Fill in the Blank Friday!

Woo hooo....it's Friday! I love the weekends...more sleep for me! But also because it's Fill in the Blank Friday! And what's cool is that Lauren at The Little Things We Do--and uber-cute blog--has used movies as her question theme tonight. And it's so fitting because not too long ago, I returned from Hollywood Video with a few movies to last the entire weekend. I just love winding down by myself sometimes with my Lucy girl, a smell-good candle (vanilla cupcake scented--yum!) and some junk food. It's going to be a nice relaxing evening. Now on to the questions:

1. My absolute favorite movie of all time is The Notebook. But it shares the limelight with Twilight/New Moon and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (with Kevin Costner).

2. My favorite movie as a child was the Sound of Music. My grandma had us watch it all the time (on beta max--remember that? pre-VCR!) when she baby sat us and we would sing all the songs with us. And my grandma is such a terrific singer. So all my cousins around the same age as me (on my mom's side) grew up on this movie too. We still sing the songs every now and then when we start to reminisce about good times in Hawaii (we lived there at the time).

3. The best movie quote ever was in "A Few Good Men" when Tom Cruise tells Jack Nicholson in trial "I want to know the truth!" and he says "You can't handle the truth!" It's so intense and I never tire of seeing that movie.

4. My favorite actress is...well, I don't really have one, but I do like Reese Witherspoon a lot. My favorite actor is...well, I don't really have one of these either, but I do like Patrick Dempsey a lot. I've been hooked since "Can't Buy Me Love".

5. The movie I could watch over and over is, believe it or not, Dumb and Dumber. I crack up all the time no matter how many times I've seen it!

6. My favorite movie genre is romantic comedy!

7. A movie I'd like to watch this weekend is...well, I'll just go with all the ones I rented today. And I haven't rented movies in a long, long time. They are: Brothers, Love Happens, Hotchie, and Did You Hear About the Morgans? Fun fun!

So I guess I should get to those movies, huh? Happy Friday everyone! And thanks to Lauren for making this a fun one!

Thursday Five & Friday Follow

It's that day again and what a windy one it is. The wind must be blowing at 65+ miles an hour out there. It's ridiculous. When I got home, all my trash was strewn around my driveway because one of my trash cans had bowled over. Figures. I just got back from taking Lucy out to do her business. First of all, it was hilarious to see her walking in the wind, like she hadn't had her V-8 in months :) And second of all, after she peed, she didn't even want to bother trying to do a #2. She ran to the car, looked back at me as if to say, "mom, get me the heck out of here". So I did.

But anyway, you guys know the rules for Thursday Five! Blog about five things throughout the week that has made you HAPPY, GRATEFUL, JOYFUL, ELATED, APPRECIATIVE OR ALL OF THE ABOVE. Then, head over to http://www.mannland5.com/ and get linked to all other Thursday Five participants! It's that simple!

And here we go:

1. Taking my boots off after a long day at work. Ahh...that feels so good :) About two weeks ago, my boss asked me when I'm going to transition into sneakers because pregnant females are allowed to do that. I said, "never, Sir. It took a lot for me to get in this pregnancy uniform." That's how stubborn some Army girls like me are--and most of my peers are. We don't like to show weakness or vulnerability in front of our male counterparts--even if it kills us...and if it's stupid.

2. Talking to Malu on Tuesday! Love you baby!

Iraq 2005

3. Finshed off my 26th week of pregnancy by getting to see Vaiosina yesterday. The appointment was to do some testing for my sister's condition, since she has neurofibromatosis, but the testing never really happened because....well, I really don't know why. Basically, they ended up doing a 3D ultrasound and told me if I wanted to do genetic testing I could go back. Whatever, I'll take a free ultrasound any day--and time off from work too. I was told that her heart and brain are looking and functioning perfectly. Just what I want to hear. But this girl does NOT like ultrasounds. She was kicking the nurse the entire time she moved the wand over my belly--kicking the wand itself just about every time. The nurse called her feisty. So funny. This is what she looks like. I'm sorry baby girl, but you still look scary to mommy!

4. Getting one of those fleece baby blankets in the mail from Terri and Court Williamson. It's so cute and it has little baby lions all over it. Terri and Court are friends of ours from Colorado and their son was deployed with Malu last year and they became really close. Terri and Court were also in charge of the unit's Family Readiness Group at the time and they were terrific. Although I was here in El Paso and they in Colorado, they checked up on me every month via email or phone. It was always nice to know that they cared. And they still do. Thanks you guys!

5. Ladies lunches this week. This month is "hole in the wall" restaurant month, so every week, we're trying out some new places to eat--nothing mainstream or familiar. Just places we know or have heard are fantastic, but are in the oddest and sometimes run-down places in town. This week, we tried a place called Doner Kebab and they serve the best German fast food in town. We could tell it was good...it was packed with Soldiers when we went. They serve the German version of the Greek "gyro" with fries. It was delicious! Today, we went to an old diner called Elmer's...and it was wonderful too. You can tell all the people are there were regulars because most of them were old, but the food was great. I had beef tacos with their fabulous guacamole. Delicious!

And that's my five! Woooo hooooo! It's Friday tomorrow--which is why I'm getting an early start on Friday Follow! It's actually Friday on the east coast, so what the hey. You guys know the deal with this too.

Head on over to the following blogs for more info and to get linked up with all the Friday Follow participants. It's so much fun!:

One to Try
Midday Escapes
Hearts Make Families

All of these blogs are on my blog list (to the right)...what a great way to make new friends!

Happy Friday Everyone!

The "Army Wives" Guy

Well, I didn't post yesterday because it turns out my "pregnancy brain" is worse than I thought. Yeah....so, um...I didn't post yesterday because I didn't have access to the internet from our house. I didn't have TV either. And this is because they both got cut off because I forgot to pay the bill for TWO whole months! When my best friend Chrissy came to visit two weeks ago she said that pregnancy must make us the total opposite of what we normally are. She was stunned to see that things were disheveled and strewn everywhere around the house when I'm typically over-OCD with, oh, EVERYTHING. And this includes bills!

Well, I apparently did not do automatic billpay online like I do for every other account (i.e. utilities, gas, water), although I was convinced that I had set it all up when I first moved in. So for the past few months (since Jan), I assumed the AT&T U-verse bills were getting paid, when indeed they weren't. As soon as the office opened this morning, I called AT&T to pay everything off, set up automatic billpay and had everything turned back on. Lucky for me, they didn't report us to the credit bureau! Good thing Malu called me last night. We spent about an hour or so talking, where I probably would have been moping around otherwise. But I told him about the embarassing AT&T thing and he asked if I was okay (because he knows I usually have all that stuff on lock too). What can I say? I've got the pregnancy brain. My new excuse for everything! I was so happy to hear from him....he's doing great and loved the baby shower video. His only gripe was that he felt there wasn't enough of me on there. I thought there was plenty of me, but what a sweetheart. He told me over and over how beautiful I am. I love you!

Anyway, I didn't get to post about this last week, but on Friday, I went to the Fort Bliss Volunteer Dinner and the guest speaker was the guy from the Lifetime show, "Army Wives". His name is Brian McNamara and he plays the general on the show. Now, I don't really watch the show. I just happened to catch a handful of episodes one Sunday afternoon when they were doing a marathon. To be honest, I got so hooked that day because I couldn't help but think that their portrayal of actual Army wives was just...funny, I guess. Maybe 'unrealistic' is a better word, but I don't want to be too mean. But Brian McNamara is such a witty and funny guy. I had a nice time at this dinner.

My friend Melissa and I had to beg our boss to go up to the stage with us (since our boss is an actual VIP) so that she and I could get a picture with the guy--and he reluctantly obliged :) I do have a picture of both Melissa and I with him, but she swore to "unfriend" me if I posted it anywhere. I love you too, Melissa.

I am happy to report that I saw the newest episode of "Army Wives" this past Sunday and it wasn't too bad. maybe it'll become my Sunday evening thing!

On another totally random note, it's supposed to be hella windy tomorrow. So bad that I opted to put the Jeep in the garage today. I'm hearing that the winds are supposed to be blowing about 80 miles per hour tomorrow. The highest I've seen since I've been here is 65 mph, so I do have concerns. I hope it doesn't get me stuck at work tomorrow when I know Lucy will be here at home freaking out. Keep us in your thoughts!

The week's almost over guys! Hang in there!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Today is my mom and dad's 35th wedding anniversary! I always manage to miss the big anniversaries. For example, I was in Iraq for their 30th anniversary. And today, I'm stuck here in El Paso. I wish I could be there to celebrate.

My mom always laughs at how crazy people are about weddings these days--from the big diamond rings, outrageous proposals, and tens of thousands of dollars spent on lavish weddings. She's always quick to point out that half of those kinds of affairs end in divorce. We always laugh at the fact that she and my dad, got married at the justice of the peace 35 years ago in Hawaii...she in a muu muu and my dad in an aloha shirt, without any wedding rings. Shoot, when they had my sister and I in Germany (their first duty station), they barely had money to buy milk! But here they are...stronger than ever and probably more in love than they were when they first met. And I couldn't ask for better parents! They are truly my best friends.

Wow...what a year for you guys! Hitting your 35th year and becoming grandparents for the first time. You're on a roll. Thanks for the many years of love, guidance and support. I love you guys!

This picture was taken at a wedding in 2008. If you're wondering what my dad is wearing, it's Filipino formal wear called a "barong tagalog". They are sheer and worn over t-shirts. They come in all colors. Pretty, huh?

Wine Festival Sunday

Today, my favorite vineyard in New Mexico (I love how we live so close to the border--it's only a 30 minute drive away!) called La Vina Winery had it's annual spring Blues & Jazz Festival. My friends from work (all whom I've mentioned before and all of whom are Family Readiness Support Assistants in the Bulldog Brigade) decided to go and it was great. The weather was perfect--not too hot and certainly not too windy (like last year's).

Melissa somehow always manages to get out of pictures by taking them, so she's not in this picture. But from left to right: Traci, Melissa's daughter Lillie, Me, Maddie and her daughter Madisen. What are we chomping on? Oh yes, chocolate covered strawberries! So yeah, what does a pregnant chick do at a wine festival? She EATS! And the festival always has the best food! Check out these booths!

These are the most delicious chocolate covered cherries ever. And what's better than eating them on a skewer? Heaven!

I think I had just about every food on sale. In addition to the chocolate covered strawberries, the turkey legs, honey roasted pecans, and the grilled asadero quesadillas (freshly made tortillas, by the way, with grilled peppers) shown here...we had elephant ears and get this...chile apples (like a candied apple, but covered in chili pepper). Delicious. I probably could have squeezed a funnel cake in, but I had to exercise some control :)

Another reason I go is for the cool collector's glasses that you get when you pay for your ticket. I have about half a dozen from last year's festivals. Even though my friends got to do all the tasting, I was able to stock up on my favorite sweet wines.

But what an enjoyable day! Thanks to Melissa, Maddie and Traci for such a great time.

The next festival is in October and I am sooooooo there. Who's with me?

Getting to Know You Sunday!

Argh...it's Sunday, which means I have to be back at work tomorrow. Getting to Know You Sunday, however, is one of the best things about my Sundays. Hosted by Keely over at http://www.mannland5.com/, she came up with the cutest, funniest questions for today. If you want to participate, head on over to her blog to get linked!

It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day out. I don't hear any winds blowing like crazy from inside our house, so that is a good sign. All of my friends are going to the Blues and Jazz Wine Festival in town today and I'm thinking about going. It just sucks that I can't drink any wine...but on the upside, the food they serve is the bomb! They even have funnel cakes. Need I say more? But Lucy and I are going to make a final decision about going to the wine festival while we go on a walk and to a bagel shop that a friend told me about this week. Oh yeah, and let's not forget about my usual cup of coffee (decaf)!

So on to the questions:

1. If you could star in any movie genre..what would it be..romance..horror..comedy..suspense or action? I'd love to be in a chick flick---romance movie. Better yet, make it romantic comedy. Those are my favorite kinds of movies. And I'd demand that my co-stars would be either Mr. McDreamy or Rob Pattinson or Bradley Cooper.

2. Do you recycle? I have recycling bins, but I don't recycle as much as I should.

3. Have you ever been to a strip club? I'm ashamed to admit this, but yes. I went out of curiosity and I don't ever want to go back. Ever.

4. Do you have a nickname? I have a few. My dad has called me Ella since I was little. Malu has called me Chellebelle from the start.

5. What's a name you can't stand to be called? It's funny, Keely said that she hates being called Ma'am. I also can't stand being called that, but I've been called that ever since I got commissioned into the Army. All the enlisted folks have to call me that and to date, it still makes me feel like an old lady. But it is a respect thing. I respect it.

6. What are your Summer staples? If we're talking foods--fruits, salads and Cherry Limeades from Sonic. If we're talking clothes.....dresses and flip flops!

7. What was the last thing you bought for yourself? maternity capris and a wallet from Target.

8. Are you happy with your boob size? Yes. Not too big or small. And Malu, he's funny, always says that a handful is enough ;)

Happy Sunday you guys! And have a great week!

Sleepless Night and Missing Malu

I'm just having one of those sleepless nights. It's almost midnight and I'm usually knocked out by now. On this particular sleepless night, I'm thinking about Malu and how much I miss him. So much, I want to cry. But I'm sure it's mostly the hormones talking.

Right now, he's probably busy working and not taking Sunday off. I must say, we're two peas in a pod and if you think I'm a workaholic, he's probably worse! But I am so proud of him and how dedicated he is to his job and to his Soldiers.

I can't wait for him to come home. This has been the toughest deployment yet, for obvious reasons. And if you're wondering about the picture...this was my first visit to both Samoa and American Samoa in September 2006. It was my first time meeting Malu's family as well as many member's of my dad's family. Great memories! Malu's uncle made us those matching outfits.

I love and miss you my hubbly bubbly (that's how he signs his emails to me). 3 more months to go--until both you and Vaiosina arrive to see me!

Leah's Baby Shower & 25th Week Update

If you've been following my blog for a while, you should know that Leah is my assistant from work ("LT" as I call her--for lieutenant). She is pictured here with her husband, Jay. She's also a wonderful friend who is expecting a little baby boy in another month or so. Well, today was her baby shower. A whole bunch of friends, mostly from work, were there and it was a great time. I even won a game and a prize. I have to say, that I barely left the kitchen. I spent the majority, if not all, the time I spent there EATING. Yup...if I remember correctly, the only time I sat down was to help her open her gifts. Every other time, I was shoving food in my mouth. And it was all so yummy!

Remember how I told you guys that there a three of us preggies at work? Well, here we all are! That's Laura on the far left (she's about 13 weeks), Leah in the middle (she's about 8 months) and then me. Everyone at work says there must be something in the water over there because we all work within 25 feet of each other. But these two girls are the greatest!

While we're on the subject of babies, I thought I'd catch you all up to speed on the pregnancy! Me and my lil' bug just finished up our 25th week! Time is really flying by....and here we are.

My tummy seems to be growing by the day. According to http://www.babycenter.com/, the baby should weigh about a pound and a half by now. No wonder why I have to waddle to carry her around! She sure is gettin' heavy! Now, I haven't seen actual foot or hand prints popping up around my belly, but she sure is active in there. And it's the best feeling in the world.

I really, really, really can't wait to see the baby. Apparently, she's looking more and more like a newborn with fat beginning to develop around her body and her hair growing like crazy. As a matter of fact, my hair is growing like crazy too (unfortunately, not fast enough! I want to put my hair all up in a pony tail, but I can't just yet). But my hair is the shiniest and the thickest it's ever been in years! It's so great.

Each week, I seem to get fixated on one or two foods that I just have to have. In previous weeks, these have been Krispy Kreme donuts, rice crispies treats, nutella crepes. Some foods, I make long drives across town just to get. Like the peanut butter and jelly cream bagels (it's PB&J with cream cheese) from Kinley's Coffee House downtown. After the second trip across town (and it's about 15 miles), I decided to just get all the ingredients and make them myself in the mornings. I've had them every day this past week. Another craving during our 25th week has been pancakes. On the healthier side, I still like fruits. The fruit of this week has been mangoes. I bought four for the week and they're all gone!

The most memorable part of the 25th week....having my best friend Chrissy here from Fort Hood to help us get the nursery started. I haven't done anything to it since, but I can't believe we actually own baby furniture, a car seat, a stroller and all kinds of other stuff.

I've always been so shy to bare my stomach to everyone, but what the heck. I did it! Malu told me this past week that I make being pregnant look like so much fun. He also asked if I could stay pregnant forever.

Malu also said that he got his package, although I'm not sure he had a chance to watch the baby shower DVD yet. However, I stuck the "Future Dad" pin in his package and when he got it, he called me and told me that he was wearing it; and that he was going to wear it until someone were to tell him it's out of regulation and to remove it. How cute is that? I love him.

Finally, in one of the million updates I get from http://www.babycenter.com/, one article asked if I had narrowed down baby names. I'd told you guys that we had decided to change the baby's name from Salamasina Rose to Vaiosina Rose. Now, I'm not going to go into full details why...but apparently, picking a royal Samoan name (especially when your husband's grandma actually has ties to the Samoan royal family) is not as simple as picking a baby name out of a book as we do here in the States. Lucky for us, Malu's grandma, Lema, had another name for us. And VAIOSINA is the name of another influential female figure in their family. I don't know specific details. I guess I'll have to get with Grandma Lema for that, but it's an equally beautiful name that I like because it almost matches Malu's full name, Vaimalu. But you pronounce it VIE-OH (like the Sony Vaio computer line)-SEE-NAH. And her middle name will still be Rose, after my sister.

I think from this point on, I'm just going to do baby updates every two weeks. But thanks for sticking with me through this long post and through this magnificent journey through pregnancy. Hope you all are having a good weekend!

Fill In the Blank Friday!

It's late and I'm supposed to be getting ready for bed, but I wanted to do Fill in the Blank Friday before Friday's actually over! Today's questions have to do with music because Lauren over at The Little Things We Do should be at a concert tonight on her side of the country. What a great idea. So here we go:

1. One song that always brings me back to my youth is.....although there are so many, any of the classics by Phil Collins or Genesis, Journey, even Michael Bolton. But the actual song that comes to mind right now is "Everything I Do, I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams. He was one of my favorite artists in middle/high school and this was the theme song to my favorite movie of that time, Robin Hood (with Kevin Costner in it).

2. My first concert ever was...New Kids on the Block when my family was stationed in Brooklyn, NY. I must have been around 9 or 10 and my sister and I were completely obsessed with this band!!! We had everything....t-shirts, pins, posters, even jackets. It was nuts!

3. If I could create my dream music festival I'd want these bands to be there...both my husband and I would enjoy a concert with John Mayer (love his music, not really him), Jack Johnson, Colbie Caillat, and Jason Mraz. And Ben Harper.

4. The best make-out/boot-knocking song song ever is John Mayer's "Body is a Wonderland", although I do not know this from personal experience. Malu can play and sing this song very well though!

5. The best concert I've ever been to was...Carrie Underwood. I've only been to, like, two concerts in my life so between her and NKOTB, I'd have to choose Carrie. And she really is great. Now if Taylor Swift could just get her happy little butt to El Paso!

6. A memorable music moment for me was...the day that Malu played (on his guitar) and sang the first song he ever wrote for me to me. We were in Iraq at the time and I had actually bought him the guitar he played it on as a birthday gift and had it shipped to Iraq. I still have the sheets of paper that Malu wrote the song on. The song is called "Finding the Light" and he still sings it to me from time to time.

7. The song on my iPod that's getting the most play these days is...I'm sorry. My iPod is not getting any play these days. But when it was playing, it was playing a lot by "The Dream". Yeah, I like all kinds of music.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!

Friday Follow

It's that time again you guys and you know what to do!

Head on over to the following blogs for more info and to get linked up with all the Friday Follow participants. It's so much fun!:

One to Try
Midday Escapes
Hearts Make Families

All of these cool blogs are on my blog list on the right side of the screen. Just go to any one of these blogs and get linked up on the McLinky.

Happy Friday All!

Thursday Five

Yay! It's yet another Thursday--Friday's Eve--and we're one day closer to the weekend. I'm just realizing that by the time I make my Thursday posts, it's late everywhere else in the country (say, the East Coast) and probably no one linked to this gets to read my stuff. Oh well, it's the thought that counts. Plus these are fun! If you want to join in, here's what you do:

Blog about five things throughout the week that has made you HAPPY, GRATEFUL, JOYFUL, ELATED, APPRECIATIVE OR ALL OF THE ABOVE. Then, head over to http://www.mannland5.com/ and get linked to all other Thursday Five participants! It's that simple!

My five:

1. Lucy and I saw a rainbow near our house during our morning walk. Not seconds after we got back to our house, it started to downpour like crazy. That only happened for literally two minutes. And then the rainbow was gone. But it was so pretty.

2. Going to see one of our battalion's Volunteer Recognition Ceremonies. My friend, Maddie, hosted it as the Family Readiness Support Assistant (FRSA) for her battalion, 4-1 Field Artillery Regiment. And she did such a marvelous job. Go Maddie! And they had some yummy sandwiches and cake afterwards. Kudos for that too!

3. Having a banana chocolate chip milkshake from Carl's Jr. during lunch today...with fried zucchini. Not nutritious at all, but deeeeelicious!

4. Going to eat chocolate cheesecake at Jennifer's house in a few minutes. Okay, so maybe I haven't eaten anything healthy all day. Sue me.

5. Getting through week 25 of this pregnancy. I'll post about that later!

Hope you all enjoyed your Friday's Eve!

Moms Know Best

I called my mom on the way home from work today because I saw that she had phoned me earlier, but I'd missed the call. She told me that she'd rented the movie, Brothers, from the Red Box and that she took it to work. Depending on how busy the store gets, she can find some time to watch movies and she watched this one today. I personally haven't watched it and it's a good thing because she said it's scary and living alone and having to sleep alone at night, I just can't. do. scary. movies.

As you probably know, this movie has to do with a pair of brothers, and one goes to war, and the other, is left to console his brother's grieving wife when they find out that he is missing in action and is eventually declared dead. In the process, the wife forms a relationship with the "alive" brother only to have the "supposedly missing/dead" other brother return from the war "un-missing/dead" to find that his brother and his wife are "together" (did you guys get all that?). I guess he becomes hysterical--a lot of this stemming from what he experienced in the war, which according to my mom, was a lot of murder. Both him committing murder and witnessing murder. I think he was in Iraq in the movie.

So my mom asks, "Is Malu okay? Have you heard from him lately?" And of course, I had. I let her know that he's doing fine. So she says, "I just want to make sure that he doesn't end up like the guy in the movie. Does he see a lot of killing over there?" And that, I'm not sure. He is in the kind of job that requires him to interact with a lot of the local populace, so it is possible. If he does, he wouldn't tell me anyway for fear that I would worry. And I would. "Maybe he should get a psychological eval when he gets back." And I assure her that all soldiers normally do when they return from a deployment. "I would hate for him to go crazy like that." And I just laughed it off.

Although I got a really good laugh because it just caught me by surprise, looking back, it is a very serious issue. Many Soldiers come back after experiencing traumatic events overseas and are never the same. Some are completely irrational and do act like the guy supposedly did in this movie. Situations like these are not easy to come to terms with, but if you are a family member of a Soldier in this predicament, there are people that can help--both you as a dependent and your Soldier! So if you need more information, just let me know.

So moms can be crazy funny sometimes, but they do know best. And my mama was just looking out for Malu and I, and our little baby to be. I love you, Mom! But Malu will still get a kick out of this when I tell him this story.

Ten on Tuesday

Wow! What a day! It started out great, got kinda crazy, and then ended up okay again. I am exhausted, but happy to share the details with you guys.

1. Did our weekly ladies lunch at Chili's today. Yummy! We usually do it on Wednesdays, but today we had a special guest join us--our brigade commander's wife, Christina. And it was tons of fun. We had a total of 13 gals come. It was so great and we had sooooooooooo much food. Chili's has this $9.99 appetizer and main dish combo, so everyone got to share appetizers. I had the Southwestern eggrolls...my favorite. And a quesadilla explosion salad--also a fave. We didn't get dessert.....

2. ...at Chili's because some of us were pressed for time and had to get back to work. Conveniently for us, there was a McDonald's right next door and three of us--Leah, Laura and I--went to get some cold treats. I had an ice cream sundae, Leah had a cone and Laura had a fruit smoothie. All three of us are pregnant--Leah 7 1/2 months, Laura--3 months and me--6 months. Of course it would only be the pregnant chicks that would still make room for dessert. That was delicious too.

3. Left work early to take care of the Jeep. Last weekend, somehow the car wash (or perhaps even the car washers) did something to it because ever since the car emerged from the drive thru car wash, the programmable (computerized) keys haven't worked. The dashboard said "damaged key" every time I put the key in and the car wouldn't start. Somehow that day, I was able to get the car to start after a few minutes and bring it home. But I couldn't get any of my keys to work the entire week.

4. So today, I had to had the Jeep towed to the Jeep Dealership where they would re-program the keys. Those guys at the dealership were expecting me too. So I had the tow-guy drive me over with the Jeep to the dealership. But when we got there (around 4:30), the dummy who works at the service department says, "um, ma'am, our service guys went home at 4:00. your car won't get seen until tomorrow morning." I was like, "what?!?!, no freakin' way" because I basically had no ride from there.

5. After calling a few people and not getting any answers, I got a hold of Auntie Daisy, who was in the middle of dying her hair. She wasn't going to be able to pick me up for another 45 minutes. So I was like, fine, I'll just walk down the street to see if there are any stores I could just shop around in.

6. There was nothing down the street--at all. After walking about a mile in the heat (and it was H-O-T! I'm glad I had changed out of my uniform before taking the Jeep), I settled for a place called Incredible Pizza, which is like a glorified Chuck-e-Cheese. Because honestly, all I wanted was a cup of water. I was so tired and thirsty. I was such an idiot to do such a thing.

7. A few minutes after I'd settled in there and had a few bites to eat from the pizza buffet (I mean, why not eat while I wait, right?), my friend Jennifer calls. I tell her the story and she comes to get me in a hurry. She is closer than my Auntie Daisy after all. So I tell Auntie Daisy not to come to get me anymore and minutes later, Jennifer comes to the rescue.

8. She proceeds to scold me all the way to her sons' daycare, where we picked them up. "You're can't do everything by yourself anymore," Jennifer says. "Stop trying to be superwoman," she says. My friend Melissa called, after seeing that I had called her earlier, and she starts to scold me for walking alone in that area (which, by the way, was just off of I-10). It gave me a good laugh, but they are right. Sometimes I just need to ask for help and they are such great friends for caring. But Jennifer also said she's going to put a GPS tracker on me. Now that's funny!

9. But the day ended on a good note. Since I was hanging with Jennifer anyway, I got to go to Dominic's t-ball practice. All of those little kids were so adorable and Dominic was such a good sport all the way through. I got a few good pics! I can't wait to go to a few games myself one day!

10. And now I'm home and lounging on my couch, exhausted. Even too tired to eat anything. What a day, huh?

Enjoy the rest of Tuesday you guys! Is anyone else thinking that my life seems to be shrouded with crises lately?

Flip Flop Swap and a New Bloggy Friend

The Flip Flop Swap, hosted by Kimberly at Kimberly's Korner is well under way! I am so excited! Unfortunately, the chance to participate is over, but Kimberly has a great blog anyway, so just head on over and check it out! At any rate, the person you've been partnered with is no surprise. And Kimberly let me know today that I will be getting to shop for some flip flops for Summer of Summer's Story. Coincidentally, Summer and I met just last week through Friday Follow and I consider us new bloggy friends. She has a beautiful blog as well as an inspiring story that you should check out for yourself! Summer has informed me that not only does she have small, teeny feet (she wears size 6), but she likes bling-bling flip flops. Let me tell you, I cannot wait to find them. And I have until the 1st, so I guess I better start looking!

Thanks again to Kimberly for hosting such a fun event and for introducing me to a sweet new friend! And oh my goodness, I just noticed that I'm up to 60 followers! 15 more and I do a giveaway!

Hope everyone's week has gotten off to a great start!

Getting to Know You Sunday & More

And what a great Sunday this has been . Heck, the whole weekend has been wonderful! Chrissy and I have been joking around about how she's been earning her keep since she arrived on Friday. Not only did she help me unpack the rest of the boxes I had left to go through...the nursery is ready for me to work on. And of course she got me about halfway through that by putting together the crib and diaper table and organizing all of the baby shower gifts. To say that I am thankful is an understatement. I honestly don't want her to go home. But my friend, Joy, showed up last night to help Chrissy unload a lot of the boxes--so she gets a lot of credit too. What did I do? Hmmm...I like to say that I directed the entire process. Yeah, I did, while most of the time, nibbling on a variety of yummy snacks--like the pan of rice crispies treats I made last night.

Before I roll into this Sunday's questions...I'd like to share some photos of how the house has progressed to today. Because I couldn't unpack all of the house by myself (most of the boxes were too heavy for me to move), I had to wait on people to come to visit from out-of-state to help me out. Like my parents....and now Chrissy, with help from Joy. Here is what the baby's room looked like before:

complete chaos

Chrissy and Joy unloading the crib from the car

Now the room is clean enough to fit the new crib!

I am so happy! And that's not all that's been great about this Sunday! Remember my IHOP story from last weekend? Well, my friends Melissa and Maddie called last night to invite Chrissy, Joy and I to breakfast at IHOP for this morning. Of course, I quickly agreed. At the time, we had 12 people going, and she said, "see? now you have 1 + 11 people to go with you!" I love her. We had 10 people...and it was fabulous. Sooooooo thankful for great friends!

Finally....on to the questions:

1. Mens chests..hairy or hairless? I like a little hair and Malu has just that.

2. How often do you run red lights? Not too often, to be honest. If I do, it's only because I hesitated to stop at a yellow light only too make a last minute decision to keep going.

3. If you could raid any celebrity's closet..whose would you raid? I'm watching a movie with Hillary Duff in it right now and I love everything she's wearing. Would love to raid hers. I also wouldn't mind raiding Jennifer Aniston's closet either.

4. Would you rather have more followers/friends on Facebook, Twitter, or your Blog? I would love to have as many followers/friends on my blog as I have on Facebook. I've promised to do a giveaway when I hit 75!

5. What makes you feel sexy? When my hubby tells me that I am that, or beautiful, which he does often. I do feel sexy after a good day at the spa!

6. I get excited when...........? My hubby calls; when I get home to my Lucy girl; I leave work, especially after a long day; these days, when my baby kicks me and I can see my tummy move; I think about my move to Germany (I also get nervous about it); when I shop at World Market or Target. There are tons more, but this is what comes to mind at the moment.

7. Are you the "outdoorsy" type or more "indoorsy"? I am a little bit of both. While I spend a majority of my time indoors, I love getting outside and getting my hands dirty during a fun camping trip or going fishing, especially when it's with Malu. Gosh, can you guys tell I'm missing Malu a lot right now?

8. Would you rather have your dream home or a million dollars? I'll take the cash any day! I could find my dream home for a lot less than a million dollars and do something great with the rest of the money after buying it.

Well, happy Sunday everyone! Thanks for sticking with me through this long post and have a fantastic week!

Friday Follow

It's Friday Follow once again and I'm asking you to join me!

Head on over to the following blogs for more info and to get linked up with all the Friday Follow participants. It's so much fun!:

One to Try

Midday Escapes

Hearts Make Families

All of these cool blogs are on my blog list on the right side of the screen.

Happy Friday...up next...Fill in the Blank Friday!

Thursday Five

I love Thursday Five! Not only because it's fun, but because it signals the end of the week. Yay! Tomorrow is Friday! Woo hoo! I'm so ready for the weekend. If you haven't done Thursday Five before, here's how it works:

Blog about five things throughout the week that has made you HAPPY, GRATEFUL, JOYFUL, ELATED, APPRECIATIVE OR ALL OF THE ABOVE. Then, head over to http://www.mannland5.com/ and get linked to all other Thursday Five participants! It's that simple!

So here are my five:

1. Today wrapped up the 24th Week of my pregnancy. Here is a picture of me taken sometime this past week (please ignore the mismatched pajamas!). Yes, little girl, we are getting pretty big! Some funny things to remember about this particular week:

a. My NCOIC, MSG (Master Sergeant) Williams, says to me at the beginning of the week--"Ma'am! You're waddling!" Yes, I do. I'm a waddling fool. I bet I'm funny to watch, especially in a unit where you're surrounded by dudes all day long.

b. Emotions are running rampant and I still cry at anything. Last Saturday, I took the Jeep to the car wash. Across the street is an IHOP and I was dying for pancakes. I mean dying. So while I'm waiting for the Jeep to be fully serviced, I walk on over and ask for a table. The hostess asks, "just you?" And my eyes start watering. Since there was a long line, I went outside to wait with all the other people, but got so sad about what she said that I left and returned to the car wash instead. At that moment, Malu calls and the full-on waterworks start, right there in the car wash waiting area. I cried about how I wanted pancakes, but had no one to go with. And Malu just proceeded to calm me down, saying "don't cry, baby" in Samoan (and I had to ask for a translation because I don't speak or understand much Samoan--how sad). We talked for almost an hour and of course, I felt so much better afterwards. But the pancake craving? Has not subsided. After the car was washed, I went to the store and bought syrup and pancake mix!

2. My new lady bug obsession=happiness! I just think they're so cute. And all my friends know about this lady bug fetish I have going on. Remember how I said in a previous post how I have the coolest friends at work? Well, my friend, Maddie Finch, gave me and the baby this gift today. So precious! Thanks Maddie!

3. The way that Lucy gets excited every time I come home from work every day NEVER gets old to me. I could be in the worst mood ever and once I get through the door, no more! And I feel like she knows when I'm in one of my crying moods, especially lately. She'll come and cuddle up right next to me on the couch. I love her so much!

4. Today my friend, Melissa, and I were able to convince our boss to go home early today. We all walked out of the office at the same time (despite some serious prodding on our parts, mostly Melissa's--our boss is a workaholic). And when I say early, I mean 6:00 p.m.! Well, any day we leave the office and it's still daylight out...that's early. I love early days!

5. Joining the "Flip Flop Swap" over at Kimberly's Blog called Kimberly's Korner. Go to her blog to find out all about it. Bottom line is--you could end up with some really cool flip flops for this spring/summer! Not only that...Kim's blog is so awesome. I love it...and she's the sweetest!

Happy Thursday everyone...well, what's left of it!

Ultimate Blog Party 2010

I am obviously joining the blog party at the last minute...and from work no less. I'm so bad. But everything you want to know about me is showcased in my many posts. Take a look at a few. Heck, take a look at them all if you want, or have the time.

However, since I am supposed to tell you a little bit about me, let me sum it up here in a few bullets:

• The name's Michelle Ioapo A'etonu and I am an Army brat born to a Samoan father and a Filipino mother. They both reside in Colorado (Colorado Springs) where I finished my last year of high school and did all my college.
• I am married to the handsome Vaimalu A'etonu of Pago Pago, American Samoa. He is in the Army and currently deployed. I can't wait until he returns!
• I am also in the Army and am a Human Resources Officer stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas.
• I am currently 6 months pregnant with our first child--a girl--coming this July.
• We have a 7-year old furbaby, Lucy.

And that's about it! I know I'm way late, but I hope people take some time to check me out! For more details about the Blog Party, visit 5minutesformom.com. It's such a great blog!

Wordless Wednesday: Stuttgart, Germany

The Stuttgart Christmas Market. I'll miss it this year, but I'll get to go eventually. It's one of the most splendid in Europe. This picture was found on http://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/index_ENG.htm

Ten on Tuesday

1. It's 10:00 p.m. and I'm up doing my Ten on Tuesday. How convenient!

2. I'm this late because I was at Auntie Daisy's house doing my laundry. Why don't I have my own washer and dryer at my house? Because I haven't made the time or dedicated the energy to go and look for one. That's why. Pure laziness! But I fully intend to go before the baby is born. I'm going to need them badly when she gets here. For the record, we do have a washer and dryer, but left them for the renters at our house in Colorado. Big mistake.

3. Speaking of the house being rented in Colorado, our property manager emailed me pictures of this nasty white mold looking stuff that has infested our back yard. Do I have any green thumb folks out there? Can you tell me what this stuff is? It's ruining our yard! Thankfully, I have a wonderful property manager and she's investingating the issue as we speak.

4. I have to get up early tomorrow for an 8:00 meeting at the University of Texas El Paso. I have to meet up with the ROTC folks over there just to scope out the area and get to know the staff there. My boss is going to be their guest speaker at next month's commissioning ceremony. I only mention this because UTEP just happens to be close to the place that I buy those magnificent strawberry, banana and Nutella-filled crepes I've mentioned a time or two on this blog. Yum! I may have to stop by.

5. My mom says I need to stop eating all this junk food, which should totally make me want to nix #4. But mom's not here...and, well, the baby wants it ;) She just wants me to stay healthy for the baby. But gosh, cravings are cravings sometimes and can't a girl just have a crepe? Mom, after the crepe, that's it. I'm back to fruits and veggies ONLY!

6. I mentioned yesterday that my friend, Chrissy, is coming this weekend. Have I cleaned this house yet? Umm...no.

7. It's official...I'm being put on orders to report to Stuttgart, Germany in January 2011. When I asked Malu about the assignment, he told me to jump on it. My assignments guy is helping me get Malu a job over there as well so that we can finally be together. I hope this works out. It would suck to have to be there by ourselves (the baby and I). But Malu said he'd get to me no matter what. I believe him. He has a way of making the most impossible things possible.

8. Stuttgart is in Southern Germany and here is the city website. I can't tell you how excited I am about going there! http://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/index_ENG.htm

9. My parents won't be too excited about this assignment. If they're reading this now, they're probably freaking out because I haven't called them with the news yet. Sorry mom and dad. And don't freak out...yet. We still have a while.

10. I've only completed and mailed out about a quarter of the Thank You notes for the baby shower. Forgive me folks! I'm working on it!

As always, I'm sleepy and totally ready for bed. This baby is kicking me right now and telling me she's ready too. Good night everyone!

P.S. OMG...my work Blackberry just went off. Who is emailing me at this hour? Why am I acting like this doesn't happen all the time? Love the Army, I tell you.

Sweet Treats from a Sweet Friend

I usually hate Mondays, but I couldn't help but be in a good mood today, despite how exhausted I was the entire time (thanks little baby!). And why? Because I have such great friends at work. I really do. One particular friend, Joy, whose name truly defines who/what she is--knowing how strong my love of lady bugs has become as of late--brought me back these ADORABLE chocolates after spending this past weekend in Oregon.

OMG...are they not the most darling little chocolate truffles you've ever seen? And they are just as delicious (if not more so) as they are cute. As you can see, they come in a box of six and I fought the urges--all day--to devour them all. But I was a very good girl and I have enough to last the entire week. God, please give me the strength. Thanks so much, Joy! You're the best.

Speaking of Joy and good friends--she and I share a common friend, my best friend Chrissy! And it just so happens that Chrissy will be visiting us this weekend. She'll be staying with me and helping me get this nursery started--or at least just cleaned out so that I can get it started. I love having visitors, so I can't wait!

Aside from getting these chocolates and working all day (well, sitting in boring briefings all day long), it was a typical Monday, but not a manic one. It was, to be honest, rather uneventful, but still long enough to tire me out! I definitely don't foresee it getting better in the coming weeks!Before heading in to work, I was able to mail out my April package to Malu. His packages have been getting to him in a week's time, on average; which means he'll be getting the cool DVD that a friend made of our baby shower. It's not the same slide show that I posted, but it has all the same pictures and music. Since email is hit or miss with this guy, I know he'll finally enjoy seeing pictures of me and the family. I can't wait until he gets it. Of course the mentioning of my hubby makes me want to post another flashback photo of the guy. Hey, you have your husband deploy back-to-back and I'm positive you'd do the same thing!

Finally, on a total random note, it hailed this afternoon and I'm so glad I thought to put the Jeep Commander in the garage last night. I have the windows open right now and it smells like it's going to rain. Gotta love El Paso weather! Well guys, good night! I'm hittin' the sack!

Getting to Know You Sunday!

Woo hoo! It is a beautiful, sunny Sunday here in El Paso. I decided to come in and take a break to do this post after getting the car washed and a little something to eat. I had a mishap with the car, but I don't want to talk about that right now. As I mentioned in my "catch up" post last night...it's so nice to be blogging again. I was having computer problems last week and couldn't get a picture on my monitor. Then on Friday night, the monitor just happened to magically start working again. I'm sure that's a sign to start looking for a new computer. After all, this computer is almost four years old and in computer years...this laptop is ancient. Anyway, here are the questions. Go on over to http://www.mannland5.com/ to get linked!

1. What color do you wear the most? Oh gosh, when I'm not in my Army uniform...that nasty, drab, digital green...I'm usually in brown because it goes with just about anything.

2. Would you rather have $10,000 dollars or a dream vacation? I'll take the cash. I could do so much more with it and perhaps invest it and make a return on it.

3. Do you have a weird, quirky or unusual habit? I don't think this is weird...but I do grind my teeth. I have to wear a mouth guard at night. My hubby grinds his teeth too. Sometimes, so loudly it wakes me up at night. I ask him if it hurts and he asks, "I grind my teeth?" Yes, honey. You do.

4. I really need to start..........? Holy cow! I need to start working on the nursery! My friend Chrissy is coming to help me next weekend!

5. What was the first blog you ever read? Melissa's blog, Together We Have It All. She's an old friend from high school and has an awesome blog. She also has a cooking blog that is fabulous.

6. Do you collect anything? I collect the city mugs from Starbucks. Some that I have are from: Seattle, Beijing, Kuwait (the hubby sent me that one from his last deployment), Hawaii, San Antonio, Philadelphia, etc. They are extra large mugs and are perfect for when we have company, especially in the winter when everyone wants a good cup of hot cocoa. Would you believe that I've gone to almost every Starbucks in El Paso to find a mug only to discover just last week from one of the store managers that El Paso is not a big enough city to have its own mug. That's ludicrous! Obviously the Starbucks execs haven't visited this city at all. This place is crowded as hell!

7. How old were you when you had your first kiss? It was in 9th grade, so I was 13. I hope my mom is not reading this. After all, I was her perfect little angel back then...ha ha.

8. Do you text/twitter while driving? I'm guilty of texting while driving. I'm trying to stop now that El Paso has a new city ordinance that prohibits talking or texting on the phone while driving. Big time ticket if you're caught!

Wow! That was fun! Happy Sunday all! If you haven't seen my baby shower video, I posted it to this blog last night, so check it out! As for me, I'm going to head on over to Ross to look for some shorts and capris. I'd been walking around the town for the first part of the morning in unbuttoned shorts because it's hot and the ones I have don't fit me anymore. Funny!

~23 Weeks~ & Biggest Baby Shower Ever

My lil' bug,

Since we're about half way through our 24th week, I suppose I should wrap up the events that took place during our 23rd week. And judging from the way you're kicking me right now, I'm guessing that you wholeheartedly agree. So here goes.

I guess I should tell you that the most memorable part of this particular week was that we traveled all the way to Colorado Springs to celebrate your arrival--your baby shower! When I arrived, your Grandma Ruby was so shocked to see how big I'd (we'd) gotten. After all, she had just visited us in El Paso the week before and all of a sudden, mommy's tummy had blown up out of nowhere! And it's no wonder. http://www.babycenter.com/ said that last week, you were about 11 inches long and weight about a pound! Additionally, your sense of movement is now so well developed, that you can feel all of mommy's moves--and you got a lot of that during that week! And girl, last week was your feistiest yet. You were moving so much that I could truly see you squirming beneath my clothes. It was frightening at first, but now I find myself grabbing or staring at my tummy forever just so I don't miss a move. It's so fun.

So many of your loved ones were there...almost 130 people! Can you believe it? Lucky for you, mommy was able to capture it all on film and made a pretty neat slide show to share with her friends.

There was food for days and your Auntie Roz and cousins made everything so much fun by playing all kinds of games. However, I think people had more fun trying to feel you through mommy's tummy. I got all kinds of belly rubs that day. And your presents! Oh my gosh...it took mommy almost 2 hours to open all of them. When we were packing the truck to leave, we almost had to leave your fur-sister, Lucy, with Grandma and Grandpa because she could barely fit. In the end, we had to leave some of your gifts in Colorado for Grandma to mail to us. You are one lucky girl. Clothes to last the next 2 years. And your mommy and daddy are so thankful to have such wonderful and supportive family and friends.

We didn't want to come back to El Paso so soon, but made it back safe and sound. Since then, you've brought mommy a new wave of fatigue and she wants to nap about every ten minutes. Work has been rough and mommy barely had time or the energy to blog this week. But we can also attribute that to the fact that our computer had been malfunctioning. Now we're up and running again! It's nice to be back.

Anyway, I hope that you are looking forward to hearing what the rest of this week will bring. I have the feeling that you are dying to meet all of us and to be honest, mommy is dying to meet you too. Your daddy sends his love all the way from Iraq. He was sorry to miss your baby shower, but asked me to give you little rubs from my tummy here and there and to play you his songs when we go to sleep. Now that you are starting to recognize our voices, I hope you love daddy's voice as much as mommy does.
I love you my baby girl. Now, it's off to bed!
P.S. I'm sorry I keep feeding you tons of sugary goodies as of late, but you seem to keep wanting mommy to have them. A half a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts? No problem. A pack of hostess cupcakes? No problem either. And for some reason, your Grandpa kept feeding you buttered up Einstein Bagels every morning we were in Colorado. You seemed to love those too (and mommy was never a real big fan previously). But no worries, mommy balances all out with some healthy foods too. You still love carrots and fruits!