2 months down

We have officially made the 2 month mark!!! We are all surviving!!! I've been trying to keep busy with my friends, a lil traveling and by doing some crafting! The time is going by exactly as expected!! SLOW!!

However, there have been rumors that the guys will be coming home early!!! This would be so unlikely for the Army to actually do this but hey, anything is possible!!! It definitely would not be a deployment if it wasn't filled with all kinds of rumors and drama. This deployment has lived up to the expectations.... sexting scandals, fights, early redeployment and some alcohol related offenses. Can't wait to see what happens in the next few months.

In exactly 1 month and 3 days my mom and sister will actually be in Germany!! I am super stoked about their visit. It has always been a dream of all of ours to travel Germany or really anywhere in Europe. I know 10 days sounds like plenty but I wish we could afford for them to stay much longer!! Along with Germany we will travel to Austria. It will be all of our first times. I'm so pumped, it's going to be so fun!!

Care Packages!!!

We are officially 1 month and a few days done with this deployment!! I feels so good to say that!! I have been keeping myself super busy since the hubs left. The 1st week was the hardest, lots of bum days and chocolate but I made it through!! I am super happy to be able to talk to Anthony quite a bit. We are all very spoiled these days, and I love it! :o)

I also love to spoil the hubs by sending him awesome care packages! The first few I just tried to send fast so I didn't spend much time on them but the next few I tried to fancy them up a bit!! Anything to make him smile!

This one has been my favorite so far. "I'm blue without you!" It was the 1st decorated box to go out. All items in the box are blue. Some things were requested but most were just some treats!!

Included in the box:
BC Powder
Tums
Salt & Pepper popables
Oreos
Kazoozles (my favorite non-chocolate candy)
tuna
mio fit blue
kool aid tropical punch
and a few other assorted blue packaged items.

However cute I thought this idea was, the husband barely noticed the decorated box. He did realize everything inside the box was blue but was mainly interested in what was in it. Kind of bummed me out. I think I'm done decorating boxes for the hubs. I will keep decorating my packages for the other guys who may actually appreciate it.

I have been making special Birthday boxes for some of the guys who will celebrate their birthday downrange. All of these boxes are a lil different but I do add necessary b-day items: cake or cupcake, card, balloons, party hat, blowers and best of all confetti!!!! I love all that. Only one guy has received his b-day package but he was so excited that I thought of him.

Deployment Sucks!!

We had a huge "Deployment Sucks" themed party the other weekend. Complete with great food, games, alcohol and all things suckable....lollipops, jello shots, and drunk gummies!!

I even ordered shot glasses and swirl lollipops w/ the words Deployments Suck on them from Oriental Trading! Everyone loved them!

I'm not always a fan of jello shots but they were a huge hit! You can check out my link for some recipes! http://kasey713.blogspot.de/2013/06/jello-shots.html

I made four different flavors but my absolute favorite were the Dr. Pepper Vodka Jello shots! In case you were unaware, I am a huge Dr. Pepper fan! Here is the recipe.....

Dr Pepper Jello Shots

1 box Jello's Mixchief make your own soda pop jello. Here's a link to buy it from Amazon! (http://www.amazon.com/grocery-gourmet-food/dp/B004R8L6PE) 

1 cup water

1 cup Dr. Pepper

1 cup marshmallow vodka (or another vodka of your choice)

Boil water then mix with gelatin until dissolved. Add Dr. Pepper. Allow to cool a bit and then add vodka. Pour into jello shot cups and refrigerate until well set. About 6 hours. 

Drunken Gummies

Put a bag of gummy bears into a bowl. Pour vodka or rum over the bears until they are completely submerged. They must soak in liquor for at least 6 days. Stir daily and ad more liquor if needed. 

On day four add thawed fruit punch concentrate to the gummies. It will take the bite out of them! 

In the past we have used gummy bears, cola bottle, fruit shaped and life savers. These were a huge hit!! I hear the only gummies that do not work are the swedish fish!

:o)

 Of course it rained for 2 days so we borrowed and bought canopies. Isn't it just my luck that it stopped raining at exactly the same time my party started!!! Overall the party was a success! It was a great chance to hang out and relax (and get drunk) before the guys deploy!!! Totally will make this a normal before deployment party!!! Any reason to party is a good one! LOL

Here is a pic of all my favorite (drunk) guys!!!! I love them, they make this Army Life so awesome!!! 

JELLO SHOTS!!!!

Next weekend is party time!!! I am so excited for our ""Deployment Sucks" themed party! I've been planning it for a while!!! I have already soaked my gummy bears in vodka so they will be nice and ready on Party day. To go along w/the drunk gummies I was planning on making some jello shots. (I thought they went well w/a "suck" theme part). lol. I have been looking for the best Jello Shot recipes and a friend sent me a link on facebook. I wanted a way to pin it so I am sharing it here!! Enjoy!!

1. *JAGER BOMB* boil 1 cup red bull (in place of water), add black cherry or orange jello, 1 cups jager.

2. *MARGARITA* boil 1 cup water, add 3 oz pkg lime jello, 4 oz tequila, 4 oz sweet & sour margarita mix. sprinkle with salt just before firm.
(substitute watermelon jello for lime for a melon margarita)

3. *RUM & COKE boil 1 cups coke, mix in dark cherry jello add 1 cups light rum

4. *MIMOSAS* this one varies from the normal method Since champagne isn't as strong as liquor, cut the water out of this one. boil one cup champagne, mix orange jello 2 min, add one more cup champagne and a splash of OJ.

5. *SILK* Boil one cup champagne, mix in jello for 2 minutes, add one cup champagne and splash of lychee juice from the can.

6. *ORANGE TIC TAC* Boil two cups red bull, mix jello two minutes, add two cups mandarin orange vodka

7. *LEMON DROP* (boil 1 cup water, add lemon jello, citrus vodka, top with sugar sprinkles just before its fully set up)

8. *GRAPE CRUSH* (boil 1 cups water, add grape jello, 1/2 cup plain vodka, 1/2 cup chambord)

9. *HAWAIIAN* (boil 1 cup water, add pineapple or blueberry jello, 1 cup coconut rum)

10. *GIN & TONIC* (boil 1 cup tonic water, add lime jello, 1 cup gin)

11. *LEMON LIME* (boil 2 cups sprite, add lemon and lime jellos, 2 cups citrus vodka)

12. *BLUEBERRY* (boil 1 cup water, add blueberry jello, 1 cup blueberry vodka)

13. *FRUIT PUNCH* (boil 1 cups water, add mixed fruit jello, 1/2 cup blueberry vodka, 1/2 cup raspberry vodka)

14. *WATERMELON* (boil 1 cup water, add watermelon jello,1 cup watermelon vodka)

15. *BEER* (boil 1 cups water, add strawberry jello, add 1 cup any malt liquor)

16. *CARIBBEAN* (boil 1 cup water, add strawberry-banana jello, Cruzan banana rum

17. *CHERRY COLA* (boil 1 cup coke, add cherry jello, 1 cup cold cola, 1/2 cup amaretto, 1/2 cup spiced rum)

18. *DREAMSICLE* (boil 1 1/3 cup water & 2/3 cup OJ, add orange jello, 1 cup vanilla vodka 1/2 cup raspberry or berry vodka, 1/2 cup KeKe Beach Key Lime Cream Liqueur)

19. *LIME IN THE COCONUT* (boil 1 cup water, add watermelon jello, 1 cup Malibu Coconut Rum)

20. *RED HOTS* (boil 2 cups water, add jello, 1/2 cup cold water, 2 cups Cinnamon Schnapps)

21. **SEX ON THE BEACH** boil 1 cup cranberry juice, add 3 oz pkg orange jello, 3 oz peach schnapps, 5 oz vodka

22. ***SOUR APPLE*** (in microwavable container, mix 1 small box sour apple jello, 1 pkg knox gelatin and 1 tbs sugar. Stir in 1 cup Mt. Dew and mix well. Microwave on high for 1 min. Stir until powder is dissolved. Mix 2 cups vodka & 3/4 cup Captain Morgan Coconut Rum. mix well and let sit 1 min. pour into cups and refrigerate.)

23. *SQUIRM* (boil 2 1/4 cup water, add 3 small pkgs any flavor jello, 2 cups vodka, 3/4 cup ice cold water. add 1 gummy worm to each shot before firm.

24. *CARIBOU LOU* (1/2 cup boiling water 1/2 cup pineapple juice boiled, add pineapple jello, 1/2 cup Malibu Rum, 1/2 cup Triplesec)

25. *JOLLY RANCHER* (boil 1 cup water, add melon jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup apple pucker)

26. *PURPLE PEOPLE EATER* (boil 1 cup water, add grape jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup watermelon pucker)

27. *BAHAMA MAMA* (boil 1 cup water, add watermelon jello, 1/2 cup Malibu rum, 1/2 cup peach schnapps)

28. *COSMOPOLITAN* (boil 1 cup water with a splash of lime juice, add cranberry jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup triple sec)

29. *CHERRY BOMB* (boil 1 cup redbull, add cherry jello, 1 cup vodka and drop in one maraschino cherry, step up before firmed.)

30. *BLUE FIRECRACKER* (boil 1 cup water, add berry blue jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup peach schnapps)

31. *WHITE LIGHTNING* (boil 1 cup water, add pina colada jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup triple sec)

32. *FUZZY NAVEL* (boil 1 cup water, add 3 oz orange jello, 2 oz vodka, 6 oz peach schnapps

33. *RED HEADED SLUT* boil 1 cup water, add cranberry jello, 1/2 cup peach schnapps, 1/2 cup jager

34. *MOJITO* (1 cup boiling water, 3 oz box lime jello, 6 oz white rum, 2 oz cold water. top with mint leaves chopped and crushed. (or substitue mint leaves with a splash of mint extract in the the boiling water.)

35. *STRAWBERRY DAQUIRI* (boil 1 cup water, add 3 oz package wild strawberry jello, 6 oz white rum, 1 oz sweet & sour or margarita mix.

36. *DEVILS KISS* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 envelope of Knox Gelatin and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Goldschlager, and 1/4 cup of Bacardi-151. Stir well and wait until the liquid has cooled before pouring into jello shot cups. if you double up the Knox Gelatin in this one you can eliminate the cup serve these up as jigglers!!

37. *ANKLE BREAKER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 envelope of Lime Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of 151 Rum, and 1/4 cup of Cherry Brandy. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

38. *FIRECRACKER 2* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/3 cup of Sloe Gin , and 1/3 cup of Spiced Rum and 1/3 cup of 151 Rum. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cup

39. **KOMANIWANALAYA** 2 cups of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello and 1 box of Cranberry Jello (both 3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Amaretto, and 1/2 cup of 151 Rum. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

40. *RAIN MAIN* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Bacardi 151, and 1/4 cup of Melon Liqueur. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups

41. *ADAM AND EVE* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Lemon Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Brandy, and 1/4 cup of Pomogranate Liqueur and 1/4 cup of Gin. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

42. *ALABAMA SLAMMER* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Lemon Jello (3 oz) and stir until everything is completely dissolved and then add 1/3 cup of cold water. Next, add 1/3 cup of Amaretto, 1/4 cup of Southern Comfort, and 1/3 cup of Sloe Gin. Mix thoroughly until everything is well combined and the carefully pour into jello shot cups. Chill for 3 to 4 hours and serve.

43. *ALL NIGHTER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Cherry Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water and 1/2 cup of Watermelon Vodka. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

44. *APPLE PIE* 1 1/2 cups ofboiling water. Dissolve 2 boxes of Lemon Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Light Rum, 1/2 cup of Sweet Vermouth, 1/4 cup of Apple Brandy and 1/4 cup of Grenadine. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

45. *BANANA BOAT* 1 cup of water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Coconut Rum , and 1/4 cup of Banana Liqueur. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

46. *BANANA SPLIT 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Strawberry Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Vodka, and 1/4 cup of Banana Liqueur and 1/4 cup of Creme de Cacao. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

47. *BAT OUT OF HELL* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello (3 oz) and stir for at least 2 minutes until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of Red Bull, 1/4 cup of Rumand 1/4 Blue Curacao. Stir until well combined and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

48. *BERMUDA TRIANGLE* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Spiced Rum and 1/4 cup of Peach Schnapps. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot

49. *BLACK CAT* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Raspberry Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Black Vodka, and 1/4 cup of Chambord. Stir well and wait until the liquid is about room temperature before pouring into jello shot cups.

50. *BLACK WIDOW* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Grape Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 3/4 cup of Blackberry Vodka and 1/8 teaspoon of Ginger Powder. Stir well and cool slightly before pouring into jello shot cups. For a schnazzy garnish, drop a single blackberry in each cup before chilling

51. *COUGH DROP* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 3 oz package of Strawberry Jello and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Jagermeister. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

52. *CRYPTINI* 1 cup of Hot Coffee. Dissolve 1 envelope of Knox Gelatin and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/3 cup of Iced Coffee, 1/3 cup of Vodka, and 1/3 cup of Kahlua. Stir well and wait until the liquid has cooled before pouring into jello shot cups.

53. *FRENCH TICKLER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Cinnamon Schnappsand 1/2 cup of Vodka. Stir well and wait until the liquid has a chance to cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

54. *HARVEY WALLBANGER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Vodka and 1/4 cup of Galliano. Stir well until completely combined and wait until the liquid has cooled before pouring into jello shot cups.

55. *JUICY FRUIT* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/3 cup of Vodka, and 1/3 cup of Melon Liqueur and 1/3 cup of Peach Schnapps. Stir well and cool

56. *JAGERMASTER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Jagermeister, and 1/4 cup of Amaretto, and a just a splash of Grenadine. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

57. *JAGERMONSTER* 1 cup of boiling water . Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water , 1/2 cup of Jagermeister, and 1/4 cup of Grenadine. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

58. *LETHAL INJECTION* 2 cups of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello (3 oz) and 1 package of Pineapple Jello (3 oz) and stir at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold water followed by 1/4 cup of Amaretto, 1/4 cup of Coconut Rum, 1/4 cup of Dark Rum and 1/4 cup of Spiced Rum. Stir well and wait until the liquid has cooled before pouring into jello shot cups.

59. *LONG ISLAND ICED TEA* and measure 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 2 packages of Lemon Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of Cola and 1/2 cup of cold water. Now get ready to add the alcohol - 1/2 cup of Gin, 1/2 cup of Light Rum, 1/2 cup of Vodka and 1/2 cup of Tequila. Stir until everything is well combined and let it cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

60. *NINJA TURTLE* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Gin, and 1/4 cup of Blue Curacao. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

61. *PAIN KILLER* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/3 cup of Dark Rum, 1/3 cup of Coconut Rum and 1/3 cup of Orange Liqueur. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

62. *PIXIE STIX* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Lemon Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Southern Comfort, and 1/4 cup of Blackberry Brandy. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

63. *RED SILK PANTIES* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Cranberry Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Vodka, and 1/4 cup of Peach Schnapps. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

64. *KINKY MALIBU BARBIE* Boil 1 cup water, add peach jello, 1/2 cup Kinky Liqueur, 1/2 cup Malibu Coconut Rum.

65. *KILLER KOOL AID* 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Dissolve 2 boxes of Cranberry Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 3/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Vodka, 1/2 cup of Gin, 1/4 cup of Rum, 1/4 cup of Chambord and 1/4 cup of Triple Sec. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

66. *BROKEN HEART* 1 cup of boiling water . Dissolve 1 package of of Orange Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Vodka, and 1/4 cup of Chambord. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

67. *SCOOBY SNACKS* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Melon Liqueur, and 1/4 cup of Coconut Rum . Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

68. *TIJUANA TAXI* 2 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 2 packages of Lemon Jello (3 oz size) and stir at least 2 minutes until fully dissolved.Next, add 1 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Tequila, 1/4 cup of Blue Caracao and 1/4 cup of Tropical Fruit Schnapps. Stir until completely combined and give it a chance to cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

69. *RUMMY BEARS* 1 cup boiling water, add any random flavor jello and 1 cup berry vodka, 1 gummy bear in the center of each shot.

70. *WOOWOO* 2 cups boiling water, add 3 pkgs grape jello, 3 pkgs cranberry/raspberry jello, 3 pkgs strawberry jello, 3 cups vodka, 3 cups peach schnapps, 1 can grape juice concentrate and 1 can cran-raspberry juice concentrate (both undiluted!)

Trippin' in the U.K.

Today has been officially a recovery day. It's a shame that you always seem to need a vacation from your vacation. Early this morning we returned from our week long stay in the U.K.

London was definitely some place that I am glad we traveled to but it is someplace that I definitely don't think I would want to return to. Yes, it was gorgeous! But, it was overpopulated w/residents and tourists and it is incredibly expensive!!

The highlight of our stay would be witnessing the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and mastering the tube (or subway) system. Of course we mastered the tube the day before we left. London is so huge we couldn't get a grip on the bus routes w/o carrying a route map the size of a history book around with us. 

As a new follower of the Showtime series "The Tudor's" I was excited to see the palace the Henry the 8th built for Ann Berlin. Although she never lived in it before her death. And our tour guide was happy to ruin the end of the show for me by telling us how King Henry killed her. 

We also learned that if these guys are out then the queen is home at Buckingham Palace. We were able to take a trip to see Stonehenge and to the city of Bath. While at Stonehenge we encountered really cold temps and what felt like freezing rain. Wouldn't you know that we forgot our jackets at home. We ran into the store there and thankfully they had ponchos. Needless to say, our visit was cut very short. We stayed long enough to take a few pics and we were outta there!

 Excited to see this for my dad. He is dead set on the idea of aliens!

At least we can say that we have been there, done that!!! ;o)

One of the best human statues I have ever seen was in Bath, England! We visited here for a short afternoon.

The final stop on our trip was Edinburgh, Scotland. This place absolutely took our breath away!  The views were amazing, the people were great and the town itself was architecturally incredible! It is somewhere we would love to visit again. Although many restaurants centered around vegan and vegetarian eaters the food was amazing and soooo much cheaper than London. I even got the husband to eat at a vegan/vegetarian Potato Shop. It was so unique and tasted great so he wanted to go back a second time. I tasted Scotland's most traditional meal of Haggis, mashed potatoes, and neeps (mashed turnips or parsnips) at a restaurant where Harry Potter was written. 

 There were street performers all over the town: a man in traditional clothing playing the bagpipes, a woman from Brazil with over 9500 piercings(we saw her on the discovery channel) and a hilarious man that swallowed a balloon and escaped a straight jacket. 

I'm so happy to be able to make these memories with my hubby!!!

 <3 ya babe!

So Much to Do so Little Time!!

Just thinking about how much stuff we have coming up makes my head spin!! Leave officially started for the unit. We spent the first days of it taking people to the airport and he worked for a few days of it. But....he is off now and we are truly enjoying the time we have together. We are gearing up for our big vacation to the UK. We leave pretty soon!!! We are both super pumped about this trip. This will be Tuckers first time to be boarded so I'm a lil worried about him. We got to see how his reaction to having a friend stay the night here. Our lil Tucker never stopped staring at her while she was trying to sleep and all morning long. He is now known as "The Creeper." LOL

After our much anticipated trip to the UK we will come home for a few more days of chillin' out before he has to go back to work. Then I am preparing a huge "Deployment Sucks" Themed Party. I am hoping it will b a blast. With all that we have coming up I am also excitedly looking forward to the future cuz we just reserved plane tickets for my mom and sister to visit me here and finally I will get to go home for a visit after that!!

As much as I am desperately trying to keep myself busy I can not help but think of the impending deployment. It makes me sad these days to even hear the "D" word. :(

So on that note... I must leave the computer to spend time with the hubby.

Plans for the evening: enjoy this rainy weather by watching movies curled up on the couch!! YES!!

Spouse shoot @ the Range!!

Last weekend the husband unit let us wives head out to the range and experience shooting some of the guns that the guys train with and use down range. I was so excited that the Commander actually set this up for us and put so much work into it. It was so much fun. Now Apache leads the way (their motto) in family fun! LOL!
The first gun I went to shoot was the Sniper Rifle. I was not a fan of having to lay down and shoot. Mainly because my boobs were in the way of the scope & I had on Capri's which I rolled down b/c we were supposed to wear pants so they looked a bit high-water-ish! lol

I was so excited after I fired and hit the 250 meter target. As you can see from the video.

My absolute favorite of all the guns was the 240 Bravo  I first tried to aim but the gun had so much power it was difficult. So I asked if I could just shoot like a madman. The army guys call it cyclic. It was AH-freaking-Mazing!!!!!!!!!

My least favorite was the shotgun. It even left me a good side bruise on my shoulder. Apparently, they use shotguns to blow doors open when they are down range (deployed).

New Roast Recipe!!

I've been trying a lot of new recipes. Mostly from Pinterest <- It's my obsession!!! Most of the recipes have been good but not blog worthy, until......today!!! :o) YES!

It's called Mississippi Roast (but the hubs thinks we should rename it.... so I guess I'll update you when he comes up with a clever name. LOL

It's so easy.

 Buy a chuck roast & put it in the crockpot.

Sprinkle Hidden Valley Ranch dressing on top.

Sprinkle McCormick Aus Jus gravy mix on top of that.

Put 1 stick of butter on that. (I read you can use a can of beer instead of the butter)

Put about 5 pepperoncini peppers on top of that.

Sprinkle w/a lil salt & pepper & then....

...cook on low for 8 hours. I served this with rice (would be great w/mashed potatoes)!! The gravy was delish. You should make it, I'm sure you'll love it as much as we did!!

Here is a link to the original post. http://www.food.com/recipe/mississippi-roast-crockpot-491126

It Begins...

Well today the husband and his entire unit stood outside on the flightline for hours trying on and picking up their multicam uniforms and gear. This is the gear that they will actually take to Afghanistan. It certainly makes this deployment seem oh so real. They are not actually leaving until the summer some time but they will begin shipping their items soon.

Since deployment in nearing we want to try to do as much as we can afford to do before he leaves. So we have been planning a few trips. Our anniversary is coming up and the hubs surprised me by actually taking a couple days off. We originally planned to go out to dinner in the dark but after realizing they needed payment in advance we just went ahead and canceled with the intent to reschedule b/c that is too awesome to miss!!! So we have decided to take a trip to Switzerland. This will be our first time actually traveling out of Germany so we are both really excited!!! We also plan on taking a detour to go to Monkey Hill in Salem. Who can pass up free range monkey that you can hand feed! Hell Yea! LOL Well, actually the husband owes me this trip since we had planned to go last October and then went to Oktoberfest instead. Later we found out they closed for the winter. But they are reopened and I am ready!!!

Then later in May the girls and I are going with ODR on a Polish pottery trip. I am excited the ODR has put out their list of spring/summer trips. Hopefully it will keep us busy after the guys all leave. In June we have our big vacationed planned to the UK. I can hardly wait. After that trip I will be gearing up to throw a huge Deployment Sucks Party!!! One of the husbands good friends Crawford is actually letting me borrow his house for the night to throw this party. Since his house is on post and actually has a yard it will be a much better site for crazy infantryman to party b4 they deploy!!!!

As excited I am about the things we have planned, I know that after we do all these fun things the husband will be leaving. They say he could be gone up to 18 months. I am not looking forward to that at all. I could definitely handle 6-9 but 18, that is too long!

The only thing that may save me (besides having some good friends that will be going through the same thing) my mom & sister plan on visiting. I can hardly wait for them to be able to take in the beautiful sights I get to experience every day!!! Eeek!!! ;o)

Klinikum

Last week I was feeling pretty bad. I normally get tonsillitis a few times a year so I assumed it was that. After suffering for 6 days I made an appt to see my dr here on post. The system that they have in place at this health clinic is pretty efficient most times but this time i felt like they didn't take time to treat me, the patient, they treated my symptoms. So I get called back by a young guy with a laptop. He takes all my vitals, temp and so on. Then asks every question imaginable. He relays this info to the dr. She comes in and says I hear you have this, this, and this. Here is some medicine, Bye! I literally spent 4 minutes with the dr and about 25 minutes with the young guy and his laptop. 

Later that night after seeing this army dr I start to feel much worse. I decided to just go to the ER since its a 7 minute drive. I was worried about even going since they do not speak great English but I was hopeful they would give me an antibiotic and send me home. After they did all the normal er stuff they sent me for an x-ray  So the weirdest thing....they just left me in this barely lit hallway outside of the x-ray place for at least 20 min. It was kind of creepy. Every now and then I could hear voices but sure as hell couldn't understand what they were saying. It was worse than being in the nail salon, thinking they are talking about you but not really knowing. lol

Finally they take me back for chest x-rays, I guess to make sure it wasn't pneumonia. After the x-ray a nurse takes me on the rolling bed out of the ER and in the hallway where my husband is and starts shouting his name. I ha no idea what was going on by this point. Now that my husband was by my side, I felt better but she nurse continued rolling my bed to the elevators. Truthfully, I was thinking the ER was full so they were taking me somewhere to wait. The husband and I kept exchanging weird IDK what's going on glances at each other. 

We arrived on the top floor and met another nurse where she met us with another rolling bed. Thankfully this one speaks a lil better english....but not too much better. At this point, I'm questioning here like "What is going on." They roll me into a room with an elderly woman who looked to be in her 80's. AKWARD. And the nurse is telling me I am staying the night and I was instantly freaking out. It was about 940pm and the nurse tells me that visiting hours are over at 10 so the husband would have to leave. I was so freaked out, not really knowing what was going on and they were making my love leave. The husband did find out that I had a high fever and that contributed to my admittance to the hospital. 

So I am laying in this weird place next to this old German lady. The only thing she can ask me in English is What is my name. After that....silence. They don't give you gowns or anything so I was just laying in pants and a long sleeve t-shirt trying my hardest to just sleep so the next day would come. They did however give me some good antibiotics and painkillers which was the 1st time in a week I had been able to swallow without much pain. Sadly, the meds wore off about 2 am and made it impossible to fall asleep. 

So by 7am the next morning all the lights on on and the day has started. I am beyond tired and just hoping for the husband to show at 730. They bring in breakfast around that time. Weird. 2 rolls, 2 pieces of lunch meat that looks a lil like bologna with green flecks in it and some coffee. I ate the bread till I bit into a caraway seed and it kinda made me gag. The husband arrived then with a Dr.Pepper, my savior!!!! 

Lunch was about the same weirdness. Baked fish with a gelatinous sauce covering it, nasty potatoes (come on, who fucks up potatoes) and a soup I could actually eat (thank goodness) and choc pudding with pears on top. 

After lunch and all this time filled with complete boredness they finally took me to see the ENT. He said he would give me a prescription and that I would be able to leave. 

This was the 1st time I ever ever stayed in the hospital, wouldn't you figure my 1st time would be in a foreign country!!! This is definitely an experience i will never forget!!

Life is back to normal!!!

Thank goodness he is home!!! Life is back to our kind of "normal." And I am loving it!!! Thankfully this month he gets 3, 4 day weekends!! It is like 3 mini vacations!!! We don't have any plans yet but it will be the perfect time to do something!!!

So the day I went to pick him up when they all got back from the field, they were all hungry tired & oh so STINKY!!! Most of them haven't bathed most of the time they were out there. Command would not release them until they all went and got haircuts. You know, they have to keep up with Army standards...hair lengths being one of them. They told them to go a few at a time so I gave one guy a ride. In the barber shop you have to pull a number b/c it can get busy at times. So he pulled number 11 and looked up and they were on number 38. Only 70 people in front of him, with 6 barbers working. No big deal. Just one sign that all the guys are home. While they were gone the post seemed like a ghost town. Not any more!! YAY!!!

The hubs and I were laying around that evening as he tells me stories about being in the field. Like how all the privates assigned the leaders animal names. He said his was The Great White Buffalo (but u had to whisper it?).... made me lol. And how his squad leader got his team killed (I am not fond of those stories)! My favorite though was when he was discussing how cold and miserable it was out there, although I felt bad for the guys, he made me lol when he looks up so seriously and says..."nothing like having to wipe your ass with frozen baby wipes!"

I love having them all back and I am glad we won't have to deal with them going to the field again..... well until D-Day!!!

Later!!!

He's almost home!!!

Just a few more days and my love will be home!!! I will be so relieved. This is the first time in a long time I have not spoken to him in over 2 weeks. They usually let the guys call home once or twice while they are gone!! I miss his voice!!! Awwww!!!! We are expecting the guys to return home around 3a.m. That is not ideal at all, especially for the families with small children but I can deal with that!!!

Thankfully, I have grocery shopping, scentsy parties and baby showers to keep me busy until his return!

I came across this on a fellow Army Wife's FB page so I thought I would share on here. I have seen it before but it is one of my favorites!

A Military Wife

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move... .....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Jane Hubbard Hyde

Smothered Pork Chops!!

The husband and I eat lots of chicken, steak & seafood [well of course veggies too] during the week. Pork is not really something I cook often. I think it was because I was not very good at cooking pork, it was always dry & well, gross so I just stopped buying it. Period!! While meal planning the last week before the hubs left for the field I stumbled upon a great recipe for PORK chops!!! It turned out great and I will definitely be adding this to the monthly menu!!!


Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish


Directions
Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Giving credit where credit is due: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/smothered-pork-chops-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback


Oh, & I added mushrooms & then served it over brown rice! Fantastic.