New House Part Two: Paint!

I knew right away that I wanted to paint at least a few of the rooms. So the day we got the keys, I had paint for the living room and Little's room sitting in my car! We painted that afternoon with the help of 6 missionaries from our church! It was a ton of fun.

I do have to admit, that I was that crazy person, who taped paint samples to her wall weeks before hand, just so I knew what colors I wouldn't get sick of. Thank goodness It worked! I'm not sick of the paint I picked...and everyone else seems to like it to!

PROOF that the hubs CAN and WILL paint walls!

(He claimed he would never help me paint!)

The living room almost done!

Little's room almost done!

What 8 hungry boys did to my empty kitchen!!

All done! Just has to dry and be de-taped.

DONE!

Going into Little's finished room!

He LOVES it!

It looks great with all of his stuff and we even added Hungry Caterpillar decals to the walls!

For now, this is all the painting we are doing.  A piece of me really wants to do the master....but I can't settle on a theme for my bedding let alone pick a color for the walls!

New House Part One: Empty!

Here are the pictures I took of the house the day we got the keys! I'm mostly adding them so I can look back and see all the progress we have made. This is the first time we have ever made one of our houses a real home(it only took us till the 5th one!). 

Living room from the entry way.

Dining room from entry way

Kitchen!

 (still small, but bigger than the last one and NO pink counter tops!)

Entry way from dining room.

Little's bathroom.

Little's room(before paint!)

Master bathroom!

(I LOVE having my own bath tub! No, I LOVE having my own bathroom!!!)

Entry way from living room.

Dining room from living room.

It feels weird going back through these pictures after we've lived here for a few months! Every room is full now! CRAZY!

Part Two tomorrow!

Starting out slow......

I never knew that something like moving to a new house could make the world of difference....but it has.  I've never been happier! I LOVE not being attached to anyone. I love that we can listen to our TV as loud as we want in the livingroom and bedroom and not worry that we are waking someone up, I love that I don't feel guilty if my phone rings late at night and I have one of those conversations with my sister where I sounds like a dying hyena due to my laughing. Having a fenced in yard is a DREAM! Little and the dog are in heaven. The dogs just runs back and forth all day and I don't stay on top of little when he wants to hang out in the back yard. One floor is just as I had dreamed.....easy. The days of packing our groceries up a flight up stairs are now far behind us and boy am I happy about that!!!

We are still unpacking and I feel like it's a never ending supply of boxes, but we ARE getting there. My Mother-in-law is here now and is a great help with helping me get organized. My office now has visible carpet!!!!!!! Haha. I'm taking full advantage of her being here and making myself stay on track!

I have a ton of pictures of the new house that I will be posting soon. I also have a TON from Mexico that I want to put up.

I hope everyone is doing well! We sure are!

*tap, tap, tap* Is this thing on?!

Why, Hello there!

It's been a while. While we were moving our computer crashed.......more like died. We sent it in and after what seemed like FOREVER, we have it back!!!!!

I have sooooo many things to post about! We moved!, went to Mexico, Little has been in all sorts of amazing camps all summer and we've done some really great projects!

I'm going to be overloading you with posts in the next month or so, so be ready!  My silence wasn't something to get used to.

Author guest post! Lory Kaufman

The vast majority of fiction writings are set in contemporary or past times. I think it's safe to say, then, that its main job is to act as a mirror to our society, reflecting what is happening currently and what has happened in the past. Most science fiction and fantasy, on the other hand, takes place in the future. This gives the writer the unique opportunity to be part of a discussion on how a better world could look like. Yes, I realize there's lots of schlock out there, where the aim of the writers and publishers is to write something that looks like something else, but that stuff doesn't count in this discussion.

You see, I'm a guy who takes his futurism seriously. I believe that every generation is responsible for the world that comes after them, so we must learn from the past and do things during our time on this little, blue sphere to leave the place in a better state than when we found it. I write so I can be part of that discussion."But Lory," you might say, "I've seen the list of what type of futuristic writing you like. Most if it is dystopian. How's talking about the world all messed up make the world a better place?"

Yes, I can see how one could think that. But we must remember that most dystopian fiction is a response to the exploding of the atomic bombs at the end of World War Two. Books like

1984,

Brave New World and

Lord of the Flies, to name the earliest and best examples to come out after that event. You see, they're cautionary tales by visionary writers to warn the rest of humanity. But at the end of most of these stories, sometimes buried deep within, there is always a ray of hope for the future. And so many of our contemporary dystopian novels are direct descendants of these books, including Suzanne Collins wonderful recent trilogy,

The Hunger Games.

But I too was very confused about this when I was working on the last drafts of what would become

The Lens and the Looker. For years I was under the impression that I was writing a dystopian story. But during its final drafts I began to see how it didn't quite fit the current definition. You see, the characters in my new series are born in a future time when the world has already gone through its dystopian era and the population has finally created a civilization that can last for tens of thousands of years. The action in the story comes from the kids being sent back in time to the 14th century, where they were abandoned and having to adapt to the harsh medieval ways. The idea is the kids have to learn to appreciate all that humanity has gone through before they achieved their perfected civilization.

After much soul searching, I finally decided on a new definition to describe this new type of science fiction/fantasy. Since it's what happens after the world comes out of its dystopian period, I came up with the label "Post-dystopian". It seems to be catching on.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Book review: The lens and the looker.

I've been so happy with the books I've been asked to review. This book was no different. Its a great YA book.

I'm writing this from my phone and I'm planning to go back and add a few things tonight when J gets his laptop working for me.

This book is set in the future. Its about 3 kids who get sent to a "camp" where they've taken cities from the past and recreated them for the current time to learn more about what almost ruined everything. It was really neat to see them learn about things that they had no need for in the future(so they didn't know what they were). Then they are kidnapped and taken back in time where many twists and turns take place(and a boy from the future falls in love with a girl from the past!).

Its a great book and I'm really looking forward to getting the 2nd one in the series in the mail!

Go take a look if you want to read!
The lens and the looker by Lory S. Kaufman.

And keep a look out for a guest post by the author tomorrow!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Long time no post!(Ok, not too long)

Our computer is on the fritz, and it will be up to 10 days till we get it back! Eeekkk!

Our move went well. We are officially in the new house and checked out of the old one! It has been the longest week of my life and I NEVER want to move ourselves again! I've never been so tired in my life!

For right now, we are living in a sea of boxes and random household things. But, I'm in love. The house is amazing and I feel so much more at home here. Little loves his room and the paint and decorations came out even better then I ever could have imagined! Hundley(our dog) is in heaven with the fenced in yard. I don't think he understood the first time why he didn't have to be on his leash. Lol.

I'm going to try to get on here as much as I can, but with no computer, the packing I have to do AND our trip to Mexico in two weeks I think I might be a little busy for a bit. But I will try to post from my phone every few days just to keep something going!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Guest Post: Poekitten

When Kim asked for guest bloggers, I thought it would be fun to write for her blog, so here I am.  She asked for a post about a duty station you've lived at.  We're currently at Navel Base Kitsap in WA.  Here's what it's like:

The area is GORGEOUS.  If you enjoy hiking, camping, skiing, or just about anything outside, this is the place for you.  The naval base in located on Kitsap Peninsula.  We're surround by Puget Sound as well as the Olympic and Cascade Mountains.  You can also see Mt. Rainer from different areas.  It's breathtaking!  And yes, it rains here.  It's overcast more than rains and we do get sunshine.  The winters are pretty mild which I love.  We get snow too but it usually doesn't last long.  Summer are nice too.  There's often a week or two in August that's really hot but the rest of the time...perfect!

Naval Base Kitsap is made up of a few bases: Bangor, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) and Keyport (I think they include it!)  Bangor is the trident sub base.  The Shipyard is the home port to a couple of subs and aircraft carriers.  Other ships/boats come and go as needed in the shipyard.  Bangor and PSNS are about 15-20 minutes away from each other.  Both have a commissary, NEX, ITT, Gym with pool, bowling alley, etc. 

Housing is available on Bangor and in Jackson Park.  JP is by the Naval hospital and is not gated.  There is officer housing available on Keyport and I think there is limited officer housing on PSNS (I could be wrong).  People have different opinions on housing; we lived on Bangor for 9 months and enjoyed it.  We had a 2 bedroom town house in West housing and it was nice.  We moved because we bought a house but are willing to live on base again if we need to.

Base Housing

In Silverdale there is a mall and several shopping areas.  Lowe's, Costco, Best Buy, Old Navy, Target and JoAnn's are all in the area.  There are several chain restaurants; Applebee's, The Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Famous Dave's, Red Robin, Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Arby's are just a few that are present.  One of our favorite places to eat is Fujiyama, a Japanese Steak House.  There are many Mexican restaurants to chose from as well. 

In Silverdale there is a great walking trail called Clear Creek.  It's a great place walk/jog/run.  Some parts are paved and other parts of the trail are gravel or have raised wooden planks.  It reminds me of a boardwalk.  Our puppy, Miss Molly loves to go here.  Another place we enjoy going is Fort Worden in Port Townsend.  It's about an hour away but it's well worth the drive.  There is a nice beach, some fort ruins and a light house.  Camping is available as is lodging in former officer housing.  Molly loves going here too!

Fort Worden

We are an hour away from Seattle by ferry.  It's located next to PSNS in Bremerton.  You only have to pay when traveling from Seattle to Bremerton.  Rates as of April 2011 for a walk on is $7.10.  In Seattle you get off within walking distance of the aquarium, Pike's Place Market, Seattle Art Museum and the shopping district.  From the shopping district you can take a monorail to the Space Needle.  Harbor tours are also available. The ferry is also a great option if you'd like to take in a Mariners, Seahawks or Sounders game.

Seattle Sights

This post is getting long and I could go on and on!  One last thing...for all you Twilight Fans, Forks is about 2.5- 3 hours away.  If you do make it to Forks, I suggest visiting Ruby Beach which is just south.  The whole area is beautiful.

Rub Beach, WA

Thanks for letting me take over you blog for a day Kim!

Hope you all have a great day!

(It's Kim now!) I'm so glad she was up to writting about where she lives! I think it would be amazing to get a list of all the different bases around here. It would be so nice if a new spouse could see all the good places to eat and visit when they are nervous about moving to a new place! If you want to write a post about the base you are at, please e-mail me kkrowan(at)gmail(dot)com.

Go over and give her blog a visit! It's super cute and I love reading it!

Guest post: Hapa Girl!

Hi Everyone! I'm Sonia aka Hapa Girl! I'm very grateful to be given the chance to guest blog for Kim today! I'm not even sure when and how I started following her, but I know why. Because we're both wives of Submariners and that was good enough for me!

A little background about myself! I am actually an Air Force Brat. I grew up overseas and came back to the great ol' US of A during the summer of my Senior in H.S. (yes, I still have issues...Mr. Clinton)

I met my sailor in October of 1998 and we got married in September of 2000. Soon, after our marriage we had our first child. Moved to Hawaii and had our second child. When we moved to Washington,we had our third! We've weathered through deployments onboard a Boomer/Trident Submarine, Fast Attack Submarine and an unaccompanied tour when he was sent surface side. Currently, we are back on a Submarine.

I actually started blogging after the birth of my third child. She was born with Down syndrome and it was a great outreach for me! Now,as our life is not being guided by everything Down syndrome, I'm blogging more about "stuff" regarding our lives and being a Navy Family.

I hope you enjoy what I have to write about and would love love love to answer any questions or your thoughts! This guest post is really my take on the topic on hand, so please add any advice that you may have as well!

So, today's topic of choice is:

How do you deal with deployment?

What keeps you going?

My answers are specifically geared towards me...since we all have to deal with deployment in our own ways. But, I hope I can help a few ladies (guys) out on the ways you can deal with deployment.

For me, my number one piece of advice would be to make sure you have some sort of network of reliable people surrounding you. This has to be very important! Especially, if you are far away from family and very close friends. During our first deployment (Yes, I say ours because we both are going through this together) I was close to home. I had my friends and family on call, so our seperation wasn't very stressful. Also, I only had one child to nurture and keep me busy.

Our second deployment, we were stationed in Hawaii. Need I say more??? Seriously, though, I was so far away from everyone I knew that I had to make friends fast. I say fast, because he was gone within weeks of our arrival to the island. My network, the people who helped me get through the deployment, were families in my neighborhood and some really awesome wives who's sailors were serving on the same boat as mine. Even, if you dread going to the family support meetings, just go and do it. You never know who you will meet and make a quick connection with. For me, I made some life long friends during this deployment and I was so grateful that I went ahead on got off my butt to go to my first spouses support group! Everyone one in my network helped me through the rough and sad times...especially since, my sailor left me pregnant with baby #2! My network of friends were very important to me when I needed someone whom I was able to trust and watch child #1 when I had to spend a couple of night in the hospital. I also find, that being part of the Submarine family, I know that somehow or another, I will probably see a familiar face at our next duty station. There are only a handful of places we can go! And for me, it has been true. During subsequent deployments and an unaccompanied pcs move, those fabulous wives from Hawaii have been there for me....from Washington State all the way back to Florida!

Another way to get through the deployment is by starting a new/old hobby and to start working out. Every single time we are seperated I took time and worked out. I was motivated to want to look like a hottie every time my sailor came back home to me...pregnant or not! And working out is also a great stress reliever...so you can look hot and blow off some much pent up steam! I also started crocheting and scrapbooking. It's amazing how much you can get done (even with children around) when your sailor is not there to occupy all your extra time!

So, what is it that keeps me going? That's a toughie. For each and every person, what drives them is very personal. For me, my children are the ones that truly keep me going. The thought of being with my man like it was the first time again really keeps me going! Knowing that I'm gonna be damn hot (OK...so maybe just hot) from all the working out really keeps me going!

I can't imagine falling apart and not being able to keep myself together when our family is seperated during a deployment. I firmly understand that my role as mother and spouse is a core ingredient that keeps this military family together. My children need me to be strong and to be their comforter, as my sailor needs to know that he can come back to a happy family and home that did miss him and is very excited and happy to have him home. BUT, this can only happen if you take care of yourself first. After, playing this role for so many years, I know when I need to keep myself in check. And by check, I mean, talking with a friend, seeking help without feeling ashame, fine tuning your coping mechanism. Because I know, if I crack and crumble, then so will my family. It's not always going to be easy, but I promise you that if you find the one thing that keeps you going, you will get through it.

I know that deployments are different for every branch of the service. There are differences even within the Navy...Surface vs. Sub. On the Sub side, I think our hardest challenge is the lack of communication. We don't get phone calls and emails are scarce. Which, is why I am a firm believer in having a "network" of friends. What are some of the challenges that families may have in other branches of the Military...including Surface ship families in the Navy. I'm just curious.

Thanks for your time! The Hapa Girl!

Hello there!

I'm right in the middle of my move! Things are going good, but super stressful! We got the inside all painted, beds moved and the whole kitchen moved! Now we are packing the rest of the stuff for our furniture to be moved tomorrow! Eeekk!

After today I won't have Internet access except on my phone(which is a pain to work!). So, I'm leaving you with a few amazing guest posts! I hope you enjoy them!

A week of "NO"

Next week Little has spring break. We have a few fun things planned, but I need to get the house done since we move the following week.  I've decided that while spring break is in full swing, I'm going to do a week of "NO".  Each day I will have something I've cut out of my everyday life. I want to take this time to focus on my home and Little.

Here is what I've come up with for my 7 days of "NO"

No talking!(Mostly because my throat hurts and I need to give it a break)
No TV
No phone
No computer
No driving
No spending
No cooking(meaning, all things fresh not cooked. No cooking appliances!)

I hope I can do it! No talking is going to be the hard one, but I know my throat needs a rest after all this coughing!

Wish me luck!

(wo)man in the mirror.

Have you ever stopped at took a good, hard look around? Not only at your surroundings and the people around you, but at yourself?

I like who I am, but I feel like I'm lacking. I need to change things up and be a better/happier me. I've been so consumed with moving and packing(not to mention the flu that had me bed-ridden for a whole week!) that everything for me has been halted. I hate that. Tomorrow marks a change!

*Gossip. I do it too much. I'm done. No need for it.
*Gossip and venting are two completely different things. Make sure I know the difference.
*Telling it TOO truthfully. Saying the truth and hurting someones feelings can be just as bad as lying.
*I need to have me time. I haven't even been reading!
*I need to pick better things to watch and read. I need to fill my head with uplifting things.
*I need to focus on being friends with people who lift me up as a person.

I have some really great people in my life and I feel that I need to focus on my relationships with them.  I used to think that the more friends I had the better, but I found out that most of them weren't worth my time. My biggest one right now is a friend who constantly "takes". Our whole friendship is her asking things of me, but when I ask for a favor in return, she finds a way out of it. I've finally got to the point of saying no and it feels great. Shes one that I won't be friends with any longer once we move into the new house. A good friend is one who will pack up and come over just because you are stressed and could use a little help not one who bails when they know you need them.

I just feel like I'm in a rut. Thank goodness everything with J and Little are as perfect as ever! I'm using this time before we move and when we get into the new house to start fresh.

Not so hot.

I have the flu. Not just "hey I don't feel so good" but the full blown flu. The type people get vaccinated for. J has banished me to our room for the past few days and right now if the first time I've sat down at the computer in days! I spent yesterday in the bathroom throwing up with a 102 fever......it sucked. Of course I get the flu when I should be packing! I forced myself to go to the store to get medicine today after talking to the NACC nurse. I'm feeling a little better than I did yesterday but my throat and ears are on fire. Now I'm going to be rushed packing when I was doing so good on pacing myself!

Aquarium Sleepover!

I love living here. We have so many amazing things to do and I want to do them all! One that we've been really excited about for a few months was the sleepover at the aquarium!

Landon had no idea where we were going since it broke his heart last time when they had to cancel because of the snow. This time, I thought it would be smart to not tell him since they were expecting snow AGAIN! If it happened to get cancelled we would be able to change plans and do something else. I had been giving him hints all day, like "Casey has to keep Hundley so he won't be locked inside all night" and "We have to bring our own pillows!".

After J got home we got ready and headed to dinner! Landon was guessing the whole time! But he didn't get it right until we pulled into the Aquarium parking lot! He was sooo excited! We grabbed all of our stuff and headed in!

After we found our spot(right under the shark tank!) and set our stuff down we went on a tour of the Aquarium! It was so nice not having a ton of people there so we could see everything inside without having to fight for a spot to see.

After we walked around we did a few great things. We got to go on an outdoor tour and see the Beluga Whales up close! It was so fun getting to walk around the aquarium in the dark! It's so different that late at night. After the tour we had a turtle class where Landon got to hold a turtle for the first time, Landon carved a soap craft, we had snacks, played a few games, watched a movie then got ready for bed.

I'm the crazy one who matched our pillows! I didn't do it on purpose at first then I just went with it. We brought a book with us and J read it just before lights out(at 11). After the lights went out Lan and I laid there and watched the sharks swim around their tank. It was so amazing. Lan told me that he had no idea the sleepover was going to be that much fun.

The lights turned on at 6 am! Eekkk!

After getting up and getting dressed we went on another tour of the place then came back and they gave us breakfast! It was super good and so fun to sit under the fish tanks and eat. We left there at about 9am. They stamped our hands so we could have come back to spend the day if we wanted, but we had other plans.

If you are ever in the area you need to sign up for this! Kids have to be at least 5 years old to go though. But it was so much fun and I'm so glad we got to do it!

Progress. Kinda.

I'm packing....slowly.

Here is a list of things that need to get done.

3rd floor(I want this done by Monday!)
Pack all books
Pack closet
Bag clothes(wait till right before move)
Pack bathroom
Pack L's closet
Pack L's room(half done)
Pack L's clothes(wait till right before move)

2nd floor(I want this done a week from Monday)
Pack movies
Pack all shoes
Pack rest of living room
Pack hall closet
Pack kitchen closet
Pack pantry
Move kitchen
Pack desk/dining room
Pack Laundry room
Pack bathroom

1st floor(all closets are half done)
Pack closet A
Pack closet B
Pack closet C
Pack closet D
Move garage
Move backyard


I'm feeling a tad bit overwhelmed. Haha that's an understatement! I'm doing alright. I got Little's room almost completely done today WHILE HE WAS IN THE SHOWER!!!!!! I never knew I could work so quick! I wanted to be out of there so he could go to bed, and I was(he did go to bed late due to a school function though...). All I have left is some of his toys(half will be left out for him to play with...and his clothes). My room is almost done besides the clothes and the bathroom I hope to finish tonight! I'm just about out of boxes but I have a ton coming in tomorrow!

So, I'm sorry I haven't been on here much! I'm still alive!