A Long Time Away

Hi Blogger Friends, I am very sorry I have been missing for a bit. A lot has been going on with me emotionally and I just needed to take some time away from here, but don’t worry….nothing to be concerned about it. Lately, I haven’t had a clue on know what to write about, I didn’t have the time to sit here and actually write a decent post, and I am trying to figure out the way I would like this blog’s direction to take place.

During my time of absence, I really haven’t been absent. I still logged on everyday to catch up on all my follower’s and wrote a few comments here and there. It seems like everyone is at a great place right now. Many of you have shared your Thanksgiving menus, Christmas check lists, holiday stressors, and more. I enjoy reading everyone’s posts and I want to thank you for sharing your life/tips with me.

I am sure you have also noticed that I have been slacking on my weekly menu’s the past two weeks, and I am ready to jump right back in this weekend. Over the past two weeks, I have cooked some old favorite’s along with quite a few new recipes. Speaking of new, I am proud to say I have officially had the guts to try one of the Pioneer Woman’s recipes. I have always been a little reluctant to try it because there are quite a bit of steps, but most of, her meals contain calorie on top of calorie on top of calorie.

The recipe I tried was Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes. It looked so good, and I knew Gregg would just absolutely LOVE it. However, after I spent an hour in the kitchen, Gregg brought to my attention that the chicken was not cooked all the way through. I was so embarrassed! I know chicken, I do chicken, how can this happen? Anyways, it looked good, but couldn’t go that far into eating it. Maybe my next Pioneer Woman trial will be a little better.

The weather here in Vicenza, Italy has been nothing but RAIN. I am so tired of this overcast, getting wet all the time, and coming home to wet jean hems. I was warned when I moved here that when it rains, it rains for like two weeks straight, but this is just a bit much. If it gets past this fourth week, I think I might just pull my hair out. The temperature has not been bad though. It was freezing this last year, but I have not been so miserable yet. Watch me say that, and it’s a different story come tomorrow.

The boys have been trickling home slowly, and I can’t be any happier. Some of Gregg’s friends have made it and of course he is ecstatic. We had a little get together this weekend since it’s been about 3 months since the last time he has seen any of them. You can tell he has been itching for his man time, and this weekend could not have gotten any more fun for him and myself.
The rest of the boys should be here by the end of this week hopefully, and then we can finally say we have made it through a deployment with everyone coming back home. Thank you Lord, I am forever grateful.

Gregg and I have invested in the Kinect, but I am sure everyone didn’t doubt that happening. The Kinect is the coolest thing I have ever played with, and I am actually itching to play it right now. If anyone has an Xbox 360, you need to go out and purchase this cool gadget. With the Kinect, you can walk right in front of the television, not touch anything, and it will sign you in just by recognizing who you are through body points and your voice. Also, you don’t use any kind of controller, you just point to the screen and it does want you want it to. It’s truly amazing and should be under everyone’s Christmas tree this year!

Work has been moving a long and I have been given more responsibilities which is pretty cool. On December 4, I will be getting promoted once again, and I can’t wait. It really needs to get here NOW. My goal is to try and move over to NAVY so I can keep everything I have worked for over the past 18 months. If I leave, they won’t match my 401k in about another 18 months, and my Pay Grade will go down if I ever want to work with CYS again later in life. So, if you know anything about the Navy’s Child and Youth Program, please let me know.

A co-worker of mine recently went to Washington D.C. to watch her husband receive the Medal of Honor. SSG Salvatore Guinta is a great soldier, and I am proud to say I know him and have him serving in the same unit as my husband. He truly is a humble man and would do anything for his fellow soldier’s/family. The ceremony was aired live, but if you missed…here is a great link to watch.

Since everyone has been sharing their Thanksgiving Plans, I guess I should share mine…but not yet. I will save that for another post… (Maybe tomorrow?) But I will tell you, it is going to be very small this year and very intimate. Last year I did Thanksgiving for the very first time, and I cooked for 16 people! It was a whirlwind, but do not regret it one bit.

Also, someone recently stated that I should start a cook book with all recipe’s in it, and I would love to, but can’t. However, I am starting a new project with them. I am making cute recipe cards and I am hoping to compile a couple sets to give to family members. If you would like a set, let me know, but know it will probably take a very long time until I am officially done!

Well, I guess that’s about all that has been going on with us. I’ll try to be on here a little bit more in the week to post a couple more things. If not, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for being a follower!