"I hate it here"

I have said these words more times than I care to count. I have said them at every single location that we have ever been stationed. Usually I say it around month three. At this point I have settled in and the newness has worn off. By this point I am really missing my friends from previous duty stations and all of the differences between me and the locals have stopped being "cute" or "quaint" and just started pissing me off. Then, usually within a matter of weeks, I make friends, learn the backroads, find the best places to shop and the really good restaurants and bakeries - in short, I settle in.
That being said - I hate it here! We have been here since July 2009, and I have lived here full-time since May 2010. I still cannot wait to leave. I know that this is a short term duty station with no possibility of settling in. Therefore, I haven't been allowing myself to get too friendly with the locals, and the military population here is so small the the number of potential female friends is very small, and I am done forcing myself to make friendships work. I am not saying that there aren't some nice ladies here, but no one who is BFF potential. It's a little sad and a lot frustrating. I cannot wait to leave here. I want to go back to Tennessee, or Washington, or Germany, or even try out Colorado.  Shhhhhhhh.... don't tell the Army, but I would even be willing to go to North Carolina, something I had been adamantly against in the past.
I miss being a part of a big military community. I miss having a group of people with whom I can laugh and roll my eyes with when we talk about the dumb stuff locals do, or commiserates with me about the deployments, TDYs, etc. People I can compare notes with. People with the same nomadic lifestyle. People who have kids going through the same stuff mine is - our third culture kids.
And to cap off this whine/rant let me sign off with these parting thoughts: *eh-hem* I hate the cold! I hate the way people drive here! I am sick and tired of living in this shitty house! I hate it here!!

Coffee

There are so many reasons why I love coffee... lets review the basics:
1) It's delicious.
2) It wakes me up when I am tired.
3) It smells good.
4) It has almost no calories (before I add all of my favorite coffee things to it).
5) I can drink it all year long
6) It is just as good cold as it is hot.
7) It is a reassuring part of my daily routine.
8) I can get it just about anywhere.

Ummm... coffee.

Philly

We went to Philadelphia today. We walked around the city. A lot.

It is a GREAT place for a family vacation! Lots of free stuff to do, and these amazing actors that tell history  in a very entertaining way. We will be going back.
But, I am tired now.

Oh - in other news, two days ago I took my NCLEX. After I finished I cried because I was sure I failed. Yesterday, I found out I passed. I was dumfounded, and elated, and relieved, and overjoyed, and so, so, so happy.

Now I just need to find a J.O.B!

A million and one reasons why I love my dog:

1. He always love my cooking. In fact, he drools over it.
2. He gets so excited to go on walks with me that he can hardly contain himself.
3. He scares the crap out of strangers.
4. He is always ready to snuggle.
5. He is super easy to shop for.
6. He would rather spend time with me than do anything else.
7. He is completely honest (he's never lied to me once). 
8. He is a great personal trainer, really motivating and clearly loves what he does. 

Ok - so that is only 8, but they were all off of the top of my head. He is totally awesome. I just thought you should know.