It's been too long...

I have no good excuse for being away from my blog..Besides, I think excuses are kinda lame.

I have been busy and I am almost done with my Christmas shopping ( I love the internet) I have had, yet again, some more random health issues and thus I have been a little depressed lately. I am trying to put on a happy face and rejoice in what has become my blubber belly. I never thought I could be so... so.. so... fluffy... no, that's not right... so.... bountiful. I'll go with bountiful. No matter how hard I work on it, or don't I never seem to morph back into my former self. It really is beginning to suck.

BUT, that is not why I have chosen to blog. Why I have chosen to blog is to remind all of my fantastic readers... I hope I didn't loose you all. That no matter how much we have or do not have their is always room to be the better person. To reach out and help for no reason at all. To be the person you want to see in those around you.

I was recently getting coffee before work, running late, feeling like I looked frantic and yucky... and it being Washington of course it was raining and windy... I dropped my purse in the parking lot and everything went everywhere. I had decided that I was having the worst day ever. and it had barely started.
I look up and realize an elderly man who I know from my job was dashing around (well as fast as he could) the parking lot gathering my MONEY and other purse contents. He walked up to me, having retrieved all of the belongings and said: "It sure is windy, but I think I got it all."
so sweet!
I thanked him and we both walked into the starbucks. I offered to buy his coffee and he respectfully declined. Instead he GOT MINE!!! He said "we all have what look like bad days and you have made my day so many times, I thought I should return the favor" he winked, got his coffee and was off.

I immediately decided to change my attitude and went on to have a pretty damn good day... and a good story to boot!

I know my previous statements seem really sappy and "hallmark" but they come from the heart. I may have what I think are bad days, but in the end someone out there is having a REAL bad day. I love my life and with the good comes the bad and so I have chosen to look past my chubby belly and enjoy all the great people I know and those who I hope to meet. LOVE YOU ALL!!!
PS. Valerie this is for you! If God didn't think we could handle it, then it wouldn't be happening. You are strong and you need to know that!!
PPS. here is a recent picture to prove the belly is an issue :)

Inspirational

A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines.
She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat.
She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a
line tugging in her mouth.



A fisherman spotted her just east of the Faralon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed
for help.

Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only
way to save her was to dive in and untangle her -- a very dangerous proposition. One slap of
the tail could kill a rescuer.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles.

She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, nudged them, and pushed gently,

thanking them.

The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the

whole time,

and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so fortunate...

To be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.

And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

I pass this on to you, my friend, in the same spirit

25 reasons why after five years I still am head over heals for my hubby:

1. Five years ago today was the greatest day of my life and that wouldn't have been possible without Blake. He truly is the love of my life!

2. I have had some of the best trips all over the world and they are all because of my amazing hubby (Guam, Australia, Jamaica, Japan, and ALLL over the US) below is us on our honeymoon in Jamaica.. please no laughing at me in my swimsuit....
3. Blake is so much fun to be around. He fits in nicely with my family and gives my brother a run for his money in the knowledge department.

4. He is so smart and yet is so humble that he never shows off. He has a Masters in Nuclear Engineering Management and a bachelors in Material Science Engineering. Neither of which could I even attempt to tackle.
5. He gives the best foot rubs and always offers to do something really nice for me when he knows I've had a rough day, no matter how rough his was.

6. He loves the Chicago Cubs and has made me a fan as well. He is so patient to explain "cubs" stuff when I don't understand.

7. He has also excepted my PASSION for home decorating and never complains or persists when I want to paint/change something/ re-decorate. He is even so nice to watch some of the decorating shows with me and point out ideas he likes.
8. He is dedicated to his job. He NEVER complains about the long hours and time away from home. He is well decorated and yet remains humble about all the accomplishments he has. Below is a day that he had duty on board USS Alexandria in Groton, CT and I went down to have dinner with him.
9. He is so excited to be a dad that it makes me feel assured that we will be great parents.

10. He is the best dog dad EVER. He is always thinking of ways we can do fun things and make sure Ripley is involved. AWWWEEE. (Ripley is how Blake Proposed for those of you that don't know... he was a tiny puppy and Blake tied my ring around his neck)

11. He loves and appreciates when I cook. AND even when I know I made something that tastes bad he will always eat it so I don't feel bad (Nice or just plain crazy????)

12. He loves the outdoors and is constantly pushing me to be as active as possible. He is a dedicated to staying fit....and I am "trying" to keep up.
13. Even when he makes goofy faces he still looks amazing in his many uniforms!! YUMMY!!!

14. Anytime we are out and about he always holds my hand or wraps his arm around me. It makes me feel good to know he likes being around me.

15. He knows how much I hate to do yard work and mow the lawn so, when he is home, he does all the yard work. I LOVE IT!!!

16. Whenever he gets back from a deployment or an underway it's like our honeymoon all over again. He really knows how to make a girl feel special and, if their was a fun port call, I usually get really cool presents!!!

17. He is the best nurse and caregiver with no hesitation when I am sick, have surgery, or need a break. He hates to see me in pain and does whatever he can to keep me comfy!!!
18. He lets me pick out his clothes and shoes. He says that I think he looks good thats all that matters... I know that's weird but I love it!!!! and I always think he looks amazing!!!
He even let me pick out the tuxes for our wedding!!

19. When my car is running low on gas he will run out at night and fill it up for me..

20. He loves my family and friends as much as I do and makes sure we get to spend time with everyone when we can.

21. He has beautiful, amazing, mesmerizing, and kind eyes.... the make me melt.
22. He makes me laugh alllll the time and is always willing to try or do something funny...plus: he doesn't care what people think so he will do it anywhere!!!

23. He is the bread winner of the family and supports me and our family in EVERY way possible. It's nice to have a man like that where I never have to worry.
24. He ALWAYS kisses me good-bye in the morning and tells me how much he loves me before he leaves for work. ALWAYS!!!
25.... MOST IMPORTANT!!! Because he love me and shows it everyday in so many ways!!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Just for Mrs. Montgomery

A Tag from Emily :

5 places I go over and over- the gym, central market (groceries), The movies with Blake (almost every Friday), the massage place... ahhhh, and Target, I just love it there!

5 people who email me regularly- My mom, Spam, the ASPCA, the "good to go" pass people, and my brother.

5 favorite places to eat- Poulsbo Deli, any place Thai related, Central Market salad bar (yummy AND huge), big town hero, Jimmy johns..( damn I really like sub type sandwiches)

5 places I would rather be- Connecticut, Hawaii, Spain with my Bro, Having a day at the spa, or gettin' frisky with John Mayer (yummmmmm)

5 TV shows I watch all the time- Grey's Anatomy, 24, Lipstick Jungle, Moving up on TLC, and One tree hill.

And the 5 peps that I tag . . . Allison, Shalyse, Tasha, Jessica M., and Sarah Y.

The big white one.....

Have you ever had a moment in a conversation where you think what you said was clear but, to everyone listening you just seem crazy???

let me fill you in.
So, I was watching Animal Planet and the show was "growing up polar bear".
For those of you that are unfamiliar: it's a show about orphaned animals adopted and raised by loving zoo keepers/farms/etc... (depending upon the animal of course) They show the growing up process and at the end they either 1) release the animal back to the wild, or 2) find it a permanent sanctuary or zoo to live in.

Okay, so in the case of the polar bear he was going to be in a fantastic zoo in Canada AND even better there were two female, sister, orphaned polar bears coming to share the same enclosure at the zoo. The hope was that they would mate since polar bears are near extinction.

So, Blake and I are watching them finally be release into the beautiful enclosure.

**** remember their are 3 polar bears all released at the same time******

our conversation goes like this:
S: "wow that is so awesome and look how big he's gotten!"
B: "yeah, it would be cool to have a pet polar bear"
S: "yeah, until it attacked you"
B: "Yeah, that would suck"
S: (having lost track of who was who during the release to the enclosure)
"which one is he?"
B: "the Big white one"

JUST LIKE THAT!!! now, I about died laughing.. he kept a straight face and had no idea what was so funny....
Come on. THREE polar bears and I am supposed to know which one is the boy by the description "the big white one"...
So funny and please remember my hubby is an engineer with a Masters degree in Nuclear engineering... (meaning, he's no dummy)
ahhhhh, life's little joys!!!!

The trouble with life is...

So, I have taken to writing in my blog to help release some stress.

Now if you are waiting for fun pictures then stop reading now.

I am unsure of who actually reads this, I am guessing maybe 4 or 5 people, and those 4 or 5 of you THANKS!!! If you are someone who I do not speak with regularly I am going to fill you in on something I wouldn't normally like to discuss.

Blake and I have been trying to have a baby for a while now. I was officially off birth control in November of 2005...Now that sounds like a realllllyyy long time to be trying so, I would also like you to know: Aprox. 18 months of the afore mentioned time Blake was out to sea or Deployed for about 15 of them. AND we didn't apparently have good timing for the other 3 months.... So it has been a year and four months of really trying and at 12 months we saw a fertility specialist... which would have been great, BUT we have NOTHING wrong with us. NOTHING keeping us from having a baby... In fact all the specialist told us we are two of the most fertile people around!!! how can this be?!?!? NOT a good thing to hear...what am I (or we) doing wrong?!?!?!
yeah it's great we are able (apparently) but why hasn't is happened?!?! I had to go through some fairly painful/uncomfortable stuff to find out nothing is wrong! WHY???????? WHY NOT really???

The reason I am asking is.... if any of you lucky mommas or aunties or females with ideas etc... have any ideas or advice on how to accomplish the, oh so, exciting and (in our case) frustrating task of getting pregnant, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear them!! I am usually not one to whine but, my husband is going to be going back out to see in about a year and I would really like to make this work so he can be there for the birth. I know it may seem stupid to some, but I think that moment must be magical and I really would like him there to share in what we have made...


ANY advice would be oh so very much appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading!!

NEW BATHROOM!!!

BEFORE: sorry only one pic....
but you get the idea.... really boring! DURING:


The Klinedinst Master bath is now complete!!!

What I was told would take a few weeks took almost four months. Luckily, we have a guest bathroom so it wasn't that bad. At our last house I had to shower at the gym when they redid the only full bath in the house~
All the above pictures are DURING!!!!! and Below is the finished project!!!!!! YES!!!
Blake did the entire job all by himself. I am so proud!!! the only thing left is to up an outlet cover on the one outlets to the left in the photo below...
I love my new cubbie for all my bathroom stuff!! the vanity isn't very good for storage!!!
Pretty pretty shower, no more cheesy insert for us!!

This is where we..... you know...... GO...
Mondo 12 inch rain shower head. No worries, the shower has two separate shower heads, the other is normal and average in size...
I hope you enjoyed my tour of our new bathroom. It;s been a LONG time waiting for this.... now onto the guest bath to make them match!!!

Tag me up butter cup!

I've been tagged...

Christina said all Sara's so here we go...

Four jobs I've had:
1) Sam Goody (all though high school)
2) Bank teller (all through college at Purdue)
3) regional Account Manager (for AIM) auditing hospitals in CT
4) Marketing Programs Manager (recently laid off from... lame job)

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1) The Holiday
2) Legally Blonde (DON'T JUDGE)
3) Crash
4) Goonies

Four places I've lived:
1) Corvallis,OR
2) Quaker Hill, CT
3) Charleston, SC
4) West Lafayette, IN

Four TV shows I watch:
1) Greys Anantomy
2) Gossip Girl
3) Moving up on TLC (EVERY Saturday night)
4) Top Design on Bravo... I should be on that damn show!!

Four places I've been:
1) Australia!!
2) Guam
3) Japan
4) London for Christmas!!(does that count?....it's booked)

Four people who email me regularly (doesn’t include blogging comments):
1) My parents of course!!
2) My cousin Adam
3) Valerie in CT
4) Spam

Four of my favorite foods:
1) ANY thing Thai
2) Poulsbo Deli roast beef sub... so good..
3) pink lady apples
4) broccoli

Four places I would like to visit:
1) Ireland
2) Spain
3) Thailand
4) the maternity ward if I could ever get preggers

Four things I'm looking forward to in the coming year:
1) moving maybe....
2) hoping to have (or be in the process of having) a kiddo
3) paying off all our debt (except the house of course)
4) Being with my hubby!


Four friends I'm tagging:
1) Sarah
2) Tasha
3) Shalyse
4) Hillary

Ripley+Klutz= staples

For those of you who haven't met Ripley... Here he is. Typically he is happy, excited, well behaved and loves to play. He has been a part of our family since before we were a family.
Blake proposed with the ring tied around an eight week old Ripley's neck. It was perfect!!


As I mentioned Ripley loves to play. He is a daddy's pup and loves to wrestle with Blake ALOT!
So, last night while watching Ugly Betty the two of them were playing in our room and Ripley got a little too excited and without looking ran straight (HARD) into the door frame in our room. He shook it off and we thought nothing of if until we saw blood on the carpet. Upon further inspection we see that Rippers has busted his face wide open. I was so sad and immediately brought him to the veterinary ER. He was such a trooper and only barked when they put him in the kennel for a few minutes. He was sedated and a flap of skin was removed and FIVE staples are now in my little babies face. I was so sad I stayed up all night checking on him. Which was rather pointless since he was so sedated he was all but unconscious.
Below: After having to carry Ripley up the stairs and place him in his bed.... he didn't even move.
I hope he was comfortable. :(


Close up of poor Ripley's staples.... He is so tough but sometimes he needs extra love.
AWWW I know I am bias but he is just so dang cute!! I love my Ripley Believe!!!

worst week ever

So, long time no blog. I got back from New York early....not by choice....and had emergency surgery to an area I would rather not discuss (lets just say a female issue) It sucked.
Strike ONE.
So, I am recovering from home for a week and I go back to work finally after getting the clear from the Doctor..... only to be told, our company has been restructured and I no longer have a job. Well, they felt bad so they offered me a crappy admin job which was rather insulting considering I used to be their Marketing Programs Manager. I said "no thanks" and took my severance like a champ.
Strike TWO.
So, as I am at home wallowing in what a bad week I am having and thinking to myself.... this could not be any worse... WRONG, then my Grandpa died. AND since I had just had surgery I was told it was not a good idea for me to fly.. thus I missed the funeral.
Strike THREE and I am outta there.

But, I am really just blogging to vent and I am actually quite happy with how things turned out.
1. My job was crappy... not great people to work with, not creative enough for me and kinda boring and not my idea of an ideal job.
2. My grandpa was 91 and hada great life which toward the end was riddled with Alzheimer's. So, it was better that he go with dignity then to go later when he would have been with less.
3. surgery sucks.. but my pain tolerance is insane so I'm good!!!


thanks for reading... Sorry to vent.... I have very few friends here in WA.....

when bad garages happen to good people.

SO, Blake has been redoing our master bath.... for three long months!!! He said it would be done in a few weeks and not to worry. Three months later we are still using the guest bath and I have no idea when it will be done.

This brings me to the garage... Our clean,. organized (anally so....come one its me you know how I am) is now a HUGE mess!!! tile pieces, paint dust, crap everywhere.... I will include pictures when I get back from New York...... hopefully it will look better then it does now!! ARGH!!!

Finally I have a minute to blog... I promise to get better.

So, Its been awhile since I blogged...oops. I blame work and all the traveling I have been doing. Anyway, here are a few pics from the Australia trip. I was there for a month and loved everything but the grosssssssss food!!!

Above: after a water craft adventure on the bay, you can't tell but we are soaked!!
Below:Koala... my favorite, this guy was LOUD and feisty. It was awesome. Usually they sleep 20+hours a day. So, to see this guy jumping in the trees and eating and making noise was a real treat. Also, below is us...in the background you can see the famous Sydney Opera house!!!




















Blake graduating from the Australian Navy officers submarine course!! VERY COOL!!! He was one of two Americans selected to partake. He really is a rock star!! and yes, I am bias :) !!!!


This was after me being on the train for a week going from coast to cast of Australia (sydney to Perth) with NO SHOWER!!! reunited and I smell like poo!!! who cared...we hadn't seen each other in over a month! (He was training with the Australian Navy)





















The kangaroos were AMAZING!! we went to five different zoos/animal sanctuaries.
(note the Joey in her pouch!) You could pet and feed the kangaroos and the koalas... the koala became an obsession of mine!!
Note: the kangaroo testicles pictured above are used to make coin pouches...don't believe me? look on e-bay!!


I promise to get better at this. I love reading everyone else's bogs and hope you will come to enjoy mine too!!!!