I never know what to name these things

It seems as though I do not have time to keep up with blogging... so sad! I would like to make time. I like to write in my journal as well. Interesting how two means of journaling can be so demanding, yet so fulfilling...and have completely different stories written in them.

My two sisters are here with Devin and I :) ... We have had a lot of fun.

My kitty BeBe is doing well...just as normal as she was before she got sick... I am amazed that she survived. I will have to do a post devoted to her.

I went home to California for a month. Then came home to Hawaii with my sisters :) We have been busy going to beaches all the time, swimming, swimming with turtles, stand up paddle boarding, and having SO much fun! We are definitely enjoying our time together.

A short update...more to come.

Lazy Sunday

A short update...

We are sick. Again. And so, we sit here on this Sunday, resting. We finished The Green Hornet this afternoon and now the NBA Finals are about to begin. I hope this day of rest will aid in our getting better and healing! I definitely need some beach time this week. We finally received all of our belongings and our house is still a mess because of it. Slowly, but surely things are coming along. I'm awaiting miss BeBe's arrival, but first she has to get better too! That cat.

Tata for now

Morning PT

Today my husband had beach PT (physical training). He told me yesterday or maybe it was 2 days ago... anywho... I thought to myself, "I wanna go!" I've always dreamt about going running on the beach and being all fit and hot... but thought maybe it'd be weird to be the only spouse there...i would NOT do pt with them of course, i'd probably collapse of exhaustion. I had to do my own thing.

Devin woke up at 5:15 and it woke me up, as usual, and since we had gone to bed early the night before, I was actually awake enough to go! But I hesitated, still thinking it might be kind of awkward, ya know? So I doddled, and bounced around asking if it'd be weird and asking "what do you think?" ...we even had talked about it the night before and I said to him, "Well, we can just pretend like we don't know each other" (that way he wouldn't get questioned).... so after some more bouncing and asking, he said, "well I want you to come" & I thought maybe he's just saying that so he doesn't hurt my feelings. At that point, I thought to myself, "Screw it, I'm going." I've always wanted to go in the early morning and run on the beach.

I got ready and we left. :D BEST DECISION EVERRR!! :D ...ok well, maybe not ever, but you get my drift. I totally loved it. Hung out with the hubs & co-worker people while they waited for everyone else to show up and then I thought it was about time to just go and do my own thing, so I did. We went to Waimea Bay... absolutely gorgeous area... and it's close to Devin's favorite beach because it's a little easier to see in the water and it's mostly free of rock. I walked/jogged up and down the beach 4xs (my calves are killlllllinngg me) and then did some sit ups and then ... I went in the water...exercise shorts and all... I couldn't help myself! It was right there just luring me in... and for some reason wearing bathing suit bottoms escaped my mind when I was getting ready... the shorts worked out just fine though, if you were wondering. The water was soooo refreshing and I enjoyed every second, no, microsecond of it. I love the beach, I love the ocean, I love ocean water, and I love the sand between my toes. I love the landscape and I love the sounds. The beach appeals to all 5 senses (the sense of taste is fulfilled when eating seafood) of mine ... it is my solace... my "me" place.

So I was able to start the morning off right with a beach workout, a little ocean water, some sun, and some fun music on the ride home. Now that's my perfect morning!

I want my bedroom....

To look like this:

On A Secluded Beach In Hawaii

Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

5 cups warm water
3 tbs. dough enhancer
1/4 cup oil
5 cups white wheat flour (hard white wheat)
1/2 cup honey
1 tbs. salt
mix well add 3 tbsp instant yeast
add about 7 more cups of flour
mix well and knead about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape into loaves and rise about 20 minutes. Bake at 350 for 27 minutes.

In the process, you can add 1/4 cup of flax seed to increase health benefits!

Another way & smaller batch is: (pretty sure i followed this one - it's barely different than the top one)
(add in this order)
3 cups warm water
1/3 cup sugar or honey
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil
3 cups flour (adding for the first time)
Mix together until sponge-like...
then add
2 tbs. of instant yeast
3-5 more cups of flour
mix for about 10 minutes in the mixer until smooth & elastic.
Shape into 3 -5 loaves (depending on your pan size) & let rise about 20 minutes (don't let it get too high!)
then bake @ 350 for 25-27 minutes

Grateful

I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, a wonderful husband, an amazing family, awesome friends & all that I have been given. I am forever grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how He has helped to improve my life in many many ways. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a wonderful church and organization that focuses on the light and good of the world & the gospel. I'm so grateful for the scriptures and for books that help us learn of good news, such as the book Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson... I recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it...it is just so good and is basic so you can understand all that he is trying to get across.

I just have to say that moving to Georgia is the best decision I could have made. I'm so glad that I get to sight see on the weekends with my husband and enjoy the world, scenery, and inventions of people. I have the opportunity to be with family during the week so I am not alone, learn how to be a homemaker - sew, make homemade bread, and more :) ... I'm also able to focus on myself and replenish - getting ready for the time to come where I won't have any "me" time. ...You'd think that I'd learn by now that I NEED me time... so maybe i'll make sure to fit it in :) ... it's for everyone's well being, oh, and mine too ;)

In case you haven't noticed... I love ♥hearts♥ and polka dots and :)smiley faces:) & !exclamation marks! ...and I hope and pray I always will. I don't want that to ever go away...

People say it is all perspective. And I agree with that statement. Stephen E. Robinson says in his book: "Human beings are inevitably the arsonists of their own happiness."

If you want to be happy, you will be happy ... it might take work, but you will, eventually, be happy. If you are bitter & callous - well, you just will be one unhappy duck won't ya? I hope that we can all learn to be happy people that love and give; not necessarily give monetarily, but give our hearts and empathize with others, whether sharing feelings of sadness or joy, we can understand each other.

Anyway, I love to love, and I hope you do too :) ♥ !! ♥♥♥

And our new duty station is.....

HAWAII!!!!!!!

I honestly can't believe we got Hawaii, we are just SO lucky!! : D We are absolutely stoked and we are glad that we can live this dream out together.

Rule 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOHOO!!!! Sooo, Thursday (2/3/11) ... Devin's status changed on his military website... called Assignment Satisfaction Key... and on the Requisitions tab it states, "Rule 5: You are on assignment instructions." YES!!!!! that means we will get to know where the heck we will be going within the next 14 days!!!!!!!! We are beyond excited!

♥ Quote ♥

"When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly."

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Sea Side Villas, Hilton Head Island, SC

I had never been to South Carolina before this last Tuesday {1/11/11} ... but now I have been! yay :) ... so when we were there we visited this doughnut shop called Flamingo's Doughnut Cafe ... Chris and Lane said they had good donuts, but when I walked in I was shocked!!! These were the doughnuts: 

 

Don't they look YUMMY?!?! 

We got these 3 ... hot and FrEsH!

                                              This one was mine.... S'mores

I had fun and can't wait to visit again :)

...

Well, I never ended up watching Eat, Love, Pray... I will someday. I have been busy creating scrapbook pages (I have completed 3 now! ha) and I was putting interior decorating ideas for my future place together in a word document... So @ this house there is this little dog named Holly. She is absolutely adorable and loves to cuddle. She will come in my room if the door is open and just jump right up on the bed ... today she decided to plop herself right on my legs... too cute. This is her ...

Holly

If you put your hand down to her she puts herself in this position. She's a cutie. The home I'm staying in is quite beautiful and I've really enjoyed it!

1/13/11

Big phony smile... driving from AL to GA

Well, it’s 2011 … time just seems to go on without my consent. However, I am REALLY looking forward to getting the orders to our first duty station (FDS in Army terms) … I am completely and utterly nervous that maybe, just maybe it might be an unaccompanied tour… meaning – I can’t go. That is a BIG fear of mine. But I hope and PrAy that it will be an accompanied tour and that it will be in an awesome place :) … I really hope! I think at this point I am just ready to have my own space again and have my husband come home… whether it’s an apartment or a home, I don’t really care either way {yet} – I’m sure some time I will… but I don’t yet.

…So, I’m sitting here in bed under the covers… “lap”top on my lap… pondering if I should be doing something else than creating a diary on my computer… I was learning how to do all those cute things to the blog, but then the internet went out – it’s a common occurrence at this house… However, maybe it is a good thing because it forces one to do something else rather than being on the internet… if the internet had stayed on {like it was supposed to} then I wouldn’t be writing this at this moment.. so maybe it’s for entertainment.

saw this on the drive and liked it

I have been working on, haha, well I JUST started my wedding scrapbook… I have only done one page. Yesterday I made a blanket!!! It’s black and white checks on one side and black on the other. It was a no sew blanket and I enjoyed making it! It is for Devin. I just hope it’s not too girly for him. Haha. A couple of people have said “NOOooo! It’s black and white check – that’s not girly”…. So I said…alright… It was the only fabric that my eye was drawn to @ this Hobby Lobby in Statesboro. So, I picked it … bought it, and made the blanket. Now instead of Devin sleeping on top of his bed sheets {instead of cuddled inside them} with just a wool blanket, he will have a homemade blanket from his wifey ;) …He sleeps on top because making the bed in the amount of time they have in the morning creates high stress – there is not enough time to properly make the bed and measure with a ruler to make sure you have the sheets folded down at the right measurement and the right amount of sheet folded down. So, he sleeps on top of it all… that way he gets up and folds his one wool blanket and puts it in his closet and can get ready and have enough time. This has been done for quite some time – It’s a little secret they all pass on to each other to make life that much easier. ...I began this paragraph about my scrapbook and ended up on a completely different subject… that happens often {not intended}.

…SO… the scrapbook… I finally am just now going through all of my wedding photos… and attempting to scrapbook. It is SO time consuming!! Now I remember why I have never gotten into it. The pages end up looking great, but gee... just for like two pictures, that’s a lot of work. We’ll see how far I get. I am pleased with the one and only page I have made so far.

in the middle of NO-where...

I kind of want to go back in time to our drive here… well the last hour of the drive I ended up feeling a little queasy… ugh…maybe I don’t want to relive that – it just brings back the disgusting feelings… let’s just say I got to the hotel JUST in time!!!!! Emergency Room visit that night – an IV to hydrate me + some anti-nausea medicine. They prescribed me some anti-nausea pills along with anti-cramping meds…thank goodness. I think that’s what helped me get through the week {& some of the next week} … Devin reported back to his platoon as soon as we got back to the hotel that night… Then he woke up and had the same thing I did… it was horrible. He was sick for much longer than I … I was also able to sleep for 3 days straight with no disturbance and no one around… and I was able to eat what I wanted when I wanted {even though I really didn’t eat and I couldn’t really get up} – he wasn’t …that’s why when you’re sick it’s just better to be home. Too bad we dOn’T HAVE a home right now…and even if we did, he wouldn’t be allowed to be there. BLAH…Army rules… sometimes I wonder just how smart they are…really. They are so afraid of people going A-wall (is that how you spell it? I have no idea…I’ve never looked into it) that they have a tight lockdown on guys. Well, the people in Devin’s platoon are all younger... like 6 years… so that means when Devin was graduating high school, they were in 6^th grade. Hahah… weird. I can’t believe I have blabbed on for this long already. Hrmmm…. I’ve been wanting to watch the movie Eat, Love, Pray … I think I’ll rent it today and watch it. It’s almost lunch time… see ya.

Green Cleaning

So indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air and our store bought cleaning supplies that have millions of toxins - don't help. So once I finally am stationed with my husband and have my own place... I am going to use these recipes to make my own cleaning supplies - that way I hope to create a more healthy environment and happy lungs. There are also certain antiseptic essential oils that you can add to the cleaners to make them smell good (i.e. lemon, lavender, cinnamon, oregano, and tea tree)! I am writing all the recipes I received on the blog so I can toss my handout from Relief Society. ;) Also, every plant per 10 sq. feet of house can really help household air. Some air filtering plants are peace lilies, Gerbera daisies, and Spider plants.

All Purpose Cleaner
2 tbsp. of vinegar
1 tsp. borax
2 cups very hot water
1/4 cup liquid soap
10-15 drops essential oil

Mix vinegar and borax in spray bottle. Add hot water and shake until borax is dissolved. Add the 1/4 cup of liquid soap and essential oils.

Scented Room Spray
1/2 cup water
8 drops essential oil
Mix together in a small spray bottle.

Basic Soft Scrubber (good for bathtub)
1/4 cup baking soda
3 drops of essential oil
Mix with enough liquid soap to make a frosting-like consistency.

Vinegar Counter Spray
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
Mix in spray bottle. Use to wipe down counter tops and kitchen table. The vinegar smell goes away when wiped dry.

Glass Cleaner
1 cup rubbing alcohol
1 cup water
1 T vinegar
Mix together in a spray bottle.

Furniture Polish
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
Mix well and apply a small amount to a flannel rag. Spread evenly over furniture surface. Turn cloth to a dry side and polish dry.

Citrus Vinegar Disinfectant
4 Orange Peels, scrubbed clean
3 cups white vinegar
Place orange peels in a quart jar. Cover with vinegar. Seal jar tightly. Set in cupboard for 2-4 weeks, shaking occasionally. When ready, strain citrus vinegar. Pour one cup citrus vinegar and one cup water into a spray bottle.

Drain Opener/Freshener
1/2 cup baking soda
1 cup vinegar
2 cups boiling water
Pour baking soda in drain. Follow with vinegar. Cover for 10 minutes. Flush drain with boiling water.

Microwave Cleaner
Place 1 cup water into microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 3 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes. Wipe out microwave with damp rag.

Resources:
http://organizedhome.com/clean-house/pantry-recipes-homemade-cleaning-products

Books:
Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond
Green Clean by Linda Mason Hunter and Mikki Halpin
Homemade: How to Make Hundreds of Everyday Products Fast, Fresh, and More Naturally from the editors of Readers Digest.

A New Year is Here

I thought I'd be able to keep up on this blogging thing... but - obviously that hasn't happened. Now that I have finished my semester successfully with all A's, I might be able to somehow keep this blog up to date... A LOT has happened since I last wrote. I am now in Georgia...living about 1.5 hours away from Fort Gordon where my wonderful hubby is. I will be seeing him Saturday if all goes as planned. We had an AWESOME trip here :) ... we drove coast to coast!!! I love that I can say my husband and I have done that together :) What an adventure.
A new year is here and time is flying by. Devin and I spent our 1st anniversary in Tahoe - so pretty!!

Sushi restaurant on our Anniversary night

We had an amazing holiday time with my family and his ... Mindy reports to the MTC next Wednesday, so we will be missing her for the next year and a half...however, we are VERY excited for her!!

It's beautiful here in Georgia! I like it so far.. even though I've really only been indoors or inside a car. We got here and got sick right away! I made a trip to the ER and had to get an IV... that helped a ton. The trick to getting better - do nothing!!! annnddd Devin is sick too... he's been on bed rest... and we think he will be pushed back in classes... but it's alright. I don't mind much because at least I am here.. it's not like the week prevents me from seeing him any longer (@ least I hope and pray!) Well i think i am done blogging for today... little by little I shall improve my blogging skills and the time in between blogs ;)

pretty view out the window on the drive... NV can be pretty