The Craze

Here are some highlights from this crazy week.

1) Hadley's kennel broke this last weekend. She had a soft one and the zipper broke. The bad part...we didn't know it. Zack took her out in the morning, then put her back in her kennel in the garage so we could sleep in. We crack the garage door all night because it's so hot in there. Well, she got out and ran away. This was at 3 am. I got up at 8 and had a heart attack. Zack and I ran down the street and she was at a neighbor's house apparently trying to get inside. We brought her home and she passed out on the couch. Pretty sure her 5 hour freedom adventure wore her out. It's tiring running away from home.

The next night we let her sleep in our room. We recently moved a couch in our bedroom and gave her the whole thing to sleep on. She patiently waited for us to fall asleep and then jumped up to sleep in between us. We woke up in the morning staring in the face of our sneaky puppy. Needless to say, she got a new hard kennel with a nice metal door that can't be broken the next day.

2) I got my very first bee sting. It hurt so incredibly bad I was screaming bloody murder and Zack almost called 9-1-1. I guess Zack is right, I have a very low pain tolerance. I have never experienced something that hurt that bad before, and I decided we may have to adopt our children. I now hate bees and stand really far away when I water the flowers. I also always wear shoes because the little bugger got me between the toes. Ouch!

3) My work truck broke down. Pretty sure the transmission just went out. I was at a jobsite alongside a gravel road and pulled off to talk to the contractors. I got back in my truck and couldn't pull out. I was super embarrassed and thought that I just didn't have any traction on the gravel. So, I backed up and tried again. Still nothing. So, I backed down the road about a half mile and pulled off by a wheat field. Help came. I got towed - good news, and was given a loaner vehicle - bad news. This thing is a crazy red Buick beast. Let me tell ya, the red velour interior feels great in the 100+ degree weather. It's a sweat box. It also has great safety features including no rear view mirror, no handle to roll down the driver's side window, and no way to adjust the seat. It's just really a lot of fun.

Just to clarify. I did not pull my truck all the way into the middle of someone's field. We had to roll it back to make room for the tow truck. I do my best to not run city vehicles over taxpayer's property :)

4) The craziest thing of all. Zack is done with Phase 1 of pilot school. Goodbye Academics, Hello T-6. Today is Day 0. The last day of freedom before I don't see my husband very much anymore. He will be on formal release and required to be at work for 12 hours a day. Unfortunately, I'm foreseeing these hours to not correspond with my work/sleep schedule very well. Luckily next week he has two days off, so it'll be kind of a nice way to get used to it.

Welcome

A photo tour of our house, as promised.

Many of you have been requesting pictures of our new place. Sorry it has taken me so long. We've finally filled it with all the furniture we need/all that will fit! We love to fill it with food, games, and conversation with good friends and family, too. So come visit!

the front

Nothing too special about the front. My front door decor keeps falling down. I don't know why I continue to use On Command hooks but I learned yesterday that they don't hold up in the 100+ degree weather. My flowers also don't look so perky when it is 105-but they are still alive and continue to put out new blooms, so that gives our otherwise pretty bland front a little color.

the kitchen

eh...it's the place I spend the most time and the room that frustrates me the most. We had a leaky fridge, our stove/oven are not very temperature trustworthy, and there is no good pantry space...but we still make some pretty delicious food out of it. We finally have a dishwasher (ha! the things you take for granted until you go without!)

You have to be careful not to bonk your head on the cabinets about the islandish section of counter space. It also has the most random pocket doors that will close off the kitchen/lock Hadley in doggy prison.

dining room

the living room

So, I know, these are the worst pictures ever, but if I didn't take them when I did then I'd have to wait forever to get it when it isn't overtaken by a study group. This was my one shot with Hadley's toys actually in a basket and Zack's study material removed. If you ignore the awful lighting, you can get the general idea. I will work on posting better ones...eventually. These are our new couches that I haven't been able to get Zack or Hadley off of since they were delivered. I'm sure many of you are witnessing your gifts to us in good use-thanks, again!

hadley's room

the tiny bathroom

We have lived in some pretty small places...including a 380 SF studio at SU and we have never had a bathroom this small. Talk about challenging.

computer room

I opted pretending like this room didn't exist. I actually pretend that it doesn't exist most days. This is the room Zack has overtaken with study material, chair flying, and his messes that he doesn't want to actually clean up. It's his cave. The washed out picture on the left kind of hides the worst of it, so I decided to throw it in in order to get the complete tour. (don't worry Brian, it actually will be quite nice for you as the extra guest room. Whenever we make the futon into a bed it actually cleans up pretty well. I promise it'll be ready when you get here! Please still come :)

our room

Made a reading space, which we both love but tend not to use very often. I threw in the picture of the closets because even though they are small we finally each have our own! No more sharing!

the guest room

the back

We're fortunate enough to have a patio that is in the shade for a majority of the day and all evening, so we actually use our patio space a lot. We made the decision to not fuss about the backyard. It's too much work and we're here for such a short amount of time. Just the essentials--UW chair, BBQ, and tiki torches to keep the bugs away!

There it is. It's definitely military housing, but it really isn't too bad. We like it. I had to move in by myself because Zack was gone for training. I unpacked the whole house and did all the painting and as much of the fixing-up as I could. It's a lot of work to only live in a place for a little over a year...but it's worth having a home that we enjoy coming back to and can open up to everyone. We sometimes have to remind ourselves when we start to wish for things--our house and bills are covered and you can't argue with that!

Before & After

Zack and Hadley have come up with some fun ways to get out energy in the evenings. Sometimes I'm not sure who is chasing and who is getting away, but they're both running in circles and it's fun to watch. Then Hadley gets wrestled and tossed in the air. It's hard being so little!

before

during



after



I am the family hairdresser. In the last four years, Zack has paid to have his hair cut only once because he was gone for training. Otherwise, I buzz his head every couple weeks. Hadley also grows hair extremely fast. I cut hers every few weeks, too. She reluctantly allows me to use scissors, but she throws the hugest fit if I even get the clippers near her. So, she's usually a little more uneven than Zack. Right now it's nice enough outside I have set up my beauty shop on the patio. No clean up!

before



after

This past weekend we went shopping in OKC. We used our gift cards from the wedding at Macy's big sale. Although we went for items remaining on our registry, we ended up with a complete steal on a new bed set and curtains -- and  some remaining items on our registry. Here is the new look for our bedroom.



before



after

Hadley was never invited on to the bed. The first time she wouldn't move while I was putting the pillows on, so I just semi buried her. The second time she seriously got up and posed for the picture. I think maybe we take too many pictures of her... 

We got a new ice cream maker while shopping this weekend. Zack was so excited for it he took my whole grocery list and went shopping for the week so he could be sure to get all the ingredients for French vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries.

before

after

Zack only has one more week of academics left! Here he is studying (chair flying) and doing his thing, which for now, is in the sims.

before



after



Insanity Day One

Insanity Day One. 0515. Aerobics room at gym on base. Insane.

So, I've never done one of these fad workouts before. In fact, I've never even seen this infamous infomercial I've heard so much about. I didn't even know what Insanity. Nonetheless, I am currently doing the 60 days of Insanity with a group on base. Somehow I went to work on Monday and got talked in to it. The workout is, in fact, insane. Also, the time we choose to meet (around all the other group exercise classes) is insane. I was sore before I even got home this morning...boy, am I in for it.

This morning I felt like my mom. I had done a complete workout, fed the dog, walked the dog, watered the flowers, and showered before 6:30 am. Then, I got a call from my mom and she had done a complete workout plus much more before 5:30 am! So, I'm not quite there yet but I am on my way.

It may be insane, but life always is. I like having set goals for myself that aren't too long term and aren't too short term. These next two months will be a good chance for me to create a new routine, focus on personal goals, and learn to go to bed earlier!

Oh, and Zack's response was the following, "I would be so proud of you! I'll go to bed earlier with you. I can even get up with you. Well...maybe." Yeah, right. Yesterday he told me I have to wake him up if there is a tornado because he won't hear anything with his ear plugs in. Ridiculous.

dear dad

Missing our dads on Fathers day. Here's some great memories with some great men in our lives.

Love you, Daddy. Can't wait to see you in a few weeks. Can you believe I got your gift in March, but you still are going to get it late? I think I got that gene from you. Well, it'll be better to celebrate in person anyhow.

Love you, William. Wishing we were there to go with you to the chapel and enjoy a BBQ while looking out at your beautiful dahlias today.

Love you, Papa Bob. So incredibly joyful of your healing and strength. Hoping for an opportunity to come visit again soon. We think, pray for, and miss you constantly.

Oh, and Hadley wishes her dad a Happy Father's Day, too!

When we were moving from Seattle to Enid I went through all my boxes in my mom's attic in Reno. I found a couple plaques I had given to my dad in preschool. At Merry Berry, I can remember telling my teacher what I liked to do with my dad. She wrote it down on a wooden plaque and I signed it. I enjoyed things like playing Hungry Hungry Hippos, especially when mom was gone. Well, here's what Zack and I enjoy about our dads now.

Dear Dad,

We love enjoying good food and great beer with you. It is so relaxing on our trips to visit with you to just sit around the table and talk for hours with a belly full of your (and Nancy's) yummy concotions and finishing it off with a delicious beverage. We have so much fun checking things out with you, and are even quite fond of Nebraska. And we've learned from you that dads can always still be boys when fireworks are involved.

Love,

Zack, Rachel & your favorite nap partner, Hadley

Dear Dad,

We love going home and spending time with you no matter what we end up doing--going shooting, playing board games, roasting marshmellows in the back, and even mowing the lawn or helping out in other ways. We know that at the beginning and end of each day we are greeted with a delicious meal you prepare for us. We miss our car rides and dinners to and from Seattle, sometime soon we will have to just go for a drive all together.

Love,

Zack & Rachel

Family Friday

Remember those family pictures we took several weeks ago? Not sure why it took me so long to get some posted but just thought I'd put a few out there today. Love our family and excited for the weekend to spend some good time together.

fluffy and cute



my pilot



hadley can fly, too

love ya, babe



Thanks, Laura Ryan Photography for such great shots.

Bark it Out

So, I'm going to sounds like a crazy dog lady...I guess I've become one. I always swore I wouldn't, but Hadley is our baby and I just can't help it. Our puppy is growing up, though, and she has grown big enough that we have kicked her out of our bed. Last night we successfully did the "bark it out" method and tonight we're standing strong. Well, I am... Zack will be wearing ear plugs again.

She's so small you wouldn't think that she would be a nuisance, but let me just tell you how bad it got.

1.) She won't sleep at the foot of the bed. She insists on sleeping between our heads. This is for one very practical reason--she can be half-way in the covers and half-way out. Something we all like to do, especially in the summer time, right?

2.) She likes to sleep horizontally which results in me sleeping/balancing on the very edge.

3.) If you move in the morning, she will lick your face relentlessly.

And for goodness sakes, she is a DOG! How did she get so spoiled? Wait, don't answer that. Furthermore, she only weighs a few pounds...seriously how could she be such a bed hog.

When we moved into the cabin we were stoked that we finally had a queen size bed. Before that we shared...yes, it's true...a TWIN! When we moved to this house we were stoked to have our first really nice mattress. Somehow our comfort level and quality of sleep went downhill all because of a couple pounds of fluff.

I'm pretty sure it was close to The Dog or My Husband in bed. And, I like sleeping with my husband more.

Even from the laundry room she serves as my alarm clock. And darnit she doesn't have a snooze button. She's capable of sleeping all day long while we're gone, but she will never, ever sleep past 6 a.m.  

she used to be so little and so cute