Philly Cheesesteak Green Peppers & Seasoned Cucumbers

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Green Peppers

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Green Bell Peppers

1 Small-Medium Sweet Onion

6ozs mushrooms (if desired)
2 Tbs. Butter
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 Tbs. Garlic Powder (or Minced Garlic)
Salt and Pepper - to taste
8 oz. Thinly Sliced Roast Beef
8 Slices Provolone Cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds. Put hollowed out peppers on baking sheet or in an over safe dish and prebake for 5-10 minutes. If you prefer more “crunch” in your pepper, only prebake for 5 minutes (or don’t prebake at all).

Chop onions (and mushrooms, if desired).  Sauté over low-medium heat with butter, olive oil, garlic and salt/pepper in a large pan.  Sauté until onions (and mushrooms) are caramelized (in other words, nice & tan).  This takes around 20 minutes.

 Remove prebaked peppers from the oven and add a slice of provolone cheese to each pepper.  Next add the thin sliced roast beef mixing the onions in with the roast beef and you stuff each pepper.  I overstuff each pepper a bit because the meat will actually shrink during the baking process.  Once all peppers are stuffed, add a slice of provolone to the top of each one.  Place back into oven and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

For a side we had cucumber.  Blah you think?  Not hardly!  Check out this recipe and you’ll be keeping cucumbers in your fridge all the time!

Seasoned Cucumbers

1 Cucumber

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
Salt & Pepper, if desired

Cut the cucumber into slices and then quarter.  Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix.  Refrigerate until chilled.

(Pictures to follow soon)

There's No Place Like Home

Well Toto, there really is no place like home!  I'm still in disbelief that we packed up our townhome and moved, well drove it to TN, only to bring it right back.  I cancelled the transfer, he cancelled his interview and we followed our hearts and decided that we were going to stay in Asheville.  I honestly can't say that I'm disappointed at all about it.  I was looking forward to new things but being married and having a husband that is home with me every day is "new" enough for me! 

So what did happen in TN that was bad enough for us to decide to move back to Asheville within 30 minutes of us being in TN?  Well, nothing major happened if that is what you were thinking.  Everything was lined up and the transition seemed that it would be flawless.  We drove straight to the apartment that we had decided to call home for the next year, went over the contract, signed all paperwork, got the keys and that's when it all went downhill.  We excitedly went up to our top floor "luxury" apartment only to be met with disappointment, EXTREME DISAPPOINTMENT.  It was a far, far, FAR cry from what we saw online.  It was beyond disappointing.  As we sat in the middle of the living room floor, on carpet that felt more like plastic, it was hard not to absolutely lose it.  John gave me a big hug and kiss and said, "Lets go home, lets go back to Asheville."  With that, all was well and we went back to the apartment office and asked that the contract be shredded.  Of course the apartment staff "could not believe" that we didn't like the apartment.  I seriously thought she might shed a tear or two after hearing our thoughts of her "wonderful" and "luxurious" apartments.  

So here we are, back in Asheville.  I got to keep my job and he quickly picked up a job.  This definitely wasn't where we thought we would be, but we are definitely not disappointed!  We will live in our townhome until we find a house.  We are in no huge hurry to get rid of it, after seeing the so-called luxury apartment, we feel like we are living by royal standards.  We definitely have a new appreciation for our little place we call home.   

What Did You Just Say?

So this is it, the last week I will spend being half a world away from my husband.  The wait is almost over and it seems so surreal.  Everyone asks if I’m excited…umm…is that even a valid question?  OF COURSE I’M EXCITED, I’m ecstatic!  This journey subtly tagged as “contract work” has really opened my eyes to the lack of understanding that the general public has for not only our military & contractors, but for the families supporting them from the home field.  Some questions or comments that you hear literally want to make you smack the person they are coming from.  Seriously, a book should be written on what NOT to say to the spouse of someone deployed to a warzone.  So what are some of these comments and questions you might ask?  Here are just a few….

·         Do you worry about him?   Gezzz, let me simmer on that for a minute…. Yes I worry about my husband; he’s in a warzone for crying out loud!  You tell me you worry about your husband’s transit to work daily and you ask me if I’m worried about mine.  Really?!

·         Do you miss him? Would you miss half of your heart if it was missing, I think so!  I miss him, but life does not stop without him.  I can’t sit down and have a pity party for the duration of his deployment.  Just because I’m not a sobbing mess doesn’t mean that I don’t miss my husband.

·         You’ve got it made making all that money.  Never, I repeat NEVER say this to a contractor’s spouse.  A fury unlike no other may be unleashed on you if you do so consider yourself warned from this moment on.  You can’t put a price on having someone physically home with you plus, the paycheck isn’t as high as you imagine I’m sure.

·         Don’t you get lonely? Of course I get lonely, especially at my age when the majority of my friends are married and have families.  You find your circle of friends get smaller since you are considered the “odd wheel” or you’re not asked because it may be uncomfortable for you and you are rarely invited out by them because of that.   Hey people, why not be a friend when a friend is needed the most?

·         There are PLENTY of jobs here in the states; he didn’t have to go overseas. I’m still waiting to find out where this sea of jobs can be found (along with hundreds of others)………. End of story.

·         When we first moved our relationship past the “friend” stage he’d send me flowers and things.  Never refer to gifts as him “buying your love.”  Your husband/boyfriend takes you out to dinner and buys you the occasional flower bouquet every now and then and I don’t refer to this as him buying you so what is the difference?   If my husband wanted to fill our entire house with flowers/cards/gifts so be it!  It made him feel better when he wasn’t home to take me out on dates.

·         How connected can you be if he’s never around? After conversations with numerous people, I’m confident in saying that I’m more connected to mine than the majority that live daily with their spouse.  We communicate as opposed to many who just share air space. 

·         My husband travels for work so I know exactly how you feel.  If your husband is in a work zone where he is surround by people whose goal in life is to kill and destroy people like him, there are mortar & rocket attacks, he lives in a tent, has no access to a hot breakfast or decent meal, threats of not only terrorists but vipers (not the cars) and scorpions, he’s gone for months at a time (for some spanning over a year) then yes, yes you know how I feel.  Otherwise, shut it!

·         You’ve not seen your husband/boyfriend in a few days or a week or a month…. Really, you get absolutely no sympathy from me…NONE. 

·         He’s “just a contractor.”  This statement has chapped me every time I hear it.  Do you know that there are more contractors than troops SERVING in war zones now?  Do you know that they are just as much at risk as military?  Do you think they are bullet/rocket proof just because they are a “contractor?”  My husband, as well as so many others, have sacrificed more than you could imagine so be grateful and don’t discount their sacrifices for our country.

·         During our family loss, “you need him here, can’t he just come home?”  This is no 9-5 job people.  No, he can’t just come home.  Do you realize how many deaths, holidays, important events, births, etc that our troops and contract workers miss as part of their duty to our country?  Don’t be naive and think that just because you can ask for a day off, that they can.

As this chapter of our life comes to a close, I can’t help but be thankful for all the things that I have learned from it.  I know that every day together is a gift and should be treated as such.  I know that sacrifices are made daily in the war zone and the home front.  I’m excited about what the future holds for John & me as he adjusts back to civilian life.  My daily prayers will remain with those who are still in waiting for their loved ones to return home.

New Direction

In the past week and a half, our direction finally has direction.  If anyone knows us well and our situation, that statement will make complete sense.  After all the months of trying to find our next place and where we would finally start our lives together, in the same country, same state and same home for the first time permanently, we finally have a "where" and that is NASHVILLE, TN!  During the planning of our wedding, I would've never imagined that this would be the place we would call home, but it is and I am thrilled about it!  It seems like it's the place that we are meant to be at, there's just too many signs saying, "you belong here." When does this life begin?  In three weeks, THREE WEEKS.  My first day on the job is July 15th!  I'm still in disbelief that this is really happening.  We are looking forward to our new location and most importantly, I am looking forward to having him home!

Vegas '11 Memories

I about had a meltdown when I realized that our photos from our first ever trip to Vegas were gone!  Luckily, I had them on FB so while the picture quality is not there, the photos are.  So thankful that Shutterfly was able to pull from FB.  I will not rely on this method ever again, but this was a lifesaver.

Click here to view this photo book larger

You'll love Shutterflys award-winning photo books. Try it today.

In His Time

I read a quote tonight that said, "If you want to know where you heart is, look at where you mind goes when it wanders."  Where does your mind go when it wanders?  For me, mine goes straight to my husband.  So much that I often times wonder what in the world I thought about before him!  I feel like a kid most days with this overwhelming crush on him.  He came into my life and it was no longer "my" life, it was OUR life.  He's my biggest fan and cheerleader and I am the same to him.

Lately I've been frustrated about finding a job in Charleston.  It's what I focus on daily, I literally stalk the government job postings for openings in Charleston.  After months of trying, I finally got an email saying that my application had been approved and that it was being sent to the Charleston VA for a possible interview.  [Anyone that has ever went through the process of applying for or transferring inside the government knows how this is not a quick or "sure thing" process]  Oh how my world completely lit up when I read that email, I was literally jumping with excitement when I read it!  I was so excited to get that call, but it never came.  Tonight, I got an email saying that the position had been filled.  Absolute heartbreak.  I wanted to call John right away and tell him the "horrible and disheartening" news, but I had to wait till he woke up and called me (darned timezones).  When John called I was upset and rather discouraged.  Instead of falling into the well of hopelessness that I had let myself start sliding into, he told me that it just wasn't meant to be and that the perfect job for me would come along.  He told me they don't know what they are missing.  He told me all the things I needed to hear and not because he's my husband and he feels obligated to do so, but because he really does believe in me.  I really don't know what I would do without him, seriously.  The closer the time comes to when he said he would be home, the more nervous I get about the fact that I don't have a job already lined up in Charleston.  We've lived our lives apart for so long, I don't want to continue once he is stateside.  I've been trying so hard and honestly, overlooked who was in ultimate control.  So here's my declaration to God and everyone else as a witness, I'm completely turning it over to Him, COMPLETELY.  I will do my part such as applying for the jobs that I am qualified for and with that knowing that there is nothing further that I can do.  God will give me the job he sees fit, when he sees fit and I have absolutely no choice other than to accept it!

Wait for Me

Being a civilian contractor's wife, life is so much different than the "norm."  Over the years we have learned to appreciate every moment spent together, side by side.  During his R&R's we always plan a trip to get away somewhere.  It's hard to pick a favorite, they've each been amazing!  I've spent countless nights reliving our vacations and time together as I look through our pictures; Lord only knows how many times I've looked at them all.  I put together a little video that has just a handful of the hundreds of pictures that we have.  Also in the video are pictures that John has taken during his time in Afghanistan.  The song is "Wait for Me" by Theory of a Deadman, the words are so true to the current situation we are in.  I will wait for John as long as I have to because I know without a doubt that he is my soulmate and the one that God intended for me to spend a lifetime with.  He may not be here physically, but he's always with me; always in my thoughts and always in my heart.

"May the LORD watch between you and me when we are away from each other." Genesis 31:49