Downtown Waco Farmers Market

On Saturday morning, myself and a few classmates/ friends met up at the farmers market in Waco. I'd never been but wanted to go for a while; we were actually working on an advocacy project for policy class, but it was pretty casual- collecting some signatures and chatting with folks about our topic, so it was a nice morning walking about, making a couple purchases and wanting to try a little bit of everything. They have nifty tokens for those who don't have cash on them; I have some left so I'll definitely be going back! I bought some natural orange lip balm, a jar of jalapeno jelly, and a crepe. I've been too busy and exhausted to cook many inspiring meals lately, or I probably would have bought some produce, too. It was nice to get to be out and about, doing "work," before heading back indoors to finish up the last three weeks of the semester. May 3rd, hurry, please. Here are some photos from the market! 

- From the desk of Mrs. M

The Week in Photos

new Spring dress/ looking up the licensing exam, for next year/ treats for school/ smoothie breakfast

 frozen morning/ pale pink/ Friday evening in the library/ Caturday

 date night! JP 3D and The Gin for dinner!

morning Huxley/ The Walking Dead/ interview prep/ he's gonna build a chair to take on deployment

beer brew planning/ first trip to the new store/ favorite shoes/ visiting

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Dreams

I dream of being a good mom.
I dream of baby Apollo and his siblings.
I dream of staying married forever.
I dream of travel.
I dream of returning to Finland.
I dream of camping and time outdoors.
I dream of working at a great organization, doing important things, helping the world.
I dream of a nice, cozy house. With a yard, lots of windows, in a safe neighborhood.
I dream of a cute puppy.
I dream of friends' weddings. And their babies. And living in a town with friends once again.
I dream of graduating and passing the licensing exam.
I dream of moving back North.
I dream of a great internship next year.
I dream of wanting less and living simple.
I dream of being truly happy.

My dreams are pretty standard, but I think they're the hardest and most complex to actually achieve. Life is funny.

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Date Night, Work and Beer Brewing

I've come to realize that Kyle and I have very little time together before he likely heads out. I'm in school through the first week of May, he's gone in May for training in Louisiana, I'm gone at the end of May for my trip to DC, and he'll be going to PA for some of his leave in June.  So anyway, it's important to make time in our busy schedules for fun activities, funtivities if you will. I think our collective favorite movie is Jurassic Park, so of course we had to go see it in 3D. I'm not sure if technology has just really progressed, or I had some bad glasses in the past or what, but 3D is much better than I was expecting. Usually it makes my eyes go bonkers until half way through the movie, but this felt more subtle, even wearing the glasses over my regular ones. Anyway, Kyle and I both highly recommend JP 3D. Afterwards, once we got over the surprise of it being bright out at 6pm, we went to The Gin for dinner, stocked up on some drinks and snacks, and went home. We are simple people, who like good food, dinosaur movies, and each other. Side note- I guess prom season is upon us(?) as we saw a bunch of overly tanned girls in neon dresses clomping around the restaurant, accompanied by their be-cumberbuned dates.

Sunday was spent doing work, preparing for an interview, laundry, groceries, and Kyle brewing another batch of beer. As our usual Sunday evening show, The Walking Dead has finished for the season, we watched Taken 2, which was pretty awesome except that the ending/credits song was that dumb song from the Internet Explorer commercials. Oh, Kyle is also planning on building a chair to take overseas. Like you do. The cats were super into the big bag o' leather Kyle brought home. 

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Wish List: Travel Tech

On my trip to Boston, my iPhone 4s ran out of battery for the first time ever, more than once. I was taking a lot of pictures with it all day long, so that just about did it. I'm heading to DC in May for another trip, and I've been looking into making some tech purchases that better accommodate travel, as well as my busy school/work/internship schedule that demands I be away from home for sometimes twelve hours. Also, I like shiny new toys. :)
So there's a battery case, and an external battery plug in. I'm leaning towards the external, as it has more power, and could be used for other tech items. Which brings me to the iPad. I didn't think I would ever want or need one, but now I do. I thought my laptop I got last Christmas (2011) was so light and small compared to the one I had previously, but now that I've been carrying it every day to school, work and internship, it is certainly not light. Also, the battery is horrible and lasts maybe an hour and a half, so the power cord also has to come with me. For travel, such as on my Boston trip, a laptop is just not very convenient. Again, it's heavy, and it takes up too much space when luggage is limited. An iPad would fit comfortably in a "personal item" bag (my purse), and could be brought around town as well. The aim is not to be completely wired in at all times, but it is important to me to have access for communicating with my (likely soon to deploy) husband and being able to work on some things on the go.

Mophie Juice Pack Plus and Rechargeable Battery (or less expensive version)
Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation External Battery
iPad4

I will for sure get an extra battery, I'm just deciding if I want to will take the plunge further into Apple heaven (hell?) and get the iPad. Any input from current users? GB size I should get? Suggestions for a good case if/when I do make the purchase? The tech world is abuzz with talk of a new iPad being released this month, so I'll wait and see what happens.

- From the desk of Mrs. M

All I Ever Wanted

via

- From the desk of Mrs. M

The Week in Photos

 reenlistment/ Mooyah/ dinner/ kittens

 home of the best chai/ napping friends/ napping cat and husband/ new helmet

haven't hard boiled eggs in maybe ten years/ Kyle playing with Huxley/ playing in our big backyard

cupcakes delivered to a friend/ Saturday night popcorn/ Hux in another bag/ Easter Sundays are for lit reviews

taco night/ tic tac night/ welcome, April/ starting the day at the hospital

sink kitty strikes again/ delicious salad. Blue and Gold= Pitt/ rainy day snail

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Hello April

I'm not sure how it's April already, but I sure am glad it is. Only one more month of school left! Unfortunately Kyle will be away for training during the month of May, but I also have my Washington, DC trip that month. But back to this month. I imagine it will go by very quickly; there's a couple presentations mid-month, and wrapping up a couple projects for the semester. And then, I will be half way through grad school! Hooray!

- From the desk of Mrs. M