Happy Valentine's Day

I think I got the best Valentine’s Day gift of all. I got to come home early from my work trip, so we get to spend the day together! We plan to catch up on our favorite show, Lost. Neither of us saw the first two new episodes, and I’m excited to watch the shows together. After all, nothing says romance like a TV drama with a complicated plot line, right? Hope you all have a happy Valentine’s Day, too!

Healthy Food Conspiracy

I have very good intentions of eating healthy on my work trips. Usually I make a trip to the grocery store when I arrive wherever I am and buy at least a bag of baby carrots. However, this plan doesn’t seem to be working out so well. On one trip, I bought the carrots and put them in the hotel refrigerator. And that was it. The carrots and I never saw each other again. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized I left them in the fridge. (Let’s hope the hotel maid likes health food.) Total carrots consumed = 0. On this trip, I brought 2 bags of baby carrots and put them in the hotel fridge. The next morning I discovered that the fridge setting was way too cold and everything in the fridge froze, including the carrots. I let them thaw and then ate one. Though it was orange and looked like a carrot, it tasted nothing like one. Total carrots consumed = 1. Clearly, my track record for health food on the road hasn’t been so good. Yet, my mom just gave me a bag of candy for an early Valentine’s gift. Since they’re not in the refrigerator, there’s little chance that they’ll freeze, and because I’m a chocolate addict, there’s zero chance that I’m forgetting them. Is it a still conspiracy if you happily accept the situation?

Working Vacation

The title of this post has become my mom’s favorite joke this week. She’s been visiting me while I’m on my business trip. She enjoys telling our family that we’re on a “working vacation.” She tells them, “Tootie’s working, and I’m vacationing!” I had the weekend off, and I got to do my fair share of vacationing with her. My favorite moment of the weekend was sitting outside on Saturday, which was warm and sunny, and eating an ice cream cone with my mom. Our hotel also happens to be within walking distance of a Barnes and Noble. This working vacation may not be too much work after all.

Busy, Busy

Husband and I both have been working longer hours this week. I feel like we’ve been rushing from one thing to the next. And to give you an idea of what state of mind I’ve been in lately… Today I was running a few errands, and I stopped at a store to buy a farewell gift for one of my friends. I brought the items to the register, paid, and then turned to leave. The clerk said, “Don’t forget your gifts!” Oh yes, the gifts. The whole reason I went to the store in the first place. Sheesh. I’m getting packed up to go on a 2-week work trip. Let’s hope I remember all my clothes, my laptop, and, more importantly, my mind!

Small World

We went to church on Sunday on base, and I saw a girl that looked exactly like an old friend that went through initial military training with me.

I kept looking at her throughout all of church, thinking, “It looks so much like her, but why would she be here?”

It turns out it was my friend after all! We gave each other the stare-down after church, and then laughed when we recognized each other. We hadn’t seen each other in years, and it was fun to catch up. She happened to be visiting her boyfriend, who is stationed here at our base.

It is indeed a small (military) world.

P.S. I took this picture when Husband and I went to Disneyland last summer. I’m almost embarrassed to say that the “It’s a Small World” ride is still my favorite!

Cooking Success

I got the Pioneer Woman cookbook for Christmas, and I just love it.

Husband had to work yesterday. (Yes, on a Saturday, which is a bummer.) I decided to try a couple fun new recipes from the cookbook while he was at work.

I made the “Flat Apple Pie” dessert first because…well, why not? I kind of cheated because I used ready-made pie crust. I had to bake it for less time because I didn’t want the crust to burn, so the apples were still a little firm, but good.

The first thing that Husband said when he saw it was, “Apple pie? This looks so good!” The second thing he said was, “Why is half of it missing?” Oops. (Guess I was a little enthusiastic with the taste-testing.)

The second thing I made was potato skins. While I can’t speak for the nutritional content (sour cream, cheese, and bacon are probably not the healthiest things ever), I can say that they were absolutely delicious! My only regret is that I didn’t make more.

I noticed at the bottom of this recipe, Ree (the author) mentions that after you make them you’ll be the “most popular person in the room” and you might even receive “marriage proposals,” which at first sounds a little dramatic.

After Husband had happily devoured all the potato skins, he looked at me and said seriously, “I’m so glad that I get to come home and see you. I’m lucky to be married to you.”

And now I realize that Ree was right. The secret is in the skins. P.S. I have no pictures to show you because we devoured every last crumb of both the pie and the potato skins.

P.P.S. We liked the skins so much that we might actually make a second batch today.

Laundry Disasters

I usually do the laundry in our household. But every once in a while, Husband will help out when he has time. Usually I say, “Aww…you didn’t have to do that.” Now, my new saying will be, “You don’t have to do that. No really, please, don’t do that.”

The first laundry disaster actually had nothing to do with the actual washing of clothes. Husband had cleaned up around the house using one of his small, bright red rags. Evidently, it was a little damp when he threw it in the laundry hamper. It just so happens that my favorite white, collared shirt was underneath the red rag.

Ladies and gentleman of the jury (or internet), I present you with Exhibit A.

The shirt has to be retired, unless I want to make people wonder if I’m an overzealous artist or a messy butcher.

Husband apologized profusely about the incident, and I wasn’t too upset because I know it truly was an accident. To be on the safe side, I stored all of his “favorite” red rags in a new location – the garbage.

This past weekend was the second laundry disaster. Husband threw in a load of laundry on Saturday morning. He happened to wash the long-sleeved white shirt that I was planning to wear that night. The only problem is that the shirt can’t go in the dryer, or else it will quickly become child-size.

I told him, “How am I going to wear that shirt tonight? There won’t be enough time for it to air dry.”

Husband had an idea. He hung the damp shirt on the towel rack in the bathroom, and put our space heater on underneath. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Ok.”

A couple hours later, I decide to check on my shirt. The good news is that it’s completely dry. The bad news is that the bathroom is filled with smoke, the shirt has scorch marks on the back, and the plastic on the space heater has started to melt. I scream, and Husband comes running in.

The shirt had fallen onto the space heater, and the rest is laundry-disaster history. I couldn’t be too mad at Husband for this one, since, sadly, I went along with his crackpot plan. This time, we’re retiring both the shirt and the space heater.

Exhibit B.

Husband said, “I’m so sorry! I’ll never wash your clothes again.” Good idea. And then I realized I just signed myself up for a lifetime of doing laundry. Hmm…