Summer Rut

So, apparently my boring summer routine has kept me from blogging. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I only have one more week or work. Four more days. Sixteen more hours. It'll all definitely be worth it when that paycheck hits the bank next month!

One more week of work means vacation is also one week away. I am in no way prepared for my month away from home, but I'm not stressing (not totally anyway) yet. I plan to make many lists at work on Monday so I can organize myself for the rest of the week. So much to do!

Have I mentioned my vacation before? No? I'm bumming along on my parents trip again this summer. Just me. B is staying home since he's in ALC until early August. I struggled with the decision to go without him, but he assured me it was fine and we both agreed that I should/could go while I still can. We won't be so conveniently located for an easy pick up forever and we still don't have any kids to worry about, so why not? Plus, I could totally use some lake time in my life. So, I'll be away from home for right at a month. Almost three weeks on the lake then a handful of days in NYC. Fun times!

I have officially completed my 8-week exercise commitment. Tomorrow I re-do my fitness test to see how much (or if) I improved. I'd love to see some serious gains in ability and/or loss in inches/weight, but I'm not expecting much. I feel stronger, but I'm not sure that will translate to my run or number of squats. My arms are more defined, but will that show up in my measurements? No matter what the test shows, I am really happy with my progress and hope to continue working out in a similar manner moving forward. I don't think I could (or would want to) commit to doing this constantly forever, but perhaps a series of 8-week commitments with breaks in between. I'll figure it out in August when I'm back and I'll do my best to get up and moving while I'm on vacation. I just can't believe I set a goals and worked to achieve it. I'm such a quitter sometimes, but not this time!

Quick boat update: It's been in the shop for a week (or two?), got some things tweaked, cost us $450, and still needs something replaced. Yaaaay. Not. She's back in her storage lot until further notice. I won't miss her while I'm on vacation.

I'll end with this... When you start keeping track of everything you spend, the end of the month isn't so fun. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to Double Payday on Tuesday!! I'll be a shopping fool (especially with vacation coming up) the end of this week! :)

Last Monday + Belle

Monday Fun Day!

Today was Fun Day at school. It. Was. Chaos. I wore my hot pink Fun Day shirt, braided my hair, and slathered on sunscreen. It was fun for about 10 minutes. Then it was windy. And hot. And boring. I mean, I think the kids were having fun, but the adults were not. *sigh* I actually spent 3 of the 4 Fun Day hours outside helping/chaperoning, but bailed on the last (hottest) hour to do paperwork inside with air conditioning. In all fairness, I do still have two meetings tomorrow that needed to be prepped. And I did spend an hour more outside than I signed up for!

Tomorrow is Talent Show day which is my FAVORITE day! The one bummer: I have a meeting right in the middle of the afternoon show. Boo! I have been assured it will be quick, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that that is the case. Wednesday morning I'll pack up my room, meet a friend for lunch, then shoot over to my second school to clean/pack there (and see my favorite student one last time -- yes, I have favorites, don't tell!). Thursday will be more packing and cleaning. Friday there is a faculty meeting and then I should be free! Summer, baby!

Alright, what else has been going on? We got our modem/router moved last week so our new expensive desktop computer now works like a charm! Yessss. I am now on Week 3 of my 8-week workout commitment. So far so good. I haven't seen any crazy improvement or anything, but I do notice I feel better. I don't wake up feeling bloated, my clothes are slightly more comfortable, and I'm not analyzing (as much) what I'm eating. The biggest surprise is how quickly I have adjusted to the early mornings. I wake up at 5:45 or 6:30 depending on the day. It sucks when the alarm goes off, but I'm wide awake and feeling good by the time my workout is over. One thing that helps: having my workout picked out and ready to go the night before. The less thinking I have to do at that early hour the better! And, since I'm crazy, I've even been working out on the weekends when I don't "have" to. One day I try to do a stretching/yoga routine and the other I run. I'm still slow which is discouraging, but my feet are moving!

After two years of trouble, the boat may be ready to get back out on the water. Brian has been working his butt off since we bought it and definitely since he got back last September. I swear we've replaced every part in the darn engine (no, I will not add up how much it has cost). I think he wants to take it out to the lake sometime this week and really test it out. Eek!

Finally, when I was a junior in high school, my boyfriend at the time had some puppies at his house. I convinced my parents that we needed not one, but TWO puppies. One was black and white named Chip and the other was almost white (later turned yellow) named Belle. They turned into large sweeties who lived in our backyard. They were always kinda crazy and not conducive to living inside. Belle loved to swim, Chip did not. Chip wanted attention, Belle wanted more. Belle told Chip to jump and Chip asked "how high?" They were perpetually dirty and love love loved treats. A couple years ago we said goodbye to Chip. She got sick and eventually that look came into her eyes and we knew it was time. We were afraid for Belle being without her sister, but she bounced back and has been fixture in my parents backyard ever since. She watches you pull in the driveway and always lays with her paws crossed (very lady-like). She's been getting skinnier as the months passed and would only eat on good days. We all knew what was coming. My mom warned me a couple days ago that Belle had that sad look in her eyes and it probably wouldn't be long. We let her go today. My Dad took her and I know it was devastating for him. He always does the tough stuff. He was there for me when I had to make the same decision for Tiny. I feel bad that he had to do it alone today. Pets are wonderful and I've loved every one of mine, but letting them go is never easy.

Chip and Belle

Commitment

I came up with a crazy idea a few weeks ago: I am committing to exercising everyday Mon-Fri (and trying to do something at least once on the weekend) for eight weeks. I start tomorrow. Well, I kind of started today.

In an effort to document my progress, I completed a fitness test today. I also convinced Brian to measure various parts of my body. I even busted out the dreaded scale. Now, there is no way I am disclosing my weight or measurements on here, but I do want to share my fitness test results.

I ran 1 mile in 10:37. I did 20 girly push ups (on my knees, not my toes), 81 squats, and held a static plank on my forearms for 1:09. I finished it off by reaching 4.75" past my feet while sitting in the pike position.

Hopefully I'm not a total flake and check back in when this is over to see how I did. This isn't part of any program or plan. I know there are ones out there and people swear by them. The thing is, though, I hate jumping on bandwagons. If everyone tells me I should do something, I tend to push back quite forcefully. The concept intrigued me, so I figured out a way to make it work for me. I have made zero rules about what constituted "exercising" during this challenge. There will be some days that I do something relatively easy like stretching and yoga, but mostly I will try to work up a sweat for 20-30 minutes. That doesn't sound too terribly hard!

I'm afraid I'll fail. I'm afraid it will be too hard. But maybe, just maybe, I'll get stronger and faster. Plus, it's only 8 weeks!

Now, let's see if I can get out of bed super early tomorrow like I plan to...

In The Last Two Weeks I...

...was ordered to stop wearing contacts so my damaged corneas have a chance to heal. I'll thank the perfect storm of allergies, all day contact use and old/dirty contacts for this fun predicament.


...ordered new glasses! This is about the only upside to the whole eye fiasco.


...got a tan.


...swam...alot! This was by far my favorite part of being here.


...drove my old car (Mustang convertible!). The pink tinge on my thighs and shoulders is from my joy ride around town today. :)


...fell in love with my mom's new Jetta. I totally want one now.


...nursed Tiny back to health after he developed some blisters on his paws from the hot ground outside. It was heartbreaking.


...cancelled our Disney World trip. I'm hoping this is a catalyst for some major change in our lives.


...bought some super cute clothes. I just love summer clothes!


...took advantage of my brother's discount. One of the only perks of him working his butt off for a poorly run clothing mega company in NYC.


...made the decision to seriously pursue graduate school.


...walked countless loops around the neighborhood with my mom.


...walked on the treadmill enough at the gym to watch Star Trek from beginning to end on my tiny iPod screen.


...watched the Lost finale with my dad.


...rented many movies from RedBox. It helps having one 2 minutes from my parents' house. I finally got to see: Dear John, Up In The Air, Crazy Heart and The Blind Side.


...saw Marmaduke on the big screen. It was totally worth the $6 just to laugh at the Great Dane -isms.


...ate. And ate. And ate. I hit up all my fav places and then some.


...made chicken and dumplings for my parents. It was delish!


...avoided anyone outside of my family. Sorry guys. I needed to hibernate.


...watched the Glee finale. Superb. Can't get "Faithfully" out of my head.


...went on a day trip to Fort Worth with Mom.


...was slapped (softly) by my mother. She was killing a gnat that had landed on my cheek. At the time, it was hilarious.


...went bowling. I broke 100 in both games!


...voluntarily washed the Mustang. She looks much prettier now.




It's back to LA tomorrow. Back to reality. Back to real life.

Spring Cleaning

Brian comes home on Tuesday and my parents come to visit on Saturday. So, that means it's time to properly clean the house. Brian and I are both guilty of creating amazing amounts of clutter. We haven't eaten at the kitchen table in months because it's covered with piles of paperwork. It's about time I put it all away! Our bedroom furniture was a big dusty mess, but I took care of that yesterday. It's amazing how a few minutes spent putting things away can make the house seem cleaner even if you haven't really cleaned anything.


Another facet of my spring cleaning: getting back to the gym! I've restarted the Couch-to-5K program, but I'm doing it on a treadmill this time instead of outside. In a perfect world, I'd rather do it outside, but I'm finding it easier to do it on the treadmill. It controls my pace for me and I'm able to keep track of my distance better. Plus I get to watch TV...in the air conditioning! I've been really good about getting myself there and I'm already feeling better about myself. My pants had gotten unacceptably tight and I was sorta freaking out about it. I think I'm back on track.


I'm also vowing to get on top of our finances this spring. Now that my paychecks are finally rolling in on a regular basis, I wanted to keep track of where our money was going and try to get some money into savings every month. I'm proud to say that we had several hundred dollars left over last month. It helps that (1) February only has 28 days, (2) Brian was out of town and (3) I committed to not spending while he was gone. In any case, it was exciting when I figured out the numbers this afternoon and saw how much we had left. We'll see how March goes!


So, that's the spring cleaning going on around here. I'm cleaning my house, my body and my finances. What are you spring cleaning?

Normal

One week ago today Brian and I had just woken up and were saying goodbye to his parents and sister. We got dressed and headed to the PX early not realizing that at 9:30 on a Sunday the place wouldn't be open yet. It was actually a pretty pointless trip. The whole reason for it was for Brian to get a haircut and by the time they opened and he made his way there they were too busy for him to want to wait.


It's a week later now. Things are kind of calming down. We don't have to be touching every second of everyday. We spend several hours a day doing our own things. I guess we're getting back to normal. Ironic that I don't even know what normal is to get back to. We're finding our normal. How about that?

Everyday this week Brian has had to be at work super early, sometimes before the sun has even risen. I would stay in bed for a couple hours after he left getting some last minute ZZZs. Today I woke up early and he's still in bed. He deserves it, I'll let him. I probably would have slept later if my stomach wasn't bothering me. I guess a week of eating more than usual without going to the gym and then eating out last night and having a screwdriver when I came home has messed with my system.

Speaking of yesterday, we had a fun day. We checked out the gym around 9:15 which was much needed on my part. I can feel the burn in my legs and abs today. The gym isn't what I am used to, but it will work. I am seriously thinking about getting a mat and some weights to do my ab stuff at home. Everything is in one big room at this gym - they don't have a separate stretching room to do ab stuff in - so I felt a little conspicuous on the mat by the wall. The treadmills are the same tho so that was mildly comforting.

After the gym we came home, ate lunch, and started taking showers and getting ready for our date night. Originally we were going to go to the local steakhouse - Wagon Master's - but Brian nixed that idea because he thought it would be too crowded. He probably just didn't want to run into anyone he knew. Ha. So we decided to go to Lake Charles for some Target browsing and dinner out somewhere. I decided to dress up for the occasion so I threw on my cap sleeve black/gray/gold dress from Kohl's with rhinestones on the waist and a deep v-neck that I have to camouflage with a cami underneath and some 3/4 length black leggings. My new GB shoes from Christmas and scrunched hair finished it off. After having a "fat week", I felt pretty good yesterday.

I drove to LC and it was pretty uneventful. Brian dozed the entire way so it was a quiet ride. I found where I was going easily and pulled into Target with a smile on my face. The Target down there is really nice and new - much different from the old Target I am used to at home. We picked up a few things (flips flops for both of us, a measuring cup, cake pans, a bread knife, gum, and a couple of rugs for the kitchen) and then headed down to Bed, Bath & Beyond which was in the same plaza because we still had about 20 minutes to kill before it was an acceptable dinner hour. At BB&B we just picked up a 1/2 off Yankee candle in a fall scent (because, really, what do I care if it's not spiced pumpkin season anymore?) and a couple of plain salt and pepper shakers. We've been making do with the big salt container and pepper container that the spices come in at the store and at $2.50 a piece how could you go wrong? I fully plan on upgrading to nicer ones come August, but for now these will work just fine.

We talked yesterday about what we still needed to buy, how much money we wanted to spend and what we would do with what was left over. When we go home at the end of the month we have some bank realigning to do. We need a savings account desperately and I really need to close out the account I still have open with my mom. I meant to do that the entire year B was gone, but just never did. There's still a few hundred bucks in there that could certainly buy a nice desk. After much back and forth about TVs and if we needed a new one I think we've decided that we are indeed going to take the flat panel plunge and get one in the next couple months. That will move the heavy beast in the living room upstairs to the extra room to be joined by the futon when we get a couch.

I was laying in bed thinking last night about the bills we have to pay and how B's paychecks will cover them and realized that almost every bill comes out before the 15th which will put a heavy burden on us for half the month. I'm pretty sure I can mail/pay my student loans after the 15th (I need to check due dates) which would greatly help. We really don't have too many bills which I am grateful for, but it's still closer than I would ideally like. It's also hard because his pay won't level out for a few months so I really have no clue what a "normal" paycheck will look like. I'm glad I like numbers and dealing with such things.

And suddenly it's almost 9 o'clock. I guess I'll wander around the internet some more and make myself some oatmeal. I want to walk the long path in the woods today with B. Maybe instead of going to the gym? We'll see when he gets up and take it from there. I know also on the agenda for today is to clean out this living room and rearrange it. All the boxes behind the futon are either getting unpacked or moving upstairs so I won't have to look at them anymore. B is going to break down Tiny's crate and stick it in the storage room. I hope I can find a set up that I like in here. It's kind of been stressing me out.

*Side note: Tiny just bounded upstairs without me. Hopefully he's not pissing B off too much by sticking his cold, wet nose in his sleeping face.

Ok, this is plenty long enough. Toodles!

S.

Frustrating.

I need a good listener. A blog that can't talk back has to be a good listener, right? Ok, here goes...

Today has been a weird day. I'll just start at the beginning. I got up and went to the gym this morning. It was a good workout. Yesterday was rough and I was glad when today wasn't as bad. I burned 180+ calories and got some good ab work in. I left there with endorphins raging and feeling pretty good. I drove all the way home with the windows down. I got home, surfed the net and made myself some lunch (pb sandwich w/ honey mustard pringles). I spent the next couple hours on the computer and watching TV. Mom had mentioned we'd go out to eat tonight since she didn't feel like cooking so I jumped in the shower around 3. I took extra care drying my hair and putting on my makeup because I had plans to go to a concert with Kim and some other people tonight. I threw on some clothes and went to the mall with Mom around 4:30. Dad was running and was going to meet us at Chili's around 5:30. Mom got some clothes at Christopher & Banks and I hit up the Victoria's Secret panty sale. When we were finished it was 5:30 and we hadn't heard from Dad. Mom was irritated and just wanted to go home. It was around here that I sorta lost it.

I haven't seen Kim in weeks and weeks. She's invited me to do some things with her but it always involves people I don't know, money I don't want to spend, and Thursday nights when I have to be home by 10. I have said "no" more times than I can count and every time I feel guilty. She texted me on Tuesday to see if I wanted to go to a concert at a new bar in town tonight (Thursday). I agreed because she gave me enough notice and I figured $12 cover to a concert wasn't the end of the world. I knew exactly what I was going to wear too - a dress I bought at Kohl's months ago and hadn't worn anywhere yet. So, the entire shower, half shave of my legs, make up, and blow dry were with this concert in mind. Earlier in the day Kim had called making sure I still wanted to go. In the middle of giving me the details of the evening she got a call on call waiting from some number she didn't recognize so she told me she'd call me back. It's been over 4 hours and I haven't heard from her. I even called her around 4:30 and she hasn't returned that phone call either. In the mall when I was faced with the disappointment of not Chili's dinner and that I had gotten ready and dressed to buy underwear and then go home, I got really angry and frustrated. It seems like everything lined up to mess with me today. I haven't talked to Brian since Monday and subconsciously that always screws with my psyche. Throw into the mix that Kim totally blew me off and just didn't seem to really care if I went tonight or not and I just felt really sorry for myself really fast. I get tired of being here alone. I get tired of not having a husband to accompany me to things. I get tired of depending on a select few people for all my companionship when they have their own lives to lead. I get tired of immature friends who simply do not understand what it is to be a grown up. I get tired of holding my finger on the pause button of my life. Sometimes I want to run away from everyone and everything for awhile and just be. This is why I generally opt to stay home by myself. People are selfish creatures that really only care about what is happening to them. I wonder if Kim has even wondered where I am. She sure as hell hasn't called. It will be bittersweet when I wash my face tonight. I worked so hard on my purple smokey eye (seriously!). I worked equally as hard on my hair. I guess I did it all to go on a mall run that wasn't even necessary.

I don't think I smile as much as I used to. I smile more when Brian's home.

I think I'll put Transformers in tonight. I love that movie and haven't watched it in awhile. Or maybe I'll get caught up in a The First 48 marathon. No telling, really.

Thank you for letting me get that out. I'm really ok - I always am. Some days are just harder than others.

S.

Disappointing Friday.

Today has been a - I don't want to call it crappy - disappointing day. I stayed in bed too long so I got a late start at the gym. I stopped on base to get a little bit of gas to get me off of 1/8 of a tank and the pump I picked kept kicking off for no reason. I hate when that happens! They are doing 100% ID checks everywhere on base this weekend. Well, I get all the way to the gym before they tell me this so I have to walk all the way back to the truck to get it. Since I was late(r) to the gym it was more crowded so I skipped the stretching/situp room all together. I ate a cheeseburger with too much mustard for lunch and then wasted the afternoon. I didn't go anywhere and I never put makeup or real clothes on. I didn't spend any money (aside from $10 on gas) so I guess that's a good thing. I ate too much pizza for dinner and listened to Cooper come apart completely in the second half of their game. I don't know why the Cooper thing set me off like it did, but I feel sad and extremely disappointed. I think it was just the culmination of the entire day. I've been feeling restless lately. My move-to-Louisiana date is slowly approaching. It's finally sort of within reach. I know as soon as that is finished then Brian coming home will be so close. I haven't talked to him in 2 days which I think is also throwing me off. I like to downplay how him being gone affects me. I like to think I'm the same day to day, but I'm really not. I act the same, but really I get a little more sad and a little less happy after each day that I don't talk to him. I keep waiting for him to get home so we can have our life together and I just hope and pray that it is everything that we have dreamed it will be. Sorry this is so rambling. I was feeling emotional and this is the best place to let it out.

S.

Base Adventures.

Keith's birthday in next Wednesday. He will be 21 so I'm sure alcohol will play a part in his day somehow. I don't know of his exact plans, but I know I have been put in charge of making his cake. We bought a yellow cake mix, chocolate frosting, white writing icing, candy sprinkles, and margarita candles today. I'm really excited about this cake! I was originally going to make cupcakes, but I have since changed my mind and settled on the more traditional two-layer round cake. My mouth waters just thinking about it!

The summer Olympics start today. Well, tonight is the opening ceremony. There's something about the Olympics that just draws you in everytime. I like the summer Olympics. There's gymnastics and swimming and baseball and beach volleyball (ha!). It'll be a fun couple weeks with constant random sports to watch on tv.

Mom and I went to the gym this morning and showered there. I hadn't done that in years. Literally. I'm happy to say that the showers did not disappoint! The ground was damp, the stall was dark, and the curtain barely covered the opening to the stall. The showerhead was super tall, the water pressure was low, and the body wash dispenser didn't work. It's funny how we get used to the shower we use at home on a regular basis so that any shower other than our own feels...off. It's also always fun to get dressed, put your makeup on, and fix your hair in a locker room. A locker room that isn't necessarily designed for female use. It turned out alright.

The commissary is starting to shape up - sorta. More freezers/refrigerator cases has been installed. They are super fancy schmancy! I approve. The aisles are also really large. I'm not even sure how Mom and I could go down one aisle and manage to shop on both sides. Our routine may have to be altered when all is said and done. What am I talking about? I'll be in hell-LA by the time the place is finished. There's always visits!

So, how's that for posting two days in a row? I rock, I know.

S.

My latest complaint:

Is that I feel lethargic, headachey, and sorta out of it. I've felt like this for at least the last few days if not longer. I'm not really sure what is wrong with me. Perhaps all the gymming I've been doing is wearing me out. Perhaps I am mildly depressed that I'm all alone again -- and for almost 9 months this time. Perhaps I need to find a job or a hobby or something to wake up for. Perhaps I haven't been sleeping well although I don't know it. Perhaps I have been sleeping too much. Perhaps the heat is getting to me (it was like 102 today). I don't know but I've been taking more ibuprofen than I like to. Sometimes, though, I go through spells where I have headaches and feel crappy and then it will pass. Maybe that is all this is.



I generally find summer in Texas to be unbearable through most of the day. The heat just takes the life right out of you. Plus, I sunburn after about 4 minutes so lounging and swimming become rather painful after awhile. Anyway, I have found that my favorite time of day during the summer here is between 8 and 9 o'clock. The sun has set behind the trees by then, but is still up enough for it to be light outside. I love going in the backyard, posting up in one of the lounge chairs with my latest read and relaxing. It is one of the highlights of my day.



Speaking of the heat: I had been having a problem with the temperature of my room. My room is rather large and I am in here the majority of the day and Tiny sleeps here at night. We both put off a considerable amount of body heat. Well, this room only has one tiny vent for the a/c. I know this room was never intended to be anything more than an extra living space plus guest bedroom. I'm sure if that was truly the case than the one vent would be plenty, but I ruined their (the parents') plans and crashed their lovely guest room. There is a ceiling fan, but it really only moves the air over the seating area. My bed? Not so much. There were a few days where I'd go to sleep around 12 and wake up around 3:30 needing to pee and I'd find my upper back and neck were soaking wet with sweat. And to top it all off, after I'd go to the bathroom, my pillow would be cold from the a/c cooling the sweat that had soaked into my pillow. Gross gross gross! Well, Daddy-o got my lovely stand fan from my old house out of the garage so I can have double fan duty. I am pleased to report that last night, I did not sweat. Yay!



Tomorrow I am getting my hair trimmed. I always know it is time when I can put my hair in a ponytail and most of my bangs reach the elastic. I need to remember my checkbook.



I am reading that (==>) book right now. I had seen the previews for the movie and wanted to see it. (Partly because the main character is Jude from Across the Universe.) I was looking through books at the BX and saw this one. It was only $6 so I figured why not. You never waste money on books -- especially when they're under $10. I thought Brian might like it too. I'm going to read it and then pass it along to him in some care package. I know he usually goes for more suspense/action/fantasy books, but maybe he'd like something about super geniuses counting cards and winning millions.


Well, I sat down at the computer around 10 o'clock not knowing how I was going to pass the time tonight and here I am staring at a clock that says "11:13". I guess time goes by faster than I thought. Maybe I'll get to bed soon and wake myself up early-ish tomorrow. Perhaps that could get rid of this ugh feeling I've been having.

Goodnight.

S.

7 Months.

Brian and I were married 7 months ago today. We've been together about 25 days of that. *sigh*

I went to the gym this morning (yay me!) and hit the elliptical. Right around the point when sweat starts dripping down my face this group of young men in their PT uniforms come into the room. There is something weird about men in groups. It's like they're packs of wolves or something. Well, I shouldn't have been intimidated. This group of manly men were being instructed (by a woman) on how to use a bike machine and then how to use the rock climbing machine. Maybe they had never seen a gym before.(?) Before this happened, though, another fun thing happened. There are windows in the cardio room that look out on hallways. I was right next to a window that looked out on the hallway along the racquetball courts. A crew of old folks walked down that hallway and decided to stop and look through the window at me like I was a zoo animal.

Brian is coming home soon. We're down to about a week. My survival tactic has been to push it out of my mind. I think if I dwelled on it, I'd start freaking out. I still have a few major things to clean around here. The bathroom is starting to gross me out. I bet he wouldn't be too grossed out, though, seeing as he's been in the middle of shithole, Iraq for 5 months. I'll clean it anyway. I'm more nervous about him coming home than I anticipated. I had been nothing but excited until relatively recently, but now I'm nervous. I hope things aren't weird between us and I hope that we don't argue. I just hope we have a good time and enjoy each other.

He should have joined the AF. They're all home by 6 months which is only 1 month longer than this. I only get him for a couple weeks then I need to send him back for another 10 months. Fuckity fuck.

The closing on my house was at 1 today. It's not my house anymore. The keys aren't on my keychain anymore. My room isn't my room. Someone else is calling that house home now. Someone else will be sleeping in my room and cooking in my kitchen. I haven't let myself think too much about this either. I'm trying to find the middle ground on my habit of getting attached to material things. I can't let myself get so attached to things and expect them to be mine forever. I am not planning on living here forever or living in a 2 bedroom house my parents own forever. You have to move on and up in life. I have a tendency to like to stay stuck in one place and I'm trying to break myself of that habit. I think this will help in the future when I'm a slave to the military. I will remember that house fondly for the rest of my life. Alot of good memories were made there and alot of growing up happened within those walls. I'll have to check on my various trees from time to time and see how they're shaping up.

S.

Happy Birthday Jenna & Jana!!!

I've been in my head a bit lately.

Baghdad has been pretty unstable and violent so I've been worrying about Brian more than usual. Thankfully he called last night so I know he's alright. He sounded pretty good too. I can tell when he's stressed and tired and overworked, but he sounded alright. He said he'd try to call me later, but I doubt I'll hear from him. It never seems to work out that way.

I went to the gym this morning and did 20 minutes on the elliptical on "random". I remember when the elliptical scared the hell out of me and I couldn't last more than a few minutes before wanting to shoot myself. I've pushed myself in my latest gym endeavor more than I have in the past. I think it's paying off. I even have abs of (semi-)steel.

Tiny is whining at the door and the last time I let him out when he did that he walked outside and promptly laid down in the sun. wtf? He's an odd dog alot of the time.

I have a red dot on my stomach that is worrying me a tad. Hopefully it'll go away on its own and I won't have to do anything about it.

Jenna and Jana turn one year older today. I got Jana the classic Life game and made Jenna a picture frame. Jenna actually hasn't cost me anything (other than the card) yet. I'm planning on getting her some liquor and maybe a mixology book, but we'll see. It's almost 1pm and I still need to shower. I'm thinking I might put off delivering presents until tomorrow. (This was a pointless paragraph.)

Brian's target date to be home is in 16 days. It's hard to believe those numbers even though they are typed out right in front of me.

Yesterday we had a couple major thunderstorms roll through. We lost power from 3:55 til 4:15. It's a surreal feeling to be without electricity. Keith tried to leave for school and the garage wouldn't open. I walked into the bathroom and instinctively turned the light on, but it didn't come on. The whole house was eerily quiet.

I'm so lazy. Or tired. Or something else. I really need to get in the shower and clean my bathroom and finish cleaning my room. Ugh.

S.

Finally something to blog about!

...because I actually did something!

I went to the gym. I've been "meaning" to go for about...oh months. The gym is one of those things that gets harder to return to the longer you've been away from it. I am also not one of those people that just loves the gym, who wakes up hungry for some quality time with the elliptical machine. I usually end up at the gym when I have excess free time that is consumed with self-loathing and laziness. Also, I need to be highly emotional (not just crying...any emotions). When my emotions are making my moods into not-so-fun roller coaster rides, I start craving the endorphins. Plus, the gym is always a good place to people watch, read a book, or catch up on some tunes. There is never a shortage of cute guys, ugly/fat girls, and creepy asian women. (I go to the gym on base...thus the higher-than-normal percentage of asian women.)

I briskly walked for 15 minutes on the treadmill, hit up the stair-climber for about 13 minutes, and got my heart racing on the elliptical (which, until today, I was terrified of.) for 12 minutes. I burned something like 250 calories. Whenever I go do cardio, I am thankful for my large leg muscles. Have you ever noticed that pretty much everything cardio requires your legs? Your arms do diddly squat. You walk/run with your legs. You climb stairs with your legs. You ride a bike with your legs. My favorite - the elliptical - also requires your legs. I wonder if you only did cardio, if your legs would eventually be disproportionate to your arms. Hmm...

I came home, showered, shaved my legs, opened a window, and put on shorts. It's pretty close to perfect weather (minus the wind) outside today. According to weather.com it is 67 degrees right now. I generally prefer the 70s, but 67'll do.

I need to get the towel off my head because it's making my neck hurt. I also need to find something to eat, because my tummy is rumbling.

S.