The McC's New Orleans Comic Con Adventure!

Last Saturday we spent the day in New Orleans at Comic Con and it was amazing! No... wait... it was awesome... No, wait... it was the experience of our lives! Why? Because we met some of the most coolest people ever! Like... STAN LEE (The Creator for Spider-Man) and Adam Baldwin (Col. John Casey on the show Chuck, or Serenity or Firefly) annnnnnd... The Boondock Saints; Norman Reedus (Murphy Macmanus or Daryl Dixon from Walking Dead), Sean Patrick Flannery (Conner Murphy or Indie from the Adventures of Young Indiana Jones) and David Della Rocco (Rocco)!!! We have autographs, we have pictures, we got to hang out with them and talk about movies and roles it was truly amazing! That is quite a bit that I can cross off my bucket list! LOL! Wanna see the pics?! Yeahhhhh I know you do... why... because if there's no pics... it didn't happen right?! LOL! Well here ya go... ;)

Here we are with Stan "The Man" Lee!!!

And again with Adam Baldwin... yep, that's right he even asked the munchkin if he could pick her up for the picture! Howwwwww sweeeeeet! He's even got his hand on my shoulder!!! Eeeeep!
Doesn't it look like it could be a family pic? Like he could be relate to my husband LOL! Yup... that's "Uncle Adam" LOL! Just kidding ;)

And of course me and my hubby with the Boondock Saints!!! OMG!!!

My Little Munchkin all geared up and ready to see Mr. Lee :)

Inside just hanging around the photo op area... we wanted to make sure we weren't last LOL!

Neo from Matrix... "Yes, these are the hats you are looking for." Bahahahaha!

Stan Lee got all excited... he heard the McC's were next in line to get his autograph on some of his comics ;)
Yup, that's Stan the Man and he's signing our comics! Spider-man 30th Anniversary Edition and The Amazing Spider-Man # 363 with Carnage!
That right there will be the munchkin's college fund!

Yup that is Lou Ferrigno... the original Incredible Hulk!

Just some of the amazing art that was for sale... we came home with some two... a Harley Quinn & Catwoman poster done by Terry Huddleston! Just Awesome!

A very cool Alien costume!

Home made rockin Star Screen Costume from Transformers!

My hubby and Chewy from Star Wars :)
The kiddo battling the evil Empire!

Best Aquaman and Aquawoman costumes ever! And made by hand by Aquawoman!

The kiddo and a very nice Deadpool :)

So as you can tell... we had a super geek-tastic time! We got to meet some of our favorite celebs, tons of free swag and let our geek flags fly proudly!

Book Review: Catching Fire (Book 2) By: Suzanne Collins

Sparks are Igniting. Flames are Spreading. And the Capitol wants Revenge!

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her long time friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

Oooooh so good! If you think the first one is great... wait till you read Catching Fire! The epic saga continues with Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Gale, Prim and all our friends from District 12 as well as our allies in the Capitol. This time, the tables have turned with the games! It's year of the Quarter Quell and that means the stakes have been raised even higher... along with all the lives of the ones we love! Read it!-- It's truly amazing! Ohhh and a word to the wise... be prepared to have Mockingjay (the last book) on hand... you will thank me when you get to the end of Catching Fire!

Sew Awesome Apron Top!

So I wouldn't say that I'm back to sewing and crafting just yet... but you just wait till hubby has to leave... I am SURE I will have to find SOMETHING to fill my time with... lol! ;)

In the mean time... here is what I whipped up yesterday on the sewing machine...

An apron top for my munchkin! I've been wanting to make one of these for a long time! I just never knew how to go about it... so I scoured the internet for a long time and finally found a nice tutorial... I made my own alterations of course to fit my child but, it's really so simple you could make it however you wanted to.


This is my favorite part... the back... I love it looks all laced together! The fabric is all cotton and VERY breathable! A few more of these and we will be all set to spend our summer in hot
South West Florida! What do you think?

Book Review: The Hunger Games (Book 1) By: Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capital is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

And just like that... I am hooked! I think its pretty much safe to say, I am going to love this series! Katniss is amazing! I can't wait to see what happens next! I seriously loved everything about this book! I don't want to reveal too much, but it IS such a great book, that you should not walk to the book store but run, in fact... ya know what... running is too slow... get a teleporter to the book store and get this book today! You won't be disappointed! It has has a bit of everything; adventure, danger, thrills, romance, friendship and humanity. Oh and may the record show... my heart beats for the boy with the bread. READ the book... and you'll know what I mean ;)

Rollerskating Weekend!

This past weekend was a fun filled Girl Scout dedicated weekend for my munchkin. Saturday her girl scout troop went to the movies and saw Beauty and the Beast on the big screen, which of course she loved. They got to go early and have the whole theater to themselves, including free popcorn and drinks! Now, that you can't beat! Saturday evening was our 100 years in Girl Scout celebration, all the troops from our service unit got together at the community center and played games, did crafts, pony rides, and had food and cake. Monday (since it was MLK day, and the kids were off of school) we went with our service unit again to the local skating rink! The munchkin got to roller skate for the first time! At first she was a little apprehensive about it but after a few times around the rink she was fine. She was amazed that her dad and I knew how to do it... and that mommy could go backwards! (Years, of practice people!) It was seriously so much fun though, I can't wait to taker her back and do it again, I even felt like a kid again! The place we went to also brought back soooooooo many memories for me. As a kid, I had my birthday part at the skating rink just about every year, and I looked forward to it, because it was just so much fun! Check out the pics! I even have a video for ya! ;)

Book Reivew: Hickory Smoked Homicide (A Memphis BBQ Mystery) By: Riley Adams

Welcome to Aunt Pat's barbeque restaurant-family run and located in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee. Named in honor of Lulu Taylor's great aunt, the restaurant on Beale Street dishes out the best that barbeque has to offer. But sometimes even the best food can bring out the worst in people...

Since she runs the hottest barbeque joint in town, Lulu Taylor knows pretty much everyone in Memphis who loves their ribs sweet and their corn bread spicy. But one person she'd rather not know is Tristan Pembroke, a snooty pageant coach with a mean streak longer than a line outside Aunt Pat's. When she finds Tristan's dead body stuffed in a closet at a party, the police are suspicious-especially since Lulu's developed a taste for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Caught in a situation stickier than molasses, Lulu must clear her name, or risk getting fried!

With every book I read, I like this series more and more. This one really had me guessing till the end. There were so many good character's who could have "done it", and every time I thought I had someone pegged... there popped up another clue to make me wanna second guess someone else! Great thrilling and suspenseful ending as well. This is the third book in the Memphis BBQ Mystery Series by Riley Adams and I am growing to love the friends and family that gather around ole Aunt Pat's, I hope Riley Adams continues to write this series because now I am definitely hooked! :)

All about being a "Millie" Quiz

So I see this military spouse quiz has been floating around the blogging world for a few days now, I'm not sure where it origninated from but I am stealing it and doing it LOL! I stole this one from a friends & fellow "millie's" blog at NH Girl Displaced Check out her blog, she's pretty hilarious and shares my sense of humor :)

How did you and your spouse meet?

Well... actually I've known him most of my life... you see our mom's are friends and pretty much grew up together in Germany. They married our dads and came to the US in the 1970's. We were born in the early 80's and they kept in touch over the years, so him and I would see each other over the summers since we didn't live in the same city. It wasn't always so peachy though, we both were married before and it took us a while to "find" each other again after we grew up but never the less... here we are... happy :)

See... here we are watching tv together on his parents old 1907's couch... the photo is around 1987 I believe.

How old were you when you two met?

In the beginning? We were just babies... later in life when we met up again and started to date we were 22 & 24

How long have you been together?

Since 2006

Where are you and your spouse originally from?

Were both from Florida. He grew up in Jacksonville and I grew up in Ft. Myers.

How did you feel about him joining the military?

He was already enlisted but I needed a change after my marriage to my ex had ended and boy did I get one LOL! To be honest, I was excited... and proud and excited LOL!

Where did your spouse go to Basic Training?

At Lackland AFB where all the Airman go LOL!

Has your spouse ever been deployed?

Yes. Once, his second deployment is coming up soon.

Ever been to his promotion ceremony?

Yes, and I got to "tack" is stripes on... that means the Airforce allows me to actually punch my husband (don't worry, I didn't do it hard) it was pretty awesome! :)

How long have you been a military wife?

Officially... like registered with DEER's... its been 5 years.

Did you marry him before or after he joined?

After

How did your husband propose?

It wasn't really a proposal really... we were just sitting on the floor of our old house in Oklahoma right after the movers came and packed up all our stuff to move us to Georgia and he looked at me and said... "so do you have any plans next week?" and I said; "no, not that I can think of, why?" He said; "well then I think we should go get married" LOL! How romantic right? LOL! It totally caught me off guard ;)

Where did you get married?

Richmond County courthouse in Augusta Georgia :)

How old were you two when you got married?

I was 24 he was 26

Did he wear his uniform on your wedding day?

No, as I recall we both wore jeans t-shirts LOL! I think I even wore flip flops! LOL!

Where are you and your spouse currently stationed?

Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi

Do you live on base?

No, but we do live in Base Housing... if that makes sense...

How long were you married when you had to go through your first separation?

A week... and then he was gone to school for 2 months, it sucked... we had just moved to Georgia and hadn't even unpacked our first apartment (that was pretty much in the ghetto) I had no friends, no family and a 13 month old baby to take care of all by myself. I was pretty much scared out of my mind!

What is your favorite base so far?

I actually like them all for different reasons... mostly the friends we had and the good times we shared.

Does your spouse look good in his uniform?

Um YEAH! Duh! LOL! I like his ABU's better than his dress though ;)

Do you think military life is more advanced than civilian life?

I think life is a bit more challenging and complicated but it's life. Everyone has different things to overcome in their lives.

Do you like the benefits you receive as a military dependent?

Sure... commissary shopping is nice, gas on base is usually cheaper and the CFR does a good job of helping you out when your hubby is gone.

Do you have a lot of military wife friends?

No, other than my military friends on blogger I don't have many. I have a few here and I do mean a small few... it's mostly because the people I live around suck ass. They like to stir up trouble and gossip and I'm just not into that...

What is the hardest part of being a military wife?

I'd have to say the alone times, whither he's gone for two weeks or 6 months it never gets any easier... I always put it this way, if I didn't love you I wouldn't care that your leaving. It's not that I can't handle it on my own its just I prefer to go through life with the one I love by my side every day. Unfortunately being a military wife that is not always an option. The other part that sucks is living in the unknown... you just never know when you might have to move or when a deployment will come up... it kinda sucks. First rule as a mil wife... write down everything in pencil!

Do you own any military wife stuff?

He bought me a silver pendent right after we got married that says air force wife and there is a little silver dog tag that has a heart in the middle that is also on the same chain. I wear it from time to time...

Do you support your spouse as a member of the military?

Of course! Without a doubt! I am proud of my husband no matter what he does and I will always support him in everything he does.

The McC's go on a Geocaching Adventure!

Yesterday our base (Keesler AFB) and our Outdoor Rec. Center sponsored an awesome little geocaching hunt. The prize for the first person who finds the final clue box received a weekend voucher for a pontoon boat! Sadly we didn't win first prize but we did get a little prize from the box and most importantly we had fun just going out and "hunting for treasure!" oh so the munchkin likes to call it. Have any of you ever been geocaching before? I've done Letterboxing before and few geocaching, but this was the first time we did it as a family :)

Here's some of the pics from our adventure :)

Off to find our first clue! (It was at the pool house)

Look for the "smileys" for the clues!

A walk through the woods to the marina :)

Da Plane! Da Plane! The next clue is on the plane... just kidding ;)

The last box! Woohoo!

And that's all folks! :)

Comence Life!

The holidays are now over and I am starting to feel the normal rush of regular life take over (as usual) we are down to the "weeks" portion of hubby getting ready to leave for his big D. No, I will not say when, no I will not say where... remember OPSEC... sorry. So now we are kinda "mad-dashing" around trying to get everything in order. The paperwork is all done and the big arrangements have been made its just the little things now to worry about... like finding the write adapter, buying some extra clothes and boots, etcs...

I am on week five of my college class and I am holding down the fort with a A! I got my first essay grade last week and received an A on it as well (97.8). I'll tell you what though... I think writing in APA format is horrible and stupid! LOL! I am a little over the half way point with the class and should be ending it at the end of this month. Funny thing... my class ends the same day that I will be in NOLA with the munchkin seeing STAN Freakin LEE, for those of you who don't know who this awesome and amazing man is... he created Spider-man! Annnd... Adam Baldwin -- Mr. John Casey from the TV show Chuck! Yes, see I AM still a geek at heart! Oh man its gonna be so awesome!

Cookie sales will be starting soon, probably in the next week or so with Girl Scouts. I'm pretty excited seeing how its gonna be munchkin's first time doing a cookie sale! :) Soccer will also be starting up again for the season in about two weeks. It is going to be the munchkin's fourth year playing and her third year playing on the Keesler Youth Soccer League. She is very excited... me... I am terrified... why? Because I am COACHING! Yes... I am... I know... what did I get my self into right?! Well... I have been putting it off for weeks now, and the director has been bugging us parents by email saying that he needs a coach and an assistant coach for the team. I didn't really want to do it because I just have so much going on as it is with college and Girl Scouts and the nameless other projects I take on, I just didn't want to overload myself (especially since hubbers will be gone) But... the director sent out a final email yesterday saying he would have to refund the money to the parents of the kids who would have been on her team if someone didn't step forward to coach. They just didn't have any extra people to coach this year and the teams are already really full. I know how much she was looking forward to playing and with her dad being gone, the more distractions the better! So... what else could I do? So yeah... here I am coach Jess for Team Fire 5-6 year olds! LOL! Oy vey!

The Reading List

Well, with a new year... we have started a new challenge... chapter books! YAY! I'm so glad she is finally at the stage where she can focus a little longer in reading. I like that she is reading a level above what they are required also. She still has trouble with words and needs my help a lot but I know it will be for the best! I am so excited about the books she chose too! The boxcar children books were probably my favorite in 3rd grade! I can't beleive she can actually read them... she is so much smarter than I was at her age, but I guess that is the point... isn't it? To want your child to be better than you and excel at everything they do. I am so proud of her! Now, I just have to make my long but distinguished book list for this year, I completed my challenge of 30 books in 2011 and I hope to do at least that many this year as well. I still have one Black Dagger Brotherhood book to read, and a few mystery books in my collection left to read as well. I also want to try to read a few more of the "popular" books that will be coming out this year too. What will you be reading this year? Have you made your list yet?

My Simple New Year's Resolution

I have a very simple New Year's resolution this year, and I'm pretty excited about it also! Have you ever gotten a recite from a store and done a survey? Have you ever actually won whatever grand prize they have? I haven't... but then again, I haven't ALWAYS done the survey's on the receipt. I want to... I just usually stuff it in my purse and then forget about it. So this year, my resoultion is to do as many surveys as I can! I will do all the survey's that I get from my receipts from shopping and going out to eat. I want to see if I can actually win anything... it's worth a shot really... and what have I got to lose but just a few minutes?

I have already done four surveys so far today. We went out and about on our usual Sunday adventures which include Walmart and usually the mall. The munckin bought a book at Books-a-Million and I came home to enter into their survey of winning a $350.00 gift card. We also went to Petsmart where I did their online survey and I got an "instant reward", buy doing their survey I will save $3.50 on Ace's next grooming (which really does save since his nails cost about $9.00 to get done) so 2 minutes of my time for a $3.50 savings is worth it to me! I then went to dunkin donuts and bought two separate items so I got two receipts. Both receipts let me fill out a short survey and at the end I got a "instant reward" of any donut for free when I buy a medium or large beverage! Side Note: I bought the hazelnut K-Cups for my coffee maker tonight and they are freakin AWESOME! LOL!

The survey's are not hard and most of them take only 1-2 minutes. Out of all the survey's I filled out today, Books-a-Million was the most simple, it quite literally took me a minute! Probably would have took less, if I didn't write almost a paragraph on my awesome experience with my favorite sales associate. He's pretty awesome, and always in a very friendly mood. I seriously hope he gets sales associate of the year!

Christmas 2011 Wrap Up

Hi guys! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! I know we sure did! We were truly blessed with Christmas this year! Despite our hardships this year, with car issues and infertility... the year was still mostly great and Christmas was grand! My parents came from Florida for almost two weeks and it was very nice having them at our house for Christmas for a change. We usually pack up the car and travel south for Christmas but, with all that has been going on lately... we wanted to save money on traveling and stay at home, so it was nice of them to come to us and make the 12-hour-by-car-trip-sacrifice to be with us. It was also their first Christmas away from home in the last 30 years! We also had a nice big surprise when my In-Laws showed up at our door on Christmas Eve! LOL! That was unexpected but awesome! They totally had us fooled! They were even talking to us on the phone when they pulled up in the driveway! So we had the whole family here with us to celebrate the holiday! --Like I said... Awesome!

I cooked Christmas dinner all by myself this year for 7 adults and 4 children and it was awesome! The hardest part of the whole thing was making sure the parental units sat on their butts and did nothing! That as my whole goal... every year they like shuffling around the kitchen with me and helping me make the meal but this year I wanted to give them the gift of just enjoying the the extra time with their granddaughter and being waited on and served. They deserve it after all, for all they do for us. We had the usual dinner items; Ham, Turkey, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Green bean Casserole, Veggies, Rolls, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Pies, Cookies, Cakes etc.

Christmas morning was also awesome, everyone seemed to enjoy their gifts we gave them and Santa was very good to the munchkin this year! I thought her eye balls were gonna pop out of her head when she opened her barbie doll that she asked him for... she has been waiting all Christmas season to see if he would remember to bring it for her! It was awesome to see her face and smile and have her say... seee! He remembered and he IS real! So worth every penny!

One of my favorite things we did this year for Christmas was something new... we went to Bellingrath Gardens its in Theodore Alabama and it has a HUGE light display. There is a historical home you can tour and even a dinner cruise you can take on the Flow river. We mostly just stuck to touring the gardens and viewing the lights. All I can say is... if your ever in the area during this time of year... go! You will NOT be disappointed!

Here's just some of the pics from our Christmas :)






This is how she kept her Grandparents busy for me while I worked in the kitchen... Candy Land... and she's pulling a Charlie Sheen because they are pretending to be cry babies LOL!
Oh yeah... we take Candy Land in our house VERY seriously! LOL!


In Bellingrath Gardens... it was just beautiful!


By far my favoirte picture from that night... he cracks me up!
This is why I am still married to him LOL!

He snuck in a last minute kiss when the camera went off...*sigh* Love him... :)

These pictures just don't do the experience justice...
it really was a beautifully lit up winter wonderland!

Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas blogger friends! This will probably the most I will be posting over the next few days. We've been really busy with all the holiday fun that's going on. My parents are here visiting from Florida so we have been busy hanging out and taking them around. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and see you all in the New Year! Till then I leave you with a Christmas Meme! :D

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hands down... Hot Chocolate! Now that we have our new Keurig, we've been using the crap out of it to make coffee, tea and hot chocolate! It's amazing! It was our Christmas present to each other :) Oh and it also makes ice tea!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Yes, he wraps them. She is still little and I like her still believing in the magic of Santa and everything. I think once you lose that innocence, Christmas just doesn't have quite the same magic to it... So this year they will all be wrapped and placed under the tree on Christmas Eve before she goes to bed and in the morning she will ransack through them! Like the unwrapping tornado she is LOL!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We have neither... hubby just refuses to buy lights for a house that we will probably be moving out of in less than 2 years. He wants to wait till we have our own house to buy them. He finds there is no point in buying lights to fit this house and then having to buy more for the next house and having this mismatch... LOL! I think hes just being cheap LOL!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope... it's a nice thought but we don't need mistletoe to kiss. LOL!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually its right after Thanksgiving... mostly on Black Friday, after I've gone shopping.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Mine is the ham! OMG! I wait all year just to have Christmas ham! I love it!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? It's been so long its hard to remember... they were all kind of special. I think the best one though is the year my dad came home from being deployed during operation Desert Storm early enough to celebrate Christmas with us.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think it was kindergarten... some fool hearted kid decided to tell everyone... Justin somebody... don't remember his name. I just remember being crushed.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, not usually... because she will want to open hers... and I kind of like doing it on Christmas morning. There's just something about seeing her run down the stairs with these huge wide eyes and a huge smile on her face when the tree is all lit up and there's tons of packages underneath.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Ours is a mix of everything. There are lots of handmade ornaments that the kiddo and I have done together... some she has made with girl scouts. Some are antique that my grandmother has given me, that were brought over from Ireland when she came in 1933. Some are just unique little ones I've picked up from different states we live in... I have fleur de lis that I got to represent Biloxi. But I like it all the same... with a bit of everything :)

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it! If..... I don't have to drive in it or go anywhere in it. Sadly... it doesn't snow here thought.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes! I love it too! I have done it since I was a kid... we had a rink near the city I grew up in and it was awesome! I just haven't done it in a while... so I am probably rusty.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Id probably have to say my first bike! Roxy... yup... that is what I named her... sooooo 80's! LOL

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with family and friends no matter where you are.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Chocolate Pie!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Having people (all our friends and family) over for Christmas day dinner. I spread out the big table cloth and let everyone write on it to commemorate the holiday. I do it with Thanksgiving and all the other holidays too.

17. What tops your tree? A silver star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving is better for me... I love getting the perfect gift for the ones I buy for.

19. Candy Canes: I like them, but I'm not crazy about them.

20. Favorite Christmas show? A Christmas Story & Christmas Vacation!
21. Saddest Christmas Song? I'll be home for Christmas...

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Santa Baby!

Milspouse Friday Fill-In (aka. Stresssssss day)

1. One of my New Year’s resolutions is try to be a little less stressed... phsh! That's what resolutions are all about right?! Breaking them!

2. One thing I’d like to happen next year is I think by now, all of you know what that is... it's the same thing I wish for every year... only this time it will be the last, I have decided I can't wish my life away on a baby that will never happen. So after this year I'm giving up.

3. One thing I’m looking forward to next year is Spending a few months down in Florida after school's out. I miss "home".

4. One change I’d like to see next year is I have no idea... how about luck... I'd like a change of good luck for once!

5. My plans for NYE include Not sure... probably helping the hubby with his last minute things... and working on my school work... because college seems to be the only thing I have time for anymore :(