October 15th was my 25th Birthday! I had told Alex that what I wanted was for him to cook me a dinner on Saturday- sweet potatoes (my very favorite!) chicken cordon bleu (his specialty) and asparagus. So Friday night was just going to be a quiet night in with pizza and a movie until our two good friends (and my first "Meals on Wales" customers) Phil and Dave unexpectedly came to the house dressed up, and announced they were going to take us out to dinner and dancing!
Now before they came, I had gone into our bedroom and thought to myself "What are the comfiest, cozies I have in my closet?" so I put on my comfiest cozy camoflauge flannel pajama pants, a sweat shirt, adorned thick fuzzy socks on my feet, took off my makeup, slipped on my glasses and was prepared for a most relaxing night in as an old married lady! They convinced us to go out, and I just couldn't say no because they had gotten all dressed up for the occasion, and I am so glad we did!
Here we are at the Restaurant! (Phil Schwoob, me, Alex and Dave Reynolds) They took us to a Hibachi style dinner (like Benihanas) It was my first time, and the food was great, but not as great as the company! Those guys are the best!
Afterwards we went to "Cowboys" where they had a live country band and dancing. The band was actually really good! They played mostly covers of popular country songs, and a few of their own. It was a genuine "Alabama" experience :) I will confess I am beginning to like (in moderation) country music. It is just fitting for Alabama, and the words to a lot of the songs are very sweet, I'm still hesitant to say I'm a fan, but I just feel more patriotic listening to it in the South, and that's all I'll say about that for now. :)
The next day, Alex and I had our night in, Alex made a scrum-diddily-umptious dinner and chocolate cupcakes with nutella frosting. He lit 25 candles and sang for me and it was a perfect Birthday :)
I want to thank you Mom, Dad, Mushu and Grandparents and in laws, and just everyone at home for making my Birthday special from afar! I was so happy to get the packages, cards, texts and voicemails I felt so loved by you all even though we can't be together, I am so thankful for you in my life!
On Thursday, October 18 Nancy and Rob were able to come visit us! They arrived around 7:30, and we picked them up at the airport, got home around 8:00 and I had a delicious stew in the crock pot waiting for us when got home. I had also made a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting so we could celebrate Nancy's Birthday early, which was on the 22nd.
October 19th was an exciting day! Family Day is the first opportunity given to watch your soldier fly! Families of the soldiers in Alex's class met at the Museum and all drove to the airfield, where we had a BBQ lunch and got to finally see what the hours, and weeks and months of studying has been all about! It was so cool! Rob loved the control tower where he got to hear Alex over the radio, and just observe hovering, flying, etc. We met Alex's Instructor Pilot (referred to as an IP) who has over 28,000 hours of logged Flight time (which is absolutely incredible) and his stick buddy, Andres, who is from Norway.
Alex's primary phase of training is coming to an end! It seems like he just started, but this Thursday is his last check ride (where he is graded) and then he is on to the next phase, "Instruments" where he will be taught to fly relying only on using his instruments, and he will not be able to see out the windows of his aircraft (basically blindfolded). From what many other people have said, this is one of the toughest phases of Flight School, but he is up to the challenge!
On Saturday we made the trip down to Destin, FL to go to the beach and do a little shopping! The weather couldn't have been more beautiful, 80 degrees in October! We visited some of the shops, and then ate at "The Crab Shack" on the beach and then hung out on the sand and dipped our toes into the ocean as the sun set! Absolutely beautiful! And the water was warmer than the sand!
In the morning Rob and Alex had just enough time to play a round of golf on the course on post before they had to catch their plane back home, now that Alex has been golfing, I am going to try and convince him to take and teach me! :) One of these days...
We loved getting to have family visit and are already looking forward to the next time we'll get to visit and/or have visitors!
Since most of my posts are about Alex and what's going on with him, I thought I would share maybe a little of what I've been up to! I've kind of got into a little routine where I've been doing Zumba every Monday and Friday mornings with another one of the wives, which is actually fun (well as fun as exercise can possibly be!) ...and then there's Meals on Wales. :) Yes, I've started a little cooking business for the soldiers on post. It is basically a personal chef service. How it works is I go grocery shopping for my customers, pick up the groceries they need for the week, items such as bread, lunch meat, etc. along with the items needed for making their dinners and side dishes I've planned, then I spend the day cooking them meals for the week. It works out so they can just come home and already have their menu planned, and all they have to do is pop their dinner in the oven.
I love cooking, and there is such a need for so many soldiers on post who don't have enough time (or imagination, or skills) to cook for themselves. I love cooking, and trying new recipes, so it has been a perfect fit for me! Right now I cook for 3 sets of room mates, and all of them are so thankful and easy to please, and it's also nice that I can make a little extra money! So that is how I spend my Tuesdays and Wendesdays! I visit the commissary about 3-4 times a week, and am getting an "in" with the produce man considering how often I frequent there!!
I'll close this post with a pretty great stew recipe I have made a couple of times! It is perfect for Fall and fills all the right places in your heart and stomach. It is... what a stew should be. Hearty, filling and warm. It pairs great with crusty french bread and salad!
Beef Stew with Potatoes and Carrots
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 2 pounds Stew Meat
- 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 can Beer, I used Boston lager
- 4 cups Beef Stock, 1-2 cups water if needed
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Sugar
- 4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced
- 4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered
- Minced Parsley (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside.
Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
This can also be made in the crock pot, with potatoes and carrots added 1.5-2 hours before serving time. Make sure to brown the meat in a pot before adding to the crock pot!
Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
This can also be made in the crock pot, with potatoes and carrots added 1.5-2 hours before serving time. Make sure to brown the meat in a pot before adding to the crock pot!
