The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Good

My beloved Cougars won the crosstown rival game!! They lead the series with an all time record of 31-18-1, but hadn't pulled off a win in 6 years. It was amazing to listen to.

The Bad

Remember grad school? The school that is in Texas? Texas being the state that I consider home and use as my state of residence on my tax return? Also the state I am moving back to within the week? Yeah, the school is trying to make me pay out-of-state tuition. Um...no. Ain't gonna happen. I won't go there before I'll pay triple the tuition.

The Ugly

My honey left early this morning. I came home to a freezing house and an uncomfortable air mattress. I just keep reminding myself that we'll be together again a year from now. Plus, there's always R&R to look forward to.

Happy Halloween weekend y'all.

Loving Right Now: Music Edition

.1.

"Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars

When I see your face,
there's not a thing that I would change
cause you're amazing just the way you are.
And when you smile,
the whole world stops and stares
cause, girl, you're amazing just the way you are.

.2.
"Stop And Stare" by OneRepublic

Stop and stare
You start to wonder why you're here not there
And you'd give anything to get what's fair
But fair ain't what you really need

.3.
"Life After You" by Daughtry

All that I'm after if a life full of laughter
as long as I'm laughing with you.
I'm thinking that all that still matters is love ever after
after the life we've been through
cause I know there's no life after you.

.4.
"Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol

I don't quite know how to say how I feel.
Those three words are said too much.
They're not enough.

.5.
"Superman Tonight" by Bon Jovi

Maybe I'm cynical.
I'm painfully logical.
You're tragic and beautiful
and that's good enough for me.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Good

I'm officially admitted to grad school. I'm no longer just an "applicant" in their online system. I can register for classes next week. Now I just need the financial aid department to get their butts in gear and let me know how much I will owe them. I'm *crossing my fingers* for some free money. I really don't want more student loans.

The Bad

When I worked last year I had to pay into a "substitute teachers' retirement fund". I wasn't given an option. Whatever. I assumed I could just take that money with me when I moved. Well, you know what they say about assuming.... Yeah, come to find out I have to be "separated" from the school district for a year before I can take the money. Soooo not cool. I think they just want me to forget about it so they keep my money forever.

The Ugly

I ran errands early this morning and needed wanted coffee. I got my usual iced coffee at Starbucks and I think it was stronger than usual. I also didn't eat anything for breakfast so by the time I got home I was wired. I had to drink a glass of water and eat a slice of bread before I sorta started to feel better. I think my boyfriend coffee and I need to have a little break from each other. I'm not a fan of jittery me.

We've Got Tonight

I listen to 80's music when I'm doing busy work around the house. This particular song came on yesterday. Something about the lyrics grabbed me. This deployment is breathing down our necks. We don't have many more nights together, but...


We've got tonight.
Who needs tomorrow?
Let's make it last.
Let's find a way.
Turn out the lights.
Come take my hand now.
We've got tonight, babe.
Why don't you stay?
--"We've Got Tonight" by Bob Seger

Why?

I cleaned out my closet today. I cut my wardrobe in half. Some thoughts from my closet adventure:

Why did I have 3 navy blue sweaters from Abercrombie that were never flattering on me anyway?

Why did I have 2 blazers from American Eagle from like 5 years ago?

Why did I have a terrycloth sweatsuit set in light blue? When was that in style?

Why did I have 12 pairs of white socks that I haven't worn in over a year?

Why did I have half a dozen belts when I haven't worn a belt since I moved here?

Why did I have 10 pairs of jeans? All but one pair actually looked good on me.

Now that I've slimmed down my clothing collection, I can't wait to get back to TX and do some damage at the mall. It's been far too long since I've overhauled my wardrobe.

Getting Down To Business

It's crunch time, ladies.

My parents are arriving Wednesday evening to help us move the bulk of our stuff into storage. They're also taking one of our cars back with them. By this time on Friday I'll be living out of a suitcase and sharing a car.

This means that before they get here I need to pack, pack, pack, clean, pack, clean, pack, pack.

Not only are we packing/moving on Thursday, but my pre-inspection is that day as well. I'm not anticipating any problems, but I still want the house to be presentable. I've kinda slacked on the normal cleaning (vacuuming, dusting, sweeping) over the last few months because I knew I'd have to do one last good deep cleaning before I moved out. Boo on cleaning!

So, this morning, I need to get down to business before it gets too hot outside. I have a to-do list a mile long and zero motivation.

I will be productive. I will be productive. I will be productive. I will be productive. I will be productive....

A Great Friday Night

In sports that is...

I was forced to multi-task last night. I listened to my high school play football on the radio through the internet and kept up with the Yanks ALCS game on mlb.com.

Is it weird that I still listen to high school football games? Maybe it's a TX thing...

Both games started out a little sketchy. The Yanks were quickly down 5-0 and my beloved Cougars weren't having such an easy time on defense.

Now, I have a short story for you. Has anyone seen Friday Night Lights?? The movie, not the show. If you've seen the movie then you know it's about the 1988 Odessa Permian High School football team. You can read more about the movie here.

Well, for many years, Odessa Permian has played in the same district for football. It is made up of 6 West Texas teams that are traditionally very good at football. One of those 6 schools is my alma mater. We play Odessa Permian in the movie. I remember being at a game in 2004 when a film crew came to film some shots of a game in our home stadium. Some made it into the movie. The famed coach of the '88 Permian team was Gary Gaines. After taking various other jobs around the state of Texas, he returned to Odessa last year to, once again, coach the Permian Panthers football team.

All of that trivia to get to my point...

Last night my high school played Odessa Permian. I was a bit worried for a little while, but they pulled it out and won by a touchdown. My old high school is now 7-0. They haven't pulled that off since my senior year way back in '02. I've been a loyal fan all these years, but I must admit it's more fun to listen/watch when they're winning! :)

Source

And my Yankees. They were giving me some fits last night. Right around the time the football game ended, the Yanks started their comeback. They did it the old fashioned way: good base running and hard hitting. By the time the 8th inning was over, the Rangers lead of 5-0 had been replaced by a Yankee lead of 6-5. That's how it stayed. It sure shut up all the annoying Ranger fans on facebook!

Source

For awhile last night I doubted if either of my teams were going to be able to pull off a win. I'm so glad they both proved me wrong.

Currently I'm keeping up with ALCS Game 2 (the Yanks are down 3-0, top of the 3rd). I'm hoping for a 2-0 record that they can take back to the Bronx. *crosses fingers*

Happy Saturday, you guys!

Friday Fill-In

I'm jumping on the bandwagon...

Join MilSpouse Friday Fill-In at Wife of a Sailor

1. What are some things on your bucket list? (from New Girl on Post)

I haven't put all that much thought into this...and some things I want on my list are sorta out of my control. I'm basically pulling this out of my @$$ before I've had any caffeine. Basically, you can't hold any of it against me! :)

• Visit Europe
• Visit Australia
• Visit the Caribbean
• Put my feet in the Pacific Ocean
• Take Brian to Disney World
• Watch my high school football team win a state championship
• Attend a World Series game - preferably at Yankee Stadium
• Watch a baseball game in the new Yankee Stadium
• Fly on a plane alone
• Own a horse
• Buy a house
• Pay off my student loans
• Get a master's degree
• Have babies

I'm sure there are more, but that's all you're getting today!

2. How long have you been a MilSpouse and where have you been stationed so far? (from Raising Roscoe)

I've been doing the milspouse thing since September 21, 2007...so 3 years and a few weeks. We have been stationed a total of one place: Fort Polk, LA.

3. What is a list of songs that sums up your life so far? (from Confessions of a Sailor’s Wife)

Can I skip this question? I know, I'm no fun, but this is way too hard for me to come up with at 9:10 am when I need to be running errands!

4. What is your favorite kind of pizza?

Straight up cheese. Sometimes pepperoni. On any kind of crust. I love all kinds of crust - thin, thick, NY style, stuffed...

5. What are three good things in your life right now?

• My relationship with my husband is greatly improved and I know we're going to kick this deployment's butt!
• My parents and brother. Love love love them!
• Going back to school in January! I'm so thankful I am able to do this and hopefully without taking out more loans.

Loving Right Now

.1.

Hawaii Five-0

All the episodes are on their website right now. Ya know...if you're interested. Which you should be.

Source

.2.

The weather lately.

I wish it was about 5 degrees cooler on the high temps, but it sure beats the humid summer we just lived through!

.3.

Memories of this homecoming almost 2 years ago.

Whenever I think about Brian leaving, I remember that day.

And how freaking amazing it felt to see him again.

.4.

Sam and Quinn on Glee.

They were totally adorable on Tuesday!

.5.

Getting into grad school.

Did I mention this yet?

It totally made my Monday! :)

A Few Things

1. I had a dream that I was pregnant last night. Brian has taken to joking with me about having a baby. He thinks it's hilarious when I smack him and tell him to shut up. So, I'm thinking either my subconscious is trying to tell me my biological clock is ticking OR all of Brian's joking has lodged in my brain and manifested itself in a dream. I'm not sure which I believe more.
2. I'm power-reading a young adult novel this morning. Why can I always read teen fiction at lightning speed? Wanna know what I'm reading? Go here!
3. My parents arrive a week from today. They are helping us move some big stuff into storage and are also towing one of our cars back to TX. I'm really excited to see them and have them visit one more time, but by the time they arrive we'll be a  week closer to d-day (deployment-day).
4. The Texas Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays last night to advance to the ALCS versus my beloved Yankees. My facebook wall has been lit up with pro-Ranger statuses from all my TX friends. If (and that's a big if...) the Rangers can get past the Yankees to the World Series, then they'll have my support. Until then...GO YANKEES! :)
5. I had to pick up a bunch of stuff for Brian yesterday at the PX and Military Clothing. Every time I go into MC without Brian, I get funny looks. Yes, I know I am not in the Army. Yes, I know nothing in there is for me. I'm just running errands, people! Packing lists MUST be completed!
6. Yesterday, instead of packing, I made breadsticks from scratch. My priorities are totally in order.

Zoo Day

We took advantage of Brian's day off on Friday and hit up the zoo in Alexandria. It was perfect weather and the crowds were thin - just how we like it!

^^The freaky fish. They went insane over one bit of fish food.

^^I can't pass up the opportunity for a cheesy picture.

^^And neither can Brian.

^^For Mom: it's a real cougar!

^^We ended our trip by taking the little 10-minute train ride around the zoo.

The end. :)

Rest

I just ate a brownie for breakfast. Don't judge. You know you've done it too.

I was given strict instructions last night to NOT wake Brian up this morning. So here I sit wondering what to do with myself today. My productivity kinda peaked yesterday. I'm not sure if I could top it.

So, what did I do yesterday?

I made Sweet Cornbread Cake, PW Beans & Oreo brownies. We loaded up the truck with a big bookcase, an ottoman, the desk & a little TV stand and got all that into the storage unit. We had a lunch date at Arby's (worst run fast food establishment I've seen in a loooong time). I took every single thing off the walls in our house. Most of it fit in two big brown boxes.

As I was taking picture frame after picture frame down, I couldn't help but remember how long it took me to hang all those things up in the first place. A lot of them required two nails so I'd have to bust out a level in addition to the normal hammer and nails. It took me months to decide where things should go. Some things I feel like I just hung up. And it all came down in less than 10 minutes. Sorta bittersweet.

I think today I'll plan on taking it easy. Maybe we'll make another quick run to the storage unit, but no crazy cooking or packing for me today. Sunday is a day of rest anyway, right?

Hello October!

By the end of this month I'll be on my own again.

I read that and then look around this house and panic a little bit. There is still SO much packing to do! My goal today is to get everything off the walls and into boxes. Hopefully we can get a load or two to the storage unit this weekend as well.

It seems that Mother Nature finally got the memo that it's not summer anymore. I think it was 50 degrees this morning when I woke up. It still gets pretty warm in the afternoon, but I can keep the a/c off most of the day. I love having the window open at night and hearing all the night-time sounds when I'm reading before bed. I always sleep better when it's colder, too.

And now I'm reminded why I've sucked at blogging lately. I just can't think of anything to say. I could go on and on about moving and all that entails, but really? Who wants to listen to that?

Oh here's something: I heard back from the grad program I applied for. Since I want to teach math, I need approval from the math department before I can be offered acceptance. Since I didn't take a single math class in college, I have a feeling I'm not going to be accepted into the program. I just know that I'll have to take some leveling classes before they'll let me in. Bummer, right? I'm a little disappointed, but trying not to think about it too much. Either way I'll do what I need to do. Plus, I haven't even heard anything officially yet. Maybe they'll surprise me! A girl can dream...

Have a great weekend, you guys! :)

Blog Redo

I spent most of today overhauling my blog. Click on through if you're in a reader and tell me how pretty it is! :)

Deployment Ceremony