Quickie

This will be quick.

Yesterday I signed my contract at work. I am officially an employed licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathology Assistant in the great state of Oklahoma. This has surely been a long time coming (since August) and I have jumped through more than a few hoops to make it happen. It still doesn't feel real...and I suspect it won't until I get that first paycheck next month. This is definitely one of my greatest accomplishments.

My parents are currently on their way to see me!! I can't tell you how excited I am to see them. I have no idea what we will do while they are here, but it will be nice to have company in my house for the weekend.

Napoleon Dynamite is such an awesome movie.

That is all!

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!

Love & Marriage

I had a long discussion with my best friend last night about love and marriage. It made me really think about my philosophy on the subject.

Some background: She is divorced with a 4-year-old. She definitely married the wrong man. Her extended family is littered with dysfunctional relationships and bad marriages. I have been married for 5 years with no children. We have gone through marriage counseling and really struggled for a couple years. My extended family is full of long-lasting seemingly happy marriages and families.

She believes in The One and that you have no control over falling in love with them and loving them forever even if they are not good for you. I do not believe there is The One. I think our lives could take a million different paths depending on the choices we make. One different decision on my part and I could be happily (or miserably) married to someone totally different. She believes in the fairy-tale-romance kind of love. She wants to be swept off her feet and have romantic-comedy-worthy moments everyday. She thinks love means less issues, less disagreements. I believe that love is something you choose to maintain everyday and that marriage is hard work. I believe that the choice to get married cannot be taken lightly and that people are too quick to jump to divorce when things get tough. I think the movies/tv/books that I love so much paint an unrealistic picture of what love and marriage truly is.

This really only scratches the surface and I know how lucky I have been in the choices I have made. I am not shy in saying that my decision to get married was not well thought out and was one of the riskiest things I have ever done. I am lucky that we have made it through 5 years. I also know we've worked at it.

That's my two-cents. What's yours?

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! :)

A Few Thoughts

I believe that if you are educating our youth, you should be able to spell and follow grammar rules. A "friend" on FB was hired recently as a teacher/coach. She wrote this to someone the other day: "Me to congrates on getting married" Ugh.

If we used to be FB friends and are no longer FB friends, do not assume that it is a FB glitch or an accident. Mostly likely I unfriended you on purpose for a reason. Now since I try to avoid being a total bitch, I will accept your friend request. As soon as you annoy me, though, you're getting added to my blocked list. Fair warning.

I'm gaining weight and I don't like it. The number on the scale last night was frightening. Time to get a handle on things. Step one: waking up at 6AM (!!) to walk the neighborhood when it was a cool 80 degrees (compared to the projected high today of 105 - yikes!). Step two: counting calories. I use the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. It's free and makes keeping track of calories/exercise a simple task.

Super Bowl XLVI

Yeah...the Giants won. :)

Post Secret

This inspired me this evening.

I wanted to document it somewhere.

Isn't that what blogs are for?

Harry

I love this:

Stolen from: Just A Girl

I Took The Plunge...

...and bought a new car.

I still sorta can't believe it.

But, without further ado...

Out with the old:

^^She was a fantastic car for almost 8 years and I was sad to say goodbye. :(

And in with the new:

^^Oh, baby. Isn't she gorgeous?! Quite the upgrade. It'll take me another 6 months to figure out how everything works!

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.

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.

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.

Bullet Points.

I can't seem to write a decent post these days. You'll just have to settle for this:

• I can't help but smile when watching/listening to songs from Glee.
• I'm cheating on my Mocha Frappuccino with plain old iced coffee. It's almost half the price. And doesn't taste too bad!
• It's premiere season. I'm more excited about this than I should be.
• I keep thinking these sentences in Facebook status format. One of these days I'll just start talking in the 3rd person.
• I officially applied for grad school. I'm hoping for January admission. I'm not sure how I'm paying for it.
• Today was trash day. There are 5 more trash days before I move home. There are 4 more trash days before Brian leaves.
• Eminem is everywhere, man! (...listening to Love the Way You Lie right now.) I remember listening to his first album like 10 years ago. I think it freaks Brian out a bit that I like his music.
• The new Halo game came out today. It should keep Brian occupied for awhile.
• I have running mental lists of moving stuff that needs to get done. Sometimes I get really overwhelmed and have to force myself to stop thinking about it.
• It was 65 this morning when I got up. I thought I was ready for fall, but I'm not so sure anymore. I had flashbacks to last winter and the itchy sweaters and cold sheets at night and shivering every time Tiny had to pee. Maybe summer could stick around a while longer.
• I can't figure out why Brian is still working until 5 or later everyday. Um...they're leaving in a month. Cut them a break.

That's about it I guess. I've been in a funk lately. Thus the lack of posts. I think this impending deployment is messing with me a bit.

Kids Are Funny Volume 2

*Drawn by a little girl in the kindergarten class I subbed for on Wednesday.

I'm on the left. My husband has the giant head. The little fly-thing in the middle is my son. That's what the artist told me, anyway. I told her I don't have a son and she seemed stumped. Brian is now convinced that our first child will be a boy.

I just can't over Brian's big head! I laugh every time I look at it!

Kids Are Funny

I wore my hair curly on Friday. At least 2 of my students told me they liked my hair. Apparently my husband isn't the only person who prefers my hair curly.


I gave them M&Ms as a treat for correctly answering questions Friday afternoon. I think the sugar went to one little boy's head. He told me I'm "the greatest" and then he took it one step further telling me "You're beautiful!" THEN he topped himself by asking if I'd go to his house. Oh, the power of chocolate.


Tomorrow I give my 14 little students their re-test. I'll be super happy if most of them improve their scores.


((I was tutoring the same students for an hour everyday last week trying to help them pass their end-of-year reading test. Some failed miserably the first time, but some were borderline. I'd love it if my tutoring made an impact.))


After tomorrow, my tutoring gig is over. What will I do with myself all summer? Oh right...go on vacation and spend my time by the pool!

Random Thoughts

1. Stop calling your husband "hubby" in every stupid Facebook status. He has a name.


2. They don't ask "Why?" enough (or ever...) on Lost.*


3. I like all the Twilight books and movies. I'll admit it. I don't, however, own a New Moon shirt. And if I did, I surely wouldn't wear it to the PX. That's only acceptable if you're under the age of 12.









*I started watching Lost on hulu this week. I started at the beginning and have slowly been making my way through the seasons. Sometimes I want to scream WHHHYYYY at my computer.

Ten Things

1. Our new food court opened yesterday. One word: LOVE.


2. I got coffee at Starbucks tonight. I don't drink coffee. I rarely go to Starbucks. But it was there and it was new and it was calling my name.


3. My in-laws are coming to town this weekend. I really need to clean, but I keep putting it off. I've known these people for almost 4 years and I still don't feel totally comfortable around them. Please tell me I'm not alone in feeling this way.


4. Anyone watching American Idol? I'm rooting for Lee DeWyze.


5. Glee and Vampire Diaries: my guilty pleasures every week.


6. I feel so sorry for poor little 5 year olds that still haven't learned their letters and numbers.


7. I just realized that I only have a couple weeks before Brian takes off for some school somewhere. I'll be here alone for most of it. Boo!


8. Still SO excited about Disney World.


9. I need book recommendations. I'm halfway through the last book I have on hand to read. A library excursion might be in order before week's end. Let me know if you've read any good books lately! (Hopefully I can find them at my sorta sad library.)


10. April is flying by.

A Few Things

1. I ate a piece of lettuce last night. Does this count as an attempt at eating more veggies? (I first mentioned it here.)


2. I made The Pioneer Woman's famous chocolate cake tonight. It was every bit as good (and sinful) as she promised. Go make it.


3. I bought a new swimsuit today! I'm really excited about it. I'd describe it, but I couldn't do it justice - and I'd make it sound ugly and old-lady-ish. I also got a great pair of jeans that actually fits! I've been trying to squeeze into cheap jeans from American Eagle and stuff for the last couple years. The fact of the matter is that my body has changed and those jeans do nothing for me. It's been so long since I've gotten great new stuff - it was alot of fun. It helped that I got to hang out with my brother while shopping! (He's a great sport about shopping with me!)


4. Tiny went to the vet today. He's been having skin problems for the last few months (dry and flaky). The vet thinks it's a staph infection. We have orders to bathe him in medicated shampoo once a week for awhile and see how he does. I really hope it works. It would be so nice for Tiny to have a gorgeous coat again!


5. I called one of my oldest friends today so we could try to meet up while I'm in town and she put me off like she has the last 3 times I've been home. It always goes the same way: I call her, she makes plans with me for the last day I'm in town and then doesn't call me and doesn't answer when I call. Maybe this time she'll call when she says she will. Maybe.


6.  Hannah gave me an award today! I can't say enough good things about Hannah. She's the first blogger I struck up a friendship with outside of blogs. We email back and forth and chat on Facebook. She's a great friend to have, even if we've never met and live far away from each other!


Now about the award:

The rules:

1. Thank the person who gave it to you.

2. Name 10 things that make you happy.

3. Pass on to 10 bloggers and notify the winners.

So....thanks, Hannah! :)

Happy things:

1. Shopping

2. Tiny

3. Family

4. Good books

5. Rainy afternoons

6. Dessert

7. Yankees

8. Clean sheets

9. Spring days

10. Long walks

Seven bloggers (finding and linking 7 that Hannah didn't already tag took long enough - I just couldn't make it to 10, sorry!):

1. My real life high school friend Leslie @ Little Leslie Grows Up

2. Meg @ Adapting to Change

3. Allison @ I Heart Change

4. Becky @ My Life, From {Army} Brat to Wife

5. Marsie @ Quite Contrary

6. Casey @ The Ever-Changing Life of a Military Wife

7. Katie F. @ The Life of an Army Wife

Geez, that took a long time! All the linking and searching and thinking! I worked on this through the entire 2 hours of DWTS! Oh well, all you girls deserve it and Hannah deserved a big fat thank you.

Food Store

One of my words on freerice.com tonight was commissary.


Thank you military life for making it impossible to not know what this word means.

About Us

I've seen this on a number of blogs today so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon and play along!


1. What are your middle names?
--Eileen and William.

2. How long have you been together?
--4 years in June.

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
--Like 2 days.

4. Who asked who out?
--He asked me out. This is shocking if you know him.

5. How old are each of you?
--I'm 24, he'll be 23 in a couple weeks.

6. Did you go to the same school?
--No.

7. Are you from the same home town?
--Yes.

8. Who is the smartest?
--I think we'd both agree it's me. I'm a total nerd.

9. Who majored in what?
--I majored in Speech-Language Pathology. He didn't get past the basics, much less pick a major.

10. Who is the most sensitive?
--Me, but he has his moments.

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
--NYC.

12. Who has the worst temper?
--Under normal circumstances, we're about equal, but if you push Brian far enough, I think his is worse.

13. How many children do you want?
--2 or 3.

14. Who does the cooking?
--I do.

15. Who is more social?
--I'd say we're both pretty anti-social. It makes things hard sometimes.

16. Who is the neat freak?
--I wouldn't characterize either of us as a neat freak, but I'm definitely neater than Brian.

17. Who is the most stubborn?
--Oh, we're both stubborn!

18. Who wakes up earlier?
--Brian when he has to work, me any other times.

19. Where was your first date?
--A Japanese steakhouse in our hometown.

20. Who has the bigger family?
--Our immediate families are exactly the same size, but I have more extended family that I'm close to.

21. Do you get flowers often?
--Rarely, if ever. And that's totally OK with me.
22. How do you spend the holidays?
--We're still trying to figure that out. The negotiations were not pretty this year. We do our best to keep things fair (even though I'd rather spend all my time with my family...).

23. Who is more jealous?
--I'd say he is.

24. How long did it take to get serious?
--Things didn't get really serious until he joined the Army 10 months after we started dating.

25. Who eats more?
-- We probably eat the same amount, but he tends to eat more junk.

26. What do you do for a living?
--I work part-time as a kindergarten tutor.

27. Who does the laundry?
--Me.

28. Who's better with the computer?
--Me.

29. Who drives when you are together?
--Either of us.

30. What is your song?
--I don't think we really have one. Is that totally unromantic?




So, do you feel like you know us better now? :)