Mustaches..

I think I did an EXCELLENT job of copying Blaine's mustache!! HA! Just look at the side-by-side comparison...

Deployments bring with them many changes and adjustments to our lives. They also seem to make our husbands think that they look great with mustaches! Most of them grow mustaches, as it has become some sort of deployment tradition. These mustaches have been a topic of conversation among many of the wives at several events. We've even brought out the phones and cameras to pass around pictures of our husbands' newest looks. If only they knew we're not commenting on how handsome they look..instead, we're laughing hysterically! Maybe they do it for laughs, maybe it's because they actually think they look good..I'm not really sure of the real reason. What I DO know is that THEY know they should get it out of their systems while over there, since we're going to make them shave before getting off of that plane back home!

Last night, several of us got together at a friend's house and decided that our husbands needed a good laugh, too! So, what better than to dress in flightsuits and to draw, color, and cut out mustaches! Thanks to Katie's sweet daughter, Sophia, we had plenty of arts and crafts materials to go around and our mustaches turned out great! We had such a hard time keeping straight faces for these photos..which made it even funnier when our mustaches were falling off throughout the photo session!!

So, here's to our husbands' handsome mustaches..from your beautiful wives (who also have handsome mustaches)! We love you guys!!

This Little Piggy Went to Market...

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef, this little piggy had none. This little piggy cried wee, wee, wee, wee all the way home!

Why am I beginning this entry with something so silly? Well, this is what my students found on our weekly agenda board when they walked into class this week! Notice that there are five lines to this rhyme..just as there are five days of the week to fill with activities. Convenient, huh? Yes, it is pig dissection week. While somewhat insensitive of me to describe our weekly activities this way, most of my students got a good laugh out of it. I wasn't sure how excited I would be about this, but it has turned out to be okay. I remember dissecting animals in high school..I think I had to do a worm, a frog, a pig, and a cat! Apparently, my high school teachers liked cutting things up. I didn't particularly enjoy doing this back then..in fact, I remember having to go out and get fresh air throughout the process.

So, back to my class today! I have been teaching the human biology unit this semester, including the nervous system, circulatory system, respiratory system, excretory system, digestive system, and endocrine system. My cooperating teacher was nice enough to teach the reproductive system before I took over! Pig dissection serves to bring all of these concepts together so that the students can see where everything is in relation to one another and how they function as a whole in the organism. It has been amazing to see them make connections and understand things that I have taught them...they REALLY get it, which makes me feel as though I have done my job..successfully! I can almost see the light bulbs coming on above their heads!! It's great. Now I know what it feels like...that feeling of "wow, I'm a teacher and these kids are learning from ME"! This feeling makes everything else so worth it..and it's what I would explain to anyone who tells me that I've lost my mind when I tell them what I do.

Cheers to half-way there!

Time flies when you're having fun! We're already half-way through this deployment, and I don't know where the months have gone or how we got here so fast. The first week of March has been quite eventful, with several celebrations to mention. From dinner and nights out with the girls to celebrating Blaze and Holly's ninth birthday..I have been all over the place in just the first week of March! Last night, several girls and I had dinner in downtown Charleston at an Italian restaurant, Mercato. The occasion? Celebrating that half-way mark of the deployment! We also paid visits to a couple of "pub and grills"..minus the grills.

I also met a few friends out for dinner last weekend. The occasion was also in celebration of the half-way mark, but I should confess that we probably would have had Japanese food that night regardless of the occasion! Fried rice off of the hibachi grill always sounds great and we really don't need anything to celebrate to meet up there! Two of the six girls happen to be pregnant..I love having pregnant friends! Not only are they so cute, I feel I can justify eating out when they want to eat out..how on earth could I deny my pregnant friends a great meal?? I love the rice so much at this place that I asked for extra. It was a ridiculous amount of rice..we all had a good laugh over it!

That same day, I baked a birthday cake for Blaze and Holly. We know that Blaze's birthday is March 1st, but we don't know when Holly's birthday is since I found her and have no information on her. So, I simply gave her the same birthday to make things easy! I found this great recipe for a "dog birthday cake" online..it's kind of like a peanut butter brownie cake. With carrots. Kind of a strange combination, but I followed the recipe! I will say that I tasted it (a piece without carrots) and it was pretty good. Don't worry, I didn't have an entire slice! Blaze and Holly loved it..not to mention it smelled so good while baking!

Remember that I mentioned a while ago that I was helping to make a quilt for our squadron?? Well, I finished my square! I'm very proud of it, although there are several places that don't line up very well. I think it still looks nice, though! After working on it for so long, I don't know that I have been inspired to make my own quilt. I do like the idea of picking out fabrics and letting someone else make one for me, though!

Stayed tuned for more updates throughout March..

Oh, The Joys of Random Meltdowns

Well, I have decided I can no longer shop at World Market. About a month ago, I bought a coffee and end table set there, but decided I don't like them and should return them. Well, since then, I have had to cancel my debit card (long story involving a phishing website) and am waiting for the new one to arrive. I thought today would be a good day to try and re-load these heavy tables into my car and take them back to the store. Thankfully, I thought to call the store first, to make sure they could do the return by just looking up my card information in the computer. Well...apparently, it's not that easy. They have to have the card to do the return..or my other option is to get a gift card for the amount. Now, I like to shop, but what am I going to do with a $200 gift card to World Market? I'm sure I could spend it over time, but that's not the point. The store should, in my opinion, be able to override this and just give me my money back! I tried to calmly explain this to the guy on the phone, but he wasn't in a patient mood, which just escalated the situation. He finally told me that I could bring everything in and he would "see what he could do", but he couldn't make any guarantees. Long story, short..I had a meltdown on the phone, started crying, and explained to him that it isn't so easy for me to just load these things up without a husband at home to help me..since he's deployed! Yes, I played the "deployment" card, which I try not to do..unless I'm caught in an emotional situation (like yesterday when I got pulled over by Security Forces on base)! Another story for another day...agghh! World Market guy's response to my meltdown.."I don't know what's going on in your life, but I apologize and feel for your situation." Great, just great. The point is..deployments seem to cause random meltdowns, which aren't very much fun. This is only the second one I've had, the first involved a rude man at the post office who hassled me when I was trying to send Blaine his first care package. Again, another story for another day. Fellow AF spouses, please tell me this is normal!! So, I share with you my story of not-so-much-fun meltdowns..and the fact that "Todd" at World Market thinks I'm crazy.

UPDATE: I was able to return the tables to World Market after USAA informed me that my card would still be activated for a short period of time until I get my new card, so the refund posed no problems! I have also decided that I will continue to shop at World Market (they have some really neat stuff) since I enjoy going there and because Todd has no idea who I am or what I look like. By the way, there was no sign of my new friend, Todd, but I did tell the clerk what happened. Get this...Todd is the STORE MANAGER!! You have got to be kidding me...

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was not really looking forward to Valentine's Day this year, only because I knew Blaine would not be here to celebrate with me. He did send me these very pretty roses and a spa gift certificate, though! Instead of sitting at home alone, I decided to spend the evening with a bunch of other husband-less wives!

We began our "date" with dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. Most of the girls had sushi, but I stuck to my good ol' vegetables and fried rice. I think I may have been the only person at the table who did not have to explain what they were eating. Although sushi looks very tasty and is, essentially, an art form, I just can't bring myself to enjoy fish. I know...what a waste that is living here in Charleston!

After dinner, we headed downtown to Social Wine Bar (this may be my new favorite place). I ordered a "flight" (three different tastes) of Spanish red wines. They were AWESOME..maybe the best red wine I've ever had! The other girls also ordered flights of wine..which equated to 18 glasses of wine!! Now, while I say they were "tastes", this place really draws a fine line between "tastes" and "full glasses of wine". Three tastes are all you can have if you plan on driving home. We also ordered desserts...because what would a great Valentine's Day be without dessert? I like to call these photos "Who needs a husband on Valentine's Day when you have these?" and "Yes, definitely the aftermath of six husband-less wives on Valentine's Day"..respectively.



I neglected to mention that seating at this place was "by reservation only" that night, so we had to settle for the private seating area upstairs..with leather couches..and skylights..and no one else around!! Could it get any better? And how on earth could we take silly photos (with our poor, unsuspecting waiter) in any other condition??

After Social, we headed down to another "establishment" for dancing. But, on the way, we found a very nice police officer who took our picture in front of the customs building.

We ended the night with some dancing...and drinking lots of water. Some of us danced more than others..not sure why I insist on wearing heels when I know I won't be able to walk within a few hours of putting them on. We got some strange looks from some police officers on our way to the car...I can assure you we were walking the way we were because of our shoes, not the wine! Well, maybe a little bit of both...

The only thing that could have made the night better is our husbands being at home, of course. But we made the most of it and had an awesome time! Here's to a memorable Valentine's Day with great friends!! Cheers!

Go Commercials!! (and some other February happenings)

Only half way through February and I already have some pictures to share! My weekends have been very busy, which is always better than spending my time at home alone. We started out the month with a Super Bowl party at Rachel's house. It was more of a "commercial watching party" since none of us girls were really watching the game. We just really needed a reason to make some goodies and have a get-together! Everyone brought super-yummy appetizers and desserts (I had leftovers for two days afterwards) and I made a cookie cake. If you really want to know the truth, Rachel and I get "cravings" from time to time and the most recent craving just happened to be cookie cake! The Super Bowl party was the perfect reason to make one..although we would have made one sooner or later, even if it were only us eating it! I tried my best to depict the football field, and thought I did a pretty good job..until I watched a cake decorating contest on the Food Network that same day! Okay, so I won't be entering any professional contests any time soon. It still tasted good!

We had a really good time..watching commercials, but mostly just socializing. The National Anthem always seems to stand out and feel a little more special when Blaine and the guys are gone, and I think the other wives would agree. The room was very quiet when Jennifer Hudson started to sing..and what a beautiful job she did! Rachel and Aaron were watching her sing, so intently, that I just had to capture this sweet moment. DeDe was also there with Gabriel..who seemed to be all partied out. We all watched as he began nodding off in her lap until his little head finally rested on her arm. It was very hard to stay quiet when we were all laughing so hard!

In what seemed to be just a blink of the eye..another week has come and gone. Student teaching really makes time fly. And I haven't even started teaching..I'm still observing! I will start teaching this week, though. I can't imagine how time will fly then! We had another spouse social this weekend. Kelli hosted us for a themed "Let's Have Some Cheese with our Whine" party! There were so many different wines and great foods to choose from. It was a really good turnout and we had a lot of fun! Afterwards, we made our way over to Chili's for a late dinner. Here's Kelli, attempting to listen to Andrea's soon-to-be daughter, Baby Ada's heartbeat with a stethoscope while on the way to Chili's. Did I mention there was wine involved?? :)
Today was such a beautiful day..sunny and 75 degrees! It was a perfect day for our realtor to have an open house. Not only did we have a lot of people at the open house, we also had three separate showings this weekend! I'm hoping this is a sign of the market and economy picking back up again. Anytime we have an open house, we have to leave our house. This can be quite inconvenient at times, especially when I have to take Blaze and Holly with me. The weather was so nice that I decided to take them to the beach. We prefer Sullivan's Island..it's such a nice beach and the parking is free. The atmosphere there is so laid back and the people always seem so nice. Blaze loved it, until he got sand in his eye, and Holly stayed as far away from the water as possible. She's not a beach dog but she still enjoyed the walk! We had a good time..and I get a lot of joy out of seeing my puppies happy!

Where did January go??

Wow..I can't believe January is almost over. The only time I ever find myself hoping time flies by is when Blaine is gone. This month started out really slow..it felt like months had already passed, and it was only the 10th! I think time is passing faster now that I am so busy with different things. Deployments also mean restaurant tables that look like this..all manners surrounding cell phone use at dinner fly out the window when you are waiting for a phone call from the desert...

For a couple of weeks, I had nothing to do, so I found myself volunteering for everything under the sun..just to fill my calendar! I even volunteered to help make a deployment quilt with some of the other spouses in our squadron. For those of you who know me well..you know that I can sew buttons on garments..and that's about it. I signed up for this project, hoping some of the other girls would teach me how to quilt. I'm learning..but I'm not sure I'm ready to purchase a sewing machine just yet!

In addition to our regular Friday-night pizza parties at Rachel's home (Thank you, Rachel, for helping us keep our sanity!), some of the girls have been out to enjoy Charleston a few times. The Citadel had a semester kick-off party for the graduate students, so I invited some other spouses to go out with me. We had a great time..ending the night with what has become a very funny story to tell. If you would like more information on this, you can read Michelle T's blog entry titled, "That thing is moving!"...that's all I'm going to say. Michelle tells the story quite well!

I also started student-teaching last week! This is my last semester at The Citadel, and I am working with a very experienced biology teacher at Stratford High School. I could not have been more blessed with this placement..the school is five minutes from our house and I have the same type of class each class period, so I only have to make one lesson plan each day! The best part, though, is that they are all college prep classes, so the students actually WANT to be there and learn (well, most of them)! It really could not get any better than this. So far, I have only been observing and won't actually start teaching the classes myself until the second week of February. I'm really excited about this experience and having the opportunity to work with such a knowledgeable teacher!

Lastly, we had our January spouses social last night..we went ice skating!! I haven't been ice skating since visiting Alaska six years ago..and you could tell by my skills out on the ice! It was a lot of fun and we had a great turnout. I don't recall ice skating being such a workout..my legs hurt so much that I could barely get out of bed this morning! Maybe I should make this a regular thing.

Blaine is doing well, although there's not a whole lot he can talk about over the phone or email. I usually get the "I'm fine, just working, going to the gym, and sleeping" from him! He is doing things that are much more exciting, but won't be able to discuss any of them until he gets home. He did get a break from his regular routine when he was sent to Jordan for a few days. He stayed in a very nice hotel and even had a massage. I didn't feel too sorry for him that week! I will keep everyone updated on him when I can.

I would say "here's to the next three months passing by quickly", but I recently received an email..you know, one of those that talks about enjoying each day because you can never rewind. I recommend watching the presentation: http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/. I watched this one night this week, when I was exhausted after being at school all day, and hoping that this would fly by so that we could get on with things already! But, those words really sank in, and I realized that I should start enjoying each day, rather than going to sleep early to just end the day. I've decided that Blaine will be home when he gets home..and I'm going to make the most of each day with my students and friends until then! So, here's to enjoying life for the next three months...

A Charleston Christmas

This Christmas, we had my family come to us for the first time. With Blaine's upcoming deployment, this seemed to be the easiest way to enjoy the holidays as a family, without the extra stress of traveling! Before I go there, let me first share our wonderful Christmas experience with you...

My family has always done an excellent job in making our home so cozy during the holidays..everything from the decorations, tree, and music, to the lit candles and all of the yummy food! Now that they were coming here, I had to do the same. I started decorating right after Thanksgiving. Blaine insists that we have a real tree every year, so I made him go with me to get one the night before he returned to Oklahoma for the rest of his training. I just couldn't wait another week to have my tree!! I really enjoyed decorating the tree and I even made a wreath out of the trimmings. My natural wreath led me to crave more natural decorations..and to my delight, I realized that you can buy real garland! Forty feet of real fraser fir garland later..and MANY trips to Lowe's and Michael's..I was very pleased with all of my hard work.

Once my family arrived, we attempted to tackle my never-ending list of activities. We went to Boone Hall Plantation while they were here..so beautiful at Christmas! Every room in the house is decorated with such detail..and I got some more ideas for my house next year. It was a bit cold, but we really enjoyed the tour. I can see why this particular plantation is the most photographed in the nation!

After an afternoon at the plantation, we indulged in the Festival of Lights at James Island County Park. We were very impressed! For all of my Texas friends..it's kind of like Zilker Park's Trail of Lights, only you drive through it instead of walk. The lights were great with many representations of what makes South Carolina so unique. I particularly loved these palm trees on the water!

We decided to open gifts on Christmas morning this year; we usually do them on Christmas Eve in Texas. Christmas morning was full of surprises and brought back memories of Christmases when we were younger. "Santa" always leaves goodies in our stockings, and this year, "Santa" surprised Mom and Dad with stockings of their own. While sipping our coffee, we took turns opening our gifts from one another. Everyone is always excited about their own "pile", but it never compares to seeing the reactions of those who open the gifts from you. That's my favorite part!

Please excuse our "bedhead"..I just thought these pictures really captured our excitement on Christmas morning! Oh, and Blaze and Holly love their new bed and treats that "Santa" left in their stocking. Not sure they really care for their new oral care products, though!

After presents, the women started working on Christmas dinner. We made a turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, noodles, rolls, deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. Our sweet friends, Jamil and DeDe, along with their precious baby boy, Gabriel, joined us for Christmas dinner. They brought a delicious caramel and chocolate apple..it was gone fast! So yummy! Blaine made some great wassail, a hot spiced wine that tastes like cider. Blaine also carved the turkey..which was cooked to perfection. The meal turned out great..that's usually what you get with a kitchen full of German women!!
The days between Christmas and "deployment day" were spent shopping and getting Blaine packed and ready to go. As if this time of year weren't busy enough!! We were very thankful to spend Christmas together, along with family, although it was a little bittersweet knowing what was soon to come. Blaine and I said our "goodbyes", alongside many more families who may feel Christmas ended too soon, as well. This deployment will be similar to what we've experienced before..please keep Blaine and the rest of our squadron in your thoughts and prayers. Blessings to you all as we enter a new year..you are the amazing family and friends that make us the Bakers!

Texas..Home Sweet Home

Well, I just returned from another visit to Texas. While Blaine was training in Oklahoma, I was able to spend an entire month back home! Visits to Texas always bring great Mexican food and awesome BBQ...but more importantly, I get to spend time with my family and friends. My parents were very accommodating as I "moved in", toting Blaze and Holly with me, as well! While there, I substitute taught along side friends whom I grew up with, as well as some of my old teachers. I even taught some students whose parents I went to school with...still trying to do the math with some of those.

Blaine was able to come down for a weekend and we did some "bar-hopping" in Elgin! For those who don't know, Elgin does not have much of a bar scene, but we made the most of it. We went to Quoffer's, the British pub on Main Street, which is just one of the many TWO bars that any sane person would actually go to. We saw a few familiar faces and had a good time listening to American Idol's next contestants singing their hearts out. I love it..Blaine has absolutely no qualms about getting up in front of everyone and singing karaoke all night long! We had a great time.

I was fortunate enough to be in town long enough to attend the wedding of a dear, life-long friend of mine. Amanda's wedding was absolutely beautiful..I am so glad I was able to make it. The reception boasted a very swanky sitting area, one that we just had to get pictures of! The cake was also gorgeous, so much so that you could see the disappointment on Amanda's nephew's face when he learned they weren't cutting the cake yet! Too funny.

All in all, I had a great visit and look forward to going back next summer!

Happy Birthday, Blaine!

We recently celebrated Blaine's 31st birthday in Oklahoma City! Blaine is finishing his instructor pilot upgrade in Altus and I am visiting Texas, so the timing for an OKC visit was perfect. We went to our FAVORITE restaurant, Bourbon Street Cafe, for dinner. I highly recommend the filet mignon or the pork chops..the best I have ever had anywhere! Since I was not really in a position to bake Blaine a birthday cake, we settled for some yummy creme brulee instead. Afterwards, we walked along the riverwalk and asked a very nice couple to take our picture at the exact spot we were engaged three years earlier. I like this picture much better..we did the same thing the night we got engaged and my eyes were closed! I couldn't believe it. We ended the night at one of our favorite bars, TapWerks, which has over 100 beers on tap! I also discovered my new favorite beer..Young's Double Chocolate Stout. It's like Guinness, but with chocolate! I already researched places where I will be able to get it in Charleston. We had an awesome time..and I certainly look forward to sharing many more birthdays with my sweet husband!