Our 1st Anniversary

Friday May 24th, 2013

The day before we left for our anniversary weekend in Corpus Christi, Rob and I went and got pedicures. He had never had one before and I was able to talk him into it. As our luck would have it, at that exact moment, a monsoon hit San Antonio. Ok, maybe not literally but I have never seen rain come down this hard and this fast.

 

Even though we were soaked, we still looked cute.

 

Saturday May 25th, 2013

The rain did not stop. It continued raining like crazy. It was raining so bad that the highway we needed to get out of San Antonio was flooded. We had to take a detour that took over an hour when it should have taken us between 5 or 10 minutes. But eventually we made it out and were on the road to Corpus Christi.

A classic foot picture while it rained.

My cute husband driving. Pretty sure the rain ended by then.

Sami and Jags enjoying the bed at the hotel. My dogs love hotels.

 

Our first stop was to the USS Lexington. If you are ever in the Corpus Christi area, you need to go. The ship is pretty much totally open for everyone to walk through. It's a self guided tour but worth every penny (and it really isn't that many pennies when you think it is a huge tourist location).

Rob taking some pictures at the top of the ship. It was so breezy, a lady's dress actually flew up. I was afraid someone would be blown over board.

 

After the ship and a brief walk on the beach, we went and had some dinner at Blackbeard's.

 

(For some reason my pictures won't let me change the size, deal with it until I figure out to fix it) This is me at Blackbeard's eating some calamari. It was possibly some of the best I have ever had.

 

Sunday May 26th, 2013

Our actual one year anniversary!!!!! We wanted to keep our plans simple for the day of because our big goal was to have a nice dinner to actually celebrate.

 

The first thing we did was head to the Texas State Aquarium. Although it was cute, it is not worth the money you pay to get in! I couldn't imagine taking a family there. I think we made it through in less than an hour and that was mostly because we waited for the dolphin show.

Waiting to go into the Aquarium.

After that, we went to the beach. It was so beautiful looking out and seeing nothing. Also the first time Rob and I have ever been at the beach together.

My cutie.

Ending our morning at the beach. Wearing our new Corpus Christi shirts.

Our 1 year anniversary dinner at Niko's Steakhouse. I would have enjoyed going back to Blackbeard's more. Not a huge fan of the food.

Our last stop on our anniversary weekend: South Padre Island. It costs to get to the property because it is a National Park but you will not regret it!!!! If you happen to be in the military you do get in for free, which we did. The beach was so clean and peaceful. Rob and I picked a spot where we could let the dogs run free. We did leave them on their leashes so if we needed to grab them (like when people walked by) and when we were out in the water just in case something happened.

 

I've never been in a relationship while at the beach so I had to do this. Plus, it was our anniversary weekend so it had to happen.

Another bonus to our weekend, on Saturday, my best friend got engaged. I had to leave a note to her and her fiancee. Can't wait to see the ring in person when we get back to Indy.

Sami lived up to her breed and loved the water. I can't wait to take her again.

Another beautiful feet shot. I loved watching the waves come in.

 

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Family portrait in shadows. I love how you can see Rob, Sami, Jags, and me. 

 

1 Year of Morrow Love.

Our first time watching the sunset together. Such a great ending to our first year of marriage.

 

 

I decided it would be a fun tradition to record us talking about our anniversary. Here is our first video!

 

This is how we ended our night when we got back to the hotel from the beach. Super yummy dessert and a bottle of wine (we were given the same wine on our wedding day, I think it might be tradition now).

Monday May 27th, 2013

We left Corpus Christi early in the morning. Nothing happened so I didn't take any pictures...

Being in Corpus Christi was the best time I have had in Texas. I am so glad we went there for our anniversary. Can't wait to see what our 2nd year of marriage brings and how we celebrate on May 26th, 2014.

Oh, I forgot to add our gifts!!! The first year of marriage is paper.

This was my paper gift to Rob: an exploding box with memories from our 1st year. Also gave him a plaque that I made which had two spoons on it and said "Spooning since 2012". It's packed up or else I would have taken a picture of it.

 

 

This was his paper gift to me: coasters with our wedding photos on them. He also got me a ring for my right had that has his birth stone and my birth stone.

 

Recap of the Birthday

Rob is now officially 29 years old! What a great morning it was. He got up early to take the dogs out and then went back to bed. I got up, made Monkey Bread and coffee, set up the Scavenger Hunt, and decorated the house a bit. Only problem we had this morning was the goo in the monkey bread running out of the bundt pan into my oven. I thought my house was on fire for a second! That soon cleared up and the greatness returned!!

But eventually I woke him up and left a note on the bed for him to read (the start of the hunt) and he chuckled because right away he knew what was planned!! The balloons made it through the night in the bath tub. He said he knew that they were there because I wouldn't let him use that bathroom for fear he might look in there. Plus, he never closes the shower curtain so he was suspicious why it was closed. His comment was, "What else would be in the shower other than balloons?" I tried to tell him it was a mariachi band but he didn't believe me.

And I got him to wear his special birthday hat that I made him!!!! He didn't wear it for long but at least I got a picture!!

And then he opened his gift that our friends and family helped me with. He had no idea what it was when he unwrapped it but once he untied the bow, and started pulling the pages, he said, "That's awesome" with tears in his eyes. I don't think there is a bigger tell that someone likes a gift than when they have tears in their eyes, unless they are sad tears than maybe it's not so good. He espcially liked the kids being included. And he said it was his favorite gift, which is big since he also got a new PS3 controller which he's been asking for.

I think he had a great start to his birthday. Hopefully work won't be too bad. And after work, he'll have meatloaf to come home to!

Hope you all have a great day as well!!

Birthday Scavenger Hunt

I've been working so hard on putting this together. Here is a sneak peek into Rob's Birthday Scavenger Hunt.

 

Here's the note that Rob will find in the morning. The first clue is taped onto the back of it.

 

One of Rob's many surprises. What's a birthday without a fun birthday hat?! I made this very special one for the very special man in my life. Do you think he'll actually wear it? Yeah, I don't think so either but if he does, I'll have the camera ready!!

 

And this is the very special gift that I have been working on for a few months now. The picture on the left is when it is all folded up and it looks like a book or a card. The middle picture is while I was working on it. Our friends and family were assigned a letter and they were to take a picture of themselves with that letter. They were able to make the letter out of whatever they wanted. Very creative they were! So when it is all opened up, it reads "HAPPY 29th BIRTHDAY". And the picture on the right is a little message to Rob and is on the back of the card when it is all folded out. I'll be posting the instructions to make this under my "Crafts" page.

 

 

This is the first surprise Rob will be getting. I am so happy that our grocery store still has helium since no one else does around here. And yes, they're in the bath tub. Where else would they fit?!



I said I was going to buy 2 cupcakes instead of cake but I guess I was wrong. Rob asked me to make a German Chocolate Cake. And how can I say no to him?! I added some coconut that I colored blue with food coloring and then decorated with one of the containers of colored icing that comes with the little nozzles. I might not be the next famous cake decorator but I put the effort in for my man and I'm sure he'll love it!! This is his very last surprise. I'm super excited!

Hey, it's his last year of being in his 20s so I think it should be just as important as hitting a new age that ends with a "0".

I am almost done!!

This morning has been full of work for Rob's birthday! I've gotten so much done! One project has taken many giant steps to being done, which to me is the most important gift because I got our friends and family to help out. I say it's about 90% done and hopefully I'll have everything I need by tomorrow to finish it. The other project is 99% done, I just need some chalk for it to be done. Both still need to be wrapped and then they'll be checked off the to do list. Other than that, all of the other gifts are wrapped and have the next clue on them. Busy, busy, busy.

Other than those two projects, there are only 4 things left to do and they can't be done until Monday or Tuesday. Monday will be spent trying to find some helium balloons and going to a bakery to buy 2 cupcakes (I decided against making a cake since Rob is trying really hard to lose weight and baking cupcakes has not worked out for me since we've been here in Texas). On Tuesday, I'll wake up early so I can make Rob's monkey bread for breakfast and put together our traditional birthday punch.

I decided to do a walk through of the Scavenger Hunt this morning to make sure everything runs smoothly. As long as I can hide the stuff in the bedroom where he won't see it Monday night, it should work. He normally doesn't mess with stuff so hopefully he won't for some strange reason. I made sure to make the clues where there is not any gift in the same room back to back. He's going to have a lot of walking to do to find all of his gifts! Hehehe

As a preview, here is one gift that I made for Rob (also known as Project 2):

 

I found this cute board at Walmart while I was picking up a few final gifts. I saw it and thought I could do something cute with it for our bedroom.
 

 

 

This is the finished product. Well, mostly finished. The black squares are painted with chalk board paint and I need chalk to write little messages on it for Rob. I think it's super cute. Maybe not the best gift for a guy but he has 28 other gifts he can like. LOL

Well, now I'm going to take some time to relax since I've been running around like crazy this morning. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

One week left...

I can't believe I only have one week left to plan and work on the stuff for Rob's birthday. I have 3 projects I am still working on and hoping to have done by next Tuesday. And, I found out that Rob is working late on his birthday which means I have to set up the scavenger hunt before he even goes to work. Which also means everything has to be 100% done Monday night!!

I've already told Rob that I'll be making breakfast for him that morning so he has to stay in bed until I tell him to get up (breakfast is one of his "surprises", he'll be having monkey bread). This will also be when I set up everything. All in all, I'm very excited. It has been a few months of planning and a lot of work but I love surprising my husband.

The only thing I am truly worried about is finding balloons!! It seems as if there is no helium in the state of Texas. I'm really hoping to find one store that has enough to just fill at least 2 balloons. It is the last surprise that hasn't been 100% worked out. If I have to, I guess I could use those balloons they sell at the Dollar Store that stand on a stick...But I don't want to have to. :(

I also have a lot of wrapping to do. I had a little bit of birthday wrapping paper left over from all the birthdays in January but ran out after only a few gifts. I bought some more today and tomorrow will be spent wrapping the rest of his gifts. Some are really hard like a Mio container. How do you wrap that?! Going to have to get creative with that one!!

I think I'll start posting stuff tomorrow for his scavenger hunt so you all can see what surprises are waiting for Rob...We'll see if I have the time with everything I need to get done in the next few days!!

Have a great evening!

Preparing for Rob's Birthday

Once again, my husband is not allowed to read my blog until I tell him!!!

Rob!!!!! Stop reading!!!!! :)

So my husband is turning 29 this year. Next year is the big 3-0 which is going to be really special. I still wanted to make this year just as special. Since he had so much fun with his Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt, I am very busy planning one for his birthday. Well, technically the planning is done and now I'm just doing the leg work for it.

And since he is turning 29, there are going to be 29 clues (I've already written them out). And with each clue, there will be a "gift". That means I have to make or buy 29 gifts! Thank goodness I am a crafty woman!!!!!!

Well, today I worked on 2 gifts and finished them. They are also wrapped up and in their hiding places. On top of that, I ordered most of the gifts for him. Since I don't have a car right now, I am very happy that I have the internet to shop online! I still have some stuff to get for him and then a bunch of stuff to wrap.

I have one big birthday gift that I am working on and I cannot wait until it is finished so I can show everyone! The only bad thing is that I have to wait for other people for help which means I cannot do it all in one day like I normally would. But all in all, I am so very excited. I can't even wait to see the finished project! I hope it turns out the way I see it in my head.

I've been taking some photos along the way so I'll post some closer to his actual birthday just in case he does see this. That way nothing will be totally ruined.

Stay tuned for some awesomeness!!

It's March!!

So happy March!! Even if I am a few days late, this month is very important to our family.

Before I was married, March wasn't that important of a month minus the fact that spring break would normally fall in this month when I was at school. Then, a change of events started 3 years ago when I officially became an aunt for the first time on March 13th when my nephew was born. That was about the only importance March had.

Well, now it has become a much bigger deal. First off, my husband's birthday is at the end of the month. That means this year we're celebrating his birthday for the entire month, the Month of Rob. Should be fun. Other than his birthday, we also have his mom's birthday and his dad's birthday! These are all really important birthdays!! Normally, if we were back home in Indy, we would get together with Rob's aunts and uncles to celebrate his and his dad's birthday. The first time I met his family was at Jockamo Pizza in Irvington to celebrate their birthdays (Side note, if you are in Irvington and/or Greenwood, go check out Jockamo's, seriously the best pizza and as soon as we get back home we're going in for a Cheese Louise pizza!! Unless they would deliver one to San Antonio...hmmm...)

Like I said, this year we're celebrating the Month of Rob. We started off celebrating on Friday by going to see Jack The Giant Slayer at the Alamo Drafthouse. This is becoming my favorite theater. They serve real food while you are watching the movie! And it's actually good food!! They also sell Princess Bride wine! As I have said before, this is my favorite movie and before we move, I'm going to get me a bottle and one for my best friend who equally loves The Princess Bride (another side note, she actually quoted The Princess Bride in her maid of honor speech at my wedding!) Also, when you go see a movie there and you're waiting for the previews to start, they play videos that are related to your movie. A few examples from Friday's movie were Mickey Mouse as Jack and the Beanstalk, some preview of a movie that came out in like the 1960s that was based on the old story, and countless others. When we went to see the Hobbit there they played this very awesome song sang by Leonard Nimoy called The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins and it is the best thing ever. Seriously, if you don't click on that link, you will miss out!!! Anyways, back to Friday night, Jack The Giant Slayer was really good!! There were some slow parts but all in all, I would watch it again. Plus, I love Ewan McGregor which is a perk to any movie!

Saturday was spent taking care of the dogs and trying to find a place that sold baseball team hats, not sold at Walmart and Target down here. We then took a break for lunch at Whataburger which is always a mistake. This is the second time we've been there and I feel like it's a waste of money. Last time, my hamburger was yellow from alll the mustard they put on it. This time, I got it with no mustard but my bacon was thicker that my hamburger patty which really isn't saying much since the bacon was more like bacon bits. Also, Rob's chicken sandwich tasted like hot dogs. Yeah, won't be going back there!!

As for Sunday, Rob and I hung out at the house watching racing and then went and had lunch at Panera Bread which I LOOOOOOVE!! Their Fuji Apple Salad is sooo good! We also brought dessert home which is delicious! I got their carrot cake cupcake-muffin thing...OMG, I don't normally like carrot cake but this was to die for!

For the rest of the Month of Rob, we have many things planned. We're going to see Oz The Great and Powerful on Saturday. Looks amazing. On the 16th, we have our next date night planned from our 12 Months of Dates which is bowling this month. And then, at the end of the month, we're going to watch the Padres vs the Rangers at the Alamo Dome, I guess it's a big deal because they're playing baseball inside. I love baseball and I'm just so excited to go see a game again. As for Easter day, we're still trying to work out what we are doing then since there are 2 separate events we want to go to but can't be at both.

Ok, well I think that ties up what has happened and what will happen in the month of March, or in my house the Month of Rob. Hope you have some great things planned for this month as well!!!

Rob Graduated!!

I am so proud of Rob and him completing Phase I of his schooling. I wouldn't have missed his big day for anything in the world!!

Ready to go see my man graduate!

Because I am totally afraid of showing up to anything late, I left the house at 7:30 for a 9 am graduation. Thinking I still had an hour on base until graduation started, I stopped by Burger King for some breakfast (I still love french toast sticks from there like I did as a child). Well, they decided that they were working on their own schedule so it took awhile to even get my breakfast. As soon as I got it, I headed over to get a good parking spot. I figured 45 minutes before graduation, parking across the way would be open. I was wrong!!! Both parking lots Rob told me to park in were jammed pack. So here I am, driving around base, trying to find a darn place to park. Finally, I thought about where I used to drop Rob off for physical therapy for his back. Not too far of a walk I thought. Well, I got there and got pretty much the last parking spot. Frustrated, I start the hike back up to the building where graduation was, in my high heels.

I finally get up the hill and inside the building and find no body in there to tell me how to get to the room where graduation was. There I was, standing in the hall with an elderly lady who looked more lost than I was. She was there for "The Navy graduation". I figured it was the same graduation, I was right. I did see a sign for the auditorium but the sign pointed both ways so I found myself not sure of which way to go (I felt like Dorthy when she meets the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz). Finally, a lady walked by and we asked her where the graduations were held and she pointed us in the right direction.

I go to open the door and see one of the soldiers we are friends with sitting with everyone else. I then notice that they were calling off names. My first thought: They started graduation earlier than they said!! I was furious! Then, the Chief walked over to me and said they were just finishing up practice. He asked who my family member was and I told him. He got Rob's attention to let him know I was there. Apparently he made a comment to Rob about how nicely dressed I was. I almost didn't dress up because originally the soldiers were suppose to wear their Class A uniform, I had picked my dress that I also wore for our 1st date of the 12 Months for this occasion. When Rob told me Tuesday night that they were wearing their ACUs to graduation, I was super upset. A graduation is important and they should have dressed to meet that occasion. So anyways, I fought all night with myself on what I was going to wear. I finally decided I didn't care what everyone else was wearing, I was going to show my support of Rob by what I wore. And yes, I was the most dressed up of all of the family members.

Back to graduation...I saw that there was only 2 other people already there so I sat down behind them because I wasn't sure where we could sit. Not long after I sat down, more families started showing up including the family that we've become friends with and they sat with me. It's so nice to be able to talk to people again!!!

Eventually, graduation started. It was a nice, short ceremony. It started with one the soldiers singing the National Anthem, he did really great especially since English is not his first language. Then, one of the instructors talked to the soldiers about how they are the silent healers because no body will ever see them but that they are very important with diagnosing what is going on. Then they began calling off the names of the soldiers and they walked across the stage for the families to see.

Our last name starting with M was actually surprisingly close to the end. After waiting for what seemed like forever (probably about 5 or so minutes), it was time for Rob to walk across the stage.

 

There's my husband. One step closer to becoming a lab tech. Not sure why he didn't look up so I could get a good picture of him!!!!

After everyone walked across the stage, everyone stood to sing the Navy song and the Army song (all the soldiers were either in the Navy or Army). Then, the class presented their instructors with two plaques with their class picture on it to thank them for all the hard work that they had done over the past 6-7 months. Finally, our soldiers were ours to congratulate!!!

 

 

I had to get a picture of us to celebrate Rob's big day and all of his accomplishments!!

 

After we talked for a few minutes and said good bye to the ones who were ready to move onto their next base for Phase II, we headed back to our cars to head up to the company. This meant, I had to make the long walk back to my car in my heels which by now were making my feet hurt. The road I had to walk on has construction going on at one of the buildings which means they have to bring their big construction vehicles down the road which tears up to the road. This made it very uncomfortable to walk back to the car but I did make it.

 

After that, Rob had to go to his new unit to begin signing papers to start Phase II. The other family and I waited around so we could all go to lunch, this turned into a longer wait than we had expected. Around noon, they were finally done, able to go to lunch, and then were done for the day.

 

Rob and I ended up taking a nap for an hour when we got home. After that, we had a lazy night of watching TV with the furry kids. It was an early night for us even after the nap.

 

Once again, I am so proud of Rob. I can't wait until August to see him finish schooling all together.