a drive-thru daiquiri express? only in Texas.

Yesterday was O'Malley's birthday, so we sat poolside for several hours then headed on over to The Tilted Kilt. It's like a Hooter's restaurant but with less emphasis on wings.

We walked in, I looked at Siobahn (his sister) and we laughed. The girls all dress like THIS.

The food was good, though :)

Afterwards, O'Malley took us to this legit drive through daiquiri express:

Only in Texas! At first I thought it was a bad idea, because it totally promotes drinking and driving. O'Malley assured us that the daiquiris at this place are the bomb.com.

We ordered 4 tankers - 44oz fish bowls - of daiquiri. I got the strawberry banana (which was AMAZING), Siobahn got strawberry, O'Malley got the Superman (it was more tart, tasted weird but it did have a little piano colada taste to it which I liked) and Eddie got the Texas Tornado (kind of like a fruit punch with a tart cherry after taste, it tasted like Kool Aid lol). We told them no tequila, just rum & vodka - I think a tanker comes with 3 or 4 shots in it initially, and O'Malley wanted to add another 3 shots in each. Check out this monstrosity:

DELICIOUS, but omg it was so much. My tiny little 5'2", 107lb-self could not handle all of this. And I didn't lol. I drank about 1/5 of it, then accidentally spilled it in my drunken stupor and was left with about another 1/5 lol.

But hey, 1/5 is GOOD for me, considering the amount of alcohol that was in it. I can't handle my alcohol at all and I rarely drink to begin with. If I do, it's usually 1 drink and I like to sit and nurse it the whole night lol.

The tankers cost like $20. You get to keep it (obviously) and if you bring it back for a refill it's only $12. O'Malley bought them all for us and spent $95 on four.

:)

Eddie and O'Malley finished theirs...they drank their tanks :)

Tonight we're going to Austinnnnnn and I'm excited, because it's a WEEKEND which means it'll be more lively :)

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #42!

Head on over to Wifey to link-up :)

1. Do you think civilians, in general, understand the meaning of Memorial Day?

I would say yes, but most of them don't. They're happy about all of the sales, picnics, food, hanging out by the pool...which I will admit, are all very nice, but let's not forget the true meaning of Memorial Day.

2. What are your plans for Memorial Day weekend?

I have no idea...not sure if Fort Hood has anything going on to commemorate our soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice...but if there is something going on I would like to attend. Otherwise just hanging out with the hubs :)

3. What skill/talent do you wish you had?

I wish I was really good at photography. Oh, and better at cooking. I'm still pretty mediocre. I might attempt to make some mango-habanero salmon later, though, now that we finally have our awesome cooking knives!

4. What came first: the chicken or the egg?

I say the egg. Probably buried underneath a bunch of stuff to keep it warm ;)

5. What is the best thing about your post (base)? The worst?

I haven't gotten acquainted with Fort Hood much (yet), but I do like how it is close to pretty much everything, unlike Fort Leonard Wood. And with any military installation, I love the PX & commissary! And Fort Hood has 2 of them! As for the worst? I haven't decided yet.

FINALLY, an interview!

We finally received the rest of our stuff today from the Army. Everything made it okay, except for the dishes :/ We ended up with 7 broken dinner plates, 1 broken bowl and 1 broken cup. They told us to keep whatever is intact and they will replace the broken ones at some point. Other than that, everything seems to be A-okay :)

I also FINALLY got a call from a local hospital for an interview on their TCU (telemetry care unit), which is part of the ICU. Full-time nights. This is seriously like my dream, because 1) it's the ICU, and this will help set my foot in the door if I plan on doing the full-fledge ICU later on 2) I definitely prefer nights over days and 3) it's cardiac! which I love.

Now the important thing is, DON'T EFF IT UP! I'm so scared they will ask me something and I won't be prepared to answer. This is my very first nursing interview and I have no idea what to expect! Ahhh!

Please pray! pray, pray, pray!

I apologize for the lack of blogging again! I'm just still trying to get settled down here and we have some friends visiting - our best man Bryant and one of E's groomsmen Ryan. Last night we decided to go to The Salt Lick BBQ in Round Rock which is close to Austin. The place was featured on Man Vs. Food and I remember Adam raved about the beef brisket on the show.

Yummy yummy plate of MEAT. Beef brisket, pork ribs, baked beans, potato salad & cole slaw. I did not eat the latter 3 items haha. But the BBQ meat was DELICIOUS.

NOM NOM.

E got the beef ribs plate. They were freaking huge. But oh-so-tasty. The BBQ sauce was very good, kind of tangy. And unlimited bread. And a side of raw pickles & onions, which I also didn't eat haha.

This place definitely got our approval.

We headed to Austin afterwards. And saw Shamu on the way.

:)

I demanded we get froyo afterwards, so we went to Red Mango, which is Austin's #1 froyo place. I got dark chocolate-hazelnut swirl with slivered almonds, sliced strawberries and mochi. It was heaven in a cup, but then again, froyo always is! I'm seriously obsessed.

We walked around, went to the outside of the UT stadium, then hit up some of the bars on 6th Street....on a Monday night haha. It wasn't very lively, but we had a good time. They have a lot of outdoor bars there which I really like, especially with the gorgeous Texas weather. We will definitely have to go there again on a weekend when it is more lively...but unfortunately Bryant & Ryan will not be there with us.

Bryant is on his way back to LA for a month before he goes to MIBOLC and Ryan just decided to come with him for the trip lol. Unfortunately, Ryan isn't going to MPBOLC for another 9 months and GOLDBARing isn't an option for him.

E & I need to start meeting some people out here...

furniture!

For those that follow me on Twitter (come follow me @wh0aitsmel! the 0 is a zero) know that we got our furniture delivered to us today! We went furniture shopping yesterday at the AAFES on-post and finally decided on a set. We got a sofa, love seat, man chair, coffee table and accent table for like $1800-ish which I think is a pretty good deal, plus we didn't have to pay tax! We also decided to open up that Military Star credit card just for this purchase to save 10% - so we saved about another $200.

The color is pretty true, too :) The love seat and 2 end seats on the sofa recline, along with the man chair :) The accent table matches the coffee table, but we didn't put that one together yet.

For awhile our place looked like this o_O

But we cleaned everything out :) That chair belongs to our dining room set. All of our chairs are assembled - we just need to assemble the table and our accent table. The dining set came with 6 chairs as opposed to the usual 4, which I really liked.

And our TV stand:

I love how everything is starting to come together :) Household goods should be here by Wednesday to deliver all of my stuff haha...including the rest of our kitchen stuff.

We went to Sombrero's for dinner and then I made E take me to YoYo's for some more froyo haha. I made my wedding cake concoction - almond-flavored froyo with fresh raspberries and I also added mochi, which is a type of rice cake...I have noticed a lot of froyo places carry that now. It was sooooooo good. E also loved it, but after a few bites it was hard for me to share it with him lol.

WeBit Wed.

{one} do you watch the history channel? if so, what’s your favorite program?I love the History channel AND the Military channel :) I don't have a specific favorite program, though...hubby & I just like enjoy watching it together.
{two} what is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?stay inside. I'm like a cat - I hate rain lol.

{three} what does your dream house look like?I'm not even thinking about a dream home at the moment...we're currently in the process of getting our disheveled apartment in order! We did get a washer & dryer today (I have NEVER been so excited to do laundry before!) and we are having a furniture set (sofa, love seat, man chair, table & end table), dining room table set and TV stand delivered tomorrow :)

{four} what state were you born in?North Carolina

{five} do you have a change jar? if so, what do you use it for when it gets full?Nope
{six} what’s the first website you look at when you get on the computer?Facebook. Then Twitter & Blogger :)

{seven} what is your favorite breakfast?I like making my own healthy version of the egg mcmuffin :)

{eight} what’s the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken?probably my trip to Seabrook, SC last summer :)

{nine} do you prefer your coffee black or with cream/milk/sugar?soy milk or non-dairy creamer and some splenda, even though I'm allergic to it

{ten} have you ever done a professional photo shoot?yup! senior pictures and wedding pictures :)

Texas.

The wedding was an absolute blast, and I can't wait to see the professional pictures. I'll post some of those soon once I get them :) I also can't believe it was over in literally a blink of an eye. All of this planning and then it's like, "what? that's it? I want more!" haha.

We left Tuesday morning at around 0730 central time. For awhile we were not sure if we were going to stay the night somewhere or drive straight through, but we ended up just driving. We switched drivers at every rest stop. KY, TN & AK are all very boring...especially AK, which I believe is trying to strive to be like other states, with city names like Arkandelphia and Texarkana. Really, Arkansas? lol. We got to the apartment at around 0650 this morning, central time. We crashed, got up a couple of hours later, then went to Chopstick to get some yummy pho <3

The pho wasn't as good as the pho I am used to back in Ohio, but it was still very yummy. I went next door to the froyo place and got some taro froyo with slivered almonds and chopped walnuts. There is another froyo place in Harker Heights on the Central Texas Expressway called YoYo that I want to try.

And speaking of Harker Heights, EVERYTHING is there! Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, 2 Walmarts, a USAA bank, Old Navy, Ulta, tons of places to eat, etc etc etc. Nothing like Missouri. I know I am going to love it here :) Especially with the gorgeous weather! We were in the upper 80's today.

E & I also spent over $500 today at Bed Bath & Beyond on necessities. We still need to buy more stuff. It's hard starting out. I think tomorrow our goal is to go to the AAFES on-post and check out their furniture because we do not have a couch. We also do not have a washer/dryer and that is something we desperately need as well. I can't decide if I want to buy them brand new or buy them relatively brand new for a heck of a lot cheaper on Craig's List.

just some pictures from the wedding...

...until more of my friends post my pictures. I should get the professional pictures in about 2 weeks :)

with Ashley @ the rehearsal dinner

My beautiful calla lily bouquet :) the flowers were real.

:) can't see the Army garter tho :(

.

Eddie is finally home. He actually came home on Monday! His flight kept getting delayed, though :( He was supposed to land at 1300, so I left at around 1050 to drive about an hour to The Galaxy to submit the final payment for the reception. The Galaxy is kind of in the opposite direction from the airport he was going to, so after doing that I drove about another 20-25min to the airport. Then I got a call from him telling me that he wasn't going to leave until 1345. I decided to head out to The Strip which is very close to the airport. They have a lot of stuff there...Starbucks, restaurants, Border's, Old Navy, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc...and down the street is the mall area. I decided to kill some time at Border's.

He called me again and said he wouldn't depart until 1500. Then again, telling me he wouldn't depart until 1600. I was getting pretty annoyed at this point, not at him, but for the the airliner or whatever that kept delaying his flight! I just wanted to see my damn husband haha.

I went to his house just to hang out for awhile. The moving company came to "assess" the amount of stuff we had. I believe they're coming on Monday to pick up our stuff and start the move to TX.

E finally made it, so I drove back to his house. He immediately went to sleep lol -_- We went to the bar that night and that made up for it, plus I got to spend alllll day Tuesday with him :)

I used up sooooo much gas, though. From my house to The Galaxy is about an hour. To Canton from The Galaxy is about 20-25 minutes. From Canton to E's house is about 20 minutes. Then I drove back to Canton to pick E up (20min), back to his house (another 20min), back to Canton that night to our favorite bar, then back to his house...then the following day we drove to & from Canton a few times, to Akron to get his haircut (which is about 20-25min), back to his house, and then finally my hour drive back home o_O

I am going to lunch with my roommates today and then I'm getting my nails done. I have family coming in tonight and then tomorrow = let the wedding festivity begin! I probably won't be blogging much over the next few days because of the wedding and shortly after we will be driving to Texas.

wordless wednesday

all I can say is that I am very excited for today :)

appreciation day for milspouses and nurses!

Today is military spouse appreciation day.

This is for the husbands and wives who wake up early when their soldier leaves for PT.

This is for the fathers and mothers who hold their children tight when they cling and cry for a parent overseas at night.

This is for the men and women who avoid the news, watch the news, or are glued to the news every day for months on end, hoping for good and not bad.

This is for the cooks who learn the gobbledygook acronyms and threaten to serve MREs if they are faced with a caselot sale on a payday at the commissary again.

This is for the lovers who touch photographs and hold back tears.

This is for the actors who put on a happy face when their soldier takes one more look over a shoulder while the transport is moving out.

This is for the comedians who crack jokes on the phone over webcams, just to see their soldier smile thousands of miles away.

This is for the tired whose hearts break at the thought of just one more day alone, much less several more months.

This is for the strong who keep moving when they all want to do is stay under the covers and curl up in a ball.

This is for the "dependents" who know that a greater oxymoron was never coined, who rise to the call of independence in order to keep the house running smoothly, or to move it across the country alone.

This is for the proud, whose hearts are full to bursting as their loved ones step off that plane, that bus, that boat to stand in formation and affirm that they have served and will continue to serve their country.

This is for those who also serve, by making their own sacrifices and supporting their military loved one on the homefront, giving them assurance that all is well and that they can focus on the job at hand until it's time to come home.

This is for us, military spouses! Appreciate yourself today!

Today is also national nurses day, and May 6th-May12th is national nurses week!

We would all be worse without a nurse.

Nurses are more than just people in white;

They are mediators between human suffering and human wellness;

Where what they do goes far beyond what is seen.

Happy national nurses week!

what's your song?

Be sure to link up with Goodnight Moon!

There have been two songs I have been listening to a lot lately. One of them is Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO. I pretty much appreciate all genres of music (except country, still haven't found a place in my heart for that haha...maybe living in Texas will change that)...but I especially love songs like this that just amp you up and make you want to dance.

Or in this case, shuffle.

DIY unity candle

Instead of spending between $40-$50 for a unity candle (and about 99% of them I do not even like!) I decided to make my own. I'm happy with how it turned out:

It was so easy! The monogram is a clip that I found at Michael's, and then I just got some sheer dark purple ribbon and some applique pearls and those swirly pearly-rhinestone things are appliques, as well. All I did was clip on the monogram to the ribbon, hot glued the back of the ribbon and started sticking stuff. I thought about adding some more detailing to the top left and bottom right of the candle, but at the same time I think it looks great as it is - I don't want to add "too much." I kind of like the abstractness of the swirly appliques.

Here is the taper candle:

Same concept with the ribbon and then I just stuck on those pearl appliques with rhinestones down the middle. I might have to go back and hot glue them on, though, depending how well they hold up.

I'm having a hard time finding a unity candle stand, though. Part of it is because I'm cheap (don't feel like paying like $40 for a stand) and don't feel like spending any more money towards this wedding but at the same time you get what you pay for. I got a $20 stand from Pat Catan's and it was sooooooo cheap and flimsy.

I'm also going to make the memory candle. I got a cylinder glass vase and at the bottom I will put clear/white marbles, then fill with water and put a floating white rose candle on top. Only I'm having a hard time finding rose candles, so I might have to get a floating round candle instead (not just a tealight, these candles do not have a metal base to them). I'm going to come up with some nice wording and print it on some vellum paper and then stick it to the glass and viola! I just need to do it in a way where it won't look funky, because you can definitely see hot glue through stuff. Maybe some double-sided tape?

10 more days! Tomorrow I am getting sushi with my brother and Thursday I will be in the Akron area, so I figure I will go to Wadsworth while I'm there and give the reception venue the final count, even though it technically isn't due until Friday. I'm also going for a final fitting and getting my dress steamed.

I also forgot to post a side-view of my hair, so here it is:

5/1/2011

I was 14 years old, sitting in my 8th grade math class when there was an announcement on the school intercom - "there have been terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon." The school did not give any further details nor did they show the news broadcasts on TV. We were sent home early that day, and then I saw what had really happened on the news. I was in shock & disbelief.

A year later I went to NYC and went to Ground Zero. They were still clearing out the rubble and outside of a church there was a huge memorial, filled with flowers, signs, cards, balloons and stuffed animals. It really moved me emotionally. Nearly 3,000 innocent lives were lost because of this attack.

Last night I got a text from E asking if I was watching the news. Since the cable is kind of funky in my room, I did some Google searching instead and saw the Breaking News headline: Osama bin Laden is dead. Twitter was blowing up with the news. I went to msnbc.msn.com and watched the live video feed about the issue and also anxiously awaited Perez Obama's address to the nation. Honestly, never once in my life have I been so interested to hear what the president would say, except for this time. I don't really care for Obama, but he made a wonderful speech in my opinion.

I'm glad Osama is dead. I know it's not right to "rejoice in someone's death" but don't forget, we lost nearly 4,500 American soldiers trying to hunt this man down. It took 9 years. Then finally a team of very badass Navy Seals got the job done.

In a perfect world, this would mean that the war would be over and that all of our soldiers can finally come home; but in reality, that isn't the case. Killing Osama was a key point in the war no doubt, but that does not mean that all terrorist attacks will cease. To all of my friends currently serving, my husband, and to all U.S. Military personnel serving overseas, please stay safe and stay vigilant. I have a feeling this isn't over yet, and there may be some backlash.

God Bless the U.S.A., our citizens, and all of our Military personnel who keep us safe.

Until they all come home...

getting to know you!

1. Did you watch the royal wedding?

I didn't watch it the day of because 1) I didn't feel like getting up at 0400 and 2) I didn't have cable at my apartment. I did watch it the next day though at my mother-in-law's. I was mostly curious over Kate's dress, which I saw was beautiful but very simple. I was honestly expecting it to be more.

2. Tea and crumpets or coffee and a scone?

Oh coffee, please. Maybe a scone.

3. Who's cuter...Prince William or Prince Harry?

I have always preferred Prince William, but that big bald spot on his head doesn't do him good haha. Prince Harry is still pretty cute!

4. Can you speak in an English accent?

yeah.

5. Do you own a fancy hat?

No. I don't get the whole hat thing.

6. Would you rather live in a castle or an English cottage?

I have always wanted to stay in a castle. Not sure about living in one, though!

7. How old were you when Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married?

I wasn't even born yet. I was 10 when she died, though.

8. Have you found your prince?

Of course! :)