yummy meatballs!

I've had a nice, relaxing few days off :)

I'm off tomorrow, too!

Then I have to work Thursday, Friday & Saturday night :(

Monday I made spaghetti & meatballs. The spaghetti part was nothing fancy, but I actually made the meatballs from scratch this time. They turned out really well and flavorful, and hubby LOVED them. He said they were the best meatballs he has ever had :D

They reminded me a lot of my mom's meatballs, and her meatballs are the bomb dot com. Mine could have been a bit more moist, but that is probably because I used 96% lean (or whatever) beef. I need to use fattier meat next time.

Here's the recipe:

* 1 lb ground beef

* 1 egg

* 1/4 cup milk

* 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs It did not specify fresh, but I used fresh anyway...a couple of slices of whole wheat bread with the crusts cut off and toasted just a bit so that I could actually make them into breadcrumbs lol

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 1 tsp oregano

* 1 tbsp fresh parsley I forgot to buy parsley, so I omitted this

* 1/2 tsp garlic powder

* 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

* 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Basically you mix everything together...I did it by hand, and tbh it was kind of gross messing with all of that meat haha...take pieces and roll into balls, and drop them right in the sauce. I kept it on medium-low for awhile then let it simmer, stirring occasionally. Recipe says to simmer for about 3 hours; I think mine cooked for about 2 1/2. They were fully cooked and delicious.

Today I was able to switch my birth control back to what I was taking before! Finally!

I have been on Microgestin 1/20 for about 6 months and have noticed a gradual decrease in libido :/

This month it has pretty much been nonexistent :( I never had that problem while on Sronyx!

Not to mention Microgestin also randomly made me skip my period one month, which freaked me out.

Tomorrow I'm going to make orzo pasta with shrimp, garlic, basil & grape tomatoes simmered in a white wine sauce.

Hope it comes out okay.

Unlike my father, who was an executive chef, I was not blessed with culinary talent haha.

Blogger is letting me post pictures again, yay! Here is what I wanted to post last time:

I got my pretty blue VW GTI :D

Hubs and I went to Seaworld, San Antonio!

Shamu show :D

We fed & pet dolphins...I want to swim with them! Unfortunately the only snorkeling trip where you can possibly swim with them is all the way in South Padre Island...that's like 7 hours away!

My friend Mandi came to Texas with a church group. Last Monday they had a free day to tour Austin, but of course she had to stay with her group. We went to the Texas history museum (which was really boring, btw, don't go! haha...she wasn't too interested and neither was the rest of her group!). The group wanted to pictures in front of the really big star outside, so of course I was their awesome photographer. I totally looked like some Asian tourist haha. Afterwards we all went to Hopdoddy on South Congress - really good burger joint! I decided to be different and get their ahi tuna burger. Deeeeelish!

question time

Sorry for the lack of blogging! I have been busy with work and just life in general.

Though I still wonder if anyone even reads this...

Anyway, I'm due for a post, and of course hubby is already sleeping. Question time!

[Doughnuts]
Where do you prefer to get your doughnuts from? Dunkin Donuts. And unfortunately, a DD doesn't exist around here :*(
Do you spell it doughnut or donut? Donut.
How many can you eat in a sitting? Two+, but I just opt for one.
Do you like cream or jelly filled ones? If so, what flavor? Jelly! Of any kind.
Have you ever had/seen the ones with gummy worms on them? No.

[Birds]
Has a bird ever pooped on you, or someone you know? Bahaha yeah. A bird pooped on my brother, and it was on his brand new shirt. My dad joked around and said "mom [grandma] will probably think it's good luck and ask what kind of bird of it was." Sure enough she did. She's very superstitious! It's the Chinese way, I guess.
Would you ever want to have a bird for a pet? Probably not.
Do birds scare you, or do you know anyone that is afraid of birds? Birds don't scare me, unless it's Pepsi, who belongs to my sister-in-law. That bird is MEAN.
What do you consider your favorite bird? penguins :) or eagles!
Have you ever heard of a blue-footed booby? yes I have. They live in the Galapagos Islands!

[Swimming]
Do you prefer swimming during the daytime, afternoon, or evening? Daytime...how is that different from the afternoon? haha.
What sort of a bathing suit do you prefer to wear? Bikini.
Have you ever swam in the nude? No.
Do you have to plug your nose to swim under water? No.
Have you ever swam during a thunderstorm? Possibly.

[Salad]
What is your preferred dressing? I actually hate salad dressing, except for the ginger-carrot dressing that is served at Japanese restaurants. There was also this spicy Thai lemongrass dressing that I loved at this restaurant in Ohio.
Do you like croutons in your salad? I don't mind them.
What about dried fruits, like cranberries or raisins? Sure.
Have you ever tried salad with no dressing at all? Yes I have actually, because I don't like dressing except for what I mentioned above lol.
What all do you like to have in a salad? lettuce, red onion, carrots, cucumbers, hot red pepper flakes :D

[Cheese]
What kind of cheese do you like on a deli sandwich? swiss, coolly jack or pepper jack.
Do you put parmesan cheese on your pasta? Yes.
Do you like mozzarella sticks? Mmm yes :)
When eating string cheese, do you just bite into it or do you actually peel it and eat it like string? I usually peel it, but I like to bring it to work so there I just bite it, especially if I'm eating it at the nurse's station haha.
How much cheese do you like on your pizza? Light cheese, only because too much makes me sick. But I love cheese!

[Fruits & Vegetables]
1. Have you ever carved a fruit besides a pumpkin? Yes...I've made apples into birds.
2. Do you like your mashed potatoes skinless or do you not mind the skin? I don’t mind the skin.
3. Do you consider a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Although it is a fruit, I still consider it a vegetable.
4. Are you going to carve a pumpkin this Hallow’s Eve? I don't know, maybe. I haven't carved pumpkins in awhile.
5. How do you usually season your vegetables? Usually just some salt and pepper or garlic seasoning. If I'm roasting them, I like a salt/pepper/rosemary/thyme mixture.
6. Would you rather have a fruit salad or a vegetable salad? A fruit salad.
7. What's your favorite fruit? bananas and cherries! And white peaches/nectarines, watermelon, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries...I'm a fruit nut!
8. What's your favorite vegetable? Broccoli.
9. Do you dip your vegetables in anything? No
10. Have you ever had celery with peanut butter and raisins? ANTS ON A LOG. Yes! Haha.

[Beverages]
1. When it comes to milk, do you like for it to be flavored or regular? I drink soy milk, but I like the regular kind.
2. Do you like ice in your fountain drinks? Yes.
3. How many sodas would you say you consume daily? None, I don't drink it. I only steal sips from my husband :)
4. Would you rather have a glass of apple juice or orange? Apple.
5. Do you drink coffee? Like 2-3 cups/day AT LEAST.
6. What do you prefer to drink with breakfast? A cup of coffee or glass of apple juice.
7. What's your favorite milkshake flavor? It's been awhile since I've had a milkshake, but the caramel apple one from Steak & Shake is the bomb dot com. It was only available in October/November and I don't know if they still have it. Last time I had that was in my senior year of high school.
8. Are there any beverages you avoid at all costs? Yeah
9. Have you ever mixed two different beverages together? Yes. There is a beverage in Germany called spezi, which is a mix of Coke & Orange Fanta, similar to Mezzo Mix, a Coca-Cola product only sold in Germany (and I believe it is sold in some other European countries as well). It's pretty awesome.
10. Would you ever drink a vegetable smoothie? Eww no. That juts doesn't sound appetizing at all.

[Windows]
1. When you look out the nearest window, what first catches your attention? That black and white kitty that's always walking around...and very, very dry grass. Texas is in a severe drought right now.
2. Do you have blinds or curtains? Blinds.
3. Is there a window in your restroom? No.
4. How about a window on your front door? No.
5. Do you put up window decals during the holidays? No.
6. How many windows are there in your house? 4.
7. Have you ever accidentally left a window rolled down on a vehicle during a storm? Nope!
8. Do you like to stare out the car window and admire the scenery during a car ride? Yes I do. I love being the co-pilot during car rides for that reason lol.
9. Have you ever had your bed near a window? Did it bother you? Yeah, when I lived in my apartment back in Ohio. That window was very drafty, so it was very cold during the winter time :(
10. Do you like bay windows? Yes!

[Feet]
1. What size shoes do you wear? 6-7. Depends on the shoe.
2. Do you own a pair of slippers? Yes, Hello Kitty ones :)
3. When you go to the beach do you prefer to wear sandals or sneakers? Flip-flops.
4. Have you ever worn a pair of toe socks? No.
5. Have you ever stepped in anything disgusting while barefoot? Probably.
6. Do you have all ten of your toes? Or perhaps even more or less than ten? I have all ten.
7. Have you ever wanted to step in anything weird, like Jell-O? Lol no.
8. Do you have any scars on your feet? No.
9. Do you have a foot fetish? No, I actually despise feet.
10. Do you prefer black shoes, colorful shoes, or white shoes? black.

***
Do you ever find it difficult to motivate yourself to study? I’m not in school anymore...but towards the end I had a hard time.

Since using the internet regularly, have you started to read less than you used to? Definitely.

Are you a big fan of the Harry Potter series? I like Harry Potter, but I wouldn't say I'm a "big fan."

How often would say you pull all-nighters, if you ever do? Every night I work :)

Do you wear make-up on a daily basis? I wear eyeliner & mascara on a daily basis. I don't do a full-face every day...it just depends on what I'm doing and how I'm feeling that day, lol

When in a relationship, do you get frustrated if you don't have regular communication, or does it not bother you? Communication is very important, but being in the military, sometimes is isn't possible to communicate with your spouse.

Has a friend's boyfriend/girlfriend ever had a problem with you for any reason? Never. I'm pretty much awesome, once you get to know me, that is. I'm pretty shy & quiet in the beginning, though.

How old were you when you learned to drive? If you haven't learned yet, how come? 16.

How many times a day do you find yourself cracking your joints, if at all? Never on purpose.

Do you find yourself feeling lazier when the weather is warm? Actually yes. I feel as if the sun sucks all of the energy away from me...that's why I refuse to lay out by the pool on a night I have to work!

Is there a particular sport you follow on a regular basis? Football during the season, of course.

If AC wasn't an option, would you rather sleep with a fan on or with the windows open? Both haha.

Do you style your hair in the same way everyday, or do you prefer to switch it up? I'm boring, it's the same every day lol

Do you cook for yourself, or does someone else cook for you? What's your favourite thing to cook? Both. I don't really cook all that much, but I'm working on it. Today I made some simple spaghetti, but I made the meatballs from scratch. Hubby LOVED them :) Tomorrow (or Wednesday) I'm planning on making a shrimp & basil sauté with cherry tomatoes in a white wine sauce with orzo pasta!

How often do you bake things from scratch? Is this something you enjoy doing? I love to bake, I just haven't done it in awhile. Everything I have ever made was made from scratch! But I occasionally like to make those Pillsbury holiday shape cookies or Funfetti cake or something :)

oh hey, blogger.

It has been awhile since I have posted!

I forgot to mention that I finally got my car! And I love it :) And Blogger is being a tard and won't let me post any pictures.

Hubs & I went to San Antonio last weekend. We went to the Alamo and to the Riverwalk! We went to this seafood restaurant called Landry's and had a pretty expensive "snack" - shrimp en brochette (shrimp with a sliver of jalapeno inside, hushpuppy on the outside, bacon-wrapped and fried and then finished off on the grill placed on top of a bed of fried onion straws and topped with a cheese-like sauce and crab meat) and a cup of lobster bisque...all for $26, not including tip! Everything tasted EPIC, though! I've been wanting more :)

We originally planned on staying at Lackland AFB through military lodging (why pay $100+ for a hotel room when you can get a VOQ room for like $40?) but then we decided to head home that day and go to Freedom Fest at Fort Hood.

But we never really went to Freedom Fest.
We went kayaking at BLORA, a lake that puts Lake Erie to shame!! It was fun, but a lot of work haha. We went to Razoo's Cajun Cafe and had some fried gator tail (which was very tasty, btw!). Hub's had fish fry for his entree and I had shrimp creole. Everything was amazing!
We went back home and slept.
We went to Fort Hood for the fireworks display, which was really nice. Instead of fighting the crowd, we went to one of the school parking lots on post. Several others had the same idea.

Once again, I am LOVING work :) Still have a lot to learn and there are a lot of times where I feel pretty stupid, but I'm getting it. Slowly but surely :)

Tonight hubs & I are going out to dinner with his platoon sergeant and his wife and tomorrow we're going back to San Antonio to go to Seaworld haha. You have no idea how excited I am.

well, so much for San Antonio this weekend haha. Hubby has to stay in the area. Oh well! I'm sure we'll find something to do here :)

friday fill-in & quick update

1. Have you (spouse) ever considered joining the military and what do you think of dual military couples?

I thought about it before I met my husband. I would join the Army or Navy to become a nurse. I also thought about it again once I married my husband. I think it's a really hard life for dual military couples. All of the training and deployments, I would feel like you would literally never see your significant other. Or do they do same deployments? Regardless, I think it's hard and not something I could do, I don't think. And my husband said he wouldn't let me join even if I wanted to haha.

2. What is your idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon?

Depends on my mood. Sometimes it's just lazing around, cuddling and playing video games with hubby or lazing around by the pool lol. Either way, I prefer my Sunday afternoons to be relaxing.

3. What do you usually do for the 4th of July holiday?

That also depends...when I was younger, we would always set off fireworks in a drive way. Since then I usually go to whatever 4th of July event that is going on in the area. This year we're planning on going to San Antonio :)

4. If they could make an Olympic even JUST for you that you know you'd medal in, what would it be?

Lol oh I don't know...Facebook/Twitter-stalking? hahaha

5. What have you been doing to get yourself bathing-suit ready for summer?

Honestly, nothing...I know it's really bad, but I never really work out. I consider my "work out" at work because usually I'm always running around like a maniac. I also literally eat like a bird...but that's just me.

And speaking of work, I LOVE MY JOB!

There are a lot of things that I do not know. Even the simplest things...like how to work the dynamap, the IV pumps, and even the IV insertion catheters because everything is DIFFERENT from what I have been used to working with for the past 3 1/2 years! And I did not know that you could put Nitrobid on the leg. I thought that stuff (and patches) always went on the upper body while rotating sites.

The charting is such a bear but I'm getting the hang of it...doctors still scare the crap out of me and a lot of times I'm unsure of when I should be bothering them. They don't really teach you this stuff in nursing school - we were never allowed to put orders in, talk to docs on the phone and take orders, call lab, pharmacy, do this and that and blah blah blah.

The first night I had to send one of our patients off to ICU. My preceptor was on the phone giving report to the ICU nurse when the doc calls, so I had to take the call. I explained what happened and what I did, and first he said I did a good job and did everything right, which made me have "warm fuzzies" (as my NCLEX class instructor would say)...but then it is just trying to figure out what else he wanted lol. My preceptor was helping me out, but it still made me nervous.

Last night was SLOOOOOOOOW. Painfully slow. The census has been low lately, and I'm assuming it is because of the upcoming Independence Day (census is always low on holidays!) I was floated to TCU and including myself, there were 4 nurses with 6 patients, but there were 2 orientee RN's. I took care of one patient in her entirety (the previous night was just assessments and documentation) but this patient was such a breeze. Completely ambulatory and only had like 3 meds.

I'm back again tonight, this time either on my home unit or ICU. Hopefully it goes smoothly like the last two nights :)

Then it's off to San Antonio after I get some sleep, yay!

what a military spouse knows. A MUST READ.

I saw this on Facebook and just had to share this. Hubs and I haven't been through a deployment together yet (there is a possibility of one coming in the near future, but as always, you never know with the military)...but this really moved me.

***

As many of you know, my husband came home from our third deployment not too long ago. During the deployment, a reporter asked me to share “What I Knew” about deployments and military life. This was my answer:

As I forced my hands to unfurl from his neck, feeling the familiar sting in my nose as tears pushed against my will, the words rattled and echoed in my brain. “Not again.”

I watched him walk away–that uniform, identifiable gait—and my heart bent and splintered as the reality of a third deployment began to shower over me.

I picked up the phone, dialing the numbers my numb fingers always meander toward, and sat in silence while she tried to ease my pain. “I can’t imagine…He will be home….I’m here.”

And then she said six words that shot through my ears, penetrated my brain, and stiffened my spine: “You know how to do this.”

She was right. I do know how to do this. I intimately know the all-too familiar lump in my throat. The year of being both father and mother, making the best of a situation. I know exactly how one year feels as I X each day off my calendar. And I know how to ensure that while our lives are on hold, we still live.

The truth is I know a lot:

• The thought of being alone for a year doesn’t bother me. The fear of being alone for a lifetime—does.

• Flat rate boxes can hold twenty whoopee cushions, four kindergarten projects, and five perfume-scented letters.

• Technology can be a double-edged sword—one side delivering his face; the other a brutal live-action feed of explosions and camouflaged body parts.

• Murphy’s Law is a constant companion. The moment he walks out the door, anything that can break, collapse, bleed, or explode–will .

• Five hours of uninterrupted sleep is a gift from the deployment gods

• Holidays are hard, but manageable.

• Deployments come and go, but sand from his boots never leaves.

• Nothing can replace a handwritten letter. Through those beautifully folded pages, he is holding my hand again.

• When the National Anthem is played, I know goosebumps will rise on my arms, and a lump will fill my throat.

• The silence in communication following a war zone attack is agonizing.

• Laughter is a powerful ally.

• Each deployment offers two options: grow or regress. This is a choice.

• Cereal is always a dinner option.

• Videos of lost teeth, ballerina recitals, and preschool graduations can be emailed to Iraq nearly instantly.

• Five powers of attorney and the intimate details of his will are needed to navigate a deployment.

• White out blizzards can actually bury a truck in five minutes.

• Rosie the Riveter was right: We can do it.

• Children cling to hope and the promise of tomorrow.

• Living in each moment together is possible when facing the fear that it could be your last.

• Welcome home kisses are sweeter than the finest chocolate.

• Anger will grip me and depression can hold me, but another military spouse will steady me.

• A six-year-old child can feel the absence of her father so deeply that she can suffer from clinical depression.

• A military spouse will often hold her/his tongue, silencing a story, for fear of sounding “unpatriotic.”

• The sound of a bugle can make my heart swell with pride or collapse in sorrow.

• Duct tape and a monkey wrench can fix nearly anything.

• Despite the protestors and those who tell me I “knew” what I was getting into, I know there are countless American citizens who will go above and beyond to show they support us.

There are many things I know.

I know how to change the brakes on my truck, rappel from the side of a cliff, shoot a double-barreled shotgun, balance a checkbook, earn my keep, and kiss a child enough to feel like two.

But there are still so many things I don’t know.

• I don’t know how to start my heart again when I see a death notification car on my street.

• When that knock echoes on the door of my neighbor, I don’t know how to forgive myself when I am relieved.

• I don’t know how to hug him enough to last a lifetime, or kiss him just so in order to feel satisfied—should our reunion be at the foot of a pine box.

• I’m not willing to learn how to pretend he doesn’t exist, to keep him out of our life while it goes on without him, or to build a wall so high he has no way to scale it.

• I don’t know how to stop his panic attacks, and I have no idea how to make my nightmares of rampant bombs and lifeless limbs disappear.

• I don’t know how to adjust to his presence in my house when our floor rarely feels the weight of his boots.

• I don’t know how to tell his small children that, yes, he leaves them all the time. But because he loves them so deeply, he is willing to die to keep them free.

• I can’t understand those who would question my desire to stay with him, or how I can peacefully sleep beside a “killer.”

• I am amazed and confounded that despite all he has seen, he still has the courage to laugh.

• I don’t’ know how to give up on my family.

But, most importantly:

I have no clue how to still my pounding heart when he finally walks through our door again, I don’t know how to pull my hands from his sand-stained neck and say goodbye, and I don’t know how to ever walk away from a man who stands while many choose to sit.