I seriously, regularly fantasize about finding a box of abandoned kittens on the side of the road, with no excuse but to bring the lil’ fluffballs home and keep them forever. Chuck isn’t a fan of this fantasy, but I bet even he couldn’t say no to this:
Meow.
In the process of learning to bloom where I’m planted and embrace my new home, I have made a list of things I want to do while we live in this area, big and small. For the things that seem insignificant – or like I could do that anywhere – they make the list mostly because it’s way cheaper to do it down here… and I have the time I never had before. 🙂
– Attend a few ballroom dancing classes. I’d love to focus on swing and tango. Better yet, Chuck is actually open to this idea!
– Hit up Myrtle Beach Safari down in South Carolina. Just 2-ish hours away, and I get to fulfill my lifelong dream of holding a baby tiger!! OMG.
– Eat at the one authentically French restaurant I’ve found in the entire Wilmington to Jacksonville area, Caprice Bistro. It’s not cheap, but I have yet to find a bad review, and it’s on the riverfront. Bien sur, c’est bon!
– Road trip to Charleston, SC to take the scandalous ”Dark Side of Charleston – Rated R” tour – or any of the ghost tours, for that matter. I briefly visited Charleston once, for a wedding this past November, and I must go back! Oh, and I love scandal. And ghost tours.
– Go shootin’. Seriously, I’m married to a Marine, and I’ve never been to a shooting range!
– Take a romantic and luxurious B&B getaway with Chuck in Savannah, Georgia…just for a weekend. Like here or here or even here. Gahhh. Or maybe here. Then, I’ll hunt down some Paula Deen comfort food. Yum!
– Girls’ trip to Raleigh. I hear it’s fun, artsy, and the shopping is pretty amazing. And around here, let’s face it – I am truly shopping deprived.
That’s my current list, but I’m fairly certain it will grow as I learn more about what the area has to offer. I’ve been feeling so much more positive lately (the new job + arrival of summer helps!) and just ready to take things in stride. I have a tendency to complain, and then leave a place/situation, only to look back and realize it was great and that I got so much out of it. We’ve got at least another year here, so I plan to take full advantage of it!
I just want to say that nothing makes me more thankful for my good health than working at the pharmacy. People are on SO MUCH crap. Sad…
… – ish on both accounts. Today I start my new non-profit gig in Wilmington. Unfortunately it’s temp, but depending on how it goes, that “unfortunately” may turn into a “fortunately”… 😉 Really though, I am excited! It’s high-visibility business development for the area (which it desperately needs), and I think I will learn a lot from it – especially since I’m one of only two team members/consultants brought in to help.
Either way – it’s something! I will try to keep the pharmacy job a few shifts per month just in case I don’t find something else when this position wraps up in the fall. Luckily, they are willing to work with me for that.
And as for the “new” recipe… slow cooker lasagna?! WHAT a novelty! Clearly I’ve made lasagna before, but I’ve never heard of the crockpot concept 🙂 Prep n’ go… Come home to delicious smells and a ready dinner! What’s not to love?
Today Chuck helped me find my inner green thumb by planting a mini-garden in the front yard. Turns out I’m better in the kitchen… Ha… But I’m still happy to find something new we can do together, and enjoy the outdoors while we’re at it. Plus we planted pumpkins, tomatoes, and blueberries in the back! Yum. 🙂
Of course I was bummed to flake on going to see my wonderful DC ladies this weekend, but I had such a great time partying on the beach with lovely new girl friends and my amazing hubby, who surprised me by coming home a whole week early 🙂
(Taken with instagram)
Yep. My thoughts exactly.
Today, I watched Annie pee in the backyard for the first time ever! Don’t get me wrong – I don’t mind the litterbox – but Chuck and I both find it odd that Miss Bean will spend so much time in the yard but scramble back inside to use the potty. Aren’t animals supposed to know the grass makes for a great toilet?
So, there I was relaxing on the patio watching her frolic, and before I knew it, she wandered to a small corner of the yard, popped a chubby little squat, and went! She even tried to cover it like a lady (I guess she hasn’t grasped that you can’t paw through grass like you can litter.) I don’t really know why this is so exciting to me, but it’s like that moment when you realize your kid is finally potty trained… or so I would imagine.
At a career fair on base this week, I had an opportunity in my ongoing pursuit to convince people that not all military spouses are stay-at-home moms (to reiterate: I’m not opposed to that, just not ready yet!) Granted, the fair was geared mostly to Marines looking to get out and enter the civilian world, but I still found myself almost instantly overlooked as a wife.
I approached one contractor’s bench and asked him if he had any positions available in the area. He smiled at me as if I was a high-school student asking the question, asked if I was active duty (“No, I’m a spouse”) and said, “Well ma’am, all our positions are for experienced professionals with security clearances at this time.”
I HAVE A SECURITY CLEARANCE, SUCKA!! Spouse does not automatically mean under-qualified! We all know what happens when you assume. I wish I had been ballsy enough to yell that and smack my resume down right on top of his perfectly stacked business cards. But of course, the nice girl took over instead, opting to politely tell him I do have a clearance while I calmly walked away…
… But I didn’t turn away too late to notice the surprised and embarrassed expression on his face. Ha 🙂
This October will be Chuck’s and my first wedding anniversary (two-year marriage anniversary, if you want to get technical!) I know October is a way’s off, but with Chuck’s ever-changing deployment schedule, it’s never too soon to start thinking about these things. 🙂
A France/Italy trip has always been my ultimate anniversary trip, but that isn’t in the financial cards quite yet. However, a vacay in wine country is a very close second! Napa would be absolutely gorgeous in October…
So, even though I have no idea if Chuck will even be in the country or not, I’m going to have fun planning our imaginary anniversary-cation, even if we have to take it another year. I even picked the place we will stay, Maison Fleurie (it’s like we’ll be in France anyway!!)
Wildflowers & Whimsy 