The Week Ahead - May 27

Outside my window...two days of 85+ degrees coming with thunderstorms spells Humidity with a capital H.  So happy to see that while it is currently 71 degrees in Norfolk at 7am, it is only 46 in Bremerton!

 

I am thinking...about the moving to-do list - organized the garage this weekend in preparation for the pre-move inspection by the moving company.  I swear that Vic will end up on an episode of Hoarders - the Tool and Electronic Division!

I am thankful...for confirmed dates for our pack-out and pick-up - summer is the busiest season for household goods scheduling and I was happy to get our notification the same day I dropped off our paperwork.

From the kitchen...pork chops with Spanish rice - olé.

I am hearing...the clock ticking and the air conditioner running.

 

One of my favorite things...a great lunch with my Mustang Spouses group.  Moving from the enlisted to the officer ranks is an interesting experience for a military spouse and it's nice to have a group of ladies who have been there, done that...our get-togethers always make for interesting conversation.

I am still reading...Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters...I was intrigued so I downloaded it to my Kindle and I'm loving it.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...working at the Tidewater Collection today, last TOSA lunch (with a field trip to the Virginia War Museum), baby shower on Thursday morning followed by inventory at the shop, more inventory on Friday, and finalizing the inventory over the weekend.  I hope we can knock it out on Saturday.

College Update...FIGs (First-Year Interest Groups) application is complete and Sophia got a spot in the Journalism group.  Next up is the registration date next week for SummerStart, the student and family orientation weekend along with advising and registration.  Can't remember if I explained FIGs before:

A FIG is a cluster of three courses: two general education courses (psychology and anthropology, for example) linked with a two-credit seminar (max. of 25 students). While the seminar itself is small, the general education classes (also known as “GURs”) are usually quite large: Those students enrolled in the FIG participate in the GUR courses the same way as other students enrolled in the courses, but also get the advantage of meeting together as a small group in the seminar. The learning community environment created by a FIG cluster can help students connect more quickly to university life, and foster a smoother transition from high school to college learning and expectations.

Volunteer Update...one turnover complete, STILL waiting for the shop co-managers to meet with the potential candidate for the second one.

Travel and Family Field Trips Update...we realized that we have less than 70 days left in Virgnia so we made a bucket list to knock out before we leave.  Number one was a visit to the Big Yellow Duck, the work of a Dutch artist, Forentijn Hofman, making its Virginia debut in Norfolk. The big yellow attraction has visited China, England, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil.

After multiple attempts to take it on our own, we finally handed the camera to Sophia!

Leave a comment below if you'd like to share your Week Ahead.

The Week Ahead - May 19

Outside my window...another summery week - temperature from the high 60s to the low 80s.

 

I am thinking...about the moving to-do list - I should put it on here for accountability...where is my to-do list?

I am thankful...for another straight A semester for Sophia - she really worked hard and we are so proud of her.

From the kitchen...fish, I think.

I am hearing...the clock ticking.

 

One of my favorite things...a yummy dinner at our favorite hibachi restaurant for a triple-header celebration - Vic's safe return from Djibouti, Sophia's straight A semester, and getting orders.

I am reading...Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters...I was intrigued so I downloaded it to my Kindle and I'm loving it.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...Turnover Brunch for the TOSA Board on Monday, working at the Tidewater Collection on Tuesday, and swinging by the Tidewater Collection for opening and closing shifts the rest of the week to train volunteers on the new computer system, turnover meeting with new WebMaster on Wednesday, and Mustang Spouses Lunch on Friday.  The weekend is blissfully empty.

College Update...housing deposit PAID!  FIGs (First-Year Interest Groups) application date is today.

Volunteer Update...one turnover scheduled for Wednesday, still waiting for the shop co-managers to meet with the potential candidate for the second one.

Travel and Family Field Trips Update...busy working on the next big travel adventure - coast to coast - it's tough to plan any real sightseeing since we have MudLynn and Vic needs to be in Washington by the 11th to take a training course so we're only including a stop-off at Mount Rushmore.

It was another birthday in heaven for Mum on Saturday - here we are in 1966 - a photo Mum had taken to send to Dad when he was Vietnam.

Leave a comment below if you'd like to share your Week Ahead.

The Week Ahead - May 12

Outside my window...hot - up in the 80s with a thunderstorm here and there - ugh.

 

I am thinking...orders, orders, orders, we have ORDERS!  I probably don't need to tell you this, though, because I'm sure they heard my YIPPEE as far as Washington last Wednesday morning when I opened the e-mail and found them forwarded from Vic's office.

I am thankful...for orders - now I can really begin to plan.

From the kitchen...leftovers.

I am hearing...the clock ticking.

 

One of my favorite things...a new Pandora charm for my bracelet.

I am STILL reading...Navy Wife by Debbie Macomber...quick and easy.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...spending most of the week at the Tidewater Collection - prep fo the clearance sale today, set-up for the clearance sale tomorrow and then the clearance sale on Wednesday, working at an evening event at the shop on Thursday and then getting my bangs cut on Friday.

College Update...no change - still waiting for housing deposit due date - notice will come at the end of May - and FIGs (First-Year Interest Groups) application date - May 19.  Today is Sophia's last day of school - can't believe that my girl has a whole year of college under her belt.  This time last year, I was planning her high school graduation.

Volunteer Update...one turnover still needs to be rescheduled as the candidate had to go out of town so our meeting was cancelled, discussed the status of the second position at the board meeting last week and there is a potential candidate - the co-managers will take her out to lunch and pop the question.

Travel and Family Field Trips Update...we wouldn't have made it to Washington DC over the weekend because Vic ended up having duty but Smitten by Britain has a great post on the British Embassy's open house event here.

Sophia spent a little of her hard-earned pet-sitting cash on a couple of new dresses - love this one!

Leave a comment below if you'd like to share your Week Ahead.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends out there, mothers and caregivers of human and animal children!  To my Mum in heaven, my mother-in-law, my sister (Mom to two active young boys which should qualify her for extra credit!), and to all my friends near and far.  Have a lovely day and I hope you are pampered.

The Week Ahead - May 5

Outside my window...more of last week's mid-60s to mid-70s range with some rain.

 

I am STILL thinking...still no orders.

I am thankful...for air conditioning - it's getting to be that time of year.

From the kitchen...more fish.  I told you last week it was a big bag.

I am hearing...nothing.

 

One of my favorite things...having Vic home again...only a few more days.

I am STILL reading...Navy Wife by Debbie Macomber...quick and easy.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...spending most of the week at the Tidewater Collection - new computer system training for board members on Monday, working there on Tuesday, board meeting there on Wednesday, CORE Little Black Dress debriefing on Thursday and then a blissfully free couple of days culminating in Mother's Day.  I doubt our Washington DC trip is going to happen; I'm exhausted after the last couple of days and I think Vic will be as well.  I'll be sorry to miss the EU Open House but who knows, we may be stationed back in this area another time and be able to make the trip.

College Update...no change - still waiting for housing deposit due date - sometime after May 1 - and FIGs (First-Year Interest Groups) application date - May 19. 

Volunteer Update...one turnover needs to be rescheduled as the candidate had to go out of town so our meeting was cancelled, will discuss the status of the second position at the board meeting on May 7th.

Travel and Family Field Trips Update...working on the route from coast to coast.  It's best to be prepared because I think there's not going to be very much time from the day we receive the orders to the day we need to be in Washington.  Any idea how tough it was to find seven pet-friendly hotels from coast to coast that were not on the Bed Bug Registry? (When you're married to someone who has pest management in his repertoire, it's one of those things you have to consider!)

The CORE Planning Committee (I'm on the far right) at the conclusion of the Little Black Dress event - so much fun!

Leave a comment below if you'd like to share your Week Ahead.

The Little Black Dress

It's a big night tonight - the event put on by Hampton Roads CORE, Continuum of Resources and Education, a group I work with that provides continuing education (workshops and conferences) for spouses to meet the unique challenges of a military lifestyle.  Tonight's event is the Little Black Dress: Styles and Stages of Leadership.  It's modeled after the Little Black Dress skit that's been around since the 50s - how military wives wear their little black dress through early marriage to their servicemember, how it changes with motherhood, through deployments, and as their spouse rises through the ranks.  One of our committee members has written a skit and there will be models in their black dresses, styled for the various stages.  We'll also have a panel of leadership spouses who will talk about their roles and how they have changed.

Sophia is coming with me and we've got our little black dresses ready to go.  I needed something to put over my shoulders (well, ok, upper arms!) and picked up this little wrap at Nordstrom yesterday.  Just a browse through the accessories department showed me how sadly lacking my fashion sense has become and I aim to change that.  Mom on the Run is my current mode and I would love to get back to a more stylish look.

Then it was off to the salon for manicures.  I'm rocking a lovely new shade, new to me that is as I can't find it in OPI's line-up.  A bit out of my comfort zone but that's the new me!

Hope to have a photo of the two of us to share with you tomorrow.