Title:  Happy Friday everyone!!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend planned!  My friend Christina and her son (Brady) are coming up to visit this weekend from Virginia Beach!  I'm so excited to have someone visit!!!

Christian was supposed to leave yesterday for a trip to California but it's all up in the air right now... he may leave tomorrow, he may not go at all... who knows.  Ladies & gentlemen, welcome to the Navy:  Where personal plans take a back seat!

So, anyway, the weather is supposed to be great up here this weekend.  Low 80s and low humidity!  It was 61 outside when I woke up this morning so all of our windows are open until it gets too warm.  It's been pretty warm the past couple days so this is a nice relief.  Not sure what we're going to do this weekend.  Since Christina is bringing her son, we might go to the zoo or something kid friendly.  That'll be something nice and different!

If Christian is home at the beginning of next week, he got selected to go to the Eagle's training camp Tuesday evening and will get to meet the players and watch them practice and stuff.  Pretty neat, huh?  He's pretty excited so I hope he is actually home.  Then, we're leaving Wednesday afternoon to head down to Jacksonville for a couple days.  We'll come back to Philly the following Sunday.  Christian is is one of his friends' weddings so it will be good to see all of our friends down there!  Hopefully it won't be too hot! Then, that Wednesday is when I fly to Pensacola!!!!  YAYYYYY!  I can't wait to come home!  I'm so excited!  I wish I was staying a little longer but I'm coming back up here on the 16th since Christian is leaving for 30 days starting August 20th.  But, like I said in my last post, I get to go to Sicily to meet him on September 14!  Who knows, I might get a wild hair and drive home sometime between August 20 & September 14.  We'll see.

I can't believe how fast this year has flown by!  It's almost AUGUST!  Before you know it, the holidays will be here!  YIKES!  I am sooo ready for fall though.  I love Fall... the smells, the colors, the clothes, the festivals.  But, then comes winter.  And, I live in the Northeast.  Ohhhh boy, this will be interesting!

Everything else is going really well.  I got a GREAT haircut and highlight yesterday.  It's probably the best color job I've ever had.  I was so nervous because I love my hairstylist, Hurst, in Florida but I knew it was time to change since Pensacola isn't the most convenient destination anymore.  So, one of my friends up here who lives in the city recommended Hush Salon.  So, I called and made an appointment and as I was riding the train down to the city yesterday I was reading Elle magazine.  One of the main articles was "Top 100 Hair Salons in the County".  And wouldn't ya know, Hush was listed as one of the BEST in the country!  How awesome is that!  I knew that had to be a good sign!  So, needless to say, I'm very happy!  And, it was about the same price as I usually pay in Florida.

Anyway, that's all I have for today.  Have a greaaaattt weekend!  LOVE!

Chrissi

Title:  YIKES! plus "aaahhhh" :)

Many of you are aware that I will be traveling to Sicily in September to meet Christian.  He gets there in August and won't actually be finished working until September 20th but I want to see the place so hopefully he'll have some down time while I'm there so I don't have to wonder around aimlessly in a country who's native language is not necessarily my strong point, to put it lightly.  :)  We'll be in Sicily at least until the 20th and then we'll both fly to Salzburg, Austria to stay with his grandparents and then ride back to Frankfurt, Germany with them in order to see the rest of the family.  I'm super excited about this trip!!!  I LOVE Europe... so much.

However, I'm a little anxious about something.... I just booked my flight from Philly to Catania, Italy (actually on the island of Sicily).  I booked it because it was at least $300 cheaper than ANY other flight we've seen.  First, we though $750 looked like a good deal but could only find that rate on one particular day.  Any other day, the cheapest ticket was $1200.  Did I mention this is just a one-way ticket??  So, finally, I logged onto Orbitz.com today and found a flight with only one layover for $425!!!  I called Christian and he said "BOOK IT!".   So, I booked it.  However, here's the thing I'm nervous about:  I have a friggin' NINE hour layover in Zurich, Switzerland.  Yeah, they don't speak English there.  What the heck am I going to do for NINE HOURS in a country that speaks German?  Ok, yes, I know a little German from studying it last year before we went to Germany but according to Wikipedia (the ever reliable source), their German is a Zurich German... a different dialect, if you will.  So, I'm just going to get back on studying "normal" German and hope that I can make it through the nine hours alone (plus the two weeks after Italy when we spend time with Christian's grandparents who only speak German!!!).  YIKES!  It's all an adventure, right??

Well, on to other news.  I finished my book "Eat, Pray, Love" this morning.  At the end, I was in tears.  Not sad tears, just tears.  I know, I'm ridiculous.  I can't help myself.  And since finishing the book, I've watched the trailer for the movie about four or five times (link below for those of you who'd like to see my obsession).  Again, I can't help myself.  The book was so moving.... changed my view on a lot of things.  Interesting how certain things change your mind and others don't.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZzmqHJ0gPU

Last night, I had an hour and a half phone date with my best friend, Alison.  We chatted about all kinds of stuff.  Some very important (relationships) and some not so important (why I couldn't seem to find the garlic that I had, literally, JUST pulled out of the cabinet- and I still can't find it, by the way) topics were discussed.  One of the rather important topics was my quest for spirituality.  I brought it up.  Alison said she wasn't even going to discuss it because she knew I didn't want people offering up unsolicited advice.  Alison is what I would call a "good Christian".  She's caring, has a good heart and is open.  She also has conviction.  I envy her.  Whoops, envy's one of those seven deadly sins, right?  Ugh, obviously still a struggle here.  ;-)  But, the truth is, I think I'm making some head way.  I already feel a little more at peace and I'm taking time every morning to have my quite time on my back deck with a cup of coffee and a casual chat with my God.  It's kind of neat.  I was telling Alison some of my funny thoughts.... for instance, the first time I "prayed" was Saturday when I went to Peace Valley Park (name of the park is a little ironic, I know) to go for a run.  After my run, I walked down to a bench next to the lake and sat down ready to give it a whirl.  So, I sit there and I have no idea what to do next.  Do I put my hands together?  Should I be on my knees?  Do I have to close my eyes?  Can I do this silently (oh, I really, really hope so)?  Does my speech have to be formal or can I chat like I'm talking to my mom, dad, husband or friend?  I went with the latter option.  Alison told me it doesn't matter, just as long as it happens.  So, I'll take her word for it.  So, this is where I am.  I'm just taking it as it comes, really.

Anyway, that's about it.  I'm heading to the book store in a little bit to find something else to occupy my time and mind.  I hope everyone has an amazing day!

Love,

Chrissi

Title:  Upcoming Event.... making history

I just got word from one of my friends (Megan- wife of one of Christian's friends- who will be overseas) that we have a hotel booked in Washington D.C. for the weekend of August 27.  Megan, her 7 month old son, her parents, Kimberly & Zack, Jen & Eddie and I (Christian will also be overseas) are all going to stay in D.C. this weekend to attend Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally (www.glennbeck.com/828) at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  The main reason I am going is not political, at all.  The main reason I am going is because Marcus Luttrell will be speaking.  If that name doesn't ring a bell, here's a hint- he was the author and star of the book "The Lone Survivor".  I have written about this book in my posts before.  He was the only survivor of a SEAL team ambushed in Afghanistan.  Such a moving book.

I'm really excited.  If you're a history buff (or if you have even slightly more historic knowledge than I do , you will know that August 28th is also the day that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his infamous "I have a dream.." speech.  Glenn Beck is getting quite a bit of flack over this connection so it will be interesting to see the protests.  I'll admit, all I can think about is the rally at the Lincoln Memorial that is portrayed in Forrest Gump.  "...WAR IN VIET- F*****-NAM!"  Like I said, this is not political for me.  You know how I mentioned in my last post that I'm on the fence w/ religion?  Well, that's precisely where I am with politics too.  I can usually make sense of both arguments and that's what makes it so tough for me.  That's the gemini in me, I guess.  I'm not a huge fan of extreme politics towards the right or left.  So anyway, the reason I bring up the political thing is because Glenn Beck is obviously associated with republicans.  Another reason I bring this us is because Sarah Palin will also be speaking at this rally.  I have to admit, I'm pretty interested in seeing/hearing her.  I'll definitely post back on all of this.

Essentially, this rally is not supposed to be political- although I don't imagine too many staunch liberals will be in attendance.  It's supposed to be about restoring honor in our troops and bringing more attention to them.  So, obviously, I'm TOTALLY on board with this one since I'm a dependent of one of those military members.

So, I just wanted to let you guys know about this!  I'm pumped!  It'll make for a good story to tell my kids, if nothing else!

Hope everyone has had a great weekend and has a great week coming up!

Chrissi

Today's Title:  Multitude of topics

Topic #1:  I have a new job: personal assistant to Naval aviator (also known as my husband)...

I don't know what it is about most men but boy, are they simple (minded)  :-).  Christian injured his ankle back in April and finally went to the doctor for it yesterday.  I was unable to go to the appointment with him since I was down in Philly volunteering all afternoon.  So, he was left to fend for himself.  Mind you, I briefed him on the necessary pieces of info he needed to be aware of and told him to ask questions if he was confused (am I already a parent???).  Oh, I also told him to take his previous x-rays that were done on the day of the injury by the doc on base.  Did he order them, yes.  Did he get them and take them to the appointment, no.  So, the doctor did another set of x-rays (thank you tax dollars) and said nothing seemed to be broken but he would need an MRI to see more.  So, at the end of the appointment, Christian was given a blue piece of paper and sent on his way.  No questions asked.  He came home questioning the point of this appointment.  So, then I tried to explain how the medical field works and how referrals are required and all that jazz.  In the end, I just told him I would call the doctor's office to see what the next steps in his treatment plan were supposed to be.  This morning, I called the office, left a message and had a nurse call me back.  I asked the nurse what the next steps were and he was just as confused as Christian was.  That little blue sheet that I mentioned earlier... it was an order for an MRI with a phone number to the diagnostic center Christian was supposed to call to schedule the MRI.  Ay yi yi.  Granted, I'm pretty sure the office dropped the ball and didn't explain things very well but the fact that Christian didn't ask questions just makes me laugh.  God, I love him.  haha  So, I called to schedule the MRI and he's set to get scanned next Wednesday.  Hopefully nothing too horrible is wrong!

This is just one of many daily tasks as the personal assistant to a Naval aviator.  :)

Topic #2:  Holding back tears...

Yesterday, I drove into the city to volunteer at YouthBuild Charter School of Philly (www.youthbuildphilly.com).  This was one of the most amazing volunteer experiences I have ever had.  YouthBuild is an inner-city charter school for 18-21 year olds who have formally dropped out of high school.  These young adults will receive a high school diploma (not just a GED), 635 hours of community service and money towards a college education should they choose to go that route.  The school teaches your core academics as well as vocational skills such as building, technology and business.  It's pretty impressive.  As a volunteer, I sat on a panel of about four people and got to ask students about their experience at YouthBuild, what their future goals are (work, post-secondary education, etc) and the things they've learned since starting YouthBuild.  This interview was graded by us and will be placed in their file. These interviews help them prepare for the real world.... job interviews, college interviews, etc.  We had three students come through our room.  I wanted to just hug every one of them so hard.  The first guy was about 20 and he wants to be a lawyer.  He was just adorable.  Very well spoken and talked a little about the struggles he has had throughout his life.  These kids are on the streets in north Philly (somewhere none of you want to spend leisurely time checking out the sites), come from broken homes, and the majority have a criminal record.  But, these kids have chosen to change their own lives.  The kids themselves have to come to the school and fill out an application and then go through interviews and testing when accepted.  The school also has social workers to help them deal with issues outside of school (such as finding resources for childcare, residences when they are homeless, and some counseling).  If any of you have seen the movie "Precious", this is what this place reminds me of.  I can only imagine what feelings of purpose the employees here have.  It's amazing.  The second person we interviewed was Latoya.  She had such amazing energy and just took over the room.  I can see her being a talk-show host.  She loves to cook and wants to go to restaurant school and own a lunch truck in Philadelphia.  Amazing how different perspectives on life can be, huh?  She made me tear up a couple times.  Neither of her parents are around and she dropped out of school when she was 15.  She turns 21 today (I told her not to party too hard).  Latoya was so well-spoken and had such a mature grasp on life and adversity.  She was amazing.  Next, we had Rochelle.  Rochelle was a pretty girl who was painfully shy.  She was extremely nervous and you could tell.  We tried to make her as comfortable as possible but I could just feel her nerves!  Rochelle wants to go to Pharmacy school.  She's worked at RiteAid for a couple years now and it really interesting in pharmacy.  She's registered for classes at the Community College of Philadelphia and wants to go to Penn State after that.  I think she has a little girl too.  I told her she was beautiful and to keep her head held high.

Like I said, amazing experience for me.  And what a way to put life into perspective.  Anytime I complain about something, Mom always tells me "It could always be worse" and boy, is that ever true.  All of us are so blessed in our lives.

When I got home yesterday, I emailed the volunteer coordinator at YouthBuild to let her know I'm interested in being one of their weekly volunteers.  Basically, I would go in and kind of tutor the kids on certain topics such as core academics or business skills (writing resumes and letters).  She's out of town until next week but I can't wait!


Topic #3:  Religion


As you all know, I am in the process of reading the book "Eat, Pray, Love" in preparation for the movie's release on August 13.  And as you all know, I think this book is beyond amazing.  Not only for the fact that she got to travel to world to "find herself" but more so for the things she found along the way.  Initially, I thought this book was about a pitiful woman's journey after a horrible divorce and I had no interest in reading about divorce (I just got married!!).  But, I was wrong.  Dead wrong.  Is it about divorce?  A little bit.  But it's so much more than that.  It's a spiritual journey.  There are three parts to this book that tie into the title:  Eat (based in Italy), Pray (based at an Ashram in India) and Love (based in Indonesia).  Well, as of today, I have completed the Eat and Pray.  Eat was amazing.  It was about Italy and the Italian way of life and of course, eating.great.food.  Here's a part at the end of Eat:  "In a world full of disorder and disaster and fraud, sometimes only beauty can be trusted.  Only artistic excellence is incorruptible.  Pleasure cannot be bargained down.  And sometimes the meal is the only currency that is real".

But Pray.... oh Pray.  This has potentially changed me and my view on religion.  Some of you know and some of you don't know that I have a love-hate relationship with religion.  The majority (again, this does not mean all so please don't take it that way) of religion that I've known in my life is judgmental and scary.  I don't like to be judged or told that having a cocktail with girlfriends or slipping a curse word (b/c God know this happens too often) a condemning sin and I remember vaguely a verse from the bible that states that only God can judge.  So, why are we all trying to be Judge Judy up on our bench with gavels in hand all the time?  I don't get it and I never have gotten it.  Could it be that it's Christianity b/c that's all I've ever known?  Here's an interesting part of Pray that I highlighted:

Different schools of thought over the centuries have found different explanations for man's apparently inherently flawed state.  Taoists call it imbalance, Buddism calls it ignorance, Islam blames our misery on rebellion agains God (yikes), and Judeo-Christian tradition attributes all our suffering to original sin (automatic guilt for historic sins?  That stinks).  Freudians say that unhappiness is the inevitable result of the clash between our natural drives and civilization's needs (this, I can believe).  The Yogis, however, say that human discontentment is a simple case of mistaken identity.  We're miserable because we think that we are mere individuals, alone with our fears and flaws and resentment and mortality.  We wrongly believe that our limited little egos constitute our whole entire nature (so true for so many people- not excluding myself).  We have failed to recognize our deeper divine character.  We don't realize that, somewhere within us all, there does exist a supreme Self who is eternally at peace.  


Frankly, I'm not thoroughly convinced on anything yet.  I know, this may come at the dismay of some of you... sorry, I really am.  But, I'm just too curious to just follow something because a lot of other people do.  I truly admire people who really believe in something and have a passion for it.  I can't even get passionate enough to sustain a freakin' hobby for more than two weeks!  I need to KNOW and BELIEVE.  I'm getting there.  :)  


In the book, Gilbert calls the search for God "a reversal of the normal, mundane worldly order".  And says that in the search for God, you revert from what attracts you and swim toward that which is difficult.  One will abandon comforting and familiar habits with the hope (the mere hope!) that something greater will be offered in return.  This is precisely where I am.  For some reason, I'm fine with talking about it one here (probably because I don't have to see the reaction on your faces when you read this) but I have trouble talking to people about it face to face.  I think I'm afraid of anyone trying to sway my vote.    The only problem I have is deciding where to even start.  I guess the obvious place would be to start by chatting with God to give me guidance.  So, let me just take that and run with it for a while.  I'll try to keep up with posting about my religious spiritual journey.


Well, I hope everyone has enjoyed my multitude of topics today!  Christian left this morning to go to Maryland for the weekend for his dad's 60th b-day.  I decided to stay home and he was fine with it so I get a nice weekend to myself (perfect timing for that aforementioned chat, I presume).  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!


Love,


Chrissi

TITLE:  I got nothin'

So, at the end of my last post, I asked that you stay tuned for post 2 of 2 of my North vs. South posting.  But, I'm not really feeling it anymore so this one will just be a jumble of all things Chrissi.  However, let me just give you the basis of what that blog post would have been about:  Christian and I have talked about southern hospitality and all that jazz quite a but.  Frankly, he hates southern hospitality and thinks it's fake... especially when it comes to people you really know.  Yes, we all enjoy the super sweet southern lady who called you "sugar" and says "bless your heart" but is all that niceness really necessary when you're with your friends?  I'm from the school where friendship is honest, fun, in-your-face, etc.  I like when my friends can make fun of me and I can make fun of them and we all know it's just in good fun or when it's not fun, we know it's just honesty... love it or hate it.  Christian thinks girls from the south are more apt to act nice to someone they actually don't like and then talk about them when that person is no longer around.  I'd have to say this is probably true in one way or another.  Have I gone through this?  Absolutely.  Has almost every girl in America who has any inkling of a social life gone through this?  Absolutely.  Is it crappy, annoying, fake, messed up, etc?  Um... absolutely.  So, essentially, that was the basis of my intended post.  However, I'm over it.  I'd like to see some kind of research on southern hospitality and how helpful/hurtful it is.  Also, I'd like to know if it's even southern hospitality at all that makes girls so ridiculously fake at times (yes, I'm guilty of this behavior too).  hmmm... interesting, right?

So, anyway.... Christian and I got back from New Hampshire yesterday evening and we had a great time!  Spending time at a bed & breakfast always makes you appreciate the simple things in life.  We don't need ridiculous hotels with four stay restaurants and chandeliers that are as big a car in the lobby.  Is that nice?  Yes.  Is it better than a b&b?  Nope, not in my book.  Here's a picture of the little place we stayed (outside and then our room):

The food that Janet (the inn keeper) cooks for breakfast is amazing!  This is our third year staying at this place and it's great every time.  Our trip was great though.  Scott & Meg are the ones who invited us and the party was held at Meg's parent's house up on the lake.  They're place is absolutely gorgeous!  It's huge and the landscaping is amazing and they have three boats, jet skis, kayaks, anything you could possibly imagine!  So, needless to say, with all of that and the great people that were there, we had a blast!  We actually ended up staying a day longer than we had planned.  

Christian went back to work today and I've been catching up on my honey-do lists and going through mail and cleaning the house.  My car's air is taking forever to cool down so I have to take it in to get looked at on Friday.  You'd think it would be fine since it's a new car that hasn't even been through a summer yet but it takes forever.  So, luckily we're under warranty just in case anything is wrong.  

Christian's going to Maryland this weekend to see his dad.  It's his dad's 60th birthday so they're going to go do man stuff around western MD.  I've decided I'm staying home so I can just chill and catch up on "me time".  I have a lunch date with a new friend Saturday.  And, I think I'm going to spend Saturday afternoon in Jersey looking at towns that we can move to.  March will be here before you know it!!!  

I can't believe it's almost August, can you?!  However, I'm definitely ready for Fall!  No big news yet in the baby department for us.  I'm much more relaxed about it this month than I was last month.  Last month, I was stressed about it and thinking everything that I could possibly feel was a "sign".  That was stupid and now I really don't think about it that often.  Crazy how fast your mind can change when you want it to.  So, like I said, it will happen when it's meant to happen but keep on thinking about us and praying for us!  :)

I'm going to volunteer tomorrow at a charter school in Philly.  I have to sit on an interview panel to interview new candidates for this charter school.  I'm really excited about it!  I'll let you all know how that goes!

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing really well!  I miss alllll of you and can't wait to see you Pensacola people in August!  LOVE you!

Chrissi

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."

- Groucho Marx

Today's Title:  North vs. South (post 1 of 2)


I hope everyone has had a great week so far and that you all have something fun planned for the weekend! I'm running ragged trying to clean the house, get ready for Christian's squadron's Change of Command Dinner tonight and leaving for New Hampshire tomorrow!  We just got back around 6 p.m. yesterday and we're leaving around noon tomorrow!  Ahhh!  But, I can't complain b/c I love this.

We had a good time in Virginia Beach this week.  I got to hang out with one of my best friends, Christina.  It's so nice to be around really good friends!  Christina is just such a genuine person who I can be totally honest with and neither of us have any qualms about the way either one of us acts.  Good friendship is great!  She and I went to the Williamsburg Winery and did a tour, tasting and had lunch.  That was pretty fun and we tasted some great wines!  Here's a picture of me and her with our tour guide-

Christian had class every day from about 8 a.m. til 4 p.m. so Christina and I hung out almost every day.  The three of us went out to dinner on the beach one night and then Christina made us dinner another night. Good times!

Virginia Beach is an interesting place.  The reason I titled this post "North vs. South" is to give you a little bit of insight into what life is like in the northeast versus the good ol' south.

First, let me give a disclaimer:  I am in no way trying to offend anyone with the rest of my post.    Nor am I trying to sound like I know what anyone goes through on a day-to-day basis.  I'm just stating my personal observations and opinions.  Now that that's out of the way, here it goes (yikes).  

One thing I noticed when we first moved up here to Pennsylvania is that, first off, there aren't many black people where we live or in the surrounding towns.  Secondly, the black people that we do see seem to be educated, well-dressed and overall pretty normal (take that last word as you wish).  I have always been of the mindset that there is class and trash in any race that occupies space in our great country.  We whites have plenty of white trash and blacks of plenty of black trash.  I'm not racist at all but I will make my opinions known if I think someone (white or black) is acting ignorant or trashy.  What I've found up here is that most of the rough ghetto-type areas are in close proximity to Philadelphia.  It's the typical inner-city, crime-ridden areas you probably hear about on the news when crime in Philadelphia is mentioned.  We live about 15-20 miles north of the city and when I ride the train into the city, we go straight through some of these areas and they're pretty impressive.  It's beyond rough... beyond anything I've ever come in contact with.  So, the blacks up here around the big cities aren't just simply dressing a certain way or acting a certain way just because it's the cool thing to do or what they see in rap videos.  It's a way of life....  Like I said, it's rough.  It's the revolving cycle that comes with life on the streets.  I hate to make this comparison b/c it makes me really sound like I don't know what I'm talking about but when you watch the First 48 (show on A&E about the first 48 hours after a murder being the most important when it comes to catching the murderer).  The First 48 is a reality show that follows police and homicide detectives on the goose chase through gang lands and inner-city crime scenes.  They then show the interrogation of the men (and sometimes women) who are the prime suspects.  And it's so evident that it's the pressure of the streets, the revolving cycle of crime that is so hard to escape when it's all you've known.

To go back to the beginning of that last paragraph, the black people that I've seen outside the city are, like I said, classy.  I make this statement again to emphasize the difference between the suburban black people and inner-city black people.  When I remember the south, Pensacola to be specific, there aren't a whole lot of what I now call "suburban blacks".  The majority (majority does not mean ALL, so please don't take it that way) of what I ran into during my twenty-five years of life along the border of Alabama were low-income, gangster-ish black people.  But, let me also point out that Virginia is technically the south.  Christian and I went into a WalMart while we were down there and the first thing we said to each other was that we missed the northeast because the patrons (white trash and black trash) that were all around WalMart were the low-income, illiterate folks that we were used to seeing in the Mobile Highway WalMart in Pensacola.  There's just such a noticeable difference now that we've lived in both areas.  We just don't see that kind of stuff around here.

Yes, I understand there are actually gangs in south and there are large cities in the south that have the areas that I described above.  But, there has to be a missing link.  Why is it that the south doesn't have as many suburban black people.  Why is it that there is so much more racism in the south?  Why is it that an interracial couple can act as any other couple in the northeast, but not the south?  Why does it seem that the average person up here has more education (or maybe more life experience/street smarts??) than the average southerner?  All of this is very interesting to me.  I'll admit, I'm uneducated when it comes to civil rights and the history of the north and south and slavery and all that jazz but it's extremely apparent that there is a difference when it comes to North vs. South.  If anyone has any insight on this, please post comments to this post!!!

Ok, I just had to get that off my chest.  Anyway, I need to head downstairs to finish the chicken salad  I'm making for our trip tomorrow (Thanks to Aunt Patty for the inspiration since the chicken salad she made for my shower was AMAZING).  We now cook stuff or make sandwiches to take on road trips (since we do so many of them).  It saves money and it's far more healthy!  Plus, I'm at three months with NO FAST FOOD!  Yahooo!  I'm so proud of myself for that.  Especially given the fact that I used to eat fast food about two times a week... Yucko!

I hope everyone has a fantabulous weekend and go do something fun (take a day trip, go to the book store, listen to some great music, etc)!!!!!!!!  I love all of you and I'll talk to y'all soon!!!

Stay tuned for my second North vs. South post:  Southern Hospitality: Is it really all it's cracked up to be?

I'm still a little perturbed that this thing won't let me title my posts anymore!  I'll just start using the first line of my post as my title.  There, I showed them!  ;)


TODAY'S TITLE:  I've got the blues for not being able to see the BLUES!


It's Friday!  You know what that means?!  My darling husband flies back into town tonight from this week's trip to Denver!  You know what else it mean??  That I'm in Pennsylvania and not in Pensacola for the Friday Blue Angels show on the beach!  BuMmEr!  Summer just ain't the same without insane traffic, way too many people on the beach, the sound covered with so many boats that you can walk across them if need be and of course, the insanely loud jet noise that kicks off at 2 p.m.  And, this year, the new Margaritaville Hotel to add to it!  Man, I love (and miss) Pensacola.

So, since I can't spend this summer on the beautiful shores of the Gulf of Mexico, I guess I'll have to resort to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.  Can you feel my contained excitement?  ha, I thought not.  But, yes, I'm telling the truth.  Next week, we're in VA Beach for four days while Christian takes a class so I'll post up ocean-side with a cold drink, a good book, and a good friend, Christina!  I guess things could be worse, right?  ;-)

Today I got a wild hair and scheduled myself a facial.  I've had one facial in my life (and the lady talked the whole time so it was ruined) and it was a gift so needless-to-say, I don't indulge in these types of things very often.  Plus, I take VERY good care of my skin (b/c my momma told me to) so these indulgences have never really been a necessity.  But, I must say, this was one of the most delightfully relaxing experiences of my life.  The first facial I got was at the Beau Rivage Spa in Biloxi and it was nice and all but the girl talked the ENTIRE time and I hate that.  If I'm paying you to relax me, please don't speak.  Thank you.  I actually wish they had a check-box on your "new client" paperwork that asks if you want them to talk or not.  But, today, she didn't peep!  The lights were really low and the music sounded like a spa in India.  She put about 7 different creams on my face and along with that music, I felt as if her fingers were little dancers all over my face.  It was truly amazing.  It ended with a super cold, peel-off mask that all came off in one piece (which I thought was pretty neat).  OK, enough about that.

I haven't really read much more of "Eat, Pray, Love".  I just haven't been in a reading mood lately.  Hopefully I'll finish it soon.  I heard on the radio today (Oprah Radio- yes, I'm obsessed) that there's a new book out called "For Better" and it's all about happy marriages/relationships.  I'm interesting in learning a little more about it.  I'm so fascinated with marriage, how to make it work and of course, the dissolution of a marriage.  It's so fragile these days.  So, I'll let you guys know if I end up getting that one.

This post is really just because I'm bored.  haha Sorry to inundate you with my boredom!  Hopefully I'll have something a little more interesting to say in my next post!  Until then...

Have a FABULOUS weekend!

OH- wait!  I want to show you a new shirt that I ordered!  Here it is! :)  When Christian is gone, I tend to watch really ridiculous shows like the Real Housewives of New Jersey.  Well, one of them had this shirt on and I LOVE it!    Ok, that's it!  BYE!!!

"We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave.  The temperature's rising, it ain't surprising... la la laaala lalala."

There's my ode to Marilyn Monroe in "There's No Business Like Show Business" and I'm pretty sure it was in Holiday Inn- or maybe Blue Skies.  Mom, you can help me out here....

So, it's HOTTT!  I'm sure many of you have heard the non-stop news about the heat waves going through the Northeast.  It's craziness!  There isn't as much humidity as there is in Florida and it isn't quite as dry as Arizona but it's freakin' hot!  So, I'm trying to stay inside and keep myself busy and cool.

How was everyone's fourth??  Ours was pretty good.  Last Thursday, Christian got back from his trip to Bahrain and about two hours after he got home, we packed up and headed out to Western Maryland to see his family (can you see a trend here?  hint: we go ALLLLL the time now).  Then Sunday, we drove up to State College, PA - where Penn State is- to watch the fireworks up there.  The State College fireworks show is supposed to be one of the top three fireworks shows in the nation.  It was good but maybe my expectations were a little high because it really didn't seem worthy of that type of hype.  However, it was rather neat that the fireworks were set to music and would blow up along with the beat of a song.  So, that was pretty intriguing.  But, it doesn't beat the Pensacola Bay fireworks....

We stayed with one of Christian's friends in State College who is getting his Ph.D in Statistics at Penn State and then headed BACK to Maryland Monday for one more night at Christian's dad's place.  We drove home yesterday morning and yesterday afternoon, I took Christian to the airport for his trip to Denver.  He'll get back late this Friday night.  So, needless to say, our bed has had one occupant for the last 14 days.  It gets a little lonely but I'm making do.

I "worked" today at the Junior League Thrift Shop in Ardmore, PA (neat little town with a nice shopping area).  Basically, I re-dressed the mannequins (their outfits before I came were hideous haha), organized the shoes, bags, and consignment area.  Three hours went by pretty fast.  Each year, with Junior League, members are required to work a certain number of shifts at the thrift shop as volunteer time.  So, I'm getting some of my requirements out of the way pretty early.  It was pretty neat though.  And, I must say, they had some cute stuff!  I didn't buy anything but it wasn't all bad!

I don't really have anything else exciting planned for the week.  Like I said, Christian gets back late Friday night and then we're leaving for Virginia Beach on Sunday.  He has a class down there all next week so I'm tagging along so I can see my friend, Christina!  I'm pretty excited!  Her hubby's out of town (he's also a pilot) so we'll get to have some good girl time during the days!  I think we're going to go the Williamsburg Winery one day for a wine tasting and lunch!  That will be fun.  :)  Then, we get back next Friday (July 16th) and we have the Change of Command dinner for Christian's squadron.  I get to get all dressed up and Christian has to wear his uniform so I'm pretty excited about that too!  I just have to find a dress now.  Funny story... I went to DSW (aka the best shoe store ever) last week to get a pair of black shoes to wear with a dress that I already have for the dinner.  Well, they didn't really have any black shoes that I liked on clearance but boy, did that have some nude color shoes that I LOVED.  So, I got the nude color heals and now I have to find a dress to match the shoes.  haha  The trouble us girls go through to looks presentable... I tell ya.  :) So anyway, the dinner is next Friday, then the actual Change of Command ceremony is next Saturday morning and immediately after that, we're driving to New Hampshire (7 hours- blah) for a going-away party weekend for Christian's friend, Scott, who is going on a deployment to Africa.  So, we'll spend Saturday through Monday up there.  This is the same place we go every October for the party on the lake.  It's BEAUTIFUL there and the little B&B we stay at every year is great and her french toast is to-die-for!

Once we come back from NH, I think we can actually lay low for a while.  Then, all the travel kick backs into high gear in August.  I'm going to come to Pensacola around the 10th of August for a few days and then end my southern trip with a weekend in New Orleans and fly out of N.O. back to Philly.  Christian leaves for his month-long trip to Italy on August 20.  I'll then fly to Catania, Sicily on September 14 to meet him.  Then, after he's finished working that det on September 20, we both fly to Austria to see his grandparents and then drive to Frankfurt, Germany to spend time with the rest of the family.  We'll get back to the states at the beginning of October.  Phew... just writing all of that makes me tired!  I'm extremely excited though! I'm so thankful & blessed that we get to take advantage of all of this traveling!  I'm just glad we get to do all of this before we create any little ones- which is in the works, by the way.  We were planning on waiting until the end of the year but, hey, why not now, right?  So, keep us in your prayers for that.  And, don't ask me every five seconds if I'm pregnant!  haha  It'll happen when it's meant to happen.

Anyway, let me know how you all are doing!!!  I don't hear from some of you enough!  Love you all!

Chrissi