My Pathetic Attempts at Not Eating Out....

Inevitably, about 3 weeks before we move I decide that we're not going to have enough money to get us to our next duty station. This causes me to vow to eat only food that we have at home for every meal. Also inevitably, I fail. Miserably. I'm pretty good about making dinner for D and I at home, because that requires actually planning in advance and cooking. Lunch, on the other hand, just doesn't work out.

Yesterday D asked me if I wanted to meet him for Teriyaki for lunch. Sure! Cheating doesn't count if we both go together, right?! Whatever, yesterday was Thursday, so that meant that I had eaten lunch at home Monday, Tuesday, AND Wednesday. It also gave me an excuse to get out of the house with AJ.

You are probably thinking that since we ate out for lunch yesterday that I would for sure be eating some of the healthy soups we have in the cupboard. Or maybe a BLT made with the bacon from last night's brinner (breakfast for dinner). Nope. I drove through Jack In The Box. I rationalized this trip by telling myself I only really went there to get a giant Dr. Pepper. Last night AJ was transformed from the sleeping-through-the-night baby that I blogged about a few days ago to a baby who wants to get up every 4 hours at eat. I attribute this change to the fact that I blogged about how awesome she is just a few days ago. I desperately needed the caffeine in the 100 ounce sized Dr. Pepper.

So yeah, that brings me to now. I have eaten out for lunch two days in a row. Utter failure. The good news is that we should be getting the advance on our DLA any day now! Hooray!

The Tacoma Top Ten

D and I have been talking about all the things we're going to miss about the Pacific Northwest when we move in a few weeks. We decided to put together a Top Ten of the things we'll miss in the Tacoma/Seattle area. Here it is:

1. Wearing Socks With Sandals

People in the Pacific Northwest love to wear socks with their sandals. They even have commercials that make fun of their sock and sandal wearing habits. This picture is of AJ sporting her sandals with socks!

2. It's Greek to Me

This is a little drive-through Greek restaurant that has awesome gyros and the most amazing fries ever! We didn't discover it until recently, but we've been there at least 3 times to satisfy our greasy cravings!

3. Mount Rainier

When "the mountain is out" we have some of the most amazing views ever! We go so many days in a row with cloudy, rainy skies that I sometimes forget how big Mount Rainier is. Truly an amazing sight to see.

4. 1SG Dietzman

1SG Dietzman and his family have been great friends to us while we've been here. He is a great guy and brings out the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) in D. They are like the dynamic duo in their unit, nothing can stop them.

5. Teriyaki

Nothing says Pacific Northwest better than a nice hot plate of chicken or beef teriyaki. It seems that teriyaki joints in the Northwest are akin to Starbucks around the rest of the US. Surprisingly, it seems that there are fewer Starbucks around this area of the country, probably because there are so many indie coffee shops.

6. Fort Steilacoom Dog Park

When the weather is nice in Tacoma, it is really nice! On the off-chance that we get a sunny day, you can find us here with our socially-awkward beagle, Abby. Even though she's unsure about the other dogs, she does love all the smells she finds here. This off-leash dog park is one of the best in the state (and I'm sure country as well).

7. Pike Place Market

Honestly, if we lived closer to downtown Seattle, I would probably be a regular here for our produce, seafood and flowers. The market is one of the staples any Seattle-bound tourist should put on their list. I know I have taken all our visitors here the first chance I get!

8. Point Defiance Park

For a dog who hates water, Abby sure likes to walk along the sound at Owens Beach in Point Defiance Park. We have been here several times and always enjoy it, regardless of the weather. The views are incredible and even though the park is situated in an semi-urban area, it feels like you're miles away from everything.

9. Puget Sound

The funny thing about the Puget Sound is that pretty much anywhere you drive around here you're not more than a mile from the sound. There are times that we wouldn't have known our proximity to the sound if it hadn't been for our GPS pointing it out to us.

10. Fred Meyer

Groceries, plants, clothes, jewelry, bedsheets, appliances, furniture, electronics, and so on! This store is like a higher-end WalMart. Their prices are cheap, their selection is huge and their employees are friendly. D and I can make an afternoon here.

Honorable Mention
11. IKEA Seattle

D does not agree with me on this one, hence it not making the official list. I will miss IKEA because we won't have one around us for a while and I genuinely enjoy IKEA. D, however, genuinely does not enjoy it.

Grandpa G Comes to Visit!

AJ will get to meet her Grandpa G for the first time tonight! D's dad is coming to visit for the weekend and spend some time with the little lady! We don't have anything big or exciting planned, but I know that for him, just seeing and meeting her is big and exciting! I'm hoping that she semi-behaves while he is here, but if not, I know he'll understand!

The last few days and (especially) evenings she has been really fussy and almost inconsolable. She has also been spitting up a lot every time she eats. I feel so bad for her because it seems to bother her when she spits up. I'm just hoping that she doesn't have reflux. She has a doctor's appointment on Monday though, so if she does have reflux we can hopefully get an antacid or something from the pediatrician while we're there on Monday.

Right now though, we're off to meet D for a Teriyaki lunch and then possibly heading to a huge baby and children's consignment sale at the fair grounds. We don't have anything specific we're looking for, so maybe we will find something that catches our eye! I'll post pictures if we end up bringing anything home!