Author Archives: Reb

NYE with no plans

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So we had no plans this New Year’s Eve. We just wanted to hang out at home, no parties, no big deal.

It was actually not too bad. I made bbq pork sandwiches, corn on the cob and we had pecan pie for dessert. Quite the southern meal for a New Year’s in Hawaii!

At around 11pm Mckenna reminded me to do our yearly interview. I’ve done this for the past few years, asked the kids some questions about the past year, about themselves and what they would like to happen in the new year. Its a cute way to document the new year with the kids.

Finally at 11:30 I said you know what? Let’s drive up to Camp Smith and watch the fireworks from there. There had been fireworks going off for the past SIX hours, it was very exciting. Hawaiians love them some fireworks! We aren’t allowed to set them off in Navy housing, not that that was stopping people but I wasn’t trying to get into trouble!

So we grab some blankets, the dog and hop into the car.

Camp Smith is a small Marine base up on top of a hill with an absolutely stunning panorama from Waikiki to Ewa Beach. You can see the entire southern half of the island. I’ve played football up there and we always get a beautiful sunset to watch during practice. We got really lucky because we got to watch about 6 sets of fireworks going off at the same time. I don’t even know where they were all coming from, Waikiki, Ala Moana, Ewa, Pearl Harbor, I really am not sure. But it made for a great show.

DSC_0006Watching the show…

We also had the added bonus of all of the neighborhoods around the base and the base itself setting off fireworks. It was awesome. Especially since there is a pretty steep hill right in front of the kids with houses down there, and they were sending up fireworks that would go off right at our eye level.

DSC_0011I am pretty mad that I forgot to take my camera’s tripod so I couldn’t get any good flash off/long exposure fireworks pictures. Guess I’ll have to try it around the corner in July!

 

 

…And in with the New.

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So it’s that time, New Year’s Resolution time. I haven’t actually made any for a few years now because I never succeed and then get depressed. But these are just some things I would like to work toward this year and even if I improve just a little bit, that is better than none!

So here is my 13 for ’13…

    1. Eating. I really want to continue to improve what I eat. This deployment and the holidays sent me totally off track, and I would like to get back to eating Paleo or clean or whatever you want to call it. Eating real food, no diet, no restrictions, just real food. As someone said, if your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it, you shouldn’t be eating it. Although for me I would also like to eliminate most if not all of the sugar and dairy.
    2. Exercise. I am not committing to anything crazy but I would love to get back into running. I don’t know if I need to do C25K again or just get my butt on the treadmill. Football is great but I want to be doing something else as well.
    3. Organization. My mom got me the fabulous organizer I wanted for Christmas (Erin Condren life planner!) and I would really like to be less scatterbrained. It’s very frustrating to me that my memory isn’t what it used to be and I’m juggling a lot of commitments right now. I want to be on top of things instead of a step behind!
    4. The house. Making it a home. That means getting the rest of the boxes unpacked and getting rid of the excess clutter. I want my husband to come home and be comfortable and be able to find what he needs! Watching hoarders is a great motivator and I heard something on there that resonated with me: You aren’t honoring your belongings if they are just shoved unused somewhere. If I am not using it, I don’t need it.
    5. Job. I want a job. I really miss working and have been trying to find something that will work for me as well as something I would really love to do. Trying to work around the kids schedules is a challenge as well!
    6. Internet. I would like to cut down the time I am online. I spend more time than necessary because I am bored/lonely/addicted.
    7. Blogging. While this goes hand in hand with #6 I would like to keep up to 3-4 times a week. When I did my 2012 recap post I had such a great time looking over the past year and I am so glad that I started blogging as a way to journal that.
    8. Kiddos. Without a doubt I can improve my parenting. I have been frustrated and impatient and taken it out on them. So more patience, less yelling. That is my goal here!
    9. Cooking. More new recipes! I am actually pretty good about this, I’ve been trying to cook some of the many, many things I’ve pinned on Pinterest. I would like some new items to add to my staple recipes as well as try to make more of the snacks my kids eat from scratch. (Love this book:The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making)
    10. Keeping in Touch. I am terrible with this and am the worst when it comes to really staying in contact with my friends from the past and present, and family! I am really going to try to reach out more and keep those relationships up because I really do have some awesome friends.
    11. Photography. More pictures! Every day use my camera if possible. I don’t think I will ever regret the pictures I do take, only the pictures I don’t. Also improve in my photography, take a class if I can and get better when it comes to editing.
    12. My husband. I want to keep supporting him as he carries out his mission. I want him to always feel like he has a supporter in his corner and a family and wife who are always thinking about him. So this means keep the emails, facebook messages, cards and packages going… I want to overwhelm him with love!
    13. Me. Specifically my attitude. I have a tendency to be a little bit distant and sarcastic but that is pretty much because I am a giant ball of insecurity! I want to open up more and be me, but better.

So come on 2013

Out with the old…

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So. 2012.

Really you weren’t so bad. Or at least you didn’t start off that way.

January we stayed busy in Spain with Three King’s Day, Puerto Sherry, and eating at my favorite 100 Montaditos.

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February was Mckenna’s Rainbow Birthday which was SO much fun to do and a day trip to Vejer de la Frontera.

The 'new' part of the town.

The ‘new’ part of the town.

March brought basketball, homemade hot sauce and a scrapbooking getaway for me.

The girls!

April was a super busy month for us with an ER visit, beach days, Easter, zoo trips, children’s theater, goat farm, hosting my first bunco and FERIA!

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May was even MORE feria, Mother’s Day, a trip to the bee farm and a photo session from one of friends!

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In June Omar reenlisted in the Navy, I had my going away lunch at work, we celebrated Father’s Day, took a day trip to Portugal, I graduated, and we had our last week in Spain.

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July, oh July. We left Spain (and left part of my heart there), moved to Hawaii, saw tragedy in Colorado, went to Hanauma Bay for the first time (of many!), and the kids started school!

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In August we finally got to move into our new house, hit up the North Shore, snorkled, got a Harley, and swam with a sea turtle for the first time!

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September. My month of woe. We spent some time at Kaneohe Bay, Omar turned 5, and we found out daddy was deploying. Daddy deployed.

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October saw more beach days, bird rescues, the end of my football season, a month down of deployment, a port call in Malaysia for Omar, and a great Halloween for the kids.

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In November we hit our four month mark of living in Hawaii, Mckenna made it to regionals with her robotics club, we elected Barack Obama for a second term, my husband got older, I got older, I hit my one year blogging anniversary, we hit our 11th wedding anniversary, and the kids and I spent Thanksgiving in California.

One. More. Bite. Of. Pie!

In December we lived through another tragedy, I baked WAY too much, took a million pictures of the kids at the beach, threw a party, and had a wonderful Christmas.

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2012 it’s been real. Peace out.

Happy Christmas!

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Surprise! We spent Christmas Day the exact same way as everyone else, but I am going to throw some pictures up here anyways!

stockingsChristmas morning, kids were up at 7am (two hours earlier than they have been up all Christmas break!) We do things a little crazy here… Stockings are at the breakfast table and the kids sit and open stockings and we eat breakfast before diving into the present opening. This makes sure mommy has coffee, we aren’t starving and we can relax and enjoy the gift opening. Bowser even got a stocking this year and was very happy with it!

We then had a bunch of this action:

presents

 

Gift opening is such a traditional family thing. I’ve been talking to some friends this year and it’s really amazing all the different ways that families open their gifts on Christmas morning! I keep all of the gifts hidden, including the ones sent from family, the only gifts under the tree before Christmas were some I had received. Then on Christmas morning there is the big surprise reveal with a mass of gifts all mixed together. Then everyone opens one at a time so we can all ooh and aah over each gift. It can take awhile, especially when we have a big group of our family together. One Christmas it was my mom and dad, two brothers, my sister, my aunt and her two boys, and the four of us. You couldn’t see the floor in my moms living room and we were opening presents for HOURS. But I love it. We get to relax and it isn’t a mad rush of tearing through the gifts in 10 minutes.

Anyways, all of this eventually led up to my gift that Omar had sent me that I was saving for last. I really thought it was a pair of shoes because the box was just the right size:

cameraNope, it’s my new baby girl! I was SO surprised and wish he was here to give it to me in person! I am in LOVE with this camera. Although I am still such a sentimental baby that I can’t give up my Canon quite yet. I have had that camera for FIVE years, we have been, literally, all over the world together! It’s like an extension of my hand! Switching from Canon to Nikon is a little crazy, got to figure this new one out but so far I am having a blast!

We spent some time the rest of the day doing some cookie business, well the kids did anyways while I made a big ol’ dinner just for us.

cookies

 

Dinner was great, well that mac and cheese could have been better. Mckenna got all dressed up and put on some of her new makeup courtesy of Mimi! I got a huge kick out of this dumb little Lego figure I had picked up for Omar’s stocking. You didn’t know which one it was going to be and it ended up being good ol’ Hamlet with poor Yorick. Perfectly suited for a five year old, right? I, however, love it!

evening

 

We had a really good day with just the three of us. We were missing daddy BIG time though. Glad that this is one more big holiday over and done with and we can cross it off the list! Just counting down the days!

 

 

Christmas Eve Eve

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I’m ready. Really 100% ready. Gifts are wrapped and ready to be put under the tree tomorrow night. I finished getting everything I needed for Christmas dinner, and my final task of finding new pajamas for Christmas Eve.

I’m ready as I can be but so not in the Christmas spirit this year. I LOVE Christmas, usually I am just so overwhelmed with things I need to do I can’t enjoy it, but right now I am done with everything. Trying to keep the kids happy and entertained, and just not feeling it. Our family isn’t whole this Christmas and it just sucks. So I’m trying to throw my pity party and still keep it fun for the kids. It’s been crafts, outings and treats non stop around here. I still need to bake some more cookies to hand out and some sugar cookies for them to decorate. Another batch of bars bars along with Russian Tea Cakes and jam thumbprints.

Today was a trip to the local ice skating rink. Mckenna had been wanting to do it for awhile and I figured hey, right around Christmas would be the perfect time to go. I have to say I was freezing my butt off in there! I think they said it was 58 degrees! The hoodie I was wearing wasn’t cutting it. I stayed with Omar while he skated/slipped/fell around the kiddie section. Mckenna was off on her own in the big rink. I wish Omar had liked it more, he just couldn’t get the hang of it and got frustrated. It wasn’t the magical trip to the rink I had planned (why does nothing ever work out the perfect way I imagine in my head?!) but Mckenna had fun, we got out of the house, Omar had his first skating experience.

Now as I’m sitting here I am starting to feel nauseous. I don’t know if something I ate isn’t sitting right or if I’m getting a stomach bug (which it seems like everyone is getting!) Crap. Hopefully I am just imagining it because my neighbor is sick. I can’t be sick before Christmas!