Saturday, September 28, 2013

OMG Facebook.

Friday, September 27: An anonymous letter to your Facebook friends. Be as snarky as you'd like. (but don't include people's real names.) 

.... Jenni from Story of My Life really wants me to let loose, huh?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who probably hates most of the people on their Facebook. Why don't I just delete them, you say? Because they are my relatives, acquaintances, and parents of friends or even sometimes friends. They will notice. They will try to friend me and send me messages asking why we aren't friends anymore. It's happened before.

I pretty much hate 80% of the things people post about on Facebook. Most of these look something like:
- Obama is the devil
- We love jesus
- 'MERICA! 
- Quoting lame song lyrics
- Females are annoying/backstabbing/jealous etc...
- Passive aggressive posts to friends that don't mention names but you-know-who-you-are
- User created E-cards that aren't even funny.
- An unrealistic photoshopped picture of someone to be used as "diet inspiration"
- "I'm heading to the gym"
- "Omg you guys are so mean! There was just a insert-tragic-event and all anyone is talking about is insert-inane-bullshit it's so horrible! You guys should ONLY talk about insert-tragic-event!" 
- Posts concerning the military.

What do I LOVE to see?
- Pictures of your kids.
- Pictures of your pets.
- Pictures of your food.
- Stuff you did over the weekend, like if you went on a picnic or to a museum.
Humorous thoughts that aren't sexist, racist, or homophobic.
- Projects you recently finished.
- Something creative or original!

I feel like all people do is "like" stupid things or share stupid photos and never actually write things themselves. Believe me, I would block you all if I could.


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Local Spots - Ozarks Antiques and Decor

Tuesday, September 24: Review a book, place, or product

We randomly stopped into Ozarks, an antique store in Anchorage. If you love the Anthropologie store, well, this place basically IS the Anthropologie store. High prices and all. But it look gorgeous inside and has the most gorgeous things. Every corner has little vintage baubles and sweet smelling things. My favorite find was the little macaron shaped trinket boxes. This store makes me wish I had a big house to decorate!








Monday, September 23, 2013

Life Lately

Monday, September 23: A "life lately" post. What you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc. Bonus points for great photos!


This is how lazy I am! I didn't even take this photo myself, a friend just texted me this picture of a tree that got yarn bombed down my street. Pretty sweet, huh? 

Life lately... well today was the first snowfall. It came down hard too! Ugh. Winter in Alaska is like Godzilla. You can see it coming over the mountains from far away and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Not to mention seasonal affective disorder... the struggle is real, people!

Other than the early snow things are going well. The baby is wiggling around in my tummy even though I can't feel it yet. The ultrasound was pretty cool to see and I'm excited to go again in October. We have an appointment for genetic testing so we get to see the bear cub again! Yay!

Our friends had a baby on Saturday and we got to go visit in the hospital. They had a little girl named Lynnlee and she was absolutely adorable. Joe held her and I laughed when she started crying almost right away. Soon enough he will be a baby expert and stay-at-home-papa! I'm actually a little sad that we won't be around for our baby to meet Lynnlee. It would be nice to have a family to go on playdates with and talk baby stuff.

We also went our to our other friends house to welcome back Charlie the dog, who was returned home after three weeks being lost. The poor guy was so skinny... he appeared to be less afraid of people now and just a little bewildered that he found his way back home after being out for so long. He ended up a good five miles from his home, with bite marks on him... I bet that skittish boy fought off a bear in those woods!

Not much else is happening around here, aside from the Kitchen Nightmare marathon we have been having for quite a few days now. Miss Kitty is sitting on her favorite toy in all the world, a plastic bag. I always want to buy her fancy toys but she never seems to stay interested in them... but she sure loves a good plastic bag!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Baby Bump - Ten Weeks!

Friday, September 20: React to this term: comfort. 

I know, it's a day late!

I really haven't had a chance to blog at all, seeing as this week had been awful. Comfort has been the last thing on my mind. It's not just this week either, it's been about three weeks now where it just gets worse and worse. I have discovered a whole new form of sexism that I have never previously experienced. Apparently it is a crime to be pregnant and the only reason women do it is to be lazy! So my boss insinuated the other day in his office, anyway. He tried keeping me from going to my ultrasound appointment and even tries keeping me from going to mandatory classes. So comfort? I guess it's comforting that I haven't done anything wrong so I can't really get into any trouble at work. I should be leaving Alaska in December and I will never have to deal with this unit again. For now I know there are at least a few people I can talk to if things get out of hand. 

I also have a "friend" who seems to hate me for getting pregnant before her (the girl is five years younger than me...) and seeing as I only have one other female friend in Alaska that's a pretty depressing thing to deal with. She wants to "have it all" and hopes all her friends are unhappy and not as successful. That's her problem, not mine. I suppose it is comforting to know that I have other friends who are truly happy for me. I understand jealousy, I really do, but it's okay to own up to it. There is nothing wrong with telling your friend that you wish you could have what they have. Being rude and passive aggressive isn't the right way to deal with it.

Anyway, my ten week belly picture is the ultrasound picture! It was pretty cool to see it wiggling around and kicking its little legs.






Sunday, September 15, 2013

Dear Miss Kitty,

Monday, September 16: Write a public love letter to someone in your life. (It doesn't necessarily need to be romantic.)



Dear Miss Kitty,

Who is the fluffiest girl?    YOU ARE!

Who is the prettiest girl?    YOU ARE!!

Who needs ALL the pets at ALL times?    You do!

Who isn't allowed to have Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers any more because she eats it too fast and barfs it up?   YOU, Miss Kitty!!

Oh Misses Peacock, why do I bother watching Cats From Hell for tips on improving cat behaviour when you are already so well behaved? You don't scratch or bite. You are always so mellow and you talk to us all the time. You even come to say hello when I walk in the door. 
Were you really stuck in the shelter for two months? It seems impossible that no one scooped you up right away. As soon as we saw you we knew you were the kitty for us. I even passed up that poor kitty with only three legs because you seemed so perfect, and you know how I feel about special needs kitties.

Sorry again, about the Gravy Lovers. I hope the Meow Mix Savory Shreds is a decent replacement.

Love,
Mommy


Saturday, September 14, 2013

DIY Diaper Cover... Whales!

How cute is this? Joe and I plan on using cloth diapers. It's what my parents used, it's cheaper and less wasteful. Of course, since Babies R Us doesn't have ANY cloth diaper covers on their website I decided to make some of my own instead. I used Sew Baby, Snap Happy Diaper Covers pattern F704. I highly recommend using velcro instead of snaps, it's WAY cheaper!

I love the cute whale pattern! I have a woodland creature pattern I'm going to use next. It was hard not to buy ALL the fabrics since there were so many cute ones! Mushrooms? YES! Owls? YES! I used a water resistant nylon for the lining inside. I hope it holds up! I could find any officially "waterproof" fabric so I took a gamble on the utility nylon.



Friday, September 13, 2013

Nine Weeks!

Friday, September 13: A self portrait


Still no belly showing!

Oh boy, this week was really something. I spent all of yesterday at the ER because of a migraine. I get migraine headaches every day now. At least I got today off! If I hadn't been sick all day I might have attempted a nice looking "self-portrait" to go along with this belly picture... or at least I may have shown my face.  I ordered a camera on Amazon which I hope will be awesome. It's not a DSLR or anything but I hope it does the trick. Then maybe I can focus more on photography since I'm not so much a "writer" type of blogger. I would really like to be a "photo" type blogger, but it's hard with only an iPhone to take pictures with! Hopefully I can improve my photography skills and it will all come together one day.

More good news is that my first doctors appointment is next Friday and we can see the bear cub in an ultrasound! I am SO excited for it. I feel like every other woman gets to have regular doctors visits and this will be my first one at 10 weeks... The Army is so lazy. I can't wait to show off the little blob to everyone!

Another update on the search for Charlie, our friends dog... He has been found!!!! I got a text today saying that a lady found him this morning. He is apparently very thin, but still doing okay. Poor boy was lost for three weeks! This totally made my week a whole lot better. I can't wait to see him again!



Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Sweet List for Blogtember - Art I Love

Wednesday, September 11: Share links to your favorite online shops, preferably with a few photos of your favorite items in each shop.

Beautiful watercolors and unique style. I love the Owl and Bear paintings too!

Fabulous style! I love the skateboarding animals.

I should probably buy this print for my little bear cubs nursery!

Mysterious and symbolic paintings.

I love the simplicity of her work.



Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Blogtember - I don't go straight, I move forward.

I'm so glad the Story of My Life blog is doing Blogtember! I liked doing Blog Everyday in May and this month I'm really not feeling inspired to post a lot so far. I'm too tired to do any projects and when I get around to it I forget to take pictures or I just don't have the energy. I need someone to tell me what to write about so I don't have to think too hard!

Tuesday, September 10: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

There have been SO many times when my life has taken a turn I don't know where to start. Should it be when I came out of the closet in high school? When I left for college? Joined a sorority? Left the sorority? Got into a relationship with an alcoholic? When I got OUT of the relationship with an alcoholic? When I joined the military? When I came out of the closet again? Got married? Got pregnant? 

I'm sure an obvious one would be meeting my husband. But that doesn't really seem like a "turn." It's not like I was going in one direction, met him and then moved in another. Well... I'm sure there is a gay joke in there somewhere. But really, it just seems like we were both going in the same direction and just met up along the way, no turning involved.

I guess I'll just go with my first big turn in life, which was coming out at the age of 15. So, it is a little difficult to not automatically start defending myself, since I am clearly married to male. But honestly, if you don't understand that or are confused by it, just leave now. People are people and you don't choose who you love. If that isn't something you understand then you should probably take a long hard look at yourself and how you interperet your own emotions. 

Not to get off track though! My point was that coming out really changed everything for me. I finally got to surround myself with people who understood things! People who actively cared about racism, sexism and homophobia. People who believe everyone is equal and should be treated with respect. It really paved the way for my move to San Francisco and the life I would have there. I learned that the most interesting people are the ones who are different, and that following the crowd doesn't always lead to happiness.

In case you are wondering, coming out the second time was easy-peasy. I had already gotten over the whole, "what will they think of me?" garbage after coming out the first time, so I really couldn't give a hoot what anyone thought. I pretty much just said, labels are lame. I like everyone. Heck, my latest celebrity crush is a drag queen named Raja from RuPauls Drag Race.
Do I like him as a male? Or as a woman in drag?
Don't even care.
I don't need to dissect it or try to figure out "why." 
I mean, why not? 

The title of this post is a little euphemism that my friend from San Francisco would always make while taking driving directions. He would say, "We never go straight, we only go forward!" 
I feel like that has a double meaning to me now, besides being a silly jab at straight people. I didn't "go straight" I just  kept going forward and let life happen without putting myself in a box.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Counting Down

As of this moment I have three important events I am counting down to:

Leaving Alaska for a (hopefully) awesome road trip and BREAK from work: 85 days

Leaving the Army for GOOD: 1 year 207 days

Bear Cub will be born and I will get another break (if you can call it that) from work: 217 Days

After the bear cub comes along I will have 355 days left in the Army. They can't deploy me for 4 months after delivery. I can't take a PT test for 6 months after delivery. That means there is roughly 6 to 8 months left in the Army when they could deploy me. Will they do it??
Really doing all the math won't help much. I'm just hoping at this point. Anything could happen.

Spiced Bundt Cake with Whiskey Coffee Glaze

Okay, I totally feel like crap today. And yesterday. And the day before. Actually this whole past week. My nose is stuffed up and making me have headaches every single day. I still went over to a friends house for dinner last night to meet their new dog, The Dude (he was super cute even though he kept trying to hump me) I managed to make a pretty successful Spiced Bundt Cake with Whiskey Coffee Glaze from the Kitchn. Of course being that I was in a fog and felt awful I forgot to take a nice picture after I sifted some powdered sugar on top!
Instead of whiskey I used some leftover Kahlua we had and I used espresso instead of coffee because I didn't feel like taking out the coffee maker. It turned out really great! I recommend making it.



The week wasn't totally horrible though, some really awesome things happened actually! I won a giveaway from Girl Versus Dough, which I'll post about whenever I get the items (which look awesome!) I also just did an interview for Hudson Valley Weddings and hopefully soon I can post a link to the article.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Local Spots - Samurai Sushi

We started off the weekend with a date night at one of our favorite sushi spots, Samurai. It's right down the street from us and I've been going there since I moved to Alaska. They have really good cooked rolls and since I can't eat raw fish that was exactly what I needed. We sat at the bar and as always the sushi chef said hello and was super friendly. He even did Sake bombs with my friend Kara and I a while ago - he's always fun. We were having trouble deciding so he gave us recommendations, which we took, and then he quickly made our rolls and put them on a fancy serving tray for us! The rolls were amazing (one had scallops) and I had to take a nap when we got home from being so stuffed.


If you ever are looking for sushi in Anchorage check out Samurai. I have friends that literally will not go anywhere else for sushi. I always like to try new places myself, but I don't blame them for only going here.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Baby Bump - Eight Weeks!

This week was just bleh. Too tired to do much of anything. I am not even sleepy as much as I'm just done. I get home from work and I'm done. Dinner? nah... we will just have cereal. Putting on regular clothes to take a belly picture? You're lucky I managed it! The little bear cub is a half inch and swimming around with webbed toesies. Like in Waterworld.


Monday, September 2, 2013

August in Review

August was a busy month! Two birthdays, a marathon, weddings, baby showers, and on top of that we found out about our little bear cub growing in my tummy. Check out some of my favorite posts from August!








A Catch Up

One thing I know for sure is that pulling a 24 hour shift on Friday, sleeping for most of Saturday as a result, and giving my computer a virus on Sunday really makes it hard to blog. I missed out on week 7's belly picture and I didn't even get a chance to paint my nails! Oh the humanity!
Even though I was exhausted yesterday and couldn't go out anywhere except the grocery store, I did manage go out today and get some adorable long skirts at the thrift shop. I can't imagine going on a California road trip without a long skirt, so I figured I should stock up before we leave Alaska in December. It's the whole hippy-girl, free spirit kinda deal. Plus wearing a long skirt is like having a light blanket around you at all times, which is excellent because I'm always cold.
I wish I had some cute photos to post or something, but I really don't. It's been nothing but rain for a month now and there is absolutely no sun to take pictures in.
Enjoy the rest of the long weekend!
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