Again? Really?

I woke up around 5am to let Howard out to use the restroom and there was just a trace of snow on the ground. "Hmmm... that's weird... I didn't know it was supposed to snow at all" And I check the weather very faithfully since living here since it changes so frequently. Fast forward to about 8 when I woke up for good and I looked up at the skylight above my bed and it was covered in snow. For some reason, I didn't think much of it. Then I let Howard outside again, and this is what I saw:

Thanks for the heads-up, Weatherman...

On A Brighter Note...

... Aaron and I ran up the street to Metropolitan Market yesterday to pick up some paninis to grill. We went as soon as he got home from work so he was still in his flight suit (and new leather flight jacket! I like it so much better than the green one... and he got it for free after completing his dollar ride). Let me preface this story with the fact that I had some preconceived notions about the people out here in ole Washington State prior to moving here that I'm not very proud of... in the same way that I'm sure people here have some interesting ideas about us good ole cousin-kissing southerner's ;) (insert THICK sarcasm there...we southerners don't really do that... at least not where I come from) But a good ole traditional patriotic appreciation for our troops and what they do (some on a daily basis) was not a characteristic that I had attributed to Pacific Northwesterners when I was stereotyping them to prepare myself to move here. Coming from Enid, Oklahoma where you can't walk into a grocery store without someone seeing your military i.d. and offering up the discount you didn't even know was available to you, Aaron and I weren't quite expecting hospitality like that around every corner of Tacoma. And while I'm sure not everyone here is like this, just like not everyone in the south is like this either, while standing in the panini line at this "posh" market in the Proctor District, a lady in front of us otherwise minding her own business (and who looked, from mere appearances, like she may lean a little to the left politically) turned around and said to Aaron simply "Thank you for serving..." and smiled politely and turned back around. Out of all of the kind gestures I've seen since I've been here (and there have been many- from compliments on my rainboots just about anywhere I go, to some of the friendliest neighbors just walking down the street in front of our house stopping to say "hello" and "welcome to the neighborhood"...) that was by far the one that made me (and Aaron) smile the biggest. And it made me so proud to be out in public standing there next to him. Definitely one of my biggest ever "Proud to be an American" moments (cue Lee Greenwood)....

Going, Going... He's Gone

Woke up at 6:15 this morning to take Aaron and another guy from the squadron to the airport. Aaron says he'll be back "hopefully" (emphasis on that word) by April the 18th. Wow. That does seem like a long time... Not sure how exactly to keep myself occupied enough to not get too sad while he's gone... I almost feel like I need to ration out some chores and activities over the next several weeks to even it all out. And the weather here is really not cooperating- it's rainy today and is supposed to stay this way all week. That's just not helpful when you're already trying hard not to be so sad. Thoughts/ideas on how to occupy myself? Feel free to contribute... Or you know, to come visit me... whichever... :)

Never A Dull Moment

The weather is beautiful outside so I have the front door open while I've been folding laundry, drinking coffee and google chatting. While I was sitting here at the dining room table, Howard took off past me to go outside...only he had one of my flip-flops in his mouth. Have I mentioned he's gotten quite a bit more comfortable in his new home? :)

In other news, Aaron's 15-day trip got pushed back a day to Friday. I was SO excited- it's rare (I feel ) that you ever are surprised with GOOD news. So we had a nice relaxing night and went on a date to a little restaurant up the street. This extra day together was so unexpected, it definitely put quite the spring in my step.

Then came Thursday. I left for the squadron to bring some chili I made to a Training Day lunch while Aaron stayed home to pack for his trip. Then I got a phone call from him that now he wasn't leaving on Friday at all. I was so excited. Until I found out that he'd instead be leaving Saturday for Air Drop school in Oklahoma for 4 weeks. Yeesh. Nothing like a violent shove back into reality. So I'm getting ready for a month or so without him--he, in Oklahoma while I'm in Washington taking care of the house and Howard. Luckily, Mom, Aunt Joan and Aunt Joyce are all coming out on the 21st for a few days. Golden Girls come to town!!

The Couch

Aaron and I finally received our first big home purchase (other than the house itself): OUR COUCH! We bought it a few weeks ago and it was delivered yesterday. I even convinced the guys who delivered it to move our other (gross) couch out to the garage until the Salvation Army can come pick it up. This "southern" accent (which is not southern AT ALL but people here think so because I say "y'all" alot) really comes in handy out here sometimes :)

And that gracing the back of the couch is our alpaca blanket... Howard loves it ("loves" = chews on it) and it's actually pretty warm. And the chest in front of it is Aaron's great-grandfather's WWII chest... Please pardon the mess around the couch...

What'dya think?

More updated pics of the house to come one of these days for you family and friends far away...

Smile, You're On A Web Cam

I feel like I've officially joined the 21st century with my recent purchase of a web cam (as if Facebook, MySpace, the blog, etc... hadn't already put me more-or-less "up with the times"). Aaron is leaving tomorrow for a 15-day trip and since we are about to purchase a new laptop with a built-in webcam, we figured that we'd get a webcam for this (rather slow) laptop so that he and I can Skype while he's gone. I'm very excited. So if you're on Skype, email me your Skype name and we can chit-chat "in person!" :)

Big Week

I had a VERY busy week last week:

The movers and the ADT installers showed up on Wednesday (the 4th) at the exact same time. It was overwhelming enough to have several people saying "Excuse me, Mrs. Scogin? I have a question..." at the exact same time. But then Aaron, who was supposed to have the "day off" (if there's such a thing for him right now) got called into work to mission plan for a flight the next day, thus leaving me, the movers and the ADT man alone together to get everything installed and moved in and set up by the end of the day because our very first house guests (Rach and Adam) were arriving the next day (also my birthday!). Cue a very stressed Becca. Luckily, my friend Brittany called and offered (OFFERED!) to come help me get everything put away since she remembered we had family coming the next day. I was SO glad. So since I last blogged, we now have furniture, I'm an entire year older, and it's snowed twice.... (and is snowing as we speak...er, type... and both boys--Aaron and Howard--are napping).

We had a blast with Rach and Adam and tried to shove a lot of fun into just a few days. I think we managed okay :) I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Anyone who knows me well knows that one of my favorite things to do at night time is to fall asleep on the couch... well, we haven't had a couch for so long that I haven't been able to. So the very first night we had one, guess what I did... (and lured Howard into doing with me)

Yep, fell right to sleep. Howard took to it nicely. Luckily, the angle from which Aaron took this picture didn't show my mouth GAPING open which it was evidently doing it (I may or may not have woken up with drool falling down my face...)

Rach and Adam got here Thursday and we grabbed lunch, took a tour of the base, had a few impromptu games of bowling and then went out for my birthday dinner. Friday, we went into Seattle...

Even in the Pacific Northwest, some things never change. Here, Adam glued to his Blackberry...just this time, there's a Starbuck's Coffee in his hand (not just any Starbuck's--the first one ever... so we justified it...)

Howard had had a biiiig week and was just plain tuckered out... so he passed out in his new favorite spot--right by the door... and in his new favorite position--flat on his back.

Friday night, we cooked the tuna that we'd gotten at the market that day in Seattle and Tyler came over to hang out...



We decided to do a little "On Demand" Karaoke and included a few instruments we had laying around. Adam had really taken to the mandolin and the organ, while I had made a remote control into a microphone...

Adam and Howard did some bonding...

And Rach and Howard did some bonding...

Saturday, we drove out to Gig Harbor so Rach and Adam could see it and we stopped by Tyler's house. He has a rediculously awesome house right on the Bay. This was taken on one of his decks...

And these down on the beach in front of his house... (anytime you see one of these bands in my hair,, it most likely means I either didn't blow dry my hair OR I didn't wash it...just puttin' that out there... )

We've had a prett snowy few days--yesterday and today anyway... we were excited for Howard to see his first snow, so we took him outside when it started to let him play around.

I tried to get him to take a picture with me, but instead he decided to use my body as a shield from the snow...

We went to the field at the school across the street and kept calling him back and forth between us, and because he's so smart, he's learning his name and kept running to us when we'd call. He knew he did well :)

Howard had his first vet appointment today and he did great- he was quite the hit with the ladies in the office and strutted his stuff the entire time he was there. Wednesday, we get our chimney fixed AND they are delivering our NEW COUCH!!! I never knew I could be so very excited about a couch... but I guess it's just a sign of the new maturity I've reached in my old age :)