She Who Waits

"They also serve who only stand and wait." - John Milton

Happy birthday, USMC!

I just wanted to send out a Happy Birthday to all Marines. :usa: It's the 233rd birthday of the Marine Corps today!

We attended the Birthday Ball of a reserve unit about two hours away on Saturday. It was a small ball and we only knew a handful of folks, so we wound up leaving with a group and heading to a club in town. It's been a long time since I enjoyed myself at a club, but this one was quite decent and not overly skeezy. The four plus drinks I'd had probably helped, too. :giggle: I'm such a lightweight, I can't remember the last time I drank that much! But it was a blast, so I guess that's all that matters right?

Anyway, here's the one decent pic we managed to get of us. We posed for the professional shots at the ball itself, but we obviously don't have that one quite yet.

Posted Under Photos, Military on 11.10.2008

Sushi

Do you like sushi? I find folks either love it or hate it. Unfortunately, I've developed a great fondness for it. :adore Our checking account isn't happy about this. :anxious

Fortunately, I found something easy to make at home when I'm craving some sushi style food.

Sushi Bowl

I did make some adjustments. I nixed the tofu and substituted smoked salmon instead (the commissary was out of the ahi tuna I wanted). I added some cucumbers and extra nori. I also made a wasabi dressing with soy sauce, wasabi, rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil which gave it the perfect touch. Yum!

Any favorite recipes to share? I've been in the mood to cook this week!

Posted Under Day to Day on 11.6.2008

Yes, I'm alive.

Sorry about the absence, I just haven't had a whole lot to write about. The car came out okay, the visit back to NC went well but was very bittersweet, and now we're back on the Army base and I'm just trying to fill the days.

I'm still working on photography, and finally feel I'm making some progress. Here are a couple photos for you. :)

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M, on the day of her Christening
Click to Open
Sorry, the pic was a bit big for the blog.

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I've invested in a couple more lenses to further my capability in different situations, though one of them was purchased a month ago and I just had to file a claim via PayPal since I still don't have it. |-| Yipee. Hopefully the other will arrive in a few days, though! :roof

How are all of you doing? I've been spending most of my 'net time on photography sites, so I'm neglecting blogs altogether, it seems. :anxious (Though T, I've kept up on you. My heart hurts for you, lady. You'll get through, but you know that already. You're in my thoughts. :hug)

Posted Under Day to Day on 10.27.2008

Dropping off the car today

I'm finally taking the car in to be repaired today. It took the insurance long enough to get things going. :roll:

And of course, I called Enterprise to arrange pickup at the repair shop and they said the insurance company had only put me in a standard size car, which is considerably smaller than a Camry. :| Umm ... no. We're driving to and from North Carolina this weekend and we bought a Camry for a reason. I called the adjuster back, was nice but assertive, and despite her rude attitude she upgraded it to a full size.

Hopefully the repair goes well (they had trouble finding the parts for such a new car initially, despite being a dealership) and she'll be as good as new. We're going back to NC for M's Christening, so we're very much looking forward to that! I'm sure I'll have some photos to share when we get home, too. :)

Posted Under Day to Day on 10.9.2008

Go vote!

I'm probably behind on this due to being so behind on blogs, but I couldn't resist posting for such a worthy cause.

Squidoo.com is giving away $80,000 to charities, with the amount determined in $2 increments by internet votes. Each vote is $2 to the charity of your choice.

Soldiers Angels is on the list, accompanied by many other deserving charities. Please spread the word and help support your favorite charity.

http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo-charity-giveaway

Posted Under Day to Day on 10.2.2008

What I've been up to lately

I don't make a good housewife. I just don't. I'm bored, unmotivated, and grumpy. I need something to do, but don't see the point in getting a job for just a few months.

Consequently, I've delved into photography. I thought I'd share some photos. Most of these were taken before we moved, but I've been learning a lot in the weeks since then and just started in a mentorship program with weekly assignments, so I hope to learn even more through that.

Read more »

Posted Under Photos on 09.30.2008

Ahh. Technology.

That's right, we have internet access back. :woot:

Overall the move didn't go too badly and the boxes are slowly going away. Husband gets up early, comes home to shower after PT, goes to the school, comes home and studies, eats dinner, and studies until bedtime. The days are long, but at least he's here.

We'll find out around Nov/Dec where we're headed this spring. Fingers crossed for SoCal. ;D

I'm trying to get caught up but I have two weeks worth of blogs to read, so check in, let me know how you're all doing!

Posted Under Day to Day on 09.25.2008

Directionally impaired

I HATE not being wired to just have an innate sense of direction. I feel so lost on base post right now! :thud:

Had to take apart the dryer already, the movers thought it a good plan to drag our nice wood table up the blue back steps, and we're still swimming in boxes. Fun!

We're without 'net access until the 23 or so, but I'll try to pop in when I can! :whistle

Posted Under Day to Day on 09.13.2008

DOD isn't DOD?

Gate cop: "Ma'am, I'm sorry but we have to read your sticker as being 2002, you'll have to go get a temporary pass."

Me: "You're serious, aren't you? It's obviously 2012."

Gate cop: "Yes ma'am, you'll have to turn around."

Me: "I LIVE on post. We've been coming and going for a week. The car is a 2009, obviously the sticker isn't from 2002."

Gate cop: "Sorry ma'am."

:censored: :gaah: :mad:

WHY isn't a DOD decal a DOD decal?! What the hell?

I drove to the OTHER gate because that one was backed up outside the building for passes, got my pass, left it in my lap, and pulled up, then handed my ID to the guard.

Gate cop: "How are you today, ma'am?"

Me: *obviously sarcastic smile* "Well, can you tell me what year my DOD decal says?"

Gate cop: "Uh-oh. For you guys, that's 2012. Is there a problem?"

Me: "Can you tell everyone that? Obviously I haven't been driving around a 2009 car for 6 years with an expired decal! I had to get a temporary pass and I already live on post, this is ridiculous. We'll only be here a few months, it's silly to get a new decal."

Gate cop: "Yes it is, ma'am. I'll bring it up. Sorry for the trouble."

:gaah:

(For you army folks, the USMC issues base stickers with just the month and the last digit of the year so instead of putting '12' there's just a '2' on it.)

Posted Under Military on 09.10.2008