Where the Heck Am I?

This thought pops up in my head rather frequently these days... I think it might have to do with the fact that we've stayed at least one night (usually many more) in 13 hotels this year.  That doesn't include any of the homes or the 5 more hotels we will add to the list before 2013 comes to a close. Needless to say, it is occasionally difficult for me to quickly remember that we are currently living in Augusta, Georgia.

We arrived less than a week ago for my husband to begin his general surgery rotation here at Eisenhower Medical Center on Fort Gordon.  It is very hot here. Our hotel room has many pros and cons... so far, the cons have the upper hand. However, the air conditioning is working beautifully! Hallelujah!

While my husband was busy settling in at the hospital, I went down to Florida for a couple of days to visit with my in-laws. I got my cooking, wine and yoga fixes before coming back north to GA.

Although there isn't much going on in this area (so it seems to me), I am trying out a new yoga studio this week and will keep you posted :)

We Made It... Again!!

Y'all might have guessed by my absence from blogging for the past week or so that we've changed locales yet again! Two days ago we arrived in Bethesda, MD at a friend's condo... no hotel rooms for 6 whole weeks! Hallelujah!! 

This is Ron.  He comes with the condo for a week. We're bonded :)

He thinks this is his couch. I'm trying to convince him otherwise.

Our last week in the Pacific Northwest was so awesome, and I will be sharing everything very soon!

Breaking Promises

Ok, y'all. I have a confession to make. I know I said I would never do this, but I really wasn't given a choice (thanks mom!)! I am juicing in our little hotel room!

Obviously, I'm not actually upset at this new development... juicing is in my soul!!

The little juicer that showed up in the mail from my mom gets the job done, even if the cleaning process is slightly excruciating without access to a disposal.

So there you have it... never say never! New juicing recipes coming soon!

Side note- looking back, I used way too many exclamation points in this post... I guess you can tell that I'm excited!! ;) just a couple more for emphasis...

4th of July

 Just in case you were wondering, we had a perfect little 4th of July here in the northwest. Although my husband had to spend most of the day working at the hospital, we were able to spend a couple of hours together in the evening.

I spent most of the day in Silverdale, WA, with some family friends that I've known for over a decade. It was really lovely catching up with them, and we definitely had some good laughs. They were so thoughtful to pack up some of their cookout fare for me to bring back to Fort Lewis for Michael (whom they have yet to meet!) to enjoy.

Just as Michael and I were about to climb into bed, the base fireworks show began.  We watched the impressive half-hour show from our little hotel window. I can't remember a sweeter July 4th! Happy Birthday America!

Rainier Inn

I've already mentioned various reasons why I like it here at Fort Lewis, but here are some specifics about our fabulous living conditions at Rainier Inn.

 My husband has a desk! This is where he spends most of his time if he isn't at the hospital or sleeping, so it's a luxury to have an actual desk (rather than a really grody armchair or nothing at all).

Do you see that blinding light?! Its natural because we have two windows (even if they don't open... what a fake out)! I won't speak about the situations in which we did not/barely had windows...

The kitchen!! Doesn't it look fancy?! There may or may not be a non-stick All Clad pan hiding in one of those cupboards... 

These two things are just icing on the cake of living on Fort Lewis.  1) The view (even though seldom because of the clouds and rain) of Mt. Rainier is spectacular! 2) The sweet black kitty living in one of the rooms on the first floor of Rainier Inn.  I talk to him when I see him sleeping in the window in the mornings and afternoons. You would too!

The Little Things

We have stayed at a wide array of hotels so far this year.  They have ranged, in my opinion, from mediocre to downright sad.  I have never had a propensity for motels, despite my mother's warnings that being a "hotel snob" was not an endearing quality. However, my standards have yet to be lowered (and perhaps may be reinforced) by the exterior hallways and poor temperature controls that plague the Army, Air Force and Navy lodging.

My expectations, which were realistically low in January, have now become non-existent.  This jaded mentality has been one of the best additions to my repertoire of military-medical-student's-wife tricks to get through anything with a smile on my face.  Now, the little things that would normally make my day a little better seem downright magical.

Example: The Keurig

Anyone that was around when we began receiving wedding gifts last year knows that I raved about a little coffee-making appliance called the Keurig. I was so enchanted (read: caffeinated) that I convinced nearly everyone in my vicinity to buy one.

Mine was this dainty little model...

Then, when it came time for the storage unit to steal all of our belongings for the year, the Keurig (along with my caffeine habit) and I parted ways... until we moved into the Navy Gateway Inns and Suites in Portsmouth, VA, two weeks ago! I saw this little beauty when we walked in:

As an added bonus, housekeeping leaves the tray to the right of the Keurig stocked with k-cups at all times. I don't want to lose ground in my fight against caffeine, so I've stuck to the decaf and black tea options for now... but I have the feeling that another 5 AM morning in the near future might cause me to relapse. It's a slippery slope...

But for now, I'm keeping it positive and enjoying being reunited with one of my favorite appliances. Enjoy the little things everyone!

We made it! Part 2

Move number two is on the books, folks! We are currently residing in Fort Bragg, North Carolina for the next five weeks.

The actual moving part was easier this time around, and I can only imagine how streamlined my/our process will be by the time we do move number 9 (yikes!). The leaving a wonderful experience and lovely people part was, as to be expected, not as pleasant. I have found myself missing Fort Hood a little bit... Mostly the warm sunshine (it averaged in the 70's when we were there... Today was overcast and in the 40's/50's at Fort Bragg) and people. However, I never thought there would be anything to miss about "The Great Place" for the first few days we were there, so I'll just tough it out until I can find the bright spots in Fort Bragg (unique moniker still unknown).

All I can say right now is that this place is definitely different from Fort Hood, in good and not-so-good ways.

Exchange here- better
Commissary here- better
Class six* here-better
'Commute' here- worse
Lodging here- worse

*For those of you unfamiliar with a 'class six' on an Army base, it is where you go to buy booze, or in my case, a bottle of wine. The selection was not stellar, but definitely superior to the offerings at Fort Hood (read here for more info). A nice glass of chardonnay can fix a multitude of things, if you ask me.

I'll post some pictures and more about our travels between TX and NC tomorrow after we're slightly more settled.

New Digs

Whew! What yesterday was quite a day here in scenic Fort Hood, Texas! You'll remember from my previous post (because I know y'all obsessively check this darn thing to see me wax poetic about my shower) that all was not copacetic.

However, speaking of showers, we have a new one now... It doesn't burn us or give us frostbite like the evil one, but it does change pitch (shhhh to shhhiii) every now and again. I just think it has a playful sense of humor :)

So, how did we manage to receive this wonderful upgrade??? We moved! Hallelujah!

After deciding that we were too exhausted to deal with Poxon House for another night, I went and spoke to the management to see if we could move to a room at Keith Ware Hall.  They were very understanding about our continuing issues (did I mention the constant threat of cigarette smoke wafting into our room, whether the door was closed or not?), and very accommodating as they set us up in a new room at Keith Ware Hall.

The difference between our previous room and our current circumstances extend far beyond the shower.  We are now in a hotel with interior doors, which means that the carpet in the rooms is fresh, clean, and not musty. Instead of a makeshift ironing board 'counter top', there is a dedicated spot where the crock pot has found a home. There is a desk (the medical student was thrilled!) and a large closet and a chair without mysterious stains.  I could go on, but you get the picture.  Being here makes me happy.

Moving did not make me happy, though.  I was getting my husband's lovely head cold and working on 3 hours of sleep, so running around in 80 degree heat with heavy suitcases and boxes of books wasn't my cup of tea.  But we are all settled in, so I can take care of my sick self in the peace and quiet of room 333 :)

Chili and Other "Adventures"

I made chili for dinner last night.  My regular 'ole chili recipe that I would make at home on the stove top.  The few variations from my usual recipe (because I am VERY flexible when it comes to changes/substitutions in recipes) had nothing to do with the crock pot, but everything to do with what I found and did not find at our local HEB (the commissary is closed on Mondays).

Notice that there isn't one of the handy crock-pot liners :(

My Chili Recipe:

1 bottle Shiner Bock
1 can no salt added tomato sauce
1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, diced
(*note* I found a pre-diced mix in the produce section of HEB that included the previous 4 ingredients)
1 1/2 lbs of lean sirloin steak, cubed
1 Tbs. Ancho chili powder
1 Tbs. Cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 can low sodium Kidney beans, rinsed
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
High fiber macaroni noodles
Unsalted saltine crackers

Things I omitted because I didn't have them on hand:
1 tsp. ground oregano
1 Tbs. ground coriander
Texas Pete Hot sauce to taste

Combine tomato products, veggies, steak, beer, and spices in a crock pot on low. Cook for 6 hours.
Turn off and stir in beans.
Serve with noodles, cheese and crackers.  Whatever your preference.

This chili is definitely one of my favorite comfort foods, so I was a happy girl last night.  Until the neighbor nightmares returned, worse than ever before (you can read about our other escapades, here).

There was an unhappy (and possibly sick) infant in the room next door last night.  Side note- don't ask me why the bad neighbors are ALWAYS in the room that our bed shares a wall with.  This is just a cruel joke from the universe.

Anyways, as we were going to bed early at 9:30, we hear a few cries/whimpers.  I assume it is just a fussy baby needing to fall asleep.  Michael was agitated, but I assured him the baby would fall asleep and all would be fine.  I was correct.  Until about midnight.  Then it started again... but this time it was blood curdling screams and cries and if I didn't know better, I would've thought someone was being tortured.  Oh wait, that was us.  We were the tortured ones.

Then, after about a half an hour of this disaster, the baby calmed down and fell asleep. I fell back to sleep around 1:30 AM.

Next was the mother of all melt-downs.  From 2 AM to about 3:45 AM the screaming ensued, but this time the parents chimed in.  Yelling at each other and yelling at the baby ("shut up you stupid brat" was one of their more PG phrases), then yelling at the toddler who began a temper tantrum after being woken up by all of this noise at 2:30 in the morning. We fell back to sleep around 4:45 AM, and the alarm went off at 5:20 AM.

This is not enough sleep.  Especially for my husband, who is fighting a nasty head cold, and working 12 hour days in inpatient pediatrics. I am praying for a better night tonight.

Neighbors

Everyone has had neighbors with interesting quirks.  In Bethesda, our neighbors were huge Washington Redskins fans, and there was no way we could go to sleep early on a Sunday night if there was a game on TV.

Our neighbors here at Poxon House have been slightly more challenging.

So far, the room next door to ours has been 'home' to four different families.

1) On our first night here, we were greeted by some lovely football commentary through the walls: "Beat they a**" was one of the more eloquent statements we had the pleasure of over-hearing. Seriously.

2) The sports fans left, and a chatty Hispanic family moved in.  I know that they were Hispanic because they liked to sit right next to the wall and talk loudly on the phone.  Michael says that we lucked out with the language barrier because it ended up being less distracting that way.  Another interesting fact about this group is that one of them was the absolute loudest snorer I have ever heard.  Every night (I think 3) they were here, the snores woke me up.

3) Then, the talkative snorer moved out, and the Nicki Minaj and Rhianna fans moved in.  This time, we had to ask the front desk to get the dance party to end. We just couldn't "Pound the Alarm" at two o'clock in the afternoon.

4) This leads us to where we are now. The toddler not-so-fun time. Certain things may have clued me in about the little ones that are now our new neighbors (like the repeated slamming of their bathroom door, or the screaming crying at 2 AM), but it was really the adults that confirmed my suspicions.  I think the parents may only know two phrases "DANNY!!! STOP IT!!!" and "DANNY!!! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!!" I'm sure that nearly every parent utters these phrases during their child's toddler-hood, but what makes these folks unique is that they probably utter these words 5-10 times every hour. I'm not sure who I should feel more sorry for: the parents, Danny or us.

Here's to hoping Danny's crew finds new quarters soon :)

Shower Woes

I love a good shower.  A relaxing shower can make the worst of days a little better.

Our shower in Bethesda was wonderful, so I may be a little spoiled. It was spacious and never ran out of hot water.  It was consistent, and I miss it so.

This is our shower now:

One notable feature that cannot be adequately captured in a photograph: the shower head is meant for someone no taller than 5'4"... I am 5'7" and my husband is 6'3". Enough said.

The most excruciating aspect of this shower, however, is not visible...Unless you consider the hot and cold knobs accessories in this crime. The water temperature is evil.

No matter how perfect the temperature is set when I get in the shower, I will inevitably be injured in some way during the course of my bathing process.  Even if I try to shower in less than 5 minutes, at some point the water temperature will fluctuate drastically. It will literally be boiling through the pipes and burn whatever is in its path.  OR the water will turn into melted snow and immediately give me frostbite.

Basically the motel shower scares me, so I have developed a defense. If you listen VERY carefully, the pipes give a one second warning about the impending temperature change.  A higher pitch sound (think shhhhhh changing to shhiiiiii) means something bad is happening.  However, I usually panic so much upon hearing the different tone coming from the pipes that I nearly slip and fall on my way out of the shower stream.

I don't think this bathtub would be very forgiving:

So, for the next three and a half weeks, I am going to suck it up and take the abuse. I am grateful to have a shower :)

PS- I promise to post something nice about Fort Hood very soon... as soon as I can think of something :)

Housekeeping Happiness

There are plenty of things I dislike about our teensy motel room, and don't worry, I'll get around to sharing those things with y'all in the next few days. Now you have something to look forward to!

The thing that I am over the moon about is what I came 'home' to after getting our car serviced yesterday (a little shout out to the folks at Automax Volkswagen in Killeen, TX... I have never experienced a more helpful or attentive group of people in an automotive service department).

This:

Fresh sheets on a made bed.  And I didn't wash the sheets or make the bed.  It was a lovely surprise.

Also, the trash was taken out and there were fresh towels in the bathroom.  

I realize that some of you are thinking, "Duh Anna, that's what happens at a hotel"... but one does not typically live in a motel.  It sort of hit me yesterday that I am not going to wash sheets or towels or take out the trash (although Michael usually does this one for me... what can I say, I lucked out :) for the next 11 months! Wooo Hooo!!!

Did I mention that I love clean linens?  They make my heart sing... so despite the other little things that I dislike about Fort Hood and this motel situation, I am one happy girl :)

My Haul

I don't think that I have ever been as excited to go to the commissary as I was this morning.  After eating out for the better part of five days, I am absolutely thrilled to have a stocked (mini) fridge and makeshift pantry.

Thanks to my sister, I have a few recipes that I want to try in my Crock Pot, and to my surprise, the commissary had all of the ingredients! Little miracles :)

Yes, that is the ironing board I used to create a "kitchen counter"... a cook's gotta do what a cook's gotta do!

We Made It!

I guess that would be a more appropriate title for a post at the end of this year, but I feel so accomplished to say that we are officially settled (for the most part) at our first location: Fort Hood, TX!

Late yesterday afternoon, we checked in to our motel (Poxon House) on post.  Our room is about how we expected it to be... a semi-renovated space in a very old building.  Bottom line, though, is that it is clean and I was able to unpack all of our things this morning. Hallelujah!!

It Starts Here

Yesterday set a really good standard for how the road trips of this adventure should go.

1. We were able to leave two hours earlier than expected.

2. We didn't run into any significant traffic.

3. The weather was beautiful: sunny, between 35-40 degrees, snow on the ground as we got further into the mountains of Virginia. No snow on the roads, though. This was key to my happiness.

4. Our Holiday Inn Express was very nice for a hotel directly off of highway 81, essentially in the middle of nowhere.

5. We saw this beautiful sunset over the mountains as we drove west.


I have high (and admittedly unrealistic) hopes that all of our/my road trips this year continue in this fashion. A girl can dream, right?