New Me!

So I've been making some changes around...well me, lately. I'm not sure what's brought it on, but I feel it's related to my birthdays. Every year I feel I'm getting a bit more older, wiser, and mature (though my inappropriate jokes meter gets higher every day so you take that opinion in stride haha).

I've been working on getting into shape this year. Partly because I was down to my ideal weight when Larry and I got married, but then it climbed back up to where I didn't want it so I've felt I need to make a change again this year so that I can get back down to the ideal number and keep it around there. I always get into working out, but then something comes up and instead of it stopping me for a little bit, I'll go months without working out. To help me out with this goal I've downloaded the MyFitnessPal app to help keep track of my calories. Larry also got me a watch that monitors heart rate when working out (it has this strap thing that goes around your chest to help out with it) so I can upload those numbers into my app as well. Well after a few weeks of just relying on those, I felt that I could do more, so I finally got my first Fitbit

I'm so excited to get into this. I can also sync it to my app (as well as downloading the Fitbit app to get more features that help). Anyways, I'm super stoked to start using it and see how well it works.

Another change I've made, is my hair. I've been wanting to change it up for a little while. Last time I changed it up I went red and added bangs and it was quite the drastic change from before. This time I wanted to do both, but figured I should only do one or the other:

I have decided I'm going to keep the bang look for a while. I mostly chopped them (or decided to go with bangs) because before only half of mine had grown out. So the other half of my bangs were still pretty short and I hated how not symmetrical it was. The lady who did it wasn't  my most favorite, but I feel better about them now so I'm glad I changed it up a bit.

I've also used up my shopping spree Larry gave me for my birthday so I have fun new outfits. It makes me feel like a whole new person. Especially when people comment that they like it. The dress (from above) got even strangers commenting on it so I was pretty happy that day :)

Saying Goodbye to Another Soldier

So last night we had our goodbye dinner with Skyler, Jena, and Cailyn. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here, but Skyler has followed family tradition and joined the military (note, this isn't a real tradition, but it sure looks like it is becoming one haha). We decided to take them to Teppanyaki since they had never been and we thought it would be fun for them as well as Cailyn (and boy were we right).

Cailyn had a ton of fun playing with the chopsticks and her plate while we were waiting for our chef to arrive. I wish we would have gotten some shots of her reactions to the fire parts because she absolutely loved that part and her face literally lit up (not just metaphorically haha). The chef was such a good sport and had this insane laugh that he would "make" at her. Then she would usually try and copy it. The best part was she was trying to copy how he made the food so she was mixing it all up on her plate as soon as a new item was added, and then the chef started doing the "throw shrimp at you to catch" thing and she loved it so much she grabbed a piece of her own shrimp and threw it at the chef. It ended up landing on the grill next to Skyler's chicken, but it was SO funny to see his reaction and how she kept wanting to copy him haha.

Overall it was a nice night, although it is sad to see him go. The good news is that it's only for 5 months, so he'll be back in time for the holidays. He's even doing his Boot Camp where Larry did his (Fort Jackson in South Carolina). His AIT will be in Maryland though, so it's a bit farther away. I think Larry and I lucked out with his being in Arizona so he could come home and I could visit him more easily. It will be interesting when he comes back to see how his compared with Larry's. Larry's AIT was 48+ weeks so his wasn't as strict as the other ones. I guess they figure if you're going to be there longer they want to make it not so hellish. We assume Skyler's might be a bit more like a second Boot Camp, but we'll see.

Even though it's only 5 months, I feel bad for Jena. I know it's so hard to have to say goodbye to your man and watch them leave without knowing when you'll get to hear from them next. Especially with a little one and another on the way, I'm sure it makes it a bit more difficult. But Larry and I have said we'll do what we can to be there for her and help her along. Hopefully he'll be back before Cailyn's birthday so at least he won't have to miss one of those.

Good luck Skyler, we'll be here waiting to hear all the stories you collect while you're away :)

Tax Refund Season

Is there any holiday out there that's as exciting as Tax Refund Day? Okay, don't answer that. But we all love it, when it's good to us, that I know is true. This year I really wanted to get some items for our New York trip since there were some fun items I wanted to get, but didn't really add them into the budget since it's already going to be a pricey trip (I don't think you can expect to spend a couple weeks somewhere and have it be cheap). So this year Larry and I decided to have mini Amazon Shopping sprees

 

First, I've seen these little polaroid camera's everywhere and thought it would be fun to take with us for little moments. I, of course, had to take a couple test shots as well. They are now hanging on my cubicle wall at work for fun :)

The other stuff was either for New York or for fun. I got a Kindle cover, packing cubes, a purse that is supposed to be anti-theft, a "wallet" that helps protect against any RFID scanners, and then also an Amope foot file thing (it works wonders!), and a steam mop for our tile (I'm apparently REALLY picky about mops these days). I'm very excited to use the fun stuff for NY and the others for whenever I want haha.

So overall Tax Refund Day was very good to us. So far Larry's put most of his into savings, but he has gotten himself a couple new shirts and a new laser pointer for the cats (although I can't tell which has more fun with it: the cats or him?). I hope everyone out there got to have a little bit of fun this year!

3.5.15

Today is a special day, a kind of anniversary of sorts for us. It's not a day we've been able to celebrate in the past, nor is it on we will be able to celebrate in the future, but it is an important one. Today's date is 3.5.15 and that really only means something essential to us you see because 3 is Larry's favorite number, 5 is mine, and 15 has become "our" number over the years. I'm not sure why, and I don't think I've ever heard of another couple with a "their" number, but it's one that has always meant something to us. We started dating on the 15th of October, we were married the 15th of June, and plus 3X5 is 15. Last year I was writing the date out and I realized the next year it would be something fun to celebrate so I text Larry to let him know it was coming up haha. For the past 6 months, about, we've been making sure we have a date night on the 15th of each month (you see how that number is big for us?), we usually trade off who gets to pick and who pays to make it interesting, well March was my month so I told Larry instead of going out on the 15th I wanted to go out tonight.

We decided to go to Olive Garden because I wanted to go out to get frozen yogurt afterwards so I wanted something I knew I could eat just some of and save the rest for later. I also decided to try the Bruschetta appetizer since we had some at our wedding that was so yummy and got to try some when we went to that fancy Italian place with Larry's work folks that was also pretty good. Olive Garden's was pretty good as well, but I could only handle 3 pieces before I was done with it. We still got our breadsticks and salad too that I absolutely love so it was a happy meal :)

Afterwards we drove over to U-Swirl for some frozen yogurt where we talked about our favorite memories from our relationship (lots of laughs and aww moments there). It's funny because we either remembered each of the other person's and agreed or we were reminded of some fun moments. We talked a lot about the next couple of year's plans we have as well, it was a nice night. Afterwards we came home and watched some funny fail videos and played with the kitties. And now I'm here blogging before bed.

Overall it was a nice way to spend such a special occasion for us and I'm so glad we got the chance to celebrate it. I love you S.L.P. and I'm so glad we've come as far as we have. I look forward to many special dates with you!