Stricker Family Stories

One of the best movies!

2010-12-02T16:08:00.004-05:00

Those that know me well, know I have a huge love for Julia Robert's movies. She has been a longtime favorite of mine. Well her recent movie Eat, Pray, Love is truly one the best I have seen in a while. It is hard for me to get so into a movie that it really speaks to me, well this one hit me hard. I have been dealing with some pretty crummy stuff lately and feeling completely defeated, lost and honestly broken. This movie is truly a testament to life lessons and learning to appreciate yourself for who you are. Have you ever heard the saying "Nobody said life will be easy?" Well it's true, but nobody mentions how amazing that life journey will truly be if you learn to be still, quiet and enjoy it.
I have gone through some pretty tough things in my 27 years, things that have really taken a lot out of me, but at the same time have really made me into the woman I am today. Having faith has honestly gotten me through more things than I ever thought were possible, even when I didn't think I could survive it. Now being a 27 year old, military wife of 8 years, mother of two crazy active boys ages 10 and 6, I am finally learning to enjoy and appreciate who I have become.
It is honestly an amazing feeling when you wake up in the morning go into the bathroom to start your morning routine, glance in the mirror and really see yourself. I think that is really what that movie is about. Finding yourself and being happy with who you have become, even though life is not always easy.
So I say to you, watch that movie... Eat. Pray. Love. and let it speak to you. Enjoy life's journey and be appreciative of yourself and who you have become.

The little joys in life

2010-06-04T13:08:00.003-04:00

I was reminded yesterday and today of the little things that bring me so much joy in my life are sometimes the things I take for granted... Quiet moments with my children. Now judge me if you must, but sometimes I get so overwhelmed with life and daily chores that I take for granted the joys of my children and those moments that one day I will long for. I know that we are all guilty from time to time of just asking them to go play for a little bit so we can get something done that we are usually right in the middle of when they want something, but yesterday my sweet boy had me put aside what I was doing so I could just snuggle with him before school. To be honest at first I hesitated as I was trying to take care of an important email, but I said okay I can do it when he goes to school, he climbed into my lap and snuggled with me, rubbed my face and said "Oh mommy I love you with all my heart." With tears in my eyes I replied "My sweet boy I love you too." As we snuggled he felt completely relaxed, so much so he fell asleep. One moment I will cherish forever.

I am amazed at how fast my children are growing up. They are beginning to become little men right before my eyes. Where did time go? In a week our house will be in full swing of end of the year parties for school and making teacher gifts as we have truly been blessed this year with wonderful teachers, principle and a great school. I am so thankful to all those who have helped both of my children grow and learn this year. My oldest has actually enjoyed History & Science this year and is actually looking forward to next year. I can not express how good that makes me feel as last year he was not even looking forward to school at all. My youngest has grown leaps and bounds this year. He started the year not being able to recognize and say by name half of the alphabet (without the song and in order) and now not only can he recognize and say the alphabet, but he is writing full sentences and beginning to form stories. I could not be prouder of all the progress they are making. I look forward to all the new and exciting things they are going to learn this next year and I remain hopeful for all the hurdles they are going to concur as they continue to grow.
I pray that one day when my boys are grown and have children of their own they can say that their childhood may not have always been easy, but that they were never afraid to see what they had to do and take it head on. I love my children and I thank God everyday for them for they truly are the little joys in my life!

Recipe Chicken Gnocchi Soup

2010-05-27T19:00:00.002-04:00

Last night we had a wonderful meal complete with smiles and empty bowls and some asked for the recipe so I thought I would start posting them on here instead of taking up room on another website we shall not mention haha! So at any rate here is the recipe for Chicken Gnocchi Soup. I order this soup at Olive Garden all the time but it is getting way to expensive to eat out anymore so I wanted to find a way to make this at home and save a few bucks while I was at it... Hope you enjoy!

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart half and half
1 14 ounce can chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese – optional
1 pound potato gnocchi – can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets
Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter, when the onion becomes translucent, add the flour, and make a roux, let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions.

Into the roux add in the carrots, celery, and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasonings.

Comments about this recipe: I used 2 cups of whole milk and 1 cup of heavy cream to make the soup a little creamer and give it more flavor. Also instead of parsley I used fresh basil, chopped and sprinkled in the soup. I hope you all enjoy this as it has become a favorite in our house. Happy Eating!

Medical Update...

2010-05-25T13:18:00.002-04:00

As some of you know I was recently diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. That is where your body doesn't produce enough thyroid cells. My new doctor (who is God sent) put me on this medicine called Synthroid for 6 weeks to see if my levels would come up to a healthy or normal range. On May 18th I went in for my 6 week blood test to make sure the medicine was the right dose and to see if it was working. Results are in and... They are normal!!! In fact they are in the middle of the normal range. For my height, weight and age the levels are anywhere from 2.0 to 4.3 and I am at a 3.0. I can't even begin to explain what a relief this is for me. I am so blessed that God gave me a doctor that cared enough to check and try to fix this medical condition I have been suffering from for so long. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. It has gotten me through all this and come out on the other side feeling better and loved. So from the bottom of my heart I Love You all!

~T

COFFEE

2010-05-04T12:45:00.002-04:00

I never really liked coffee when I was younger and then.... I had kids & now I love it. Some mornings I feel like I need it in an IV drip. A few days ago my poor coffee pot must have felt overworked and unappreciated so it started making growling sounds and then humming as if it hurt to make me coffee so we had to say goodbye to the old...
and hello to the new...
oh how I love the new coffee pot. God bless coffee!

This is sad just sad...

2010-04-06T11:21:00.002-04:00

I saw this news article that made me feel sad and simply disgusted as some people. Here is the link to the article... http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100331/ts_csm/291560

How can some people be that mean and disrespectful. These people are finding service members funerals to use as their backgrounds behind being completely disrespectful. Have they forgotten that these service members were over there fighting for their 1st amendment rights? Putting that aside the shear fact that they can completely disrespect the dead and call it okay and the fact that the legal system is protecting them is just madness to me.

April Fools Day

2010-04-02T00:37:00.007-04:00

I like to celebrate silly holidays like this with the boys and this year was even better with daddy home to celebrate the fun with us!

So this year I decided to make a meat "PIE" and "Grilled Cheese" cake. So I set the "PIE" on the table and the boys looked really confused as why we were eating dessert first. Sometimes being a mom is so much fun!!!

Meat Pie

Grilled Cheese Cake
Happy April Fools Day Everyone!

Best Weekend EVER!!!

2010-03-15T15:52:00.009-04:00

Paul and I really wanted to surprise the boys big time this year with a little mini vacation get a way and I think we did it!

We decided to go to Great Wolf Lodge up here in Washington, it's about an hour and a half away from us, but so worth the drive. For those of you asking what is Great Wolf Lodge, well here is the simple answer. A huge hotel that has an indoor waterpark in it! Expensive but soooooo much fun!
The boys had no idea that we were going, which to be honest made it so much more exciting! They had no school on Friday and we thought that with their birthdays being that week we should go then, so we booked the room and secretly packed the bags and hid them in the car. We got up ate breakfast and headed out. The boys still had no idea, even though we had been dropping clues left and right, pointing out commercials about the great wolf lodge on tv, asking about their swim shoes and all kinds of fun things like that and yet they still thought we were going to Seattle. We arrived at 12:30 and couldn't check in until 1 so we drove around for a little bit, even drove past it and still nothing. Once 1 O'clock arrived Paul couldn't stand it anymore and decided to just go and see if they would let us check in. We parked the car and Iah said "Wouldn't it be cool if mom packed our swimsuits and they had a heated pool or something." Little did he know oh yeah the suites were packed and ummm they had way more than a heated pool, a whole HUGE waterpark! Once inside they both said "Wow this place is huge." Then I leaned in and said Hey remember that commerical where the little boy tells his mom that if she doesn't go down that slide 1 more time she was going to be in big trouble?" With the biggest smile on his face that he could possibly ever have he said "That is where we are? Thank you, Thank you, Thank you" What more could you ask for?
Daddy & Iah getting off the Tunnel Ride Patrick getting ready to go on the lilly pads Family Picture in front of the Great Fireplace

To give you a great break from the waterpark the hotel has this wonderful activity called "Magi Quest." The basic principle of this activity is a huge treasure hunt in the hotel taking over 5 floors of the hotel with pictures that come to life with the shake of your wand to give you clues on the next mission. So cool. I am still not sure who had more fun, Paul & I or the boys! You make treasure chests open to give you jewels, animals on the walls talk to you and even get clues from trees in the middle of the lobby. You have 10 quests to complete in a book and then you go on 3 adventures and even fight a dragon. I can't talk enough about this. It was a wonderful memory and a great adventure with the boys. The boys fighting the dragon

This hotel has something for everyone. A huge waterpark, magi quest, spas for both adults and kids, arcade, teen club complete with video games & dance club, restaurants, bar, ice cream bar, dessert shop and even a Starbucks right in the hotel. Needless to say it was one of the most amazing weekends I have ever had and we all can't wait to go back! 2 days at Great Wolf Lodge- $300
Magic Wands & Huge Treasure Hunt- $50
A Quiet Car Ride Home- Priceless

Baby boy turns 6

2010-03-11T15:25:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Patrick turned 6. Can you believe he is 6? Me either. It does not seem like 6 years ago we were waiting for him to come into the world. He wanted smiley face pancakes for breakfast, mac n cheese for lunch and homemade pizza for dinner and well... he got just that. I also made some homemade ice cream for dessert! It was a wonderful day. Happy 6th birthday baby boy!

Holy Cow 10 already...

2010-03-08T22:57:00.004-05:00

Today Isaiah turned 10. Wow a decade old. I can't believe it has been 10 years already. The day started with a wake up call by attacking Isaiah in bed, then pancakes for breakfast and then... School. haha. I think I made up for it by taking the coolest basketball cupcakes to school for him to share with all his friends. Made with tons of love and the sound of joy of Isaiah those are the coolest cupcakes! I think the best part came when snow came falling from the sky and then Isaiah comes home from school and we have all his presents waiting including a nice shinny new bike. He also got Percy Jackson and the Olympians (the book) with promise we will go see the movie when he finishes the book! Ha got to be good parents somewhere, a wallet and GI Joe the psp game, a flip trick bike & there is also going to be a HUGE surprise this weekend but that is another post (that will be made later) for now I will live you with pictures!!! Happy Birthday Isaiah

Sometimes Parenthood Stinks :-(

2010-02-19T12:04:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I don't like having to be a parent and having to deal with punishment. As our children get older we have a harder and harder time with life lessons. The oldest came home from school yesterday with a bad day, and bad really is an understatement to say the least. How do you deal with days like that? He is very strong willed and when he makes up his mind that it wasn't his fault there is no getting through to him. Calls from the principle is never a good sign, and as wonderful as she is, I dread getting to talk to her. She called yesterday to explain what really happened and needless to say it put me into tears, causing me to deal out a lecture about right and wrong things to say to or about people. Well this punishment went very differently than usual. Usually we deal out the no talking on the phone to friends, no video games, etc. This time it went something like this... The only entertainment you will have this weekend is... Reading. You will pick a book and do a 200 word book report on it, explaining the life lesson the author is trying to tell you, the main characters and a bit of history on them and your thoughts on the book. Then you will write a letter of apology to the people you hurt and why it is wrong to say mean things to them. You will also do your homework packet (which isn't due till next Thursday) by Monday morning, and once all that is done you will do chores to fill the time. Sometimes I don't like being a parent........
Sometimes Parenthood Stinks...

Love day!

2010-02-15T22:41:00.003-05:00

Normally our Valentine's day is spent apart. Paul has been out to sea for most of them, sad to say. So usually I am making Valentine's with the boys for their friends at school and then I get a sitter and go out with the girls and enjoy anti love day! Well this year with shore duty our "normal" is anything but... Paul & I decided that since this is the first year we really get to spend it together, we were going to do the whole day as a family!
We started the day with a visit to our favorite spot called "Barbie's Cafe" it is right on the marina of Seabeck. We love it there, a quiet, cute cafe that we feel very at home in. Everytime we go there we always have the best service. After than we ventured to town. Yes you heard me right we ventured to "Town" (20 mins away.) We then went to a couple of shops and looked around, sometimes it is nice to just look! After that we decided to take the boys to see a movie. Holy cow let me just say here that movie prices have gone way up. Can you tell we don't go see movies in the "Real" theatre very much, usually we go on base were it is $3.00 for a movie, $1.50 for unlimited soda, but they only have 1 showing and they were not showing the movie the boys wanted. Anyway... We went and saw none other than..................................................

The Tooth Fairy, not the best movie, but the boys enjoyed it.

Tickets for 4 to the movies $30
3 bags of Candy bought earlier and snuck into the movie $5.00
1 Large popcorn & 2 Large drinks $19.50
Seeing your children's faces when they realize you are going to see the movie they have been begging you and begging you to see....
Priceless

So I hope everyone had a Happy Love Day, I know we did!!!

Paul's Birthday!

2010-02-11T13:25:00.004-05:00

Yesterday February 10th was Paul's 27th birthday. When asked what he wanted to do for his birthday dinner, go out or stay in, he decided to stay in and for me to make dinner. Now what's for dinner? Tri-Tip, Coleslaw, Twice Baked Potatoes & Homemade Sourdough Bread. So Tuesday night we took the tri-tip and rubbed it down with none other than Santa Maria Seasoning and let it marinate in the fridge over night. Yummy. For those of you that don't know what Tri-Tip is or what Santa Maria Seasoning is, all I have to say to you is you poor deprived child!!! Tri-Tip is a type of steak, a beautiful piece of meat that is traditional smoked or bbqed, until perfection. Santa Maria Seasoning is a blend of spices. Here is a recipe for this blend

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons white pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 tablespoons granulated garlic
6 tablespoons salt

Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl.

or you can order your own here: http://www.susieqbrand.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&c=1&p=7 I also believe Smart and Final has it for sale as well. Anyway... Around 2pm on Wednesday I put the tri-tip in a dutch oven with a little bit of beef broth and put it in the oven at 350* and let it go... 5:30 and presto, a beautiful piece of yummy goodness (as Paul would say.) Follow that by Homemade Sourdough Bread, Twice Baked Potatoes & Coleslaw. So with that I think Mission Paul's B-Day Dinner = SUCCESS!!!

Mondays...

2010-02-01T14:15:00.004-05:00

I am being to think that Mr. Monday is against me. We all have been enjoying weekends around here a little to much I guess. It's hard not to enjoy them now that we get Paul home with us every weekend. This morning was a hard one for our household, none of us wanted to get out of bed, not even Violet, she stretched and groaned and yawned a lot on her way out the door to go use the doggie potty aka. the backyard!!! So all I have to say to Mr. Monday is I think you are out numbered. I think it is about time that you, dear Mr Monday take a vacation say 1 week! Good it's settled!!! Happy Monday everyone

Wisdom?!?!

2010-01-28T15:25:00.002-05:00

So as of lately I have been dealing with some extreme very unwanted pain. Yup my wisdom teeth have decided that they are going to make an appearance. All I have to say about that is OUCH!!! This is by far one of the worst things ever. My whole head hurts and my mouth is swollen. So in my pain I found a picture that fits my thoughts perfectly so I will leave you with it, while I go and take more Motrin and take a nap. Thought and prayers accepted and greatly appreciated!

FOOD!

2010-01-20T17:36:00.004-05:00

I have to admit a very dark and dirty secret... I LOVE FOOD, there I said it. I am a girl who Loves food. I love thinking of new recipes and new creations on old ones. I love baking and trying out new and interesting deserts to complement all those new main dish recipes that I create at a whim. Paul laughs at me, because I am a planner, I plan menus so I can make grocery lists, I make to do lists and making a menu and grocery list are always at the top. I have the whole 2 weeks planned out (we get paid every 2 weeks, so payday= new menu) and yet there are days I just don't feel like making what was on the menu that day, so there in lies my problem. I need to tell my mind to shut off and just stick to the menu and not try to come up with something new, but how?
Last night was no exception to the never ending problem I have with food. A twist on a recent favorite... Grilled Stuffed Burritos. I made some shredded chicken the other night and had leftovers, so instead of using some ground turkey (we use this instead of ground beef) like usual I decided to change things up and use the leftover chicken. I added some smokey chipotle sauce, cilantro, onions and simmered it together to reheat the chicken, yummy. Heated the tortillas, added refried beans (as glue), Spanish rice came next, topped with chicken mixture, cheese and then topped with homemade salsa, rolled and sealed with a hot pan of 2T EVOO. Yummy!!! Problem is it didn't stop there... Tonight I found myself setting out the ingredients I need for dinner tonight and then Wham... I completely changed my mind. So instead of a pasta dish I was going to try we are now having Pan Seared Pork Chops, Apple Chutney, Rosemary Lemon Roasted Potatoes and Homemade Caramel Apple Empanadas. So my question for the day is Have you ever had a menu in mind and you were bit by the creative bug and changed it up? If so What was your favorite recipe?

Mystery Monday!!!

2010-01-19T11:24:00.005-05:00

We have started this new thing that everyday has it's own theme... It really helps with the menu and knowing what to expect as well. For example:

Monday: Meat Monday-- meaning we have some form of meat for dinner. ie: Ribs, Chicken
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday-- meaning some form of Mexican food
Wednesday: Whatever Wednesday-- meaning whatever we want
Thursday: Throwback Thursday-- meaning a old fam favorite meal
Friday: Family Fun Night-- meaning pizza and a game or movie
Saturday: Surprise Saturday-- meaning we do something fun and the boy's can't know anything!
Sunday: Sleepy Sunday-- We have a jammie day and stay home and relax resting from Saturday...

Well with all that said forget it... Yesturday was a Holiday... Meaning no school, no work so we decided that since we had everyone home we were going to go do something fun... Which led us to Mystery Monday! We got up early and went to Seattle to the Pacific Science Center. We have a membership there and we Love it. We went and had fun with the science experiments and saw a Bug 3D movie, followed by a trip to the planetarium and then my favorite... A trip to the Butterfly Habitat. All in all a great day at the PSC in Seattle!

BEST MOVIE!!!

2010-01-12T22:32:00.002-05:00

Have you ever seen a movie that truely touched you inside and out? You know the ones I am talking about. Heartfelt, yet funny and yet you can totally relate to the characters in one way or another. Either you have known someone like one of the characters or you see yourself in them. Recently I have had the pleasure of watching the movie "The Blindside." The only way I can describe it is simply amazing. One of if not the best movie I have seen in a long time. This is based on the true story of Michael Oher #74 for the Balitmore Ravens and how he got to where he is today. The relationship he begins to develop with Leigh Anne Tuohy is breath taking. I can't talk enough about this movie. I strongly encourage everyone to see this movie, it is just.... Amazing!

It's SOLD!!!

2009-12-23T12:48:00.002-05:00

What an amazing Christmas present Paul & I got yesterday... Our house is sold. Closed yesterday and we could not be happier. We have gone threw so much with this house that pure excitement came over us when we realized we are no longer home owners. Kind of a bittersweet moment. So Goodbye Ga house, hello financial freedom!!!

Beautiful Sites!!!

2009-12-17T14:38:00.002-05:00

There are some wonderful things that I do Love about "home" Family for one and watching my kids have a good time and also the wonderful sites of home!!! Man how I do miss Cali...

snow

2009-12-07T12:26:00.004-05:00

I was sitting here going over old posts and realized that I never posted about our first snow. We had our first snow right before Thanksgiving. Can you imagine the excitment that went through our house when we saw it? After spending the last 7 years where it didn't snow, it was nice to see it actually snowing at our house. We got to enjoy it only for a short time as it melted by the next afternoon, but we got to take some pictures while it was here. Hoping it snows again soon, since it is cold enough. High for today is 32* low is 17*. Yikes!!!

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-11-23T22:27:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours...

Wondering why time flys by so fast?!?!

2009-11-17T13:55:00.004-05:00

I was cleaning a little in my oldest child's room and found a photo book of when he was younger. I was overwhelmed a little with emotions that I began to shed some soft tears. It amazes me at just how much he has grown. We are staring at 10 years old just around the corner. Can you believe it? 10 wow. He is sometimes challenging and sometimes a bit of a headache but he also has an amazing spirit and an incredible heart. He is so smart that sometimes it gets him into trouble and even through it all I can't wait to watch what adventures he is going to have and experience. He is stubborn and very strong willed and sad to say he didn't stand a chance in that department! In the past 9 years I have watched this little boy grow into a young man and I am amazed at how he has taken everything he has been through and came out of it stronger than before. I'll admit we have faced somethings with him that I don't wish anyone to have to grow through and yet he seems to take it like a grain of salt, accept it and move on from it with a greater understanding of how to handle hard times. What a great example of a child's strength. So today I am greatful for God allowing me to be a mom to such an amazing young man and I pray that I am able to show him what kind of person he needs to be and that I continue to show him love and grace. I love you always little man!

Thanking Past, Present and Future

2009-11-11T18:53:00.002-05:00

Today we honor our Veterans for all they have done for our country. So from our Military family to yours Thank you to all who have served, are serving and all those who will follow. You are truly Heroes and we can't thank you enough for defending our rights and protecting our freedom. May God bless you always.

Flashlight Please...

2009-10-27T12:32:00.002-04:00

Have you ever thought everything was going great and that you could see the light at the end of the tunnel and man was it bright? Well we thought everything was going 100% in the right direction with the sale of our house in Ga and then BAM. We got hit with a double rock to the head. I am not going to go into to much detail but our mortgage company hadn't sent paperwork about the payoff and when we called to ask about it they said they were not aware of said paperwork. AHHHHHH really I mean we close in a week how do you not know about paperwork. So now we are forced to start a new packet and get it approved all by next week. Really? Oh Lord how are we going to pull this off? Faith and prayers??? I had a tough time remembering that God is always there and always in control and that he will not give us something we can not handle, somehow, someway he is going to make this work. So for now we are praying hard for the light at the end of the tunnel again and that our mortgage company gets their act in gear and accepts our offer and now. Please Lord make this work and fast. Amen!!!

Cleaning, visitors & more cleaning!!!

2009-10-23T13:42:00.003-04:00

I have found that I LOVE family and or friends coming over for visits, however I have to admit that I am a little to sad when they leave. I love my "alone" time with my husband and my children I do, but to have lived on the other side of the country for over 6 years it is nice having family around. Bailie and Jeff came for a visit and it was such a great time with them. We went and saw sights of Seattle. We all had fun, we also learned that um maybe 2 days in a row of walking all over Seattle might be a little to much, as we all paid for sore bodies the next day, but it was an amazing time. Saturday we went to the Pacific Science Center. Truely one of our families favorite places to go. A HUGE place filled with robots, science experiments and Butterflys! We ended the day with a trip to the Space Needle. What an amazing building. Although a little bit crowded and a big nauseating, still a must see! Sunday was the aquarium and tons of shopping! What a blast. Love you guys!!!

COLD weather... Burrrrrrr

2009-10-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

Today we are starting to experince Fall weather. Now the locals up here are loving it and they say it feels about right, a little on the cold side, but right for this time of the year and well the 4 from S.E. Georgia say ummm it is down right freezing. Currently the temp is 48°F. Today's high is 51°F. I think shopping for warm clothes and putting away the tank tops and flip flops and making soup with the fire going. is in order for this holiday. Trying to stay warm!!!

My new kitchen toy

2009-10-06T17:17:00.002-04:00

During the move my bread machine broke, so I really had to think about getting a new one. On ebay I found a great deal on a wolfgang puck bread machine, so I bought it and I can't tell you how many loafs of bread I have made. The smell of homemade bread, awww you can't beat that smell. I have made 2 coffee cakes for breakfast, 2 cakes and a dozen loafs of bread and the best part... my favorite part it has saved us so much money and has already paid for itself. Oh yeah!!! I Love new kitchen toys!

OFFER!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-24T12:10:00.002-04:00

After 2 months of praying, crossing our fingers, stress, praying, crying, praying and more stress we finally got an offer on our house in GA. Yipee. Now the offer is not the best and it is definitely going to take some work on our part, saving as much as we can and begging with our mortgage company to short sale so we can make this offer work, it is an offer non the less. So now we wait and pray some more that God will step in and take care of it all. All prayers accepted and very much appricated.

Gum + 5 year old boy = shaved head

2009-09-15T16:18:00.005-04:00

We had a little mishap in our house... Apparently Patrick decided he wanted a piece of gum at some point and well it got stuck in his hair. So stuck that it would not come out with oils, peanut butter or even ice, so what is a mom to do when you got 15 mins till it is time to catch the bus??? Yup you got it shave it all off & the result...

FOOTBALL

2009-09-13T16:50:00.002-04:00

Today starts the regular season of FOOTBALL... Go SEAHAWKS!!!

Remembering today

2009-09-11T13:30:00.002-04:00

Today is September 11, 2009 and 8 years ago today our great nation was overwhelmed with fear, sadness, prayers and tons of tears. I can't even imagine what those poor people had to endure as they saw their lives flash before their eyes, both on the planes and also inside the towers. My thoughts go back to where I was. I remember watching the Today show as I was getting ready to head to work and watching footage of the 2nd plane hit and sat down on my bed in complete shock. I wasn't sure if it was clips from an upcoming movie or if it was real. When they reassured everyone that the footage was real my thoughts immediately went to Paul who was in boot camp. Not sure what was going to happen to him, if he was okay, if he was preparing to ship out. Overwhelmed with fear and tears I began to pray for his safety. I will never forget that day.

May we never, ever forget the sacrifice of those that fought and are still fighting for America and our freedoms...and may we continue to oppose those that challenge them.

The latest happenings

2009-09-09T12:36:00.003-04:00

So I have decided to update. We have had a pretty busy couple of weeks.

1st. Isaiah came to Washington from visiting with his grandma. He really had a good time riding on the train for the first time, playing video games in the arcade most of the time! Boys!!!

2nd. Paul is really getting into a grove with the new job. He seems to be learning a lot and making some new friends in the office. Can't wait until he gets a class of his own, but excited that he gets his own desk. It's the little things in life!!!

3rd. The boys had their first day of school. Can't believe they are in 4th and Kindergarten. Where does time go? They love their new school and are even excited to go in the morning. We learned that we have to walk to and from school, but the view on the way is so beautiful that we don't mind to much. Wonder if we are going to feel the same way in the snow!!!

4th. We finally got our washer fixed. Yipee. Never thought I would be so happy to be able to do laundry but there I was happy when we tried the new part and it didn't leak. Now to tackle the mound O' laundry that piled up while our washer was making an indoor swimming pool.

Wow the adventures we are having, makes things interesting and exciting. Can't wait to see what else is in store. So here is to fun adventures, promise to keep you all posted on the happenings in the Stricker house!

I think it is bye bye washer

2009-08-24T16:35:00.003-04:00

With this move we are having to go through what seems like unending boxes we have to record anything that is broken or missing and sad to say I think our washer is well broken. When plugged in it continues to leak water, everywhere. There is water all over the floor including the carpet. I have to write a full writeup and call the moving company and property management company. Here's hoping the come to inspect the washer soon so I can either have it fixed or get a new one. Fingers crossed...

Going Nuts...

2009-07-30T15:05:00.003-04:00

So with faith in God and in my husband I picked up and moved 4,000 miles with well let's be honest no place to go. We got orders to Washington State which is where we wanted to go don't get me wrong, however I wanted to have everything figured out before the big move... Apparently God had different plans for us. We are currently still homeowners. Yes you read that correctly. We are still trying to sell our house in Georgia and we have officially checked into Bangor, Washington. Yikes. We have no idea what is going to happen with our house other than we are walking on faith on this one.

Washington is a bit different that we had pictured. The base is bigger, the towns are set up differently and there are unending hills here. Now the views are to die for. You see mountains and the sound pretty much everywhere you look. Who could ask for more that after a stressful day to look out and see a beautiful view to take your breathe away? The weather on the other hand has apparently made the trip from Ga to Wa as it has been in the 90's here. What happened to that nice cold air we were expecting? Yesterday was the official record breaker day with hitting 105. Really? I mean come on we were looking forward to the low 70's. People are praying it goes back down soon. I mean coming from Ga this "heat" is nothing. We would hit highs of 105 plus humidity which would make it feel more like 110+ so we are not "dying" like some other people, but it would be nice to have cooler weather soon.

We also had to find a house to live in. Yup that is right we are homeless right now. Did I mention Yikes? My nerves have been on the roller coaster of all roller coaster rides lately. We finally found one that we are in love with and are hoping and praying that we get it. Now that the application is in we are waiting on the credit check (which is freaking me out to no end since our credit is well not the best) and hoping that the renter approves us is nerve racking in itself. This house was the first one that Paul and I both loved. The boys would have so much room to run and play, plus it is in a great area. A full 2500 sq ft of room to play in to be exact, plus an amazing yard for them to go out and play in. We loved it and can't wait to share pictures of it with all of you. Praying hard on this one. I know that God has a master plan for us and that to be honest has kept me going in good faith he will take care of us, but this time it would be amazing if his plan works with our plan. So until we hear back we will continue to pray.

Thank you for all your patience with our blog (or lack there of) for our break and I promise to try to get better about keeping you all updated on our busy lives and we try our best to get settled in this new adventure up north.

Happy 4th Of July

2009-07-04T22:38:00.004-04:00

This 4th of July was great in our house. We not only had a great day but we got to spend it with Paul home as well. We started off the morning with a quick stop at a local doughnut shop to surprise the boys (since we don't eat doughnuts in our house) followed by a day adventure at the Aquatic Center. The boys love it there and they were really excited to take Daddy so he could see how well they swim! We came home and took a "rest period" and finished the day with a nice dinner out and fireworks. I am thankful for family time, great food and fireworks! Happy 4th Of July Everyone!

Amazing quote from a friend!

2009-06-08T17:29:00.002-04:00

Today I was having a pretty crummy day, full of tons of challenges with the house, kids and dealing with Paul being gone. Then I came across this amazing quote from a friend and couldn't help but want to share it with all of you...

At the finish of 1 crisis, brace yourself for the next!! I thank God that he is bigger than ANY trial we may experience and that he is by our sides continuously!!!

So have any of you come across any amazing quotes lately? Please share!!!

Waiting for mail stinks

2009-06-06T07:59:00.002-04:00

So Paul has been gone for awhile now and my patience on this whole waiting for email thing has really worn thin. One way conversations are not easy and it gets rather boring I must say. So many questions go unanswered, so many things that I wish for feedback and nothing. I know this is part of the job, but it still stinks some times. So for now I guess we wait...

It's way to hot here!!!

2009-06-01T12:42:00.002-04:00

So you ever have those duh moments? You know those moments in life I am talking about, where you ask God to make it warmer outside so you can take the kids out of the house for some activities since they had been locked inside while it rained for a week. Well I have experienced the duh moments of you asked for it, so here it is. It had been raining here for what seemed like forever, even though it wasn't even a full week and since we are getting ready to move to Washington State where it yup rains all the time, I prayed for just some sunshine and warmer weather so we could enjoy it before we moved to the bitter cold winters! Once again God said "Here you go, enjoy." Now it is um a little to hot to enjoy anything outside. When the burn factor is 15-30 minutes that is just crazy. Well I guess we thank God for the sunshine and the birds singing no matter how hot is it!!!

It's offical. Kindergarten here we come!

2009-05-17T09:49:00.003-04:00

Patrick had his preschool graduation the other day. He stood up there and said "Goodbye" to preschool and then sang a song titled "Kindergarten here we come." So sweet and yet it made me see just how big he really was. Hard to believe that he is going into a big school next year and that he is learning, growing and experiencing so many things. I think the best part is that he is so excited about riding the big kid bus! It makes me laugh that he is excited about a bus and yet I am having a hard time saying "goodbye" to my baby and "hello" to my big boy. So along with moving to a new house, a new state, we are also moving to a new adventure... Kindergarten. Ready or not here we come!!!

My baby is not such a baby anymore :-(

2009-05-04T21:11:00.002-04:00

Patrick went to visit a kindergarten class today. He was so proud of himself, he got up and got himself dressed and said "Mommy I am a big boy today because I am going to Kindergarten." My eyes welled up and as I looked at my 5 year old who was so excited my couldn't help but grab him and give him a big hug. I can't believe how fast he has grown up. My baby boy is not such a baby anymore.

Our home sweet home...

2009-05-02T16:41:00.003-04:00

Our home finally got listed and it is bittersweet to see it with a for sale sign in our yard. This has been our home since May of 2005, full of changes, happiness, sadness and tons of memories. I am going to be sad the day we say goodbye to our first home, but I am also going to be excited to see where God takes us in life now. Please pray that we have a quick and very easy sale. Here is a link to our listing... http://www.georgiamls.com/agentsite/search/propertyDetail.cfm?SiteID=PMAG01&LN=2664718#

Happy Bunny Day

2009-04-12T13:58:00.003-04:00

From our family to yours

Soccer, Soccer & more Soccer!!!

2009-04-03T08:06:00.005-04:00

Here in the Stricker house we have been in soccer mode. Both boys are playing this season and it has been well a little crazy. We have soccer every day except Friday and Sunday. Practices for Patrick were Mondays & Wednesdays. Isaiah had practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and now that games have started 2 less practices a week but they are replaced by Games. Ahhh the season has just begun. Isaiah has had 2 games so far and they lost both of them. Patrick has only had 1 game so far but they won. Hopefully the game tomorrow goes well, provided the weather plays nice but that is another story... Go Soccer!!!

Our new floors

2009-03-27T20:59:00.003-04:00

As most of you know we have been getting the house ready to put on the market so we can prepare for our big move to Washington State this July. With all of this house preparation comes redoing the floors. Our carpet was in bad shape and we decided it was time... Time for hardwood! Now every room in our house, minus the bathrooms and kitchen have hardwood flooring. Finally after hard, tiresome work we are happy to say they are in and look amazing. To bad we didn't do this 2 years ago when we could have had time to enjoy it. So without further hesitation here are some pictures.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T12:58:00.005-04:00

With today being St. Patrick's Day & being Irish I thought it would be fun to have an Irish themed dinner tonight. On the menu is Corned beef & cabbage with potatoes & carrots, Irish soda bread & lime (green) Irish soda malts for desert. What are you doing to celebrate the holiday? Until next time May your troubles be less, your blessings be more and may nothing but happiness come through your door. From our family to yours Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Mom & Boys movie night

2009-03-13T20:35:00.002-04:00

Paul & I started this tradition a while back that Friday night was going to be pizza and a movie night and life got in the way, so the tradition was put on hold. Well tonight Paul had duty, so I decided it was time to start it up again.

Pizza and Madagascar 2 was on the menu. Let me just say if you are looking for a good movie to watch with your kids for a family movie night, it is funny. The funniest song is "I like them big, I like them chunky, I like them big, I like them plumply." Believe me when you see the movie you will understand.

Overall it was a great night with the boys!

Monkey Munch

2009-03-11T11:26:00.002-04:00

I got this recipe from Jon & Kate Plus 8. I love that show. I thought I would make it and my boys love it (all 3 of them) so I thought I would share it with all of you. ENJOY!

Monkey Munch

9 cups Chex cereal (any variety)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 Put chex in a large bowl and put aside.
2 Place chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter into a quart-sized microwavable bowl.
3 Stir the ingredients together.
4 Microwave the mixture uncovered for a minute on "high." Stir the mix again and continue to
zap in thirty second intervals until it mixes smoothly.
5 Add the vanilla and stir.
6 Pour over the cereal while stirring.
7 Put combination into a 2-gallon, Ziploc freezer bag.
8 Add powdered sugar, seal the bag and shake until distributed.
9 Spread Monkey Munch out on wax paper to cool and dry.
10 Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for storage. (Like Tupperware. I can get you some, ask me how... Lol)

Boy's Birthday

2009-03-08T20:25:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it is that time again already. Isaiah turned 9 today and Patrick will turn 5 on Tuesday. I know where does time go? Yesterday Paul and I decided to have a birthday celebration since we don't know exactly what his work days are going to be like. It started off the morning with presents. By the way they were super excited about and we all want to say a HUGE thank you for all your birthday wishes. After presents we went to Chuck E Cheese and played our hearts out. As if that wasn't enough we went to Toys R Us to spend the birthday money! Legos and Star Wars toys were on the list of must haves. The day ended with dinner at Chick Fil A and ice cream from Cold Stone! Oh I also was told to show the football player cupcakes that Iah requested for school tomorrow. Patrick's are going to be airplanes, school buses & boats. Ahh birthdays. So here is Hello 9 & 5 and moving on to 10 & 6. Man we are getting old!!! The Before Soccer Balls New Swim Stuff Thank You Nana & Papa Dave!!!$50 Bucks Thank You Papa & Grandma Sherry!!!My Sad Attempt of Football Player Cupcakes :-(

My new Job!!!

2009-02-24T17:32:00.003-05:00

I am now a Tupperware Consultant. I love it. I have wanted to do this for a while and just haven't had the nerve I guess to actually do it. I can't wait to share with everyone our new products and host parties for all my friends and family. Check out my website when you get a chance.

http://my2.tupperware.com/tiffanystricker

Let me know what you think... Thanks for all the support. Love you guys!!!

Stolen Stuff

2009-02-23T16:02:00.002-05:00

So I am sad and actually really upset to say that last night our car was broken into and our GPS a Garmin Nuvi' 260W aka: Samantha and 2 dvd players (plus whatever dvd's were in there) were stolen out of our car. As of this moment we have filed a report with the local police department, insurance company and Garmin USA, however all 3 places have simply done just that... Filed a claim and said aw we are so sorry. The police department did give some great advice of checking the local pawn shops on occasion and if we happen to find said items to give them a call so they can and I quote "check into it." So for now we cry a little and say $400 down the drain. RIP Sam RIP. :-(

The Dentist

2009-02-18T09:59:00.002-05:00

Today I went to the dentist to get a cleaning and it turned into a "Gum cleaning." Normally I don't have a problem going to the dentist, but lately all it seems to be is one pain after another and tons of money... AHHHH the frustrations of visiting the dentist.

The Last Couple of Days

2009-02-12T08:48:00.005-05:00

The last couple of days have been crazy with celebrating Paul's 26Th birthday, getting sick AGAIN and getting ready for the boy's Valentine parties at school. Just wanted to let you all know what we have been up to lately. Paul said Thank You all very much for the birthday wishes.

WE GOT ORDERS!!!

2009-02-06T08:33:00.002-05:00

It's official... We are moving!!! We found out that we have been excepted for orders to Bangor, Washington. We are set to detach from the boat in July and report the end of July or beginning of August! Our house has been buzzing with excitement. Now we are just crossing our fingers we can get all the odds and ins done before Paul goes back to sea and we sell our house in time... We will keep you updated.

Not Feeling it...

2009-01-23T09:54:00.002-05:00

Do you ever have those days where you are "under the weather" and are just not feeling it? Don't feel like doing anything really. You know you have chores to get done but all you really want to do is sit and veg out. Paul and I have been feeling a bit sick and let me tell you this round of cold sucks. First you get the whole runny nose thing and then the next day you are plugged, followed by more runny nose. Uhhh I can't stand being sick. Here's to hoping this goes away soon.

Applied for Orders

2009-01-13T12:34:00.003-05:00

As of yesterday morning, we officially applied for orders to Bangor, Washington. If all goes well we should hear soon if we got the orders or not and then we can officially start planning for the big move... Please keep your fingers crossed and send tons of prayers that we get these orders.

Family Pictures

2009-01-08T15:05:00.002-05:00

I was sitting here trying to organize our pictures that we got from Christmas and I thought I would share some with all of you. Hopefully I will have some up tomorrow from our trip HOME (California)

Just the 2 of us Our 2 boys Daddy & the boys aka: my 3 loves

Mommy & the boys

= 1 happy family

Oh Patrick

2009-01-07T16:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I was having the same old kind of conversation with Patrick and asking him what he would like for lunch and he was doing the normal thing... ignoring me so I called him again... "Patrick, what would you like for lunch?" He says no reply so by now I have repeated these steps 4 or 5 times by now and he has ignored all of them so feeling a bit frustrated I say "Patrick Charles why are you ignoring me?" He looks up at me and says "Because I am not Patrick Charles." With an odd look on my face I reply with "Really well then who are you?" He says "P.Charles is my new name." So for the moment he is being referred to as The Artist Formally Known as Patrick Charles... Aka: P.Charles

Early Christmas for Paul & I

2008-12-10T18:49:00.003-05:00

Paul and I usually get eachother something small and then a pretty nice family gift. Well this year we decided that we deserved something a little better. We have been wanting a Zune for a little while now and today they came in the mail. So needless to say we have been playing with them all day. Woo Hoo for early Christmas presents.

Trip to Savannah, Ga

2008-11-20T16:53:00.002-05:00

My mom came into town this week and she had one request... To go to Paula Deen's Restaurant. So that is exactly what we did. Not only did we get to go and take pictures of the restaurant but we got to eat the yummy food. Let me tell you if you are ever in the mood for some good southern food and you are in the area you have to try to get into eat at the Lady and Son's Restaurant. If by chance you are not able to make it over here then I say get the cookbook and the first thing you should make is these cheese biscuits. Yummy!!! Well in the great words of Paula Deen "Thanks Ya'll"

Halloween

2008-11-03T19:21:00.002-05:00

Now that Halloween is finally over life is getting back to normal. Busy but normal. I thought I would post a picture of our night. Isaiah was a Ninja and Patrick was a Dragon, however he hated wearing his hat which really makes the costume so we put a pin in it to the back of the costume. We had fun and now we have enough candy to last a year!

We've Got Mail

2008-10-11T14:05:00.002-04:00

That's right it finally came. After days and weeks of waiting to hear something it finally came the the little box down our driveway, by the street. A letter from Paul. I have never been so excited to see mail in my whole life. Among all the bills there was this little envelope with my name on it. Finally something to say that he was okay, still breathing and ready to come home. He has been through a few inspections this time around and has 1 more to go, been out there in the big ol' blue quiet as can be with out being able to talk to anyone back home, all over well for a week or so! He says that he is tired but otherwise doing well and can't wait to be back on land! Just thought I would share the excitement with all of you...

waiting for mail

2008-09-29T17:44:00.003-04:00

So as of lately we have not been in a position to hear back from Paul. We can write him all we want to, but he can't write back. It has been this way for a few weeks now and it is really starting to take it's toll on me. Things here haven't really been all that bad Thank You God, but there I am everyday like clock work writing to him about my day and even though I know he will not be writing me back I still find myself checking my email daily like it is part of my religion and I will die if I don't check it. Of course there is no mail from him and even though I expected that, I am still deeply sad. Crazy how much power they (men) have over us... Don't tell him I said that or I will never hear the end of it!!! Remember it's our little secret. :)

Having to remember verses

2008-09-28T15:48:00.002-04:00

Due to us being in the south we go to a southern baptist church (that is all there is) and they do things a little differently than we are used to. The boys are going to Awanas which is kind of like Royal Rangers (for those who are familiar with that) and they have to remember verses to get badges. Needless to say the boys being completely opposite of each other one is excited to try to remember verses the other not so much. He "isn't a good rememberer." Which of course I do not believe because he has vocabulary words every week he has to remember in class and always gets 100% on the tests. So my question Do any of you have advice on how to remember verses? Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Cub Scouts

2008-09-19T17:07:00.003-04:00

I have recently asked Iah what he wanted to do as an extra activity. We have church, school stuff, mom's club stuff and boat stuff but nothing that is really his. We talked about soccer again and he said yeah but then realized that Daddy was going to be gone for the whole season and with that soccer was dead. He has decided on Cub Scouts. We did it for half the year last year and it was fun but with everything else we only picked the things we REALLY wanted to do. This year he has decided that we are going to do it the WHOLE year. So that is what we are doing. Now we have to find something special for Patrick to do. Any ideas???

asking for shamu already...

2008-09-17T20:11:00.004-04:00

Today in the car on the way home from picking up Patrick from school he says "Hey mommy I know something I would like to do." Silly me asks "What is that Patrick?" then in a quiet little voice he says "I want to go on an amily vacasin!!!" In adult terms that is translated to a "Family Vacation" I said "Oh yeah where to?" That same sweet little voice said from the back seat "To see Shamu." With a big question I said "Shamu?" Silly me what was I thinking because at that moment I heard my husband ring loudly (keep in mind he is currently in the big ol' blue) "Uh Yeah you know that big whale, he's black and white." Suddenly I felt as if the word Duh should have followed closely behind that sentence.

Now let me explain why this was so funny to me. Every year we as military get tickets to either Sea World or Bush Gardens for free, as part of saying Thank you to those who serve our Country. So of course we go every year and due to the size of our children we go to Sea World for the sake of more stuff to do with them. Our family trips always have to work with Paul's time off which unfortunately isn't very much so it has worked out in the past to be right about now or the beginning of October, so I think Patrick is getting that funny feeling of it's time to take a Family Vacation. So in that spirit of Shamu I posted some pictures we have from our last trip... Enjoy

Moto GP Race Canceled :(

2008-09-14T19:51:00.002-04:00

I was so excited for this race today, but when I turned to watch it, I saw the worst news ever... It had been canceled due to rain. What the crap? I have been looking forward to this race since the season began. Why you ask? Well it is simple. My boy that I root for is Nicky Hayden and he is considered the hometown boy for the track so in other words looking for his first win of the season. I hope for everyone's sake they air the race later or Paul is going to be one upset cookie. I hate rain!!!

Gas Prices going UP AGAIN

2008-09-12T16:01:00.002-04:00

Here in the south gas prices are a little lower than say on the West Coast however since we are in what is known as hurricane season and technically we are part of hurricane alley (even though we haven't been directly hit by a hurricane since 1994) we have do prepare and deal with all the side effects of a hurricane. Gas prices are not exception. So thanks to IKE approaching the Gulf Coast, gas prices are rising quickly and may reach over $5.00/gal. by the end of the day. It is unclear at this point if and when the prices will come down. Aw the south it isn't just good for sweet tea, it is also great for ruining the day as well!

Cooking with mom

2008-09-10T21:09:00.002-04:00

Every so often we have those crazy times as mothers that make us think cooking with our children would be fun and it might not be SO messy!!! Well I tried it once again, silly me. Patrick came home with a school project which stated "Family Cookbook Project." At this point I believe the words "Oh No" came out of my mouth. I went on to read that they wanted the kid's favorite recipes and pictures of us making it together. Sounds like fun right? I then asked Patrick "What is some of your favorite foods that we can make together?" In the sweetest little voice he says "I like all your foods mommy." 2 questions then came to my mind...

1. What did he want?

2. How much does it cost?

I then asked well then what do you want to make. He decided on chicken tacos (odd since I have only made them a couple of times, but it is easy so I said OK.) and (oh no here it comes) Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting oh and sprinkles. Uh huh... There it was the catch. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a chocolate person. Never really cared for the taste even when I was little. For some reason I am a girl that was born with that link in my brain missing (No rude comments needed...) But being as since it was a school project and he had come up with the clever little plan to get me to do it, I just couldn't resist. Well I will let you see for yourself my crazy moments...

Saying See Ya Later To Daddy

2008-09-10T20:22:00.003-04:00

I have found that even though this is one of 9 patrols it never gets any easier to say goodbye to daddy. No matter how long the separation is for it is always hard. This time was not the hardest time but it still wasn't easy being as since they had to leave a little early due to a tropical storm that was "on it's way" even though it never showed up...

When they leave there is a tradition that we like to do. We go to the beach and watch the submarine leave. It is a pretty cool thing to see. The coast guard patrols the waters and by helicopter which all the kids love. Then comes the submarine and where you stand on the beach it looks like you could swim out to touch it. So here are some pictures from saying see ya later!!!

I am ready for something new...

2008-08-31T10:35:00.003-04:00

I am so ready for Paul to get off this God forsaken boat. After 6 1/2 years on this boat I am ready to except the changes that comes with going to shore duty and not having a group of wives and direct support there to fall back on, not having "breaks" from my husband just as he starts to drive me crazy, not having to worry that if I screw up with my responsibilities it will make Paul look bad and most of all not having to listen to nagging, complaining, crazy ass wives who can't handle deployments and take it out on everyone else. You know not that I have spelled it out like this, I have NO idea why I was so nervous about it a few months ago and ever agreed to extend until July of 2009. What was I thinking?

I am so tired of listening to people talk about how they "value my time on the boat." Not to mention they say that they need my help and me to get something done, but not give me any information on how or when they want it done by, but then proceed to lecture me when it doesn't get done the way they wanted. Having to listen to promises that I know for a fact wont happen, but get told over and over that it will and then having to take the heat when my prediction of it not happening comes true.

Now I know what you are all thinking. I knew what I was getting myself into and it is my own fault for getting involved when I heard tons of warnings, but I guess I had to learn for myself, had to see that it is the same now as it was 22 years ago and that I was going to have to deal with stupid people. Man I hate life lessons. 2 more patrols to go and I can't wait!!!

I have decided that Doctors really don't have a clue!

2008-08-23T12:22:00.002-04:00

As some of you may know my left side has been hurting a lot lately and I gave in and went to the doctor to try to "figure out what is wrong with me." My mistake! Now thanks to the military we have to go and see the clinic first and then go from there. I went and saw a "temp" doctor who examined me and then said he wants me to get an ultrasound of my kidneys because he is pretty sure I have kidney stones. So I go to the hospital on Monday only to get no answers because they are not allowed to tell you anything you must wait for your doctor to give you the results. Well my doctor finally says that I need to be on antibiotics to help with the severe kidney infection. GREAT! As my pain grew worse I finally went to the ER to get some answers only to find out they don't have a clue there either. Now I could be wrong but aren't all those years in medical school supposed to teach you something? After about 4 hours and tons of tests, plus blood work which by the way hurt like Hell, the doctor comes in to say well he may not be able to tell me what it is, but he can tell me what it isn't. Are you kidding me? Well I do not have kidney stones, but a severe kidney infection. As if that was bad enough he hit me with the news that I have cysts on my ovaries. Great thanks Doc. Now I am on a new antibiotic that is supposed to help with ALL my infection(s) and percocet for the pain. Woo hoo for me! What a great way to spend your day in the ER.

First Day Of School

2008-08-12T16:08:00.003-04:00

OK so we have finally passed the first week of school and I am now getting time to actually sit down and talk about the first day of school. Man that is sad! At any rate the boys had a great first day of school. Isaiah was a little less excited than Patrick was but all in all they were both looking forward to a new year. Patrick got dressed super fast and was so sure he would be late if we didn't leave right then and Isaiah took his time and brushed his hair, meanwhile Patrick is in the other room yelling at Isaiah to hurry up so we could go. Paul had duty the night before so he called to talk to the boys and wish them a great first day. Isaiah spent as much time on the phone as Patrick would allow and then Patrick said "Hi daddy I am going to school today, bye."

When we finally got to Patrick's school to drop him off I said goodbye and that I would miss him and he said "Mommy would it make you feel better if I said I will miss you too?" Oddly enough it made me laugh. We had a great first day!

Back to School Night

2008-08-04T19:13:00.003-04:00

We had back to school night to have a meet and greet with the boys teachers and as I went to walk to my oldest to his class I started down the usual hallway and he looked up at me (no short jokes here please!) and said "Hey mom my class is down the other hallway on the other side of school." I couldn't believe it he was growing up and he moved to the "big" side of campus. 3rd grade is apparently a Big Deal! As I was trying to get over the shock of my oldest growing up all a little faster than I wanted to, I had to take my youngest son to a meet and greet with his teacher. There I was taking my baby to Pre-K. Did I just say that out loud? They are growing up all to fast!

Sometimes she drives me crazy...

2008-07-24T15:53:00.003-04:00

We have this very loving dog named Violet. She is a 1 and a half year old mini schnauzer. I love her to death and she is amazing with the boys. Cuddly and protective, however she is very curious and loves to explore. Are you seeing the problem yet? She loves to find ways out of the backyard fence and go running around the neighborhood. She also got out a lot in California which was a whole other challenge. Anyways this morning Patrick thought he would be a big "helper" and let her outside to go potty. She of course saw that as her chance to push on the gate and get out and go exploring. Patrick then comes running in to my room telling me "Um mommy you might want to go and get Violet, she got out again." Great. Sometimes that dog drives me crazy.

Finally back to 2 kids!!!

2008-07-16T12:30:00.002-04:00

So we have been MIA lately so I thought while I had a couple of minutes today I would let you all know why... Isaiah is finally home. That's right I am back to having 2 boys well 3 including Paul ha ha. I am feeling more complete now. So back to being a referee, a chef and an maid of two. Ahhh the things you take for granted huh? So there you have it, our excuse for being MIA.

The Cost Of Children

2008-07-10T14:20:00.003-04:00

I have seen repeatedly the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up $160,140! That doesn't even touch college tuition. For those with kids, that figure leads to wild fantasies about all the money we could have banked if not for (insert your child's name here). For others, that number might confirm the decision to remain childless.But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.44 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.What do your get for your $160,140?

1. Naming rights. First, middle, and last!

2. Glimpses of God every day.

3. Giggles under the covers every night.

4. More love than your heart can hold.

5. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

6. Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

7. A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

8. A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

9. Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

10. For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

11. You have an excuse to keep: reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars.

12. You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

13. For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling the wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

14. You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.

15. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

16. You get to be immortal.

17. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.

18. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

19. You also have the wonderful benefit of eating (low calorie) egg salad sandwiches for 2 weeks straight...after Easter Sunday each year!

So after that list it kind of makes things worth it!!!

Out with the old... In with the new

2008-07-10T13:15:00.002-04:00

Isn't it weird that you meet someone with the perceived notion that you will never really get to know them, they will always be acquaintances and then they move away or move on to better jobs and really look at the time you spent around or with them and are kind of sad to see them go? T0day is one of those days for me. You see we just had our "Goodbye" ceremony for our Captain. We also welcomed our new Captain today. Saying goodbye to the "old captain" was a little sad for me. He has been my husband's boss for the last two and a half years and a personal friend of mine. Being involved with the wives group like I am I have had many meetings with the Captain and have developed a friendship with him. I have watched the crew change and the wives change in the past two years and now to be saying goodbye is weird, good but weird. So with that I say Welcome Aboard new Captain, may you have wisdom to teach us new things, understanding when we need you to listen and patience in dealing with all of us.

Chores... Yuck

2008-07-07T12:42:00.003-04:00

You ever have that feeling that you are doing something that is completely pointless. Chores I can't stand chores. I never could stand them as a kid and I have grown to hate them even more as an adult. When I was a kid all I had to clean was my room (ahh the gold ol' days.) If only I could go back and only have to clean my room. Well today Paul went back to work and my days are now going to go back to normal. Ha ha whatever that might mean! So back to cleaning and laundry. I have discovered that I think I hate laundry and trash the worst. It's not the washing and drying part that bothers me because lets face it the washer and dryer does most the work. It is the folding and putting away part that gets me. Trash ahh my other enemy. How is it that 3 people can create so much trash? To think that we were saving so much stuff "memories." Nope it's trash. So I decided that I needed to vent and low and behold I think I found a new favorite quote so I thought I would share it with all of you who are parents and understand what I am talking about. Until next time Happy Cleaning!

Happy 4Th

2008-07-04T12:08:00.012-04:00

Our 4Th of July started out with a parade. In the little town that we live in they have a big parade in downtown. The kids line up all down the street and all the people on the floats throw out candy and beads. Patrick was so excited and he wanted to show some American pride and being my kid he had to match his whole outfit including his hair... So here is one just for Grandma, who we knew would love his hair!!!

We packed a picnic and headed out to the park to watch the fireworks over the river. So pretty. They just waited forever to set the fireworks off so Patrick was getting a little restless and lets be honest Paul and I were too. But as the excitement grew the fireworks finally started. Patrick kept saying "Ahh that is a big one, it's so totally awesome!" Hope you all had a great 4Th.

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-07-01T22:25:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday 25 to be exact. Wow I can't believe I am 25. My day started off by my 4 year old knocking on the bedroom door asking if he could get a snack and watch cartoons, oh and Happy Birthday Mommy. Super cute way to say Mom could you get up and get me something to eat. After breakfast we went to see Wall-E. Cute movie, Paul and I really enjoyed it alot. Patrick was a little bored at first when it is kind of like a silent movie. Anyway after that we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. Now those of you who have never been to Cracker Barrel may be saying what is that. Well it is yummy southern food. Ummm. After that we went to Michael's Craft Store so I could spend some birthday money... hehe! Follow that wonderful trip up with some Coldstone Ice Cream and man it was a great birthday. A huge Thanks for all the birthday cards and wishes and phone calls as well. I am thankful for the part you played in my special day. Love you all.

~Tiff

Boy by day Punk rocker by night

2008-06-27T11:28:00.009-04:00

Patrick has been in a serious need of a haircut for some time now and Paul has been spiking Patrick's hair after he gets out of the bathtub every night, so being the kind of kid that Patrick is he says "Mommy I want a spiky haircut." Paul looks at me and I say "Why not it's only hair, it will grow back." Right about now Paul is giving me this odd look like who are you and what have you done with my wife. I guess usually I would be the one to veto an idea like giving our 4 year old a Mohawk, but since it is still a month away from preschool and his hair grows so incredibly fast, I couldn't help but wonder what would he do if I actually agreed to cut his hair that way. I still don't think he believed me that I would do it, so today that is exactly what I did. I charged up the hair clippers and told Patrick it was time for a haircut. I sat Patrick down in the kitchen, took off his shirt, wet his hair and started cutting away. Well low and behold our 4 year old has his first of I am sure many Mohawks! Ahhh the joy of having a boy!

AHHH Homemade!

2008-06-25T19:18:00.005-04:00

OK to some this might look like a bowl of mush, but to me it is a bowl of sweet victory. A huge accomplishment... While on our visit in California we got a great find. A pasta machine. This is not just any pasta machine, it is the mack daddy of all pasta machines. So it being the "new toy" in the house we have to play with it. 2 nights ago we made peanut butter cookies. They were very easy to make, so tonight we decided why not make homemade spaghetti and meatballs, after all that is why we got it. It took a while to make, but man that was some good spaghetti. This machine made spaghetti and then we turned around and made meatballs. I just couldn't wait to share the pictures. So here it is my sweet victory... Ahhh homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Enjoy!

Enjoying the better times of life

2008-06-25T12:05:00.003-04:00

So Paul has been on vacation or as the Navy says "stand down" the last few days, which I thought would be the perfect time to get stuff "projects" done around the house, instead we have been well lazy for lack of a better term. That's right sitting on our behinds doing nothing, zelch, noda. Today it hit me, that we don't do that enough. Here I was watching a girly "chick" flick on my laptop while my loving husband watching a manly movie on the big screen tv, that way we could both get what we wanted and neither one of us had to suffer though the other's movie. Perfect and yet at the same time I was completely happy. I love my husband and spending time with him and today it made me truely value doing NOTHING!

New at this

2008-06-22T10:40:00.000-04:00

So we are just creating our web page so you have to give us a little bit to figure all this out! We just got back from vacation in California, which was a blast. The trip out there well was... um long to say the least. 4 people + a dog in a car for 3 days = crazy car ride! We had a lot of fun visiting with our family though and it was a much needed break from our normal ( if you can call it that ) busy lives. Paul had not been "home" in 3 years so as you could imagine he was very excited. After all the visits and 5400 miles we are safe and sound back in Georgia. Ahhh back to life and reality. Cross your fingers for another visit during Christmas, only this time I think we are going to FLY!!!