Oktoberfest To Ring In October!

Well hello Monday...It's so much nicer to see you when I have the day off.
That is right, I gave myself a three day weekend! I am managing part time again, so I have to take my days off when I can get them.

Overall it was an amazing and relaxing weekend. Will made Scallops and Steak for dinner Friday, and then spent all day Sunday creating a new Brisket recipe. I didn't even have to lift a finger in the kitchen all weekend, because we went to Oktoberfest on Saturday! My first ever, actually. I was the DD, but I stole a few sips and decided I like Marzen.

The weather was perfect, the food was great, and we got free beer vouchers for Buck wearing his uniform. He couldn't drink due to being on 24 Hour Duty, and on top of that he doesn't drink beer, so Will was happy to utilize the coupons. I actually just thought of something...ALL the boys in the group got free coupons...Why didn't I get any? I'm feeling discriminated against. For once, I wasn't the one that got the free stuff.

By far, the BEST part of the day, was when Pat reached across my lap and softly took Will's hand as if he were me. We of course, snapped a few photos, and then let Will in on the secret. Oh how priceless:

 He gave me 'the claw', which is my least favorite thing EVER, and I squirmed off the back of the bench. Everyone said it was the most graceful 'fall', but I didn't fall. I threw myself off and Will wouldn't let go! He then said, "I don't know what's worse...that I thought Pat was you or that Pat has such soft girlie hands."

Dear Will, I still love you even though you gave me 'the claw'.

Speaking of Oktoberfest, we celebrated at work recently and the lovely Whitney from Everything Happens For A Reason made a special visit down to see me and the festivities! We have been blogging friends for YEARS and have both gotten to support each other through Deployments, because she is a MilSpouse too! Thanks for taking the time to come and see me, girl. I'm so happy that we are finally IRL friends.

Now that October is upon us, I'm ready for more Fall Festivals. We haven't attended any in Colorado, so they are on my priority list. One of my few requests for my Birthday month, as a matter of fact. I don't plan on having a party or anything, so it's not asking much.

Right, honey?

I'm sorry to those of you that are holding on to the last threads of Summer, but I'm ready for brisk weather, warming scents, strong flavors, Fall attire, and snuggling by the fire. 

Le sigh...

27 in 27, Update

Boy, am I glad this week is over. Every year I reach this point where I can barely make it through the work day, and we are at that point. I just keep reminding myself, "I love my job, I love my job...", but sometimes certain aspects of my job just push my buttons. Does anyone else get a case of the "F%ck-Its" at certain points of the year?
I'm hoping it's not just me.

Remember when everyone did these fun lists and linked up with Erin?

Well, I figured that it's time to check out our progress on the 27 in 27 bucketlist, since it's about to be my Birthday month *cough, cough* A few things have been adapted, but the essentials have not changed.

...27 in 27...

DONE || IN Process

1. Go to our first Homecoming Ceremony, and squeeze Will until someone pries me off of him! Triple CHECK!

2. Go home to Florida!

3. Spend Christmas with our families.

4. Go to Las Vegas Chicago.
We decided to go on one big trip instead of Vegas. I can only hang for three days in V-Town, so the thought of a week+ sounds awful. Anything over three and my body shuts down.

5. Visit Will's grandparents in Ohio.

6. Visit Royal Gorge and the bridge.

Sooo happy we got to go, because the fires damaged the area this year.

7.  Start moon shinin'.
Technically...we did start it. We have researched and even picked up supplies.

8. Explore Denver more.

9. Make it to the top of the incline.

10. Celebrate Will's Birthday with friends.

11. Take picnics.

12. Get back to cooking, since I will have someone to cook for.
13. Attend our first Ball.

14. Go snowboarding more.

{We went once last year, but three times this year!}

15. Find a yoga class.

16. USE my Nike's.
17. Get Will out on the Pueblo Reservoir.

18. Get the Monte Carlo in top shape.
We aren't completely finished, but I'm amazed at how much we have gotten done this year. We will have her back on the road soon, and to be honest, a project car is never really done. That's the fun of it!

19. Work less, and dedicate myself to our year. 
I am happy to say that I have stuck to four days a week, and just took off twelve days for the last vacation. I haven't had that much time off for a vacation since Europe six years ago.

20. Enjoy the HELL out of MY husband. Excuse my french.

21. Write more.

I would LOVE to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, but work may get in the way of trying to write 50,000 words in one month. Maybe I should just take that month off ;) That's okay, right love? I mean you said I need to 'get to writing', so that you can retire...
22. Get published.
This could happen two ways. I may be in the Hooters Calendar and our Engagement story has made it to the finals of an upcoming Chicken Soup book. I have faith that one or both of these might happen! Cross your fingers.
23. Enjoy my first birthday with Will in three years. Damn training and war.
So far we are on track for him to be HOME for my Birthday!
24. Keep learning about my camera and photography.

And all we have left totally doable:
25. Take the motorcycle on an unplanned day or weekend getaway. 
Just take off and go!
26. Go into the mountains to see the leaves change this fall. 
This may go hand in hand with #25.
27. Visit a Corn Maze and/or Fall Harvest Festival.

If you can't tell, I'm ready for Fall, and it's not just because my Birthday is during this time. I actually dislike my Birthday, so I want to enjoy the season, and then it will be time for my FAVORITE season, winter CHRISTMAS!
Cheers to twenty-seven coming to a close, and I hope we go out with a bang!

Now, I just need to make it through one day of work before my three day weekend. Why, yes, I did give up a day so that I didn't have to work six shifts next week. I'll keep my sanity over the money any day!

I Feel Like We've Been Here Before...

Chicago, that is!

I'm sure you had enough from the last three recaps, but this weekend was completely different I swear! I thought I had seen most of what Chicago had to offer, but now I realize that one can never really see it all as a tourist. Plus, it's a whole new ballgame when it's on someone else's dime. Have a I mentioned that I love my job?

The first night was all about going to see The Book Of Mormon, so we ate at Rosebud Prime, which was right next door to the theater.

Totally didn't plan these outfits to match. Great minds just think alike.

Good ambiance and decent food, but I'm not going to rave about it. I will, however, rave about The Book Of Mormon, because I now see why it is touted as the most happening show on Broadway. You have to know beforehand that it is from the creators of South Park {per usual, it pushes everyone's buttons}, but if you enjoy Religious Satire, you will LOVE this. It takes me back to my College days studying Chaucer and Voltaire, both of which I think would be fans. It does stir up a ton of controversy, but anything having to do with religion will do that. The head of PR for the LDS Church said it best:  

"... parody isn't reality, and it's the very distortion that makes it appealing and often funny. The danger is not when people laugh but when they take it seriously—"

After that, we took an awesome little Pedicab ride to the House Of Blues to continue the fun. The ride was a new experience, the venue was awesome, and the music made me want to go back to New Orleans asap. I hadn't known it, but Chicago is known for Blues, Soul, Jazz, and Gospel, which I loved getting to experience this time around.

Then it was up early so that we could enjoy our only full day in town. Jess and I were left to our own devices, so we decided that shopping was to be the main dish with a side of sightseeing, and the weather was perfect for it at 65 and sunny.

I was in LOVE with that dress, but it ran SUPER small and they were running out of sizes :( If anyone comes across a size 6 at the H&M where they live, I will PAY YOU A REWARD to send it to me. I'm not kidding...I'm assigning you all this mission.

We lunched at Native Foods, and it was great to get a healthy meal to offset the room service and dinners out. All the protein was soy based and the options were awesome like the Caribbean Jerk Salad and the Twister Wrap that we chose.

I didn't mention this before, but I was super sad that we didn't get good pictures with The Bean last time. The thing has water spots all over it and distorts things at weird angles, so they simply didn't turn out how I thought they did. This time I paid attention to that, and made up for the bad ones. Plus I enlisted the help of other tourists. I just kept my eye on my camera in case they tried to run off.

Did you know that there are Casinos near Chicago? Neither did we.

The Horseshoe Casino was only a 25 minute cab ride away, and it made for a great night. We won money, had a good table for Blackjack, and enjoyed ourselves until the wee hours of the morning. The only bad part was that being 25 minutes from the city, cabs stop coming out there. We had no clue, so at 4AM when we are desperately trying to go home, there was no way to get home! 

We were kind'a freaking out, because we were beginning to feel like we were being held hostage in the Hammond Twilight Zone. Luckily, we kept talking to anyone that would listen, so a random Valet we talked to found us a "taxi", and by "taxi", I mean a guy that had a car. Normally I would not have even entertained the idea, but when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and need to get some sleep before  a flight, you don't question the lack of licensing and safety standards.

Long story short, we made it back to the hotel and passed out at about 6AM. Getting three hours of sleep sucked, but at least we ended up with a good story to end the trip. Now I think I've had enough of Chicago for awhile. Seriously.

The Surprise Reveal, 58 Seconds Of True Joy

Remember how I said that Will had a second part of his trip?

It was to surprise his mom!

You see, she has Breast Cancer, so she needs all the positivity and love she can get.

After missing not one, but TWO planes that morning {sign of a good Bachelor weekend, me thinks}, his sister picked him up from Orlando and they headed to Palm Bay.

I dare you not to tear up at this video, and don't just scroll over it. It is WORTH the watch.

We are so blessed to have such an amazing and strong woman in our lives, and we know that she will come out of this okay. She is a survivor.

Summer Favoritas!

Today, I am flying back to Chicago!
I just love my job sometimes. The fact that I get PAID to go back to such an awesome city is fantastic. I am most excited about going to see The Book Of Mormon at the famous Chicago Theater, which we didn't get to see last time. Apparently, it's from the creators of South Park, so I'm pretty sure it's going to be an interesting take on Mormonism. Have any of you seen it?

In honor of Summer drawing to a close this weekend, I thought I would share some of my favorite moments. Obviously, having Will home was the best part!

Favorite Trip:

Favorite Date:
We had a LOT of good dates this summer, but the Scavenger Hunt Picnic was my favorite.

Favorite Accomplishment:
Shooting for the Hooters Calendar is an accomplishment in itself, and come October 1st, we will know if I've actually made it IN the Calendar. Cross your fingers.

Favorite Toy:

Favorite "Look" of the summer:

Favorite Song:

Favorite Movie:

I don't actually know if there were any serious I'm-going-to-die-if-I-don't-see-this-the-moment-it-premiers movies, but I really enjoyed The Great Gatsby. Maybe because I've read it a million times, but either way, it was a great cinematic experience.

Only regret:
Not getting to go back to the pool at The Broadmoor. I REALLY wanted to stay there again, and veg out in the pool.

PS. I don't usually wear makeup in the pool. We just finished brunch ;)

What were your favorites of the summer?

We were all slacking in blogland, so hopefully we all made up for it in Summer fun!

That Time I Got All Up In A Guys Face

Back Story:

My friend Chassity had her Birthday party at a bar called BooDad's two weeks ago. The food is good, they have volleyball courts, and there is a lot less drama than the downtown area. Or so we thought.

So there we were playing volleyball when this dude tries to join in on the shit talking banter. Unfortunately, this guy who also happened to be a soldier, couldn't take a joke and thought it would be a good idea to bow up to Will. I don't know why he thought it was a good idea considering we knew at least half the bar, but he started hootin' & hollerin' anyways, while Will just laughed in the dude's face. Thank goodness Will doesn't need to prove himself by fighting or the guy would have been on the ground before he knew what was comin'.

Now as this was happening, all I could think about was the fact that we don't need Will getting in trouble right now. The last thing I needed was for this guy to throw a punch and Will to have to put him in his place. So what did I do? I got in the middle too. 

Normally, I don't recommend this, but...

A) I was NOT letting this guy touch my husband 

B) I had the entire bar on my side 

C) His career was going to be over if he touched me

D) I was laughing in his face too and got a kick out of it.

I'm no fighter, and he could have knocked me right out, but when adrenaline hits, whadaya gonna do? Let's just hope that I don't find myself in another scenario like this. Ever.

Other than that, the evening was a success:

Good times with some of my favorite girls, and as we were leaving, I saw 'the guy' crying on the side of the road. Apparently he picked another fight and got what was comin' to him. Kharma, dude.

Will And I Survived His First Bachelor Weekend

I've made it through the weekend with only a small amount of worry and zero close calls. My lovely husband is completely honest, so I knew all the shenanigans that were going down, and boy were they going down. To my surprise, he and the Bachelor removed themselves from some of the situations, because they didn't even want to be involved. You see, there were two Bachelors and one's intentions weren't so "honorable". I didn't ask any details, because all that matters to me is that I have the best hubby in the world!

Other than one dude going missing the first night Hangover style, and Will scratching his face while wrestling, the weekend went pretty smooth. The best part was that we got to text a lot. I tried to leave him alone, but since he initiated most of the texts I was happy to stay in contact. I just didn't want to be "that wife" that kept checking up on them.

Other than that, I looked up some new recipes, blogged, fulfilled some household duties, had a lunch meeting with some of my new trainers, and went to Costco with my Springs BFF, Anthony. My Monday is actually going to be more exciting than my weekend.

+Bar meeting this morning.
+Dentist Appointment. {I actually enjoy the Dentist}
+HAIR APPOINTMENT!

I received a coupon for Veda Salon, so I FINALLY had a reason to go in for a trim. I would love to actually get a "style", but I think my style is just long. It's the easiest to deal with, and everyone seems to get mad if I even mention cutting it.
I just wish I could get it to curl more than this:

Perhaps after the trim. I always have them thin it out, so hopefully that will help! If only I could have Courtney do my hair...I wonder if that would be a good enough reason to get the hubby to go on vacation to see her...hmmm. Oh, and in case y'all haven't heard, Bronde is the color for Fall, so I am totally 'in' this season. Get on my level.

But serious question:

Should I just get a trim or take it up to mid-back?

I'm so bad at these decisions!

Less than 48 hours until Will is home, and yes, I am totally counting the hours. Bachelor party is over, but Will still has one more leg of his trip. I'll fill y'all in on that soon, and I'll tell you about how I'm going BACK to Chicago this coming weekend. Craziness going on around here these days, but it will have to wait! Muhahaha ;)

I Am A Sad Puppy

Will has just flown off to Miami for a Bachelor party, so I am all by my lonesome for the weekend. I'm sure some of you think I'm obsessed co-dependent on my husband, but I'm not sorry. I will even admit that I was a brat on Wednesday and cried to him, "I just got you back. I don't want to say good-bye again."

The Bachelor is just lucky that I love him, and his happiness is more important than mine this weekend. There is another reason that Will is going down there, but it is an important surprise. It's a super duper good surprise, so I will tell y'all more about it soon. Until then, I will tell you about a sappy-wonderful-little-night we had recently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How often has your significant other surprised you or taken you on a special date?
Now, how often have you returned the favor?
Probably not many. We expect so much of the guys in our lives, that women can forget that men will appreciate being taken care of too. If we don't reciprocate and/or celebrate their time and effort, then they may even stop doing nice things, and NO one wants that. I decided it was time for me to plan a surprise for Will, so the following happened last week.

A Thursday seemed just as good as any other day, so I created an invitation:

I came up with a clues to build anticipation:

And then I set up a sunset picnic:

There were going to be candles, a table cloth, and place-mats, but said candles melted everywhere on this hot day to piss me off. Luckily, Will was none the wiser and still impressed. He showed up with a giddy grin on his face, and I could tell he was enjoying this as much as I was.

We enjoyed the beautiful park, had dinner, chatted away like a first date, and toasted with a new drink I created just for the picnic. It was just what we needed for a low key date night that meant more than going to any fancy restaurant.

If you notice the card on the table, it read "Good things come to those who wait." We are awaiting the results for a new position that Will is trying to get, and one of my motives was to get our minds off of the slowly passing time. We are both confident, but we are both worriers who over analyze EVERYTHING. I just wanted to remind Will that I am here for him every step of the way, and I'm proud of him no matter what.

Will also wanted to inform you all that he had no clue what I was wearing and dressed himself with no intention of matching. He just knew that I loved that shirt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a good weekend in Miami, lover. Same rules apply as last time...NO drinking and driving and NO getting arrested. Please keep the wrastlin' in the streets to a minimum, because I'm not there to explain to people that you and Dyer just can't help it.

I miss you already...

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