Friday, October 31, 2008

Hair Update and Friday Fun Questions

First of all, Happy Halloween!



I have the feeling this might be a long post, so bear with me folks.

So...I went and got my hair done yesterday. Several things happened with that.

1. I've never been to this lady before, normally I wait and just go back to my fave stylist in Oklahoma, but my hair was a fright so I needed something done ASAP.

2. I showed the lady what I wanted, although I couldn't print off that Gisele picture from yesterday's blog in color, so I had to substitute with magazines they had at the salon.

3. My hair was green, green! Not from anything she did, but the chemicals in the water on-post are so hard that they turn my blonde hair green. Picture me swimming everyday for the last four months and that's what my hair looked like. Somehow my shampoo wasn't helping with that.

4. My hair turned out good and it is darker, but it is not the color of lovely Gisele's hair. It is more my natural, darker blonde that my roots are these days. I'm not saying it doesn't look good, but it's not a drastic change. In fact, Sean told me it doesn't look any different, but I assure you it does.

So, I'll still post pics, but it looks like I won't get my Gisele hair until I go back to Oklahoma.

I think I might be babysitting for a couple of hours on Saturday. I'm pumped because that means another opportunity for baby pictures! Sean is working some of Saturday anyway, so it's not like I'm going to be up to a whole lot.

Ok, so as some of you know I'm part of a forum for Army Wives. We have a debate board on there and currently some of us are debating the to vaccinate/not vaccinate issue. I personally am for vaccinating, but that's a whole other blog that I'll have to do at a later time. What frustrates me about this debate though is that the women that are for not vaccinating are spreading myths/rumors about various vaccinations, without backing it up with any credible source. That is my biggest pet peeve. Please DO NOT state something as fact, when in fact it is your opinion. I've proven them wrong several times with various sources I've found, mainly from the CDC. I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I cannot stand when people don't back up what they are saying. Guess it's the reference librarian in me.

This week, we put out an ad for someone to replace me. You would not believe the amount of resumes we've gotten in! Our mailbox everyday is brimming with them. I have to admit that I do look through a few of the resumes if something catches my eye. Well today, there were two things.

1. One girl sent in a cover letter written on notebook paper. I wanted to call her and tell her to never do that again.

2. Another girl listed on her resume some extracurricular activities. They happened to include, sitting on her back porch, sipping coffee and watching the sunset. WTH? Why would you include that on a resume? I seriously sat there and laughed for about two minutes.

Obviously some people need some serious resume help!

Now for the fun part of the post. Friday Fun Questions- Spooky Style!

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume growing up?

2. Name three kinds of candy you always wanted to see in your trick-or-treat bag.

3. If you were a Jack O'Lantern, what would your face look like?


My Answers:

1. I think my favorite costume was the year I was a ballerina. My mom made me a purple tu-tu. I had the cutest leotard and slippers to go with it.

2. Reeses, Mr. GoodBar and regular Hershey's bars. So good!

3.

Can't wait to hear your answers!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

I Think I'm Getting Old

Sometimes I feel like a 40-year-old stuck in a 25-year-old body.

Let me give you some examples.

1. I used to be able to stay up until the wee hours of the morning. Going to bed at midnight was going to bed early for me. Now I can barely keep my eyes open until midnight!

2. When I was younger I HATED talk radio. I'd ride around with my grandpa and he'd be listening to it and I couldn't stand it. Now I find myself tuning into NPR news quite frequently.

3. I really don't enjoy going out that much. Don't get me wrong, I like to enjoy time with friends or Sean. But just to go out to go out? Nah. I'd rather stay in, watch some movies and cuddle.

4. If you could hear my Internet radio you'd realize I listen almost exclusively to music from the 60's and 70's.

5. Saturday Night Fever is my favorite movie and favorite soundtrack and has been since around the age of 12. I've watched it countless times and know every beat and word of the soundtrack. I watched it last Saturday night and realized I'm probably the only 25 year old who loves this movie so much!



I'm getting my hair done today. I think I found exactly what I want it to look like.



No, I don't expect to miraculously look like Gisele when my stylist is finished either. One can dream though?

I just hope it turns out well! If it does, I'll try to post pictures sometime in the next few days.

When I mentioned to Sean yesterday that I'd found some cute winter clothes on Forever21 yesterday he had the audacity to laugh at me and say, "well I guess you should have been buying winter clothes instead of those dresses you bought a few months ago."

Men! They don't understand clothes. Well, at least mine doesn't. I had to explain to him that I did need those dresses and now I need winter clothes. I honestly don't have that many. Especially shirts. I'm good on coats. I actually have so many coats/jackets that I need to get rid of a few. I have a few sorority hoodies that I'm keeping for no reason other than the fact they are somewhat sentimental. I never wear them and one of them is WAY too big on me. It's things like extra coats that I need to get rid of rather than trying to cram all of them into our apartment in Italy.

That's one of the main things I'm worried about when we move. We, err...I have lots of stuff. Not so much furniture, although we have a decent amount of that, but rather just stuff. Like clothes, decorations, books, etc. I don't really want to put it in storage and be without it for three years while we are overseas, but I also don't want to try to cram it all into a one bedroom apartment, which is what it shows on our orders. Trying to wrap my mind around stuffing all of our stuff in a one bedroom apartment is kind of mind boggling. Much like Scarlett O'Hara I've vowed to think about it another day. Those that are overseas already, do you have an advice regarding that?

Speaking of moving, Sean has a meeting with Transportation on Monday to get things scheduled, such as when they will be coming to pack our things, etc. I'm excited as that means not too much longer and we will be moving! Although I do have to say I'm going to miss Louisiana. I've had a good experience living here. However, I will not miss the humidity one bit!

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Wardrobe Wednesday

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who weighed in yesterday on what my costume should be. I'm still trying to convince Sean that we should go to the costume contest and he doesn't even have to dress up! It's not looking good right now though, he says he's not missing the Texas vs. Texas Tech game that night. I'd say the money takes precedence over the game don't you? Oh and by the way, I found out yesterday the exact wording used on the contest was, "Win your share of $2,000". So...all that $2,000 wouldn't be going to me. Crap.

It is pretty flippin cold here today. It's still cold in the office. I'm actually still wearing my coat. Perhaps I wished for colder weather too soon?

I'm so ready to start listening to Christmas music! I seriously am having to keep myself from doing it though. I've vowed not to start listening until it's really close to Thanksgiving, that way I don't burn myself out on it too quickly. I'm sad though that I don't get to put up my tree or all my decorations this year. Since we are moving from Louisiana back to Oklahoma in mid-December, it really wouldn't make a lot of sense to put up decorations just to take them down a couple of weeks later. So...I'll just have to enjoy my parent's decorations this year. I can live with that.

Does anyone else watch CNN news in the morning? I know I've talked about watching Robin Meade in the mornings, but they play the same commercials over and over and I've got two in particular running through my mind.

1. Jitterbug! Anyone else see these? They are the cell phones for people who need a larger screen and a louder ringer. I cannot get their little jingle out of my head.

2. Nancy Grace. If I have to hear "Nancy Grace states her case" one more time I'm going to scream. I am NOT a fan of Nancy Grace.

As I usually do at least once a week I wanted to show some things I'm thinking about buying. All from Forever 21 of course. You know, they really should start paying me for all the advertising I do for them!



Love this! It's so wintry!



I'm not sure how I'd look in horizontal stripes, but it sure is cute!



I really, really want this dress.



This just screams to me, "Wear me to work!"

One last thing to mention. I'm looking for a good, basic, reasonably priced laptop. I want a MacBook, but I'm going to wait on that. I just want a laptop for us right now and then eventually Sean will be taking it on a deployment with him. Any suggestions? I'll basically be using it for pictures and browsing on the Internet.

Have a fab Wednesday!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

A Chance at $2,000

So this morning started off interesting.

A. I had to get up at 4:30 to drop Sean off at the pool. Did I mention it was an outdoor, non-covered, non-heated pool? Thank goodness he wasn't the one having to swim. He was helping with some German Infantry Badge thing. Don't ask because I really don't know. He tried to explain it this morning and I don't retain stuff well that early in the morning.

B. After waking up at 6:50 this morning I'm on my way to the bathroom for a nice, hot shower when I see something scuttling, yes scuttling towards the bathroom. I'm proud of myself as I didn't scream, just grabbed a heavy shoe and smashed the dickens out of a rather large roach. Please don't think I'm a horrible housekeeper for admitting I had a large roach in my house. I guess the cold is driving them in.

Having taken care of that it was business as usual. Thank God!

Sean informed me yesterday that he's not sure if their company is helping with this upcoming long rotation or not. Word on the street is that they aren't, but I never put too much stock into something until I see it unfold. At any rate, I still don't think we will be going home for Thanksgiving whether he has a four day for it or not.

There was frost on the ground for the first time this morning. It was in the mid-30's when I dropped Sean off this morning. Boomer was shivering even when he was inside the house, so I'm guessing I'm going to have to get a doggie sweater for him. He's now taken to getting under the bed when he's cold. I looked for him forever this morning until he finally popped out from under the bed. Silly dog!

So, I didn't think I was going to dress up for Halloween, but I may have to rethink that. Sean told me yesterday one of the local clubs here is having a costume contest on Saturday night and the prize money is $2,000. Do you know what I could do with $2,000? A LOT! I could get a new bed and a new laptop. So, now I'm brainstorming what could be a winning costume. I'm thinking about Little Red Riding Hood. Anybody have some great ideas for a costume that could win me some moolah?

Have a great Tuesday and send me those costume suggestions!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Kind of a blah Monday

Brr...it's chilly here today! The low tonight is supposed to be in the 30's. Now that I'm facing cooler weather I'm on the fence on how I like it!

I slept like crap last night. That usually happens to me on Sunday nights for some reason. Perhaps I'm just dreading Monday or my mind is too busy thinking about what I'm going to do the coming week. I woke up so many times last night, which didn't make for restful sleep at all.

Sean came home yesterday morning and then had to go back to work for a few hours last night, but he was home by 9. It was a little weird sharing a bed with someone other than Boomer and of course that left less room to stretch out in, but I'll make that sacrifice.

Not much going on this week. My boss is going to be out of the office for the next two weeks on a hunting trip, which means a lot of casual days here at the office. No parties to attend on Halloween, well at least not that I know of at the present time.

I worked on some scrapbook pages yesterday for my college scrapbook. I actually got about eight pages done, but I'm still in freshman year. My freshman year is when I took the least amount of pictures, so I can only imagine how many pages I'm going to have to do for the rest of the years. It's fun looking back and thinking about the memories though. Several times yesterday I laughed for a long time just because a memory came back to me that was particularly enjoyable.

Speaking of college, my best friend told me this weekend that a prominent sorority on our college campus was temporarily suspended for hazing. I guess at the present time they are investigating the charges further. Very interesting news though. I'd heard rumors even when I was in college, but nothing ever came of it.

I feel kind of blah today, which is rare for me. I'm just not in the greatest mood and really don't feel like being around anyone...even Sean. Usually this mood lasts around a day and then it's over so I'm hoping that's the case today.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Saturday Plans

I'm one of those people that when I find an item of clothing that I really like, I usually get a couple in it. Mainly I apply this to basic items like layering t-shirts and the like.

I found the perfect t-shirt at Forever 21. I may never buy another solid color t-shirt from anywhere else again. The colors are adorable, the white is a great staple for anything. The cut and fit are perfect! I got a white and black shirt a few weeks ago when I was shopping there, but I went ahead and ordered a couple more white shirts and this super cute green shirt online the other night.



I've already been cleaning today. Don't ask me why I like to do this on Saturday mornings, because I honestly couldn't tell you. There's just something about cleaning everything and making it look good for the rest of the weekend that I enjoy.

Boomer is full of vinegar today. We've already had a talk why he should not chew on my favorite tube of lip gloss. He had the audacity to start chewing on it right in front of me! Shows you who wears the pants in this relationship right? Then while I was cleaning in the bathroom he hops into the bathtub to stalk a moth that is fluttering around in there. Boomer loves to catch, play with/torture bugs and then eat them. He's quite talented in catching flies in the air with the greatest of ease. It never fails to entertain Sean and I.

I need to head to the commissary this morning to get a few essential items and maybe a small pizza for watching during the game today and then I play on scrapbooking a bit. If at all possible I'd like to get this scrapbook completed before we move. I'm not sure that's going to happen though.

Last night some of the kids on-post were at the neighborhood office for the costume contest. The kids were so cute! I had a brief moment of baby fever when I was looking at how cute they were. There was one little boy in a scarecrow costume and then another that had lipstick kisses all on his face and his mom had made him a box to go around him that said, "Kissing Booth". It was such a cute costume idea!

Since I was bored last night I opted to take a few pictures of myself. I call this one, Sassy Hat Picture!



I can already see what crazy/odd things I'll be doing when Sean deploys one of these days.

Hope everyone has a fab Saturday!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Forgive and Forget

I have to admit that I have difficulty with forgiving and forgetting. Not so much with the forgiveness part, but with forgetting.

I was alone with my thoughts last night and a few situations that I've dealt with this past year just kind of overwhelmed me and the waterworks started. I think I actually scared Boomer because I was crying so hard. I realized that although I had forgiven this person for what they had done to me, that I still haven't forgotten it. Believe me, I have tried many, many times. It's almost as if the situation is burned into my memory banks. It crosses my mind at least once a day if not more.

That's not healthy and I realize this. After that good, cleansing cry last night I realized something. I HAVE to forget this or I'm never truly going to be happy again. Scary thought right? So after a quick prayer that I can begin to forget these situations I felt better.

I know it's not going to be easy, but I'm really going to try my hardest to deal with this and get it out of my mind. Please wish me luck on this! I can use your support.

I went to the PX last night and bought some new make-up. I was watching Carmandie on What Not to Wear do a makeover and it inspired me. I got some new waterproof mascara, few new eyeshadows, some new brushes and a new lipstick. It's sort of a peach shade and it looks really good on me. I have a tough time choosing lipsticks. Usually it either turns out too dark or too pink. I like something in between that's flattering. I also bought that Harajuku Baby perfume that I mentioned a few days ago. I just love the bottle! I eagerly sprayed it on this morning when I was getting ready and I'm already enjoying smelling it.

One more thing I bought was a sampler Yankee candle of Christmas Wreath. Oh my goodness...if you love the smell of Christmas trees then this is the candle for you! I can already tell I'm going to have to go back and buy a big candle.

I actually heard from Sean this morning on my way to turn in my Visa paperwork. I didn't recognize the number, but I guess he had borrowed a phone from a friend. He asked me where I was going, evidently they were on-post to stop by the shoppette and their van passed me. He said they might be home tomorrow, but realistically it was going to be Sunday night before they got home. It was just a quick conversation, but it was good to hear from him.

Since I didn't really have time for breakfast this morning at the house I stopped by Sonic to grab something. (Not helping with my weight loss I know) I got the french toast sticks with milk and they are so good! Not healthy for you, but very good!

Since it's casual day at the office I'm wearing my new clogs for the first time and boy are they comfy!



Mine are a little lighter brown than the ones in the picture, but they are super cute with jeans. Did I mention they were comfy?

Oh and before I forget, go check out Life in Germany's awesome giveaway. She's giving away the cutest German ornaments. Go check her out!

So what's everyones weekend plans?

I'm going to:
1. Perhaps go to dinner with a friend
2. Work out
3. Watch TV
4. Work on my scrapbook
5. Cheer on my Oklahoma State Cowboys agains the Texas Longhorns. It'd be a longshot for us, but I'm hoping for a win.




Thursday, October 23, 2008

I need a change

First of all today I'd like to alert you about a couple of neat giveaways.

Check out Make Mine a Mojitos awesome jewelry giveaway and then go check out Monogram Chick's cute recipe box giveaway. Believe me, you do not want to miss out on either one of these giveaways!



I need to do something to my hair ASAP. It's been late July since it's been highlighted and I thought about waiting until December so I could go to my fave stylist in Oklahoma, but I'm not sure I can wait that long. It's not that it looks really bad, since I'm a natural blonde the roots aren't bad at all. I'm thinking of putting a little more brown in my hair though and getting a few inches cut off too. Nothing drastic, just a nice change.



I'm not planning on going this dark all over, but I would like that lighter brown color blended into my hair. What do you think? Be honest! I won't be offended.

For all of those that asked me yesterday what Jen Lancaster book I read, it was her first, Bitter is the new Black. I'll probably get the next two sometime in the near future, as we don't have a bookstore here in town. Yes, that's right we don't have a bookstore in Leesville. I actually think that I'd rather have a bookstore in town over a Starbucks and a Chili's(neither of which we have here either).

I was watching What Not to Wear last night an started wondering if they had it on DVD. The answer is yes! I found them on the TLC website this morning. I may have to order some. That's seriously one of my favorite shows, I could watch it over and over. I just love Stacy and Clinton! I wish I could meet them and be on the show without throwing all of my clothes away. However, I think maybe they'd let some of my clothes remain, but then again I bet a lot of people say that go on the show.

I'm going to go get my Visa taken care of tomorrow, as the lady at in/out processing called me Friday to let me know my passport was in. I didn't expect it to be so fast! It seriously only took about two weeks. I was thinking more along the lines of a month. No complaining here though, I'm just glad it's already in.

Everyone on-post is going all out in decorating for Halloween. I talking about tombstones in the yards compelete with skeletons, large blow-up ghosts on roofs, other various Halloween stuff stuck up....and then you look at our house and we have nothing outside. I do plan on getting a Jack O'Lantern, but I don't really get into the Halloween spirit. My house is decorated inside for fall,but not really for Halloween. I just don't really get into it anymore. I can't tell you the last time I went to a Halloween party or even the last time I dressed up. I do enjoy the candy though and eating those tasty mini-Hershy bars. Anyone else like me? Or is everyone in the Halloween spirit?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Pounds and Puppies

Well, here I am at work...alone downstairs again. Never fear though, I still have some mail to do and I also brought along my new Budget Travel to keep me busy.

There is an office to the left of us that part of it is overhead our filing room, well they are doing some work up there and whoever is doing it sounds like they could be trying out for Riverdance. They are loud! It goes a little something like this, " tap, tap, hammer, hammer, hammer, BANG, tap, tap tap."

So I finished my first Jen Lancaster book this weekend. For those of you already on the Jen Lancaster wagon that read her several years ago, bear with me. I just got introduced to her books. It's been awhile since I have laughed so hard reading a book. Several times I had to put down the book and actually wipe away tears because I was laughing so hard. Sean kept asking me what was so funny, but when I would read the passage he didn't think it was as funny as I did. Guess you have to actually read the book to get the gist of it. I cannot wait to get her next two books. I'm officially hooked!

A friend of mine is in the process of moving to her first military post this week and we've been talking the last few months about what she should expect, etc. She asked me last week if I ever forgot the fact that I lived on a military post. I don't know about you fellow military wives, but I never forget that fact.

Perhaps it's the fact I see people in ACU's everyday, the constant helicopters flying over or the sounds of mortars going off and gunshots from the ranges, but I never forget where I'm at. I like the fact I live on military post, but it's so different from what I was used to. I guess in time you just adjust to it and it becomes your life. Well, at least that's what I told my friend.

You know it's funny, because I told Sara last week when she was visiting that I feel closer to her and other bloggers on here than I do some of the women that I've met here at Ft. Polk. I don't know if it's because the people that blog on here seem to be more similiar to myself or exactly what it is. Makes me grateful for blogging!

I was walking Boomer yesterday and we passed a lady with a large dog, I think he was a Boxer. She told me I was lucky for having a smaller dog. I just smiled and said yes, but what I should have said was....

"Yes, I consider myself lucky that my small dog likes to run underneath my bed and chew up the underside of the mattress"

"Oh and let's not mention what he's destroyed since we got him, too many of my chapsticks to count (in fact, just one this morning) fall decorations, a library book, a photo album, countless things out of the trash and oh yeah that roll of toilet paper last night"

Don't get me wrong, I love Boomer, but he is a handful! I can only imagine if he were larger what he would get into!

So I have a question, how is it possible that after eating sort of crappy last week that I didn't gain any weight until this morning when I stepped on the scale and was 2 lbs heavier than yesterday. I even went and ran 3 miles yesterday! How is this possible? I hate my scale. My goal is to lose those pesky ten more pounds before I leave Fort Polk. I'm going to try my hardest to accomplish that. Even if it means no more Reeses and cutting down on my potato intake. ::sigh::

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

An Open Letter

Dear Twenty-something male:

If you are over the age of 18, please refrain from throwing up the shocker in pictures. It makes you look like an idiot!

Dear bored wives at the gym:

Why exactly are you at the gym looking bored and waiting on your husband to finish working out? Is there a reason you had to come to the gym if you don't plan on working out? Do you need to keep an eye on him? Or is this just your version of togetherness?

Dear single Army guys:

Dressing up to go to Wal-Mart at 4:00 p.m. on a weekday is ridiculous. Open button-up shirts, with your hair spiked up and reflector sunglasses makes you look like a moron. I don't know who you intend on impressing, but it certaintly wasn't me.

Dear Tailgater:

Are you aware the speed limit is 50? I'm sorry that you are in such a big hurry, but I'm not going to get stopped by an MP just to satisfy your need for speed. If you don't get off my bumper I'll be forced to do a brake check and you'll be paying for my new car!

Sincereley,

Smells Good!

Has anyone heard of the new Gwen Stefanie line of perfumes? They are called Harajuku Lovers.



Are the bottles not the cutest things? They caught my eye the other day when I was in the PX and I had to stop and smell them. Harajuku Baby is my favorite, I think I'm going to buy it next payday. I've never had a perfume that I can honestly not sniffing my wrist because I love the scent so much. It's such a fresh, clean smell and Sean loves it as much as I do.

I got my sweater dress in yesterday that I ordered from Forever21. Of course, I immediately had to model it for Sean. I LOVE it, but I do have to say I feel like a 50's pin-up in it. You know the sweater dresses that just kind of hang? This is not that dress. It really hugs my curves, but I think it looks good and I guess that's all that matters.

I dropped Sean off today for rotation and probably won't see him until around Sunday. This rotation is supposed to be short and then the next one is going to last pretty much the entire month of November. I told him last night I was going to miss him and his reply was it was only for a few days that'd he would be gone. I said it didn't matter, I'd still miss him, but I would welcome stretching out on the bed!

Oh and an update on Sean's back, he seems to be doing better with the help of pain pills. He went to sick call yesterday and they gave him a shot and some meds. He also has a week long profile, yet he's still going to go out on this rotation. The doctor who examined him told him that he's amazed at the fact that with the condition his back is in that he's still able to function like he is. He also told Sean that at any point he wants to get med-boarded that he could certaintly get it. I guess his back is that bad.

We watched Baby Mama and 88 Minutes last night. I really liked both of them. If you haven't seen either of them yet you should. We rented Don't Mess with the Zohan and Forgetting Sarah Marshall last week. We ended up turning off Don't Mess with the Zohan within ten minutes! It was just stupid. Adam Sandler needs to start making movies like he used to. I love most of his movies, but the last few he's done I really haven't enjoyed, minus 50 First Dates. Now that was a good movie!

One of the ladies that I know around here who's husband is actually deployed out of Ft. Hood, informed me her husband was on the NBC Nightly News last night. They did a piece on his unit that is in Afghanistan. It was interesting and yet odd seeing him on camera. If you want to watch it, here's the link.

I cannot believe that it's almost the end of October! Time to start thinking about Thanksgiving! I'm still a little sad we won't be able to go home for Thanksgiving, but at least I'll miss out on all the crappy traffic. I still think we are going to have a big Thanksgiving dinner at our house, which I think will be great! Anybody else started making plans yet?

Monday, October 20, 2008

Baton Rouge!

As I mentioned yesterday, this weekend was quite the adventure with my parents being in town. Here are the pictures I promised!




Sean got a gun for Christmas from my parents, grandparents and my aunt and uncle. We decided to give it to him early, as you can see he's excited.



A family portrait, I just wish my hair looked decent!



Flower at the welcome center in Layfayette.



I thought the turtles were cute too!



A window outside the capitol building.



One of the statues outside the capitol, they were huge!



How impressive is the capitol? It has an observation deck on the 27th floor. If you are ever there go up there! It's awesome!



My parents outside the capitol.



The inside was gorgeous too!



One of the views from the observation deck.



We visited the Laura Plantation outside of Vacherie, LA. It wasn't what you would imagine with the huge, white column plantation home, but our guide told us it was actually more typical of what the plantation homes looked like. Our guide was FANTASTIC! I learned so much on this tour, if you have the chance you really should check out the Laura Planation. This plantation was also where the story of Brer Rabbit was first written down.



One of the slave quarters



In one of the rooms inside the plantation home.



I thought these were such pretty flowers!



This is Oak Alley Plantation, we didn't get to go in since it was closing, but I did get a few pictures. I want to go back there and stay before we leave Louisiana, it is just gorgeous! I love the trees in front of it.

After the plantation tour we headed back to Baton Rouge and then home to Fort Polk, but not before stopping at Faustos in Kinder. I love that place! They seriously have the best grilled shrimp and baked potatoes. If you are ever in that area you need to eat there.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

I Have Returned!

Wow...this last week was crazy busy, but oh so fun!

I'm going to try to post pics tomorrow (depending on my workload). I'd do it from home, but my computer doesn't really like the pictures my new camera takes, so uploading them and editing them at home is a chore.

First of all I'd like to say a big thank you to Pink Cupcake for her awesome giveaway last week and the magnets I won. I got them in the mail yesterday and they are so cute!




I had a blast with my parents during their visit and we had a little outing yesterday to Baton Rouge. Don't worry, I got plenty of pics!

The only damper to the weekend is Sean hurt his back when he was in the field on Saturday, so he's taking it easy and most likely will be visiting the doctor tomorrow.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Sara and I....and the puppies!







Please excuse the fact that these are not the most flattering pics of me.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Up Close and Personal (A Tag)

So I've been tagged by Mrs. Forever over at A Housewife's Journey to Forever and I always love a good tag, so here it goes.

Top Four Wishes:

1. I wish I could magically lose 10-15 more lbs and not have to work really hard at it.

2. I wish I could someday be a great photographer and make money doing it!

3. I wish I had the style of Stacy London and the decorating sense of Martha Stewart.

4. That I could become fluent in any language.

Four places I want to travel to:

1. Australia- there's something about the Land Down Under that I really want to experience. Minus the poisonous snakes and scary spiders.

2. Greece- I've wanted to go there forever and everytime I see pictures of it I get this longing to experience it.

3. Africa- namely somewhere I can go on a safari. It's on my list of places to see before I die.

4. Normandy(France)- specifically Omaha Beach and that area. Just thinking of what it must have been like on D-Day gives me goosebumps.

Four careers I want to be involved in:

1. Photographer- I love everything about photography. I constantly think in my head what would make a good picture. I'm not sure I want to go into wedding photography or the likes of that, but I do love taking pictures of babies and those I love.

2. Librarian- I'd really like to be a elementary librarian. I loved working at a library a few years ago and I've wanted to be a librarian ever since.

3. Professional blogger- If I could get paid to blog or even have my blogs published in a book would be awesome! I want to write like Jen Lancaster!

4. Mom- One of these days when I'm ready I do want to be an awesome mom.

Four things I would like God to say to me at the gates of Heaven:

1. So you finally made it!

2. I've got some people I want you to meet

3. Now's your chance to ask me all those questions you've been saving up for years

4. See that lovely mansion over there? Second one down? Yeah...that's yours!

Four people I tag:

1. Mrs. Newlywed

2. Rebecca at My Cup Overflows

3.Lindsey at Learning to be a Wife

4.Whitney at Glamorous Life of a Housewife

Perfect Day for a Nap

It was all I could do this morning to pull myself out of bed. It's the perfect day to stay in bed and do nothing. Rainy, dreary, not cold, but I love being lazy on rainy days. Guess I better never move to Seattle huh? I'd never leave my bed.

So these last few days visiting with Sara have been awesome. I told her several times that I wish she'd been here the entire time I'd lived here. I can only imagine the adventures we would have had. I am excited that I'll get to see her some before I move though. It's been a long time since I've had such great conversations with someone other than Sean!

We did get a few pictures last night of us with the dogs and just us, so I'll have to post them once I get them uploaded.

Lindsay if you are reading this, we all have to get together and meet up! Just say yes. :)

I saw the craziest thing this morning on CNN. Evidently some brides are now asking their bridesmaids to get plastic surgery for the wedding. Can you believe that? Talk about beyond rude! This is how I imagine the conversation would go.

Bride: " Will you do me the honor of being in my wedding party? You've been such a good friend for X amount of years and I'd love to have you be a part of my special day."

Bridesmaid: "Of course! I'm so excited to be a part of your wedding! If there's anything I can do to help just let me know."

Bride: " Well...... actually I was wondering if you would mind having some plastic surgery done? I want everyone to look asthetically pleasing in my pictures and your nose just isn't cutting it for me right now."



Bridezilla anyone?

The lengths people will go to, I swear!

My parents aren't going to be in until later tonight, probably around 8. My brother wanted to come, but he had to work the next 3 days, so that obviously isn't going to happen. I'm sad he's not able to come, he's a real hoot!

Sean is going to be gone for about a week, starting Sunday or Monday and then in November he's going to be gone for most of the month. I'm really hoping in the time that he's gone I can drop a few pounds. It's always easier to lose weight when he's not around stuffing delicious potato creations in my mouth.

I just realized it's Thursday and I haven't been to the gym since last Saturday. I really should go tonight (key word: should) but I still need to get a card for my mom and another present and clean up a little around the house. Plus I really, really want to take a nap so I'm thinking I won't make it to the gym until Sunday. Next week I'm going to have to really ramp it up though if I want to lose some more weight by the holidays. Why can't taking weight off be as easy as putting it on?

I'm still reading Jen Lancaster's Bitter in Black and if you haven't read it yet, you must! It's sarcastic and hilarious and just all around great!

Hope everyone has a great Thursday!