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.

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

Ah what a day so far! Got a few things accomplished today, but first and foremost I want to say--

Dear back,
 I appreciate you for keeping me walking upright and helping my balance stay on point, but please stop hurting. Youre going to make me miss low impact aerobics class tomorrow morning and thats so not cool. So stop hurting and you and I can remain friends.

Thanks,
Jen

Dear Mattress,
 This is to inform you that once Kevin and I arrive in Hawaii, your services will no longer be needed as you have started to cave in the middle and provide us with constant backaches. We will be replacing you with another mattress that doesnt hurt us in such a way. I thought we were friends but as it turns out we were daftly mistaken.

--Jen and Kevin

Phew! I feel better now!! Today was pretty productive. We went to the pet store and got 2 brand new kennels for Mia and Wyatt to travel in! We are taking one back though, because they are supposed to come with a calming pad, but one didnt. Neither one came with the fun decals they were supposed to have but whatevs. The calming thingy is why we decided to go with those specific kennels. The pet store had an adoption drive going on today! I got to pet the cute dogs and kitties! I really want a dog, but sadly Kevin is allergic, so until he gets a good allergy medication we cant get one. I thought about just getting one when he goes down theatre, but I dont know. I dont want to have to be put in the position to have to find the dog a new home when Kevin returns home. Im one of those people that can fall in love with an animal like 5 mins after I meet them, so that would be devastating.
 We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch and it hit the spot!! Made me mess up my diet but the food was delicious (as always!). We also got some luggage for Kevin and picked up some stuff from the grocery store. When we got home we decided to start packing for our vacation to Ohio and move to Hawaii. Its hard to believe that the movers are coming in just 2 days to pack and pick up our stuff. Our house is going to look naked!! Oh well after our stuff is gone we just have to clean the apartment, have our final walk through, and jet off to Ohio for 8 days. Oh and we have to ship the car. Then all thats left is plane time which Im not looking forward to....heres hoping the stuff the doc gave me for the anxiety works!! Busy week ahead....

Bad blogger!

Blogging has become a once a week thing for me. I dont know why. Perhaps its because Kevin and I have been so busy lately with this moving thing! Ackk thats no excuse! I really do plan on writing more and more when we get to Hawaii and get settled! I will also be posting more pictures on here...with my new camera!! Today we went to the store and got the Olympus Stylus Tough 8010...this camera is freaking sweet! Its shockproof to almost 7 feet, waterproof to 33 feet, dustproof, freezeproof to -10 degrees, and 14 megapixels! Im totally in love with it and its just perfect to document our new adventure in the Aloha state! A huge thanks to my love for letting me get it!! Heres the very first picture I took with it--yeah I couldnt even wait to get home haha. Im such a nerd.

I got the spare room organized with a big help from my mom! If youve been to my house, the spare room is where we house our boxes of random stuff. We went through and weeded out things we didnt want/need anymore so that the movers can just get in and out! Even though they are taking 2 days instead of one now to get our HHG shipped. Ugh thats annoying especially since the time with my family is going to be cut anyway because we only have one car now and Kevin has stuff to do before we leave. Oh well, I have decided that I really dont have alot of time as it is, and if people want to come visit then they have to come over to our house or at least this side of the water. It always seems like Kevin and I have to go over someones place but they never come here. Okay rant over :)

We are now under the 20 day mark until we fly to Hawaii! I smile at this thought, but I also frown. I realize that in my short 29 year life, I have never lived more than 2 towns away from my brother and never lived more than driving distance from my mom. I know its going to hit us pretty hard, but I promised Kevin I would try not to cry. Sadly, I know my mom is going to cry at the airport and Im not sure I can handle that.

 I went to the doctor and she gave me something for my anxiety of flying. I dont know why Im freaking out about that dang flight, but I am. Its crazy I know. I just want to enjoy this trip with Kevin. It should be fun and exciting, but the stupid airplane is--as my brother would say-- peeing in my cheerios! Arrrghh Im determined to have a good time!!

Dinner is cooking (thanks Kevin!! <3 that man!!) so I think I will take a shower and relax with my awesome husband! I will make it a point to blog tomorrow! G'night!

Milspouse Friday Fill-In

Okay I admit it, I love doing this!! I like answering questions that will give the reader a better idea of who I am. You can get them from http://www.wifeofasailor.com/
This weeks questions...


1. If you could be a fugitive from the law for whatever reason, what would your crime be?


Probably the murder of convicted murderers/sex offenders, etc serving life sentences. Im tired of my tax dollars paying for them to be able to live. That frustrates me to no end.(that was kinda dark huh?)



2. How long do you think you will be a military family?

About 11-ish more years. DH always says he will retire at right around 20.


3. What’s your favorite recipe?

Oh my I have to choose just one?!?!? I would have to say my recipe for homemade from scratch peanut butter cookies. I love making them but with my current diet, I dont eat them anymore :(



4. What would you want your last five words to be when you leave this life?
"I saw that going differently!"



5. Where do you hope to retire?

Preferably somewhere that stays warm, a small town with a big yard,but wherever Kevin wants to retire since he is the one who worked hard all those years!!
 
 

Friday the 13th...

For some reason Ive put off writing in my blog lately. Its been kinda busy in our house for the last couple weeks! Its getting closer and closer to move time, and getting the house ready has been more tedious than I previously thought. I have been going through things Ive had for years and weeding out things that I dont want/need anymore. Its a pain, but it will be easier when our stuff arrives on island and theres not that much junk to unpack. Kevin shipped the Jeep this past Monday, and the movers came to pick up the stuff we will need when we get there. We thought the Jeep wouldnt arrive til a week or so after we arrive on island, but we were informed by the people at the drop off location that it would arrive around the 1st!! It was nice to hear, especially since we did not want to have to rent a car when we got there!! The cats are also taken care of, just need to ship the forms (which have to be notartized-ugh) and I can pay the necessary fees when we get there. Sadly, my babies arent flying on the same flight as me, well they arent even flying the same airline!! Im scared for them because I know they are going to be scared :(

There are just a few more weeks left in Va which is exciting but sad too. Today we went to the DMV to renew my license, change my name, and renew my registration. Only took an hour and 15 mins too! Normally its much worse haha. Its also Kevins last "official" day at work. Next weekend we are going to start visiting family and friends before we leave for Ohio, where we will visit family and friends on Kevins side! Im excited to spend so much time with the family/friends, but I know that in a few short weeks I will be leaving, and not be able to see them for quite some time. Im trying not to let that bother me though!! Im still very excited to move, meet new people, and experience a new culture! Plus, my family "says" they will come and visit us but we will see. Its really expensive to fly out there. I hope they can make it!

Not sure what we are going to do this weekend, I havent been feeling too good (I have no idea whats up with that) so I think its just going to be a very mellow uneventful weekend. If Im feeling up to it, I will go to Saturday morning step class, but we will see. I originally wanted to go and visit my aunt in NC this weekend, but Im really just not feeling up to it. I dont think its a cold or anything, I just feel blechh. I think I will go to bed early tonight though. Until next time...




                                                      

Milspouse Friday Fill-In

Its amazing that I keep putting off writing in my blog but I can totally remember to do a Milspouse Friday Fill in! Where my mind is lately I dont know... anyways, thanks to Wife of a Sailor @ http://wifeofasailor.com/ for this weeks questions!!

1. What is ONE thing you’d like civilians to understand about being a military family?


That plans change. All the time. If I apply for some vacation time to be with my husband during R&R or post/pre-deployment or any other leave, those dates might change. And theres nothing I can do about it. My last job gave me a really hard time about taking vacation when a portion of his leave was denied last minute and had to be tacked on to the end. I tried explaining that there was nothing I could do about it. Some people just dont understand that. They think that things are set in stone. That, and our MM's are not payed NEARLY enough for what they do, so no we are far from rich. Okay, so maybe I had 2 hehe.


2. What is your favorite mistake?

Eating too much junk food and gaining too much weight! If I hadnt gotten my gym membership and started going to get back in shape, I would have never met Kevin!! Getting back into a gym routine was the best thing I have ever done for myself, in more ways than one!!


3. What indulgence could you give up for a year?

Fried food!! We have already reduced our fried food consumption greatly over the last year. Also I think I could give up soda if I really had to. I rarely drink it as it is, and if I do its diet!


4. If you could be a winged animal, what would you be?

A parrot because I love to talk. And according to Kevin, I never shut up and neither do they haha. Plus it would be cool to fly around and poop on cars of people I dont like heehee.


5. What is one question you’d like to see asked in a future MFF?

PCS related questions, for example. Perhaps you can ask a certain question like "Whats the best way to prepare for the movers?" or "If you have children, how do you prepare them to move to a new place?", and collect answers from spouses to add to a PCS advice column or copy and paste them into a blog entry(if that makes sense). That way people can read advice right from the people who have personal experience and not just one person writing an advice column.

                                           

Milspouse Friday Fill-In

Hey folks its Friday, and you know what that means.....Friday Fill-In time!! You can get these from http://www.wifeofasailor.com/! I really enjoy filling these out, hope yall enjoy!!

This weeks questions:

1. What is something you wished you’d learned to do earlier in life?


Learn how to drive a stick! Kevins jeep will be the first vehicle to go to Hawaii and I dont know how to drive it!!! Im sure I will figure it out, but I really wish I had that skill under my belt. so if youre in Hawaii come September, I will probably be that girl in the Jeep that keeps stalling out lol



2. What is your biggest pet peeve with the military?

You cant plan anything because their schedule always changes!!! And at last minute!! Ugh that really grinds my gears...that and some days he has to get up at 0400 just to stand in formation and then come home, thats kinda annoying too!
.



3. What tourist attraction near you have you never seen?

As crazy as it sounds, Ive never been to The Outer Banks of North Carolina! Ive lived in VA my whole life almost and the outer banks is a vacation staple for everyone here. Its like saying youre from New York City but have never been to Times Square...



4. What are you avoiding doing right now?

Getting our things together for the unaccompanied baggage shipment pickup on Monday--Im at a friends house waiting for the Verizon Fios guy to install some stuff!



5. Wine, beer or liquor?

Yes please! Wow that made me sound like a crazy drunk...which Im not!. I just meant that I like all three, just depending on my mood. Some nights I will feel like drinking a glass of wine/champagne, some nights a nice cold brew will do, and sometimes Im in the mood for a margarita!!! Although these "times" are few and very far in between...I rarely drink anymore, mostly because I get hangovers really really easily since Ive gotten older, and most of the time I really just dont feel like drinking. I did my share of partying in my early 20's.