Ok so it's been a while

The reason why I haven't been blogging is pictured above. This little sucker has had me either sleeping or throwing up for the past 3 weeks. I think it is starting to pass though because I have felt slightly better over the last few days.

I am still in shock, and it's not helping that my husband is deployed. It makes me sad because my body is going through some rough changes and it would be nice if he were home because I know, no matter how horrible I look, that he would tell me how beautiful I look. Instead, I get weekly updates about his life aboard his ship, and if I am really lucky I will get two emails.

Life sucks, feel bad for me!

Just kidding, I have a healthy baby floating around, so life can't be that bad right?

#170 Visit the USS Arizona

So on Friday, I actually had the chance to go to the USS Arizona memorial with my History class. I know I haven't been posting much, but please forgive me as I am dealing with the worse morning sickness a human being can have. Anyway, the field trips are worth a great amount of our grade so I sucked it up and went with my class. These are not my photos, I forgot my camera :( I know, I am terrible. My mind has turned into mush.

Anyways, when you first arrive at the Pearl Harbor historical sites you are asked to leave all bags outside of the park. I would suggest wearing something with deep pockets for your wallet, camera and other belongings you want to bring in with you. There is a limited amount of number of persons who are able to get to the memorial each day, so plan on going early so you can "purchase" your tickets. Tickets are free, it's a historical park.

So when your tour begins, everyone is briefed on the history of Pearl Harbor and the attack on December 7th 1941. After, you get into a little boat and sail your way over to the USS Arizona.

Did you know that Elvis Presley held a benefit concert in order to raise enough money for the memorial?

Even though divers removed 10 tons of oil from the USS Arizona, the boat still leaks oil. You can see it in the water, it's almost an eerie feeling that the boat is still leaking oil decades later.

I am hoping to go back again, when I am not suffering from morning sickness so I can enjoy it a little more. If I do I will report back!

The good, the bad, and the plain ugly of Politics

Alright, so every blogger has been pretty outspoken about their political views. What surprises me the most about American politics is that most Americans don't even know WHY they are voting for a certain candidate or not. I will admit, I was really disappointed that Ron Paul didn't get the popular vote yesterday in Hawaii. I believe he has the right ideals for our country at the moment, not to mention he is a candidate you can count on because for the past 30 years he has not changed his mind about ANYTHING. Here are just a few of our candidates and their stance on some issues...

(Barak Obama)

Abortion: Abortions will NOT be covered by insurance plans unless it's from rape or incest, or where the woman's life is endangered. Supports Planned Parenthood funding. For stem-cell research.

Afganistan: As the commander of the Army, we have to realize that Obama had to make a lot of tough decisions when it came to the war overseas. His resolution? Sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. After people went all crazy on the President, he made a statement telling everyone not to worry, that the troops will continue coming home so by 2014 America will have no presence there.

Budget: Obama wants to raise taxes to eliminate debt. Aims at making college assessable by expanding pell grants and tax credits (headsmack-this is actually raising the college tuition AND putting people who can't afford college into their own personal debt). 

Same Sex Marriage: Against. But all for civil unions.

Marijuana: Supports decriminalization but not legalization. 

(Mitt Romney)

Abortion: Initially, Romney was Pro-Choice. Today? He is Pro-life. Would fight to see Roe v. Wade repealed outlawing abortion and the right for women to choose. Supports the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Against stem-cell research.

Afganistan: Believes cost isn't an issue, that we should stay overseas until the generals think its "safe" to withdrawal. 

Budget: Wants to cut taxes in order to stimulate economic growth. Supports setting up a national catastrophic fund to ensure that home owners are insured during natural disasters. Wants to make investments in alternative energy to lower energy costs. Wants to cut over 300 programs. 

Same Sex Marriage: Supports "Don't ask don't tell". Against same-sex marriages, but believes that same sex partnerships should have the same rights as though they were married, e.g. Health insurance benefits. At first he was very supportive of the community, but now is against it. Flip Flop.

Marijuana: Opposes all legalization of marijuana, even medical marijuana.

(Rick Santorum looking dashing)

Abortion: Not only does he want to make Abortion illegal, but he would also like to see all contraceptives outlawed. Canada anyone?  Unlike Rommey- he has been consistent with his decision. He has voted anti-choice 99% of the time. He also believes that the doctor who performs the abortion should be criminally charged for doing so. Against Roe v. Wade. Believes Planned Parenthood is "poison" and completely supports the defunding of the organization. Against Stem-cell research.

Afghanistan: Does not agree with Obama's plan to withdrawal troops from overseas.

Budget: Disapproves of bail outs. Wants to provide disadvantaged families affordable housing. Supports a balanced budget.

Same-Sex Marriage: If Santorum allowed same-sex marriage then it would open doors for pedophiles and give men reasons to have sex with animals. 

Marijuana: Despite using in college, he is against legalization

(Newt Gingrich- The most huggable candidate)

Abortion: Believes abortion should be illegal. Against Planned Parenthood and stem-cell research. Meh, he is a republican, he doesn't state why but we will just go with it.

Afganistan: Not really sure what to think about Afghanistan. 

Budget: Believes the US should stop spending money. Believes the budget must be balanced. Believes the government should be downsized.

Same-sex marriage: Against, and wants an amendment saying so.

Marijuana: Was a user and supporter of medical marijuana, but is now opposed to its legalization. 

(Ron Paul)

Abortion: Ron Paul is strongly Pro-life...HOWEVER he believes that as Americans we should have the right to choose. Wow, look at that! Believes in stem-cell research, does not believe in government funding of Planned Parenthood.

Afganistan: Wants an immediate withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. 

Budget: Wants to do everything to pay off debt. Believes spending should be based on the Constitution. Says we can not afford wars in the middle east. Does not support government bailouts. Supports a balanced budget plan.

Same-Sex marriage: Believes that voluntary association between individuals is a given in a free society, and feels like no one should impose their views upon others. Opposed to any amendment to allow or deny these rights. Although he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman, he thinks the matter should be left up to the states.

Marijuana: Believes that the decision to legalize marijuana should be a state decision.

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Buy This Stuff:

• 2 (10 ounce) cans of Campbell's Cheddar soup
• 2 cans of evaporated milk
• 1 cup of shredded mild cheddar
• 1 large bag of frozen broccoli
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Because I made this in the crock pot, all you have to do is put all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

I served mine over a baked potato because that's how I roll.

My Dog Has a Hard Time Dealing With Deployment

I am not sure if anyone else has this problem. I am an avid cat lover. My cat is awesome and he is completely "my pet". He loves my husband, but this cat is completely loyal to me. When my husband is gone my cat is happy to take over his space in bed. In fact, my cat, although outdoors, spends more time in the house when my husband is away. Me, being the huge cornball that I am believe my cat does this because he can sense my loneliness and is trying to help me out a little bit. I just have this indescribable relationship with my cat.

My dog on the other hand is an asshole when my husband is away. Even though the dog has spent more time with me then my husband since we got him, he still claimed my husband as his "master" and me as his "maid" and "supplier of things to chew on". When my husband said he wanted a dog I was very fond of the idea because I have never had my own dog before. We went to the animal shelter and saw this dog that was very loving and most importantly, quiet. I was thinking a dog would make me feel a little bit better about being alone while my husband is away.

Wrong. A few weeks after we got Revis my husband was sent to Dive School in Florida for 7 weeks. When he was gone I swore up and down I was getting rid of the dog who refused to go outside. I was cleaning up shit and piss around my house for 7 weeks. As soon as my husband got home the dog stopped.

My husband told me I just don't know how to train a dog. I disagree. This dog refuses to listen to me, but listens to every word my husband says. It's like my dog is saying "SCREW YOU LADY, YOU'RE NOT MY REAL MOTHER".

For the last underway and so far this deployment I have encountered the dog not wanting to go outside. I stood out in the rain for 30 minutes to come inside and the dog look directly at me and piss on the carpet. And to make matters worse, he has been chewing on EVERYTHING. He ate one of my school books. He has ate his share of my underwear and socks (he digs through my laundry basket when I am not looking).

I am again to the point of swearing up and down that I am going to get rid of the asshole, but I know he is just having anxiety because his "master" isn't home which makes me feel bad. I have noticed he is missing patches of his hair from scratching so much (no he doesn't have fleas, I think it's an anxiety thing). My husband is pleading for me to not get rid of the dog. But seriously, would you be able to handle this for 6 months?

The Worst Thing About Being Pregnant

I have to share this, before you get pregnant just think about all the food you are not allowed to eat. No cold cuts, no seafood, all your meat has to be cooked well-done and no more fried foods.

Now...
Think about all the food you will make and not eat.

The other night I wanted beef stew terribly. I cooked beef stew for the whole day. Then when I went to eat it BLACHHHHHFFFFFF

I ended up throwing it all away.


Tonight, all I wanted was some chicken lo mein from the chinese place down the street (I live in Hawaii so we have "authentic" chinese food). I took it home and opened the container and BLAHHHRRRFFFF

My love of food is slowly dwindling away.

That Moment when you cut off all your hair...

(Before mah haircut)

(After mah hair cut)

No folks, I have not gone crazy!

The truth is, I love short hair. I really only grew it so long for my wedding because I wanted to style my hair all pretty-like. Also, my husband loves my hair long. So with him being deployed I figured I would chop it now so that way he can't stop me!

What I think is funny, is that when you decide to do something drastic like this all of your friends try to talk you out of it. They say, "No, your hair is so long and so pretty, you are instantly going to regret it!"

Well, I don't regret it. I LOVE IT. The one thing about Hawaii is that it is always humid here, and on top of that it seems like every bathroom simply doesn't have windows. As I was blow drying my hair which can take up to 15 minutes of my life, I tossed my hair dryer down and exclaimed, "SCREW IT! I AM CHOPPING IT ALL OFF!!"

The women at the salon thought I had gone crazy. But after the hair dresser cut the pony tail off (This is my third time I have donated my hair), they were all like...oh yeah, you look much better with short hair.

So that's my hair story and I am sticking to it!

#184 My list of Books: The Bluest Eye

My professor has really chosen some heartbreaking books for our class this semester. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison just happened to be on my list of books that I had made that I wanted to read. I just killed two birds with one stone!


The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, is about a young black child who only wishes to have blue eyes so she can be "beautiful". The little girl, Pecola, idolizes Shirley Temple because Shirley is "the perfect American girl." It is truly sad knowing that The Bluest Eye was written in 1970 and that we, as as society, have not progressed very much. In today's society adults still put pressure on their little girls to be perfect, when in all reality perfection is unrealistic. I guess one could say that I am "fortunate" enough to not know what it feels like to be discriminated and disliked because of the color of my skin like the main character in this novel. But, what Morrison does do in the process of shedding light on the color issue, is also shed light on the "cover-girl" issue also. Morrison uses a girl character to really show the problems with children forming their own identity in today's society.

The Bluest Eye also focus's on the importance of family and one's upbringing. We see that children who have what I like to call, "daddy issues," tend to have a harder time in life. The reader see's this in many character's throughout the book. One of the most prominent is Cholly, Pecola's father who is shown to have the worst "daddy issues." Cholly's issues result in a very violent act toward his own child, and because Morrison does such a great job explain Cholly's background, the reader tends to feel sympathy towards him (not saying that what he does is right because it's down right horrible).

I enjoyed The Bluest Eye a lot. I think Morrison brings to light a lot of issues whether it's race, society, religion, self-image, or simply family dynamics. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a good read. It's also in Oprah's book club if that convinces you further.

#79 Have a baby

Holy crap I am having a baby!

Seriously, I am serious. I have gone to the doctor and I am only a few weeks along. Fortunately, my husband's boat just pulled into a port so I finally got to tell him. It has been killing me keeping it contained.

DISCLAIMER FOR ALL MY YOUNG READERS: This wasn't exactly planned, but knowing that I wasn't on birth control and we were not using any kind of preventative tools, we knew this was going to be a possibility. A baby is a beautiful thing when you are "ready" to have a baby.

You might consider me crazy when I say this, but I consider myself very lucky that I am pregnant at the beginning of a deployment because he is going to be there for the most important part (and to see me look like a cow).

As soon as I saw that first positive show up I freaked out in a good/bad way. I wasn't really sure what to think. So I waited for another week thinking that perhaps that one test I took was flawed. Then, after feeling like crap I went to Walmart and purchased four more. If the very thought of going into a store and buying a pregnancy embarrasses you, then you are not ready for a child. I grabbed some Cheetos and some ice cream bars just in case.

I went home and positive, positive, positive, and lastly....positive. Without my husband being around naturally I had horrible thoughts about how I am not ready to be a parent. After talking to several people, I have noticed that it is common to have these thoughts, which made me feel like a better person. I am not going to lie, it is hard to sit there and not know whether or not you should be excited. There will always be a part of you that will wonder how your spouse is going to handle the news. Even though I KNEW my husband was going to be excited, I was really worried about what he would say.

Thankfully, when I told him, he teared up a little bit and took the news with an excited embrace which made me feel a lot better.

I have a LOOOOOONG road ahead of me. Fear not readers, I will not let this blog turn into a "baby blog" I am going to continue to write about the things I enjoy doing and the goals I want to accomplish. I think it is important as a woman to be able to be a mother and still be yourself and not lose interest in the things you love doing. (I do follow some baby/family blogs and I think that they are great for some people so please don't take that the wrong way. Some women are just naturally born to be "loud and proud" mothers, and for now I just don't see myself going down that path. I want my child to know that he/she can accomplish anything they want to no matter what- hence me sticking to my main blog idea. I don't want them to look at this blog later in life and be like "Mom, how come you never did anything past #79?" Please, Please don't take that the wrong way!)

The first month of Deployment

(One of my friends from back at home sent me this card to cheer me up because my husband had to leave for deployment)

(What my dog thought about his card)





For me, the first and last month always seem the longest whenever my husband is deployed. I actually haven't gotten completely through the first month yet. But I am pretty close so I figured this post would be appropriate. I think the first month is hard because after the first month you are pretty much like "Well, I already have a month down." Also, this deployment has been hard because my husband's submarine hasn't been surfacing much to transmit emails, so I have only gotten about 2-3 emails from my husband since he left. I think that is the hardest part of being a submariners wife. You never know when you are going to speak to your better half. I work with an army wife who has been saying for the past few months, "Well, at least he isn't deployed for a whole year and only 6 months". My opinion about that matter is that there are cons to both sides. She is right, at least I am lucky that he doesn't leave for a year. BUT, at least she gets video chats almost everyday. The navy tends to have shorter deployments because they have virtually no contact with their family. Of course neither one is better, but lets all be respectful towards each other. Our husbands are fighting for the same thing whether its Army, Navy, National Guard, Air force, or Marines. So with that being said....

Things I did this month to keep my mind of deployment:

• Really focused on school.  I have been keeping up with my classes and working on extra credit to keep my grades all A's. 4.0 semester here I come!
• Spending more time with my fur babies. My dog tends to get ignored whenever me and my husband are home. Although he is sad that his daddy is gone, he is quite happy with the two walks a day compromise.
• Getting excited for something that I will announce in a couple of months. You will understand and I am sorry I have to tease you this way!
• Throwing out stuff. HEHE. It has to be done though.
• Talking more with my family. I have a great support system and my mother calls me often to make sure I am doing ok. Also, a lot of my friends have been texting me daily to do the same. It's nice to know that if I happen to ever need something, that I have people who will be there in an instant.
• Clean, Clean, and more Clean. I think this goes hand and hand with the throwing out of things, but it's nice to re arrange the furniture and really scrub the floors knowing that it will be clean for a while. This is also a stress reliever for me.
• I am starting guitar lessons which I am really excited about.
• F*** Bit***, Get Money! Working whenever I can. I basically told everyone at work to call me first if they need anything covered because I need to get my mind off things and make that green.
• Trying out new recipes. Mostly because if they are horrible I can throw them away without my husband "starving" for the night.
• Went on some field trips with my classes and really took advantage of the area in which I live in.
• Read, Read, Read as you can probably tell by my last 10 entries! I am sorry for all the book reviews! (I have another on the tips of my fingers but I will give it a few days).

I think the most important part about deployment and getting through it is being as positive as you can be. I think spouses should take the opportunity to do things as an individual (But hey now, don't go all crazy and think your single). Sometimes it's nice to do things alone, whether it's going to a movie, a museum or an art gallery. As long as you are positive about doing things alone then you will have positive results, and believe me...you won't regret it.

Book Review: The Jewel of the Seven Stars

Sorry folks, another review on a classic British work. This time it's Bram Stoker's The Jewel of Seven Stars. If you thinking to yourself "Oh Stoker that sounds familiar," let me remind you that he is the genius behind Dracula. But of course, it is hard for an author to break out after such an iconic novel to write another. I like his style of writing though, it is very straightforward and his characters do not drone on forever with their inner thoughts which I appreciate.

The Jewel of Seven Stars is about a man, Mr. Trelawney (like the character from Harry Potter, except in male form. Weird no?) who is an Egyptian enthusiast.  Mr.Trelawney becomes obsessed with the mummy and her possessions of Queen Tera after reading a book. He surround his life with ancient artifacts and ultimately endangers everyone around him with this magical items. Actually, when the reader is first introduced to him it is through his daughter who is a main character though out the novel when Mr. Trelawney is in a hypnotic trace. In fact, his daughter is a giant mystery to everyone around her also.

The Jewel of Seven Stars really fascinates me because I have been watching a lot of episodes of Ancient Aliens on the History Channel. I don't know if anyone else watches this show, but they frequently bring up the mystery and enchantment of Egypt. I feel like The Jewel of Seven Stars is a realistic interpretation of something that could happen after watching an episode of Ancient Aliens. The Jewel of Seven Stars is a good thriller novel. There isn't a lot of running/ screaming/ murders (I think only 9 people die or something like that), but the basis behind mummies and magical and haunted objects is pretty scary to me.

If you are looking for something unlike the popular mainstream of literature that is going around lately, I would recommend The Jewel of the Seven Stars. If you are one of those people who does not believe in the after life, or of haunted objects, skip this one because I think you will be bored from disbelief. Remember you have to have a little bit of an imagination when reading! Also, it has come to my knowledge that there are two completely different versions with different endings. You want to read the original version, as the ending is more exciting then the toned down revised version.

Book Review: Heart of Darkness

So it has come to my knowledge that Heart of Darkness is one of the greatest pieces of British Literature you will learn about in school. At least that is what my British Literature professor is telling our class. I have noticed across the review boards, that you either hate Heart of Darkness with a great passion or you really know why it is in the literary canon.

The novel is about an adventurer sailor-man named Marlow who is sitting around and telling his tale of his venture into Africa on a mission to bring back this guy names Kurtz. This trip to Africa changes Marlow's perspective about everything he has ever known about the society he was brought up in (england). This book is the typical anti-imperialistic book from the eighteenth century when countries were claiming African land as their own. In some light, this book is really racist, often comparing the natives to "savages" "prehistoric men" and "hyenas". So if racism bothers you, do not bother with Heart of Darkness.

Heart of Darkness lacks in adventure and in plot. But, the writing is truly beautiful. No one can deny Conrad's elaborate prose. Seriously, the guy is deep. But, Conrad's writing style tends to make the book really hard to read and comprehend for most readers. There is just SO much to digest in such a short amount of time. The first 40% of the beginning of Heart of Darkness, I was completely lost. But as soon as I sat down and really started to concentrate on the writing I highly enjoyed the book.

I would recommend Heart of Darkness really only for english majors and classic literature lovers. If you are looking for a simple book, a few pages in you will find yourself flustered. My tips would be to take it slow and really enjoy the sentence structure and the comparisons Conrad makes throughout the novel.


Some of my favorite quotes...
"For a time I would feel I belonged still to a world of straightforward facts; but the feeling would not last long" (pg 15)

"And for good or evil mine is the speech that cannot be silenced. Of course, a fool, what with sheer fright and fine sentiments, is always safe" (pg 38)

"I would just as soon have expected restraint from a hyena prowling amongst the corpses of a battlefield" (pg 43)

and my favorite...

"And perhaps in this is the whole difference; perhaps all the wisdom, and all truth, and all sincerity, are just compressed into that inappreciable moment of time in which we step over the threshold of the invisible" (pg 72)

Movie Review: This Means War!

The instant I saw the trailer of This Means War, I knew that I wanted to spend my $8.50 to watch it. Mostly because I have a girl crush on Reese Witherspoon. I also wanted to see it because I thought it had an original story line. An audience has never really seen two FBI agents do recon to win a girl over against each other. And to be honest, I really wanted to see something other than some foreign country trying to nuclear attack America and someone like Tom Cruise has to come in and save the day. Let's just say this movie was a breathe of fresh air from the other action movies lately.

Even though there is a lot of action, there aren't a lot of "WHOA" moments in This Means War, and I think that is why it got such horrible reviews from critics. However, as a woman, I enjoyed the movie. It was sappy in all the right places. It wasn't an over whelming sappy movie, in fact it really only had a few "Aweeeeee" moments also. I think This Means War was a good balance between and action and a romantic comedy. I think This Means War would be a great date movie for couples.

The acting was of course awesome, with Reese Witherspoon taking the lead female role. The guys weren't so bad either. My favorite is definitely Chelsea Handler. Who knew she was such a great actress? Chelsea had me laughing in almost every scene she was in, leaving me wondering if she wrote her own lines.

Do you ever see a trailer for a movie and it seems really funny, but then you get there and the only funny parts are the ones you have already seen a hundred times from the trailer? This Means War is not one of those movies. In fact, the most funny scenes were completely unexpected. It really made me validate the money I spent to watch it.

Overall I give This Means War 4 stars!