Dreaded News...Again

Not much else has gone on in the lives of the Morgan's since our tenting project. All work and no play I suppose. In the mean time, we are both still working really hard to get back to our goal weights. Ben is at his but wants to work more on toning. I have 5 more lbs. to lose before I am comfortable again. I feel like that commercial where the cartoon woman cant lose weight as fast as the husband by just "drinking water and watching what he eats". LOL.

A couple weeks ago Ben went to the gym and was trying to lift heavy doing back extensions. Big NO NO. Especially if he has been progressively have lower back pain. Well, he felt something pop and really wasn't able to stand the next day. He had a DR.s appt where they took X rays and suggested seeing a chiropractor. The Dr. called Ben back to tell him she didn't see any evidence of spondylosis, BUT saw kidney stones. Ben has had them before and they just passed, but if these have been there for awhile, could they be causing his back pain? Not even a couple days went by when we got the "dreaded news". Ben was voluntold that he would be deploying the end of September. NOT AGAIN. The whole situation was really messed up in how HE became the one to go, but that's a different story. This will be deployment #3 in 4 years of marriage. Something is wrong with that picture right? Any who, he will be gone 4 months and miss all the major holidays I really care about. The past deployments he has missed birthdays and valentines but those seem minuscule compared to Thanksgiving and Christmas. BOO. But I will survive. I'm not a military wife for nothin. I'm just going to focus on saving money and working while he's gone. Oh yes and the last 5 lbs.

Other than that just the same ol' same ol'

Greetings for the islands (where its still raining and summer)

Home Sweet Home

Well, we survived the great termite tenting 2010! This week has been so ridiculously crazy that's its ridiculous. So last week my supervisor sprung a project on me and another girl from work. The project its self was simple, make a bulletin board type thing for the up coming Pet Expo. Me and Ashley being the overachievers that we are have been working on a magnificant "Preventive Care" client education board. So not only did I have the stress of doing the research for that but also thinking about this stupid tenting. The tenting its self is great because of the fact that we have had termites since we moved in almost 2 years ago. We only have termites because our privatized company land lords are stupid. The story goes, when our townhouses were renovated, new cabinets were made. Well, the cabinets were stored in a warehouse that was knowingly infested with termites. Then HCH installed the cabinets knowing they could have bugs. Well, yeah HCH they have bugs. We live in a sixplex so all the townhouses had to be tented as one.


About 2 weeks ago we get a call that our house will be tented and we would have to find a hotel that would take the dogs or have them kenneled. Seeing as our lives don't stop because we have to get the house tented. So on top of the project we had to prep our house for tenting, which meant packing up all our food in special bags and cleaning everything, oh and then theres getting the dog stuff ready. Stupid I tell you! So we stayed at the Navy Lodge Ford Island last night. Pretty nice place with a kitchenette. Might consider staying there when we PCS out. So, passed out around 9pm and woke up with a heavy head and eyes around 445am. I forgot I was allergic to goose down pillows, ehhg. Got up and went to work today like I didn't spend the night lugging around the dogs and stressing out. I also had to drag the beasts to work with me where they were very naughty and barked at everyone. Grrr children.



Got home at 3 today and have never been so happy to be back in my own home relaxing. Ahh sigh of relief. Now to clean up what the tenting left behind. Pray we dont find any rats!

New Year, New Bolgs! Happy 2010 Everyone

Happy 2010 everyone! What a year! It has been so long since I have actually blogged on this. Tons has happened, holidays have been past, and family has visited. LOL New year so time for some new blogs. I think the reason that this is possible is mostly the new wireless router we got so we can use our broadband internet downstairs on the lap top.

I think the biggest news is that both of our parents came out to visit us. Ben's parents came out for a few weeks in July. They liked but not quite loved it. They loved the weather but the population and abundance of city really intimidated them. They were happy and content just sitting on the patio. We had a few days in between the visit to get things in order before we turned around and flew back out to California to visit my mom and attend a wedding, which Ben was a groomsman in. California was HOT (100) and we spent the majority of our time in the airconditioned house. We definatly both agreed that next time we go out there we will be renting a car and staying in a hotel. My mom had to work almost the whole time so it wasn't much of a vacation but very nice to see the family. My mom just came out to celebrate her 50th birthday. The tickets were a present from us and we got a really good deal on them. It amazes me that tickets from here to L.A. cost as much as from here to the east coast. Ridiculous! My mom had a blast ad lapped up every bit of sun she could cause it was sure a cold winter in Cali.

This September we celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary and honestly could not be more happy together. This assignment has brought us so much closer. It is the greatest feeling and amount of love and understanding I have ever had for someone. We also celebrated our 1 year anniversary here! Three more to go, well 2 1/2 more like it.

We had a great holiday season! Thanksgiving we spent with some good friends that we've made, the McGee's. We sponsored them in and have remained friends ever since.

For Christmas we just did our own thing, which I am starting to love more and more. I did have to work in the morning but was able to make it home by noon to celebrate Christamas dinner. We decided to see what all the hype about Prime Rib was. We didnt care for it much but I think thats because we didnt know how to cook it.

WOW, How long has it been again?

So yes, I did it again....Droppped off the face of the earth I mean. I blame work and all that working that I have been doing. See things get complicated here when Ben goes to night shift, which occurs every 3 months, so most of my days off are spent trying to spend time with him. Sometimes we actually manage to go days without seeing each other. Yes, it sucks.
In the almost 7 months we have lived on the island of Oahu, I guess I have learned to just deal with things. I go through these rough patches of missing California(surprisingly) and then loving it here. For instance, on my birthday I layed on the beach and basked in the 80+ degree weather, got a horrible sunburn, and had great BBQ food in my backyard all in the beginging of February. Then the next week I have a couple bad days at work, which I will explain, and I all of a sudden hate it here and just want to get away. My bad days at work are usually caused by sneers or remarks made behind my back about something I said that I was taught in school. Rule number one: Do not insult my intelligence. See I have learned that Hawaiians absoutely hate change and refuse to do so unless some is sitting right there forcing them to. So I get cranky about work, but I have learned to just brush things off and use the excuse that they are locals and I am just a Haole Girl (white, non local). I have gained most of their trust but not all. The second reason that I get cranky about work is just the simple fact that I am not challenged enough. My mind needs stimulus to keep it in tip top condition, which I am definalty not getting here. I actually find myself reading books from school to attempt to learn new things. So I guess I am just dealing at the moment.
Ben is in a way scaring me. Lately he has been seriously thinking about commisioning or becoming an officer. He has his Bachelors and CCAF already so it would be relativly easy. He sews on SSGT next month April 1st. Yay I am so happy for him. So if he passes the OTC test and wants to cross over he is eligable to go in as a 2nd leitenant. I support him in every way and have decided to leave it up to him. He wouldn't be eligable to even take the text until 2011 anyway, but do I really want to be moving every 2 years?
On a more positive note, We've been making a number of new friends. Mostly people from his shift which is nice bacsuse they are all off at the same time so it makes planning cookouts pretty easy. I just happen to be the only wife who works though so I always have to fly home from work and change then go back out. Te greatest thing about our get togethers is that everyone lives within 3 streets of each other. Base housing is so convienant. There is 3 other couples we've been hanging with, one was a kid Ben sponsored. Him and his wife remind us ALOT of our late roomate Chad (RIP). The poor kid has the same motorcycle and everything.
I am pretty sure I am getting to the rambling stage and need to think about more structured things to write about now.
Good Night,
Amanda

So Sorry for us dropping off the face of the Earth!

WOW, really thats all I can say about the fact that it has been well over a month since my last blog. You see not much happens to us here and its kinda pointless for me to write about nothing.



So now deffinatly alot has happened since our last update. Shortly after my last writings we went to the Air Force Ball. Boy that was a little crazy because of the fact that it is a little hard to find formal ball gowns here. So I turned to good ol Jessica McClintock online and foud a cute dress on clearance. I had a little scare with the delivery tie mostly because its Hawaii and takes a little longer to get things here via mail. Yeah the dress arrived the day before the ball. The ball was fun even though we knew no one there. Almost nobody from Ben's shop even came. So we drank and drank. The highlite of the night was deffinatly when the Lt. Colonels wife was so drunk that she almost fell onto our table. Then her girlfriend walks up and talks about making out with her. LOL.I dont know if I will be able to force Ben to go again.

Life of a night shifter

I don't know where I left off on my last post so I had to publish it. That was like a week ago. Since then I have started working again. Ahh, such long hours. Because I will be attemping to go back to school for my RN, which I am mildly excited about, I am working three 10 hour shifts and a half day of 4 hours. Last Friday was my first day it went pretty smooth and was kinda nice because it was my half day. Saturday was a little more busy but thank god there aren't any scheduled surgerys. I forgot what it wa slike to have mass removals, spays, and neuters. I met a few nice girls who just happen to be military wives.

Sunday was spent alone, again. It is so hard just to let Ben sleep and not go jump on the bed and say wake up. It's not natural for someone to sleep and work the hours he does. Monday we actually had the day off together and one of our good friends, Brian, for Cali was flyin through on his way to make a PACAF run. So the plan was to wake up and clean and let Ben sleep till noon, go open a local bank account(they dont have any of the same banks here), shower, change and Brian should be here. Well I should have known that a C-5 leaving from Travis was not going to be on time. Better yet, they got in at 8pm. That was ok because me and Ben ended up running errands all day anyway. Not to mention the fact that I had to order a dress off Jessica McClintock for the Air Force Ball this week. We had went to Macys this past week only to find out that they don't carry formal dresses year round and niether dose anyone else. Being so late in the game I did the one thing I know how to do, order it online with an overnight delivery. So we were all excited to take Brian to Dixies and to actually see someone we know. We are starving to meet new people, well more me than Ben, but anyway. I had even called out to Dixies to make sure they didn't close early or something. We go pick Brian up, he had my partylite stuff which smells so good, thanks Jaimie. We get to Dixies and what do they tell us, "sorry we closed early because we were to slow". Ahhh I was pissed. So instead we went to good ol Hooters. I must not have been in the mood for wings because they were just ok to me and I only ended up eating a few. By the time we were done chatting and catching up, Brian needed to go and get sleep so we dropped him off and came home. It was almost 12:30a and I had to work at 10a.

Next day, Tuesday, came and went. I worked 10a-9p. Went smooth, fast, and stress free. Today is Wednesday and I feel like I have done nothing. Probably because I slept way to late. Went to the commissary which was unlike our last visit, came home, tried to start to lawn mower we "stole" from the bulk trash pickup pile and of course it didn't work, but Ben is going to try to fix it. Other than that I have been enjyong the fact that I have internet and trusty Discovery Health now. I made terriyaki chicken breasts with some rice for dinner and Ben went to work. Sucky sitting here alone but it's nice having me time. It's my time to go run and relax. Hopefully I will see Ben before I am off to work early in the morning but I doubt it. So I guess I will randevous with him Friday after I get off work at 12pm. Love you Babe! Miss you.

See uneventful,
With Love,
The Morgan's

The unevents

I am so not good at keeping up with this. But when you have so many uneventful days in a row it seems pointless to talk about it, but maybe every couple days. Ben is still off till friday. Monday we attempted to go out to the beach. When we left the house it was beautiful outside but by the time we got to Hickam's beach, Yes the base has its own beautiful beach, it was down pouring. The most rain I have seen here yet. So we detoured and went to try out a new sushi place we have discovered. Its called Kuru Kuru. It was pretty good. Alot like Genki Sushi. See you need to understand that sushi here isn't like on the mainland. It's more traditional Japanses style suhi with not alot of sauce and very plain. At this place the sushi goes by on a conveor belt and you pick what you like. Each plate has a color on it that indicates how much it is. And the portions are alot small which is a very good thing for us. After Sushi we went and got a pearl tapioca drink at the nex mart. By the time we got done with that it was still pretty rainy and therefore didn't end up going to the beach.



Yesterday we got up and headed to the beach. We stayed for about 1 1/2 hours. And again, I got pink. This time i sat in my chair and read and tried to tan my front side to catch up with how dark my back got.