because we're cool

As I mentioned in my previous post, this week has been AMAZING and the weekend did not fail us either.    The new fall weather is so inviting.  We walked to the post office and the grocery store to obtain the ingredients of the most delicious muffins ever.  Enter stage right... Spice Pumpkin Muffins.  Izzy calls them cake, I call them what-fall-taste-like-if-it-were-a-muffin.

1 box of spice cake mix
1 can of 100% pumpkin
1/3 C of milk
17 muffin cups



Mix everything together.  Bake at 375 for 18 minutes or so.  Eat and enjoy!!



The weekend also brought some drizzle but that did not stop us from enjoying our first beach bonfire with friends.  We roasted hotdogs and marshmallows and avoided eating the sand at all costs.  We sat around the fire while we watched the kids enjoy the damp sand and the crashing waves.  While I enjoy every minute with these people we have met, I cannot help but feel sad knowing that one by one these friends will have to leave to venture off to their new duty stations.  Sadly, we are the last to go.  It will be hard to say good-bye to people you share unlimited texts with, bottomless glasses of wine, and watching their kids and babies morph into young people.  This is the one thing I hate about being a military family.  It is so much fun meeting new people and making new friends.  But then there are the lucky few that weave their way into your life as if they were always there and they are no longer just friends, they are your best friends, they have become your family away from your family.  It's tough letting them go.  It yanks at your heart strings and makes you wonder why making friends is even worth it.  You vouge to never get close to anyone again because the ever looming thought of going your seperate ways is just too much.  But for some reason you need those people in the end.  You need that friendship.  You need to know you are not alone and that there are other people out there just as unsure about being a military family as you are.  We need to cling to each other to survive.



















Our bonfire was missing two special families, the Bundts and the Jewells, because they were out of town.  No worries though, we will have many more and then I can write more sappy posts about how much I love them too.

The beach bonfire brought many grains of sand to our home.  As a matter of fact, the crap is everywhere.  I wouldn't change it for the the world though.

And our grand finale to Chris' week off from school... we rode the Roaring Camp Railroad through the redwood forest.... of course, with friends.  I was in aww from the height and girth of those massive trees.  Rooted deep into the soil, stretching up to the heavens to make it look like they were kissing the clouds.  Izzy slept most of the train ride.  The lull of the carriage and rhythmic sounds of the steam engine helped her doze off in my arms.  It was too early for her nap time but I didn't mind.  We sat there as a family, with our friends, and enjoyed being outdoors and being together. 





























So this brings us to today.  Monday.  Izzy is in preschool and Chris started a new quarter of classes.  The house is empty but only for a while.  We have company coming on Wednesday.  One of my favorite girls in the whole wide world.  Our first daughter, Lina.  It is never a dull moment when she is around.  I can't wait! Her visit will bring more outings and more gatherings with friends because we're just cool like that. 

it's not about the destination, it's about the journey

My little girl is not so little any more.  I can feel it in my back and in my shoulders when I have to carry her or hold her by the back of her pants so she doesn't hit her face on the cement as she throws herself to the ground as she throws her little tantrums.  Just a few days ago my husband and I were commenting on the fact how Miss Iz has changed.... for the better.  There have been fewer fits, no yelling, ... nothing.  She was an angel for two weeks.  I kid you not, the day after we were sharing this new found love for her..... Izzy loses her schmidt in the Apple store.  Not at the front of the store, OH NO, all the way in the back.  So the 100 or so people shopping on that beautiful Sunday paused to take in all the action.  To see what I was going to do next.  To see if Izzy would live to see the car.  (She is still alive.  Don't worry.)

So this has been an on going thing for her the past couple of days.  I know it will pass.  It better pass.  So Izzy (and Teddy, to much his dismay) are spending some quality time in the cool off chair.  We have a time out mat but that is used for major things like, hitting, biting, or throwing.  The cool off chair is facing the window where Izzy can look out and calm herself by looking at the flowers, bugs and the fence.  There is no time limit to the cool off chair.  She is free to dismount at any time she feels she is done releasing the small demon from her body.  Day 1 was a success.  However, there is no cool off chair in middle of the grocery store.  Maybe I could leave her in produce and just go back for her later.  

Her teacher at preschool told me... "She is, uhhh, very strong willed."  Well first, that was a very polite way of telling me my child is stubborn and a beast.  And second, DUH!! That is why she is here.  (And to get an early start on education, of course.)  By the way, Izzy does love going to school.

:: Best. Week. Ever.

Chris has the week off from school this week.  And I have decided that I am never sending him back to school/work.  We are just going to have to figure out how to invest our money so we make millions so we both can be Stay-At-Home-Parents.  This week I got my husband back.  The one who makes jokes, laughs at my jokes, holds my hand, helps around the house, plays with our daughter and is home.  With Izzy being in school two days a week this allowed us some quality time to reconnect and mend some spots in our marriage.  I'm in love with my husband once again.

Chris and I had a very rare opportunity on Monday.  We had 7 hours to be alone during the week, during the day.  So what did we do..... after dropping Izzy off at school we headed to retrieve the Harley and our gear and head north.  First stop... Walmart, to grab a pair of cool looking shades to make me look even cooler riding with Chris (and to keep the sun and wind out of my eyes as well).  As we jumped on the highway I started to get nervous.  In the back of my head I started to think, this is sooooo irresponsible.  What will happen to Izzy if something happens to both of us? That would be so sad if she had to grow up without both parents. Who would pick her up from school today? THEN... a husband and wife, I'm assuming, passed us in their mini van and as I watched the husband crane his neck to get a look at the motorcycle as he drove by I was thinking... that's right!  I'm a BAMF!! You should be jealous of this hotness and the incredible sexy people riding this Harley.  I was committed to the ride.  And boy did we ride.  It was fun.  Having the wind kiss my chin and neck sent scents up my helmet and allowed me to take in the fullness of the warm fall day.  Sitting there in silence for a couple of hours, alone in my thoughts as we passed farmers harvesting their crops, redwood trees, llamas, several Christmas tree farms, deer, and fields of avocados and garlic.  I had a long discussion with myself.  I had said to Chris the other day as he was hurrying us along the coastal trail "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey".



Definitely not the safest thing I've ever done but the pictures were sooooo worth it.  






We had to slow down for some construction and this guy PASSED us on our motorcycle.  I literally laughed out loud!!




Then I realized... this oh-so-famous quote means so much more to me and Chris.  It's not just about traveling it's about any journey.  It's not about surviving Izzy until she is married and on her own, it's about the learning process (for all parties involved) that gets her to where she is suppose to end up.  It's not about a final weight goal, it's about what you learn to change your habits for the rest of your life to maintain that goal.  It's not about the second baby, it's about enjoying the process of getting a second baby.  It's not about the next duty station, it's about making the most of our time in this one.

We stopped at this little biker restaurant called "Alice's restaurant" where we sat on the porch and enjoyed some ribs, tuna melt and of course, some pie.  We took our time and actually tasted each bite of our food.  Time was our friend that day.











These guys were hilarious!!  This is the second table they sat at and tried to fix with silverware and napkins to get it stable.  The man on the right chatted it up with everyone!!  




On Wednesday we had another day to ourselves.  As soon as we closed the door to Izzy's school we rushed home to pack up our things for our next adventure together.  We headed to Monterey to try a breakfast restaurant called "First Awakenings", I however can never remember the name has called it the following: Tuesday Morning, Early Awakenings, that breakfast place with the really yummy french toast, and Morning Wake Ups.  Most of the time it's Tuesday Mornings.  Anyway, the breakfast filled our bellies and we laughed with each other about a million silly things we discussed.



As the day went on our car took us to Santa Cruz for a little kayaking and then back to Monterey for a lunch out.  Santa Cruz was foggy, for the first time ever, so we opted out of kayaking but still enjoyed strolling the harbor fantasizing about how it would be if we own a yacht.   We saw two sea otters playing in the cove and a rowing team practicing.  None the less, it was time spent together.





The sun was thinking about coming out.












Then my favorite part of this week... Loulou's on the wharf.  It's this little shack located on the pier and their food is fab-u-lous!!  Their service is out of this world.  The people who are attracted to this little place are laid back, easy going and just there to enjoy the beach.  As we sat there and giggled some more together I said, "This is what it was like before we had Izzy."  While I would never trade Izzy for anything in the world, it was still nice to just be Chris and Ashley.  It was exactly what we needed.  I look forward to the rest of our week with Izzy.  It's still fun.  Just a different kind of fun.



You see that man right here in this picture?  That is my husband.  That is the man I married.  The smiling, fun going, busy body who has been missing for the past three months.
















I'm praying that this time together has made us both realize what is really important and that we continue to laugh more and enjoy this journey.... together.