Life catchup!

I used to take so many more pictures, and then I sort of fell out of the blogging routine, and stopped taking all the pictures. But, I still blogged about the random stuff I did that nobody found amusing except maybe like 4 friends (including my mom) who were procrastinating doing things that were much more important. To you four readers - enjoy! I've found a few random pictures that have reminded me of things to write about!

Also, I really miss Charlie. Last night I just wanted him in bed next to me to cuddle. He told me to use pillows and I said I needed his nightly face stubble and hairy legs to warm up my feet, haha. I think we're almost at the 8 week mark - 2 months - of him being gone.  Same thing happened last time - this is when it gets tricky and I REALLY start to miss him. Not that I didn't before, but this is when it gets a bit harder. I am so grateful his deployments average 4.5 months. I know he goes more frequently than the guys who have to go for 9 months to a year (seriously can't fathom him being gone that long, those families are heroes). Even if he has to go more often, I'll take it. The broken up time makes it doable.

I've been enjoying learning my new sewing machine and am loving it. I have always been crafty and good with my hands, and even though most of the work is on the computer, I definitely have to cut things etc. I told Jaren I would open an Etsy shop called "Aggie-zines" and give Clara a penny for each sale for her college fund since she named me Aggie.

Today I made this Turkey with a monogram for a friend.

Charlie said it looked better and I asked him if he could even notice or was just being nice, and he told me that the lines looked straighter, etc. Husband passed the test :-)

I still have a lot to fix - for example the pattern I picked for the body of the turkey doesn't fit for the front pattern, the design on the fabric is too big (I completely overestimated how big this design was). Also, I would have probably done a darker pink outline for the middle. You live you learn! I've told my sister in law a million times I wish she was here to teach me in person, but she has seriously been the best "online teacher" in the world, and is constantly answering my questions and giving me advice. (Kind of like Stacy, my pastry chef friend, who gets asked a million baking questions - how long does yeast live, etc etc). I have good friends.

Even though she's only been my sister a short time, I have learned a lot from Sarah.  One thing (besides how to monogram and appliqué, ha!) is about communication without your own agenda. She is so good at listening to me and being kind about her response. Maybe it's a southern thing, maybe it's a classy thing, but I think it's an intelligence thing too. She has a way of giving answers/feedback that even if she disagrees with you, she would never directly say it. She sort of leads you to your own answer, and really wants it to be what you want, without pushing an agenda. I feel like most people give advice based on their own agenda. Sarah - I don't know if you even know that you do this, but I've noticed it about you and keep meaning to tell you, so here is a very public way of saying that I learned a great value from you in this!!!

Let's back a up a bit from the sunshine and ponies sap before this prego starts crying alone in her bed writing her blog. We had a very rainy August. And September. Usually July is just hot and August is ridiculously hot but this summer we had an outrageous July, and then tons of rain in August and September - more than usual!

Taking that picture was totally safe..... (no really actually I pulled my phone up to get the directions to where I was going and snapped it accidentally haha).

But we also had a few rainbows, including one that was HUGE. It seriously was over the entire city, from beyond one side of the mountains to the other. The cell phone picture does it no justice at all.

My friend from high school Rachel and I have lunch almost every Friday and a couple weeks ago our friend who graduated with us was actually able to join us!!! It was SO nice to have three of us there together.

Me, Sara, and Rachel.  And of course my water bottle makes a cameo :-)

I've found a new favorite food category - crackers! Love love love. I think it's because for so long it was all I could keep down. My new favorites - rosemary and olive oil triscuits:

I am subbing at an elementary school and they have snacks for everyone in their teacher room. I found out today that I am NOT a fan of the sun dried tomato triscuits. I seriously had to contain myself from spitting it out, and seriously considered doing that! I've also learned that I could never be a teacher for any grade lower than like 3rd grade. One on one or in small groups, I love em. Hell, I used to work with 2 year old special needs kids and not only was I really good at it, I LOVED it! But it was 1-1. Big difference.

Speaking of little kiddos, I miss my little Clara. Jaren, are you reading this? I miss you guys!!! Please text me 374534 times today to make up for the last week of missed texts. Thanks iPhone upgrade. Actually, I don't mind the changes in the upgrade, I just don't like that texts and emails and calls aren't working properly without wifi at all times.

I made a list today, and including me, there are 14 pregnant women I know, (including two of my sisters in law), due between next month and the beginning of May!!!! Crazy. I may even be forgetting some. Love having people to share the experience with :-) Girls - if you're reading this - let me know if I can practice my sewing for the little ones!

One more pic because little Lee is just the sweetest little cotton fluff marshmallow snow puff puppy:

See you all tomorrow for the weekly belly pic and update - 17 weeks yesterday, post comes on Friday :-)

Atlanta part 2

Currently craving: honeydew melon, even though I just ate three slices. Also, the Big Bang Theory. I haven't watched it in about a month and I am craving an episode! Maybe when I'm done blogging I'll see if I can find an episode to watch online.

The night we stayed at my sister's house, she and her boyfriend Jason (Jay-z), randomly brought up the fact that they walk every single night, and that there are lots of dogs in their neibhorhood. They decided they would offer to walk their neighbors' dogs, since they walk anyway, and Jason LOVES dogs. We were joking that it was their new business venture, and Jason started working on an actual flier.

Tell me that's not hilarious - he made up an e-mail for it!!

Odge must have a friend in their neighborhood who saw the posting because Jason got this e-mail:

I live in Las Vegas.
Can you walk me and my brother and sister?
My owners will testify to the fact that I am not at all obstinate, know how to turn right and also turn left and I will never run away and hide when you come to pick me up for walks.
I am interested in hiring your service for the week of October 20th.  Please can you check your calendar and let me know if you are available?
Licks and barks,
Odge

And Post Dog Walkers response:

Dear Odge,

Thank you for your interest in Post Dog Walkers Inc. For a dog, you have a remarkable grasp of technology, e-mail, and English, and we have no doubt that you will succeed in Post Dog Walking Academy.

Licks and barks, Post Dog Walkers  

Hehe, cracks me up every time. The reason for going to Atlanta besides seeing my sister was for a conference through the Center for Israel Education. Well, my mom picked awful timing to share these e-mails with me. It was literally during a lecture about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, and I had to try so hard not to crack up out loud.

My sister and Jason dropped us off at the hotel on Sunday morning:



The conference was A-MAZ-ING. Seriously, amazing. Not a detail was left behind. It was so well run, and the content was so intense, overwhelming, and amazing. At several points my mom looked at me and said "for all the years dad has been trying to explain so and so to me, I finally get it". She specifically said this concerning the Israeli political system.

There was food at the conference ALL THE TIME.  Breafkast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack. There was also always a line up of coffee, sodas, and fruit from which you could choose. The food was amazing - different every day and really gave me some ideas for future meals once I have regular access to a kitchen again: chicken stuffed with mushrooms and spinach, halved tomatoes with tuna salad, tofu kababs, chicken "breaded" with pecans and a peach sauce, and on and on! I loved it. Here is some stuffed whole fish I had:

The white stuff is white asparagus, not slimy french fries!

And here is another delicious meal:

That was salmon with mango sauce and I definitely took a few bites before remembering to snap a picture!

One of the mid-afternoon snacks was a watermelon and feta salad! If you remember my post about my mom's creative cooking, you may recall that one of the salads she makes is this exact one, but she adds mint. There wasn't much left by the time I got to it so it doesn't look appetizing, but trust me, it was delicious.


I didn't really get to take too many pictures while there so that's all I got.

The first day of the conference, we ran into a woman named Felicity who my mom somewhat recognized, and they realized they both moved to Israel from South Africa around the same time and lived on kibbutz together. Felicity was wonderful and has a niece who blogs as well, and I had just told Felicity about chia seeds when we pulled up Cara's blog and saw a post about them! Cara's blog is http://eatdrawlive.com/ - Jessi, follow this, they have a lot of paleo stuff!



It was wonderful for my mom to reconnect and she even picked up some of her old South African sayings such as "put on my costume" instead of bathing suit. I definitely lol'd at that one.


Two of the main leaders of the conference with the Adelson teachers.

When we exhaustedly finished the conference on Friday afternoon my sister picked us up and we went to pick out her bridesmaid dress. We ran to trader jos (oh how I have missed you) and even got some burrata cheese! Burrata cheese is essentially mozarella, one stage before, so it is very creamy in the middle. I made a mini little sandwich


My sister has been dabbling in cooking and made a savory bread pudding:


Recipe adapted from here.

More on the Atlanta trip in the next post, I don't want to bore you to death in one post, so I decided to split it up. Speaking of splitting things into trilogies, I have not read nor do I intend to read the 50 shades trilogy. I heard that not only are they poorly written and beyond awful, but that the books don't "end"; as if the author wrote one long book and arbitrarily split it into three thinking "I can make more money this way". Well ha! I just 50 shades of grey'd my long posts about atlanta into a trilogy. I'm sure I was much more enticing.

Let's back up two weeks: Atlanta part 1

Currently craving:  a body pump class with Jessi!

I've fallen off the wagon. I think blogging is like working out - when I'm into it I am so good but when I fall out of it, I struggle to get back into it. Yes I have had spotty internet access, but I have a confession: I fell off the wagon.

The week leading up to the 22nd of June I spent with Charlie's dad and step-mom Pat. I came back on Friday and we were supposed to go to Atlanta but decided to leave the next morning. We went to see The Avengers on base that night (for those not familiar with military bases, it's my understanding that most have a movie theater). The movie was good but I hadn't seen or really known the backstories of any of the characters. A few days later I watched Ironman 1 and 2 and LOVED it. New favorite superhero. Maybe. I do love the x-men.

I will blog soon about the week at Charlie's parents and even about meeting a house broken goat! That's right. I'll also include a recipe of some citrus jam cookies I made up. But for now, let's look at our weekend in Altanta.

We drove out on Saturday morning with a bunch of guys and a few wives from Charlie's flight. We went to lunch at a chicken n waffles place called Gladys and Ron's chicken and waffles, and Charlie's cousin Jason met us there. I have never had chicken and waffles and really have no interest in trying it.

I know, sue me.

Lunch was very good besides my meal arriving AFTER everyone else had finished. But then I had the most delicious peach cobbler - if you go to this restaurant you must try it.

After lunch we went downtown to go to the aquarium and coke factory. Charlie and I were meeting my mom and sister that evening, and we wanted to go and see Uncle Will (Charlie's Uncle from his mother's side), and his family, so we chose one and if you know me at all of course we chose the Coke Factory.






yummmmmmmmm



There was a chance to get a picture with the polar bear.

The polar bear commercials are my favorite, especially the one with the penguin party!! I can now officially say that the coca cola polar bear has flirted with me, tee hee!



We tasted the different coke products from around the world and Charlie made sure I didn't buy anything. Afterward we went over to Lawrenceville to visit with the Perrys. We got there a bit before they came back from a vacation so Charlie went and got a haircut while I had a starbucks. I noticed that starbucks had a new coconut lime frozen drink, but unfortunately it was after I already had mine. I haven't seen it again to get it, since it's only at "limited locations".

We had a great visit with Uncle Will and Aunt Jackie, as well as their kids Jackson and Emily (Happy 16th birthday, Em!). Charlie may or may not have backed into Uncle Will's mailbox. We are driving a jeep while we are here and it's really nice but the blindspots on it are awful (or maybe Charlie forgot to look back). Crossed that off our list for future cars. Charlie now knows the price of every single mailbox. While we were driving in a different neighborhood the other day he said "oh wow these mailboxes are expensive".

After the visit we met up with my mom, sister, and Jason (my sister's boyfriend) at the Yard House at Atlantic Station. Charlie's cousin, Jason is the manager so we got to see him too. Due to the two Jason scenario, and not wanting to call my sister's boyfriend "Adva's Jason" or "Chinese Jason" (his family moved to the US from China when he was 5), we have officially dubbed "Adva's Jason" Jay-Z, since his last name begins with Z.


Charlie and Jason


"Jay-z", Charlie, and Jason, and a great "dessert trio" in the middle of the table.


Mom and daughters


Sisters and the men in our lives.

We stayed at my sister's that night and had a great time hanging out and laughing. My sister and Jason....Jay-z, excuse me, are adorable.

Oh, and here is Charlie looking up mailboxes online while Jason is coming up with his new business idea, to be posted about in part 2.