Pre-Deployment

I'm not sure which is worse - pre-deployment or the actual deployment.  If I had to answer this, it would obviously be deployment but there's something about pre-deployment that drains a person.  It's the inevitable constantly looming over us.  It's the knowledge of what's to come and the constant effort to make every second count.  It's the dreaded thoughts that uninvitedly pop into your head at random moment and the constant denial that "something" could happen.  It's a feeling that most will never know.

Along with these feelings, there's also an amazing sense of pride that I have in saying that my husband is fighting for our country.  And Josh isn't just any soldier.  He's got an amazing work ethic and loves his job.  He thrives as a leader.

So....here's to hoping this month goes by both slow and fast.  Slow so that I can enjoy every second with Josh but fast so that I can begin my countdown for his return.

Accepting

I'm still not sure which lesson I'm being taught, but am pretty sure I'm being taught something.  I was offered a job (thankfully!), but said job pays half the amount I was previously making.  This has been really  hard for me to swallow...not necessary for financial issues, but for pride issues.  I asked God to provide me with a job an He did.  It wasn't the job I was hoping for, but I know there's a reason He chose this job for me.  My next big issue to work through (seems like there are a lot of these lately) is to get over my pride and learn to accept the path God leads me down.

New Year/New Outlook

As the new year begins, I'm having a hard time entering with a positive attitude.  2011 was a year filled with many blessings, all of which I'm very thankful for.  It was also a year that I struggled with accepting God's plan for my life.  I'm very organized, sometimes to a fault.  I like to plan out every detail of my day, week, and yes, even life.  This relentless planning often is my own demise.  I would love to be able to obtain a career in which I can grow.  Maybe I place too much of my self identity in a job, but this has always been a desire of mine.  In my three years as a technical writer, I was excited at the prospect of moving up the corporate ladder in this particular field.  Unfortunately, this job ended in December and left we with many questions, sadness, and uncertainties.  I think I've finally been able to accept the fact that as a military wife, I will most likely never be able to obtain a job that I could call a career.  At the same time, I'm still struggling to accept other areas in my life that aren't currently matching up with my plan.  I would love to receive a master's degree, but it's not financially feasible right now.  I would love to have children, but that's not in God's plan for the time being.  One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." It's comforting, through all my worrying, knowing that His plans are best.

Josh will be gone 9 months out of 2012.  So how do I look at this new year and enter it with excitement and hope?  I hope this post doesn't sound like I'm not thankful for the situation I've been put in.  That's not the case at all!  In fact, I wouldn't change it for a thing. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband, a comfortable home, and loving family and friends. I know I have countless things to be thankful for (all of which I am extremely thankful for).   I plan to make the best of the 9 months that Josh is gone.  The only way to go into a situation like this is with a positive attitude (and constant faith and trust in God). I definitely believe that this time away will only make our marriage stronger.  I believe that this time will force me (thankfully) to lean on God more.   

So cheers to 2012!  I pray that it will be a wonderful year!

Veteran's Day

“We remember those who were called upon to give all a person can give, and we remember those who were prepared to make that sacrifice if it were demanded of them in the line of duty, though it never was. Most of all, we remember the devotion and gallantry with which all of them ennobled their nation as they became champions of a noble cause.”
-Ronald Reagan


Today is Veteran's Day. I am so thankful for all the veterans who have previously served or are currently serving our country.  I am so proud to be married to a hard working, loyal, soldier.  I respect his love and duty for his country...even though I curse it at times :).  


Being a military wife comes with its ups and downs.  Today, I won't get to see or even talk to my husband on the phone.  He is in Louisiana for a month training for deployment and phone calls are few and far between.  It's days like today that make me extra proud of him.  We are celebrating a day to remember our soldiers....soldiers just like him who are working sun up to sun down today while we are enjoying the sweet taste of freedom.


Some pictures of Josh's homecoming last year:

5k Mud Run

September was a busy month....with very little time for blogging.  I'll give a fast re-run of the month, but more importantly, talk about a mud run I did (yes, the run even trumps our vacation).  As everyone already knows, we moved into our house at the beginning of September.  I would just like to add that we've only been here for a month now and I've already locked myself out of the house twice....TWICE, I tell you.  The last time I did it, I waited outside for three hours until Josh came home. I had a lot of thinking time in those three house (most of which I spent deciding where I was going to hide our extra key).

Josh and I traveled to Naples, Florida and the Florida Keys for our one year anniversary.  We were accompanied by some friends who also were celebrating their one year anniversary.  Between swamp tours, alligators, manatees, and sunburns, we had a great time. I think our friends finally realized how old (lame) Josh and I really are.  Even on vacation, we still managed to be in bed by 10 p.m. most nights.  I snagged some alone time with Josh one morning when we ran 2 miles to the beach and picked up a cup of coffee on our run home.  I'm not going to lie, I crave these times with Josh especially now that deployment is creeping up on us.

On a more melancholy note, my grandmother passed away the day before we left for vacation.  I was blessed to have seen her only a few months earlier.  I am also so grateful that I left with such happy memories of her.  We didn't do much together - just talked a little and played some games - but I'm thankful that she was so bright and cheery for the little time that I was there.  She will be missed, but I'm happy knowing that she is in eternity with God.  One of my favorite verses is Rev 21:4. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

At the end of September I ran a 5k mud run.  I was on a team with a few other army wives.  I'm only writing about this so that I can post pictures, more than anything.  I'm proud of my army crawl through the mud leaving me dirty from head to toe.  The course was a pretty easy run (some uphill) with about 10 obstacle courses.  These courses ranged from wall climbs to mud pits.  Why did I pay $65 to get dirty?  I'm not really sure, but it was worth it!

Pictures from the Mud Run:

Josh and I on the pier in Naples:

Downtown Living

We moved into our new rental last weekend.  Thankfully, with all the help, we were able to move everything from the apartment to the house in three hours!  Josh and I spent the four day weekend moving, painting, and making our house a home.  It was tiring but nice to get things completed efficiently.  Zoey is thrilled to have a backyard and spends a lot of time running from one end of the fence to the other or carrying sticks around (we have a cute dog).  I'm enjoying having skylights in my office so that I can work in natural lighting instead of using electricity.  I'm not done decorating, but have added some pictures of the current state our house is in. It's frustrating trying to decorate on a budget.  This is why I watch "Design on a Dime" every Saturday morning.  Plus it's fun to drink coffee, snuggle on the couch with the hubby, and watch home decorating shows.

This is our storage room/Zoey's room.  We don't have any kids so of course she gets her own room.  Duh!  Zoey's bed cover is currently being washed.

 This is one view of the kitchen...

 And this is the other view.

 Living Room

 Living Room (I intentionally left out the TV view.  Not the prettiest view, in my opinion.  Josh would argue this).  Don't forget to check out the cute dog in this picture :).

 Stairs and small bathroom underneath the stairs.

 Master bedroom (a little bland at the moment).

 Guest Room.

 My office.

Zoey's 8 month update

Zoey is officially eight months tomorrow and I'm feeling somewhat guilty for not writing updates about her since we first brought her home.  If it was up to Josh, we'd be writing daily Zoey updates.  He thinks she's his daughter and I often find him cuddling in bed with her instead of me (no joke).  We've now come to the agreement that Zoey can sleep in the bed on weekends, which obviously only confuses her more.  Poor dog.

Quite often, I find myself wondering why I chose such a hyper breed.  Zoey NEVER slows down.  She loves people, which is only adorable until she starts jumping all over them (we're still trying to figure out how to train her not to do this).

She's on the smaller side for her age and her ribs still jut from her small frame (I swear, we feed her)!  Our monthly Wag N' Wash bill will attest to that.  It's amazing how strong she is though.  This definitely comes in handy when I'm running her and only have to exert about half the energy I normally would exercising.

And to conclude, I've added some pictures of our adorable, crazy, sweet, overly-friendly puppy.