KIX BROOKS Concert

We went to a concert tonight. Kix Brooks, he has a Shreveport connection and the crowd loved him. What an fun evening! Though honestly I wasn't even sure I was going to make it through the "opener" but I'm glad I did. The real deal performer did not disappoint, he might of Rocked My World Little Country Girl! Ha

So much fun, and free made it even better! We enjoyed the show. We also enjoyed the people watching, oh my, what a target rich environment; a treat for sure!

Thursday Thoughts

Hmmm, I've been pretty quiet lately. No real reason other then life and living it. I find that the holiday season starts earlier and earlier every year and this year is looking like no exception. I am quickly penciling things in my December calendar and even November is pretty taken up. I am also making sure I am keeping some down time I think last year I neglected to do that and this year I plan to schedule it!

We finally have been able to enjoy some cooler weather, it actually feels pretty nice most afternoons but the mornings are a bit nippy, I like it, sort of! I am not so big a fan of the the cold but I do enjoy the cool. The evenings have been so nice, we have really enjoyed that! I love sweatshirt weather as I like to call it! It's definitely got that crisp feel to it!

Thoughts:

• Thanksgiving - one week away!
• Ready for some pumpkin pie for sure
• Ham will be the meat of choice we don't do gobblers!

Hope you're having a great week and keeping it real in your world!

Oh what a day!

It started early and ended late. I have pictures to share of the most interesting part of the day...

Let me set the stage. The email said in part:

The activity will be "no skills required, no tools required" but may involve glitter.

It went on to say:

We will meet at XXX to assemble centerpieces - no expertise required just willing hands.

Riiiiiight...

I'm telling you I am NOT the crafty one. I am a good worker bee with the right visual aid to follow! But creative, crafty talent  I do not really possess; anyway, I showed up to do my part! So TEAM DB was formed for the morning. We set out on the mission we were given... painting "bulbs", then we moved on to pine cones, and lastly sticks. We did end up doing our share of bottles since a few boxes were found undone towards the end and we non bottle painters pitched in so we could wrap this work group up for the day!

And personally, I think the email was a little bit misleading you DID need skill! But I think I was a quick learner and much was accomplished and we are looking good for the centerpieces for the holiday party.

 The BWBs

 

 Team DB painted pine cones! FYI the silver ones were classy!

 Our bottle stash!

 There were also wine glasses that got an Epsom rim dip.

 

 

 LODE takes us through the bottle blinging process

• Spray the adhesive on the bottle
• Roll the bottle in Epsom salts
• Spray again

 

 After spraying the second time you can add glitter!

 J-Vet shows off the finished bottle masterpiece!

Miss LODE and J-Vet were bottle masterpiece creators extraordinaire. We have over 60 bottles done; I think that's about half way to our needed number. I can forsesee another workday in our future and I can tell you two things: I will wear older shoes and bring gloves! I will also pray for a non windy day.

 RR on bottle duty!

 

 There was a lot of washing up going on!!!

 Casualties of the day...

Thankfully, MiB was at home getting a change of clothes and was able to being me a pair of black shoes since I was on my way to meet him at the CCAF graduation. Thankful also that RR had goo-gone and I was able to clean up my hands to be able to at least be a little more public ready. 

The day ended well with dinner at a new Mexican place for us, Tito's. MiB did enjoy it, I had been there a few weeks ago and liked it just fine as well, so far we gave it the only thumbs up for a Mexican restaurant in this area.

I am hoping for a pretty great weekend, we will be attending the Marine Corps Ball tomorrow night with the ENA crew. Pretty excited about that. Pics will follow :) Have a great weekend.  

Monday, Monday oh my it's Monday!

Whoa, what a weekend! It was jammed packed and I was truly happy for bed last evening and for my extra hour but it's Monday morning now and we are prepped to start all over again though the calendar is thankfully not so full this week!

I am getting a few house things accomplished and then getting out the door to catch up on those mundane errands that have been put by the wayside in the wake of a very busy last few weeks and weekends. I am also doing launder, tidying up on the home front (dust IS evil), de-cluttering still and getting my "winter clothes" out. That kinda makes me chuckle but it seems it might be time to pull out some long sleeve shirts and put the shorts away. I could be wrong cause the weather has been so awesome but I do think shorts with the exception of one pair are going away until spring.

Sooooo hope you have a productive day, it's really a bit dreary here so finding my motivation is causing me to dig deep, very deep but I'm going there, I'm getting it done. My list is getting smaller but yet larger, I love it. It pleases me to see what I am getting done and what I am planning to do. It's exciting! Never a dull moment at 1104 that's for sure!

Happy Monday all!

Day 24 - Military - MiB

As you know, or at least I hope you know by now, MiB is my husband and he serves in the United States Air Force. It's a job that is a lifestyle and certainly not 9-5, it's 24/7/365. It's been that way since I can remember. It's our life not just his, that is just the way it is when you are a military family.

 

MiB at a neighborhood event with the littlest Marine!

I have blogged many of our experiences as a military family but thought I would hit on some of the ordinary things again. We have an opportunity to do many things and many things are just a part of this life. Promotions and retirements are regular occurrences. They are always happening usually weekly.

 Recent Chief retirement...

 Senior Master Sgt Promo from a ways back...

Then there are the community events, mixers, luncheons, dinners. Once you get to know folks those are enjoyable as well, this community as I have said before has some phenomenal folks who bring the support, they don't just give us lip service they back it up! It's incredible and we feel so blessed by these organizations who show up to GIVE and give generously to this base.

And there are military related functions too, some are unexplainable and you get so much more then you realize out of them. Recently, our base hosted a handful of Wounded Warriors. They came to hunt on the thousands of acreage here. The night before their hunt was a dinner and we met the guys. These were no ordinary guys...they were truly warriors and hero's. I was in awe. I was also a little bit embarrassed that earlier in the day I was complaining about my foot hurting. Yeah, being around these guys made me realize how petty my whining was. I mean I sat with JJ a double amputee who was a very upbeat young man who wasn't complaining or whining about his "feet"! And then there was Thomas our other table mate. I've gotta tell you this guy was a poster child for living life with an attitude of gratitude, he was amazing. I just loved his spirit immediately.

Words cannot convey how touched I was from this event.

Not all events are as enjoyable as the one above. There are times I feel like we are a display, almost like a zoo exhibit. This happens inadvertently I'm sure but it still happens, it's awkward and we just move on. Some folks have never had the experience of knowing people in or affiliated with the military and they just don't think before speaking. It's nothing really but it's something that often leaves me feeling odd. I've probably done the same in some other situation.

Military life to me is as ordinary as the air I breath. I know this is not the case for many. Even some of my young counterparts as they are just entering this blue world and are learning to navigate the waters are soooo lost. I hope they just press on and embrace it, it's not like anything else but it's worth the efforts of learning this world/culture; it really is!

Day + # blogging explanation here.

Day 19 - SBC

Shreveport / Bossier City is the area we are in now. Until we moved here SBC always meant Southern Baptist Convention in my mind! So seeing this reference around town and in emails always messes me up!

Anyway, the SBC area is quite impressive. The BC Chamber of Commerce is fantabulous, they absolutely love the base and treat us so very well and they advocate for us too. It's very nice to be liked! Shreveport also has a lot to offer, they have some museums that are worth a look and there are some impressive landmarks too. We recently went to the Robinson and had a really enjoyable evening there, I want to go back. There was a film showing there right after we moved here that I wanted to see but we didn't make it. Now I will be watching for their schedule so we can make it again soon! We are enjoying our time here. The northern part of the state is so very different then the southern. We have been down to NOLA a couple times and it's an enjoyable destination especially for people watching.

A little know fact is that Shreveport is a really big movie filming area. I mean who knew that? I didn't until we moved here! There are also a few shows that tape or have taped pretty close to here. Ever heard of Billy the Exterminator? Yeah, he's just right up the road and he used to be in the USAF as well, small world isn't it? Duck Dynasty is filmed right over in Monroe, LA which is only 60 or so miles away. Then there is that Bayou Billionaire show that films just outside of the downtown Shreveport area. I've never seen either one of those shows but they are local and the topic of many conversations! Further south you have Swamp People, my father really likes that show and so do the Littles so I know a something about it. We recently had a gator hunt right here on the base and they wanted Jacob to come but he didn't.

The Bossier City area also boasts a nice civic center and the CenturyLink not to mention all the casinos, oh my, are there casinos, LOTS of them. We aren't really casino goers but I have to say the bonus of these places is they provide awesome venues for big events. Their facilities are nice and they always work with the base to get acceptable prices and then they offer awesome room prices so it's a sweet deal! We will be attending another event downtown at the Eldorado and staying the night in early November so it's pretty awesome!

All in all we are enjoying our time in SBC living our ordinary life!

By now you probably get the Day + # post but in case you are late to the party the information is here!

Day 13 - Neighbors

Neighbors are funny things, sometimes they are pretty darn cool and other times they are downright strange, once in awhile they are more than you could ask for. We have run the gamut with our neighbors over the years. Most have been friends and we have kept in touch with many of them even if it is only the yearly Christmas card.
In OK we had upstairs neighbors in our first apartment that we had a great relationship with. And in fact with the great timewaster invention of facebook we have reconnected. They are ones we kept up with years with annual Christmas cards. Moved on to the base and had stellar yard neighbors who again we do the annual Christmas card exchange; our wall mates there notsomuch. Onto Colorado and again facebook has been the most recent way we have kept in touch with our wall mate. Our cul de sac neighbors who were LilBlues best friends we have kept up with over the years through little care packages from our different assignments and we even met up in FL for a fun one day reunion a few years back. Another one of the cul de sac neighbors that LilBlue connected with we reunited with in NE a few years ago! That's the beauty of this AF world. Unfortunately in VA neighbors were not so friendly and while we were always cordial there were no real connections made. And the connections that were made in our neighborhood we did not keep up with! Part of that was us. We were in an apartment complex and our location while we loved it did not open us up to much neighborly interaction. On to AL and we did have awesome good neighbors. They have even called every now and again just out of the blue. I think they think it's fun to track us down and get in touch and say, "so where are you now and what are you doing?" LOL

In Italy our neighbors definitely win THE BESTEST EVER award...seriously, we loved them and I think they thought we were pretty okay.

Recent reunion with Italian neighbors.

The kids!

In NE we knew our neighbors but we were not all that close. However, LilBlue did enjoy that area and is still there. It's a friendly midwestern feel and she loves it. We always take the time to drive through our old neighborhood when we go back to visit.

In FL MiB and I had one doozy of a neighbor, just think whack job. But while not a true next door neighbor we had great on the street friends who were truly awesome. They were 3 Doors Down and we spent many a Sunday evening together as well as several mandatory fun events which were made way better due to the relationship the four of us shared. Moving on to LA and we have some great neighbors once again, in fact we are surrounded by awesomeness. It is neat to know the block or curves as I call it so to speak and since we are off in our own little neck of the woods it's great to be able to reach out if needed for a myriad of things!

2nd Annual Columbus Day Gathering--even though last year it was known as the New Kids on the Block Party!

Just a couple of the curves kids :)

 

  Queen B with her Marine daddy

 Our LA neighbors at our recent block party!

Ordinary life is made way better with good great neighbors (who are also friends)!

Day + # post explanation is here.

Day 4 - Calendaring

I have the opportunity to add things to my calendar daily. It can be a little bit overwhelming at times. Most days it is a joy to attend the myriad of events that are available. Honestly, as with most things in ordinary life I sometimes enjoy certain things more then others. I do not think I have the market cornered on thoughts like that, I'm sure that most people feel that way. I do really enjoy the people I have the opportunity to see at these events for the most part! Sometimes it's like mini reunions because we only see each other at quarterly events. Some of these folks feel more like family since we see them much more often!

 This week's calendar...

Keep in mind I took the picture on Sunday before I looked at my folder from the office...more things could/will/should/can be added at any time :)

The thing I find challenging about all this calendaring is that we can find ourselves coming and going for all the attending we attend. I find that I meet people and gravitate back to them to check in on how they are and don't always get around to meet some of the newcomers. However, I make an effort to meet as many as I can. I do this because I try to never lose the "new girl" feeling. This makes me sad and I try really hard to reach out to the newbies because as life has it I often feel like the newbie or I am the newbie and try to never forget that mindset of what it's like to be the newbie.

Being here in LA we have had the fullest calendar ever I do believe. There are a number of factors that have contributed to that. One is that we are at a BIG base, two the job my husband serves in and three the community here is uber supportive and invites the leadership to lots of things. Again, it's fun, lots of opportunities and we usually enjoy all of it. It's not really ordinary to be this busy, but it's part of this season of our life here, it's all good and I know one day we will miss the people in this business. 

If you are not sure what's going on with the DAY +# postings check here!

Thursday Thoughts and TOES :)

Great day to you, temps are still warm but not so HOT, makes this girl smile. Love the coolness of the mornings as I am for my morning run/walk, it's sooooo nice! Today was Attic day, I was so excited to see the girls as it's been two weeks since I have been able to go. Life has been full as of late. Going to the Attic is something that I so totally enjoy. Even when I hear grumblings. But really I don't hear many, seriously. I mean there are somedays when you hear more then others about not so great things. And sometimes I happen upon circumstances that I can assist with and that always makes for a good day. Amazing, what a phone call can do when someone has been trying for weeks to get a pay issue straightened out or a housing maintenance issue that seems beyond ridiculous has been going on for weeks, it's good to be able to help out, I like that :) 

I also enjoy hearing about experiences by way of conversation. Today a young Airmen met an Airmen of the Month board for the very first time. Hearing about his experience was awesome, he was so proud and excited and was very complimentary of his supervisor who had walked him through the process "took care of him" so to speak. He actually felt sorry for the other two candidates as their supervisors had not given them insights into the process and they were nervous and ill-prepared, he was gracious enough to share with them what he could as they were waiting. THAT is a GREAT WINGMAN, This young man will go far!

Another perk of being at the Attic is seeing all the babies. Today there were many, some with painted toes, it was adorable!

. These are pretty toes :)

Those toes belong to New York...isn't she adorable!

More adorable toes!!!

Those belong to Wyoming :)

Thoughts:

• I'm gonna miss this...
• Fall is coming, I know it!
• Proper supplies have been secured :)

Happy day to you, I'm fixing dinner, black bean soup, yummy!

Thursday Thoughts

It's been too long. I have not been so good at keeping up with my postings. I would say it's a combination of things, life and just needing to be quiet. I am sure at some point I will reflect on this time but for now I will not.

Thoughts:

• Need a slow down
• Ready for the weekend
• Life is full of many surprises!

In other noteworthy news we have an addition to the kitchen. Not sure it's the final resting place but for now it's at home. We have enjoyed it and hopefully will be able to gather the supplies needed for better things to come out of it. So far pickings here are slim, a Texas trip may be in order.

 THE Machine...

 THE Machine enjoyers!

So we have been on the hunt for a machine for quite some time. Just kept watching CraigsList and other online venues and finally one was available. Actually it was located in OKC, thanks Uncle G, for making this happen and for delivering enroute. WOW, it's amazing to say the least. Can't wait to put all three bays to use. Hoping to get our supply chain working for the right mix and get it going with our secret recipe. Also plan to develop some new recipes. MiB is definitely thinking frozen mocha cappuccinos and who knows what else we will come up with! Should be fun for sure!

We will be doing all we can to make sure it's ready for the next neighborhood gathering in October but might even try it out at the ENA (EastSide Neighborhood Association) ladies night out in a couple weeks and I'm pretty sure we will be using it at couple's night at the end of the month :)

Neighborly evening!

Since there are so many new faces in the neighborhood and many wanted to have another gathering after our ice cream social we decided to have a little driveway cookout. It was a nice evening for it and many came out to join in.

 ALL the kids enjoyed the toys!

Just a whole lot of much needed chillaxin' going on! Great evening, good food! The weather was so good, even if it was a bit HOT when we started by the time we were ready to call it an evening it had been perfect for a long time!

Thursday Thoughts

Hmmmm, what can I say? It's been a week...more death. Unreal the amount of deaths we have seen at this base. I am saddened over and over by these events. Hardest is the children, but loss of life, any life is still devastating. It's not anything you soon let go of, too many of those families faces still play through the video tape in my mind. I wonder about them, how they are doing, what their holiday was like, will be like as they move forward without their loved one.

Thoughts:

• Tired
• Ready for the weekend
• I have a sore left arm :/
• Eyes better, swelling down PTL!

Not so much from me today. Have many thoughts just haven't really been able to put them into words for the blog. Life is like that sometimes. There are so many emotions and thoughts running all directions in my brain this week I have literally felt exhausted. I even went back to bed yesterday morning for an hour after I had already been up. It was a bad idea, I think I felt worse. Next time I will just have another cuppa joe and keep going.

Have a good Thursday, I'm going to try that's for sure! And be thankful for whatcha got; every time we go through the whole death thing it makes me realize just how good we have it and I don't want to take it for granted. Life is truly fragile, I'm thrilled I have been livin' it this long and pray for many more years to come!

Swollen eyes / New eyes

So MiB came home last night and said "what's up with your face"? You know it's not good if #1 he noticed something and #2 he said something. I got up looked in the mirror and sure enough my left eye is somewhat swollen; okay a lot swollen. I don't recall injuring it. I pop some acetaminophen; place a cold pack on my face for about 15 minutes and finish getting ready to leave for the evening event. I don't know if others noticed but one person did mention it. I am not sure, maybe I hit my face on the car door unloading groceries, don't recall that but it's possible, I want to think I injured myself rather then something being wrong. I pop an ibuprofen halfway through event to hopefully help with the swelling. Return home, do a little more cold pack then off to bed.

This morning woke to a bit of matting in both eyes and much more swollen on left and spreading to right. The swelling is enough I can "see" it in my vision. I pop more acetaminophen and out the door I go with coffee to the tire repair place. While MiB is getting the repair ticket in order I think maybe I do need to see a doctor so I called the nurseline and she does advise I should be seen. I get a referral number and off we go to the urgent care clinic. Two hours and a shot later I am on my way to pharmacy for antibiotic drops and hoping things improve.

Lunch out since we are still waiting on tire repair and stopping to look for new glasses was in order. Love the Greek salad at Newk's and with a thank you gift card I did not feel bad for going. Plan was to return home to eat since we have been eating out all week on vacation. But we were hungry and driving home and back just seemed too much. After lunch we stopped in the eye glass place and I found a pair that I liked. Left for a few errands and returned to have new glasses ready. I have been needing new spectacles for a while but have just been putting it off. I now have a new pair and another pair on order. It's definitely a stronger script and I think it's going to take my eyes a bit to get used to them but in due time I'm sure it will be fine. I did not go ahead and get the bi-focals. For one it is pretty expensive for the progressive lens which is what I would like to get and secondly I am not sure I really need them just yet (I may just be in denial though and need them very much :/)

Maybe a picture of the new eyes at a later date; for now the swelling is not too bad. Should it continue I might post a pic otherwise just know that it's not pretty...thankfully, it is not painful! Good thing we have an ice cream social tonight to host! There will be pictures for that unless I forget! There will eventually be pictures of the new eyes I promise!

Random Updates

If you remember this post regarding my phone you need to know that NOTHING happened when the whatever it was expired. That kind of makes me mad but then again I really am glad nothing happened. But it had me somewhat stressed for a few days as every morning that annoying message appeared randomly for several weeks. Pffft Apple! You may me afraid for nothing, nothing at all!

And I DO have a nail in my right front tire...holy cow what's up with us and tires... If you recall we recently replaced a tire as in less then a week ago. It is here on the blog if you missed it. I am not yet sure if we will be replacing another tire, maybe it can be repaired or plugged or patched or whatever it is you do to brand new tires that get holes. Geeeeeezz!

I am on a little bit of a  vacation is over downer; it was great to be away, it was fine to come back but I liked being away better. Tonight I will get all gussied up for a formal event and go play nicely with people who probably aren't enjoying themselves. As of late I feel like others do not enjoy their role as a mil spouse and find it labor intensive. I have rarely if ever felt like that. I enjoy being with MiB no matter where that may be. I would much rather enjoy an evening, ANY evening, with my MiB then be without him especially if that means I stay at home without him. Now that we are empty nesters I am able to go and do more with him. And even when LiLBlu was at home, I tried to go and do what I could around our family life and  we still treated military events like date nights. I don't know it just works for us, I get it if it doesn't work for others but maybe you should get into a different line of work.

I have finished the laundry, was hoping to get a little more cleaning done, but worked on some other projects and cleaning just didn't happen. Will definitely need to make time to hit the high spots soon, the dust is taking over!

I was able to make a commissary run today and pick up necessities. I was once again disappointed in the produce section. I don't what it is about this location but the fresh fruit and veggie section lacks IMO. I will hit the farmer's market in the morning. we definitely need tomatoes so we can have caprese, I need to use the cheese before it is out of date. And I also got bacon for BLTs which sound great on hot days.

Hope I hit the high points on updates, just felt like some things were hanging and wanted you in the loop! LOL Now I'm going to try and catch up on some reading! Have a great evening.

Thursday, last day of vacation, thoughts...

Last day to hit the beach so off we went while the others snoozed...no worries, MiB enjoy our early mornings on the beach with very few distractions. 

 

 Even with the clouds the sunrise was spectacular...

 This morning I got a little more reading in!

I love the quiet time and ocean sounds while MiB is surfing, no matter if I am down on the beach or up on the seawall the sound of the waves is awesome!

The waves were few and far between but getting on the water is what it's all about so off MiB went for a last session!

 

 Last water therapy for awhile!

  
Returning to the room we met with three still sleeping beauties who soon started to stir. We had to get moving since we were checking out and heading north to the airport. Uncle G had the first flight so we got him squared away before enjoying a Chick-Fil-A lunch. LilBlue and the Bud do not have CFA in the BigO so this was a treat for them. Though LilBlue did consider choosing PeiWei I am glad we "ate more chiken"!

 CFA

 

 MiB and Me :)

In case I forgot to mention it the engagement ring is GORGEOUS...loved seeing it in person, loved that it is now on it's fourth generation. Praying for the marriage that will be here sooner rather then later... 

 BEEEEEEE.u.ti.fulllllllllll

I am still somewhat "pink" today...I cannot believe I did that. I have not burned in eons! Really stinks and honestly hurts a little. the Bud definitely got some sun this week, check out his arm...

 Definitely see the contrast

Back to the airport to drop off Uncle G and hugs all around. I so wish we all lived closer...our time together is always so short but also so precious. Someday, maybe things will change and our lives will intersect more often. I always remember that airports are the setting for the happiest and saddest times...you are usually happy to see the person you are picking up and most always sad to see the person go you are dropping off. That is certainly the case today.

 Hugs all around

Then over to the mall to do a little strolling before the late afternoon flight. We saw some sights as seems to always be the case whenever we do mall walking. I only wish I would not have been so stuffed that I could not enjoy a cookie...well, second thought I did not need a cookie but I really did enjoy smelling them!

Back to the airport one last time and then we are on the road back to LA. The trip was good we enjoyed it and loved the time together which as usual was waaaay too short. Looking forward to next time already whenever and wherever that will be remains to be seen. Plans are being formulated, we shall see what materializes.

Home, car unpacked, laundry started and frozen pizza consumed, life is good!