Skinnie Piggie

No wine for you... no liquor too...

2012-01-26T16:23:00.001-10:00

Evidently alcohol was not in my immediate future last night... I wanted a glass of wine with my dinner. I tried over and over to get my wine opener to do it's job - OPEN my wine. Is that too much to ask? Yes... yes it is... take a look:

Then, to top it off as I was closing the {non-useful} opener, the corkscrew part snapped down on my pointer finger resulting in a pretty deep cut right next to the finger nail... I washed it, wrapped it in a paper towel until the bleeding slowed down, then neosporin and a band-aid were applied.

We have a bottle of cafe liquor from Mexico. So, I figured if I couldn't have wine... why not sip this? One problem... the bottle has never been opened. So I unwrapped the plastic and went to pull the cork out... the wood piece attached to the cork came off. No way I was going to try the wine opener again... so... if you're keeping score:

Wine opener - 2

Wine bottle - 1

Liquor bottle - 1

Skinnie - big fat zero

Ultimately, I drank water and after dinner ate some dark chocolate squares. So, I guess it wasn't a total loss. Right?

The 11 Q&A {tag you're it!}

2012-01-25T00:24:00.001-10:00

I got tagged not once. Not twice. But three times by these wonderful ladies-

1. Ines from The Few The Proud The Wife

2. Taryn from Iron and Wine
3. Allie from My Marine and Me

So...basically you're going to get to read a lot about me...

If you choose to do so that is.

The rules-

1. You must post the rules. (and link up who tagged you)
2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.
4. Tag however many people you want
5. Let them know you've tagged them!

11 facts about me

1. I refuse to watch scary movies. Refuse.
2. I like to change things often... I just re-organized my living room, yesterday.
3. I like Sanrio's Tuxedo Sam & Nintendo's Yoshi - they're so cute!
4. I really want a dog, I'll settle for a guinea pig, I may not get either.
5. I eat 4-6x a day.
6. I have to have the closet door closed to sleep at night.
7. I want to run a 5k, but I hate running.
8. I really want to buy a SUP.
9. I'm terrified to have children.
10. Dark chocolate is my happy place.
11. I love my family.

Ines' questions for me-

1. Coke or Pepsi? Neither, I don't drink soda.

2. Best book that you have read recently? I just finished "Get it On!" by Keni Thomas, a former Army Ranger that lived through Black Hawk Down.

3. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Uhhhh... are athletic shoes included? Because I own two pairs of rock climbing shoes, two pairs of running shoes, soccer cleats.... ohhh, we'll just say around 35ish? In comparison to a lot of women that's not bad.

4. Whats your favorite wine? Birbet or Chocolate Shop

5. Mac or Pc? Funny story, we have both.

6. Whats your favorite meal? Authentic Mexican tacos, black beans, rice, and homemade salsa & chips.

7. Whats your favorite quote? "Just start by doing something good, you're destined for greatness."

8. Dream vacation? You can actually see that here.

9. Do you have an agenda? If so, is it on your phone or do you own an actual agenda? I have a day planner notebook that goes with me in my purse & a calendar on the fridge with appointments and such written down.

10. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Night owl, hands down.

11. Favorite holiday? Christmas.

Taryn's questions for me-

1. What time do you like to get up on Saturday mornings? If we don't have a day-trip planned, whenever I roll out of bed.

2. Where would you visit if time & resources were no object? See Ines' question #8 above.

3. What is your favorite fragrance? To wear? Um, I'm allergic to perfume... but I love my husband's cologne, Banana Republic's Slate.

4. Do you enjoy people watching? Why or why not? If yes, where is your favorite location to "watch" ? Yes, I think people are so interesting and it's fun to people watch with my husband or close friends to make silly comments. I would say my favorite location would have to be the mall or down in Waikiki.

5. What did you want to be when you were little? A veterinarian.

6. Cats or Dogs? Dogs. Cats like me a lot, but I think it's because they know I don't like them.

7. Describe your favorite pizza. Hmmm.... CPK has so many delicious ones... but I like when we make homemade Hawaiian... cheese, ham, bacon, and pineapple.

8. Where would you like to retire?? Here. Maybe. I'm not sure... someplace we can afford and enjoy.

9. Best memory? Just one?! The day my dad was told he was in remission. The day my husband proposed. Walking down the aisle at our wedding locking eyes with him.

10. Which store would you choose to max-out your credit card? Banana Republic.

11. Describe your ideal vacation. ...again, refer above.

Allie's questions for me-
1. If you had to eat one thing for breakfast for the rest of your life, what would it be? LIFE Cereal.
2. What is the one chore you despise doing? Cleaning toilets!
3. Are there any books you can pick up and reread over and over again? I re-read Killer Angels and the Chronicles of Narnia every now and then.
4. Who would play you in the movie of your life? Hmmm, Emma Stone? AZ girl!
5. If you had to rename your blog for any reason what would be its new name? "Ever-changing Life"
6. What is your favorite outfit to wear? Sandals, jeans/shorts, and comfy tee/tank.
7. If I gave you $100 what completely non practical thing would you spend it on? But I need practical things... okay, fine... a really pretty dress/heels for homecoming... even though I'll probably just be in a sundress and sandals, haha.
8. What is your favorite childhood memory? Climbing trees in our neighbors front yard for hours!
9. If you could be an instant expert in any subject matter, what would you choose? Theology, I would love to have the Biblical knowledge to back my faith up!
10. What is your favorite joke? When I read this question so many popped up in my head, but I really didn't deem any of them worthy of being a "favorite."
11. Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? With Waldo!

My questions for the bloggers I've tagged-
1. If you had to pick one word to define your life currently, what would it be?
2. Camping in the woods or a beach trip?
3. What is your favorite candy bar?
4. The best date you've been on (or your ideal date night)?
5. One day without technology- no phone, no tv, no internet. What would you do?
6. Did you/do you have a favorite stuffed animal, what is the story behind it?
7. Lipstick, lipgloss, or chapstick?
8. What is your favorite form of exercise?
9. Candles or Scentsy?
10. Good news or bad news... who is the first person you call?
11. What is your favorite way to unwind after a stressful day?

Blogger's I'm tagging-
1. YOU! I feel like I'm behind in the game... most of you have been tagged, but if you haven't and would like to play along tell them "Skinnie" tagged you, then join in the fun. PLEASE?! **Comment and let me know you're playing, I would love to read your answers.

Monday:Pick-Me-Up

2012-01-23T04:30:00.000-10:00

Instead of focusing on all of the unpacking I didn't finish yesterday or all of the cleaning I need to do since the house sat empty for so long... I am going to remember:

-I just spent an amazing 6wks with my family.
-I had a great flight [2 seats to myself, a 2hr nap, breakfast was included, and I got to watch Dolphin Tale]
-I am waking up in the land of Aloha.

How is your Monday going?

Pray. Honor. Remember.

2012-01-20T08:39:00.001-10:00

The media will keep showing you those Marines who were stupid and dishonorable. Over and over they will replay that terrible video. But when military spouses and children are at risk or when we lose six of our own... you have to search the internet or live in the direct community affected. The American people only see what the media allows them to see... *sigh*

Please stand with me in praying for the families and friends of the six Marines we lost out of Hawaii today... some of our friends are waiting to hear if one of the men lost is their neighbor. I can't imagine sitting in the kitchen with your close friend waiting to hear if her husband has been killed... what do you do? How do you approach that situation accurately, sensitively, correctly?

I thought I was ready to go back to Hawaii.
Now I will arrive just in time for every single funeral & memorial.
And you know what.
Even though I don't know any of them.
I just may go to each one.
Because these men deserve to be honored. remembered. loved.
Who cares how much I cry.
They are worth it.

*Edit: January 21st.

They have released the names...

Capt. Nathan R. McHone, 29, CH-53 pilot.
Capt. Daniel B. Bartle, 27, CH-53 pilot.
MSgt. Travis W. Riddick, 40, crew chief, survived by his wife and six children.
Cpl. Joseph D. Logan, 22, aerial observer, survived by his wife.
Cpl. Kevin J. Reinhard, 25, crew chief.
Cpl. Jesse W. Stites, 23, crew chief, survived by his wife.

Christmas Care Package

2012-01-18T04:30:00.000-10:00

I totally forgot to share my first deployment (for my husband- I've sent them to my cousin & our friends) care package! I think I did pretty well...

All of the goodies I purchased (minus the hard candies I got later to fill the paper goody bags). Mini tree, mini ornaments, starburst candy canes, red/white garland, andes peppermint cruch and regular mints, mini stockings, nutella, small Christmas "magic" towels, snowman sign, and paper goody bags.

Right before I packed up the box and added my personal card for my hubby. I made a stocking for each guy in his team and put candy in the paper goody bags to be used as "presents" under the mini tree.

Finally, managed to fit it all in a medium sized flat rate box, which I wrapped the insides with fun penguin/snowman paper. I made sure to add Luke 2:11 so he would be reminded of the true reason for Christmas.

So, what's the verdict?

Monday:Pick-Me-Up

2012-01-16T04:30:00.000-10:00

So, just about everyone I know enjoys getting a good deal. I mean couponing went from being a money saver to a sport, then a straight up obsession! I am not a black friday shopper, a day after Christmas shopper, nor am I one that cuts coupons and buys only what I have coupons for. BUT, I do love a deal! I went to Michaels' (since we don't have them in Hawaii) with my mom and rummaged through the $1 bins. Cute notepads, stamps, sticker, mugs, candles, eeeeee! *Sidenote- I need another suitcase, or a box...a big box...* I had forgotten nail clippers and found a cute manicure set in the bottom of one of the $1 bins so I snatched it up.

While checking out I like to watch each item as it is rung up in case of mistake and especially when I'm purchasing items at certain percentages off. Well she got to the mini-manicure set and it rang up as: $.01 yes, you read that right. ONE CENT. I stopped her and asked "is that really a penny?" She looked, rang it up again and said, "evidently so!"

Need proof?

Deal of the year!

Have you gotten any great deals lately?

conflicted

2012-01-11T20:15:00.000-10:00

I'm feeling so conflicted and torn lately it's ridiculous. The worst part - it's all coming from me. ME.

First. This blog.
I love this blog- I love that I have entered a community all it's own. The military spouse blogging community. I love reading your comments, your advice, your input, then hopping over to yours and doing the same. But, this blog didn't start out as a military spouse blog. It started out as my inspiration blog (think pinterest 3yrs before it's time, haha), then as I found you wonderful ladies I thought I'd found a "niche." I'm not so sure. I feel conflicted (there's that word again), like I'm dipping my feet into the water and not ready to make the jump. Not that I can fully... you will never be able to see my husband's face or learn our names. That's just a fact. But, I feel like because of this there is so much I can't share with you/won't share with you. I have a personal blog for my family and close friends, so it's not killing me. But I often wonder- why is "Skinnie Piggie" even out there? Why do people read, follow, actually comment on someone they can {probably} never truly know? *I say probably because I have met up with three lovely ladies, they just know that in the blog world I will forever be known as Skinnie.

Second. Home.
Some people would say that I am currently home. And while, in the sense that I was born, raised, and my family is still here, yes... Arizona is and forever will be considered "my home." However, I'm talking about going home... to Hawaii. I consider wherever I am living with (or without) my husband to be my current home. Right now the conflict (yep, again) with this is... seeing the uniforms, hair cuts, tattoos, buses, vehicles, hearing the weapons from the range on the hill, and not breaking down because my short-haired-uniform-and-tatooed-hottie-of-a-husband-left-on-a-bus-is-using-a-humvee-and-toting-around-a-couple-of-those-guns-I'll-be-hearing-up-the-hill. Here in Arizona-land I haven't completely escaped the "military life" but it's definitely not so in your face as living on base and waking up to an empty house.

Third. Pets.
In exactly one week it will mark a year since we gave away Beans & Twix. In my entire life (save 3-6mo with the internship/getting married/moving) I've never gone so long without having a furry friend. We grew up constantly having two dogs in the house. When I was nine years old I decided I was responsible enough for my own pet and the guinea pig epidemic began. With my family I have lived through four dogs (#5 is still kicking & now they have #6 who is ridiculously cute) and four guinea pigs. Then add on the two guinea pigs my husband and I had when we first got married and that's quite a lot of animal love. I miss having a fur-baby to cuddle up with, especially when my husband is away. Enter my conflicting ( I promise this is the last one) thoughts about getting another pet: I don't have a yard and that almost instantaneously rules out a dog. Hubby and I like BIG dogs and big dogs only, we need a yard and preferably a doggie door. Yes, it could work without a yard and without a door... but that seems unfair to such a large and free roaming animal. A guinea pig is also much easier to find a sitter for when you go on vacation- which we tend to like and since we live so far away it tends to be for a long period of time. They are also pretty clean.

I'm sure I'm thinking too much into all of these.
But these are major concerns of mine lately.
Sigh. Such is life.

Monday:Pick-Me-Up

2012-01-09T07:27:00.000-10:00

So if you didn't know, I'm sick. But that's not what I'm going to write about, because that's not uplifting! I'm grateful for my momma since she went and got me nyquil, cough drops, zicam, and boxes of kleenex. I don't have a car here so I would have needed to borrow hers anyway, it was super nice to just sleep and have someone else take care of me (which is not the norm during a deployment).

So yesterday was spent sleeping, eating, drinking water, and repeating multiple times. When I was awake I was popping Halls like a mad woman... about 5 cough drops in I noticed the following:

Talk about a kick in the pants! Haha... I love all the phrases:

A pep talk in every drop
March forward!
You got it in you.
Keep your chin up.
Don't try harder. Do harder!
Power through!
Bet on yourself.
Let's hear your battle cry!
Put your game face on.

Others not in this picture, that I found throughout the day:

The show must go on. Or work.
Seize the day.
Be unstoppable.
You've survived tougher.
Don't waste a precious minute.
Be resilient.
Go for it.
Get back in there champ!

Talk about motivation from the most unlikely of sources... these are great little quotes that don't just apply to getting through a cold/flu! I hope one of them resonates with you this morning. Which are your favorites? Mine are in maroon.

Have a great week!

the thing about colds

2012-01-07T12:06:00.003-10:00

...it's been a:

couch

kleenex box

blankie

still in my pjs at 3pm

netflix

lots of h2o

cold toes

endless coughing

achy

kind of day.

I'm looking forward to:

a nyquil

actual sleep

kind of night.

Colds don't care where you are, if you're on vacation, and they especially don't care if you're suppose to be enjoying time with your family. Darn you colds! For today, I will rest. Then, I will power through this and hang out with my family and friends tomorrow... no matter what.

The Elusiveness of Sleep

2012-01-04T09:26:00.003-10:00

I've made it a little over a month now... I'm still having trouble sleeping. I'm sure most of you would think it has to do with being worried about my husband's safety, the fact that I rarely hear from him, and that I have no idea what he actually does.... but, you'd be (mostly) wrong. And that fact, makes me feel like a terrible wife.

It's not that I don't worry for him, I do. I pray everyday that God keeps him safe. I would love to hear from him more, I mean really hear his voice and not just see his name pop-up on my computer/phone, but such is life. I can't do anything about being more knowledgeable about his job, that's a big no-no.

After I've laid down for the night, gotten all comfy, said my prayer, read my book, and turned off the lights... it's like the wheels in my head take that as the "go-sign" to start turning. I think about everything! Missing my husband is usually the first thing, but then a whole slew of other items jump on the crazy-thought train: Going back to Hawaii and dealing with an empty house, both cars needing oil changes, re-arranging the living room, getting a new guinea pig, figuring out how to file our taxes correctly while he deployed, if I want to paint our bedroom wall, what bills are due when, my friend coming to visit and making sure the guest room is complete, getting rid of things we don't need, mosaics I want to make, it's a voting year and I don't know which state I'm allowed to register in, plans for our lanai, wanting to start a "deployment dinners club," as well as wanting to start a Bible study for wives going through deployment, hoping my boss gives me a promotion like we discussed before my vacation, then worried about the hours for the new work, and on and on...

I toss & turn the clock creeps by... 1am, 2am, 3am... if I'm still awake at that point my real anxiety kicks in and I feel the beginnings of a panic attack forming. The lights go back on to deter a fulll-on attack, then I start the routine over. Try to get comfortable, say another (different) prayer, read the next chapter in my book, and try turning the lights off again.

What on earth is wrong with me?

I just want to sleep.

Monday:Pick-Me-Up

2012-01-02T18:56:00.001-10:00

So, I wasn't too thrilled about not having a good Monday:Pick-Me-Up for the very first Monday of 2012. I mean, I figured if I didn't start it off right, it just wouldn't be any fun! I know it's coming really late, but I am so glad my family headed up to the lake today, because boy do I have a treat for you...


Right now I bet you're thinking one of the following: 1- this is totally super-imposed 2- was someone actually that stupid? 3- this looks like some weird natural disaster movie

It is actually a boat-car... I believe the kind in the top black and white photo on this page.

This really does look like a scene out of a movie... I kept expecting JAWS to appear.

I know it's late, but feel free to join in the link-up if you wish... I will do better about posting them early so everyone can join in... making our Monday's a little brighter, happier, and lighter!

Where did 2011 go?!

2011-12-30T21:58:00.000-10:00

2011 seemed like one of those terrible-wonderful years, that felt really long but now that it has come to an end I can't figure out how it flew by so quickly...

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JANUARY
I posted about TOMS Shoes... that post is still the #1 visited post overall on my blog. I had to call the cops over a domestic dispute. I had to give away my babies... We experienced many PCS woes and trials.

FEBRUARY
TMO came and went and I moved home for a month and a half while my husband attended a school. I wrote about TOMS Shoes again, it is my #2 most visited post overall. We celebrated Valentine's day apart. Finally, I threw a really fun bridal shower for my best friend!

MARCH
I participated in a a wedding ring link-up which became my #3 most visited post overall! I expressed my distaste with the entertainment industry, talked about my words, went to California then back to the east coast, and finally sold my car.

APRIL
I was delighted that we got to spend a whirlwind day in NYC & New Jersey before PCSing... especially visiting Carlo's Bakery! I filled out the milSpouse survey, told you in detail about our CRAZY 24hr PCS adventure, then about my first week in Hawaii, and introduced my first "skinnie secret."

MAY
Osama Bin Laden was killed and I wrote my feelings down about the subject. We went to the Spam Jam, I whined about finding a house, shared the 100 Work-out and talked about stretched out pony-tails (I did find ones that work, it will be on my to-post list!), and discussed the hotel life.

JUNE
I shared about the Memorial Day Color Guard Services and my not knowing TAPS had words. We moved into the apartment from hell (we didn't know it at the time) and went without internet for almost 2wks. I did manage to get a guest post to Allie. Then we found out it was the apartment from hell... I answered your questions. The toilet broke, my spirit broke, I ended up in the ER.

JULY
This month was not a truly happy month for me... but it is part of my life, part of my story, my journey. I shared about our 4th of July and told about the Dr.'s advice. I participated in my first and last all dressed up. We went to the State Fair, Hiked Diamond Head, and visited Sea Life Park. I wrote another guest post and I shared my 2nd "skinnie secret." Our living situation wasn't getting any better and the Doctor's couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, 3-5 nights a week I would become so sick I couldn't sleep or eat.

AUGUST
We went to the PCC despite me being sick. I got to meet-up with my first blogger! I finally shared with you all about my panic attacks.

SEPTEMBER
Between my health issues, the apartment issues, and the (then) upcoming deployment... moving on base was a blessing. I ran huge giveaway celebrating my 25th birthday! We went on a CREDO Marriage Enrichment Retreat.

OCTOBER
I got a job and volunteered for the base haunted house. My parents came to visit, it was wonderful having them around.

NOVEMBER
My anxiety issues snuck out once again, so not fun. I attended the Joint Spouses Conference and the 236th Marine Corps Ball. We celebrated Thankmus and I discussed rental homes.

DECEMBER
My husband deployed, I traveled home and forgot a lot of things in the process, and tried not to feel sorry for myself at Christmas.

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It's been a year of ups and downs... too many changes to count... tons of travel... and a lot of time at the doctors office with not as many answers as we'd like. I feel like I am getting better and then all of a sudden I'll have a panic attack in the middle of the night out of nowhere. I miss my husband terribly and he won't be back until well into this coming year, it's going to take a lot for me to hold everything together while trying to "fix" myself as far as my stress/anxiety levels go. But... 2012 is here now, there will be good and bad days and I'll do my best to focus on the positives!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

This Christmas

2011-12-24T10:30:00.001-10:00

This Christmas will be... a very special Christmas indeed... why? Because.

Yes, just because. My husband may not be here, but it f I were to focus on that I would miss the entire meaning of Christmas... the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! Without that there would be no CHRISTmas in the first place. =)

"For unto us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

~Isaiah 9:6

I happen to have a wonderful family as well... we've been attending lots of Christmas Events...

*I did get to hear my wonderful husband's voice, then it finally allowed skype's video to connect for a short time- what a Christmas blessing!

Since he left...

2011-12-20T10:29:00.000-10:00

The past weeks have been quite crazy for me... With the exception of the scheduled post "The Goodbye," most of my posts were pretty short/random and almost all of the Monday: Pick-Me-Ups were scheduled due to pre-deployment and after-he-left-insanity. Then, my scheduled ones ran out and you get me just now realizing that there weren't any for the past two Mondays, I apologize! If I've learned anything that I can pass along to other (newer) milSpouses:

Do not under any circumstances think that traveling a mere three days after your husband deploys is a good idea.

It wasn't for me at least... d-day I did nothing but lay on the couch watching netflix movies. The second day I had to get my butt in gear to begin my laundry so I could pack and start cleaning the house before my trip. The day before my flight I was so overwhelmed emotionally with way too much left on my pre-trip "to-do" list that I stayed up into the early morning hours trying to get it all done... then I managed to have a complete breakdown in the waiting area at the airport complete with never-ending tears and a phone call to my dad. I arrived at my parents with no toiletries except deodorant & make-up, I managed to forget all closed-toed shoes except my purple & hot-pink Nikes and my blue TOMS, my books are still on my nightstand at home, and the kitchen counter is holding my dad's favorite Hawaiian treat (Caramacs) until my return. Talk about hot-mess.

Luckily my sister is nice and is letting me share her shampoo, conditioner, body-wash, and toothpaste. I bought a $1 loofah then decided with the cold temperatures (yes, it gets cold in Arizona) and all the rain in the forecast that I needed a pair of boots since my running shoes won't quite cut it for everyday wear or matching the wardrobe, not that I don't love purple & pink... and the TOMS aren't the greatest in the rain.

As for the deployment... my hubby's team got sent to a very remote location and is gone for days at a time. They don't have phones available to them and their internet is very spotty. I've skyped with him once before it froze their internet, tried it again a second time with just the voice, and since then it's just been the text-messenger. It's so weird only being able to essentially "text" with him once every 4-10 days. I am not a fan. My husband's job is why he is where he is, but I am trying so hard not to be jealous of the other wives/my friends in the detachment whose husband's got sent to the nicer sites with full wi-fi... the facebook status updates that say "got to skype with my hubby for 3hrs tonight" make me a little green with envy. It wouldn't be so bad if it were an occasional thing, but they are getting to do this nightly. All I get to see is an "I love you" pop-up in a little window on my computer, usually followed by "I've only got 5min." I apologize though, enough of my pity party... I know others who go months without a word...

I've been staying really busy with family/friends... decorating the Christmas tree, attending a Christmas boat parade, jogging, my sister's college graduation, my mom's women's group white elephant party, walking the dogs, my grandparents coming into town, a girl's night with my best friend, and much more. It's nice being here in a house that is bursting with life and emotions. It makes me weary thinking of my big 'ole empty house that I will return to shortly after the holidays. I feel like emotionally I am doing alright, the hardest thing for me is actually getting to sleep... 1, 2, 3am are becoming a regular "bedtime" and I know this isn't healthy. It partly has to do with the anxiety issue, partly the time zone change, and partly because I am a night owl.

Any bedtime routine advice?

The Goodbye

2011-12-14T21:05:00.000-10:00

This post has been delayed in order to comply with OPSEC...

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It isn’t the first time she’s said goodbye, it won’t be thelast.
It isn’t the first time she’s been alone, but it will be thelongest so far.
The prior week was filled with “I love you’s” “Don’t go’s”and “Take me with you’s”
Today it was just “I love you, be safe, and I’ll see you soon.”

As he boarded that bus, that terrible-wonderful white bus,he waved one last goodbye.

He has left before, but never to war. God please keep himsafe.

The tears slipped down her cheek as she turned back to hercar.

She pulled into the driveway and walked through the frontdoor.

Their home would now be her home. Their bed, hers alone.

She prays for comfort and guidance to navigate the monthsahead,

She knows there’s no way she can do this without God,family, and friends.

Sitting down on the couch, tears and soft sobs come and go.

Where will he sleep? What will he eat? Will the locals treathim well?

Will there be a Chaplain there constantly praying for God’sprotection all around?

Will I sleep? Is constantly cooking for one hard? Will myfriends actually care?

Will I trust that God is on my side or constantly forgetthat he is there?

When the time is right, she picks herself up.

Opening all the blinds, letting the sunlight in,

She utters a wavering whisper- “I can do this,”

And the countdown to her lovers return begins.

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These words are original, they are mine alone. PLEASE do not STEAL this, I wrote it the day my husband left. If you happen to see it floating around the internet with no credit/link back to my blog, let me know. I'd do the same for you.

Goodbye my love... I'll see you soon.

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-12-05T08:00:00.001-10:00

Went to the base chapel "Tree Lighting Ceremony" complete with the MarForPac Band & Christmas Carols!

For some reason I didn't take a picture on my phone of the actual lighting... it's on my nice camera, but I'm being super lazy right now. Anyway, the tree is HUGE:

So how is your Monday going?

Are you getting into the Christmas Spirit?

Open Doors

2011-11-30T14:12:00.001-10:00

My house smells like someone dumped a gallon of lysol combined with pinesol into our air-conditioning unit... oh wait someone just did. Something similar anyway, I have such a headache! I opened the back door and front door using the ocean breeze to "air-out" the house. It's helping, but man... whatever the maintenance guy used was POTENT.

I know that getting a hold of maintenance, especially with military housing can be a pain... but I do my best not to complain. Back in Maryland one of our hot water pipes cracked and leaked all over the kitchen. The next day they came out and fixed the problem (they did light part of the house on fire, but you can read about that here). We also had our air-conditioning unit break, within 2 days they had a new unit delivered and installed. Here they just completed preventative A/C maintenace, which is great since they tested the unit, cleaned it, and replaced the filter.

I cannot imagine the cost of all of those repairs had we owned the home. Plumbing and HVAC are two of the most expensive repairs homeowners can experience! While having our "own home" sounds nice, right now I am perfectly fine with renting and not pouring thousands of dollars into someplace we're only going to be in for 2-4yrs.

Back to having the doors open, I'm loving the "wintry" weather we've been having. Breezy, rainy, and in the low 70s in the day... then down to the low 60s at night with the cool tradewinds. I am really sad I haven't found any lights for our lanai, last night would have been perfect for sipping cocoa in a light hoodie. I did get our bamboo windchime put up, I love the calming noise it makes. Along with finding the perfect lights I am planning on getting a mini-bamboo fountain. I foresee many deployment "projects" ahead!

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-11-28T04:30:00.000-10:00

My husband and I agreed on small stocking stuffers and three Christmas gifts for each other... 2 small, 1 bigger (a dremmel glass drill for me, a trident knife for him). Evidently his Black Friday trip at 4am brought him quite a deal, because much to my surprise I opened this:

I'm not really sure who I'll be baking for within the next year, maybe the guys in the barracks? Throw a dinner party? Hmmm....

How was your Thanksgiving?

"Thankmus"

2011-11-25T22:21:00.001-10:00

My dad is a retired firefighter, so I am used to celebrating holiday's a day or two before or after the actual holiday/birthday. So, I know the actual day isn't as important as the people you spend your time with...

However squeezing two HUGE holiday's together into one weekend is kind of overwhelming... Yesterday was Thanksgiving, tonight is our "Christmas Eve" and tomorrow is our "Christmas." I set up a very small table, nothing like my normal Christmas decor (two huge rubbermaid totes full of items):

I am hoping we can catch one of the local tree lighting ceremonies or holiday craft shows before my hubby leaves. I know it's been a long-time coming, but all of a sudden this deployment seems to have snuck-up on me!

Monday Pick-Me-Up

2011-11-21T04:30:00.000-10:00

I have lots to be excited about on this Monday morning...

My husband is home from the field (although he is working... don't get me started on the fact we aren't getting pre-deployment leave... *sigh*)
Thanksgiving is on Thursday (although I'm praying this week is really slow)!
My hair color...

Technically it was suppose to be "auburn cherry" I think my hair only got the "cherry" memo... but it's unique and I like it! Plus, it'll wash out in 28 or so shampoo's I'm WAY too indecisive and lazy for permanent hair-dye upkeep!

So, how are you beating the Monday blues?

2 fails 1 smile

2011-11-16T10:12:00.001-10:00

#1
My linky party was kind of an "epic failure" this week... I had zero, zip, zilch people participate in "Monday: Pick-Me-Up" Maybe next week? *hint-hint, wink-wink, nudge-nudge*

#2
B and I loaded up her little ones and headed for North Shore... we didn't take into account that the President's limo ride to the Air Force Base would close down the ENTIRE freeway. So we meandered through side-streets and neighborhoods until we got to where the freeway was open, that only took like an hour. We finally arrived at the Reef Hawaiian Pro Surf Competition only to see this:

"No Contest Today! Check Back Tomorrow after 7:00am"

We decided to hang out for the day since we planned to anyway. We had our beach gear, ice chest full of goodies and lunch, and two little boys loving the sand. I managed to convince her older son (3yrs) to let me take him out in the waves (since he normally only goes with daddy)... he had a blast, as did I until I realized I had sliced my toe open on the reef... oops. I still played in the sand & walked around town shopping for 2.5hrs afterwards on it. Let me tell you- soap, q-tips (to get the sand out), and hydrogen peroxide were my lover/hater that evening! Here it is after getting most of the junk out of it...

Not the greatest photo... plus it doesn't look too bad since it's not bleeding or full of sand!

It's now bandaged up and I feel so awkward wearing socks/shoes around town! Despite some "epic fails," I'm still having a pretty great week...

How about you?

Monday: Pick-Me-Up {1st Linky Party!}

2011-11-14T05:30:00.000-10:00

Can I just say that I am super excited about hosting this linky-party (I mean I'll be more excited if people actually participate, but since I do this ~~every~~ most Monday's it's not like I'm going to stop, if people don't join in)! That being said... please post your "Monday: Pick-Me-Up" and link it here!

You can find the code for this button to your right -->

I could be grumbling today since:

my hubby is in the field and I've got a week-ish left of cooking dinner for one
the fact he is in the field... training for this deployment has been ridiculous, I mean you can't get much closer to the actual deployment than we are right now
honestly, I just want to lay in bed all day

BUT... this little gem brightened my mood:

We had our pre-deployment pictures taken last week...and last night the photographer posted this photo in a "preview album" on her facebook page. I am so looking forward to seeing the rest of the photos, the last time we had any taken of us it was on our wedding day!

So what are you choosing to focus on rather than "Monday Blues?"

236th Marine Corps Ball

2011-11-10T22:24:00.001-10:00

#1 Happy Birthday Marines!

#2 Thank you to everyone (of all branches)

who have served, are serving, or will.

The ball this year was a bit of a let-down... here are my reasons for saying that:

I know we live in Hawaii... but tickets should not be that expensive and not include an open bar during "cocktail hour." Why even have a cocktail hour? This is the first ball I've attended (4th) that hasn't had an open bar for at least the cocktail hour.
I don't know if we have an abundance of really young marines or jaded marines or what... but they were super disrespectful during the beginning and end of the ceremony. It took them halfway through the opening speech about the missing man table to quiet down at the beginning, then during the video from the commandant of the corps people were chatting, getting up for drinks, and leaving the ballroom! Seriously? I mean, really now?
We were right in the middle of the APEC conference so getting to the venue was a bit of a chore (many closed streets and high security areas)

However...

I got to hang out with my {new} closest friend B
I saw some of the ladies from my church
I enjoyed spending time with my hubby (I sure am going to miss that man)
We gasped/gawked/laughed at some wardrobe decisions (we had 3 wedding gowns, at least 4 women who could barely move without risking everyone seeing their hoo-hah, a larger women in a skin-tight sequined dress with an afro wearing white gloves and 5in stripper heels, and many more...)
The dinner was delicious and our dessert was a pineapple & lilikoi (passion fruit) ice cream cake!
The dance floor was super fun (it's always nice when people actually dance)
We woke up and got to walk along the ocean!
I felt like a princess with the knight in shiny ~~armour~~ dress blues to match.

I would LOVE to show you a picture of me and my handsome hubby... but some details and me (+my friend) are all you're going to get...


This is my 2nd time wearing a "short" dress... I deem knee and below as appropriate. Plus, If you can believe it both of our dresses and shoes only cost $135 together! Bargain shoppers! We painted our own nails and I did both of our hair. Talk about "cheap" dates. also- I have no idea what I am doing with my hand, haha!

I hope you are all having an amazing Veteran's Day Weekend!
Take some time to remember those we've lost.

PS: I'm linking up with Semper Wifey for her USMC Birthday Bash!

JSC: Re-Cap

2011-11-09T08:01:00.000-10:00

The Joint Spouses Conference took place at Hickam AFB this year. It was my first conference like this and I plan to continue going until we PCS from here.

I don't have as many beautiful pictures to share with you as Annie did... partly because my first two work-shops were Stand Up Paddle Boarding and I didn't really envision my Canon Rebel enjoying the hot interior of my car very well for 2.5hrs. However, I took my little Olympus Waterproof and Annie let me borrow our group photo!


Finally meeting Jennifer & Annie!

I arrived pretty early in order to register and find a seat for breakfast. I ran into a couple of ladies from the LINKS and MCFTB classes I had taken at our base, they were excited to see me there. The breakfast buffet was huge and almost overwhelming, it took me forever to decide what I wanted to eat! After breakfast we sat down in the conference room for the opening ceremony. I will say that having a room full of military spouses stand with their hands over their hearts for the National Anthem is quite a sight to see. No hemming or hawing or wishing the singer would hurry up and not draw out his notes. Just quiet reverence, smiles, and even a few tears.

After the opening ceremony was done we headed out for workshops #1 & #2, like I said above, mine took place in the water! I had actually SUP'd the weekend before with my dad. I learned on an 11' board so I made sure I tried a smaller one this time around (10'6") I loved it, it was much more maneuverable for me. I want one so bad... *hint-hint "santa"*

After SUPing we changed and headed to lunch. Lunch wasn't really impressive, some sort of cold beef salad... however, desert was pretty good.

I felt kind of bad though because it was a scone and all of our spoons were clanking while the guest speaker was doing her thing. I think Kimberly Dozier is a good speaker (she is a journalist, so she knows how to address a crowd) but I'm not sure her story was completely applicable to all of us. Myself personally... yes, we have friends in the Wounded Warrior Barracks. Hearing her describe her brush with death then recovery and healing was insightful. It was also a bit terrifying, we know that our husbands' go to war, but sometimes we don't need to know all of the gruesome details until he comes home and feels the need to tell us (if ever). That being said I did purchase her book and wait in line for her to autograph it. While that was cool, I really just waited in line to talk to her. I asked her why she wanted to speak to a group of military spouses. She said that there is no other group of women out there that would be able to sympathize or learn from her story. I guess I get that.

After lunch I had three work-shops that were just "fillers" because I didn't register early enough to get the classes that I really wanted. I had "Your ideal life," "How does your garden grow?," and "Bento box Hawaiian quilting." None of them were amazing, but I did learn some useful tips for growing a veggie/herb garden on my lanai (patio) and I did actually start a Hawaiian quilt square, but I confess it's sitting in it's little bento box 2.5wks later with no further progress.

Next year my plan is to register as soon as it opens, even if I have to wake up super early! I didn't win any of the drawings or the silent auction items, but I had a nice day overall. The wine and pupus (appetizers) at the end of the day were really good accompanied with enjoyable conversation with Annie & Jennifer. If you're in Hawaii, I hope to see you there next year!

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-11-07T10:55:00.001-10:00

I'm at the "wishing time would slow down" part of this pre-deployment. I am definitely trying to enjoy life each day no matter what it or the marine corps throws at us! Food poisoning? We can still go sit on the beach. 18.5hr work-days? We can still cuddle on the couch watching a movie until we fall asleep. They aren't ideal situations to have occur in the last few weeks together... but... what can you do?!

*Also, I have a question for you! Would you be willing to participate in a "Monday: Pick-Me-Up" Linky Party? I'd make a fun button and you could link-up on this post every Monday. I know that in general Monday's are the least favorite day of the week so if we all flooded our blogs with a "pick-me-up" wouldn't that be fun? Let me know by commenting or participating in the poll at the top of the right column. Thanks!

rearing it's ugly head

2011-11-02T10:21:00.003-10:00

My recent issues with anxiety and panic attacks aren't a secret {here, here, or here}... I just don't like talking about them because I get disappointed with myself. I get disappointed that even with my faith, reading the Bible, and prayers (by myself and others) I WAS doing better. However, I feel like instead of complete healing this week I am reverting. During the day I know that the deployment is getting ever so close but I work through it, I try to spend every second of the hour (or two) that I do get with my husband after he's worked a 16.5hr shift being positive and not thinking about him leaving... but my mind plays evil tricks on me. "Enjoy this, soon you won't be able to touch him, see his face, or hear him." Then I break down into tears and my poor husband just sits there and takes me being an emotional mess. Not the kind of "bonding time" I had in mind for our last weeks together.

I'm not sleeping so I'm exhausted.

My heart races all night so my chest has a dull ache in the morning.

My stomach is constantly in knots so I never feel 100%.

This sounds terrible... but I'm hoping once he actually leaves my body sucks it up. He'll be gone, so I can't dread his leaving me. I really can't imagine going through this nightly for an entire deployment... *sigh*

I have a meeting with the doctor tomorrow about my medications/travel arrangements (visiting family for Christmas)... I know she's going to want to start weaning me off my anxiety medication, but despite the fact that it can become addictive I don't know if that's a good idea in the weeks leading up to my husband's departure. Especially since all the above has continued to happen even while on it... I guess we'll see what happens.

Do any of you struggle with pre-deployment anxiety/panic attacks?
Did they go away, or is it a once you get them you have them type of deal?
If you don't want to comment for personal reasons, feel free to e-mail me:
skinniepiggie{at}gmail.com

I just want to be happy again,

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-10-31T13:15:00.003-10:00

What a busy weekend... Friday I volunteered to face paint once again for the battalion's hauntedt house. Then on Saturday, we threw a BBQ at our house for the 30 guys (+families) that my husband will be deploying with. Finally Sunday we went to church and attended a Halloween Party/BBQ. I was a sushi roll and my hubby, a sushi chef, it was fun and everyone thought it was creative! Needless to say I am wiped out, I need a "weekend after my weekend!" Good thing my job is super flexible and on my time schedule. Today will be spent cleaning, doing laundry, and hopefully relaxing/napping. My tummy didn't like having so much junk food two days in a row, I didn't get much sleep last night.

I went to check the mail (since we forgot to on Saturday) and this little orange envelope caught my eye. Inside was a fun little card and this:

Pretty green bracelet!

It's from one of the ladies from my family's church back in AZ. She is a long-time milspouse and just wanted to send something "bright and cheerful" my way! How awesome is that?

Have you had any good surprises lately?

Mom& Dad came to town...

2011-10-26T21:29:00.000-10:00

Mom & Dad came to visit... so we showed them the sights, sounds, local flavors, and of course the beaches! It was refreshing having my mom around, not just for the fact that she cooked and cleaned despite my attempts to remind her that she was on vacation in my home, moms... =) My dad always makes me more adventurous when hanging out with him, within 25min of learning to stand-up on a SUP in the calm waters he had me out navigating and catching waves! We also visited Pearl Harbor for some historic tourism and hit up the local swap meet.

The boat ride back from the USS Arizona Memorial

My dad and I going out for the very first time on the SUPs

Saying goodbye was hard, always is. It had been almost 8mo since seeing them... between all the moving, being sick, and having anxiety it's been quite a ride. I love my parents and I hope that we can remedy the large gaps of time between visits-too bad plane tickets cost so much!

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-10-24T08:33:00.000-10:00

Despite fighting off an icky stomach bug... I have a lot to be excited about on this Monday...

Celebrating (even if we're apart) 2yrs of marriage! ♥
Meeting two bloggers at the spouses conference! Don't worry, I'll blog about it soon.
Starting my new job!
The opportunity to win $100 from Our Military Home!!! No joke, check out her awesome review of "Apartment Guide's: Military Housing: Home Base in Any Place," and enter the giveaway... or don't, you know, so I have a better chance at winning. =P
This little gem:

{source+}

How are you starting off this new week?

fluffy pillows and cozy sheets

2011-10-21T13:39:00.000-10:00

Honestly nothing about this past week has been all THAT crazy... we said goodbye to my parents on Sunday (I'll do a short re-cap on their visit in a few days), Monday I had a planning meeting with the FRO, took homecoming photos for an Afghanistan detachment, then attended/photographed the women's worship night at my church. Tuesday I cleaned the house and ran errands. Wednesday I attended a fire marshall brief that is required for living in base housing and took my new beach cruiser for a ride around base. Thursday I went to my women's Bible study then drove all over the island looking for face paint.

Today I got up early for a job interview (I got it!) and since then have been baking fall goodies to sell at tonight's event... our battalion is holding a haunted house. I will have nothing to do with it, I can't handle scary stuff, so when I mentioned that I could paint kids' faces they decided to make a children's area at the event. So... 3 dozen pumpkin spice cookies and 2 dozen fall themed sugar cookies later, I'm tired. And... still have to paint faces tonight...

Now that I think about it... I've been tired the ENTIRE week. In the beginning I thought I was emotionally drained from saying goodbye to my parents (I hadn't seen them in almost 8mo). But, then we added the funky weather we've been having... humid, sticky, cloudy, gray, rainy... but still warm. At any rate, hubby and I were in bed at 8pm last night and asleep by 9pm! Unheard of for me... I am a night owl! I only go to bed early if I'm sick. =/

I woke up 3 times last night and each time I felt like the entire room was spinning, I don't know if it's pressure in my sinuses or not but it was scary. I've had a headache for the past two nights so that would be my guess. I will be painting faces tonight because I volunteered to do so. But honestly, I just want my pillow, sheets, and husband. *sigh*

I hope to meet/see some of you at the joint spouses conference tomorrow...

If you see me, please say hi!

Shutterfly!!!

2011-10-18T17:44:00.001-10:00

I'm not going to lie, I love shutterfly... last year they offered free holiday cards to bloggers and I was chosen to be a recipient. I am lucky enough to say that I am again this year! They also offer awesome deals all year long once you have an account, I've gotten up to 40% off photo books, free shipping, and even free everyday greeting cards. They usually do a deal on free prints once a year as well.

Being in Hawaii, I want to have a "tropical" card to send our friends and family this year... here are my top choices:

{All of the above came from the "Christmas Cards" Selection.}

I can't wait to get our photos taken and be able to design my cards (I guess I need to get on the ball!)... I am also excited to create some awesome photo gifts for my parents and in-laws! They make such great gifts for "those who have everything," plus they are so much more personalized than that spa basket or box of golf balls. =P

So thanks shutterfly... for helping me keep my memories and pass them along as well.

*This is a sponsored post.

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-10-17T09:24:00.003-10:00

A few weeks ago (or maybe more, time is spinning out of control very quickly in our home with the looming travels/deployment) the wonderful Tay from Our Military Home threw a contest for home made pumpkin frames. I WON ONE!

We have a small "landing" next to the stairs and usually the mail gets thrown on top, along with my husband's notebooks, our Bibles, etc. Which is why we call it the "landing" because everything seems to land there! However, it is also a place for our wedding stuff, it's kind of cool to see it as you walk into our home.

Now, you get to see it decorated for Halloween...

Isn't the pumpkin frame she made so cute!?

As you can tell... I'm NOT into scary halloween decor... bring on the oranges, purples, neon greens, cute jack-o-lanterns, and Peanuts Halloween items. I also take down the specific halloween decor and replace it with Thanksgiving to make Oct/Nov easy! The only thing that will change here is the mini jack-o-lantern & "happy halloween"... it'll go to a turkey and "give thanks." Easy, right?

Do you enjoy decorating for the holiday's? Any tips or tricks you use to make transitioning between them easier?

Not a fan...

2011-10-09T23:25:00.002-10:00

*warning... whining ahead, heavily influenced by military work situations- don't say I didn't warn you*

I'm not a fan of...

My husband working 18.5hr days
Pre-deployment drama... and it's not even the wives- it's the men!
The command threatening field training over Thanksgiving when it's suppose to be block-leave
One of my husband's buddies got here a month ago and is all moved in. This man was in our wedding, went through training/2 schools with my husband... yet, because of his super ridiculous wife... that haven't hung out once. Not once.
The fact that I can tell my husband is completely and utterly stressed out and I cannot help him. I can't know anything about his job (which, I admit is a blessing in disguise most days) which means he can't talk about anything with me, which means unless he hangs out with guys from his platoon... he's in a crappy mood after a bad day/bad week... then he comes home to me, and I either have to suck it up and deal with it, or I get emotional and cry.
When your business becomes other people's business... but not by choice.
Plans falling through over and over (not military related).
Trying to plan a trip home with consistently changing deployment dates.
Fake fake fake people. *sigh*
A former friend cheating on another friend of mine... after proposing to her, only to get caught, break it off, and propose to the girl he was cheating with... WHAT THE HECK?!

I promise happier things to come next time... I just really needed to get that stuff off my chest.

Marriage Retreat Review

2011-10-05T15:51:00.001-10:00

Before my birthday week hubby and I attended our local CREDO's Marriage Enrichment Retreat, it was great! Hubby and I seriously needed a weekend away from everything... technology, cell phones, but especially his work.

Our room (post bed-bug check/husband jumping on the bed!)

Friday afternoon he got off early since the retreat is sponsored and funded by the military. We drove across the island and checked into our hotel. We had enough time to grab a quick nap before the opening session/dinner. We were told what was expected of us (ie: be on time, attend all sessions, participate), they then answered any questions we had, and released us for dinner. Dinner was the most amazing buffet EVER. Prime rib, crab legs, mahi mahi, sushi, pasta, full salad bar, full side bar (mashed potatoes, rice, veggies, etc), hot rolls, dessert bar, and make your own ice cream sundae station. OH MY GOODNESS.

The Friday night sessions consisted of: "3 Keys to Communication," "Men vs Women's Brains & Special Moments of Our Love." We also learned our Myers-Briggs Personality.

Saturday morning's breakfast buffet rivaled dinner... omelet station, juice bar, pastry bar, pancake & waffle station, fruit bar, and all the typical sides (bacon, eggs, sausage, oatmeal, yogurt, hash browns, etc.). Saturday was an intense day of sessions... we learned the four biggest issues in arguments and how to change the situations. We also learned an exercise called the "XYZ" to allow the other person's feelings to be known. We received a literal "floor tile" for our refrigerator to use the Speaker Listener Technique during arguments/discussions of importance. As well as learning four steps of conflict resolution and how to fight properly. Before we were sent off with our boxed lunches we wrote each other an apology letter and an appreciation letter... we ate lunch by the pool then went back to the room to enjoy the air conditioning and to read our letters. After the break we went back for two more sessions, during these we learned about the 5 love languages (and were even given the book for free!) and intimacy... then at 4pm we were released for our "mandatory date night."

Sunday's breakfast was just as amazing... then we had a small church service followed by the final two sessions which focused on finances. Finally, we were taken to the top floor of the hotel to receive our certificate of completion and have couples photos taken. They also gave the option of doing a vow renewal, which was pretty cool...

I HIGHLY recommend attending one of these events if at all possible!

Birthday Palooza Winner #5!

2011-10-03T16:26:00.001-10:00

Okay... first of all I want to thank everyone for "celebrating" my birthday week with me. Even if you didn't win something I'm glad you took the time to participate! I'll get back to "regular" blogging later this week (I hope, the next couple of weeks are pretty packed!).

Congratulations to...

Brittany @

You have won the $10 Credit to STAMPED!

You should receive an e-mail from me shortly {skinniepiggie @ gmail.com} with information regarding contacting Elizabeth for your prize!

Thanks to everyone that entered!

Birthday Palooza Winner #4!

2011-10-02T08:46:00.000-10:00

Congratulations to...

Erika @

You have won the soy candle and patriotic tee!

You should receive an e-mail from me shortly {skinniepiggie @ gmail.com} with information regarding contacting Taylor for your prize!

Thanks to everyone that entered!

Don't forget you still have time to enter my final giveaway of the week!

It's for a $10 credit to STAMPED.
You can also get all your purchases for 10% off for the rest of today.

Birthday Palooza Winner #3

2011-10-01T08:17:00.001-10:00

Congratulations to...

Allie @

You have won the Custom Military Sign!

You should receive an e-mail from me shortly {skinniepiggie @ gmail.com} with information regarding contacting Staci for your prize!

Thanks to everyone that entered!

Don't forget today is the last day to enter to win the candle & tee,

you have two days left for the $10 credit to STAMPED!

Birthday Palooza Winner #2

2011-09-30T09:55:00.000-10:00

Congratulations to...

Kimmi!

You have won the custom chevron lazy susan!
Please let us know what color(s) you choose.

You should receive an e-mail from me shortly {skinniepiggie @ gmail.com} with information regarding contacting April for your prize!

Thanks to everyone that entered!

Birthday Giveaway Palooza - $10 Credit to STAMPED!

2011-09-30T04:00:00.000-10:00

Welcome to the final day of my birthday palooza... day #5!
Today's item is not specific to military families, everyone (with a U.S. or APO/FPO address) is welcome to enter.

This item has been donated by: Elizabeth
Her blog: The Young Retiree
Her shop: The Young Retiree, STAMPED!
Her facebook(s): The Young Retiree & The Young Retiree, STAMPED!
Her twitter: @TheYoungRetiree

Today I have quite a treat for you.... The Young Retiree recently opened her new shop "STAMPED!" and man does she have some cute items up for sale. The winner of this giveaway will receive $10.00 credit towards anything in the shop. Gift tags or note cards, whatever combination you decide adding up to $10.00. Here are some extremely cute samples... seriously, is that giraffe not the most adorable thing you've seen? Plus, the Christmas gift tags will be perfect in just a few short months!

20% of purchases from the wounded warrior collection will be donated.

Special note: For the duration of this giveaway (Fri-Sun) all of you lucky readers can get 10% off your purchases with the discount code: "SKINNIE10" ...so why not go shopping?

The "rules" (aka: ways to win!):

Follow my blog.
Follow Elizabeth's blog.
Go to her etsy shop and leave a comment here with your favorite item.
Like her on facebook. (here or here)
Follow her on twitter.
Post about the giveaway on your blog, make sure to add the button below {also add the url in your comment}:

That's SIX possible entries!

Please leave a comment for each item above that you participate in... it's mandatory that one of your comments has an e-mail address included so I can contact you if you are the winner.

This giveaway will close:

Sunday October 2nd at 6pm Hawaii time (9pm PST, 11:59pm EST).

The winner will be announced:

Monday October 3rd.

*Don't forget today is the last day to enter to win the custom military sign,

you have 2 more days to enter to win the candle & tee.

Good luck!

Birthday Palooza Winner #1

2011-09-29T13:09:00.000-10:00

Congratulations to...

You have won the beautiful handmade clutch!

You should receive an e-mail from me shortly {skinniepiggie @ gmail.com} with information regarding contacting Ines for your prize!

Thanks to everyone that entered!

Birthday Giveaway Palooza - Soy Candle & American Pride Tee

2011-09-29T04:00:00.000-10:00

Welcome to Day #4!
Today's item is not specific to military families, anyone (with a U.S. or APO/FPO address) may enter.

The items have been donated by: Tay
Her website: Our Military Home
Her online stores: The Candle Shop & The Lovely Lady Shop
Her facebook: Our Military Home
Her twitter: @OurMilitaryHome
Her pinterest: Our Military Home

Today we have an extra special treat... TWO items at once!

The FIRST item up for grabs is a 12 Oz. Amish Friendship Bread Candle from The Candle Shop. Our most popular blend this season scented in a blend of french vanilla, clove and cinnamon on a warm creamy background. Sounds delicious!

The SECOND item up for grabs is a 100% PIMA Cotton, American Pride T-Shirt (S, M, L, or XL) in Pink or Chocolate. I personally own a USMC shirt in this same style- it's so comfortable!

Tay would also like for you to note that: The Candle Shop at Our Military Home is a proud vendor of All Fired Up Candles, a company created by military spouses. These candles are made with 100% natural soot free soy wax. They burn clean with no soot or carbon build-up and last 30% longer than their Paraffin candle counter-parts and each candle is hand poured by military spouses in the USA. The Candle Shop and the Lovely Lady Shop offer $5 flat rate shipping to anywhere in the U.S. This means that shipping will always be only $5 per transaction no matter how many candles, clothing, and handbags are in your cart!

The "rules" (aka: ways to win!):

Follow my blog.
Follow Our Military Home via Google Friend Connect.
Follow Our Military Home on facebook.
Post about the giveaway on your facebook wall (via OMH's Facebook)
Follow Our Military Home on twitter {@OurMilitaryHome}
Tweet about the giveaway (via OMH's Twitter Account)
Follow Our Military Home on Pinterest
Follow Our Military Home via E-mail [found in the sidebar of OMH]
Place the Our Military Home button on your blog/website:
<br><center><a href="http://skinniepiggie.blogspot.com/" target="blank"><img src="http://www.ourmilitaryhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Taylor_Logo_noTAG_gray4.png" /></a></center>
Post about the giveaway on your blog, make sure to add the button below {also add the url in your comment}:

That's TEN possible entries!

Please leave a comment for each item above that you participate in... it's mandatory that one of your comments has an e-mail address included so I can contact you if you are the winner.

This giveaway will close:

Saturday October 1st at 6pm Hawaii time (9pm PST, 11:59pm EST).

The winner will be announced:

Sunday October 2nd.

*Don't forget today is the last day to enter to win the custom lazy susan,

you still have 2 days left for the custom military sign.

Good luck!

Birthday Giveaway Palooza - Custom Military Sign

2011-09-28T04:00:00.000-10:00

Welcome to Day #3!
Today's item is specific to military families only... sorry to any non-mil followers that I have, open to those with U.S. and APO/FPO addresses.

This item has been donated by: Staci
Her blog: The Crafty Military Wife
Her online store: Country Scents 'N Signs
Her facebook: Country Scents 'N Signs, Etc.
Her twitter: @USAFwife2008

The item up for grabs is a custom handmade "Home is where the {military branch} sends us" sign, complete with your duty stations up to your current location! Oh my goodness I seriously wish I could enter my own giveaway... haha... but now, onto the important part...

The "rules" (aka: ways to win!):

Follow my blog.
Follow Staci's blog.
Leave her a blog comment regarding the giveaway.
Follow Staci on facebook.
Follow Staci on twitter {@USAFwife2008}
Post about the giveaway on your blog, make sure to add the button code below {also add the url in your comment}:

That's SIX possible entries!

Please leave a comment for each item above that you participate in... it's mandatory that one of your comments has an e-mail address included so I can contact you if you are the winner.

This giveaway will close:

Friday September 30th at 6pm Hawaii time (9pm PST, 11:59pm EST).

The winner will be announced:

Saturday October 1st.

*Don't forget this is the last day to enter to win the handmade clutch,

you have two days left for the custom chevron lazy susan!

Good luck!

Birthday Giveaway Palooza - Custom Chevron Lazy Susan

2011-09-27T04:00:00.000-10:00

Welcome to Day #2!
Today's item is not specific to military families, everyone (with a U.S. or APO/FPO address) is welcome to enter.

This item has been donated by: April
Her blog: A Kitchen Table for Two

The item up for grabs is a custom handmade lazy susan to adorn your kitchen table, coffee table, become your spice rack, or any other creative use you can think of. How unique and amazing is this lazy susan?! I would love to have one in a maroon color for our dining table...

Lime green not really your thing? Your personal lazy susan will be colors you choose via e-mail discussion with April after you have won.

The "rules" (aka: ways to win!):

Follow my blog.
Follow April's blog.
Post about the giveaway on your blog, make sure to add the button code below {also add the url in your comment}:

That's THREE possible entries!

Please leave a comment for each item above that you participate in... it's mandatory that one of your comments has an e-mail address included so I can contact you if you are the winner.

This giveaway will close:

Thursday September 29th at 6pm Hawaii time (9pm PST, 11:59pm EST).

The winner will be announced:

Friday September 30th.

*Don't forget you can still enter to win the handmade clutch.

Good luck!

Birthday Giveaway Palooza - Handmade Clutch

2011-09-26T04:00:00.000-10:00

Welcome to Day #1!
Today's item is not specific to military families, everyone (with a U.S. or APO/FPO address) is welcome to enter.

This item has been donated by: Ines
Her blog: The Few, The Proud, The Wife

The item up for grabs is a handmade clutch, this lady hasn't been sewing very long, but I can tell you she's 100x better than I'd ever be! Talk about beautiful, fun, and flirty! Plus, ball season is just around the corner... this would be perfect with a black, white, silver, or purple gown!

To see more of her work... follow this link.

Don't you think she should open an etsy shop?

The "rules" (aka: ways to win!):

Follow my blog.
Follow Ines' blog.
Post about the giveaway on your blog, make sure to add the button code below {also add the url in your comment}:

That's THREE possible entries!

Please leave a comment for each item above that you participate in... it's mandatory that one of your comments has an e-mail address included so I can contact you if you are the winner.

This giveaway will close:

Wednesday September 28th at 6pm Hawaii time (9pm PST, 11:59pm EST).

The winner will be announced:

Thursday September 29th.

Good luck!

25th Birthday Giveaway Palooza Run-down

2011-09-25T11:30:00.000-10:00

Alright everyone... it's almost here! Tomorrow the five day giveaway marathon begins... be sure to check back daily to enter the next giveaway, I promise you won't want to miss out on any of these items.

The main things to remember:

Each giveaway will open at 4am Hawaii time (7am PST, 10am EST)
Each giveaway will run for 3 days and 3 days only.
For example- Monday's giveaway will open at 4am Hawaii time and close Wednesday at 6pm (9pm PST, 11:59pm EST) The winner will be posted the following morning.
Read the rules carefully... there are many different ways to earn entries depending on the different blogger and what they have... storefront, twitter, facebook, etc. Obviously the more things you do the better the chances of winning the giveaway!
You can enter all five of the giveaways if you want too!!!

See you tomorrow with giveaway #1 ...want a sneak peak?

You're going to love it!

CREDO Marriage Enrichment Retreat

2011-09-22T14:56:00.000-10:00

I'm SO excited for this weekend... hubby and I got a call last week saying as long as we could fill in the paperwork by this past Monday we could attend the marriage retreat due to a cancellation. I feel bad that someone cancelled, but this is coming at such a perfect time... with my anxiety issues, the crazy training hours he's been working, upcoming time in the field, and ultimately the looming deployment.

I need this.

We need this.

The best part is... because it's military sponsored and funded my husband gets a half day on Friday so we can arrive there on time for the opening registration and dinner. I miss hanging out with him... he's had the craziest hours, so even though he's here... he's really not. I see his muddy boots, clean his uniforms, and make sure there is food in the pantry/fridge so he can eat when he needs too. But seeing his face hasn't really been happening unless I glance over and his head happens to be on the pillow next to mine. Take Tuesday for example, he woke up at 3:45am, started work at 4:30am and didn't get home until 1:15am (Wednesday), then turned around and was right back at work on Wednesday at 6:30am.

*If your husband is in the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard be sure to check out your MWR/MCCS for information on CREDO... all retreats are free, there are marriage and personal enrichment classes depending on the month and availability. This is not a sponsored post, I am just excited we get to attend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have everything set-up for my 25th Birthday Giveaway Palooza. Please check in on Sunday for the overview of the entire giveaway week. I'll have to talk about the retreat the following week because the giveaway is going to completely take over the blog... I really hope you'll visit everyday to see the great prizes you can win!

Pops of Color

2011-09-21T11:27:00.001-10:00

I am not a morning person... I tend to stumble out of bed, use the potty, wash my face, slowly make the bed, and "trudge" down the stairs to head for the kitchen. Sunny days help my mornings infinitely... because the first thing I see when I walk into the kitchen is my "bottle window:"

I love bright pops of color, honestly if my husband would allow it... these colors would be all over the house! The "inspire" rock was given to my by the ladies of my Bible study, evidently I inspire them to follow their dreams (how cool is that?!), the cross was a gift from my mom.

This little windowsill makes me smile.

What place(s) in your house "inspire" you?

Bring a smile to your face?

Make you happy?

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-09-19T12:40:00.000-10:00

Fall in Hawaii is very similar to fall in Southern Arizona... you don't get an actual physical season change (although come Halloween in AZ I was usually in a sweater, it was around 60* ...and winter was 40s-60s) but rather bits and pieces.

Today I ran into this on base, the sun shining through the red leaves still on the tree was stunning:

It was fun to see...esp. after living on the east coast for the past two falls.

Baked Goods Galore!

2011-09-16T22:24:00.001-10:00

My husband's battalion has been in full volunteer, care package, and fundraising mode within the past week! We've made "kiddie care packages" for the little ones with a parent who is deployed, next month we'll be doing it for the single deployed marines in the unit. Tomorrow we'll be holding a huge rummage/bake sale to raise funds for our unit's ball... knowing this was coming up we made sure to have a "donate" box near by at all times while unpacking our household goods. It's amazing the amount of stuff we collect along the way that we don't actually need/doesn't hold sentimental value. Today I dropped an overflowing box off at the FRO's office then came home for a baking palooza while waiting on maintenance workers (which could be a post on it's own...).

The results of my day of baking:

Sugar Cookie Bites
Strawberry & Cream Cheese Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Gluten Free Brown Rice Krispie Treats

Hungry yet?

Birthdays & Teal Fingers

2011-09-15T16:17:00.006-10:00

It's always interesting "celebrating" your family's birthdays, anniversaries, holiday's etc... when you can't physically be there in person. Luckily the post office and technology makes it a bit easier. This week my sister and our nephew celebrated their birthday's. My sister is in her early 20s and I've been there for almost all of her other birthday's, she even flew out to Maryland to celebrate her 21st with us and her best friend who happens to attend the Naval Academy. Our nephew is turning 3yrs old, so both of them won't really remember or care that we missed them. I guess it's just the knowledge that we did. The packages I made were normal looking on the outside (don't want to draw any attention!) but explosions of color on the inside! Each gift was wrapped and surrounded by multi-colored tissue paper, accompanied by a homemade card. My sister thanked me for hers, I'm waiting to hear from my sister-in-law whether or not our nephew enjoyed his gift.

How do you go about celebrating the holidays with family/friends afar?

To bring a little color into my life I painted my nails a funky teal color... my husband hasn't decided if he likes it, but the color makes me happy! (ignore my terrible painting skills, haha)

It's been a week of good news from friends:

New jobs
Pregnancy
Possible visits during my husband's deployment (!!!)
Passing the NCLEX
New pets

I always love hearing good news from my friends, it makes me happy to see them happy!

How are you guys doing this week?

Just throwing this out there...

I'm still looking for one last donation for my giveaway, please click the image below for more info:

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-09-12T16:03:00.001-10:00

I met with my counselor today...
I've got a long way to go, but I'm making small improvements daily!

What are you working through lately?

Changing your diet?
A new exercise routine?
New classes at school?
Tackling a project at work?
Overcoming an illness?

10 Years

2011-09-09T11:27:00.001-10:00

I know there are going to be a ton of these posted on Sunday... but I don't generally blog on the weekend and I wanted to make sure I paid tribute to those who deserve it.

First off... I hate the media, I hate that they take 9/11 and re-play scenes from that day over and over, they give sound bytes from last phone calls, show the planes crashing and people jumping from the towers, the Pentagon missing a huge chunk, etc. While this is the reality of what happened on that day, I can't imagine how painful it is for those of the 3,000 families that lost someone that day. Sure they could avoid newspapers, magazines, television, the internet, and radio that day... but should they have too?

I'm not saying we shouldn't remember. That we shouldn't see those images. That we shouldn't know what happened. What happened is that the United States of America was attacked. On that day we learned what it was like for the rest of the world (except maybe Canada?) who deal with terrorists on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. We were no longer "invincible," "untouchable," "unreachable," on that day we mourned.

A year ago I was browsing the local DollarTree and ran across this book:

amazon.com

I don't know how it ended up there or why I was fortunate enough to purchase it for only $1.00... but I did. I'm very happy to own it. It is amazing to see how the children of NY (esp. those who lost a family member) were affected. The book has artwork drawn by them, quotes from them, and was published just a year after the attacks in 2002.

One of my favorite passages from the book comes from Imam Abdul Malik (pg. 121):

"Life and death are both parts of the human experience. There is no way to know life without death; they are two sides of the same reality. September 11, 2001, has reminded us of this universal truth. On that day, some lived and died without knowing their purpose; others struggled to save the lives of their fellow citizens. They all died fulfilling their higher calling. Many gave their lives so others may live in freedom.

The impact of this great trial on the hearts and minds of our children has created many different reactions. Some of our children live in fear, confusion, and anxiety. Some are in a psychological coma created by shock, wondering if this really happened. Other children, however have found a new meaning in their lives.

These children have transformed their minds. They decided that the forces of evil would not conquer them. They are born-again heroes without fear, but with faith in the goodness of humanity. They are inspired by the unified response of the love, support, encouragement, giving, and sharing of the America people and the world community. They have a vision that the dry bones in the valley will rise again. They see the World Trade Center ashes as a foundation for a new America. They recognize the men and women who died are our true martyrs: they gave their lives that we may live. Finally the children have quietly made a pact with the force of life, that they will devote their own lives one day to benefit their fellow citizens, if the trumpet of service is blown.

God bless our children."

The last paragraph stands out the most to me... are we as Americans still unified? Do will still show each other love, support, encouragement? Do will still give and share freely? Are we devoted to helping those around us?

Yes, 10 years have passed.
Yes, the war is still going on... I am well aware of that fact.
But... have we truly forgotten so quickly?

We should focus on the result of the attacks. How unified our country became... not just the devastation we suffered.


One of my favorite drawings. (Kevin Wang, 8yrs old)

A little of this, a little of that

2011-09-07T13:02:00.001-10:00

HEALTH
So it's been awhile since I discussed my health... it's not something I like talking about, but it's a part of my life. I did really well for a week completely off all medications (minus melatonin to sleep) then the night before the movers came I had a panic attack. After the move, I still wasn't taking medications and I even stopped taking melatonin... life was normal, for a week. Sunday night I had a huge panic attack... so I went back to the doctor today.

As much as I didn't want to be on medicaton, as much as I don't want the risk of addiction... I will be starting an anxiety medication tonight. I will be seeing the counselor every 2wks and then the doctor again in 1.5/2mo for a follow up. I need to allow the medication to work properly while getting my eating, sleeping, and excercising back on track. After the 1.5/2mo they will re-evaluate, and decide if my dosage can be weaned.

I won't be on the medication forever, the way the doctor put it was "we need to help you through this season of your life."

TECHNOLOGY
Our phone contracts were up for renewal... so we got the iPhone 4, it's so technologically advanced for me! I am excited that I don't have to scroll back through texts to keep up with conversations (yeah my prior phone was that awesome), the apps are crazy-there really is an app for everything, I'm also excited to try the facetime thing. Any of you have an iPhone 4, what do you think?

NATURE
I am ridiculously spoiled... last night I walked down to the beach. Literally, front door to sitting on a piece of driftwood and watching the waves=7min. It was perfect.

GIVEAWAY
I know I keep bringing this up, but I really want to have some awesome items to give my readers on my birthday week. If you are crafty, love baking, or have an etsy shop... please click on the image below to learn more:

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-09-05T08:46:00.000-10:00

...it's a holiday weekend, we've successfully:

moved
unpacked
organized
organized some more
...and some more...
picked up essentials
(towels, cleaning supplies, replacement furniture)
cleaned

I really hope we get to go to the beach/relax today!

Putting my feet up...

2011-09-02T17:57:00.001-10:00

Our new house!

We moved into our base house on Wednesday! Since then it's been non-stop unpacking, flattening boxes (our garage MUST be a fire hazard!), organizing, down-sizing (it's amazing what you have that you don't need!), buying new things because we didn't have so many bathrooms before - not to mention hubby got a new grill - and the movers broke bookshelves, so of course they needed to be replaced!

Needless to say, my feet hurt. While the major items are put in place, there is still MUCH to be done, I'm sure that any of you who have PCS'd know what it's like making your stuff fit in a new space.

I figured it was time for a break, hubby has "Pirates: At World's End" playing while he's setting up the new bookshelves so I've plopped myself down on the couch and put my feet up on the table.... ahhhhh.

While scanning the blogs I follow, I ran across the cutest fall frames...

I want them, so cute!

They caught my eye because I am currently trying to figure out how to decorate the bookshelves once my husband is done assembling them. Aren't they so festive and fun... I may be in Hawaii, but I will not give up my passion for decorating for the seasons and holidays! The best part about these two beauties... they are up for grabs! Nope, not kidding... Tay from Our Military Home is giving them away this month. Head on over and enter... there are SO many ways to win!

I guess I better stop procrastinating... but while we're on the topic of giveaways, I'm still looking for donations for my birthday giveaway palooza. You can find all the information by clicking the image below. It's going to be a fun celebration of my birthday and a great way for your blog/shop to gain followers, not to mention you may even win something yourself!

Okay... back to organizing...

Have a great holiday weekend!

Joint Spouses Conference

2011-08-31T07:04:00.000-10:00

Joint Spouses Conference

I am beyond excited to attend this event... so, I am praying that between the movers/unpacking, the cable company gets their booty to our new house to set-up the internet or I will be abandoning my poor husband and running to Starbucks to use their internet to register!

I can't remember exactly how I found out about the event, whether it was a google search or someone from one of the classes I've been attending on base mentioning it, either way it seems like a must-attend event for the island! I've also heard that registration goes quickly and the workshops fill-up in no time, so I better pick what I'd like to do in advance. There are so many awesome options... photography, cupcake decorating, stand up paddle boarding (!!!), self enrichment, and many many more... I only get to choose five, five!

If you're on the island, will you be attending? If you're not... do any of the bases near you offer something similar to this for military spouses? I'd love to be able to put a list of these types of events together for everyone!

Birthday Giveaway Palooza

2011-08-29T09:17:00.006-10:00

At the end of the September I will be turning the "big" 25.... it's crazy to me, thinking I've been on this earth for a quarter of a century. My parents keep telling me they feel old (and that they'd like a grand baby, but that's a whole different blog post in itself) and I keep trying to think of all the changes I've been thru, accomplishments, and challenges that I've overcome in my short time here on earth.

I would love to celebrate my birthday with each and everyone of you, since that's not physically possible... I want to give you gifts on my birthday. My current goal is to do a giveaway Monday-Friday of my birthday week. That means I need five of you ladies to donate an item of your choice from your amazing etsy shops, home made businesses, or home-based consultant businesses. They do not have to be military themed items.

Since you are donating the items you will have a say in the rules for your specific giveaway. Want more blog followers, facebook fans, visits to your etsy/consultant website? Let me know and we'll work it into the details! (*please note, you will be responsible for postage to the recipient).

PLEASE comment/e-mail me me ASAP... I need to have all of the items/rules no later than September 19th, that gives us three weeks to work out all the details. I can't wait to hear from you. If I get more than five people that's great!

Thanks!

New, New, New...

2011-08-26T10:42:00.001-10:00

I was/am in the mood for CHANGE!

Still simple (the way it should be) but new blog colors
I bought a new bedding set... nice green/blue/tan hues to replace our black/white/red "wonder"
An awesome new camera strap cover thanks to my very amazing and talented friend Kim

+my favorite, cinnamon bears!

A great piece of home made art from my friend A...

Aren't my friends talented??

I am OFF the anxiety medication... per MY choice. They made it WORSE. Like the toilet was my best friend worse and I lost almost 5lbs in one week worse... terrible. I am doing this the all-natural way... vitamins, calcium, melatonin, and rescue spray. Not to mention lots of prayer, reading my Bible, and writing down a list of blessings for each day right before I go to bed.
I have a lovely group of ladies that have been blessing me immensely from our new church.
We are moving on base NEXT WEEK! I cannot even begin to express my extreme thankfulness for this move... hallelujah, our prayers have been answered!

NOW... enough of my changes... one of my amazing, talented, and lovely friends (I sure have a lot of these! What a blessing) from our old duty station has started a website dedicated to the military family. She is a graduate of law school, navy wife, and all-around stellar woman. Her website focuses on law/policy that affects us in the military, DIY projects to transform rental/military housing, money saving tips/ideas, base reviews, and much much more. At the moment she is running a contest for a super chic iPad cover... so you all need to head on over to:

http://www.ourmilitaryhome.com/

Seriously, why are you still here?
(okay, okay... you can leave a comment first)

Not a Pick-Me-Up =/

2011-08-15T10:32:00.000-10:00

I know it's Monday, but today I have nothing fun to share with you. My body and mind are a mess...

I had a great week, I mean great.... spent time with the hubby after work, met with my husband's unit Chaplain, hung out with friends during the day, ran errands, took a lady from my Bible study out to lunch, etc. Then Friday came... I had my second meeting with the base counselor. Everything went well, he said he saw much improvement in my thoughts and my demeanor. He said my "natural approach" to healing was the best way to go about it. I am taking a liquid multi-vitamin in the morning, papaya pills for digestion after I eat, calcium/magnesium in the evening, and melatonin before bed. The problem... my trip to the ER the week before the doctor diagnosed me with anxiety/acute gastritis and placed me on a low dose anxiety medication. My counselor will not renew the prescription. Which theoretically is fine, I do not want to be on it, I do not want to get addicted.

However... Friday night/Saturday morning- full on panic attack.

This healing process doesn't seem to have an end in sight, I'm scared. I pray continually, read my Bible, and am doing all of the "self-mantra" things the counselor has taught me. *sigh*

Please keep me in your prayers, I am sorry for being such a downer lately!

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-08-08T09:43:00.004-10:00

Do you remember our (former) piggies Twix & Beans?

Once my friend M found out I had gone to the ER again she decided that I needed a nice little e-mail with some piggie cuteness included. I absolutely love knowing that these boys were left in the care of my good friend and are extremely spoiled, just as they were while living with us.

Her note and this picture brought a smile to my face!

Beautiful Pictures, World Crashing Panic Attacks

2011-08-05T08:31:00.005-10:00

I've tried to be more upbeat on the blog lately... staying away from my "illness" and showing you all of the fun activities we've been able to do, not to mention the beauty Hawaii has to offer. But, I need to be real with you all right now:

I've started seeing a counselor. He's the on-site family counselor at the health clinic here on base. I've only had one session so far but he seems to be a good man, a good psychiatrist. He is extremely anti-medication, which surprised me on two accounts. One- he works at a military health clinic, I feel like they hand out pills. Two- he's in the mental health field... you know what I mean... "you can't sleep?" there's a pill for that, "you're having panic attacks?" there's a pill for that... etc.

I honestly don't know what changed in my mind to make my day-to-day worries turn into full blown "my world is crashing in" panic attacks. All I know is they started happening during our epically long PCS here and gradually progressed until I ended up in the ER. I've also noticed they happen mainly at night... heart racing, can't sleep, diarrhea, and vomiting (sorry for the TMI!). I told my husband I feel like they are going to kill me. I am pretty sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that we've been here for 4mo and still aren't settled... 2mo in the hotel, 2mo in this crappy apartment, not many friends, etc. But I also think the looming deployment is seriously freaking me out... by the time he leaves we will have been married for 2yrs+ and together for the entire time -2mo(or so) of training. We've never done a deployment... yes, we dated long distance. But I am here to tell you it is not the same. Once you get used to living with someone, sharing a bed, a bathroom, a home, a life... thinking of being apart for 7-9mo is terrifying. For me anyway.

I know I need to pull it together.
My mind and body are working against me.
I sometimes wake up with my heart racing, or randomly feel sick.

I hate this.

I am also still fighting with the acid reflux issue that popped up (because of the anxiety?) however, I can't seem to get into the GI Specialist until November or December... typical military, right?

Early Thursday morning (2am) I was admitted to the Military ER (my husband wasn't taking to me to the regular hospital again because last time they didn't give me any answers) and diagnosed with anxiety/panic attacks and acute gastritis due to anxiety. I was given a pill for nausea since I basically hadn't eaten in 2 days and at that point was throwing up water... and a pill for sleep/anxiety attacks. The doctor only gave me enough for a week... which is when I am scheduled to meet up with the base psychiatrist again. Honestly, it will be a relief to sleep (if the meds work) since I haven't gotten a full nights sleep in over 4mo, but I'm sad that they are addictive and can cause other issues.

I just want to say... if you feel anxious or have panic attacks... it's not just YOU, you are NOT crazy, there is a chemical imbalance in your life. I cannot stand people that judge others on the issues they are having and call them WEAK because of it. We are NOT weak, our bodies just aren't operating in a normal manner and that can be due to many things- change in medications (even birth control), diet, exercise plans, environment (ie: moving), and sense of loss (leaving everything behind again/deployments). Please to not judge us. Someday you may wake up in the middle of the night experiencing the same thing you called us weak for.

*sigh*

Onto a new road of recovery now...
Praying and trusting in God to get me to the end.
There is an end.

Bloggy Friend!

2011-08-04T09:08:00.003-10:00

Reina from Semper Gumby... the Return of Sunshine, came to Hawaii to visit her family! I had missed my opportunity for meeting with her in Maryland with our crazy PCS, so I wasn't about to pass up on my chance when she was only an hour drive from our apartment!

At 10:30am I left my house for the cross island drive and pulled into her resort around 11:20am... we headed to the local Mexican restaurant, unfortunately I wasn't very hungry but the conversation was good!

After lunch we headed back to her resort to dip our feet in the lagoon... the guy taking our picture kept making us laugh!

It's not possible to skip quality shave ice!

Yay! She liked my surprise for her =)

Thanks for the great afternoon lady!!
Are you stationed in Hawaii, I would love to meet-up with you!

The PCC

2011-08-02T12:07:00.002-10:00

Our final adventure of my hubby's week off took us to the north shore area for a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center. If you remember I didn't get to sleep until around 4am, the center opens at noon... but my husband felt it was necessary for me to get my sleep, and didn't wake me up until 11:15am. We left at noon, me prepared with a blanket and pillow to catch an hour nap on the drive up.

Our canoe coming in to pick us up!

Waterfall on the canoe tour.

Canoe Parade - This is Fiji

The Royal Hawaiian Court

Tongan Tree Climbers

Learning to throw spears in traditional game fashion

After our time in the center we attended the on site luau, then we attended the show "Ha: Breathe of Life." We were completely wiped out, I slept the entire hour long drive home as well... then slept 12hrs straight that night! My husband is so nice to me despite my issues as of late.

No picture stealing please!

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-08-01T08:20:00.000-10:00

Pier 1 did an awesome facebook promotion for the last week of July... a new "daily deal" each morning. Last Monday I printed out my coupon for $10 off any $10 purchase. Tuesday I long-boarded down to our local Pier 1 and bought these goodies, I wanted to add some blue to the living room. What do you think?

I'll be back soon with the last adventure of my hubby's week off from work.

I hope all of your weekends were fabulous!

Sea Life Park

2011-07-29T09:05:00.004-10:00

For our second adventure I found our car pulling into Sea Life Park's parking lot. My hubby had purchased tickets in advance (thank goodness for the MCCS ITT- both of us got in for less than the regular price for one person!) and surprised me. It is a small park but it was nice, clean, and the trainers seriously had a passion for the animals that they took care of.

Honus (sea turtles) are one of our favorite animals!

Makapu'u lighthouse from the sea lion stadium

The sea lion show was hilarious... "Miss Sea Lion Universe" with Miss Cabo...

...and Miss California!

Show in dolphin cove.

A wholphin... yes it's real. Google it.
Combination of a bottle-nose dolphin and a false killer whale.

This picture is so cool!

A humboldt penguin... our other favorite animal!

A beautiful Wyland painting, done in 1988.

After the park I was feeling a little more energetic than I have in awhile so we cruised into town... on the way we found my favorite yogurt shop from Arizona... YOUGURTLAND. It was so delicious. We then hit up the NEX for some things we've been needing. By the time we got home I was wiped out, unfortunately after such a great day I was sick all night long. I finally managed to get to sleep around 4am, which was good because my hubby had pre-purchased tickets to another attraction for the following day (I'll tell you about that adventure next!).

Once again, please do not use my photos!

Reaching the top (Diamond Head)

2011-07-27T08:41:00.002-10:00

One of our adventures in the last two weeks included hiking Diamond Head, I was super disappointed in myself because at the top of the flight of 99 stairs I became completely dizzy and nauseous. I had to sit down in the entrance of the 225ft tunnel for 10min sipping water to compose myself. I am so over being sick with something I can't control and that the doctors have no idea what "it" is. The hike should have been relatively easy, there are a lot of steps, but even with my 10min melt-down we made it up in 50min... of course we made it down in 25min, haha!

The view from the top was amazing!

Downtown Waikiki

Random rain cloud over the ocean

The lighthouse

The spiral staircase you have to take to get to the very top!


Post-hike, ignore my pasty-whiteness... like I said, I wasn't feeling so hot.

Please do not steal my photos...

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-07-25T10:36:00.001-10:00

The lovely Katie from "The Life of an Army Wife" is spending time with her husband and new baby girl and asked for some guest bloggers to step in and help keep her blog active (not that we haven't enjoyed pictures of her little girl!).

So jump on over and check out my guest blog, it's all about reaching out.

Still here...

2011-07-22T22:18:00.000-10:00

Hey ladies,
I'm still here.

Sorry for the lack of posting... since I've been sick and my hubby had been working 16hr days he took the week off before his monthly 24hr duty routine. We got to spend some quality time together despite the fact that my "sickness" tried to ruin all the fun.

I was back at the doctor's this morning, evidently I fall into the "medical mystery" category. Within the next week I should be getting a new medicine to try, meeting with a counselor for stress/anxiety, and have a referral for a GI Specialist go through.

I just want to know what's going on inside of my body... it's not comfortable that's for sure!

Next week I'll catch you up on all of our fun activities, I hope you all have a great weekend.

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-07-18T09:02:00.006-10:00

Let's just say that this past week has been a killer... I've been in and out of the doctor's again - still no definite answers. They changed my medicine and have suggested seeing the on-site counselor, endoscopic surgery is still on the table... I joined a women's study at my church to be surrounded by strong women so I may grow faithfully and am praying for complete healing, I don't want to live the rest of my life in this painful state.

Skinnie Secrets #2 - STRESS!

2011-07-13T12:26:00.001-10:00

Secret #2

I don't handle stress well, at all. I honestly think all that's been happening to me lately has to do with that... honestly, I went almost 25yrs without any acid/reflux problems then all of a sudden - bam! It's interesting though, before this PCS I worried about things, but they didn't affect me physically (at least not to my knowledge) but ever since we got orders to move here I haven't slept a whole night through, I physically get sick (ie- diaherra/vomiting) when thinking about big decisions, every decision is twice as hard because I'm so far from family, lately it's been the desire to have a job. Financially, I don't need to have a job- we have this one income thing down as well as you can. I think in my head the fact that I have a bachelor's degree and nothing to show for it makes me think I need a job to prove something. But right now a job is causing the most stress... (FYI- I went to the ER a day before a job interview, my husband had to call and cancel/explain the situation for me... and I'm suppose to have an interview next Wednesday) but after talking to my mom I really do think it's the cause of all my troubles. I'm worried that if I take the job I won't get to spend time with my husband before he deploys, I won't be able to travel home for Christmas, I won't be able to spend time with my parents when they visit, and more.

Right now I think I need to focus on me.

I need to spend as much time as the Marine Corps will allow us before my husband deploys. I need to volunteer for things I like, not just apply for jobs that I know I can do but don't have a passion for. I need to get involved at church, especially getting back into the Bible. I need to work on getting healthy again- mainly exercising more. I need to do things I like that make me happy. I want to have the flexibility of going home... seeing my family once every 7-9mo isn't really ideal. I need to make some good solid friendships to have while my husband is away.

Anyone have tips on dealing with stress?
Stay at home wives- what keeps you going?
Bible verses?
Ideas?

Shout out: Hawaii MilSpouse Bloggers!

2011-07-12T09:11:00.000-10:00

Hello lovely ladies!

Due to scheduling conflicts, trips, and our epically long PCS, I never got a chance to meet up with the bloggy ladies near our old base and it really saddens me... I'm hoping to change that here! I've got some ideas jumbling around in my head... but first I need to know how many of you might be interested in a MilSpouse day/afternoon/evening.

So, if you're in the "land of aloha" and wouldn't mind meeting up with fellow MilSpouse Bloggers, comment below and please make sure there is a way for me to e-mail you back. If you'd rather not tell the whole blogging community where you're currently stationed, simply e-mail me directly instead: skinniepiggie{at}gmail{dot}com. Also, feel free to share this with your Hawaii MilBlogger friends!

{I say MilSpouse- but I know there are some girlfriends & fiancees on the island as well... feel free to join in!}

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-07-11T09:05:00.004-10:00

I've been wanting a Wii Fit for a long time... my parents got one a couple of Christmases ago and I remember loving using it over the winter break.

Over the weekend I finished up dishes after dinner and came back to relax by hubby on the couch and what do I see?

I love my husband!

Needless to say, we've had some "friendly" competition in the versus mode...

Do any of you have the Wii Fit (Plus)?
How do you like it?

He also got me Epic Mickey and a Carnival game because Game Stop was having an awesome deal for PowerUp card owners.

Fun times for those rainy Hawaiian days =)

50th Hawaii State Fair

2011-07-07T12:08:00.001-10:00

{We went back in June and I just realized this was sitting in my "saved drafts" ... oops!}

I always forget how expensive these things are, which is probably why I only went as a child in Arizona and we decided to skip out on the one in Maryland. Here’s what I mean: $5 to park, $5 each for entry, $1-2 per midway game, $1 per ticket for rides, and $5-10 each for food (Oh, if you haven’t had a deep fried oreo- you are missing out! I think it was $4 for 5 oreos but seriously they were like heaven in my mouth).

We went for “the experience,” we watched the ostrich and camel races which were pretty cool… the track was super short though so they were done too quickly to be truly enjoyable. The Pirate Pets show was cute- definitely aimed at the youngsters, it was awesome to learn that every animal in the show (rats, cats, dogs) were adopted from the humane society though! The European Circus made the $5 entrance fee worth it! The three families involved were amazing: unicycle tricks, tight-rope walking, big swing launches, a small clown act, body contortion, juggling, and of course getting the crowd involved. We played a couple midway games, we managed to win a 10in stuffed banana- honestly what am I going to do with that? No rides for us, the only one I would have even thought about going on was the ferris wheel, all the rest looked like a puke-fest waiting to happen!

Mainly I used the time to take some fun photos to try my hand at “vintage editing,” what do you think?

*please don't use my photos without permission

Patriotic Fashion

2011-07-06T12:13:00.003-10:00

So I love looking at all of your beautiful fashion styles over at No Model Lady's "All Dressed Up" every Wednesday... but I've never actually participated, until today. My general fashion involves shorts, tees/tanks, and slippers(flip-flops) or TOMS. Pretty laid-back, chill, and perfect for Hawaii...

However, for church on Sunday hubs and I decided to get a little more dressed up than normal (ie: I busted out the heels!) and since it was July 3rd we chose a patriotic motif:

Try to overlook my terrible dark circles... it had been a long week between ER, not sleeping, doctor's visits, new medications, stress.... etc.

Shoes {Fioni - yes, my wedding shoes were $19.99 from Payless!}

Scarf {From the Women's War Memorial @ Arlington - $5.00}

Dress {Speed Control NY - from Ross, $12.99}

Jewelry {Swarovski - 1st Anniversary gift from the hubby!}

PS- you can click on the images to view in higher resolution.

Did you dress up?

Link-up...

Also if you're in the mood for some military love stories... you've got to go here! Our bloggy friend Reina from Semper Gumby... The Return of Sunshine is a finalist. Take some time to vote =)

Weekend Re-Cap, Health Update, "Blog-keeping"

2011-07-05T16:59:00.001-10:00

Weekend Re-cap

I hope you all had an amazing 4th of July with friends/family. Our day was pretty fun but I had to take a nap after the parade and BBQ before we ventured down to the beach to watch fireworks, I can't wait until I'm not so tired! My favorite fireworks this year were these red ones that sparkled forever, you can check them out in the video!

Health Update
I had my 2nd follow-up with my base doctor today. She said to continue using the Nexium and avoid- spicy foods, caffeine, citrus, tomatoes, and chocolate. *double-sigh!* The caffeine is a no biggie, I don't drink coffee or soda. The rest... plain ole' sucks! I love Mexican food, I live off of lemon water/lemonade, tomatoes are delicious, and chocolate is my go-to "stress reliever," not to mention it's practically mandatory once a month. Seriously, my husband brings me dark chocolate instead of flowers! If things aren't improving within 1-2wks from now I will be getting a throat/intestine endoscopy... sounds fun...

"Blog-keeping"
Okay ladies, I already said how thankful I was for all of your kind words and prayers, and I replied via e-mail to almost all of you! Sadly, there are a few of you ladies that don't have your reply-to e-mails set so it goes to the default of "noreply@blogger.com" ...which is no fun. I generally don't respond to comments via the comments, I do it in an e-mail form. Just like I don't go back to a post that I've commented on to wait for a response. It's super simple to set this up... I have a skinnie piggie e-mail account for this blog so it doesn't go to my personal one, if that's what you're worried about, make one specific to your blog.

Anyway the steps for setting your reply-to e-mail:

Go to your blogger dashboard (home page)
Click "edit profile"
Check "show my e-mail address"
Scroll down and select "save profile"

I also have all of your lovely comments e-mailed to me for easy reply, the steps for that:

Go to your blogger dashboard (home page)
Click "settings"
Click "comments"
The last section is "comment notification e-mail"
Type your e-mail address into the box
Select "save settings"

Ta-da! Now I can e-mail you back a response to your comments... and your comments will be e-mailed to you so you don't have to view your blog entries to view them.

Patriotic Yarn Wreath

2011-07-04T00:03:00.000-10:00

So while I am in "recovery mode" I decided to do a little crafting. I actually bought all the supplies the morning of my ER visit, but didn't get around to being awake long enough or having enough energy to actually make my Patriotic Wreath until Saturday...

Anyway, start with some form of the following supplies:

Multi-colored yarn, 12in foam ring, & "felties"

(or regular felt that you can cut/design yourself).

You'll also need a hot glue gun & something to use as a hanger

(I used red ribbon I had in my craft box).

This wreath is a little time-consuming, but very simple!

Here are the steps-

Take the yarn and wrap it around the foam ring, applying glue at each change of color.
Place "felties" or your cut out stars where you'd like, then hot glue them down.
I measured my ribbon and simply stapled it in place on the back of the wreath, I'm sure you could use the yarn (maybe braid it?) to make a hanger as well.

Displayed on our front door!

I love it- simplistic, cute & festive!

I think it would be easy to adapt this type of wreath for all different holidays! Christmas, Easter, and St. Patrick's Day are just a few that come to mind. Imagine the possibilities!

I hope you are all enjoying time with your family/friends on this wonderful 4th of July. Sometime during your festivities, please take a moment to remember what this day truly celebrates- the freedom of our nation, as well as the men & women who fought to make it and today keep it that way.

The Past 3 Days

2011-07-02T11:25:00.000-10:00

Ladies,
I just want to thank you all for your outpouring of love & prayers... despite the fact I have never met any of you in real life you still cared enough to pray for me (and my husband) and even pass on the news so others would pray!

The last three days were rough but progressively got better. I was admitted into the ER Wednesday afternoon with sharp chest & back pains. My husband arrived after all of the tests and blood work had been done, I was so relieved he was there I started crying- that's a lot to go through alone. They couldn't figure out what was wrong- all my tests came back normal, so they waited for my heart rate and blood pressure to go down and sent me home. I was to take Motrin for the pain and return if it got worse, I was also told that it could be my body fighting a viral infection that I could have had anywhere from 2days-2wks prior.

Thursday my husband talked to his CO explaining what happened and got me an emergency follow-up appointment with our base doctor, he ended up having to drive me because I threw up my breakfast and was too shaky. After going over all of the test results from the ER visit my base doctor asked if anything else had been going on lately and if I'd had heartburn problems before. I explained the stressful housing situation and that I occasionally took TUMS but got hiccups multiple times per week (3-4). After a lengthy discussion with the lead family doctor I was prescribed Nexium for severe gastro/reflux issues then sent to the lab for more blood work to figure out my heart rate/blood pressure issues.

Friday I slept a lot, then ventured to the movie theatre to see Transformers. After the movie I was shaky so we tried eating (I ate half a Panda Bowl) then walked around until I was too tired to go anymore. Once we got home I passed out on the couch for an hour.

The pain is basically gone, small heartburn here and there. I do think that may be the problem... not sure about the heart stuff. I have a follow-up appointment with my base doctor on Tuesday morning, we'll see then.

Thank you all so much!
~Skinnie (& her husband!)

prayer request

2011-06-30T16:58:00.000-10:00

hi,
I don't normally do this, but my wife (Skinnie) was admitted to ER on Wed. The doctor's don't know what's wrong with her. She's been given an EKG, CT Scan, Chest xrays, and had her blood work done. I'm asking if you could pray for her and the guidance of the dr's to figure out what is wrong.
thank you,
her husband

SPA Diaries

2011-06-29T13:02:00.000-10:00

Hey ladies,
I realized that I've gained quite a few followers since I began writing over at SPA. Today, I resumed my current study "Becoming a Woman of Purpose" since I finally found the book (sneaky movers packing things we didn't want packed!). So if you'd like to join in on this study feel free, you can catch up via my note or the sidebar. If this study doesn't sound like your thing, the other ladies are writing on multiple subjects, we also have a "past studies" page that you can go through at your own pace. Feel free to ask questions/leave comments!

[click the image to head over to the SPA!]

God Bless,
~Skinnie

Dream Vacuum

2011-06-28T00:29:00.003-10:00

Do you ever feel like you're just existing? Existing, not living... obviously you are alive, breathing, eating, speaking, walking, sleeping. But living, truly living?

When people ask children what they want to be when they grow up, there is an abundance of answers, and generally no hesitation involved. Who cares if they just told you they want to win gold at the Olympics, be an astronaut, or the President of the United States... they are living!

Dreams are what drive us, when we stop dreaming we enter the stage of existence. I am there. I hate it.

I feel like every time I move the giant "Dream Vacuum" magically appears and sucks the life out of me.

2009 was a year of the double whammy - 2 moves (actually 3, but moving home didn't take my dreams away). In January I moved to Northern California for my final college internship, 4mo of living on my own, in a place I didn't know, with no one familiar. My mom drove with me and spent the first night sharing my tiny barracks room (I interned for the Coast Guard MWR), the next morning I drove her to the airport and then hung out at the Golden Gate bridge for a couple of hours to avoid the anxiety of returning to that base.

Honestly the first month was rough, it's hard to make friends when you're on a training base for the Coast Guard where almost all of the guys are coming straight from boot camp or their first 6mo at sea. I was 22yrs old and ready to graduate college, my (now husband) boyfriend was stationed in Maryland not particularly happy I was surrounded by 18/19yr old guys, the nearest town's highlight was an outlet mall, and it rained 6 days of the week! Okay so the last one isn't a huge deal- but for this Zonie rain is depressing... I need the sun! Ultimately: I loved my internship, I had a family take me in, joined Bible studies at the chapel, and made some great friends.

On the way home from my internship I got engaged which lead to the 2nd move of the year... Maryland. I'd been to Maryland numerous times by the time we got married, in reality all of my stuff was there 3wks before the wedding. My dad and I made the grueling drive so hubby and I could actually have a honeymoon that didn't involve a packed Mazda 3 and highlights of dusty motels dotted across the country. I knew where I'd be living... but I didn't have any friends, have a job lined up, know my way around, or have any idea how to drive in snow! The first 3mo of our marriage were rocky at best... I hated being there. Not my husband, I loved it when he was home- but let's get real... he worked 12hrs a day and was usually exhausted in the evenings so he'd pass out by 9/9:30pm and I'd be on my own again. This lead to many arguments, at one point he even told me he was going to buy me a one-way ticket home so I could figure out what I wanted.

Figure out what I wanted. That was it... what did I want anymore? By this time it was January 2010... in the past year I had moved 800mi from home and back again, graduated from college, gotten engaged, planned a wedding in 5mo, gotten married, then moved 2,300mi away from home- for good.

While I didn't love the state or weather Maryland had to offer... we found a great church, made lasting friendships, got to travel to so many places, I had my first two white Christmases, and I tried a new profession (Photographer's Assistant) expanding my love of photography. I will not lie saying I miss Maryland. I don't... I miss my friends, my church family.

2011 it was time to move again... and boy did we move! On February 3rd everything we owned was loaded into shipping crates and placed on a boat for a trek over the ocean. February 6th hubby and I hugged and kissed at the airport, we wouldn't see each other again for 1.5mo- I was off to my parents and he was off to the south for training. The end of March was spent in California on a family vacation, living with friends in Maryland, and taking a whirlwind trip to NYC & Hoboken, NJ. April 6th we landed here in the land of aloha. After 2mo of living in a hotel room we finally moved into this apartment.

I feel unsettled. I absolutely love this state, the ocean breeze, hiking, swimming, etc. I do not love our neighbors, and while our apartment isn't bad I can't shake the feeling that we need to live on base. If for no other reason than I would feel safer being there when he deploys (although we'd save money by living on base too- rent and electricity here is ridiculous!). I have applied to no less than 30 jobs... it frustrates me to no end that 90% of them just leave you hanging (I experienced this in Maryland as well). How hard is it to send out a a mass e-mail to those applicants whom you do not select for the position stating "I'm sorry but the _______ position you applied for has been filled." Seriously, at least I wouldn't be wondering. We found a church we like, but we haven't committed to anything yet (ie: small group), so I don't know if that's a sign that we really aren't going to stay there?

I crave friendship. I love alone time- time to read, time to craft, time to veg. But I also need people in my life, people other than my husband for the pure fact that he's not always around. He's working 12hr days here as well, goes to bed early while I burn the candle into the night, we've been lucky to have a full Sunday together lately as he's had duty every Friday or Saturday for the past month. I want some semblance of normalcy.

I need the "Dream Vacuum" to stop sucking away... I need to get motivated, get out there, and do something for myself. Because we all know sitting on the couch watching netflix all day long and feeling sorry for myself is worthless, not to mention very unattractive! I'm praying God shows me something soon, be it a job, volunteering, figuring out if I actually want to try my hand at an online shop, or something else totally unexpected =)

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-06-27T11:58:00.000-10:00

Duty or rather "because of duty..."

2011-06-24T16:22:00.001-10:00

Okay,
So I know most of you have shared your "Murphy's Law" stories while your husbands have been deployed... and while I haven't had to experience that (yet-although I PRAY not) for me, it's always on the 24hr duty shift!

If you remember-

Clogged toilet & peeing in the shower
Maitenance man lighting my house on fire
Moving into the apartment alone
This isn't everything just the major ones I blogged about

And now-

Leaky guest bathroom toilet that has dyed the tile blue!

Pretty awesome, right? First of all... I should have taken "before" pictures of this apartment- can you say DUMP?! I literally scrubbed our personal bathroom, dusted all the floorboards, and swept the entire place before I fell asleep my first night here. The bathroom took 2 full hours! DISGUSTING. We were so frustrated with the way the landlords left the place... but that's a whole different story.

Anyway, back to the guest bathroom, we hadn't used the bathroom and had all the boxes waiting to be donated sitting in it (hey, we were used to sharing a bathroom!). So today I decided I'd had enough. I removed the boxes and started scrubbing away, first I dropped a blue lysol toilet disc in the tank. Once I got to the mopping I noticed a small green ring around the toilet and thought "that's pretty raunchy" and mopped it up. In my final act (almost 2hrs in!) I cleaned the toilet, and flushed... oh man....

My thought is that the last renters didn't notice because obviously they didn't really care about anything seeing the state they left the apartment in (ie: how on earth did anyone live like this?!) and that the normal clear toilet bowl water would run around the edge and then towards the tub. Remember how I'd added the blue tablet though? Hah! Talk about blue water flood!

I mopped it up and called the landlord (praying they call us back... we've already re-sealed the a/c units, replaced 2 missing venitian blinds, and sealed the window screens on our own dime!) describing the problem. My dad was a plumber, so I think it's the wax seal. I however- do not know how to drain a toilet, cannot lift a toilet, and don't have plumbing tools to remove the current seal and scrape away the silicone then replace it with a new one!

This is a picture POST mop, it's still leaking...

Between the neighbors and the money we've put into this apartment... it's turning into the "apartment from hell."

*sigh*

You asked, I answered!

2011-06-23T11:40:00.000-10:00

A few weeks ago I opened up my blog for questions with the "ask box." I was hoping for a few more people to join in, but this is what I got...

--------------------------------

Jessica from Me, Him and The Army asked:

1) What's your favorite and least favorite thing about being a milspouse (and not deployment!)? My favorite thing about being a milspouse has been the traveling! In the past 20 months I have lived in two different states and traveled to twelve other states and the District of Columbia! My least favorite thing tends to go along with my favorite- moving... it's hard to leave everyone, your church, and your job. It's time consuming finding "your place" in a new location!

2) Also, how do you go about finding a church when you get to a new duty station? I usually ask the people I know in/recently from the location (if I know any). If I don't know anyone, google maps is my best friend! The church we are going to currently was recommend by friends I made during my internship (they are Hawaiian and were stationed in Hawaii 2yrs before).

--------------------------------

Elizabeth from The Young Retiree asked:

1) I'm curious to know how seasoned milspouses find churches, or if I'm doing the same as everyone else. Look above, I'm sure we're all the same!

2) As I prepare for our Navy Homecoming, I guess I would ask if you have any homecoming traditions/fun things you do with your spouse to ease back into him being home? If so, what? I haven't had to go through a deployment/homecoming yet, so honestly I should probably ask all of you this! When we were apart for 10mo (stationed across the country/training/I was busy with college) I picked him up from the airport alone... no pictures, no signs, not even a special outfit... just me jumping into his arms and being excited to see him.

3) Also, how do you go through the change of having someone back home? When we were separated recently for his 1.5mo of training I lived at home to give our HHGs time to get from MD to HI so getting back together didn't involve our own home/space. We stayed at my parents for a week, in California for a week, then with friends for 2wks before finally PCSing. It was definitely interesting once it was just the two of us again here in Hawaii... even then we lived in a hotel room for two months and just recently moved into this apartment! It's more of a process of making it a home together once again.

--------------------------------

Allie from My Marine and Me asked:

1) What is the craziest dream you ever had? While sleeping? Or something I want to do? This is hard... but since I don't normally remember my dreams much longer than making it to the bathroom after I wake up, I'll go with the second part! Besides my dream vacation which you'll read about in 30sec, I always had that dream to become an actress or singer. Which is absolutely crazy because my acting and singing doesn't go anywhere past church and summer camps.

2) Dream vacation? (budget-less!) Funny enough I answered this for your guest blog segment while you were gone on your vacation!

3) If you had to turn into an exotic animal for the day, what would you become? I have always loved Siberian tigers but I'm not sure I'd enjoy killing another animal and eating raw meat... so I think for one day I'd like to be a Rainbow Lorikeet (tropical bird from Australia)! I'd love to soar through the rain forest and near the ocean... it would be so much fun to be able to fly without the need of a plane.

[Picture I took in Sydney, AU while studying abroad in 2007]

4) What is the best thing about being a military spouse? ... besides your spouse of course! I did answer this above but I should mention that (most) milspouses/girlfriends that I've met are amazingly strong women and I'm glad to have these kind of people in my life!

--------------------------------

Ladies, thanks for playing along!
If anyone has more questions,
I'll still answer for you.

Elephants Upstairs

2011-06-21T11:18:00.000-10:00

So, you remember my post about “hotel life” …what I said about it preparing me for apartment living was true, and terribly off at the same time! The family that lives above us is so inconsiderate of others it boggles my mind. Honestly it sounds as if there are elephants ~~walking~~ running across our ceiling, sometimes our ceiling fan even shakes. This also confuses me because it’s right above our dining table (where is theirs?). I believe the older son is home-schooled and school begins between 4:30 & 5am… with “home etc.” aka, breakfast, always including a blender and the banging of dishes in the sink -- yes at 4:30am! This is promptly followed by “music class” aka, u'kulele & singing… really bad singing. There is usually a fight between him and his teacher (dad) at some point during the day, the mom joins them for lunch, the little sister screams and cries whenever she doesn’t get her way, and dinner is just as loud as breakfast. Just from their loud conversations I have learned their children's names, heard the woman rant to her friend about a mutual friend's diet & supplements, pretty much always know what's for dinner, and more. Then… the kicker… they play music ALL NIGHT LONG. I only got 4 fitful hours of sleep last night, I was such an angry person today, I’m not an angry person… *sigh*

I should mention that most of us don't have A/C and those that do avoid running the window units at all costs because of the toll they take on the electric bill. So, we all have our windows open all.the.time... advantageous for the trade-winds coming off the ocean, not so much for quiet.

Everyone has told us to simply confront them and "kindly remind them you live below" but, I just don't know if I can do the "kindly" part... and honestly how can they NOT realize how extremely loud they are?!

I know there are other "neighbor/apartment horror stories" out there... let me hear them!

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-06-20T09:43:00.002-10:00

Hubby and I went to see "Green Lantern" on Friday, his favorite comic book character... we loved the movie. It's different than the comic books, but what Marvel/DC movie has actually followed along completely? The comics are too vast, with many branching story lines. Supposedly DC will be re-launching "The Green Lantern" this fall with issue #1, I assume to go along with the movie's plot.

One of my favorite lines (may not be exact words):

"My new job requires me to travel and be away. Away, not gone."

Pretty neat quote for all of us connected to the military.

Did any of you see the movie this weekend?
Thoughts?

Also, don't forget that I'm still taking questions!

Summer Essentials Swap - Reveal!

2011-06-16T11:25:00.000-10:00

Back when I was still in the hotel I said "screw it!" and signed up for the swap... I missed out on the previous two due to PCS and I wasn't letting it stop me again when I was so close to moving into the apartment.

I was paired up with the lovely Jennifer from "Life with the Haas'" and boy oh boy did she SPOIL me! No seriously... look at this mountain of goodies:

A cute tree & birdie card
Book: "L.A. Candy" by Lauren Conrad
DVD: "Legally Blonde Triple Feature" (I didn't even know there was a 3rd!)
Softlips double pack
Slatkin & Co Candle in Island Colada
Cute handmade camo flip-flops (unfortunately I have teeny tiny feet and these were men's size 9-10, I probably could have cut them down but instead I had hubby try them on. He needed some house slippers --Hawaiian thing, we don't wear shoes from outside in the house -- so I took off all the ribbons and have them saved for a future craft project!)
Not one, but two bars of Lindt Dark Chocolate! (Chile & Sea Salt)
3 Homemade? (or local) wax bars in very unique flavors- one is PB&J
4 Scentsy Bricks (Cinnamon Bear, My Dear Watson, Cappuccino, & Baked Apple Pie)

See... I told you I was spoiled!
Thanks so much for everything Jennifer!

I know you're all dying to see what I got her, not to mention all the other lovely packages ...so CLICK HERE.

Why Hello Internet & Bloggers!

2011-06-14T11:56:00.004-10:00

It’s official, Skinnie Piggie is back online!

It was quite interesting not having the internet for 1.5wks, I don’t think I realized how much I rely on it (sad)… I couldn’t job search, look up donation info for the local thrift stores (we went from 1,000+sq ft to a little under 900sq ft so we have 4 HUGE boxes to donate), research the state fair show times and ticket prices, but most importantly check my banking info! Of course, I missed perusing all your lovely blogs and we can’t forget my ~~addiction~~ friend facebook! People always ask me why I don’t have internet on my phone, the reason- I spend enough time on it at home (not to mention how much it costs to add it to your cell plan, my husband has it- one person is enough extra $)! However, I think I’m going to sign myself up for text alerts connected to the bank account so I can keep up with it that way.

I hope all of you have had a great week, let me know of any big events I missed out since I doubt I’ll be able to catch up on everyone’s blog no matter how hard I try. I’ve got a bit more organizing to do around the apartment, maybe add another box to donate… but I’ll be back soon with some interesting stories! Don't forget to check out my guest post over at My Marine and Me... after that, ask me some questions! Anything, everything. I know you're all dying to know something... =p

Checking in...

2011-06-08T18:40:00.005-10:00

Hey everyone...
No internet at the apartment until next we, so I'm hanging at out Starbucks for a bit, sippin' on a Double Chocolatey Chip (because I don't do coffee!). ~~--I--~~ We survived the move-in. We had a couple issues with the apartment manager (verbal warning/written notice for 2 days!) because of the boxes on our front porch. It's not our fault the bulk trash pick-up isn't until Saturday- we shoved them all onto the back patio, hopefully it doesn't rain.

We had minimal damage: broken bed frame, 2 broken book shelves, cracked coffee table leg and a broken mirror. We ended up giving away a desk and have 3 huge boxes to give to the thrift store, working on the 4th. Downsizing sure is interesting!

Hope you are all well...
I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do later on!

Bad Joke

2011-06-03T14:42:00.005-10:00

I seriously thought this PCS nightmare was almost over, almost.

We are suppose to move into our temporary apartment tomorrow...

It's almost 3pm and I don't have the keys yet nor heard from the landlord
The electric company still hasn't been notified
TMO/DMO doesn't deliver on the weekends
I still haven't told the front desk we're checking out tomorrow (2 days early) because TLA won't pay for the room since our move-in day on the lease is listed as the 4th
I need to confirm TMO/DMO is delivering on Monday
I need to change our TLA appt

Icing on the cake- Hubby just found out he has 24hr duty TOMORROW & starts a training course that he can't get out of on Monday.

Looks like I'm sleeping on the floor alone.

I'm so frustrated and annoyed right now.
It's a good thing we don't have kids. =/

Please pray for me... it's going to be a long 3 days...

Final Love Letters

2011-06-02T17:55:00.003-10:00

Because this has to be shared.
Because it terrifies me.
Because tears flowed freely while reading them.
Because I am thankful they have something.
Because God let him know it needed to be written.

I pray I don't ever need a letter like this.
If I get one, I pray I am as strong as Emma.

Read them now-

"Dear Emma & Dear Kiley"

You can also find her blog here.

Color-Guard Services

2011-06-01T11:41:00.002-10:00

The Presenting of the Conch Shell.

Hubby was in 3 color-guard services this weekend, 2 were open to the public so I was allowed to tag along as their "unofficial photographer" (these pictures are a mix of both events). I have to say that Tammy Duckworth was the most amazing key-note speaker at each event, just seeing her stand up to salute the flag with both prosthetic legs can bring tears to your eyes.

While we didn't get the weekend completely off for relaxing, these events were more than worth it. The veterans sang the national anthem, the Hawaii anthem, God Bless America, and snapped their salutes to the colors perfectly. Like my husband's buddy said: "Some days color-guard seems like a duty that no one wants, then you see those veterans and you hold your flag a little higher or stand a little straighter with the rifle, it makes it all worth it."

Ever seen a Coast Guard flyover?
We had one at both events.

The MarForPac Band played for one event.

Instead of each Veteran Group laying a wreath, they placed leis (there were two concrete blocks, both completely full).

Also, did you know TAPS has words? I didn't, until the lady started singing it...

Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest
God is nigh.

Fading light dims the sight
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright
From afar, drawing nigh
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise for our days
Neath the sun, neath the stars, neath the sky
As we go, this we know
God is nigh.

If you'd like to listen to it: Click Here.

I hope your weekend was full of fun and remembrance.

Weekend Re-Cap

2011-05-31T18:37:00.000-10:00

Unlike most of the military world (that's not deployed) hubby only got 1 day off instead of 4 this weekend, since we knew ahead of time we made sure to capitalize on that! We woke up bright and early and went to IHOP for a hot breakfast and just to get away from the hotel's little continental one. Then we ran to the NEX and bought new snorkeling gear.

We decided to hike to a lighthouse, ending with an amazing view!

Then headed down to the beach and managed to snorkel with the honu (sea turtles)!

What a great & blessed day we had!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-27T23:57:00.004-10:00

Sometime in the midst of your shopping, bbqs, picnics, beach time, park visits, bike rides, and/or whatever else you have planned for this weekend... take a few minutes to read this letter.

I posted it last year,
I may refer to it every memorial day from now it,
it's that powerful.

I'm calling YOU out, yes... YOU!

2011-05-26T11:56:00.000-10:00

My blog is getting approximately 50-75 views per day, which is cool... but on the comment front, there are 0-2 per entry. Talk about sad! Am I seriously that boring? There are {supposedly} 152 people who follow this blog and those of you who stumble upon it either from google or other milspouse blogs... yet you read, then leave. Now, don't get me wrong... I am a failed follower at times too, I should comment but can't think of anything brilliant to say. I think that's the problem, what we comment doesn't have to be brilliant- it just has to let the writer know we're there, agree, understand, disagree, have a question, etc.

So ladies... I want questions... anything & everything, military related or not. I'll compile a list and blog about them in the near future. This blog isn't really for me, I have a personal one that only my family/friends see. I wanted this blog to be about connecting with other milSpouses...

Please,

New Books!

2011-05-24T12:22:00.000-10:00

My Military OneSource books arrived this week! I learned about this promotion last year, I ordered 5 then. Supposedly you can order 10 free books a year, I think it is from when you last ordered them though, because I could only order 5 this time around despite the fact I got the last ones in 2010. I guess I'll just have to wait until August to order 5 more!

I got:

Heroes at Home
The Jonah Factor
Water for Elephants
The Book Thief
Stones into Schools (playaway)

Have you taken advantage of this extremely generous offer from Military OneSource? First sign-up for an account, then check out the library. You can choose from a list of non-fiction and fiction, most books are paperback but some are audio playaways. This website is amazing, there are so many resources... from online research libraries to pamphlets dealing with deployment.

*Besides my free books, I was not compensated
for sharing this offer with you.
I'm just a OneSource fan!

Monday: Pick-Me-Up

2011-05-23T09:00:00.002-10:00

Hubby & I went to see "On Stranger Tides" this weekend... yes, I love Pirates of the Caribbean. I really liked the movie, it honestly didn't even matter that Will and Elizabeth weren't part of it. For me it's always been about this man, er-pirate:

My dad thinks they will eventually come back after Will's 10years... I'm not sure about that, but we'll see what happens! This last picture is just because it's too stinkin' cute:

Did any of you see the movie this weekend?
If not, are you planning too?
Thoughts?

All images from we♥it