July 24, 2017

Friends, I think that we’re way overdue for a coffee date!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that Nick came home right after my friend left and has been home for about a month. I would tell you that it’s difficult to transition from being on your own to having your spouse home. I feel like that’s not PC of me to say – I should be able to say that everything is seamless and amazing.

The truth is, it’s hard to go back and forth. Nick’s home, then he leaves, then he comes back, then he leaves again. Just when I get used to him being home, he leaves. Just when I get used to him being gone, he comes home.  Routines, meals, life, everything is just different depending on whether or not he’s home.

When he’s not here, I have to take care of things like our flood all on my own. And when he is here, I have to remember that it’s not just me anymore living in this apartment. I love when he’s home and I really do enjoy myself when he’s gone, it’s just hard sometimes.

But after a short readjustment period, it’s been so great to have Nick home.  Even though he is really busy with work, we’ve been able to have a few date nights. We went to Cactus, one of our favorite restaurants:

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Nick was craving Casablanca, a Moroccan restaurant. So to Casablanca we went!

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And Nick has been able to cook a few nice dinners. Nick loves to cook – he worked as a cook in a restaurant before he joined the Navy – and wants to write his own cookbook when he retires.

There is nothing better than someone else cooking you dinner. With Nick gone for so long, it felt amazing to have him cook. Plus, the food he makes is incredible. He makes these really intricate recipes that take a long time to make but are so insanely worth it. In return, I do all of the shopping and cleaning up, so I think it’s a fair trade. If we were having coffee, I would whip out my phone and show you everything he’s been making:

Nick and I went to a library book sale and he got Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill cookbook. He made what he called a Carolann Meal from the book, with all of my favorite things. He made steak with homemade steak sauce, twice baked potatoes, and an asparagus blue cheese salad. YUM.

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Nick decided he wanted to make homemade pizza, and since he couldn’t decide which ones he wanted, he made 4 different kinds. He made brussels sprouts and goat cheese, vodka sauce, sausage radicchio, and mushroom spinach ricotta pizzas. We had some friends over and brought some more to a Fourth of July party so we wouldn’t eat it all ourselves.

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Finally, we bought an ice cream machine. Nick was looking at them online. He had this idea for a berry cheesecake ice cream that he wanted to try to make but wasn’t sure if he wanted to spend the money on the machine.  Since he had just been underwater on a submarine for 5 weeks and had been working really hard with hardly any days off for months, I told him I really wanted him to get treat himself And let’s be honest, I want homemade ice cream. Nick totally delivered with vanilla bean, triple berry cheesecake (a recipe completely made up himself), and seaport salty swirl – chocolate covered pretzels, peanuts, caramel, and peanut butter. I’ll try to get him to write out some recipes!

Since he had just been underwater on a submarine for 5 weeks and has been working really hard with hardly any days off, I told him I really wanted him to treat himself And let’s be honest, I want homemade ice cream. Nick totally delivered with vanilla bean, triple berry cheesecake (a recipe completely made up himself), and seaport salty swirl – chocolate covered pretzels, peanuts, caramel, and peanut butter. I’ll try to get him to write out some recipes!

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I just started volunteering at the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society. Did you know that they offer interest-free loans to sailors and marines? They also provide financial education and will help you make a budget. If you are having a baby, check out their Budget for Baby workshop, where they talk about the financial aspects of having a baby and how to budget.

In the office I volunteer in, there are only two paid workers! Everyone else is a volunteer. It’s a wonderful environment and they really invest a lot in their volunteers. The training process teaches you a lot and you are constantly learning and doing new things. I can’t believe how much I feel like I’ve already grown since starting there, and I have met some incredible people. There are tons of gatherings and picnics where the volunteers get together, too.

My goal is to train to become a counselor so that I can help people make budgets and give out higher loans. Right now, I give out small loans up to $500 and am a part of the communications team.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that the apartment is mainly back together, but there is still some minor construction that has to get done. We got new floors, new bathrooms, and the walls are about to get re-painted!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I am really enjoying my job. Unless I am writing about an event that is coming up, I refuse to write about anything I haven’t done myself. So this job is keeping me very busy. Thankfully, I have some awesome friends here who don’t mind exploring random places with me. It’s a win-win because I am always looking for new things that we can do. So, we all get out and explore Hawaii together, and then I can write about it for work.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that you should linkup with Christy and me on Friday. We’re discussing The Circle by Dave Eggers for our Beyond Words Bloggers Book Club, but you can link up any book reviews. Join our Book Club here!

After all of that talking, I would need to hear what’s new with you! If we were having coffee, what would you tell me?!

8 responses to “July Coffee Date”

  1. Emma says:

    I can understand how getting used to him being home would be tough!

  2. Rachel says:

    I know it may not be PC but my husband and I have to adjust to being around/apart from each other too, not always the easiest! But better than not caring, right!? I think an ice cream maker is an excellent present, and I encourage Nick to experiment more. He has good ice cream taste!

  3. Jennifer says:

    You have had a busy life lately! That ice cream looks so good. I have been looking at ice cream makers online as well but I am not sure it is a good idea for me. Ice cream available whenever I am in the mood? That could be dangerous!

  4. Hooray for having a husband that cooks! I’m not the biggest fan of cooking, but I’ll do it if I have to, but typically Chris and I will do what you and Nick do, which is I shop and clean up while he cooks. It’s a win win for both of us. And I know what you mean when you say that it’s not a smooth transition when Nick gets back from being at sea. You get so used to them being away that it’s sometimes hard to go back to being a couple again. I have a friend that’s said the exact same thing when her husband is gone for trainings when he has to be gone for 4-6 weeks. I can’t wait for book club on Friday!

  5. Nicole says:

    All that yummy food is making me hungry! How lucky to have a chef in the house!

  6. Audrey says:

    DUDE. Where do I sign K up for Chef Nick lessons?? Seriously. That all looks amazing!
    I feel like the deployment adjustment is like when the men came home from WWII. All the women who’d been managing the home, working in the factories, driving cars, maintaining EVERYTHING suddenly had to adjust to the men being home (and back then not all men we ok with self-sufficient women…). Except you have to go through those changes MULTIPLE times. I definitely think it’d be a rough transition. No worries.
    I’m so glad you’re enjoying your time working and volunteering!! And it keeps you so busy!

  7. Meg Taylor says:

    I looove seeing the photos of everything your husband cooks – yum! I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to get into a routine with his schedule – I appreciate when bloggers post real life like this. It’s not always just flowers and smiles! I hope you have a great weekend 🙂

    Meg, Borrowed Heaven

  8. Elizabeth says:

    So I want to eat pretty much everything you mentioned now–what an amazing cook! And homemade ice cream! I’m pretty sure I’m drooling over here. Also, the adjustment period is real–it’s hard to go back and forth between being completely self-sufficient to being a team again! Thankful that you two are adjusting well!

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