Make this
Love it
Send me some haha
Spiced Pumpkin Bread
http://crepesofwrath.net/?m=20091002
I've made this twice. It's delicious. I'm about to make more but put it in muffin tins!
Guinness Gingerbread Cake
http://crepesofwrath.net/?p=1431
Haven't made this yet, but I want to badly
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Recent E-mail (Updates!)
Hello all!
I realize it's been a while, and I'm sorry. Things have been crazy as always. I've been frantically job searching and reception/ceremony searching for about a month but it's all paid off, I suppose. Victoria's Secret finally called me and "offered" me a transfer position. It's not any sort of dream job anymore, but at least it's income. Hopefully I'll get a better off later on so I can move on with my life, but this is the only thing I've been able to snag. It won't be too bad. I'm in one of my favorite sections and don't have to worry too much about training in product knowledge. So hooray. I go in for "On Boarding" on Saturday which is 4 hrs of training. It's something I've done already but I know this store stocks things very differently than mine did so it'll help and I'll meet some of the other new girls. Hooray income! I can't wait to get a paycheck. It's just in time for Christmas! I was just beginning to get worried about that.
I've been doing well socially. Since John's at work and knows all the work guys, I've had trouble being alone and having no one around. Things have changed though. I instantly became friends with a girlfriend of one of the guy's on his boat, Maddy. She's from Guam and only two years older than me. I don't think her "hunny" and John are close, but I like her so we hang out when she's off work sometimes. She is a native from Guam but she's only about a fourth Chimoran, a fourth Filipino, and half white (her dad is from Indiana). OH! I forgot the most surprising bit of information. Her hunny, Mike (Michaelangelo) Vaccaro, is actually from Dallas, PA. We went to the same school and everything! Only he's 27 so we never knew each other or any of the same people but we actually knew the same teachers and such. He was the guy who greeted John at the airport. It's such a small world!
I've also become friends with Shawn, the wife of a friend of John's from Groton. She has a ten year old daughter, Caitlyn, who is pretty exciteable haha. And just recently I met two girls at the pool here that I've started to hang out with. One is Fawn who is enlisted Navy and currently working the boats at the Pearl Harbor memorial and the other Cayley, whom I like a lot so far, is actually the girlfriend of one of the enlisted boys from Cheyenne! We all went to Ross yesterday so I can look for swimsuits. I've been looking a lot for some more but all the ones that I like are $40 per piece which is a bit much. Well at Ross I found two I loved for $20-$30 TOTAL. It was great. Though they only let me buy the one since the other was two piece that have lost their mates which I put together. Apparently they can't sell those until a week later after searching for their other pieces. I have to call in a week to see if they're marked down and then I can have it. At least that means no one else will be buying it. The Ross here is fantastic, I found a lot of great deals. If anyone wants the large Hawaiian Sarong, you can get them here for $4-$6... so I'd suggest checking that out.
Let's see. Things were busy this past weekend so we didn't do site-seeing. However two weekends ago we went to Hanauma Bay, which was wonderful! John got in for free but I didn't have "proof" of being a resident so I didn't. I'm intending to get my HI driver's license because then when I come across situations like that, I get the discount! Hooray! It was a wonderful trip and really made me wish I was able to splurge on a waterproof camera. I don't have any pictures of the bay because I was worried of ruining my small camera or having it stolen. I'm thinking I'm going to risk it next time I go though. So far that corner of the Island is the most beautiful. I think it's the cliffs that get me, a nice tropical reminder of Ireland! Not very far after the turn to Hanauma bay is the firing range, which we went to this past weekend. John's finally content. The rest of the weekend was devoted to Navy Dinners (another Hail/Farewell and Sun I had a "Wives dinner"), gun cleaning, errands, and taking Dixie to the vet. The poor little girl has Ringworm. Stupid animal shelter. So I have to give her liquid medication every night. It's not too bad. She takes it like a man and then I give her a treat. She'll be happy after the 6 weeks are done. She's not too bothered by the rash though, thankfully.
John is doing right. I realize I haven't said much about him. He's gone all day doing Navy things, comes back, works out, eats, watches TV, and goes to bed. So, I don't have a lot to say on his part, haha. He's doing well though. He's still determined to see a sea turtle. I've heard many rumors that it's nearly guaranteed to see them on North Shore, so that's probably out next spot. He's 95% likely to not be here this weekend or next week so it'll have to be sometime after that.
Speaking of John, there's wedding information I'm sure you're all wondering about! I knew I planned to say somethin about it, but I got caught up with less interesting information. We finally set the date for October 8, 2010. It's the Friday that starts Columbus day weekend. Fun fun!
I suppose this is long enough. Things are going well. The wedding is finally booked and getting organized, I have a job and friends, and the weather is still BEAUTIFUL so I can't complain too much. Dixie is doing well. She's growing quickly and has already gained a pound, which she's supposed to do. She doesn't cuddle as much but she's still insistant on being nearby so I'm not too worried about her lack of cuddling once she's not a wiggling curious kitten anymore.
Well I love and miss you all.
I realize it's been a while, and I'm sorry. Things have been crazy as always. I've been frantically job searching and reception/ceremony searching for about a month but it's all paid off, I suppose. Victoria's Secret finally called me and "offered" me a transfer position. It's not any sort of dream job anymore, but at least it's income. Hopefully I'll get a better off later on so I can move on with my life, but this is the only thing I've been able to snag. It won't be too bad. I'm in one of my favorite sections and don't have to worry too much about training in product knowledge. So hooray. I go in for "On Boarding" on Saturday which is 4 hrs of training. It's something I've done already but I know this store stocks things very differently than mine did so it'll help and I'll meet some of the other new girls. Hooray income! I can't wait to get a paycheck. It's just in time for Christmas! I was just beginning to get worried about that.
I've been doing well socially. Since John's at work and knows all the work guys, I've had trouble being alone and having no one around. Things have changed though. I instantly became friends with a girlfriend of one of the guy's on his boat, Maddy. She's from Guam and only two years older than me. I don't think her "hunny" and John are close, but I like her so we hang out when she's off work sometimes. She is a native from Guam but she's only about a fourth Chimoran, a fourth Filipino, and half white (her dad is from Indiana). OH! I forgot the most surprising bit of information. Her hunny, Mike (Michaelangelo) Vaccaro, is actually from Dallas, PA. We went to the same school and everything! Only he's 27 so we never knew each other or any of the same people but we actually knew the same teachers and such. He was the guy who greeted John at the airport. It's such a small world!
I've also become friends with Shawn, the wife of a friend of John's from Groton. She has a ten year old daughter, Caitlyn, who is pretty exciteable haha. And just recently I met two girls at the pool here that I've started to hang out with. One is Fawn who is enlisted Navy and currently working the boats at the Pearl Harbor memorial and the other Cayley, whom I like a lot so far, is actually the girlfriend of one of the enlisted boys from Cheyenne! We all went to Ross yesterday so I can look for swimsuits. I've been looking a lot for some more but all the ones that I like are $40 per piece which is a bit much. Well at Ross I found two I loved for $20-$30 TOTAL. It was great. Though they only let me buy the one since the other was two piece that have lost their mates which I put together. Apparently they can't sell those until a week later after searching for their other pieces. I have to call in a week to see if they're marked down and then I can have it. At least that means no one else will be buying it. The Ross here is fantastic, I found a lot of great deals. If anyone wants the large Hawaiian Sarong, you can get them here for $4-$6... so I'd suggest checking that out.
Let's see. Things were busy this past weekend so we didn't do site-seeing. However two weekends ago we went to Hanauma Bay, which was wonderful! John got in for free but I didn't have "proof" of being a resident so I didn't. I'm intending to get my HI driver's license because then when I come across situations like that, I get the discount! Hooray! It was a wonderful trip and really made me wish I was able to splurge on a waterproof camera. I don't have any pictures of the bay because I was worried of ruining my small camera or having it stolen. I'm thinking I'm going to risk it next time I go though. So far that corner of the Island is the most beautiful. I think it's the cliffs that get me, a nice tropical reminder of Ireland! Not very far after the turn to Hanauma bay is the firing range, which we went to this past weekend. John's finally content. The rest of the weekend was devoted to Navy Dinners (another Hail/Farewell and Sun I had a "Wives dinner"), gun cleaning, errands, and taking Dixie to the vet. The poor little girl has Ringworm. Stupid animal shelter. So I have to give her liquid medication every night. It's not too bad. She takes it like a man and then I give her a treat. She'll be happy after the 6 weeks are done. She's not too bothered by the rash though, thankfully.
John is doing right. I realize I haven't said much about him. He's gone all day doing Navy things, comes back, works out, eats, watches TV, and goes to bed. So, I don't have a lot to say on his part, haha. He's doing well though. He's still determined to see a sea turtle. I've heard many rumors that it's nearly guaranteed to see them on North Shore, so that's probably out next spot. He's 95% likely to not be here this weekend or next week so it'll have to be sometime after that.
Speaking of John, there's wedding information I'm sure you're all wondering about! I knew I planned to say somethin about it, but I got caught up with less interesting information. We finally set the date for October 8, 2010. It's the Friday that starts Columbus day weekend. Fun fun!
I suppose this is long enough. Things are going well. The wedding is finally booked and getting organized, I have a job and friends, and the weather is still BEAUTIFUL so I can't complain too much. Dixie is doing well. She's growing quickly and has already gained a pound, which she's supposed to do. She doesn't cuddle as much but she's still insistant on being nearby so I'm not too worried about her lack of cuddling once she's not a wiggling curious kitten anymore.
Well I love and miss you all.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Hanauma Bay
Unfortunately the activities in Hawaii all involve water. Well that part is quite wonderful, but the unfortunate part is that water does not mix well with cameras. So although I have wonderful adventures, you don't get to see any pictures. I was also worried about pick-pockets but I think I could have risked that one. Once I finally get a job (outlook not so good right now...) I'm going to save up for a waterproof camera. That would be so great to have, but right now I can't afford it with my increasingly smaller bank account and a lack of income. UGH. Job hunting is exhausting, difficult, and completely hopeless feeling.
But anyway. We finally got to Hanauma Bay this Sunday! It was wonderful! It's this bay that is full of coral and thus a busy busy city of fish! We saw so many fish, it was fantastic and incredibly beautiful. Everything about the Bay is beautiful. The water was more chilly than at Kailua but we got used to it pretty quickly. What's nice is that this place is built for tourists so there is a place to rent snorkles and learn how to use them if you're only visiting. John and I bought out own from the next last weekend since we'll be here for quite some time. I enjoy them. I'm glad we finally got to go out, it's so lovely! Everyone I talked to that has visited Hawaii has told me to go there, and I can see why. The last time we snorkled I think we saw two fish, and this time there were countless numbers. Unfortunately we still haven't seen a sea turtle, but one day we will! I'm determined.
While there I bought a waterproof pocket guide to Reef Fish, an instant ID for Snorklers and Divers. I was looking at a different one at first but this one has more fish in it. Which is odd, wouldn't you expect a guide to reef fish have the same fish as a guide to reef fish? Silly silly. Either way this one seemed useful, especially since we hope to take scuba diving lessons over Christmas Stand-down. It's not definite yet and we don't know his schedule, but it should (hopefully...) be lighter than it is now and give us time to do this. I'm excited! Merry Christmas to us haha.
Well there's my update. I really need to send another e-mail out soon for the Grandparents. However right now I need to vaccuum and put things away. Fun fun
But anyway. We finally got to Hanauma Bay this Sunday! It was wonderful! It's this bay that is full of coral and thus a busy busy city of fish! We saw so many fish, it was fantastic and incredibly beautiful. Everything about the Bay is beautiful. The water was more chilly than at Kailua but we got used to it pretty quickly. What's nice is that this place is built for tourists so there is a place to rent snorkles and learn how to use them if you're only visiting. John and I bought out own from the next last weekend since we'll be here for quite some time. I enjoy them. I'm glad we finally got to go out, it's so lovely! Everyone I talked to that has visited Hawaii has told me to go there, and I can see why. The last time we snorkled I think we saw two fish, and this time there were countless numbers. Unfortunately we still haven't seen a sea turtle, but one day we will! I'm determined.
While there I bought a waterproof pocket guide to Reef Fish, an instant ID for Snorklers and Divers. I was looking at a different one at first but this one has more fish in it. Which is odd, wouldn't you expect a guide to reef fish have the same fish as a guide to reef fish? Silly silly. Either way this one seemed useful, especially since we hope to take scuba diving lessons over Christmas Stand-down. It's not definite yet and we don't know his schedule, but it should (hopefully...) be lighter than it is now and give us time to do this. I'm excited! Merry Christmas to us haha.
Well there's my update. I really need to send another e-mail out soon for the Grandparents. However right now I need to vaccuum and put things away. Fun fun
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Dogcat
I'm pretty convinced that our sweet little Dixie was raised by dogs for her first 2-3 months. Here are my reasons:
1.) Whenever anyone enters the door she wakes up, mews, and runs to the door to check them out.
2.) She needs to be near people at all times. When I'm in the living room, she sleeps around in there. When John is home and working in the office, she goes and sits in there. When I get up (while John is gone) to go to the bathroom, when I walk out she's sitting on the floor outside the room looking at me.
3.) Ok so the above isn't too dog-like but it's cute. However for 3... she licks my bowl/plate after I'm done with lunch. (today - chicken casserole so no it wasn't milk related)
4.) She waits around in the kitchen while I'm cooking incase any food comes her way.
However she is very much house trained and does not mew to go outside. Which is why she's only dogcat and not just a dog haha.
She's a little sweetheart, I like her.
1.) Whenever anyone enters the door she wakes up, mews, and runs to the door to check them out.
2.) She needs to be near people at all times. When I'm in the living room, she sleeps around in there. When John is home and working in the office, she goes and sits in there. When I get up (while John is gone) to go to the bathroom, when I walk out she's sitting on the floor outside the room looking at me.
3.) Ok so the above isn't too dog-like but it's cute. However for 3... she licks my bowl/plate after I'm done with lunch. (today - chicken casserole so no it wasn't milk related)
4.) She waits around in the kitchen while I'm cooking incase any food comes her way.
However she is very much house trained and does not mew to go outside. Which is why she's only dogcat and not just a dog haha.
She's a little sweetheart, I like her.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
OH and!
More news. I, personally, find this very exciting. I called this place earlier today and they were very nice, so that's good as well. So once I have a job and car, I intend to set up an appointment.
The place I'm talking about is The Tasaki TMJ Headache Center in Honolulu! I'm so excited!
The place I'm talking about is The Tasaki TMJ Headache Center in Honolulu! I'm so excited!
Hey There
John's asleep now, it's about 10 pm here. Going to bed at 10:00 has only ever worked for me when I was adjusting to this time zone. Unfortunately I'm back to having sleep problems, but fortunately it's not too too terrible for me to go to bed at 11:00pm, so that's really nice.
He's been working at lot. Happily, he was given Monday off but the rest of the days he's been told to come in an hour or more early so he's waking up tomorrow at 4:30 instead of the normal 6 or 6:30. I don't know for sure. Fun.
Lately I've been researching jobs and wedding receptions. I've found places I really like so tomorrow I'm waking up early (early for me/my family ~8am) in order to call three sites to check their availability and get more information, as well as ask my Officiant (Rev. Dr. Bob Zanicky!) some questions about his availability, AND to call Navy Federal to get my online account started since it won't let me on. Gotta love being 6 hrs behind everyone... Hopefully it all goes well and some of these places are available during one of the weekends I want to do it. Both fortunately and unfortunately, John was told that those weeks were perfect for us and he'd be likely to get a longer leave than originally expected (maybe a whole week!). It's unfortunate in the case where if everything is booked during that time span, I can't completely switch the dates. I really hope we can get this figured out and settled soon. I feel like it'll be smooth sailing after this. Especially since it's looking like the reception/ceremony will be 80% of the budget, so I can't afford to bother with much else! Haha. That was my attempt at humor but I think it came out as more of a pity party. It's not that we don't have a good budget, I wouldn't want to spend more, it's that reception sites are RIDICULOUS when it comes to cost. Boo. I'm sure it's all logical and thought out, but I don't like it, haha.
Alright onto a totally different topic. We bought the greatest cookware sets. Two pots, roasting pan, griddle pan, 3 skillets and a giant pan all with interlocking lids from Ameriware. They're not Teflon. They're titanium ceramic and The. Best. Pans. EVER. They seriously do not stick. You don't have to worry about metal utensils scraping on them and giving you cancer. They may hurt it a little, but you're safe. But above all they clean off in minutes. RICE doesn't stick to it, and I didn't even stir it like I always want to (in order to prevent stick). You can cook chicken without oils or butter. These are AMAZING. I've even used them in the oven, because they said I could and I'm often without things. I've been using the Roaster as a casserole dish, and it works out. I swear, every day after dinner I just praise the pans in my head. It's rather pathetic, but they were worth every penny (and I'm not telling you how many pennies they cost). I love these pans. If only they made bakeware... I could definitely use a 9x13 pan made with this stuff, haha. I have two of those, but not made out of this! LOVE it. They make me so happy. Seriously though, RICE doesn't even stick.
And they have a lifetime warranty. Take that!
OH! And Molly F. (a Navy-Sub wife from a different boat) took me out to breakfast the other day with another wife named Tessa. Both very nice. Well Molly let me borrow her loaf pan so I was able to make the Spiced Pumpkin Bread with White Chocolate Chips! I was so excited, it's delicious! I love pumpkin
Goodnight!
-Mer
He's been working at lot. Happily, he was given Monday off but the rest of the days he's been told to come in an hour or more early so he's waking up tomorrow at 4:30 instead of the normal 6 or 6:30. I don't know for sure. Fun.
Lately I've been researching jobs and wedding receptions. I've found places I really like so tomorrow I'm waking up early (early for me/my family ~8am) in order to call three sites to check their availability and get more information, as well as ask my Officiant (Rev. Dr. Bob Zanicky!) some questions about his availability, AND to call Navy Federal to get my online account started since it won't let me on. Gotta love being 6 hrs behind everyone... Hopefully it all goes well and some of these places are available during one of the weekends I want to do it. Both fortunately and unfortunately, John was told that those weeks were perfect for us and he'd be likely to get a longer leave than originally expected (maybe a whole week!). It's unfortunate in the case where if everything is booked during that time span, I can't completely switch the dates. I really hope we can get this figured out and settled soon. I feel like it'll be smooth sailing after this. Especially since it's looking like the reception/ceremony will be 80% of the budget, so I can't afford to bother with much else! Haha. That was my attempt at humor but I think it came out as more of a pity party. It's not that we don't have a good budget, I wouldn't want to spend more, it's that reception sites are RIDICULOUS when it comes to cost. Boo. I'm sure it's all logical and thought out, but I don't like it, haha.
Alright onto a totally different topic. We bought the greatest cookware sets. Two pots, roasting pan, griddle pan, 3 skillets and a giant pan all with interlocking lids from Ameriware. They're not Teflon. They're titanium ceramic and The. Best. Pans. EVER. They seriously do not stick. You don't have to worry about metal utensils scraping on them and giving you cancer. They may hurt it a little, but you're safe. But above all they clean off in minutes. RICE doesn't stick to it, and I didn't even stir it like I always want to (in order to prevent stick). You can cook chicken without oils or butter. These are AMAZING. I've even used them in the oven, because they said I could and I'm often without things. I've been using the Roaster as a casserole dish, and it works out. I swear, every day after dinner I just praise the pans in my head. It's rather pathetic, but they were worth every penny (and I'm not telling you how many pennies they cost). I love these pans. If only they made bakeware... I could definitely use a 9x13 pan made with this stuff, haha. I have two of those, but not made out of this! LOVE it. They make me so happy. Seriously though, RICE doesn't even stick.
And they have a lifetime warranty. Take that!
OH! And Molly F. (a Navy-Sub wife from a different boat) took me out to breakfast the other day with another wife named Tessa. Both very nice. Well Molly let me borrow her loaf pan so I was able to make the Spiced Pumpkin Bread with White Chocolate Chips! I was so excited, it's delicious! I love pumpkin
Goodnight!
-Mer
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Mokulua: The Two Islands
Hey there.
Today was wonderful. We have a three day weekend and were able to finally get out on the water and do Hawaiian things. As I mentioned, I have been wanting to kayak out to these Islands off the coast of Lanikai, so we did! John didn't know the islands would be as far out as they were, but we both loved it. I think it took about 30 minutes to get to them. The water was blue, clear, and wonderfully warm so there were no pains other than some arm work to get out there.
Some info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na_Mokulua
According to the wiki article we went out to the island called Moku Nui on the left.
We started off the day by sleeping in (hooray) and then finding our way to the Marine base where we rented the two person kayak. I'm glad we did that. Made it a little easier and it was only 2 dollars more (and thus 3 dollars less since we would have gotten 2 singles). We drove it to Lanikai, applied sunscreen and took off! Haha. As I said it took around 30-40 minutes to get to the Island but I loved it. Once there we went snorkling because we were told Sea Turtles were in the area. We just got the snorkels and fins last night so it was fun to try them out. Unfortunately we didn't sea any turtles, but we did see a few fish! I wish I could tell you what kinds but I don't have the fishie guide book with me. Not yet anyway. The most fun one was green and red striped and shiny.
The view from Moku Nui was beautiful. You could see all of Lanikai beach and tons more of the shoreline. It was definitely beautiful. I, unfortunately, did not get any pictures. The kayak mission didn't exactly keep many things dry. We had our phones, but wrapped them two ziplock baggies and it worked! I was worried about the camera too, so no pictures. You'll just have to look online to figure it out. The wiki link I sent had a few to give you an idea. It was lovely! If you see the pictures from a beach with two little island mounds, that's right! We went to the left one.
Alright we're off now. We thankfully ate. We treated ourselves to a burger and shakes and it was MARVELOUS. Haha. Alright.
I'm off.
Enjoy
Mer
Today was wonderful. We have a three day weekend and were able to finally get out on the water and do Hawaiian things. As I mentioned, I have been wanting to kayak out to these Islands off the coast of Lanikai, so we did! John didn't know the islands would be as far out as they were, but we both loved it. I think it took about 30 minutes to get to them. The water was blue, clear, and wonderfully warm so there were no pains other than some arm work to get out there.
Some info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na_Mokulua
According to the wiki article we went out to the island called Moku Nui on the left.
We started off the day by sleeping in (hooray) and then finding our way to the Marine base where we rented the two person kayak. I'm glad we did that. Made it a little easier and it was only 2 dollars more (and thus 3 dollars less since we would have gotten 2 singles). We drove it to Lanikai, applied sunscreen and took off! Haha. As I said it took around 30-40 minutes to get to the Island but I loved it. Once there we went snorkling because we were told Sea Turtles were in the area. We just got the snorkels and fins last night so it was fun to try them out. Unfortunately we didn't sea any turtles, but we did see a few fish! I wish I could tell you what kinds but I don't have the fishie guide book with me. Not yet anyway. The most fun one was green and red striped and shiny.
The view from Moku Nui was beautiful. You could see all of Lanikai beach and tons more of the shoreline. It was definitely beautiful. I, unfortunately, did not get any pictures. The kayak mission didn't exactly keep many things dry. We had our phones, but wrapped them two ziplock baggies and it worked! I was worried about the camera too, so no pictures. You'll just have to look online to figure it out. The wiki link I sent had a few to give you an idea. It was lovely! If you see the pictures from a beach with two little island mounds, that's right! We went to the left one.
Alright we're off now. We thankfully ate. We treated ourselves to a burger and shakes and it was MARVELOUS. Haha. Alright.
I'm off.
Enjoy
Mer
Friday, October 9, 2009
International Market
Yesterday was a good time. As usual, John was at work, but this time I was able to get out and about. I went out with Maddy Burkhart, a fellow girlfriend of the boat. She's from Guam originally and only 2 years older than me. She had the day off so she offered to take me to Waikiki for lunch and either shopping or the beach, whichever we decided while down there.
We went to lunch at Duke's and met up with one of her friends from Guam who is an Army Wife and has two kids. They were in Waikiki for surf lessons so they chose to eat with us. We pretty much all got the buffet. It was delicious. We also all shared the "Hula Pie" which is this gigantic slice of Macadamia nut ice cream pie on an Oreo crust that was generously shared between FIVE people. Macadamia nuts are definitely a staple around here.
It turns out that Dukes was across the street from the International Market so I asked Maddy if we could go. The others headed home so it was back to just the two of us. It was neat. Most of the stands are similar to each other as well as to stands that hang out in malls. There were also a lot of bathing suit stands and gift shops. It was fun to be in a touristy area! There were also a lot more white people there, too haha. Maddy got a henna tattoo of an Octopus on her shoulder that was pretty neat and while we were leaving I saw this Hawaiian dress I really like that I ended up getting. It's black with cascading blue flowers. It was a fun buy!
We then went to Ala Moana to check out the gigantic Victoria's Secret since I had some coupons I needed to use by the end of October. I was able to speak with the Store Manager and they seemed pretty excited about a former employee....again... and had me fill out an application so we shall see where that one goes.
Now I'm home all day and putting off the chores I need to do. We finally got the last of John's packages and one of the boxes has my stuff, which needs to get put away. Along with some laundry and cat litter that needs to get done. Fun fun. It's Friday though. I think right now we're planning on going Kayaking tomorrow! I'm pretty excited. It should be a nice trip.
We went to lunch at Duke's and met up with one of her friends from Guam who is an Army Wife and has two kids. They were in Waikiki for surf lessons so they chose to eat with us. We pretty much all got the buffet. It was delicious. We also all shared the "Hula Pie" which is this gigantic slice of Macadamia nut ice cream pie on an Oreo crust that was generously shared between FIVE people. Macadamia nuts are definitely a staple around here.
It turns out that Dukes was across the street from the International Market so I asked Maddy if we could go. The others headed home so it was back to just the two of us. It was neat. Most of the stands are similar to each other as well as to stands that hang out in malls. There were also a lot of bathing suit stands and gift shops. It was fun to be in a touristy area! There were also a lot more white people there, too haha. Maddy got a henna tattoo of an Octopus on her shoulder that was pretty neat and while we were leaving I saw this Hawaiian dress I really like that I ended up getting. It's black with cascading blue flowers. It was a fun buy!
We then went to Ala Moana to check out the gigantic Victoria's Secret since I had some coupons I needed to use by the end of October. I was able to speak with the Store Manager and they seemed pretty excited about a former employee....again... and had me fill out an application so we shall see where that one goes.
Now I'm home all day and putting off the chores I need to do. We finally got the last of John's packages and one of the boxes has my stuff, which needs to get put away. Along with some laundry and cat litter that needs to get done. Fun fun. It's Friday though. I think right now we're planning on going Kayaking tomorrow! I'm pretty excited. It should be a nice trip.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
July 1984
If you ever come across the Southern Living July 1984 edition apparently there's a recipe for Plantation Ribs.
DELICIOUS.
I made the marinade tonight and put it on baby back ribs and it turned out amazing. Mother had the recipe and put it in a binder of recipes for my brother and I, so that's how I have it.
If you're lucky maybe I'll put it online later, haha.
Tonight, however, it's time to relax to HBO and get ready for a girl's day! I'm going out to lunch with maybe some shopping or beach afterwards with Maddie and I'm very excited.
DELICIOUS.
I made the marinade tonight and put it on baby back ribs and it turned out amazing. Mother had the recipe and put it in a binder of recipes for my brother and I, so that's how I have it.
If you're lucky maybe I'll put it online later, haha.
Tonight, however, it's time to relax to HBO and get ready for a girl's day! I'm going out to lunch with maybe some shopping or beach afterwards with Maddie and I'm very excited.
Wedding Planning Updates
So. I keep getting questions about when the wedding is. Well currently it's incredibly hard to plan a wedding from half a world away and it takes a little while. I can't set a date until I know for sure that we can get a reception place ON that date. If we can't I'd have to move it and then tell people again. That's just silly. Places book a year+ in advance so it's likely the places I like are going to be booked so I have to figure something else out. I didn't even look into one of the Winery options because it actually had an event calendar up and proved it's booked the entire month of October 2010 and the month of September so I didn't even have a back-up. We want to have it in October of 2010, so we shall see. As for which weekend and which day, I can't tell you until I know.
We have an officiant, Reverend Dr. Robert Zanicky whom I grew up with. He's a great guy and the only thing I knew for sure about when planning this wedding. We'll probably do my church as well since it's so lovely, but if the reception place ends up being over an hour away I'll have to have the ceremony there.
That's the only things I've been focusing on. I haven't decided on anything else and am not even thinking seriously about them until this is done. Then I will have dates so I can be on schedule better.
Thanks,
Mer
We have an officiant, Reverend Dr. Robert Zanicky whom I grew up with. He's a great guy and the only thing I knew for sure about when planning this wedding. We'll probably do my church as well since it's so lovely, but if the reception place ends up being over an hour away I'll have to have the ceremony there.
That's the only things I've been focusing on. I haven't decided on anything else and am not even thinking seriously about them until this is done. Then I will have dates so I can be on schedule better.
Thanks,
Mer
Too many noises
We live in a quiet area. There are no highways near by. The roads are residential so there's no car sounds, no horns, no anything. We're surrounded by a golf club so that's a rather quiet thing as well. However...
6:40 am. Every day the sprinklers go off for all the plants. Well at least the ones around my room.
9:00 am. The guy with the leaf blower comes by very very very slowly. It's insanely loud.
I can usually get back to sleep after the 6:40 bit because it's not that bad and John just woke up then anyway so I've already been woken up. However this leaf guy.... ugh. It's unpleasant, even if I'm completely away. It's just annoying.
I've also gone back to not sleeping well so it doesn't help to be woken up by stupid things I can't block out. I already have to kick the cat out when John leaves because his routine wakes her up and she wants to play. Though I'm sure my sleep habits aren't that exciting.
Dixie is doing alright. She usually sleeps next to me at night, recently she's taken to sharing my pillow. Billy the cat used to do that. It was more of pain when he did it though since he was far bigger than her. We'll see if it becomes a habit of hers though. So far she hasn't taken to clawing the couch which is fantastic. She has, however, figured out she can climb the screen door which is not good at all. I have to keep an eye on her when she's near it now. Oddly it was designed so the screen is on the inside, not the outside, so it's ALWAYS at risk.
My search for a job is still hideous. I called Victoria's Secret back since they didn't call when they said they would. As usual, I had to leave a message. I also left a message with Philip Rickard. I called a few other places and applied to a few more. No one picks up the phone so this follow up business that usually works well, is of no help. We shall see. On thursday I'm going to ask Maddie what she knows about the Lockheed job and get the phone number from her.
On that note, my social life is a little more exciting. Yesterday I went to breakfast with a girl named Molly and another named Tessa. They're both Navy wives but from different boats. They're not too much older than me and have no kids as well so it was a nice little change. Molly tooks us to this breakfast place that is known for it's "Onolicious pancakes" with Macademia nut sauce that was very light and fluffy. It really was Ono (delicious)! Molly also lent me her loaf pan which is very exciting. I've been dying to make Spiced Pumpkin Bread with White Chocolate ChipsM
Tomorrow I'm probably going to see Maddie, the girlfriend I met at the Hail who works for Lockheed. She called me yesterday and mentioned that she had long shifts this week and therefore had extra days off and was free on Thursday. I'm not sure what our plans are, but I'm excited to go out and about. John's usually too busy to do anything other than errands, but we're hoping to actually go out this weekend (didn't I say that last time?) Seriously though, we might go Kayaking from Lanikai beach to the mounds where we can hike a bit and maybe see Sea Turtles! If we don't do that we'll probably hike to the Pillbox which is near the same area. That one doesn't require fees for kayak rentals so we'll see. Or we'll snorkel in Hanauma bay, we shall see.
Weather wise, it's gotten incredibly humid. The wind has died down which is pretty terrible. That provides most of the cool wind in the house so when it's still, it's gross. I need to bring the fan in here. It's also been raining, I actually lost power on Monday! Little Dixie was scared of the thunder, but got over it pretty quickly. Supposedly "winter" is the rainy season. Hopefully that doesn't mean the wind dies down for the rain to fall. It's really humid and hot, the wind makes it completely bearable and fine. Yuck.
Alright. I have chores to do before my swimming. Ah and by the way, I've been swimming every day lately. Hopefully I can keep it up! Laps and treading water, what fun! Haha.
6:40 am. Every day the sprinklers go off for all the plants. Well at least the ones around my room.
9:00 am. The guy with the leaf blower comes by very very very slowly. It's insanely loud.
I can usually get back to sleep after the 6:40 bit because it's not that bad and John just woke up then anyway so I've already been woken up. However this leaf guy.... ugh. It's unpleasant, even if I'm completely away. It's just annoying.
I've also gone back to not sleeping well so it doesn't help to be woken up by stupid things I can't block out. I already have to kick the cat out when John leaves because his routine wakes her up and she wants to play. Though I'm sure my sleep habits aren't that exciting.
Dixie is doing alright. She usually sleeps next to me at night, recently she's taken to sharing my pillow. Billy the cat used to do that. It was more of pain when he did it though since he was far bigger than her. We'll see if it becomes a habit of hers though. So far she hasn't taken to clawing the couch which is fantastic. She has, however, figured out she can climb the screen door which is not good at all. I have to keep an eye on her when she's near it now. Oddly it was designed so the screen is on the inside, not the outside, so it's ALWAYS at risk.
My search for a job is still hideous. I called Victoria's Secret back since they didn't call when they said they would. As usual, I had to leave a message. I also left a message with Philip Rickard. I called a few other places and applied to a few more. No one picks up the phone so this follow up business that usually works well, is of no help. We shall see. On thursday I'm going to ask Maddie what she knows about the Lockheed job and get the phone number from her.
On that note, my social life is a little more exciting. Yesterday I went to breakfast with a girl named Molly and another named Tessa. They're both Navy wives but from different boats. They're not too much older than me and have no kids as well so it was a nice little change. Molly tooks us to this breakfast place that is known for it's "Onolicious pancakes" with Macademia nut sauce that was very light and fluffy. It really was Ono (delicious)! Molly also lent me her loaf pan which is very exciting. I've been dying to make Spiced Pumpkin Bread with White Chocolate ChipsM
Tomorrow I'm probably going to see Maddie, the girlfriend I met at the Hail who works for Lockheed. She called me yesterday and mentioned that she had long shifts this week and therefore had extra days off and was free on Thursday. I'm not sure what our plans are, but I'm excited to go out and about. John's usually too busy to do anything other than errands, but we're hoping to actually go out this weekend (didn't I say that last time?) Seriously though, we might go Kayaking from Lanikai beach to the mounds where we can hike a bit and maybe see Sea Turtles! If we don't do that we'll probably hike to the Pillbox which is near the same area. That one doesn't require fees for kayak rentals so we'll see. Or we'll snorkel in Hanauma bay, we shall see.
Weather wise, it's gotten incredibly humid. The wind has died down which is pretty terrible. That provides most of the cool wind in the house so when it's still, it's gross. I need to bring the fan in here. It's also been raining, I actually lost power on Monday! Little Dixie was scared of the thunder, but got over it pretty quickly. Supposedly "winter" is the rainy season. Hopefully that doesn't mean the wind dies down for the rain to fall. It's really humid and hot, the wind makes it completely bearable and fine. Yuck.
Alright. I have chores to do before my swimming. Ah and by the way, I've been swimming every day lately. Hopefully I can keep it up! Laps and treading water, what fun! Haha.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
E-mail : October 3rd
Greetings!
Sorry it's been so long. We moved in and had no internet until this morning. I was able to get on a little bit, but not enough to really write a good e-mail. It was too off and on that I didn't want to risk writing something informative and lose it because I I knew I'd be too frustrated to rewrite it.
Things are going well here. John has started work and I've been moving us in. Nearly everything is unpacked. The furniture is in place and I enjoy it. I'll try to get some pictures up at some time. We have a new sofa and loveseat set of which I absolutely love. It's brown and incredibly comfortable. We also have a new coffee table set that came with two end tables. They all have a glass oval top held up with metal and has a smaller wooden oval layer underneath for a shelf.
I'm still job hunting. Victoria's Secret called and told me they'd call me in 2 weeks to set up an interview. My phone was screwing up so I wasn't able to call them and they never got back to me. They opened on Thursday. Hopefully that means their new phone number will be listed somewhere. I contacted many jobs over the past few months, but still no luck. I applied to a Lockheed position that another girl mentioned to me. She works there and said they were hiring, I met her at the BBQ with John's shipmates.
By the way, we went to a BBQ with some of John's shipmates and their families last Friday. It was a Hail/Farewell party which was really a Hail since two guys were joining, but none are leaving just yet. It was fun. I talked with a few of the wives and a girlfriend (Maddie, she's the one trying to get me a job at Lockheed) and they are all nice. They also had a lunch on Wednesday which I attended. One lady, Patti, might take me out to the Aloha Swap Meet on Wednesday. It's not a definite plan though, but I've been wanting to go so we shall see.
We have more news! Thursday John came home early and took me out to get a kitty! She's adorable. We know it's a little early to get one but thought it was a good time since I have no job. It's better doing it now since I'm hear to help her get used to things or train her. She's a doll. Her name is Dixie and she's a 3 month old Calico. She's a little lovebug and always wants to be near us and has already proved to be a little lap kitten. She also loves her skunk on a string so much that within 2 days of having her, the string is literally hanging by a thread.
Hopefully soon we'll be able to explore Hawaii some more. I'm not sure of our plans tomorrow but today we had to wait for the Cable/Internet to be installed and at 3:30 we have a vet appointment. We get a free physical examination to use within 7 days, so it's nothing to worry about. We just have to make sure Dixie is in good shape.
Well I'm off, I just thought I'd send a little update now that I can.
Love and miss you all,
Meredith
Sorry it's been so long. We moved in and had no internet until this morning. I was able to get on a little bit, but not enough to really write a good e-mail. It was too off and on that I didn't want to risk writing something informative and lose it because I I knew I'd be too frustrated to rewrite it.
Things are going well here. John has started work and I've been moving us in. Nearly everything is unpacked. The furniture is in place and I enjoy it. I'll try to get some pictures up at some time. We have a new sofa and loveseat set of which I absolutely love. It's brown and incredibly comfortable. We also have a new coffee table set that came with two end tables. They all have a glass oval top held up with metal and has a smaller wooden oval layer underneath for a shelf.
I'm still job hunting. Victoria's Secret called and told me they'd call me in 2 weeks to set up an interview. My phone was screwing up so I wasn't able to call them and they never got back to me. They opened on Thursday. Hopefully that means their new phone number will be listed somewhere. I contacted many jobs over the past few months, but still no luck. I applied to a Lockheed position that another girl mentioned to me. She works there and said they were hiring, I met her at the BBQ with John's shipmates.
By the way, we went to a BBQ with some of John's shipmates and their families last Friday. It was a Hail/Farewell party which was really a Hail since two guys were joining, but none are leaving just yet. It was fun. I talked with a few of the wives and a girlfriend (Maddie, she's the one trying to get me a job at Lockheed) and they are all nice. They also had a lunch on Wednesday which I attended. One lady, Patti, might take me out to the Aloha Swap Meet on Wednesday. It's not a definite plan though, but I've been wanting to go so we shall see.
We have more news! Thursday John came home early and took me out to get a kitty! She's adorable. We know it's a little early to get one but thought it was a good time since I have no job. It's better doing it now since I'm hear to help her get used to things or train her. She's a doll. Her name is Dixie and she's a 3 month old Calico. She's a little lovebug and always wants to be near us and has already proved to be a little lap kitten. She also loves her skunk on a string so much that within 2 days of having her, the string is literally hanging by a thread.
Hopefully soon we'll be able to explore Hawaii some more. I'm not sure of our plans tomorrow but today we had to wait for the Cable/Internet to be installed and at 3:30 we have a vet appointment. We get a free physical examination to use within 7 days, so it's nothing to worry about. We just have to make sure Dixie is in good shape.
Well I'm off, I just thought I'd send a little update now that I can.
Love and miss you all,
Meredith
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