More of the same February 11, 2012

Not much to report, so that is why I haven’t updated. Sailor works weekends, so we haven’t had a chance to get out and explore.  But the other day while at the park, I chatted up a couple who have a little girl SailorBoy’s age. They told me about some great kid-friendly places in the area. So whenever we get a shot at family time again, I’ll be sure to post about it!

In the meantime, here are park photos taken on an unusually warm day. Lately we’ve had day temps in the 50′s and cold nights. Tonight will bottom out at 23. Can’t wait for spring!!

peekaboo SailorBoy

 

Tagged January 28, 2012

I haven’t blogged lately because I have 0 exciting things to write. My posts would consist of”wah! I have no car! My kids are driving me crazy!”

We’re waiting on a few more end-of-year statements and then I can e-file our tax return and we can get me a cheap (but safe) car. We should have Sailor’s car paid off by this time next year (3 years ahead of schedule! woo!) and then I can trade in my cheap car for a nicer one. So I just need one to use for the next year to get from A to B. Can’t wait to be mobile again!

Amanda at 5 Miles Past Empty tagged me for a questionnaire and it popped me out of my blogging rut, so thanks Amanda! The following is a compilation of things you probably didn’t know, and wouldn’t think to ask! Enjoy.

So here are 11 Random Things About Myself…

1. I eat chocolate every day. Usually Dove dark chocolate promises with almonds, but if I’m out of chocolate I’ll have a cookie or something. I’m part hummingbird or something because I feel like I NEED sugar.

2. … That being said, I love nutrition and studying it increases my awe in God. Not only at seeing that we ARE indeed wonderfully made, but that in His providence He created foods that give us everything we need to be healthy and happy. I respect modern medicine, but I revere God’s creation.

3. I’m not crafty, but my thrifty side wishes I were. I wish I could whip out homemade curtains, handcrafted christmas gifts, and cute cards or scrapbooks without paying for all that stuff at the store. But I’m honest enough to know I’ll never get around to finishing a project because its just not where my passions lie. It doesn’t stop me from pinning dozens of cute crafts on Pinterest though!

4. I used to dislike my red hair. Now I love it. I’ve never met a natural redhead that I didn’t like – we’re all a little quirky due to that mutated MC1R receptor. Yup, we’re mutants! It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?

5. I am perpetually cold! It could be 80 degrees at night and I still need a blanket. (Not an exaggeration. I used a comforter our entire 3 years in Hawaii)

6. I’ve always wanted to wake up one day and discover I’m inexplicably talented at something.

7. I have a horrible memory. I think…. I dunno if I do. I forgot.

8. When I cook, I pretend I’m on a cooking show and talk to an audience (just in my head if Sailor is around.) “Ok, now I’m chopping the onions. Don’t forget to salt the water when it starts to boil. Oh! Look at that golden brown crust on the chicken!”

9. I am going to start a small organic garden this year – herbs, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes and strawberries. I’ve never grown anything before and I’m excited but also nervous that I’ll kill everything.

10. Everyone is so much cooler, more interesting and more talented that I am. I have a serious inferiority complex. So its a challenge to remember that I have just as much right to live as the next person…because God said so, thats why.

11. I’m completely solar-powered and thrive in sunlight. Put me outside in the sun, or even just near a sunny window, and I’m happy.

      More randoms

1. What is your favorite cheat food/meal?

Ice cream. The loaded, the better.

2. Where is the best place in America that you have travelled to/lived in?

I haven’t been many places, but Orcas Island in the San Juans was gorgeous!

3. If you could change one thing you have done in the past what would it be and why?

That whole “butterfly effect” aside, I would’ve completed my degree before getting married, or at least before having kids.

4.  What is your favorite thing you remember from your first race?

My first race was a 5K that I’d trained for using the Couch to 5K program. I remember feeling so accomplished and “chicking” a guy at the end. I was proud of myself for sticking with the plan and doing it!

5. Would you prefer to run on a treadmill or in the pouring rain?

Treadmill without a doubt.

6.  What is your guilty pleasure television show?

House, M.D.

7. If you could have one super power what would it be?

Teleportation

8. Do you remember your dreams when you wake up? If so, what is the strangest dream you can remember?

I do remember for a while and then I forget (see “horrible memory” above.) Last night I dreamt I was helping someone find their estranged father and when we found the dad, he slammed the door in our faces.  Don’t psychoanalyze me!

9. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would you choose?

Pizza. Chicken and pineapple pizza.

10. What piece of advice would you give a new runner?

Bad days and bad runs don’t make you a bad runner.

11.Biggest Loser – love it or hate it?

I used to watch it diligently but I didn’t watch last season or this season. I’m just over it. Not sure if its because it has changed, or I have. Probably both.

11 questions from Amanda:

1.What is your earliest childhood memory

Getting a 2nd degree sunburn on vacation somewhere. Not being able to wear a shirt and crying in pain, so my sister stayed in our RV with me and read me stories from a Jack Harriett collection. I think I was 5 or 6? My sister is wonderful.

2. What is your biggest fear?

Something happening to my kids.

3. What is something you dream of doing but you know it is just that, a dream?

Learning to play guitar and being an indie Christian singer

4. If you had a million bucks to give to a charity or a person, who or what would you give it to?

Give it to a children’s hospice foundation.

5. If you knew, without a doubt, the world was ending on 12/12/12 what the heck would you do for the next 11 months?

Throw away every electronic we own and spend every moment present as a family. I’d  take our savings and go see extended family and friends and tell everyone about the grace of Jesus along the way.

6.If you could be someone else for one week, who would you be and why?

I’d be Sailor, but only if he could be me. So we could see and feel what the other goes through and come to a new understanding and appreciation of each other by week’s end.

7. If someone offered you the car of your dreams (for me the BMW X5 3 series) to drive for free, gas and insurance paid as well, BUT you had to have one of those crazy advertisement car wraps for something completely stupid, all over it, would you do it?

Yes, as long as it wasn’t crude! And the BMW is my dream car too!

8. What is your biggest pet peeve?

When something doesn’t work as it should.

9. If you left the house in the morning without ________________, your day would be ruined.

My kids. Unless it was planned, and then it would be awesome. If it wasn’t planned, that would be bad.

10. True confession: How many days in a row have you gone without showering? And how many of those days involved a good, sweaty run/workout?

My max is 4 while camping. No workout, but plenty of sweating out in the sun. Ick!

11. How much do you love ME for tagging you and asking you these ridiculous questions?

You’re fantastic Amanda!

Now here are 11 questions from me for you to answer!

1. Do you have a chore or daily activity that you have to do a very certain way every time?

2. What is your favorite smell?

3. What is the last thing you ate?

4. Can you throw out a random movie quote or song lyric?

5. What is the most expensive item of clothing you own, and how much does/did it cost?

6. If you could describe your spirit in 5 words, what would they be?

7. If someone offered you a fully paid-for, risk-free plastic surgery procedure of your choice, would you take it – and what would you choose?

8. Would you rather lose both your arms or both your legs?

9. What would your perfect day be like?

10. When you’re having a bad day and want to smile, what or who do you turn to for a good laugh?

11. If you had the power to make one thing happen or “be so”, what would it be?

If you’re reading this, you’re tagged! Copy and paste the 11 randoms, and the 11 questions I asked and answer them in the comments! c’mon! Do it!

What I’ve learned in a month January 21, 2012

So we’ve been here a month already. More than a month, but who’s counting?

My days are pretty mundane lately. Sailor works a lot and that leaves me without a car. I can’t wait for our tax return to hit the bank so we can get me a little A-to-B mobile. That will improve my lifestyle CONSIDERABLY.

Without too much excitement going on, I’m at a loss for what to post. But I do think its important that I do because this blog is as much for me as it is for others. 3 years from now when I’m walking around F’ville like I own the place, I want to be able to read back to my “first days” and laugh remember what it was like.

In my first month as a Cackalacky Transplant, I learned:

1. It gets cold over here! I was thinking it would be much more mild than it has been. I wasn’t expecting that nights would drop down to the ‘teens and many days would barely break 40.  We haven’t gotten snow, but its definitely winter ’round these parts.

2. The people are really nice and chatty. I can talk to a statue, so I love that I can make a comment to someone and they actually respond! Everyone from the gas meter man to the waitress at Cheddars has been friendly and social. I think we tend to be more stoic in the Northwest, so I’m glad to find people who like to talk to other strangers like I do!

3. The women dress nicer here. I’m not staying everyone is dressed to the nines, but when you’re out – even just to the grocery store – you wont find many people “slummin.’ Nice jeans, a nice blouse, and good shoes. Hair will be styled in some way, not just thrown in a pony tail, and face made up. Again, relating back to the hippie Northwest, I’m used to comfy jeans and a t-shirt 90% of the time. I rarely wear makeup and my hair is always in a ponytail. Its ironic that “plainness” doesn’t make you blend into the crowd here, rather it causes you to stand out. Should I do as the Romans and get some nicer clothes (my wardrobe could stand a facelift) or remain as I am?  Check back in a year to see if I’ve fully embraced Southern style…

4. Aside from Chick Fil-A and Panera bread, mainstream fast-food isn’t a big thing here. Sure, they have McDonalds, Burger King and Arbys. But their parking lots and drive-thru lanes will sit empty while the fried chicken places are backing up traffic. You’d think that with such a huge military presence that the hamburger joints would be packed come lunchtime, but no. And when I looked up restaurant reviews on Yelp, the top 3 highest-rated restaurants were ethnic – Vietnamese, Indian and Thai. The steakhouses were much lower on the list. Hmmm.

5. Everything closes by 9pm, except for restaurants on the weekends.

6. Many places are closed on Sundays, which makes sense but its an adjustment.

7. BBQ is a noun, not a verb. The act of cooking burgers and hotdogs on a grill is typically called a Cook-out or a Burger Burn by the locals. There are enough people from the land of Somewhere Else that you’ll still hear about a BBQ though.

8. Skibo is pronounced Sky-bo. Still working on that one. But if I can pronounce Puyallup, Suquamish and Mukilteo I guess I can force myself to say Skybo.

Thats it so far. Despite the things above (and its nothing weird, but different..and different IS ok) I feel at home here. Like I said, getting a car will afford me the opportunity to get out and about during the week, so I see my quality of life increasing exponentially in a few weeks!!

 

ps. I deleted my health and fitness blog because it just wasn’t what I wanted to focus on right now. I’m doing well at rehabbing my leg and I plan to start the Couch to 5K program on April 1st. No, thats not a joke no matter how foolish I look while running…

Guess what we did January 6, 2012

Guess what we did to kick off 2012?

Maybe its not obvious, so I’ll tell you. We went to Carolina Beach.

These pictures don’t even do it justice. Maybe I’m just so deprived having come from WA with all the cold, the gray, the drizzle. But the moment I laid eyes on the surf, I wanted to cry. It was euphoric to walk on white sugar sand, breathe in the salty smells and feel the wind whip my hair into  a sexy beachy braid  a knot. It reminded me of Hawaii….if Hawaii were 30 degrees cooler. But I did feel like I was transported someplace exotic.

We had gotten off to a late start and it took longer to reach the coast than Google Maps promised us it would. We didn’t arrive until after 4pm, but it was still in the low 60′s. Imagine that! January 1st and weather in the 60′s.( I have to confess that we’ve been here for 3 weeks and I’ve already thanked Sailor for bringing us here about 2 dozen times.) Months ago, Sailor was telling me how much warmer the Atlantic was than the Pacific. I didn’t believe him, so he said he’d jump in the water on New Years day. I’ve held him to it ever since, and sure enough, he jumped in! It was no bathtub, thats for sure!

We didn’t stay too long because it WAS very windy, getting dark, and we were hungry. So we drove back through the town of Wilmington to Cracker Barrel for dinner. It was my first time at Cracker Barrel and I really dig the country atmosphere, and the food was great. A nice old man at the table next to us entertained SailorBoy and SailorBaby during dinner, and when we were leaving the restaurant SailorBoy whispered, “Was that Santa?” I just love how friendly people are here!

We’re definitely going back to the beach soon. Not too soon, because we’ve recently hit a cold snap. It went from mid-60′s during the day to barely cresting 30 and lows of 20 overnight. Its actually warmer in WA right now and I was NOT expecting to see these temperatures in NC. But I predict that the days of 60s and 70s are right around the corner, and when they come…you know where to find me.

2 weeks down and grocery shopping December 27, 2011

 

Pardon my lack of updates. We got ours things and I immediately set to work putting the house in order. My priorities were the living room and kitchen. The living room ended up like this

Then we got busy with Christmas and that went really well. I can’t complain because there were several good things about the day: Sailor was home, we had shelter, food and warmth, and presents under the tree.  The problem this year was that it didn’t FEEL like Christmas. At all. It just felt like a day we were supposed to open presents and eat better-than-usual food. I have high hopes for next year though. I’ll be on my game and I’ll probably feel more at home.

With New Years looming, I’m going to be starting my health/fitness/running blog back up again. I have some definite fitness plans for 2012 such as:

• Successfully complete a 2-week juice and raw food cleanse
• Start my own at-home rehab plan for my leg
• Begin walking and transition back to running. I will be following the Couch to 5K plan, starting back at Week 1 Day1.
• Going “flexitarian” and only eating meat 1-2 times a week. My family wont be joining me, but they will probably start eating less meat as a result.

If that sounds like riveting journalism to you, follow me at my other blog:  Navy Wife On A Diet

CackalackyTransplant is my lifestyle blog with the purpose of documenting life in NC.

NWOAD is mainly for fitness and wellness exploits.

Take your pick, or follow them both!

——————

The only other thing I have to report is that I have done some grocery shopping around here. First I checked out the Super Walmart and found it to be quite nice! I’d been to Walmarts with a limited frozen/refrigerated section, but never one with a full produce section and deli. I probably wont do my main shopping there but I love how handy it is.

I also went to the Harris Teeter (which is like a Safeway for those of you back home.) I really liked  how clean, open and well-stocked it is. Its about 10 minutes away, but that is closer than the base so I will probably shop there most of the time. Its strange how FEW grocery stores there are in this area. The PNW has several chains competing for your business, therefore its common to have a couple Safeways, Albertsons’, QFC, Fred Meyer, Walmarts and other stores all within a 10 mile radius. But here, you have only a couple Food Lions, an Aldi’s, and the aforementioned Walmart and Harris Teeter serving 2 cities. Chalk it up to a regional thing I guess, but its weird to not have a big-name store just down the road anymore.

 

To sign off, I thought it would be fun to post pictures of past Christmases!

2008

2009

 

2010

 

2011

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and if you have big plans for 2012, let me know in a comment!

Our things came… December 23, 2011

Our things came today. Time to get to work putting everything in place.

I’m excited to start making heads or tails out of everything, but I’m also so overwhelmed. I don’t know where to begin.

A bright spot for today was getting lunch for the movers and us at Baldinos subs. Wow, that is some gooood food. Better than Subway or Quiznos in my opinion. Clean store and courteous staff too. We will be back. Hopefully not too soon, because I got my cookware and I’m excited for some good home cookin!

Today was 74 degrees, overcast and humid. Yes, 3 days before Christmas and Sailor and the boys were going around shirtless. This is the anomaly day this week because the other days have been mid 50s and 60s. Ugh. Its 8pm and still feels sticky in the house, like a kitchen does when you’ve been canning jars all day. If this is any indication of what summers will be like, I am nervous. I suppose its a good motivator to get in better shape though, because in a few short months I will be in very minimal clothing.

But, enough of the future musing. My immediate desire is a cup of strong, homebrewed coffee and getting the kitchen squared away!

Day 8 December 21, 2011

Yesterday was Day 8 and I hit a low point. A cloud slowly made its way over to me and anchored itself to the chip on my shoulder. There was no significant reason for my sadness and therefore nothing I could do to remedy it. It was just “one of those days” that you have to let pass. I know myself well enough to know that sometimes a bad day is just that – a bad day.

And sure enough, here it is the morning of Day 9 and I feel better.

Our things come tomorrow and I can get to work turning our house into a home just in time for Christmas. After 10 days of sitting on the floor and eating every meal from off my lap, I will have renewed appreciation and gratitude for our shabby couches and scuffed dinner table! Not to mention the feeling of Christmas morning I’ll have as I unwrap our dishes and cookware.

Sidenote: We all know that microwavable meals are not up to par with homemade, but Hormel’s Apple Bourbon Pork Chops are disgusting. How they got it past the tasting panel is a mystery to me. Of all the microwavable meals we’ve consumed thus far, that one was the worst. You’ve been warned. 

 

Today should be a high of 72. Its hard to stay melancholy in a tshirt and shorts.

Day 7 December 19, 2011

Today marks 1 week since I left my wonderfully green, bitterly cold, and securely familiar Pacific Northwest and came to this charmingly southern spot of Fort Bragg, NC.

It also marks the day my Magnificent MIL left to go home.

My last sliver of WA got on a plane and now its just the 4 of us left to carve out a home for ourselves. I feel less foreign these days, but I still can’t call this home. at least I feel like I’ve lost that “sign on my head” feeling that I had back on Day 1.

It helps to remember that Fort Bragg and the surrounding area is 70% military.  The majority of my neighbors are transplants like myself and even if some are thinking “you dont belong here,” I am in good company- most of us are from the land of Somewhere Else.

Today was cold! Barely warmer than back home, but at least it was mostly sunny. Since my MIL’s flight was in the evening, we slipped in one last walk around the neighborhood. It feels good to get blood pumping and muscles stretching – especially since I’m still hunched over a laptop (or Kindle) 8-10 hours a day.

I plan to keep up walking and hope to transition back into running eventually. I need something to plan my days around or I’ll just lose them to The Nothing (10 points for the Neverending Story throwback!) Training for a race, or even just a fitness goal is a way to pass the time with purpose.

Not that I’m focused on passing the time. This time around I’m not in the mindset of trying to rundown the next 4 years so I can “go home.” I’m committed to making this my home and seeing where God takes us.  If I just show up each day and punch the clock, I think it would be a waste of all that God wants to do with me.

Adventure: Begin.

Day 5, Marbles Museum and Logan’s Roadhouse December 18, 2011

What a great day and a wonderful start to the weekend!

To start off, we went to a place called Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC.

Raleigh is about and hour and 15 minutes from Fort Bragg, but from what we saw on the website it was worth the drive. It ended up taking 1.5 hours with traffic, but it definitely WAS worth the drive!

With military ID, admission is only $4 per adult and child over 2. The boys had a blast. It was well laid-out, clean, not overly crowded for being a Saturday afternoon, and had something for everyone. For the kid who likes to climb, there is a play area and sports zone. For the sensory-stimulated kid, there is a water area. For the engineer types, there is a build-your-own racecar and derby area. For the creative spirit there is a craft area with glue, paper, scissors, and other crafty stuff.

We brought our own lunch and ate in the museum gift shop at the tables they provide. Our stay was about 3 hours and both kids fell asleep on the way home. It was a fun trip and we will definitely be back!

When we got home, Sailor asked his mom if she would watch the kids so we could go on a date night.  I got myself spiffied up for the first time in a month (makeup AND shaved legs!) and we ventured out with the plan of finding a restaurant with a packed parking lot. Logan’s Roadhouse it was. I think half of Fayetteville was there! We had a 20 minute wait for a table which gave me time to peruse the place. Its definitely laid-back and I was over-dressed. They keep a barrel of peanuts in the lobby for you to munch – and you throw your shells on the floor. I’d heard of places like this but never been to one. Deliberately throwing something on the floor for someone else to have to clean up was HARD. But once I did it a few times, it was kinda cathartic. Very anti-establishment. Sometimes you just need a place that lets you throw your peanut shells.

The food was excellent. My burger tasted like a burger should taste and the rolls…..ohhh dont get me started on those little pillows of heaven. Served with plain AND cinnamon honey butter, they are worth going to Logan’s for all by themselves. The service was fast and friendly, our waitress even said “you’re welcome” EVERY time I said “thank you.”

The date was great but I turned into a pumpkin at 9 due to the less than stellar sleep I’ve been getting.

Who knows when our next date will be? Gotta make friends fast so we can trade sitting!!!

Day 4 December 16, 2011

Friday!

A few good things happened today.

1. Sailor went on leave.

2. I got some exercise

 

My MIL and I did a mile walk around a close-by neighborhood. One of the first things I noticed about NC is that sidewalks are the exception and not the rule. Coming from the Pacific Northwest which is walker, runner, cyclist-friendly, this was a damper to my lifestyle. I was hoping to pick up running again here in NC but it makes me nervous to run on the road (or a very narrow shoulder) with drivers screaming around corners at 50mph.

But I figured a neighborhood would be a safe place to walk and I was right. It was just the right distance to feel like we did something and give us the time to chat – not that we needed the time because, as I mentioned before, we chat all day long.

I’m glad to have Sailor on leave so I’m not pining after him all day. Seriously. I’m not the pining type, but with nothing to do all day I found myself anxiously awaiting his return every day. For the next 3 weeks I’ll have the company of my best friend and that makes this transition a million times easier.