Fishing, Flu, Friends!

A few weeks back we made it out to Sandbridge Pier so Clayton could finally start his East Coast Fishing.   It was a hurry up and get ready and out of the house or I was going to be left behind, that is to say that Gabby and Clay were waiting anxiously for me in the car.  I was busy doing little things like changing out of my pajamas, getting snacks and diapers for the day.  The day looked cloudy, but turned out to be Beautiful!  Gabby and I planted ourselves on the sand with the very important pail and shovel. Clay was on the Pier setting up all his gear and squid we stopped to get at a little bait shop.  Sand castles were built, decorated with shells and feathers, knocked down, re-built.  No fish were caught, but we did see other very serious fishermen who caught skate (look like a sting ray).  One guy even let Gabby touch the skate, and then yelled and scared her when she did.  Fun was had by all.

   Last weekend I came down with a sudden case of the stomach flu.  My goodness it was awful and I don't think I could have handled it for more than the 24 hours it lasted.  Thankfully Clay was home and able to take care of Gabby.  I spent way too much time being sick and not enough time sleeping.  Sunday morning I woke up feeling good, and grateful it was gone.  Clay and Gabby escaped it too, another blessing.

   A good friend of ours who was on the ship in Japan with Clay stopped by for a visit.  Steven just spent the last 6 months in Iraq serving with an Army group, whose job it was to shoot down rockets and IPGs aimed at his base.  VA was his first stop into the USA before going on leave to see his family in TX and then onto a new duty station in San Diego.  Steven stayed with us, and got to sleep in the princess bed. What a change, from a tent in the dessert to a 2 year old girls princess (as we call it, really there are no princess' on it) bed.  Gabby and I made him a Welcome Home poster, it did have princess stickers on it, and crayon drawings.  We also made him brownies, which were a big hit for all of us!  Gabby and Steven both fell a little in love I think.  Steven got the military treatment once again and was delayed b/c of paperwork.  Finally after 4 days in town he got to go home. It is so nice to have friends from different places and get to see them in new places, even if just for a little visit.

* oh and the picture of Gabby painting is her "bird castle" as she calls it.  What a fun time we had doing it, on two separate days!  She plays with it all the time!

Easter!

Just want to share a few of our Easter pictures.  We started out by dying eggs on Friday evening.  It was so much fun, I think Clay and I had were just as excited by it as Gabby.  Saturday we went to a new park and brought a picnic lunch with us.  It was a bit of a cloudy day but wonderful to be out all together and having fun.  Clay started his week of night shifts on Saturday and was due home 6am Sunday.... which meant he would go to sleep then.  Surprise, 11:30pm he calls me and says they let him off for some reason (the command here is SO different and generous with time off compared to the last) and he was on his way home.   7:15am Gabby Jean wanders into our room "Is the Easter Bunny here?"  She is at such a fun age where we get to celebrate and enjoy holidays.  She found eggs around the house that were filled with candy- that was enough, she was content to stop right then and eat her candy.  She got one piece of candy then it was on to finding her Easter basket, and BIG book that the Easter bunny left for her.  We had a quick breakfast, got dressed and headed to a new church. Driving around to find it we talked about Easter, and how the Easter Bunny brings us stuff to help us CELEBRATE Jesus' life.  She then got back on the Christmas talk about Mary, The Mother Mild. That girl and her memory continue to amaze me constantly! 

   It was a HUGE church, very modern and new age. They had a big band and did lots of singing. Gabby went to the kids room (very strange to leave her there without knowing anyone, and not used to leaving her at all!).  She did a little egg hunt with the kids at church, after the service we got her and she told us stories the whole way home:  " I was good, but I cried a little bit because you weren't there."  Her big story was about her telling a little boy "I said NO you can't have my drum.  He wanted to play the big drum but I did not want to share with him. I shared with the little girl."  Home for lunch, a much needed family nap and then a good ham dinner, with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.  Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter, we sure did!

The Beach

  We are starting to see more of Virginia Beach.  A few weeks ago it was so hot and nice out we went to the beach and walked in the sand and boardwalk for the evening.  It was gorgeous and fun.  The destination of our walk was to see the big statue of King Neptune, since Gabby had just watched The Little Mermaid the night before on our car ride home from Washington D.C.  The one and only picture I took while there, Clay and Gabby next to a D.C. Fire truck. We visited friends who live in VA but close to D.C.  We all went to the National Zoo and had a great day with a ton of walking... I had cankles for the next two days!  

   While at the beach we saw horses you could ride for $50 for 20 minutes, even if Gabby was old enough I don't think that is the greatest deal!  We put our toes in the freezing cold Atlantic and had ice cream on our way home!  

   Today we were out running errands, afterwards we used our new GPS to find the fishing pier Clay has been anxiously wanting to visit.  It was a cool day, only 45* and has been raining the past three days so when we got there it was empty.  Just being there made me even more excited for our Beach House vacation this summer in North Carolina!  

Tour

    Here are a few pictures to give you a feel of what our new house is like.  We are still trying to get things in their place and settle in, even two months later.  We FINALLY have Gabby's bed frame, which has been a total hassle.  We bought it Jan 17, and they said it would be in 3 weeks later.  We waited, called, never got called back..... finally March 11 we got to pick it up.  Clay set it up, it doesn't have the trundle bottom that we "bought."  Apparently our sales lady didn't understand us wanting to buy the twin frame PLUS the trundle for it, even though that was what we went in there to buy! Still no calls back from them.  The bed only came with 3 slats, when 27lb Gabby stood on it the first day one broke.  Next day at nap, prego me laid down with her and another slat snapped!  AHHHHHH I called and got no where with them.  Clay to the rescue, he went the next morning to LOWE'S (his new favorite store) and bought wood, got it cut to size so that now we have lots of strong slats to hold the mattress up!    The bedding I am in love with! I ordered it before moving here, it is Serena and Lily, with Pottery Barn Kids sheets and then pillow shams I found at Marshalls. Target has a comforter set that looks almost the same but not nearly as nice, although much cheaper! The crib bedding I ordered to coordinate since the two kids will be sharing a room.  I really like how it is coming together. I am working on letters to hang on the wall.

      The other new piece of furniture we have is our chair (and a half almost) and ottoman.  We ordered it (from a different store, an absolutely amazing store so much better to deal with) and were told it would take 10 weeks since we picked out the custom fabric for it... Within 3 weeks we were called and told we could pick it up!  It is So comfortable and cozy and all of us love it!  

    Pictures of the toy room too, just to show you another room.  Recently we hung Red Barron, our kite from the ceiling so he isn't always in the car.  Gabby is finally comfortable to go in there are play by herself... well for a little while! 

Costco

I love Costco!  It really is a store that has everything you need and more.  It has become our go to grocery store, in addition to the commissary.  I rarely go to the normal grocery stores by us, both because I don't like how they are set up and it isn't what I am used to.  Almost weekly I find myself making a trip to Costco for fruit.  That is normally all I need.... but never just what I get!  In one week our family of 3 (and a half, b/c I do eat enough for almost another person!) ate 8 pounds of oranges, 10 pounds of red delicious apples and 3 pounds of bananas.  We went back yesterday and bought those same things, the oranges really are my favorite right now! A few more regular buys are MILK (over a dollar cheaper than anywhere else, both in whole and non fat), cucumbers (almost as good as Japanese, just a lot bigger), bread and Honey Nut Cheerios (I scarf down a huge bowl every morning).  Other things we found at Costco and couldn't resist include, a GPS for the car (yes we have been printing out directions on mapquest whenever we try to go anywhere, I tried to get Clay to get a GPS when I got here- he insisted we didn't need one... then he used our friends this past weekend while we were in DC),   48 AA batteries (moving we lost all our batteries for every remote and toy, or the died, and things like a new wet jet swiffer need batteries to clean), Pinocchio  on blu-ray (b/c yes I am married to a man who loves Disney movies!) and Lucky jeans for him (although I do think he may have more jeans than me). 

Products I love...

*Bare Escentuals make up.

*Clean and Clear face wash, cheap and tingly.

*Dr Bronners Magic Soap.  in a pump bottle and more gentle than the 18 in one.

*Crystal Light, White Tea Blueberry flavor...  plus a big plastic jug to drink it in.  I know that the plastic jugs are "out" right now due to health concerns but if I don't use one I don't drink enough water.

*Neutrogena body oil in light sesame.

*Arbonne salt scrub in awaken.

*A sharp santoku knife.

*Aquaphor, good for everything from chapped lips to diaper rash.

*OPI and Revlon nail polish.

  Just a list I started a while back, more to come as I think of it.  

Things I miss...

*FRIENDS!

*knowing where things are.  yes I know I will learn here but I feel like I always knew where things were in Japan.

*pepperlunch, twelve frogs, shabu shabu.

*Rice balls at 7-11.

*Ready to eat edamame, well salted.

*Amazing produce.

*Good Friends.

*Routine.

*My deep bathtub, especially with this belly that doesn't seem to fit under water here.

*Lots of kitchen cabinets and a BIG pantry.

*Felling secure with the surroundings, a big heavy door with a good lock.