A Very Special Announcement!!

Hey Ya'll! I would like to start out this post with saying that the hubs and I...WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!! We found out on April 1st, the day we left for California, and we've kept it to ourselves now for about two months (family and close friends excluded). We are due December 5th and we could not be more excited!!

We had been trying to get pregnant for a couple months now and a couple months ago, on the day we were set to leave for California, I ran down the stairs that morning to go to the bathroom and noticed that my chest hurt when I ran, so I decided I would at least give the test a try. I had taken the test before in previous months with no positive results, so I wasn't too attentive to this test this time as I didn't want to get my hopes up and I thought it still might be too early to tell. However, it didn't take long, certainly not the 3 minutes they tell you to wait, before I saw the two pink lines on the stick. In disbelief, I take the test and show it to the hubs who is standing in the kitchen. Now, when you think of most husbands when they find out that their wife is pregnant, the typical response is a big smile followed by a bigger hug and kiss, and in some cases, a look of pure love for their significant other. In my case, I got an arrogant head nod, a high five, and a very calm, "Good job, babe! We did it." What? Who does that? Does my husband have a soul? Anyway, he's more excited than he lets on. I would post a picture of the positive stick, but I hate when people post pictures of sticks that they peed on. I will, however, post a picture of the inside of my uterus so you can all see my little baby/fetus/monkey.

We wanted to try to keep it from our parents until they all came to DC for hubby's graduation, in which case we would tell them in a special way and they could all find out together. However, we were going to spend an entire month with the hub's family and keeping this kind of secret was going to be a challenge, one I thought I could keep. I was wrong. I didn't last a week before I started feeling super nauseous and had to continually tell his parents that I couldn't go places with them. His mom had flat out asked me if I was pregnant and I lied, but after the tenth cancellation on her, and the thought of going to a baseball game in the city with hot dogs, hamburgers, and popcorn, not to mention the hub's constant pregnancy innuendoes, I had to come clean. Everyone in CA was super excited and promised to keep it from my family so we could tell them in DC.

My mom and her husband, and my dad and his wife, along with my husband's mom and dad all came to DC a couple weeks ago to see the hub's graduate from medical school. It was then that we decided to tell my parents. I already had my ultrasound and was in my 11th week and wanted a creative way to tell them as it was their first grandbaby. Before they came, I went on Etsy and had little handmade, personalized gifts made for them. For my dad, I had a guitar pick that said "Grandpappy B Rocks," for my stepmom, I had a keychain that said "grandma," for my mom, I got her a charm for her Brighton charm bracelet that said "Grandmother," and for my stepdad, I got him a coffee mug that said "Grandpa." For the hubs' parents who already knew, we got them small gifts with their grandparent names on them (they already have 20 grandkids so this is not their first time at the rodeo). My mom arrived on Thursday and it was SUPER hard not to mention anything to her for a whole day. When my dad and the hubs' parents arrived on Friday, we immediately sat them all down in the tv room and gave them their gifts. We told them it was a thank you for coming and a mother/father's day gift for them. When they opened them, no one got it. My mom and dad could not read the writing on their gifts and thought they were just getting a charm or a guitar pick and my stepdad, he is 37 years old, thought he got the wrong gift and tried to give it to my father-in-law. My stepmom, who actually read her keychain, got it right away and told my dad that she "thinks they are trying to tell us that they are pregnant and we are going to be grandparents!" Finally, everyone took a closer look and their eyes shot up and the hoots and hollerin' began. When they looked up at me, I had the ultrasound picture in my hand and I was jumping up and down with it so they couldn't see what it was. I guess I was defeating my purpose. Everyone was super excited and was yelling and hugging. It was a very special moment. I wish I got it on tape or took a picture, but I was too excited to think about that. Dang it...

The next day was the hubby's graduation. He graduated at Constitution Hall in DC. His parents and I got seats right behind the graduates and my family sat in the balcony seats with the other non-VIPs ;) When the graduation music finally started and I saw hubs walk down the aisle in his little cap and gown, I could not have been more proud of him...or more attracted to him ;) The ceremony took FOREVER as there were nurses and other types of students graduating that day too. Ten hours later, when he was next in line to receive his diploma, his name was called, "Dr. J. Giffhorn", and another graduate walked to receive the diploma. The room became very quiet in its confusion and the ushers on stage were attempting to tell the announcer that he skipped a name, but the announcer kept going and announced the hubs name again in a more awkward, timid voice, "Dr. J....Giff...horn?" The hubs then goes up to receive the award as the crowd awkwardly claps, not sure who Dr. J. Giffhorn is except the poor family whose son's name was not announced as he received his diploma, and my family whose graduate's name was announced twice. We felt so bad for that guy whose name wasn't announced, but luckily, at the end of the ceremony, the announcer had him stand and we all cheered for him under his correct name. After the ceremony, we all went back to our house and had a luncheon in the hub's honor. There was cake and lots of gifts in which he received a stethoscope, his medical books, some decorative plates, and what I thought was a Montblanc pen. We later came to find out that the pen I got him was a fake off Amazon. Luckily, Amazon paid us back, but now I owe him a nice pen that isn't a knock-off.

Me and Hubby before the ceremony

 
Me and dad and step mom and me and my mom. Notice how most of these pics are of me? Well, this is my blog, so I can.

The hubs is somewhere in this picture walking down the aisle. 

Here he is in line to receive his diploma. He is the 4th one back. 

This is a pic of the Air Force graduates taking their oath. You can see the hubs in the distance on the left under the screen. 

 And I couldn't help but add just one more pic of me :)

A couple weeks ago the movers came and packed up and took all of our stuff to Texas. We had been living downstairs on an air mattress for over a week with nothing but a couple boxes and our iMac as a tv. Our house looked so depressing without any evidence of inhabitants there anymore.

Ralph Otis living in the dregs of poverty. Someone call the Humane Society! 

I'd be lying if I didn't say I cried a few times thinking about leaving it to the new tenants, never to return again. We did, however, get to spend a lot of time with all of our friends before leaving. On Monday for Memorial Day, we went to our friends' house for a BBQ and croquet party. Croquet is awesome and I highly recommend everyone play it. On Thursday we went with friends to the Zac Brown Band Concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. It was so much fun, and we saw a lot of drunk/high rednecks come out of the woodwork ready to party.

Oh yeah!! He's hott!

I'm so glad that we got to spend so much time with all of our friends before we left, and I am so grateful to all of them for all of their kindness and generosity for letting us hang out at their places and always making sure we had dinner plans. All of them will be missed and I hope they come visit me in Texas!!

Our whole group!

Me and hubby and his new shades. It was his birthday by the way. 

This pic is funny because her husband (behind us) saw that we were taking a pic and this was his I'm-not-invited-in-this-pic-but-I'm-going-to-quickly-look-like-I'm-candidly-having-a-good-time face. So funny. I guess you had to be there. 

Me and my friend. Notice how I don't have pics of Zac Brown? We couldn't see them on stage. We were too far back. 

We stayed a little while in Georgia last week before our apartment was ready. It's always good to go home and see family. I wish I had some fun stories to tell about Georgia, but I have to admit, I did absolutely nothing. I think I saw a movie or something...Anyway, once our week in Georgia was over, we packed up our car and headed to Texas. But not before stopping in New Orleans for a good time. And a good time it was not, unfortunately. I'm not a drinker, a gambler, a smoker, or a hooker, so I didn't exactly...fit in. Our hotel was in the French Quarter and was actually pretty nice for a Best Western. Our room had brick walls, which automatically made me think...HAUNTED!! But it wasn't. I  googled it. It was just a Best Western with brick walls. We went to dinner at a really nice restaurant on Bourbon Street where we fine dined and listened to live Dixieland music. Very authentic. And there was even a real New Orleans wedding going on outside our window while we ate. We watched as the bride and groom, along with all of their guests, and a New Orleans band marched down Bourbon Street with white handkerchiefs and beads. It was pretty cool to see. After dinner, we went to the famous World Cafe and ate beignets (which I found out just taste like funnel cake in a bag) and looked out at the oldest cathedral or something in New Orleans. We then went on an awesome ghost tour where the guide took us to some of the most haunted places in the French Quarter and told us stories. One place he took us was to a bar that was once the home of pirates who sold slaves under the table and killed people and stuff. He gave us a ten minute break to go get a drink in this bar and take a bathroom break, but not before telling a scaring story about the bathroom. When the hubs and I went inside, it was completely pitch dark, except for candles and a guy behind a piano playing "Piano Man." I, of course, did not go to the bathroom, but I took a picture of it for the memories.

Our creepy hotel room. There were bars on the windows. 

The band at the restaurant we ate at. Very authentic!

The hubs on Bourbon Street. This is the last time you will see him there.

The cathedral we watched as we ate beignets. Yes, it does look like we are in the Magic Kingdom. 

The pic I took of the men's bathroom where a supposed ghost boy is seen. If you look close enough, maybe your mind can fashion you up an orb or something. Let me know and I'll send this off to Ghost Hunters. 

When we got back to the hotel, Ralph Otis was in there and had not peed in over 12 hours. The hubs took him out to pee, but Ralph Otis, being the pretty pretty princess he is, would not go on any surface other than grass. Well, there is no grass in New Orleans, just pavement, so Ralphy had to hold it for like 10 more hours. I didn't feel bad for him. The next morning, the hubs tried to sneak Ralph Otis out the front door so the front desk wouldn't see and we wouldn't be charged a pet fee. He thought he got away with it until she saw me leave a few minutes behind him with a couple cheese pastries from the continental breakfast in my hand. She stopped me and asked me if I was with him and told me she saw the dog and is charging it to our bill. Dang it!! Stupid hubby! That's what you get for trying to be sleazy, I guess.

The main perpetrator of our massive hotel bill. Thanks, Ralph Otis. 

We are now in Texas. Our apartment is huge!! I just wish we had furniture to fill it with. We have been here almost a week and half and still none of our stuff has arrived. The hubs has my car during the day, so I'm stuck here in this empty apartment blogging and watching past episodes of "Pretty Little Liars." Good show by the way. This post is now way too long, so I will update soon with what I've observed so far with the Texas people, at least I will if I don't die of heat exhaustion because it's so FREAKING HOT HERE!!!!

Crafty to Crappy to Happy

I am sorry I haven't updated my blog lately, but I feel like I need to collect a lot of life experiences before writing it all down. We are now back from California and I am very happy to be home. I did enjoy my month there, but there really is nothing like being back in your own home and around your friends and your nice, new-car-smell Nissan Rogue. I actually really can't believe how much I missed my car until I got back in it and I don't even like cars! I wish I could update you with exciting stories from the great west, unfortunately, nothing too exciting happened after my last post. We did spend our last evening in California with my husband's French grandma. I have to say, I'm obsessed with this sweet woman! She is absolutely a character. We went out to dinner to Soup Plantation. Hubs was in a HOR-RI-BLE mood so did not appreciate his time spent with his grandma, but I'm always glad to sit and chat with her. She's very smart and has a lot of interesting things to say. She sits there at the table with her black hair brushed to the front of her head with her little bejeweled hat on  and her bright red lipstick with very defined lip liner outlining/exaggerating her arched lips as she entertains us with stories from the war in France in her thick French accent. Being a French fanatic myself, I can't help but be enthralled by this woman and her life. It also helps that she says that I'm "beautiful, like a movie star!" Her words, not mine. Who can't love someone who tells you that you look like a movie star!

This is the only picture I have of Grandma at our engagement party. You can't see my face, but I'm super excited to meet her!

Now that we're back in Maryland, I've been keeping myself very busy with crafts. I'm NOT a crafty person, but I think a lot of my friends must be in the crafty mood this time of year, so I just joined the bandwagon. A couple of week ago, a few of my friends from work and I went to a place called All Fired Up to paint pottery. It was Ladies Night there and we were able to bring our own food and eat it while we painted. My friends brought a lot of nice finger foods to eat while we painted: veggie tray, orzo salad, meat pies, turtle brownies, wine (sparkling cider for the Mormon crowd), etc. My contribution to the party: pizza roll ups. Yep, keepin' it classy! We all painted some really nice pieces. I painted a tea cup and saucer. I can't say I'm artistic, but I think it turned out okay for my abilities. 

My cup and saucer I made at All Fired Up. It turned out okay, I can drink out of it with little to no shame. 

Last Friday, we went to pick up our artwork and we all went out to lunch to celebrate our creations. We went to a place downstairs from Lindamood-Bell called La Forchetta. It's a new restaurant none of us had been to before and it was quite an experience. I told my friends I would write a review on Yelp about it, but maybe I'll just vent here. We were seated right away and given menus. The customer service was actually pretty good. The waitress was prompt, attentive, and helpful. The chef, on the other hand, seemed to have a lot of rules for eating at his overly pretentious restaurant. I saw gnocchi on the menu, which I love, but it was served with pesto, which I don't love. I asked the waitress if it was possible to change the sauce from pesto to something else and she said no they could not do that. I can't say I've ever been to an Italian restaurant that didn't allow you to change your sauce, but whatever, I ordered the whole wheat pasta with lots of fancy Italian food words. My friend ordered pillow ravioli and asked if she could add chicken to her dish and the waitress said no they could not do that. I can't say I've ever been to an Italian restaurant that didn't allow you to add chicken to your dish, but whatever. The food came pretty quickly, which is great since we were on a schedule, and what they brought was interesting. The dish I ordered with all the fancy Italian food words was...wait for it...spaghetti with meat sauce. My friend who ordered the pillow ravioli was given FOUR small raviolis as her meal. She basically paid for a $17 appetizer and she did not get full. While she was halfway through her expensive snack, my other friend was furiously attempting to cut her pizza because it wasn't sliced! She eventually had to ask the waitress to go slice it and bring it back. I'm surprised she said yes to that, but she did it! And my friend in front of me ordered a HUGE calzone for only $12 that was bigger than her plate. There was hardly any cheese in it, and it was watery. As we were all struggling to get through our meals, passing our hungry friend some of our overcooked food, and choking down the stale bread, our waitress was chatting with the table behind us saying that they cannot bring them a pizza sliced. The chef insists that the pizza MUST come out un-sliced because it has to continue to cook while coming to the table, and they have to special request the pizza to be sliced. The rule states that you CANNOT request beforehand to have your pizza sliced, you must wait for it to be brought to the table, you must look at it, and then you may ask your waiter to bring it back to be sliced. What the...? Anyway, once we were done with our food, mine was fine because how bad can you really screw up spaghetti, the waitress graciously allowed us to split the check four separate ways. As we were leaving, my friend needed to get her parking validated from them and went to ask them to do so. As we waited, we joked that validation was probably against the rules. As she returned she excitedly told us that they validate for 2 hours free parking and we all shouted for joy and relief. She then looked at the small print and said, "Oh, nevermind. They only validate for two hours for 50% off parking until 6pm and on weekends and then it's free." After hearing that news, we all slumped our shoulders again and shuffled back up to the office. We now know never to go to that ridiculous restaurant again. It sure is an arrogant little place for being brand new. I hope that chef humbles himself when he realizes he can't pay the rent because no one is patronizing his restaurant due to the strict rules. Despite that, I'm always happy to be spending time with all of my friends while I still can before I move, so that was fun :)

Another very productive thing I've done these past couple of weeks is make drink coasters for my living room. One of my friends and I went to Home Depot and found tiles for $0.16 a piece, we then went to the Paper Source in Bethesda, which is an adorable store for paper, gifts, and stationary, and we purchased some printed scrapbook paper. We then cut them in squares and Modge Podged them onto the tiles. After that, we put felt on the back with fabric glue and now we have 8 very cute new additions to our living room coffee tables. The coasters were very cheap to make, very easy, and very fun while you chat with a friend. Since I'm not an artistic person, this was something that I could do without screwing it up. 

My cute little homemade coasters. 

Last Saturday, we had a BBQ at our house and invited all of our closest friends. I was so happy to see that they all came and had a good time. It was originally a hot tub and BBQ party. Our landscaper came and completely cleared out the back of our house of ivy and weeds. Once I saw that there was an actual pathway to the hot tub, I decided immediately we needed a party before we packed up and left to never use it again :( I nagged the hubby for two days to assure me that the hot tub would be up and running before everyone came over and he PROMISED that it would be, so I went ahead and sent out all my evites. The very next day, he tells me that the hot tub has electrical issues that are too expensive to fix so we won't have a hot tub for the hot tub party. I was annoyed with him, of course. How am I supposed to have a hot tub party with no hot tub? I even considered heating up some water in a large bucket and placing it on the porch to show people I'm no liar! But I came to terms with it and we just had a BBQ on the back porch. I invited dogs as well so Ralph Otis could have his debut as a party host. My hope was that they would all run around and play in the humongous yard, but I guess as a good host should, Ralph Otis made sure his guests were fed by having them all roam around the porch begging for food. Fun for the dogs, not so fun for the adults, but the dogs are cute so I think it was okay. Things took a turn for the worst when we found ticks all over one of the little yorkies. Once the ticks come out, all the dogs have to go home to be treated, but I think despite the fact that Ralph Otis allowed his guests to leave with Lime's Disease, he did a pretty good job as a first time host. We all make mistakes on our first try, right? Other than the tick epidemic, I think everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather and conversation. We had some teeky lights and some string lights on the porch swing to liven things up. I finally got to buy a drink tub for our drinks. Hubs was worried that all the bottles wouldn't fit in there, but I promised him if we bought it, I would be the one to refill the drinks. Yeah, I didn't do that. He refilled them all night, and cooked the food, and made sure everyone had everything they needed, while I sat all night chatting with friends. I don't feel that bad because he promised a working hot tub and didn't deliver, so we're even ;)  I'm really glad I got to have all of the people I love most here in Maryland at my house. I wish I would have done that sooner and more often. 

 

These aren't the best pics because I forgot to take pics while the party was in full swing in the sunlight,  so the flash made them a little weird in the dark. 

Sunday was Mother's Day and I went to church where I heard some amazing talks about mothers. Now for Mother's Day, one of the biggest pet peeves a woman has in the Mormon church is that they receive a rose every year after the sacrament service, whereas on Father's Day, the men receive a huge chocolate bar or brownies. I think I can speak for all Mormon women when I say we think it is bull crap! WE are the ones who love chocolate. Why do they get to enjoy the moist, delicious chocolate in their belly while all we can do is watch our rose slowly die as we crave the one treat we feel guilty buying ourselves? Well this Mother's Day, our cries were heard and we not only received a rose, but a small box of Rocky Mountain chocolate as well! I was elated as I heard the words come from the man's mouth that we would be receiving that which I love most. So, I enjoyed my chocolate as I watched one of my all-time favorite movies, Mommie Dearest. I think they played it on tv twice to remind me to be grateful for my wonderful mother who has always allowed me to use any kind of hanger I wanted in my closet, and has never beat me with Comet for not having the bathroom clean (even though I know she wanted to). Thank you, Mom for your restraint and never making this face: 

I have more to come this week. My wonderful husband is graduating this Saturday and I can't tell you how proud I am of him. He's worked so hard for so long, and he deserves everything good that happens to him this weekend. I even tear up as I say this because medical school is truly an accomplishment as it is full of hardships, disappointments, adjustments, sacrifices, and challenges. Needless to say, I have nothing but respect for him and what he's done, and I can't wait to see him walk down that aisle to receive his diploma and become a doctor. I'm also excited because I've been watching Jeopardy for the past two weeks and is  being filmed in the same location as his graduation! I can then say that I have walked the same steps as Alex Trebec. More to come next week, hopefully!

All Things Considered...

After spending another week here in sunny San Diego, there are a few things I have considered that I never thought I would. 1) Converting to Catholicism 2) throwing Ralph Otis over a cliff into the ocean and 3) doing a stint in prison. Now you may be wondering why or you may be thinking this is normal, but let me elaborate to some degree.

First of all, I could definitely be a Catholic. Last Saturday, the hubs and I attended his cousin's baptism into the Catholic church. Apparently, he had been wanting to be Catholic for a long time, but just hadn't had the time to get baptized. We had a really good dinner at his house consisting of pizza and salad before heading over to the church which was not only baptizing adult members that night, but also holding its Easter mass. My husband's cousin was the first to leave the house, as he had to be there early, and when he walked out of his room wearing swim trunks and a t-shirt, I knew we were in for an interesting night. Before that night, I had never had the opportunity to attend any kind of mass in my life. I grew up Mormon and most everybody else around me was a southern baptist, leaving little to my religious repertoire. I have, however, seen many a movie in which the characters go into a Catholic church, light a candle or two, kneel to pray to the hanging Jesus, and then cross themselves with holy water before exiting. Needless to say, I really didn't know what to expect except boredom and lots of Latin. When we arrived, they gave us a candle to light for later in the service. I was excited because for some reason, when given a candle, I all of a sudden feel like I have super powers as if I'm going to take over the world with my flame that I didn't have to pay for myself!! When we sat down, I realized I was thirsty and my MIL and I went on a trek to find water. What we found was a group of people behind the church holding lit candles and swaying around a huge bonfire. When we tried to look to see what was going on, the people in the circle gave us stink eyes to let us know that we were not invited to the party. We still aren't really sure what was going on, but it was kinda weird even if it was church related. But I love bonfires, so I was slightly jealous of them. When the service started, the lights suddenly went out and the singing and incense tossing began. It was creepy at first because I didn't know what was happening and I thought maybe this was a continuation of the weirdness we witnessed outside, but things got progressively better after that. I was greatly surprised at the spirit that I felt there. The music was fantastic and the people who sang had beautiful, clear voices. Even the organ had a perfect sound that resonated through the walls of the church. All of the songs were a reminder of Christ's resurrection and helped me to truly feel the spirit of Easter, which is something that I sometimes disregard at my own church. As I sat there listening to the music, and appreciating the tradition of the Catholic religion, I thought to myself, I could be a Catholic if only to listen to this music and kneel to pray to my Heavenly Father in this simple, peaceful place of worship. Afterwards, there was an after party in the cultural hall in which everyone got pretty buzzed on the beer and wine that was served (again, Catholics are awesome) and then we all went home.

Another thing I have considered is throwing Ralph Otis over a cliff into the deep blue sea. This dog was not made for adventure of any sort and it is about time he learned to suck it up and maybe a dive in the ocean is just what he needs. What I know is that Ralph Otis is terrified of many things; sliding doors, blow dryers, vacuum cleaners, porter potties, hardwood floors, computer cords, hairbrushes, cats, dogs, my brother-in-law, and beaches. What he is NOT afraid of are things that can actually hurt him like oncoming traffic. I know this because my brother- and sister-in-law took him for a walk to Starbucks and he must have gotten spooked by something inanimate/harmless, got out of his leash, and bolted into the middle of the street towards my MIL's house. Before my brother-in-law even realized what had happened, Ralph Otis was almost home and running down the middle of a semi-busy road. Although the miracle lies in the fact that he didn't get hit by a car, the true miracle is that he knew how to get home without an adult present. He could have gotten lost in a canyon near their house. Although this dog seems really stupid because what isn't more stupid than running towards moving vehicles 10 times your size, he can be quite amazing sometimes in what he knows. Despite the fact he likes to run towards the face of danger, he runs away from the fun activities we try to introduce him to, like the beach. Yesterday, we took him to La Jolla beach so that he could get in the sand and near the water. We took him to a little hidden cove with sand and rocks and a slightly moving shoreline so that he could put his paws in the water. But, alas, no this was not going to happen. He was shaking profusely and acting as if I was going to throw him into a steaming pot of hot lava. Finally, I picked him up and tried to throw him in the water, but his claws were buried too deep into my skin to actually do this. I then put him down NEAR the shore line and when the water came to the edge of his claw, he cowered backward as if the water were going to eat him. So annoying! I finally agreed that it was time to take him back up to the grass and then he enjoyed an afternoon of chasing teeny, tiny baby squirrels because those, unlike sand and water, can't hurt him. With all of that being said, I would like to do what the therapists do on that show Obsessed, and do some exposure therapy in which I toss him into the water and force him to swim out. It would have to be on a cliff above the water because, as I just described, starting at the beach is not an option, he will just go run off into some traffic to get away. Ugh! So dumb!

 You can't tell, but Ralph is terrified!

 Ralphy running away from the water again

These are the baby squirrels that were all over the beach. Ralph thought he would get one. Didn't happen. 

Lastly, after watching a season and a half of Prison Break and going to the Brig with my father-in-law, I have decided that I could serve some time in prison and be okay with it. It looks pretty easy to me. You make good friends there...and bad, which leads to a lot of drama (which I like :)) you have a lot of free time for reading books, and you can take classes like Yoga and computer. I realize that I have a very limited view/understanding of what it's really like in prison and I know that I would never want to end up there, however, from what I have seen, it doesn't seem horrible. Last night, my father-in-law took me to the military Brig in San Diego for an appreciation dinner for all of the volunteers. My father-in-law volunteers as a Mormon "chaplain" on Wednesday nights so he goes every year to the dinner. My mother-in-law didn't want to go since she has to lose 15 pounds for my husband's graduation and didn't want to be tempted by all the food, so I got to take her place. My father-in-law took me the back way so that I could get a view of the prison and the cells. After watching Prison Break, I was very interested to see if the cells were similar. They were not. In fact, what I saw was what looked to be almost like a high school, a newly built high school with classrooms, computer labs, a library, etc...and the cells had doors instead of bars and prisoners all hung out in a sitting area around their cells watching tv and hanging out in their military ACUs. As I walked down these halls, I couldn't help but think that this place couldn't be all that bad, although the men in the cells probably, no definitely, think otherwise. We then entered the gym where there was a fantastic display of food and carved fruit displays and beautiful flower arrangements on the tables. A band of prisoners played some really cheesy jazz music in the corner and another group of prisoners served the food. It was delicious and since it was only a medium security prison, we could trust that the food wasn't poisoned. In fact, all of the prisoners were really nice and quite helpful, not that I expected them to be mean, but it was a very nice event put on by the prisoners to say thank you to those who help them. We heard a great speech by one of the preachers who volunteers there who spoke about the importance of volunteering and service. My favorite speech of the night was by an actual prisoner who shared his gratitude for the work that these men and women provide. He even wrote a poem in which every other word rhymed with "volunteer." It was funny, yet moving. Throughout the night, as more people spoke about all the services that are provided for these men and women, it was touching to know that there were people out there who believe that a life is a terrible thing to waste because of one mistake and they have given these individuals a second chance.

All things considered, I think that maybe I won't be Catholic because I really do love my religion, and maybe I won't throw Ralph Otis over a cliff because that's dangerous and he might die, and maybe I don't want to be in jail because it's a semi-nice place to visit but who would want to live there? In all, I believe that I have a pretty awesome life as a Mormon with a scaredy-cat dog and a clean record. I did, however, enjoy stepping out of my small box into another with new experiences and insights on how other people live. Maybe next week, I will visit a synagogue and take Ralph Otis sky-diving...

Livin' It Up at the Hotel California

We have finally arrived in San Diego and I couldn't be more excited to be here. California is probably the most beautiful place in the United States. The weather is gorgeous, the food is amazing, the people are friendly, and the scenery is breathtaking. We have only been here a day and I already don't want to come home.

The flight was fairly easy. It was very long though and also difficult taking Ralph Otis with us. We weren't sure how he would take an airplane flight so we drugged him up with calming medicine. We used this really good all natural stuff from Petco that was a chewy treat. Ralph Otis, being the spoiled dog he is, was too good to eat it so we had to mask it with peanut butter and shove it down his throat. Needless to say, he was pretty calm in the little carrier we had for him. Getting through security was such a hassle with him though. We had to take him out of his bag which took a lifetime to put him in in the first place, and then carry him through the metal detector. Of course the detector went off, so I took off his collar, got back in line, and went through again. The detector went off again, so I took off my watch, got in line, and went through again. When it went off again, the security guard was very annoyed (it being a Baltimore airport where friendly doesn't reside) and made me take off my sweater that had little metal fasteners on the buttons. After getting into the increasingly longer line to go through again with a 15 pound dog in my arms the whole time, I was finally able to get through the detector. So ridiculous! My sweater of all things!! Really? I could feel the eye rolls of the security guard as I grabbed the rest of my things and went on my way. The rest of the flight was easy. The flight attendant fell in love with Ralph Otis and made me take him out of his bag in the back of the plane while she pet him and reminisced about her own Jack Russell back in Nevada. She even opened the airplane door so that HE could get some air (this was before we took off, of course). And then, after I had put him back in his bag for the 3rd time that day and placed him under my seat, another flight attendant heard tale of a dog on the plane and made me take him out again so she could fawn over him. Needless to say, while the hubs and I flew coach in the back of a very cramped plane for 6 hours, Ralph Otis was a first class passenger. He even got us special treatment with first snack selection! From now on, Ralph Otis will go where I go!!

After getting off the plane, we took a very long shuttle ride to the rental car place, and as were driving in, we saw a very ugly putrid yellow Chevy something-or-other (I don't know cars). We laughed at how ugly it was and said, "Ugh, I would hate to be the person driving that ugly thing." Well, guess what? We were those people. Out of all the cars in the lot, they gave us the only hideous looking one they had. Now I have to duck my head when driving around other cars because I don't want people to think that we would actually purchase something in such a disgusting yellow! But it took us from point A to point B which was my in-laws house where we stayed for the night. Ralph Otis is staying there with them for the month and we've already encountered some issues. He will only stay on the carpet and is too afraid to go from carpet to hardwood floor. Even if you pull him, he jolts back and will only stay on the carpet. It is so weird! We had to put his food bowl on the carpet so that he would eat, otherwise, I think he would starve if it meant not putting his precious paws on hardwood. What a freak! But hopefully he will get over that after a while.

So far we have eaten at some really nice restaurants. Yesterday we went to Prado at Balboa Park. I had the most delicious caesar salad. Although, the waitress made me feel like a fatty the whole time I was there. She asked if I wanted the starter size or the entree size salad and I said entree. She then got the hubs order and then asked me again, "I'm sorry, I forgot. Did you want the starter size or the entree size for your meal?" in a very you-should-get-the-starter-size tone. So then I asked her how big the entree was and she said "It's about 15 romaine hearts." So I told her I would just order that size and if it was too much I would take it home. As I said this, her judgmental eyebrows shot up to her hairline as she wrote down my answer as if I had just ordered an entire horse for lunch and not a salad. When the food came, I couldn't help but eat the whole thing. It was delicious and 15 romaine hearts really isn't that much, just FYI. However, when she came to take my empty plate, she said, "Wow, you did some damage on that!" as if she couldn't believe that anyone could eat that much food in one sitting. At first I wanted to hang my head in shame because I had eaten so much food, but then I thought, 'No! That skinny b**** is not going to make me feel guilty about eating a salad! It was a salad, not an elephant, and I even drank water with it, so I shouldn't feel bad. That salad and water was good, dang it! And I'm proud to say I ate the whole thing!' And then I was able to walk out of the restaurant proud and healthy looking and feeling sorry for that very hungry waitress who probably eats starter salads for lunch.

We are now in this military base hotel in Coronado for the month. It is not what I expected. It is tiny and doesn't even have room service. It has a great view though, and the bed is really comfy. It's also right next to the Hotel Del which is gorgeous hotel that I could never afford with a beautiful beach.

 Another perk--I am in a hotel swarmed with Navy SEAL trainees! Yes, this is my lucky month :) Although this morning was my first morning here and I had a huge mix up with my room. I left my room in the hopes to find a vending machine to get something for breakfast (we haven't gone shopping yet). And as I opened the door, I notice housekeeping was cleaning the room across from mine. Not wanting her to clean my room, I put the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the handle and left to search out the vending machines on the first floor. I couldn't find them down there and assumed they just didn't have any, so I took the elevator back up to my room on the 3rd floor. As I got closer to my room, 355, I noticed that housekeeping had taken the DO NOT DISTURB off the door and came in to clean our room anyway. I was so annoyed that she would completely disregard my sign and come in to clean! So, I went to the sitting area on the floor and sat for what seemed like hours! I then thought I would go search for vending machines again in the hopes that by the time I got back, she would be done with the room. I went back into the elevator and down to the first floor where a lady told me where the vending machines were and I was able to get a Poptart. I then went back to the 3rd floor and checked my room and she was STILL cleaning the room. I went to the sitting room and sat there for another 30 minutes staring at a window and getting more angry at this woman who doesn't follow the hotel signs or respect people's privacy. FINALLY, I heard her come out of the room and knock on another door, so I walked casually back to my room so she wouldn't think I had been waiting for her for hours in the lobby and the key doesn't work! I try it a billion times and it doesn't work and by this time, the housekeeping lady, who is still in the hallway (I don't know why since she didn't have any qualms with just barging into MY room), is probably thinking I'm attempting a break-in. And then  it hits me like a ton of bricks...I remember that our room might be on the 4th floor!! So I non-chalantly walk back to the elevator as if I meant to go to the wrong room, and head up to the 4th floor to room 455 that still has the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the handle and I try the key. It opens at once and I am back in my unorganized, unclean room! The housekeeping respected my wishes and did not enter, and I now feel I need to apologize to the ladies at this hotel that I don't think has a name, for thinking they ignore people's privacy. I am dumb, they are smart. Anyway, I can't wait to see what other adventures lay in store for me this month. Hopefully a lot and hopefully more good than awkward. Until then...

"Excuse the Mess, but We Live Here"

Yesterday was Day 1 of the housecleaning project, and I have to say, Jesse and I can really pack it in. I can't believe how much trash and clothing we have accumulated in the past 3 years! I spent half of my day organizing closets, storing away old clothes, and laundry and the other half finding and collecting the hub's multitude of socks. How many freaking socks can one man have? And what are they doing in every nook and cranny of this house? I swear he comes home, takes off his shoes, and removes one sock in the guest bedroom and the other in a desk drawer. Oh well, if the world is destroyed by an ice storm, at least our feet will be warm. Anyway, after the Great Sock Chase ended, I was actually able to get a lot done. See below.

Ok, so this may look really bad but this is actually a job well done. The piles of laundry on the floor and the ceiling are all clean! Now I just need to fold it. That may or may not get done this week...or ever. We'll see.


During one of my breaks, I was able to catch up on a show I sometimes watch called GCB. It's a show about these "christian" women in Texas who are mean to this one woman who was mean to them in high school and are trying to get back at her. I, of course, am no stranger when it comes to Christian hypocrisy in a small southern town so I find this show to be quite entertaining as it rings so true. On this particular episode, someone threw a party in which the theme was for everyone to dress up as their favorite Texan in history. As I was watching the show and saw people dressed as Laura Bush, Farrah Fawcett, Mary Kay, etc...I couldn't help but be reminded of why outsiders don't like Texas. Everyone I've spoken with has said the exact same thing, that Texans are WAY too proud to be from Texas. They think the only state that exists is their own and that no other can compare. But what I don't get is why? California has way more to offer in my personal opinion. It has mountains, beaches, cool weather, beautiful trees and plants, great restaurants, amazing scenery, great shopping, and also an occasional movie star. And yet I never hear any Californian say that they are the best. They are never annoying people with their greatness even though they actually are great. But I guess they don't feel the need. As Winston Churchill once said, "There is no need to boast of your accomplishments and what you can do, a great man (or in this case, state) is known, [it] needs no introduction." Texas, on the other hand, is constantly boasting. And what do they have to offer? I couldn't say. Hot climates? Flat, desert-like land? Scorpions and cattle drives? Hmmm...I guess I''ll have to find out what is so great about it and get back to you. It might just be an acquired taste that I will soon find attractive. I don't mean to knock the state...ok, I do...but I'm sure there is a lot I can learn there and love there. Today my friends and I are going to Cafe Rio to get a feel for the Texas culture. Not really. We just love Cafe Rio and go every week. But I know the people are very friendly in Texas so that is a major perk and maybe one day in the future I will find myself at a Favorite Texan party dressed as Anna Nicole Smith :)

A New Beginning

Today I am starting a blog. I typically don't believe in blogs. I used to think (and by "used to" I mean like 5 days ago) that blogs were extremely boring accounts of people's lives and that they were really self-centered in believing that people actually wanted to read them. I mean, unless you have a riveting daily life filled with numerous activities that involve fashion shows, world travel, book signings, or your attempting each recipe in Julia Child's French cookbook, what is the point? Who cares? Well, my views changed after reading a few of my friends' blogs and saw that it wasn't about the followers or the hope of getting your own movie rights, it was about recording your life for yourself, your family, and the people who care about what's going on in your life, whether it be tediously boring or surprisingly action packed. Now, everyone who is reading this (which is probably like 1 person) you may be thinking, "Duh, Kaylee. You're just now figuring this out?" But it takes me a while to jump onto any band wagon as I am a very skeptical person. It took years for me to realize that an iPod is actually very convenient and I should buy one so that I can listen to music without toting around a disc man. So if no one ever lays eyes on this blog, fine by me. This is an account of my life as it is today and how I am coping with being a house wife living in Texas and finding my way in strange state with strange people and adjusting to the southwestern lifestyle.

With all that being said, right now my husband and I are living in Washington, DC. We have been living here for almost 3 years. It was a big adjustment for me living in a highly educated, fast-moving, liberal area where everything is politically incorrect and everyone has the manners of street rats. But, despite the culture shock, I was able to make great friends and lasting relationships with some very strong, independent women in the church and outside of it.  Friday was my last day working as an office assistant  at Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes. I was unhappy there for a very long time and was happy that my last day finally came. However, I was not expecting the farewell that I received on Friday and friendship I felt there that day. My favorite person at work and office manager there, Marquisa, threw me a fabulous potluck luncheon. It was supposed to be a surprise, but one of the co-workers told me he couldn't make it to the potluck but I will be missed. I, of course, was like "what potluck?" And he felt like a jerk, which he was, and Marquisa was furious!! However, despite the spoiled surprise, there were many more in store. My best friend Lynette showed up with her new baby and the room was decorated beautifully with pink, yellow, and green accents and peeps on the table as decor. There was so much yummy food and everyone sat around the table eating and enjoying such a fantastic luncheon. I was given a card with well wishes from my co-workers and at the end of the day, they all got together and "clapped me out" as we do at Lindamood-Bell. It was a surprisingly tearful farewell and I couldn't believe the amazing send-off I was given. I will miss Lindamood-Bell and the people who encompassed my life for 2 years. I hope we can stay in touch.

Now that I no longer work there, I am now a house wife. Wow, that 's a weird word to say. I have never not had a job and now I don't know what to do with myself. I guess I'll start a blog ;) and do lots of crafts and participate in service projects at church and lunch with the new friends I make in Texas. But for now, we are working on the move. In April, we are going to San Diego for a month while J does his rotation there. I will of course be sitting by the beach and eating at cafes and learning French for when we go to France in May. So this week, I will be cleaning the house and getting it ready for the property manager to show it to potential renters while we are in SD. That will keep me busy all week and I even have an iPad app to help me organize the tasks efficiently. After San Diego, France, and after France, J's graduation and after graduation we are moving to Texas! I have to say I am less than thrilled to be moving there. I will miss my friends here as it takes me a while to make them anywhere that I go. I am now worried I will move to TX and no one will know who I am and I will be an insignificant fish in a humongous Texan pond. No job, no friends, no family. It's daunting, but I hope that with this blog I can sort my way through it and chronicle my new life and adjustment from being a Georgia Peach to a Texas Lone Star. Wish me luck!!