Job hunting madness

Is anyone else going through this right now? Grrr. I just want a job!

If anyone has any hot leads in the Norfolk area or work-from-home type employment, please shoot it my way. 

A day of firsts

Today was my first guest post on another blog. I cannot even describe how excited I was when my childhood friend Jade asked me to guest on her blog. I have known Jade since middle school. Wait while I calculate the years and decide how old I should feel right now....we have been friends for....15 years! Wow, that's a good amount of time. Pretty awesome. Jade has a blog all about her journey as a new mommy, a wife and life in Houston called Mama Love Diaries. She is absolutely one of the most adorable people I have ever met in my life. A true friend. She is one of those friends that you can go months or years without talking to and pick right back up where you left off. And her blog is as adorable as she is. So go check out it out already!

Happy Daddy's Day

That's my daddy on the right and my step-daddy on the left walking me down the aisle on my wedding day. That day was the best day of my life. I had the two best men in the world give me away to the love of my life. Oh memories. I wish we were back home in Texas to spent the day with them today. But I have the next best thing for when you live far from family; I have a few phone call and FaceTime dates today! Happy Father's Day everyone!

A long lost craft

Remember this baby? 

Oh yeah, I know you do. It has been sitting in my garage gathering dust while hubby and I traveled and readjusted to being back home. Now that hubby is back in the swing of things at work, complete with a weekend standing duty, I have time to finally finish it. So excuse me for a bit while I put on my wood working clothes (i.e. yoga pants) and get to work. Nasty bench here I come...I am ready for you!

More Navy Traditions, Yay!

And this one was for the wives. You never need a reason to hang out with friends, but last night's was a really good reason. It was time for the cow party! 

I am not sure if this tradition is mainly in the helo/jet/prop flight community or if it is Navy wide but it is one of my favorites. This party was all for the commanding officer of the squadron's wife Heather. Get it? Commanding Officer's Wife...COW! It's just like the military to shorten everything and even have an acronym for a wive's party. lol. But it gives us an adorable theme to work with that's for sure! Every 14 or 15 months the squadron receives a new commanding officer (CO) and executive officer (XO); basically the new number 1 and 2 guys. The pomp and circumstance that goes with it is called the change of command ceremony and it is fabulous. So much patriotism and tradition. I loved it. Check out the helicopter! My man flies those :)

After all the hoopla on the official side is over, it is our turn to treat the wife that has been traveling on that crazy road to CO-dom with her man. Yummy food, tasty drinks and silly moo moo themed gifts. I gave Heather a bottle of chocolate wine by How Now Brown Cow. If you have ever wondered what chocolate milk that could give you a buzz would taste like. I can tell you, it tastes delicious. No strong alcohol taste like with liquor based chocolate milk like drinks. Yuck. This one is just 'ole fashioned good. Yum. I hope she likes it. The other gifts were just adorable too. A few of my favorites were a squirt gun shaped like a cow (guess where the water shot out of lol), a subscription to Cowboy magazine and cow salt and pepper shakers, which are perfect because she collects S&P shakers! And no one can forget the squadron cow planter. 

Isn't she adorable. Her name is Bessy of course. She's about two feet tall by two and half feet long and she holds your flowers. She was darling. Bessy gets passed from CO wife to CO wife and always has a place of honor in the new home. Caroline had her right on the front porch the entire time her husband was the CO. Heather said she was going to go right on her front porch no matter what her husband says. lol. I think we are going to do a wives green light one night to check up on Bessy and have a little party at Heather's house. 

These are the things that I love the most about the wives' side of the squadron. We have fun together. We meet up about once every few months for official fun at squadron events and then we have our wives nights. We go over to one of the ladies' houses or try out a new restaurant or something even more out of the ordinary. In August we are all going to go stand-up paddle boarding! I love my OSC group of gals. I have heard horror stories of cliquey groups and business only clubs. I am so grateful that that is not us at all. We definitely welcome everyone and we definitely have fun. We even have some ladies who's husbands are no longer with the squadron that come to the parties! I always encourage the new wives, girlfriends and event try to get the few husbands to come and check us out. We could always use some new blood :) Maybe we'll see some new faces at the July outing. You never know! 

Until next time...  

  

I am such a girl

Yes please! 

That was one long weekend...

A long, long, long weekend! But a fun, fun, fun weekend. Lots of pictures were taken and that is precisely what this entry is going to be composed of. Pictures galore, so let's begin!

Friday, Hail and Farewell

These are pictures from the hailing and farewelling (I know, not a word) portion of the night. It is a marvelous tradition. You get to meet the new guys and gals that you'll be seeing for the next few years. And you might even make a really great friend. The farewells on the other hand are not as much fun. While it is a chance to have a little party with the ones you grew to know and love, in a lot of cases, this might be the last time you see them. It is a little bit bitter-sweet, but still a good time to be had.    

Kenny loves bowling. 

Yep, the Hail and Farewell was at a bowling alley. I hadn't been in one of those since Midnight Bowling in the seventh grade at Saratoga Lanes in the good 'ole CC, TX. But don't worry, the party didn't end there. 

Oh yeah, dance dance dance dance! We hit a club! Yes, those are glow sticks in that gentleman's hand....and you know what....he rocked those things better then an 18 year old kid with a pacifier in his mouth grooving to Sandstorm in 1999. 

Saturday, 37th Annual Harborfest

They have everything at this festival: Craft beer, concerts, bad-for-you-but-delicious-food, shopping, fireworks and BOATS!

Lots and lots of boats! 

The detail on some of these boats was awe inspiring. The color and intricate carvings on this one from Delaware made everyone that walked by stop and take a picture or two. 

Hubby being an American. 'Murica!

Can't forget about the weird "mermaid" display that some pirates had. I just felt sorry for the girl in the tank that had to swim in circles and make Flipper noises. But she did look like she loved it! 

This delicious place was at the festival. Mine was a Peanut Butter Cup cupcake. Yumm. 

Then we hopped on the water taxi to Portsmouth. I know, I know. We can never just stay in one place.

Yay, Bier Garden! Hundreds of Beers to chose from, literally.  

Yay, Still! Moscow Mule for Moi. 

Then back to Norfolk we went for the fireworks!

We had a really good view. 

Oooo, Aaahh, That's my favorite! 

Yes, I was a little tipsy by the end of the day. I had a damn good time :) 

Sunday, Williamsburg 

I have no idea what in the hell we were on that let us have enough energy to hit the road with the puppy the next day, but I want it more often. 

We had a little lunch at Dog Street Pub in Merchant's Square. It is mouthwatering good food. They even made a little something for Luna for lunch and kept bringing her ice water since it was 90 degrees out and the poor baby has black hair that insulates better then any wool I have ever found. A walk through the historic area followed lunch and Luna didn't get into one single brawl this time! She's improving on that puppy brain of hers. I couldn't be prouder. 

And that was our weekend! No wonder I have been putting this one off since Sunday. I just got my energy back. Wow, that yoga yesterday really did work to 'center' me. Or maybe it was the Strawberry Abita Beer and cookie cake I made during the thunderstorm last night :) Whatever, it worked!    

Until next time! 

You say Goodbye and I say Hello

It is time again for another Navy tradition. This tradition is one of the best for it involves a party. We have a Hail and Farewell to go to tonight in Chesapeake. A Hail and Farewell is the equivalent of a going away party combined with a welcoming celebration for the newest pilots and families in the squadron. It is always a bitter sweet fiesta. You have to say goodbye a lot in this community, but with the goodbye's come the hello's.

I gotta hit the road, but I will be back later with stories and pictures for yall. This is your official welcome to the first of many Navy traditions and parties!

Oh Yeah

I am not sure if this is something you should be this excited about but I cannot help myself. I received an extraordinary package in the mail today from my daddy in Texas! I knew it was coming, it was my idea for crying out loud, but I am still so excited that it actually showed up. When my doorbell rang today without crazy knocking behind it I knew it wasn't my friend Christine from across the street, so that could only mean it was one other person. My favorite person in the world today! The UPS man! And left the most perfect brown box on my door. And inside were these beauties...

Ahhhh! I am so happy! I am such a fat kid to be this damn excited about ketchup. What is wrong with me? But still, it really is delicious. And it reminds me of home. Whataburger was founded in Corpus Christi ya know. lol. I know what I am cooking for dinner tonight...french fries baby!

Vacation finale!

You know those times after you go on vacation, you come home and realize the moment you walk through the door that you need another vacation to relax from the first one? Yeah, that was how our time away was starting to feel when we were winding down our time in AZ.
We were go, go, go from the second we left Norfolk. After the road trip, flights, parents, hotels, graduations, grandmothers, dinners and siblings we were beat. It is truly amazing how many activities you can cram into a 14 hour period! But thankfully I have a husband who can see into the future a bit and saw this exhaustion coming. So he made a plan for us to take a nice, slow drive down the east coast on the way back home. We'll meet up with friends, stay in divine hotels, and just enjoy ourselves all the way home.
Our first stop after Arizona was back to Boston to pick up our sweet little Mustang that was left behind at the airport. The poor baby must have thought we abandoned her.

Then we went to one of the most historic areas of America; Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

That's it. The rock our country was founded on. You can faintly see the 1620 that was chiseled into it. I hate that there was graffiti on it. So disrespectful. And don't worry, I wasn't scoffing at the rock. I was simply perturbed by hubby taking my picture. I love him so much some times :) 

  

But my annoyance with him quickly dissipated when he found a restaurant with the most amazing lobster roll I have had. Just look at the picture! We are pretty sure it was an entire lobster or two that was in there. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. I would go back to Plymouth for that sandwich alone. Thank goodness there is so much there besides that place, because I would have spent my entire day in that restaurant gaining more weight! There is some great shopping to be had in that little town. I even purchased a mink pillbox hat in the spirit of Jackie O. Don't ask when I will wear it, because I have no idea but I will make it work at some point. Maybe a holiday party? 

NYC was the next stop on our road trip. 

In all of my visit to the city, I never had the opportunity to visit ground zero. I have wanted to see that hallowed ground ever since they opened it up to the public. It really helps to internalize and remember exactly what happened that infamous day. The 9/11 Memorial with the fountains and soon to open museum is truly humbling. It is a somber place but it is also hopeful in a way. Everyone that walks by these fountains and sees the skyscraper that is almost finished is filled with the hope that we will be alright. We will move on and move forward but will never forget those that perished and their memory will live on.   

As you may remember from my previous posts, my little sister Katie lives in Manhattan. And now, one of hubby's roommates from college, Bob, lives right across the river in Jersey City, New Jersey. We all went out to dinner in Hoboken, NJ. This was my first experience in New Jersey aside from all the times I was stuck in the Newark airport. And you know what...New Jersey is not bad. Where else can you get that view of Manhattan? Absolutely gorgeous. And the company was fantastic as well.  I am so glad that we had the opportunity to hang out with such cool people. Bob and Kat, on the left of the picture, made our NY/NJ time a blast.

 The adorable couple with the little cutie on the top right were our next target in Maryland. That is another of hubby's roommates from college, Adam, and his family Stephanie and Audrey. I don't think a family can get much cuter then them. They put us up for the night and fed us delicious food and margaritas. It's like they know us or something. lol. I of course got a another baby kick while staying with them. Just look at her! Oh that fever is getting bad again after this trip. Especially after tossing in another blissful baby named Madeline! That's her in the purple hat on the bottom right with her mommy Mary. Madeline's daddy was in hubby's squadron but now they are living in DC. We all hung out together in Georgetown during their Taste of Georgetown festival. It was a really good time. Great food, excellent drinks and extremely loud, slightly off key music. lol. It was still a riot. Even the babies had some fun in the sun and played with each other a bit. Oh man, here comes a wave of baby fever like none I had ever had before.  

We are now on the last day of vacation. And what did we do with it? Why we went to a soccer game of course! US vs. Germany. And guess what, the US won! Apparently everyone had the Germans set at beating us by fantastic odds. I think they won because it was my first soccer game. Yes, my first game ever. I think the last game I watched was my youngest sister's game when she was 6 years old. That doesn't really count. So obviously I did not know rules or strategy, but I did notice a lot of bad acting on the US's part. When someone taps you on the shoulder and you hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, grabbing your ankle; I don't believe you are actually injured. Especially when you hop back up faster that a jack rabbit and keep on running. Oh well, it was entertaining non the less. And I appreciated the win guys. Made my day, and my vacation :) We hit the road as soon as the game ended and did not stop until we go home. It has been a long couple of weeks but you know what, I loved it. I thrive on running around. It keeps me going on all cylinders and I love that. Now it is back to housewife-ing like a champ. Sixteen loads of laundry, here I come! 

Oh and we weren't the only ones that were glad to be home. Gotta love that Luna girl. 

Vacation part deux

After the trip to the promised land, aka Texas lol, we went to hubby's home town in the Grand Canyon State.

It had been over two years since he had been home, so to say people were happy to see him was an understatement. His two biggest year round fans in Arizona are his mom and his brother Steve. Steve is one of the sweetest people you would ever have the pleasure of meeting. He has Down's Syndrome so he is at the learning level of a 3 year old. He does not make many sentences but you can easily interact with him in other ways. He is a lover of classic Disney movies and Elvis, just like me! He loves to rough house and always tries to get hubby to wrestle when we are in town. It is beyond adorable to watch. On our first day in town we surprised him and picked him up from "college". College is a day program center for special needs adults called Cortney's Place. It is an awe-inspiring establishment. They have an amazing facility and an even better staff. The look on Steve's face when he saw his brother at school was enough to melt anyone's heart. He loves him so much. We spent as much time as we could with my mom and bro-in-law. Lots of Super Mario Brothers for hubby and family gossip for me with the mom-in-law. It's my favorite thing to catch up on : ) Gossip was once considered a virtue, so yeah, I can do it. 

That's my mother in law with hubby on the left. Doesn't she look so proud of her son? I think so.These pics are from the Memorial Day Ceremony we went to in town. We met some amazing people who thanked him for his service. One man was a helo pilot for the Army during Vietnam. Just to hear a little of his story was humbling. He was in the action, landing in LZs with gun fire and missiles coming at him, while he was trying to pick up his injured buddies. The man standing in the pictures was a Marine lieutenant colonel during WW2. Ralph was another amazing veteran we met in Arizona. He goes to the same church my mother in law does, so we had the opportunity to meet him the Sunday before the ceremony. He enlisted in the navy before the US officially entered WW2 and was stationed on the USS Lexington during her entire tenure in the war. If you remember from yesterday, I have a special affinity for the Lex so I talked to him for a quite a bit. He is planning on heading to Corpus for reunion on the Blue Ghost next year, and I would love to be there to experience that re-connection right along with him. The ceremony was great but still solemn with respect for the fallen. Congressman David Schweikert, who spoke at the ceremony, said it best during his speech.

"Today we gather to honor those who have fallen to preserve our freedom. Use this day for something else besides sales and barbecues," 

"Arizona has lost 147 lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. We need to honor them and all who have given their lives for our freedom." 

It was the perfect way to remember those who had given everything to protect us, past and present. It could very well be that because of one of them we as individuals, not just as a nation, are here today.      

                                     

The next day we met our newest family member. That is hubby's twin sister's first baby. Our first nephew! baby kibbey. Daddy is Big Kibbey (a nickname) so naturally he is the littlest one and therefore named 'baby kibbey'. He was born during this last deployment so it was the first time we got to see him. Adorable does not even begin to describe this child. He is such a good baby. Not one peep came out of him the entire time we were there. A coo here or there but not one scream or cry; even after being passed around the room like a hot potato. Such a good baby. And he loved the pilot bear we gave him. Well, as much as a six month old can portray that he likes a toy. lol. We'll see if he likes the other gifts we gave him later when he starts crawling. They light up and sing and roll around for him to chase after, so I KNOW mommy and daddy will LOVE them! All sarcasm intended. Such a cutie pie. 

To change things up a bit, we stayed in a magnificent resort in Scottsdale for our last few days in town. It was so relaxing. Drinks in the cabana, a fire pit and how can you not love fire over the pool? It was the perfect ending to our time in Arizona, and our designated 'family fun time' of the vacation. Next up is the friend roundup/slow roll down the east coast part of this excursion!  

Part tres manana! Night yall.  

Home at last

We are back in Virginia! Oh man, we are exhausted. That was one long cross-country, family and friend filled trip. But it was fantastic! Running around the continental US in two and half weeks may not be everyone's cup of tea but I love it. Hot and ready to go in a travel cup please! Hubby and I got the chance to meet some new family members and catch up with friends we hadn't seen in over 7 months or longer. Today's entry is part one of our journey. I hope you enjoy it.

We started the adventure in Providence, Rhode Island for my sister Chloe's graduation from college.

We are all so incredibly proud of her. She received her degree in Equine Studies. She keeps our Texas Family cred by being the equestrian of the family. lol. Equestrians are people that ride and basically live for horses. She has been riding for as long as I can remember. I still remember going to shows when she was about 8 or 9 to watch her do her thing :) She made a childhood dream come true. Now Chloe is working over seas doing exactly what she has always wanted to do. She hopped on the plane the day after graduation! She is so driven and I admire that so much. Did you notice the horseshoe on her hat? Too adorable. 

We spent a few days in Providence and Boston with my family, including my cousin Bernard who is on the far left of the picture. He had a graduation of his own last month. He is now a doctor with a brand new PhD from Harvard. That's right ladies, and he is single! I love meeting up with my family that I don't get to see often. Catch up on all of the changes and twists our lives have taken since we last saw each other is always entertaining.  

Then it was onto my home state, Texas. 

Hubby and I met in Corpus Christi, my hometown, so we spent some time going to all of the places we used to go to together when we were dating. Yes, we are super cheesy about things like that. Gouda. Cheddar. Brie. Along with our trip down memory lane was family and friends of course!  

That's me and hubby along with my step mom Karen and my Dad at a Hooks baseball game. The Hooks are one of the minor league affiliates of the Houston Astros. If you have never been to a minor league game, get off your booty and head to the nearest park. They are a blast! They are fun for literally everyone. Whataburger Field has something for every baseball fan. Even the little ones that have that five second attention span and can't sit through an entire game. Playgrounds, kickball field, funnel cakes and a water park right next door. Luckily for us, we made it for Thirsty Thursday :) Half off beers! Oh and they have different promotions for every home game. They can be anything from half off ticket prices to ball caps; we got a Nolan Ryan Garden Gnome to take home!    

After family time it was best friend time. That is my best friend in the whole entire world Katie. Yeah she's fun! Check her out DJ skills. Mad-fake-DJ skills. lol. Izzy's is where we hang out when I am in town because they have awesome prices and huge outdoor Jenga and Connect Four. How can you not have fun when your childhood and adult life collide with delicious beer and games? Hubby got to meet Katie's fiance Carlos that night. And we all know what happens when guys hang out together for the first time. Needless to say, Katie and I were DDs that night :) I miss her so much, but I cannot wait to be her matron of honor in October.

These pictures might seem random but trust me, they make sense. These are two of the newest exhibits on the USS Lexington. I used to be a tour guide on the ship when I was living in Corpus. It was an unbelievable experience. I had the chance to be on a historical ship and learn all about her and her stories. Hands down the best parts were when I got to listen to the stories from the volunteers that had served on the Lady Lex. A few served during WWII and one was even at Pearl Harbor when the attack happened. His name is Bob and he is still a volunteer there, go and hear his story. The photo on the left is in the hanger bay (A League of their Own!) and the one on the right is the new galley, complete with food and servers!  

I had to share these. That is my momma with some of her puppies: Max, Jack and Penny. Yeah, I said some. There are two more running around the house too; Tallulah and Lucy. I could not help myself when the little ones surrounded hubby. Sorry honey. I love the one with my mommy and hubby together. I already miss my family and friends even though I saw them such a short time ago. My days are automatically better when I get to spent them with family. To be around people that love you and you love back is a true blessing and I try my hardest not to take mine for granted. 

Until tomorrow!