Off to MeMe's

There are two types of grandmothers: sweet and ornery. Brian's grandmother is the latter. She is easily angered and holds grudges. Luckily I (and Brian) have managed to stay on her good side for the last almost-8 years.

Brian and his grandmother at our wedding in 2009.

Neither of us have seen her since our church wedding in 2009. We haven't been to visit her since before Brian joined the Army in 2007. Brian has been pretty good about calling her on a semi-regular basis, but I suppose we're due for some face time.

The thing is, neither of us is particularly looking forward to this trip. I work all day tomorrow and then we have to drive all the way there after that. We'll spend Saturday with her, but we don't have any plans so there's a decent chance most of the day will be spent staring at each other and making semi-awkward small talk.

So this visit may be more obligation than anything else, but it's one of those things you just gotta do. She loves Brian, has been incredibly supportive of his career, and never misses either of our birthdays. I think we owe her.

She also has some impressive collections of random junk. Maybe I can find some cool stuff to bring back with us. Plus, it's never a bad weekend when it is spent in Texas! :)

((Today is my FIL's birthday. Card was sent and received and the necessary phone call was made.))

In closer-to-home news, Brian made a work decision today that pretty much solidified the rest of our time here. There's a better than decent chance that we'll have Deployment #4 under our belts before we PCS. The good news for Brian and his career, though, is that we are officially on the downhill side of this duty station. I know I'll be sad to leave, but I don't necessarily mind. It's an adventure, right?

Where Does The Time Go?

Truly. It's already practically mid-April?

I really fell off the blogging train. I thought getting a new computer would fix that, but it just caused more headaches. I mean, why is my wireless-enable desktop not recognizing my wifi?? And Windows 8? How does that work?? How much does Microsoft Office cost these days? It took me longer than anticipated to sit down and figure the darn thing out. Honestly, I still haven't. I haven't used it nearly as much as I thought I would. The touchscreen is pretty cool, though!

So, how about I hit the highlights?

I just published my end-of-2013 posts....FOUR months late. Oops. So, those pretty much recap last year.

This year...

Disney World was equal parts amazing and exhausting. Those were some of THE longest days, but we packed so much into those five days. Not much had changed in the seven years since I had been there last, but it was incredible experiencing it with Brian for the first time. Plus, we got to spend quality time with my brother and his better, more handsome (haha!), half. I may have needed a vacation to recover from my vacation and I know I didn't take enough pictures, but it was awesome nonetheless.

I am six weeks away from the end of my second year of work. I'm not sure how many more years I have here (doubtful it'll be more than one) and it's hard to believe the last two have flown by. I signed up to do summer school in June, so I won't be completely free until July. The extra money will be nice though! Maybe I should start thinking of some way to treat myself.

Brian and I have been pretty rock solid. We have friends and go on dates (impromptu dinners out count, right?) and get away every now and then. I even agreed to go camping for his birthday. There was a fire a tent and everything! Now, I am in no way a camper now, but it can be fun occasionally. Next time maybe I can win a round or two of horseshoes! Ha!!

We celebrated seven years in the Army a couple days ago. It's gone by rather quickly. There's a possibility of another deployment at the end of the year, but Brian has a number of things up in the air, so we'll wait and see how it plays out. No matter what happens I know we'll be fine. I feel at peace about the whole thing.

Next weekend is Easter weekend. Instead of going home to see family or even to stay here and chill out (since I don't get a single day off between now and the end of the year), we are heading down to see Brian's grandmother. She's crazy, but she's always been good to us, so we owe her a visit while we're still relatively close. We're staying at a hotel about 45 minutes away from her and I doubt she's all that happy about it. She made sure to remind Brian that she has a bed and we can stay with her. Of course we know all of this and definitely made the conscious choice to NOT stay there. I have a feeling it'll be an interesting and probably tiring weekend.

Despite Brian being in the country this summer, I am ditching him in July to accompany my parents to the Northeast once again. I'm conflicted about leaving Brian behind, but the thought of two weeks on the lake again is too enticing to pass up. It is good for my soul to be there. By the time summer school is over, I think I'll really really need the break to recharge before getting back to work in August.

So there's the quick and dirty update. No promises moving forward, but I have high hopes.

Pity Party

Today was a long day at work. It was long despite not seeing any of my kiddos. A student intern took over my caseload for the day which meant that there were people all up in my business all day (the intern and her supervisor). On one hand it's awesome not to have to think and plan for the day, but on the other hand it's tiring dealing adults (as opposed to snotty children) and answering questions about your kiddos left and right. I'm not a student anymore, but I can't help feeling inadequate and judged when someone else is going through my notes and treatment logs.

I call my mom everyday on my way home from work. She was busy making dinner when I was talking to her today. I had a lot of stuff to talk/vent about and I was literally yelling into the bluetooth in my car so she could hear me over the water running in her kitchen while she washed potatoes. I got tired of yelling and got off the phone. I called my brother and he didn't answer. I wanted to bitch to someone about my job. I wanted someone to listen and understand. I had no one left to call. As I turned into my neighborhood I realized I really wanted my husband to be at home so I could unload it all on him. He would have to listen. It's his husbandly duty. He may not understand what I do, but that's part of marriage: listening to each other bitch about anything and everything. He's not here tho. I didn't talk to him today either. I miss him. I miss having someone to talk to when I get home from work.

99% of the time I am fine, but, y'all, today I ugly cried. I was doubled over in my bedroom feeling incredibly sorry for myself. I'm only admitting this on my little corner of the interwebs. I'm too proud to call someone. Honestly, I don't know if I even want to admit it out loud. I don't want the people (that I already depend on too much) to feel sorry for me.

I can't even drown my sorrows in TV tonight since none of my shows are on. I am pitiful.

Two weeks from tomorrow I'll be in NYC with my brother (hopefully) having a fabulous time and forgetting all about this sad little pity party I've got going on in OK. How many days til summer?

Decisions and Sacrifices

My life was fairly predictable and monotonous through high school and college. Sure, I had a super shitty boyfriend that caused plenty of drama. I made friends and lost friends. I moved in and out of my parents' house. Through all of it, I was always going to school. The goal never wavered: graduate from high school, graduate from college. I did as I was expected, but then what happens?

Since I was little, I was told that the world was my oyster. I could be anything I wanted to be. I could do anything I wanted to do. I should do what I loved. This didn't just apply to my future career, or so I believed. It was like my entire future was open to me and it was my job to shape it. In a way, I suppose that is true.

What I didn't realize at the time was that in order to shape that future, I would have to make sacrifices. I would have to narrow down the path my life would take and I would have to live with the consequences of that.

I got married (sorta) young. I was barely 22 and heading into my last semester of college. I got married for silly reasons and never stopped to think that by making the decision to get married, I was narrowing down my future. There would be no more dates. There would be no more chance encounters with cute guys. There would be no more flirting. I also married into the military which dictated the kind of life I would have. I definitely wouldn't be living in my hometown anymore. I would move a lot. I would have to start over in new places. I would have to meet new people and go out on a limb on a regular basis. I would have to get over being shy.

I understand the beauty in being single and unattached. Everything is a possibility! Your life is yours to do with whatever you want. I struggled for awhile with the sacrifices I naively made by getting married. I felt trapped, scared, and marginalized (not by Brian, just by life). I pushed the limits of my relationship with Brian. I was a brat. I whined and I cried. I felt sorry for myself.

It took awhile, but at some point I realized that I made the decision to get married and I needed to own that decision. I needed to take responsibility for the choice I made and live with it. It wasn't Brian's fault. I was a grown-ass woman when I took that leap of faith and I needed to put my big girl panties on a deal with it. I could get glad in the same shoes I got mad in.

Life has been much easier since I accepted the decision I made to get married way back when. I think part of growing up is making sacrifices. If I hadn't married Brian, I would have sacrificed this life I have now. Who knows where I would be, but I surely wouldn't be right here, right now. I'm glad I chose this life.

I think my generation is pretty spoiled. We expect to get a lot for a little. We want it all. Well, you can't have it all. And if you try, I think you might end up with nothing or a whole heap of regret. Sometimes you just have to make a decision and stick with it. You have to make the sacrifice, make the leap, and hope for the best.

Musings

I think that names should pass the spell check test. Don't name your baby something that gets that squiggly red line under it when typed. I wrote an email at work one day with half a dozen students' names in it. They ALL got flagged by spell check. There is something wrong with that!

I'm way too hard on myself. I might have to bust out a dry erase marker and write positive messages on my mirror like I did in high school. (Truth: in high school it was more about song lyrics or who I was in "love" with than boosting my self esteem.) So what if I weigh ### pounds? So what if I come straight home from work and sit on the couch until I relocate to go to bed? So what if I have less friends than I have fingers on one hand?

I feel guilty that I have totally fallen off the exercise bandwagon. I should probably accept the fact that I won't work out in the winter. The early sunsets and the cold temperatures make me want to hibernate, not work out.

Since I'm all alone now, I cook one meal on the weekend and eat the leftovers all week. Remember when I would cook like every night? Yeah, me either.

My Christmas tree is still up. Don't judge. At least the ornaments are put away!

I'm reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer.  Yes, she wrote the Twilight books. I put off reading this book for years. It's about aliens which are totally weirder than vampires and werewolves! I saw the trailer for the movie over Christmas break and was intrigued. I found the paint-stained (really curious how that happened...) copy at the library and got sucked right in. I'm more than half-way through the monster (600+ pages!) at the moment. Can't wait to see how it ends.

I talked myself out of getting frozen yogurt after work today. Such self-control!

I didn't talk to Brian today. He's officially been gone for a month. I miss him. And I miss being able to talk to him for hours. Damn work.

Favorite new TV show: Shameless.

I don't like it when neighborhood kids are doing fundraisers. No, I do not want candy or jewelry. Thanks, but not thanks. And please stop ringing my doorbell.

I need to drive Brian's truck to work one of these days to sort of stretch its legs, but I keep having nightmares that it'll break down or something and I'll be stranded. Plus, it's parked outside so it's super freezing in the morning. So many negatives and I'm a master procrastinator.

Latest perk of deployment: watching super girly television in Brian's man cave.

I forgot how nice tax-free paychecks are until yesterday's arrived in our bank account.

My parents are visiting this weekend. I can't wait!

Perks of Deployment

I can listen to One Direction (no judging!) rather loudly while cleaning and organizing the office.

I can eat cereal for dinner.

I can sleep diagonally in the bed (how I woke up this morning).

I can watch chick flicks (The Last Song) on a Saturday afternoon.

I can yell at football games on TV (A&M vs. OU last night) without disturbing anyone.

I know there will still be Oreos in the pantry when I get home from work.

I can stretch and do squats in the middle of the living room without judgment.

I can read in bed before going to sleep.

I don't have to see the in-laws every time I go home.

Of course, I would give up every one of these things to have Brian here with me.

One more day of vacation and then back to work. Already counting down to my next long weekend!

12

This fell out of Scarlett's cat food when I was filling up her bowl today:

I had no idea Brian did this before he left. I was home a whole four days before coming to Abilene for Christmas and didn't find any. I'm assuming that he numbered them meaning there are at least 11 more to be found.

I love that he did this for me.

Thanks, babe.

Christmas 2012

It's been a whirlwind since I got into town on Friday!

As soon as I unloaded the car at my parents' house I ran downtown to visit my Mom and her friends at work. Then it was off to the airport to collect my brother (and avoid the weirdo from high school who was on his flight).

On Saturday my brother and I finally saw the last Twilight movie. We both agreed it was the best one by far. I won't be so ashamed when I add it to my collection. Ha!

On Sunday my brother and I were up and out early to beat the crowds at Target. Our family does "picks" every year (every person has a secret person to buy for at a particular store with a spending limit) and we both had to get our shopping done at Target. I also got a few things for work (I mean, can anyone go into Target and only get what they went in for?) We stopped by the mall after that, but nothing was open yet so we just came home.

Sunday also happened to be Christmas Eve Eve which means we were at Dairy Queen for dinner! We ate bad food and definitely had dessert. Then we drove through Christmas Lane and eventually came home.

Monday (yesterday) was Christmas Eve. We started and ended the day with a walk. In the morning for exercise, at night to look at lights. We ate a traditional late lunch at Red Lobster. We watched The Descendants as a family (thumbs up all around!).

Today has been bittersweet. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with my family, but something - someone - is missing. We were all up by 8:30 and ate a delicious breakfast (french toast and bacon) prepared by my dad. Then we exchanged our "pick" gifts. We all got some great things! Finally we tackled the pile of presents under the tree.

My haul: Phillip Phillips' CD, a Lego set, a Vera Bradley tote, a workout jacket, a "I heart NY" t-shirt, some Hawaiian chocolate, some dark chocolate, more pieces for my nativity (from the in-laws), a western snowman decoration, an Old Navy giftcard, a couple children's books, a stuffed animal, some lottery tickets (all losers), Deadwood: Season 1, and a Jeopardy page-a-day calendar.

Mom just put dinner (baked ziti and garlic bread followed by homemade apple pie) in the oven and we should be eating by 5:30. My brother and I tried to go see Les Mis this afternoon, but every show was sold out until tonight. We didn't want to spend his last night in town at the movies, so we'll both have to see it another time. Bummer! I already put my Lego house together and just finished listening to PP's CD (sounded good!).

I have talked to Brian almost everyday since he left. He is finally in his permanent room and met his roommate. Internet is set up and he can talk to me using his own computer. His room even came with a TV and cable. There were cheese and butter sculptures in the DFAC and he had a good meal. He's doing ok, as am I. We're hanging in there. It's still completely unfair that we have yet to spend two consecutive Christmases together, but that's the Army for ya.

My in-laws are (apparently) celebrating Christmas at my SIL's house. I was not invited. She posted about it on FB. That's how I found out about it. My feelings were hurt. I got sad and down on myself and my mom had to talk me out of it. I just don't understand.

My brother leaves tomorrow. I'll be really sad to see him go. He's my built-in best friend. He's the best shopping partner, too.

Christmas 2012 has come and gone. I can't believe we're already at the end of the year. Where did the time go?

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and were able to enjoy time with loved ones!

Sunday

Today I:

• woke up with a sore throat.
• changed the cat's litter box and refilled her water.
• did the dishes and ran the dishwasher (it was waaaay overdue).
• returned library books.
• watched New Year's Eve.
• did a load of laundry.
• got stuff ready for work tomorrow (gift together for my supervisor and bingo game printed for my kiddos).
• walked a couple miles while talking to my best friend on the phone.
• returned a Redbox movie.
• opted out of make up and wore glasses all day.
• finished reading Shadow & Bone (good book).
• said goodbye to Brian.

Licenses and Ceremonies

I am officially a licensed Speech-Language Pathology Assistant in the state of Oklahoma! I got my card in the mail on Tuesday. Now I need to get my SLPA Teaching Certificate (paperwork and fingerprints already submitted) and I can FINALLY get hired. I am more than ready to be getting paid more than the peanuts and pebbles they're paying me now.

It's amazing to me that I am thisclose to Christmas break. Am I really halfway through the school year? Have I really been working with a 50 student caseload full time for 3.5 months? That's totally crazy to me.

I took this morning off from work to go get fingerprinted for my teacher certification and to attend Brian's deployment ceremony. Combined, those two commitments officially took 15 minutes. That's not counting the time I spent commuting, walking, sitting, or waiting. Five minutes to get fingerprinted and a swift ten minute ceremony. It wasn't quite as impressive as the deployment ceremony I went to in LA, but I'm glad I went.

It's real, ladies and gents. No matter how much I wish to remain in denial, the fact of the matter is that I will be saying goodbye to Brian soon. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm holding it together very well. I've been exhausted and can't seem to cook a real dinner to save my life. I also haven't done anything that resembles exercising in at least a week. I'm curious to see what kind of routine I fall into after the holidays.

So that's the update: I am licensed and another deployment ceremony is in the books.

A River in Egypt

I'm totally in denial.

I can't seem to make myself face this deployment.

It is now about two weeks away and I just can't deal.

I kinda want to curl up in a ball in bed and feel sorry for myself.

I simultaneously want the next three weeks to fly by and to slow down.

In three weeks the deployment anticipation will be over and I can go home to my parents' house and curl up in a ball and feel sorry for myself (while stuffing myself full of Christmas baked goods).

But in three weeks, Brian will be gone. Again.

At what point can I call foul and say that three deployments in six years is not fair?

And a nine month deployment may sound better (than a year) to civilians, but nine months will be the longest we have EVER gone without seeing each other. That makes me really nervous. Plus the timing sucks. No R&R and he'll get back right when school starts for me again next year. So no big vacation to look forward to. Again: not fair.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

Letters

Dear J,

Why do you lie to me? Haven't we known each other long enough to cut the BS? Just tell me the truth. Own up to your mistakes. Don't make promises you don't intend to keep. Stop creating drama. Your life is dramatic enough. While you're at it, grow up. You are too old to be this dependent on other people. Learn how to manage your money. Figure out how to stand on your own two feet. It's time. I don't have many friends in this world, please stop making it so hard to maintain our friendship. Thanks.

Your friend,
S.


Dear B,

I'm not ready for this deployment. I've been coping by not thinking about it, but it's sneaking up on me whether I'd like it to or not. Another missed Christmas (this will be #4). I normally enjoy the unpredictability of this Army lifestyle, but it is so hard to thrive as a couple when we are apart. I just thought we'd have more time. I thought we've move to OK and get a chance to really settle in somewhere finally. I'm sad and I'm sorry if I mistakenly take that out on you. We can do this, right? I love you.

Love,
S.


Dear friend,

Just reach out and apologize. Please.

S.


Dear Cooper football,

Thanks for another fun season. I wish you had made it deeper into the playoffs, but there's always next year, right? What will I do on Friday nights now?

Love always,
A Faithful Alum


Dear Mom,

Thanks for making the best apple pie in the world. Will you make it again for Christmas?

Love,
Sling


Dear God,

Just get me to Christmas. Thanks.

Love,
Me

Round Three

October 26th marked the one year anniversary of Brian's homecoming from his second deployment. A lot has happened in those 12 months. We've moved a lot and I got a job (finally applying for licensure - hoping to be fully employed by Thanksgiving!). We've put countless miles on my car driving back and forth to our hometown. We are at a good place in our lives and in our marriage.

The Army is a cruel mistress, however. Deployment #3 is here, folks. Yes. Already. There is still a small chance it won't happen, but preparations are under way. We are planning on it happening. It's a weird deployment that will send Brian to various countries in the Middle East. He's not too excited about it. Did I mention there's a decent chance he'll be gone before Christmas? Or that by the time he gets back we will have literally spent half of our 6 year marriage apart?

I am not quitting my job or moving home. I will stay here and figure out how to do the working-married-single-girl-with-no-friends routine. Luckily my folks are 3 hours away.

Last week when this news was fresh, it would regularly take my breath away throughout the day. It hit hardest while driving to and from work. "It's not fair," I thought. "I don't want to do this again," I whined. I am better this week, though. Ironically Brian is in the field until next week so I'm already getting a trial run at living without him. So far so good.

I needed to wrap my brain around it before I wrote about it. Maybe something will happen and it won't proceed. Or maybe I'll put on my big-girl-Army-wife panties and deal with it like I dealt with the other two.

Here we go again...

Odds and Ends

Why are there magazines in the communcal bathroom at work? Are people really sitting in there reading them while doing their business??

It's disturbing how many of my male students are already little flirts. I have a couple that wear cologne to school to impress girls. They are 8. And adorable. And will be trouble in a few years!

I should be finished with my clinical hours required to get licensed in OK in about 7 more school days. That's right before Fall Break. Yeah, I get a 5-day weekend for Fall Break. I swear this is the greatest idea ever!

I got my flu shot this morning and it hurt. And it made me 15 minutes late to work.

I made one of my students cry today because I wouldn't let him play a certain game. I did however let them do the mindless activity of stringing beads. Obviously, I am the most evil speech therapist ever!

I want nothing more than to sleep in tomorrow, but I have a laundry list of errands to run beginning with hitting up the Commissary at 7AM. I'm holding out for a lazy Sunday.

Brian might be leaving for a month-long Army adventure in a week or so. Maybe. He also may be getting deployed. Possibly. You know how the Army is. At least they gave him a 4-day for Columbus Day (but not one for Fall Break when all children will be out of school...)!

Tonight is the Crosstown Showdown back home. I'll be listening to the radio feed over the internet. Brian will avoid me. I really hope it's not depressing. I did go home for the homecoming game last week. It will be my 10-year reunion homecoming game next year. Yikes. Surely it hasn't already been 10 years!

This little cold snap we're having has been pretty nice. I put the winter comforter on the bed yesterday and didn't want to get out from under it this morning! It also makes me want to be really lazy. I may or may not miss my old unemployed life today. Thankfully it's Friday and I have two days to recharge.

Happy weekend! :)

Happy Anniversary

Don't ask me where the time went, because I have no idea.

It seems that I blinked and five years have gone by.

Five years ago today, Brian and I got married.

With a deployment on the horizon, we did it in true Army fashion: at the courthouse on a Friday afternoon.

We had been together for 15 months and engaged for less than 30 days.

It was a supremely stupid idea.

There have been days - many of them - that I have wondered if we made a mistake.

We have spent nearly half of those five years apart.

We survived two deployments.

We moved more times than I care to think about.

We have fought and cried.

We have laughed until we cried.

We were lucky enough to "parent" the sweetest Great Dane.

We had to say goodbye to him much too soon.

We've struggled through couples counseling.

We've dealt with painful family drama.

We've had many weekend adventures.

We bought a boat and almost instantly regretted it.

At some point we even managed to have a proper church wedding.

I'm not sure when it happened,

but at some point in our five years of marriage

that stupid decision to get married

has become the best decision I ever made.

9.21.07

8.1.09

6.8.12

Happy Anniversary, babe.

It's been a crazy ride, but I don't regret a minute of it.

I love you.

Loving Right Now

.1.

The weather this weekend.

Goooooodbye 100-degree weather!

.2.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

So so so so good. Loved it.

.3.

This new Downton Abbey promo.

I can't wait until January!!

.4.

Football season.

.5.

Some Nights by fun.

I turned this up and jammed out in my car today.

In other news, work is kicking my butt. Working all day, cooking dinner, and keeping up with the house generally takes up every waking hour. The good news is that my weeks go by relatively fast. We went home for 4 days last weekend which was much needed and super fun. I kicked off high school football season with my parents (with a win!). It's still too dang hot, but I know it'll be freezing in a couple months. This weekend we're staying in town. I need to run some errands and clean the house. Brian wants to take the boat out. Hopefully she (the boat) is cooperative. I guess that's about it. Pretty boring, but I wanted to check in.

Our New Home

With help from my in-laws, everything was moved from house-to-house on Friday. We've been busy since then organizing and unpacking.The kitchen is finished and major progress has been made in the office. We managed to clear out the garage enough to get my car inside and out of the sun/heat. Our bedroom is still a disaster, but it's upstairs so no one sees it. Hopefully I'll have it tackled by this weekend.

I met with my supervisor for work today. We checked out my school, but didn't really find out much. It seems things are a bit chaotic there. Work starts next week, but there are still a lot of things to figure out. I'm trying to keep my obsessive personality in check and let things happen how they happen.

Lately

Lately we (mostly Brian) have continued battling with the boat. It is currently without an engine and awaiting the new one that is hanging out in the bed of Brian's truck right now. We officially have more money invested in the boat than it will ever be worth. At least it should be back up and running before summer is over. Then we need to use it constantly to get our money's worth!

Lately I have been obsessing over moving. Since we were the last people to move into our house (out of those affected by the demolition), we will be the last people moving to the new place. Yay! Not. We should supposedly be moved by this time next month. I'm hoping for a phone call by the end of July to set up a viewing appointment at our new house.

Lately we've been talking about the future of Brian's Army career. We're committed through the end of 2015 and once planned on spending the bulk of that time (if not all of it) here at Fort Sill. Now that we've been here a few months, it's starting to look like it wasn't the best idea as far as Brian's career goes. We both love the city/area (especially me) and it's amazing being so close to home and family, but the reality is that we might be looking to get out of here sooner than anticipated.

Lately I've been watching Breaking Bad on Netflix. I have heard/read only good things about this show and finally checked it out yesterday. Now I'm halfway through season 2. Yeah...I don't waste any time, do I?

Lately I've been reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I've always known I was an introvert. I've always known I tended to be shy and anxious in social situations. I've always known I prefer quiet time at home with a good book to a rowdy time out on the town. I knew all of these things, but I also always thought that I should be different: outgoing, confident, talkative. I'm only about a quarter of the way through the book and it has already given such a voice to who I am. I highly recommend the book to everyone - extroverts and introverts alike.

Lately I have been getting up before 7 to walk. I had fallen so far off the exercise bandwagon until a couple weeks ago. I know walking two miles every morning isn't a lot, but it's still something. It's weird being up and out that early though. Unbeknownst to me, Army folk like to do PT around my neighborhood. I pass quite a few of them every morning. The sad part? I walk faster than probably a third of them.

Lately I have been counting calories. I've lost 4ish pounds since I started a couple weeks ago. I don't count every single day, but most days I do. I needed to do something before it got away from me and became a bigger problem. I was pushing a certain number on the scale that I will not allow myself to cross. I'm almost to my hit-this-number-and-you-can-drink-a-root-beer weight. Doesn't everyone promise themselves root beer at a certain weight??

Lately I have been working on making old thrift store bed sheets into a rug. When I purchased and ripped the sheets I wanted to make a big ole rug for my big ole kitchen. Buuuuut I won't be using this kitchen for very much longer. Now I'm just making a rug with no real purpose in mind. The new digs are carpet-less on the first floor, so I'm assuming I'll use it down there somewhere. I'll wait and see how big the thing ends up (I have a lot of sheet strips....) and where it looks best.

And...lately I have sucked at blogging. Sorry bout that. I'm gonna get back to Breaking Bad now. Have a good weekend, y'all!

I've Been On Vacation!

Last summer I went to New York with my parents. This summer I went with Brian. (We met my parents up there, though!)

On June 6th at midnight, we got in the car and drove from Fort Sill to DFW. We dropped the car off at a parking place and hopped on the shuttle to the airport. We waited around for security to open at 4AM and camped out at our gate. We got Starbucks (thanks to a giftcard from my in-laws) and read our books. Our flight took off at 6:45. Next stop: Newark, NJ.

DFW to EWR.

How I spent the flight (when I wasn't trying to sleep).

How Brian spent the flight (he's better at flying than I am!).

We had an hour-ish layover in Newark. Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes, but we didn't mind. Next stop: Burlington, VT.

I can't say no to Crumbs cupcakes in the airport!

My view from the plane.

The flight was only an hour. I was a disaster by the time we landed, though. The plane we took to Burlington was loud. What was nice white noise to Brian was like nails on a chalkboard to me. I definitely had to talk myself through that flight and will think twice about doing it again in the future.

My first view of Lake Champlain on the ferry from Vermont to New York.

After settling in at my parents' house, we ventured out for dinner.

Gotta get a Michigan at Gus'!

After dinner, my dad and Brian headed out to see a man about a canoe. Then they came home and immediately made sure she was seaworthy.

They're canoe-ers! They canoe! (Don't ask...)

The next day:

Standing where our base house used to stand. That tree was in the yard.

Soft serve with sprinkles! (Yes, I needed that scarf.)

Friday, June 8th, we ventured to Ausable Chasm. We got in for free (including a raft ride) because we know people in high places! Or...the daughter of my parents' property managers (that sounds fancier than it is) works there and hooked us up.

Elephant Head.

The Ausable River looking toward the dam (I think).

In the raft! Tony was our guide. He was funny and informative.

The boys in the big dry chasm.

Mom with the ferns. So green!

At some point the boys began demolition of the old shed. It was falling down and rotting. It took all four of us a few hours to clean it out. The previous owners saved all kinds of weird things.

Brian removing the cedar siding.

The dangers of carpenter ants.

We liked it better without the siding. Too bad it was totally unsafe and unsalvageable.

Brian had fun swinging the sledgehammer.

After an afternoon of rain we were rewarded with a gorgeous rainbow. It was crazy intense and stuck around for a looong time.

If you look closely, you can see another really faint rainbow to the left of the bright one.

One night we left the shades up in the living room after the sun went down. I glanced up and noticed a big giant bug on the window (attracted to our light, no doubt). It was the biggest and weirdest "butterfly" I had ever seen. This picture doesn't do it justice. It's antennae looked like leaves. So creepy!

We spent the majority of two day scraping (that's how we found carpenter ants in the house - yikes!) and painting the windows. We didn't even finish it all. The sides will need to be done next summer.

Brian hard at work.

Sometimes I would stop and look out at the lake and wonder how I got so lucky to be able to spend almost a week looking at this view and spending time with my favorite people.

I mean, really, how gorgeous is this??

My favorite reading spot.

Mom and me in the living room.

Mom took this. She said I looked like Mona Lisa. Hmm.

The morning we left. Please note the shutters and fresh paint. Looking spiffy!

Til next time, Lake Champlain!

On June 12th, we made the trek down to "the rock" aka Staten Island, NY. We fought rain and horrendous traffic, but arrived with plenty of time to spare before my cousin Kevin's Eagle Scout ceremony. My entire family (on my mom's side) somehow managed to come together for this event. Keith (my brother) was the only one not there. He was off having a European adventure instead! Kevin's ceremony was wonderful. I almost cried listening to everyone speak about what a wonderful young man he has become. I was just so dang proud of him!

The next day we had no real plans or places to be. We took a final walk through my great-grandmother's house. Remember she passed away in February 2011. Her house was finally sold and this was our last chance to see it and claim any items we wanted. I snagged a Lenox pitcher and little swan plus six crystal wine glasses (I managed to lose my cheap wine glasses in our move). After that we went to South Beach on Staten Island for a walk. We walked to the Verrazano Bridge past Fort Wadsworth and back. Then we walked along the boardwalk and I put my feet in the salt water.

Mom and me before walking out to the water.

That is a condom on the ground. Thank you to Brian for capturing it and my laugh. Keeping it classy, Staten Island!

After walking around we ate New York pizza at Denino's and walked across the street for some Ralph's Ices (omigod so good!). On June 14th we (me, Brian, Uncle John, Matthew, Mom, Dad, Nanny, and  Grandpa) went to the diner for breakfast. I had the worst french toast ever. It was really a crappy little diner, but my grandparents go there almost everyday and they were treating so there we went! My cousin Ryan's high school graduation was that evening. To kill a couple hours before then we took the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan, walked around a bit, and then went back.

In Battery Park.

I watched him propose to her. She said yes.

Funny story about those two up there... The guy came over to my uncle and asked him to take their picture. My uncle is usually super accommodating and friendly, but this time he kinda freaked out and wanted someone else to do it. My parents quickly volunteered my photography skills (cause I'm so good, y'all - ha!). Only then did my uncle whisper to me that the guys whose camera I had was going to propose and it was now my job to capture it. So I take a picture and the guy said, "ok, one more." That's when he got down on one knee. I have no idea what he said, but I just kept snapping. I heard her say yes and they hugged and kissed. I captured it all. It was one of the coolest things and I was so happy to be a part of it. I had to sneak that picture of them on my phone so I'd have a record of it.

After a quick change and an hour-long drive, we arrived at my aunt/uncle's house in New Jersey.

My cousin, Ryan (the graduate), is freakishly tall. Also: that plant in the background? It's mine from a science experiment in 5th grade. It's 16 years old.

Me with my cousin Alex. Love him to pieces.

I have no good pictures from the graduation and no pictures with any of my aunts, uncles, or other cousins. I know some are floating out there with various family members and maybe I'll eventually see them. It was quite the whirlwind trip. I am beyond glad that Brian was able to come with me and that we could attend two big ceremonies for my beloved cousins. I remember when they were babies. I cannot believe they're all so old (which means I'm old!).

The morning after Ryan's graduation, Mom and Dad dropped Brian and me off at Newark Liberty Airport for our flight home. Our flight was delayed taking off thanks to a water leak in one of the bathrooms, but we landed on time. They actually showed a movie on the flight - for free! (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) The movie totally made the flight for me. I had something to focus on so I wouldn't freak out as much. Once back in DFW we caught our shuttle back to the parking place. The shuttle was full of super happy people returning from tropical beach vacations. They were annoying. I was tired. Our car was still there in one piece and we quickly paid and hit the road. Traffic was terrible getting out of the DFW area, but was smooth sailing after that. We stopped for gas and Popeye's and made it home at 7PM.

Brian returns to work on Wednesday and I need to get on the fitness/dieting band wagon. Back to real life.