(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Ok..I know lots of people do Wordless Wednesdays on here, but mine isn't totally wordless.

I just wanted to include a few pictures from my visit to Oklahoma this past weekend, most of these were taken on our family farm.

Ready for Summer

So, I'm back from my visit to Oklahoma. I actually got back last night around 10:00 p.m., but I was so exhausted from driving that I knew I would not be blogging until today. My main concern last night was just unloading the car and getting ready for bed.

I had a great visit while I was at home. I do enjoy my family although there were a few tense moments with one of my grandmothers when she found out my nose was pierced. She was quite upset by it, but she acted ridiculous about it. It's just a nose piercing! It's not even permanent! Anyway, other than that I had a grand time. I ate alot and I'm not even joking when I say that. Olive Garden with my friends, steak with my parents, pumpkie pie and mashed potatoes at my other grandma's...this always happens when I go home.

I also stocked up on some summer things while I was at home and I think I'm almost ready for summer.

Two pairs of white Old Navy flip-flops. Check




One fun Summer Handbag. Check




One super-cute summer skirty. Check



And some books to get me through a few weeks of the summer. Check



I'd say I'm well-stocked for the time being.

I spent most of today trying to get the house picked up. Sean did a good job of keeping the kitchen clean, but the rest of the house needed to be vaccumed, laundry needed to be done and our bedding needed to be washed and changed too. I did take a little time out for tanning though. Boomer is great for pest control while I'm tanning. There are lots of little bugs that like to fly around and he quickly snaps them up and eats them. He even got one out of my hair for me. What a funny little dog he is!

Sean won't be home until much later tonight. He has a jump this evening and most likely won't be home until after 10:00 p.m. He also has a 12 mile road march among other things this week. I'm a little disappointed though because we were planning on going to New Orleans this weekend for JazzFest and to sightsee, but they aren't getting a four day this weekend after all, so that plan is off. I'm not too disappointed though, I know sometime in the near future I'll get to go there again.

But I don't want to!

I've heard this a lot lately and no I have no children, so its not from them that I'm hearing this.

I've actually been hearing this from a lot of spouses, mostly concerning moving.

I have to admit it gets pretty irritating to hear that over and over.

"But I don't want to move! I don't want to be that far away from my family! I've heard bad things about (insert name of post here).

I understand that to a degree. I mean, I moved 10 hours away from my family to live with Sean at Ft. Polk. Next January I will move across the ocean to Italy and be extremely far away from my family and I'm not complaining. Will I miss them? Yes! Do I already miss them? Yes! Do I complain and gripe about it all the time? No! I understand the fear of moving somewhere new, having to meet new people, adjust to life there. That's normal! But constantly worrying and griping about where you are going is like a rocking chair. IT gives you something to do, but you get nowhere.

We ARE married to someone who is in the military, obviously at some point in your life you aren't going to be overjoyed about where you are assigned. Life is what you make it. If you complain and mope then you are going to be miserable, if you make the best of it and your time there, then you are going to have fond memories of that place. I just wish people would understand that and stop throwing their little pity parties.

Yesterday in my AFTB class we learned about coping with change. You can either be a Change Master, someone who handles change in a positive way and does what they can to adapt or someone who is a Change Victim, who has a negative attitude about change and their situation.

I decided right then and there that I was going to try my hardest to be a change master. I have been more of a victim these last couple of months at Fort Polk, complaining how I have no friends and no job. This week though I've really tried to get out there and expand my horizons and this is the happiest I've been since we moved here.

Ok...vent over.

On a positive note, my well woman's exam and job interview both went really well today. The doctor who examined me was amazing! I told her my problems with my last birth control and she suggested something else and said if that didn't work then we would try things until we found something that did work for me. Hearing that really made me feel a lot better.

My job interview was probably one of the best I've had. It was at a claims office which handles claims for the Sherriff's association of Louisana. It sounds very interesting, the hours are great, the pay is good and everyone is friendly, and it's a small office, which I like. I think I really impressed my interviewer with some of my answers and he really needs someone to just fill this position temporarily, as in around a year, so with us leaving for Italy that works out great. He told me he'd most likely be calling me next week, so I'm really hoping that he does.

Well, I'm off to the gym for a run, everyone have a good evening.

Home Sweet Home

I think I might be going "home" this weekend. Technically I know home is wherever the Army sends us, but I will never stop thinking of Oklahoma as my home. I lived there for 24 years, so it's kind of hard to think of it as anything less than that.

Sean has a four day weekend, but since he is currently on standby status, it's not really a good idea for him to be 10 hours away in Oklahoma, so he's staying here. I never look forward to the long drive, but audio books make the drive seem so much shorter! I learned that on my last drive down here and I swear I'll never take a long trip without them again!

I'm excited to see my friends and family back home. I'm trying to see them as much as possible and as much as our pocketbook can afford before we PCS to Italy next January. I plan on seeing all my grandparents and of course my immediate family as well as some close friends. I also think I'll be eating at my favorite sushi place. Oh how I have missed the sushi at In the Raw! What a treat it will be. :)



Today was my first Army Family Team Building class. I have to say for the most part I really enjoyed it. I learned some things that I didn't already know and met some new people as well. I really enjoyed learning about the various volunteer opportunites that are available. Some of them sound like something I'd like to involve myself with.

Sean cooked hamburgers tonight and they were just delicious. Man, he can cook! He just goes by instinct and he always seems to know what works and what doesn't. He put Swiss cheese, onions and mushrooms on my burger. Sans bun of course, since I'm limiting my bread intake.

My little dog Boomer is something else. I think he was mad at us today because he was crated for quite awhile since I was taking classes and Sean was too. I would put him in the yard, but he's such a little escape artist and always manages to get outside the fence. So until we get some of large cage for the backyard he has to be crated inside. He's such a smart, little puppy! Sometimes he really aggravates me and I have to admit my desire to have children soon has gone down a bit since getting a dog. Being responsible for him right now is enough for me!



Well, tomorrow is going to be a bit busy for me, I have a couple of hours of class, then my yearly exam (oh joy!) and a job interview. Should be an interesting day!

A text that made my day

Today so far has been spectacular and I really don't say that about Mondays very often at all.

Mostly because I had some female companionship today, which is something I've really been lacking since I moved down here to Ft. Polk. As some of you may know I'm a member of Army Wives Forums. Recently another girl joined that was here at Fort Polk and I kind of knew her as a friend of a friend. Well, today she texted me and asked if I wanted to come hang out with her and her little boys at the park. I accepted and I had a good time getting to know her. She and her family will be PCSing to Italy about two months after Sean and I, so I'm looking forward to getting to know her here and then having another friend in Italy.

Just an hour with another person in the same situation as I am, really made my day.

Currently I am working on supper while Sean studies for his HazMat class. I'm making chicken covered in some honey and BBQ sauce from Oklahoma that Sean and I both enjoy. I've put the chicken in foil packets on top of some potatoes and onions and I'm getting ready to make green beans with almonds. Should be a delicious dinner!

Tomorrow and Thursday I am attending Army Family Team Building from 8:30-2:30, which I've heard is a lot of fun. Even if I don't have a job I think I can still take classes and do things that will help on my resume. I think if I don't get this job that I'm interviewing for on Wednesday that I'm going to start volunteering at ACS a couple of days during the week. I really need to get out, learn something and meet some more people. I can't be a hermit forever!

Well, time to start on my green beans. Hope all of you had a fantastic Monday!

Here comes that rainy day feeling again...

I woke up this morning to the sound of hard rain falling outside my window. I love waking up to it raining. It's such a relaxing sound to me. Today I thought I'd share a few other things that I love. Just a mini-list of things in my life that I have an affection for. I'm leaving Sean, my friends and family off my list since those are always an obvious first three. :)

1. Blogging, I find it so relaxing and theraputic to blog. I like being able to look back and see what I was thinking and feeling at certain times.

2. Travel. I have so many places I still want to see in the world. I love to travel! My parents tried every year to take my brother and I someplace new and different. That's something I want to do with my children as well.

3. Food. I'm a big foodie, I admit it freely. I love trying new foods, I'm adventurous in that respect. I love Indian food( especially their appetizers) all kinds of pasta, shrimp and crab, sushi, and Mexican food is my favorite by far. I love trying new recipes out of the Kraft Food and Family magazine that I get too.

4. Reeses Peanut Butter cups. Really the only candy I eat.

5. Reading. It's my biggest hobby. I love to read. I didn't have so much time in college to do so, but now that I've graduated I've gotten back into reading alot. Non-fiction is my favorite genre. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume is my all-time favorite book.

And now for a random, quick list with no explanations of everything else I love.

Shoes, scrapbooking, photography, Ansel Adams, Disney movies, working-out, tanning, having a clean house, when Sean cooks dinner for me, the smell right after it rains, fresh-cut grass, Yankee candles, phone calls and letters from people I care about, Iced Chai lattes from Starbucks, learning new things, football, laughing and meeting new people.

Hopelessly Addicted

That's right. I'm confessing my addiction right now.

Here it is:



I always have to have chapstick somewhere on my being or at least in my purse. I even take it into the gym with me when I work out. There's nothing worse than having dry lips after running. I'm not sure when my reliance on chapstick started, but I'd say I've at least had it since middle school.

I prefer Chapstick for everyday use, although I usually layer other glosses or lipstick over it. I just can't stand it when my lips are dry! And I can't stand it when I see people with chapped lips.

Perhaps this is some weird OCD thing of mine? I'm not really sure. I think right now I have about 3 tubes of Chapstick and who knows how many other glosses. Hey at least it's an inexpensive addiction, right?