Korea Pics!

Korea pics are finally up! I posted a few below. The rest with captions are here. I would have posted them sooner, but I just got a new computer and we had to figure out how to migrate my Picasa files onto it. I have video too, I will put those up hopefully tomorrow.

My Expanding Girth of Pregnant Glory - 14 weeks

14 weeks
Perhaps you can see why I have been relegated to the land of
Pants With Elasticized Waists That Go Up To Your Ears.

Finally.

Honeymoon pics. I think this link will work but let me know if you can't view the pics... also let me know if you have to get a google account because if so I will switch them to flickr.

I got an email from my blog that said it was lonely. I know, bad blogger. I wish I could say it's because we've been so busy having fun and running around, but the truth is that our schedules have been blessedly boring. We've been settling in and shaking off the residual stress of the wedding and honeymoon.

Adam left for his two month deployment yesterday.

I'm due another thyroid scan in a few weeks.

I'm becoming more grumbly about my job as the weeks wear on. My main complaint is hating being chained to a desk. Being chained to a desk with nothing to do or things that you don't want to do is by far worse.

That's the news! I'll try not to be so scarce!

xoxoxox

Kaneohe Condo

Hey y'all! Sorry I've been neglecting to post! I'm just really trying HARD to stay balanced with all the stress going on in my life. I will be happy when this weekend comes and I get a big break! I've had days off from work since I got here, but we've been running around trying to get stuff done for the wedding and the condo and have barely had time to catch our breaths. It's taking a toll on my mental and spiritual well being!

I'm going to have an acupuncture session on Saturday! It's something I've been wanting to try for a while now and I can definitely use it. The woman said I will see results right away and she will do a lifestyle interview with me to see where any imbalances might be and if there are any herbal remedies that can help.

Also! I met Misty May-Treanor today! She and her husband and father came to the PACOM headquarters to do a professional development forum - it was way cool! She is totally nice and sweet and soft spoken and down to earth. She was just a regular girl! Definitely a role model.

You can go to my mom's Picasa album and view the pics of our condo. Thanks for taking and posting all those, Mom!!

Kaneohe condo!

Hiking Mt. Olomana in Kailua

Tuesday was a federal holiday and Adam and I were both off work so we decided to go hike up Mt. Olomana in our town of Kailua. It was kind of an overcast day, but that kept the temperature pretty cool. It's a grueling hike straight up the ridge you see below, including some boulder scrambling and some areas where you have to use ropes to pull yourself up!


At one point in the hike we came across a grove of those strange Hawaiian pine trees with really long droopy needles that make a carpet on the forest floor that is thick and squishy. The wind was surprisingly loud whispering through the pines!

The virtual stair master of a trail we climbed.... we took lots of breaks on the way up!

View of the peak from the trail below... still quite a way to go at this point.

Some teaser views of the ocean as we ascended kept us motivated!

Looking back towards the mountains. You can see how steep the climb was as I was only a few feet ahead of Adam taking this picture.

And then we came to THIS:

Oh yes. Your eyes do not deceive you, that is a ROPE. Intended to be used to scramble up that steep face of rock. Needless to say, I was FREAKING OUT.

FREAKING.

OUT.
I almost didn't make it, but Adam talked me through it and stayed right below me, which I felt was silly since if I had fallen it would have knocked him right off the mountain with me on top. He insisted he wouldn't fall if I fell on him. Partly what got me up this was that I wanted to go back down LESS than I wanted to keep going up to the flat part!

I was really proud of myself. I conquered some fears that day! Adam had already climbed this before and he's fearless anyway....

View of our town - Kailua from above. At the end of that peninsula is the Marine Corps Base where Adam works and right to the left of it is where our new house is going to be.

Looking out farther into Kaneohe Bay.

What a fun day!

Last Set of Kansas Pics

I'm at a loss for words lately - the only thing running through my brain is about moving! I guess I could tell you that Adam went back on deployment again yesterday for the next few weeks. Supposedly he is going to fly here on his way back to Hawaii the last week of October to help me move! But we won't know for sure until right before... love that, right?! He's in an undisclosed location, and it's NOT Afghanistan so I'm calling it Turkalurkadurk. Hehe. I actually know where he is this time, though - ha. But I can't say! Maybe when he gets back I will be allowed to tell you. And you'll all be like ooh, weird! Wonder what THAT was like.

I'm selling all my furniture - anyone in the DC area want any of it?!

OK, so these are the last of the pics I have...

You have to click on this first one - it's my favorite. The cross-eyed kitty. I think his name is Richard Parker?? But I'm not sure. He was definitely my favorite cat.

Mary in the garden by the side of the house... Deep midwestern Kansas, a place called GODdard, if you would believe it, and of course these people have some VERY Catholic values. That's how come Adam has like 17 aunts and uncles (NOT including their spouses) and like 80 first cousins. I mentioned to you before that Adam was even in the seminary before, right?! I like to tell people that, I think it's kind of cool. He left that life to find me :)

Here are the kitties - that's the cross-eyed one on the left, then Butterfinger and Snickers.

I have no idea why I am showing you this pic of the vehicles... but look at all those trees! Adam planted those, he likes to remind me over and over again :)

This is the front of the house as you drive up.

And the side of the house... that first pic of the kitty was on the back porch. Which Adam and his brothers built! With their bare hands! He likes to remind me of this too!! :)

Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!

The day I got to Kansas was a looong day. I was up at 3:45 am to drive to Baltimore (which was great because there was almost no traffic at that ungodly hour, although there WAS still some! DC - grumble). I landed in Kansas at 8:00 am local time and got my bags no problem. It's amazing how ... empty the Kansas City International Airport was compared to BWI. Adam was an hour late picking me up because he got stuck behind an accident involving a semi splayed across the entire highway. But we finally got on the road and had a three hour drive back to Wichita through the vast nothingness of the prairie state. Back at the Seiler residence, we barely had time to grab some lunch before Adam's dad was piling us into his pickup truck to run some veterinary calls with him!

First we visited a sick buffalo, and then we drove over the exotic animal ranch that he takes care of - Tanganiyka. It was pretty amazing - they have all kinds of exotic animals - a ton of cats of all kinds, rhinos, giraffes, primates, kangaroos, birds - it was pretty crazy! And in most cases you can get right up next to them - wait till you see the pics of us with the white tigers! Of course, animals running around everywhere means there's dirt and poo and other untold wonders crusting the ground, and Adam's dad is just striding around through everything, totally unafraid... and here's me daintily picking my way around puddles of ... water? and piles of crusted... mud? Trying not to step in ANythING.

First stop was the ring tailed lemurs! They were the funniest little creatures. So curious and energetic - they were bouncing all over the cage trying to inspect us.

Well, except for this guy - he was old or stoned or something because he didn't move from that spot the entire time. Meanwhile his buddies were pouncing all around him.

They have these fat, squishy hands and they'll reach out and grab your finger with those soft little pads - it feels funny! They grab on and then stare at you with their bulging, curious eyes.

Next we went over to the giraffes and met Dudley. Here he is trying to give me a kiss. You can see the mama giraffe in the cage behind watching warily. She was skittish and so was her baby, which you can't see. Dudley was fearless though.

He didn't stick his tongue out at me, but he kept trying to get a taste of Adam.

And Greg! He kept coming up behind Greg (Adam's dad) and poking him and licking him with his long black tongue!

Then we went on to the white tigers. There were cages on either side of us and we were standing only a few feet from a tiger in either direction! The adrenaline was flowing - that is definitely the closest I've ever been to a tiger! The tiger in the first cage inside the door pounced up on her ledge and put her ears back and started hissing and spitting and bearing her fangs at us when we walked in the door. She was pissed! The other two were males and they were pretty friendly. They were chuffing (tiger hello) and pacing back and forth wanting attention. Both of them were still babies.

Here is me crouched down right next to one. Adam says, here get right in front of the cage... little bit closer! Little more! and I'm leaning in and freaking out because- hi! zOMG TIGER! Go ahead and click on it, you gotta get the full effect.

Me: oh, hai! nice kitteh!
Tiger: i's in dis cage, sniffing ur yumminess

Adam: yeh
Tiger: *growlz* - scuse me, dats mah belleh!

It's darn hard to take good pictures of wildlife with a digital camera! They don't exactly hold still for very long. This one was standing up peering at Adam...

Greg was the bravest - he put his hand right in front of the tiger's mouth. He was just a baby and playful, he was sniffing Greg's hand and hamming it up trying to get attention.

Here's one of the baby snow leopards! So cute! Big fangs! We saw another smaller one in a baby playpen playing with a basketball that was just about the same size as him. And also a baby kangaroo in a playpen, inside a shearling-lined purse that was hanging in the pen for him! Tee!

This is one of the adult snow leopards. This one was skittish and suspicious.

And this one looked suspicious but when we tried to walk away she jumped up and followed us looking for more attention. She only had three legs - one of her front legs got injured and had to be removed. She didn't seem to mind, though.

Another baby leopard peeking out from his house!

Oh, and here's us at the Original Pizza Hut, which is located on the campus of Wichita State University in this tiny brick building you see here. Who knew?!

That's all for now!!

Vision Board!

I just finished my vision board! Now I have to figure out what to do with it. Adam was making fun of me because I have so many vegetables on there :D

Also a picture of my hair.

Turbulence Training Transformation Contest - Final Results

Or, I cannot believe I am posting pictures of myself in a bikini on the WEBZ!!!

Today marks the end of twelve weeks of commitment to living the Turbulence Training lifestyle. This journey has been extremely rewarding for me - I've had ups and downs, but mostly it's been FUN! I'm really proud of myself for sticking to this through the end and really pleased to see my body changing. I finally feel like myself again - my clothes fit and I've developed some great habits that I let fall by the wayside.

The most important thing I've learned through this process, though, is balance. You can't out-exercise poor dietary habits! But you can run yourself into the ground trying. After recovering from thyroid cancer treatments and gaining about 20 lbs last year in the span of only a few months, I felt like I'd been through the ringer. I went from being a thin, active, fit person to a physically weakened SURVIVOR, who struggled with hormones being all out of whack and feeling totally out of control of my own body! When I saw the TT contest advertised, I knew it was exactly what I needed.

I sat myself down and said, Self, you need to get real! You need to start taking some steps to reclaim your life and your energies! I knew I could do it, but I knew I would need support. The motivation of the TT forum and the other contestants, and all the information provided in the TT interviews and downloads was critical to my success. It's not just about working out. It's about working IN - doing the inner work on myself as I make my way on this journey to 'live the life I imagine' and to take charge of my actions, my mind and my body. Everything in life flows from that - if we don't master our own minds and bodies, what do we have?!

I've followed TT for twelve weeks, doing the workouts pretty much as written. I didn't do extra cardio, I didn't do strange dietary manipulations - these are the results of a normal girl with a stressful job just trying to shed some extra body weight! I love the TT workouts, I love getting a new one every 4 weeks, I love the new and challenging exercises and combinations, I love the sometimes wacky cardio routines, I love coming to this forum and hanging out with my TT buddies, and I LOVE the results! So here they are...

May 1, 2008 vs. July 23, 2008

Height: 5'6"
Age: 28
Weight: 152 / 140 ( -12)
Neck: 12.5 / 12.5
Shoulder: 42 / 41 (-1)
Bicep: 11.5 / 11.5
Chest: 35 / 34.5 (-.5)
Under bust: 30.75 / 29.5 (-1.25)
Waist: 28.5 / 27.75 (-.75)
Bellybutton: 32 / 30 (-2)
Abdomen: 34 / 33.25 (-.75)
Hips: 36 / 35.25 (-.75)
Butt: 39 / 38 (-1)
Thigh: 22.75 / 22 (-.75)
Calf: 14 / 13.75 (-.25)

So I've lost 9 inches and 12 lbs! Woo!! From looking at my pictures, I still have some work to do, but now I know I have the tools to succeed! Thanks Craig!!

Monticello, UVA and the Masonic Temple

I dropped Adam off at the airport not long ago and I find I have no motivation for anything other than sulking right now. It's been such a fun, relaxing and perfect week. Now sitting here alone with chores to do and errands to run feels like waking from a dream. It's not like we didn't do any chores or errands while Adam was here. We replaced light bulbs, went to the grocery store, got work done on the car, scrubbed the bathroom and did laundry. But somehow it doesn't seem like a sad reminder of the monotony of life's necessities when we do it together. Maybe that sounds like a nauseating romance novel, but it's true.

All I can think about is that it seems so senseless that we are separated. That he's in Hawaii and I am here. Why? For what? For my career? It's in my power to change the situation. I feel like I'm standing at a crossroads. Down one path, I can see my life if I stay here and keep investing in a DC career. Down the other path is... what? I don't know any alternative right now. I have some ideas of what it could look like, but nothing is clear. And so much it seems like I have to keep on this path in order to secure success and happiness on the other. But is that an illusion? If I'm being completely honest, it's fear that keeps me here. Fear that I will close doors or miss out on opportunities. Fear of failure - that I might be giving up. So here I am. Alone in this city,
waiting. Trying to trust that the universe will nudge me in the right direction at the right time. Even though I despise my choice, if I can see no alternative then it must be the thing for now.

++++++++++++++++++++

Yesterday was relaxing and lazy. We worked out, laid around and went to church. But we were busy on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday we drove down to Charlottesville to tour Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home) and the University of Virginia. Monticello was awesome! Jefferson taught himself architecture and designed the house himself. It's really well preserved, and full of all the original furniture and books and scientific instruments that fascinated him.

The house is on top of a hill so all around are views of the rolling hills and valleys. We actually had really nice weather while Adam was here. It was hot but not too unbearably humid. Below the house are several gardens where they still grow different plants and vegetables, which you can buy at the gift shop. Jefferson grew all different kinds of vegetables and fruits.

Two long porches stretch out on either side of the back lawn from both sides of the house. You can see views of the valleys below from both porches. All around are gardens making a big oval lawn behind the house in between the porches.

This is another view of the back of the house from farther down the lawn. You can see some of the flowers lining the path around the grass. Jefferson was enamored with ancient Greek and classical architecture - hence the domed roof and the columns on both the front and back of the house.

There was a big fish pond on the South side, which they kept stocked so the fish would be fresh. Another interesting feature was an ice house. When the rivers froze, Jefferson would have his slaves and employees go collect huge chunks of ice and store it in a cistern on the North side of the house. Surprisingly, the ice lasted through the summer.

You approach the front of the house by a long path through a tunnel of trees.

It's easy to imagine pulling up in a horse-drawn carriage! Life must have been much more uncomfortable back then.

After Monticello, we drove into Charlottesville's downtown area and then over to the UVA campus. Jefferson built UVA and the center of the campus is still preserved exactly how it was built. Along both sides of the "lawn" in the center are student residences - I guess it's a big deal to get selected to live in them. But there are no toilets inside, you have to go outside to use a community toilet!

Then on Friday we toured the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria. It's this huge temple that houses a museum and tours of several rooms where the public can learn about Washington and Freemasonry. It was interesting to learn how much a secret fraternity has affected the history of our country. One out of three Presidents has been a Mason. Washington is the most prominent and well known. Ford was the most recent. The museum houses some of Washington's personal effects, which were neat to see. We learned that Washington probably died prematurely. He came down with a severe sore throat and the doctors bled him, which was customary at the time and typically resulted in the loss of 80% of a person's blood volume! That's what killed him.

This picture is in the York room - the Yorks are one of the societies within Freemasonry that focuses on Christian history and artifacts - this room looked like part of a French castle complete with suits of armor, stained glass and a sword from the crusades!

This is a view inside the main hall on the ground floor - full of marble and these HUGE granite columns that weigh two tons each and are solid pieces. Behind us is a statue of George Washington.

That's it for now! It's getting close to 8:30 so I should find out what time the grocery store opens and get done with the drudgery. Hope you enjoyed the pics!