Potty Training Boot Camp: Day 10

For all of you shaking your head that I have waited this long to potty train...I know. He's 3. I had Riley potty trained at 2 1/2. BUT, I'm not a boy and I didn't know where to begin with the little man.

I also didn't know if I was ready to let go of the diapers. The decision to stop buying diapers means the end of an era. The end of spending $40 every 2-3 weeks on something you truly have to throw away. The end of screaming, "go get me a diaper so I can change your butt." The end of babyhood. (Although it is the beginning of thinking, 'what can I spend that money on now?!')

I made the decision right after Ronan turned 3, that once Riley had her holiday break, I'd buckle down and put Ronan through PTBC (see title). I knew that we'd have time to hang out at home and I could take my cues from Ronan without the pressure of being somewhere all the time. He's done really well. Except for #2. No desire to do that anywhere but his usual place...and frustrating for all of us that have strong smelling receptors. I can't force him, though. And I'm not going to...but I'm not buying anymore diapers. Plain and simple. (Please note that I didn't say I wouldn't buy pull-ups!)

Anyway, my big boy is slowing becoming a really big boy and even though the transistion is slightly sad -- I'll no longer have a baby to change -- it's great to feel this sense of independence from the Huggies company.

Riley-ism #882

The story goes a little like this:

We have orders to move to an *undisclosed location* summer 2010. We are excited and happy that we got the news before Christmas. So, with the news, came lots of questions about our soon-to-be new state of residence...and no question made me giggle more than this one:

Riley: "Do they speak our language in *this undisclosed location-- in the states*?"

Me: "You mean English?"

Riley: "Yes, English. Do they speak that in *this undisclosed location*?"

(Go ahead and shake your head in disbelief, because I did. But, it was a valid question coming from the mind of our 7-year-old!)

*Note: This post has been edited. Reason is personal at this time...thanks...

Happy 3rd Birthday, Ronan Chase!

Three years ago, I had this:And now, I have this:
I know this post is a little late...as Ronan turned the big 0-3 on the 4th, but being as we were attempting to go to Disney that day, I couldn't write.

We have been so amazed at how much Ronan has added to our lives. I know that Riley is amazed at how easily she is annoyed at him on a daily, if not hourly basis. BUT, what I have here is an awesome little dude who is completely a momma's boy! We love him so much and couldn't imagine one minute without him. And when I say that, I mean it, because I don't think I've been away from him even one night. In his 3 years of life. Ever.

Happy 3rd Birthday, little man. Love you sooooo much. Ah bah bah bah.

Ronan-ism #001

One year ago, Ronan said nothing to us but "dah." That was it. He would point to everything, calling it a "dah" and now, he talks so much we literally, cannot get him to shut up.

Yesterday, being that he is finally understanding all the holiday stuff, said to his dad:

"Daddy, you have Christmas belly."

Riley-ism #881

Riley and I love to watch SYTYCD. If you have no idea what that is, shame on you. Joking. It's So You Think You Can Dance. Secretly, I wish I could be on that show but I would be mortified with the entire world looking at my cheesy butt. I digress.

So, we're watching and one of the dancers is doing hiphop. He's basically grinding himself on the floor. In my head, I'm thinking, this is so not appropriate for Riley right now...hoping she wouldn't notice. Oh, but she did and this is what she said:

"It looks like he's trying to get something off of his shoe!"

I about died. What do you say to that?

Happy Turkey Leg! I mean, Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving has never been a hugely celebrated holiday for us. Growing up, I'd go to my Godmother's house but my parents never emphasized it as an important day. Once we moved away from Pittsburgh, we started doing Friendsgiving on Thanksgiving with friends who didn't have family around and it was definitely something we looked forward to. Mainly because we'd end up in a Vietnamese restaurant and wouldn't have to cook or do the clean-up!

Although we did do it the past two years here in Tampa -- we opted to skip out on the whole idea and celebrate a different way! We headed to Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World and spent it with a million other people and on fun rides!

But, what's Thanksgiving without turkey, right? (I could do without it...but we wanted the kids to experience it!) We bought a turkey leg...

We all shared one. I know, sounds gross...but they were enormous and 1/4 of us doesn't eat anything but nuggets or fries. We had people staring at us as they walked by. Not sure if it was because we were eating this strange thing or if it was because it was at 10am. LOL. We ended up lucking out and getting reservations at Boma -- a restaurant at our resort -- and they had the full-blown turkey dinner with all the fixin's and then some!

So it wasn't traditional in the least, but it was fun and it was all about us being thankful for each other. (And I was thankful it wasn't pouring down rain!)

Back to the 'Burgh

Okay, so mid-November, the kids and I headed back to my hometown for a week-long visit with my parents. Although I originally dreaded the travelling alone with two kids, I was pleasantly surprised at how good they both were there and back. It was nice to spend time with my parents, cousin, half-brother and his family.

The kids had a blast and didn't want to leave Pittsburgh...here they are with my parents...
They don't make parks in Florida like they do in Mt. Lebanon. Okay, maybe they do, but we never have as much fun at our parks as we do at this one...we were blessed with nice weather, so we could go a few times while we were there.

Falling leaves? What's that? I definitely miss the various seasons. Do I want to live in SNOW? Not really, but I love seeing the leaves change color and apparently, my children thoroughly enjoy playing in them once they've fallen.

If you know me, you know I've let loose a little since Riley's birth. Never in a million years would I have let them roam wild among the leaves where there could have been doggie droppings hidden...but I did and as you can tell, they had so much fun. The pictures were worth it.

Okay, so the quest for a Primanti Brothers Cheesesteak. Oy vey. You know you want something bad when you drive all over, sit in traffic, walk blocks in the cold (holding your sleeping son who happens to weigh 30 pounds) in heels, and get treated like crap by the staff at the very place you spent 3 hours getting to...

We tried to go to the one at the Strip District. The line was around the block. No thanks. We drove to Market Square, only to find the massive amount of construction going on...but did I want to turn around and eat at McDonald's? No way. We drove around and around until we could find a parking garage and walked around lots of construction to get here:

Was it worth the wait? Uhhhh, not really once I found out there was one somewhere else with ample seating... I couldn't believe how rude the staff was there. It was as if my being in the building was an inconvenience for them. $25 later, I had my sandwiches...but a place to sit? Nope. No seating, inside or out. So, as a family, we walked back to the parking garage and because we didn't have drinks, had to figure out where to go. No joke, we ended up going to a McDonalds in the Strip District and ate our sandwiches there.

But, at least we got to see some Christmas decorations in our journey dahn-tahn (downtown for you non-Pittsburghers).

And here are the kids just chillin' at the parentals house...

Our trip was filled with seeing great friends and spending time with family...and it was so sad to leave. We are so lucky to have these people in our lives and dare I say it, we can't wait to go back for another visit.

I'm Baaaackkk!

In case you have forgotten who I am...I'm the stunning Asian....kidding, kidding.

Okay, so it's been a while and I think I promised you pictures. Get ready, as a lot has happened since November 25th! No, no, nothing landmark -- like pregnancy or selling our house. Just other important milestones!

Enjoy!

Christmas List

This isn't on my list...although it should be!

Riley has been diligently working on her letter to Santa...writing 4 drafts, as of today...and adding several things to her list, daily. She truly has everything. Needs nothing. But, when it comes to a list to send to Santa, she's been racking her brain for things she "needs."

Her list began with a scooter, a doll for her American Doll (Lil Ro, named for her BFF, Rochelle) and some random other little things...

But what made me laugh was when she asked for a cleaning lady. Someone who would come and clean her room so that she would never have to do it again. Ahhh, so funny...because I'm pretty sure I AM THE CLEANING LADY. Maybe I should just put a bow on me, sit under her tree and be her Christmas gift this year. Would save us a ton of money, I think.

Riley-ism #626

Riley's first words were "Oh Shit." Yes, I have finally admitted it. While we tell everyone when we reminisce that it was "mommy" or "daddy" -- we know that it wasn't. She swore and both Ryan and I heard it. We were in denial...but apparently...it was all my fault. Everytime I would drop something, I'd say the happy phrase and it just so happens that Riley picked up on it when she was 10 months old...and tada...there it was.

Fast forward seven years later and we now have a very curious little girl who must've had a classmate talk or show her the "middle finger." Both Ryan and I NEVER do this because, well, we have no reason to. So, you can imagine our shock when while in the car (where we do lots of 'talking' she says to us...)

Riley: Now, I just want to know what this means, so don't be mad.

Mom/Dad: What is it, Riley?

Riley: What does the middle finger mean?

Mom/Dad: It means something not nice.

Riley: Like what?

Mom: Just something not nice.

Riley: What about this finger? (Pointing to her pointy finger.)

Mom: It's a directional finger.

Riley: So why can't you use your middle finger?

Mom: Because you just can't. It's not nice.

Then...our conversation yesterday in the car about made me wreck, it was so funny. She stews about things, so I know that for several days, she's been wanting to know what it means.

Riley: Does the middle finger mean 'thank you?'

Me: No, baby, the middle finger doesn't mean 'thank you.' (Laughter and then speed dial to Ryan... LOL)

I'm Back...sorta...

I don't have any pictures for this post, but I will...I promise. Things have been super hectic around here and I'm finding it hard to catch up. I will say that we had a very nice trip back to Pittsburgh and I have lots of pictures to share!

*******************

Hopefully I'll have the posts up before Thanksgiving...but if I don't, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone this year! I have so much to be thankful for...my perfect little family (although they stress me out sometimes! LOL), the great friends I have that have really been there for me, and our health.

S is for Snake

This weekend was the annual seafood festival in Ruskin, FL. We had never been in the past three years we've been here, but decided to give it a go since it's our last year here in Tampa. Nothing totally exciting, as far as festivals go. They had lots of business booths, a couple bounce houses and then the row of fried seafood...

We stopped in the Home Depot booth to make the free trivet with the kids. Hammers + Riley/Ronan = Nervous Momma, but the trivets turned out cute and the kids both got the signature orange aprons to keep. Did I mention that it was all free?

I don't want to brag, but I basically put Ronan's entire trivet together. I just let him think he hammered in the nails. LOL.

And then, Ronan showed us...

They had a rescued animal area where they had a black jaguar and huge tiger in these metal cages. As we were looking at them, I spotted a snake in the tree. Me, not being a huge lover of all things snake, mentally freaked out, but Ronan showed a huge interest in looking closer at it. The man brought the snake down and let Ronan pet it. Riley, well, she'd have NONE of it. She backed away about as far as I did...

And then the unthinkable happened. The man asked if Ronan wanted to hold the snake and while the rest of his family (and a growing crowd behind us watching in awe) thought he would say no...there he was, arms extended, ready to give his new friend a hug.

Ryan said that Ronan taught us all a lesson: Fear is all in the mind. Which, I guess makes sense (when Ryan has deep thoughts to share :)) Ronan had ZERO fear. He grabbed that snake like it was going to be his new pet and after the man asked if he wanted to wear it as a necklace -- which I was completely opposed to -- Ronan reluctantly gave the snake back...

If only you could have seen the crowd that gathered to see my little man hold this snake and their gasping of when he grabbed onto it. It was crazy.

So even though the festival itself wasn't anything to write home about, Ronan's adventure with the snake truly was...and thankfully, I have the pictures to prove it.

Riley Says The Darndest Things!

While showering the other night, I told Riley to really lather up the shampoo and get all of her hair...to which she responded:

"I'm gonna get my scallop really good."

I then said to her, "You mean your scalp?"

She quickly said, "Yes, mom, that's what I said, scallop."

Gotta love her.

The Purrell Conspiracy

I should own stock in it. Plain and simple. I carry it in my purse, I have some at my kitchen sink and I make sure Riley's classroom has it so she can use it there.

And that's what got me thinking...about the flu, germs, H1N1 -- and when I mentioned to Ryan how Purrell must be making a killing (as far as profits go, not death itself), he injected into my mind that it was probably Purrell who started the H1N1 virus in Mexico last year! Of course, I immediately dismissed the idea, but I can't say that when I hear a cough or the suction of boogies in the background, that it doesn't swirl around in my mind...
I haven't gotten the flu shot. Riley had the mist. Ronan...nothing. He's got allergies and although his first flu shot provided no negative reaction (to the egg protein), I am slightly scared to put him through that and then have to deal with what MIGHT happen. And now that the H1N1 vaccine is out (although scarce), I am torn as to what I need to do to keep my kids safe.

Talking to some friends recently pursuaded me to NOT get the vaccine. I mean, it's new. What if in 4 years they find out that the H1N1 vaccine contributes to some other heinous disease...I have no idea. BUT, the media is scaring me into thinking that if I don't get my kids vaccinnated, they are going to get it and be really sick...and that freaks me out. What's worse is that the one child who gets sick touching EVERYTHING, is the one that can't really even have the vaccine...so what am I to do?

I'm getting on an airplane with both my kids soon. In my mind, I have planned out exactly what I'm going to do when I get on that airplane -- which includes anti-bacterial wiping down all three seats, seatbelts, trays, light buttons and anything else the kids might touch...but then what do I do about all those people breathing on us? Can I had out masks? This is the nervous freak-out mom in me...I can't afford for them to get sick, especially being away from home...

Anyone have healthy travel tips to share?

Steak and Shake

Kids eat free ALL weekend. Need I say more?

I probably don't need to say anything, but I will comment that after spending about an hour at Steak and Shake nearby, it's like a small microcosm of Wal-Mart. You see the strangest mix of people there. Understand that we were there on Halloween, so the staff was dressed up...but the customers weren't. Or maybe they were. We have no idea.

We literally stopped in our tracks when a lady walked into the restaurant in a white crocheted triangle top bikini and white pants. Her belly was billowing out over the pants, to the point where I could no longer refer to it as a muffin-top of any sort. It was like a volcano had erupted. Ick. Now, I could accept the attire if we were a mile away from the beach...maybe even on a strip near a beach. We are nowhere near any beach. In fact, we have to drive quite a distance to get to one, so just the fact she wore this outfit into a restaurant far far far from the beach shocked me.

...although not much SHOULD shock me...I shop at Wal-Mart. Haha. What? They have some great deals.

Happy Halloween 2009

This year, we did a couple Halloween events with the kids...so here are just a few pictures from those events. We trick-or-treated on Halloween with a group of friends and although I took a whole bunch that night...there isn't one where one of my kids isn't blinking. Boo hoo.

Here is Ronan with a friend at a Halloween party... it was 90 degrees that day. I had to strip him down, just to keep him cool. He's a shirtless pirate. Arrr mateys.
This is also about the only time Ronan would wear his hat with his costume. In. the. car. I had to get the PPW (price per wear) down on this bad boy, as it cost us double of what his actual costume cost.

And for the first time in almost 5 years, Riley was NOT a princess or any form of one, other than in spirit! She originally wanted to be a witch, to 'witch' I purchased a hat, but after some shopping around at all the Halloween stores, she opted for the cowgirl look -- which we all loved. We had to buy her new boots for the outfit that *gasp* cost just as much as the costume itself -- but I reassured Ryan that the PPW for it would strongly decrease as we are headed to Pittsburgh soon and she can wear them there. Gotta justify everything!

Halloween was so much more fun for us this year. Perhaps it is because Ronan finally understood it and walked the entire time without being help. Maybe it was trick-or-treating in a group and having more adults keep track of all the kids. Or maybe it was because the kids got a ton of candy and we only had to walk around for an hour. Needless to say, I'm getting my Snickers fix and am paying for it with my peanut and chocolately love handles.

Prayers, please...

Religious or not...please pray for our fellow Coastie and Marine families involved in this tragic accident...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091030/ap_on_re_us/us_midair_collision

FOR SALE: 2007 Harley Sportster 1200 L 1K Miles

$7,900.00 -- It's not mine...it's a friend's and she's trying to sell it...if you know anyone that might be interested, please forward it along!

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/mcy/1417213782.html

Almost Fainted

Generally, I would preface this type of post with a "Caution: Not for the faint of heart..." BUT, apparently, I AM the one with the faint of heart -- when it comes to medical procedures.

Okay, so quickie background info: I had to have sinus surgery on Friday. Complete blockage of the left sinus, as indicated by a CT Scan and something the ENT wanted to take care of as soon as possible...and most definitely before me getting on an airplane anytime soon.

Surgery was successful, meds were prescribed (which I had a reaction to, but whatever...) and the "packing" inside was supposed to be dissolvable. Went in yesterday for a post-op follow-up and apparently...... he was planning to remove the packing.

OMG and I mean OMG. While it's hard to equate the entire procedure to giving birth...there are a couple places I feel like nothing should ever be inserted and one of them is the nose. Sure, I had a tissue propped up in my nose for almost 10 weeks...but no metal tweezer-looking object should ever go in there and never should it pull anything gauze-like out either.

I survived, but couldn't handle anymore...so I have to go back next week. While on my way to the counter to make my next week appointment, I felt light-headed, my lips became hot and tingly and I was on the verge of fainting. Immediately, I was rushed back to the exam room, legs were propped up and a juice was in my hand while the nurse patted a washcloth on my forehead. I was seeing stars.

Truly, this was one of the most uncomfortable things I have been through. And the worst part is that I HAVE TO GO BACK. I'm doing everything in my power to speed the dissolving process along, but I am scared to death. Dare I say it, I would almost rather go through child birth. Well, not really, but I would consider it. I wonder if I can take some sort of sedative before the next appointment...what do you think?

Wedgie Prevention Program

When Riley doesn't want to wear certain shorts, she will claim they give her wedgies. This morning, her shorts were giving her wedgies...even though they clearly were nowhere near the possibility of doing so.

And then, I heard Ryan giving her instructions on the Wedgie Prevention Program, which basically meant that instead of pulling her shorts on without unbuttoning them...she needs to unzip, unbutton, pull-up, zip and then button. Ta-Da...Wedgie Prevention...and of course, it also required some squats and lunges for stretch-out.

Amazing what you can hear when daddy is home getting the nugg ready for school...love it.

Steeler Sunday (Week 5)

Yet another Sunday in our year when we all dressed in Black and Gold...Uncle Mike came to visit us and we watched the game at Beef 'O' Brady's (wingies are yummy).
Ronan found his sunglasses and wanted to sport them with his Steeler's shirt (which our friend, Joni, gave him last year!)

My Riley and I...

Riley and her Uncle Mike. She adores him...and it didn't hurt that he provided all the quarters that kept them entertained in the little arcade room. Thanks, Uncle Mike!

This is how lovey Ronan can be when you bribe him to smile for a picture with a quarter. He calls it "monies." "Gimme more monies, momma." Eventually, he resorted to calling them quarters...but didn't just ask for one, he wanted two.

The hubby, brother and daughter...

And what happens when you surrender your camera to your two-year-old? You get lots of pictures with a blurry corner (due to tiny finger) of the most random things.

Below, what you see is what one gets with the many quarters in the arcade at Beefs. We ended up with a ton of monkeys...these were just a few of them.

Haven't made plans with Uncle Mike for this upcoming weekend game...but hopes he can come visit us again!!!! Can't eat wings without him.

"Not so fall" pumpkin patch fun...

Let's face it, Florida has no great fall weather. It's summer or not summer. So, you can imagine my distress when October arrived and all I wanted to do was take the kids to a pumpkin patch. I saw pictures of friends with their kids at pumpkin patches, with hay and wearing long sleeves...and there I was, upset because we are all still wearing shorts and tanktops -- in the middle of October.

Then, it came. A cold front! Only 80 degrees that day, we scurried to the local pumpkin patch - which equates to a church parking lot on the side of a highway. Didn't let it bring me down though, because the kids were stoked to be picking out pumpkins. And not just any pumpkin. A BABY pumpkin. You'd think with the enormous ones available to us, they'd go directly for those, but they didn't. They went for the 50 cent baby ones. Whatever. It was a cheap trip, filled with the most precious memories.

I was drawn to the weird looking ones. Scattered throughout, they were covered in bumps. Not sure why they captured my attention so much (perhaps it's because they remind me of the freakin' polyp I have inside of my sinus cavity!) Couldn't resist taking some pictures of them, though...

Reminds me of fall.....

The kids immediately ran to the area with the tiny pumpkins and picked one they wanted. And now Ronan has this new infatuation with everything having a "friend" so he made sure his baby pumpkin had his very own "friend."

Riley has always loved the tiny ones, so it came as no surprise that's all she wanted...

Ronan followed suit, of course...

You would never know from my amazing photography skills that this very area was right next to a highway...it's not a Trax Farms or Bates Nut Farm but it did the job.

They had a little wagon set up for photos...

Ronan was wiped out after a tough morning of picking baby pumpkins...

I'm hoping that next year, wherever we are, we're in a state that has leaves changing color and a for real pumpkin patch with hayrides, corn mazes and pumpkin pie for sale. Yum. Until then, I guess I'll just go to Costco for the pie.

Really?

My original intent of this blog was to keep our friends and family (those that cared) up-to-date with some of the crazy things that were happening in our life. I love sharing pictures of the kids and in a way, it's been my own digital scrapbook of their lives because not only do I post my favorite pictures, but I recount the best stories of what is happening in their lives.

It's also been therapy for me. I've gone through trials and tribulations with Ronan's eating habits and Riley's life of a 15-year-old stuck in a 7-year-old body...in many ways, it's my diary. I haven't shared the most awful events of my life -- not because I didn't want to share, but because it would have been dedicating more time to a subject not worth discussing. Until today.

In previous posts, I've said 'family is a loose term.' And I mean that. Just because you're connected through marriage or by birth, doesn't make you automatically entitled to having an enriching and lasting relationship. Things happen, emails are written, mean voicemails are left, mail is sent back and well...relationships end. Without going into major detail and copying/pasting emails...this is our life with my in-laws.

Today, an email was sent to me by an in-law sibling requesting that I "password protect" my site to avoid hurting the feelings of her parents. This is the same sibling who in her last email demanded that we not contact or respond to her again. Originally, outrage ran through my veins until I came to the realization that I no longer owe them anything. When the hurtful emails were written to us, inappropriate voicemails were left and it was clear that the 4 of us were no longer a part of that family -- we moved on. Does it suck that it's like that? Sure. Who wants to have dysfunction in a family? But have the 4 of us become stronger because of it? Yes. We have learned to depend on the family we do have. We have family that has stuck by us and are fortunate to have them -- and we love them for that. But, I also know what our lives have been like for the past 5+ years and ultimately, it's a case of "nothing is better than something."

Enough is enough already. I am not going to password protect my blog to protect people who haven't been a part of our lives for years. And, I was reassured by this sibling in her last email that she has no desire to read my blog again so I have nothing to worry about.

Thanks to all my readers who have visited my blog and continue to do so. I enjoy keeping up with it and plan to change nothing...except now y'all know a little more about me and where I'm coming from.

Need A Laugh?

Have you ever read something and literally just laughed out loud? A friend just started this blog and it cracks me up. I just have to share. http://batpoocrazy.wordpress.com/ Enjoy it.

Wings + Beer + Big Screen TVs + All the Black & Gold You Can Find = A Happy Steeler Sunday!

Everywhere you go, you will find a Steeler's fan. I'm not kidding...I mean EVERYWHERE. When we moved to San Diego, you would have thought we brought Steeler fans with us...and now, here in Tampa, it's not that much different. We headed to Orlando to meet up with my brother, "Uncle Mike" and sported our Black and Gold for all to see...and yes, we looked gooood.
Riley took this picture of Ryan and I. (Karly, like my new traditional Steeler's shirt? Get on at www.shopona.com and tell Karly I sent you.)

Ronan was soooo good there. This isn't to say that I didn't come fully prepared with a bag of mini Oreos, coloring books, crayons, a Nintendo DS and an iTouch...but to have 3 hours of no freaks out is nice. Real nice.

Riley entertained her little brother by letting him watch her play the Nintendo DS. Didn't last long, as little brother has now become quite strong with a loud voice and pretty much gets whatever he wants so as to not upset the parental units he is raised by. God Bless Riley for being so patient...well, at least some of the time.

I took this picture of Riley and Uncle Mike crooked on purpose. Mike was confused, but had I not, there would have been this bright white spot shining into the camera and you wouldn't have seen their faces. Thank me for that.

And here are Riley and I before the game. We don't get many pictures together. Why? I'm generally holding Ronan OR, I'm the one behind the camera. BUT, it was nice to get a picture with my girl...my first born...the daughter who is going to turn my shiny, dark brown hair ... well, gray.

Anyway, the Steelers beat the Lions. Surprise, surprise. Go Stillers.

Riley-ism: #567

I told Riley tonight that I really wanted her to do her homework. This is how she responded:

"Okay, mom. Don't get your hankies in a twist."

I think if I translate it in non-Riley terms, she's trying to tell me to not get my panties in a bunch? Right?

Can we just move already?!

Thanks to the Coast Guard, we are approaching that time again, where we get to look at a list and decide where we might like to go. No, it's not 100% we'll get the first choice or any choice, but from what the hubby says, the detailers do their best to give you something on your list, even if it's the last choice.

There are lots of states. LOL. But for us, our options are limited to about 30-40 cities and from there, the process can be so stressful. Eliminating the "heck no, I'm not going there" choices were pretty easy. I won't say where those places are because I know how possessive and loving people can be about those particular places...but I will say that a lot of thought went into those "definitely no" places.

Then there are the "definitely, maybe." The angst is in the unknown aspect of it. Have we heard of the town? Sure. Do we know anything about it? Not really. Am I researching? Yes. Do I actually look at the statistic of Asian %? You bet I do.

There are a couple things we have to look at before it can be on our YES list.

1. Job. Is it going to benefit Ryan's career? Will he enjoy the job?

2. Housing. Are we going to be on the economy or is there military housing?

3. Schools. Now that we have a kid in school, we can't just pick a pretty place because it's pretty. It needs to be a good school too...and let me just say, finding out the truth about these schools isn't easy. Everyone wants to say their school is A-rated or the best.

4. Shopping. How close it is to a Target?! Is there a commissary or exchange?

5. How close is it to friends/family?

I'm struggling with all of it because I am so ready to move, but moving itself can be so overwhelming. We've done it a few times, so we know what to expect, but we are at a point now, where we are just ready to go.

#5 on my list is something that is weighing so heavily on where I want to go. No billets are open in Pittsburgh (not that I know of), but I miss my parents, I miss my friends there and even though my *blah* in-laws are there, I would go back...just to have a few years with my friends again. This isn't to say I would have a tiny bit of reservation. My 'Burgh friends know how awful the last few months of our time in Pittsburgh was before we moved to San Diego. BUT, I miss them dearly and seeing them this year has made me miss them even more. I'm just wanting to be around people that love us all the time...

I also know that going 'home' isn't an option right now, so what to do...what to do... Well, it's mainly resting on the job for Ryan. That will eliminate a lot of questions and once we get that narrowed down, it'll just be a matter of numbering 1-10. We'll see, I guess!

I'll post more as we get closer to narrowing our choices down and once we get a top 10, I'll be asking for info about those places!