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| can you believe it's september already?! |
Friday, August 31, 2012
september photo a day list
here it is! note the change in the hashtag (#fmsphotoaday) if you are an instagrammer. i also like that chantelle posted a blog about remembering that this is supposed to be FUN, not a chore! so play along and don't feel pressured to create some amazing work of art. and especially don't feel like like a failure if you miss a day or something. hope to see some of you play next month!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
k-pop
korean pop music is a completely different animal than what i usually listen to but i have to admit that sometimes it can be pretty catchy. it's a mix of dance, electronica, hip-hop and r&b. this song gangnam style is very popular right now and while i think this video is pretty "out there" i realize that some american videos are just as wacky. so enjoy!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
packing lightly
i'm on my way out the door for a couple of weeks to fulfill my annual tour requirements. while i enjoy visiting korea and try to make the most of the limited free time i have there, i also miss being away from family and home. timing is never ideal and i always inevitably miss some event. my blogging will be a little scarcer until september but i'll still be posting when i can.
in preparation for this trip, i have a few required items (uniforms and equipment) that are both heavy and bulky. unfortunately, there is no getting around lugging these things through the airports. so i try to balance by taking less cumbersome personal items. i'm one of those travelers that tends to over-prepare a bit but i'm trying to be better at that. i also like my gadgets. this will be the first time i take my nook instead of multiple books/magazines so hopefully that will help. i'm also trying to limit myself to 2 lenses for the camera. and of course, i have to take my laptop. no really, it's a necessity! i need to skype with justin and saraya!
it's easy to pack light when i'm going back to hawaii or florida. light layers, interchangeable and complementary colors, bikinis, sandals... and though it will be hot in korea, it will also be very rainy (monsoon season) and i have a "professional image" to uphold. i haven't been back to korea in august since 2003. i've been spoiled in recent years, returning in march and wearing scarves and coats. i'm not particularly looking forward to monsoon rains. at least the recent hot weather in san diego should prepare me for the temperatures.
any tips for packing lightly from my readers? it's too late for me this trip but maybe between my lessons learned and your advice, i can get it perfect next time.
in preparation for this trip, i have a few required items (uniforms and equipment) that are both heavy and bulky. unfortunately, there is no getting around lugging these things through the airports. so i try to balance by taking less cumbersome personal items. i'm one of those travelers that tends to over-prepare a bit but i'm trying to be better at that. i also like my gadgets. this will be the first time i take my nook instead of multiple books/magazines so hopefully that will help. i'm also trying to limit myself to 2 lenses for the camera. and of course, i have to take my laptop. no really, it's a necessity! i need to skype with justin and saraya!
it's easy to pack light when i'm going back to hawaii or florida. light layers, interchangeable and complementary colors, bikinis, sandals... and though it will be hot in korea, it will also be very rainy (monsoon season) and i have a "professional image" to uphold. i haven't been back to korea in august since 2003. i've been spoiled in recent years, returning in march and wearing scarves and coats. i'm not particularly looking forward to monsoon rains. at least the recent hot weather in san diego should prepare me for the temperatures.
any tips for packing lightly from my readers? it's too late for me this trip but maybe between my lessons learned and your advice, i can get it perfect next time.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
4.dive the great barrier reef
after last week's post on my top gun experience (haha, not really) i realized that i've posted about less than a quarter of my list. so here's another one i can cross off of the list!
i earned my padi open water certification while i was stationed in hawaii. the dives there were amazing (i'll post about the manta rays another time) but i knew that the one place that we NEEDED to go diving was the great barrier reef. it's the world's largest coral reef, can be seen from space, and is considered to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world. so we killed two birds with one stone and got our advanced open water certification on a liveaboard out of cairns. we would spend 3 days and 2 nights on a boat earning our advanced certification.
on the way out to the boat we'd be staying on, we stopped for two dives. if you've never been scuba diving, you're supposed to stay with a partner. there's no way to talk to each other so you communicate using sign language or a special whiteboard that works under water. justin and i were having a great time exploring the reef and were about to head back towards the boat when he spotted a giant clam. i was just a little bit above him when he started to head for the clam. as i was following him, i suddenly felt a stinging on my upper lip (the only part that was really exposed between my mask and regulator. i instinctively reached up to wipe my lip and next thing i knew, my hand and wrist were stinging. i couldn't see anything but i knew it was a jellyfish. at this point i am freaking out. luckily i am not too far from the surface so i don't suffer any bends when i shoot up. unfortunately, justin was completely unaware of the events happening right above him and continued to descend towards the giant clam. right after i broke the surface, i realized that justin was probably wondering where the hell i was. i could feel my face swelling (i'm really sensitive - even mosquito bites look like something attacked me) but i tried to remain calm and prayed that he would surface soon, and not too far from where i was.
once he surfaced, i took off for the boat. i knew he was confused but figured he understand once he caught up. when i got to the boat, they helped me aboard and were helping me remove my equipment when justin arrived. at first he was visibly perturbed by my disappearing act but he quickly softened when he saw my face. and of course he offered to pee on it. for anyone wondering, i declined.
i did continue with the rest of our dives. we were in a different area for the liveaboard portion and after a little while, i felt better so i realized that even if it happened again, it wasn't so bad. happily, the rest of the trip was uneventful in that sense. we had some awesome and crazy instructors that took us on night dives with (harmless) sharks and showed us incredible creatures that can only be found in this giant and ancient coral reef. i'm so happy to scratch this experience off of my list!
i earned my padi open water certification while i was stationed in hawaii. the dives there were amazing (i'll post about the manta rays another time) but i knew that the one place that we NEEDED to go diving was the great barrier reef. it's the world's largest coral reef, can be seen from space, and is considered to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world. so we killed two birds with one stone and got our advanced open water certification on a liveaboard out of cairns. we would spend 3 days and 2 nights on a boat earning our advanced certification.
on the way out to the boat we'd be staying on, we stopped for two dives. if you've never been scuba diving, you're supposed to stay with a partner. there's no way to talk to each other so you communicate using sign language or a special whiteboard that works under water. justin and i were having a great time exploring the reef and were about to head back towards the boat when he spotted a giant clam. i was just a little bit above him when he started to head for the clam. as i was following him, i suddenly felt a stinging on my upper lip (the only part that was really exposed between my mask and regulator. i instinctively reached up to wipe my lip and next thing i knew, my hand and wrist were stinging. i couldn't see anything but i knew it was a jellyfish. at this point i am freaking out. luckily i am not too far from the surface so i don't suffer any bends when i shoot up. unfortunately, justin was completely unaware of the events happening right above him and continued to descend towards the giant clam. right after i broke the surface, i realized that justin was probably wondering where the hell i was. i could feel my face swelling (i'm really sensitive - even mosquito bites look like something attacked me) but i tried to remain calm and prayed that he would surface soon, and not too far from where i was.
once he surfaced, i took off for the boat. i knew he was confused but figured he understand once he caught up. when i got to the boat, they helped me aboard and were helping me remove my equipment when justin arrived. at first he was visibly perturbed by my disappearing act but he quickly softened when he saw my face. and of course he offered to pee on it. for anyone wondering, i declined.
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| ernie and bernie: not my friends |
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
22. fly a fighter jet
before i was even accepted into the air force academy, i knew i'd never be a fighter pilot. i was too short for the cockpit and i was as blind as a bat. being submersed in the culture and surrounded by people whose dream it was to fly planes made the pipe dream a desire though. one summer, i was doing summer research at scott air force base (SAFB) in illinois. it's not the most glamorous of locations (LOTS of cornfields) but while i was there, i had so many opportunities to do things i knew i'd likely never get another chance to do.
the primary research i was completing was for the Air Mobility Command Historian's office, writing a chronology of the C-9 (a plane used for aeromedical evacuation). the program was 6 weeks so my hosts wanted to make sure i got to enjoy some real air force experiences. i got to ride on a C-9 (as aircrew!) on their western loop of the country, stopping in idaho, california and texas. i even got to make the announcements. i also got to ride in a KC-135 and lie down in the boom operator's seat as it refueled a B-52. but the most awesome incentive was getting to fly a fighter jet.
st louis is just across the border from the base so i was able to visit the st louis national guard. they took me up in an F-15 as part of a four-ship simulating a dog fight with 2 F-16s. it was an amazing experience! we pulled 7 Gs and i nearly blacked out at one point but i recognized the symptoms of hypoxia (thanks biology class!) and quickly took measures to stay conscious. the pilot let me take the controls for a bit but i'm not going to lie. that was the most intimidating thing i've ever "controlled" and i gave him back the aircraft before long. and i'm happy to report that i never got sick. sometimes they like to force newbies to use the barf bag but i was a tough cookie.
so even though i'll never be a fighter pilot, i can still say i've flown a fighter jet...
the primary research i was completing was for the Air Mobility Command Historian's office, writing a chronology of the C-9 (a plane used for aeromedical evacuation). the program was 6 weeks so my hosts wanted to make sure i got to enjoy some real air force experiences. i got to ride on a C-9 (as aircrew!) on their western loop of the country, stopping in idaho, california and texas. i even got to make the announcements. i also got to ride in a KC-135 and lie down in the boom operator's seat as it refueled a B-52. but the most awesome incentive was getting to fly a fighter jet.
st louis is just across the border from the base so i was able to visit the st louis national guard. they took me up in an F-15 as part of a four-ship simulating a dog fight with 2 F-16s. it was an amazing experience! we pulled 7 Gs and i nearly blacked out at one point but i recognized the symptoms of hypoxia (thanks biology class!) and quickly took measures to stay conscious. the pilot let me take the controls for a bit but i'm not going to lie. that was the most intimidating thing i've ever "controlled" and i gave him back the aircraft before long. and i'm happy to report that i never got sick. sometimes they like to force newbies to use the barf bag but i was a tough cookie.
so even though i'll never be a fighter pilot, i can still say i've flown a fighter jet...
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| scrapbook pages |
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
oh, hello friend
here's another renegade craft fair favorite of mine! oh, hello friend is a blog and etsy shop run by the cute and creative danni. this craft fair is not the first time i've bought something from her and i'm sure it won't be the last. she loves vintage and has a thing for collecting journals and scarves so i already liked her. and then there's our shared love of letterpress. only, she actually got one off of craigslist so i'm the only one still dreaming about making real letterpress instead of faking it in photoshop. but i digress...
one of my favorite previous purchases is my letter stamp set for my correspondence.
and you might remember these tags i picked up from my photoaday challenge. i also got a very cool watch locket (with an owl on it of course). and since it has a watch inside, i don't have to worry about it being completely empty until i'm able to add a picture. it's the little things.
so if you're looking for unique little treasures for yourself or someone special, check out danni's shop. and her stationery shop here. again, this is not a sponsored post, i'm just sharing some shopping love.
one of my favorite previous purchases is my letter stamp set for my correspondence.
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| the wanderlust |
and you might remember these tags i picked up from my photoaday challenge. i also got a very cool watch locket (with an owl on it of course). and since it has a watch inside, i don't have to worry about it being completely empty until i'm able to add a picture. it's the little things.
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so if you're looking for unique little treasures for yourself or someone special, check out danni's shop. and her stationery shop here. again, this is not a sponsored post, i'm just sharing some shopping love.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
water baby
earlier this year, we enrolled the pandi in swim lessons. she took to the water like a fish (she's just like her daddy!) and graduated to the intermediate class just before justin went to alaska. he wanted to resume her lessons when he returned but was a little concerned that she might not be ready to advance since there was a break in her lessons. there was no need for that concern. it's like she never stopped! and you know your child is comfortable in the water when they are still sassy as ever. there's no room for fear with all that sass...
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| "i see a frog!" |
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| "i need to get that frog." |
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| alllmost there... |
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| got it! |
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| humpty dumpty sat on a wall... |
they do a drill where they kick, go under, grab the wall, knock over the turtle, kick off the wall, and end in a back float. she loves it!
and then there's a drill where they float on their backs, run across a lily pad and jump into daddy's (or mommy's) arms. the first time she did really well. the second time, she decided to be a sassy frog.
she's already started boogie boarding in the ocean with daddy. i predict a little surfing miss in the near future!
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