Goodbye innie bellybutton!!

Hello folks,

I realise it has been a while. My camera is broken and I am finding the lack of pictures most upsetting....so that is today's excuse.

Let's see, last time I wrote I was 22 weeks or so preggo, and that was before Xmas...so Happy New Year y'all~!! I hope you have a very happy and prosperous 2008. Also, I am now 30 weeks...so 10 to go if Frank hangs in there like I told her to! hehe

I enjoy getting the baby update emails every week. As of last Tuesday at 29 weeks, Frank is 2.5 pounds and about 15 inches long. So a nice long butternut squash! hehe. She has eyelashes and her muscles and lungs are developing. Also, now is when her skeleton is hardening, so I have to up my calcium....! I think I can handle it.

This week I have another Dr appointment, and I down to two weeks between visits now. At the last one I had my gestational diabetes test, which was super fun. I had to fast from midnight (who eats at midnight??), and go in to the clinic at 8:45am. OK, I even got there early....unfortunately there were 3 of us to test and the others were not on time (apparently they weren't as hungry as I was!!). It was nice to meet a couple of girls whose due dates are within 2 days of mine. We had to drink a super sugary fanta type drink, then hang out for an hour before they took our blood. I got the all clear (wasn't really worried). But I did lose a pound. Not the most normal thing to do when six months pregnant, but my midwife was not worried. I'm sure I will have gained some for the next visit. I have been eating...lots! hehe. Also, my iron was a little low, so I have been trying to eat more meat. I guess I don't think about it, but when Chris is gone I don't eat as much red meat, or cook as much. So I will be tested for that again next time. Let's hope I don't need to go on more supplements.

OK, so let's go back to last blog....the middle of December and Chris and I were about to head off to Tennessee for Kiwi Xmas. It would have been an easy drive if Charlie hadn't decided to hate the car and be a panicky maniac. I even bought him some calming pills, but they didn't seem to work until we got up there! hehehe. We arrived in the evening, before Kurt got home with the other kiwi arrivals Amand and Susan, and we had the wonderful Chanty make us some nibbles. She had been baking up a storm and we had afghans and gingernuts and all sorts of goodies. Chris and I had arrived with a whole lot of good wine (sadly not for me), port, a leg of lamb, yummy cheeses and other nibbles.

The next day (Saturday) we braved the freezing cold and went to the Opryland Hotel (and the mall next door) in Nashville. We were going to splash out and have some fancy drinks in the hotel, but decided to eat in the mall instead. After wandering around the inside of the gorgeous hotel for a while we did get gelato, to eat while we watched the fountain show (set to Xmas songs...almost entertaining). The Opryland has a river running through it, and little garden areas, and walking paths. They had it all decorated for Xmas (not that my pictures turned out great, but have a look).

On Sunday we had thought long and hard about whether we wanted a large super breakfast or a small one, since that was our Xmas day. We went small, and had nibbles throughout the day. We had a beef roast, a leg of lamb, roast potatoes...and so much more...I have to stop thinking about it, it's making me hungry!! (I have also had to stop watching the food network on tv as the power of suggestion is too much for me. I see it and that starts me craving and wanting...it's horrible!!) I had a small glass of a NZ pinot noir that I had been hoarding, and was sad that I didn't enjoy it much. It even gave me a headache. Pah, who would be pregnant?? hehe I did make a fantastic pavlova though, thanks to mum's recipe and tips ; )

The next day we decided we needed to go for a long walk. Poor Chantel had to work. I had taken up a jar of homemade tomato relish as well, and for lunch we discovered that nothing goes better with leftover lamb than relish!! Mmmmm....

Unfortunately Chris and I had to head back on Tuesday, he had to start his deployment crap at work. We did stop off on the way home at a nice rest area, so Charlie could run around and I could stretch my legs. I would like to point out that I have not been losing weight my whole pregnancy....after this weekend and actual Xmas I gained 7 pounds! hehehe. That's quite a few afghans!!

We had Xmas dinner at Glen and Sarah's house across the street. We were also joined by Toby, Jess and Lilly. Chris and I got Lilly a giant stuffed monster that made cool noises when she jumped on it. Hilarious! On Xmas morning Chris and I made a good fry up breakfast...which was almost as good as being home and eating in the sun after cooking on the BBQ. We opened our presents, which we had already opened (I rewrapped)...hehehe

Chris left 2 days after Xmas, at some ridiculous time of morning. He has been gone for a little over a month, and should be back in early March. He's doing well. Except for the recent lack of phone lines. They should be up in a couple of weeks.

New Years was very anticlimactic. I invited a few people over for dinner, and we ended up sitting on the couch watching tv....I was so tired that by the time midnight came around everyone got an unenthusiastic "happy new year" and that was it...hehehe
It was the first new year (in a very long time) that I hadn't been out and partying. I'm sure it was the first of many though! hehe

It was Charlie's birthday yesterday...he's now 2! I decided to spoil him a little and gave him a pig ear. And on his walk he rolled in something nasty, so I let him play outside with his girlfriends for the afternoon (before I showered him). He really is the hairiest thing in the world. With the weather here being warm then cold, his fur falls out like crazy...lucky me!

I went to my first ice hockey game on Friday night in Atlanta. The Thrashers were playing the Buffalo Sabers, and it was an exciting game. In the last minute the Thrashers tied the game at 4 all, so it went into overtime. No one scored so there was a shoot out, and then sudden death. The Thrashers finally won by one point. It was very cool. Our seats were pretty good, we had a good view of the ice. But we were so high up, and at the bottom of a steep set of steps. After I got down there I had to pee (of course), so I climbed back up again...hehehe, talk about sore thighs!!

Last night was the base's Deployed Spouse Dinner at a local restaurant. It's a chance to mingle with other husbands and wives who are in town. And have a free dinner! hehehe Let's just say that the company was good, I didn't win a door prize, and I won't be eating at that restaurant again. Maybe the menu is better when you are paying for it ; )

As I sit here typing Frank is having a kick. She is very active in there, and seems to like the 4-5am time when I drag myself out of bed to pee with my eyes closed. That is when I have noticed her hiccups. Cute. Also, I put things on my tummy and she kicks them off. She's going to be quite the rugby player! You can see my tummy jumping about when she is kicking too. My bellybutton is still an inny, but not for long...it used to be how I measured my tummy growth, but it's now a shallow little thing. Waiting for it to pop out ; )

A few of the local mum's have been very generous and have given us some baby stuff to use. It has been lovely. Our nursery is slowly filling up. And we have picked a date for our baby shower, which is to be co-ed!! So if anyone is in town or wants to be, March 23rd is the day...afternoon BBQ, beers for the boys....hehehe

please stay posted for the usual super long slide show ; )
Anna xxxxxxxxxxx

Here comes Santa Claus!!

Season's Greetings Y'all!!

It's that time of year....around here all the crazy lawn decorations are up. We haven't decided whether we are going to decorate or not. If we put them up, then I will have to take them down by myself. So nothing can be higher than I can reach, as it's advised that pregnant women not climb ladders. I thought this was funny when I heard it, but in the past few days I have realised my balance is not the best. Standing on one foot makes me sway. So foot rubs on Charlie's belly take place when I have something to hold onto! hehehe

We have been busy lately, and quite a few things have been going on...where to start??

I have my greencard!! It's not green. I am apparently a resident of Alaska, which is nice for the no state taxes thing. I will have to go there someday! hehe I also have a social security number, so the next goal is getting my drivers license. Sounds like fun you think, but no...I have to do all the tests. I haven't figured out whether I come under the Georgia Law that makes me do 30 hours of drivers education or if it's just for underage drivers. Let's hope not me!! I have my 70 page drivers ed manual printed out ready for a read.

I am now 22 weeks pregnant, or 5.5 months or so. At our 20 week ultrasound we found out the sex, and we are having a little girl! It's very exciting. Chris is still trying to deal with the shock, he had himself convinced that we were having a boy. He has now taken to saying things like, "she will not like princess stuff", "she will not like ballet", "she will like sports" etc etc....and I keep telling him that we will have to wait and find out. He is already planning how he will handle her dating, and I try and reassure him that we will be in NZ by then. Not having to deal with American "dating" should be a little better! If better is the word...I know it's going to be a challenge...hehe.

We have started the changing of the closet into the nursery. Chris has run power and we have a dimmer on the light. The closet racks are moved and all that's left is a bit of touch up paint. It looks great. I am glad Chris knows how to do all that stuff, as I would have been completely lost!!

I really should tell you how I am typing today...the lentil and I are listening to Andrea Bocelli sing to us. It's about 25 (75) degrees, and I have windows and doors open. I'm wearing shorts and a tshirt. It feels like I should be in NZ...quite a nice feeling! hehehe Charlie and I went for a lovely walk in the sun this morning. I should be out gardening...maybe tomorrow!! I am trying to take advantage of my returned energy.

Thanksgiving has come and gone already. It's a holiday I don't understand. It's nice to say what you are thankful for, but really it seems like an eating, drinking and watching football kind of holiday. I enjoyed the eating, can't drink, and don't like football. Overall it was a good day. Chris and I went to Tenaya's house where she prepared a wonderful turkey (not something I am about to attempt any time soon). I made a fruit crumble, my first one. Luckily I had my handy Edmonds cookbook... hehehe.

My Edmonds is going to come in handy this weekend as well. Chris and I are heading back up to Tennessee for Kiwi Xmas with Chantel and Kurt. I am making a pavlova, and some afghans. Yum! We have a leg of lamb, some NZ wine (of which I am going to have a small glass...can't wait!!), and lots of other goodies. We have another kiwi couple coming into town as well. So should be a great time, I have been looking forward to it for a couple of months! hehe.

I am trying not to think about Chris leaving just after Christmas. My emotions tend to be very close to the surface at the moment, and this is going to be a hard one. I have my 6 month checkup the day after he leaves. I worry that he is going to miss so much of the belly growing and all the kicks. And I want the lentil to come out knowing his voice as well. He had better talk a lot in the month he comes back before the birth!!

I am finding the naming process a hard one. It made it a little easier to be able to cross half the names off the list (boy ones). There are a few we like and now finding the middle name combination that works is the next issue. Chris likes to think up funny, and obnoxious ones, which have to be rejected immediately. Right now we are telling anyone that asks that she will be named Frank (consider yourself warned...hehehe). This is the only way I would let Chris find out the sex, I was happy not knowing. It's one surprise we have left in this world, but Chris insisted and was very stubborn about it. He also claimed he could know and not tell anyone. For those that know him I know you are laughing really loud at this. I knew that if he found out someone would let me know by accident, or in a very annoying way, so I decided to let him find out....with a couple of conditions ; )

Last week Chris, Charlie and I packed up the car and took a trip up to Virginia. We decided to take a couple of days to get up there and see some sights. I had never been to North or South Carolina so we tried to squeeze a lot of it in. We drove to Savannah and then turned up the coast to Charleston. We made it there by lunch. Actually 10am. To manage this we left at about 4am. This is not my time of day. I am actually not just unpleasant, but very ugly at this time of day! Chris is so used to it with his job, and training or whatever. Good thing he was driving is all I can say. He is also used to skipping meals, and going long times without the bathroom. Poor guy had to deal with my constant eating and peeing the whole trip! hehe It's my revenge for those mornings.

Anyhoo, we left Charleston and headed up through Myrtle Beach. Winter is obviously not the season to hang out there. There are 3 sections, and between them about 6 golf courses, and 16 mini golf courses. We didn't stop on the beach there as they are not dog friendly. Onward to Wilmington where we stayed the night. This had to be the most disgusting and scarily dirty hotel room I have ever been in. I tried not to step on the floor, and wore clothes to bed. Even Charlie wasn't happy there. He boofed at the door all night. In the end we woke up at about 5 or 6am, showered and got the hell out of there!

This was last Monday, and Chris had planned something special, so I was very excited. We were heading out to the coastal islands of North Carolina, Cape Hatteras. To do this we had to catch a ferry with the car from Cedar Island, after driving through a marine base, Camp Lejune. Ooops, didn't realise that one...luckily the guard let us on. We got a kick out of all the signs on the road "TANK XING" hehe. The ferry across to Okracoke took a little over 2 hours. We missed the 10am one by 4 minutes, so we had 3 hours to wait. There was a lovely beach there, where we took Charlie for a big walk. This was his first time at the beach. He is used to lakes, so the waves scared him. He also drank the water a few times. He loved chasing the birds though, managed to roll in poo, and bounced the whole time. It was a very chilly, windy morning. When we were driving there it had rained, but as we waited it cleared up into a lovely, if windy, day.

While we were hosing Charlie down in the campground their faucet broke and Chris got sprayed down as well. We hadn't noticed down at the beach, but there were a lot of mosquitoes there. Luckily my boyscout had remembered everything and we had bugspray wipes. We tried to eat at the local restaurant, but were informed that they were not open for lunch...or in winter! hehehe So we ate some lunch in the car and waited.

After the first ferry we drove up Okracoke Island, past all the enormous holiday houses, to catch the next ferry. This one was only 40 minutes and took us onto Hatteras. As we were crossing the sun started going down and it was really lovely. It had been a while since I had seen a sunset over the water. As we finished going up Hatteras with the sun going down it got windier. We decided to have a quick stop for pictures and Charlie's last run on the beach. Unfortunately the waves were so big he wouldn't go near them. Terrifying! hehe

As it got dark we arrived in Virginia and made it to Fran's house by 8 or 9pm (can't remember, still have sieve brain). Holy crap was it cold!! The whole time we were there is was chilly, and I had packed layers. But I am talking hat weather here, which is quite a change from the shorts weather of Georgia ; )

It was really lovely to catch up with most of the family up there (a few notable exceptions, Christine and Don, Patty and Ellen). We even got to eat the famous Howie's Chicken...yum! Chris and I visited Fran at work, wandered around Kmart, went to the mall, the naval base, the supermarket a few times. It was all very low key. We spent some time catching up with Fran and Grandma. We got a few Xmas presents taken care of, and I got some maternity gear. I am now the proud owner of a new bunch of bras. I will not tell you what size, but let's just say they are enormous. Parachute sized. I am hoping my belly starts growing soon, so I don't look like a porn star!! I also got a pair of jeans and some pants, and a top. Add this to the two tops and dress (for Xmas, can't wait to wear it) I got here and I almost have a maternity wardrobe.

I had been wearing my regular pants with a rubberband around the button. And I must say that the lack of zips and big bands of my new pants are much comfier. Chris was very patient, which must be a first for him when shopping! hehe I have noticed that as my belly grows my tops all seem shorter. I have considered moving into the trailer park next door to make this acceptable.

The trip home was quicker, in one day. Chris drove the first half and I drove the second. I had made sammies so we didn't need to stop much and made it home in a little over 10 and half hours. When we left it was 26 degrees (below 0) and the windscreen was frozen. As we drove back we watched the temperature climb, until it was 30 degrees warmer when we got back.

I got a haircut about a month ago, and it was not a good one. Either my hair is wavier at the moment, or he missed big bits of hair. I have a layer of waves on top, and some dead straight bits underneath. I am considering how I am going to fix this....a bowl cut perhaps??

I find that now the lentil likes to sit on my bladder she wakes me up at all times of night. And being woken this way does not make me good at walking. I do an odd kind of shuffle. I also wake up whenever I roll onto my back. It took me so long to train myself to not sleep on my tummy, and now I am not allowed on my back! Honestly. I have been using a giant body pillow to get more comfortable, but I will roll over in the middle of the night and find Chris curled around it....very amusing!

I have also found that pregnancy dreams are very vivid. Just this morning I looked in the mirror and was surprised that I hadn't plucked my eyebrows, apparently I dreamed about that last night. I dream a lot about New Zealand and people I miss, and of course Chris. I should write more of them down, and have a giggle at them.

When we got back we realised that our big trees all around us had lost nearly all of their leaves. And they were on our lawn. So Chris has since mowed them up and mulched them, in preparation for me getting the garden winter ready. Now we have the best yard on the street (for once!). hehe

The day before we left on our trip to Virginia Chris and I attended Lilliana's birthday party. She is now 3. She was a princess and we got her a little tent to hang out in. I put a couple of pictures in, she's such a cutie.

Ok, that should cover it for now...I will put up pictures of Xmas after the fact...everyone have a wonderful holiday season. Love and hugs for you all xxxxx

So.......time to catch up???

hey y'all,

I know I have been slacking, and I thought that as I am also waaaay behind on replying to emails I will whip out a blog. But where to start???

I guess most of you know by now that I am pregnant....big news, and I am still adjusting. Maybe I am waiting for the morning (all day) sickness to go away before I get excited! hehehe Chris is excited enough for both of us and gets emails all the time from parent websites. Which is how I can accurately tell you what size our baby is at all times! We started with a lentil, then bean, strawberry, apricot, kiwifruit, peach and it now currently at orange size (or maybe that was last week). Or 3.5 inches, making fists, developing all sorts of things. I am now 16 weeks, so in the start of the second trimester. Not showing, I actually lost weight, but it is beginning (the rounding of the belly!).

Chris and I have decided to convert half of our enormous closet for the nursery. That way we won't have to run across the house at all times of the night and we can still have guests (and they can have a good nights sleep!). This has met with some interesting responses from people, but we are quite sure that an infant doesn't care if it's hanging out with my clothes! hehehe

I have selected my doctor, or clinic rather, and have been a couple of times. The first time was the most thorough checkup I have ever had. It took over 2 hours, during which I was poked, prodded, questioned, lost 4 vials of blood and had my pee analysed. It was very full on. On my regular visits I rotate between 2 Dr's and a midwife, as they all share the on-call duty and I may get any one of them when I go into labour. So far I have met one Dr and the midwife....and the midwife was lovely! The Dr talked more to my friend I had there for support (the lovely Meaghen), than me!

During my visits I have had a couple of ultrasounds and a listen to the baby's heartbeat. Fast and strong....I will include the pics from each visit. The second time, four weeks ago, the little one was in a feisty mood and was flipping all over the place and refusing to take a nice picture. So, already a lot like Chris!! hehehe

Chris has been on a couple of deployments now, and I can say that he enjoyed the first one a lot more. It makes a big difference if your crew is cool, and if you have a good roommate. The first deployment he had a good bunch, the second...let's just say they didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things....especially religion. Which can be a touchy subject with a lot of people, and most people with a strong faith don't appreciate Chris' ideas and opinions (to put it mildly). His crew held daily prayer meetings outside his room in the hallway. Their reasoning for this was that they can't have both sexes in the single sex bedrooms, and they must have been fans of air conditioning. I won't go into the ways that Chris antagonised them, as I want you all to think favourably of him!! hehehe

One good thing that came out of this latest deployment was Chris' early return. It was the first time in our relationship that he managed to be sly and keep a secret. He was very smooth. He just walked in the door one day with a bunch of roses. I actually wanted to swoon it was such a shock! heheehe

But I am getting ahead of myself....while Chris was gone I had visitors. First Chantel and Kurt came down (and Wally of course, for Charlie). It was lovely having them here, and I must say I have never appreciated someone cooking for me more!! While they were here we took a trip up to the Atlanta Aquarium, which is enormous! They have 4 whale sharks in there and a whole bunch of ....aaah, this is where my hormones kick in and I pull out my 'P' card. I have decided that my brain is now like a sieve, or possibly a colander...things go in and out quite freely. Not much sticks. hehehe Anyhoo, seeing them was a welcome relief from my own company! Which I have had a lot of....wow I am boring!! hehe

After Kurt and Chantel, Gosia stopped by for a weekend on her way from Korea to home for her brother's wedding. It was so lovely to see her. I hadn't seen her since she came out to NZ for Xmas, when I was at home last....about 2 years ago now. We had a great catch up, with some shopping and eating thrown in. She enjoyed the restaurants of Warner Robins as much as I do (which is to say...not much at all!! hehe). Her trip coincided with my greencard interview in Atlanta, so we decided to stay the night in Atlanta afterwards and explore a little before she had to fly off the next day. The interview itself deserves it's own paragraph..so I'll get back to it. I found a reasonably priced hotel in downtown Atlanta. Which is very hard to do, and we found out why when we got to our room. Lovely deceiving lobby, it should be illegal!! They apparently shake some nasty flowery powder on the carpets before they vacuum, and my nose being the super sensitive thing it is lately, well...it was gross! Otherwise, it was ok...built in the 70's was my guess. We decided to explore the local downtown area and heard about a mall. After walking up the road for a while and seeing every chain restaurant imaginable, we finally asked someone about the location of the mall. Across the street, and under ground. Worth a look, you would think, and you would be wrong...like we were!! What a joke.

The next morning Gosia and I had our complimentary breakfast, which is hard to enjoy to the fullest when trying not to heave in the elevators!! And after checking out, we decided to drive around and find the real mall. Which I had been to before and was sure I could find!! After 4 large circles, needing to stop for gas, and getting directions in the ghetto, we found it!! I knew I could!! bahahahaaa...all the rest was just experiencing Atlanta! I was sad to see Gosia go, but at least she was a shade more positive and had less Korea in her system when she left!! ; )

OK, back to the interview. I thought, dress nice. It never hurts to impress the interviewer with a good image, and your fluent English! I was not alone in this thought I found out when I got into the "holding area", or waiting room. But there were some excellent exceptions. After 50 minutes my interviewer came out and called my name, coldly inquired why I was alone (well, uh...my husband is deployed), said she was running late and disappeared. Another 30 minutes later it was my turn. She found the person after me, coldly inquired why she was alone (her husband was in jail, great excuse!!), and we went in. Before I was allowed to sit down I had to raise my right hand and swear to tell the truth. Couldn't hurt, "I do".

Now my interviewer was a thin black woman, wearing a very bright pink, 80's power suit with large gold buttons. She was also a very twitchy person, who did not make eye contact. For 10 minutes she read through my paperwork asking me to confirm things. And by things, I mean all the paperwork I had written, signed and sent in. It was double checking time.
"Do you have a job?", "No".
"Do you have a social security number?", "No".
"Do you have a drivers license?", "No".
Honestly!! That is why I am applying for a greencard lady...so I can get these things. Were these questions supposed to trap me into getting myself in trouble. "Yes, I bought a social from the dodgy guy down the road, and I work as a truck driver, oh...whoops".

On the letter telling me about my interview I was told to bring in a couple of things, like joint bank statements and some photos, nothing specific. So I did. I also had a copy of Chris' military orders, which baffled her. She had to take them, and our bank statement (but how was I getting money??), and ask her supervisor if that was ok. When she returned (reminding me that I was still under oath), she asked me more questions that I had already answered. Ok, trying to be pleasant....
"No, I have never been a prostitute, nor do I plan on becoming one"
"No, I am not a terrorist", and so on.
she asked to see the photos I had brought with me. Granted, I had not gone to a lot of effort, but she rejected all but one of the photos. No, profile, no, sunglasses, no, partially hidden chin....fine!

Then, in the last 5 minutes she asked if I had brought the tax form. What tax form? We had sent all Chris' tax info in. Surely he has filed for joint taxes by now. No, he has not been able to claim me yet. Don't you have a social?? NO LADY, I DON'T! Ok, well we need this form, fax it in when you get home today. By this point I didn't tell her I wouldn't be home that day and just decided to go with it, fine.
When I returned from the airport the next day, after dropping off Gosia, she had left an unpleasant message on my phone informing me that if I did not send the form she would reject my whole application. There's no time to breathe here....now if only it were that simple, if my husband was an organised person, if he was even in the country....it took a full day to find that damn form, print it out and fax it.....

But I have good news...after all of that....my application has been accepted. In the mail tomorrow should be my welcome letter telling me what to do next (like get a social security number, and a drivers license), and within 60 days I will have my greencard!! Finally!! Wooohooooo!!!!

Let's see....that may have been all of the excitement while Chris was away. When he got home I was actually planning a trip to Tennessee to see Kurt and Chantel, so he tagged along (by this I mean he drove and I moaned next to him feeling sick the whole way...good times). Kurt and Chantel both had a few days off work, so we decided to go into Nashville. We stopped by a big park on the way into downtown when we noticed an International Festival was happening. This was a very warm day, and the smell of hotdogs was in the air. We found the world map where people had been marking where they were from. Chantel and I were the first ones from NZ, and both from Dunedin. It was a big day for Nashvillians, I'm sure of it. We found a flag that resembled a kiwi flag, but was really a bad Australian one. Close enough for a picture!!

After the festival we wandered downtown, checked out the sights and the famous bars. Stopped for a couple of drinks before deciding on Japanese for dinner. This is when I was naughty, don't tell my doctor! Mmmm sushi....I heart you! After dinner we met up with a bunch of Kurt and Chantel's friends and family at a Jazz Bar. It was great, although very loud.

On Sunday we went to Kurt's parents house for a BBQ. Charlie and Wally had been hanging out in the backyard and we were trying to figure out why they were all wet. It was an easy mystery to solve. They had been running around and discovered that if they stood on the pool cover it made puddles deep enough to paddle in and run through. Charlie thought it was the greatest thing ever, and he was hilarious trying to swim in there. During our time in TN I had been trying to contact our friend Cris, to catch up with him, and we finally arranged a meeting in Nashville for lunch the next day. We met at a Greek/Mediterranean restaurant and Chris and I met his new wife and son. Lovely family. We all decided to hang out a bit more and roam the mall next door for a while. We figured out that we hadn't seen each other in almost 5 years. Not so long next time Cris!!!

I know this is getting long, I am almost done...I promise! Just a couple more things....hehehe. After Chris' last deployment we had some money in savings and were finally able to get our new bed. It's a platform king sized bed, and I love it!! It's enormous...and Charlie likes it too! hehehe. Charlie had a bad go with skin allergies lately and we had to get him some special shampoo to stop his itches. He was a very mopey pub!

It's Halloween today, and if you are a dedicated reader I'm sure you remember the joy and hilarity I get out of seeing the kids Trick or Treating. So that is tonight's entertainment. On the weekend we went to a couple of parties. On Friday night Chris and I both went as Anna Nicole Smith. I had the boobs, he had the bag of drugs (actually vitamins), and we both had blond wigs. Now Chris in platform heels is quite a sight to behold, but add a corset and he's magic!! hehehe. On Saturday night Chris was Gwen Stefani and our friend Tenaya and I were his/her back-up dancers, or Harijuku Girls (Asian and dressed in Tokyo fashion). The group was a hit...please refer to the pics...it was a weekend of many laughs!!

And last bit of news....we got another car. For me!!! (not that I have been the one driving it! hehe). We got a used VW passat station wagon (which is very uncool around these parts), it's white with tan leather interior. And it's a certified used car, so it still has a warranty. We are really happy with it.

Quick note.....congrats to Hai and Lisa for having their little ones, Hannah and Liam. And congratulations to my sister in law Christine for getting pregnant!!

I hope everyone is well and happy!! I don't know if I forgot anything...but I can always write another one...sometime!
Anna xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

What an eventful week!!

My first mistake was letting Chris take the lead.....or possibly letting him eat Indian food!

Let's go back to Wednesday and I will explain....early Wednesday Chris and I got pedicures with Sarah. Our poor little Vietnamese lady had some serious work to do, both Chris and I had some scary feet!! hehehe. She actually told me I should go in more often, which made me think back (fondly) of when mum had been told the same thing. It's always gross watching them shave off so much skin...Chris' were disgusting! He also chose to get get his nails painted a fluorescent green....they glow in the dark!!

Anyway, that afternoon we went over to Columbus to see Meg and Dave. We all went out for Indian food...in Georgia. Which was interesting. We arrived and there was 1 person in there. And it was a large restaurant, so this was a bit of a worry. And it was decorated like a Chinese restaurant. We sat down, checked out the menu, and went for it. The waitresses were slightly off putting too. Two young girls, one pregnant, one....not, but about the same size. Trying to figure out if they were was a fun dinner activity. Overall the food was good, we were reassured when a few people came in, and the owner, who was Indian.

It was the after effects though, that made it a dubious choice. Aaah the gas. Now add Chris....holy crap...did something die in here? I was considering asking him to sleep in the bathroom....hehehe. Also as he was getting into bed (we were on the futon mattress on the floor), he smacked his face and put his teeth through his lip. For the next couple of days he looked like he had had collagen in his top lip...poor fella.

The next day Dave had to work, so Meg, Chris and I went off to Calloway Gardens with bikes. We decided to park near the lake, so we could come back and swim when we were done. When I went there with mum and dad we had driven around, and done a few of the walking trails. I had apparently forgotten how many hills were in there! This is where following Chris was our downfall. He led us on every trail and we ended up doing the whole park, hills and all!! We ended up doing about 11 miles and by the end Meg and I were dead! We went for a quick dip, in the oddly warm water, then decided we were starving. Back up to the hill to the Country Store, where I had also eaten with mum and dad, and we had some awesome sammies.

Now, Christine and Don were due to arrive late Thursday night/Friday morning, but they had left Pennsylvania 8 hours earlier than planned, so Chris and I headed home to clean house. They arrived a couple of hours later and we had a quick catch up before heading off to bed...by that time I was done...all that biking had hit me!! hehehe

Friday morning we had an easy morning, before heading out to a couple of stores. Chris dropped me off at work, before they went and toured the town. Checking out the base and Chris' work, the bx etc...

That night Chris had invited a few people over to meet his sister...as you can imagine, people were curious!! was she like him? they are twins...hehehe. So the night started off quietly enough. We had a big day planned for Saturday....then the drinks started flowing....especially for Sarah! hehehe...

Poor Sarah...the next morning I had to drive her to the airport, as she was going home for a week. She was sooo pale! She slept the whole way to the airport. Instead of going back home, then up to Atlanta again for the baseball game, Christine and I did a little shopping. Chris and I still had a couple of gift certificates from our wedding, and I decided to use them up! Finally! hehehe We also stopped by Ikea, as everyone should when in town! Christine and I lay down on a couple of beds and bounced around....got to test these things out!

We had noticed that it was a super hot day, but we weren't quite prepared for it. We went to meet the boys at Turner Field, for my first baseball game (!!!), and it was about 37....blah, gross hot! We arrived a few hours early, to see some batting practise, check out the stadium and get food etc....but mostly because Don was donating to a good cause and getting the signature of his favourite player. It was either 20 cans or $20, and I was surprised at how many people were there with cases of cans....the line was huge!

Christine and I went in and explored while the guys waited in line. It's such a big business. They play about 6 days a week, and it's packed, with lots of entertainment. Also, the food prices, woah! One bottle of beer is $6, same for a bag of peanuts.....goodness! When the guys came in we went and found our seats...behind home plate (very nice!!!)...batting practise was over, so the ground crew was out preparing for the game. These guys were amazing! I especially enjoyed the hosing (see pics).

Unfortunately the air inside the stadium was no better...it was stifling...I had to have a beer! And a hotdog! hehe...or rather I had to experience all those great ballpark traditions. What fun! I had a blast. I think I asked a million questions, and everyone was very tolerant. I understood the basics, but some things (and a bunch of terminology) eluded me. The game was great, it was the Braves against the Colorado Rockies. It was 9 innings, and the Braves won 6-4....but the Rockies got a grand slam...which was super exciting (that's bases loaded and someone hits a home run).

The home crowd for the Braves was fun. They all have their foam tomahawks, and they have special chants and all sorts of things. It kind of reminded me of going to Otago Nuggets basketballs games back in the day.

Every 3 innings the ground crew would pop out and comb the circle and put some new bases down. Oh and the anthem at the start was sung by a Christian Rock group...who performed a concert after the game. We didn't stay that long though. I did get to see the 70's trivia before the game, and some people turned up in costumes...hilarious. All in all it was a great experience.

Sunday we tried to sleep in, but we were dog sitting Sarah's dogs and they think mornings are the time to push their noses under the covers and poke your feet, hands or face! I was woken up this way and noticed Chris was hiding under the sheet! Not cool. Later that morning we went to Cracker Barrell for a good Southern breakfast. Then walmart for some stuff for dinner, then I had to head to work again. After work Chris and I tried to go for a swim but there was a little thunder and lightening so the pool was closed! So sad....

Chris and I made flatbreads for dinner, and he had made some wonderful chocolate creme brulee! We watched a movie and that was it....everyone was up early the next morning. Christine and Don left at about 6am for their 14 hours drive home, and Chris headed off to work. Peace at last! hehehe....

So that's my week.....did I mention that we are eating lots of tomatoes from my garden? And this morning the dogs tried to eat my basil plants. I'm sure there's more....but there's always the next blog!

Anna xxxxxxxxxx

Tennesee......Dang!!

Hey y'all,

Here we are at the end of July....Chris is almost a tech SGT (starting tomorrow), he has been home for about a month and he leaves again in a month. I have been in a bit of a funk lately, not loving being here...probably comes from boredom, lack of brain use, and missing people and home. No worries.

This past weekend Chris and I headed off to Tennessee for a long weekend, visiting Kurt and Chantel. For those not in the know, Chantel was my flatmate at uni, then she was in Korea, and she met Kurt in Italy when she was there at the same time as us. It seems right that we are in the same country again...and a 5/6 hour car ride away.

Chantel already has her greencard so she is working super hard at her 2 jobs at the moment. They have recently bought a house in their awesome town, Murfreesboro (no need to pronounce the "r"). They are about 10 minutes walk from the town square which has some great little bars and restaurants. Right now it is a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, but they have plans (and materials left from previous owners), to finish the attic and add a lovely master bedroom, bathroom and office.

Oh and here is my plug....Chantel is a fantastic artist who does portraits. I have seen a bunch of her work and it's amazing...so anyone in need please let me know and I can hook you up. I will work on getting her website on a link on here.

Quick question before I carry on...what is the fascination with mayo over here?

Right, back to Tennessee....Chris and I went up Thursday afternoon, and met up with Chanty and Kurt in their local, Liquid Smoke, which is a cigar bar with a large selection of American and European beers. And comfy chairs...and it's dog friendly...we took Charlie along, and he explored..made some new friends. I text mum while we were there and she asked (I guess with a tone of horror) is Charlie was drinking...I assured her he was not! He was our driver!! hehehe.

On Friday after meeting Chantel for lunch, on her break from training at the bank, we decided to walk the Riverwalk. This is a paved trail basically through downtown Murfreesboro, which stretches through some parks and the old mock town of Canyonsberg (like a Shantytown). Thinking this would be a stroll with the dogs we wore jandals (flip flops), and boy was I mistaken!! After about 8 miles of "strolling", with regular swim stops for Charlie and Wally (our hosts lovely pup), I was done. Let's just say that I insisted on driving to the town square that evening...promising everyone that one glass of wine was plenty! hehehe.

On Saturday Chantel was at her other job at the Discovery Centre, so Kurt, Chris and I did some errands before taking her lunch. Murfreesboro has worked hard to protect the wetlands and recreation areas in their town, and it shows. After lunch we walked around the Discovery Centre (including the slide from 2nd floor to 1st -of which there is a picture of me landing that will NOT be on here!!!), and then the pathways around it.

In the afternoon the boys lowered the swing porch, while I supervised (ok, napped). Apparently the previous owner of the house who had put the swing up was well over 6 foot...while Chantel and Kurt are around my height (mid 5 footers), so they were having to take running jumps at it. And yes, that is as comical as it sounds. Luckily they were able to replace the chain and make it perfect!

Later that day Chris got out his birthday present, a petanque/bocce set. For those not in the know it's a bowls type game which is very fun. The boys played a round (after reading the rules of all things!), then the girls. For the championship couple against couple match the boys decided to make it more "interesting" and add some obstacles to the course....in the form of tree branches. Long story, much hilarity, and we won...woohooo!! hehehe....

We then went to dinner at one of the nicer restaurants in the square, where we had a couple of lovely bottles of wine, lots of fish and an amazing steak. Followed by a trip to Liquid Smoke for another couple of bevvies.....

Here's another question....is it an age thing, not wanting to pay cover charges to enter bars??

On Sunday, Chantel's one day off, we had a lovely brunch of french toast with bacon and banana...delisioso!! Then piled into one little car with both dogs and went to Kurt's parents place. They have a good sized section with a couple of horses, a handful of cows, a few dogs and two cats. I think that's it! hehe. We weren't sure how Charlie was going to react with the cows and the horses, after his actions when we had arrived Thursday night...

which I had forgotten to mention.....when he met Wally they were in the backyard and all the neighbours dogs were out on both sides (fenced, but barking). So Charlie decided aggression was the way to go and raced around barking and being a tough guy. About 20 minutes later when he had adjusted to Wally, Kurt's sister came over with her dog (a tiny little thing). She barked at him and he opened his mouth and tried to eat her. Didn't succeed, but still! He also wasn't sure about the cats and chased them in circles a lot, growled a few times....but by the end of the weekend they were all buds...I'm sure he thinks that cats are little dogs with better furniture privileges~!

So, cows and horses....he wasn't sure, because they were so much bigger than him. But so were the two waimeranas, and he barked at them. But he was really good. He rang out into the paddock...found a fresh pile of cow poo, check with his paw that it was fresh, then rolled in it!! Hilarious. We weren't sure if he was trying to blend in, or wanting to hunt them...either way, the cows ignored him. He had a great time.

We left the dogs there and went to meet Cliff, Kurt's brother, and head out on his boat on the lake. We zoomed around before stopping at the cliff jumping area. Chris had a couple of jumps (so brave)...then we zoomed off in the other direction, and had a wee float before going back to pick up Cliff's wife and sister in law.

We then decided to anchor up in "Party Cove"...where the people watching was priceless.....there were lines of boats tied up together, with loud music and some random dancing....very entertaining!

After a couple of hours floating around there we went back to Kurt's parents and had a BBQ....and an extreme bocce rematch! This time we lost....so sad! hehe

The next day Chris and I had a leisurely drive back. Chris navigating with his GPS, telling me the name of every overpass and stream...so informative! hehehe.

Over the past week or two we have been homebodies...had a few dinners, been swimming a few times and been to a party. Tomorrow we are off to Columbus to see Meg and Dave (definitely taking the bocce! hehehe), and on Thursday we are all going biking at Calloway Gardens. Probably followed by a swim in the lake there. I'll keep you posted! On Friday Chris's sister Christine and her husband Don are coming to visit. We are all going to a baseball game in Altanta on Saturday...my first one...should be exciting!!

I hope you are all well....Dad is having his ankle operated on today, and Wandy is having one of her eyes done tomorrow...Gosia has finished her MBA....and Hai is nearly ready to pop!! hehehe....my love to you all....Anna xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hola!!

hey y'all.....summer is here!! It's a mild 30 degrees outside and is increasing until a predicted 37....I wonder if my skin will scorch if I go outside!! I have taken to hiding out inside during the hottest parts of the day....hehehe

Anyhoo...it has been tooooo long since I updated you all. And so much has happened, and I have a zillion pictures to put up.

Let's start with April, about where I left off. Chris left in late April, but first we had Easter!! I decided that I had gone too long without hot cross buns (imagine not having them over here!!), so I made some. After getting a recipe from mum and dad of course! They were great, and I had fun making them, and even Chris joined in by making "artistic" crosses....I say artistic, because they were not attractive!! hehehe.

Just before Chris left some of the guys returned from a month deployment in Korea. With Soju....lots of it. So we had to have a few nights of catching up on Korea...and remembering the deliciousness of soju...or in my case, how much my stomach burns the day after! Aaaah the memories!! hehehe.

Chris and I spent some time loving it up before he abandoned me for months. So we went on a couple of little trips, buying him the things he needed to take with him, etc. We also went out for dinner, which was an experience! We decided to go the "The Fish N Pig" which sits on Lake Tobosofkee, in Macon. We ended up going early so we could go to the movies afterwards. And we were in for a treat. Since we were early we were the youngest people there -by far! Also, we seemed to be the only non locals. So we weren't greeted by name, and we didn't come over and give the old guy behind us a kiss like everyone else seemed to! hehehe. Chris ordered the all you can eat catfish and I got some grilled fish, groper I think (not a catfish fan).

That was the end of the excitement there, until we left....there were nesting geese outside on the banks of the lake and they were in protective mode. I never knew that geese hissed!! It was hilarious, they even stick their tongues out, and I have never thought about geese having tongues...so now I know! ha.

We decided to have an early birthday party for Chris before he left, and this gave me another opportunity to make some new recipes. He wanted a carrot cake, and I had the recipe from Heslops in Kaikoura, so there you go! It was lovely. I also made some mini raspberry swirl cheesecakes, and having never made cheesecakes before I was surprised at how easy they are! Of course, we had to have lamb! And I think it was quite possibly the best lamb I have tasted. I know Chris likes to reminisce about it whenever he calls me! hehehe. And he is aiming to repeat it when he returns.

Now when it came to Chris actually leaving there was a bit of drama. Not from him, but the plane. I dropped him off on a Sunday afternoon, and he called 2 hours later and asked to be picked up. So I dropped him off on Monday morning, and they made it to Indianapolis, and had to stay there for the night. Then there were only 2 more unscheduled stops before they made it to the desired destination....UDSWA (undisclosed destination in South West Asia)....this is me using good "OpSec", or operation security....see?? I am a great military spouse!! hehehe

Since Chris left I had a couple of weeks of absolute boredom and frustration, which was quickly resolved by the arrival of Mum and Dad!! And that's when the excitement began!! What a fast few weeks....

First of all we had to tour the local area, in the suburban. Now, for most Americans a suburban is nothing new, but for kiwis it's like a bus....or an enormous tank. Anyway it's a fun experience. Dad even had a drive or two while he was here. Mum didn't brave it (cough....chicken)....

So back to exploring...we did a lot of local things....checking out the base, going to the supermarkets, going to the GA Music Hall of Fame, and having a tour of the Hay House in Macon. I have to stop and tell you about that tour, not because of the house, which was a fantastic old mansion, but the guide. Who was quite fantastic herself. We estimated that she was between 45 and 85. She had enough makeup on to be a teenager who didn't know better. And she had the super strong Southern drawl, that extends words with extra syllables....he-air (here), thea-a (there). And she watched Dad like a hawk. She was explained about the walls that were painted to look like marble and while she was talking mum and I had quickly turned around and touched them, but when dad tried she was looking and told everyone that there was no touching. Hehhehehe. From then on she was constantly watching him, which was great, and Mum and I were touching all sorts of stuff. She didn't like us much (just an educated guess), as we kept asking difficult questions and were not really listening to her, and kept walking off. Ooops.

What was hilarious about the whole no touching, was that they have weddings and parties in the house. In fact, there had a been a sweet 16 in there the night before and there were little "16" stickers everywhere and we guessed that they had been allowed to touch!!

The big project while mum and dad were here was making a veggie garden. We went to Lowes (like a giant Mitre 10), and got supplies. We were going to rent something to dig into the super hard Georgian clay in our backyard, but had a better idea. We asked one of the builders to drive over in his digger and give it a go. He did, and it took less than 5 minutes, and whole lot less sweat and bother! He made it look easy. We then went on a search to find dirt...sorry, topsoil. We found a guy that delivered and he dropped it off the next morning. So Dad spent a good hour or two banging and building the frame while we watched. It's all in now, with tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, and lettuce. We also had enough dirt left over for a herb garden outside our bedroom window and another garden at Sarah and Glen's house across the road!! Anyone need some dirt?? I have lots!!

Let's see, many more adventures. We went to the plane museum next to base, and had a look at the JStars display. Mum and I sat in the chairs and pretended to be Chris (see pics...hehehe). We also went out the the local orchard and picked our own strawberries. Then we made jam the next morning...so nice...mmmmm fresh jam! If only I had had some when I made hot cross buns!! hehehe.

Through all of this visit there were some lovely bottles of wine to drink, and lots of Louis Vuitton races to watch. And in Mum's case, many books to read. Dad managed to watch a few NBA games.

We went on a day trip to the Calloway Gardens, over near Columbus, GA. It took us a while to find our way there on the back roads, but we went through some lovely wee towns on the way. We had lunch on top of the mountain, looking over a lovely lush green area. This is where we had real Southern food for the first time. Mum tried the roast turkey with cornbread gravy, and dad had a BBQ pork sandwich, while I had the chicken fried chicken with collared greens. The best part was seeing Mum and Dad drinking "unsweet tea" out of mason jars....!! hehehe. The gardens were lovely, we walked the Lady Bird Johnson wildflower trail, and wandered through the butterfly enclosure. We even went to the lake and had a paddle before driving home.

The next day was my birthday, and we had decided to head off to Savannah. We arrived by lunchtime and managed to find a place with good coffee (a must!), and some sandwiches. After that we took a tram tour of the city, with a very dry commentary from an unemotional woman. She knew her stuff though. All the history, from the statue of the tea towel waving woman, to who lived in what building, when, etc etc. Fascinating. I took a million pictures, so I will try and edit when I put them up...otherwise you will be here all day!!

After the tour we went and checked into our hotel and wandered down to the riverwalk. We did a little shopping, had a beer, and then decided to try and find somewhere to eat. Easier said than done. During this time we managed to see a whole lot more of the city!! hehehe. But in the end we found a place with a fabulous rooftop eating area, and we had a great dinner of fresh seafood!

The next day we headed South a little more and took a scenic drive. We stopped off at King George Fort, the most Southern outpost of the Brits, and couldn't found Brunswick. So we had lunch on Jekyll Island, former hunting area for the rich. Our lunch was ok, but the entertainment was priceless! There was a squirrel standing upside down on a tree trying to wake up a cat. He apparently was a local and liked to steal sugar. Then there was raccoon who wandered out and had a drink from the swimming pool. But the best was the lady behind us and her drink order...it was very important that it was in a tall glass, and had a squeeze of lemon. There was a lot of emphasis on these two vital components! hehehe

We decided to head back home that day and the next one we floated around, taking it easy. We had a few friends over and rested up in preparation for the Georgia Renaissance Festival!! It was surprising how many people dress up to go! They had built a whole village out in the woods near Atlanta, and everyone working there had a role to play. There was a royal court with the King, Queen, a the rest. The mayor, a whole lot of wenches, and the entertainers. Everyone spoke (in their American accents) ye olde English...hehehe. So we had turkey legs, and fried pickles. We watched a comedy show, and a joust...and it was all very entertaining, and super hot!

I can't resist making a comment on the women who went there dressed up....I realise that they love the theme and the reason to wear a corset, but I'm sure they all own mirrors, and they were often not alone...so why, oh why, did they not notice their boob disasters?? They were terrible! There were nipples, and squished misshapen ones....and a few pairs of enormous ones sitting very high! That in itself was entertainment enough!!

I know this is running long, but I only had a few more events to tell you about....hehehe. I took mum and dad to a pool party. It was on Memorial Day weekend, which is a large weekend here, it signals the start of summer. Luckily it was a hot day, so I had my second swim of the year (not so for those from the Southern Hemisphere). We had burgers and hotdogs, and war and politics were discussed. And a bit of travel. Thankfully the beer and wine were flowing!

The day before Mum and Dad left, we went the back way up to "America's No.1 small town", Madison. We arrived at about lunchtime (a theme it seems), and took the walking tour around the historical district. This is the town that is famous for not being burning by General Sherman's army. It's a lovely little place, with some great houses dating from 1810. We had a fantastic lunch in the central square, before heading into Atlanta. In Atlanta we had to check out Ikea, which was awesome as always! hehehe.

We found out hotel out by the airport, and it was so close to the airport that we felt as if the planes were landing on us! We had dinner at the tavern next to our hotel....and we were the only white people in there. We had the ultimate American cuisine....I had chicken wings, Dad had ribs and wings, and Mum had a burger! All accompanied by two pitchers of beer! hehehe. We had to finish off mum and dad's experience the right way!!

They left early the next morning and I drove home to hang out with Charlie. It has been a lot quieter since they left. I have found myself talking to Charlie more (poor wee guy). Luckily a few things have remained, I have watched the Louis Vuitton finals..wooohhhoooo NZ! I have been making coffees at 10am, and giving Charlie his fluffy! hehehe.

A couple of big things though.....I had my biometrics appointment for my greencard. Not knowing what exactly this entailed I was very nervous. I drove up the night before, because my appointment was at 8am, and stayed with my friend Shannan. We went out for some fantastic sushi (something lacking in Warner Robins). I found the place quite easily (another thing I was worried about), and driving there was no hassle as it was too early for traffic (something everyone should know is that driving in Atlanta makes me sweat uncontrollably!!!!). There was already a line at 7:30am, and there were lots of Asians, Latinos, and a couple of Italians and Indians. The Koreans were up to their usual tricks, arriving and walking to the front of the line. Showing up early when their appointment time was 9:45am, and when they were told they couldn't come in -standing next to the door looking annoyed. Great stuff!
I knew we couldn't take phones in, so I left mine in the car, but they also informed us that we couldn't take bags in. They kept checking our ID and appointment letter, and our hands!! I was fingerprinted and had a photo taken, and was out of there by 8:30am...easy peasy!

And last, but not least....I got a job!!! I am now a cleaner...I clean a dentist's office once a week. At the moment I am cleaning with my boss, but soon it will be my building alone, for about 7 hours a week. Not bad, and it will give me some spending money! I have included a picture of the outside of the building...it's brand new and really lovely. And so clean I have to work really hard to improve on it!! hehehe.

OK, super long....enjoy the pics....Anna xxxxxxxxx

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