Organization (It's Such a Rarity in My Life)

I spent the whole day organizing and now I feel wonderful! Let's get one thing straight, first. I'm a messy person. I meet so many women who are organization freaks, and while I do have some OCD tendencies (re-checking the door a certain way before I leave being one of them), organization is not my thing. Never has been. In fact, I got in trouble all through elementary school for having such a messy desk. Oops.

Anyway, as my mom (who, along with my dad, have decided to buy our crib for us) has set an ultimatum (No crib til that room is empty!) we have begun emptying "that room." That room is our "spare" bedroom, soon to be nursery (I hate having only 2 bedrooms, but that is a whole nother post). Spare meaning anything in the house we don't use often or that is still in a box is in. Ha. So it was pretty cluttered, especially since I am the world's biggest pack rat. Ok, maybe not the world's biggest, but I do hate throwing things away. So basically, we've had quite the task ahead of us. We got the majority of the crap out, and we decided it's ok if I leave my craft stuff in there. The task set for me then, was making my craft stuff a nice little corner and not a heaping pile of crafty junk.

So I set forth on my journey today to organize my craft corner and SUCCEEDED - Hooray! Now I've got little labeled drawers - painting stuff, scrapbooking stuff, fabric stuff, and photo stuff. I'm so proud!

Then I proceeded to clean the rest of the day (and night, seeing as how it's 10.25pm and husband still isn't home from work... yet another post...) And then I relaxed by finishing my animal series for baby girl's room, introducing to you The Last Edition of the Animal Series, Giraffe:

Don't tell the other animals, but he's my fave.

PAC (It's a Heart Thing...)

I'd like to begin this post with a belly pic...

22 weeks, not much change from 20, just a little rounder :)
Please excuse my rough appearance, house work days are
not "get pretty" days :-P

Yesterday was our 20 week anatomy scan - to make sure all of baby girl's parts are developing appropriately. As hubs just got back from training there is so much for him to do at work, so my friend Lori came with me to the scan. Thank goodness for good friends :)

Everything seemed to be going well. We watched her little heart beating, her little legs and arms kicking, her whirling all about. Found her little nose and lips and saw her brain development. Her heart rate was at 150 and she weighs somewhere around 1lb 3oz, where the tech told me we've got a big baby girl growing in there!

The tech said she had to have the doc sign off and she'd be right back, so I assumed this was just standard - doc says A-Ok before you head on your way. The thing she forgot to mention (which I don't think she is allowed being only an ultrasound tech and not a doctor) is that she had noticed something a little "abnormal" and that is what the doc had to sign off on.

Apparently our baby girl has a PAC, Premature Atrial Contraction. Basically what it is, is a little extra beat before her regular thump-thump. It doesn't occur every single time her heart beats, just sometimes it goes thump thump-thump, like a little stutter. The doctor didn't seem too worried about it, but we now have to go see a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist (who should be calling me today or tomorrow and may be the reason I haven't left the house today). He said the next step is up to the specialist but it usually includes possible weekly monitoring of the heart rate and a nonstress test. He also said the specialist is going to further and more closely look at baby's heart to make sure there are no structural abnormalities they missed in the ultrasound. He said they didn't see anything that would indicate something structural but it needs to be double checked just in case they didn't catch it.

Of course, needing to be prepared for the worst, I had to ask him Worst Case Scenario. He said worst case scenario in this case would be her heart rate going way high (above 160 bpm) and overworking her little body, in which case she would have to come out early for medicinal intervention (as the medicine they give her would take effect on me too and they don't really wanna slow my heart down...). But, he said, this is very rare, and PAC in babies this age is, while not the "norm," fairly common. It's just something that needs to be watched and monitored to make sure nothing comes from it.

Mom and I have both done a little research since, and mom found an article that said this is relatively common (as I said above), usually has no impact on the baby, and if the baby is born with the PAC it is usually gone within one month of life, but it is typically gone before baby's grand arrival. I also found a forum on it, where the other moms who heard the news didn't seem so worried, which is always a comfort.

So for now, I could just really use your prayers that it really is "nothing to worry about" and everything is fine with our baby girl. Hearing that something may not be right with your baby is definitely a feeling that floors you and all I can do right now is wait and pray that every thing is good to go.

It's Wednesday (And I'm Feeling Wishful!)

I Wish I Got Paid A Million Dollars To...

Write Restaurant/Bar Reviews

Get paid to eat at all the best places, have drinks at all the hot new clubs? Yes please! This job would include traveling and eating, what isn't there to love? All I'd have to do is write about how fantastic (or sub par) the food, service, etc. was. And everyone knows that restaurant critics get nothing but the best service! I wouldn't have to wait in abnormally long lines for restaurant openings and I wouldn't have to pay for the food or drinks! I think that sounds like an ideal job. Plus, did I mention it would include traveling?! There's a new restaurant opening in a tourist section of Italy? Send Mrs. P to do a write up for the paper! Haha, I love food, I love traveling, I don't think it could get better than that.

cartoons source

Head over to The Seattle Smith's to play along!

First Blog Award (Tag, I'm It)

I hopped on my blogger today and discovered I had been TAGGED! Haha, I received a "Cute Blog Award" from Ashley over at Kiwis and Cocktails. (Go check her out if you haven't already!).

As I'm always wishing I could make my blog cuter like so many of the blogs I see on here, I'm pretty delighted to have received this. Woo hoo!

The stipulation that comes along with this award is to list 7 things about yourself. Now the challenging part begins...

1. Every time I'm asked to list things about myself I can usually think of far too many or far too little things about me. Far too little is the case right now, but never fear I will do it. When I was still in school we had ice breakers that often included listing facts about yourself (Like 2 Truths and a Lie) and found my mind wandering to interesting tidbits about me in my spare time (too bad it never wanders there when I need it too...)
2. My husband won't let me sing "Born in the USA." This is an extended version of my normal tidbit - I wasn't born in the US. I was born overseas, in Germany. This summer Mr. P and I went to SandJam, an all day festival at the beach here on base, and "Born in the USA" came on. He wouldn't even let me clap along - "You were NOT born in the USA!" I changed the lyrics then, "I was booooorn overseas." Always thinking outside the box ;-)
3. Husband FINALLY felt baby girl move today! As this fact isn't totally about me, it is one exciting tidbit that happened today that I feel the need to share. He hadn't felt her, and then my mom felt her when I was home and he still hadn't felt her (I think she was hiding from him) and today when I visited him during lunch he totally felt her. His whole face lit up and that, in turn, just makes me die. Seeing that man smile still makes me melt.
4. I actually had no intention of seriously dating my husband, much less marrying him. We joke about this sometimes. As an Army Brat, I didn't really find anything spectacular about Marines (Dumb Jarheads! hahaha) and frankly thought he was a bit of a dork. The first time he kissed me, my legs tingled and my knees went weak and that changed that idea. I now realize that it is his dorkiness that I am most fond of and could never be prouder of my Jarhead. Oh, fate.
5. There are lists all over my house. While I am a huge procrastinator, I am a big list-maker. "Maybe in the future I will get --- done" I think would be a more appropriate title of my list than "To Do." Unfortunately, my disorganization often ruins even the smallest purpose of the list, as I don't usually find the list until after the time I needed it... still working on that.
6. I'm still thinking about going back to school. I often miss just learning in general and realize that during the day I could be doing some kind of learning work. I think online classes would be the most appropriate right now but still have not made a decision. I was almost all set to get my MA in Teaching, but then I met some Teachers in the area who are having a really hard time getting interviews, let alone finding jobs, and spending all that money to learn and then make no money in return just doesn't sound appealing. Plus I'm not 100% what I want to do, every day I have a new idea. Oh, indecisive me.
7. I am skipping a meeting tonight to stay home and cook for my husband. I don't do it every night, so the nights I have dinner ready (or on it's way) when he gets home make me so proud. And I haven't seen him in a while, so skipping out on a meeting, I feel, is totally justifiable.

Now I get to tag 7 lovely blogs. And the winners are...

1. Whitney at The Glamorous Life of a Housewife
2. Heather at Live.Love.Laugh
3. Kelsey at The Seattle Smith's
4. Rachel at Beautiful Life
5. Katie at Loves of Life
6. Kristen at Wivelihood
7. Lindsay at Lindsay Writing

If you've already done a list for an award (or what have you) it's totally ok to skip out on that part, just wanted you to get your recognition!

I'll Be Seeing You

I never knew this, but the song "I'll Be Seeing You" makes me cry! I'm catching up on last night's Army Wives (missed it because I was picking up and then spending time with the HUBBY!!!) and it plays in the very beginning. I prefer it sang by a male performer though.

Here is Michael Buble singing it. I love his old fashioned voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2AgdxJYP74

I can't figure out how to post it as a vid... any advice would be fantastic!

I thought Army Wives was pretty cute, off story for a week but I thought it was a neat idea and a cute episode. Oh and I love 1940's style too, so that was a plus. I heard a lot of people didn't like it but I found it entertaining, at least as a break from organizing my house!

I Want to Shout from the Rooftops (OpSec Prevents That)

I just want to shout that I will be seeing my husband soonish and I am more than excited about that. Because of OpSec (Operational Security) I don't want to say too much, as even though they aren't coming home from a deployment it can still put our unit at some level of danger (there are Terrorist Cells in the US...), so I will just say that soon can't come soon enough!

I feel kinda like a ding-dong and have no idea how I'm going to survive deployment when (not even) 2 weeks has been tough enough for me. I will admit, though, that I was beginning to get into a routine and I would imagine it may get easier once a routine is established and you're up on your own two feet. I can only imagine though, as our deployment has not arrived... yet.

As for my day, I will spend it cleaning our house so that when the husband arrives it won't look like such a sty! I had a problem, when I got home from MD I just kinda... put the stuff I brought home with me in the middle of the living room floor. And since, it has kind of, well... spread. Oops! But that's what Sundays are for (besides going to church, if you can get your lazy - and now, guilty - butt out of bed)! I don't even want to look in my kitchen. I was actually good with the dishes (usually my biggest downfall, piles of dishes) and kept them in the dishwasher and actually ran it like I wasn't the only person needing dishes (big accomplishment), but my scrapbooking has taken over the dining table! Half of me wants to clean that up first... but what if I want to do some more scrappin' later today?! It is a mess though, maybe I can half put it away. Check it out...
Yeah, when I scrapbook, I like to spread out. And pile. And well... make a mess.

Speaking of cleaning and organizing my house, I have an appointment to go look at a house (FOR SALE) today! We're debating buying a house. A big part of me wants to. I want to paint my walls, have a dog, hang things permanently, change what I want to change when I want to change it. But a small portion (the reasonable part) is thinking WHAT ARE YOU THINKING WOMAN?! I do not want to get stuck here and who knows how long we will even be here... So it's something we're considering but not set on. In the meantime I will enjoy looking and dreaming ad pretending we're people who don't move every couple years :)

I suppose I should quit my procrastinating and begin the cleaning festivities.

Fancy Footwork (Dress Shopping)

Back in my college/sorority days, one of the most exciting times of the year was formal time. One time a year to get really dressed-up, not club or bar dressed-up, or even cocktail dressed-up but princess formal dressed-up. I remember buying a dress to be both really fun and really stressful... it had to be the perfect combination of sexy, classy, and flattering. Color choices and patterns were very important, as well as dress dance-ability... could you move in it? As Marine Corps Birthday Ball season is quickly approaching, some of my friends and I decided to choose today as our dress shopping day. Along with all of the other factors of picking out a dress, this year I had one more major element to factor in to my dress choosing... pregnancy.

Pregnancy makes picking out a dress very interesting. Considering the ball is on Oct 30, I have a little over a month of growth to consider. How much is my belly going to grow in that month? (5 to 6 months is quite a jump!) How much are my boobs going to grow? Is anywhere else going to grow? As well as, if I give it room to grow, what happens if I don't? Will I have time for alterations? How much is too much to alter? Added to the sexy, classy, and flattering combination and choosing a dress for the pregnant woman can lead to a stressful, although fun, day.

We started at David's Bridal and tried on a number of dresses. Most of these were of the empire-waisted variety... snugger up top and left to do whatever at the bottom. As I didn't feel any of them were "The Dress" but did like one, we continued our search. At Camille La Vie, I tried on my "yellow dress" that I'd found a few weeks ago, but it was quickly vitoed by my friends, and looking in the mirror I must admit, yellow does not fit the "flattering" part of the combination with an ever expanding... body unit. I continued my search, trying on empire-waists, stretchy fabrics, basically any variety that may work with "the bump." Finally, after a long hard search I found it, a very classy number in Navy blue with an illusion halter made of a stretchy material that can move with me and also a size up (just in case). It will probably need some alterations as the top is a bit loose, but it fits nicely besides that, is very comfortable, fits the dress searching criteria and will definitely serve it's purpose. It's not "The Dress," I still see that one as my royal blue one from my last formal (that I was definitely going to wear to my first USMC Ball... until I got pregnant) but it is beautiful and will look very nice next to my husband in his Blues.
That would be it, except in Navy Blue, from Camille La Vie.

While we're on the subject of dresses, let's take a minute to look back through my closet, of some of my favorite formal dresses.
First and foremost, my wedding dress. My perfect wedding dress, a big fancy princess dress. Yours may be different, but this was it for me.

My first Phi Mu formal. I tried to get a better picture of the actual dress, but facebook is being a ding dong tonight and that's the only pic I have of it anywhere else (maybe I shouldn't rely so much on one website). It went a little past my knees and had a pretty brooch and some rouching in the middle.


My second Phi Mu formal, a light purple Grecian inspired number (from CMart for $40!), that's my friend Shannon and me.

The "Little Black Dress" from a TKE (Fraternity) formal I attended. This is all the Phi Mus who attended that formal, I'm the 3rd one from the left.

And "The Dress," my royal blue halter gown that I wore to my last Phi Mu formal. This is one of my fave dresses (besides my prom dress which I don't have a picture uploaded of and my wedding gown, duh). This pic is me being a ham laying across my sorority sisters, I adore this dress and it WILL make a comeback. :o)

So there ya have it, a small collection of my formal gowns, not including cocktail dresses or anything pre-college. I love getting dressed up and the memories that come from the events of going down a dress-shopping memory lane!

Orange Juice is Absolutely Delicious (The Joys of Cravings)

I bought the wrong cookies. I went to Wal*Mart today, and after buying the essentials (canned goods and other one-person meals...), I gave in to my two most recent and strongest cravings.

First, chocolate chip cookies. So unhealthy, but they make me happy and less grouchy so healthy for people who have to be around me (ha ha ha) and I can justify that everyone needs a little sugar in their life ;-)
My favorite kind these days areChips Ahoy Chunky. The perfect mix of big chocolate chunk, cookie, and crunchy deliciousness. I have also settled for the "Great Value" brand, as they taste very similar, they just do not come in a fantastic re-sealable pouch, but they will do when the Chips Ahoy kind are no where to be found.
As was the case today, Chips Ahoy Chunk were MIA. So, I settled for what I believed to be the Great Value Chocolate Chunks.
Boy, was I sad to discover this evening, in cookie craving frenzy, that I accidentally picked up the chewy kind! Ewwie! They will work for cookie craving cutoffs but they are not all that delicious to me :( Oh well, I suppose they will work for now... until my husband gets home and finishes them off so I don't feel guilty for wasting them and buying new ones :-D

Along with the cookie craving comes the extreme need for Orange Juice. My husband now calls me a "fiend" my addiction for the fruity citrusy goodness is so fervent. Of course, I have a current most faaave brand of OJ
Minute Maid Premium... and of course it must be pulp free (I've never enjoyed pulp, if I wanted to eat my orange juice, I'd buy oranges!) Thankfully WalMart was well stocked in this department and I brought home 2 cartons (we'll see if they can last longer than 4 days, that's how long they lasted when my mom got them at my last trip home...) Sometimes when I drink this delicious drink, I think of my good friend Shannon W. She hates anything citrus. It just reminds me how grossed-out she would be by my craving. Oh Shan, I love you, even though you loathe one of my favorite beverages ;-)

Wishful Wednesday (Something to Write About!)

This fun game is from The Seattle Smith's.

I Wish I Could Be...

Abby Sciuto of NCIS

I think she has a really cool job, that as Mrs. P I've thought of doing in passing, but probably couldn't handle it! She does all the analysis stuff and doesn't have to tote a gun (I'm kind of a chicken). She is very smart in sooo many areas, has a lot of fervor and spunk, and gets to work with the Gibbs, DiNozzo, and McGee, all whom whom I find incredibly charming (in their own ways of course).
She is also incredibly quirky (not unlike myself) and it is totally part of her charm! She's got an edge, an interesting taste in music (maybe different from my own, but still interesting) and a unique fashion sense! I think she is just fantastic.

It also helps that I have been very addicted to NCIS lately, thanks to USA for playing it for 6 hours straight this evening when I had nothing to do but watch TV and clean my house...

Make Me Pretty (Blog Makeover Anyone?)

I am so unhappy with the looks of my blog. I have spruced it up a bit over the last couple days, but I see people who I come across and their blogs are just... gorgeous. I need some help, anyone out there help without charging a fee? haha.

I really love reading "random" blogs. Clicking from someone I follow to someone they follow and so on and so forth. It's really neat to read about other people... or is that creepy? I don't think it's creepy, I just find people interesting (hence, the Psych Major in college...).

That is all I've got for tonight. I'm tired, bored, and oh-so-lonely. Can't wait til hubs is back!

Why We Fight (Freedom Isn't Free)

I realize I'm writing this a few hours late, but I was on the road all day pondering the whole existence of this day in history. As I'm sure you've realized, today is 9-11, an anniversary of one of the most catastrophic and horrifying events in American history.

During the 7 hour trek back to the good ol' MD, I got to hear recount after recount of the events of this very day 8 years ago as well as tons of Patriotic songs (mostly thanks to the country stations). I got to thinkin' of so much... where I was 8 years ago, how our country has changed since that day, and what it means to be married to a member of the nation's military (The Few and The Proud!) now.

On September 11th, 2001 I was in... 10th grade? I was sitting in Spanish class when rumors started rolling around (not unlike the deployment rumors circling my head right now). Something had happened, people were dying, but what???
Upon entering my next period English class, the story started being pieced together more accurately. Planes had flown into the World Trade Centers in NYC and the country was very literally under attack. School was being let out early and we would soon be home to see for ourselves via television what was going on. I remember that I started spazzing out (as I'm so known to do...) and calling my mom. My mom wasn't answering. I called and called and then began freaking out as Maryland is NOT far from DC and we live within walking distance of a military base, could these attacks have spread? When I finally reached her, she was in Best Buy with a friend and not too concerned about what was going on, as the details hadn't reached her yet. When I got home she was already there and she was crying as she was watching the tv. It was horrifying to watch the news feeds, hear the stories... My mom and I sat there in awe and disbelief. And we couldn't even talk to my dad about this, as he was in New Hampshire taking care of my sick nana.

The days following the attacks also stick into my brain, maybe more than what I would think. Dad couldn't get home for quite a while, as flights just weren't going anywhere... Security to get on post had been heightened and every morning on the bus on the way to pick up other schoolmates armed Soldiers would walk the length of our bus both outside and inside of the vehicle. I was frightened, I'd grown up around Soldiers my whole life but this was... serious. Looking back I realize I should not have felt frightened in the slightest, but protected.

Now, eight years later, I am married to a United States Marine. I've never been more proud to be an American, more proud of our troops (although I've always had a die-hard military pride, it is beyond what I ever thought it could be), or more understanding of the changes the country has made since we went to war.

Yesterday, word got around that my husband's unit may be deploying sooner than usual. By sooner, I mean in a month. My first reaction was to totally spaz out (like I said... typical for me) I started freaking, we have so much to get done, what about our daughter's birth?, will I stay or go home? So many things we need to cover before deployment!

But as the radio reminded me of why we are at war and why my husband and so many others fight, I have to put the selfishness aside. This is the life I chose and I wouldn't choose another path. My husband is one of the few and the proud and he does it to protect everything America stands for. To protect me, our baby, our families, friends, and people we don't even know! Because of that attack 8 years ago, we are at war. And that's the reality of it all, especially as a military wife. It is also why all those Patriotic songs tend to bring a tear to my eye and make me sing/yell the lyrics a little louder. Because this is my reality. This is every American's reality.

Now as I prepare for our first deployment on the anniversary I also take a minute to think of all the other families who have prepared for deployment, for all the service members who have given their time, their lives, to remember all the people who were lost the day the towers fell and to just think of how lucky and blessed I am to be a Marine Wife.

I suppose all this can be summed up with a simple...

Labor Day Weekend (Last Weekend of the Summer?)

I love 96s. They're pretty much my favorite kind of weekend. A 96 means 96 hours no working. 96 hours I get Hubs to myself. 96 Hours of uninterrupted together time. Definitely my favorite weekend.

For Labor Day, Mr. P. got off at noon on Friday and didn't have to return to the battalion until 1800 Tuesday (and that was only for formation which lasts less than an hour). Fantastic. During this particular 96 Holiday, one of my favorite people from home, JP, and his girlfriend Liz, came to visit. Our first non-family company! Woohoo!! Friday I spent picking up the house and getting the spare bedroom ready for our guests. They arrived around 2am Saturday morning. We spent some time catching up and chatting and then headed to bed.

Saturday we woke up and headed to Onslow Beach for some much needed sun time. This was after I finished making potato salad for our little get together that was to take place later on in the day. We got a nice spot on the beach and while Liz and I soaked up the rays (me with my 50 SPF on, learned the hard way that pregnant skin is much more sensitive skin!) the boys splashed around. Liz and I joined them and while the days are still much hotter than fall days should be (hey this ain't Maryland anymore!) the water seemed to be a bit chilly! (Strange because I thought the water got warmer even when the temperature "dropped") After fun sun and surf, we headed back to prepare for our little Cook Out (or grill-out as I've heard them referred to here...) While JP and Liz ran to Walmart, Mr. P started on the burgers and I perfected the tae-ta salad and cleaned the house a bit. That's when the texts started... the guys from Hubs' work that he'd invited, with their stories, most saying they already had plans. I'd asked for people to let us know by the morning but of course they let us know an hour before we told them to be here (Don't ya just love when people can't give you a solid definite yes or no?!) So it ended up being Me and Hubs, JP and Liz, Bacon, and my friend Caitlin and her husband Christian. It was a decent number of people, and they were all people I like so we ended up having a really nice little cook out, no pressure!

Sunday we woke up and were not sure what we wanted to do. At around 1pm we finally decided we'd head down to Myrtle Beach (which is only about 2 hours from our house). We get down there and head to Broadway Beach but it was raining for the majority of the time so we had fun stoppin in shops, playing mini golf, and enjoying $7 ice cream cones. All of course with some time for goofing off in between.
After a not so up-to-par dinner at hooters (and a waitress with really bad hair extensions) we began the journey back home. JP and Liz left the next morning (took me a while to wake up) and the husband and I enjoyed a lovely day of nothingness. We laid on the couch and watched movies and played video games all day. It was kind of fantastic, no lie.

Tuesday was a day we wanted to get up and get things done. Since I'm not so great at the whole "get up" thing, we ended up leaving around... Oh 1 in the afternoon. Oops. We went over to housing to talk about getting on the list for base housing but needed a billion other forms and of course when we went to the place to get the forms they had just closed (I love government hours... gr) We saw no point in going all the way home just to come back to base for formation (trying to save gas money) so we decided to travel around and check out base.

We found a little off-road trail and decided to throw the truck into four-wheel drive and check it out. At the end of the trail there was a beautiful water hole of some sort (we're assuming it's the old quarry), a ton of neat views, and a perfect place for hubs to take a pee (Hahaha).

Afterwards we headed over to the Battalion to get ready for Mr. P's formation, to check in, let them know he's still here and ready to report to work on Wednesday. We had some time to burn so we went for a walk, down to the dock at the end of the road (yeah, he works right near the water and gets no time to go look at it, sad!) And of course we sat and took tons of photos (ok, ok, I took the photos... haha)

After formation, we went to Camp Geiger to pick up Bacon because Ballyhoo! was in Wilmington and we were goin down to ROCK OUT. Hubs finally decided he was gonna come too, since he didn't have to open the armory, which made me super happy. So we traveled down to Wilmington to catch one of my favorite bands who also happens to be from my home town.

Ballyhoo! rocked out (as per usual) and because the lead singer from Badfish was sick, Howi sang some Sublime songs as well as Ballyhoo! songs, so it was pretty freaking rad. After the show (and before lol I'm such a dork) I chatted with the band for a little bit, it's great that I got two Maryland "visitors" in one long weekend! The boys had a great time and Hubs and Bacon both got a little drunk.
So my "last weekend of summer" was all-in-all pretty fantastic. Although it doesn't feel like the last weekend of summer at all, because it certainly doesn't feel like Maryland fall. I see all these entries on the welcoming of fall, but I just feel like summer lasts a lot longer in North Carolina than Maryland, so I can't really celebrate the welcoming of fall until I feel fall-y. Although I did see some fall decorations up at a house on base the other day and it made me a little excited for fall, but I'll let you know when I actually feel the fall coming on haha.

And because it is Wednesday, a picture celebrating the halfway point of my pregnancy!

20 weeks, 20 to go!

A Fortune Teller in The Making (One Whole Year of Us)

Happy One Year of togetherness for Mr. P and I. No, not married one year, just the beginning of our journey began approximately one year ago (we don't agree on the exact date).

On Labor Day weekend one year ago, we took our first overnight trip together, where we stayed at the Sheraton at the Inner Harbor. We enjoyed partying (particularly hard) and once intoxicated, I gave Mr. P his fortune. It went a little something like this:

"You are going to fall madly in love with me. You are going to ask me to marry you and I am going to say Yes. We are going to have some amazing babies and live happily ever after."

Amazingly, I said this to a man I'd known, oohhh about a week, maybe two, and he didn't run screaming. Here we are today living that fortune.

Let's take a minute to look back at the past year...

There were about six guys Mr. P hung out with all the time in MD. These two crazies, Darlington and Bacon, are stationed in NC too, so luckily we still get to spend time with them!


He lived in the barracks and did laundry at my parents' house, so I got to play in his clothes!


We quickly fell in love


I began learning all about the Marine Corps during a trip to The Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Va in Septemeber. Little did I know how much more I still had (and have) to learn.


We enjoyed the fall holidays. We picked pumpkins, got lost in the corn maze, and went home and carved our huge pumpkins. Our pumpkins had a combined weight of about 75 lbs.


The last hoorah before all his buddies left for their permanent duty stations. This was the bowling alley where we met the previous August.


On Nov 1, 2009, the day Mr. P PCSed to NC, he proposed to me. After missing his first flight, we had a whole day to kill so we spent time eating and drinking at a local bar (Loafers in Catonsville, MD). It was then that Mr. P dropped to one knee and asked that we be together forever. Obviously I said yes!


He "reproposed" (aka proposed with an actual ring) at the end of November by surprising me and showing up to the family Thanksgiving trip to Disney World. We spent Thanksgiving with his family in Florida and I finally got to meet (almost) everyone.


I spent 11 hours driving (one way) to bring him home (my home, not his, but a home nonetheless) for Christmas. We had a great time celebrating in our PJs.


We had a fantastic time in Ocean City, MD for Valentine's Day. I took Mr. P for his first MD Blue Crabs and taught him how to pick crabs. One of the best weekends ever!

We tied the knot on May 2, 2009 and celebrated with 180 (give or take) of our closest friends and family.


We honeymooned at Onslow Beach in NC and found out at the end of our honeymoon time that we were expecting.


So I packed up all my crap and moved on down to NC and we moved into our house at the end of May!

AAAAND HERE WE ARE TODAY!....
One year later, Mrs and Mr P in Myrtle Beach, Sc, wearing our luau gear ;-)

When I think back I still can't believe it's been a whole year. And I am even more in disbelief of all of the major events that have happened within that year. Thanks for sticking around for whole year's worth of recapping, if you made it to the end props to you!

I Tend to Weep Often (The Pregnant Lady Blues)

Anyone who has been pregnant, or known someone close to them pregnant, knows of the emotional roller coaster that is pregnancy. When I was in my first trimester, I was literally an emotional mess. Looking back, I feel really bad for Mr. P, as he received the brunt of my anger/hostility/sadness/general moodiness. As the pregnancy has progressed, the mood swings have subsided, but they have not ceased to exist.

I will now give you a few examples of my nonsensical crying jags, as laughing at myself is one of my favorite things.

1. I cooked dinner the other night. Seasoned, baked chicken, and noodles (the kind that come in the package, you dump them in the boiling water and they cook themselves). I was very worried the chicken wouldn't turn out good, as I am not well stocked in the seasoning department. To my great surprise however, it was not the chicken I needed to worry about. I sat down on the internet and forgot to turn the noodles down. When I went back into the kitchen, the noodles had started to burn! Of course this was an end of the world catastrophe. I took the pot off the stove, slammed it on the counter and proclaimed that DINNER IS RUIINED! I ran to the bedroom, locked the door, and wailed (I'm not joking here, real tears and real sobbing) for a good 15 minutes. Meanwhile my faithful husband, God bless him, was at the door telling me that I do not fail at life (something I proclaimed in my wailing), that dinner is still very much edible, and that I should come out and enjoy it with him.

2. After exiting the bedroom from the above scenario, I went out into the kitchen to enjoy what I could of my pitiful dinner. The chicken was actually really good and he was right, only the bottom was burnt so the noodles were still semi-edible. It was then that I realized this was not my fault. This was all his fault. Because he answered the phone when I had seen it was a call I didn't want to take, which in turn means he never listens to me. Insert pouting on the couch for another good 15 or so minutes. Thankfully, that mood ended without much flair.

3. While doing laundry, I walked in to husbands/baby's room (spare for now, to be nursery in a matter of weeks). After moving some things around, collecting some things, etc. I started looking through the enormous pile of clothes my parents bought (more on that in a little) and just got teary-eyed from looking at the baby clothes. I'm going to be a mom, how phenomenal and cry-worthy!

4. Just tonight I was sitting on the couch having a discussion with husband. I don't remember why but I ended up in a mood, and off I went to the bedroom. As I'm laying there under the covers, I realize that I really want, no need, chocolate chip cookies. As we are (were) currently out of chocolate chip cookies, this prompts yet another crying spell. I JUST WANT COOOOOOKIES, sob sob sob. Thankfully I somehow landed the most amazing man in the whole Universe and he swiftly headed out to grab me a bag of cookies. And man they were delicious!

5. A bout of hysteria struck me a few nights back. Hubs and I were sitting on the couch and all of a sudden everything is funny to me. As this is not uncommon to my un-pregnant self, I did not double think it. I started acting like a goof and doing silly things and just laughing. However, when my husband didn't find it as funny as I did (he did find it funny, he was just joking around by saying things like, "What's gotten into you, crazy" and such) I broke down. YOU DON'T THINK I'M FUNNY? YOU CAN'T BE HAPPY THAT FOR ONCE I FEEL GOOD? sob sob sob.

6. As hubs left for work this morning at 0100 (to be in at 0130, see previous post), I was left to go to bed by myself, since I never go to bed at a normal hour. As I get into bed by myself I realize that I am extremely lonely, the bed is cold, and I miss him. He'd been gone approximately 1 hour. I of course call him and explain to him how sad I am without him. He tells me that he misses me too and wishes he could be home. Thankfully after a few calmly shed tears that one dissolved quite peacefully!


My poor husband is the brunt of all my erratic emotions, and yet he sticks by me. How did I end up with such an awesome man. Let me stop, before I start crying again.

Before I end and head to bed, I want to share some happy things, however. First is how spoiled Princess and I both are. Along with my parents endless love, well-wishes, awesomeness, and excitedness, they also spoil us with frequent visits and tons of gifts. Getting packages is one of the most exciting things about living far away from the people you miss, even when they are addressed to your unborn daughter instead of you (hehehe). This week, a box came (straight to the house, the mail lady honked and pointed at my house which I found strange but that's a whole-nother story) loaded with gifts for baby girl.
How freaking cute are those outfits? I am so blessed to have such excited grandparents to be, and such an awesome family in general, man I miss them. Stopping again before tears (haha just kidding)

And lastly, I leave you with my big ol' 19 week belly. I am officially getting fat. And I love it.

Night Time Extravaganzas! (I Just Don't Sleep...)

So I'm not much of a morning person. I prefer to spend my time among the moonlight, it's when I feel most awake. My mom likes to say this is because of my terrible sleep patterns, but even when I go to bed at a relatively early, or more normal, time, I feel tired during the day and more awake and alive as the evening sets in.

That being said, it's not hard to understand how much more I can get done during the evening and early morning hours! A prime example is how much cleaning I got done when Hubs was in the field. Those are the nights I sleep worst (and am also free to be the loudest the latest I want!) so I get tons done. Literally, I scoured my house, read and almost finished a book... well you get the point.

Tonight, my husband went to bed early (by early I mean he was in bed by 1800) as he had to be at work at 0130 - a WHOLE nother story. So while I wasn't enjoying time spent with him, I used it to get some things done. BABY ROOM THINGS!

I haven't discussed my craftiness yet, but I'll take a second here to toot my own horn. When I want to be, I can be moderately to extremely creative. Because the baby's room is animal themed I've been looking at different animal decor for the nursery. And boy, is nursery decor expensive! So, I took it upon myself to make my own. You may have seen the animal motifs at Target or Babies R Us, where they have squares with an animal on each one, and you hang them on the wall, usually in sets of four? Well, I'm doing my own! I bought 3 (they didn't have 4, gotta go back!) 8x8 canvases from WalMart and a few paints to add to my ever growing acrylic paint collection. I googled "Baby Animal Cartoons" and I got to work.

The first one I completed, I did not do tonight, Mr. Monkey!

A regal Lion, King of the Jungle!

And a happy little Elephant!

I realize they may not be the most beautiful or artistic creations in the world, but I'm pretty sure little Princess P will love them nonetheless.

As well as being awake to paint, I was also awake for Hubs own wake up call. It is always neat for me to be awake when he gets up, since... well... I never am - he gets up for work REALLY early! He got up at midnight (yep, I said midnight) and I therefore was awake enough to make him breakfast, make sure he had everything before he left, and send him on his way with a kiss and smile (much better than his usual grunt of tiredness I give him every other morning...)

It's times like these where I wish I were more of a morning person, so that on a daily basis I could wake up and make him a hot breakfast and send him off. But I can't change the way that I am, maybe the baby will, but I haven't been able to in the last 22 years and some odd days that I've known myself... So for now I will have to do my best to make good lunches at night, leave notes, and make my morning goodbye grunts as cheerful as possible.