We're Getting There!

We're trucking along on our moving journey to Japan.

We drove from California to Illinois without any problems or delays, and thankfully no snow, serious rain, or ice. We did the drive in 2 days to get home quickly and relax. The cats hung in there and we got to my parents' house and settled in.

My brother was able to visit at the same time, so it was so fun to spend time with my family and my husband's family. It's been two years since we were last home, so we had a lot to catch up on!



I haven't even turned on my camera since we've gotten home (the picture above is from my mom's camera!) It's surprising, but it's been really nice to just focus on talking and sharing and enjoying, rather than posing for pictures. It also makes this blog less exciting, but I've been so relaxed and happy since we've been able to see everyone. We're also thoroughly enjoying Chicago food and landmarks! After we get over our colds (darn weather) we'll be making a trip or two down into downtown Chicago to reminisce and enjoy.


Our actual trip to Japan is coming up quicker than ever! We've finally worked out our flights with the military and we're all set to get there. We'll be flying to Seattle and then onto Misawa. It'll be a long process, but worth it. Once we get there, it shouldn't be too long before we're in a house and hopefully with all of our furniture! Last we checked our Household Goods shipment was in the Pacific Ocean on its way!

I'll post some more pictures once my mom uploads them! Like I said, my camera hasn't even been turned on! Stay tuned ;)

Sharing Blogs

Would you like to see a blog I absolutely drool over? Check out Dana's Housetweaking.

Things I love about her blog:
-She lives in the Midwest. She owned a house in IL and now lives in OH. I feel a kinship to anyone in the Midwest.
-She does realistic improvements/decorations/etc. She's not made of money (none of us are!), so I don't feel guilty lusting after her design ideas, since it's realistic that one day I could actually use that inspiration in my own home. Instead of dropping big bucks for the "must-haves", she does what makes her happy and does it in her own way. And it's beautiful.
-I love love love her sense of style. It's so calming. She uses a lot of natural colors/textures, lots of whites and browns. Just by the pictures you can tell it's a house you could get comfortable in.

(Have I used the word love enough for you???)



I basically want to take all her ideas and use them to inspire my own house!

Since I spend a lot of time drooling over her gorgeous house, I figured I'd pass it along to anyone with similar tastes.

Just look at the beautiful rooms she photographs in detail on her site (look here for individual rooms)









Looking at her pictures makes me want to own my own house so I can paint and decorate to my heart's content without worrying about moving out. Of course that's not going to happen for years, but it's nice to imagine!

Again, her blog is Housetweaking and it's amazing.




On a more realistic note, I'm excited to decorate a new house in a few months. I'm not at all looking forward to all the unpacking, but the decorating and organizing will be fun.

We're headed home to Illinois bright and early tomorrow morning. Onto the next phase of our move --- miles and miles of driving!

What I've Been Reading

Since this blog is called "Wife with Books" and I'm an avid reader, I figure I should probably share what I've been reading, right?

Since this semester is almost over (I'm finishing my last paper by Wednesday!), I've been reading fluff. Because my major was English, I read like a crazy person every semester. I'd read book after book and it'd generally be things from past centuries or things with a lot of depth that I need to analyze, discuss, and potentially write papers on. Basically, I need to use my brain as I write.

So.

When I finally finish all that heavy reading, I need a break! Want to know how I take a break from heavy reading? I read more. I know, normal. I read what I call my "fluff" books. Love stories, life stories, funnies and light books that I can whiz through without really turning my brain on. I can knock a fluff book out in a day, and have many times.


First, I'm reading on my favorite little toy: My Kindle! I adore my Kindle. During our travels, it's been the best thing to pack. I've already knocked out SEVEN books and we've barely begun our travels. I'd need a whole huge suitcase just for books otherwise! It's also really convenient for everyday.



I would totally recommend the Kindle to anyone looking into E-readers. I've never tried the competition, but I'm in love with Kindle and the Amazon store and everything about my favorite little electronic lover.

Onto the books!



Nora Roberts-Happy Ever After.
It's the fourth in a series, and I love Nora Roberts. She has love stories down if her collection of books and bestsellers is any indication. I like that she writes fun characters. I kind of want to be Parker, who is the main character in Happy Ever After.



Debbie Macomber-16 Lighthouse Road
Another series--this one's the Cedar Cove series. It's a huge collection (I think 10 books?) of books concerning a little community of people. It's a huge range of personalities from 18-70 and from all different walks of life. Like Roberts, she's been doing this forever and knows how to do it well. I sometimes find this series a little annoying because there's almost too many characters in each book. I get stuck on one person's story and want to hear more, but I have to wade through six other stories to get back to that person. I still like it enough to zoom through the first six books of the series though! The first six came in a bundle on Kindle, and the next four are in a similar bundle. Each book has the address of one character's house and that character sort of leads the whole novel.


Helen Fielding-Bridget Jones's Diary
I never saw the movie, but thought some humor might be good in my life. I've just started this one, and it's a little different because it's written in diary format with a lot of abbreviations. I'm starting to get the hang of the style, but it's taking me longer to get into than most books. I don't dislike it, but I'm kind of indifferent at the moment. It has made me laugh though, which is always a good sign!

Some books on my wishlist include:











I think that's enough drooling over my Amazon wishlist for me. I just have to convince my husband to let me splurge on some more books. Luckily he doesn't really mind my book obsession, since it usually means he gets new books as well. We work well together.



Read any good books lately?

The Journey Begins!

We've officially started the moving process to Japan!


I moved out of our house yesterday. It was bittersweet. We're so excited to get to Japan and start that adventure, but this was our first home. It's where we started our marriage together and where we adopted our two cats. It has a lot of good memories for us. We always said that if we could just pick up the house and move it to someplace other than CA, it'd be perfect! Oh well, goodbye first house! I can't say I'll really miss NAS Lemoore though...




Now we're in San Diego while Jeff does some training. We're planning to just relax and recuperate in the hotel in between the craziness of moving out and the craziness of driving cross country then flying overseas.

The 5hour drive down to San Diego was the first big car ride for the cats (we've driven with them for 5-20minute rides but nothing more) and they did pretty well. They were freaked out, but stayed calm and quiet for the most part. I was so thankful that they handled that ride well, since we still have to drive to Illinois!

When we got to the hotel, they were freaked out even more. They ended up burrowing under the covers and cuddling under there in apparent safety. They slept like the dead--apparently the drive was traumatic.





After a day of rest, the cats are getting more courageous and starting to explore every inch of the hotel room. We'll be here for a little over a week, so they better get comfortable. Their favorite spot is the tiny window in the mini-kitchenette.





So for the next few days, we'll be hanging out and getting some much loved rest in a big comfy bed. Jeff's classes are pretty straightforward so he's not too stressed. I've got a few papers and a final to finish up and then I'll be DONE with my Bachelors! The cats are probably hoping never to have to get in the car again, but of course that's not happening. Oh well, we still love them ;)





We'll be on our way to Illinois soon! I'm so excited to be home for the holidays!

About This Wife

Since you're reading all the little details of my day to day life, I suppose a general introduction would be helpful too? Complete with pictures, of course.





I'm Teri. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. I love to read and play with animals. I grew up wanting to be a vet without the science part, and I still wish I could save all the animals in the shelters. My love of reading grew with me, so I just finished my Bachelor's in English. I haven't decided where that's going to take me yet, but for now I have an intense love of all things literature. Outside of my always-growing book collection, I enjoy watching movies with my husband and going on new adventures. We like exploring new places and trying new things. I'm learning to push my comfort boundaries a little more! I used to be that kid that only ate bread and butter and only did things I was already comfortable with.






I have an amazing husband, Jeff. We got married in 2008. We have that ridiculously cheesy "high school sweethearts" love story -- we started dating my junior year. He joined the Navy and I went to college, and after a few years of being an ocean apart, we got married and moved in together. We've been stationed in California for a few years. He has an incredible sense of humor and he challenges and supports me. He's a huge movie buff and he absorbs every bit of trivia and random knowledge he hears. Besides his huge collection of movies and video games, he also loves reading as much as I do. It's a good match, but we always need more bookshelves ;)





We've adopted two cats and have made them part of the family. Guinness and Fiona have loud personalities to fit in with this little family and they like to be in the center of the action. They're as different as night and day, and they have a love/fight relationship.





Guinness is the strong, silent type. He prefers sleeping on fluffy beds and playing while laying on his back, and he's my savior for killing nasty bugs and critters in the house. He can catch a fly out of thin air, and for that I let him steal my pillows.





While Guinness curls up, Fiona sprawls. She takes up as much room as she can on a bed, couch, or chair. She meows louder than any cat I've ever heard and she will literally have a conversation with me if I let her. She also purrs louder than a phone on vibrate. She will eat anything you put in front of her and she has a favorite toy she brings to Jeff to play fetch with. She's the loud one in our house.





Outside of my little family, I have a really incredible support system. My parents, my brother, and my in-laws are an amazing group of people who support my husband and me in our journeys and choices. I become more like my mother every day and I cook like my dad, making a mess as I go and preferring to just throw things together to using measuring cups. My family is the most important thing in my life, and I love to laugh and share stories with them.





My little family is preparing for our biggest adventure yet: moving to Japan! We'll be stationed in Misawa, Japan for three years. Jeff's been stationed in Naples, Italy and deployed to other bases in Japan twice, but I've never lived overseas so I'm terribly excited/nervous!! We're hoping to travel and explore as well as try the local food and learn some of the language. Misawa Air Base is in a rural area on the north end of the largest island, and it's supposed to be beautiful with mountains, snow, and the Pacific ocean. We're packed and ready to go explore!






For more info on Misawa Air Base: click here!


Keep up with this blog and I'll be sharing all the ups and downs and little adventures of living in Japan, as well as the everyday adventures of life in general. I promise a lot more pictures along the way :)