MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

Join in over at Wife of a Sailor!



1.Do you or your {spouse} ever wish your {spouse} was in a different branch of the military?
Yeah, we've discussed that we wish we were Air Force sometimes. I think there's a lot of great options regarding duty stations and I think overall their bases are better than Army posts.

2.What duty station(s) are on your “No Way, Hell No, Not Going, Have Fun Unaccompanied” list and why?
I actually don't really have any on my list. I'm pretty much ok with wherever we get sent. Although I could do without Ft. Bragg or Ft. Hood. I don't like huge posts and those are the two biggest. Sean doesn't want to be sent to Ft. Drum or either post in Alaska. He hates the cold.

3.If you could be one age forever, what age would you choose and why?
Anywhere from 25- to my current age of 27. I'm older, wiser and still don't have a lot of wrinkles.

4.If you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be?
Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds. It's quite simply the best!

5.What is your morning beverage of choice and why?
Currently? Either coconut milk smoothies or raw milk. In the summer I like to put OJ and fresh strawberries in the blender and drink that.

What I'm Reading

I'm doing pretty well on my goal to read 50 books this year. I'm up to 15 books and have a ton on my to-read list.

Here are a few recent books I've finished.

1. The Year of Living Biblically- A.J. Jacobs



When I first found this book, I thought it would be a light-hearted funny read. Although it was in some respects, it also made me think a lot about the Bible and God in general. The author (who is Jewish, although non-practicing) spends a year living by the rules in the Bible as closely as possible. He stones adulterers (with pebbles) grows out a beard, blows a horn on the first of the month and follows other lesser known rules. He also researches a few other religions and aspects of the Bible. It ended up being quite eye-opening. I went to church growing up and there were things he mentioned in the Bible that I didn't even know about. I've even read the Bible in it's entirety and didn't catch some of the things mentioned in the book.

2. The Overnight Socialite- Birdie Clark



If you want a fun and easy read, then this book fits that to a T. If you've ever seen the movie My Fair Lady or read Pygmalion, then you already know the premis of this book. Less than stellar girl meets "professor" of exceptional breeding and class, he makes a wager he can transform her into a darling of society and they fall in love along the way. It's a modern re-make and predictable, but still a fun read.

3. A Reliable Wife- Robert Goolrick



I'm pretty sure I heard of this book first over at DAR's blog. Like her, I wasn't impressed with the story. I felt like there was too much explanation and backstory in parts of the book and not enough about the present. The story is about a wealthy widower who puts an ad in a newspaper for a reliable wife. There is a twist to the story, which I didn't catch until it was spelled out for me. A decent book, but I don't think it deserves it's bestseller status.

4. Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa- Karin Muller



This is another recommendation from a blogger. The Japanese Life of a Military Wife first posted about it on her blog and I knew I had to read it. I haven't been disappointed! I don't know that much about Japan and the culture of the country, but after reading this book I feel like I have more knowledge than before. The author travels around Japan trying to make a documentary out of different experiences and traditions she encounters, all while trying to understand Japan and find wa(harmony). If you don't know much about Japan, or even if you do, I think you'll like this book.

What are you reading? Any good recommendations?

In a Funk

I don't know what is going on with me lately, but I just feel like I'm in a funk. It's not really that I feel sad or even unhappy. I just feel bored and unmotivated.

For example: Normally I really like working out. I especially like working with free weights. These days, I can barely motivate myself to go to the gym and if I do want to work out, I only want to run. That statement alone is crazy to me. I've never been a runner, so the fact that the only exercise I currently want to do is run is not me at all. Even the thought of upcoming bikini season isn't motivating me.

I also don't feel like doing things I normally enjoy. I think to myself, I need to work on my scrapbook, I need to take pictures, I need to edit my pictures. Sometimes I do, but most days I just don't even feel like doing my favorite activities.

I'm not sure if it's the weather and the fact I'm over winter and ready for spring to be here or if I'm just going through a phase and I'll get over it. I know with me saying I don't enjoy my normal activities that it sounds like I'm depressed and maybe I am, I just don't think that's the case.

Anyone ever go through this? If so, how did you get yourself out of the funk?

Question of the Day

Inspired by a debate on a forum I frequent:

What do you think of programs like "Your Baby Can Read"?

Does it have merit? Do you believe it works? Or do you think it's a load of crap and a waste of time?


(Photo courtsey of ARMMAN01 on Flickr)

Dicuss!

Sunday Speculations

1. Sean and I started watching Nip/Tuck last night. I know, I know I'm so behind the times. I usually don't start watching or buying things until several years after everyone else has. So far I really like it, although I could do without the graphic blood and surgery scenes. Makes me want to yak.

2. I signed up for my second 5K today. It's called the Shamrock Run and is taking place in exactly 13 days. After being a bum and then going on vacation for 2 weeks, I obviously didn't run like I had been. I'm working on it and I hope by race day I'll be able to beat my last 5K time.

3. As a sidenote, I wanted to add that the purse that I posted about yesterday can only evidently be found on the Forever 21 European website. I apologize for any confusion on that. (Luckily I have an Italian friend who said she'd buy it for me)

4. It's raining here...again. I just hope it stops before next weekend. I'm supposed to go to Carnevale in Venice with my best Italian friend.

5. Sean and I were watching 16 & Pregnant earlier and I noticed something. Why are almost all the girls on that show so....white trashy? I really am not trying to offend anyone and I'll be the first to admit that I have family members that can be kind of redneck at times, but seriously? It's like every girl on there fits that stereotype. I just don't get it.

6. When I say I have the naughtiest dog ever, I mean it. While Sean and I were engrossed in Guitar Hero the other day, Boomer took it upon himself to eat my leftover steak. I only noticed it when I found A1 on my blanket.

7. I'm thinking about buying a web domain to host my blog on and in the future to host my photography. For those that have bought a domain, any suggestions?

Spring Fashion Faves

The last few days I've been browsing around the web and stumbled upon a few spring items that I'm really loving. I'm also throwing into the mix a truly hideous item I found as well.



See this bag? It was love at first sight for me. Something about it just makes me want to order it right this very minute. Since I still have a giftcard to Forever 21 that I haven't used, I might just do that.



Old Navy has their first wave of swimwear out and I've already spotted a few suits that I like. I'm a huge lover of plaid and turquoise, so this suit was a natural pick for me.



Old Navy had dresses similiar to this a couple of years ago and I missed out on buying one. Luckily they are back again!



All I can say for this shirt is, "What were you thinking Old Navy?" Don't get me wrong, I love retro inspired prints, but the color just doesn't work for me or the print in this case. Not my cup of tea at all.



I really, really love capris. I envy girls that can wear them and wear them well. Something about my body shape just doesn't go well with capris, but a girl can dream. Right?

Also, thanks to everyone for the kind words and support yesterday. I really do appreciate it. And to those that asked if we have USAA renter's insurance, we do, so perhaps I'll give them a call and see if anything can be done.

So Very Angry

I'm so angry at the military today that I can't even do my normal MilSpouse Friday Fill-In.

As most of you know, Sean hurt his back while he was deployed and came back early from this deployment. So..the only stuff that got brought back to Italy was the stuff he was carrying with him. We got one box of stuff after the guys redeployed that had a few pieces of his equipment, a few books and about 10 movies. The guys assured him that they packed up the rest of his stuff and it would be coming back with the main shipment of stuff.

Fast forward to today and he tells me nothing else made it back. NOTHING. That includes equipment, tons of DVDs (including a bunch he borrowed from me) a whole folder of PSP games, everything that people sent him in care packages and pictures I sent him of me and Boomer. It's all gone. GONE. Nobody seems to know where it is. I call B.S. on that. You can't tell me they just decided to leave his stuff there for the next unit, knowing he wasn't coming back. Besides...what happened to the guys saying they'd packed up his stuff. Where in the heck is it?!

I'm just so angry right now that I'm actually crying. I know it's just stuff, but we're lower enlisted living on one salary. We can't replace the personal stuff. It would probably be at least $300 plus to replace it.

I'm just done with today.