being vague & going international. . . .

by april on February 20, 2012

in travel

i’ve probably mentioned the fact that we are moving…. oh, about fifty-three times.  i’m pretty sure that at least fifty-two of those times i said that i had more information coming in a blog post soon.  call me a procrastinator, but i’m finally writing it!

last year, when we got orders to move to san diego {♥}, we knew that we were coming here to build a new unit of v-22′s that would be moving to okinawa, japan in as little as one or two years after we arrived.  and now that time is here.  the last few months have been filled with briefs, paperwork & more information than i can handle regarding moving {thank goodness caleb is a pro at PCSing….}.  while we still have a handful of tasks yet to complete, like getting our passports, we feel like we are ahead of the game — knock on wood!

here’s the basics of what we know so far….

♥ our move date is set for early may.
♥ since amelia & i are accompanying caleb, we have a 3 year minimum stay {& the possibility to extend….}
♥ caleb will be heading out on a ship at least once a year, so we have some definite adjusting to do!
♥ okinawa is not only family friendly, bursting at the seams with activities & excursions to be had, but it’s also beautiful –

yeah, i know…. lucky.  :]

so while i’ve been so bummed about leaving southern california — the perfect weather, the friendly people, the handmade community…. i can see that we are headed for another amazing place.  i’ve been tracking the weather on my phone every day in comparison with san diego weather {is that too nerdy?!} & it’s super comparable.  nice balmy beach weather but with a few extra thunder storms thrown in — hooray!! there will be humidity — but hello? i was raised in the south & that’s definitely something i can accommodate to again.

overall, we are really excited about our move.  i’m looking forward to blogging our travels & adventures.  i also hope to post some updates on our journey of getting prepared to move internationally — as a place to look back & a way to help others who may find themselves in the same place one day.

{photos courtesy of weheartit}

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PS — congrats to Jennifer B. for winning the Cooper & Me giveaway with comment #9!!

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{ 7 comments }

remember last week when i told you how obsessed i am with pinterest?  my first date with pinterest was to find some delicious snack foods to have around for the first huskers game last fall — these pepperoni pizza bites were a hit!  since then, pinterest & i have had a love-hate relationship…. i pin five work out links for every one oooey gooey delicious desert recipe pin.

after the first few weeks of gaining five pounds per pin, i finally realized that i could get out of my dinner rotation rut by using the all-powerful pinterest search engine to find some new entrees.  i’ve found some new favorites, some not-so-great recipes & some yummy snacks to make when friends come over or we sign up to bring refreshments for small group.

♥ ♥ ♥

here’s a small sampling of some of my favorite recipes found on pinterest….

this recipe for baked lime tortilla chips is my newest obsession.  i’ve been craving chipotle’s salted lime chips for the last month or so but couldn’t ever sneak out to get my hands on some.  so of course i started searching — and these chips are amazingly spot on.  the perfect ratio of lime to salt to chip.  with just a few ingredients, you can get your hands on some as well — but be careful.  they are very addicting!

i first found this delicious queso chowder when i was looking for a second recipe to use up the rest of a ham we had in the freezer.  i love soups & this recipe did not disappoint.  it’s super easy, and served with a salad & rolls makes for a very filling meal.  i omitted the poblano peppers it calls for, but didn’t miss any of the flavor.  the last time i made this chowder, i purchased a package of julienned ham in the deli section & it was just as delicious as the leftovers from a large ham.  tasty & convenient!

speaking of dinner rolls…. if you’ve ever had the chance to eat at Jim ‘n Nick’s BBQ  then you’ve surely fallen head over heels in love with their perfectly sweet & savory cheesy biscuits.  when i saw this knock-off recipe on pinterest several months ago…. oh my! you know i just had to make some right that second.  and so i did.

all the ingredients are simple staples that you probably already have on hand.  after twelve of the longest minutes of your life, your oven will bake up some of the moistest, cheesiest, most perfect dinner biscuits ever.  or breakfast biscuits.  or lunch, or anytime really…. so. good. period.

for all the seafood lovers out there, this roasted tomatoes with shrimp & feta cheese dish is out of this world!  in fact, i’m baking this up tonight with some crusty rolls & a salad.  i love a simple meal with little prep work & this totally fits the bill.  you can peel your shrimp ahead of time or do it while the tomatoes are roasting if you are a multi-tasker like me.  i don’t add quite as many tomatoes as the recipe calls for, about three large tomatoes pretty much fills my casserole dish so i stop there for even distribution.  i love adding this meal to our line-up about once every two weeks.  i make sure to stock up on shrimp when it goes on sale at the grocery store, too!

and, of course, i couldn’t make a post about pinterest recipes without having something sinfully sweet.  these strawberry lemonade bars are so delicious, light & fresh.  they are made with fresh squeezed lemon juice {do yourself a favor & don’t substitute with the pre-packaged juice} & pureed strawberries.  i can justify eating more than one when i calculate just how much actual fruit is included in the recipe {*wink!*}

i made up my first batch of these bars for our small group a few weeks ago & they were a major hit.  the entire dessert is made from scratch, including a very simple crust recipe.  even if you aren’t a natural born baker, trust me — you can do this.  :]

♥ ♥ ♥

you can find more of my favorite recipes by following my food pinterest board, entitled “feed me, seymore!”  {please tell me you get the musical reference there….}

share with me some of your favorite recipes you’ve found on pinterest!!  i can’t wait to check them out!  i’ll see you guys again next week with some more pins to share! xo

{ 6 comments }

cooper & me. . . . plus a giveaway!

February 15, 2012

** this giveaway is now closed!!** ♥ congrats to Jennifer B {#9} for winning! for the last two years, we’ve considered ourselves to be extremely lucky in the fact that caleb has not had to deploy.  for two years, he’s been around to catch every milestone amelia has conquered & spent every holiday celebrating with [...]

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a post on love, gifts & the post office. . . .

February 14, 2012

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beach babe!

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last week, amelia & i had a chance to get out of the apartment to spend time with some friends at the beach. caleb & i have taken amel out to the beach a few times to shop the boardwalk and stroll around, but she’s always been in her stroller & never ventured out onto [...]

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it’s oh so pinteresting!

February 10, 2012

are you on pinterest?  if the answer is no…. let me tell you, you’re absolutely missing out!! the general idea is that it’s a social media site where you can gather ideas, tutorials, recipes, pictures all into different categories — you can pin your interesting ideas to digital bulletin boards.  it’s addicting, but it’s a [...]

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an update on this thing called potty training. . . .

February 9, 2012

amelia’s going to be two years old in two weeks…. two years old!! there’s a lot of hype that comes with this new age — the terrible twos, strings of actually coherent conversation, and yes…. even potty training. i’ve had so many people ask us how potty training has been going.  since i posted two [...]

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one little monkey. . . .

February 7, 2012

amelia is crazy. she is a wild-child full of energy, excitement, & zest.  and more energy. like, a lot more energy. every day we keep a pretty good schedule that amelia set herself on over the last year or so.  we wake up, we play, we read, we do… stuff.  pretty much anything amelia is [...]

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valentine’s day special. . . .

February 6, 2012

valentine’s day is just next week! i can’t believe how quickly we are jumping from holiday to holiday already this year…. it’s just flying by for me — how about you? if you’re anything like me, you love to give gifts for any occasion…. valentine’s day is no exception!! i made sure the shop was [...]

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Jo-Ann Fabrics coupon roundup!

February 4, 2012

alright, so i’ve never done this before — but i absolutely have to share with y’all!! there is a BUCKET LOAD of JoAnn coupons out right now.  if you are about to embark on any crafty project {or just need to stockpile some popular prints, interfacing, batting, threads…} then this is your weekend to shop. [...]

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