Road Trippin': Day One

Day 1: Driving to California

So I will be doing a post a day {or at least trying to} about our road trip for approximately eight days, telling you all about our lovely "little" road trip across the United States.

We took a more southern route, heading first through Oregon and into California.  I always really enjoy driving through Portland, but after driving through Portland the state of Oregon gets boring for a while.
Once you get past the fields, livestock, and a few vineyards you get into mountains and the landscape starts to change.  By the time we had reached this part of Oregon it was 90 degrees (quite a bit warmer than the Washington we left) and we refueled with some Starbucks.

We got to California, drove by Mount Shasta, and through most of Northern California.  It seemed like a long drive into the bay area, the sun was setting as we got close.  By the time we got to where we needed to be it was nearly dark.  We still got to see lots of water, bridges, and a beautiful sunset into Casto Valley.

Jesse's brother was just wrapping up a BBQ, and we enjoyed some leftovers before settling in.

More to come on our California trip!  Stay tuned:)

♥

Cupcakes!

Yay for Cupcakes!!

These are banana with a honey vanilla frosting:

 These are a strawberry with strawberry frosting:

These are devil's food with a dark chocolate frosting:

So if you're wondering why in the world I wait so long between blog posts, it's probably because I'm making cupcakes.

I am Marissa and I am a Bakeaholic.

Anyway, last weekend was fun-filled and crazy.

Friday we went up to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival,

(see last year's photos here)

Visited Jesse's mom and brought her lunch.

Then we went out with friends...

Saturday we slept in, went and saw the movie

Something Borrowed

(I love you Emily Giffin but the book is better!)

Saw Jay Leno do a concert for the troops,

and baked the lovely chocolate cupcakes that you see above

(they were good too).

Sunday we met up with my family, had breakfast in Seattle,

then enjoyed some cupcakes.

More time with family.

Worked. Worked. FRG Meeting.  Work some more.

And here we are!

I hope you all have a lovely week this week,

happy hump day,

tomorrow is thursday!

Goodnight.

♥

Photos, Facts, and More Photos

100 Days of Photos

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts

1. I have an awesome husband which I love.
2. I'm an Army wife.
3. We live in Washington (state, not DC).
4. I'm obsessed with crime dramas.
5. I love animals of all shapes and sizes.
6. I hate doing laundry.
7. I love the Pacific Northwest.
8. I like painting my nails wacky colors.
9. I have a blue CRV and LOVE it.
10. I love chocolate, red wine, and coffee.  Not all at the same time.  Well maybe red wine and chocolate! ;)
11. I love taking pictures.
12. I like changing my hair color.  Often.
13. I would like to think I'm organized, yet I don't think I am.
14. I like baking, it's almost an obsession.  Ok, maybe it's an obsession.
15. I'm horrible at keeping up with my blogs!  But you probably already know that!

And onto my 365 Project....

Day 46:  February 15th

I tried Joy Bauer's cocoa oatmeal, which was ok.  I don't know why I don't like oatmeal.

Day 47:  February 16th

I'm not sure what this picture is of, the inside of my car?  I don't know how I took it but it's the only photo I took that day.

Day 48:  February 17th

I finally got my gold card from Starbucks.

Day 49:  February 18th

Met my friend at the airport from Alaska.

Day 50:  February 19th

The BEACH and S'MORES.  Need I say more?

Day 51:  February 20th

Took care of some razor clams.

Day 52:  February 21st

Starbucks before work!  Nothing better.

Day 53:  February 22nd

Homemade Fettucini Alfredo.  Yum!

Day 54:  February 23rd

Our very [Washington] bi-polar day consisting of rain, snow, sun, and any combination of all.

Day 55:  February 24th

Finally it snowed.  Stryker loves the snow!

♥

Another Snippet of Fall

♥

From the great state of Washington!

Well the days are getting shorter, darkness doesn't go away fast enough in the morning and creeps up on us too quickly in the evening.

Fall is here.

And daylight savings starts very soon....Ick!

Work has been surprisingly calm, I guess that in retail that happens.  It's funny because October and most of November are surprisingly quiet months for us in the jewelry {retail} business.

Jesse's working along...They have longer and longer days it seems, but I am not going to complain.  We all know that it could be much worse.

I will be leaving my job soon, to pursue other things.  Nothing really new and exciting in that department.

Anyway, I will try and post some things about our lives a little bit more!

Happy Thursday!!

♥

The Beautiful Leavenworth

While Jesse was home we went to Leavenworth, Washington.  It is a Bavarian town in the mountains here in Washington.
Here is some photos from a walk we took.

The map of the park and the Wenatchee River

The Wenatchee River

There are bears.  Go figure, we were in the mountains!

Wenatchee River and a view of the mountains

Us

Sweet Blogging

Thank you to Just a Girl and Ines for the lovely Sweet Blogger award!

The rules of this award are just to pass it on!!  So, to share the love I gave this to:

Kristen @ Requires Heavy Lifting

Laura @ Diamonds and Dog Tags

Chantal @ Chantal's Blog

Now I have to admit I've been ridiculously behind on getting to know everyone from the blog hop!  I will try and touch base with as many of you as possible in the next week.  Things have been a little crazier around here than I would have wished them to be!

I have to say here in Washington, we are enjoying an amazing streak of beautiful weather.  It's been gorgeous outside.  I love it when it's this pretty.  This morning when I woke up though, I wished it was rainy.  The sun was filling my house (I really have good light in the house) but I had absolutely no want to roll out of bed and face the day.  I'm hitting a slight hill in this deployment where it just isn't fun.  He's not around....Still.

I managed to get out of bed, and things got better.  I have to say in Washington if it's sunny, people drive like idiots.  Hopefully after a stretch of sun it doesn't rain, too, because no one will be able to drive in that either.  Trust me on this one.

As positive as I tried to be today, there were lots of hiccups.  My dad and I were going to take the dogs out for a walk, and last minute my mother wanted to go so we had to take two cars (3 dogs + 3 people + 1 car = no go).  We met dad at the park where he had already let the dogs off the leash, and this park we go to isn't specific for "off-leash" dogs.  The dogs are always off leash though, so the proceeded to make it extremely difficult for me to pull into the park, and then jumped on the car.  They scratched the $#*% out of it.  One dog in particular.  And it wasn't mine (there were only 3 dogs there).  I do have to say that my dad attempted to fix it, but he does things pretty spaztically, and missed multiple spots.  Sigh.

I did everything I wanted to do today, but as we were about to watch Oceans Thirteen the remote broke and there was no way to manually change the TV over to recognize the DVD player.  Yes, my parents have an old TV.  UUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHH.

But other than that my day was ok.  I plan on having a relaxing morning/afternoon and heading to the dog park with my adorable pup.  Maybe do some fam stuff, and take the doggie in for a mini-check up to see if he's keeping on weight (which I can tell you he is).  The next month is likely going to be a busy with work and all of that....I'm looking forward to May being behind us!

Have a great weekend,

Seattle

First of all, blog hops can be exhausting!  I have gone through so many that blogger keeps asking me to do their weird word codes (I can't think of the name of them) every time I click anything.  So, I'm trying to keep things going!  If you're following me and I'm not following you, don't hesitate to tell me!


So next I want to share with you some photos of Seattle's Pikes Place Market:

Famous Public Market Sign

More Famous Signs

He doesn't really care to get is picture taken...

...And I didn't really care to get my photo taken.

Note Starbucks cup in hand...

From the 1st Starbucks opened!

Love it!!

Food!

Joey is famous for their potatoes....

Do you see them?

They're the rolls underneath the salmon.  It's mashed potatoes in a wrapper and (I'm guessing) fried.

Pretty good.

Oh, and I got salmon with a strawberry martini, if you were curious.

Us.

I would've taken more pictures...But you have to pay to park in the big city, so I didn't have enough time!  We were close to going over our time, but it was worth it.

Happy Sunday, everyone.

It's 1 am here as I post this, so I'm going to finish my glass of wine....

And get some beauty sleep.

Happy Sunday!

The Tulip Festival - Part One

Here is the first of a few things we did on leave...Starting with the Tulip Festival.

Here is:

Jesse eating an elephant ear at the street festival...

Rows and rows of tulips, these ones were purple and white.

Red ones....

Me

Jesse - Who was pretty ticked in this photo, I'm not going to lie.

That and I believe his words were "I'm not taking a flower picture."

But....I'm spoiled, so....

and.... Pink ones.

I realized that I have too many pictures, so I'll have to do a part two.

So again today I am avoiding my house.  I can't manage to look around my house at everything still, so much so that I feel that it's suffocating me.  I have loads of laundry, vacuuming, dishes, and dusting to do.  I'm sure I will get sick of everything eventually and clean.  I start working again tomorrow, Stryker will be going to doggie daycare, and I will be attending an FRG meeting tomorrow evening.

Hopefully all of the distractions will be good for me...Even though I am not looking forward to anything at the moment.

I will try to post more soon....Have a great weekend!

Just A Taste....

Of what we've been up to...

The Tulip Festival

Mount Vernon, WA

2010

Reflections of March

I have to say, once again, I am happy to see another month go.  This month wasn't nearly as horrid as the last, and it seemed to go by a little quicker.

Reflecting on the month, there were a few firsts.  Stryker's first day of Doggie Daycare, my new (and first) FRG position as a co-lead.  There were also stressful and not so stressful work days.  Some major changes at work.  Some major hoops we've had to jump through for the Army.  Lots of baking.  Hints of beautiful Washington weather which will hopefully carry on into the summer.

It's really strange to feel so grateful that 31 days of your life are gone, because people often say live each day as it were your last.  For some reason I have a very hard time doing that.  I take advantage of opportunities if they come my way, most of the time at least.  But it's very hard to be "normal" and have that complete joy of living your life to the fullest when you know such a large piece of it is missing.

With that I say goodbye to March, and hello to April.  Hopefully April gives me very very good things.

Looking for Words that Start with "M"

So the boring unoriginal person I am decided to think of a word that started with an M because it's Monday.  People often times are clever with this, I on the other hand am not.

So as I'm looking at different places for inspiration, I fell upon the website The Devil's Dictionary.  I think it's worth taking a look at if you're in need of some sarcasm, or a laugh.  Just to warn you, it can be offensive too.

In other news, I worked today, Stryker went to doggie daycare, and I haven't heard from Jesse in a little while.  With word of a surge, and the weather heating up over there, I can only imagine this is going to become more frequent than not.  Lets hope more on the not side.

I got off work today and stopped by the commissary.  I wanted to hit it just right:  not a payday, a weekend, or a combination of both.  So I got there on a monday afternoon, which wasn't too bad.  I have to say I forgot how cheap things tend to be there, even as cheaper often times leads to spending more money than intended.  Something I obviously need to work on after this trip.  If the commissary only had a meat counter - which, I can't recall if many do?  How quickly I forget.  Not having a meat counter (or a the ability to carry wine...I'll save that for a later post) kinda sucks.  And by meat counter I mean a place where you can pick out fish, beef, chicken, etc...Not the sliced stuff.  They have NO selection of FISH.  Which brings me to my next point:  I am a fish snob.

More importantly, salmon.  Salmon I love.  I am from the west coast, and more importantly pacific northwest.  Salmon is awesome (and even though I don't love it as much so are clams, oysters, etc.  You get the picture).  Love it.  Love the fact that all the rich in omega-3's, wild caught, brilliant colored fish live here (or in AK, I'll give them some credit too). It seriously makes me cringe to think of buying Atlantic farmed salmon.  See?  Fish snob.

I have to commend the commissary though, because I found organic bulgar and quinoa that I didn't find easily in my local Fred Meyer store.  Even though giving Fred Meyer some credit, they have great fish and an AMAZING wine selection.  Not to mention their breads int he organic section = love.  Yes, I have issues.

So anyway I am home now, one of my friends are going to come by to drop something off.

My week is going to be decently busy.  Oh, and Jesse and I may attend a Cavalry ball come summer (ball = formal).  The unit he's attached with invited him.  I contacted the FRG to ask them some questions, and they were so excited that I inquired.  I think it would be a blast.  Two days of dressing up (because we'd definitely attend his unit's ball), getting my hair done and looking gorgeous?  Why would I say no?

Have a great week, all.  I know it's spring break for many....Enjoy!

Ten

I have been tagged by Dana at Happy Life as an Army Wife to list ten things that make me happy.  Sorry it took me so long to do a new post....I've been working on this one!!

1. Jesse.  Now, how could I start off this without him?  I don't feel like getting all mushy on you, so I won't.  He is the love of my life, he makes me laugh, and he's a total goofball.  He is what I am not.  We are pretty much exact opposites.  I am indecisive, he is decisive.  He can sit there and tell someone what he thinks without them getting offended, and is fearless in doing so.  He's proud of what he does and loves his job.  He's great at hanging pictures (I know this is weird, but it amazes me!).  He's confident and outgoing.  He's a good handyman, and wants to learn and do all that he can.  He is, for the most part, motivated.  A lot of the time you can't get the boy to sit down!  He can be a little nutty, but always means well.
2. Stryker & Spuz.  I love animals.  They are awesome.  I am a huge animal person.  I have a hard time if either one of them aren't around me.  My crazy, goofy, 90 lb labrador/german shepherd has a great temperament, never jumps on people, and is easy to train.  He is great with kids, other animals, and is a gentle soul.  He scares strangers who don't know him, often because of his size (yes, I think that's awesome).  When he looks at me he melts my heart.  Spuz is a fuzzy little man that we adopted at 3 weeks (yes, bottle fed even!).  He has an attitude of a cat, but rarely does anything destructive.  He loves his mouse toy, his scratching post, and canned food.  He doesn't eat too much, but gets daring to go outside.  Usually noises scare the bejesus out of him so that doesn't last long!  He is a cat who has a mean streak (I'm not gonna lie he will occasionally attacks me in my sleep), but always keeps an eye on me wherever I go.  And he's fascinated with water.  Either way, the two of them never judge, and are great companions.
3. The US of A.  How can I not love this place?  The more I think about places that are third world countries (like Afghanistan) I am more and more grateful that I was born here.  Many of you have heard stories of your own of experiences your family members have had with Iraq and Afghanistan with how people live.  I think it's hard to wrap your mind around living in places like this.  How many people's houses are literally mud huts, they have arranged marriages, and don't know their birthdays (just to name a few things that Americans don't often think about).  They fear for their lives because people like the Taliban are so forceful, vicious, and heartless.  You know those movies where they kill everyone in your family besides one person?  That happens there.  In real life.  They don't have clean water much of the time, many people don't wear clothing that looks clean, and if they do it doesn't stay that way.  They are far from the luxuries that we have here, and they take whatever they can get and as much of it as possible in fear that they won't have it tomorrow.  We take so much for granted.  We are so lucky here.
4. Mil Spouses.  I have to admit, I never thought that I would be so grateful for such a group of people.  Fort Benning was the beginning of my journey as a true Army Wife, and I have met so many amazing, beautiful, strong, resilient men and women along the way.  In no particular order:  Katie, Ashley, Cherie, Cassidy, Crissy, Kristen, Dana, Chantal, Clarice, Cathy, Kelly C., Kelly R., Sarah M., Heather, Clarice, and Merideth, you all have been amazing awesome women who I have been inspired by or gathered great strength from.  Thank you for being in my life (and sorry if I missed you in my name drop!!).  For all of you in the blog-o-sphere of life, you too make me laugh and sometimes make me cry.  I enjoy knowing you and reading your stories, they are both motivational and inspiring.
5. The Great State of Washington.  I love this state.  You have everything here.  You have oceans to your west, mountains to your east, and desert on the other side of the mountains.  You have rivers, lakes, and the Puget.  You have great wildlife like seals, whales, elk, deer, and bears.  You have evergreen trees standing tall on every hillside, and Mount Rainier is an amazing sight in the background.  You have the amazingly destructive yet beautiful volcano that is Mount Saint Helens.  There is great food, organic is huge here.  Wild salmon, clams, oysters, and more fresh seafood are abundant here.  Lots of wineries.  And if you get bored, you have Idaho to your east and Oregon to your south.  They too are full of amazing and beautiful adventures.  Wherever the Army takes us, I see us coming back here to stay and spend the rest of our lives when the craziness is over.
6. The Ocean.  Yes, I touched on this on my previous point, but I want to say it again.  I love the beach!  Chances are if its somewhat nice out and I have time off, that is where I'll be.  Granted the Pacific Northwest doesn't give you warm sand, warm water, and you definitely don't want to swim in most of the waters here (even though they do surf a lot in certain places here).  I love the fresh fish, shopping, and most of all the water.  Long Beach, Illwaco, and Ocean Shores Washington are a couple of my faves up here (Oysterville is near Long Beach, visit there to get yourself some very fresh oysters if you're an oyster lover).  You can't deny Oregon though (believe it or not their beaches are different), with Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Lincoln City.  While your out there visit the Tillamook Cheese factory (get yourself some fresh and local ice cream and cheese!)  Not to mention most all of these places have their own farmer's markets in the summer with amazingly great treats.
7. Laughing.  I think this pretty much explains itself??  It's always nice to get a good laugh...
8. Baking.  I absolutely love doing it.  I love mixing things by hand and seeing the end result.  I also have a sweet tooth which doesn't help any!  I do make some killer care packages though filled with all sorts of sweet treats.  I want to expand my horizon with this, and will likely do so.  I think I'm going to make cupcakes from scratch for when Jesse gets home on leave.  My mom bought me a cupcake tower for my birthday and a cupcake icing decorator tool for Valentine's Day.  So I likely will give that a try!  I even saw them make icing from scratch on the Food Network with vanilla from a vanilla bean (by the way, check out the Food Network Magazine...They have stuff other than baking in there.  Some GREAT looking food!).  Love it!
9. Chocolate.  Dark chocolate is the best, but I'll take anything I can get!  I have to say, dark chocolate fondue (like from the Melting Pot) is to die for!
10. Starbucks.  What can I say?  I am from Washington, the great state of where the first Starbucks was founded.  Need I say more?  Oh yes.  I normally order a tall white chocolate mocha with caramel sauce.  Jesse and I both get the same thing. :)

Thank you all for listening to me babble!  Now I have a task for a few select members of my blog-o-sphere.  I get to select three people to pass this task on to and keep the tradition going.  Soooo, my three choices are:  Chantal, Cheryl at My Air Force Journey, and Hell Cat Betty.