A Little Mold Update

After telling you all about our wonderful discovery in our downstairs storage closet, I figured I'd go ahead and give an update on what happened.  It took Forest City a while to get everything together (almost a month from the night we found the mold), but I am really hoping everything is fixed now.

Two weeks after the initial mold inspection (and after a lot of help from Mr. L's chain of command urging them to get off their butts), we finally were contacted and had the head supervisor and a contractor come out to re-inspect and get a quote for the damages.  We thought things were finally looking up, and then the weekend before Christmas and Christmas day happened.

Five for Friday

1.  No matter what hardships the Navy/life likes to throw at us, we're strong enough to make it through.  We just have to keep telling ourselves that!  =)

2.  I'm sorry about what happened this week.  But there will be more chances for you in the future and you will excel at the task you have at hand now!

3.  Hearing your voice makes everything better.

4.  Thank you for going to see Les Mis with me for my very first midnight opening AND my very first Christmas trip to the movie theater!!

5.  I'm glad we had the majority of December and ALL of November together -- it was amazing. But I seriously am missing your face.

i love you.  <3

Capturing December: Days 17-24

Day 17:  Presents

Day 18:  Stockings

We have a total of six stockings hanging up -- one for Mr. L, one for me, one for Liam, one for Lila, and one each for our two four-legged guests that are visiting with us over the holidays!

Christmas 2012: DIY Christmas Ornaments

The other day, I came across my travel keychain collection in one of my drawers while I was reorganizing the bedroom.  It made me a little sad to think of them tucked away somewhere not on display until I figured, why not just turn them into ornaments?  So I pulled out my bag of extra ornament hooks and went to town!

Please forgive my poor broken Pisa keychain...the leaning tower used to be there, but it fell off and is forever lost.  I'm still hanging onto the rest of it though, as you can see!

Five for Friday

1.  It's almost time for our Christmas!!!

2.  Thank you for running errands today.  You are awesome =)

3.  You are way too cute when I make you laugh.

4.  Thank you for my wonderful birthday lunch/dinner (linner?) this week!  <3

5.  I love you no matter what.

ily <3

Capturing December: Days 9-16

Ack, looks like I have some major catching up to do!  Here we go...

Day 9:  Something You're Reading

I'm in the middle of rereading one of my favorite series, The Dark Tower by Stephen King.  I just finished the newest addition, The Wind Through the Keyhole (after reading the others chronologically of course!) and I'm moving on to the next book, The Wolves of Calla.

Ornament Swap 2012

Thanks to our wonderful hosts, Laura, Whitney, Stephanie, and Jessica, I entered an awesome little ornament swap back a few weeks ago and ended up being paired up with Paula from Then Comes Marriage!

I received my package a few days ago, and I am in love with the ornaments she sent to us!  Not only did she give a nod to my aspirations to become a librarian, she also included my sweet little Schnauzers in on the fun =)

Five for Friday

1. I love how thoughtful you are!

2. I really love when you show ambition and want to step up and advocate for people.

3. Thank you for all of your help today. You are fantastic!

4. I really appreciate all the hard work you put into your job.

5. Thank you for my sweet Christmas card!

ily <3

Capturing December: Days 6, 7, and 8

I know, I know, I'm posting kind of randomly with these, but I'm getting them up as often as I can.  It's been pretty busy around these parts!  Hope you're enjoying what I've shown so far!

Day 6 - Shopping

This is the huge Christmas tree they put in front of our NEX every year.  That's how you know it's time to shop!

Day 7 - Bright

It's funny how a row of ridiculously bright-colored ornaments in Target can put a smile on your face!

Day 8 - Ornament(s)

I opted to show two new ornaments we got this year -- the top is of the USS Arizona Memorial I purchased this summer, and the bottom is an ornament we had made by pinkkoala from Etsy to match our Liam ornament we got last year!  I'm in love with her white chin and (although you can't see it in this picture) her purple collar!

Five for Friday

1.  I'm lucky to have you around to keep me in check when life throws crappy things in our faces.

2.   I'm excited for our upcoming Wii night, haha.

3.  Cupcaaaakes!

4.  I hate deployments.

5.  But I am excited to do lots Christmas-y things with you!

ily <3

Remembering the USS Arizona Memorial

In honor of Pearl Harbor Day, and because Mr. L and I will be going to the memorial this weekend, I'm republishing this post describing a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial I took with some friends back during the summer.  I feel blessed and humbled to live in not only such a beautiful place, but also a historically rich and significant one, and I know as long as we live here the images and memories of that day will always be a presence on our hearts.  

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan… No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people will through their righteous might win through to absolute victory… With confidence in our armed forces-with the unbounded determination of our people-we will gain the inevitable triumph-so help us God. I, therefore, ask that the Congress declare that since the dastardly and unprovoked attack by Japan on Sunday, December seventh, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”

- President Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Let us never forget the actions and the people involved in this event that occurred 71 years ago today.

~~~

The USS Arizona Memorial

The Need to Knows:

• The USS Arizona Memorial is located at 1 Arizona Memorial Road, Honolulu, HI 96818.  The Google Maps link is here:

View Larger Map


• It is open from 7AM to 5PM daily and closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
• Bags are not allowed within Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.  However, storage lockers are available for use for a fee -- I think it's around $3.00 a locker, but I didn't use them, so I'm not 100% sure on that. The storage facility is open from 6:30AM to 5:30PM daily.
• The tour itself lasts approximately an hour and fifteen minutes.  It includes a brief introduction, a 23-minute documentary on the events leading up to and on the day of December 7, 1941, a shuttle boat ride to the Memorial, and time to experience the Memorial itself.  I would allow for more time to explore the grounds and the various museums as well.
• I strongly recommend reserving tickets in advance for the Memorial.  When I went, I'd reserved tickets for the 9AM tour on a Friday, and I was able to pick them up at 7:30AM (you must pick up your tickets one hour in advance at the latest or they will be redistributed back into circulation for the general walk-in public) and have time to explore the museums and walk the grounds before the 22-minute movie and boat ride began.  A friend of mine mentioned that when she went, she and her husband waited in line for about an hour and a half for tickets -- yikes!   The only way to reserve tickets is to visit Recreation.gov; the link to the USS Arizona Memorial tour page is here.  There is a reservation fee at $1.50 per ticket.  If you plan on seeing the USS Missouri, the USS Bowfin, and the Pacific Aviation Museum, the tour page also offers a "Passport to Pearl Harbor" tour in which you can purchase your entrance fees to those sites in advance.
• Each program has a capacity of 150 people, and programs run every 15 minutes -- the first begins at 8AM, and the last begins at 3PM.  If you don't reserve tickets, be prepared to get there early and wait in line! 
• Please, please be quiet, respectful, and courteous while at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center as well as when you are on the USS Arizona Memorial itself.  The Memorial is considered a burial ground, just like the National Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) or Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, so behave accordingly.
• For more information, please visit the USS Arizona Memorial website via the National Park Service.

Capturing December: Day 5

Day 5 - Today's Temperature

Yep, you could say I'm pretty spoiled.  We even complained about how hot it was today since the trade winds are taking a vacation...man, we should be ashamed of ourselves.

Capturing December: Days 3 and 4

Regardless of moldy setbacks, I'm going to do my best to push forward in the December photo challenge anyways =)  Here are days 3 and 4!

Day 3 - Red

Our 2012 Bellingrath Gardens ornament we picked up while in 'Bama =)

Day 4 - Joyous

I struggled a lot with this picture considering I haven't exactly been feeling joyous today (not only because of the mold situation, but also because of stupid deployments).  But then I realized it doesn't matter -- I get to look at this handsome face, albeit not as often as I'd like to, and he always manages to find a way to cheer me up and fill me with joy =)

Hey Closet, You're Looking a Little Moldy Today

Life loves to throw little curveballs at your face from time to time, doesn't it?

I figured I'd be happily chugging along with my Capturing December photo prompts, but here I've already missed a day, and it's thanks to a pretty ugly reason:

I hate you, mold.  (The strips on the floor are from our cardboard boxes that had been wet and when we went to pick them up and move them, the bottoms ripped off -- there's no telling how much mold is actually behind the walls/under the floors.

Mr. L and I were pulling Christmas decorations for the house out of our downstairs closet located in between our staircase and half bath/laundry when we came across this wonderful little surprise.  I immediately went into panic mode, but at least had enough sense to start taking pictures.  Ever since we've moved into this house, we've had issues with the plumbing and pipes.  We can't use too much water in a day or the downstairs toilet backs up and floods the bath/laundry.  It normally happens when I do more than 2-3 loads of laundry in a day, which really sucks on those days I don't plan ahead and I'm doing multiple loads prepping for a trip.  Maintenance has come out a few times to attempt to address these issues, but we were told it's because of old clay piping and the only way to actually get rid of the issue is to have a complete overhaul of the entire neighborhood's plumbing system -- AKA it's not going to go away.

Capturing December: Days 1 and 2

So I'm already just a wee bit behind on starting a December Photo-a-Day Challenge, but I liked the prompts of this particular one (thanks to catinreallife.tumblr.com for posting about it!) and I decided I would go ahead and begin even if it's already December 2nd!

This prompt is from A Content Housewife and it's called "Capturing December".  If you'd like to join up with me, follow this link and put in your information in the linkup!

Day 1 - Your View Today

My view yesterday was of my alma mater, The University of South Alabama Jaguars, prepping to take on the UH Rainbow Warriors at Aloha Stadium!

Day 2 - Favorite Holiday Movie

It isn't a very interesting picture -- actually pretty straightforward -- but it's an absolutely classic movie in my eyes.  =)

Do you enjoy doing photo-a-month challenges?  Apparently I'm liking it this year!