My Sweetheart

I've been a little down in the dumps lately with a simple case of "Navy Wife Syndrome". The symptoms of this ailment vary in severity depending on the length of the deployment. Thankfully, this is not a deployment but just a 4 day class in another city. I predict that all of my symptoms will magically disappear tomorrow about the time supper rolls around. My sweetheart will be home and all will be right in MY world once again.

Here's a quick little lesson for those of you unfamiliar with the Navy life we lead. Our orders typically have us in one location (tour) for about 2-3 years. Generally speaking, a sailor will flip flop tours from sea duty in one location to shore duty at the next location. Don't let those tags fool you though. You cannot assume that just because you are on shore duty that you will remain on the shore. Also, sometimes a sailor on sea duty will never even catch a glimpse of the ocean. Sea duty simply means that you are deployable or that you are attached to a group that can be deployed. Right now, Lee is on shore duty. He may stay on the shore BUT his current job has him away from home pretty often for short periods of time. I will gladly trade him sleeping at home 25 nights out of the month over him not sleeping at home for 9 months at a stretch. To me though, absence is absence. Whether it's a weekend or a year I miss him terribly when he leaves. I texted him a few days ago to let him know that I thought I may be losing my edge as a hard core Navy wife. I'm happily getting used to having him around. If I am struggling to get through a 4 day absence, how will I cope during the next tour when we kiss each other goodbye for another 6 months or so? I don't even want to think about it!

Charlie's Cupcakes

Little cousin Charlie turned 3.

Sweet little boys deserve yummy cupcakes on their birthday, don't you agree?

The problem: Charlie IS a very sweet little boy BUT he can't eat cupcakes. At least not normal cupcakes. He's allergic.

For him, a fun birthday with treats could end with an ambulance ride to the ER.

That's no way for sweet little boys to celebrate birthdays!

Thankfully we found a cake mix and frosting without eggs, dairy or peanuts.

YUM!

Charlie doesn't get baked goods very often.

He knows those are his cupcakes and he has his eye on the prize.

But wait, why is everyone looking at me and singing?

Daddy to the rescue! Hurray lets eat!

Two minutes later

Aunt Bob: Charlie is that a good cupcake?

Charlie: (with chocolate frosting lips) It's DeeWishus!

Awwww..... Charlie you make my heart melt.

I will make you deewishus chocolate cupcakes any day of the week.

The Rules

These are the rules.

If you want to become a member you must ask Gracie, the club's president and one and only member as far as I know. Be prepared to dance though if you don't know the password.

This is an Ofishall announcement.

Zoey Girl

Mimi and Poppy got a new little friend.

Her name is Zoey and she is a miniature long haired doxie.

My goodness. She is the cutest!

Repeat after me:

I do not need another dog!

I do not need another dog!

I do not need another dog!

But... Oh my goodness, she is SO cute!!

Friday Funny

FRIENDS

The boys came for a visit. Need I say more?

Oh wait, their parents Chris and Amy came too.

What a wonderful visit. We were neighbors for a short time but we'll be friends forever.

Amy: my inspiration to begin blogging. I took total advantage of my friend while she was here to help me out with some techie details. Thanks Amy!

Not that we need a reason to have chocolate ice cream cake BUT we HAD to help Tyler celebrate his 5th birthday.

Look at all those hands!

It took us a few tries but we finally figured out the timers on our cameras in order to get a few group shots.

Ryland picked Abbie as his fav and she was thrilled.

Logan and Gracie hit it off just like old times.

All is right again in the world for a little while. The boys are with their girls.

I have NO doubt that if we were still neighbors we would see this happening almost every day.

So sweet. We love the Morrison family and miss them very much!

PS: In case you are concerned, Holly got her share of cuddles in too. I just did not happen to catch any of those moments.

STILL Under Construction

As you all can see I have been tweaking away at the blog changing things around. It's in my nature I guess. I get bored with the furniture in the house every 6 months or so. That's when I can't stand it anymore and have to rearrange it all. Believe it or not it's much easier to move a couch than it is to rearrange html. Well it is for me anyway. Slowly but surely I'm learning a few things thanks to the willingness of others who have taken the time to write out detailed instructions on the internet. Otherwise I'd be as lost as a polar bear in the Everglades.

Live the Life - Strengthening Families and Marriages - (850)668-3700

Live the Life - Strengthening Families and Marriages - (850)668-3700

It's Pawdicure Time

Even 4 legged creatures love a little mani-pedi every now and then.

I Want A Boonie Cat!

If you have spent any amount of time on Guam you will know exactly what the word "boonie" means.
Boonie is a Guam term for stray animal (boonie cat, boonie dog). It can also mean "jacked up" or something that is especially "islandy" like a house that is sort of thrown together but can miraculously withstand a category 3 typhoon. Lot's of military folks go to Guam and buy a "boonie car" also known as a Guam bomb. It's a car that is cheap, probably has had many owners, and likely does not have aircon, but it gets you around on Big Navy. Guam has had a major issues with their stray "boonie" animal population for years. You cannot ride very far at all in your Guam bomb without seeing a boonie dog or even be chased by a few down the road. Many a Navy family has returned to the Continental United States with a Boonie cat or dog in tow. The Browns are no exception. We adopted our beloved Fraidycat within a month of living on the island (thanks Smith family!) and he is curled up beside me even now as I type. He is proudly representing his Boonie status on this side of the world. Now that I've caught you up a little on the word boonie, let me tell you about the conversation I had today.
I went in to get my hair done and was making the usual small talk that you make with a new hairdresser. The conversation went a little like this:
Me: Oh yes we love it here in Florida. The weather is so much better than Virginia. It's more of what we are used to after spending 3 years on Guam.
Rhi (hairlady): GUAM!!!!! OMG I had a cat from there!!! A Goonie cat. She was so sweet and had such personality with her pointy face and crooked tail. She died about 6 months ago.
Me: (Trying to keep a straight face) Oh, you mean a boonie cat right?
Rhi: yes a boonie cat. (Poor woman has probably been telling everyone for years that she owns a goonie cat)
Me: I have a boonie cat. His name is Fraidy.
Rhi: OMG Is he fixed?!?!?!?!
Me:Yes
Rhi: Oh thats too bad. I really want another boonie cat, they are just the best cats. How can I get one?
Me: (Looking around for the candid camera) Ummmm well... I guess if you knew someone military who lives there you could have one shipped to you but it would be very expensive because they have to go through vet checks and shots and blood tests etc... Then they have to ship through Hawaii and spend the night in quarantine blah blah blah...
Rhi: Oh I knew it would have to be expensive. They are so exotic, with that coloring and that crook in their tails.
Me: (Laughingly admitting) Fraidycat has a crook in his tail too but only because I slammed it in the dryer door when he was a kitten.
Me Again: (because Rhi was unsure how to respond to my cat abuse) You know..... I'm not sure how to tell you this but boonie cats in Guam are a dime a dozen. They are considered strays. The word boonie essentially means stray.
Rhi: Oh no!! A boonie cat is a specific breed. They are the best cats ever.
Me: (Bewildered) Ok. Well... I know we like ours... best of luck on your hunt for another one.

It was all I could do to keep my composure. Wow. I did not want to contradict her too much, after all she was applying chemicals to my head! I came home and relayed this crazy conversation to Lee and the girls who rolled with laughter. We decided we could become rich and famous for exporting the rare and exotic Boonie Breed around the world. Think it'll go over? Me either.

Finally

I think I finally figured out the color for the background of the blog. I had to delve into the world of hexadecimal color code charts. It was not a world I would care to live in for very long. Who knew finding just the right shade of brown would be such a chore? Now you all know why my kitchen and den are still unpainted.

For me it usually all comes down to food and this color brown reminds me of coffee with cream. Hmmm... now I'm thinking Starbucks.... Great now I'm gonna need coffee every time I blog!

Speaking of coffee, look at my college girl studying. Smart girls study with a cup of coffee handy. Glasses on, highlighter poised, and alone in the dining room away from distractions. Except for the distraction of a pesky mom with a camera in her face determined to capture her every moment.

Pardon My Mess

You've probably noticed that the blog is looking a blah and different these days. I've been doing a bit of renovation. My goal is to get the blog to look a little more sophisticated and allow it to load a little faster for all of you. So, please be patient. I will have it back up and running very soon I hope. My photos are beginning to backlog and I have plenty to share. So off I go into blog tweaking mode. Wish me luck.