Who are you?

I wonder who the 4 people are who view this blog...

As for me - Day three found me bouncing on the mini-trampoline for about 5 minutes before I realized I can't do that for half an hour.  Then I switched to jumping jacks/crunches/lunges/push-ups.

I learned today that I have to justify my job even further.  This time they want a list/chart of what I do every day.  It's not like I have a set thing that I do.  Every day is different.  It depends on what's needed.  That's kind of the definition of a support staff position.  I'm getting really tired of having to fight for something that I don't really want.  I need it because I'm the only one working right now...and it would be ideal to have this job when I go back to school since they are so flexible.  HOWEVER, I'm tired of having to justify my existence.  Sigh.

So - I'm going to go out tonight and have a nice dinner with the bestie and my momma.  Stick it, Luxembourg.  Unless you are one of the 4 people.  Then, whatever you want...

Day two and a great tip!

Still tracking on my life changing plan.

Day 1 and 2 - walked a little over a mile each morning.

But on to a new topic - I was talking to my friend the other day about her husband who is deployed.  He loves crumb cake, but mostly loves the crumb.  So for his birthday a couple of Novembers ago I made him this crumb cake.  I've decided to send him another one this year, but with mail taking 9-14 days to get to him I had to come up with a way to vacuum seal the cake without spending a lot of money on systems.  I give you my solution via journeytheoutdoors.

I love it!  Hopefully Steve's crumb cake won't be soggy or spoiled when he gets it.

Day One!

Today is the day...

Day One of my life changing plan.

Step One: Set Goals

So, I'm setting forth a two year plan to be who I want to be, where I want to be, doing what I want to do.

In the next two years I will:

1.  Loose 40 pounds.
  I'm not huge, but I'm not anywhere near having the body I want to have.  I'm not comfortable in my own skin and that's a shame.  Besides that, I have high cholesterol, insulin resistance and a dad who dropped dead of a heart attack at the age of 68.  I will not follow in his footsteps if I can help it!  I'd like to be in a size 10 by summer 2014.

The last time I felt good about my body.

2.  Get my teaching certificate.
  I've started the process by applying to George Mason University.  They have a Master's program that allows you to get licensure and then complete the remaining credits for a Master's if you desire.  I'm going to start with the the license and see how I feel once that is complete.

3.  Move my family to Europe.
  My grand scheme involves working in the DoDDS system.  My ideal would be to work in a middle/high school in England teaching English.  We've lived in Germany (a lot) and I think I'm ready for the UK.  If that isn't a possibility, my second choice is the Mediterranean area.  Italy, please.  Not Turkey.

Not so bad.  All reasonable.  All do-able.  All supported by my family.

It's the simple things...

I was watching the "Big Fat Quiz of the Year" from last year.  I love British panel shows - and Jimmy Carr cracks me up.  If you have a chance to see it, it's worth it just to see Jamie Oliver pretending to be Willow Smith.

One of the questions reminded me of something that will make Emma laugh longer and harder than most anything else.  I have it for you below:

Wanderlust...

Yesterday I had a weird feeling all day.  I'm not even sure if I can accurately describe it, but I had it all day long!

Every time we've gotten ready to move to a new place (or even when we went on our vacations) I've gotten a feeling of anxiousness and excitement that something new was going to happen; like I was in for an adventure.  I definitely there's something going on in the universe.  We might finally be on an upswing.  I've noticed more things pointing us toward Europe.  I think it's amazing when you get clues to where you should go.

In Galway, Ireland - the day we scattered my Dad's ashes.

So, it will be interesting to see what comes in the next few days/weeks/months.  I think it's most important to be open to whatever comes along!

Don't think too hard...

The other night we went to the baseball game and had really great seats thanks to our dentist.  He has season passes, but doesn't go to all of the games, so he doles the tickets out to his patients!  Score!

When we sat down, on the ground (?) floor (?) - where we put our feet - there was some trash, including a lemonade cup.  I was sitting in the seat above it (Boy, it's really hard to describe this story) and had a lemonade cup of my own.  I was doing a really good job of keeping them separate.  Then I switched seats with my husband and then left to go buy a funnel cake.  When I came back with another lemonade and the cake my son was drinking from a lemonade cup.  I'm not sure which one he was drinking from.  I started thinking about it.  A lot.  I started worrying that he had been drinking from some stranger's cup and who knows what ailments that person had.  Then I started thinking about all of the things that you really shouldn't think about too much.  Who sat on that toilet seat before me?  Did that Taco Bell guy sneeze on my burrito? How many farts do I breathe in in one day?

The moral?  Ignorance really is bliss.

Big changes!

I've made a decision.  It's a big decision.  It's a life changing decision.

I've been moaning about how I'm leading the life I "have" to lead rather than the life I "want" to lead.  After a lot of thinking and talking to family and friends, I've decided to go to school to get my teaching certificate.  Back when T was little, I had initiated this process, but gave it up when Q decided to try to get into the Defense Attache program.  Now, seven years later, I'm trying again.  I thought that since my undergraduate degree was in Behavioral and Social Sciences I would be suited to teach History/Social Sciences.  Turns out, my education my be better suited to teaching English.  So, that's what I'm doing.  I'm turning everything upside down and paving a new way.

Wish me luck!

The Olympics

Quinn and I had been married for about a year and a half when we moved from Stuttgart, Germany to Austin , TX.  It was 1992 and we arrived just in time to catch the Barcelona Olympics.  Now, I can't tell you much about what happened during those Olympics, but I remember distinctly two things.

First - best torch lighting ever!

Second - we were staying with one of Quinn's friends from college.  Tony (God, bless him) let us stay at his apartment in San Marcos while we were looking for a place of our own.  While we were watching the Olympics we started to get hungry and decided that one of us should make a run to Taco Cabana.  Quinn and Tony grew up in Texas.  They were both familiar with Mexican cuisine.  Guess who got chosen to go?  Yup - send the white girl with plaid roots to get Mexican food.  Up until this point Chi Chi's was the extent of my knowledge of Mexican food, and they sent me to the place that makes their own tortillas - the staff speaks Spanish - good choice, no?

So, I went.  There was a lot of pointing and I am eternally grateful for the never ending patience of the poor girl working the register.  I managed to bring home some tasty food.  But, in the end, the joke was on Quinn.  He had sent the 20 year-old out for food and I couldn't bring home beer.  Ha!

I swear I don't work in the porn industry...

I had to make a copy of a promotional video for our Easy for Two Shell tent.  Hanging head... yeah, it does sound like porn.

Now I'm told that the company I work for is doing some "transitioning".  Guess who just dusted off her resume?  Nothing concrete has come of this "transition" yet, but I want to be prepared should it mean that the porn is no longer my source of income.

And how was your day?

the value of the housewife

Last week, on our way home from our beach get-away, we stopped at an antique store/used book shop.  While there I found a home economics textbook from 1954.  It is one of my favorite books now.  I love the recipes, the styles, the stereotypes and the condescension.  I have always been interested in history and I find  mid-century to be particularly entertaining.  Just watch this:

"If the time of the housewife isn't valued too much..."

Now, Em has found a fascination with the '50's and '60's.  Good thing we have a live in expert.