Ugh....

I am so bad about keeping up with this.  I should do better, I know!  I love to write, I just blame the small keyboard and my lack of motivation lately.  The only thing I want to do is sit in my lounge chair and wait...

For what? 

Funny you ask. 

I'm pregnant.

Yup, me, who wanted to wait at least another 2 years before I even considered pregnancy again.  But apparently whoopsie babies happen....

So I am due February 2, 2014.  But I'm thinking it will be another induction because of my last one.

So forgive me if I am not on here and active too much.  I'm tired and morning sickness lasts all day now....

Military Spouse Appreciation Day and more....

Do I have proven to be an awful blogger.  I don't keep up like I should.  So here is the 411...

Today is military spouse appreciation day.  I didn't receive a card or some recognition.  Wanna know something?  I didn't care.  My husband is a veteran.  He served 8 years, he put his life on the line in Iraq, he is the one with the emotional scars and lives with it every day.  I have not lived a life like he has.  I do not see what I have done to earn recognition like that.  I am the wife who waited for him on long trips, who made sure his uniform was pressed and clean, who made sure his belly was full and his heart happy.  I was a wife, just like the fireman, the policeman, the garbage man, and the plumber have.  They do not have a day to recognize them.  What makes us so special?  Because we spend more nights alone?  I doubt that.  Do you know that there are men down here in Louisiana who spend 2 weeks away from their family, then one week home, then are gone again?  They do not get Christmas or holidays off unless it is on their work scheduled week off.  They work hard off shore doing dangerous work.  Their spouses do not get recognized.

So, to sum up my little soap box speed here, I am proud to be a Veteran wife, but I do not see what I have done that was above and beyond extraordinary to make me feel like I deserved a day.

OK..

Now that that is over with, here is some great news.  I'm going to see my parents for 3 weeks!  I leave Sunday night.  I can't wait!!!!!

Separations

The hardest part of being in a new place is the distance from my family and friends.  I have never been more than an hour away from my family my whole life.  And now suddenly I am 1100 miles away.  17 hours of driving away. 

And now I'm 24 hours away from my best friend.

I'm so far from helping all of them when they need me most.

:(

I miss my Mama

Yes, I'm 28 (or will be in 29 days) but I am not afraid to admit I miss my mama.  She has always been my rock, even when we were at each other's throat.  So to be 1100 miles away hurts.

Especially now that she has back problems, shouldn't be picking up my wheelchair bound brother, and is in the process of moving the last of the stuff from VA to WV with my dad.  She is struggling and I am not there to help lift the burden.  I always help, I moved in twice and helped out for months on end, even after being married and having a baby.  Because if the roles were reversed my Mama would do the same.

So to be in Louisiana and not be able to help is breaking my heart.  Hoping I can convince my husband to let me go for a few weeks just to ease some of her stress.  And to see my little brothers and sister, my dad, and enjoy the mountain air of WV....

Libraries

So I will let you all in on a not-so-secret secret.  I LOVE LIBRARIES!!

I grew up reading.  My parents read to us as little children.  When we were still required to have naps we were allowed to lay in bed quietly and read instead of sleep.  And as I got older, my love of reading expanded from picture books to novels, science fiction, non-fiction.  To sum it up, I would be found reading my dad's "National Review" or a cereal box if I didn't have a book readily accessible.

To this day I have more books than I know what to do with.  I spend so much time reading that it is rubbing off on my 1 year old.  She will grab her books and "read" them- even if they are upside down. 

So to me libraries are almost as sacred as churches.  I love the peace I get when I walk into one.  All that information stored in one building.  All the opportunities to expand my world from the comfort of my reading chair is almost too much for me. 

And the library in Thibodaux is gorgeous.  It has the cutest children section with a little log cabin but right into the building.  It is a play house for kids!  There is checkers and coloring available, storytime and lap time, and always fun events scheduled for my little Munchkin!

And the selection for me is WONDERFUL!  I can't get over how prompt they are in getting me what I can't find.  If they don't have it, they will get it.  Which works for me! 

And I love coming into the library, seeing the librarians, and they know my name, my daughter's name, and they will chat away with me.  It gives me the constant feeling of small town USA. 

And the big bonus?  FREE books.  Not just the borrowing ones. They sell books that aren't being read for a certain amount of time to make space for more books.  5¢ a book, 50¢ a DVD, magazines are free.  But every month or two they give them away for free.  I have walked away with hundreds (yes, hundreds) of books in the past few months.  Children's book, history, art, science....  you name it, I grabbed it.  I even have a book in Arabic because the pictures were just beautiful.  I may break my own rule of not destroying a book and rip it up to frame some of the pages for the hallway.  They were that pretty!

So, to sum this all up- the library down here may be small, but it still rivals the ones back home in style, selection, and atmosphere!!!!

Job Hunt

So, tomorrow I begin my job search.  It is time.  My baby girl is 16 months old and living on one income isn't really working.  Sad, but true. 

So tomorrow I put out resumes and hope for the best! 

Keep your fingers crossed!

Babies, Clothes, and Consignment

My baby girl is now 15 months old.  And today I really got to see how much she has grown- and just how much I hoard....

See, up north we have a HUGE consignment called Weecycled Consignment.  A huge hall is rented and people consign their goods.  It helps them make money without the garage sale and for others to buy nice clothed at cheaper prices.

And I always went.  And always bought clothes.  And more clothes.  I bought for her sizes then and for the future if they were cute.  I would hoard them, put them in boxes and opened when needed.  But I refused to get rid of them.  When we moved from Quantico, VA to Thibodaux, LA, I knew I had to get rid of some of them.  So I got about 7 large boxes of clothes down to 4.  I thought that was plenty. 

Well, now we will fast forward to now.  My house is less than half of what I had in Quantico (ya, it was pretty big! And I do miss it!) and we don't have the storage amount we used too.  So I had to reduce even more.  I donated some to a friend with a little girl. And now I have discovered that New Orleans has a HUGE children's consignment. 

So, here we go!  I've been going through all the stuff I have been saving.  Memories flood in when I look at her baby clothes.  But it is silly to hold onto this if we are going to wait for at least another 4-5 years to have another one.  And my husband is thrilled.  The house is kind of a mess with the boxes in the house, but I have managed to get all of the clothes I want to save for now into an 18 gallon tote! 

Plus I have more boxes to go through.  I did my Polly Pocket collection- has to be over $150 worth all organized and ready to go! 

Here is to reducing the clutter and making money!

God was bowling last night....

Last night, roughly around 1am, God decided he wanted to go bowling.  And obviously He was winning because the angels were weeping at their loss...

OK, but seriously folks, we had an amazing thunderstorm at 1am!  I'm originally from Ridgecrest, CA.  It is where I spent my early childhood till I was 16.  And, for everyone who has never heard of it, it us a small Navy town in the Mojave Desert.  Yes, Navy and desert are used in the same geographical location.  Long story.  But anyway, as I was saying, I'm originally from R/C and as you can imagine, rain and thunderstorms are kind of a big deal.  So I never take them for granted.

And last night was no different.  I couldn't sleep and didn't know why.  Now I do- I don't sleep during thunderstorms.  They are too raw, too beautiful, to miss.  The energy it produces excites me.

I can remember as a kid laying on my bed, facing my window, and watching those rare thunderstorms with so much joy.  It was a reminder that even in the desert there has to be a break from the monotony of hot, dry weather.  Even God had a sense of humor making a fight in the sky.

The flashing of the lightening and the following roll of thunder, it made me remember my childhood and laying in that single bed watching the storm roll.  Made me miss the easier days.

But then I hear my daughter moving in her crib and I realized that I wouldn't change anything about my life. 

That one day, Nono and I will lay in my bed, open all the shades, and watch God go bowling.

Louisiana Bonuses

I'm laying in bed here thinking of the bonuses I get for living in Louisiana and not Virginia at this moment and these are what come to mind:

1) Weather.  Yes, I know, I've written a little about it before but here it is again.  And why, you may ask, do I have the desire to say it again? Because today it was a gorgeous 72° outside, sunshine, and the evening is a could 60°.  B-E-A-utiful weather....  and Virginia and West Virginia (where my parents live) are getting freezing weather andsnow....

Which leads me into this:
2) SNOW!!!!  I don't EVER have to drive in snow again!!!!  Everyone who knows me knows that snow and I don't mix too well.  I played bumper cars with my husband's (at time boyfriend) truck and the guardrail...   and a year later managed to destroy my PT Cruiser in 1/2" of snow....  ya....  not pretty.  Snow scares me, so to not have to see it makes me pretty happy!

3) Planting.  I hate to garden, I do.  I don't like dirt under my nails, I don't like weeding, but this year I am going to give it another go. Why?  Because it looks like everything grows out here!  I'm going to plant and grow tomatoes, beans, squash, watermelon and herbs. And who knows what else!  But I look forward to free, fresh veggies.

4) Citrus.  My husband is a huge fan of oranges and I have recently discovered I love grapefruit.  And out here, they grow year round.... mmmmm..... 

5) Daiquiri shops.  Sounds odd, I know, but get this- THEY ARE DRIVE THREW!!!!  Hell's ya!  It is considered a closed container as long as the paper cover is still on the top of the straw that is IN THE DRINK!  And the flavors.... now I want one....  they are amazing....

6) Po'boys.  I think they are amazing, and so far the only place worth getting them is in Louisiana.  Amazing sandwiches!  I eat them often enough, so I can tell you that they are amazing and worth traveling to Louisiana just to have.

7) last, but not least, smocked clothes.  Yes, the old dresses our mother's made us wear as kids.  Guess what?  It's baaaack......  and I am going nuts over the cute clothes they have for little girls!  Everyone LOVES the dresses I have for Nono!  (Or it could just be that she is just super cute....). Whatever the case may be, I buy it for my girl and she is beautiful in it!

Well.  I'm done for tonight.   Can now sleep in some peace till 7am....

The People of the Bayou

I miss home, there is no doubt that.  I miss my family, my friends, and all that was normal to me.

But I will say this is a pro for Louisiana, the people out here are wonderful (as long as you keep them happy! *wink, wink*)

First, they are the friendliest people I have ever had the opportunity to meet.  Maybe Northern Virginians need to pick this up- no matter who you are or where you are from, you are a friend.  You will be invites to outings, parties, get together, church.  No one is a stranger.

Second, they are honest.  You ask a question, like it or not, you get an honest answer (which is why I never ask my husband if my butt looks big in a pair of pants.... I don't want to hear the answer!)

Thirdly, they are kind.  I was feeling all sorts of depressed here in my news home.  I knew no one and I reached a point of threatening to go home to my family after Christmas- with it without my husband.  Yes, probably not the smartest move, but I was so tired of feeling lonely.  But one woman introduced herself to me, understood how I felt, and invited me to join her at her church and there opened up a whole new group of ladies.  (Thank you Kathleen!).  Through her kindness I have made new friends.

And I have found that no matter where I go, people are willing to chat for as long as you want.  Even going to Wal-Mart can be an experience- people there will see Nono or see something I am looking at and a whole conversation begins.  It is so nice to see what Southern Hospitality really is! 

So, my dear Louisiana, you may not be  Virginia, but I think you and I will be good friends.... just get rid of the mosquitoes....  I don't think they will ever be part of my friend's list.... ;)

Making Clones

I love science, especially genetics.  I know that parents pass down 1/2 of their chromosomes to their child.

But no one prepared me for the fact that I wouldn't make a baby.  Rather, I was cloning my husband.... 

That first picture is my daughter.  Then there is my husband....

Scary?

You bet....

Mardi Gras practice

Just trolling Wal-Mart with my husband and daughter and having a little fun....

Weather

I have to admit, the weather is crazier than the people here in Bayou, Louisiana.  Let me set the scene.

I woke up to it being mildly cool.  Not too cold, just enough to make you wear sweatpants and a long sleeve T-shirt.  Then, as the day progressed, it warmed up to shorts and a T-shirt.  Nice, cozy, early spring weather....

And then it hits.  That sudden, out of no where thunderstorm that is going to rip your roof right off with the wind and send your dog into a peeing frenzy from the thunder and lightening (and we don't HAVE a dog!). And then as suddenly as it arrived, it is gone....

Leaving 200°- hell as hell- sweating so bad I can't see- hot weather.  It is so bad my toilet tank is sweating! 

But the weirder part of all this is that although it is hot as Hades right now,  tomorrow it could be freezing. 

I carry in my car at all times a sweatshirt, umbrella, tank top, flip flops, sneakers, jeans, and shorts for myself and the baby for all weather changes.  We always carry an umbrella, a blanket, and sunscreen for all occasions.

Ya, even the weather has a Louisiana vibe.....

Oh, and as a side note- it is hot enough at 8:30 pm to melt my lipstick and eye pencils in my makeup bag....  yikes!

Mardi Gras...

Well, Mardi Gras day will soon be upon us. To everyone else it is the day you decide what to give up for Lent.  But in Louisiana, Mardi Gras is a way of life.  People start wearing their purple, green, and gold as early as December 26th.  The harlequin masks and beads are out and on display in houses and on cars.  And the drinking reaches an all time high.  Jell-o shots and Bud Lights become a regular staple in the diet, right along with king cake and crawfish. 

And I have come to a conclusion, that there has to be a correlation between the drinking and the clothes worn during Mardi Gras season (did I mention they celebrate for WEEKS before Mardi Gras?!). Women in their 50's and 60's are wearing skinny jeans or mini skirts and tight, sequined tops.  No bras.  Ladies in their 20's are walking around dressed in tights and tutu's.  And everyone wears these awful purple, green, and yellow striped polo's that make even the skinniest person look like a size 2x. 

And they all seem to think they look fabulous....  I think it has to do with the drinking.....

But anyway, moving on. 

The parades, I have come to discover, are a time to see people you like and dis those you don't.  Fights are common- not just between enemies, but also friends and family!  But it all ends well.  Someone will stomp off and the victor celebrates by rehashing the fight with his buddies while everyone drinks their drive-through daquries (another post on that later!)

But in all honesty, the Mardi Gras season really is a lot of fun.  Everyone is cooking and feasting and always invites you over for more food than you could eat in a year.  The parades keep you busy begging for beads and fun toys for the kids.  The costumes are bright and cheerful.  The weather is usually warm and mild.  It is a great break from the winter weather....

As much fun I make at the southerners and their love for this tradition, I admit I do enjoy it!  Just not the clothes....  I could do without the clothes.....

'allo!

Let us set the seen- the year is 2008 and I have met the cutest guy ever. We hit it off, start dating, and Christmas of 2009 he proposes.  We marry in 2010, have a baby in 2011, and in 2012 he ends his 8 years of service in the Marine Corps....  and moves his little family from my beautiful home state of Virginia to his Southern home state of Louisiana.

Now, I love my husband, I love his family, but moving to the deep South, and I MEAN deep, like bayou deep....  it has been a culture shock.

So I am going to blog about my adventures.  The people I meet, the uniqueness of my new state, and the way of life down here.

So, enjoy!