Author: Nikki J.

by

TGIF!

This weekend will be among the few (if not the only one) I’ve had all summer with NO commitments!! Between visitors and trips, I’m pretty pooped. I need to keep answering that nagging “What ever am I going to do??!” question with a big fat hearty “Nothing!”

Although, I have come to realize that I kind of suck at doing nothing… Maybe I’ll start up the job search again. Since Chuck is deploying to Afghanistan again this fall, I will be here in NC through next summer, instead of til spring. My current job ends in September, so I MUST find something to do while he is away.

I recently scored an interview for a position at UNCW, but got rejected. I’ve never been denied a job of any kind after an interview, except when I was in high school and interviewing for Abercrombie and Fitch – but that’s because my mom made me wear Banana Republic, gave me poodle curls, and said “always look classy for an interview.” I’m sure you can imagine that went over well, with the well-branded, torn denim-clad hiring managers at A&F…

Anyway, the rejection from UNCW stung more than expected and discouraged me all over again. I knew it was competitive from the start, but getting turned down for an admin job bites. I’ve got a whole year to work with though, so I’m going to keep trying. I feel guilty knowing I won’t be here longer than that, but what else can I do? 😦 Admin jobs have high turnover anyway, right? I will go crazy if I can only work 10 hours per week at the pharmacy.

Anyhoo, that was a digression, but back to my original point… TGIF!!! Here’s to doing (almost) nothing 🙂

Sometimes you meet a pair of shoes so ridiculous you just have to buy them. The good news: they were on sale. The bad news? Absolutely nowhere to wear these bad boys. Or should I say bad girls?

(Taken with Instagram)

by

My Trip Back Home

Whoaaa where have I been?! I was MIA the past two weeks, first because I was sick post-Miami, and then because I went home to Northern VA for the whole 4th of July week. I have yet to fully recover from either…

That being said, the trip was very successful, despite my forgetting the fact that just because Chuck and I had the whole week off, doesn’t mean everyone else did. We still managed to see *almost* everyone from both of our social groups, which almost never happens… so I’m pretty happy about that (just ignore the fact that all the pics I’m posting are only of my friends, ha!)

Anyway, our visit also happened to be during the heat wave of 100+ degrees and no power (post Crazy Thunderstorm of 2012), and fortunately for us, Chuck’s parents (our hotel service) were among the fortunate few with power. The excessive heat made for too much sweating for my taste, but also for lots of pool time! I’d forgotten how much I’ve missed the pool. The beach is nice, but sometimes it’s great to take a dip and not deal with sand and overly-aggressive waves bitch-slapping me in the face and ripping off my bikini. 🙂

4th of July itself was awesome. It didn’t consist of the usual high-end, pretentious Georgetown mansion and yacht parties I’ve attended in the past (those invites suddenly stopped once I got hitched), but of low-key BBQ’s and poolside lounging instead. The fireworks in particular were special for me this year. Last year I watched at the USMC Iwo Jima Memorial, while Chuck was in Afghanistan. Fireworks – particularly ones associated with patriotic pride – always have a way of making me cry, and it was only more emotional with Chuck gone. As fate would have it, I got a phone call from him last year, right in the midst of it. This year, I watched from the same spot, with Chuck actually by my side. Like I said – truly special!

We wrapped up the whirlwind week with a HinJew wedding on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. That’s right folks, you heard it right – a Hindu and Jewish wedding! It was such a fun experience, despite the suffocating heat and a few travel mishaps along the way (exacerbated by the fact we were traveling with a miserable feline.) I learned a lot and it was simply beautiful. Better yet – I got to see even more great friends, and danced the night away with them like old times.

Ultimately, I came away from the week realizing a few things. 1) Old friends are one of life’s truest joys and it’s always good to go back home. 2) Some things never change. 3) Almost everything else does change. 4) At the end of the day (or at the end of a nostalgic week going back) I can see that I am exactly where I need to be to move forward – here, in NC with my husband, starting a new life together.

People tend to fear change, but Life isn’t meant to be static and redundant. It’s truly dynamic. You have your constants for sure, but the river keeps flowing and very little is guaranteed. As I reunited with college friends, work friends, and miscellaneous hometown friends, Chuck and I both saw that while we still all have each other to an extent, we are also exploring different paths…Doing our own thing… Moving in various directions..embracing change. We aren’t all so reliant on each other anymore. It’s not like the old days – some things are not quite like they used to be. And yet, we are all more enriched as individuals because of it. Bloom where you’re planted. Always.

I don’t know if that made any sense out loud, but it did in my head… Anyway. Done waxing poetic now 🙂

by

Bienvenido a Miami… Kinda!

This past weekend was my long anticipated girls’ trip to Miami. I was looking forward to reverting to my Bad Kitty days a little – aka, dressing up like (attractive and very expensive) hookers, dancing on table tops, and sipping complimentary champagne, while snubbing any sketchball who dared come too close. But alas, I think it just wasn’t meant to be.

Due to a number of airline mishaps, I didn’t even get to Miami until later Friday night, and then I caught a bad cold after traveling for 16 hours. Saturday night, I went to bed after a delicious dinner that I didn’t even have the appetite to finish, before heading to the airport at 4:30 AM to catch my flight home…only to have the airline lose my luggage before I drove another 2.5 hours home from the airport.

In spite of it all, I still pulled myself together enough to go out Friday night, and enjoy the VIP treatment at LIV and watch LMFAO perform. I even got a couple hours at the beach! Of course, I got to see some of my girl friends 🙂 I missed out on another fun night out, but I guess that means I will just have to go again sometime…

… Or, maybe my issues were just a sign I’ve truly outgrown these kinds of shin digs…Sigh!

Tonight, Chuck and his Marine buddies are over celebrating one of their favorite former Major’s return to town. It’s me and about 8-10 Marines. Chuck also brought home the lovely painting of the sassy Seniorita above, regaling me with tales about how she dates back to World War II in his Battalion’s history – snagged from the Philippines by some long gone war hero – returned to the Battalion after said war hero’s death, by his grieving widow – on display in the Battalion offices ever since.

Turns out, that story is pure folklore, and the returning Major actually stole it from a Mexican restaurant out in California during training (he did try to buy it from the restaurant, but they refused to sell, so he ran off with it after leaving $50 on the table.) She’s been on deployment to Afghanistan with the Battalion since – stolen by other Battalions, and put up for ransom before finally being recovered. She goes solely by “Seniorita.”

It’s still a pretty cool story, but I’m a bit hostile to this mysterious, exotic babe hanging out in my living room, who has such a special place in these guys’ hearts…

…she’s pretty hot.