Friday, June 24, 2011

California or Bust


The kids and I made it to California, hooray!

Somehow I managed two overweight suitcases, two car seats, two kids, two carry-ons, a shuttle bus to the airport, the chaos going through security, and the flight, and once again, while racing a huge storm that was rolling into Atlanta and bringing with it the talk of possible of cancelled flights. Needless to say, I was so relieved and excited when our plane’s wheels touched down in Ontario, California. Thank you and Amen. 

I had to take the shuttle to the airport because Bill was busy with the movers, but he did have time to snap this photo of us when he dropped us off at the shuttle bus.  

 

The caption should say: I am super traveling Mom, here me roar. Honestly, at this point, I think I can take on almost any travel situation with the kids. I’ve come a long way. Of course, it helps that the kids are older now and they are super-duper travelers. Seriously, I was so impressed at how much they helped me, listened, and boogied their way through the security line – all without tantrums or tears. Also, I was impressed with my “airport angels” – the random people who see a lady traveling alone with kids and actually lend a hand to help. (Some people see me and start praying that I’m not on their flight)

The only time I had a minor panic attack was when I realized we were in the International Terminal (I immediately recognized the food court area because it was where I ate my last McDonald’s meal before we left for Italy. It’s not noted because of the meal, it’s noted in my mind forever because during the meal the weight of moving to Italy finally sank in and I started to think, “what the heck have I gotten myself into?” I’ll probably never forget that food court and the knot I felt in my tummy while eating my chicken nuggets, and it was odd to be back there again in a different context and transition.)  Anyway…we arrive at the International Terminal and I begin to wonder if I pulled the ultimate blonde move and booked tickets to Ontario, CANADA instead of Ontario, CALIFORNIA.  I made my way to the counter and desperately said, “Please tell me this flight is going to California!” Thankfully, it was…

So, we’re in California, safe and sound, and couldn’t be happier to be here. We’ve missed it so much. It’s so good to see family and friends. And, in a way, I'm getting reacquainted with California – traffic, what?! – and I did feel like a bit of a country bumpkin driving on the big ol’ fancy eight-lane highway. I guess I have noticed a change in me. For one thing, I miss the trees! Although, no hope of seeing trees again soon since we’re headed to the desert land. And I could do without the yuppie, pretentious people at Panera Bread, thank you.The wait staff at Cracker Barrel are much nicer and friendlier.
Meanwhile….
Bill is making his trek to California driving with our pup Nico. Isn’t he a cute travel companion?  And, from what I hear, he's quite the super-duper traveler, too.
And when Bill gets tired, they switch….

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day and More

I’m taking a quick break from packing and cleaning to wish my husband a Happy Father’s Day. It’s a little late but this weekend has been the beginning of moving chaos. He is the hardest working man I know, in fact, while other Dads are taking the day off today, my hubby has been working hard at cleaning and packing and getting ready for the movers (they arrive tomorrow!). He even scrubbed the oven for me late last night...that’s dedication! The kids and I are really blessed to have such a strong, hard-working, moral, leader of our family. Speaking of leading, I took this photo as we were rushing into Bill’s graduation ceremony last week.  


When I look at it, I think of the military slogan,“Lead the Way.” And there is no one more capable, in my eyes, at leading us as a family. 

In other news, we’re wrapping up our final goodbyes. We said goodbye to most of our local friends; many of them are moving, too. And today we attended our church here, Christ Community Church (CCC), for the last time. We have been so blessed by CCC. The worship – especially the variety of the worship – has always inspired us and the instruction has been sound and given us ol’ Christians new fundamental truths to live by. Yet, I’m thrilled at the thought that next Sunday we’ll be at our “home” church, Vantage Point Church, in California.  (It’s funny that I now put “home” in quotation marks. It’s almost an abstract idea to me now.) I will admit, it’s been so encouraging to see God at work in other parts of the world. I guess I had this funny idea in my head that God was only at work in Eastvale, California. Silly me.   

I’m so excited for our visit to California.  It’s the second thing keeping me standing as we tear down our life, which is never an easy process for me, and start over again.

To my California friends, see you soon!!  Can’t wait!

 

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Lighter and Cooler Side


During the summer I try to cook without using my oven. I stick to the stovetop, crockpot or BBQ.  This summer, I’m also trying to make more salad “meals.” I have a ton of salad recipes but when it comes to actually making the salad, I usually just throw whatever veggies - and sometimes fruit - that I have around the house. But, I’m trying to make more of an effort to actually use my salad recipes. Plus, I love making homemade dressing. Even though I can be somewhat obnoxious about it, I’m a salad dressing snob.  No soybean oil here, please.

We tried this salad recipe last week.


Serves 4

Ingredients

    6 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
    5 tablespoons olive oil
    kosher salt and black pepper
    1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
    2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    2 romaine hearts, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
    1/4 small cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
    1 avocado, sliced
    1/4 cup roasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon of the oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread in a single layer and bake, tossing once, until golden and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the cumin and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3. In a large bowl, combine the orange and lime juices with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the romaine, cabbage, avocado, and shrimp and toss to combine. Serve the salad topped with the tortilla strips and pepitas.
  
Tip
Too tired to cook? Use crushed tortilla chips instead of baking the tortillas, and swap in pre-cooked shrimp for raw (put the cumin in the dressing instead of on the shrimp).

Notice the handy “tip” given with the recipe. Um yeah, I decided I was “too tired to cook” while I was at the grocery store a couple days before I actually made the salad.  It was a safe bet.

Seriously? I’m not making my own tortilla strips. I tried that once and almost burnt down our house. Instead, I bought Fresh Gourmet Tortilla Strips in the Santa Fe Style flavor.  But, if you want to make your own tortilla strips please go right ahead. I salute you. 

The salad is delicious, light and zesty.  The perfect meal for a warm evening. 

For dessert, I recommend Frozen Strawberry Bars (click here for the recipe).  I tried this recipe last night and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it is. I will warn you, though, making it makes a bigger mess than you might expect because several large bowls are necessary. And please don’t be like me and have a panic attack because your egg whites aren't stiff enough. I promise you that the recipe still turns out yummy. 

Pair it with a Pinot Grigio?  Even better! 
The perfect meal to beat the heat. 
 
 

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Summer Lovin'


As I’m starting to write, I can already tell this post will be randomness at its best. Maybe it’s the relaxed and somewhat wistful summer perspective that I’m embracing. And we are in full summer mode around here. Or maybe it’s the cough medicine that I’m still on. Who knows?!

I don’t know about the rest of the nation but summer has definitely arrived here! For the past week the temperatures have been in the high 90s and even pushed into the 100s. Now factor in the humidity. Hotlanta! 

So, after surviving “the plague” last week, this week we’re trying to survive the heat. Here’s a photo of the kids after swim lessons...of course, the photo can't begin to capture the sweltering sun in all its glory. All I can say is, we might not be staying cool but at least we’re looking cool.  



I love the summer, always have, but love it even more as a stay-at-home Mom. Busy schedules are replaced with lazy afternoons spent snuggling with the kids. I notice that I’m not as frustrated and short-tempered with the kids. We sleep in and we stay up late, my ideal schedule. We have time for naps. We have time to play. We have time to read stories. In fact, we recently headed to the bookstore and loaded up on summer reading options. Sienna and I started reading “Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It’s a history lesson and a lesson on good ol’ fashion morals wrapped into one book. Even Grant will sit down and listen, especially the parts about hunting. Anyway, I’m keeping us busy without keeping us busy, the perfect summer paradox.

I can’t help but to reflect on where we were, where I was, this time last summer.  We were making some serious and tough life choices for our family. And preparing for a major change in our life, that is, deciding to stay in the Army and preparing to move once again from our home in California. I was working full-time and hating every minute of being away from the kids and all the stress it was putting on our family. Even though it was close to the perfect job, it wasn’t worth the cost to me. It was a long road but a journey I had to take and now I’m the better for it. I’m thankful for a renewed perspective and feeling of purpose about being a stay-at-home Mom.

Lastly, we are in the final days of our time in Georgia and starting to say goodbye to the special friends we met.  Here’s my ranking of the “top three” hardest parts about the Army:

1.    When Daddy is far away.
2.    Moving, moving, moving.
3.    Saying goodbye to new or old friends.

And these goodbyes will be particularly bittersweet (but aren't they all?). Boooo.....

For now, I’m allowing myself a few more relaxed days, then I’ll be back to the crazy person God intended me to be and will be in full “purge, pack and organize” mode.  

Keep us in your prayers, please. 

Thursday, June 2, 2011

When One Falls, We All Fall


It's been a crazy week.  Here's the math...

1 week + 4 trips to the ER +2 trips to the doctor’s office + 4 cases of pink eye + 2 sets of double ear infections + 1 upper respiratory infection + 104-degree fever + 1 early stages of bronchitis – ½ my sanity =



 
My Grandma used to say, “Your health is your wealth.” She was a smart cookie.