Photo a Day Challenge!

February's Blog will be based on Photo a Day Challenge!!! While playing on FB I came across a challenge from a photography company that has you take a daily photo of certain things. I have decided to take the challenge since I love taking pictures and was pretty good when I was in high school. The only problem now is I don't have a good camera so I will be settling with the camera on my smart phone. Feel free to join the challenge... you might find a skill you never knew you had! Enjoy!

#29 can be done on day 28!

Sweet Tooth!

Sweet Tooth... who came up with this? Mat and I eat home cooked meals 6 of the 7 nights of the week, yes I actually cook a home cooked meal every night. My meals this week so far have left us with a sweet tooth craving after dinner. Sunday we had Taco Melts, Monday we had Slow Cooker Pepper Steak, Tuesday we had Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken sandwiches, Wednesday we had Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, and tonight we had Orange Honey-Soy Chicken, which in my mind was better then a Chinese food restaurants. Tomorrow I will be making my first ever Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya along with a loaf of Rich Banana Nut Bread. Doesn't really go with Jambalaya but we have been craving it pretty bad. Saturday is DATE NIGHT!!!! Super Bowl Sunday I will be making a bunch of snacks like Stuff Jalapeños, Potato Skins, Queso, and whatever else Mat and his buddy want to eat. Every night this week, except tonight of course, we have had a sweet tooth craving but have had some chocolate chips cookies to cure it. Tonight we have nothing and I'm 10 minutes away from asking Mat to run to the store to get us something. All I have to say is I'm seriously thankful I had my WLS with all these sweet tooth cravings I'm having to cure!



Pepper Steak

 

 

Orange Honey-Soy Chicken



Taco Melts

 

Camper Fever!

Just as Camper Fever begins to set in... I was saved by a luncheon with fellow pipeline wives/girlfriends. Every week on Wednesday the ladies get together for lunch to discuss our campers, the job, family, etc... Today was my second time going to the luncheon and I felt myself open up more then I did the first round. The main topic of the conversation today was my friend getting her jeans stolen from the laundry mat last Thursday. Most of the ladies had heard about it through the Pipeline Grapevine but had not been able to ask the questions nor hear the entire story. Now with me being new to this lifestyle the ladies were quick to give me tips on how to help prevent the dents that my very heavy island are leaving in the linoleum. They were not quite able to imagine the island but like any new camper owner I have tons of photos of the camper in my phone. So as I past around my phone the ladies were impressed with my camper and how I'm getting to start the lifestyle in luxury. I quickly stated I lived in a 28ft Outback Keystone for a month before we got the Heartland Gateway. This, of course, started the conversation of what campers everyone else had when they started living on the road with there husbands. One lady said there first camper was a 1980 25ft pop out with no slides, which I haven't a clue what a pop out camper is. Then someone else said another older model and April leaned over and whispered in my ear "I wasn't even born then". I said "I wasn't even a thought". It was nice getting to socialize with a group of women who understand your life style and can give advice. Even though I'm new to this the ladies who have come before me can teach me what to expect and how to make my new life style a little easier on myself!

Birth Control for Men.... Get Real!

Birth Control for Men... Seriously! Why are we spending money on research for things like this instead of curing cancer, aids, etc... As I'm sitting here watching the news, let me remind you it is Oklahoma news, they are talking about how researchers have come up with a pill men can take that will prevent them from having kids. The scientist claims the mice have been taking it for over a year and have not shown anything abnormalities but they have yet to determine if the mice can produce once the pill is stopped. What really irritated me was the female news anchor got all excited about the birth control for men and stated men can start being apart of the trial in 5 years. Why is she excited? Does she think this means women will not have to take the pill anymore? Lets get real people... men have a hard enough time remembering to put the toilet seat down. On top of that they hate going to the doctor when they are sick or hurt. Mat, like the average man, even hates taking pills so what makes these scientist and researchers think these men will take this birth control? If you ask the average man he would probably remember to bring protection then to take a pill daily. The men who are probably more likely to take the pill will be married and only remember because they have a supporting or nagging wife!

Occupation...TPW!

When you were a child... what did you want to be when you grew up? This was the question I came across while looking at the news feed in my group Pipeline Grapevine on FB a few days ago. When I first saw the question I couldn't remember what I wanted to be and all I could think of is I am a grown up now without an occupation. At first I was a little depressed that I couldn't remember what I dreamed to become when I was a child but after racking my brain for the last few days about my childhood dream job it finally hit me that I always wanted to be a marine biologist. As I got older and time for college came I changed my dream to being a physical therapist or alethic trainer. However, college has come and gone and I graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science emphasis in Cardiac Rehab and Physical Education with a minor in Science. Go Me! Since then I have worked as a Tanning Consultant, Physical Therapy Tech, Phlebotomist, and my favorite a Bank Teller. Now I am a Traveling Pipeliners Wife (TPW) and its by far the best job I have ever had. My occupation requires me to love and take care of my husband 100% of the time. I do everything a stay at home wife/mom does minus taking care of children. I cook, clean, laundry, grocery shop, socialize with other wives, take care of our dogs, etc... As a child I don't think I even knew there was an occupation that allowed you to stay home since my mom worked hard and went to school. I idealized my mom as a child, and now, and wanted to be like her once I grew up. Amazingly enough, my mom and I both have the same amazing occupation!

Sleeping Positions

Sleeping positions... any of you ladies, or gents, have certain positions you like to sleep in that are a little unusual? Come on... we are all adults here and can discuss this? I'll start. I feel like I'm a pretty normal sleeper compared to my husband, Mat. I sleep on the left side of the bed, with my one big pillow, small neck pillow, inside my taco folded comforter, facing the wall, on my tummy, in my t-shirt, and sweat pants. I freeze at night so I sleep with the comforter folded in half like a taco while Mat sleeps with a thin blanket since he gets hot easily. Every once in a while I will roll over and find Mat facing the other wall and I will wrap my arm around him and one of my legs. This is only when I get hot enough to come outside of my taco to cool off. See nothing unusual about that, right? Mat, on the other hand, has a very unusual one I'm just discovering now that I am living on the road with him. He never did this when we were home so you can imagine my surprise the first night he did it. I was laying in my normal position on the left side of the bed facing the wall on my tummy when I felt Mat's hand come across my back under my left arm and find its final resting place on my left breast. Now if he had done this before I must have been in a deep sleep and not noticed, however, this time I noticed and asked what are you doing? He replied "getting comfortable, just go with it". After this situation, I thought to myself, I wonder how many more of my friends and there significant others have odd positions? Then I remember my discussion the other day at the laundry mat with a fellow pipeline wife. How we got on the topic of sleeping positions beats me but she told me her husband has to always sleep with a hand on her bottom. It doesn't matter if he sleeps on his stomach facing away from her his hand always finds her bottom. She said by morning with all the tossing and turning they do her boy shorts underwear are slid off her bottom. LOL! Her worry is her 3 boys coming in the room and seeing her butt. Well, thankfully Mat and I share this camper alone and his sleeping position is not a all night thing...just a right when we go to bed thing. When we have kids and his sleeping position becomes an all night thing we might have to invest in a lock.

Social Media...

Social Media... its great until someone contacts you your not really wanting to hear from! This is what social media was designed for right? People from your past can search for you by your name, or your maiden name if now married, creep on your page, or feel free to send you a message. Lets take Facebook for example. According to FB I joined September 15, 2005 when it was a site strictly for college students. Back then it was simply a site for you to find your campus friends and connect with classmates. Now it has turn into this site where anyone can join and you can set privacy settings on your timeline, comments, photos, and other information. Everyday something changes on FB with the settings and its something new you have to learn. For example, Private Messages was just an inbox only but on your privacy settings it could be set to where only friends could message you. Now your inbox is set up where your friends who send you a private message and then there is an Other box where your non-friends send you a messages, which you don't realize it until you go on a computer and select it. That's another thing, why can't everything you do on the computer be done from your FB cell phone application? What's up with that? Anyway, back to the message example. Now FB has decided all messages you receive from friends and non-friends will go into your inbox and if someone sends you a message you don't want to hear from you have to delete it from there and block the person. However, if your curiosity gets the best of you, and you want to see what the message says, once you open it the person who sent it gets a message letting them know you have seen it. At that point if you don't respond you feel like crap because they know you have seen it and didn't respond. Grrr!!!! Just in case anyone reads this working with FB... I do love my FB so don't shut me down. My husband calls me the FB Creeper since I'm always on FB looking at my friends pages and photos. Now I will admit I have looked up past friends and ex's but I don't go as far to sending a message to see how they are doing or what they have been up to. I surely don't mind if they try to creep on my page, good luck since most of it is set as private only, but don't send me a message. There's a reason why we are not friends and if you want to message me it better be an apology. Unless your an ex... don't message me!

91lbs gone... 26lbs let to go!

Shopping... what girl doesn't love it???? It might be hard to believe but if you asked me 8 months ago, or before then, to go shopping for clothes I would have found a reason to get out of it. I disliked shopping for clothes as much as I dislike cleaning my moms 6000 square foot home. Well, it wasn't always like this but as I got older and my soccer career ended, as you can guess, the weight came on easier then it was to come off. The frustration and disappointment set in and just when I felt like I would never be thin again I met Lisa. She told me all about bariatric weight loss surgery and after my first appointment with Dr. Barker I found hope. June 4th, 2012 changed my life and finally gave me back the hope and joy I had been missing for years. Feb 4th, 2013 will be 8 month post-surgery and I have lost 91-lbs. So now ask me if I like shopping??? Nope still hate it... just kidding... I love it! Before traveling with Mat, my mom was my shopping buddy and the best thing about shopping with her was she wouldn't walk off when I was in the dressing room trying on clothes. Every time Mat goes shopping with me he leaves me and I have to decide on my own if the clothes are yes or no. Since I have moved into the camper and traveling with Mat I have not gone shopping unless it was to Wal-Mart just to get a size smaller jeans. Now I have April, a fellow pipeline wife, who loves shopping and doing girl things. I have never been one to buy the expensive jeans or fancy jackets or shirts but April is introducing me to the world of fashion. April, like me, is losing weight through her diet system and just dropped a pants size, which happens to be the pant size I just got into. Mat has been dying for me to get some Miss Me, Sliver, and BKE jeans and just my luck April had around 11 pairs for sale. She brought them over and as I tried them on it was nice having someone being honest about how they looked, which they all looked fabulous! Then yesterday, after our laundry fiasco, April and I went to the mall to buy sweats to workout in when we get to Ohio. I was excited to get some new sweats since the ones I wear around the house are from my heavier days and Mat says it looks like I'm wearing a soggy diaper in the butt of them. Not knowing my new size April suggested I try the M/M on and they happened to fit perfectly. I even put on a pair of yoga pants which were as fitting as all get out from my weight to my knees but April convinced me they looked good. So I bought 5 new pairs of sweats that fit my butt perfectly. Yay... Now more soggy diaper look!

Before Surgery- Taken 4/21/12

 

After Surgery- Taken 1/20/13

 

Face Shot

 

If you have any questions or want to know more about the surgery please feel free to ask or email me at ashleyesanders@yahoo.com

Thieves... Karma Exists!

Thieves are everywhere...even at laundry mats! Seriously!!! Who steals clothes out of a dryer while the owners are sitting in the laundry mat? Well, this happened to the pipeline wife who was at the laundry mat with me. This wife has 5 people in her household who she has to do laundry for which required her to place some clothes in the dryers in the back of the laundry mat and some in the front. As we were loading our stuff in the dryers, a lady who was in the front of the laundry mat told us not to leave our keys, purses, or cell phones just laying around on the tables because you can't trust anyone around here. We just brushed it off and went to the back of the laundry mat to start folding clothes. As we were folding clothes and chatting, I noticed my friend start looking all through her clothes. I asked what was wrong and she said she was missing a pair of jeans. As she described the jeans to me I did remember seeing her put them in the washer and then place them in one of the dryers in the front. At that point we were able to draw the conclusion that the lady who warned us about leaving stuff unattended must have opened the dryer, took the jeans, and restarted it especially since my friend would randomly check to make sure her dryer was still going while the lady was folding her clothes from the other 8 dryers. However, by the time we realized the jeans were gone the lady was gone along with the lady who ran the laundry mat to view the cameras. Now usually someone would just blow off a pair of jeans but these were brand new, only worn once, $80.00 jeans. Plus, the lady we believe who took the jeans is a wife of a pipeliner. Ugh! Guess she needed them more then my friend!


Update: After watching the cameras at the laundry mat our suspicion was correct and the lady did steal the jeans. My friend was told where she is staying along with the ladies name. Once she got to the ladies motel, the lady being in complete shock of course, told my friend she stole them to teach us a lesson for not talking to her at the laundry mat. Also, admitted she picked the most expensive thing out of her laundry to take and would have stolen something of mine if she had access to my clothes. Long story short my friend called her a few choice words, let her know this would be told to the other pipeline wives, and got her jeans back. Needless to say I don't think she will be showing up to any luncheons nor her husband have any easy time at work with everyone knowing what kind of wife he has! KARMA!

Feeling Under the Weather!

Taking a sick day! Be back tomorrow!

Marriage!

 

 

Marriage... it has its ups and downs and at the end of the day the person you share your life with is the most amazing person you can't live a day without. My husband, Mat, and I have been married for a little over 2 years and with his profession he travels more often then he was home. The June before we got married Mat took a job in Kansas that I was fortunate enough to go on with him. July came and I need to come back to Texas to finish up some of the wedding planning. Come August Mat took a job in Oregon which made him leave straight from Kansas without a stop at home. December finally came and he was still in Oregon and was able to come home for 5 days... just long enough to get married and fly back to Oregon on the Sunday after the wedding. My honeymoon was cancelled due to his jerk of a boss at the time but that's a story for another day. Anyway, he stayed in Oregon until the following July. I could go on and on about all the jobs he has been on between now and then but my point is Mat has only spent a total of 6 months of our 2 year marriage at home and it wasn't all at one time. Any couple, especially military wives, will tell you its not easy being away from our loved ones. It was always so exciting to have him come home and the most depressing thing to help him pack to go back to work. My heart would be broken for days after he left and pulling myself together to go to work was a challenge. Once I would pull it together and I started to look forward to the next time he would be coming home or me getting to go and see him. After a while we realized this was becoming a strain on our marriage and not to mention its hard to start a family when distance was a factor. In June of 2012 we sat down and discussed what would be best for our family. I ended up have weight loss surgery which put our plans of traveling together on hold. Of course with this being said it caused more stress on our marriage and depression set in for me. August 2012 I moved back to Houston, got a job I could not stand and faced a dilemma which helped Mat and I decide that after Christmas I would start my new occupation of Traveling Pipeliners Wife. BEST decision we ever made. I have been here in Tulsa with Mat now for a month and I haven't been happier. I wake every morning and go to bed every night to the most amazing man. I make him breakfast, when he wants it, lunch for work and dinner every night. Between 7:00am and 4:00pm I find things to keep myself busy like shopping, pipeline wife luncheons, cleaning, laundry, mani/pedi's, etc... Once 4:00pm hits I find myself unable to sit still since I know in an hour and thirty minutes Mat will be walking through the door. I look forward to hearing about his day, having a nice dinner with him, and enjoying family time with him and the girls. I find myself falling in love all over again with him and his new stories. People have always said the first year of marriage is always the toughest. Ha... the 2 years of marriage we have been in were by far the toughest if you ask us. Good thing about getting the toughest years over with is we now have the rest of our lives to make the most wonderful years. I love Mat as much as the day I met him and even more now. I'm just thankful God has given us the opportunity and the means to be together everyday. I'm blessed to have a man who loves me as much as I love him and willing to work as hard as he does so I can be here with him.

Pet Peeve... Daytime TV

Daytime TV... where do they find these people? I mean really... do these people think going on Maury, Jerry Springer, Divorce Court, Cheaters, etc...will help them become famous and get an acting career? As I flipped through the stations, I stopped on Maury for a moment to watch some early 30's lady find out her baby daddy wasn't who she thought it was. Then she dropped to the floor and started having a temper tantrum like a 2 year old. Seriously??? What guy is going to see this and think oh that's hot! Or how about the guy who went chasing after the lady who wasn't his baby's momma screaming lord knows what at her since the TV kept doing the bleeping every time he spoke. What women wants a guy with a foul mouth? These people are airing there dirty laundry all over the TV and admitting to people they are cheaters, criminals, abusive, destructive, etc... As I sit here and watch this garbage all I can think about is how much I miss working. The TV networks show these shows during the day so the average working American doesn't have to go work hard all day for a living and come home to watch shows talking about DNA tests needed to find out who my baby daddy is or my sister slept with my boyfriend. They want to watch shows like Revenge, Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-O, etc. Come on TV networks you can come up with better then talk shows that airs peoples dirty laundry. What stay at home wife or parent wants to watch this crap? I would far rather see cooking shows, touristy things, do it yourself projects, game shows, etc... Now I realize why it is important for me to stay busy and why I dislike daytime TV!

Dangers of Ice Skating!

I just love going Ice Skating with first timers... your always guaranteed a good laugh from disastrous fall! This is exactly what happened during Mat's first time except he was gracious enough to involve me. Here is how it all went down and hopefully you can imagine it in your mind. Mat and I were skating in the circle counterclockwise like everyone else when this teenager dressed in hockey gear comes skating across us to the middle and does a hockey player stop. Of course this impresses Mat and he gets this big boy mentally going and decides he wants to try it. Well, Dustin skates in front of us and Mat says why cant we do that kind of stop. At that point, and knowing what kind of man my hubby is, I decided to slow down to get away from him. The next thing I know he I attempting this stop and spinning around like a puppet on some strings. I try to avoid this at all possible but right as I reached him, and he is sliding on his belly, his skate comes up and clips my knee. Now most would prefer to fall backwards but seeing how he clipped my right knee and he was on my left, I had no choice but to fall forward to my hands and knees. However, I was going so fast that my hands slipped forward and I went sliding at least 5ft across the ice on my tummy like superman flying in the air. I was so embarrassed by what just happened to me and it was all done in front of our friends Dustin and Meagan, I just laid on the ice laughing so hard I began to cry. I notice Mat come crawling across the ice to me asking if I was okay along with Meagan and Dustin trying to control their laughter asking the same. Once I finally picked myself up of the ice, I made sure Mat stayed far away from me the rest of the time we were there. I'm mostly thankfully we did not watch a hockey game before ice skating.... my luck he would have wanted to check me into the panels.

Diesel Trucks... Worst Alarm Clock Ever!

Who needs an alarm clock these days when you live in an RV Park full of diesel trucks??? Every night I set 4 alarms, more are for Mat then myself, where they start going off at 5:45, 6:00, 6:15, 6:30. However, this last week I have a new alarm clock, the RV Parks diesel trucks, that goes off every morning like clock work at 5:00 am. When I first got here I never realized the sounds of the trucks but I was sleeping better then. This new camper has more insulation which means we can't have the heat on as much since Mat cannot sleep when he is hot. So I freeze at night while he gets a great night sleep. Well, last night I decided to place a thick comforter on the bed folded in half like a taco. Inside the taco shaped comforter I had a sheet which is also folded in half. I slept in sweat pants, sweat shirt, and very think socks. Mats side of the bed had his 2 pillows and a thin blanket. Finally we both were able to get a great night sleep. I was in such a deep sleep that the 5:00am diesel alarm scared me so bad I jumped up out of bed. Good thing tomorrow is Sunday... No Alarms!

TGIF is Now TGIS!

Before becoming a Traveling Pipeline Wife (TPW) the one day of the week I looked forward to the most, as most people with normal jobs do, was Friday. I would always wake up on a Friday morning and say to myself TGIF! When Mat was home between jobs, Friday was considered our date night since I only had to work maybe one Saturday a month at the bank. Now that my occupation has changed to a full-time TPW I find myself thinking TGIS (Thank God its Saturday). In Mat's occupation they work 6 days a week 10-12hr days which explains why we both look forward to Saturdays. However, this can change and depending on the spot he and his welder get put on they sometimes have to work Sundays, which has happened the last two Sundays. Now it is Friday and I'm cursing through the TV stations and Facebook and seeing everyone excited about Friday. I might just have to throw people off and post tomorrow mornings statues at TGIS!

His Spot!

OMG! I'm living with a Sheldon Cooper in training! When making a new camper purchase, the most important feature this camper had to have was a recliner. The Gateway has 5! As I was organizing the kitchen Mat was in charge of organizing his entertainment center. As I was placing some items inside the island, I stopped what I was doing since what Mat was doing caught my eye. I took noticed of Mat going from each recliner testing them out. Once he was done and picked "his spot" he noticed I was watching him. He simply stated 'this is my spot' and of course I quickly responded with a why? He said it is a perfect spot to watch the TV, its right next to a window so if I get hot I can quickly cool off, and its a perfect distance from the fireplace heater. Okay Sheldon!

Welcome to the Gateway!!!!

After 4 hours of signing papers, purchasing last minute parts needed, and moving between the Outback and Gateway... We have finally made it back to Prague. The paper and parts was a walk in the park, however, the moving between campers was a nightmare. I was given plenty of warning about moving and even packed as much of the camper as I could but we still end up having to toss from one camper to the next. We even had to put some things in the Tundra since we ran out of room in the camper. Now your probably wondering why there would not be enough room in the new camper since its almost a foot longer then the last. Well, the new camper did not have electricity so we were unable to push the two main slides out to move stuff in. This being said we had to place all our belongs from the 28ft camper in about a 10 foot by 2 foot rectangle or on the bed in the 5th wheel part. Now we are home, or at least back in the RV Park, and everything is in its place along with us being able to relax, watch a little tv, and enjoy our fireplace! Home Sweet Home!!!

Last Night!

Out with the Outback and in with the Gateway! So excited to be moving campers tomorrow! Yay! More then!

My Hair Dryer...it has seen better days!

2 more nights in this camper... just have to keep telling myself this. I went to bed last night with it sleeting outside and woke up this morning to frozen pipes. This camper is 4 seasons protected and this protection works great if the furnace is in working condition. After all the work we had done on the furnace it is still not working and with the temperature dropping like it did everything is frozen... even in the black tank. Those of you reading this who have camper experience know what is held in the black tank and those of you who don't... lets just simply say its connected to the toilet. Now today my plans were to get up, shower, got to Wal-Mart, and pack up this camper. Instead I got to sit inside the camper with all the floor heaters running along with the stove lit and pouring heat out trying to defrost this camper. Didn't work. Then Mat came home and put is country boy skills to work. First he got a hand held propane torch and tried defrosting the pipes under the camper. When that did not work he came inside and started boiling hot water to put down the toilet. When the jugs of water ran out he ran across the rv park to a friends camper to fill the bottles back up. While he was doing this I got on Google and searched for ideas. I came across a couple who used a hair dryer to defrost the underbelly pipes. So you can just imagine what Mat did when I told him about this. Instead of placing the hair dryer under the camper he placed it in the toilet. You think I'm kidding but I'll have a photo to prove it and needles to say... I'm getting a new hair dryer! After 3 hours of running my hair dryer in the toilet, dumping hot water down the toilet, the frozen black tank started to defrost. Mat then got the idea to try messing with the furnace again. He listened to it trying to light 3 times and decided it must be getting to much air to it and this must be why the igniter would not light. At this point he covered the exhaust vent for the furnace and sure enough the furnace light. We have heat! Hopefully this will defrost the black tank and where ever the water is frozen in the pipe. If not, I have one more night of suffering and the key to a friends trailer to shower and go potty in!

Gotta Love Lemon!

When I was in high school I used to love going to this Chinese place called Mencius Hunan in Kingwood. It didn't matter if my family and I were going for lunch or dinner, I would always get the lemon chicken with fried rice. Now that I am a cook in training I have been searching the internet for dinners I can try out and just happened to come across a lemon chicken. The recipe was extremely easy and required marinating the chicken in lemon juice over night and until ready to cook. When I was ready to prepare the meal it required me to mix flour, salt, paprika, and pepper in a bag. Then place each chicken in the bag to be coated with the mixture. I then fried the chicken for 15 minutes and then placed the pieces in to a baking pan to cook in the oven. Before placing it in the oven I sprinkled brown sugar over each piece, mixed chicken broth and a little of the marinated together and drizzled it over the chicken. Cut a lemon up and placed slices on top of each chicken and popped it in the oven for 30 minutes. When the chicken was done and I took my first bite, it immediately took me back to my younger years eating at Mencius Hunan. Now instead of having to go to Kingwood for a nice lemon chicken I can just pop out my recipe box and make my own!

Moving Day!

Tuesday, January 15th, at 1:15pm... moving day! We will arrive with the Outback and leave with the Gateway! We got the call at 9am this morning letting us know our financing came through and the Gateway is ours. Now here comes the interesting part... moving out of the old camper into the new camper in the parking lot of the RV Center. I personally have never seen anyone move from one camper to another but a friend of mine says she has witnessed people moving by one person throwing the belongs out one door across into the other camper. If I don't get it together and start packing stuff up... this might be what Mat and I have to do.

32ft in length with a Bath Tub!

After sleeping on it... We decided the camper we picked out yesterday just wasn't for us. We heard that Oklahoma City was having a big RV show this weekend starting today. We drove the 1hr and 15minutes just to find out the camper show starts tomorrow but only after buying tickets and almost walking into the Quilting show. The looks on Mat's and my face will keep us laughing for years to come. Anyway, on the way home we saw an RV dealer and decided to stop in. After looking at three campers, the third one being the charm, we decided on the Heartland Gateway. It's beautiful in and out plus has everything we both wanted, except my double fridge which I'm okay with. Tomorrow we will sign the papers and our new home will be ready to go come Monday. The best part is... It's 32ft inside with a bath tub!!!! Pictures coming soon!

Not a fan of the waiting game...

I love to shop! Today I did a different kind of shopping... I shopped for a brand new camper! Our little 28ft camper has had quite a few problems the last few weeks. Between the frozen pipes, broken furnace, toilet valve leaking, and no electricity who can blame me for complaining about wanting a new one. We looked at just about every camper on the lot Camper Land had to offer and in the end I let Mat make the final decision on which one we would get. It just so happens the one I found on the Internet and just loved was a winner. Now we have to wait to find out the verdict since the finance man was out of the office today. Looking forward to tomorrow and our new camper if all goes well! Fingers Crossed!

Gotta love RV Parks!

Power was out all day in the camper... Wifi is going in and out! Story of my life at the moment.

Bring sexy back...laundry mat style!

People of Wal-Mart...can also be found at your local laundry mat! I have received many emails of people in Wal-Mart dressed in the most outrageous and lack there of outfits. Today, instead of viewing it in a email, I got to experience it first hand at the local laundry mat. I understand most people wait until they run out of clothes before they want to go and do the laundry. I don't blame you but you could at least do the laundry before you are stuck wearing the most outrageous outfit that looks like something the girls in the 1970's workout videos wore. As I'm sitting in the chairs taking notice of all this I look down at myself and wonder what others think of me. Let me describe what I was wearing and just remind you I have lost 80lbs. I decided to wear a pair of jeans (2 sizes to big), my hot pink Hawaii shirt, my black and pink under armour shoes, and a gray under armour hoodie (also 2 sizes to big). In my mind I do not think I would make the photo hall of fame for the People of the Landry Mat. However, the women who sat next to me would probably be placed somewhere in the top 5 out of all the people I saw today. Lets describe her laundry mat attire. She was wearing stretchy snake skins pants with tall black knee high boots and a bright red coat. Under this red coat was a neon orange tank top with what I can only assume was sequence but might have been glitter. It was at this point I started to wonder if this was an everyday outfit or an outfit put together just for the laundry mat? Our dryers just happened to stop about the same time and as we folded our clothes across the table from each other, I noticed we were both eyeing each others belongs. Her belongs were no where near as interesting as the attire she picked for the laundry mat and mine basically said I have a husband and we like dark colors. We finished our folding and as we loaded our cars, she stopped and said "do you see the fox just chilling by the door?" I looked, laughed, and said have a nice day. All in all, the fox chilling by the laundry mat door was way more interesting then her outfit.

New Camper... Yes Please!

Camper Shopping... Mat's requirements vs. mine! We have voiced to each other the requirements each one of us has when it comes to the new camper. Mat would like the entertainment center in the back, must have a recliner, can't be longer then 35ft, and no outdoor kitchen. I, on the other hand, would like a double fridge, wood floors, and a fireplace with stone around it. The requirement we can agree on is no carpet. Now we are sitting here searching for campers and as we show each other the ones we like, I cant help but notice neither one of us is trying to meet the other persons requirements. However, we are finding campers that have little to no carpet. As I sit here and realize this I think back to when I was house shopping for us back in Houston. Before I started the search Mat and I sat down and discussed a few things he would like the house to have but it ultimately came down to him saying get whatever will make you happy. Well, we never found a house since we agreed for me to come on the road with him. I'm here now and the camper is too small and falling apart. In the week I have been here the pipes have been frozen, the furnace will work for a day or two then decide to go out, learned how to replace the valve on the toilet, plugged the water lines to the outside kitchen, oh and my favorite... the power goes out everyday for at least an hour sometimes as long as 4 hours. I'm pretty sure the last one is the RV parks fault but they have yet to fix it. I think the camper is in shock with 2 people and 2 dogs living in it plus its being pushed to the max. So as we are searching for our next camper I keep find myself hoping Mat will just say find what you think is best. On the other hand, deep down I know I need to be the one to say you pick it since once we are blessed with a little one and he or she has to go to school, Mat will have the camper all to himself again. Lets just hope we can agree on something in our price range next weekend at the RV Show.

Texans!!!!

WATT just happened... It's gonna happen again!!! I love Texan football! This might come to a shocker to some seeing how I recently became a Houston Texan football fan this season and its all thanks to my awesome football loving mom. Growing up, and all the way through my college years, I lived for the game of soccer and horribly despised football. I disliked football so much that my mom would have to pay me $10 to go with her to sit and watch my step-brother, Phillip, play. I even went to the extent of applying to colleges that did not have a football program. Now I am such a big Texan fan that the thought of missing a game on TV makes me cringe. This all started back in August when Mat and I decided we would move to Houston and look for a home. In the meantime of searching for a home I lived with my parents while Mat was away on a job. Now, Sundays in my parents house is a day of football and relaxation. If Brad, my step-dad, didn't have to work we would get up and go have breakfast but be back at the house by 12 to catch the first 6 games on the NFL Sunday Ticket. It was at this point my only options where to sit and watch the games or go do something on my own. So I sat and watched football for what seems like 12 straight hours. Why be a Texan fan when we watched all the teams? Well, I went shopping on a Saturday with my mom to best buy and outside was a sign that said Meet Houston Texans Defensive Player Brooks Reed! My mom nor I had any idea who he was but went inside to check it out. The minute I saw him I couldn't believe how much he looked like Clay Matthews. As we stood there debating to get in line to get a photo the best buy people said no more pictures. However, one of his security people told me to just go up there next to him and he will get one with me next to him. Of course I said no thanks but that was after to stole a picture on him on my cell. I believe that was the point I became a Texan fan or better stated a Brooks Reed fan. Over the season, and as they became more and more undefeated, I really started getting into the game, learned what the calls meant, and the positions. I also learned the different players and became a huge JJ Watt fan on top of Brooks Reed! I became such a big fan I begged Brad to get me tickets to the last home game of the season. When he told me it was a no go and then surprised me with them on the Friday before the game... the excitement was so overwhelming I cant even begin to describe it. I was in heaven getting to watch my favorite team just a few rows from the field... doesn't really bother me that we lost. Now on Sundays, or Texan Football Games Days, you can find me on my couch with a water or sweet tea in hand sporting one of my favorite players shirt... Brooks Reed or JJ Watt!

Brooks Reed!!!

Last Home Game!!!! Mat's and my first time ever going to a professional football game!

 

Mat and I!

 

Mat, Brad, and I! My poor mom got sick and was unable to join us :(

 

 

JJ Watt #99!!!

Lint Roller Anyone???

"Home is where the dog hair sticks to everything but the dog"...Agree! Mat and I have 2 beautiful and extremely hairy welsh corgis named Martini (7) and Olive (6). Before I came to live in this wonderful 28ft, 10 minute long shower, furnace out of order, water frozen pipes camper with Mat... the slightest mention of bring our girls would make him shiver! Let me tell you... he sure has come a long way! Our first apt together had off white carpet, which happens to be the color of hair the girls shed. The only time he would notice how hairy the floor was is when he would wrestle with Martini. Then we moved into a house with hardwood floors. It was great, at first, since the hair would gather in the corners of the room and make it easy for you to clean up. However, as the seasons change the girls would shed another coat of hair. At some point you begin to realize you have to vacuum at least twice a week or the hair balls in the corners of the room start to look like a Texas Size Tumble Weed rolling from one corner to the next as you walk by. It was in this house that Mat would allow Olive to jump in the bed with him once I got up to go to work. Now remember Mat works on the pipeline and he would only be home a week or two at the max and all this would drive him nuts with in a day or two. It wouldn't be two days of him allowing her to do this that he would wake up to a hair ball in his throat. Being the man he is he would always complain about it instead of just making her get down or washing the sheets and comforter. Then there are the times we traveled to see my parents... who also have 2 corgis...Bella and Orion (RIP). So you can just imagine the size of hairy tumble weeds running through there house with all 4 dogs running around. It was on one of these trips home I noticed my mom had gotten a hovering vacuum, which she uses on top of her vacuuming 2 times a week. I told Mat we should purchase one and he said it wouldn't be on 30 minutes and catch fire. Long story short we didn't get one. Anyway, Mat couldn't stand the dog hair in the house, in the trucks, on clothes, in his mouth, etc... Bet your wondering how we made it to the camper then? Well, we had been talking for months about me coming on the road with him and I think deep down he always new the girls would come too... we just never talk about it. We have finally arrived and yes my truck does look like we shaved the girls in the back seat. The camper does have wood floors and corners for the tumble weeds but thankfully its 28ft long bumper to hitch, which means it less then 20ft on the inside. I vacuum daily just so Mat doesn't complain about the hair. However, at some point I'm going to make friends and be doing girly things during the day and will not have time to vacuum. Once that point arrives,  I'm considering asking for a hovering vacuum again!

Martini and Olive!

 

 

Our Home on Wheels!

10 minutes or less!

After being sick for the last few days I finally woke up feeling like a nice HOT shower would wash away what is left of this horrible cold. Then I remember I'm living in a 28ft camper where the shower is the size of, if not smaller then, an old school phone booth which can still be found in England. Along with this small shower comes a small hot water tank that only holds, if you are lucky, 10 minutes of hot water. Women, I assume most are like me, like to take at least a 30-45 minute hot shower where they can shampoo and conditioner there hair, scrub down there body, shave if needed, etc... All that changes when you move into a 28ft camper. This morning I had to take 3 different showers... one to wash my hair, one to scrub my body, and one to shave my legs. When washing my hair its like being at the beauty shop. The only part of my body that gets to enjoy the hot water is my hair. I lean over the shower, wet my hair with the hand held shower head, turn off the water, apply the shampoo to my hair, turn on the water to rinse it out, and repeat the same steps for the conditioner. By the time my hair feels clean my ten minutes of hot water is up. Now I must wait at least an hour for the hot water tank to fill back up and the water to be heated. Shower #2... I actually get to enjoy! Its 10 minutes of nice HOT water and scrubbing all the impurities off. If you even begin to enjoy it for too long the cold water will come out of no where letting you know you are done. Last but not least, and thankfully it can be skipped every now and then, shower #3. Our phone booth size shower comes with a small seat to sit on to help make shaving your legs easier. The trick to this shower is not getting the rest of yourself wet while trying to shave your legs in 10 minutes. Now to any man, or to my husband for that matter, our shower is just prefect. He can get everything he needs to get done in 10 minutes or less. So ladies the next time your shower goes cold after being in it 30 minutes just think you can always have it worse. However, I would not trade having a nice hot shower over being here with my hubby. I'll just check the size of the hot water tank on the next camper purchase!

Phone Booth Size Shower!

 

 Seat Inside Shower!

Cooking for Dummies!

Cooking 101: I will be the first to admit I am not a Betty Crocker, Rachael Ray, or Paula Dean but I am a Cook in training. Growing up the things I cared most about was sports... not cooking. Women learning to cook was a thing of the past and it was not an interest of mine or of my mothers. We are the types of cooks who go to the store to buy dishes pre-made to be popped in the oven or microwave. All this has come to an end now that I am married to Mat. He comes from a family of women who can cook and have taught him a thing or two about cooking. I remember the first breakfast I made for Mat was waffles off my fancy-dancy waffle iron. The waffle mix was one you just add water to, shake, and pour on the iron. Close Iron and flip it over until the red light turned green letting you know it was done. I was impressed with my instant waffles but Mat's face hid it very well that he was not. It was then that Mat decided to teach me a few things about cooking. For instance you can ask him what the first thing he taught me was and his response will be to boil water. Who knew there was a certain way to boil water but according to Mat it was something I did not do correctly. I have come a long way since those days. Today I can count on 2 hands the number of dishes I can make... with the assistance of a recipe!

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake

 

 Sopapilla Cheesecake!

 

 Chicken wrapped in Bacon!

New Year Kiss!

Happy 2013!!! As some were ringing in the New Year with there elegant dresses and festive party hats... I was just fighting to stay awake until midnight to get the famous midnight kiss everyone wants. At 10 minutes until 2013 arrived I set my alarm clock to make sure I wouldn't miss the kiss from my husband. I know I know... I couldn't just stay awake that 10 minutes. Wish I could say yes but the end of 2012 did not come as joyous as I had planned. Lets back up and let me fill you in on how we reached the setting of the alarm clock. As the New Year approached my husband, Mat, and I decided we would try the traveling pipeline marriage since we have been married 2 years now and spent a total of 6 months together. Anyway, I'm living in a 28ft camper in Prague, OK where the weather is fighting to get above freezing everyday. Little did I know that on my arrival to our wonderful camper the water would be frozen and the furnace out of service. For almost a week of not having any water and the only heater the camper was being supplied is by a floor heater along with those ever so trusty space heaters. After almost a week of no heater it was unavoidable not to get a cold. So this brings me to the setting of my alarm clock for the midnight kiss. After fighting my cold all day yesterday I just gave into it, set the alarm clock, and went to bed. Woke up 10 minutes later for the kiss from Mat to ring in 2013 and fell back to sleep until 11:30am! I slept most of my New Years Day away trying to fight my cold! Happy 2013!