March, April, & May 2012

Once hubby got back, I slowed down with the whole picture-taking-out-of-boredom thing. But I still managed to get a few. 

Apparently spring here in Albuquerque isn't the nicest of seasons like it is everywhere else. Here, spring means wind. A lot of wind. 

Thankfully, we moved way up into the NE corner of Abq instead of the SE on base. I suppose if you looked at the proper map you'd see that we're right up against the mountains. Apparently those mountains protect us from some of that crazy wind that blows people's trampolines into other people's yards down on base. What's that? Pics or it didn't happen? 

Anyway, continuing into March:

I got sick for about a week. I honestly think it was part allergies, which is crazy. I've never had allergy problems before, and here I almost died. Ok, not really. But I did have to get a humidifier.

I put on a vendor show. We had 19 vendors at the Club on base. Everyone had really awesome setups, but that darn wind kind of messed us up. Most people didn't want to go out in it, and I sure don't blame them. It was intense.

 I got better, then I had a birthday (and a very large margarita).

Then hubby had a birthday. Y'all like my decorating job, don't you? I think I gained 5lbs eating this cake. 

We have bunnies near our house. Jackrabbits, too. 

 

I found a place with amazing desserts. What you're seeing here, my friends, is a creme brulee beneigh. Um, yeah. 

I've been learning to cook since I want to make healthy recipes. This was a minor setback. 

My super-cool friend Christina and I went hunting for good photo shoot locations in the convertible one day. She's a very talented photographer, and she's brave enough to venture into the world of boudoir. You go, Christina!

 I started making my smoothies a little greener, and I like it!

We found a new running trail. It's pretty much right across the street from us, which is super convenient.

And most recently, I attempted a good old cajun shrimp boil. Hubby, being an inlander, was kind of afraid of the heads. I did overcook the shrimp, though, so hopefully the next attempt will be much better.

All in all, we're liking it here so far. We've made some really great friends in a short period of time, which is a blessing, and we're settling in well. Still adjusting to the altitude when it comes to running, but the weather is fabulous. 

February 2012

In February, we got used to our new view from our home.

We did some eating on the floor for a lack of furniture.

After a few weeks, we got a table!

 And a sofa, too! I just wish it always stayed that pretty. 

 Then hubby had to leave for training. :( He sent me this picture to show me his new haircut. He's so cute.

 While he was gone, I got one of these.

Which quickly turned into this.

 I did a lot a little not enough of this.

And ate a lot of this.

 He sent me these for Valentine's Day. Lilies are the first flowers he ever sent me, and I've been obsessed with their scent ever since. I even had them put in my wedding bouquet just so I could smell them as I walked down the  aisle.

 And he missed out on a few days of this. Snow is weird here. It's fluffy and light and melts by noon. It didn't even feel cold outside when I was standing in the snow. WEIRD.

I also made one of these for our bedroom while he was gone. Look for the tutorial coming soon . . . 

Hubby came back at the end of February. I totally wasn't even thinking about whether or not I would get emotional at the airport until I saw this grandma kneel down just outside the gate for her two grandbabies to run to her. Right then, I knew I would lose it as soon as he came out. 

Darn it.

Anyway, he's been back for a while now, and we see no more TDYs for him in the near future. That makes me happy.

Chevron-tipped Nails in Pinks

So I found a tutorial on The Wonder Forest the other day for these fun nails, and wanted to give it a try. 

My base color was Maybelline's Seashore Darling, a fittingly-named coral shimmery loveliness. I just did one coat of that to keep it kind of sheer. 

  See? Sheer.

After that dried, I did two swipes of Sally Hanson's Insta-Dri Flashy Fushia (I like these quick drying polishes--I typically don't have the patience to sit around and wait for anything else to dry). Swipe starting at the sides and going downward toward the middle of the tip. It looks like this:

Clean it up a little and you get this:

I would like to thank the following products for this manicure:

:)

January 2012

I'm back! And I'm finally posting pictures from our big move across the country.

Before leaving, we had lunch with these guys.

Our apartment looked like this. Yikes!

I was packed and ready to go!

The movers arrived and made everything look like this.

Then they came to my MIL's garage to pick up all the tools and spare parts.

We had sushi with some more friends the night before leaving. 

 

Then this happened to my car before leaving town. It's ok, I got a nice new rental to drive 1900 miles instead of my 1991 miata. :D

Then we drove 8 hours to Mobile to see my family.

We had a fabulous shrimp boil for dinner at my grandmother's house (notice she still had her Christmas tablecloth on). 

The next morning, we were on the road again. Goodbye Alabama!

But not without one of these from  Stuckey's first. 

I liked Mississippi. I found cracked pecans, satsumas (if you've never tried one, you need to make that a life goal), and boiled peanuts on the side of the road.

And then we found the most amazing restaurant ever for lunch. Can you see all the animals on the walls? They really like to hunt down there.

What you see here is a fried green tomato, fried okra, a roasted chicken leg, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn pudding, fried quail, and mac n' cheese with a roll and a salad with everything on it. I would go back here anytime. Gladly.

Hallelujah we made it to Texas!

Um, yeah. Texas.

And more Texas.

That second night we got to stay with my husband's Uncle Russell. Yep, his name's Russell Crow.

The next day we got some TexMex in the middle of nowhere on our way to Amarillo. And when I say the middle of nowhere, I mean the middle of nowhere. 

The next day we made it to Albuquerque!

We looked at some houses.

And we picked this one!

 And then the movers brought our stuff back in late January. Oh my, I still don't think we're completely unpacked.

And I think that was January. In the meantime, we lived in temporary lodging on base for about two weeks (long enough for me!) and learned how to deal with the cold wind. We got all our inprocessing done, and hubby prepared to go TDY (temporary duty assignment) to Ohio for training in February. We both attended orientations, and made some new friends right away (perks of military life). 

Continue to February . . .