Whirlwind weekend?

So, an eventful weekend is over and it's back to work this morning!

I got to spend some quality time with the Wilson's this weekend, had a great dinner out and got to enjoy time with my nephew which is always a good time.  (Other than the occasional meltdown, but that comes with the age!)  He really is such a sweetie and now that I am getting better at understanding toddler-speak it's much easier to talk to him.  He talks constantly!!  When I can understand half of it I feel like I'm being a good aunt, but there were definitely desperate looks at Cori and Aaron for translation help. 

Irene was the big news yesterday...and she cut our family weekend short.  The storm started to get moving here at about 7 Saturday night and got worse until I went to be around midnight.  I hear that the worst of the storm was when I was sleeping but it was still going when I got up around 9.  Yes, I was a total bum!  I'm doing fine, and lost power for a few hours last night but nothing major.  Our basement storage seems dry for now and we'll keep an eye on those things for the next couple of days.  Flooding is the biggest issue right now, we'll see how that affects my drive to school in a little while.

Sarge and I have been able to talk or G-chat every day since he's been gone and I got a reality check about how spoiled I am last night.  I had no power and hadn't heard from him since the previous night.  I usually get a "check-in" around 1pm  when he's getting ready for bed and that didn't happen.  My over-active imagination didn't kick in until 10:30.  He called at 11, proving that I am a crazy lady at times.  He was alright, fyi...I just get kooky when I'm tired and have no power.

Hope everyone out there is managing after the storm!

Mad Men

It's my new addiction.  Every chance I get I throw on a episode.  It's what I cleaned my house to on Wednesday and what I watched while waiting for my sister-in-law and family to arrive last night.  I love the clothes, the stories and everything about it.  Some of these characters are awful, some I love and it's just addicting!!

Today however was an interesting watching experience.  It was the episode where JFK is assassinated.  I cried when it was announced and it caught me totally off guard.  I KNEW what was going to happen.  When the first phone calls were starting to come in I knew the event and the outcome.  Why did I lose it?  It may be that I'm over-emotional these day or it could be that I doubt if the same "world stopping" reaction would happen today.

On a positive, my newphew is the cutest kid and I got to talk to Sarge today for a good long time.  Skype phone calls (video is still not working well) are our savior.   Tomorrow is the b'day party for the little monkey, yay!

Tour of West Point?

Unintentional, but yes, I took a lovely drive through West Point today.  I was heading to the commissary and PX but made a wrong turn (and anyone who knows me is NOT surprised) and I ended up driving around a bit before making it back to where I needed to be.  I was amazed, as always, how beautiful the base (campus?) is.  The houses are nestled into the mountain and the castle like buildings remind me of Hogwarts in different places.  It's so picturesque...until you are driving through the academic area, accidentally, during a change of classes and are surrounded by cadets all rushing to get to lunch!

I did some great shopping and got Sarge new shower shoes as requested.  I also picked up the scratch boxes that Hazel looooves and I can only find on post.  I got a few deals on groceries and picked up some stuff for lunches.  I hear that I'll be eating on the run this year so I am planning to keep some healthy, quick and easy snacks in my office and fridge.  Fruit in juices, whole grain crackers, 100 calorie packs and jello cups...that kind of stuff.

Now it's time to finish the cleaning and laundry before the Wilsons arrive for the weekend.  I love my nephew but I also know if I don't vacuum and clean well he will find, and either eat or pick up and bring to me, every little thing out of place.  He really is a cutie-pie and I'm glad for the motivation!

Shake, shake, shake Senora!

Yes ladies and gents, we had a little quake here in NY.  From what I read the quake was centered somewhere in Virginia and we received some of the shakes.  I will be honest, and tell you that I had no clue.  I thought the cat had gotten herself behind the couch and was messing around.  So...when she walked out of the other room it was kind of surprising! 

And all I keep hearing is that song...and the new remix too.  Too funny!  I went to Facebook and everyone's status updates were about the quake, too.  Everyone is fine, I guess there were some building evacuations in the city but we're all okay here.  So, a bit of excitement, something to talk about but hopefully nothing tragic.  Enjoy the beautiful weather here in NY and I'll be back tomorrow!

Wedding photos!!!

 My darling cousin sent the wedding photos last night...yay!!  They are absolutely gorgeous with the exception of those where I am a train wreck of a subject.  I have my eyes closed in quite a few...it's kinda funny.  I am adding some at the bottom for you to check out, they made my night yesterday.  I had a whole separate post planned for this morning that I will just have to postpone.

I got to text with Sarge for a few minutes around midnight on Saturday.  He is still traveling to his final post but sounds like he's doing well.  He said they're getting plenty of sleep and I'm glad they'll be rested before they get where they're going.  I'm anxious for him to get to his final post so that wifi access is more regular and we can Skype again.  I miss getting to see him while we talk.

Here are the pics...now I just have to choose one so I can finish our Thank-you notes!

Car for sale

My car is for sale, any takers?  I have posted on Craigslist and haven't gotten a single bite.  I did get a lovely automated phone call from a service offering to help me sell my car but no e-mails or calls from actual humans yet.Do me a favor and pass it on...a well-maintained 2008 Nissan Sentra is for sale!

Wine Love

So yesterday was wine-tasting with the girls and it was a great day!!  We spent the day in Orange County, NY and visited 3 different wineries.  There were high points (Warwick Valley Apple Brandy and Brotherhood Riesling) but the whole day was just perfect.  I don't know a whole lot about wine or wine tasting but I had the chance to taste some new and different things and discover what I do and do NOT like.  

Heather was awesome and picked up sandwiches for us to eat after our first tasting and the next two just seemed to make sense since we were already up there.

The Tasting Room at Demarest Hill

Gorgeous view from Demarest Hill Winery

Lunch at Warwick Valley

I got a little carried away with the shopping...

This day was a bridal shower gift.  My sisters and mom planned the perfect shower for me before our wedding.  Because Sarge and I didn't need any more "stuff" they asked that all of the guests plan an activity for us to do while Anthony was away.  This is the 3rd activity so far and I am LOVING this plan.  I always have things to look forward to and friends to share my experiences with.  Thanks!!

Safe and sound

Sarge has traveled a long way around the world and has arrived, somewhere close to where he'll be finally, safely.  I got a call at 1am for about 35 seconds to let me know they'd made it to Germany and a voice mail earlier today that he was doing well.  I was so excited to hear his voice and so MAD that I missed the call.  Lesson learned: the phone never leaves my side from now until he gets home.  I don't know exactly where he is but I know he's safe and that's what matters most.

Last night's dinner was a success.  Everything came out pretty well and the girls were happy.  Design star was great...my least favorite person got sent home!!  Yay!! I'm sorry if you liked her but I thought Cathy was just annoying.  I was surprised she was let go but I will not miss her at all.  Here are some photos from last night's dinner, just in case you were interested in my culinary talents.  The menu was grilled chicken breasts, zucchini munchies, ratatouille and herbed quinoa with a lite strawberry shortcake pie for dessert.

No joke, this recipe says it's 4 servings!

Zucchini munchies, grilled chicken breast and ratatouille

All of the above and some herbed quinoa....a perfect dinner!

I was in school today, more on that later this week as some things get ironed out.  Tonight is movie night with the girls and tomorrow we're going to a wine tasting.  So...tomorrow's post should be funny at the very least.

Monday, Monday

Today has been a full one, and it's only 3pm.  And, even in the summer, Mondays can be rough.

I woke up to a phone call from Sarge today telling me that he was leaving shortly.  Now, I've know this for a couple of days but it didn't stop me from losing it again.  I don't know why, but the tears hit and just kept coming until I left for my podiatrist appointment at 11.  And so yes, now the podiatrist thinks I'm a teary, red eyed, mess of a person.

So yes, my foot is indeed broken.  I have visited the 3rd doctor to tell me this.  Very anticlimactic but I have an even more lovely boot to wear now.  I will say, it's super ugly but WAY more comfortable than the crutches and little shoe were.  I can now walk independently which I proved by heading to the grocery store and then cooking.

Tonight's menu: zucchini munchies, grilled chicken breast, quinoa, and ratatouille.  Here are a couple of before photos, check back tomorrow for "after."  I got the recipe for the ratatouille here  It was absolutely inspired by the movie and my dad's amazing gardening.  (Read: TONS of zucchini)

Texas Time

View from Cattleman's Steakhouse

I had such a fantastic time in Texas!  I won't bore you with the blow-by-blow, but spending time with my husband was so incredibly wonderful.  I made it through 2 airports with wheelchair assistance on my way down and he met me right outside the security area...so sweet.  We rented a Jeep for our time together and loved being able to take the top off in the mornings and evenings.  Too hot midday and too sunny for my pale Irish self!

So, I did not realize how close El Paso was to the Mexico border, we drove right past it one day and could see Mexico from one of the highways we took on the way home from our trip to White Sands.  And yes, I know I could have looked on a map to see exactly where I was going....I just didn't.  I will say that the standard of housing seems very different and it was a little sad.  However, the food was AMAZING and we did our best to find authentic Mexican food for lunches.

The highlight of the trip for me was definitely the drive we took through White Sands, NM.  It is amazingly beautiful and a little disorienting.  It's almost like snow, only it's over 100 degrees...HOT!!  It was about an hour and half from El Paso but we took that time to talk, figure out some plans for keeping things in order for the next year and just enjoy being together.  There were some other fun moments that I'll get into in another post!

White Sands National Park

This is the one Sarge liked best!

I'm leaving...

On a jet plane!

It's travel day and I'm up before the crack of dawn and ready to go.  I'm checking in online and trying to get better seats.  Getting in one last icing down of the foot and snuggle with the kitty, too.

I got a couple of hours of sleep, but not much.  I was too excited, I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve again!

I'm not sure how many posts I'll get in this week, but I'll do my best.  Have a good week everyone and I'll be back Friday no matter what.

My new peep toes

...are an orthopedic boot!  Yup, last night I slipped on the stairs taking out the recycling and managed to break the top of my 5th metatarsal. (Words I didn't know until today.)  At 32 this is my first real broken bone...unreal.  My mom was awesome and drove me around and kept me company today which was amazing.

Isn't my new shoe lovely?

So, I am still heading to TX in two days and really can't wait.  We have some outings planned to   Carlsbad Caverns and Roswell, NM.  Area 51!!!  I'm excited and hope that we can most of what we wanted to even with my little injury.  Even if it's sitting in the hotel and at the pool for 3 days I'll be with Sarge, which is what is most important.

Happy Tears

Today was a great day!

I completed my final class in my graduate program which means I am at MA +60 and only have my internship left. Yay!!!

This brought me to tears.  

My girls Linda and Heather decided to make bracelets for us to wear until Anthony comes home.  They made bracelets for the 3 of us and our friend Stacy and for my 2 sisters as well.  How did I end up with such great girls?  They had a great story about getting their supplies and making them to make me laugh, too.  Thanks Olivers!

I home for the night and kind of looking forward to it.  I also get to sleep in tomorrow until around 9, my trainer appointment isn't until 10am.  I had a good workout today, get in a good one tomorrow and then a run on Sunday before it's Texas-Time!!!!

School and Sarge....almost there!

Loooong week but it's been a good one!  I finished and turned in a project Wednesday and am almost finished with the case study reviews I am turning in tomorrow morning.  At 1pm tomorrow I will have complete MA +60 credits and I SOOOO happy!  I bought myself a little something this week to celebrate, a 4 leaf clover charm for my Pandora bracelet.  I figure I'm going to need the luck going into this next year.

I have learned a LOT in this class about different leadership styles and personalities.  We have gotten to listen and talk to assistant principals, principals, assistant superintendents and superintendents.  My only disappointment was that none were from the county I work in, but if that's the worst I can say...that's pretty good.  I have learned that I am not sure any of those jobs are where I see myself.  I still think that I'd like to do music curriculum coordinator, department chair or something along those lines...if those jobs ever make it back into the school systems.  With the many recent cuts who knows what the administrative structures will look like?

I got a video from Sarge today.  It was so sweet and I'll admit that it made me cry.  It was great to see him and hear his voice.  I also love that he took a few minutes to send me something.  It's amazing how meaningful that is.

I get to see him 4 days!!!!  I have amazing friends who have already arranged my transportation to and from the airport...which considering how early my flights are is a true testament of love for us.  I know that I am so very lucky to have this support system here.  If you're reading this...dinner Sunday night will be at our house! 

Rough Day

I had a rough day.  I will not go in to details but I am currently re-working the stupid project I was doing last week to be handed in again.  I hated this thing last week, I hate it more now.  However, I can't dwell on it because it has to get done.  There are many, many changes in the graduate program I am currently enrolled in and finishing and now is not the time to create friction with a professor.

Happier thoughts...I was watching the news while organizing myself and there was a little segment that made me smile.  NBC Nightly News did a segment on the woman who started the magazine Military Spouse.  I have a soft spot for this one, Sarge brought me home a copy just before we got engaged letting me know what he was thinking about before it was reality.  Babette Maxwell started the magazine with no experience to help the families of soldiers.  No joke, she has moved 29 times!!!  Now, I don't have anything that extreme to manage so I am going to try to stay positive for the rest of my night. Here is a link to the clip from tonight's show....enjoy! 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/