up my mind on the shoes, why would I consult the MR?) and his response was "well, I'm not so sure about those. What about your black boots?" I knew the black boots wouldn't work because my pants weren't long enough for my liking. I tried them on and sure enough, my pants were too short (like the rapper) and I didn't have any other shoes that I thought would go well with my outfit. Bringing the MR into this dilemma frustrated me even more but I really value his opinion so I was torn. For the next twenty minutes I held a silent grudge against him and I'm sure, huffing and puffing around the room (very immature, I know but it was a "moment"). With all the huffing and puffing I managed to slam my finger in the door, let out this huge gasp and started sobbing. I'm sure this was karma for my silent grudge against the MR. He of course came to comfort me and I pushed him away. When I finally calmed down he said "I was trying to comfort you but you pushed me away. Why?" I smiled (knowing how stupid I was) and said "because you didn't pick the shoes I wanted you to pick." He laughed in awe and I said "didn't you want the truth no matter how petty it was?" It was a funny start to our evening and we had a great time at the comedy show.

I hope you can relate weather you're a man or woman. Care to share your own "moment" with me? I would love to hear it!

Cereal Writer

Blackouts and streaking

I have such a great feeling about this coming weekend. The MR is home ALL weekend which I love and we don't have too many plans. One thing I've realized is that the MR and I are definitely starting to enjoy different things in life. We don't care to join in on the night life as much anymore, but every now and then its fun. We're content at home with each other and some friends, tasty wine, nice music, good conversation and we're always up for an exciting adventure. Our weekend will consist of those elements along with several walks around town, a card game or two, exercise, a friends' comedy show, great food, a family fun BBQ, snuggling, making breakfast, the perfect cup of coffee or tea, lots of laughter and...we're content! So what I'm trying to say is, don't expect me to write a post on Monday about our wild weekend full of blackouts and streaking, at least for this weekend, sorry. However, things don't always go as planned (wink wink).

Slow down this weekend and enjoy the moments.

Cereal Writer

We did it!

I know, it's been a while since I've written. My excuse is that my life has been so busy lately (life is just that way) but you would think that since I have lots going on that I'd have lots to write about, right? Well I do!

The MR and I finally jumped (slid, fell, got dragged, whatever you want to call it) off a cliff for our 3rd anniversary...Can you believe it?! I know, I can't either! On the morning of the event, I was feeling a little nervous but I knew it was happening no matter what! I was determined to take the chance and do something I never thought I'd do. Naturally (I think), I called everyone I love to let them know what I was about to do. I ended every conversation with "I love you" and told them if anything were to happen to me, I'd like all my clothes to go to my sister and my Honda civic to go to the MR. The MR was nervous about my hesitation since this was supposed to be a joint gift from each other for our anniversary and he didn't want to do it if he was going to go it alone. After breakfast and the phone conversations with my loved ones, we headed to the glider port.

When we arrived at the gliding port I started to feel even more nervous. We went into the shop, put our names on the list, signed our lives away and paid to basically get dragged off this cliff and hope for the best. We saw another couple who just returned from their flight and they were so excited about it. The girl even said "I just can't take this smile off my face!" I thought to myself, "Okay, there are little kids doing this. Come on Cereal Writer, you can do it!" I asked the woman at the counter if I would have an opportunity to speak to my instructor to make sure I would be comfortable enough about the event and she said "Absolutely, they will not take you unless you're comfortable."

When we got outside we met up with my Aunt and her friend who, after the greeting, felt inclined to say "You know, someone got hung up on the cliff here last weekend. He survived but he had to be rescued off the side of the cliff." REALLY??? Did he have to go there?! And guess what? Right after he told us that story, whose name did they call first? MINE! Yes, I was up first, before the MR (lucky duck!) The gentleman took me to my instructor who I shook hands with and began to ask my comfort questions to; "Are you going to take care of me? Will I be safe?" He answered "yes, this is my third time and if I do a good job then I can get my certification. Now run forward and then when I say "sit" tuck your legs and sit on your harness. Oh and how old are you? Okay, well I've been doing this for twice your age, I'm not going to drop you...RUN!" Now mind you, this word exchange was happening for a total of 1.5 minutes while he was quickly strapping me into the harness. So much for feeling comfortable before the take off!

I ran forward toward the wind as fast as I could, even though I was going nowhere, tucked my legs and sat when he yelled at me to do so. Off the cliff we went! Sound affects don't go over too well in writing, sorry. Since my legs were tucked before we went off the cliff, I didn't get the pleasure of running off the cliff, he did...darn! When we were in the air, he gave me a tour. Poor guy, I wasn't even listening to a thing he said. I was too worried about my safety and all the strange sounds and movements. Then he proceeded to answer a call on his cell phone, tell me to relax continuously (which was absolutely impossible) and tell me things like "your hair smells good" until we landed. I swear he was behind me the whole time mushing his face into my hair. Nothing like being strapped to another person in a harness, in the sky with no where to go, and hearing a bunch of pick up lines. To be honest, the landing was my favorite part. I couldn't enjoy myself while in flight because it was so new and I was too nervous. Once I got on the ground, the true emotions hit me. I was in shock that I actually did it and yes, I then realized just how neat it was. There was something very freeing about it not to mention the beautiful views.

My take off!


Then it was the MR's turn to go off the cliff! It was fun to watch him take off and know what he was experiencing up there. I know he was able to enjoy more of it than I since he's not afraid of much. After every crazy/dangerous thing we do he says "that was so cool! I want to get certified!" I'm like, "yeah, okay, check that off my bucket list!"

Dave Landing!


It was an amazing third anniversary with the MR. This was an experience we will never forget and one day tell our kids and their kids all about. The MR has encouraged me to do things I never thought I'd do in life and to step outside my comfort zone. He's taught me to be more adventurous and open to new things. He's everything I ever wanted in a husband and everything I never thought existed.

I wonder what we'll do next year. Any ideas???

And, I think you should know, I've missed you!

cw

Are We Crazy?!

The MR and I are at a crossroad in our life. He is getting out of the Navy, we're planning a move across the country, looking to buy a house, starting school, starting new jobs and leaving behind everything we have here. Are we crazy?! Could we possibly put anymore of a strain on ourselves and our marriage? The MR is going from having everything planned out by the Navy for the past six years to having to create a life outside of the military. This transition is going to be very difficult for the both of us. We'll have to think about paying rent/mortgage, utilities, health insurance and all the other things we haven't had to consider in the Military.

At this point, all we can do is be grateful we're going through this together, communicate to the point where we have nothing left to say, drink wine until we're delirious, make up random songs (sometimes crass), run around the house like two teenagers and laugh until our bellies ache. We are the prime example of the saying "you never know where life will take you." The truth is, this is nerveracking and scary but it's NOT life or death. We have options. We have our love, people that we love, people who love us, and people who believe in us. We're prepared to work extremely hard and know that nothing comes easy. Among all the decision making and stress, this is really an exciting time in our lives! No matter the outcome, we have each other and our happiness and that's what's important!

What do you think? Can you relate? Have any advice?

CW

Planning Our Third Anniversary

The MR and I have been discussing our third anniversary plans for many weeks now. We decided to do something adventurous together rather than a gift exchange. We're very close to making a final decision, one of them being paragliding.

We woke up this morning and decided to drive up to the gliding spot on the cliffs, have lunch and just watch the paragliders. I suggested the idea of going to watch them because I wanted to see what it was all about before I did the jumping myself. I am somewhat afraid of heights but am determined to conquer my fears.

When we got there the first thing I noticed was the view, it was breathtaking not to mention the excitment of the paragliders running off the cliffs. After watching some paragliding we decided to have lunch. We both had delicious sandwiches from the little cafe. Once we finished eating we went off to explore the cliffs which were beautiful.

Even though I think paragliding might be a tad scary, I assured the MR that I would still go and boy was he excited to hear that. The instructor might have to drag me off that cliff which should be quite easy for him since I plan to sedate myself. All the elements around us today seemed to flow into each other so well, from the sky and sun to the mountainside to the shore line...flawless! It was perfectly warm with a slight breeze, what a beautiful day to be outside!

I hope you'll get a glimpse of what we experienced today through my photographs. I'll let you know when we go for the jump or in my case the drag-fall.

Life Reflection

The MR and I didn't have much planned for the weekend which was fine with me since we always seem to have plans. I awoke a little unsettled this morning and i'm assuming it was the result of a conversation the MR and I had last night. We are still adjusting to him being home from his 5 month deployment. Thank goodness we communicate well because otherwise this transition might not be so easy. Along with some of the more serious things we discussed we also discussed the possibility of driving up the coast to visit family but when I really focused on what I needed, I realized that was personal time. I contemplated staying home while he went up north to go spear fishing with my brother but I wasn't too into the idea. I'm the type of person that doesn't require a whole lot of time alone but when I start to crave it, I need to make sure I allot time to do so.

I finally made up my mind (the MR was happy about that) so we drove about an hour to my brother's house. My brother and the MR decided they wanted to snorkel and spear fish. We got in our suits (swim that is) then took the trolley to the beach. Free public transportation = Genius idea! They got all their snorkel gear on while I set up shop on a cluster of rocks much like the birthing rocks in Hawaii which are really neat. I felt more like a mermaid boss than a woman on a birthing rock in the Forrest . While they were out in the water I planned to spend some time in my head without interruption. However, I made friends with the lifeguard and spent most of my time people watching and exploring the beach. It was such a beautiful day...well most days here are beautiful. Unfortunately we forgot our camera :*(

Before I knew it, the boys were back on shore. That time to myself was much needed even though there were distractions. It was peaceful which is just what the doctor ordered. Aside from my alone time, it was so nice to see my brother. We had a lot of laughs and catching up to do. {My brother introduced my husband and I - They've been really good friends since junior high so they get along really well} I usually get to see one of my other brothers, sister and my Mom but it didn't work out this time. Hopefully we'll see them all next weekend.

Before I head to bed I would like to say, pay attention to what you really want and do it. Life can be difficult but remember not to take it too seriously...enjoy it all you can!

Good night ;-)

Life Lesson

I was sitting at the front desk of my office and in walked a cute married couple. They were approximately 90yrs of age, holding hands and smiling. I greeted them and then started up a conversation. I don't quite remember the whole conversation but I do remember one specific part; The wife looked at me and said "At this age, our fun is sitting on the ground, naked, laughing at each other."

At that moment, I realized that they truly enjoy life and they don't take themselves seriously. They had so much spunk and I loved that about them! I hope my husband and I have that same attitude when we grow old together. Well, we kinda do now :)

All About The S'mores!

There's nothing better than lying in bed with my husband when I should be at work. Luckily I work for wonderful people who are very kind to me.

I got off work at one o'clock today when I normally get off at five o'clock. There's something so exciting about being off work when everyone else is still working. It doesn't happen too often but it feels very liberating when it does. I couldn't wait to get home to be with my love. We had a very nice nap, of course I couldn't sleep much, but it was relaxing.

After our nap we decided to coordinate a bonfire with a few of our friends and everyone was to bring specific items. To be honest, my main concern were the s'mores. I wasn't even really concerned if we had wood for our fire >:-) I wanted those damn s'mores! We could have cooked them in the microwave, I didn't care. Of course, the guys were more interested in having enough alcohol. You know, the key things men need to have fun; fire, alcohol, food and a lot of rambunctiousness. We finally had our supplies and were headed to the bonfire. We were at a stop light next to this lady who we thought was listening to "Scrubs" by TLC. I'm still not sure if she was but we started singing it ourselves not realizing we were getting so carried away. About 3/4 of the way through the song, rapping, harmonizing and doing solo performances in the Nissan Frontier, it hit us. We stopped our performance, looked at each other and I said "were we really just singing "scrubs"?" We laughed hysterically!

The bonfire was fun. I got my s'mores :) No one really understood why I like my marshmallows burnt, but what is it to them?! We shared some good stories and when the guys started talking about their nerd gadgets or work, us ladies made sure they knew how boring it was.

I'm so happy it's the weekend! We're going to try and cram as many fun and exciting things into our schedule as possible.

For me, life is about smiling, love and laughter. Life is being yourself, creating yourself and loving yourself. It starts with you! Who cares if others think you're weird. I love being at home with my husband because there is no holding back. I am 100% me; goofy, un-ladylike (at times), immature, emotional and he still thinks I'm beautiful, so he says. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Enjoy every moment!

Have a wonderful weekend and do something fun that you wouldn't normally do. Step outside your regular routine - You may enjoy it!

Quote: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them." - Maya Angelou

Cereal Writer-

Moody Myrtle

I have officially nicknamed my navigation system "Moody Myrtle." She cannot EVER make up her mind and leads me to dead ends and dark alleyways. Okay, so not really dark alleyways but it sounded good. She has two signature sayings "Make a U-Turn " and "You are now off track." She'll say one of the two then immediately change her mind and tell me to continue ahead. She sometimes has me switching lanes as if I'm in an obstacle course and putting me on major highways unnecessarily.

On my way to dinner tonight she told me to prepare to enter the highway so I got in the correct lane to do so. Just before I entered the on ramp she changed her mind, didn't want me to get on the highway and told me to continue ahead then make a right. I of course, pulled a quick lane change (not safe) and continued ahead. She then proceeds to tell me to make a right on a road name that doesn't exist and I end up having to ask a security guard where the restaurant is located. I finally found it, thank goodness.

We used Moody Myrtle in Hawaii too which turned out to be quite a disaster. We were looking for another restaurant (yes we eat out a lot) and she led us to an apartment complex. We figured the owner of the restaurant or one of his family members probably lived there. All we could do was laugh hysterically. Most of the time I'm confident she'll at least get us within 1/2 mile of our destination then we can use other sources. It's better than nothing, right?

She's indecisive, complicated and moody - Sounds like someone I know very well...Me! And I'm sure my husband would agree :)

Night Owl

I find myself lying in bed next to my snoozing husband writing in my blog and reading other blogs at all hours of the night. I think I might be addicted! This new addiction is bringing back my night owl ways that I have repressed for the last two years since getting a day time job. Before this daytime job, I would stay up on the computer all night long writing and surfing the web. I dealt with a lot of anxiety in those prior days and it was at it's worst in the evening hours therefore, it became easy for me to stay up all night. The only downfall is that I would sleep my days away then go to my evening job. No, I wasn't a stripper or a call girl - I know exactly where your mind went! Now with all this blog stuff I feel like a night owl again. I'm sure it's fine as long as my husband doesn't start to feel second fiddle to my new addiction and the lack of sleep isn't tarnishing my performance at work.

This is so much fun!

Military Lifestyle

Living the military life can be very unsettling and very rewarding at the same time. I've been married to my husband going on 3 years now and the whole time we've been together he's been in the Navy. You would think that I would be accustomed to the separation by now but I'm not, even for a night. The separation is something that comes with life in the military whether you like it or not! We're coming up on another duty day tomorrow, which means he's on the ship for 36hrs straight. I think if this were to happen every once in a while, it wouldn't be such a big deal but the fact that it happens every 6 days can get old. But as old as it gets, I always think how lucky I am to have him home and not on deployment fighting the war in Iraq. As a military wife I feel like I'm clinging to him every minute I can because I KNOW he's going to have to leave again soon. I hate the fact that I just called myself "clingy!" Poor guy! I know a lot of military spouses would agree with me that this lifestyle never gets easier and we DREAD duty days and deployments. With that being said, I'm very proud of my husband for helping to protect our country. I have to say, I've become a lot more patriotic since meeting him. There are so many great things that come with being apart of the military community. With all the great things come some obstacles but isn't that what life is all about?

We have some very exciting and new changes coming our way in the next few months. Oh yeah, did I mention that CHANGE is a big part of the military life as well??? Well it is and I don't mind it at all. We love to travel, move and meet new people. I'm a little sad to say that our military lifestyle will be coming to an end in January and the next new life adventure lies ahead. SO many mixed emotions. Sad to leave the people and places I've grown to love here but excited and nervous to see what's in store.

I will have plenty to talk about in the near future...Can't wait to let you in on what our next big adventure entails. Are you ready???

Stick around all my IR's (Imaginary Readers)

Peace,
CW-

Talk Nerdy To Me

I found myself giving a girlfriend advice the other day and not too long after our conversation, I realized that I may not be following my own advice. She and her husband have been married nearly a year. She came to me for some marriage advice and I was happy to help. One piece of advice I gave her was "Your husband doesn't necessarily need to hear all that you have to say. I think communication is important but he doesn't need to know about the guy that your BFF is dating or every detail about the dress you've been dying to buy."
I can be kind of an anxious person so I tend to talk to fill the silence...when, silence is golden, right? ;) Well, every now and then I put myself in my husband's shoes for a split second, yes only a SPLIT second and I realize that I could very well be driving him insane with all my woman chatter. This usually happens when I'm talking to him about something he has no interest in and then wonder why he's not listening to me. Men couldn't be anymore different than women. So, I confronted him about the matter and sure enough, all those "split second" moments I've been having are correct, he was just too sweet to say anything. When I asked him if I sometimes tell him things he's not interested in, he said yes but he also wanted me to know that he still wants me to be me and continue to talk openly. However, from now on I am going to try to filter the topics I choose to talk to him about. And, it goes both ways. I don't always want to hear about his nerd gadgets or how the RAM connects to the motherboard. Well, I do find the nerd talk to be sexy at times.

That's the scoop for now!

CW-

Military Wife Sleep Disorder (ZzZzZzZz)

My husband just returned home from a 5 month deployment a month ago. Now that he's home I often have a hard time getting to sleep, then once I fall asleep I wake up several times in the night. I think I may have gotten use to sleeping alone when he was gone and am now going through an adjustment period. I definitely don't want to keep him from getting a full nights rest. I love having him home again and in the same bed as me, but I think I'm still trying to adjust back into our old ways.

What do you think? Any other military wives feel the same way? If so, how long did it take you to adjust? Or maybe you're still adjusting?

CW-

Naner Is A Firecracker

My Nana (aka. Naner) is quite the firecracker! She is 85 yrs young, funny and full of spunk! My brother calls her the "Pit Viper" because she can be very blunt which comes across as being mean...well, she is kinda mean. She came to visit me, which happens often and while she was here I let her borrow my husbands truck (manual). One day while out driving the truck, she pulled up to a stop light and looked to her right to see a young handsome man in a red corvette. She winked at him, put the truck in neutral and revved the engine implying she wanted to race him. The light turned green and she smoked him, looked back in her rear view mirror and he was still at the light laughing hysterically. This story is mild compared to some others. Do you have a grandmother who's got spunk like my Naner?

CW-

PS: She's kind of a player too! She now has 2 boyfriends in 2 different states and neither of them know about each other.

Introduction

I'd like to introduce myself and my blog. You can call me cerealwriter. I came up with the name because I love cereal and have been known to eat it for every meal of the day. Can anyone relate? My husband gives me a hard time for eating so much cereal. He thinks I need a little more nutrition and I hate to admit it but I'm pretty sure he's right! Shhhh, don't tell him I said so. And, I love to write!

In my blog, I'll be discussing a very wide range of things. I might be asking for advice, sharing life stories or even giving some advice (if you ask). I would like to keep it fun but I'd also like it to cover some deep topics as well. My mind is usually all over the place so I think that might be a slight indication of how my blog might be. Hold on tight!

I'm really excited to get into the world of blogging. I hope you find my blog interesting if not now, maybe later? ;)

CW-