Oh Snap...wait have I used that one before?

Let me just get this out here to begin with, I have a love affair with vampire novels.  No I didn't read twilight and become addicted, no My knowledge doesn't come solely from "Interview with a vampire"  I read vampire novels from multiple genres, authors, and reading levels.  How did this begin?  Well for the first time I'm going to share a secret.

I stole a vampire novel in 9th grade...NO not from a store.  From my own house.  As I've explained we had a lot of people in my house while growing up, and our parents mentality was that with as many kids as they had: what were a couple more?  My brother had a friend who practically lived over at our house part time, and my brother lived with him part time as well.  School nights?  No problem.  The same goes for many of us at some point or another.  We all had people in and out of the house all the time, and God love my parents for letting us a have a "normal" life despite the size of our family.  Many parents in that situation wouldn't have let us have more people into the house for nights at a time, but they did.

So it wasn't unsual for us to trade clothes, makeup, shoes and many other things with people, however usually someone had an idea where the item came from.  Imagine my surprise when I found a copy of  Charlaine Harris' "Dead until dark" that no one could identify.  I have been an avid reader from the time I learned who to do so.  In fourth and fifth grade I got sent home with notes about reading during math and social studies.

When no one claimed the book I read it. So it began.  At the tender age of 14 I began reading anything and everything Vampire/ Lycantrhope/Fae  I could get my hands on.  I still have that first book, and I have gone on to read the entire series up to date.  The 9th book is set to release on October 6th and I have already preordered it.  I have also become a fan of the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton although I think she needs to bring that series bake to the basics.  I've read more than 100 vampire books and I am still hooked.

Why do vampires and other supes hold such a thrill for me?  I have no idea, although I know it to be true.

Yellowstone and other ramblings

Two weeks ago my mom and grammie came out to visit and we drove from Mountain Home, Idaho out to West Yellowstone, Montana.  We had such an amazing time and I am so unbelievably thankful to have had such an awesome oppourtunity.  In the three years Aaron and I have been married we have been to: the grand canyon, las vegas, south korea and yellowstone.  The things we have been able to do in all of these places are incredible, including riding the steepest wooden rollar coaster in the world while in South Korea.  None of these things would have been possible if Aaron were not in the military, and while sometimes it gets frustrating being so far from family, and having to move every couple of years (3 times since we have been married), we are extremely lucky to have been able to doo all of these things as young newlyweds.  So as with most people we got quite a few pictures of their time here in the northwest and I'm going to share some of the best ones.

This has to be one of the goofiest pictures of me ever taken.

My mom and grammie at twin falls.

Steam rising from the vents in yellowstone.

A mud put at yellowstone.

The Grand Prismatic Spring The orange is a bacterial mat.

The water is over 160 degrees.

The water is absolutely beautiful, and no picture can really capture it.

Old faithful.

Another one of the many thermal features.

Three Generations.

A bison, one of the million we saw while there. One was no more than 10 feet from the car.

An elk it crossed the road right behind our car.

Remember when?

Remember when summer was far too short, the school year far too long, and anyone older than 28 was "old"?  This post and any other labeled the same will be based on my life while growing up.  I shoud begin with a bit of a back story.  I was raised with no fewer than 4 brothers and sisters.  I have 3 older sisters who I lived with for a time although the age differnces made it so that many of my stories do not involve them, and I am not as close with them as I would like to be.  In total I have 5 sisters and two brothers.  Many would seperate them into catagories, such as : half-sister, step-sisters, sister, and step brothers.  I however do not.  These are my brothers and sisters, because I was thrown together with them at such a young age that I cannot remember my life without them.

In order from oldest to youngest are: S who is married with one child and another on the way.  M who is married with 2 children and another on the way.  T who has one BS and is in school for culinary arts.  B who is married with one child and another on the way.  His wife E. (Who I also consider a sister) Me Chelsie married with no children.  J who is in school right now to become a lawyer (at the moment, it could change) N who is married and pregnant.  Finally there is Car who is a junior in high school and has been on the varsity girls basketball team since she was a freshman.

I am proud of each and everyone of my siblings, they are my connection to a past which is both wild and crazy as many large blended familes tend to be.  I grew up in a house where there was never a dull or quite moment.  This is my idea of a weekly or bi-weekly glimpse into the life of a middle child, who loved being a memeber of a large family. 

About the parents.  My Mom had me when she was 21 and I will call her mom on here.   My Dad was 21 also and I will call him dad.  My step-father came into my life before I turned 4 and he has been fantastic to me he is BU.  My step-mother is an amazing woman who married my dad and has always been there for me, she is A.

I'm sure this is alot to keep up with, but I figured it would be harder to come up with fake names for them all and try to keep trake of them that way.

Remember when, mom and BU piled the 5 youngest into the astro van in the middle of the night and we drove from NC all the way to Bar Harbor, Maine?  Where we spent 2 days in a motel with the biggest chess set I have ever seen. Where Mom, N, CAR, and I went to the Ross farm museum.  CAR was still a toddler and she stole a plastic beaver and some taffy while we were in the gift store. Remember How we got on a ferry to head to Nova Scotia?  How BU got so seasick that he spent the entire ride puking over the balcony and saying he was going to fly back if there wasn't a way to drive off the island?  When we finally got to nova scotia, and drove to the cabin we would be staying in, and the shower was the size of a postage stamp and the hot water heater only got the water lukewarm for 2 showers at a time.  Each room had a sink and we figured quickly that if you filled it all the way up and pulled the stopper out it made the funniest sound, like it was burping.  We stole the fireplace matches went outside, lit them and blew them out, pretending we were smoking.  There was a lake and while jumping rocks one day we fell in still wearing clothes.  We ate whale blubber and eggs for breakfast one day, and BU offered the waitresses a job at his resteraunt in NC if they wanted it.  We went driving around the island one day doing maybe 5 MPH and we had the door open and we were all sitting on the edge hanging our feet out.  B and J were pushing each other for room and I got pushed out of the car on the side of the road, and it was a mile down the road before anyone told BU that I wasn't in the car anymore...Those were the days.


I promise later ones will be a bit funnier, and I will tell about Aarons first dinner at our house, and the hilarity that insued. 

Oh wait...you mean I might actually get some answers???

So today I got a call from the base hospital telling me that my doctor had ordered an MRI of my lower spine (No, duh I was there...a whole week ago) Ad would I like to come in in the next few days?  (No I was thinking I might hang around for the next few months in pain hoping it goes away)   Well anyways on thursday I am going in for an MRI of my lower lumbar spine...let's hope this one gives me some answers since apparently my brain is in perfect working order, and can't be causing my symptoms...On another note:

Tomorrow is mine and Aaron's 3 year wedding anniversary,  I am shocked.  I swear it was Just yesterday we were meeting in high school and deciding to go to junior prom together.  Aaron thank you for putting up with me for 3 years, I know that there is no one else on this earth that could ever be as perfect for me as you are. 

I will be posting some pictures soon about our trip to yellowstone and some other wonderful places while my mom and grammie were in town.  If I can ever figure out how to work the new picture loader in google blogger.  Speaking of that, if anyone has any help for me in that area it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for ruining it lady!

I don't get my hair cut often, in fact right now I am trying to grow it out, so it's been a few months since I had it cut.  While living in North Carolina I had my cousin cut and style it every 6 weeks.  I am one of those people that love getting her hair shampooed, cut and styled.  It's my thing, I love the way it feels, and it relaxes me.  Today I decided to get my hair done at the base salon. because it's cheaper and closer.

The woman who cut my hair was awful!  First she started out by talking over me to another hair stylist who was on break.  Then when I politely asked about her cats (whom she had been talking about) she told me all about the troubles they have been giving her.  Then I told her about how we had a male cat and how he sometimes plays with the neighbors kitten (which he acts afraid of)  She told me that male cats needed to be kept calm because strees would give them crystals in their urine, and then asked me about what type of food we feed him (natural choice organic cat food: in case you were wondering) she says "Male cats need to eat only wet food, it prevents them from getting those crystals in their urine" and proceeds to tell me repeatedly that my cat could die unless we start feeding him wet food. I told her that I was feeding him what the vet recommended and she proceeded to complain about vets in general.

After the shampoo and lecture were over I tried to get her to talk about how long she had lived here, and she then went on and on about how taking care of her animals has prevented her from building a house...blah blah blah. 

So she has cut my hair and asks me "Do you want me to blow dry it?  I think you should just do it at home"...I'm PAYING you to style my hair, just do your job lady.  I said "well I have errands to run and it will become a mess before I get home could you please do it?  She uses a round pick to brush through it while blowdrying it, pulling my hair like crazy.  After a few minutes I asked if she had a brush she could use, and she replied "This is the only thing I use because it doesn't pull the hair"...Um Excuse me lady but what would you call what it is doing right now?  PULLING MY FREAKING HAIR!  That's what.  By this time I just wanted to get out of there.  So she finished blowwdrying it and told me I should start using some oil to help with the frizzies (I have super thick textured hair) and told me that my "super fine" hair needed something with a boost....give me a break.  A chimp could do a better job cutting hair.

So when I went to pay she ran my card and didn't even leave a spot for a tip. When I asked if I could leave a tip, she acted like she just knew I wasn't going to leave one and so she didn't even ask me.  I left her 3 dollars in cash which I had in my purse, but I will be going back to complain when she isn't there one day.

Bakerella has the patience of a saint!

So I recently made some cake pops, which were absolutely delicious.  But let me just say this, they are so time comsuming, and tedious to make.  I think Bakerella must either be a saint, or a total glutton for punishment.  This is hard work.

First bake a cake (Any box mix will do, I used Red Velvet)
The wait for cake to cool (This is a test in will power, because the cake will smell delicious)
Crumble the cake into a bowl
Mix in an entire can of icing (I used cream cheese icing)
Stir until completely mixed
Roll into quarter sized balls (You actually want them to be a bit bigger, more like a half dollar)
Dip a lollipop stick into melted chocolate
Push halfway into ball
Refrigerate for an hour to chill
Dip them into melted chocolate (This was the worst part, I'm terrible at coating them completely)
Stick them into some Styrofaom so they look good when they dry.

Eat this diabetes on a stick and make up some good reason to do so... (it's a tuesday will work)

Dear God

Dear God,

We talk pretty regularly, But I figured I would do this anyway, My Mom is having Gallbladder surgery on Tuesday, and I am asking that you would guide the doctors and nurses who will be working on her. I ask that you would help her heal quickly and easily, especially since she is supposed to be flying out in less than 2 weeks. I pray that her and my grammie will have a safe trip out here, and enjoy there time out here, as we plan to go to yellowstone national park.

Chelsie

PS The original post can be found here at Mom on a spin http://www.amomonspin.com/

I love blogs!

I'm guessing this seems a little redundant, writing a blog about how much I love blogs, however I mean it. I don't just skim the blogs I read, or read a few updates everyday. If I follow you I read every single post you write. I might not always leave a comment, in fact I rarely comment. So I'm writing this post to thank you, every single one of you for letting me get a glimpse into your funny, charming, honest, and sometimes sad everyday lives. I will try to get better about leaving a reply every now and then, however with some 15-20 posts to read everyday I sometimes feel like I don't have anything useful to add.

Thank You for your witty responses to situations that we all go through. Thank you for your commitment to updating your blog.

Dear New Boss

Dear Aarons new boss, I know that Aaron isn't a part of your AMU, because his got deployed less than a month after he got here and those that were left behind got "integrated" into yours, and because of that all of them have been given crap jobs or shifts because you feel like they "deserve" it for not being deployed to Korea. Aaron just got back from 13 months in Korea, he did nothing to deserve having his shifts changed not once but twice in two weeks, from the fantastic day shift to the less than fantastic swing shift, and then now to the dreadful midshift. I understand you feel the need to "squeeze" these guys into the shifts that "need" people, but what about putting the single guys that would love to be able to stay up all night on the weekends into these shifts, instead of the guys who have wives????