O'Connor RULES!!!

Himmler's Castle

2012-01-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

Wewelsburg Castle, as it was called before Heinrich Himmler took it over in 1933, has a very dark past. It was built in the early 1600's as a second residence for the Prince Bishops of Paderborn. It is a Renaissance castle and is rumored to have been used to interrogate and torture witches during the 17th century. There is a lot of mystery and speculation associated with the castle, but we went there because of Heinrich Himmler.
Himmler was the head of the dreaded SS and Hitler's personal bodyguard. He was a terrible person who performed some of the most heinous acts during WWII. He set up Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp and was at the head of all camps throughout the war. He also oversaw the "Final Solution" which was the Nazi attempt to exterminate all Jewish people throughout Europe.
After reading a lot about Heinrich Himmler, I've come to the conclusion that he was probably a huge effing nerd growing up and got made fun of a lot, which cultivated him into the kind of person who could torture and kill millions of innocent people. He picked Wewelsburg Castle so he could have a secret hang out for the SS and do weird occult Nazi rituals. He had a crypt with 12 seats so he could have his own Knights of the Round Table. NERD ALERT! He was really into psychics, reincarnation (although I don't know what he was expecting to be reborn as after the reign of indescribable terror he lead during his life), astrology and German mythology. I really don't know how he became second in power in The Third Reich.
The castle has 2 museums and tours. One is 3 euro and is really about the castle's history before Himmler. It's also only in German so not very educational for me. The other tour is strictly about the castle being used as the secret headquarters for the SS and is very interesting and some of it is in English.

West Tower

Entrance to the courtyard

Aaron & Corey

Me & Corey

The courtyard. Wewelsburg is the only 3 sided castle in Germany.

Door to interior tower

Almost set

2012-01-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Getting settled in a new country always has its challenges. Luckily, most people and places speak English here so while it's been frustrating, I can't imagine how much more difficult it has to be everywhere else. Today we got our internet installed and that pretty much puts the final touch on our home. All of our stuff has been delivered. It's scattered around the closetless house, but once we make a trip to Ikea, I'm sure it'll be a little more organized. It's been tough downsizing the kitchen, but we're almost there.
We didn't have to work for about 9 days so we took the chance to drive around a little (Prius #1 has arrived) and we had fun seeing a few nearby places.

Atomium in Brussels, Belgium

Lorraine Cemetery in St. Avold, France
http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/lo.php

Metz, France

Trier, Germany

Porta Nigra in Trier, Germany

Le Funambule Waffles in Brussels

Ausfahrt means Exit

2011-12-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

I've been in Germany for a week now and I'm really liking it. So many new things to see, weird words to learn and confusing toilets to flush. I got my German driver's license but my car hasn't arrived yet, however, I'm a little nervous to drive. I'm not always sure who has the right of way here.
Corey isn't here yet so I've been house hunting alone which is a little stressful. It's hit and miss with houses here. I'm holding out for some of that floor heating though.
I had my first schnitzel and I'm just wondering how much weight I'm going to gain here. That schnitz is good! Also, it's winter so I need something to keep me warm.
I haven't done much except sleep, look for houses and other various "getting settled" type of activities, so I have no pictures or stories. Hopefully my next post will be a picture of me relaxing in my house on my furniture that I've missed so much for the past 5 months. Please let it be that.
PS. You're all still invited, but definitely don't visit in the winter.

Vacation Food

2011-11-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

Due to Thanksgiving Dinner, we didn't eat out much but I had to get some good Mexican food while I was in Arizona, so we went to Mi Nidito last night. I get all my restaurant suggestions from Man v. Food so lucky for us they came to Tucson. We got to Mi Nidito knowing it wasn't in the nicest part of South Tucson but became very aware when armed security escorted us from the parking lot to the restaurant...
Man v. Food wasn't even the biggest thing to hit Mi Nidito. Mother effing Bill Clinton ya'll! And Hillary and a bunch of other random celebrities love this restaurant. We all got different dishes and shared and it was all delicious. I'm not going to say it was the best Mexican I've ever had, but it definitely hit the spot. Plus, eating with an armed Mexican next to you, always makes the food taste better :)

My Little Nest

The President's Plate

Thanksgiving Vacation Begins

2011-11-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

I'm taking 2 weeks off for a Thanksgiving trip and to get in all the family time I can, before I move to Germany. I flew to Colorado so I could drive with my sister and her 3 kids down to Arizona. Before we left, Jackson had his friend Bday party and it was hilarious. Is it wrong to play Ke$ha, Lady GaGa and LMFAO songs for Hot Potato? Hahahaha. It was a great party.
The 13 hour drive went pretty smooth and the kids were great. We got to Corey's place, unloaded, rested for a few hours, then Corey and I drove to Phoenix to get my brother, sister-in-law and their daughter. We are just waiting for my brother-in-law and parents to get here to make a full house.
I am so thankful to have the best family and to be able to spend Thanksgiving with them this year!

Spiderman party

4!!!

Piñata time

They are faster than they look!

Just waiting...

2011-11-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

I have nothing too exciting going on while I wait to leave for Germany. I got to fly a new plane a few weeks ago. We landed at Richmond International, got lunch and came back. My friend Sarah came down for a night, we ate at an Afghan restaurant http://www.panjshirrestaurant.com/ and it was amazing! We went to Old Town Alexandria and got hot chocolate, then to the National Harbor to a piano bar. I've been staying busy, but all I really want is to be living in my own place, with my husband, and all our things. I'm tired of living like I'm 19 again. I really liked it back then, but it's less exciting now.
I'm leaving for Arizona on Thursday for an awesome family Thanksgiving and I can not wait! I get back to DC on the 29th then fly to Germany on Dec 5th. I know it's close, but it feels like a ways away and I feel really anxious about it. The only thing that soothes me is shopping.

Columbia 400

Focusing on leaving Richmond International

Last Weekend

2011-10-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

So it went like this: Girls date at Mexico Restaurant (yes, that's the name. I'm not racist!), haircut, in-laws, kid Halloween parade, bike ride to Mt. Vernon, devouring the left-overs from Mexico Restaurant.

John, Grammy, Barb

Ryan & Alyssa

Halloween Parade

Party Favors

Nature!

Hair cut/Prius/Nature!

Faith & me

Faith

Add caption

George's place

The National Harbor (from afar)

CLEP

2011-10-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

I have several college credits. Lots. Unfortunately none of them combined make even an Associate's degree. Luckily my year of military school combined with some previous classes got me really close to an Associate's through the Community College of the Air Force. I was still a few classes shy so I have been taking CLEPs to finally get something concrete accomplished. Yesterday I passed my final CLEP in Principles of Management with the bare minimum passing score :) You need a 50 and I scored a 50. I was so happy to have gotten by so close because I feel like I won one over The Man. Oh, I need 50? Fine, that's all your getting!
Now that I have this degree I'm really not too far from a Bachelor's, but the military is cutting education funding at the beginning of the year, so I'll just work on getting some more street smarts in Europe. Dang! I'm sooooooo sad that I have an awesome excuse to not take classes overseas, leaving me with more time to travel. Darn it.
I know it's pretty pathetic to be getting an Associate's at 30, but I know I have undiagnosed ADD. Haha. Just kidding. My real reason for not going to college was that I didn't get accepted to BYU Hawaii, therefore I couldn't bear the thought of going to college to learn. If there was no tropical beach involved, I was not going.
The lesson you can learn from my mistakes, is this; get ADD medication early in life so you can focus on accomplishing boring things like college.

Les Miserables

2011-10-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law and her boyfriend took me to see Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center last weekend! I am not a huge fan of plays or musicals but there are a select few I have always wanted to see and Les Mis was #1 on my list. It might be my favorite story of all time and the performance was amazing. How do these singers not have record albums?! They have way better voices than most famous singers do. Thank you so much Pamela and Sal! I had such a great time and loved every second of the play.

Me & Pamela

The Buff

2011-10-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

While I was visiting my family in Colorado Springs, Derek and Andrea Bailey met me in Denver for a weekend trip. We went to Boulder for some breakfast I had seen on Man vs. Food and it was worth the traffic from game day in Boulder! We went to The Buff and I got my order of pancakes with bacon and sausage cooked it the batter. They're called Saddlebags but I didn't really like the imagery. Fat thighs or not, those things are good. I also bought a shirt because it says, "Eat in the Buff" on the back. I wore it on my bike ride and run today and felt extra cool.

I loved Boulder and Denver and could totally live there...in the summer.

I visited my husband

2011-10-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I went to Arizona to visit Corey and it was amazing! Of course it was amazing. I haven't seen him in two months. Guess what we did?...Went to Tombstone, an Arizona Wildcats vs. Oregon Ducks game, hung out. You know.

After I left Arizona I got to visit my family in Colorado Springs and then Andrea and Derek Bailey (friends from Utah) met me in Denver for a fun filled weekend of eating :) It's too hard to go back to work after that much fun. I had a night full of anxiety before going back to work but I guess I'm okay now.

Here's a few pictures from Arizona. The game and Tombstone. Uh, I remember Tombstone being a lot bigger but the only other time I was there was when I was 9. The gun fight in the street was less realistic and less terrifying this time.

LJ & CB

2011-09-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to catch up with one of my oldest (not age wise) and best friends, last night for a few hours. Lindsay is in the DC area visiting her sister and I got to hang out with both of them and their kids. It's always so much fun hanging out and reminiscing. I could've stayed all night but I'm old and have a job and had to leave around 11. I think we stayed up late talking a lot when we were in High School. Probably more like 3 or 4 a.m.
Once again, I didn't get any pictures of Lindsay or Hillary's kids (all of whom are adorable!) but I never have the energy to try and persuade children to stop playing for a picture. I don't know how photographers do it. Anyway, Lindsay was easier to get a picture with ;)

I'm always the difficult one. I can't keep my eyes open!

New Places in the Same Ol' Place

2011-09-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

Since Corey has been gone and I've moved closer to work, I've been discovering new places around DC and hanging out with more people. Not that we were old, boring, married shut-ins, but we were old, boring, married shut-ins. I liked it that way though :)
I finally went to The National Harbor in DC and to Old Town Alexandria in Virginia. Both are a lot of fun and I've really been having a good time trying to make the time go by fast so I can just be in Germany already, living with Corey again.

The National Harbor to see The Kelly Bell Band

Old Town Alexandria with John, Barb, Julie & Dwayne

My friend Faith is very outdoorsy and adventurous so we have been hiking, running, biking, spinning, etc a lot. Every time we go on a hike there is some kind of freak flash flood storm so we decided to document it this time because it's getting ridiculous. If you need it to rain, let me know and I'll go on a hike with Faith.

Rosaryville State Park with Brittany's dog, Tucker

Potomac Airfield

2011-08-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

I started flight lessons last week at Potomac Airfield in the DC restricted airspace. So far I've just been a sweaty mess trying to learn basic flight maneuvers, but it's been a lot of fun. Flying in this area presents a few obstacles due to Andrews AFB and the White House. Every time you fly anywhere you have to call with a flight plan or an F-15 will kindly escort you out of the air. I don't know how kind they are so we'll just keep calling in the flight plans. I don't really have a clue what I'm doing but luckily I have really good instructors who are braver than any normal person on earth. I don't think I would ever want to teach someone how to fly. Something about being 2,300 feet in the air with an idiot sharing your flight controls. These people are nuts!

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this endeavor but this is pretty standard for me. I don't know what I would do if I ever had a clear plan of action. Hopefully something exciting works out and maybe I'll be flying you to some exotic location on a private plane one day. Are you brave enough to fly with me? Haha. Don't answer that yet. Wait until I pass some tests and get a license.

Dirty 30

2011-08-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

I always thought 30 would be kind of cool but then I woke up this morning with a nasty head cold, walked out to my car and found a flat tire and got the on-call phone at work. Hmmm. Soooo, it started off bad but luckily I had a friend to help me with my tire, someone to bring me this awesome cupcake cake, tons of phone calls, text messages and facebook posts, and two sweet girls who decorated my room with balloons and made me more cupcakes!

I was sad that I didn't get to spend my 30th with Corey, but was so grateful for all the people who made my day so special. No one really helped me with the excessive snot problem this head cold has given me, but that's cool. I learned how to really change a tire (not just in theory). I finally took a tire off and put a fixed tire back on. I also snotted on the tire and didn't tell the guys at Mr. Tire. Birthday surprise for them!

I thanked my mom for bearing me and putting up with me and she was all like, "yeah, you owe me $4,500 for the C-section" so I'm going to start working on that. Just kidding. My mom is so sweet and pretends like I was a precious angel. She has been blessed with the gift of forgetting. She thinks all her children were so sweet and easy going. Haha. We were ;)

Um, I like 30 and wasn't bugged about the age but I certainly don't want to turn 40. Let's just stop here and forget about the rest.

In case you're bored and have been dying for a new viral video...check out the Honey Badger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

His name is Mudd

2011-07-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

Whether the expression came from Dr. Mudd aiding John Wilkes Booth after he assassinated Lincoln (did he or didn't he?!) or if it means "a stupid twaddling fellow" like etymonline.com says, it doesn't matter. What matters is that I went to a historical landmark today and now I'm teaching you about it. Scholars maintain that the literal translation has been lost for centuries. Dr. Mudd's home is about 2 miles from my new place in Waldorf, and since I have nothing better to do now that I'm a geographical bachelorette, I went for a drive today.

After Dr. Mudd's house, I just drove until I got to the end of the road. I saw on the map that there was a national park on the beach so I checked it out. Not as pretty as I was expecting but the east coast beaches always do that to me. It was about 12 degrees cooler and I love the salty sea smell so I can get over the black water and small beaches.

Point Lookout State Park

Notice any safety hazards? Oh, I don't know, fishing where your children are swimming...

I guess I've been missing my old commute and had to get in the car and drive for a while. Haha. No, I do not miss that commute. I love getting to work in 20 minutes. I love owning a Prius and being able to enjoy not filling up every week. Again, I love not driving 130 miles a day! I'm very excited about this.

Corey is gone...to Arizona

2011-07-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

So our road trip was awesome and I didn't think leaving Corey in AZ was going to be a big deal since I can go visit whenever I want and he's still in America, but I'm still pretty sad about it and it's been 4 days. What has happened to me?! I used to be so independent and never felt any sense of loss when my living situations changed but I guess I'm just jealous that he gets a 3 bedroom house with a jacuzzi all to himself and I'm sleeping on a squeaky twin bed. No, I really miss him and kind of hate that I'm turning into a bigger wuss every year. Please tell me that all of you tough ladies have now become big sissies and cry way more often than you think you should.
Ok, well we got to Colo Springs and had so much fun with my sister, Dave, their kids, and my parents. We jumped on the trampoline a lot, went to the Rockies game with Amy and Dave and ate a ton of mama's home cooked food, which is always the best. We had to leave way too soon but got to see my Grandparents and more family in Tucson, then Corey went to Sierra Vista and I went to Phoenix to see some of my favorite people in the world, the Stansfields :) Or LJ and the fam. I finally got to meet Lindsay's youngest, Dylan, who is the handsomest little man and gave the best hugs and kisses. Once again, our visit was way too short but definitely better than nothing.
I hate missing such good friends and family all the time. I hope they all come visit me in Germany ;)
***I did a terrible job at getting pictures at the end of our trip so not everyone I wanted to show pictures of are posted. Sorry Linds!!! Please see the Stansfields' blog for pictures of their ADORABLE children.

Sweet little Annie

Corey and his cactus

Amy & Dave at the Rockies game

Me & Corey at the game

Kansas City

2011-07-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

Kansas City was the last short drive we had. It was about 5 hours from St. Louis. I just kept thinking how easy and quick our road trip had been...I had forgotten what the real west was like. After we left KC it was all 10 and 14 hour drives to our next destinations. I also hadn't been watching any news and didn't realize the midwest was in the middle of a terrible heat wave. Don't worry, I found out at the Royals game where we were sitting in direct sunlight for most of the game. I honestly don't know why I sweat like a 400 lb man in a sauna, but it is uncomfortable! We left after the 7th inning stretch and I was a sticky mess until we got to Colorado Springs. It motivated me to push through the fatigue and get to my parents house without any stops.

We made it to a Man vs Food BBQ joint in Kansas City

The ribs were awesome!

So was the pulled pork :)

Corey wasn't as sweaty as me

Probably one of my favorite stadiums of all time

Louisville & St. Louis

2011-07-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

So far, so good. The driving hasn't been too bad because we're making a lot of stops...and because Corey is doing most of it. We went to Louisville and stopped by Churchill Downs and then did a tour at the Louisville Slugger factory. I thought Louisville was so pretty and it seemed like a fun place to live. We kind of hurried out of there so we could get to St. Louis in time for dinner at Pappy's (Man vs. Food restaurant) but they close early on Sunday.
Upon first arrival I thought that St. Louis was quite charming as well. Then we opened our car doors and the weather was less than charming. St. Louis is hot and nasty! We got some quick pictures under the arch and attempted to find another BBQ joint that was open on Sunday. Nothing was open and we ended up driving around the hood for about 20 minutes. I'm not just calling it hood 'cause I'm a white girl from a middle class suburban home. This place reminded me of favelas in Brazil and made Corey homesick for Iraq. Holy S*** St. Louis! Get your crap together and clean up your streets.
If you're looking for a nice family trip, I would recommend Louisville. If you want to get mugged or see some real life adventure on the streets, St. Louis is your city.

One day we'll go to the Kentucky Derby

Awkward alone picture. What do you do with your hands?!

They give you free bats after the tour...

Cincinnati Reds

2011-07-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

Corey and I are on the road to Ft. Huachuca, AZ and are taking advantage of the ridiculously long drive by hitting up a few ball games and doing some sightseeing. First we stopped in Pittsburgh to see our beautiful goddaughter, Camille. Then we drove to Cincinnati and got some cheap seats to the Reds vs. Cardinals game. The stadium is huge and pretty and right on the Ohio river. We didn't walk around downtown but there were a lot of beautiful buildings and it was a lot nicer than I expected. We're taking off this morning and will be stopping in a couple of cities today that I'm really excited about!

Why do children hate Santa?

2011-06-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

I was looking at pictures of my nieces and nephews (I do that A LOT. They are all so effing adorable) and found this picture that I took when I was visiting the Binns in Colorado. We took the kids to the North Pole and like all adults, forced them to sit on Santa's lap. This tradition rarely produces the darling photos we are hoping for, so I wonder why we do it. I guess because our parent's forced us? Either way, I'll continue to torture my nieces and nephews and I don't know why.

They all look very hesitant and slightly terrified to be touching this guy, which I am proud of. They have obviously been taught that this is wrong. Hopefully there was no irreparable damage done by the confusion they must have felt when the adults they most trusted, and taught them not to do this thing, made them do this thing. I'm sorry Bradley, Annie and Jackson. I, and your parents, really do love you. I will be in Colorado next month to visit these 3 again and will not be making them do any such thing. My mom (their Grandmother) already suggested another trip... Initially I said "no", but after looking at all the fun we had, maybe :)

Cowans Gap

2011-06-19T04:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we spent the first 3 hours of essential tanning hours at Cowans Gap in PA. It was a beautiful, sunny day on the fine, imported sand. We were laying out, eating, drinking, people watching. It was a great little beach up in the mountains and the water was crystal clear. The sand was awesome. It felt so good to mold your own spot in the sand to lay out on. Then the park ranger came out over the intercom and told everyone to exit the beach immediately because severe thunderstorms were on their way. I thought he was being a drama queen but in exactly 2 minutes, dark clouds appeared and we got our butts off the beach!

Fortunately for us, Corey's dad lives close to the park so by the time we got over there the rain had stopped and we could soak up some more rays in his pool. I'm pretty sure that my genetics are predisposed to be at a beach of some kind as much as possible.

The Best Kind of Weekends

2011-06-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

Corey's cousin was getting married in Lynchburg, VA this weekend so we made it a twofer by stopping to see the Morris' in Richmond. It turned out the one of those fun filled summer weekends where you got to eat good food, hang out with good friends, spend a lot of time in the sun and never want to go back to work.
We stopped in Bethesda on our way down to pick up some DC cupcakes. I don't know why I thought 6 would be enough but let's just say that Sarah considered eating her own child's cupcake since Eva was napping when we got there. The cupcakes were good.

As you can see, Sarah made the right choice and Eva got her cupcake :)

Sarah is my adventure mentor and she set up an awesome river floating trip for Saturday, before we had to leave for the wedding. First of all, it was only $12. Second, the river was PERFECT! The guide said the water was in the eighties and it felt like an angel. Third, I didn't lose my Ray Bans when I flipped over in the class 2 rapids.*

After the river wild, we got dressed and left for Lynchburg. It was so beautiful and it felt like the south. The wedding was gorgeous and we got to see some of Corey's family that lives overseas. I was loving the bride's colors. Plum and peacock green. I would drape myself in peacock feathers if it were socially acceptable.

I hope this weekend can get me through this jam packed week of unfun activities. I have 3 nights of classes for the next 6 weeks so I think the next few weekends might consist more of reading books and writing papers.

I cut my hair a few weeks ago. It's really a cute haircut when the stylist does it, but becomes less "adorable" when I attempt to use a round brush with a blow dryer. How do people do their own hair?!

*Class 2 Rapids are super wussy and I was embarrassed that I fell off my tube. Devin really enjoyed it though.

Memorial Day

2011-05-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

We had a 4 day weekend for Memorial Day and it was so nice. Why must we work? Anyway, Corey marched in a parade in Carlisle and it was really fun. The weather was beautiful, it lasted about 45 minutes and it wasn't very crowded. We spent the rest of the day in the pool and eating brats. Again, why do we have to work?!

Cannoli Hunting

2011-05-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Corey and I were off of work early the other day and he was really jonesing for a cannoli so we googled cannolis and found a bakery downtown. I guess there really wasn't much hunting but we went on an adventure afterwards and found this!

A Tibetan Meditation Center in the middle of the woods. The sign said it was protected by Buddha so we walked around for a few minutes. I heard 2 gunshots so we took off. I think it was someone hunting but I didn't really care. It was so beautiful and I wish I had better pictures because they had the prettiest flowers and some other cool stuff. I also wanted someone to be there so I could brag about my Buddhist prayer cloth pinned to the roof of my car and feel cool, but no one was there.

We found a lookout point where Corey faced his fear of heights and where I made him make out with me for a few minutes like we were high schoolers. Um, did anybody else just LOOOOVVVVE making out in high school? I told someone that the other day and they told me I was weird. Whatever, I could make out for hours and I was damn good at it!

Orders

2011-04-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

January 2012 is a long ways away but I wanted all of my family and friends to have ample time to save their money and come visit me and Corey in Germany! Corey just received official orders to Wiesbaden, Germany reporting in January 2012. He is for sure going and now we are working on getting me over there. Since he is Army and I am Air Force, it can get a little confusing with orders and stuff.
The first thing I have to do is wait for May. Unfortunately I didn't get selected for pilot school during the March boards so my packet automatically gets another try in May. I will say that after seeing the results, I may have gone into this a little optimistic. Basically, it will be a miracle from heaven if I get picked up. With that said, at least I tried and will never have to wonder.
So, once I get the final word on my packet, I will either be going to Alabama for 18 months and Corey will still be going to Germany or I will be trying to accompany him there and we will be there for 3 years. This is your official invitation to come and visit Europe with a free place to stay in centrally located Germany. I love traveling and I love having visitors so come to our home and we will travel with you and all of my dreams will come true. I am so excited and can't wait to see every country over there.

I hope everyone takes me seriously when I say that my home will literally be a free hostel for you to stay at (if I already know you and you're not some wierdo who is just reading this blog) and that I am telling you now so you can prepare for the Eurocation of a lifetime. I have already written down about 50 things I will do when I'm over there and I can help you with your list if you will just come and hang out with me in Germany. Thanks.

Cleveland, Ohio Ohio Ohio

2011-04-05T02:12:00.000-07:00

In the last 2 years, Corey and I have been nearly everywhere within a 3 hour drive from our house. Now we are on to the longer drives. We went to Cleveland last weekend for the sole purpose of obtaining a baseball from the Indians stadium. I really liked Cleveland but traveling in the winter always seems bleak so get ready for some semi-depressing photos. Not a lot of people walking around and everything seems gray.

We followed the advice from our fat friend on Man vs Food and went to Melt Bar & Grille. 3 words: Gourmet Grilled Cheese. I know. It was heaven. I tried my first Monte Cristo and I will never be the same. It's turkey, ham and cheese (sounds normal) dipped in some kind of pastry batter and deep fried! Then you dip it in berry preserves and it is a combination of eating a grilled ham and cheese on top of a funnel cake.

There was a 3 hour wait at Melt so we called the other one on the other side of town and ordered to go. That was an hour wait so it was ready when we got there and we ate in our car. No 3 hour wait is going to get in the way of me and gourmet grilled cheese!

The Indians lost to the White Sox but as long as there are some good hecklers sitting nearby, I couldn't be happier. We were right by left field and the White Sox left fielder is Juan Pierre. He recently broke up with his rapper girlfriend and a group of guys next to us were giving him hell the whole game. It was hilarious.

We went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before we left. No cameras were allowed inside and I was pretty lazy about taking pictures anyway.

I'm slightly offended that there is a child on Michael Jackson's guitar...gross.

Baltimore Bomb

2011-03-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever driven 100 miles for a piece of pie? Well I think you would for some Baltimore Bomb from Dangerously Delicious. Corey saw it on the Food Network so we took a little trip to Baltimore yesterday and discovered the meaning of pie. I only wish I could've tried more, but they are pretty decadent so only one piece of pie was doable.

They are basically a Rock 'n Roll pie shop. If you've ever heard of Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland, it reminded us of them. I'm not going to lie. The best part of going up there was discovering Nacho Mama a Mexican restaurant next door that I am going to go back and visit. The pie was really filling! Next time you're in Baltimore, visit Dangerously Delicious Pies and visit me dammit!

Good Reads

2011-03-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

I've always loved to read but as we all know, there are times when that luxury is the last thing on our to do list. Luckily I've found the time recently for a few good reads, but I've also been taking advantage of my 65 mile commute (my brain's way of protecting itself from going insane is looking at the bright side) by listening to books on cd (remember when it was "book on tape" and remember how it still sounds more normal than book on cd?) Today I finished my most recent book on tape and it was so moving I wanted to share it with everyone.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave. This is the kind of book that makes you feel depressed, terrified, naive, grateful, unworthy and nearly every other kind of emotion that exists. I'm not saying this book is for everyone, but it's the kind of book everyone should read. If you've read ever read The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, you'll be prepared for this novel.

After reading this book I feel bad. I have read so many articles and seen so many documentaries on human suffering around the world, but what have I ever really done to help alleviate it? I know we can't give up our lives to help people suffering on the other side of the globe, but someone has to, right? I'm really not trying to be melodramatic but this is how the book leaves you.

Ok, here are some other books I've read or listened to recently:

My thoughts: Wow, this book was way above my intellectual level. I literally wrote down over 60 words to look up because I didn't know what they meant. The author is extremely intelligent so I pretty much believed everything she wrote about Cleopatra. I never realized that she lived only one generation before Christ and did business with Herod. I also didn't know that Julius Caesar and Marc Antony were her baby daddies and that she was really more prudish than a whore like Hollywood portrays her.

My thoughts: How in the hell did America win The Revolution?! Seriously, I don't get it. I read the whole story and it doesn't make sense. After visiting many of these historic locations the story seems to come together more for me, but us winning is still a mystery.

My thoughts: If you are into conspiracy theories, The Masons, National Treasure or anything along those lines, you will enjoy this book. Brad Meltzer also hosts the show Decoded and he is into all secretive and conspiracy type things. I guess I am not creative 'cause I can NEVER figure out how these stories are all going to come together! I enjoyed reading this book. I bit my fingernails off though.

My thoughts: I listened to this book and it kept me awake. It's more of a mid life crisis book for a southern woman but I liked it enough to listen to the whole thing. Sometimes it totally annoyed me but that might have just been the reader. She drove me crazy with the daughter's voice. I couldn't stand her. It's like how sometimes if you watch the movie before you read the book you hate some of the characters. Not my top pick but I still enjoyed it.

Audrey (my compadre)

2011-03-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

My sweet, beautiful, adorable, funny, cuddly, precious little niece turned 1! Since I am a devoted auntie I had to be there for her party and it just so happens that my brother and sister-in-law live in Hawaii so while it was a tough choice, I feel I made the right one.

I had soo soo much fun hanging out with my family and playing with Audrey. We did all the usual Hawaii stuff. I can't even describe how nice it was to have warm weather, family all around and nothing to worry about. Luckily I made it out before the tsunami warning. I didn't even hear about it 'til I landed in Dallas because I slept the entire 8 hour flight. I turned my phone on and 10 texts popped up with worried messages and then I was all worried 'cause I had no idea why everyone else was worried. I'm so glad nothing happened to Hawaii!

In the course of 10 days I took about 559 pictures...I see why parents always want to take pictures of their kids. They have so many cute faces and funny looks and you want to capture them all. But seriously, Audrey is so freaking adorable and I couldn't stop taking pictures of her cute face. Thank you Paul and Krynn for such a great vacation and taking such good care of me. And all the trips to the airport. Haha!

Road Trip to the South

2011-02-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

In an effort to strengthen my Warrant Officer package, Corey and I took a road trip down south. We headed to Ft. Rucker, AL through Knoxville, TN. In Tennessee:

I hit a skunk
We tried to go to Dollywood but it was closed, so we settled for the photo op
Ate BBQ pork burritos at Sweet P's
Jack Daniel's distillery tour

We spent the night in Alabama with an infantry friend of Corey's who was stationed with him in Hawaii. We left Wednesday morning and made it to our hotel in Daleville, AL where we took our one and only shower on the 5 day trip. Thursday was the main event and I am happy to say that it was excellent. I really hope this was the key to getting selected. If driving down to Alabama didn't do the trick, I'll be pissed but will still be glad that I got out of 4 days of showering! In Alabama:

We ate at Po' Folks
Took a shower
Toured Ft. Rucker
I got in the cockpit of an Apache
Peed a little in the Apache

On our way out of town we planned on getting some burgers at the Vortex in Atlanta but were too full from all of the southern eating. I am definitely 10 years closer to a coronary bypass. We road tripped it hard core by sleeping in our car for a few hours at a gas station and made it to Richmond to visit our friend Sarah and her two casts. I totally planned on taking a quick shower there but Sarah and I have known each other for a long time and I knew I didn't have to impress anyone :) Corey drove me home and I am happy to announce we have both taken showers and are resting comfortably.
I really love driving around the United States. I hit 3 new states and saw a few places I've always wanted to. Unfortunately we didn't stop in Atlanta but that looks like it'll have to be its own vacation. We also couldn't make it to Graceland so I'll be going back to Tennessee one day. Here are some pictures from the trip. I always start off strong, taking pictures of everything and slowly lose motivation and tell myself to just take mental pics. I'm super lazy. So, here are a few from the first part of the trip!

University of Tennessee

Photo op only. We did not get into Dollywood.

Sweet P's BBQ! Soooo good.

Official road trip picture.

Me and Jackie D!

Lynchburg, TN

Knoxville, TN

153A

2011-02-05T04:04:00.000-08:00

So I've hesitated to post about this because I am afraid/don't want to press my luck/superstitious that I'll ruin my chances buuuuuut...I woke up super early and was looking at blogs and realized I haven't posted for a while so here it is. I have submitted a package to the Army to be a helicopter pilot. This has been taking up a lot of my time for the past 4 months and I got it submitted last month so now I am waiting. The board meets in March and I should know then.
If I do get accepted, the Air Force will release me and I'll enlist in the Army (making mine and Corey's living situation much easier) and go to another boot camp, SERE training, dunk training then flight school all at Ft. Rucker, AL. I will be getting my @$$ handed to me for about 18 months. Exciting, huh?!
I have always wanted to fly helicopters but it is VERY expensive to just get your license but if you give your life away to the Army they pay for it! Great deal :) So, Corey helped a ton to get everything done. It was very extensive. I had to take a tests, work out a lot, so many interviews and letters. I'm sooo sooo glad it's over and I might never do anything like this again.
For Christmas Corey got me a helicopter lesson since I've never had my hands on the controls and it was amazing! I did okay up high but not so well trying to hover. Next month I'm going to take a fixed wing lesson just to get up there again. Definitely a lot more exciting when you're in control.
So wish me luck or send out vibes or pray and if I get accepted because of your mind power... I'll totally drop you off at the mall in a helicopter or something cool like that.

Mad Marathon

2011-01-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Yep, that's going to be one of my goals for 2011. A marathon. Why? Because 2011 is the year I turn 30 and if any year of your life needs a little fun or achievement, it's probably 30. I've been scoping out races and found this little beauty and now all I need is a volunteer. Who wants to run for 26.2 miles breathing in cow dung and good ol' country air? Seriously though, we're running across a covered bridge! How cool is that? Here's the link:

http://www.madmarathon.com/

I have other goals for 2011. For example: I will turn 30, I will go to Hawaii, I will submit my package to be a helicopter pilot in the Army (goal being to be selected but that's kind of out of my hands) and to go horseback riding at least twice.

I've already purchased my tickets to Hawaii so that goal is half way accomplished and today I passed my Army Flight test so now I'm 95% done with my package. I guess I should get started on the marathon goal. I at least know I can run 6.5 miles without stopping (or sharting) but 26.2 is a lot farther.

Please, please come to Vermont and run with me. I've been there once and it was literally one of the most beautiful places I've seen. I'm sure in July I'll be cursing the entire state of Vermont and denying the veracity of this post but for now, just run this marathon with me.

Duty

2010-12-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

Not the kind most of my readers are thinking of (I know you all have poop on the brain), but the kind the Army has to do. Corey has to pull duty several times a month and whenever it falls on the weekend I go up to Carlisle, PA with him and we basically just drive around and find things to look at and take pictures of. Here is what we saw on Sunday:

Christmas Party & Concert

2010-12-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

Corey's work party was a few weekends ago. I haven't gotten dressed up in a while so I thought I should curl my hair to look extra fancy. After an hour of holding the curling iron up I was losing patience and blood flow and started getting irritable. This is how it always goes in our house. Corey will tell me what time we need to leave at. I will start getting ready way too early, lose interest and then about 10 minutes before we leave he will remind me and I'll start frantically getting my crap together. Then, when the announced time has arrived he will say, "Babe, let's go" to which I will reply, "Why are you always rushing me?! Aaaahhhh!!!" He will remain silent and stand by the open front door while I hastily and angrily finish getting ready until we are in the car and I start apologizing. I'm so glad I have such a patient husband who has gotten used to living with a crazy woman. I know I'm no crazier than anyone else so he would've gotten a crazy wife regardless, but he has adjusted so well :)

We spent the night at Pamela's house and were able to go to her Christmas concert the next day. She plays the clarinet in 2 different bands and we went to a Veteran's Day concert last month, but I forgot my camera. This band was more energetic and it was such a great show.

December Survival Guide

2010-12-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

The only true way to survive the winter is hot tubbing. I used to pretend that snowboarding got me through the winter but I never TRULY wanted to go. I went because once I got up there and warmed up a bit I had a good time until I started getting tired, falling and getting wet. So it was fun, but there were so many disadvantages. Hot tubbing is fun with no downside. It's easy. No hard work getting your equipment together and risking the snowy road up the mountain. It's cheap. Barring you are mooching off someone else's hot tub. No lift ticket to buy. And the whole time you're in, is enjoyable. There are those 7 seconds of hell when you have to get out and run into the house. Sometimes you even have to help put the cover on and that is torture but so much less than snowboarding. The lazy in me is really coming out lately and I've given up on having fun that takes a lot of work.

Trig....sucks/makes me sick/can't go on/cos-1

2010-11-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

This may look familiar to you, but most likely you took your last College Algebra/Trig class several years ago. Not me. I couldn't focus long enough to go to college so now that I'm in my late twenties I have have the joy of dealing with triangles.

Unfortunately I hate math and I've been doing a lot of thinking about why and have decided that my hatred for math is because it deduces me to feeling stupid then helpless then defeated. In about 25 minutes I go through all the emotions that lead to me wanting to drink from a bottle. Ok, it's not that serious but I'm convinced that I got sick this weekend just from worrying about my math class. I fell asleep thinking about the Pythagorean theorem the other night and that is not okay.

My class is over mid December so that is somewhat comforting. I really like my teacher, but the dude worked for NASA. Yeah, like he's even capable of dumbing himself down to our level. The not comforting part is that next semester I should sign up for Pre-Cal and get it out of the way since I will need it and I can save $ because I can use the book I got for this class...Even with all signs pointing to yes I absolutely do not want to take Pre-Cal. Why can some things be so fun to tackle and other things so horrible? I have totally tried talking myself into the exciting world of math but that part of my brain has never developed I guess. How do you develop it?!!

West Point

2010-11-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I experienced the joy of revenge when the Air Force beat the Army at West Point. A few years ago Corey took me to a Texas Long Horns game in Austin. He said he bought me a shirt for the game so when we got down there he gave me an Oklahoma State Cowboys shirt to wear. I was the only fan cheering for the Cowboys at a Texas game. This payback has been a long time coming.
My brother-in-law, Dave, hooked us up with tickets from his brother who works for the Air Force football team. We met his wife, Inger, and their friends up there. Apparently after however many years of having football games on the Army base, they've yet to master any type of traffic control. It took us 2 hours to get onto base! We parked by the ski lift (which is insane that there's a freaking ski lift on an Army base) and they bussed us to the field. Luckily it was such a beautiful day and I didn't get cold until the third quarter. After the game we got to go on the field for a few pictures but were quickly kicked off.
West Point is definitely the most beautiful military installation I've ever seen. It was gorgeous! We didn't walk around too much but the view from the bus was great :)

Clemson

2010-10-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

Our good friends, Devin and Sarah, got us tickets to the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game last weekend. Sarah couldn't come with us because she just had a baby so we picked Devin up and drove to South Carolina. First of all, I love going to new states and I've never been to the Carolinas. Technically we went to North Carolina too, because we drove through it, but unfortunately I did not locate any smashed penny machines to prove it.

Second of all, it was amazing and I never wanted to leave. Devin gave us the tour de Clemson and it was awesome. It's such a great college town and I've never seen so many tailgaters in my life. I've heard the south takes their football pretty seriously, but it was a little more than I expected.

We also ate the best food you can have in one day. Before the game Devin introduced us to the Mellow Mushroom pizzeria. Swear on my life it is the best pizza crust in the world. After the game we had ribs at Sardi's. Incredible. These are the times in my life when I wish I could be bulimic.

The game was great. We had good seats, Clemson killed Georgia Tech, the fans around us were hilarious and we got to see the most exciting 25 seconds in college football. When the players rub the rock and run down the hill it's claimed to be the most exciting 25 seconds in college football. I peed a little so you know it was good.

We totally bought Clemson shirts so we would blend in and because we love being posers at football games. Get ready for some orange.

Summers Farm

2010-10-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Texas and so excited for the beautiful weather and the time of year. I freaking love pumpkins so I really wanted to go to a farm and this little gem is just down the road. But seriously, I'm obsessed with pumpkins. Not so much for decorating (although they're cool) but more the eating part. I will eat damn near anything if it is pumpkin flavored. Muffins are okay, but if it's a pumpkin muffin it's going down. I could pass on pancakes, but not my pumpkin spice friends. Pumpkin funnel cake?! WTF! How are you supposed to say 'no' to that.

Luckily my friend Christina came with us and brought her sweet little baby so Corey and I didn't feel as weird about going. We don't like to be too creepy.

Just a little bit creepy.

Cunningham Falls

2010-09-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

I begged Corey to take me to the majestic Cunningham Falls today. It's just up the road from us and Corey has a special relationship with the falls. He and his friend, Alan, dumped a few bottles of dish soap in the mighty river for a senior prank. I always imagined a large waterfall with so many bubbles flowing freely down to the wading pool below only to build up feet and feet of bubbles. After the 4/5 mile cliff hike the elusive falls appeared...

Not exactly what I was expecting. It is fall and we've had little rain so I'm sure it gets bigger but I guess I was expecting an Oregon kind of waterfall. I loved the hike though. Also, Corey's greatest fear slithered across his feet at the start of the hike so we made it in record time. I like to tell him that he's like Indiana Jones. Brave but afraid of snakes. That made me want to watch The Last Crusade tonight but Netflix decided to be a butthead and not make it a play on demand movie.

I got back Tuesday night from visiting my family in Colorado. On Wednesday I got the ultra-rare opportunity of observing an autopsy at work! It was awesome. Sick, I know, but I loved each and every second of it.

I also finished 1776 on cd so I was feeling very scholarly. Tomorrow I'm leaving for some pre-deployment training in Texas for 2 weeks. I'm not deploying but I volunteered for the extra TDY money ;)

3 Reasons to go to Colorado

2010-09-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Passport to Merriment

2010-09-08T05:06:00.000-07:00

We went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival over Labor Day Weekend. Sorry to disappoint everyone but we did not dress up. I couldn't find my wench dress so we just went casual. I've heard a lot of good things about Ren Fairs and I was pretty excited. Mainly for the turkey leg and other amazing fair foods. I did tear up a turkey leg. That was the real passport to merriment. Corey's mom came with us and we met up with Jason, Christina and Liam.

I noticed a few things I found odd and slightly frightening. A knife and metal star throwing booth?

No, it'll be fun!

WTF?! Seriously.

Less frightening but still weird.

I love people watching and if you share these feelings I highly recommend a Ren Fair. Not to mention all the great food, lots of stores (mostly containing Medieval accessories so you'll likely not spend a lot of money), they had some really good Celtic bands, belly dancers, jousting, knights in shining armor, lots of medieval cleavage and the list goes on. I'm not going to lie. If peer pressured just a little, I'd totally dress up.

The Nationals

2010-09-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

Sarah, Devin and Eva came up last weekend for a Nationals game. That same day Glenn Beck was having his rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and we figured we should check it out. Eva turned 2 the day before and somehow she knew it was time to turn up the sass in her life. She demanded that she get to walk in her plastic high heels almost a mile and a half to the Lincoln. I'm serious, she wasn't having it any other way. I have to admit that she was rockin' those heels and she probably walks better in stilettos than I do.

We arrived at the back of the rally and couldn't hear anything so we stuck around for 10 minutes then walked back to the US Marines Memorial. Sarah wanted to check out this Thai restaurant near Dulles because the cook beat Bobby Flay so we got some Pad Thai. It was really good but a little spicy. I can't handle spice at all so I couldn't really taste flavor, mainly just the snot that was falling out of my nose. I'm a wimp.

The Nationals killed the Cardinals so it was a pretty exciting game. Eva did amazing at the game but started to have a break down around the 6th inning so we stayed for the 7th inning stretch and busted outta there. It was totally bobble head night at the game so I have a new present for my nephews when I go to see them in a few weeks :)

7 Mile

2010-09-01T01:52:00.000-07:00

I was born with the opposite of a runner's body. I have thick legs that don't move fast. A large booty that lovingly pulls all running shorts directly up my butt and into my crotch leaving my thighs exposed to rub and chafe. This forces me to wear spandex under any and all shorts. I have to pay more than you should for a sports bra to keep the girls in place. The list goes on. I suck at running.

Nonetheless I have always tried to improve since it does burn a lot of calories, my job depends on it and one day I'm hoping the running will rub away the excess thigh fat. Lately I've been running 5 miles, 2-3 times a week and was kind of proud of myself. I decided to up it to 7 one day so I mapped out my new route and went for it.

I was doing ok until mile 5 1/2 or 6. I started to get bubble gut and either had to stop running or let a little something out to relieve the pain. I weighed out my options but thought I could handle passing a little gas without stopping because I really wanted to say that I ran 7 miles without stopping. I remember in Anatomy class learning about nerves you have in your anus that allow your brain to distinguish between a fart and a crap. If you've ever lived in South America you know that those nerve endings aren't your most reliable. Well, I went for the fart but immediately regretted my decision because I was 95% sure I just crapped my pants.

I understand crapping your pants when running a marathon but this was 5 1/2 or 6 miles. I just kept running because I really had no other options and I wasn't totally sure what just happened. I ended up stopping at 6 1/2 miles because the route I chose was ridiculous. It was all uphill at the end and I am pretty sure I could have walked faster than I was running up that hill. I made it to the gym and am happy to announce that it was just a fart.

This week I will attempt the 7 mile run again but am going to reverse my route so the hills are at the beginning. I'm also considering some kind of running diaper. I'm sure they have 'em.

This picture was taken at the beginning of my first race ever. See how I am smiling. It was before before I actually had to run and before I came close to sharting.

Focus on Relaxation & Deep Breathing

2010-08-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I started off Birthday Weekend with my monthly massage. I go to Massage Envy and the therapist I like is Jordan. I didn't get my confirmation call on Friday so Saturday morning I called to make sure I still had an appointment. Massage Envy finds new ways to mess up my massage nearly each month.

I called and found out that Jordan had cancelled but a therapist named Natalie had an opening at 10. I reluctantly booked it because when I have a massage on my mind I can't change it. I was checking out all of the therapists as they were walking by, hoping that mine wasn't going to be most of them there. Finally a semi-normal young lady called my name and I followed her to the room. It was business as usual. She was a little weird but I was just hoping it would be a decent massage.

The massage started out okay and after a few minutes of warming up Natalie whispered, "Okay Carrie. I want you to focus on relaxing and deep breathing." Uh, kinda weird but I did go to massage school so it was no big deal. I guess to be an example of some kind of pattern to follow, she started breathing deeply too. Very deep breaths. One after the other. There was no massage going on while she was breathing so I was getting pissy. Not to mention her nose whistle was louder than a train so that made relaxing completely impossible.

She finally got on with the massage and it was okay but once again I learned to go with what you know. I will wait for Jordan.

After my massage, Corey took me shopping at the mall (which is pure torture for him), to a new winery for some taste testing and then to Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian restaurant in Baltimore. We had so much fun all day and I could barely walk out of that restaurant thanks to the endless swords of meat. Corey is the best at planning fun weekends and this one was perfect.

Clay Pigeons

2010-08-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

James and Courtney came up from Pittsburgh for the weekend. We went clay pigeon shooting, BBQ'd and almost swam, went to the horse races and to Rita's. Rita's is my motivation all week long to not eat sweets. This is my summertime dessert obsession this year. Gelati baby!!! Italian ice with frozen custard. It is the nectar of the gods and all week long I think about how delicious it's going to taste once it touches my lips.

Ready, Set, Go!

2010-08-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

Today marks the first day of birthday month. In my opinion, your birthday should be celebrated all month long and through some careful planning and strategic calculations I will be doing so. Selfish? Yes. Do I have kids? No. You put two and two together.
DSW, in its infinite wisdom and amazing marketing, sends out a $5 gift certificate on birthday month that is only valid during that month. For some reason this small gift forces us to purchase a pair of shoes. $5 is really not saving much, but I bet that 95% of people use their $5 birthday card. I've always known that I'm a sucker for marketing but I think this one gets a lot of people. Even the ones who aren't easily tricked!
I had been really wanting a pair of red, peep toe wedges and DSW must've known that's what I wanted with my $5 birthday certificate 'cause I found 'em! Please drool responsibly.

O'Connor Family Reunion

2010-07-21T04:13:00.000-07:00

I learned a lot about Corey at his family reunion a few weeks ago. I take that back. It explained a lot about Corey. I'm not as worried about him anymore knowing there are others like him out there. Just kidding. I freaking love the O'Connors and we had so much fun in Wisconsin/Michigan. Another place I've never been to so I was excited to check it out.

The first thing we need to discuss is fried cheese curds, and why the rest of the world doesn't overindulge on them. They are a gift from the gods. I dream about fried cheese curds!

Number two. It is so beautiful up there and the land is so cheap. We could live like kings. That's how they trick you into moving there. Visit in the summer and you never want to leave...until the winter. Three. Everyone drove scooters around. It made me miss mine and Sarah's Yamaha Vino.

According to Man vs. Food, Sobelman's has Milwaukee's best burger. It was a buttery bun delight.

Miller Park
Brewers vs. Orioles

Corey's dreams are coming true at Lambeau Field.

After our stops in Milwaukee and Green Bay we made it to the Reunion.

13:1 rocks Philly

2010-07-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

A friend I met back in Texas joined a band and they've been doing pretty well so she invited me to their first headliner in Philly. Corey and I made a fast Saturday trip up and back. It ended with me dry heaving the whole way home thanks to a migraine, thanks to me forgetting ear plugs for the concert. I have had migraines since I was 14 but I'm pretty good at avoiding them now. There are certain triggers that I know of and a few I don't, but loud music is definitely a trigger. This is not the first time I've left a concert puking. I'm sure most people have, but probably due to alcohol. I could only wish...

Some times you wanna go...to Boston!

2010-07-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed our Fourth of July festivities in Boston this year. Definitely a city I highly recommend. We went to a Red Sox game, Boston Common, Lexington, Concord, saw the USS Constitution (Old Iron Sides), went to Paul Revere's house, snuck into a group on the African American history tour, saw the Harvard Yard...there's a lot of cool stuff there. Also, a lot of good food. Legal Sea Food was our first stop. We both got the sword fish reuben. Amazing. I love food soo sooo much. We found a bakery in Cambridge that made really unique sandwiches and they were also amazing. I'm into sandwiches lately.

We tried so hard to see everything but it was so hot and I always forget how tired it makes you. I could live there. I love Boston.

P.S. I give up on the blogspot web builder. It's total crap and I hate it so don't expect my pictures to ever make geometrical sense.

Our new favorite thing to do

2010-07-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

Since I've lived out here I've been audibly assaulted with the world's most annoying radio commercial for Charlestown races and slots. It drives me crazy but it obviously worked 'cause after a year or so of hearing it we went out there. I loved it! I love horses even though I'm terrified of them and this is the perfect way to enjoy them. From afar.

The Mighty Northwest

2010-06-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

We started our trip in Seattle...

My favorite part of Seattle is Pike Place.

Paul and Krynn met us up there and we watched the Mariners beat Detroit. It was a very good game. The retractable roof was so cool.

Corey's favorite part of Seattle was flipping off the protesters. He loves Israel.

I had 2 new nieces to meet and they were so sweet and adorable and fun to squeeze!

Bradley is my oldest nephew and I haven't seen him in a while so it was so weird that he can talk and carry on a conversation. He is hilarious!

Jackson cannot carry on a conversation yet and has a short attention span but he is so funny and adorable! He's got a lot of energy.

Annie is the world's chunkiest baby and the sweetest thing ever. She can just hang out all day and not cry or fuss at all. Unless she's hungry.

Audrey is brand new and so so sweet! She is so little and fun to hold. She's my brother and Krynn's first baby and they are the cutest parents.

Corey keeps reminding me that we don't need kids because I can just take care of him instead...

We went to Crater Lake without any of the kids since traveling anywhere further than 20 minutes usually requires multiple stops.

I guess I didn't realize there would be 4 ft of snow at Crater Lake in June. We didn't stay for long. I was kind of embarrassed to even get out of the car to take pictures since I was in shorts.

Falls Creek Falls is one of my favorite hikes close to Roseburg. It's a little over a mile and the forest is incredible. I've found few places more beautiful than this...in my opinion.

Mo's famous clam chowder was not as good as I remembered it...The restaurant was right on the water though and it was such a pretty day. After we left Florence we drove to Eugene to see my friends Christie and Zac but I didn't get any pictures while we were there. We just hung out and watched the end of the Lakers game...they won :)

Here are some pictures from around Roseburg

Some from Eugene

Portland

Then we went home. We had so much fun with my family and friends. I love love love the Northwest and will always miss it but I don't know if I would live there again. I miss the friendliness, the laid back atmosphere and all the weird people that live there. Now, our next family reunion will hopefully be in Hawaii at Paul and Krynn's new place!

Mt. Vernon

2010-06-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Behold, George and Martha's home...

Cajun Festival

2010-05-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

My cousin Jesse is also in the Air Force and is stationed a few hours from Sheppard so he drove down this weekend to hang out. Today Wichita Falls was having their 3rd Annual Cajun Festival so we stopped by for some Louisiana fun.

It was pretty small but we got to sit on hay bales and watch a few bands and get some cajun food and people watch (my favorite non-competitive sport). I'm too afraid to eat crawfish so I just took pictures. A guy standing next to me dropped one off his plate and I started to reach for it but withdrew in horror when I saw its little eyes staring up at me. Sorry guy.

I was so happy that the first band covered some of my favorite country songs! Louisiana Saturday Night, The Devil Went Down to Georgia and Mountain Music. I secretly wish I were a cowgirl. I'm too afraid of horses though.

Easter

2010-04-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

This year I found a Brazilian store and did Easter Brasileiro style! We kind of ended up throwing away most of the candy but it was so fun buying it! I loved the store and it brought back so many memories. I miss Brazil a lot!

We went to Corey's brothers house and their side of the family has the cutest kids so I got to take pictures of them. We had a great time, like always, and are so glad we live close to them.

Annapolis

2010-04-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

We got a late start on the cherry blossoms this morning so while trying to find parking we gave up and decided to go somewhere else. We're not very determined.
Corey didn't want to fight more traffic at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore so we decided to checkout the Maryland state capital. Once again, very historic and we read a bunch of informative placards. I looked at them, pretending to read as I usually do. Corey is taking American History right now so it was a little more relevant to him.
We scored free parking since EVERYONE was at the National Mall and had a nice time walking around Main St. We had the best crab dip in the world at McGarvey's Saloon & Oyster Bar then walked it off at the state capital building. It's the oldest one in the country that is still in legislative use. Not sure if that's why Maryland has the most ridiculous laws in the U.S. or if it's something else?
We highly recommend Annapolis to anyone in the area. There's lots of kayaking and other boating adventures available but we were not only not determined today, we were not adventurous either.

Spring Time!

2010-03-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

Spring weather is here and I love it so much! I got up early today just so I could be outside and feel the morning time. I love how morning feels. It's one of my favorite sensations.
Doug came to visit so Corey and I drove up to PA to hang out with the family. Carrie made a cool promotion/birthday cake for Corey. We celebrated his promotion to E5 and 24th Bday! Unfortunately we didn't get to hang out with Doug very long but hopefully we'll get out to Switzerland soon.
This weekend the weather has been so nice! We spent all day outside at the farm Jason hunts on. They have a nice pond so Christina and I watched the dogs swim and jump off the dock. It was very relaxing and the sun felt so good!

Trying not to be shut-ins

2010-02-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

With this winter being the coldest in the history books we've been more apt to stay inside and not be outside. The longer I stay at home the harder it is to leave. Corey and I love going out and having fun but not when it's cold so we've done nothing that requires leaving the house in a while. Well, I've done nothing. Corey killed a deer a few weeks ago so we discovered the joy of making jerky. If you haven't done it you're not able to read the sarcasm because really it is disgusting and I had no idea. I'm not against killing animals for food and didn't think it would bug me so I was surprised when I felt like crying/vomiting at the sight of the fresh deer meat in the sink. A. It is a dark, weird color. B. It still had some hair on it. C. I kept thinking about how it had been alive only hours ago until someone (my husband) lured it into a trap with corn stalks and shot it unsuspectingly. Ah, so many confused emotions.
Once Corey ground it all up and squeezed the meat onto the dehydrator, we fired it up and started the long process. The first few minutes smelled like meat cooking and it was nice. After about 30 minutes it smelled like meat dying and it was HORRIBLE! I could barely breathe. Corey turned the stove vent on and put the dehydrator right under it so that helped but it was much more unpleasant than I ever imagined. I will never take homemade jerky for granted again!
This weekend the weather looked like it would be alright so we decided to get out of the house finally and we went to the National Zoo then the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. It was fun and free but most of the animals were inside since it's still pretty cold. I'm just happy I made myself get out and try to have some fun. Plus, I need to work off all the baking I've been doing while enjoying my time inside. I make really good treats :)

Airstream Dreams

2010-02-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

Well, since I have nothing exciting to post since the only thing going on around here is snow, I am just going to ramble about my lifelong dream of owning an Airstream. Since the first time I laid eyes on an Airstream I've wanted one. I love vintage things and so these trailers are right up my alley. I also love being free and able to go wherever I want and a trailer is very conducive to a gypsy lifestyle. But please, I don't want to sound too whitetrash. Airstreams are the Cadillacs of travel trailers so it adds a hint of class...maybe. Either way, I love them and I want one.
Corey has been a little hard to convince that this is something we absolutely need. Maybe it was the all the snow or the hours upon hours of being trapped inside that has made him sway an inch or two over into my world? But, this weekend he said, "Ok Carrie, when do you think you want to get an Airstream?" After I peed a little I said, "Maybe in about 4 years." To this he said, "That sounds reasonable."
Marriage is all about breaking the other person's resistance down to get what you want. He's had a tough will for a while but somehow the incessant nagging has broken his spirit and he now wants an Airstream! We want an Airstream! Ok, so I realize this is still mainly MY dream, but I'm very excited that he's at least indulging my dreams and giving me hope.
So, what are we going to do in our Airstream? Just travel the United States and see everything! Spend a month driving up the West Coast, a week or two at Yellowstone, camp in the Smokey Mountains. Definitely see Mt. Rushmore, visit as many National Forests as possible, canoe in as many lakes as we can, Zion National Park, Goblin Valley, the Grand Canyon. Do I really need to go on? I love traveling outside of the US but I would really love to not ever have to deal with another airport so I think I'll give the Airstream a try for a while. After 4 years of international travel.

Work Trip

2010-01-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

I went to Langley AFB which is actually in Hampton, VA for 2 weeks to work on medical equipment and QA their work. This trip was great for several reasons. #1. Ashley, my tech school roommate, is stationed there. #2. Langley is close to Virginia Beach and other cool cities. #3. Langley is close enough for Corey to come down and visit since we had a 3 day weekend. #4. We did not have to pack our stuff and the truck up everyday to go to other bases. We just stayed there the whole time. Much easier. #5. Devin and Sarah and Eva met us in Yorktown so we could hang out and then they took us to a really cool restaurant in Williamsburg.

City Cafe & the Moscow Ballet

2010-01-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Last night Jason, Christina, Corey and I went to see the Nutcracker. Christina found an awesome restaurant near the Opera Lyric House in Baltimore and it was delicious! Of course any trip to Baltimore includes detours through the hood so adventure always accompanies. City Cafe was worth the peril. It was part cafe, part nice restaurant. We ate up in the loft where it was nice and warm and the service was great. We all got different entrees and all were mouth watering. There, I'm a food critic.
Next, we went to the Opera Lyric House for the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker. It was awesome! I'm no ballet critic but I thought it was fantastic. Plus, the butts were phenomenal. I had also never seen the Nutcracker so now I'm a little more clued in on things cultured. I did not understand or really like the rats and I kind of think this little girl was dropping acid.
We had so much fun and we're glad it worked out since the original show was cancelled due to the blizzard so luckily we made the rescheduled show.

Experiment

2009-12-30T06:29:00.001-08:00

I have been off work since last Thursday and don't go back until Monday the 4th. Yes, I am the luckiest person alive. Yes, I've been resting A LOT. Some people might call it being lazy...they're just jealous. I literally have been wearing the same pajama bottoms my mom made me in 9th grade since Thursday. I've been wooing Corey with my mad hot sex appeal. Flannel pajama bottoms, oversized sweatshirt, furry boot slippers and grandma undies I bought on accident the other day. I paid $6 for those things. I can't just throw 'em away!
So today I dragged myself out of bed at 8 (doesn't sound too lazy but I get up at 3:30 am every normal day so I am sleeping in about 4 1/2 hours. Converted to a normal person's schedule, that's like getting up at noon) and was looking at facebook and blogs and decided to look at stranger's blogs until I found a connection. I think I started at Stefanie Farnsworth's blog and looked at someone on her list, secretly judged that person for being cooler than me, then clicked on one of their friends until about an hour later when I clicked on a blog by someone from Oregon that my cousin Josh had left a comment on.
I know you're amazed at my dedication and determination. I've accomplished a lot today and I know you can do the same. Use me as your mental motivation this New Years as you're trying to achieve your resolutions. We all have days where it doesn't seem possible to achieve those goals but when the going gets tough, remember me, sitting on my couch in my pajama bottoms that have lasted 14 years (on a gross side note, these pajamas were made out of my older brothers bed sheets. Thanks mom), my furry boots that keep me warm 'cause the thermostat isn't within arm's reach and all the obstacles I overcame to find the one connection I so desired. Well, 1 New Year's Resolution down! My next resolution will be to turn 29! I am not into goals I can't achieve.

What can I say? Corey is a lucky man. You're lucky I didn't show off the granny panties!!!

Christmas Day

2009-12-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

Well, we don't really have any unusual Christmas traditions so today was pretty much like most other Christian American families. We opened presents from under the tree, stayed in our pajamas most of the day and ate a lot. Corey made duck for our Christmas dinner and it was amazing. Pamela, Corey's mom, came over and we hung out all day cooking, eating, watching movies, playing Wii and laying around the house. Pretty uneventful but just the way I like it. After I opened all of my awesome presents I always like to put them all on and parade around the house. Corey got me an ipod shuffle for running, Mario Brothers and Oakleys I can wear with my uniform. I normally just wear my old unauthorized glasses but now I'll be totally legit! Except for my purse. I've yet to find a military approved purse. Oh well! It's better to ask forgiveness than permission. I also got a new blender/food processor from my mom that I love and the new Whitney Houston cd.
Corey got movies, gift cards for a new shotgun, a pigeon thrower, a new knife and a book. The real Christmas miracle today was the duck that Corey made. It literally tasted like an angel. He also made an incredible chocolate cake, pudding, oreo surprise with hot fudge all over it kind of thing. This is why I am completely helpless against obesity. One of my New Year's Resolution is to combat this horrible epidemic by not eating every 10 minutes as I have been doing all day. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that you all enjoy a safe and memorable New Years. New decade!!!

Snow Storm 2009

2009-12-20T04:08:00.001-08:00

Our area got hit by a blizzard yesterday and left us with about 28 inches of snow. It depends on who you talk to. The weather channel had been talking about it for days so on Friday people were stocking up for the year's biggest storm. I found it funny how packed the supermarkets were and how long people willingly waited in line for. I'm lazy so if I enter a grocery store and find that the line will take any longer than 20 minutes, I'm outta there and Corey and I will drink water or eat our hands if it comes down to it. But really, the snow will probably last 2 days on the road. Why the crazy rush to the store?
Luckily we had enough food in our cupboards for 2-5 days so we were able to enjoy our evening and yesterday were all rested and ready to play in the snow. Our friends, Jason and Christina, have several 4 wheel drive vehicles so they picked us up and we went 4 wheelin' in the mountains. We pulled 2 people out of snow banks and we crossed a stream. The first guy we helped was great 'cause he looked like an Abercrombie model out on a date in his classic, retro Land Cruiser trying to impress a girl. They made it about 20 feet past the 'drive at your own risk' sign and ended up in the bank. I got out and took pictures to make him feel even more uncomfortable about the fact that some other guy had to help him out.

When we got home late last night, this is how I found my car. I can't stress how serious I am about the next place we move to WILL have a 2 car garage. I'm serious people. Very serious.

Here are some other pictures from the day.

Old Motorcycle=New Camera!

2009-12-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

I FINALLY sold my motorcycle! I bought a brand new 2005 Yamaha VStar 4 years ago and have not ridden it in 2 years. I loved that bike but it was time for it to go. I'm way too afraid to ride it in traffic here and Corey has no interest in ever attempting to ride a motorcycle again so it's been sitting in a consignment shop for the last 6 months and someone finally took it off my hands. Well I couldn't just let all that money go into savings! Duh, I had to buy something that I'd been wanting for 2 or 3 months. I really had been wanting this new dslr for a while so I finally got it and love it. I wish I were a really amazing photographer but I think it'll be a while. Like after some classes to find out what all the buttons are for.
We also got our Christmas tree. I love having my own tree! I started out the season trying to be all cute and decorative but that ambition quickly died away and now I'm regretting my holiday frenzy. I started making Christmas suckers but discovered molds for chocolate covered pretzels and got real excited about that. I ended up making over 100 and just finished wrapping them up. I left them out unwrapped for a few days hoping that Corey would eat the majority of them so I wouldn't have to do much else but I made myself just finish it up and now I will not be doing anything creative or cute for the rest of the year.

Country Roads Take Me Home

2009-11-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

This 4 day Thanksgiving weekend has been great. We spent Thanksgiving with Corey's mom, Pamela, at her house in PA. I made dessert and she made pretty much everything else :) It was so good though and I dread the year I have to actually make a turkey. We left the next day for West Virginia to the WVU vs. Pitt rivalry game. We got tickets through Pitt and had to sit in their section so we cheered for Pitt even though we secretly wanted to cheer for West Virginia 'cause they were rowdy and had lots of cool cheers for first downs and touchdowns.
We encountered our first snow storm of the season on the way there and it was freezing! I lasted until the third quarter before I became really uncomfortable. Corey said that the harsher the weather conditions, the cooler the game is...he's a little more hard core than me. The game was really fun though and WVU scored the final 3 points in the last 3.2 seconds of the game for the win and as the crowd stormed the field they played Country Roads by John Denver and the whole stadium sang along. It was really cool. After the calming sounds of John Denver we were quickly reminded that we were in total hickville when all the WVU fans started chanting, "Eat sh!t Pitt, eat sh!t Pitt!" and waving unpleasant hand gestures at us. Luckily we were not hit with any beer bottles or by any fans.
Yesterday we went up to Pottsville, PA to the country's oldest brewery, the Yuengling factory. We took a tour and saw the city. It was pretty cool and not what I expected. It's very small but really interesting. I had never heard of Yuengling 'cause it's only sold in a few eastern states. We couldn't figure out how the oldest brewery in the country hasn't been able to reach states like Ohio or Michigan or any of the cold states where all they do is drink beer. Weird.
We are finally home to clean up the house and get ready for a 5 day work week. It always seems so hard to work that many consecutive days when you've had a few weeks with only 3 or 4. Plus, it's really hard for a lazy person to comprehend the need for a 5 day work week.

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T05:32:00.001-08:00

I would like to thank all the men and women who served in the military and their families. I feel bad that I never realized the sacrifice that so many people made until I joined the Air Force. I guess life is so easy in America that you don't always realize how hard it was for some people to get that for us. Freedom is one of the greatest things we have and nothing is special or valuable unless it was fought for.
My sweet, perfect husband is obviously my favorite veteran and he's off on an Army training in PA for 2 weeks so he's not here to stop me from writing about him :) Corey joined the Army when he was 17 and joined the infantry despite his mom and dad advising against it. They were both in the Army and did not want their son risking his life like that. Since he was a dumb teenager he signed up anyway and he deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. He got to shoot terrorists and play with guns and grenades and all the things boy dream of so he was pretty happy about all of it. However, he was hit by an IED in Iraq and was sent back to the states to recover. He was hit in the side of his neck and nearly died but thanks to his medic and a lot of skilled surgeons he survived and still serves his country despite all that. Lucky for me he reclassed into the medical field and we met at school in Texas. His code name was 'War Hero' so my friend and I could talk about how hot he was without anyone knowing.
Corey is so brave and a tough MFer. His Army training still comes in handy like when we have creepy people on our porch staring into our home. He also helped me improve my shooting skills and thanks to him I qualified as Expert on the M16 yesterday!
I'm so grateful to all the people who have served in the military and have sacrificed for our country. There is a lot at stake and so many people willingly give up time with their families, their safety and their lives. My brother, 2 cousins, husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law, both grandpa's and so many friends have all done this and I'm so proud of them and so grateful to them.
So go hug a veteran and thank them for helping keep us free from living like Iraqi's or African's. Our country isn't perfect but at least it's not okay for men to beat their wives or for the military to kidnap and rape whoever they want. If you want to learn a little about what's going on in the political world, Corey has a new blog. He's very smart and teaches me everything I know about politics. www.themovementmoveson.blogspot.com

Halloween Weekend

2009-11-05T11:35:00.001-08:00

Not to brag, but I won 1st place at a costume party last weekend. How? Easy. Texas Hold 'Em!!!

Sunday we went up to PA for Grandpa Ansel's 80th birthday! We had so much fun and it was a great party. We stopped at the Catoctin Mountain Orchard on the way up to get dessert for the party and we got the best peach praline pie I've ever had. I can't stop thinking about it. Check out their cool pumpkin patch. And my cool face cut out :) I love those things!

Virginia

2009-10-31T03:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Corey and I had one of those non-stop weekends and it was so much fun. We drove to Charlottesville, VA for the UVA vs. GT football game. It POURED! It was so much fun though 'cause Corey got us these great ponchos and it wasn't too cold so we just sat there getting pelted by the crazy VA rain.
After the game we walked around the campus and downtown which is so pretty. Thomas Jefferson designed the campus and it is beautiful. We went to Monticello to see his home and that guy had it made. I got lots of great ideas from his home. He was a very talented architect and gardener and lawyer and scientist and even a little naughty 'cause he had all these kids with his slave Sally Hemings. Anyway, we had so much fun and since the leaves are all changing it was super gorgeous.
We left Monticello and hit up a cool little apple orchard before we left for Richmond to see Sarah and Devon. We spent the night at their house and Sarah showed me around a chic little part of the city and then I was about to crash since I normally go to bed at 8:30 so in the morning we got up bright and early since we normally get up at 3:30 and we were off to Luray caverns. Lots of stalactites and mites and other crazy looking formations. We had to rush to Corey's dads house for Packer football after that and the Packers won their game and the Vikings lost their game so Corey was super happy. We finally got home Sunday night and I've pretty much been tired since.
So go to Virginia 'cause it is beautiful and has so much to do and it is for lovers. I can be your tour guide now :)

I love Pittsburgh!

2009-09-20T04:49:00.000-07:00

We went to Pittsburgh yesterday and Corey's BFFF, James, gave us his hometown tour. I guess I always thought Pittsburgh would be nasty but it was beautiful! So many trees and rivers and awesome bridges. We went to the Pirates game. They of course lost but the field is amazing and we got in for 7 bucks. It was also National Talk like a Pirate Day so we had a great time. We went to the famous Primanti Brothers Restaurant and got sandwiches. They were pretty good. They're famous 'cause they put coleslaw and the fries in the sandwich... ok, it was good. Not that freakin' ingenious if you ask me but my pastrami cheese was nice.
We rode an incline which is a trolly looking car that goes straight up the side of a mountain on a track. There's a couple different ones in Pittsburgh. They're quite frightening but pretty cool. If that cable gave out you would go plummeting at 100mph to your death. Luckily, no one was harmed.
Driving out of the city at night was the best part! All the bridges were lit up and it was gorgeous! Overall I give Pittsburgh a 9. It was full of beautiful buildings, cool bridges, lots of stuff to do in the city or on the rivers. I would go back any day and I will when we get tickets to see the Steelers play the Packers :)

The Catoctin Zoo

2009-09-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

There's a wild life reserve 10 miles up the road from us and it turned out to be such a beautiful day so we finally made it up and it was awesome. We got to pet a kangaroo, a camel, bison and all kinds of animals. It's small but you're so close to the animals that it's more fun than a regular zoo. You're in a little bit of danger so it's more exciting. We also got to do a safari in the back of an old Army truck. I got stung in the armpit by a yellow jacket and it hurt worse than the flu shot I got on Thursday.
Life is busy lately. Corey is trying to make points to get promoted. He got 146 out of 150 at the boards and so he's getting close. I'm taking Biology on Mon and Wed on base so I get home late those nights. Luckily my professor has been super chill and nice so the class isn't bad. I made a friend too. She's from Colorado :)
The summers are great here but unfortunately I had to turn the heat on in my car the other morning and it made me sad. I never want it to get cold...my brother and sister-in-law just got orders to Hawaii! Where it's always warm. Krynn is pregnant so they're not going until after the baby so we're planning a trip in April :) I'm so excited for them and to see my new niece or nephew. Krynn calls it the 'bouncy lil' Burt'. My sister is also having a girl on Christmas. My family is getting big but I love it! Sorry, no kids for us...for a while...like 4 years...possibly more.

Busch Gardens

2009-09-01T03:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we met up with Sarah and Devon and Eva and went to the world's most beautiful amusement park. It was seriously gorgeous and I was very impressed. It was also completely free for me and Corey thanks to their generous support of the troops. I always feel a little bad accepting free things as a 'hero' since as you all know all I've ever done for our freedom is pushups, but since I'm with Corey it's not as bad. He is a hero and has a purple heart to prove it so I kinda just ride on that.
Anyway, it was such a cool park and it did pour and I kind of thought we were going to be caught in the midst of a hurricane but turns out it kept the crowds down. Budweiser owns the park so Corey got his picture with a Clydesdale and couldn't be happier. He loves animals.
We stayed the night in Richmond and got to see Devon and Sarah's new house and and a little bit of the area. Virginia is a lot prettier than Maryland. I didn't realize this until we went down there. Oh well, Maryland is still nice if you're not in the ghetto.

I work with this guy...

2009-08-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Some days at work are very frustrating and almost unbelievable and I felt that this picture I took of a supervisor in my shop's bumper sticker would explain why, better than anything I could write.
Luckily whenever work seems to be getting too much to handle, something comes up that changes my normal schedule and helps me survive another week. This week I got to work at the Pentagon so I didn't have to deal with some people in my shop and it was kind of fun riding the Metro to work and wasting so much time not working. The Pentagon is really beautiful and even though I'm not involved in any of it, I'm sure there is a lot of cool stuff going on...plus, it was exciting just in the fact that we could've been struck by terrorists at any moment! Haha. Not really but it was a nice change for a week. Back to Andrews tomorrow.

Whitewater Floating

2009-08-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

I got back from my TDY a few weeks ago. We got to take a ferry from Conneticut to Long Island and drove to the Hamptons. We somehow made it possible to stay our last night at the Hilton in Times Square so we walked around a little and got some pizza. I was ready to come home so it was just okay.
The weekend I got home a coworker and I threw my friend, Brooke, a baby shower. It was definitely not your traditional, sweet celebration of the new life about to enter the world. It was a little more anatomical and real. Unfortunately the pictures are too mature for all audiences so just imagine a cake in the shape of 'what got her there in the first place'. Since I'd already done the dirty diaper game at my friend, Stefanie's, baby shower that was a no brainer and then a bottle chugging musical chairs where the 'mom' had to feed the 'baby'.
The next weekend some friends and me and Corey went 'whitewater' tubing on the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers out in West Virginia. I was so excited since I grew up floating the Umpqua river and it has a few pretty intense rapids along the 4 hour float. I was expecting the same I guess but was hardly impressed by the mighty whitewater the Potomac had to offer. It was funny 'cause I was really a little nervous since I always think I won't be able to hack it, so at least I was disappointed instead of the only person who couldn't hack the rapids. The Shenandoah was a nice slow float so we could relax and not get river rocks rammed into our butt cheeks like the Potomac.
The wedding pictures are finally up! The are over 512 so if you dare check them all out, here is the website. www.turnerphotographystudio.com
Click 'Order Online' then 'Weddings' then 'Carrie & Corey'.
Or you can enjoy the ease of viewing a few of the ones I choose.

Boston

2009-07-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

I don't feel like I really had time to enjoy Boston because I have so much school work to do but here are some pictures I took on our way to Fenway. I got lucky and got into the Red Sox vs. Orioles game for FREE!!! People love military and someone donated their ticket and I was the happy girl who got it :) Thank you anonymous donor.

TDY

2009-07-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

I am on my first military TDY (temporary duty). We left on Sunday at 8 and drove from DC to Bangor, ME. The drive was so pretty but we did get stuck in NY traffic. I drove for a lot of the way in our shop's F-350 and was strongly encouraged from the backseat to keep my speed at around 90. Every time I dropped down to 80 or so I heard about it until I got back up to a safer speed... But we made it and checked into our rooms at Hollywood Slots. Of course the airman in charge of booking rooms decided that the best choice for our 2 night stay was the state's only gaming facility. It was a really nice hotel however. We worked all day at the guard base but went on a cool trail run afterwards and got to see some of Maine's beauty. Everyone in Maine has a canoe or kayak on their car. They come standard.
Yesterday we rolled into Portsmouth, NH and stayed in another nice hotel on the Harbor. We walked around downtown and mainly just tried to hear people say, 'Park your car in the yard'. Mission accomplished. I love the Boston accent. We're about to leave here and go to Hanscom AFB so I am so excited to hear more of it!

Events surrounding the wedding

2009-07-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of fun stuff before, during and after the wedding so I wanted to put the pictures up. Enjoy the visual story. I have no creative writing ideas so imagine something clever and funny. Maybe laugh out loud a little. Thanks.

The Wedding

2009-07-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

We did it! While others celebrated their independence, Chad (the Reverend) pointed out that Corey was ironically losing his. Chad is Marleah's husband of 3 weeks and they came all the way out to DC to marry us and for Marleah to be a bridesmaid. Paul and Krynn also came out for the wedding. They came early so we could have fun and see some sights. Amy was my other bridesmaid and her son, Bradley, was the ring bearer. Corey's niece, Alyssa, was the flower girl and she was perfect! She was so cute and kept Bradley in line and walking down the aisle.
Our pictures aren't ready yet but Corey's Aunt Pat took some really good ones and put them online. Click here. She took our engagement photos earlier this year. Everyone helped out so much and we appreciate it so much. Corey's Grandma and Mom made personal pies for our desserts and they were soooo good. I wish I could've eaten every kind they made but I was about to bust out of my dress from all the pig and baked beans :)
My whole family came out and made it so much fun. I got to see all 4 of my grandparents and my Mom, Dad and all my brothers and sister and their families. My mom made the flower girls dress, the ring bearer pillow and ties for all the boys. I always thought she'd make my dress but it was way easier to buy it :)
The fireworks weren't as close as promised so Corey, our photographer, his assistant and I all ran about 1/3 of a mile down a path to the Sheraton so we could get some good pictures so we'll see in another few weeks if the barefoot run was worth it.
As soon as we get more pictures I'll put them up too. It was so much fun and even though it was really hectic and Corey and I wanted to fight each other, we're so happy we did it and that...it's over. We got a lot of presents and money so while we will be sending out formal Thank You's we wanted to tell everyone 'thank you so much!'

Philly

2009-06-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Corey's BFFF came to visit a few weeks ago. Donnie just got back from 15 months in Iraq and is out of the Army and back home so he came to visit. We went up to Philadelphia to check out the bell and we went to a Phillies game.

Corey and Donnie throwing pennies on Benjamin Franklin's grave.

Mmmm...cheese steaks

Mmmm...the bell

I collect sweat bands from all the games we go to. Yes, I use them. Yes, I sweat excessively.

Donnie's pouty face when the game went on rain hold or whatever.

Bridal Shower

2009-06-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

Corey's mom and Aunt Pat threw me a surprise Bridal Shower! It was so sweet of them and I had so much fun. Corey was there for most of it but had to leave part way through 'cause he had duty. They made a stuffed person out of Corey's old uniform and printed a cutout of his face and he was stuffed full of houseware items. I got to take him apart and find all the presents. They were naughty and put a can of reddiwhip in his crotch :)
I'm not the biggest fan of me in candid shots because I tend to make ridiculous faces 95% of the time. Have you ever watched yourself in a mirror while you talk on the phone? I have and I don't recommend it, but I managed to find a few from the shower that were not too bad.

He's really excited about that pie dish...

But not as excited as he was about the crock pot!

These dish towels are so intriguing! Are they hand spun?

Mmm, yes. That does make a great hand puppet.

The fake Corey

The real Corey REALLY liked the fake Corey

Me with my hands down the fake Corey's pants :)

Air Show

2009-05-31T15:22:00.001-07:00

I went to my first air show a few weeks ago. It was really cool and loud. The Thunderbirds were definitely the best part. I had to volunteer (which is an oxymoron) at a food booth so Corey came with me and helped me assemble burgers for 4 hours. He's so sweet! And sexy in a hair net ;)
The military 'encourages' us to volunteer so that on our yearly review we can brag about all the community service we altruistically provided. It really bothers me but I just have 4 1/2 more years of playing the game :)

The Final Decision

2009-05-21T03:49:00.000-07:00

Corey and I have been searching travel books and magazines trying to decide where to go on our honeymoon. Somewhere that is not currently in the midst of a political revolution and somewhere that's on our list of places we have to go to. Most of those places are currently housing terrorists or the people are rioting about something so we were having a hard time but have finally decided to go to Spain!

On the fourth or last Wednesday of every August, Bunol, Spain holds the annual Tomatina Tomato Fight and what better way to celebrate the sacred union of two souls than by hurling tomatos at each other? Nothing says love like tackling your new bride in a river of tomato juice.

We'll also be checking out Madrid, Barcelon, Valencia and all the countryside in between. If you've ever been to the tomato fight, let me know if it's as cool as I'm imagining or if you think you could even conjure up a more romantic idea for a honeymoon.

Vegas

2009-05-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Corey went to Vegas for his first time! My best friends all met me there. Lindsay and Danny and girls drove up from Phoenix, Dre and Derek from Salt Lake and LA and Marleah and Chad already live there so I got to see my favorite people AND bask in the 95 degree sunshine! We had so much fun. We stayed at Excalibur 'cause it was the best deal I could find and it wasn't too bad. The flight there was pretty horrible and so Corey and I have vowed that even though the prices are lower, we'll never fly Southwest again. It's always a pain if you're traveling with someone else 'cause you might not get to sit with them.
We walked around a lot, laid out by the pool, went to a show and had some buffets. We flew all the way to Vegas and didn't gamble. I don't even really like it but I love Vegas.

This is Bird Land!!!

2009-04-16T12:28:00.001-07:00

Corey took me to the Orioles game last Saturday and it was so fun! Baseball games are my favorite. The Orioles rocked the Rays and they hit a grand slam in the first inning! The game was pretty much over after that but it was still great. There were really funny people around us yelling weird things, I got to eat a hot dog, a pretzel and funnel cake! NOTHING IS BETTER THAN THAT! I also bought some cool Orioles wrist sweat bands and a baseball that Corey and I signed. We're way too lazy to ever try and get a player to sign one so we just did it ourselves. After we sang 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' we took off 'cause it was cold and 6-0. This is Birdland!

My Mom Came to Visit Me!

2009-04-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Paula flew out to the east coast for her first time and I got to show her all around. She was only here for 3 days so it was fast but we packed it in. First we spent all day Friday down in DC. I showed off Andrews Air Force Base and my mom's favorite thing to do is look at the discounted Dooney & Bourke and Coach purses. We did that then walked around DC for a few hours and saw all the sights. We got a last minute perfect parking spot and now that I have a small car I actually parallel parked without embarrassing the crap out of myself or giving up. I felt pretty cool.
Corey made tons of good food for my mom so we ate at home every night. On Saturday he was the tour guide and took us to Hershey, PA and we went on the chocolate tour. It was super windy but since we were inside our little chocolate heaven we couldn't tell. We drove out to Corey's moms house so the mothers could meet and fight about which of their children is better but they were really nice to each other instead. We were mildly disappointed.
On Sunday Paula made me do wedding stuff with her and even though I didn't want to, it ended up being pretty fun and now I have color swatches. Then before going to the airport we went to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and walked around. It was so cool and pretty and Corey and I are going back today for an Oriole's game! It's rainy though so we might not walk around for too long.

Engagement Pictures

2009-04-06T16:47:00.001-07:00

Corey's aunt, Pat, took some engagement pictures for us and here they are! She did such a great job and we love them.

Workin' for the Weekend

2009-03-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Since we have such long days during the week, we try and pack as much as we can in on the weekends. Everyday I hate work more and more. Lately I've been finding a number of creative ways to get out of the monotonous routine that working on medical equipment is. For example, last week I ran a 5K fun run just to miss an hour and a half of work. Ask yourself when the last time you chose to run instead of going to work was. I recently found out that I have grown a 3rd wisdom tooth and I have the option of getting it out. In no way is it affecting me but just to get out of 2 days of work I am opting to have unnecessary oral surgery. Times are tough people.
The weekends have become even more sacred than ever and Corey and I try to spend as much time outside of the house as possible. Since my roommate from Tech School, Ashley, came up for Corey's party we showed her around our part of Maryland. We went on a hike. The forests are still very bare and blah so the hikes aren't as pretty as I'm sure they will be this summer. Then we drove up to this cool Catholic monument at St. Mary's. There's a huge golden Virgin Mary and grotto and I guess someone had a Virgin Mary vision up there. I just love golden statues. There were a ton of golden Buddhas in Thailand and I loved them all. After the grotto we found a really pretty vineyard in the Sugarloaf mountains and stopped to check it out. After that Ashley had to drive back to Virginia so we just watched Desperate Housewives for the rest of the night. I got Corey hooked. It's like crack.

Secret Star

2009-03-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Corey's Hannah Montana party. I don't know much about Hannah or Miley, for that matter, but I guess she's a secret star and that's what Corey was this weekend. Not only did his Guest of Honor ribbon say so, but I think these pictures prove it. We had a really fun party and we ate so much food. Corey made some delectable BBQ chicken and I made the most amazing cherry cobbler from a can and a box of bisquick. I'm a culinary genius. My roommate from Sheppard is now stationed at Langley and she drove all the way up for Corey's party. I was so excited to see Ashley again. We had some Sunday adventures but I don't want to confuse my blog readers with 2 days of pictures. I'll save that for the next exciting post.

Who's a big boy?!

2009-03-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Corey is! Today is Corey's 23rd birthday and that makes me happy 'cause for 5 more months we're only FOUR years apart. Yes, I'm 4 1/2 years older than my fiance but it works since I'm immature :) I wish I could post some childhood pictures of Corey but I'm at work and don't have a scanner. I can promise you that he was the most adorable baby and child ever though. His mom gave me a picture of him when he was 8 and I carry it in my wallet. If our kids are going to be as cute as him we are having 5 instead of 2.
We're having Corey's birthday party on Saturday so I'll post those pics. They should be fun. Why? 'Cause I bought a pinata. Happy Birthday Corey. I love you!