My first day in Montana on New Years Eve day I had to complete a paper to turn in. I only had a bit of work to do on it, and I estimated it would only take about 45 minutes. I never thought to factor in Zoey... and my 45 minutes turned into 4 hours as she was continually asking me to stop and play with her (and who was I to say no?). I posted it online feeling tired, jet-lagged, and thinking, "Well, this is as good as it will ever get." To my surprise, I saw I received 100% on my first grad school paper. Hmmm. I guess maybe I am suited for this.I have started working on my next paper with more confidence but with an equal amount of interruptions.
After the funeral I went to my parent's house in Polson. I spent a day just relaxing, watching movies, and spending time with my parents. It was a wonderful way to unwind and to get a chance to catch up with my parents face to face instead of over Skype. We went out to dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurant, and it was awesome. I have missed Mexican food. We have a few Mexican restaurants in our area, but we have never been to them. I have heard from many people the food isn't very good. One night my dad barbequed steaks for dinner. We are able to buy beef on base at the grocery store with no problems, we just haven't in a while (no reason why... we just haven't). I think there is a taste difference between German and American beef, and I'm not a huge fan of German beef (and it is expensive). Needless to say I haven't had a steak since I left the states. The Mexican food and the steak were some great treats.
On Thursday my mom and I went shopping in Missoula. I had created a list of things I wanted to do when I was home. The list included: drink Cold Smoke (a local microbrew Josh and I love), eat at Buffalo Wild Wings, eat a Blizzard from Dairy Queen, eat at Noodles Express (can you see a theme to my list?), get a massage, and go shopping. I reaaaaaalllllyyy wanted to go shopping. I never really considered myself a shopper. There are many people out there who put me to shame when it comes to shopping. However, like a lot of people I like going out to see what sort of deals I can find. I haven't done much shopping over in Europe. There are plenty of opportunities for it, I just haven't gone (for reasons of not having someone to go with, not having a certain thing to shop for, the difference in currency, ect.). I was excited to spend time with my mom and to hopefully get some things I was wanting without having to worry about/wait for shipping.
We have been searching for rugs for our house since July. We have tile floors and we wanted a few bigger throw rugs. However, the selection of rugs on base left a lot to be desired. We looked at stores in our local area, but the rugs were all more than we wanted to pay. I looked online, but had a few challenges. It was hard to find a place that would ship to an APO (our "address" on base) - Walmart and Amazon are my top choices. Oh, and Old Navy but they don't really do much with rugs. It was also a challenge because there are size and weight restrictions for what can be shipped to an APO. The last challenge was price. I could find rugs I liked, but they were close to $60 and then it was another $12 to ship it. It is hard for me to want to buy a $72 rug.
In our shopping trip I wanted to find some housewares (such as rugs). I also wanted to find a new suitcase for myself and retire the one I came over with as it has seen better days. I really wanted to just do some old fashioned girly clothes shopping for myself. I had some great success. I found the exact same rug I had been looking at online for $13 at Ross. It was almost too good of an offer to pass up. I found another rug I liked for $15. I also found a nice replacement suitcase for $50. Mom and I spent the whole rest of the day shopping around town, and I found lots of treasures for Josh, our house, and myself. When I got everything home and sorted it out... I quickly realized I would have to take two suitcases home with me. However, I justify it to myself in thinking that paying $50 for a new suitcase and $50 for an additional checked bag... well, I would have spent $100 on shipping charges to get everything I had bought anyways. That, and it was fun. I think I've had my fill of shopping for awhile.
I was able to meet up with Josh's dad's side of the family for a family dinner. It was entertaining to spend time with them, and I was relieved that Josh's grandpa didn't bring up the topic of babies (which he frequently feels the need to do. I don't have it in me to break his heart just yet by saying "No, there will be no babies!"). I also was able to have lunch with a great friend, and then had a wonderful dinner with a group of friends. I was spoiled with barbequed ribs and a king cake. I had never heard of king cake before, but it was amazing. Here is the story of what a king cake is and a recipe. I was stuffed to the brim with food, and my cheeks hurt from laughing/smiling. It felt so good to see familiar faces and have a chance to catch up. In some ways I can't believe I've been gone 6 months... the time has flown by.
My time has also been filled with spending time with Miss Zoey. I am surprised every day by how smart she is. I realize as her aunt I am a bit biased on the subject. But she truly is a smart little girl. At 18 months she has a very large vocabulary, speaks somewhat clear (clear for her age), and is able to repeat almost any word you say to her. She also is able to figure out toys/puzzles/things very quickly on her own. Maybe I just am not aware of how quickly children develop since I don't have any of my own... but I just can't believe all the things she is doing at such a young age. I'm glad I've been able to see so much of it first hand. She makes me laugh.
And for those of you who are wondering... Yes, I did get everything done on my list, and it was all amazing.
No comments:
Post a Comment