my interview.

Wednesday I had an interview, and felt very good about it as I was standing up to leave. Then as I was saying 'thank you' and 'goodbye' one of the interviewers asked, "what brought you to Florida?" [at this point my mind went crazy! do I say military? which would imply I won't be in Pensacola for very long. do I tell a little fib, and say the "beaches, of course"], "my husbands work" was my answer. I felt good. Honest, but not telling too much. THEN he asked, "what's your husband do?" OF COURSE he asked that. Why wouldn't he. And as I slowly answered with a "he's going through flight school" honest reply, I felt a bullet go through my foot. Who would want to hire a teacher who can't commit to more than one year? I got in my car and felt utterly defeated.

Wednesday went on. We took Belleau to school and she decided to forget how to sit. The one thing she has been doing since she was 7 weeks old. She does what she wants. So as we are trying to get her little bottom on the ground to show her teachers, my phone starts vibrating. I look, planning to ignore it, and it's a Pensacola number. I sprint out. Answer the phone. And can't stop smiling. The Principal would love for me to come work with him as a Language Arts teacher. He loved my excitement and believes I could be the "shining star" of the school. I accepted. Which means I HAVE A JOB.

I have a job! In my career field! I am a working woman (again)! I'm a teacher! I am beyond thrilled! The Principal is beyond great! I went in and chatted with him for awhile Thursday. He was very encouraging and strongly believes I'm the "breath of fresh air" that this school needs. God has answered prayers. And I am now a Gator.

So let the planning begin. And the shopping (teacher clothes here I come)!

I passed, he passed.

So. It was an exciting weekend for us. I finished two more classes for my Master's degree (both A's!) and John completed IFS. He had his check flight Saturday then had his solo on Sunday. Solo = fly completely alone!! Can you believe it? He did great! And is one step closer to finishing flight school. Next is API which John should start in October. API (Aviation Pre-flight Indoctrination) is lots more studying. It consists of lost of classroom learning (meteorology, aerodynamics, aircraft engine and systems, navigation, flight rules, etc.). Once all that is learned, he will have swimming tests (still in API). As summed up on the website, "The syllabus consists of 177.5 hours of academic and survival instruction condensed into 31 days of training, challenging students both physically and mentally." Should be a fun six weeks! In the meantime, he will "belt up" aka become a brown belt and be home a lot :-). Next for me is another interview. Start your prayer engines! It's tomorrow (Wednesday) and in God's hands.

Of course, we've still been eatin' like royalty. I really am in love with cooking. Lately: stuffed bell peppers {sausage, rice, cheese, black beans, corn, onions, etc.}, chicken lasagna {this is John's FAVORITE meal I make. First made it for his birthday before we were married. It's time consuming, but worth every second. Maybe I'll dedicate a blog post to it one day}, crock pot tacos with homemade salsa and queso

stuffed bell peppers {with cheese on top}

chicken lasagna {i love that he buys me flowers}

and tonight ... we are picking up fresh seafood from the fish market and grilling! I'm hungry just thinking about dinner! I still have not taken the plunge into desserts. They scare me. I am not too great about measuring, and well, you can't bake without precision. Any easy dessert recipes out there?

Belleau has been keeping us busy as usual. She is now attending school (have I mentioned this yet?). She is quite the smarty. Or maybe she just does anything for some cheese. Either way, she impresses us weekly (even her teachers have been in disbelief). A current activity of hers is to use her back legs to wedge herself under the couch. She loved playing under there when she wasn't so big. And now, she can only fit if she pushes against the wall with her legs. This has been happening almost daily. She goes over to the corner, pushes, pushes, finally gets under, then cries and barks and cries some more because she can't get back out. Today I left her under there for 15 minutes.

Hoping it helped her learn. Then I had to go to the rescue and LIFT the couch up so she could get out. She's something else. We'd be bored without her. 

Superb week

It may seem as if I have been slacking on the blog, but there are valid reasons for that, 1.) we had visitors all week, and 2.) before the visitors arrived I had to finish my two summer classes. This past week was indescribably superb. Tyler and Amelia came to visit and we are already missing them! They arrived last Monday morning and the fun started right away! We ate at yummy restaurants, cooked yummy food at home, shopped till we couldn't fit anything else into the trunk, and went to the ocean enough to all receive sunburns (Tyler wins the prize for the lesser of all the burns).
Some specific highlights: (and anyone thinking of coming to visit, hopefully this post convinces you)
-We spent a full day in Foley, AL at the Tanger outlet mall. So many good deals. The best deal was that we received an unexpected check that allowed for some great new clothes for both of us!

-Our sushi night ended with a walk on the beach in the dark using our phones as flashlights. Thank goodness for iPhones and great apps. We saw SO many Jellyfish. Thinking they came in from the two days of rain. They were everywhere and if we turned off our lights we could see them glow in the dark. Such a sight in that clear, clear Pensacola beach water. During our walk we also saw the biggest sand castle any of us had witnessed. John tried to find the architect by asking every kid around. Too funny.

 -We purchased a couple body boards and had quite the time hitting waves with them. Lia wins this prize for being quite the go-getter out there in the water. She lived on that board. The first day we took them out it was a "red flag" day and people were not allowed in the water without some sort of board. The currents were crazy. And the size of the waves was even crazier. 

-We ate out by the water on Saturday. It was beautiful. And the food was great too. Only down side was we forgot to grab my box of leftovers. I'm still trying to get over it.

 -Sunday, we went for a dolphin cruise! It was a beautiful day for a boat ride, and we had two dolphins swim along the boat for what seemed like forever. It was cool to see. There were other dolphins as well. We got our money's worth. There was even a dance party on the boat! And I'm hoping one of my pictures will win me a free ticket for another trip.  

Other than these specifics, we watched a few movies at night, went to the beach twice more, shopped on base, ate pb&j's on the beach, John and Tyler went for a run on the base beach, visited some tattoo parlors, walked out on the fishing bridge, played with Belleau, ate huge plates of Mexican food, made homemade pizzas, and so much more. This week has made me like Pensacola a little more. Maybe one day I'll end up loving it as much as I did Virginia.

 I really want to do it all over again. Who's next to visit? 

Meatless Monday's and John flying!

I'll get to the food portion, but first let's talk about John ... who has been FLYING for the last week!! He flies almost daily and is still home at a decent time (1400 ish). He has had some awesome landings. In his words, "It's exciting. It's fun. It's challenging." On Wednesday I heard a plane that sounded low, so I jumped out of my seat and went out back with Belleau to check it out. Sadly, I couldn't see it through the trees, but about two minutes after I came back in, I received a text from John that said, "Hey look North, I just waved." How cool is that? He really is loving it.

I wish I were learning to fly ... I am still jobless. I had an interview that went very well yesterday, but got the call that I didn't get it. I personally saw eight other people that were interviewing for the same position. Talk about competition. Surprisingly, I don't feel so bummed today. It's in God's hand and I'll leave it at that for now. To keep busy (when I'm not doing homework) I have been making cards rather religiously, which I thoroughly enjoy. If anyone has a need for some cards, let me know.

Belleau is getting so big, so fast. She has had multiple play dates with other dogs and she is just the friendliest thing you'll ever see. She played with a puppy Golden Retriever last week, and completely crashed after the puppy left ... I'm talking slept 14 hours! She is a riot. Her latest best friend is a French Bulldog, Meya. She copies everything Meya does ... while they run around at the beach. And she LOVES the ocean ... even with the waves crashing in. It's so adorable. Then she is absolutely pooped afterward, which we love. Belleau (or Bells, Belly, Bell, Belsa) is sleeping till 0700 every morning! It's been great. Such a big girl, and still no accidents in the house or crate.
Just noticed her update is getting to be the longest ... guess that goes to show who gets the most attention around here.

On to food:

Last Monday, John and I had our first "meatless Monday"... meaning I made dinner without meat. Ha. This NEVER happens (we even add meat to frozen veggie pizzas), but I thought I'd try it once and see how it went over (great way to cut down the grocery bill a little). It went great! We had Greek spinach feta burgers. They were SO yummy. And meat eating John agrees completely. The leftovers were fought over.
We will probably have the exact same thing for the next "meatless Monday".
The full recipe can be found on this blog, but I'll give a quick run down here.

For the burgers you need: 
1/4 olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 cup herb stuffing mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1-10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
salt and pepper

Combine everything and form into four patties, heat a skilled to medium high heat, spray with cooking spray and cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side. The outside should get crispy and brown.


for the simple tzatziki sauce you need:
1 small container non fat greek yogurt
1 small cucumber chopped finely
1 minced garlic clove
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper

To make the sauce, add everything together in bowl and stir. Set in fridge to chill.

to assemble the burgers you need:
4 whole wheat hamburger buns ... toast them!
red pepper ... don't skip this, it's a must!
red onion. sliced thinly
tomato slices
extra feta crumbles


and you get ...

bugs bugs bugs bugs

Let me tell you what I don't like about Florida. THE BUGS. They are everywhere. I get bit on average 4 times a day, and that is no lie. The first two weeks we were here I had 19 mosquito bites. NINETEEN at once. It was horrible and has not been any better. I spray down every time I take Belleau out and still manage to come in with new bites. Currently I have ten. Three of which I JUST received after taking Belleau out for five minutes (and they have inspired me to write this). Insane. My skin cannot take this. I have never been as ready for winter as I am now. I love the sun, love the beach, but the bugs out weigh those perks. Any secrets, friends? I have tried several "heavy duty" bug sprays, AND candles, and pants/jackets. They just love me.

I wonder how the summer bugs are in Virginia? Cause I sure miss it there. I miss Crate&Barrel, Cheesecake Factory, outlet malls, free museums, friends galore, substitute teaching, West Elm, having the best base nearby ... ah, that was the life.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Florida. In fact, when my bites aren't itching, I really do enjoy it here. Our house is adorable, the beaches are great, lots to do and fantastic places to eat.

Enough with bugs, all this talk is only making me want to scratch more.
Belleau is getting bigger (duh) and has been a GREAT pup. She really has. She is now officially potty trained (haven't had an accident in a loooong time). She did get a little sick and is now on medicine, but she is getting back to her wild self.

fell asleep on my lap

John is studying away! This Friday he will complete the ground school part of IFS and next week will get to fly! He does homework everyday on base, then comes home and does more homework. Poor guy. He is taking in so much information and most days says his brain hurts.
I am still on the hunt for a job, but have a good lead ... so pray. I am staying busy with making cards and working on my homework. Only two more weeks of my current classes then TWO classes left and I will have a Master's degree. Guess it's time to think about what to get next.
Food. Oh, we are eating yummy food as usual! :) Favorites lately: new steak marinade, Italian drip sandwiches, pesto-corn pizza ... is it lunch time yet?

marathon!

A kayaking marathon. It really was a marathon. John picked our route for the trip and picked the 26 mile route on purpose. Now that it's over and done, I can say I am happy about it. But Saturday around 4pm, I was not a happy camper.

This was a fourth of July for the books. We drove to meet the wonderful Eckhardts for a kayak/camping trip. We did a lot of kayaking! Friday night we sat up camp and got little sleep (setting up camp after 10pm is not recommended). The birds woke us up bright and early and we packed up. We then drove to drop off our cars at our ending location, and hopped into an SUV that took us to our starting location. We somehow managed to pack everything into and on our kayak... by everything I mean: food for five meals, a tent, sleeping bag and blanket, two sleeping mats, camping stove, fishing gear, loads of water bottles, and other misc. items. It all fit. I was amazed. Shame on me for doubting my overly prepared husband (by overly prepared I mean he guessed right).

So once in the water, the paddling began. The lake, I mean river, was still as can be. It was not functioning properly, i.e. not flowing AT ALL. So lots of paddling, lots and lots. We completed 16 miles on Saturday! And our bodies were feeling it. There was one mishap this day ... other than the burns and hunger and thirst ... a kayak flipped, and it wasn't ours.

Quite the excitement and it had to happen at least once. Everything was saved and nothing was ruined but a deck of cards. Oh just writing about this 16 hour day is making my shoulders hurt all over again. We pulled off to camp and it was quite the night! Started off with a family giving us cold drinks! We were desperate for something cold (eight hours in 96 degree weather will do that to ya). Pepsi and Mountain Dew never tasted so good.

We then had some dinner, no hick-ups there. Then played a little Phase Ten and all decided it was time to retire by 10pm. So off we went to our tents, and less than thirty minutes later we were all wide eyed and watching a 'coon go through all of our stuff! They primarily wanted Bran's "snack" bag, who can blame them? So we scared them off, and moved things inside the tent, and back to the tents we went. Lo and behold, there they were again. After the peanuts and other random snacks were placed at my feet, I was convinced they would tear through the tent to binge eat. Needless to say, Brandy and I were up most of the night. The husbands had no worries. Call me crazy for being scared of fat 'coons. 

Back on the water we went Sunday. Sun burnt and exhausted, but the day was fantastic in every way. We stopped several times for a swim (we had less miles to travel), and had lots of laughs. We made some great time on the water, and no one flipped over. By the time we made it back to our cars it was 2pm and we all felt very accomplished. We set up camp again and went for one last swim in the evening. Then we decided to shower and GO TO DINNER. That's right, the campsite had a little, tiny restaurant. We came back and played Farkle. Such a great ending to the weekend! Nothing went "wrong" on Sunday. In fact, I slept best that night (minus the wind storm). Overall, I would do it again. With the same people (they are our favorites!). Hope your fourth of July weekend was a memorable one!

finally some news!

We actually have news to report to our blog readers! We'll start with Belleau. She is just a riot and could have her own weekly posts. Latest news, she never did "pass" the plastic bone she ate. Just last Thursday, we were out on the hammock and Belleau was laying at our feet then started gagging all of the sudden. She has only thrown up once before (too much water too fast) ... we both jumped up and were a little nervous. In her pile of throw up was the part of the bone she ate (10 days earlier!) and a red plastic piece (from what ... who knows). Cannot believe it. Glad it just stayed in her stomach ... could've ended in surgery otherwise.

She has not destroyed anything else (thank goodness!!). Still cracks us up. She can now jump up on our bed (it's low), but cannot get back down. So gets up, then just cries and whines because she is too scared to jump back down. It's pretty cute.

Okay, on to more "news" ... John starts IFS (Introductory Flight Screening) on WEDNESDAY!! IFS is the first step in what we are bundling together and calling "flight school." At IFS he will get to FLY a lot! And get to study A LOT :). I am excited for him. Sad our days together will be shorter, but shouldn't be quite as bad as TBS. Many fun stories to come.

Still no job for me. But the jobs "close out" in the next two weeks, so we shall see. It's in God's hands, though I am starting to get a little frustrated. He knows best. He knows best. He knows best. And as if not having a job is bad ... check this out ...

I woke up today with a swollen left eye
And have no idea why
Hoping it turns into a stye
But I ain't looking too fly
Enough with my eye.

Let's end on a couple good notes! We purchased a new toy! A red tandem kayak! It's a beauty. Has cushioned seats and all. We just picked it up today (John has spent a good majority of the last two weeks shopping and shopping and shopping and shopping ...) and we will hopefully take it out tomorrow! Otherwise it will be taken out for our 4th of July adventures with the Eckhardts!

One other "good note" ... after talking about it for 18 months we have finally made our own sushi! It was quite exciting. We smoked some salmon and haddock, then made a fresh crab mixture, used cucumbers, avocados, green onions, and just got crazy with it! It was quite yummy. We are trying to get good before Tyler and Lia come visit ;-) (IN JUST FOUR WEEKS!!!!)

That's all from us Lynch's for now.