Massage, Hanging Stuff Up Party, a Cricket Battle and a Slurpee

Guess what I got yesterday! A *FREE* massage. Yep, that's right. A company from town comes in and sets up a "massage day" for the residents here! It was a 30 minute massage and afterwards they had water, pop, sandwiches and THESE COOKIES ... okay .. again not on the diet.. but I went for it. #sorrynotsorry

 Jeff hung up some things in the house last night - I pretty much danced around the whole time #hangstuffupparty. So we have our cute whiteboard in the kitchen ...

 Our framed and matted wedding invitation in our front hall .. and our "Open your heart to life's journey" in our downstairs bathroom! I love them all! We are making this house a home!

I'm currently battling crickets. I suppose it could be worse ... and it was one thing when the crickets were small ... and brownish green... such as this:

There really wasn't anything I could do, I was even giving in ... but now these black crickets are getting in... and I'm losing my mind. They are MUCH bigger and creepier.

Okay .. they aren't as big as the picture makes it look like. But it's ON. I've kicked two right out the front door in the last 24 hours. I don't know what it is ... but they remind me of Spiderman vs. the Black Spiderman. The black one is much creepier! Haha!

And to end on a happy note ... my husband is THE BEST. He came home with a surprise Slurpee for me last night (and tolerated Pretty Little Liars) ... what a sweetheart! :)

Sunday Funday ... Downtown Disney!

Since we were in Anaheim this weekend for the game ... and had time to kill (all day) Sunday, before picking up Jeff's buddy from LAX ... we decided to check out Downtown Disney!

 It was very "Disney-esque" .. we loved every minute of it. I only wish we could have seen Mickey! They have the coolest shops here. I even loved looking around Goofy's Candy Co. and not buying anything! They have the coolest Disney specialty treats like marshmallows put together to look like Olaf from Frozen, or Mickey shaped caramel apples. I had a blast just looking at all of them!

We accidentally found the entrance to Disneyland!! EEEeeekkkkk!!!  Little did we know, it's all connected here in California! Very cool to see the signature train station, right here behind us. We wanted to go in SO bad. We already can't wait to go in September. ::Are we there yet?!::

We also LOVE Earl of Sandwich. We totally blew the diet for this .. #worthit
The only Earl of Sandwich they have back home in Michigan, is in the airport. We only get this once a year when we go to Disney WORLD in Florida OR if we travel out of the right terminal. We were beyond excited :)

We had such a good time walking around Downtown Disney, getting a sneak peak of a few hotel lobby's and getting a YUMMY dinner ... but we were also happy to get back to our new home!

A Tigers Awesome Wedding Gift

For {our wedding} three of Jeff's sisters, and their significant others all went in on a Tiger's weekend for us! What a crazy awesome gift for some major Tiger's fans, right? I know!!

We got a hotel room at The Fullerton, a gas card and some *incredible* seats at the game!

Here's a few pics from the Awesome Anaheim weekend we had! This post is Selfie City .. buckle up ;) Just look at whatever is behind us if you hate a good selfie hahaha !!

Angels Stadium! 

Hey Cabby Cabby Cabby! 

LOOK at this view!!! 

Me and my man! Sweet enough to lend me his sunglasses :) 

SO close to the field! Row 4 to be exact !! 

A pretty great firework show

Angels Stadium all lit up at night.

We did a little bar hopping after the game in Downtown Fullerton ... Roccos and Heros .. two pretty cool bars!! 

I just want to eat him up <3 

GO TIGERS .... Yes they lost but it was still such a great time! 

Big thanks to Alix, John, Haley, Seth, Emily and Rob!! We loved it!! 

Our Shipment!

The day I was waiting for finally came!! The truck delivered all this goodness!!!

{this is just the first floor stuff!!}

We've been busy unpacking! I will say that our kitchen feels more kitchen-ey already!
But we still aren't finished ... check back! :) haha ... in a year!! LOL, just kidding ;)

Orange Beef & Broccoli - WW Friendly

We went to the commissary yesterday and this was one of the things I could make in our make-shift kitchen. Weight Watcher friendly and all ... so, I went for it!

This might be an actual Weight Watchers recipe ... I'm not claiming this one, although ... I wish I could! YUM

Sorry for the crappy pictures. I didn't think to post this recipe on the blog until after the fact.. this was my Instagram pic. {Do you follow me? Twillman87}

Here's the recipe! Nice and easy!

12 oz. broccoli
1/3 c. fat free low sodium beef broth
1/3 c. low sugar / sugar free orange marmalade
2 Tbl. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbl. cornstarch
1 lb. steak (we used sirloin trimmed and cut into thin slices)
cooking spray

Microwave broccoli per directions.
Combine broth, marmalade, soy and salt.
Place cornstarch in shallow bowl and dredge steak in cornstarch.
Heat a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat.
Coat pan w/ spray and add steak and saute 5 mins or until browned.
Add broth mixture, cook 1 min or until thick ... stir in broccoli.

About 6 WW points per cup ... We also made brown rice to go along with it :)

Enjoy! Let me know what you think! Jeff loved it ... that's why I love cooking for him :) He loves everything I make and he always makes sure to tell me he liked it! Love that guy!!

Randomness Since Last Week!

Last week we went to the "welcome aboard" presentation for people who are new to the base. It was really nice. We listened to a presentation and then were able to walk around to the different tables / booths for different groups. I'm really glad we went. I have done a lot of research online about MCAGCC but talking to PEOPLE about it is much different than reading things online.

We stopped at the MCCS booth which is Marine Corps Community Services. They do everything. They put on all sorts of events for couples, moms, spouses etc. They even gave me a free copy of "5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman (which I LOVE and can't wait to read again). They put together groups, help with job searches and even make sure there are classes at the gym. It was a really fun stop.

We also stopped at the Tricare booth, which is our military's insurance. I had a few quick questions for them and they were so sweet. I swear they didn't want to let us go, they were telling us all about the area and fun things to do too! 

We stopped at a lot of different booths and got a lot of pamphlets but I'm really excited about the information they gave us. Even Jeff admitted to being happy we went .. and he DIDN'T want to go :) 

We got our first piece of mail since the last time I've written!! It was a package from my Aunt Terri and Uncle Steve! How perfect is this!? 

Since last week we have been down the hill to both Yucca and Indio to do some shopping with gift cards we still had. I think that kind of stuff is best on the weekends. Leaving right after work to go down the hill and coming back home makes for a long day. It's much more enjoyable and we don't have to rush! We even saw a beautiful mountain sunset on the way home! 

We found out our shipment will be delivered THIS Friday! I'm VERY excited about this .. I can't believe our truck full of things is finally going to be here. I also can't imagine this house filled with all of that stuff, haha. We are so used to having two plates, two forks, two cups, two towels, two hand towels, etc. that it will be kind of weird to have cabinets filled with things! 

On the way out of the house the other day, Jeff heard something under a bush. I thought it was the sprinkler but it turned out it was this little guy! He was stuck in a mailer bag underneath the bush ... he probably saved his little life! It had to have been SO hot in that plastic bag...

Today I went to my first spin class on base. I really liked the teacher and will plan on going back next week. It was much different than I'm used to with so many men, but it wasn't a big deal. I was SUPER anxious about going though. The class is hosted at the "East Gym" which is at the top of the base .. and is where a lot of weight equipment is held .. so to me it's a "guys gym" and I don't tend to hang in those much! :/ It was a bigger deal in my head than it was when I got there.

I also researched some Zumba classes in the area and will be trying one out this week too. 

I don't think I mentioned but I met a friend at the pool .. we've been meeting up at the pool during the week while the husbands are at work. She's younger than me but very sweet and it's so nice to have a Marine Corps Wife friend! They are leaving in September. She is a nanny and I could possibly be taking her job when she leaves. Speaking of the pool ... we had free popsicle day at the pool last week - #awesome

I saw a desert quail ... they run so fast I can't believe I snapped a pic. I was sitting in my car in the carport when I took this, right outside our house!

I ate a happy omelette <3 Yes we are still striving to eat healthy .. we even signed up for Weight Watchers again and so we have the apps on our phones to scan things and looking things up to making it easier :) 

We went to a free Santana cover band concert at the casino right down the street from us .. and Jeff won at the blackjack table!! Yay!! 

Last but not least .... my addiction these days. Sugar free Watermelon Punch ... unreal. Delicious. I crave them. I can't even tell ya how bad I need one of these. Jeff doesn't even have to ask anymore, he just pulls into the 7-Eleven every night on the way home from whatever we have going on. AND a bonus ... if you have their app for your smart phone, they are giving away something free everyday for the rest of the month (I think?) .. You name it and we've gotten it free. Cookies, M&M's, ice cream bars, Slurpees, Big Gulps ... I've been saving my points each day to have whatever they're giving out! 

Yea ... that sucker's empty, because I couldn't even take the pic before I killed it :) 

Things I've Learned About Living in Twentynine Palms In A Week

• There is sand everywhere. Sand on the sidewalks, sand in the house, sand on the patio, sand in your shoes, sand in your eyes. Sand makes up our front yard ... there is nothing "yard" like about it.

This is the view from our front door.

• The commissary (translation: grocery store) is closed on Mondays.
• At the commissary, the people who are bagging your groceries aren't paid. They work for tips ... NO joke.
• When going on base at night, dim your headlights so you don't blind and therefore piss off the guard at the gate :)
• The difference between crickets and cockroaches.
• You will live with crickets as roommates. They never leave and you can't keep them out.
• The desert at night is a very different place than the desert during the day (cockroaches & black widows OMG)
• The view is beautiful. I love love love the mountains, everywhere!
• The Marine Corps has an acronym for everything ... We live at MCAGCC .. No joke. Be impressed I know what that means ;) ... ok ok I knew this before I got here.

 

• Dry heat is still hot. Luckily, I love most of the heat and we have air conditioning .. Anything under 100 degrees is a "cooler" day ... 106-110 is the norm right now.
• The pool is a great place to go during the day. The pool in our complex is really quiet .. not many people go there. I love to read and sit in the sun .. and I even met two friends!
  
• You can see the stars even better than Up North when you're coming up the mountain .. and it will take your breath away.

• Buying a washer and dryer will make you high five, because you'll be so excited ...
  
   
• Filling a home with furniture really makes it feel like a home.
  
 
• Our patio is a great place to spray paint my projects! I'll show the finished product later on, when it's actually finished.
• Living with my husband is fun :)
• Having our own place is fun :)

Last but not least ... I've learned that living in Twentynine Palms is going to be what we make it. There are some weird quirks about living here and you definitely have to get used to things ... but it's going to be great. Tonight we are going to a "Welcome Aboard" presentation on base and I'm hoping to learn more about this new place we call home!

Moving Out & Eating Healthy

I go from tons of pictures to NO pictures .. what are the chances ... ?

So ... if you've been following along my fitness journey, you might know that I lived at home with my parents while my husband was stationed in Twentynine Palms, CA... I had done the majority of losing my weight with my then fiance (before he left for bootcamp last year) and my parents. I worked out 3-4 times a week at the local LifeTime Fitness and my mom kept healthy food in the house.

You might know that I planned our wedding in approx. 5 weeks.

You might know that I've gained back some of the weight I had lost, right after the wedding for multiple reasons (being schedule, packing, traveling and moving)

You might know that I weighed 157 about a week before I left Michigan. You might not. I def. didn't want to write about that struggle on here, I'm sorry to say. Which I realize is not fair. I should write the highs and valleys.. I've also been busy too and used that as an excuse not to write it here. I wonder what the last weight I admitted to was (on the blog) ... I should look.

You might know that we recently got housing in CA so that I moved to live with my husband, Jeff!

It is very important to Jeff and I to have healthy food in the house and get "back on track" while we have a clean slate. We have an empty pantry to start with and don't want to fill it with garbage.

On our cross country road trip we ate Subway for most meals and stopped for breakfast a few times as well. We didn't buy snacks for the car (except for a few a friend gave us .. YUM). We also drank lots of water in the car and tried to stay away from sugar. Jeff did drink coffee, but he loves coffee and drinks it anyways :)

It has been one week since we got to CA. One week of living on our own and I'm proud to tell you that I was 150 lbs. this morning. I haven't worked out in 13 days I think, but the lack of snacking and eating garbage has already helped. We have been planning dinners and having a frozen meal for lunches. We also have healthy snacks in like Weight Watchers string cheese, apples, grapes and bananas. I've also been drinking a ton of water because it's so so so hot out here.

My goal is to be between 130 - 135 lbs. by the time we go home for Christmas (if we go home for Christmas ... no promises) The lowest I've been was 140 lbs. I believe. I know it's going to be tough but I need to get back into the swing of working out, find a class, burn some calories and get on the ball. That is my goal this week is to figure that part of my new life out.

That's what I'm thinking about today :)
Thanks for reading!

Moving & Cross Country Road Trip!

We're moving to Twentynine Palms, CA ... the Marine Corps base is called MCAGCC .. short for Marine Corps Air Ground Command Center .. say that three times fast!

First we bought this truck :) making my husband the happiest guy in the world...

After a whole situation with Uhaul (I'll prob never rent with them again) .. we FINALLY got on the road. 

We towed my car .. all the way to CA! 

We saw Iowa ... LOTS of corn. LOTS. This was the second day. The first night we drove almost the whole time in the dark so there wasn't many picture opportunities. 

Corn, corn, corn

Day 2 we saw Nebraska! 

We tried to stop at MULTIPLE steakhouses on the 4th for dinner ... each were closed. We settled on Outback, because we wanted an Omaha steak! We also were driving when normal people were celebrating the 4th with fireworks. I thought this might suck ... but really, we could see every town on the way out of Omaha lighting off their fireworks. The whole horizon was lit up! It was beautiful. Too beautiful to get in a picture. I tried. 

Just try and tell me this guy isn't adorable <3 

On the road again .. I can't wait to get on the road again .. 

Crossing the Mississippi River! 

Crossing the Mississippi River!

Colorado was incredible. We went from tons of flat farm land full of corn to mountains and it was unlike anything I've ever seen. 

It rained a little bit when we got into Colorado .. see the mountains in the background? Those aren't all clouds back there! 

There were so many different variations of mountain. Some green, some sand, rocky, mountainous, it was truly beautiful. 

The tunnels right through the mountains were unbelievable. 

Denver! 

We drove through Vail! 

Yep! The car's sill back there .. and so are the mountains! 

Jeff brought his laptop! It's hard to see in this picture, but I'm watching a movie. It was such a nice distraction at night.

Bye, Colorado! Love you! 

Utah was pretty impressive too. I was shocked. 

We stopped at a rest stop and climbed a little baby mountain (which is really a hill.. work with me here) We were so glad to stretch our legs.

We saw Arizona for a short time, on the way to Nevada...

California! Our new state!! 

On Route 66, the last gas station for miles was charging over $5 per gallon. They were the last stop for what seemed to be forever.  It was super tacky on the outside and the strangest little store. We went inside and I was already in a foul mood because of the price posted outside. Everyone INSIDE though, seemed to be happy. I wondered if they'd all been drugged. Then I saw this sign on the counter .... well played "Oasis Gas Station" .. well played.

Almost to our new home!!! 

(new) Home sweet home! 

Yep! You read that right!! I now live with my husband!! 

It was a long four day road trip .. there are very few people I could survive let alone enjoy being in a car with for over 32 hours.. but this guy is one of them. It was well worth it, we had a blast making the best of it and seeing our beautiful country!