Counting My Blessings

Don't get me wrong, I still hate Italy. BUT, in the midst of wishing and wanting things to be different, I was able to come up with a few things that I do appreciate having here!

1. Library - I'm a book nerd at heart and having the libary on base has been wonderful

2. Burger King - with the chocolate shakes that I LOVE

3. Movie Theater - popcorn is amazing there and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to watch a movie and buy snacks

4. American "comfort" food at the PX - what would I do without my favorite box Kraft Mac'n'cheese?!?!

5. American Red Cross - I start volunteering this coming Wednesday and can't wait to finally get back into doing something with my time again

6. Jobs openings - they are few and far between but they still exist!

Excitement for First Day

Wednesday is my first real day working as a volunteer for the Red Cross at the health center (pictured). I can't wait! I'm so excited.

Main dilemma is what to wear?! Good thing the weather is warming up here so I can pull out my summer CAbi clothes that fit this prego belly. Very few of my other professional clothes fit other than my CAbi shirts and skirts. Go figure. I knew I liked that clothing brand for a reason!

If I can muster up the energy for it, I might be volunteering every week day until we go on vacation (to home!) for block leave. The main person is leaving sometime soon and I need to learn as much as I can before she leaves. Right now we have no idea who is going to fill her spot.

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New Hobby

I think I've found a new hobby that could be a lot of fun (and not to much $$$), and it would be something I could do when and hubby and his boys are deployed. Cookies! I'm not thinking of fancy cookies with weird ingredients...I'm talking about cookie decorating.

Doesn't that sound like fun?! I can decorate and ship cookies over to hubby when he's gone. Even better is the fact that I can always order anything I need online. There are no international shipping restrictions here in Italy on cookie decorating supplies!

Even though my (30th!) birthday is 4 months away, this helps me with a birthday list ideas. Cookie decorating supplies! Amazon and Wilton.com, here I come.

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Death by Power Point

Today was the 2nd day of clinical orientation, and in typical Army fashion, we were stuffed in a small room like sausages and brainwashed with power point after power point. I could literally feel brain cells being slowly sucked out of me. To bad it wasn't by one of the Twilight characters. Oh well...a girl can dream.

Good news, I have a volunteer role now! At first I was going to help with hospital administration, but today I got switched to education because the need was greater there. I'm stoked. Education and in-processing for all our the new employees and volunteers gives me the chance to get to know a lot of people (especially the big-wigs), as well as learn the inner workings of the health center.

As part of the orientation, we got to tour the whole building including the birthing center. I was a little freaked out when they said they can only handle two women in labor and anyone else that comes in has to get sent to San Bartolo Hospital. I'd rather have my baby in the middle of a deserted field with no help and no epidural, than be forced to go to the Italian hospital.

Anyways, the birthing center was pretty cool. The rooms are nice and "homey," or as much as a hospital-type room can be. There is a bed for the husband to sleep on, and the place was really calm and quiet. There were no screaming women so hopefully it means the docs and nurses know how to manage our pain well!

Friday I go in for all my immunizations. Hopefully, I won't need to many of them. I don't want to be sick when my hubby comes home!

Happy Hump Day.

Latest Cravings

Biscuits...I go crazy over biscuits right now. They aren't the most healthiest thing to eat, but since I also consume scary amounts of plums, nectarines, cantaloupe, pineapple, and carrots...I figured biscuits aren't that bad.

Milk here goes sour in about a week and since I don't drink milk, it's nearly impossible for me to keep it around when hubby is gone. Even with hubby here, we are at a race against time to use it all up before turning sour.

With my biscuit craving, having no milk was a huge problem. What was I gonna do?!?! I searched the internet and found a recipe for Sour Cream Biscuits, and guess what - they taste amazing!

Sour Cream Biscuits

2 cups flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 t sugar

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 c sourcream

1/2 c butter

Melt the butter and mix in sour cream until smooth. Add dry ingredients. Add a few drops of water if necessary. (I hand-rolled the dough into balls and patted them down to 1/2 in thick biscuit shapes. Bake until bottoms are golden at 400 degrees.

Enjoy! (I ate four of them after baking! But in my defense, I made them really small. )

16 Weeks...DONE!

When I met and married hubby, I never imagined my heart could hold that much love for someone. I was so happy...puppy dog love all the way. Still am. I feel like a giddy school girl all crazy excited when I see my husband.

And then we got pregnant. At first I wasn't to keene on this little alien, but this 2nd trimester has been a huge turn around in attitude for me. I feel like the Grinch who's heart grew three sizes.

Found this song in our iTunes collection. Thought it was perfect for both hubby and little alien...especially with hubby gone right now. Boy do I miss him.

Thinking of You

When I'm all alone or in a crowd

In a quiet place or where music's loud

If I'm on the road or in the other room

That's how you know I'm thinking of you.

When the flowers bloom

When the leaves turn brown

When the sun is hot

When the snow falls down

When the clouds are gray

And the skies are blue

That's how you know I'm thinking of you

I'm thinking of you, that's all I do, all the time

You're always the first and the last thing on this heart of mine

No matter where I go or what I do

I'm thinking of you

Can't remember now who I use to be

What I cared about before you came to me...baby

Every selfish thought, all I thought I knew

Has been replaced with thinking of you

- Dierks Bentley

For YOUR Safety

Here are a few tips on what NOT to say or do to a pregnant woman unless you want to get hit with one of the wonderful comebacks below...or literally slugged in the face (blame the hormones).

I'm sure the list will grow as I get bigger and become the subject of even more "Whoa, you are huge" comments. Sadly I have to admit that I've been the a culprit of #1...sorry girls!

Of course immediate family is excused from having to follow this list...because they had put up with me for the past 29 years and therefore have the right to tease and torture me all they want.

Disclosure: Not all the comebacks came from my ingenious brain. A few of them came from Pregnant Chicken and are linked back to the appropriate webpage.

Enjoy!

1. How are you feeling?

Depending on the moment and how far along I am, I could be experiencing nausea, fatigue, headaches, heartburn, leg cramps, nosebleeds, ligament pain, stuffy nose, and and a host of other "wonderful" and common pregnancy side effects. So don't ask me how I'm feeling! If you really want to know, ask me how far along I am and go look up it up on Google.

2. NEVER and I mean NEVER touch the belly.

I won't touch your belly if you don't touch mine. (Seems like a fair trade).

3. Should you be eating that?

No, I should be eating lots of it.

4. How many more babies are you going to have?

It depends on how many we sell.

5. Feeling fat yet?

Whoa, I was just going to ask you the same thing. How weird is that?!

6. You better sleep now because once the baby gets here....

I can't sleep now because of the pregnancy induced insomnia, and I'm about to turn into a raging monster from sheer exhaustion. But thanks for the advice.

7. You should NOT be drinking caffeine.

You are right, tequila is better.