His Personal 4-Star Chef

Christopher is a lucky, lucky man, because this girl knows how to cook. I have been a busy girl in the kitchen lately. Last night, I made some swiss mushroom chicken that just about put us in a food coma. Chris raved about it all night as well as this afternoon. He's lucky, he gets leftovers, and then he typically gets the leftovers I set aside for myself as well. This chicken was breaded with butter crackers and topped with a layer of ham, sauteed baby bella mushrooms, and big slice of swiss cheese. I made homemade bread and broiled it with olive oil, cheese, and garlic.

Today I made four loaves of my sour cream banana bread, which is wonderfully sweet and gooey in the center. For dinner, I made chicken salad croissants. Golden raisins, cranberries, toasted coconut almonds, celery, and chicken make a colorful and delicious salad. I was very hungry tonight, and Chris called to tell me he wouldn't come home until well after 2000. Well, it's almost 2130 and he's still not home, so I only feel a little guilty for eating early. Paired with a Hawaiian Golden Ale, it made for a delectable dinner.

When I found out he wouldn't be home until later, I thought, "Great! Now I can work out!"

I didn't. I'm going to start Insanity soon because for some odd reason, swimsuit season comes a lot earlier here! The pools open up on Memorial Day, and I'm about as white and fattened up as a polar bear. There is no need for winter weight here because it is darn hot here. It is also super humid. I just generally need to feel good about myself. :)

My birthday presents from my parents came today! Since it's been raining off and on all week, and the sky looked like it was going to rain, my neighbors were sweet enough to bring the packages inside. I stopped to get them when I got home and I got to meet their kitties! It's weird that I haven't seen a cat in almost a month! Courtney, our neighbor, is the sweetest. She took one of my gifts and wrapped it up in cupcake paper. Can you believe that? (The best I could do to repay them was hand them a loaf of banana bread.)

Turns out Sheila Marie got me a sewing machine for my birthday. (Almost a month early.) I am so antsy to get that sucker out. I think I will wait until after Chris' next payday, just because our account hath dwindled. Trying to pay off the move and our rent and we have to start paying back my school loans next month. Lots of money going out the door is not fun, but it is life.

I love my friend Rachele. She cracks me up. She calls me and says, "Hey, wanna come over for happy hour?"

Hell yes I do, Rachele.

I sent her a text half an hour before I was supposed to meet her to tell her I had already mixed my drink. She told me she was ready to drink and to come on over. That's how it feels to be a housewife! She was stressing because they want to attend her husband's wedding, and with TBS, it's not always easy to take off and go. If the boys are in the field, it doesn't matter if you have a wedding, or if your wife is in labor, they aren't always allowed to go. We have a lot of people hoping for the best over here.

Chris' hours have been much better lately. (Excluding tonight.) This week he came home most nights around 1800 or 1900. I can handle that. That leaves a few hours for cuddling.

Yesterday Amber picked me up and we went to the DEERS office with the boys in hopes of getting our new IDs, but we got the excuse I have heard too many times already..."I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do for you now." Okay, that's great, don't go out of your way to help us out or anything. Amber and I got there before our husbands, and it was a bit terrifying to walk in the side door and find 50 2nd Lieutenants looking up at us wondering if we were lost. We probably looked like squirrels with a bus bearing down on us, but we didn't make eye contact with anyone as we looked around the room for the boys. When we didn't see them, we slowly turned around and walked back out.

It was nice to see the boys, even if it meant we had to wait in a hot room with a bunch of them. I am always happy to see Christopher, no matter the situation or when or where. After about an hour of waiting and finding out we would not be able to get our IDs anyway, Amber and I decided it wasn't worth it and took off. Chris ended up staying for two and a half hours only to find out he is still in the system as a reservist and could not get his ID anyway.

It is really frustrating to do all this in-processing stuff. It seems like all of these things should be figured out and set up so that when you get there you can just get it done and not have to keep coming back. I know that nobody wants to see me over and over again for the same old crap. They know we are all going to be coming in for the same reasons with the same "qualifications" so why is it so hard to get anything done? It happens in nearly all of the offices all of the time. Nobody really goes out of their way to help you or even guide you in the right direction. It's like a round-a-bout you can't get out of.

When Amber took me home, we were sitting outside of my house in her vehicle. I had to step out of the vehicle because one of the neighbor kids, who is three, tripped on the curb. I stopped to make sure he was okay. He was fine. He LOVED the attention. He was throwing around a bright green rubber ball and making sure we were watching. He was being pretty good just kind of minding his own, until all of a sudden he throws a crazy pitch at Amber's windshield. I leaned out and asked him, "Do you have insurance?" He looked incredibly confused, then looked down, then said no. I said, "Probably shouldn't do that then, huh?" And he stopped. I wonder if he asked his mom what insurance is.

Chris finally got came home and put his dinner in the microwave before I could get downstairs to stop him. His dinner...the chicken salad. With mayo. In the microwave.

Would Chris die if I weren't around?