Yes, I'm being cryptic

Just had a talk with my stepdad. We talked for awhile actually. He wanted to share with me a conversation that he had this morning - some news that he heard that our family has been waiting on for a long time.

And now we know. And it's amazing. It's an incredible coincidence. And I truly believe that fate had a hand in the outcome...it was completely meant to be.

I'm so excited by this news. I'm really dying to share it. But I can't...not yet. I'm not at liberty to say anything right now until I've been told that it's ok to share. But I'm just so giddy that I had to write about how giddy I am.

Living on the surface of the sun

This weekend starts a heat wave. It's supposed to continue through the foreseeable future, with temps in the '90s pretty much everyday. Today is our last day of normal weather (it's 65 right about now).

Of course, I've been through heat waves before. But before Germany, we always had air conditioning. Since Germany, we've lived without it, and it makes those super hot days almost unbearable, particularly since it gets up to the mid-80s inside the house (I remember one day last August when the inside temp was 90).

And my sister-in-law comes to visit a week from tomorrow. So we'll be out all day in the heat, although I think the day we visit Mt. Rainier will be a bit of a break, since it will be cooler at the higher elevations. But this now leaves me with a dilemma on what to make for dinner. I don't like using our oven when it's that hot out. All it does is add more heat to the house. So the meals I had planned to make are pretty much not going to work now.

So now I have to figure out how to make fabulous meals using a toaster oven, microwave and crockpot. The stovetop is probably fine too, but that also tends to make me overheat when I'm using it in hot weather. I suppose we could always barbecue, but that really depends on if Lance feels up to doing it. If not, I could also grill a pork tenderloin...that's my specialty.

I know we'll be going out to dinner at least one night while she's here, hopefully somewhere air conditioned. I just always like to make sure that guests eat well when they stay with us, and I'm very picky about what I fix. I'm so Martha Stewart that way. I'm sure I'll figure something out.

But perhaps the weather will change and it won't be so hot then. According to weather.com, it'll drop to the mid-80s by then. It's supposed to get up to 98 on Tuesday. Holy Mother of God.

BIG NEWS (update)

My sister-in-law gave me the green light to share the news.

My brother got orders.

In December, his family will leave Guam and move to COLUMBUS, OHIO!

He's been turned down for so many other places. He finally asked what was available and they said recruiting and he looked at the locations available and one of them was Columbus. So he asked for it and got it.

And my mom will now get to be with her grandbabies all the time. And I'll finally get to meet my nieces next time I go to Ohio.

This also means that my brother will not be deployable while he's there. AWESOME!

We are all so very, very excited (my mother is probably floating right now, she is completely beyond giddy)! It was completely worth it not having their other options pan out (3 of which were here in Washington state, within 2 hours of us).

Munchy Mouth

Reece does this thing when she plays or when I brush her teeth...we call it "Munchy Mouth" and nicknamed her "Munchy" because of it. You'll see it at around 30 seconds or so. I have been wanting to get this on video for awhile.

No-cook dinner

I guess this is piggybacking off my earlier post.

I was in Grocery Outlet the other day (I love that place more and more each time I visit) and in the freezer case, they had bags of Bertolli tortellini in tomato cream sauce for $2. That's probably about half of what the regular grocery stores charge.

Anyway, I picked some up, thinking it would be good to keep in the freezer for a quick meal (and it can be made in a skillet or microwaved, so bonus!). I was having high hopes for this, and I figured if it was good, I would run to Grocery Outlet and get more to have around for next week, since I likely won't be using the oven at all.

I nuked it. Pour into a casserole dish. Cover. Cook 4 minutes. Stir. Cook 4 minutes. Let sit for 2. Apply to mouth. Couldn't be easier. Garlic bread was baking in the toaster oven in the meantime, and I had peas heating on the stove.

It was disappointing. Perfectly edible, but the sauce was really runny. And I'm not sure I liked it well enough to buy it again. I'm wondering if the sauce would thicken up if it was cooked in the skillet. Or if I added meatballs or something, would that improve it?

still laughing

I finally finished all my article topics that I had in my queue for work and I was taken to the available topics list to choose 5 more.

I busted out laughing when I saw this one:

"Job Description and Career Information for Becoming a Payroll Specialist"

Oh yeah, I could write that one. HAHAHAHAHA.

Step 1: Wake up and curse your alarm clock.

Step 2: Prepare to be miserable. Chill a bottle of wine and check your supply of Advil. Have your loved ones hide all sharp objects. Keep tissues handy for frequent bouts of crying. Throwing up on occasion is also to be expected.

Step 3: Sit in your miserable cube all day and hate your existence. Make jokes about jumping out of windows, shooting yourself, or playing in traffic. Have a nervous breakdown over lunch. Put the phone on mute frequently to scream and rage at the stupidity of it all. Resist the urge to break things.

Step 4: Cry on the way home from work. Grumble about how much you hate your job all through dinner. Feel like throwing up at the thought of going in tomorrow. Go to bed.

Step 5: Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is your job description for becoming a payroll specialist.  Enjoy!

(In case you're wondering, no, I didn't select that topic. Let someone else do it who hasn't experienced that career themselves.)