9/11

Can you believe its been 9 years?? This is one of those events that you just remember no matter what. You remember where you were, what you were doing, and how you reacted. I was 20, almost 21, and I was at work that morning. I remember going into the breakroom to have breakfast and watch tv. The show was interrupted by the news saying that a plane had run into one of the World Trade center buildings. My first reaction, as I rolled my eyes, was that another drunk pilot had crashed his plane into a building. Then a few minutes later another plane crashed into the other building..."wow thats weird" I was thinking. So I went back to work and about 15 minutes later, one of our coworkers came onto the production floor saying that this was a major serious situation and that America had just been attacked. "What? Who in the heck would have the balls to do that?" After awhile our site started sending people home because this was more than just planes running into buildings.
When I got home, I turned on the news just to see what was going on. Well by that time, CNN knew that this was a terrorist attack on our nation, and that there were 2 more planes they hijacked as well! One crashed into the Pentagon, and one crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania. That one, we found out later, was destined for the White House and because of a few brave men and women on that plane, that plot was diverted. I remember crying alot that day. Crying for the lives lost and the utter shock of someone that had the cajones to attack our nation! Stupid terrorists! For the next few weeks, like most Americans, I was glued to CNN. I found out more about the lives lost, the people who took those lives, and the heroic actions by the firefighters and police officers who had to respond to the scene of a very horrific crime.
In nine years I still remember the awful events of this day in 2001, and I know I will never forget. Its etched in my brain, and the brain of those who witnessed it, forever. So tonight before you go to bed, say a prayer, or have a moment of silence, to remember those lives lost and think about what our brave men and women do each day to prevent this from happening again.

 

30 Days of me-Day 4

Todays topic- A habit you wish you didnt have

After much thought I came up with tie... the first habit-- I wish I wouldnt tailgate people while driving. Its a really bad habit and its dangerous seeing as I like to speed a little too. Im trying to stop haha. The second habit-- I tend to interrupt people when theyre talking and I dont know why I do this and its not my intention to be rude at all, it just happens. Maybe I feel like I will forget what I want to say if I dont say it right then. This is a habit I really need to quit.

Milspouse Friday Fill-In

Yay its Friday! Time for the weekly Fill-In...and one of my questions was posted!!! As always, you can get them at http://www.wifeofasailor.com/!

This weeks questions:

1. Do you set goals for yourself during deployment? What are some of them? (from Military Mommy)


Well, I havent been through a deployment with Kevin, but I did go through 2 with my ex husband and I did set goals for myself. I set weight loss/get in shape goals, and had lists of fun activities I could do while he was away.


2. What would you say to someone dating a military guy or gal? (from Mothering Off the Cuff)

I try to give as best advice as I can. I tell them that being the SO of someone in the military is stressful at times and takes alot of patience and getting used to. Dates will be changed and the military cant seem to make up its mind often. Just roll with the punches, have alot of faith and trust in your relationship, and have good communication--its important nowadays since most military members may be away from you for extended periods of time. Definitely have an open mind about things
3. If you have children, how do you prepare them to move to a new place? (from The Random Ramblings of A Household 6)

First, ooh thats my question hehe. I dont have children (yet, soon I hope!) but when I do, I will research the new place as much and as far out as possible before the move. Then I would incorporate some kind of fun learning activities to get my kids amped up and excited about where they are moving to. I want to keep the entire move process as positive for them as possible.

4. Name one hobby that gets you through alone time. (from My Sailor’s Mistress)

Aww just one?? Hmmm, I would say getting out and doing things with friends! Group activities can be hobbies, right??

5. What’s the one food you don’t ever get tired of? (from That Army Wife Life)

Chicken! I love love love chicken. Roast chicken, grilled chicken, Chinese Orange Chicken, you name it I love me some chicken lol


 

30 Days of Me-Day 3

Todays topic- a picture of you and your friends!
Because Ive been up for about 20 hours now and am really jetlagged, I will just post the pic. I will, however, be writing in my Hawaii blog daily starting tomorrow as we have arrived safely on island!!

My girls and me- my bachelorette party... I didnt realize how bad I look in this pic haha

30 Days of Me~ Day 2

Todays topic- The meaning behind your blog name.

Well I originally had it as Aunt Jen the Army Wife, which is just a representation of me as a proud aunt and that Im an army wife. I changed it to The Random Ramblings of a Household 6 because often times Im random and I love to talk so I "ramble" haha. Household 6 signifies the highest ranking person of the household (commander), much like the rank of O-6 in the military world. Its not anything fancy, but I thought it was cute, and who knows, I may just change it again :)


**this may be my last blog until we arrive in Hawaii, so wish us luck! We are down to mere hours now :)
Dont forget about our Hawaii blog, coming soon!!

30 Days of Me :)

So I was reading a friends blog, and she is participating in a "30 days of me" blog project. She got the idea from someone else and I decided to participate also! Basically, for the next 30 days, I will have a specific topic to write about to give my readers a chance to get to know me better! Hope yall enjoy!!!

Day 1- Recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

@ the top of the Eiffel Tower attraction at Kings Island this past weekend

15 Interesting facts about me

1. Im left handed
2. I love my 2 cats as if they were my own kids
3. As of today, I still cant drive a car with a manual transmission
4. I love baseball so much, I actually worked for a triple A farm club for 2 seasons in my early 20's
5. I love anything having to do with history and I love antique shopping
6. I was really supposed to graduate high school in 1998, but my parents held me back 8th grade year because of major hip surgery and they thought I would fail 9th grade
7. I have one brother and he's enough haha. But he gave me a beautiful neice and handsome nephew, so I dont complain much :)
8. When I got married this past June, I "inherited" 3 more neices and 3 more nephews, bringing the total up to 9 neices/nephews combined!!!
9. Im a very proud aunt and I love all of my neices and nephews very much!!!
10. I cant run because of my hip
11. I enjoy going to the gym and working out though...its my stress relief
12. Im a HUGE Atlanta Braves fan (since 1989)
13. Ive got a lead foot when it comes to driving, although I havent got a ticket in years thankfully!!
14. I hate hate HATE peas...theyre disgusting.
15. I love being around funny people....laughing regularly is a requirement for me!

Hope I didnt bore y'all too much!

P.S.-after a long but nice drive today, we finally made it back to Va safely. We are now under the 48 hour mark til we  get to Hawaii!!! Just a couple things left to do here until the big move!! Night everyone!!

Hawaii Bloggin'

Just to let everyone know, I have created a seperate blog about our time in Hawaii! I will be starting the blog at the end of this week once Kevin and I arrive on island. While Im not the best writer, I hope everyone enjoys reading about our daily adventures and challenges as we adjust to living in this beautiful state! I will be posting pictures too, so stop on by and check it out!
http://www.buzuleciusinhawaii.blogspot.com/
 

Kings Island

Yesterday Kevin and I went to Kings Island with my SIL, nephew, neice, and 2 of her friends. We had a great time!! Kings Island is an amusement park just north of Cincinnati, Ohio. We got there around noon and went straight for the rides. The first one we rode was called Delirium. It was a ride that did spinning motions so Kevin didnt ride it. After that we rode "Drop Zone"! This ride is awesome if you dont mind your stomach coming out of your brain haha. Heres some pics of us (Thanks Kacey!)

Right before the ride started. Im in the pink striped shirt and Kevin is in the red shirt

All the way at the top...this thing was TALL!!!!

The ride takes you all the way to the top then just drops you, its an amazing rush and super fun! We went to eat after that ride and caught the tail end of the "Way Too much TV" show in the Festhaus. They sing theme songs to classic TV shows. I sang along and Kevin looked at me like I was crazy. Side note-- I sing and dance in grocery stores too, I have no shame :) A pic from the show!

Sorry the quality is so bad...dang flash went off and the stage was already lighted so it looks dark! After lunch Kevin and I decided to go on the Eiffel Tower. Theres an elevator that takes you 31 stories up to an observation deck where you can see the whole park! The tower is 1/3 scale exact replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris! A couple of pics:

view from the ground

At the top viewing the fountain

Kevin and I enjoying the view

Behind the blue roller coaster is the Beast. At 5 minutes actual ride time, The Beast is the longest wooden roller coaster in the world!!

No I didnt ride the Beast. Kevin told me its really rough on your back, so sadly it would do some damage and with my back surgery I cant afford for that to happen :( Its really cool to look at though!! After spending a few minutes on top of the tower, we went back down and decided to ride another roller coaster, Diamondback. It was really fun! They put you in individual seats with a lap harness and the first drop is at a 74 degree angle...I put my hands up the whole ride, while Kevin called me crazy and white-knuckled it haha. We ended up riding that one again! Pic of the Diamondback

Diamondback--yeah baby, good times!!

That thing is tall!! I love love love roller coasters and heights dont bother me so theme parks are good times :) My hip, however, does not like theme parks. It was screaming at me by like 4pm. Always trying to ruin a good time haha. Luckily I brought my hip meds with me so all was good! We walked around for a few more hours, rode some more rides, then around 10pm we left. Not before I snapped some pictures of the Eiffel Tower all lit up :)

Really pretty!

It lit up with different colors to music

A very tired Kevin and I---not sure why my eyes look all weird haha

We had a fabulous time and definitely want to go back when we are in Ohio again! Hope you all enjoyed the pictures!!

Oh by the way....3 more days til Aloha!!!!! YAY!!!!!

Ahhh finally some time to relax!!

Hello everyone!! I hope all is well with you guys! Sorry I havent posted since ~gulp~ August 22, but the moving process took more out of me that previously expected. So to catch you guys up on some events I will go chronologically. On August 24th, we had 3 ladies come to our apartment and pack up all of our stuff. They were really nice and did a wonderful job. I was kind of miffed at the fact that originally the company was supposed to pack up and load everything in one day, but oh well. It took them about 6 hours to pack up everything. I felt bad because one of them was allergic to cats and we could only have the front door open because the patio door was blocked off due to construction of new flooring and rails...lame. That poor woman was sneezing all day :( Afterwards Kevin and I enjoyed a delicious lunch at a local favorite Mexican resteraunt called Plaza Azteca. I love their food and Im going to miss that place when we leave! The very next day, the movers came with a ginormous truck to load up our stuff and send it to Hawaii. I kind of teared up when they came because I realized that this move is actually happening now. I was just waiting for the Army to change his orders for some reason. So the movers took all of our stuff and packed it into crates on the truck. These guys were so cool and they were supercareful with our stuff!! Took them about 5 hours to load everything up. I had put the cats in one of our walk in closets so the movers could do their thing, so when they were done I let the kitties out and they were confused! Wyatt kept running through the house and looking at me and meowing as if to say "wheres our stuff? It was just here a little while ago!" It was really cute!! Afterwards, Kevin and I went out to lunch and then to the store to get some essentials that we needed. I also went to my last Weds night step class @ the gym ... The first couple nights all we had were neon orange plates, bowls, spatula sets, and can opener as well as a neon green measuring cup to cook with. We also bought those disposable aluminum roasting pans so that we could bake. All we could do was bake, our microwave was in a box somewhere!! We eventually ran to the PX and bought a pots and pans set. It was really amusing but we made do :) Those items are officially our "PCS-ware"!!We bought an air bed, which worked fine for the first like 2 nights or so, then we discovered that one of our furbabies poked a hole in it. It mustve been a small hole, because it was a slow leak. So for the next few nights we had to wake up every three hours to put air in the bed haha. The apartment community we lived at required us to get the carpet cleaned by a professional cleaning company so that was done on the 27th. They did a great job too! On Saturday I went to step class in the morning and spent the day with my best friend! We went to lunch and just hung out at her house chit chatting all afternoon. Im gonna miss her and I know shes really upset that Im leaving. We have been best friends for almost 15 years and she was my maid of honor at my wedding this past spring. Love you heffa!! On Sunday, I was supposed to spend the day with my neice, but she decided to stay at her dads another week :( So I went to the gym and tryed yoga for the first time! I actually did pretty good! That afternoon we visited my ex sis in law to say goodbye and I got to see my ex MIL too which was great! (Im still friends with my ex in laws just not my ex haha). Monday was cleaning cleaning and more cleaning to prepare our apartment for the final walk through and move out on Tuesday. I did manage to go to my very last step class that night also! It was bittersweet :( Tuesday morning we packed up the car and I dropped my moms cleaning stuff (as well as all of our pantry items- we couldnt take them)back off to her(thanks mom!!!) and we got on the road headed to Ohio for a week to visit with Kevins family. The drive was good and the cats did okay. Wyatt was really nervous about riding in the car, Mia got comfortable after awhile. Here are some pics:

Mia hiding her face from the sun

Wyatt trying to get comfortable behind my seat

Wednesday we went grocery shopping up here and had dinner with the family! I spent some good time with the neices and nephews and finally got to meet my newest nephew Alex! Yesterday (Thursday) I drove to Dayton to visit my neice ( the one I was supposed to hang with last Sunday). We spent the day getting lost in Dayton (haha Dr Nightmare, our GPS, needs to be updated) and then we went to the movies and saw Eclipse (again for me, 1st time for the neice). Oh and there was this man that sat behind us and just stunk to all high heaven. We think he was homeless and snuck into the theater. After the movie we went shopping! I got some stuff @ the pet store for the cats, some new sunglasses, and stuff from bath and body works! It was hard dropping my niece back off at her dads house. Im going to miss her so much--shes my roll dawg! I would really love for her to spend a couple of weeks in Hawaii with us next summer! So when I left I had to hightail it back to Columbus because last night was the first official start of College football season and I married into Buckeye nation--you see where this is going--so I wanted to make it to the pub and meet up with Kevin in time for kickoff! Watching Ohio State football in Columbus is so much fun, I love their fans! I watched about 85% of the game, but I was tired and The Bucks were slaughtering Marshall anyway so I decided to head back to the house and go to bed. Kevin stayed and drank with the guys, he had a great time but he's feeling it today haha.
   So that brings us to today, sorry for the rambling on, its just been a busy week!! Today Im not doing much of anything, I may go out and mow the grass just to get some kind of a workout in!! We are now less than 7 days away for the big flight and we are almost completely done, with the exception of the cats' final vet visit and shipping the car next week. We are supposed to be getting family portraits done this weekend but we will see. Tomorrow we are going to Kings Island!! Ive never been so it should be really fun!! I will update later on that and post pics!

Milspouse Friday Fill-in

Hello everyone!! Sorry I have been MIA the last couple weeks--we have been moving!!! I will make a seperate post after this one to catch y'all up on events, but first things first--Milspouse Friday Fill-In time! I missed it last week because of the craziness, but I will participate today!

1.What is a weird/funny superstition that you have? (from A{muse}ing Mommy on a Pink Park Bench)

Well Im a baseball fan, through and through, so I have plenty of superstitions (like its bad luck to talk about a no-hitter in progress for example)! I would say my biggest one is the old "stepping on the sidewalk crack" thing. Its supposed to be bad luck if you step on the crack of a sidewalk, so I never do it! Also, I have a little baseball dude that always sits on the front dash of my car. He is a good luck charm and Ive had him since I made my first road trip as an adult in July of 2000. When I traded in my Kia and bought my Sebring in 2007, I promptly put him on the new dashboard where he has remained ever since :)



2.What are your hopes and dreams for the years AFTER the military? After all, we aren’t in it forever! (from Stetsons, Spurs and Stilettos)

I hope that when Kevin retires I will be in a great career working towards retirement so that we can enjoy our golden years with our children and grandchildren. By then we will have found a great place to permanently settle down I hope!

3.Since [this] month is National Apple Month (no really!), I’d probably ask: What is your yummiest apple recipe? (from NH Girl Displaced)

When I was about 10, my stepdad showed me how to make homemade from scratch Apple Pie! I dont have the recipe on me, its in the Household Goods on the way to our new duty station! I will do my best to remember to post the recipe once I get my hands on it though, its deeeeeeee-licious!!! I love love love apple pie. Great now I want to make some apple pie haha. I also love apple cobbler and apple crisp. Heck, I love Apples haha.


4.How long have you gone as a military spouse without talking to your husband/wife during service? (from A Navy Princess and Her Little Sailors)

Well, as some of you know, I was married before from 2002-2005. My ex husband joined the army after 9/11 and about 1 1/2 years after we started dating. In 2003 he was sent to Iraq for a year and this was when the conflict really first started. They had almost nothing for communication. I think the longest I went was about 3 months--it was really rough. With Kevin, I will get to talk to him more frequently when he deploys

5.I occasionally watch When I was 17… on MTV. So, what was something that was significant about your 17th year of life? (from Ashley Amazing)

OMG this will probably sound horrible, but my parents forgot my 17th birthday. I was a junior in High School and working at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. My life was homework and work, nothing really exciting.