BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

So Matt and I have noticed since we've moved to our condo, a peculiar BOOMING! that sounds in the distance, every night around 10PM. At first I thought, oh, probably the impatient local people who can't wait until July 4... But who has that many spare fireworks? I mean c'mon, people! They're cool, but not enough to watch every night for a week! We've heard it EVERY night, at precisely 10 minutes to 10:00 PM. No one can be that OCD. So we nipped that likelihood right in the bud.
My inquisitive husband suggested that Sea World could be the culprit... (not that the booming has been an annoyance, but rather a reminder that it's about time for bed)! It seemed plausible. So I mapquested it, and the proposal looks accurate! 4.99 miles from our abode, to be exact.
Golly! Sea World, in our very own backyard! It looks like we have no choice. Shamu and all your flippery pals, here we come!

So FIERCE.

Shiny, Happy People

We have spent 3 nights and 4 days in our home now. Night one, we discovered we have, shhhhh, free internet. But that's our little secret. We also discovered that sleeping on the carpet in the master bedroom leaves something to be desired. Talk about a sleepless night and a sore rump! We even used our 2 beach towels as blankets. Wa-wa-waaaa. No good. To top it off? We shared a pancake-flat pillow and Matt used a neck pillow we had on hand to place between his knees. Some of you might think that's funny, but we were not happy the next morning. Somehow Matt managed to squeeze a good 6 tossing hours out of the night. I maybe got 2. I was up by 3:30 AM from the amount of discomfort and frustration. I don't know, maybe I thought I could sleep in my walk? By the time the sun came up, we were feeling all the hurts to be felt from our un-clever innovations. Mind you, this wasn't exactly by choice, but it was a pre-conceived idea. Our real beddery, (that's my own word), is being moved from New Mexico by the Navy in a short time from now, so we decided not to invest for the sake of our own "spoiled" comforts.
By night 2 we had upgraded to a magnificent Coleman air mattress. We slept like kings and queens. Or one king, one queen.
On day three we were so thrilled to wake up with our own roof over our heads and without so much soreness, that we decided to celebrate our love and our blessings by goofing around on the practically only thing we have in our possession, which is our trusty imac. And since we're lucky enough to have free internet, you all will be lucky enough to see what we did. I hope you enjoy...

The Eley's condo!

Matt and I have really gone through some tension-bound times recently, in search for a decent place to live. LOTS of searching on craigslist, AHRN, and LOTS of driving around San Diego in the rental car we had for a week... looking for RENT signs stuck in lawns and viewing places that looked promising from a couple small pics online... We weren't finding anything. We weren't getting calls back, people were beating us to the punch, or the real deal was hardly up to our standards. We're not picky people, but since I had tested positive on a pregnancy test a few days earlier, we really needed a place to suit a newborn. We needed a good neighborhood and enough room to be comfortable, and it couldn't be too far from the Naval Base where Matt works.

Well, because we are the proud owners of 2 wonderful dogs, we had to be put on a 8-12 month waiting list to move into military housing, which irritably would have eliminated the headaches and the searching for days on end. In addition, these places have a fenced yard and plenty of room to spare. But San Diego isn't at all dog friendly as Tucson, AZ had been for us, so it came as no surprise that we would not be accommodated so easily. Needless to say, we needed to find a place with a one year lease, at-lease. haha

Long story short, we found this good looking condo online, 2 bed, 2 bath and in a GREAT little area called Mission Hills. We immediately called the property manager and within the hour he called us back. We made an appointment to get the "tour" and we immediately fell in love with it. Yada yada yada, a few days later we filled out the paperwork, he handed us the keys, and we moved in!!!
So we are now two very happy campers. No longer do we have to worry about being kicked out of our motel room or being told that we can't extend our stay. No more eating meals cooked by a microwave and no more near accidents because one of us hogged the toilet... Ahem... And no more loud, obnoxious parties at 1 AM to complain to the front desk about... the list could go on, by why complain now when we've got what we need?

Let me break it down for ya

The Roe fellas really can dance!

Don't send a lame eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

Informal Cow Chips

We all have moments where we face indecision. At times our thoughts begin to run together like watercolors and before long, we're thinking, "hey, my head is feeling cluttered. I can't make up my mind to make up my mind!" My remedy to get my brain and my conscience to follow through with any particular task or a plan, is to seek out a second opinion. I've named my second opinion, Matt, aka S.L.O. (Second Loving Opinion). Whenever my brain's operator hits a cement block, I seek my S.L.O. We then find ourselves in another roundabout conversation together, which goes something like this:

 I may begin with, "Honey, should I...?"

 His reply: "I don't know. What should YOU do?" 

Later that week... "Love, what do you think about...?" 

His reply: "I don't know. What do YOU think?"

And once more, "Hmmm. Mmmm, Matt? Would it be good to do... or better to do... OR best to do...?" 

His reply: "I don't know. YOU do what YOU think. Do what YOU want. Do what YOU need. Just do what you gotta do."

When my ability to decide gets choked, I find myself needing my S.L.O. to remind me to loosen that grip I have on myself just a little more. It takes just one jam, and all of a sudden I'm making the decision to pass my decision-making onto someone that shouldn't have anything to do with my next plan of action, unless it involves others, of course. However, Matt's stoic and consistent replies always leaves me no choice but to make every last decision for myself... Which is ultimately helping to grow my independence... Which is consequently building my purposefulness... Which is increasing my self-awareness... Which is what I'm aspiring to be most in touch with!

So, my question: Is it just me, or are there a slew of dithering females out there who also have a diabolical obsession to get their patriarch's to make up their mind for them? Who just HAVE to have that S.L.O.? 

I'm just grateful that in the end, I'm faced with no other choice but to make up my own darn mind. If I'm going to experience my life to it's full potential, why not do it while making up my own mind? Thanks, Matt. I think I am cured of ambiguity... but what do YOU think?

Love this Lissie

Music happens to be the one component that just works for me. Anytime I'm on the hunt for a specific mood, anywhere I find my self being, with anyone I find myself with, the right music can make the environment just explode in color like your own music video in 3-D. I love music and music loves me back. It's the one thing I have complete control over; I decide what goes in, and if it's not what I want, I simply find what works. Music can be compared to your trusty old dog, or to a promise signed with your own blood. It won't fail your expectations. It follows through. It gives all it's got, cap'n! And then some. It's always ready to please, always ready to lift you up and stick by you through any hard times that come. 

Today I discovered a young new artist by the name, Lissie. Her song entitled, "On My Chest", has become a favorite in an instant. The mood of this song compliments nicely with the general mood I have been in today. Her lyrics compliment my general thoughts of the day rather appropriately. Just as I thought my high couldn't be overshadowed, I happened to find a rare gem, which is the remix of this song, composed by Morgan Page. He threw in a nice beat to satisfy my need for speed! Thank you, Lissie, and Morgan Page, for your incredible work. Lissie, for your sultry voice and honest lyrics. Mr. Page, for your trance inspired remix. I am committed all over again to always give thanks to this universe for the music I adore.