TGIF

Sadly, that is all I got tonight.

Heheh.

Ryan is watching Kramer, who I feel like is the third member of our marriage sometimes ("It's 6! Kramer's on! I haveta watch it!") and he is cracking me up. It is like a little kid watching cartoons. He was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the tv and then he laid back to watch it. I tossed him a pillow and this was the result. Just thought I would share...

Summer Essentials Swap!

So thank you Nicole @ Flip Flops and Combat Boots for hosting the Summer Essentials Swap!



My swap partner was Michelle @ ~A'Etonu Family Adventures~ and I was SO excited to get her package. I hope mine was even considerably as close to as great as hers.



First off, sorry for the bad quality, I took the picture on my phone and sent it to my email to post it here! Complicated but my camera was MIA and I wanted to post this! Now, the card is GIRAFFE which is my favorite animal. Coincidence I am sure, but still awesome. She also sent me an adorable bag, a shower gel/loofah/lotion set, a REAL SIMPLE recipes magazine, a purple magnetic note pad, two fun colors of nail polish, and an awesome beach towel and pair of flip flops! Thank you Michelle!!! I am so glad I have gotten to know you through this swap. She and her husband are expecting their baby any day now, so check out her blog and say congratulations!

Attention Wifes/Fiances/Girlfriends of Deployed Men!

I had a comment on my blog from someone who is working on a documentary/reality show about the reuniting of men coming home from overseas. It is about how the wives prepare for the homecoming and the homecoming itself. If you or anyone you know is interested in participating in the project check out the website www.roadtoreunion.com and you can find all the information there. They are filming all across the country so do check it out. Fortunately Ryan is stateside, so I had to let them know I couldn't partake, but they did ask me to pass the word on to others!

Let me know if you check it out!

Mission: Buttons!

I want to put a feature with all the buttons of my followers and people I follow. I will go blog to blog to get them if I can soon but if you want to help me out and post your link here I'd appreciate it!


Also, anyone graphically inclined want to help me make one? Pretty please?

CID?

So ladies, you may remember that I was writing about how Ryan was considering getting out of the Marine Corps when his contract was over this coming May. He wanted to use his clearance and get a Government Service job in security, his specialty. This was our plan for the past month or so, though I must say it shocked me when he mentioned this a month into our marriage! I figured come May he'd re-enlist and we'd move... but no. But now...

Ryan met with the career planner at the barracks this past week to discuss his options, it never hurts to see what's out there. He found out he is more than qualified for the CID program. What is CID you ask? Criminal Investigation Detective (I believe). Are any of you familiar with this program? Well Ryan is really into it. I haven't seen him this excited about anything in a long time.

From what I understand he would wear a suit (and carry a gun) and work 0730-1630 like normal jobs perhaps. If there is a DUI on base or a domestic abuse situation he would help investigate. If a dignitary or higher ranking official or someone needs security he would do it, stateside or overseas. Deployments are possible, but they tend to be shorter, one month or three months... but seven month ones are possible(but not as common apparently).

Now Ryan has the scores and he is more than qualified for this I believe. If he applies he will definitely get it in my opinion. What does this mean? Yes we stay in the Corps... no problem there. Ryan would go to school, not sure how long or where it is. And we may move. CID is east coast, west coast and pacifice. We could stay right here and be at Quantico (which would be amazing). We could end up in NCor SC, but the big possibility is California. It could be Miramar, 29 Palms, or Pendleton. Then there is always the pacific, Guam or two places in Japan! Oy. Ryan is hankering to go to California. He has never seen the Pacific ocean and wishes to do so. I told him that was what vacations were for. Shouldn't you visit a place before you agree to move there for four years? Just my thought. I support Ryan and I will move if the orders arise but being so far from my family kind of scares me. 3,000 miles, 3 time zones.

Oy.

We'll have to see. The bonus and promotion that would come with this would be amazing for Ryan, for us, but I am still a little in the dark still. So if any of you are familiar with CID, help me out!


EDIT: Ryan got home and found out the school is in Missouri and 22 weeks. He isn't sure if I could go with him or not. So 5 months apart or me sitting in Missouri while he goes to school. Oy again.

No Power = No Camp!!!

So a HUGE storm went through the DC area yesterday afternoon. Ryan and I went and saw Inception (REALLY good!) and the storm went through during that time, so we missed the whole thing! We go into the theatre and it is over a hundred degrees and we come out and it is about 20 degrees cooler. Then trees were down everywhere as we drove to the cast party to celebrate the end of the opera.

Well our campus where we have day camp had no power. All street lights around were out. So no day camp!!! They tried to keep us around a bit, in case it came on, but it didn't so I got free pizza and left by 1. So so nice. I even took the beltway home with no traffic!

I came home, napped, and then cleaned like crazy. I even made dinner. Then Ricoberto and his girlfriend Tanya, our neighbors who are both chefs, were outside and we all ended up talking and sharing wine. They even tried my meatloaf! It is a recipe from Nicole's blog at Flip Flops and Combat Boots actually for Cheeseburger Meatloaf... and they liked it! I was very happy about that. So thanks Nicole!!!

Now my Summer Essentials Partner, Michelle at ~A'Etonou Family Adventures~ sent me an awesome package... and an award! I only hope my package even somewhat measures up to how great yours was. So thank you. I am going to post about what I got tomorrow because my pictures of what I got aren't working.

But onto the award!



So what you're supposed to do is:


1. Copy & paste the award on your blog.


2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink)


3. List 10 things that make you happy.

1. My husband Ryan!
2. My family and my lovely lovely friends.
3. Being onstage, working in the theatre.
4. Travel. I love going to new places and trying new things and seeing amazing sights.
5. Fireworks. I LOVE fireworks.
6. Reading a really really good book.
7. Sitting on the couch with Ryan and watching a movie.
8. Rollercoasters.
9. Chocolate. Preferably with peanutbutter.
10. My puppy... well my mom's I guess now. Dippy is the best dog ever.

Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know!

I am going to pass this on to Skinnie Piggie as I love her blog!

Thank God...

It is the weekend! And I went to Happy Hour with some people from work because we got PAID! Much better.

I am at the barracks printing a resume. I found a job position as a Theatre Specialist in QUANTICO of all places! Let's just say I am qualified and it would be a great position. Sadly I saw the posting two hours after MCCS stopped accepting applications but I am sending it anyway. It can't hurt. Now I will go home and wait for my husband to come back from post-parade work just to have him go in at 8am for duty squad work. Sigh. Duty squad is a truly suck week a month.


I saw this on Katie's (@ Diary of a Disgruntled Marine Fiance's) facebook and I wanted to repost it here as it is SO true.

"I can't believe the news coverage being given to a spoiled 20-something yr old. Here are a few 20 year-olds worth knowing about: Justin Allen 23, Brett Linley 29, Justus Bartett 27, Dave Santos 21, Chase Stanley 21, Jesse Reed 26, Matthew Johnson 21, Zachary Fisher 24, Brandon King 23, Christopher Goeke 23, Paul Miller 22, & Sheldon Tate 27. These service men gave their lives for you this week. Lindsey who?"

Grow up American Media. Report on the important stuff. Not some spoiled drug addict brat who hasn't made a worthwhile movie in years.

A Tired Blogger is Not Productive...

Well, the good news first, my job is safe! Damage control was done majorly so I feel much better. I was such a wreck Monday night so it is a relief to not be so worked up.

But work is still killing me. The commute and the day itself just turns me into a zombie. I just want to come home and watch tv and do nothing. The apartment needs to be cleaned, wedding needs to be scrapbooked, pictures need to be sorted, dinner needs to be cooked... it just seems lke so much sometimes. I know it isn't, but I just feel so tired lately. Ryan has another parade tonight, for some reason they had 3 this week, so we're both in the same boat of exhaustion and work. At least I get paid tomorrow, 2 weeks worth plus all my training, definitely going out for happy hour tomorrow with some fellow counselors!

I want to jazz up my blog, make a button.... someone said they would help me but I forget who and now I just don't have the energy to go back that far in entries and look! I am happy I finally figured out how to do the 3 column layout though.

Sorry for being a Debbie Downer readers! Hopefully after Saturday, the last showing of the opera, my life will be a little less hectic...

Geeze

Worst. Day. Of. Work. Ever.

I almost lost my job. As did my 2 co-counselors. So far we're ok, not going to go into details on the internet for obvious reasons but we made a mistake, owned up, and now are waiting to see how it goes... hopefully it will turn out alright.

Just pray my Monday (my awful awful Monday) does not set the tone for the rest of the week.

Ugh. :(

Thank god my amazing husband makes me feel better... even when he is on duty. I went to the barracks and talked to him about everything and Ryan just is wonderful. He said I couldn't have done anything different and he was proud of me. He used some of his sleep time just to sit and talk with me and help me. Man oh man I love him so.

Now it sucks, but I am going to my empty bed and try and sleep without my Marine at my side.

Day 16

Just going to pick up where I left off.

Day 16 → A song that makes you cry

Easy to understand why... I cried just now watching it again.

[insert title here]

Sorry I have been slacking!

Welcome new followers! I nearly fell over when I saw how many more I got. I know it isn't a whole lot a lot but it made me quite happy. I know you came through my guest blogging stint at Flip Flops and Combat Boots so thank you!

I have been exhausted all week. Working at the day camp and the commute plus having some opera shows at night just drains me! Especially when I come home and cook or clean or do other things. Last night after dinner I went to lie down. Ryan and I kept saying we wouldn't fall asleep. I had to shower, make my lunch, we had dinner dishes, and it made me smile when he said I had to update my blog.

Well we passed out. I woke up at 11pm, changed into a night shirt, and passed out again. We were so zonked we didn't even feel the 3.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the DC area around 5am! Seriusly, an earthquake in DC?! I heard it on the radio when I got in the car to go to work and actually almost drove off the road. My first earthquake and I sleep through it... :P

So here is where my real entry comes, bear with me.



There is a rumor Ryan may get orders at the end of parade season.

This is really hard for me to wrap my brain around. When Ryan and I were just engaged and planning our wedding he had planned to stay in the Corps. I accepted the fact that come next May he would re-up and we'd move. A month or so ago he blew me away when he said he didn't want to re-enlist after all. He wanted to get a security job within the government and we'd stay in DC. Great.

Now apparently his Captain is fighting for him to get orders post parade season, September/October. I didn't prepare for that! I thought we had a year! We love our apartment, the area we live in... it will be hard to leave that so quickly. Ryan says it makes no sense for him to get orders. But because it makes no sense it has a high chance of happening since that is how the Corps works! If we move he'd do a deployment work up, but his contract would be over before he would deploy! But I know my husband, if he trained a work up with these guys he would not not deploy with them. He'd extend his contract for the deployment and then maybe get out then. Or just stay in. Now he is unsure.

Where would we go?

We don't know. California is mostly all deployed at that point and apprently are not taking new guys, so that's out. Our biggest chance is North Carolina... which scares me a bit as I would have not much to do there (at all) career wise.

I am a natural worrier, I am going through all this in my head and driving myself crazy. Ryan tells me, "Cut it out." Helpful isn't he? :P I know that worrying doesn't help but it isn't like I can flip a switch. Ryan said we have to mentally prepare for the damn possibility of this move but physically live here like nothing will change. I should look for a job for fall and just hope I am here to do it (if I get one!).

I just want to know one way or the other. Silly for a Marine wife right??

Thoughts?

Guest Blogger

I am SO honored to be a Guest Blogger today for Nicole over at Flip Flops and Combat Boots! Her blog is super stellar and very well written (and followed!) so I am so touched she asked me to be one of her guest bloggers. Thanks Nicole!

Head on over and check it out, I think I found what I wanted to say in the end (:

Off to meet the family for lunch then opening day of the opera at the Fringe Festival. Wish me luck!

Day 15... eh

Day 15 - A Fanfic...

Nah not gonna do that.

Instead I am going to blog about Mrs' (from Mr, Mrs, & Little Miss) Blog Service! She does

Basic Package:
2 or 3 Column Template
Custom Background
Post Divider
Custom Sidebar Headers
A Header
Only $15

Plus you can buy a bunch of add ons too pretty cheaply, like custom changing headers and signatures. You could also buy headers, side bars, and other things! For details email her at mcnair06 at live.ca. If I could stretch my meager budget right now I would totally go crazy. Alas it is not working out too well in my planning as of yet. So in the mean time I am entering her AMAZING contest and hoping for the best! Good luck guys!

Give Away

Mrs S at Mr Mrs & Little Miss is doing an AMAZING giveaway of a blog layout and other AMAZING things. You have all heard read about me kevetching about wanting an amazingly gorgeous blog... so head on over and check it out!!!!

<3

Day 14 And Swaps!

Day 14 - a Non Fiction Book

Easy! My Life in France by Julia Child. I did enjoy the movie Julie & Julia but her book is just amazing. What an incredible life she lived! I even own her cookbook and although I have been too chicken to try anything yet I am determined to make something and make it right!!




Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots is the host and she paired me with Michelle at ~A'etonu Family Adventures~ and he blog is amazing! I need to put together a Summer Essentials care package for her ($20 limit) that will rock her socks off! Any ideas feel free to throw my way, I already have some of my own!

For new readers, I have added a list on the right side of my blog of some of my important entries from the past year. If you want to play a little catch up feel free to click on any of them to see where we came from!

Family gets here tomorrow! I am so excited! Then Sunday is opening night of the opera at the DC Fringe Festival! Wish me luck (:

Day 13

Day 13 - A Fiction Book

Just one??? I can't choose! I love a lot, I am a shameless fiction reader. Harry Potter, (and I hate to admit I read Twilight too...), Lamb the Gospel According to Biff Christ's Childhood Pal, and if you want some awesome books by British or Irish authors I recommend Cecilia Ahern (If You Could See Me Now, P.S. I Love You...) and the books Amanda's Wedding and Talking to Addison.

Just if you need some suggestions!

Tonight my good friend Kristin, who is back from Chicago for two months, came to see the apartment. We had some awesome Thai food and then went to see Eclipse. It is a small theatre on King St in Alexandria and with active duty discount tickets were $7! Then the catch, you have to buy one drink (alcoholic or not) with each ticket. A $4 soda or $6 beer suddenly makes it all not quite so cheap. But it is still a cool theatre, older and they didn't start the movie until we were all seated inside and ready!

One more day, than the weekend!!! Saturday the family is coming down with Fernando and I am pretty excited.

Day 10, 11, 12 geeze I am behind!

Day 10 - A photo of you taken over ten years ago

Not too much has changed right?


At a park in NJ when I was a wee one!

Day 11 - A photo of you taken recently

This is the most revent picture on my laptop, it is from when Ryan and I went to VA Beach over Memorial Day weekend.

Day 12 - Whatever tickles your fancy
I am a guest blogger for Nicole at Flip Flops and Combat Boots this weekend... make sure you check it out! I hope I do her blog justice, I am on draft 5 already! Wish me luck!

And welcome new followers! I got so excited to see you (:

Day 9

Day 9 - A Photo I Took

A Storm brewing in St Croix where my best friend Sam's family now lives. We spent a Christmas break here once and it was amazing! Her family moved there in college and it was a great change from a cold NJ to the tropical island!

Inauguration Day. I got to the mall around 4am or so and the sun finally started to come out. We were absolutely frozen, it was around 10 degrees that day I think and the ground was literally rock hard with ice. So worth being there though!

Stratford-Upon-Avon, England... one of the main streets of the town that looks historically still... minus the asphalt!

I LOVE this picture. When I was in Crete, Greece (studying abroad in the Mediteranean) we walked by these fishermen and I saw this guy with the eel and had to take a picture. He said something to me in Greek but I hope it was a good thing as I already had taken the picture!

________

For the 4th of July Ryan and I went to the concert on the Capital lawn. It was hot but great. We saw Gladys Knight, Darius Rucker and Reba!!!! Other great acts too. Then we ran down to the National Mall and saw the fireworks in the masses of people.

After we walked back to the barracks and went up to the fifth deck of the parking lot. Sitting in the bed of Josh's truck we had a beer or two and had a 360 view of the city and saw fireworks going off everywhere. It was amazing.

It is ironic. The last time I did the 4th of July in DC, going to the Capital Concert and the National Mall, it was so different. I was with two of my girlfriends and it was raining on and off all day but still so humid. Luckily it was not too crowded but the big difference... it was during the time Ryan and I were broken up and at the time not really speaking. We literally broke up for two weeks within a month or two of dating. He thought he was deploying soon and it wasn't fair to me to make me go through that. We started talking and got back together a week or so after the 4th and he never deployed (at that time). Now two years later it was blazing sun, we had survived a deployment, and we're married.

Funny how time changes eh?

Day 8

Day 8 - A Photo that makes you angry/sad

Any photos that make me angry would be inappropriate to post on my blog (in my opinion) so I will post one that makes me sad.



Saying my last goodbye to Ryan before he left for Iraq. I sometimes find it hard to believe that one of the most painful moments of my life was caught on film (or digital) but I am glad that looking back I have it. I honestly felt the most heartbreaking sorrow in that moment and such fear... it was unlike anything I had ever experienced and I hope I never will have to again.

___________________________

I got my nails done today and I am happy with them! Yay! Now Ryan and I are going to head to this Greek restaurant on King St I have been dying to try so I am pretty excited. We were up til almost 2am watching the DVD of our wedding we just got in the mail from my mom's friend Ann Marie. It was very sweet, I cried more watching it I think than I did on the wedding day! And we have all the amazing speeches... the homily, best man, maid of honor, my dad, Ryan's grandfather... all on tape.

And we ordered our thank you notes today. Progress!

Day 7

Day 7 - A photo that makes you happy

Just one??? You cannot be serious! Well, I am doing a few more than one!

I love when Ryan kisses me on the cheek!

My family!

My family....extended!

When Ryan got back from Iraq... I flew up from Disney to see him in DC for a few days before I had to go back to work. I was so so so happy.

Just after he proposed during the fireworks at EPCOT.

Still accepting Questions for the Q&A post! Send them my way!!!

Days Five and Six

Of course when I decide to do a blogging thing for 30 days I start missing them left and right!

Day 5 - Your Favorite Quote

I have so many to choose from that this may be difficult. I actually kept a quote book in high school that I would try and put two quotes a day in. I will just steal some off my facebook page that I love and leave you to see!

"To be Irish is to know that in the end, the world will break your heart.”

"Sweeping eggshells still at 3 A.M.
We're trying far too hard
The tattered thought balloons above our heads
...Sinking in the weight of all we need to say
Why's and what if's have since long played out
Left us short on happy endings."
-Josh Groban

"I love acting. It is so much more real than life."
-Oscar Wilde

"Strangers are just family you have not yet come to know."
-The 5 People You Meet in Heaven

"I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each others dreams, we can be together all the time." - Hobbes (As in Calvin &...)

"There are two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle."
-Albert Einstein

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Sometimes you have to go out of your way to get into trouble. It's called fun."
-Robin Williams

"Acting is pretending that you're not pretending when you're actually pretending."
-Ted Danson

"Life offers you a thousand chances ... all you have to do is take one."
-Under the Tuscan Sun

Day Six - Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

Hm...well I guess I will just say my parents have an exchange student for the month of July. His name is Fernando and he is about sixteen and from Spain. Pretty cool. He arrived last night and my parents said he is still in the pretty nervous and shy stage, but I am sure Stefan will drag him out of that real quick. And to make things worse his luggage got lost! My family is going down to the new house in North Carolina this weekend so if his luggage doesn't come today he cannot get it til next week!

My parents are coming to DC the weekend of the 10th-11th so I will get to meet him. I have to say this kid is lucky to get my family. My dad loves showing people New Jersey and New York, especially if they have never seen it before... on the day of my Bachelorette thing he took Ryan and Josh into NYC for the day as Josh had never gone before and they had a blast! So Fernando gets to go to North Carolina, Washington DC, NYC with the program, Philadelphia... and who knows what else? Lucky guy! Apparently his English is really good too, and since my thirteen year old brother is the only one in the house now who speaks any Spanish that is a good thing. Especialy considering the level of Stefan's spanish... not that mine is any better!



It took me almost two hours to get home in traffic yesterday. So not cool. And the kids have had the full moon messing with them this week. Everyone is hitting and being extra bad, it is exhausting! Let's hope it passes. I hate yelling at six year olds!

Ryan has the Friday night parade tonight and is off Friday-Monday. I have camp AND rehearsal tomorrow, no camp Monday but rehearsal Monday night. So much for a long weekend!

Reminder - Still accepting questions for my Q&A blog post! I don't have many so ask away!!!!