Time for a Review

   On Wednesday, I baked brownies and cleaned up the place. I love baking so much. They were dark chocolate with chocolate chips in love...so good. More please?
   On Thursday, Tyler didn't get home til 8pm...argh. Ok, hold up, let me start at the beginning...It was like 5:40 in the morning, and I noticed Tyler left with out coming in to give me my goodbye kiss. Huh, weird. Apparently, I got so thrown by this, (well, that and I started thinking about stuff I still need to do for our upcoming Celebration of Marriage) that I couldn't sleep. I stayed up until about about 7:40 and decided to try and go back to sleep. You see, the night before, I had a little too much fun creating the seating chart and stayed up til like 1 or 1:30. haha. I got a few more hours of sleep, and was then ready to start my day. After a breakfast, a good workout and doing the dishes, I heard something start to vibrate and then ring. Ok, that's not my phone, where is this coming from? Yup, Tyler left his cell. Oh boy. Later that day, I got the meat out to defrost and started to prep what I was going to make for dinner. It got to be 5:30 pm, he still wasn't home and I was getting hungry. It's not like I could call him and be like hey, when are you coming home? Sigh. I didn't want to start dinner, because I was making fish tacos, and those are pretty fast (and easy) to make. So, I just made myself a small PB&J to tide me over. Around 7, I was finally becoming suspicious and starting to wonder what he was still doing at work. Finally, a little after 8, he came home. He had to stay and get things ready for the high ranking people visiting the aid station the next day. Understandable. A phone call would've been nice though. Oh yeah, he also said they gave him pizza so he didn't need dinner. Boo. I ate chip and salsa. haha.
   On Friday, we FINALLY GOT A TV!!!! Oh man. Listen everyone, it's been such a long time since I've had a TV. I can finally watch my shows/movies on a bigger screen! :)
   Saturday, we Volksfest, a local carnival/county fair type thing, with the neighbors and some other friends. It was a pretty good time! Lots of good food, drinks and friend time. :) 
   Sunday, Tyler and I went X-Men. We both really enjoyed it! I feel like such a nerd saying this, but I LOVE superhero/action type movies. So great.

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   Today, I started to pack for our trip to California and cleaned the apartment. We leave Wednesday, and I hate to leave a messy apartment. I have more to do tomorrow, like clean/mop the floors, but hey, I'm close. I can't believe we're going to California on WEDNESDAY!!! Oh man. Also, I can't believe that we're having our celebration of marriage in 13 DAYS!!! AHHHH!!! SO EXCITED!!!

July 7, 2009 :)

 How was everyone else's weekend? Any big trips coming up?

Sometimes, I don't want to grow up

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   I need to work on my wardrobe. I feel as thought I need newer more adult/professional pieces that can be worn for work or play. I absolutely love plain t-shirts. Crew-necks, v-necks, scoop-necks, love them all! They so versatile...you can dress them up or dress them down, wear them to work or where them about town. The only thing is, I usually get them from cheap places such as Old Navy, Forever 21 and most recently, H&M. Because I get them from these places, they don't always last as long as I would like them too; they stretch out, fade, get holes quickly, etc. Actually, I take that back, the H&M ones are holding up fairly well. Sometimes, I'm afraid to order things online because its hard to know what size to get...I'm an odd shape. My boobs are HUGE and the rest of me really isn't THAT big. 

One of my new favorite sites eShakti.com! Picture via

I also LOVE dresses, but I'm usually good at finding those, sometimes tailoring is involved, but it's worth it. What I am really in need of is tops. Any suggestions?
 

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   I also need to figure out what to do with my life, rather, what I WANT to do with my life. I won't bore you with another post about finding myself/my niche in life, but seriously...it's really starting to bug me. I can't even tell you what I want my "dream" job to be any more. I am seriously at a loss. I could totally see myself doing Pam's (now Erin's) job on The Office, at least for a little. Be a secretary, plan work events, etc. I could also see myself doing HR like Toby. (Sorry, I think I've been watching too much of The Office lately haha).

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Tyler has been saying more and more that he can see me doing HR. Did I even study the right thing for that? I could also see myself being a wedding coordinator (and some other event planning) and working at a bridal salon. But then, I can kind of see myself in the entertainment industry doing PR, producing, casting or something. Too much to choose from, and no direction.
   If you're interested, you can read more about it here and here.

   Man oh man, sometimes I definitely don't want to grow up. Too much to do, to much to decide...Sigh. But then again, I like being this age...so much you CAN decide and do for YOURSELF, and so many different opportunities. :)

Monday, Tuesday...happy days?

   This weekend was kind of lazy. We went and looked at TVs (yup, still don't have one..sigh), got some new lamps (2 new floor lamps to be exact), went grocery shopping...fun stuff. hehe. At least I felt semi-productive. Don't worry friends, even though we don't have a TV, we do keep up on our shows! We just have to watch everything on our laptops.
   Monday I cleaned and did a bunch of laundry...yet, somehow I still have more, sigh. Today, I went with my neighbor and her boxer puppy to a friend's house (a girl I met in SNAPS class) to have a puppy play-date and socialize. It was a great way to start off a day. Puppies and friends? Man oh man. Then, I went with the other neighbor girls to a self help class on post. It literally lasted 15 minutes. Thank goodness. Plus, now I can get free light bulbs, paint, nails and such. Worth it, yes?

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   Tonight, Tyler and I made broccoli beef with white rice, egg rolls and cream cheese wontons. Sorry to disappoint, but the egg rolls and wontons were frozen, so we just heated them in the oven. Still delicious. I must say, we're getting pretty good at this whole cooking thing. Tyler is much better than me, but I'm learning...slowly, but surely. :) 

Friday, Friday...Gotta Get Down on Friday....

And now you all have the Rebbecca Black song stuck in your head like I do almost every Friday since that horrid fun song came out. Muwhahaha. If you don't know what I'm talking, well where have you been these past couple months?! Unfortunately, her record company has removed all of the videos from youtube, so you will just have to do a search yourself :).

Anyway! Wednesday, Tyler comes home from work and says, "I have to jump tomorrow. Ugh." (For those of you who don't know what that means, he's airborne, so he has to jump out of airplanes every now and then to keep in practice.)
Me: "Oh really? What time do you have to be there?"
Tyler: "12:30."
Me: "wait...as in AM??"
Tyler: "Yup."
Me: "WHAT?! Go take a nap!"
Tyler: "I don't think I can. And besides, that may make it worse."
Ugh! So early! So, we stayed up, had a late dinner and watched TV. I did not go to bed until he left because I thought it would be too mean if I went to bed haha. He had to get there so early because they were having a morning jump, but did that happen of course not. He didn't jump until like 4:30 that evening. Then, he didn't get home until 11:30/12 that night. He looked wrecked. It was bad. But, good news, he got some sleep while he was there, and didn't have to be in to work until 1 today :).

Yesterday was kind of a girls day/night. I went to the lake with 3 of my lovely neighbors (plus one baby and puppy) and just walked around, chatted and ate at the cafe there. After going home to relax and clean, that evening, we went to base to have dinner and drinks. Two other girls joined for this round. :) Then, we went back to our apaartment and had some more drinks/conversation until the guys got back from jumping. It was a really fun night with the girls! It was a nice change in pace too; we're definitely going to need to do this more often. *note to self...I need to take more pictures of these events!*

"Yesterday was Thursday (Thursday), to-to-day is Friday (Friday). We we we so excited...we so excited..." Ok, that's enough.
But yes, it is Friday. I got some recycling done, planning dinner, got a good workout in this morning...who knows what tonight and this weekend may bring! Happy Friday everyone :)

NBA CHAMPS!

   Oh man, I forgot to post this yesterday, but in case you didn't know....THE DALLAS MAVERICKS ARE THE NBA CHAMPIONS!!! YESSSS!!!!

Owner Mark Cuban. Source

One of my fav Germans :). Source

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Dirk is MVP!!!

That is all :)

I suck at titles...

   Yesterday, I finally got to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4! I love those movies. No, I don't care that they keep getting worse as they continue on, I still love them. This one was a bit of a stretch even for me, but I still had a good time and enjoyed it. Listen, I'm not expecting an Oscar worthy film or anything here. The only thing I didn't like were the mermaids...they made them more like sirens and evil. Boo.

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   Tyler unfortunately was on CQ last night, but he also didn't really care about seeing the movie, so I went with some of my neighbors.
   Today, he slept most of the day, so I got a lot of cleaning done. A good thing I suppose. Then, we watched TV, made our steak dinner and had lots of wine, including Port from Porto, Portugal. We also watch The Iron Giant, which I haven't seen since I was little.

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Oh man, I forgot how much I liked that movie! I even started to tear up a bit hehe. All in all, it was a good night I'd say. Happy Monday everyone!

Our Travels in Paris

Friday (Day 1):
Tyler and I left a little before 7:30 in the morning for our epic drive to Paris. It took about 7 hours with a stop for gas/food. It was cheaper for us to drive (pay for gas, tolls, parking) than for us to take the train. Weird? I thought so, but hey, I'm not gonna fight it. 

On our way!

Isn't the French countryside beautiful?

Once we got to Paris, we had to find the parking structure Tyler had reserved parking at. It was confusing, but we finally got there. Just so everyone knows, driving in Paris is INSANE!!! They kind of create their own lanes...and well, it's just insane. Trust me. Rome is worse, but Paris is up there. Once we parked, we got our Metro passes for the weekend, and made our way to the apartment we were staying at, which was located in Marais. Best area ever. It's sooo cute and apparently the up and coming/happening place. It is predominantly a gay and Jewish community, so many things were closed on Saturday (for the Sabbath), but were then open on Sunday. Loved it. Instead of a hotel, we decided to use airbnb.com, and rent an apartment for the weekend. It ended up being a little cheaper, plus, we were in a cool area! This woman's apartment was on the top floor of an older building, but it was so cute! I loved how she decorated it. Side-note, there were 74 small, windy stairs to get to her apartment. Ugh. I was sometimes out of breather when I got to the top. haha...fail.

   After we set our stuff down, we went out to explore the city. We usually like walk around the first day to get our barrings. Tyler also had a plan in mind to take me to Notre Dame. Once Notre Dame came in to view, I literally almost cried; I've wanted to go there basically my entire life. They were having mass while we were there...it was so amazing...no words really.
   After that we walked around some more, we stopped and had an amazing dinner at Cafe Grizzli. Great wine too! We also sat next to people from Oakland...small world? haha. After dinner and climbing those stairs (haha) we PASSED OUT.

Saturday (Day 2): 
We started off the morning by going to the Eiffel Tower! Another thing I have wanted to see basically my entire life. Tyler was walking through parking lots, right next to buildings, etc. just so I wouldn't see the Eiffel Tower until the last possible second. Cute. It was so cool! There were people even repelling off of it while we were there. Tyler and I got excited and thought they were maybe filming the Amazing Race! (they weren't haha).
   Next, we had delicious crepes from a cart, and took a boat tour on the Seine. After that, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe.  Then we did a little window shopping at Champs-Élysées (I really wish I had more money haha).

   Next on the agenda was Montmartre, to go see Moulin Rouge, Sacré-Cœur, etc. After some lunch, we went back to the apartment to take a break...it had been a long day already! After a quick nap, we went back to Montmartre to meet up with a former peer student of mine, who has been studying abroad in Paris this past semester, and has 2 weeks left. Man, what a long day huh? Worth it? Absolutely.





Sunday (Day 3):

The Louvre 

   Today was the day to hit up the museums. What we didn't realize until the night before was, the first Sunday of the month, all museums are free. Uh oh. Oh well, we're committed to going! First, we had a delicious breakfast at the Jewish bakery by the apartment, then it was off to the Louvre. Now, some travel blogs and things tell you that you can skip this, I disagree 100%. So worth it, especially if you like art and history. 
   Next, we had a delicious sandwich from a random cafe, and then went to the Orsay Museum. Tyler and I do love ourselfs some Monet and Van Gogh.
   After our afternoon break, we walked around Marais and window shopped/looked for more delicious wine. Dinner was at a cute cafe in Marais.

Monday (Day 4): 
   After cleaning up the apartment, we grabbed some pastries and a baguette at a local bakery, and were on made our way to the car. After getting lost a few times, we finally made it, and away we went! I was sad to go, but it had been a great long weekend. There are still things that I would like to do in/around Paris. Guess I just have to go back, huh?
   All in all, we had an amazing time filled with delicious food and wine (I would like those pastries and baguettes for the rest of my life!) and beautiful sites. While we were there, we ate only "French" food. Also, for not really knowing French, we did well! They would figure us out and flip in to English of course, but no one was ever rude or mean to us. I hear that a lot too, "Oh French people are so rude and mean to Americans...blaaah." I need did not find that to be true at all! Maybe it's because we're not rude Americans and we actually tried? Who knows. The French are nice people in my book!

Lazy rainy days

   Yesterday, I was completely wiped out from traveling. I mean, sure I got a good yoga workout in from Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. I also did clean some and make a delicious dinner, but other than that, I was pretty useless.

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   You ever hav e those days? I get them after traveling or doing something big the day before. Lately it seems I've been lazy a lot. Maybe it's because I don't have a regular job that I go to every day, or maybe I'm just in a funk/ Don't get me wrong, I work out almost every day, and there's always some cleaning that needs to be done, but sometimes, I'm just lazy. Ah well. I guess we're all intitled to those funks every once in awhile. Hopefully I snap out of it soon. Today has been ok. It's kind of rainy, gloomy and chilly, so that makes everyone a little less productive I feel. I did do day 2 of level 3 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Man is that a killer!!! But I know I need to keep it up. I also need to get way more cardio into my workout routines. I would love not being out of breathe after I climb up say a couple flights of stairs (thank you Paris for reminding me I need more cardio in my life haha). Any suggestions? I would love to actually get to a gym more, but being a one car family, and having weird timings for buses by our apartment, well, this makes it hard.
  As I talked about on my very first guest post, I have always struggled with weight/body image. I've never been, or will never be a skinny mini, but I have never been huge, just right in the middle where your weight fluctuates like crazy! I have mostly come to accept this and accept me for me,  like to be in better shape. It helps that I've really started to hone in on how to work out for me and body type, and the results are great! Well, I didn't do this all by myself...the personal trainer I had this past summer helped immensely. Totally worth the money. You can read more about that here. Now, I just have to keep motivating myself. I mean, I am renewing my vows this summer (hello wedding dress!) and it is the summer (hello swimsuits and tanks tops!), so I have two pretty good reasons to get and stay in shape. Sometimes, I just get so frustrated that my body isn't changing as fast or as much as I want it too. Sigh.

   In other news, let me tell you about the dinner I made last night! Oh man, it was delicious. I made baked chicken breast with potatoes and green beans. Mmmm. Here's what I did: I cut up the potatoes and put them in a pot with water, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and brought them to a boil. Once the chicken was defrosted, I put a little olive oil, butter and chopped garlic in a pan and took it off the heat right before the garlic browned. I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, basil, thyme, onion and garlic, put the chicken in a Pyrex pan, then poured the garlic, butter and olive oil mix over the tops. too give it a little extra flavor, not that it needed it, I added a little lemon juice to the mix. Then, I put the potatoes in with chicken and baked it all for about 30 minutes. For the green beans, I just boiled them in water with a little onion, salt and pepper. The chicken was so juicy, and the potatoes were so good! I was very proud of myself. :) I guess I'm turning out to be a cook after all! Who knew? I should really start taking pictures of the food I make...ah well.

What a weekend!

Hello everyone! Sorry for neglecting this weekend, but I have a good excuse; I was in PARIS!!! That's right, Paris, France. It was amazing...but more on that later.

How was everyone else's weekend? Good I hope! :)

Also, before I forget, I was featured on one of favorite blogs, Fit, Fierce and Fabulous  . Go on, check it out: http://caitmanock.blogspot.com/2011/06/meet-elizabeth.html

And finally, shout out to my new followers! Thanks for following me. :)

Where has the time gone?

   Man, how is it already June? Can you even believe it?? I can't believe that I moved to Germany in November! We did go back to the states in Dec./Jan. for Christmas and his block leave, but still...how time flies!
   Are you all ready for summer? I know I am. I love warm weather. The spring has actually been pretty warm here in Germany, well, usually. I like this trend :). Unfortunately for my friends and family in Texas, you're already dealing with 90 plus degree heat. Yikes. Summer is in full swing over there!
   Any big plans/trips for the summer? Tyler and I are going to Paris THIS WEEKEND! I'm so excited. I've always wanted to go to Paris. After that we'll probably lay low and prepare for our trip "home" to California for our Celebration of Marriage in July. After that, we'll probably plan some day trips to other places in Germany. Then, in August, my parents come for a visit! Pretty full summer huh?
   Now, Tyler and I had this "tackle Europe" plan, but then reality and budget set in, and we're not going to make it to all the places we want. Any thoughts on where we should go after Paris? 

Hope everyone has a great day! And happy summer :)