The Past Three Weeks {Talking Date v.7}

So, I’ve been home for the past three weeks, and my plane leaves tomorrow, which is just about the saddest thing that could ever happen. Actually, the saddest thing that could ever happen is to realize you’re leaving a day earlier than you thought. Total fail on my part. I thought I was leaving early Sunday morning, only to realize I’m leaving early Saturday morning. I’m so not looking forward to that, but hopefully my solo-flying game plan will work out like it did last time.

Gawking over balloons.

I mean, this is the absolute best time to be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hands down, and I’ve been soaking it up. The weather has been more than fantastic, there are balloons in the sky every morning, and it’s just straight-up wonderful. I’ve been over sharing pictures from the balloon fiesta on my instagram account, but I’m going to do a recap post next week with some of my favorite pictures.

Going Up North

The first weekend I was here, we went up North for a couple days. It’s been a tradition for my whole family to go up to Red River, New Mexico, for a weekend in September, and this year was no exception. When I was younger, it really was my whole family—aunts, uncles, and all of my cousins (we’d practically rent out an entire floor of rooms to accommodate all of us)—but since we’ve all grown up and have busy lives, not as many of us go. There were still a good dozen of us up there this year, and I loved showing Julia a place that means a lot to me. It’s gorgeous up north, so we had a blast.

Eating. So. Much. Food.

I love my little Local Eats series, and every time I come home I vow to write about my favorite restaurants. There are so many fantastic places people should try when the come to Albuquerque, but once I sit down and I’m ready to eat, I gobble up my food before I can even think about taking pictures. It’s just too good to wait. Maybe one day I’ll start raving about my favorite places on here. In the meantime, I do get quite a few emails for recommendations on where to eat here, so until I can send you to actual posts, feel free to keep emailing me.

Reading

I started reading Rules of Civility a few weeks ago based on recommendations from a few friends and I really like it so far. I usually read books pretty quickly, so it’s been weird taking this at a much slower pace. I’m definitely not at the point in the book where I just can’t put it down, so I sort of forget about it, until I have time to read…like when I’m on a plane. Here’s hoping I can read more tomorrow when I fly home.

Flying Home

Speaking of flying home, I’m not looking forward to it. The actual act of flying solo and all that jazz isn’t what I’m dreading. It’s been so nice being surrounded by family all the time and seeing friends; it’s been an immense help to have so many people around to help with Julia, and to see her interact with her cousins has been priceless. It’s just going to be sad going back to living thousands of miles away from everyone and only seeing them via FaceTime. Being a military family really sucks some days, and tomorrow, when we say bye to Albuquerque, will be one of those days.

Watching

I saw not one, but TWO movies in the theater over this trip! The first one was with my mom. We saw Dolphin Tale 2, and we saw it at the first showing of the day (we’re crazy like that). It was cute! The second flick I saw was Gone Girl, and I LOVED it. I read the book and actually liked the movie more than the book—how often does someone admit that? I’m also watching the usual: Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scandal. Those are the biggies. I’m anxiously awaiting White Collar to start up again, and I’m really sad it’s ending.

Totally Loving

Have you guys seen this clip with Jennifer Garner on Ellen about her baby bump? Oh, it’s just fantastic! 

Missing Home (New Mexico)

I haven’t even left yet, but I’m
already missing home. I know I’ve already touched on this (a lot), but
I’m sad. With the new baby on the way, we actually have no idea when
we’ll be back. We’re tentatively planning on coming back a year from now
to see the balloons again. But…a year?! That’s SO long from now!

Getting Excited For…

I can’t wait for the Mister to come home. Even though this deployment was shorter than the last one, it’s seemed longer…probably because of the toddler. It’s just amazing how much she’s changed in the past four months. I’ll be happy when I can announce that he’s home.  

The First Born

Goodness it’s crazy how much this little girl is growing and learning. If I say a word she knows, she’s likely to repeat it. If I say a word I don’t know, she’s likely to try to say it. Still crazy b-a-n-a-n-a-s over here! The other awesome thing about her? Sometimes she doesn’t sleep well at night, like last night, and I bring her to bed with me. (She was still sleeping, but making enough noise to keep me awake.) We snuggled all night long and it was magnificent. She hardly ever just lets me hold her, so snuggling with her all night long was just amazing. And to top it off, the new baby kept kicking and wiggling around all night, so it was like a little snuggle party with my girls!

The Baby! 

She’s moving around here and there, but goodness she’s low. I can feel her kick on the outside, but I have to be flat on my back, and it’s usually around 3 am…also known as the time that I’m awake and everything around me is still. We’re working on coming up with names, but goodness it’s hard! I also feel like I’ve popped in the last few days. It’s uncomfortable to bend over if I’m sitting down and my belly is hitting more and more random things if I get too close. Other than some hip pain if I hold Julia for too long, everything’s going well!