Hey everyone! So I just wanted to give an update on what's been going on lately. I have been shying away from Facebook alittle bit so I figured there would be enough new things to share and talk about to fill up a blog entry :)

So, let's see... We have been in Norfolk now for 2 months! It's crazy to think- the weeks have flown by even though the days really haven't! It's so much easier now to get out of the house and feel like I am a productive human being thanks to the fact that we just got a new car!

Yep! It's a Toyota Echo and it rules my world. I'll be honest, I didn't think I would ever give up a seat in our Nissan Murano but you really can't beat a car that gets 40 mpg and has a decent stereo system... I will drive that thing all day with the windows rolled down and my Justin Timberlake Pandora station hooked up... *no shame*... and not think twice about it. It's been super dependable so far although we had to really hunt for it. It's crazy how much people sell cars for in this area- everyone will price their car way over blue book value and won't budge or bargain! We had to look at a half dozen cars and came across some interesting individuals along the way. One guy tried to convince us his car had a perfectly clean title while there were visible signs of flood damage (rust up to and covering the middle console of the car) and another who told us that his car was the best thing we would find, although it was smoking once we test drove it on the highway....

In other words, I am glad Patrick knows enough about cars and what to look for so we could get the one we have and I am not hanging out at home all day. Speaking of which...

I have a new job! I had a really difficult time finding work here, much more than I anticipated. Minimum wage is fairly low and the connections I had established before I got here didn't pan out as I had hoped so that left me kinda wandering around trying to feel useful. About a month and a half ago I applied for a position with the Navy Exchange, a retail network for military and their families that provides a condensed shopping experience at a lower cost. There are NEX's all over the world...including Spain! They have a special program to keep employees so they try to transfer as much as possible. Right now I am working as a cashier at their package store... aka liquor store. 


My plan of action at this point is to do what it takes so I have a better chance of working in Rota (as their unemployment rates are so high) and I am excited to have gotten my foot in the door even though it wasn't quite up the alley of what I have been doing. There will be chances to get back into management once I prove myself alittle bit but with so many of the NEX employees being military spouses, there are always new positions opening up so I am just going to do what it takes to get to where I need to be. For now, I am still doing school and will start my next class in a few days. I am pushing towards getting my AA in Human Services done before we get back to the states in a few years. I have a feeling that while Pat is away it will be a good investment of time so I can have a good shot at getting into the nonprofit field again.

In other news... we have made some good friends in the area and have been keeping busy when Pat's not in school or on the ship. We have tried out a couple restaurants in Virginia Beach and got to spend a weekend in Fredericksburg, Baltimore, and DC with Pat's sister Monica and her fiance Kyle. I am so excited to see these two get married in a few weeks! We went to a Baltimore Orioles game and paid a visit to the White House :)

Besides that, I made friends with a few Navy wives... Kionna, and Taylor who have been so sweet since I got here. We had girl's night a few weeks ago and I wanted to share the brownie recipe I brought to share...My aunt used to make a pan when I had friends over and it is soooo good that Patrick literally told me I was not allowed to bring any of the leftovers home for fear of delicious overload. Here it is, for those of you who need something new to try:


Triple Tier Brownies

1 package fudge brownie mix
1 package (11 1/2 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups rice cereal
1 can (16 ounces) cream cheese frosting
1 cup salted peanuts, chopped

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, using a greased 9 x 13 pan deep enough to hold several layers of awesome. Once the brownies are done, cool. In a large saucepan, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cook over low heat 4-5 minutes until blended, stirring occasionally. Stir in cereal, set aside.

Spread frosting over brownies and sprinkle with peanuts. Spread with peanut butter mixture. Chill for a few hours in the fridge and then cut into small squares. Feel free to press down slightly to help all the tiers merge together as needed. These are super rich and a pan will be enough for a party, I promise! 

Now, pretend these are healthy (they have rice crispies and you can use natural peanut butter) and share with everyone you know. I mean, even your mailman.

They're just... so good. 

But now that I have shared this hazardous dessert with you I have one last update I can think of for now. I am doing a 30-day fitness challenge! Did you like how I timed that? I figured I would feel less guilty talking about my sweet secrets if I mentioned that I should be staying away from them...after I gave the recipe...LOL.

I am about 3 weeks in to the challenge I made for myself and it is going beautifully. I have a super nerdy spreadsheet posted on the fridge like a proud middle schooler, checking off boxes at the end of the evening for the goals I reached each day. My goals are to: 

1) Complete a full workout 5 times a week.
2) Drink only water each day unless we go out with friends on the weekend.
3) Eat (low-carb) healthy meals/snacks with protein shakes after workouts. Eat out only 1x per week.
4) Take multi-vitamins!
5) Stay motivated, spending time each day looking up new recipes, fitness tips, etc.


So far, I have lost lbs and inches, and I feel stronger. Hooyah!

My biggest challenge has been to drink only water but I have expanded this to include home-brewed tea with little or no sugar. I also have been sleeping better and have had more energy now that I have been staying on track with what I want to feel/look like. It has also helped that my job is keeping me on my feet at least 6 hours a day and I work right next to a GNC so it's a good reminder on my way to work. I have been frequenting Planet Fitness and it's been rad.

Speaking of which, if you live near a Planet Fitness then you should stop reading my blog and go sign up for a membership. If you are still reading... then I will tell you why. A) It's only $10 for a basic membership per month that you can cancel, or $20 a month for their VIP which includes access to their tanning beds and the red light therapy bed... which I do use. The red light session advertises the promotion of new skin cells and therefore, improved skin. I don't know whether it's the power of belief or not helping me out with that right now, but either way I am seeing results and I am on board with that. B) They are open 24 hours a day. Boom. C) It's the *judgement free* gym... I don't get the 'I am the only female here" awkward feeling that I get at other gyms, or the feeling that I am the only person who isn't just maintaining... Kind of like how Jim Gaffigan put it:

The first question I am asking myself is... where do I begin? The title of this blog is "My New Life as a Navy Wife" but I have been a Navy wife for a year now and we have been married since March 2010. So this is going to be my attempt at fitting a year's worth of changes, for the good and bad, into one post. HA. Yeaaaaah.

So here's what I really want the beginning to look like. I won't introduce myself because 97.825% percent of you know who I am. If you aren't included in that number- you are really good at finding obscure blogs through Google. Or maybe you used Bing. Either way... I'm impressed.

What I want to do is to recap what's been going on since last Summer when Pat left for basic training. It hasn't all been easy, but it has been worth it. We've made some great friends along the way.

While Pat was in bootcamp, I got to stay with my Aunt Denise and Uncle Pete until I joined him in Florida. They very well might be my favorite couple. It's hard to choose with so many options but they are a great example of the idea that you get out of a marriage, what you put into it. It doesn't hurt that my Uncle Pete knows everything about whatever it happens to be I need some help with... and my aunt has always been a great motivator. They were the perfect support system while he was gone!

I got to travel with Pat's mom and dad to see him graduate in Great Lakes, IL. It was such a great ceremony and getting to share that with his family was an amazing thing. And what am I saying? 
His family? They are my family. They have been since day one. 

While he was gone, and in between writing an insane amount of letters (now tucked away in a box for our great, great, great, supergreat, totally awesome, really smart, extremely attractive great grandchildren someday), I also got to record an album with a few friends and most notably, Nic. With the help of my friends at Grey Door Music Company it was released two days before I flew across the country with two suitcases and my guitar to meet Patrick in Pensacola. Another huge thanks to everyone that came out to our release party, it was my favorite show to date!

Once in Pensacola, Patrick and I got settled into a cozy 1 bedroom apartment that was built for two people but at more than one time had ten inside. The Navy didn't end up paying for our storage unit to come down so we had the basics to get us through until May when we moved again. And by the basics, I mean enough kitchenware to occupy several friends and pump out things like Olachea's Oreo Cheesecake, Warner's Chocolate Delight (yes, I just named it) and Nugent's legendary 7-layer dip. By the way, can I have the recipe for all of the above?? I will pay you in long distance air-five's.

I got a job working for Goodwill Easter Seals doing career services for 20 incarcerated young men ages 15-19. This was a great change-up from the mission services I ran for Goodwill Industries in Walla Walla for 2 years before moving there. I loved my job and I miss my students. That experience was a great way to confirm the idea in my head, heart, soul and bones that with the right encouragement and supportive environment, people at their most basic instinct will try to succeed. Yes, I am a bleeding heart. Guilty!

Patrick did really well in both A School and C School. He has always been a hardworking man and wonderful husband... I am not surprised that he graduated first in his class. I am one lucky lady! We got to see each other most of the time as my position with GES was flexible in my hours, which was a huge blessing, especially considering the fact that he was given sea duty and we will be going Team Daniel as he starts underways and eventually deployments. Time is precious.

We got to go on fun adventures including a few visits to Biloxi, Mississippi. They have a strip of casinos there and it is like a miniature Vegas but with less exotic women and more seating at the blackjack tables. I prefer video blackjack because I love to play, but setting a $5 bill on a felt table and hoping I get it back just doesn't work for me! Our friend Thunem is much braver than I in this regard and this is one of the reasons I am so glad he was our friend... He always pushed me off the fence when I wouldn't make up my mind on things like dinner plans or whether I should do karaoke. And the answer is yes, you always do karaoke. I did my first 5k in Mobile, Alabama and it was a run called Color Me Rad. It was one of the funnest times I have ever had exercising. But just a note, if any of you throw colored powder in my face while I am on a run and it is not benefiting the Ronald McDonald house we may have an issue. 

On second thought, almost all of you are not anywhere near the Norfolk area so if that did happen, I wouldn't be even mad. Actually, I would probably hug you and get color all over you and bring you to our house and feed you for at least a week.

Just sayin'.


Anyways, when it came time for us to finish up in Pensacola, we ended up getting sent to Norfolk, Virginia instead of picking orders like we thought would happen. This was disappointing at first as we were hoping for San Diego, but then we found out we will be stationed in Spain next year. We are both SUPER excited about the idea of getting to travel around Europe and live near a beautiful Spanish beach in Rota! It is *muy bonita*.

We got to go home in June and see almost everyone we wanted to. We were only in town for a week and it was tough to make that work... but our best friends Bethie and Ciara made a trip to visit while we were around and I am soooo happy about that right now. It was nice to see everyone's faces, in person, not on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Skype, etc. Real, human faces. I took this for granted for awhile.

We packed our storage unit into a Penske truck on Friday and it was like the ultimate game of Tetris. On Saturday morning we started the drive from Walla Walla to Norfolk, in other words... 43 hours in a car. And you know what, it was really good! We came prepared with a connecting cord for my iPhone and streamed Pandora Stand-Up Comedy Stations for the better portion of our trip. We didn't make too many stops... but got to catch a fun Cardinals game in St. Louis!

I am still unpacking and trying to get situated in Norfolk. We found a 2 bedroom apartment in a nice complex with my favorite amenity- a washer/dryer set right outside my front door. This may sound like a small detail but for someone who wears clothes most of the time, it's a victory. :)

-Ems