Mrs. Top Gun's Momma's Pistachio cake

My Momma's famous pistachio cake

Growing up, there were two recipes that intimidated the crap out of me... My momma's enchiladas and her pistachio cake. Sounds silly, but this cake was always a 'mystery' to me! I never understood how she managed to make is so darn moist, light, airy, and delicious! So, without further hesitation, here's my Momma's recipe.

-White cake mix

 -1 c. water,

-1/2 c. oil

-1/2 c. milk

- 2 pkgs JELLO pistachio pudding

- 5 Eggs

Mix on low five min.  Pour into greased bundt pan. The trick to this delicious cake?  Putting air in it!! Bake

at 350, and  watch it like a HAWK.  You do not want it to be hard, as this cake tends
to harden up. Don't be afraid to pull it out at a soft touch!!

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

This cake is already sweet, so no need for over powering full on frosting!

-2 cups of Powdered sugar

-2 tbsp of water

-1 tbsp of butter or margarine

-1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Melt the butter in the microwave. Let cool for a few minutes, then add to the powdered sugar. Mix, adding the water and vanilla extract. You can add more vanilla or less, depending upon how you like the taste. ALLOW THE CAKE TO COOL COMPLETELY. DO NOT pour the glaze over while the cake is the least bit hot. The glaze will melt, and run down the side of the cake, pooling in the middle. 

Enjoy!!

Typhoon time... again!

Yep. We had another one... It hit us REALLY HARD  on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon, with 80 mph wind gusts, and as a category 4 typhoon! I found out about this surprise visit a few days before, when I was looking at the weather and noticed an eerily suspicious looking tropical storm winding its way in our direction... So, praying and hoping that it wouldn't turn our way commenced. Did it help? NOPE. In fact, I think all the fretting and freaking out I did made it turn even more toward us! UGh. Mr. flew away per usual, and left me and the dog to ride it out. 

I was so exhausted from the night before it hit, preparing his bag for him to leave in the wee hours, that the morning of the storm, I was passed out and oblivious to the 70mph gusts outside my window.... That is, until a friend called and asked me if I was alive! Oops! Anyways, I stayed with a friend of mine and we rode this damn storm out together. It's much nicer when you have someone to talk to and keep your mind off the howling wind and crashing waves outside. It hit us, and hit us hard. Then, it left. FAST. Like super fast and nobody expected it to hit and leave that early. I was glad though, and was able to walk back home with the dog the next morning. A few minor wet towels from a bit of water getting into the windows, and some trash and debris to pick up from outside. Other than that, the day after the storm was sunny and windy, and Mr. came home!  

Baby Top Gun Update!

There is def. a baby in there now!

Yikes! That's a belly!

He was being difficult, so my 30 minute ultrasound turned into two hours! I had to walk around the hospital and get him to move over... Did he? Not exactly. The last photo the Radiologist needed to take was the profile picture, so they could rule out a cleft palate. Baby TG wasn't having it, and decided he was pretty comfortable lying right where he was. Eventually, after a lot A LOT! of poking my belly, he turned- just enough! He also didn't want to show his boy parts, but then all of a sudden... BOy Parts! 

He is growing so fast! I was so amazed to see him rolling around, kicking and yawning. What a little miracle I have inside me :) Oh, and the best part? Mr. Top Gun made it home for this!!

Somewhere in the clouds...

Somewhere, Out there...

Mr. Is flying around, doing what he does best! I miss his handsome face so much, but the good news? It's almost over! A few more days, hopefully and he'll be in my arms! I know this doesn't make for the most exciting Saturday post, but hey- I'm tired, hot, and pregnant, and I miss him. Besides, this picture pretty much rocks! He's in there somewhere ;)

Sucktastic September

These last few weeks have been incredibly, well, CRAPPY! With the last week in August having been devoted to typhoon preparations, and Mr. flying away twice within five days, I was truly looking forward to enjoying the long Labor Day weekend with him. Did that happen? Hells NO, it didn't! The damn weather delayed him returning with his plane, thus running into the long weekend. Let's just say that our Squadron had a bunch of grumpy, nasty, and upset flyboys returning. The only nice thing and honestly, I am still waiting for the sky to fall and pigs to fly on this one, about them leaving? The Colonel gave them an extra two days off since they were away 'protecting' the planes. Whatever. 


I knew that enjoying those few days with him were not going to last, and alas, they didn't. September is 'suck' month for us here, because Mr. always goes away for a long time to play war with his plane. Where? I freakin' don't know, and when does he come back? Whenever he walks through my door! Ugh. I don't adjust well to having him gone for the first week or so, and this time it uberly blows! I think the pregnancy hormones aren't helping, and the fact that I can feel baby Top Gun kicking just adds to the somber mood around Casa Top Gun. I seriously wouldn't want to hang out with me right now, that is how blah I feel. Here's some other things that happened in September:


1. Our a-hole neighbors MOVED OUT!! Why? Don't know. Don't care!
2. All of Baby Top Gun's tests (my blood work, etc) came out negative. Yay :)
3. I felt his movements for the first time. OMG. Amazing! It hurts a little bit, and he has decided to take up residence on my bladder. YAY. This led me to frantic 2AM phone calls to my momma and Nana, asking whether or not I needed to go to the ER for a UTI. Nope, I did go to the ER and was told "You're pregnant. This is normal." I felt like an ass. 
4. I discovered a wonderful new friendship or two on island! Love those ladies!
5. Keely has decided to mope when Mr. is gone. This means, that for the month of September, she does the following: Sleeps on his side of the bed (on her dog bed.) Refuses to go to the bathroom for me when I walk her, thus leading to an hour long walk, often in the pouring rain. Turns her nose up at her breakfast and dinner. She often doesn't eat until midnight. Paces the house, looking for him and waits by the stairs to hear his flight boots. 
6. I mini typhooned the outside of the house... again. Pulled the patio furniture in, pulled the plants in. Base Commander freaked out per usual, and placed us in TCCOR-3. 60mph winds could happen within 48 hrs. Did they? NOPE. It got windy, and I was glad I pulled the furniture in, because with our house being so high up and four stories, the plants fall and the chairs fly. 
7. I cursed the Air Force for making Mr. miss our Anniversary, again.
8. I got over it- quickly, and was asked to make dinner for a friend who is undergoing a  medical procedure. Something to keep my mind off the day :)
9. I discovered that I became a HUGE fan of eating. Eating all the time. Baby Top Gun is always hungry :)
10. I still HATE September, but I am embracing the suck. Meh. 


Hopefully Mr. comes home soon! 

Round two of 'Typhoon Tyranny,' the part where I gripe...

This is the post where I complain and gripe about the ludicrousness of Mr. Top Gun's Squadron. FYI: If you don't want to listen to me, stop reading now. 


The last typhoon that rolled through here was on Tuesday. It was a semi dud. Mr. had to evacuate his plane and leave, and I stayed with a friend. He was able to make it back later the next day, and I was happy! I was looking forward to a four day weekend before he leaves again for a LONG time (boo!) until Thursday morning, that is... It seems that another damn Typhoon decided to form, and I knew he was going to leave again. What makes me so pissed about the current situation is this: It never made it into a typhoon! It's not even a tropical storm, We have some rain, we have 30mph winds. He was supposed to come home today, like a few hours from now, today. NOPE not happening.


His idiotic Commander decided that it's too risky to fly back in rain??? Needless to say, the guys are all super pissed. They are going to miss the entire holiday weekend because some idiot higher up can't make correct command decisions. I am one unhappy wife right now, and Mr. and his entire crew are grouchy. Someone is missing a child's birthday. Another has a paper to write. An Anniversary is being missed. And all because we have some rain...


Ok, I'm done. I am going to spend his money and go shopping with a friend. Oh, and Japan and Mr's squadron... YOU CAN BOTH BITE ME.

Meeting Typhoon Kompasu

Holy Crap. I am staring down the barrel of a rather vicious and nasty Typhoon, and per usual, Mr. Top Gun isn't around. 

This little surprise was well, just that! A damn surprise! Nobody saw this coming, and we figured it would pass well away from us. Not so, not so. I was woken up Sunday morning by Mr. informing me that he would be leaving with his plane sometime soon. Again, not a surprise about him leaving, but I am pissed that I have to ride another damn typhoon out ALONE. This one is a nasty one, apparently. We are expected to have the outer bands of rain and winds moving in around this evening, with the worst of the storm passing over us to the east of the island (Thank GOD I am on the other side!) I am not looking forward to 60-80 mph winds, but it looks like it will be in the late morning from around 8am to 2pm.


I am hunkered down in our house, protected by concrete and steel. The house still shakes and it creaks, but these homes here were built to typhoon standards. In fact, off base housing cannot be approved by the Japanese government unless it meets those high standards. I have extra towels stuffed in the windows, and in between the sliding glass door. Last is to place towels around the door downstairs (which is a beast of a storm door!!) I doubt anything is gonna get in, but just to be safe :) Hopefully I can walk Keely this evening before the rain and bad winds start, because if not?? She is using the tile floor! 


I am going to try to get some video from inside the house of the winds- but I'm not promising anything. I think I will just live in the laundry room for the half of the day tomorrow... Ugh. Pray for me!

Rotten Neighbors

I wish we found this before we moved in...

Fences make great neighbors. NO Crap!! Seriously, I just about had a mild heart attack the other evening over a pleasant altercation with my less than friendly (and morbidly overweight and plain nasty neighbor.) As you may recall via my prior post, there have been some issues with a few of our neighbors around here. Specifically, the fact that they seem to take joy in poisoning the stray cats that people feed. While I understand that some people don't like the cats being around, there isn't a damn thing anyone can do about it. They are STRAYS. Strays roam around, they eat whatever and whenever they can, and they sleep and use the bathroom where they want to. It's not like we live around urine and feces, FYI... we DO NOT. 


It's very disconcerting to me to know that these people have decided to blame us for the stray cats. So, here is a short version of what went down last week: I had walked outside to retrieve something from the car, and sweep some of the trash that the wind had blown up onto the driveway area. I noticed my little girl cat meowing and put down some food for her under the car. (Sidenote:) Our Japanese landlord has a small office downstairs from our house, in what would have been a garage. He comes a few times a week and does his business, waters his plants and also FEEDS and places WATER out for the cats. So, I try to keep the downstairs outside area of his office clean. It's just being a good tenant! I am bent over picking up a trash bag, when I hear a woman calling out to me. "Ma'am. Ma'am! Have you heard from so and so?" She was referring to our housing agent, which NO, I had not heard from. I politely looked up, smiled and said: "Oh my, I have not. Thank you! Have a good night."


I proceeded to walk towards our door, and then I heard this: "You selfish ass bitch!" Ok, seriously not cool lady. I am pregnant and I don't need this stress and I surely do not need a woman who is about 100 lbs overweight yelling at me for no reason. I went upstairs and told Mr. Top Gun, who came outside and dealt with the neighbors. Bottom line from his conversation with them? They are all complete aholes who have nothing better to do than make other peoples lives miserable. So, I have moved feeding the cats to the back of the house and we take food out to them in the fields at night. The assholes are still stealing the landlords food bowls, and he keeps putting them out. LOve it!!

Announcing...

It's... 

A

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A million things going on with the Top Guns!

I am still alive. I promise! As you may remember, the last time y'all heard from me, I was suffering from a rather vicious UTI. Good news! It's gone away, and I am all better. Kinda bad news? I FORGOT about my blog! Here are a few reasons why...

1. Mr. was on leave for the last few weeks. Y'all all know that he just loves to up and fly away from me without a moments notice, right? Well, then imagine how clingy, I mean excited! I was to hear I would have him all to myself for a few weeks!! Cue the house work being put on hold (ok, not really, but sorta?) and lots and lots of T.V. time and cuddle time together! I was in heaven!

2. Issues with our neighbor from HELL. Want the story? Well, I published it the other day, and blogger erased it! UGH. Here's the scoop again: Basically, they are very noisy and obnoxious people who have yet to grow up out of the 'College phase.' He is also a flyboy, but quite the Junior to Mr... When we moved in over a year ago, they had just moved in as well and we 'met' over moving boxes. Then, Mr. Top Gun deployed and left me to deal with what would happen next... Halloween, 2009 party at the neighbors turned into party from HELL. The Japanese Police were called out, people were arrested for being drunk in public (and most were taken in for walking home drunk, in public.) The Japanese have no tolerance for alcohol related crimes, and they are not lenient one bit with the Americans. I figure this is it, right? NOPE. Loud music, yelling at all hours of the night, parties, parties, parties. Our cars suddenly get a lovely dressing of plastic beer cups and cigarette butts, and our little 'yard' ok, rock garden is looking like crap!

Mr. comes back from deployment and is able to witness the shenanigans. He is at work or flying when this happens, so I deal with it. I am told to 'Shut up' through the window. Yes, and after I politely asked neighbor from hell to please turn his music down. I call our housing agent and he talks to them. Noise stops, and security cameras are placed around the neighborhood. One is placed over his garage! nice! They continue to stay quiet and whenever they see us, run inside.

3. My cats outside are POISONED. By Neighbor from HELL. We had suspected that someone was intentionally trying to hurt them for sometime, as I had found vomit and blood around the cars and on the driveway a few weeks prior to this. As I went out the morning of the incident, I couldn't help but notice our neighbor peering over at me as I bent over to fill up the cat food bowl and refill the water. Mr. and I had some errands to run, so when we left the house I wondered why he decided to take a drive around our block... thank goodness he did, because as we stopped down our street?? We saw our neighbor run over and pour something into the bowls. OMG. Mr. flies down the street and confronts him. For 45 minutes. He admits to having done it, redfaced and all. Needless to say, we probably aren't going to be best friends with our neighbors, but he does wave at us now and asks me how I am feeling. Personally, as long as he leaves my cats alone, I don't care if we ever hear from him again. No cats died, and they have all since returned to eating and being happy, lounging cats around the house!

Aside from the drama listed above, things have been going well around here. It's hot as Hades outside, so I try to limit my time outdoors, or I end up getting all woozy and nauseated. This 105 degree heat index blows during the summer!! I did, however manage to come across some RARE fresh fruit this past week YAY! I proceeded to purchase a boatload of nectarines from our Commissary, and then promptly devoured them within two days. This left me in a flury, because I tasted the delicious and rare goodness of them, and needed more. Did our Commissary have any left a day later? No. Nothing. Two or three mushed and moldy ones. I threw a fit in the store, and told Mr. I refused to purchase the rest of our groceries at that Commissary since they didn't have any more nectarines for me. I may have actually shed a tear or two on the way out. So, we went to the Marine Base and they had them!! I bought them all. I have a few left, and the Commissary has yet to get anymore in. Ugh.

I have baby belly pictures to post later!! Yes, I woke up this week and... Boom! Belly. Not a bump anymore. I have also realized my old jeans no longer fit, and thus have moved into preggo pants. Hey, they are super comfy and don't even look like maternity wear! I love them.

An all expense paid trip to... The ER?!

I am still alive and well. Well, perhaps not exactly 'peachy,' shall we say? Last night I decided it might be a cool idea to develop a nasty UTI, thus granting myself an all expense paid trip to the gorgeous and lavish ER! Luckily, Mr. is on leave for awhile (THANK GOD, it's about time!) so he was here to take me, and we spent a nice two hours together in a room... I am prone to these nasty little buggers, so it's really no huge surprise that I decided to develop one out of the blue while pregnant. My Midwife warned me at my last visit that it would probably happen, and BAM! sidelined by one already. UGH.

The upside to this extremely uncomfortable and annoying medical malady? We got to see baby Top Gun again!! I am pleased to announce that he is well and has tripled in size since my sonogram was taken a few weeks ago. We were able to see him squirming and moving around, and when the Dr. moved the ultrasound device over my belly (all the while pushing down really HARD,) baby Top Gun didn't seem to appreciate his comfy home being 'invaded,' and therefore wiggled and squirmed his legs and arms!! Mr. Top Gun had a better view than I did from the bed, and he said he was able to see ten fingers and ten toes, and baby's arms and legs are actually stretched out and look like human legs and arms! He also thinks he could see little bones :) Awww!!

The good news is that I am now on pregnancy safe antibiotics for the next 10 days, and feeling a tad better. If I could just get past this first evening, hopefully I'll begin to feel better tomorrow. NOTE: Baby Top Gun isn't for sure a HE... yet. But, I like to think he is :)

My TDY present?

As you may recall, Mr. Top Gun has been away flying around the world for a few days. I, have been left at home (again,) but found a way to pass the time: Shopping, eating, shopping, and lots of girl talk with one of my fave ladies here! Her hubby is on the crew with Mr. during this TDY, and boy did we have fun while they were away 'playing.'

Yes, he had an ample amount of time to play around in the evenings on this TDY. It is an extremely rare occasion when the guys get a night to themselves, so I am glad he was able to let loose and have some fun. I may or may not have received a few 'tipsy' phone calls from him in the wee hours of the morning... Apparently during their last night out (and boy, have I heard it was QUITE the NIGHT!) he found time to look for my special 'TDY' gift to bring back home to me. On his last TDY, he pranced through the door with a giant black bag. Scared, worried, and full of wonder, I opened it. Inside? A huge handmade blanket with my LONGHORN on it!

So, what did I get from this TDY? Last night during our usual Skype chat, he asked me if I wanted to see my special present. Sure! This is what he held up:

Now, I will be waiting with baited breath by the door for him to walk through it with this little gem... It really is perfect though, because Mr. affectionately refers to me as his "Sexy Lady." Now I can proudly wear this throughout my pregnancy, and whenever I feel like a house? I can peer down at my wrist ;) *Seriously, I am NOT wearing it* It will go in my car.

The land of the non existent fruits and veggies...

Living abroad has challenges. It presents us with new ways of living, learning to understand a new language, adapting to the local customs and cultures, and learning to enjoy the food. Well, here in Okinawa, things are a little different. The houses are very much modernized and built to American standards (our house for example,) is four stories, four bedrooms and three baths, with about 2,000 square feet. HUGE in Japan, and definitely not a home that a traditional Japanese family would live in. The food is amazing, and being able to have the freshest fish and seafood at my fingertips makes me very happy!

What doesn't make me happy about living here? Well, besides being 14,000 miles away from family and friends and dealing with typhoons... Not having FRUIT. Yes, FRUIT. Japan has extremely strict import laws which prohibits the Military from shipping in certain types of fruits and veggies from the states. And, if we are lucky enough to have some make it past customs? Well, they are REALLY EXPENSIVE. Like the cost of dinner for two people expensive. Yes, that bad. Here's a few of the fruits we cannot get here, followed by the ones we can get and how much we pay for them.

Red Delicious Apples: Nope, can't get these here. They got dressed up for the party, but they aren't getting in.

Granny Smith Apples: Nope, not joining the party either.
Jalapenos: We get these in the Commissary, but we pay $12.99/ lb for them!! Want Habaneros? Fork over $14.99/lb!
Delicious, tart, red plums: Denied entrance to the party.
Strawberries: We get these, but pay $9.00/lb for them...

Also not allowed access to the party: Peaches, pears, yukon gold potatoes (The potatoes here SUCK!) yellow squash, mandarin oranges, tomatoes that don't rot a day after you pick them up, normal looking carrots... The Japanese carrots are HUGE and look like a sex toy. I'm not kidding!! The cucumbers are thin and tiny (hehe ;) and they taste a little bitter to me. I have begun to purchase my produce at the local markets and the tomatoes are gorgeous!! What I wouldn't do for some a crisp, juicy, and tart granny smith apple! Oh well. Suck it up, buttercup!

The Birds and The Bees... In my driveway?

Yesterday started off like any other day. I had some errands to run before Mr. left to fly around the world (again,) and I wanted to get them finished in the afternoon so I had time to spend with him that evening. As I was walking to my car, I noticed my sweet 'adopted' cats lounging in the driveway soaking up the sun, and noticed two more of my cats in our neighbors driveway. As usual, they were waiting for their breakfast, so I grabbed the bag of food and poured it into their bowl. As I proceed to get into my car, I notice the little black cat is lying with a siamese cat in the neighbors driveway. I go to fix the mirrors and that's when I saw it:

The poor little girl cat was being MOUNTED by this HUGE siamese cat!!! AHHH! My eyes!! As I stared awkwardly at them, a few things were going through my mind:

1. OMG. I cannot believe these cats are just going at it right here in front of me!

2. What is wrong with me? Why am I even looking at this? Weirdo!

3. Oh no. He's biting her, and she is in pain. HONK YOUR HORN, darnit!

4. This makes me very uncomfortable to watch. STOP looking then. I can't help it!

By this time, it's raining and I decide to peel my eyes away from the spectacle before me and head to base. When I got home, they were gone and all I could think of was "Well, in a few months when I see baby siamese and black kittens running around, I can say I saw them being made!" Ohhhhh. Awkward!!!!

And guess who was outside on my driveway this morning waiting for food? None other than the little gigolo himself, Simon the siamese cat... All in a day in my life :)

Baby on board, Bump on board!

That's the bump that baby Top Gun has decided to give me!

It looks smaller than what it is, I think!! Especially after I eat... that's a different story, and then I suddenly look 7 months pregnant. I promise to get some better and full length photos of me (with my actual face in them,) but Mr. is off flying around the world again, and taking those pictures alone is hard!

Weight gain: Probably 4 lbs!!

Clothes: Still wearing my jeans and shirts, but jeans are getting a bit tight...

Weeks: Almost 12!!!

Meet my 'neighbor'

Bahahaha... So, y'all really want to come visit me in Japan, you say? Perhaps you may want to reconsider this:

I found this cute little guy hanging on an A/C unit in the neighborhood...

Pregnancy food cravings and aversions... Fun!

I think it's time for an update on preggo me! So, without further adieu, here y'all go...

How am I feeling?

- I am tired, but honestly can say in the last week I have had a bit more energy than usual. Heck, I'll gladly take that, over feeling like a zombie any day!

-No morning, afternoon or evening sickness!! YAY! Small waves of nausea every now and then, and usually when I let my stomach go empty. I am getting up in the middle of the night to snack and eating something small in the morning when Mr. wakes up.

-Weird stretching feelings in my tummy...

-Still emotional and crying at silly things...

-Very clingy to Mr. and not happy to be left home alone... AGAIN!

-My hands and feel have begun to swell slightly when we are outside in the heat. So, we have to make sure we have somewhere to go to cool off, or I will faint. It's so hot here right now that just walking keely takes it out of me!

Food Aversions:

Food Cravings:


And Anything SOUR!

Introducing...

It's Baby Top Gun! Mr. and I had our first appointment today, and we are pleased to announce that our little one is growing right on track! The heartbeat was strong and loud, and we even got to see him move around!! He shook his little arms and legs around too!! As for me, I was a nervous wreck ALL day long... It started this morning when I woke up with Mr. as he headed off for work. I figured it would be a good idea to wake up super early and eat breakfast (bagel and two corn dogs...) Hey, don't judge my corn dogs for breakfast :)

By the time lunch time rolled around, I was so nervous I thought I was going to faint. Mr. managed to clam me down and before I knew it, we were sitting in the clinic waiting to be seen. In typical Mrs. Top Gun fashion, my nervousness led to my blood pressure being elevated, which led to me having to get my pressure read manually like 10 times... Ugh. Eventually it went down, and all was well. I also became best friends with the restroom in the OB/GYN clinic, as I managed to use it a lovely 5 times within the span of my hour visit. Love that baby bladder! After the exam, Mr. came into the room and we saw this:

Baby Top Gun!

We are both so blessed to know we have created a new little life, and thankful that he is doing well and growing!

Congrats, Mr. Top Gun!

Today's the day...

Mr. Top Gun pinned Captain!! In usual lovely Air Force fashion, he was of course, not here... He was off flying around this world on a mission, and sadly I wasn't able to congratulate him in person. So, I settled for this when I signed onto skype later this evening...

He had just gotten into his room, and had already changed out of his flightsuit, but I was happy to see him with his flight cap and his shiny new Captains Bars! Hopefully I shall have him in my arms in the next few days!

Weekend fun with the Top Guns

This weekend was rather low key for us, due to me feeling nauseous and tired as heck. So, when Friday rolled around the last thing I had in mind was getting dressed up and trying to go to dinner anywhere. These days, my schedule consists of sleeping, eating a small meal, napping, eating dinner, napping again, eating a snack and then going to bed. I swear, I will be glad when this sleepy phase is over with! It is torture for me to drag out of our comfy oversized bed and go to the Commissary (which I have to do tomorrow... UGH!) Mr. called me from work and asked if I had plans for dinner, because some of our god friends (and another flyboy,) asked if they could tag along with us for dinner. Ok... I need to figure out dinner plans... ASAP!

My first choice was booked on Friday, so I called Yoshi's which I have blogged about before (it's an uber famous sushi joint here,) and luckily got reservations for all four of us! Mr. was concerned that I wasn't going to be able to find anything to eat, since tuna (my fave) is off the menu for the next seven months... but, I reminded him that salmon, shrimp, and crab are safe to eat. I somehow managed to get dressed and we all thoroughly enjoyed dinner, me especially, who ordered not one sushi roll but two, and also ate every last bit of my teriyaki chicken dinner. Mind you, that the dinner consisted of: rice, miso soup, japanese salad, assorted tempura and chicken... Hey, eating for two, right? ;)

After dinner I mentioned that I needed (yes, needed people!) Yogurtland. It's kinda like a Pinkberry, in that you choose from a variety of assorted fro-yo flavors, then put what ever toppings tickle your fancy on top. In my case, I chose the double cookies and cream and the vanilla wafer fro-yo, and topped mine off with strawberries, kiwi, grapefruit, pineapple and mango. Mr. chose chocolate, vanilla and peanut butter fro-yo, and topped his off with: Cheesecake bites, chocolate pieces, oreo cookies and peanut chocolate candies. Guess whose treat was healthier? ;) We then came home and I proceeded to crawl into bed for a two hour nap. See, I really do just eat and sleep, and eat and sleep these days!

What's going on with baby Top Gun this week!

By the end of this week, baby Top Gun shall be eight weeks already! How am I feeling, you ask? Well, I feel like I can never get enough sleep, and have been experiencing small waves of nausea... No actual sickness yet, and from what I've heard that is a good thing!! It also means little baby Top Gun may have a better chance of being a boy!!! YAY!!! I really feel like a zombie though, and even after the arduous task of putting my make-up on and getting dressed, I look in the mirror and see the walking dead. Mr. assures me I look gorgeous, but I have other thoughts...

My appetite has been up and down this week. I really haven't developed said food aversions (yet,) but I have def. been craving certain things. On the list this week? FRUIT! I have devoured pineapple, grapefruit, grapes, melon and bananas. Also, I have decided to eat a lot of mexican noodle soup... I think because it is comforting to me and well, it tastes yummy! I have also been craving red meat and fruit juices. A few times this week I haven't had much of an appetite, and therefore my penance for cooking dinner has been somewhat non existent, and poor Mr. has suffered a bit...

We went to my pre-natal appointment earlier in the week, and I am seven weeks and three days preggo! Next Tuesday will be eight weeks already, and Mr. and I have an appt. in about three weeks for our ultrasound!! I cannot wait to see our baby and hear his heartbeat :) My clothes are still fitting like normal, (but I swear I feel HUGE already...)

I found this pic online, and this is what baby Top Gun looks like at Seven weeks... WOW.

To the Best Daddy Ever!

Happy Father's Day, Papi!!

I hate being half way across the world from you on your special day, but know that I send all of my love across the ocean. Since I am not close to home, I don't have access to my older photos of my dad and I to post. So, here are a few from the past few years.

Showing off his Beer sampler, Christmas 2008. This was the last Christmas Mr. Top Gun and I were able to spend in Texas.

Me and Dad on the Riverwalk, Christmas without Mr. Top Gun, 2009.

Proudly showing off his numerous homegrown limes from one of him many trees in the backyard! Thanksgiving, 2009. Mr. Top Gun was deployed...

Five for Friday

1. I LOVE how you treat me like a delicate flower, now that I am pregnant. I may be totally able to carry a light laundry load downstairs, but I think it's sweet that you won't let me do it.

2. I LOVE how you have been such a good sport in putting up with my ridiculous mood swings. Crying at bluebonnets? Yeah, I know.

3. I appreciate that you haven't run out of the house yet, because I am literally FREEZING you and everyone else out of here!

4. THANK YOU for dealing with the odd food cravings I have been having, and with the food aversions too!

5. THANK YOU for making a new life with me. I can't wait to grow and feel this baby move!!

I'm like a bomb, just waiting to go off

I am crazy. I feel crazy. I probably even look crazy too. I swear, these pregnancy hormones are going to put a huge dent in my marriage by the time my nine months is up... Seriously though, I feel horrible for Mr. Top Gun. Love his pea pickin' heart, but that poor guy tries everything under the sun to make me smile, to make me happy, to make me not feel like complete poop- and what the heck do I do in return?? I start a small world war with him tonight... great. I had been in bed ALL day long, and only got up to walk and feed the dog, shower and put my makeup on, and mop and vacuum the floors. Poor Mr. walks in the door and *BAM!*

Our first tiff? FOOD. Yes, food. My indecisive self cannot choose between Subway or Mexican, but the one thing I was certain of? Dessert!! Cake in mind, we make it out of the house and to the base, only to argue about this on the way there:

Tiff number two: Do we have a 'wet room,' in our house, or another room?? WHAT??? In all honesty, I actually started this one. I feel bad now, because everything he said to me I looked at him like he was nuts, and that made things worse. On to dinner? Sure...

We pull up to the building, and I decide to walk slowly behind him. No big deal, right? WRONG.

Tiff number three: He offers to slow down for me, and I bite his head off. Oh GOD. Not again!!!!! Then, what do I do? I storm off and have the brilliant idea to WALK to the BX?? Where the heck is my brain, and who is this alien creature that has become me?? Like the fabulous husband he is, he follows me in the car until I get in (which was like two seconds later!) We finally get dinner, make it home and are able to eat and watch some shows. But...

Yes. There is a but... I see a commercial for oranges. ORANGES, people!! And the next thing I know, the picture of the family drinking OJ makes me break into the most hideous, revolting, snotty cry ever. I proceeded to go on and on about how I just want to fly home to Texas and be with my Nana and Grandpa. Then I start in on how I miss my cat. I miss Texas too. I want to be with my brother today on his b-day... GOD. Wow. What a mess! Mr. comes over and holds me, and a few minutes later? I'm good.

But not for long. I tuck him into bed, and come downstairs to call my family. I bawl to my Nana. Forever. I go to watch some T.V. and get emotional again. Call her, bawl again. Does this ever stop?? I sure hope so ;)

Giveaway EXTENSION!!

If ya hadn't already heard, I am PREGGO. So, I am taking the opportunity to use that as an excuse (hehe) and extend my giveaway deadline for another week! I have had NO energy to get out and shop for cool stuff, so hopefully I can do so this weekend when Mr. Top Gun is off and can drive my tired, preggo butt around :)

If you haven't already entered, here is what you need to do:

1. Mention me and link me up on your blog.

2. Comment on my post(s.)

3. Send me an e-mail @ mrandmrstopgun@gmail.com!

Happy Entering!!

My own personal Cookie Monster

Wow. This pregnancy thing is really beginning to kick my butt! Between trying to suck up all the sleep I can at night (ok, and in the daytime too,) keeping the house clean, running to the Doctors all last week, keeping up with laundry and attempting to cook dinner *attempting,* because I don't have the worlds largest appetite right now... I am DEAD TIRED. Like sleep all day tired and wake up to shower, eat, walk the dog and then crawl back onto the couch. Goodness, I feel like a slob!

Anyways, last night Mr. Top Gun and I had returned from a lovely dinner at one of our fave restaurants and I noticed a few hours into sitting on the couch (like I hadn't sat on it enough, already!) that he has moseyed into the kitchen, and was pecking around like a hungry little chick. I needed to run upstairs for something, so when I returned I found this little creature standing in my kitchen...

And he proudly displayed his dozen cookies...
Is he also eating for two???? :)

Maybe Baby??

So, Mr. Top Gun and I have some exciting news to share with y'all...

WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY TOP GUN!!!!

Birthday weekend pictures!

Last weekend, I turned the big 28.... UGH. That hurts me to even say that number!!! Where the heck did my youth go? How did my twenties get washed down the drain so fast? And since when did two small glasses of wine cause me to become a happy go lucky, chatty, smiling and goofy Mrs. Top Gun?? WOw. Anyways, Mr. decided to surprise me with a birthday weekend trip to a resort up north in Nago, and even though it managed to rain the entire freakin time (oh, how I despise the rainy season here!!) we had a fabulous, relaxing, romantic and much needed weekend away from our 'stomping grounds.' Here are some photos from our weekend!

Giveaway update...

Oops... My sun drenched brain neglected to mention when this giveaway is up! Since we live overseas and sending packages can be a real pain in the @ss, I am leaving this open for TWO WEEKS!! (and like two days...)

The last day to enter will be JUNE 10th.

And WELCOME to my TWO new followers :)

Welcome New Followers, and giveaway!!

Wow! I posted last night, and this morning woke up to find SEVEN new followers!!! That makes me so uber excited and happy!!! So, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the following newbies...

-Rachelle

-Erin

-Mr. Superman and Mrs. S

-Stefanie

-Brianne

-The Somarribas

-Colin *My ONE guy follower!*

In honor of this awesomeness of people actually liking my blog, I am going to do a give away of some sort!! Here are the conditions:

1. Mention my blog on your blog and post a link to it.

2. Send me an e-mail message with something interesting about yourself

mrandmrstopgun@gmail.com

3. Comment on my blog!!

I will be putting together a little gift box filled with cool and neat Japanese goodies!