Turtle Power

Here's the real Harper with her blanket. She seems to like it...or the person taking the photo...hmm....

Update, Yo

Time to bring you up to speed on me and James and our amazing life together because I know you've all been dying to hear about us...and for those of you who already know about all this stuff, here are some pictures to keep you entertained for 2 minutes or so.

First, the most exciting news in my opinion, we got a new car!! It was bittersweet getting rid of my old Civic...



But totally worth it because now I'm driving this bad boy:



Ah yes, I love my new ride. It's a Hyundai Tucson and it's wonderful!!

We've also gone to visit both sets of parents over the last month. When we visited mine, we went up into a little town called Murphy's for some shopping,eating, and wine tasting. This is the only photo we got:



And us in Virginia at Shenandoah National Park:



Also, James got promoted aaaand got his Seabee Combat Warfare Pin which is a big deal apparently. Good job, hubs!



What a stud :)

And sadly over the last two months both my brother and sister have moved out of the state and taken my six little neices away from me :( Happy for them...depressed for myself. On a positive note, however, I finally finished Violet and Harper's afghans.

Violet:



Harper:



Actually, that's Donnie, not Harper, in case you thought my birthday buddy was actually a ninja turtle. I don't have a pic of her with the blanket so this will have to do.

Upcoming events include Galaxy soccer game on the Fourth of July, two Giants games in San Diego with my parents, and trip to Vegas with one of my besties. Stay tuned!

It's Not My Fault

A few weeks ago we went out for a coworkers birthday. It's office tradition to go out for a meal for every employee's birthday to a restaurant of their choosing. This particular employee always chooses the same Sushi place. Every. Single. Year. I have managed to get out of going the last two years because I detest sushi and most Japanese food makes me feel ill. Japanese food is just not appetizing to me at all and I would never eat it unless I was placed in an awkward social situation where I had to in order to be accepted, such as this employee's birthday lunch. Unfortunately there was no way out this year.

When we get to the restaurant they can't fit us all at one table so I somehow end up at a table with my boss and some other guy who doesn't even work with us but somehow got invited along (I'm not even at a table with the birthday boy? Why am I heeeere??? Curses). Lucky for me it turns out my boss doesn't like sushi either so I didn't feel too ridiculous when I ordered dog food, I mean beef teriyaki. Anyway, the real point of this story has to do with the other random guy at our table. Apparently my meal came with a starter salad. When it arrived at the table I slowly pushed it aside to focus on my lemonade, trying not to draw any attention to myself. That's when the random guy started in on me.

Guy: Aren't you going to eat your salad?
Me: No
Guy: Why not? You ordered it.
Me: It just happened to come with my meal. It does not look appetizing at all.
Guy: What do you mean? It just looks like a normal salad. You should eat it.
Me: The lettuce is white. I only eat dark green lettuce.
Guy: Are you serious? What's wrong with this lettuce?
Me: It has no flavor. I don't like it. You're welcome to have my salad if you'd like.
Guy: I just don't see why you won't eat your salad. It looks fine to me.
Me: I'm not going to eat it because it doesn't look appealing whatsoever and I know I won't like it.
Guy: Hm....*disapproving look*

Whew. Then the guy finally went on to some other boring topic like the best envelope to use for mass mailings (another story for another time). Anyway, this conversation got me so irked!! Who are you random guy, going around judging people for not eating food that they don't want to eat! I'm not 10 years old. If I don't want to eat something, I'm not going to, so leave me alone. Geez.

This type of occurrence hasn't been all that unusual in my life. When I was younger and a picky eater I just assumed I would grow up and eventually start liking all of the gross vegetables and casseroles that all adults seemed to be thrilled with. While I have become a little bit more adventurous as I've gotten older (I eat asparagus now, and occasionally tomatoes) the fact remains that I have not evolved into the typical adult eater like I always thought I would. Sometimes it's embarrassing. Like the other day when we went to some friends' house for a barbeque. We brought steak and salad. They made some sort of potato and green bean concoction. I felt rude not eating it, but I really cannot stand green beans. As an adult, it's typically not acceptable to have foods you simply refuse to eat. But I just can't help it. Bananas are another one. I can't stand to even be near a banana. They infect everything around them with their atrocious odor. I won't even kiss James unless he brushes his teeth after eating one.

So all this time I've been wondering: When am I going to grow up?? When am I going to stop craving frozen burritos and balogna sandwiches for lunch? When am I going to want something other than corndogs and pizza for dinner? And then I got the answer. Never.

It turns out I have a REAL disorder. I know it's real because I read about it on the Yahoo! homepage. I have "Adult Picky Eater Disorder" also known as "Selective Eating Disorder." I've told a few close friends and family members about my disorder and the only response has been laughter. But it's real, people. And I have it. There's even an online support group for it!!

"'People who are picky aren't doing this just to be stubborn,' said eating researcher Nancy Zucker of Duke University, explaining that extremely picky eaters experience food differently than the rest of us."

Did you read that??? I experience food differently than the rest of you. Which is why I won't eat nasty white lettuce. I'm going to have to start carrying this article with me so next time someone judges me for picking every single condiment off of a hamburger, I can prove to them it's not my fault. I have a disorder, people. A little sympathy and concern would be nice.

Relay

This weekend was soooo exhausting. A few weeks ago James took on the task of organizing teams from his battalion for the Port Hueneme Relay for Life. If you're not familiar with Relay for Life, it is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society where teams gather at a track for 24 hours and must have someone from their team walking at all times. During the 24 hours there are different activities going on for team members who are not currently walking and each team has a different booth with fun fundraising activities. James got five teams together, and people would come and go (like me) throughout the 24 hours. Here's a pic of everyone who was there at the end. For the most part these people were there the entire time.



Before the relay started, I just assumed everyone would take an hour and walk and then be done, so I was surprised when I found out James' first team member was taking a three hour shift. Thinking I would be nice and offer to walk with her I jokingly asked if she planned on running the entire three hours. She nonchalantely said no...probably just the first ten miles. I'm really hoping she didn't see the shock on my face. There's no way I was joining her for that!! On top of that, three of the people in the above picture took the whole thing a step further by running 25, 30, and 39 miles each. Pretty crazy. That's the military for you I guess. Too bad there is no prize or money earned based on miles walked/ran. I ended up taking the last two hour shift. I am still sore. From walking. I clearly need to start working out again.

Here's a candid of me and James at the very end of the relay :)



We are probably bad Relay for Lifers for doing this, but we already had tickets to the Zac Brown Band concert at the Hollywood Bowl Saturday night so we took a quick detour to Hollywood for that. We had so much fun!! It's always fun to hear the songs you know and love live, but we were both amazed at what talented musicians each of the band members was. I guess it's pretty obvious that they would be, but they really showed off at the concert and it was awesome. Among the exciting occurances that evening was a fight between two men sitting next to us because one of them couldn't figure out where he was supposed to sit...then somehow the other guy accused him of having fake tickets...and it just went from there. It was nuts. Luckily it was only verbal although we were pretty worried there for a few minutes. Then when we got to our car we realized that parking in a stacked parking lot was a huuuge mistake. We had arrived late so we just parked in the first lot we saw...unfortunately the parking was stacked so we had to wait for eeeeveryone who parked behind us to get to their car and leave before we could get out. We went and got some pizza while we waited. I don't recommend a stacked parking lot EVER.





I promise I looked cuter at the beginning of the night...but then I got cold and sleepy and the whole look just went downhill.

After our Zac Brown Band adventure we finally made it home at 12:30 a.m. James immediately went back to the Relay for a few hours, then came home and slept for a couple. Then we got up at 6:00 a.m. and went to Relay together and the whole thing ended around 10:00. Needless to say we were pretty exhausted and napped most of the rest of the day! All in all it was a fun, crazy, exhausting weekend.

Even though Relay for Life is over for us this year, they are still accepting donations until August 31st if you feel the desire donate! Lucky you :) Here's the link to James' page!

Wine Tasting

Making friends is always easy growing up. Kids find other kids that like playing Barbies or rolling around in the mud and a bond forms. When a Barbie kid meets a mud kid and realize they're not into the same things, they simply don't hang out together. This process of friend selection continues in much the same way as people get older: I like you so I hang out with you, or I'm not too fond of you, so I think I'll keep to myself. For the most part, you always have a choice about who you hang out with and who your friends are. But those glorious days can't last forever as I'm coming to learn.

That fairytale of having a choice about who you hang out with as a child and young adult comes to an end the instant you become part of a couple. When you're a part of a couple, and one of you is friends with someone who is also a part of a couple, it's just natural for the two friends to want to hang out as couples. This is a great idea in theory...but just because one member from each couple clicks doesn't always mean the rest of the members will instantly like one another. In fact, that rarely seems to be the case from what I've heard. Even if all the members of the couples agree to tolerate each other for the sake of the one they love, it's difficult to find couple groups where all four people actually enjoy each other and aren't merely tolerating one another. I am happy to say that James and I have been extremely lucky in that respect thus far in our relationship although I suppose it's possible that one of us is the person being tolerated...hm....

One of our favorite couples is the Monell's. Blair and I went to college together, and when I met James and introduced him to Blair and her husband Justin, the men formed an instant bromance. Unfortunately for us, Blair and Justin have been world travelers over the last year so we haven't been able to see them very often. This past weekend we finally had a chance to see them so we headed on up to wine country and had us some fun.

Wearing my sunglasses indoors. Ohhh yeah.

Blair's sister, Caitlin, and their friend Skeet joined us as well. One unexpected bonus was that Skeet works at the Firestone Brewery so we got a private tour.

Notice that James is sporting his new orange (Giant's) shirt.


I like friends :)

Strange Husband Behavior

A few weeks ago, after months of careful consideration and discussion, James and I decided to say goodbye to my college laptop and to enter the world of sophisticated adults by purchasing our very own desktop computer. And she's a beaut. It's a touchscreen, it's large, it can connect to wireless internet...it's basically just amazing. Naturally, after we purchased the desktop, we thought it made sense to get a desk to put it on. We're smart like that. So after spending an entire afternoon hitting up every office supply and furniture store within a 15 mile radius, we finally settled on a very modern looking glass-top computer desk. It's also a beauty...and the two of them together: marvelous.

Since we bought the computer and desk a few weeks ago, we have moved them around the apartment several times, trying to find just the right spot. We have finally settled on a location between our kitchen and living room. Other previous locations resulted in window blockage, inability to move the chair, and absolute seclusion from anyone else who might happen to be in the apartment. This final location is pretty much perfect. At least I think so.

Apparently I am alone in this belief though because nearly every time I return from being gone...whether it's for a few hours or a few days...the computer has somehow made its way to the coffee table. Right in front of the TV. You basically have to sit on an armrest to be able to see the TV when the computer is there because the screen is so big. I once thought it was a benefit that our new computer didn't have a monitor plus a tower, and was simply just a super smart monitor. Now I see the ease of moving our desktop has resulted in it becoming more of a laptop. Or a coffee-table-top if you will. James apparently likes to surf the web while also watching (or listening because you really can't see the TV at all) to television...which would be fine if he would just use his little net-book or even his phone. But instead he chooses to carry our new desktop, which must weigh like 20 lbs, all the way across the room so he can sit on the couch while he is using it. I just don't understand.

One of the main reasons I wanted to get a desktop is because at one point there were three or four laptops scattered throughout the apartment and all the tangled cords stretching across rooms to open outlets nearly caused my death several times. Plus there were a few close calls when I would sit on a pile of blankets on the couch and quickly realize they were hiding a computer beneath them. I just wanted one, set location where I could always go to use the computer and not have to deal with moving it. Ever.

What's the deal here?? I have never heard of someone moving a desktop computer to wherever they feel like sitting at any given time. In my mind a desktop computer has always been a stationary object. Apparently that is no longer the case. Maybe if we had gotten a La-Z-Boy recliner instead of your typical office desk chair James would just leave the stinking computer where it belongs. Or maybe I just need to open my mind to new ideas...

Note: This post is husband approved.

Independence

One of the things James always says that he loves about me is that I'm an independent woman. Every time the Ne-Yo song Miss Independent comes on he says, "Just like you!" When the guys that were working for him commented on James being worried about the government shutdown because his "wife probably doesn't work," he replied, "Pshh, my sugah momma works, fool!" (Okay, maybe that wasn't his exact response, but it was something along those lines). And it's not uncommon for me to complain about work at the end of a long day and get the response, "I'm married to such a hard working woman." Ahh, it's nice to be appreciated even if I am currently being a slacker and blogging instead of auditing. Meh.

Aaaanyway, I don't really consider myself all that independent. I have my own car...that my parents paid for 100%. I went to an amazing college and got a great education...that my parents shelled out tons of dough for. Up until four months ago I didn't even pay for my own car insurance. Actually, I still don't. James pays for it. It's true that I have held down a great job for three years...but my dad got me the job basically by calling up my boss and telling him he had a semi-intelligent daughter who had taken an accounting class or two and had recently graduated from college. I have a sneaking suspicion that he also threw in the fact that I'm tall and blonde because my boss is kinda pervy and would probably hire based on that alone.

So yes, I've had a job and paid all of my own bills (with the exception of cell phone for a while there and car insurance) and rent since graduation three years ago. I guess for the most part that makes me an independent woman. But seriously, it's like pulling teeth for me to do something as simple as get an oil change. Also, anything that requires an official looking document terrifies me and usually results in me putting off dealing with it until the document is lost, then crossing my fingers that the issue mentioned in document will disappear as well. I do this even more when I have someone to depend on to take care of it for me. Like James. Ever since we've met he has taken care of everything car related and now that we have a joint bank account he takes care of all the bills. What a weight off my shoulders!! It's just sooo nice to have someone to do all that annoying stuff for you. I love that I can count on him and he'll take care of it. Or at least file it away in a logical place so I can find whatever it is when dealing with it is finally unavoidable.

I still have a job and pay half of everything...but I think I am losing my sense of being independent...which scares me because in instances like now where James is gone for a month, there are some things that I can't help but deal with myself. Two days ago I spent the evening hacking into James' email account trying to figure out what company our car insurance was through so that I could get my new last name on the insurance card. It took about an hour and lots of sounding pretty retarded on the phone with customer service, but I finally got it accomplished. Independently. The next day I had to go to AAA to get my car put into my new name and to take my dad off the title. Of course, this never would have gotten done if my dad hadn't signed the paper work, handed it to me, paid for my AAA membership, and told me exactly what to do. And even then, I "lost" the paperwork, only to find out that James had filed it away nicely in my little file-box in a folder titled "vehicle." He's so smart :) Then after all this I finaaaally went to base with my new insurance card and my new registration from AAA and got a sticker on my car so I can get on base by myself. Also known as: independently. Whew, it was a doozy of a couple of days, but when I told James all that I had done, I knew he was proud of me for finally doing something by myself for once. I believe his exact response was, "What's this? I leave for a month and you become all productive!" Yes, that's right. When I have no choice, I can actually get a thing or two accomplished on my own.

All this has kind of been a wake up call. I don't want to be that person who becomes soooo dependent on her husband that she can't even make a dentist appointment on her own or something. And since James likes that I am an independent woman so much (Possibly because it means I buy him things. Often.) I'm going to go ahead and make a real effort to pull my own weight in our household from now on. Time to put Ne-Yo on repeat.