Australian Vacation

We are on the countdown now, only a few more weeks to go until we try the AMC Flight out of Hickam and into Sydney! Wish us luck, the flights leave once a week, so if we miss it, we'll be waiting another week to catch the next one.

I did complain to the right people about Ted's leave but didn't get anywhere, so it'll be 15 days and we'll make the most of it... BUGGER! It still makes my blood boil... 

We have some friends in town from Alaska (we were stationed together in Key West Florida) and it's been great catching up with them and showing them the island and just hanging out (like old times but with babies) tonight is their last night in town and we're going to spend it downtown watching the sunset before they head back to rainy Alaska... The Soultz's will be missed but hopefully you get orders here or to San Francisco or New York or Boston, cause you know The Szynski's will be coming to visit! ;)

It's finally nap time, so I must get some laundry done, make lunch, and clean up a little... 

Advice for new parents... mostly us Mums that love to shop!

Today I purchased my fourth stroller/pram... four strollers you say? yes I know... it's been a learning curve since I was pregnant, so now as a sort of experienced stroller buyer I want to pass on what I've learned... 

The first stroller we bought was a huge Graco Travel Stroller with the infant car seat was about $250 which we used until my car was stolen (which at the time we needed to upgrade to a convertible car seat, so the timing was good, but wish I had the infant car seat to sell with the stroller now but that's another story) So I wanted a jogging stroller to use for walks and for runs, so bought an Instep for about $130 (but that too was in the car when it was stolen) so we then purchased a Jeep jogging stroller which is a beast! that cost $160 but used a 20% off coupon, so ended up paying $130. It's great for big days out as it has the storage to hold a cooler of food and water and things for the beach! Now that we are planning to go to Australia, I didn't want to have to carry the Jeep stroller (as it doesn't fold quite in half because of the wheels) I wanted something that would recline all the way, be able to use for walks, fold in half and be light... that is where the Baby Jogger City Mini Comes in... brand new this stroller costs $230 and I was able to get a second hand one for $150 on craiglist.com. 

Baby Jogger City Mini

So I wish I knew what I wanted to buy when I was pregnant, cause if I had've known more people with kids and asked the right questions or did more research, I think I would've ended up with the City Mini, it has all the features I need and will fit into a car, a truck or SUV. So I still have the Jeep and will probably keep it for those beach days or big days out and use the City Mini for those quick trips to the shops, traveling and everyday use. 

Now that I've gotten that off my chest... my next bit of advice is CRAIGSLIST! www.craigslist.com it's the best place to buy anything second hand. Whether you're on a budget or not, it's a great place to sell your stuff and to also buy any baby toys, clothes (I bought clothes for Connor the other day for 18 months, 2T, 3T, 4T and 5T for $50, I would say there was at least 20 pieces of clothing per year) not bad hey? Now I know that craigslist is huge in the states, but when I checked Brisbane, there wasn't much available... so where do Aussies advertise to buy/sell their stuff? (ok I know I am Australian, but I haven't lived there in about 8 years, so help me out!) 

Busy as can be...

Well the last few days have been busy as can be! Yesterday we hit the swap meet and got a couple of gifts for our trip to Australia, then it was lunch at Schooner's Restaurant with Jackie and her family then off to Fabric Mart to pick up some, well... fabric! and then a big commissary run! all that from 10am til 5pm... Connor was super great all day!

It's nice having the car on Ted's duty days, so thank you Jackie for the idea and thank you Ted for going along with it! Today we spent our time cleaning the house, doing some laundry and ran some errands, nothing too exciting I promise! now we are just waiting for Ted to call so that we can go pick him up... so I sit here thinking, should I start preparing dinner? or maybe start on one of my crafting projects? I know that as soon as I do, he'll call! it's always the way! hahaha, so I'll just blog instead...

This weekend is Labor Day Weekend, what is everyone up to? we were trying to organize a bbq for Saturday, but it looks like everyone's got plans... So maybe we'll head to the beach, it'll be Connor's first time... I'll see what Ted thinks of that...

So I finally got the study the way I want it, my crafting/sewing table is in place and ready for action... after breaking the computer table (and Ted ever so wonderfully nailing it back together) I now don't have room for this damn papasan in the office, so I really want to put it upstairs, but it's covered, and I mean covered in Spartacus fur... so I need to wash it, in some mega sized washing machine... any ideas? I'd hate to have to buy another one, Pier 1 here in Hawaii is so damn expensive! I think it might be cheaper buying one from Pier 1 on the mainland and have them ship it to me...

Well I could quite possibly write a novel, so I will end my blog here and go ahead and start on a crafting project... photos upon completion! wish me luck!

A Navy Tradition... Dining Out

Last night Ted and I attended our first Dining Out, it was mandatory fun, but it was nice for us to get dressed up and go out for dinner as it was the first time since Connor was born that we have been able to go out on a date. 

It was a combined function between the ward room and the chief's mess, I did hear that the chief's mess voted no on having the dining out combined and I now completely understand why... At first it was interesting, but by the end of the night, it was pretty painful and almost tacky... 

It was great to see friends and catch up and meet new people so don't get me wrong, I enjoy being apart of the ship's community and am always willing to try new things and do my part but I'll never attend another combined dining out, EVER! I'm all for equality in the world, but there are so many double standards in the Navy. I don't think it was appropriate for the Navy women to be in evening gowns, but I guess it was allowed. I don't think that we should've had to pay so much for an event that was mandatory, Ted and I shelled out about $400 before the night even began and not to mention the money we spent on alcohol that night... A long list of gripes I have about the event I know... but if you were in my shoes and know what I know, you'd probably feel the same way... 

Moving right along, today was sort of a lazy day, I got to sleep in (thank you Ted) and then baked a delicious mile high peanut butter brownie pie for a friends baby shower. It was a lovely afternoon catching up with the girls and meeting Jackie's mum, I had a great time! 

Now it's 9pm and Connor's sleeping and I'm waiting for my steak dinner! yes a late dinner... Tomorrow we'll either be going to a birthday party or the Greek Festival... hmmm Greek food! Ooooompa! Hope you're enjoying your weekend! signing off to have another glass of wine... 

The Cove, Energy Conservation and Upcoming Events...

I watched The Cove the other night and it truly saddened me that this is going on and that no one has been able to stop it... I really hope that we can stand up as individuals and make a difference and put an end to the slaughter of dolphins! They are such beautiful creatures. 

Our family attended the town hall meeting for energy conservation and I have to say that I came out feeling very informed on what is going to happen. Our monthly statements have never been within the range of "like" units and the bill on any given month would be from $400-$600. Based on those monthly statements, I figured that we would be paying out of pocket for electricity. So here is a breakdown of what I learned; your house will be grouped with others like it and the top 5% consumers and the bottom 5% consumers will be taken out of the equation and there will be a 40% buffer created (20% above and below the average usage) so anything you use above the 20% buffer, you'll pay, and anything below the 20% average, you will receive a credit. So throw out those statements because the base line they used for those was pretty much every house in your area, there was no real breakdown of the house size, type, etc. So I am very much looking forward to receiving our first mock bill so that we can compare what Forest City said to what the actual bill says... and no we will not get any of our BAH back... BOO! hopefully this will get our butts into gear and start conserving energy and offset our carbon footprint.

We hit the water park on Wednesday and it was nice to get out and let Connor play in the water and with none other than his best mate, Bradley. It was definitely nice to get some sunshine too! 

Tonight is duty night, sucks, but was able to have the car today and get lots of things done. I'm still dealing with this damn insurance (GAP) and can see the dim light at the end of the tunnel. Bought a baby shower gift and ingredients for the Mile High Peanut Butter Brownie Pie that I will be bringing with me. This is by far the most delectable sweet you'll ever try! I'm such a big chocolate peanut butter fan that this will satisfy that craving (can you say sugar rush?) and then we hit Walmart for some fabrics, I am going to make some baby blankets next week and try my luck at a few other baby items and see how I go, will post pics as soon as they are made. 

The weekend is almost upon us, what are your plans? We have lots going on and will blog about it as soon as I can get the time too! Have a great weekend! 

Oh what a day...

We got up a little late this morning, but did go on our walk, fresh air and exercise is a great way to start the day!

After eating some breakfast, I decided to deal with my damn insurance claim... A little background, my car was stolen on July 15th from my driveway and it was locked, but that didn't seem to be enough of a deterrent!  I had complained to our security department here in housing, but I wasn't diligent enough with the security of my vehicle as I should have parked it in the garage (geez, what was I thinking parking my car in my driveway?) so apparently nothing more can be done with stepping up security in our neighborhood cause enough crime hasn't happened (I could so go on forever on this topic, but just a brief note, the crime in 2008 was 222 and in 2009 the total amount of crimes was 375 that's over 100 more crimes! but that's not enough to get more security in our area) So my Husbands solution? get a shotgun!

So between the insurance company, the dealer, the financier and GAP, I've about had it! I wouldn't wish a stolen car on my worst enemy, it's brutal! but I am slowly getting through it... after all is said and done, we'll be walking away without a car payment and for now we'll be a one car family... it sucks, cause now I just can't up and get out of the house when I want to... but the extra money we'll have will go towards our trip to Australia in November and then of course Christmas! YAY! so the sacrifice is worth it...

So I've cleaned the house, started to make banana bread but I don't have unsalted butter (must get some later) and then we have our home visit from New Parent Support.

Tonight we are attending a town hall meeting to find out more information on Forest City charging us for electricity. For those of you that are non military, we receive BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) from the Navy and for my Husband's rank, we get $2500/month (give or take) and that all goes to Forest City (the company that manages our housing area) and that includes rent, utilities and lots of great amenities (but not enough security!) So I can understand that we need to be energy conscious, but charging us for electricity? why not replace all of our appliances with energy efficient ones instead of the cheap ones we have now? I guess we'll find out more tonight...

The beginning...

Today I have decided to officially start a blog... I've been thinking about doing this for the longest time and now my thoughts are words shared with the world, or at least whomever would like to read my mind...

The purpose of this blog is to share my experiences of not just being a US Navy Wife, but also being an Australian married to an American and the lovely culture clashes we encounter  daily... I am no Julie & Julia, I have not thought of anything exciting to do for my blog (although the idea sounds fantastic, any ideas?) I am a SAHM, I worked in the film industry, and recently gave up my career as a wedding and event planner to be at home with my son and I love being a Mum! I will eventually return to either profession, depending of course on where we end up next.

We have been in Hawaii for a year and a half now, that means we are half way through our tour! We haven't had the chance to do much as a family, since my Husband has been deployed for most of the time we've been here but he's home for a while now, so it'll be great to see what Hawaii has to offer!

I could probably write forever... well the rest of the day on what life has been like as an Aussie married to the US Navy, but I'm sure those stories will come to print soon enough... until then, I must resume my duties as a wife and mother and get the laundry caught up and dinner started... thanks for stopping by!