Hubby is the man!

I'm realizing that many of you people aren't on Instagram (wha?! Why?!) so you missed out on this.

Hubby is officially a "Master of Business Administration". We are so proud of our little graduate. It only took 4 years so he can no longer tease me about my B.A. taking 5(+) years.


FYI, in case you just need more Sara in your life (who doesn't?) my Instagram name is momisonlymyfirstname :)

Magna Cum Laude bitches!

Barnes, Noble and Me

Hubster gave me a few hours to myself and I did something I haven't been able to do in YEARS.


Went to the bookstore by myself!


It may not sound like much but I can't really remember the last time I got to just peruse the aisles. The pleasure I get from an unhurried trip; flipping through the crisp clean pages, judging books by their covers, cracking bindings for the first time (robbing their future owners from that privilege but I can't help myself) is an often underrated delight.


I found several new books that I will buy on my kindle, a new beach/bathtub book and this little beauty

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship :)


Also I am dying to read Mindy Kalings book "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?", because I heart her and her weird sense of humor.  I think we would be friends.  And not in that weird "I'm an obsessive fan and just know if she would give me a chance it would be cosmic" way, but in that actual "she reminds me of my real friends and it really would be cosmic" way.  There is a difference.




P.S.  Funny little anecdote, I was perusing the discount paperbacks and without really paying attention I started straightening a stack so that all the bindings were in perfect alignment. It wasn't until they were exactly perfect that I took a moment to look at the book.

Well played B&N book stacker who obviously had an agenda when stacking these particular books in such a haphazard way, well played.

Backtracking on Xmas

So things got a little busy and a lot stressful. But I still managed to celebrate all 25 days of Christmas, even if I didn't post it all on here.

And the best news...(drumroll please)... Hubby finished his Masters!!!! (Screw the drumroll, cue the marching band!!) I know I didn't elaborate but the Masters program was taking its toll on our happy family, by that I mean it was taking it toll on Daddy, which takes its toll on Mommy, which definitely affects the girls. So the only logical move was to put our brainy heads together ( by that I mean hubby's head is sooo brainy that by putting ours together hopefully some telepathy brain wavey absorption thingy would happen, thus making me smarter...totes worked too, obvi!) and get this masters done together. Who knew it took 2 bachelor degrees to get one masters! But it worked and we did it! Hubby is now a master :) at least he insists that is what he is called now.

Back to the 25 days of Christmas. I started this on my phone for some reason and this will be a long post so excuse me while I switch to the Mac :)

To be continued...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 11

Eat Christmas Popcorn and Watch a Christmas Movie!


The girls LOVE popcorn and I just wanted to sit down and relax after the previous days 2 parties we attended.  Daddy had a soccer game that morning, so being a good wife and daughters we cheered loudly from our blanket on the grass.  BTW, he won the game so now we are on to the finals!!!  After a full day at the park the evening was all about pjs and a movie.

I popped some popcorn in my beloved whirly pop (no microwave popcorn in this house!) and made it special by adding red and green M&M's.  I have to say it was fantastic!  The light butter, light salt and warm chocolate M&M's was just the after dinner treat we needed :)

We cuddled up on the couch with our 4 bowls and watched Santa Claus is Coming to Town!  Daddy's favorite :)


And the fabulous day ended in this...

O.M.G. I love them!

Makapuu Lighthouse hike--FAIL

I have started enforcing M.andatory F.amily F.un D.ays in my house.  My master plan is to venture out on a hike or walk or exploration to a new spot on the island every weekend.  What better way to get the most out of our time here and catch all the best spots.

Well 3 weeks ago we tried start MFFD by taking the girls on their first hike.  I scoped out a location that sounded great.  Makapuu Lighthouse Hike is a costal trek along a paved road with breathtaking views of both the south and north shores.  It ends at the Makapuu Lighthouse with cool coastal breezes to cool off your 1 1/2 mile hike.  It didnt sound too steep so I thought the girls would have no problem keeping up.  So off we went.

We woke the girls early so we could get there and start before it got too hot.  Not a great idea, they both woke grumpy but we decided to go anyway.  Mommy packed a light snack for the hike but in my excitement to leave the house didnt really feed anyone before we left, I just rushed them out the door.  Again, not a great idea.  I have been a mother to Beau for over 4 years, a mother to Alex for 2 1/2 years and a wife to Sam for 8 years . . . I should know by now that these people need to eat.  We didn't even make it out the driveway before the whining and crying started, by the time we pulled into the parking lot a temper tantrum was in full swing . . . and that was just Sam.

What would a normal person do at this point?  Probably just go and get some food, and put everyone back to sleep.

What would a crazy "I've already planned this day out and turning around isn't on the itinerary"person, do? That's right I pushed everyone up that hill.  Well, metaphorically.  In actuality I bribed with promises of food and ice cream.  Alex, isn't quite old enough for bribes, she is more of an instant gratification kind of girl, so she wasn't having any of it.  I pulled out and quickly ran out of the snack I packed.  What was I thinking with 2 string cheeses, 2 mandarin oranges, apple slices and handful of almonds I packed, Beau uses that as an appetizer most days.  Once I ran out of food Alex plopped herself down and refused to budge.  We may or may not have actually dragged her up parts of that hill.

When were weren't dragging her or carrying her she was dragging her own feet a good 20 feet behind us.

We reached the 1/2 mile point after about 35 minutes, gallons of tears and snot had been shed, yet still I pressed on.  I calmed the girls with a plaque of whales since we had reached a prime whale watching site, and we rested.  I managed to snap a few deceivingly calm pics.

The girls taking in the view

The waves crashing below

But all too quickly Alex got bored of looking at the amazingly beautiful view and protested that she was going home and headed back down the mountain.

Daddy, who was tired, hungry and grumpy himself had had enough, he finally flung alex over his shoulder and headed back to the car.  I realized he had the keys and just might leave me there, so I grabbed Beaus hand and tried to keep up.  After about 1/4 mile he slowed down to wait for us.  He had somehow managed to calm Ali and they both seemed to be in a better mood.  

We made it to the car together, left together and ate breakfast and ice cream together.  It was a colossal failure as far as the hike was concerned but Mandatory Family Fun Day had a new rule: Eat Breakfast together after a well rested nights sleep.

Stay Tuned:  Makapuu Lighthouse Hike Part II, did we make it to the top???

Daddy's 1st Triathlon!

Sam had his 1st Triathlon last month.  It started crazy early in the morning but the girls were troopers and were happy to cheer daddy on.  It took place at Kaneohe Bay Marine Base, which is a tiny island that is entirely a Marine base.  It is breathtakingly gorgeous there.  Watching the sunrise while my husband was swimming, biking, and running his heart out wasnt a bad way to start off the day.

This was a sprint triathlon.  It consisted of a 500 meter swim, 11.1 mile bike, and 5K run.

Here is the transition area with all the marine helicopters in the background.

 Hubby is in there somewhere waiting for the gun.  I know he was keeping to the back to try and avoid getting submerged in the chaos.

 Getting hosed off after the swim so they dont feel all salty the rest of the race.

Cheering on Daddy while he transitioned to the bike.

I missed the transition off the bike because he came in 10 minutes faster than he thought he would.  But at least we saw him zoom by during the 5K.

Finish time 1 hr 22 mins and 18 sec.  He already cant wait for next year so he can blast that time.

What's better than having this at the finish line?

Well, maybe a shady place to sit with some water, but the hug was a close second :)

 His cheering squad!

Final verdict is:  Daddy is hooked and already signed up for another :)

Photo Booth

While I was in Cali without my hubby I went to my fabulous friend Karly's wedding.  It was a fantastic event and one of the best parts was the photo booth.  If this had been around during my wedding I would have moved the earth to have it there.  It is so fun for everyone.

If you haven't seen these at a wedding yet its a fantastic idea.  Its a photo booth like, I'm sure many of us used at a mall or two when we were younger, except it doubles as the guest book.  There are tons of fun hats and costumes to wear and many people make several trips... I may have gone 3 times myself.

Here are some memorable pics from the night.

Heres MOST of the bridesmaids and the bride

No I don't know what that is on my head.

This was my absolute favorite!  Here we are, the Trash of '98

I wont explain, just to say that at our 10 year reunion we may not have been the best representation of the Class of '98.

and yes I know that I'm wearing 2001 glasses, they didn't have 1998 OK!

 This is Me and a picture of Sam on my cell phone since he couldn't be there :(

Yes, that's me in a pink cowboy hat and a mini sombrero on "Sam".

I Sam he should put this up in his office...not sure why but he keeps "accidentally" leaving them at home.

Fabulous wedding Karly!!!  Congrats again!!!

Rootin Tootin Indeed.

A few weeks before her birthday I asked B what kind of a party she wanted.  She thought about it for a while, threw out a few ideas, squashed a few ideas, and got really excited for a Jessie from Toy Story 2 & 3 theme.  Well, I may have been the one who got really excited, but she was totally on board.

Jessie is a cowgirl who wears cow print chaps, the possibilities are endless.  So a country theme it is!  I started scouring the internet for ideas, and thanks to my new obsession, Pinterest, found oodles of them.  

Sorry these pics are in a weird order, I cant be bothered to change it now.

The Star of the Party

I made this cake myself and got so many compliments.  In all honesty it was the easiest cake I have ever made.  In an attempt to make things a little easier I just used a box cake mix with store bought icing, pre-made fondant that I dyed black, Beau already had the Jessie and Bullseye Characters and the "rope" is tootsie rolls that I rolled, twisted and used to cover my sloppy icing job.  But it tasted great and I was really happy with the end result.

 The flatware

The colors were black and white (for the cow hide chaps she wears), red (for her hat) and yellow (for her shirt).  I loved the bandana print napkins I found.

The appetizers 

Veggie tray with ranch, BBQ meatballs, and chips and salsa (because Sam is incapable of having people over with out chip and salsa out.  It didn't go with my theme but I decided Daddy could make one decision).

I neglected to get a picture of the main meal but it was...

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Coleslaw

Cornbread Muffins

Watermelon

Applesauce

 The Dessert Table

Jessie and Bullseye Cake

S'more Pops

Jessie's Hat Cookies

 The Goodie Bag Table

The goody bags were filled with 

Toy story fruit snacks

Water Guns

Parachuting GI Joes (from Toy story)

Plus kid cowboy hats and bandanas

PS, notice my new chalkboard that I made!

 Beau's life in Pictures

I loved this idea, pictures of the birthday girl from birth to 4 years.  It was super hard to pic what pictures made the cut but it may have been my favorite part of the party.  The twine and clothespins added to the theme (thanks for the idea Karly!)

 The Watering Hole

I covered my buffet with craft paper, used bandanas, and the barn door effect was a cheap plastic table cloth.

 Happy Birthday Beau

It was handmade (obviously) but seeing the look on Beau's face when I told her what it said and I that I made it for her was worth the paper cuts.

Ribbon was the perfect addition to the drink labels.

 The Giddy-Up Tea

Sweet Tea flavored Vodka with Lemonade.  It was a crowd pleaser.

 Mason Jars

Whats not to love about Mason Jars???

"The Bawoons" 

I knew we HAD to have cow print balloons.  The kids all loved them!

There it is.  Beau's Rootin Tootin 4th Birthday was a huge success and everyone had a great time.  I had a blast decorating and being crafty and Beau made all the hard work worth it when she gasped, held her face, and said 

"Mommy is this for my birthday?!  Oh, you make me so happy!"

I love you Baby Girl!  Don't grow up any more, ok?

31 is the new 21!

Well, somehow my 20's ended.  And unbeknownst to me, it ended over a year ago.  I'm pretty sure I knew that I was 30 but somehow it never really felt like it.

If someone asked me how old I was, I would pause.........think............do a little light math.....ask what year this is...........pause............silently question the validity of the persons answer of what year it is.....pause.....................realize the person is actually right........wonder how the hell it can actually be 2011...question if possibly my birth certificate has been wrong all these years, why did my parent lie to me my whole life?.......realize I have taken waaaayyyy to long to answer a simple question.....wonder if maybe I am losing my mind.............realize THAT couldnt possibly be the problem, I am sharp as a tac!....and reply "I'm 30" with a smile.

But now I am 31!

I am 31 and married!

I am 31 and married for almost 8 years!

I am 31, married with 2 kids, 2 ROTH IRA's, 4 life insurance policies, 2 college funds, 1 car payment, a college degree, 2 savings accounts, 1 credit card, 1 kid in swim lessons, 1 kid in gymnastics, and a husband who flies planes that get shot at for a living. ?!?!?! (that last one may be a bit dramatic)

What?!

WTH happened?  I swear I was just graduating from Cal State Northridge and moving to Oklahoma to live with my fiancee.  Didn't we just move to England and travel all over Europe?  Didn't I just get pregnant and have my oldest little girl?  Wasn't I just breastfeeding my youngest little girl?  Time really does FLY.

Why didnt my parents ever tell me to enjoy my childhood because being an adult is exhausting? (I know, Mom, you did.  But why didn't you tell me to really pay attention this time.  You know I tune you out sometimes.)



Well enough of that psychotic ranting.  My 31st birthday was fantastic!  Sam was still in Alaska but before he left he made sure I would feel special on my birthday :)

I came home to...
A CLEAN HOUSE!!!
A full tub of Red Vines Licorice, my FAV.
A certificate for a 1 hour Swedish Massage.
A certificate for a chiropractic adjustment.
Roses delivered.
And a GORGEOUS COACH PURSE that I had been drooling over forever!  I will post a pic but its in my phone so its faster to post from there.  I would take a new pic but now its full and I'm a little lazy.

So there it is.  I'm 31, married to an amazing man, have 2 beautiful little girls, a car I love, a purse I cant stop looking at, I live in Hawaii, an amazing family, and amazing in-laws, and a rock solid marriage.  I wouldn't change a thing.

My Penance

For your amusement:

me: "Dear father, It has been over a month since my last blog. I have neglected my family and the many many adoring fans, I have promised people there would be updates then decided to catch up on a "Real Housewives of New Jersey" marathon instead, kept funny stories to myself instead of sharing them with the world when I knew the masses needed to hear them...I'm sure there is more but I am too lazy to even list them. I am truly sorry for this and will happily do my penance."

Imaginary priest: "This blog you speak of, do you REALLY think people tune in?"

me: "well...I mean...you know...if you count...no. I guess you can add lying to a priest on there too."

I.P.: "Your penance is to do 3 posts by tomorrow."

me: "Can I count this as one?"

IP: "No."

me: "OK, sure, of course, whatever you say...I just mean because this is a pretty lame post. And I'm not sure how much longer I can drag this one out so it will be short. And a short and lame post won't bring the people back."

IP: "Are these your imaginary fans you speak of?"

me: "...yes"

IP: "Fine. Update your "adoring fans" with what has been going on with your life this past month in this post, plus 2 new posts by tomorrow. Now go in peace...and please, TRY to be amusing!"


Some random thoughts...

1. I just found my 3 year old "reading" a sushi menu to her fish. She is far too young to understand the absolute hilarity in that situation.

2. My baby brother got married this past Sunday! I wasn't there...I hate myself a little bit.

3. Maybe stuffing a brownie in my mouth will help me deal with the pain of missing my baby brothers wedding.

4. Nope...maybe 2?

5. Nope...maybe 3? This could get ugly folks, lets move on.

6. We had a garage sale this past weekend and I realized that the saying "people will buy anything" is not true. People will buy anything, except stuff that has actual value and is still in good shape. Instead of buying a top of the line infant car seat and 2 bases for $50 (selling on eBay for $120) they choose to buy a broken cordless phone that has no battery power for $1. Or a torn book for $.50 that came free in a cereal box.

7. We did sell enough of our crappy stuff to buy a new TV for our bedroom.

8. In the on-line world, people use the letters DH instead of typing out Dear Husband. I swore I would never used this stupid acronym because hubby sounds cuter and it isn't that bad to just type out hubby. Hubby, hubby, hubby, hubby. See, not so bad. Stop being so lazy people!

9. DH now wants to have an other garage sale to see what else we can buy with the profits. I think he is tempted to sell all our clothes and see if we can afford a boat.

10. My adorable 16 month old angel is acting less angelic everyday. I think she wants me to never want another child ever again. She wants to stay my baby. She has no desire for a baby sister or brother. Anytime I get even a little sad that she is growing up she throws a fit over a sippy cup and it reminds me to call my doctor and see if he has any room to perform a full hysterectomy this afternoon.

11. IT IS FREAKIN HOT IN OKLAHOMA IN AUGUST!!!

12. I need to buy new plants for my front yard since there is no amount of water on earth that would have been able to save my little beauties from the scorching sun.

13. IT IS FREAKIN HOT IN OKLAHOMA IN AUGUST!!!

14. I went wedding dress shopping with my baby sis when I was in Cali. I was so thrilled to be there for that. She looked amazing and will look even more amazing on her wedding day.

15. Just remembered that I missed my baby brothers wedding. Where are the rest of those damn brownies!?

16. We are waiting for final words on where our next assignment will be. Hopefully we will find out SOON. I love getting new assignments.

17. I hate moving.

18. I need to get my house in order so that hopefully someone will want to buy it!!! I really hope someone will buy it! God I hope someone will buy it. We don't have enough money to pay the mortgage here and live somewhere else.

19. I will now have nightmares tonight about what to do if someone doesn't want to buy my house.

20. My 3 year old needs new clothes. Hopefully she can wait until someone buys the house. Otherwise I may have to turn into a Von Trap and turn the curtains into new outfits for her... but I don't know how to sew... hopefully they have a very lenient dress code at her school.

21. Look at this beautiful picture and eat a brownie if you have one, that's what I will be doing.

Communication is Key

When you have been married as long as I have you learn the keys to a successful marriage. There are many keys. Many, many keys... its like a janitors key ring there are so many keys.

Well Communication is the one that I find to be one of the most important. The Communication key. My husband and i have it down! We are like a well oiled machine sometimes. Anytime we have a disagreement we sit down and work out exactly how hubby was wrong so we can avoid his mishaps in the future. Its exhausting righting him all the time but its all in the name of a happy marriage. Patience is another key but that is a different story. So is being blissfully unaware of reality.

The reason I bring this up is an event that happened yesterday. We were down in OKC at a furniture store buying a new couch. We had already picked the couch that we both loved and to kill some time while we waited for it to be pulled from the warehouse for pickup we decided to venture to the stadium sized bedroom furniture department. I was interested in looking at all the linens that they sell since we both want a new bed spread.

We spent the next 20 minutes walking by the approximately bazillion mock bedrooms admiring all the gorgeous comforters, pillows, shams and throws. Unfortunately we weren't getting anywhere towards actually purchasing a new set. Every item I loved he hated, if he said he liked it I was disappointed in his apparent lack of taste. We talked about colors and lines, comfort and style.

I would say
"I like these colors together"
he would say
"that is too cold, and dark"

Or he would say
"I like this, its beachy"
and I would say
"did you just say peachy?"
"no I said BEACHY"

Finally we reached the end of the line and there wasn't anything that we both liked. The last bed we saw happened to be a comforter that friends of ours had just purchased.

me: "well you aren't allowed to like that last one since M & K just bought it"
him: "what? I thought their headboard had leather on it?"
me: "yeah, that wasn't their bed that was their comforter"
him: "oh, I didn't pay any attention to the comforter"
pause
me: "what? why not?"
him: "why would I look at the comforter?"
long pause
me: "because that is what we are shopping for!"
him: "oh I was looking at the furniture"
me: "the whole time?!"
him: "you said we were looking at a bedroom set"
me: "i said we were looking for a COMFORTER set for our bedroom"
him: "well i did not hear that part"
me [palm to head slap] "did you not look at any of them?"
him: "not even one"
me: "well do you want to go back through?"
him: "not even a little"

If only everyone could communicate as clearly as we do! I'm sure the divorce rate would be lower, though murder suicide rates would likely skyrocket.

Why I hate Modern Warfare 2

Hate? Really you ask, is Hate the appropriate word.

The answer is a resounding YES. I realize that hate is a strong word, no one should ever have to use the word hate. Well I did and I do!

Let me first preface this by stating that I am not one of those wives who hates video games. I really don't. Though I have zero interest in playing them myself, I never mind when hubsters plays. It is how he chooses to let off some steam after a long day and I don't mind. He can play video games as often as he wants, and he usually wants quite often. But there are lots of things I like to do that don't involve him, like reading or nosing around on the computer, or there is always stalking people on Facebook or messing with the wonderful world of blogging, and he just isn't in to any of that. Video games are his outlet, his relaxing take-my-mind-off-things task.

So how is this game so different? How does this game take me from "I don't care if you play video games" to "I might pull my own hair out if I have to listen to that game for 2 more seconds"? Well, lucky for you I have compiled a little list...

First I need to explain what Modern Warfare 2 is... its a video game. It must be about war because it is loud, guns are firing, there is lots of yelling, whatever you get the point = a loud waste of time. On with the hate list!

1. Apparently this game must never be played without the volume level set at deafening.

2. When asked nicely to turn the volume down to "a level that wont leave the neighbors to wonder if there is an actual war going on in our home", the response is along the lines of "I can turn it down a click but really this gaming experience can not be fully enjoyed at a volume less than this".

3. Along with the sounds of gunfire, war, airplanes, bombs and killing there is also all the commentary of the fellow players. Some of whom have altered their microphones so they sound like annoying chipmunks screaming lines like "KILL HIM" or "DONT KILL ME".

4. Those annoying chipmunks usually never just scream the afore mentioned lines, in actuality they spew streams of profanity about others players mothers or sisters. Really valuable vocabulary lessons for my 3 years old daughter who is currently perfecting the art of repeating everything she hears.

5. Apparently Sam is not very good at this game. Or at least I cant imagine he could be when all I have to judge this on is every 2 minutes he throws the remote in frustration over being killed.

6. Sam doesn't just throw the remote, he usually punches the couch or yells at the TV "I KILLED YOU FIRST". Then after seeing that his beautiful girls have been distracted from their world of rainbows and butterflies and are looking at him, forces a smile and says "Daddy is terrible at this game and I hate it! But I love you". (End forced smile)

7. Sam HATES this game but LOVES this game. Please don't ask me to explain, there is a relationship between man and game that I don't think I will ever understand.

8. There is a whole world dedicated to this game. You are either a player or not and anyone who is not is automatically considered the enemy. Heaven forbid you should actually refer to the game as Call of Duty 2 (which by the way is what is says on the box) because it is MODERN WARFARE 2.

9. There is a whole boring back story to explain the correct title MW2 vs COD2. It is boring and I tuned out half way through, I am convinced it is all a twisted plot to weed out the true players from the enemy.. who must be destroyed.

And number 10! (cue drumroll please)

This game has taken over the television in my house! My husband is beyond addicted and when he gets a spare moment I can guarantee it will be on.

Example: Its a typical Saturday morning. The family has plans to run to the farmers market and maybe the playground so the kiddos can burn off some energy. Mom dresses herself, dresses the girls, finds shoes, changes a diaper, packs some snacks while Dad is getting dressed. Dad exits the bedroom ready to leave. Mom announces she needs to get different shoes from the closet and will be right back. No more than 20 second later she returns to find him completely immersed in a game while child number 2 has taken off her shoes and child number 1 is pulling her bow out of her hair while they fight over the snacks they have pulled from Mom's purse.

Mom: What are you doing playing? We are ready to leave!
Dad: You weren't ready so I am playing a game until you are.
Mom: I am ready, lets go.
Dad: Ok, this game will be over in 5 minutes.

Flash to Mom seething in a corner while she attempts to corral the girls, put shoes back on, wrestle the snacks away and redo child number 1's hair.

Dad finishes the game 12 minutes later and they all walk towards the car.

Mom secretly realizes she has to pee... decides to hold it forever if she has to.

End scene


And that is why HATE is the only appropriate word for MW2.

This is Heaven

This is my idea of heaven! This really doesn't need any words to explain why its my heaven so I will just leave this picture. And on a bad day I can come back here to remember this wonderful moment.