The Navy Wife Way of Life

Good readers,
It has been a good while since I've last blogged. I spent the last month and a half or so enjoying my hubbie's company before he deployed. I promise to write about our adventures together soon. But now, I blog as a means to pass the time, and I've been careful about not having too much idle time so as not to dwell on the fact that he's not around. In other words, I've been too busy with things to do outside of the house that I can now blog about.

The evening after my hubs deployed, I went with a few of the wives whose hubbies are also deployed to Coronado's Holiday festival. While it was more geared towards children, we enjoyed sipping some hot cocoa and seeing the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado all lit up. We decided to check out one of the newer restaurants nearby, and from the window watched a firework show as we discussed projects and goods we were going to send in care packages for Christmas and hobbies and projects on our to-do lists to help pass the time. It was a great way to connect with people who understand what it's like to be a Navy spouse.

The Del lit up like a Christmas tree.

Now, more than ever, I have found the need to seek people out. But not just people, Community. Which is why when I saw that South Park was going to have a Winter Walkabout, I had to tell some friends about it. I went to the last Walkabout and I was not disappointed. For several blocks, small mom-and-pop shops stay open late on a Saturday night. Each offers anything from cookies and cocoa to wine and cheese to patrons who peruse their store. There are people playing Bingo on the sidewalk outside the little candle shop that also sells a delicious jalapeno jelly. Street vendors try their best to stay warm as they merrily chat with passersby. And every single store is packed with mingling people. It's an event that is appealing to me with every sense--food, sights (I loved browsing through every store I could walk into), sounds of people enjoying the evening, the scents of the candle shops and restaurants we walked by and the feel of the fabrics that I grazed as I searched for a scarf I'd seen in October, which sadly was not to be found this time around.

One storefront display was a mannequin dressed in lotto tickets!

I also enjoyed taking a peek at the little vintage boutiques which boasted little knick knacks on antique trunks. So much to take in and enjoy.

I finally ended my weekend with a trip up to Irvine to see the hilarious Ms. Anjelah Johnson. I went with a couple of friends who wanted to take a ride on The Spectrum's ferris wheel after the show. With me being afraid of heights I happily (and safely) took pictures from the ground.

Irvine Spectrum Ferris Wheel, as seen through my iPhone

Irvine Spectrum's Ice Skating Rink, also taken with my iPhone

Overall, it was a good first week, all things considered. Now back to my projects.

We're Hitched! Yo ho, yo ho, it's a Navy life for me.

After four months of not blogging, which I blame fully on wedding planning, I am back! As stressful as most people convey wedding planning, it was a joy for me. It was super-exciting to see what was in my mind's eye come to fruition, and all within my tight budget. I believe I found my true calling in life!

We had a fairy tale wedding in a country club in August. Our colors were navy blue and green apple. We had green hydrangea, green cymbidium orchids, jade roses, every kind of green flower imaginable, were incorporated into our flowers. Our bridesmaids dresses were navy blue. People blew bubbles after we were pronounced husband and wife. The food (AND CAKE!!) was amazing. Our DJ gave the whole night such great energy. It was by far the most beautiful and emotional day of my life. I'm so happy to have found my partner-in-crime!

I have been debating for some time as to whether or not I should make the fact that I am now a Navy Wife an integral part of my blog. Seeing as how I will face many a deployment as a Navy wife, it's a lifestyle that not all can handle (I'm still learning the extent to which military spouses sacrifice, having already had a missed birthday and that our 1 month anniversary will be apart) and I plan on using my blog as a happy distraction, an outlet for my creativity and to pass time while I wait for my husband's return! I do want to give a shout-out to all the strong women (and men) out there who are Navy spouses. It's not always rainbows and butterflies in Marriedland; deployments, underways and duty certainly don't make it easier. Hats off to spouses, because we serve too.

I have lots of ideas for things to do while he's away. Getting back into my hobbies now that the wedding festivities are over would be one genre to get me going. Of course, spotlighting different parts of San Diego will keep me out and about as well. Great ideas for blog entries are not in short supply.

With fall already here (my, my how time does fly!), I am drawn to fancy coffee drinks (hello Pumpkin Spice Latte), blankets and caramel apples. I remember for years, my family used to ring in Fall with a trip to the apple orchards in Yucaipa. The last few times we went, we ended up going too late in the year to pick the apples ourselves, but that didn't stop us from having a huge picnic and buying freshly baked apple pies from the dozens of quaint little country store-esque bakeries lining the way out of the orchards. I would love to get everybody together again to do that, it's been ages.

This past weekend I woke up craving some freshly baked goodness for breakfast. It was still summer, yes, but the air was cool and the clouds were letting us know that Fall is on her way. I remembered I had thrown some ripe bananas in the freezer a couple weeks ago with every intent to use them. So that I did. With our eating habits as, um, extravagant as they've been, I decided to make a lowfat and somewhat healthy rendition of banana bread. Here's what I came up with:

**LOWFAT BANANA BREAD**
1.5 c wheat flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
1 c mashed banana (I use frozen, just defrost the whole thing slightly and the peel comes right off, and it's already the right consistency too!)
1/2 c sugar
3 Tbls applesauce (I used no-sugar added applesauce NOT sugar-free, instead of oil, adds fiber and cuts out fat)
a pinch of citrus zest (for this last week's loaf I used lemon zest, but I think orange would be even better)
1/4 c chopped walnuts (I'm not a fan of walnuts, too strongly flavored in the banana bread, but that's just me)

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, stir in egg, sugar, banana, applesauce and zest. Add to the flour mixture until just combined, and if you'd like to add walnuts you may do so at this point.
Pour batter into a prepared (non-stick cooking spray) pan (you can use a loaf pan but I used a square pan as I have no more room to acquire a loaf pan, which also benefited me because it took less time to bake).
Bake at 350F until a wooden toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. For the loaf pan it will be about 50 min, for the square pan I used, it took about half the time. Let cool before serving. Happy eats.

And Happy Fall!