Happy Easter

*and the outtakes*

What will it be like?

I spend a lot of my time thinking about the future. It's winter here, still, and for the most part I am bored. It's really too cold to play outside, we are walking on warmer days, but for the most part I stay inside. Which allows my mind to wander. One thing I have been thinking is "I wish I remembered my expectations for Montana" because I spend a lot of time thinking about what my days will be like in SoCal. I want to share them, so I can look back at them and laugh in a year when I relise how different things are from what I imagined. I am sure my expectations for Montana were high, but after the first winter, which never seemed to end, I settled into how I feel now. Montana is a beautiful place to visit, but it's just not for me, not somewhere I would ever willingly live again. 

source

I imagine there will be a lot of time spend on the beach. 

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Hopefully with all that beach time I will get a nice sun kissed tan.

I know base housing won't look like this, but that looks nice too.

I think that we will spend evenings walking around our neighborhood, strolling away the day. 

Source

On weekends we will sit around the fire pit with our neighbors and friends, sipping cold drinks and laughing. 

I imagine we will be more outdoorsy, and fit. 

We will hike and walk all over So Cal. 

We will have a nice yard, and a clean house. 

Renji will get over his anxiety and he will be a happy doggie who loves to go on walks. 

We will shop, and eat sushi, and go to farmers markets. 

Paul will take more leave from work and we will take trips, like to Yosemite and San Francisco. 

We will still be in the states, and close to a major airport, so visiting family out of driving range will be cheeper (vs. living in Japan).

Our families will come out to us too, and together we will take Evey to the zoo, and the beach. 

Although I am sad we are not going to Okinawa, I am actually excited about Camp Pendleton. 

I have always secretly wanted to live in California. 

Ever since "Saved by the Bell" and "Beverly Hills 90210", I have had this warm, fun, exciting, picture of California in my head. 

I long to live in a big city again, with real stores and little cute markets. 

I miss variety. 

I miss mild winters, and warm summers. 

In my mind California is full of all these things.

I think I am really going to enjoy our time there. 

I counted my chickens

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch"....

To say I am disappointed would be an understatement. I am very sad, heartbroken, but I'll survive. Our hopes of going back to Okinawa this fall have been broken. There is no openings for my husband over there, in our PCS time frame. The Marine Corps has other plans for us and it looks like we are going to Camp Pendleton instead.

At first I was quite distraught, if you have been a reader for any part of the last 3 years you know my heart is in Oki, I loved it there, I loved it so much, and I wanted to go back more than just about anything. We really thought we would be going back. We were even preparing the dogs (vet requirements) and working on our things (discussing storage, vehicles, passports). We thought it was a sure thing.

I think what hurts the most is that we were told, by numerous people, that when you come off recruiting duty that you almost always get your top choice duty station, and if not you'd most certainly get one from your list. Well I guess we are the exception, Camp Pendleton wasn't even on our radar.

But in the last 24 hours since we learned our fate, Ive come to terms, and i'm even getting a bit excited.

It'll be our next adventure....

Warm weather, beaches, shopping, sun, sand, farmers markets, year round outdoorsy weather, all the things Montucky is missing. We wont have to worry about what to do with the cars, or getting the dogs medical checked out. 

I think we will live on base, at least for a while, Paul will keep his eyes open for spots in Okinawa, and we will request it again in the future. But for now I am getting excited (FOR IKEA!!!!) I love a good adventure and I hope Cali will be full of adventure for us. And it wont ever be below zero!

So do I have any Camp Pendleton readers? Tell me it's just as great as I am building it up to be. 

now that i've written all this out, I bet it'll change. 

Don't Forget July 1 Google Reader is closing  If you're trying to figure out how to move your blogs from GR to Bloglovin' check out Jane's Tutorial  HERE

A week via Instagram

Only in Montana, a decorated ice machine

I made Irish Car Bomb cupcakes

So excited for St. Pattys

mmm... Belgian White

Amber Teething necklace

Lavender Martini in a Lavender sugar rimmed glass

excited for bath time

found her tongue

My BFF

Evelyn: 14 Weeks

This week:
First St. Pattys Day

First Parade

Lots of playing with Granny
Started sticking her tongue out at you

Don't Forget July 1 Google Reader is closing 

Throwback Thursday

2010 Okinawa, Japan

Shortly after Paul came back from Afghansitan (this week 3 years ago) we went on an adventure, and stumbled upon this beautiful beach up North the East coast of Okinawa. 

American Village ferris wheel

Sunabe Seawall

Early morning over the Pacific

Sunabe Gyro

Me Me Me

Jessica over at Adventures of an Airman's wife got the liebister blog award and opened her questions up to whomever wanted to answer them. Well I figured with so many new followers what better way to reintroduce myself than to answer her questions, because they are good questions. So 11 facts and 11 questions.


Facts: 
1. I hate carrots so much I tell people I am allergic so I don't need to explain my childish hatred for them.
2. I would love to retire abroad.
3. I rarely wear more makeup than tinted moisturizer  
4. I dont wear much jewelry, even rarely wear my wedding ring
5. I have a problem with craft supplies, I have quite a selection huge of yarn and fabric, but I don't knit or sew very often.
6. But I can knit, and very well I think
7. I don't like ketchup either.
8. I've recently started watching Downton Abby and I'm slightly obsessed with it.
9. I once had my ears gauged to 00, I've also had lots of piercings.
10. I have 6 tattoos, but often forget about two of them because they are on my back and I cant see them so I forget about them.
11. I'm a mac user, and even though I think that the samsung tablet may be better than the iPad (and cheeper) When it comes time for me to get a tablet, I'll get an iPad for compatibility.

Jessica's Questions:

1. If you could plan a weekend away, where would you go and what would you do? Assuming I don't have unlimited airfare, and I can't just go anywhere in the world, I would say a trip to Seattle would be cool. The only time I have ever been was before we moved to Okinawa and we stayed two nights there before we flew away. If I could go anywhere in the world, and it was a long weekend, I think Greece, or Italy. I love Japan, but I plan on moving back there, just going to visit would be cruel to my heart. 

2. Favorite vacation you have been on? Summer vacations as a kid were awesome, I really miss going to Pinetop, Arizona every summer and doing crafts, walking in the woods, fishing, feeding the creatures from the porch. 

3. Favorite animal? I'm a big fan of Elephants 

4. Growing up who did you want to marry? Probably Patrick Swayze or Jordan Knight 

5. If you could only dessert for a week what would you have? Tiramisu, white birthday cake, vanilla ice cream, cookie cake. 

6. Favorite meal to cook at home? I used to love to cook, now not so much, but I like quick and easy so my vote is Mac & Cheese and hot dogs. I also like to cook French Onion Soup, but it's a huge production and takes FOREVER. 

7. Would you rather go on an Alaskan cruise or a Caribbean cruise? Oh, that's a tough one. Both would be super awesome, I think Caribbean though, especially after I have spent the last 3 years living in the great white north, I am ready for some sun. 

8. Favorite movie you could watch over and over? Three Amigos, no joke, I am actually watching it right now. 

9. If you had to eat at one restaurant for the rest of your life what would it be? In America something mexican, in Japan, Sushi Zen or Yoshi Hachi. 

10. Are you a momma's girl or daddy's girl? Really I think I am equally both, I went back and fourth growing up, but now I think both, maybe a little more mommas girl. 

11. Favorite boy's name and Favorite girl's name? I could never decide on a boy name, thats why I am so glad I have a girl. Maybe Phillip or Bryce. For a girl maybe Violet, or Penelope, Olivia, Emma. I can't pick just one. 

Don't Forget July 1 Google Reader is closing 

Evelyn: 13 Weeks

This week was pretty quiet for us.

mommy took silly pictures

i just...

I just couldn't....

I just couldn't resist this picture....

Working those leg muscles

This week: 

Evey has been rolling and standing (with assistance)

Also loving sitting in our Bumbo

And the most exciting thing:

Evey met her Granny!

Weeks:
Twelve
Eleven 
Ten
Seven-Eight-Nine
Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

Don't Forget July 1 Google Reader is closing 

Google Reader is Quitting Me.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

To say I am frustrated would be an understatement.  A fellow blogger has shared that Google Reader will be closing its doors on July 1. Lies! Lies!  nope not lies.  Maybe I'm just silly to think that RSS readers should stick around. I use mine all the time!  Before Google Reader I used Bloglines. Bloglines (i think that's what it was called) closed a few years ago, now GR is closing. SERIOUSLY GOOGLE! do you know how much of a pain in the ass it is to move all of my 9,000 (maybe slight exaggeration) blogs I read into another reader?  So yet again, I have started the long arduous process of moving the blogs I read. I totally don't have time for this. I have a household to run! lol.  okay for reals though, I think bloglovin and I may become real friends, there's an app for that.  Yep Bloglovin' has an iPhone app. Google Reader doesn't, so Bloglovin is already better.  So Follow my blog with Bloglovin and I'll follow you back! 

 

Evelyn: 12 weeks

My litte Peanut is 12 weeks, in just a week she'll be 3 whole months! 

She is so beautiful I can't stand it

And getting so well at lifting her head 

our scheduled nap time has not worked as well as planned

but that's okay

This week: 

Evey has rolled from front to back and back to front. 

She is using her hands quite a bit, and not just to stick in her mouth.

She giggles a whole bunch

Nap time has been failure almost every day

Weeks:
Eleven 
Ten
Seven-Eight-Nine
Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

- Alana