It's no secret that high school encompassed some of the very best years of my life. One major part of my high school history was the youth group at my church. I attended a small Catholic church on the Air Force Base in my hometown. There weren't many of us in youth group, but we were faithful and there (almost) every Wednesday night. I haven't kept up with most of those people and due to the military lifestyle, very few still remain locally. Thankfully, I have Facebook. I have been able to keep up with (aka stalk) everyone over the years. There is one guy who has always had a special place in my memories because he was just such a dang good and nice person. He was outgoing and jovial and always smiling. He deserved everything good in life and I had no doubt he would do great things.
Early this morning I received word that he was killed in Afghanistan yesterday.
I have been doing this Army thing for over 4 years and grew up doing the Air Force thing. I have never (thankfully) lost anyone I knew until today. All my brain could think was "NO." What came after was a peculiar sense of devastating sadness and immense gratitude. I am devastated for his mother and his wife (who is coincidentally also named Sarah). I am also devastated for the world, because it is a lesser place without him. Right behind the grief was a persistent thankful feeling: my husband came home. Twice. I suppose I had started to take that fact for granted. This news put that right into perspective.
We lost a wonderful man yesterday. A Marine. A husband. A son. A friend. He was one of the good ones.
When I think about high school, I think about these songs. Some remind me of specific people and some remind me of long drives in my car with the top down. I still know every single word to some of them. I had so much fun putting this together!
.1.
"Konstantine" by Something Corporate
...the present's just a pleasant interruption to the past
And I had dreams, in them I learned to play guitar
Maybe cross the country, become a rock star
This is because I can spell confusion with 'K' and I can like it
It's to dying in another's arms and why I had to try it
It's to Jimmy Eat World and those nights in my car
When the first star you see may not be a star
I always catch the clock, it's 11:11 and you wanna talk
We have known for over a year where we are going next (since Brian reenlisted last winter). I purposely kept it off the blog because we didn't have official orders yet and it just seemed so far away. Well, now it is staring us in the face. In 6-or-so weeks we'll be saying goodbye to Louisiana and Fort Polk for good and making the move to....
We are both ready for this change and excited to see what the future holds for us. We also can't wait to be a little over three hours from home instead of seven. The moving planning has begun (we're moving ourselves) and we'll give our notice to housing on Friday. The time has flown since Brian got back in October and I know the coming weeks will be behind us just as quickly.
There were times when I cursed this state and this post, but I know I'll miss it when we're gone. We built our marriage here. We figured out this whole Army thing here. But, after 4+ years, it's time. I have really high hopes for Fort Sill and for 2012! :)
What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before? 1. I visited the Louisville Slugger Museum, Baseball Hall of Fame, & Jack Daniels Distillery. 2. I flew to and stayed in NYC alone. 3. I bought a car. 4. I caved and got a DVR. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I resolved last year to continue tracking the books I read and to work hard toward my master's degree. I am currently halfway through three different books, but won't finish any of them by the end of the year. That puts my total completed books at 29 for the year. Considering how much television I watched this year, that's pretty good! As far as grad school goes, I currently have a 4.0, so I'd say that is successful. I haven't accomplished everything that I wanted to, but I'm still slowly chipping away at it. In 2012 I want to continue to read. I also would love to graduate from grad school, but I won't hold myself to that one. Finally, I resolve to be brave through all the changes. I want to be adventurous and open to new experiences. I want to stop feeling afraid of the unknown. I have high hopes for 2012! What countries did you visit? This would be more interesting if you asked me about states. I stayed in good ole American again this year! What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? Adventure. What date(s) from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 1. March 17th -- the day I flew to NYC. 2. May 13th -- the day Brian came home for R&R. 3. May 28th -- the day Brian left after R&R. 4. July 9th -- the day Derek Jeter hit his 3,000th hit (a mammoth homerun!). 5. July 10th-29th -- the dates for our roadtrip vacation. 6. August 26th -- the day I turned 26. 7. August 31st -- the day I signed the lease for our new place in LA. 8. October 1st -- the day I emptied our storage unit and moved into our place. 9. October 26th -- the day Brian came home. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Completing a year of grad school with a 4.0. What was your biggest failure? Remaining unemployed. I really should have gotten a job while I was home. Did you suffer illness or injury? I've had a cold for the last week. Nothing much besides that!
What was the best thing you bought? My Ford Fusion Sport. Where did most of your money go? The down payment for my car. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Brian coming home.
What song(s) will always remind you of 2011? 1. The entire Sigh No More album by Mumford & Sons 2. Colder Weather by Zac Brown Band 3. Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum 4. Someone Like You by Adele Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? Happier. I'm looking forward to the next year. ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter. This holiday season has not been kind. iii. richer or poorer? Money wise: Richer, but not by too terribly much. Life wise: Richer.
What do you wish you'd done more of? Challenge myself. What do you wish you'd done less of? Mindlessly watch TV (seems to be a continual problem). Did you fall in love in 2011? Already did that quite a few years ago. How many one-night stands? Never ever. ((I really should just delete this questions...the answer never changes.))
What was your favorite TV program? Some of these have actually changed from last year: Sons of Anarchy, The Lying Game, Once Upon a Time, Switched at Birth, Pretty Little Liars, Real World, Jersey Shore, House, Bones, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, Glee, Community, The Office, New Girl...
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I can think of a few... What was the best book(s) you read? 1. Divergent by Veronica Roth 2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 3. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead What were your greatest musical discoveries? Mumford & Sons. I'm still not sick of it. What did you want and get? A new car. What was your favorite film of this year? I have two: Crazy, Stupid Love and The Help. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 26 on the 26th. I baked my own peanut butter cup cupcakes and listened to the first football game of the high school season on the radio.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? My precious kitty wandering into my life. What kept you sane? Family. Always family. (Ditto from last year!) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Charlie Hunnam (Jax from Sons of Anarchy) and Derek Jeter (as always!). Who did you miss? Brian and Keith. Who was the best new person you met? No new people this year...again. I really need to get out more. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011: Don't try to predict or understand what other people will do. You will drive yourself crazy trying. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Where you invest your love, you invest your life "Awake My Soul" by Mumford & Sons
