Drew is officially out of Afghanistan now & on his way home to me! He has quite a lot of traveling ahead of him, but he'll be back before we both know it. I honestly can't really believe it. I'm so excited to see him!
Since he's getting here so soon, I've been busy organizing our stuff (that's not in storage) for the move. It is really unbelievable how much stuff we amass. I think each time we move I donate at least 4 garbage bags full of things. And that is true of the move this time & the move we did just eight short months ago! Each time I do this I promise myself that I'm going to stop buying & accumulating things since we'll be moving so often, but for some reason that pep talk never works. I really wish that I did live with less stuff. It would make moving life so much easier & it would be easier to focus on the things that are really important in life, which certainly aren't my things. It's a constant battle & pray, but hopefully (even if slowly) I am getting better at it. I'll keep you posted about how the move from Rhode Island goes!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Seriously, 106 Degrees?
My calendar says that October starts tomorrow, but the weather forecast says that it's supposed to be 106 degrees here in Pasadena tomorrow. Seriously, 106?! That sure doesn't seem like Fall to me. But I better enjoy the heat while I can because once I get to Rhode Island, I will definitely have seasons and I'll definitely have cold. I thought that because Newport is on the coast that it wouldn't get as cold, but everyone I've talked to who actually has knowledge of these things (unlike me) has said that it is a lot colder. They've said that the wind off of the ocean is so cold that you have to walk with your head down for like 3 months or it will freeze off. Oh great! I'm really in for it.
Also, this is a very belated 30th birthday wish to my dear friend, Lindsay! Last weekend I had the pleasure of heading up to Northern California to celebrate with Lindsay and her friends in San Fran. It was a wonderful weekend with my friend. Miss her already.
And, in other exciting news, t-minus 30 days until Drew gets back! I can't wait. I'm just so excited to be together again. I know that Drew is more than ready to come home, too. I went to a beautiful wedding last night for my friend, Erin, and her new husband, Charlie. It was just perfect! Congrats you two! But I do miss having my date at weddings and, well, really all of the time. Come home soon and safely, love.
Also, this is a very belated 30th birthday wish to my dear friend, Lindsay! Last weekend I had the pleasure of heading up to Northern California to celebrate with Lindsay and her friends in San Fran. It was a wonderful weekend with my friend. Miss her already.
And, in other exciting news, t-minus 30 days until Drew gets back! I can't wait. I'm just so excited to be together again. I know that Drew is more than ready to come home, too. I went to a beautiful wedding last night for my friend, Erin, and her new husband, Charlie. It was just perfect! Congrats you two! But I do miss having my date at weddings and, well, really all of the time. Come home soon and safely, love.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I have been thinking for a long time that I should start doing some book reviews on here. I can't say that I really have in talent in this area since I've never done it before, but I do read quite a bit and I know that people are always looking for some good book recommendations. Or at least honest book recommendations. So, here goes my first shot.
Gone Girl is a pretty hot book around many book club circles right now. I actually know three different friends who just read it as part of their book club. I'm not a book clubber (but secretly, or not so secretly now, wish I was...maybe I should add that to the RI checklist) but my friend Kristen had the book already rented out from the library so I took it with me on my trip to the bay area this past weekend. It was a quick read because it is an entertaining, page-turner that really makes you want to know what the heck is actually going on. But, I have to admit that when I got to the end, I still wasn't sure exactly what the heck was going on. I don't want to totally spoil the book, but it involves the pretty rocky and very psychotic marriage of Amy & Nick. Amy disappears at the beginning of the story on their five-year anniversary and we wonder throughout most of the book - did Nick do it?
To be honest, I don't like either one of the main characters. And I don't really think that I am supposed to like them, but even more than that I just don't understand either one of them. One of them, Amy, I am clearly never going to understand. She has psychosis that it actually took a genius author to create. It is definitely a smart book. I wasn't left wondering about any plot elements - all the ends were tied up rather nicely. That is saying something too, since some of the parts you think are true turn out not to be true and some of the parts you thought were false turn out to be true. It gets a little complicated, but in a good twists & turns way.
The part that I just couldn't get over, though, is the characters. They are all just a little too witty for me, especially Diary Amy, but I can see now that was intentional (but I definitely couldn't see it in the thick of things). Nick in particular irked me. I honestly cannot describe his character besides to say that he is a people-pleaser with serious daddy issues. Even though he is seemingly "deep" he is totally unknown. He usually did not do or say what I would have expected of him (see, more of the twists & turns), but maybe this is more of the genius of Gillian Flynn that just goes totally over my head. In the end, I am just left completely baffled by his final decision. It makes absolutely zero sense to me or to what I expected of Nick. I mean, maybe if I try real hard to think very Nick-ish for a bit I could kind of understand what makes him do it. But, it's just not the ending I wanted. For being such a crazy book it turned out just a little too normal, and I use that word in its most abnormal sense.
My favorite character was either Nick's sister, Go (short for Margot?), or Detective Boney. I think I liked them because they were the most relatable. They were both strong, independent women that were equally frustrated and perplexed by Nick's final decision. I liked that. I guess since I'm a lawyer I also have to say that I kind of liked Tanner. I think maybe I should get his job in my next lawyer life - Clamato anyone?
Overall, I think I really did enjoy reading this book. It is undeniably clever and the storyline is just irresistible. You can't really put it down until you finish. But, you have to be okay with the fact that you're probably just not going to understand a lot of it, especially the ending. Again, maybe that is the whole Gillian is a genius and Jessica just doesn't get it thing. I guess the best recommendation I can give it is to say that I now want to read some of Gillian Flynn's other books. She has a mastery of complex plots, a page-turning writing style, and an obviously brilliant mind.
Gone Girl is a pretty hot book around many book club circles right now. I actually know three different friends who just read it as part of their book club. I'm not a book clubber (but secretly, or not so secretly now, wish I was...maybe I should add that to the RI checklist) but my friend Kristen had the book already rented out from the library so I took it with me on my trip to the bay area this past weekend. It was a quick read because it is an entertaining, page-turner that really makes you want to know what the heck is actually going on. But, I have to admit that when I got to the end, I still wasn't sure exactly what the heck was going on. I don't want to totally spoil the book, but it involves the pretty rocky and very psychotic marriage of Amy & Nick. Amy disappears at the beginning of the story on their five-year anniversary and we wonder throughout most of the book - did Nick do it?
To be honest, I don't like either one of the main characters. And I don't really think that I am supposed to like them, but even more than that I just don't understand either one of them. One of them, Amy, I am clearly never going to understand. She has psychosis that it actually took a genius author to create. It is definitely a smart book. I wasn't left wondering about any plot elements - all the ends were tied up rather nicely. That is saying something too, since some of the parts you think are true turn out not to be true and some of the parts you thought were false turn out to be true. It gets a little complicated, but in a good twists & turns way.
The part that I just couldn't get over, though, is the characters. They are all just a little too witty for me, especially Diary Amy, but I can see now that was intentional (but I definitely couldn't see it in the thick of things). Nick in particular irked me. I honestly cannot describe his character besides to say that he is a people-pleaser with serious daddy issues. Even though he is seemingly "deep" he is totally unknown. He usually did not do or say what I would have expected of him (see, more of the twists & turns), but maybe this is more of the genius of Gillian Flynn that just goes totally over my head. In the end, I am just left completely baffled by his final decision. It makes absolutely zero sense to me or to what I expected of Nick. I mean, maybe if I try real hard to think very Nick-ish for a bit I could kind of understand what makes him do it. But, it's just not the ending I wanted. For being such a crazy book it turned out just a little too normal, and I use that word in its most abnormal sense.
My favorite character was either Nick's sister, Go (short for Margot?), or Detective Boney. I think I liked them because they were the most relatable. They were both strong, independent women that were equally frustrated and perplexed by Nick's final decision. I liked that. I guess since I'm a lawyer I also have to say that I kind of liked Tanner. I think maybe I should get his job in my next lawyer life - Clamato anyone?
Overall, I think I really did enjoy reading this book. It is undeniably clever and the storyline is just irresistible. You can't really put it down until you finish. But, you have to be okay with the fact that you're probably just not going to understand a lot of it, especially the ending. Again, maybe that is the whole Gillian is a genius and Jessica just doesn't get it thing. I guess the best recommendation I can give it is to say that I now want to read some of Gillian Flynn's other books. She has a mastery of complex plots, a page-turning writing style, and an obviously brilliant mind.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Pismo Beach
Every summer the Charles Family gets together for a weekend up in Pismo Beach. It is such a fun time for us all to be together. We laugh, eat, play games, go on walks & just enjoy being together so much. Even though we all live in California, we don't get to see each other as often as we would like. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family that I just can't get enough of. I am always so sad to leave my family and Pismo. Wish we could turn it into a week long family trip! This year was especially fun because we now have four little ones (all girls!) in our family, including the youngest addition who just turned five months. I couldn't get enough of the little ones. Everyone joked that I was hogging baby Naomi, but she is just so cute and snuggly. I didn't want to let that love nugget go!
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| See, I wasn't the only one holding little Naomi... |
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| there was plenty of her love to go around... |
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| the whole family. |
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| But, I did get to wear the baby bjorn so I think that makes me a little more official. |
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| Missing my Drew |
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| Cousins! |
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| Me and my Pops |
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| Beautiful Little Miss Abigail, aka Goose |
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
This Day & Age
I've been really bad at blogging lately. I've definitely been thinking a lot about blogging, but that isn't exactly the same as actually blogging. I had a goal to do at least a blog a week, but I've drastically failed at that goal. Oh well, there's always time to start over again.
I haven't written much on here about the challenges of Drew's deployment. I didn't really want to get myself down or anyone else, but I think it's important to remember just how much all of the military spouses and families sacrifice too. Living in this day & age, people say we've had it a lot easier than soldiers and families in prior wars. I get to Skype with Drew almost every day, the mail works pretty regularly, even though I have yet to see if any letters can arrive from Afghanistan but I think that has more to do with Drew's lack of writing than the mail system, and we are bombarded with news about the war. I am very lucky that Drew is not directly involved in combat situations because I don't actively worry about him everyday. I trust that he is in God's hands. But, there have been a few times when I didn't hear from Drew for a few days and I began to get worried. So I scoured the Afghanistan news websites to see if there was any bad news from Drew's district. Thankfully, there wasn't.
But I got to thinking...if I lived in a time when there was not accessible internet or Skype, and I only heard from Drew every few weeks by letter, I wouldn't really know when to be worried. Maybe I'd be worried all of the time or maybe I would just live my life the best I can over here because I wouldn't have the luxury of rushing to the Internet to look for the latest news. It would just be normal if I didn't hear from him for a few weeks at a time. Maybe my arms wouldn't ache so much from wanting to reach out and touch him as I look at him on my computer screen. Maybe I wouldn't feel quite as lonely after I say goodnight to him but roll over to an empty bed because I would have gotten used to being on my own. I'm not saying it would be easier to go back to the old days because I don't know if it would. And I wouldn't trade being able to Skype with Drew for anything. But, it's hard. It's hard trying to live your life everyday with half of your heart on the other side of the world. I just think it's hard no matter what, though.
I haven't written much on here about the challenges of Drew's deployment. I didn't really want to get myself down or anyone else, but I think it's important to remember just how much all of the military spouses and families sacrifice too. Living in this day & age, people say we've had it a lot easier than soldiers and families in prior wars. I get to Skype with Drew almost every day, the mail works pretty regularly, even though I have yet to see if any letters can arrive from Afghanistan but I think that has more to do with Drew's lack of writing than the mail system, and we are bombarded with news about the war. I am very lucky that Drew is not directly involved in combat situations because I don't actively worry about him everyday. I trust that he is in God's hands. But, there have been a few times when I didn't hear from Drew for a few days and I began to get worried. So I scoured the Afghanistan news websites to see if there was any bad news from Drew's district. Thankfully, there wasn't.
But I got to thinking...if I lived in a time when there was not accessible internet or Skype, and I only heard from Drew every few weeks by letter, I wouldn't really know when to be worried. Maybe I'd be worried all of the time or maybe I would just live my life the best I can over here because I wouldn't have the luxury of rushing to the Internet to look for the latest news. It would just be normal if I didn't hear from him for a few weeks at a time. Maybe my arms wouldn't ache so much from wanting to reach out and touch him as I look at him on my computer screen. Maybe I wouldn't feel quite as lonely after I say goodnight to him but roll over to an empty bed because I would have gotten used to being on my own. I'm not saying it would be easier to go back to the old days because I don't know if it would. And I wouldn't trade being able to Skype with Drew for anything. But, it's hard. It's hard trying to live your life everyday with half of your heart on the other side of the world. I just think it's hard no matter what, though.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Unbelizeable
It has been really hard these past few months with Drew gone, but I have definitely been spoiled with all of the traveling and fun things I've been doing. Now I have one more fantastic experience to add to the list. Drew's sister, Maggie, and I went down to Belize and Guatemala last week. We had such a fabulous time! It was the first visit for both of us to Belize and we absolutely loved it. It is such an easy country to travel in - the people are so nice, everyone speaks English (it used to be a British colony), they accept U.S. dollars everywhere, there is so much delicious fresh fruit, and there is tons of excursioning to be done!
We spent three nights in the jungle near San Ignacio, which is right on the Guatemala border. We stayed in an eco-lodge with cute little cabins, hammocks everywhere, a view overlooking the river and tons of wildlife. From there we went on a hike (and saw a tarantula!), took a side trip to Guatemala to see the breathtaking Maya ruin, Tikal, and did quite a bit of relaxing.
We spent three nights in the jungle near San Ignacio, which is right on the Guatemala border. We stayed in an eco-lodge with cute little cabins, hammocks everywhere, a view overlooking the river and tons of wildlife. From there we went on a hike (and saw a tarantula!), took a side trip to Guatemala to see the breathtaking Maya ruin, Tikal, and did quite a bit of relaxing.
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| Our jungle cabin - it was so dark at night! I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I was blind because I couldn't even see my own hand. |
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| A little cribbage with river views and some Belikins (the national beer of Belize) |
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| Amazing Tikal ruins rising up out of the jungle |
The second half of our trip was a bit derailed by Tropical Storm/Hurricane Ernesto. We had planned to go out to the islands off the northern coast of Belize, but they were evacuated due to the storm so instead we headed down to the beaches in the south - a little place called Placencia. I think our last-minute trip ended up even more wonderfully than we could have planned. We stayed two nights at a lovely little guesthouse (where the owner baked us fresh chocolate chip cookies!) that was right in the town. We rode our bikes into town, tried out all of the local restaurants and enjoyed watching the Olympics. For our last two nights we moved to a hotel right on the beach with a swimming pool, its own dock and the best restaurant in Belize. It was truly perfect. We wished we could have stayed about three more months there. It was a wonderful trip! I had so much fun traveling with you, Maggie. Can't wait until next August!
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| Placencia Village |
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| View from our room - couldn't get much better! |
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Rhode Island Bound
Wow! I've been a huge blogger slacker lately. I guess I've just been so busy vacationing and having fun that I didn't budget in any time to blog - yikes!
Well, it's official. We will be heading to Newport, Rhode Island in October! We are very excited with this new post. Drew will be teaching at the Naval Justice School there. I think it will be a really good fit for him, and he's very excited about it. Hopefully I'll be able to find a job quickly. I'm not exactly looking forward to taking another bar, but not much I can do about that. We will be there for three years, so we are excited to settle down and make our home there together. We've already been looking up rentals and are looking for a place with three bedrooms so that we will have plenty of room for visitors. So start planning to come visit us!!
Well, it's official. We will be heading to Newport, Rhode Island in October! We are very excited with this new post. Drew will be teaching at the Naval Justice School there. I think it will be a really good fit for him, and he's very excited about it. Hopefully I'll be able to find a job quickly. I'm not exactly looking forward to taking another bar, but not much I can do about that. We will be there for three years, so we are excited to settle down and make our home there together. We've already been looking up rentals and are looking for a place with three bedrooms so that we will have plenty of room for visitors. So start planning to come visit us!!
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