Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A WinoVention

Help! I'm addicted to wine!

Before the hubby deployed I rarely drank. And if I did drink it was beer. Miller lite to be exact. Can you tell I'm from Wisconsin

Shortly before M left we started having weekly get togethers with good friends of ours. There the girls would drink wine and I would have a glass. Yellow tail Merlot was the wine my friend always brought and at first I had to get used to the taste. Def a lot different than beer!

So I started drinking wine and trying out different wines and flavors. I found I prefer reds over whites and sweet over dry. A favorite is Duplin brand wines which are made right here in Nc. I went from barely drinking to having a glass or two a night

Imagine my hubbys surprise when he returned. He had a wife who rarely drank who now comes home from work and pours herself a glass. I can't help it, it relaxes me and it's heart healthy!!

But now when I pour myself a glass my Hubby makes comments about how I'm a lush, how I'm a vino, how I need AA

So why do you think. Is a glass or two a night a problem?



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

New Workout


I started a new workout today. Jillian Michael's Yoga DVD. It kicked my ass. I have to admit it's been awhile since I've been to the gym. I wanted to find something different from workouts I had done in the past. I have a short, athletic build and most workouts such as spin or body pump make me bigger instead of leaner. So I thought I'd give yoga a try. In Raleigh I had a friend who teaches Hot Yoga. Yoga done in a 105 degree room. It's amazing. You move through the movements quickly and it is a great workout. So to go to a regular yoga class after that was a little boring. I loved Jillian Michael's workout because she added movement to the positions to increase your cardio workout.

My goal for this week is to do this DVD every day and hopefully add in another form of cardio. Such as walking the dogs at night or riding the bike at the apt gym. Hopefully I will be motivated to get my ass out of bed in the morning and stick to this routine. Though seeing my once toned legs jiggling as I moved from pose to pose was motivation enough!! Ugh

I also ordered this DVD today.



Bethenny has an amazing body and if I could look like her I would be so happy! I also plan on changing my diet. I don't eat horrible. Breakfast is usually oatmeal, lunch is usually a sub or chicken with some yogart and dinner is normally a chicken dish. Although the husband says we eat too many potatoes with our dinners. So from now on dinner is going to consist of a protein and a veggie or salad. I can also admit I barely eat fruit or vegetables and need to find an easy way to incorporate those things into my diet.

My ultimate goal is to lose 10 pounds, get toned again and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

I think in order to track my progress I am going to start to do a weekly post on my weight and workout progress.Hopefully this will keep me motivated.

So has anyone out there done any of these workouts? What do you think? Any good tips or recipes for healthy eating!


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Monday, September 27, 2010

Dogs first, babies second

I believe it was the movie Marley and Me where the main character is talking to his best friend about how his newlywed wife had started talking about babies. His friends response was Get her a puppy! I can't remember who else told me that pets are a good first step before kids and I couldn't stop thinking about that today as I was outside with the dogs. It started raining here yesterday afternoon and by this morning it hadn't let up. I have two princess furbabies who refused to go outside all day yesterday to use the bathroom. So this morning as I was walking around in the pouring rain I had to laugh and think about how I'd rather be changing a diaper!

A few months before I met my
Hubby I adopted a lab puppy from the lab rescue of Wisconsin. She was 13 weeks and had been abused by her previous owners. She was afraid of anything and everything and truly became my baby. She went every where with me and to this day follows me around wherever I go.

When the Hubby finally came
Home from his deployment and I moved to Nc, we decided to get Kenzie a playmate. We found a liter of lab pups available and the weekend after moving here we brought home April, an 8 week old yellow lab. We set about crate training right away. That consisted of spending three sleepless nights on a twin sized air mattress in our living room right next to Aprils kennel. Since I wasn't working at the time it was me that was up every two hours taking her outside. That killed my baby thoughts for awhile!

Now with a three year old and one year old lab we are those crazy doggy parents. We have pictures of them in frames, spend more money on them per week on bones and toys than we do ourselves and refer to them as our babies!

So until we have kids of our own they will remain our babies. And they have def been good practice!


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Sunday, September 26, 2010

We're All In This Together

I saw a similar post about this topic the other day but for some reason can't remember which of my fellow mil spouse bloggers posted about this. And since I agreed completely with her post I wanted to write about it myself

As a military wife there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not proud of my husband and his career. He has gotten where he is due to his commitment, courage and strength. Once he sets his mind to something he accomplishes it and never gives up. I am proud of his rank, status and job. But yet I rarely talk about it. Why?because I don't feel that he is better than anyone else nor do I feel that it is my right to talk about his career in front of other people. If people ask what he does, what rank he is and so forth, I will discuss it but I do not freely bring it up in conversation. To me just being in the military is worthy of honor and praise. It doesn't matter what your job, rank or status is. All military men and women deserve respect.

All of my friend's have husbands with a different mos than mine, are different ranks and comprise of different units in the army. And I think that's cool. Obviously I can relate to the wives of guys in my hubs unit more since our husbands deploy together, but I love hearing about what the other wives husbands do. Because without an infantry guy, a commo guy, a medic or a parachute rigger all the pieces wouldn't come together. All the specific jobs in the military add together to comprise one whole unit. Every job is equally important and you can't do any job by yourself. You need everyone to work together.

So it bother's me when wives wear rank and brag about their husband's job and act like they are better than any one else. My mil spouse blogger bff has had some negative comments written on her blog. Her post was taken way out of context and the anonymous commenter continues to write nasty comments. She accuses my friend of talking down about her husband's deployment experience and yet has to throw in that her husband is infantry and deserves all the respect.
It's comments like that that bother me. As military wives we should all stick together. Not bash one another for our blog posts or compare rank and jobs between our husband's. In the end they are all experiencing deployments, they are all leaving behind family and friends and us wives are left to pick up the pieces and carry on at home. SO why aren't we supporting one another, providing each other with courage and strength instead of negativity. Why bash a person's opinion and experience just because you don't agree with it.

And just a disclaimer I'm only talking about one blogging incident although I do see this with a lot of wives where I am stationed. That's why I only have a few milie friends and the rest are civilians.
I will say that all my mil spouse bloggers are nothing but amazing and were always there for me when I needed to vent on my blog either about my husband's deployment or issues I face as a military spouse. I love reading y'all posts and marveling at your strength and courage as many of you are going through deployments or are just trying to cope with life as a milspouse. I am thankful that I decided to start blogging and that I can not only use it as an outlet to release all I have to say but that I was also put in touch with others experiencing the same situation that I am. It's such a great community to be apart of. And I also don't want people to think that I am being negative about those that do talk about their husbands rank or job on their blog. That's not what I am saying at all. I know that it's a way for us to talk about our pride for our husband's. I just am trying to convey the point that as military wives we are all in this together regardless of our husband's rank or status. Hope this doesn't offend anyone. And if it does that is truly not what I am trying to do


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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Disgusted

I'm sure many of you out there will be able to relate to this post. Do you ever go through periods of feeling utterly disgusted with yourself. When no matter what you put on you feel you look disgusting or fat. And when you stare at yourself in the mirror all you see is frumpiness. No matter what I wear, how I do my hair or my makeup I feel ugly and disgusting. It's hard to feel sexy when you are feeling this way and it's especially hard in a marriage. I always want my husband to look at me like I'm the sexiest person on the planet but when I don't feel that way about myself it's hard to act confident.

When we met I was working in an office setting and my daily uniform consisted of sexy work clothes and heels. Now I work with kids and my uniform consists of pants and tops that can get dirty. No need to wear my hair down or put on heels. Kids grab anything and everything and heels won't be useful when I'm chasing after a kiddo who has a tantrum and decides to run away. Not only does my hubby see me in my unattractive daily wear but he sees me in pajamas more often than anything else. The minute I get home from work I change into sweat pants. No heels or cute shirts for me

I also haven't been able to hit the gym as much as I'd like. I feel like all my free time is spent cleaning, doing laundry or grocery shopping. Weekends we always have something going on and when we don't all I want to do is relax. Not to mention that it's still 100 degrees here so daily walks with the dogs or runs around the apt track are out of the questions. Energy is zapped the minute I step outside

And don't get me started on my hair. Last year I cut off my long hair into a cute bob style. I have continued to keep it short much to my husband's dismay. Don't get me wrong he likes my hair anyway but lately he has been asking me to grow it long again. So on top of feeling fat and frumpy, I feel fat and frumpy with short hair. What is it about long hair that instantly exudes sex appeal and short hair does not. Especially since my hair is in that awkward in between stage, layers are all over the place, the style doesn't sit right and the color has faded into an ugly red.Ugh

Sorry that this post is one big long bitch fest about myself. It's just so hard to feel good about myself these days. I know I need to start hitting the gym and eating better but it can be so hard at times. How do I get the motivation to get my ass up and to the gym. Are there any diets out there that really work? Can any of y'all relate?


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Friday, September 24, 2010

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by my blogger BFF over at the Survival Guide for the Young,Fabulous and Newlywed! You can find her blog here. She truly is fabulous!

So she posted a list of questions that I have to answer and then pass on to 8 other bloggers. So here it goes

The Questions


1) What is your favorite thing about being in a relationship with your boyfriend/fiancé/spouse? The best thing about being married is having someone to depend on at all times. Knowing that when you get home from work your spouse will be there, or knowing that the best thing to do on a friday night is lay on the couch and cuddle with the hubby and knowing that every night you have someone to lay next to at night. Those are a few of my favorite things about being in a relationship. Especially since he is in the military I feel like it's the little things about being in a relationship that matter the most.

2) If you could go anywhere in the world for an entire week with your girlfriends, where would you go and why? Hmm probably the Bahama's or the Grand Caymans. My favorite vacation is one in a tropical location with fruity umbrella drinks. And a getaway like that is just perfect with friends!

3) What persona were you in high school: Miss Popular, The Sporty Girl, The Book Worm, Etc. I think I was a mixture of anything. I was on the dance team where all the girls were popular but yet I sang in the choir, ran track and reading was my favorite hobby. So no one persona could define me. I was once called a social butterfly by my teacher because I hung out with everybody and never with one single group

4) Have you ever been stereotyped in any way? What did you have to do to overcome that stereotype – or are you still struggling with it? I'm sure I have been stereotyped in the past but the most recent stereotype that I am still struggling with is that of army wife. Just because my husband is in the military people assume that I don't work, have 5 kid's, spend all his money and am waiting for my free boob job. Not the case. I am constantly proving that I work, am educated and kids are a possibility but we are working on 1, not 5. I'm sure many mil spouses out there can relate. There is even a quiz on facebook about Which Military Spouse Are You. It's crazy how many negative stereotypes are associated with being a mil spouse

5) What’s your favorite song of all time? Faithfully by Journey. I just love that song and can listen to it over and over

6) What’s your favorite holiday and why? I can never chose a holiday. I love Halloween but people will argue that isn't a holiday so I will have to go with Christmas. Christmas was always a big deal in my family. My mom decorated the house to the max, we bought our tree early and received ornaments every year as gifts, and we always had family over. These are some things I want to carry on in my marriage and for when we have a family. I love shopping for people, decorating and just the smells and lights of christmas are breathtaking. I find people don't decorate their houses as much here in NC as they did in WI and that is one things I miss. All the beautiful lights and Candy Cane lane

7) If you could change one thing about yourself (body, personality, abilities, etc) what would it be and why? My weight! I know I sound so vain. But I have been in a work out slump. I try to eat healthy and for the most part I succeed, but I haven't been able to get motivated to go to the gym and I need to. Badly

8) What is something that makes you feel incredibly feminine? Heels! I love nothing more than putting on a pair of sexy heels. They make my short legs look long and sexy and my husband loves when I wear heels!

Ok now for my questions

1. What is your favorite book and why?
2. What is one thing about your spouse, boyfriend, significant other that drives you crazy?(video game obsession, etc)
3. What is your dream wedding,. It can be your own or one that you would have if you could do it all over again!
4. What is your favorite thing to do in your free time
5. What is your idea of a dream vacation?
6. If you have kids, how many do you have and if you don't how many do you want to have?
7. What one word describes you
8. What do you love most about blogging?

Ok I am supposed to pass this on to 8 people but I am already going to be late for work so if you want to participate and answer my questions feel free. Consider y'all tagged!



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Thursday, September 23, 2010

My MilSpouse MisConceptions

The hubs and I went out to dinner with a newly married couple last night. They had just gotten married and she just moved to NC last week. During dinner she was asking me how easy it was to make friends in town, what things they are to do, etc, etc. I thought back to my first few days as a milspouse and all the misconceptions I brought along with me

M deployed after we were married and I stayed in WI with my family. So I missed out on all the spouse's activities that went on when I was away. I communicated only with the FRG leader through email or phone calls but that was about it. So when M came back and I finally moved down to NC I was very excited to "officially" be a military spouse.

I am not afraid to admit I thought life as a military wife would be just like an episode of army wives. I expected a big welcome when we rolled up to our apartment with all M's friend's and their wives. We would immediately hit it off and be life long besties. That didn't happen. Only one guy in M's unit was married and since he took a different position once he got back from his deployment there was no corresponding FRG. No outlet for me to make friends. We also lived off post that made it a little difficult to meet people

Even with no FRG or other wives in the unit, I was not deterred. I just knew finding milie besties would be easy. I had read about and heard about all the get together's various unit's put on. Bake sales, cook out's, friday night girl's nights. Wrong again. Most of the event's put on by M's unit were kid friendly. Since we don't have kids(yet) we didn't attend. Scratch that idea

So I turned to facebook and myspace. I met a group of girls on myspace who had planned a get together at a local restaurant. I went and found I had nothing in common with these girls. I was the oldest one by years and was snubbed because I worked.(I know this is not always the case, I'm just relaying my experience with the first group of girl's I met down here) I was told point blank that my place was at home with my husband

So back to facebook I went. I made a few friends in my apt complex and also met a few more girls off facebook. Finally I thought I had a good group of friends. Nope, that group was nothing more than a high school clique. With girls pulling their husband's rank, talking behind others backs, one day being mad at so and so and the other day being her best friend.I couldn't take it. It was drama filled and overwhelming. At 26 I was way to old for that.

Luckily I did end up meeting a great group of friends. Our hubby's have all worked together in the past so the guys and us girls all get along. We joke we are each others adopted families and already have plans for holiday celebrations.

I have adjusted to life here in NC living in a military town and have made great friends. Thinking back I have to laugh at how naive and innocent I was when moving here. Military life wife is not like an episode of army wives thought I wouldn't trade if for the world!



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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Book Review and Updated Book List

This past weekend I finished reading this book...


Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks and let me tell you it was amazing. He just keeps getting better and better. Friday night in the town I had my work conference at Nicholas Sparks was doing a book signing. If I hadn't left my house at 5am to drive to the conference and had a two hour drive back home I so would have gone. But back to the book. It's about a young woman who escapes to a small town in NC where she falls in love with a widower. Her past comes back to haunt her and the ending is something I never predicted. The character's were well thought out and the story was quite emotional at times. I loved it. I def recommend this book to everyone

The book I'm currently reading is

This is one of my favorite series to read. These books are hysterical and I can't help but relate to the main character's shopping addiction. I did think this book would talk more about the character's experience with motherhood but the story line is similar to the other books in the series, barely referencing the mini shopaholic but still I love it. It's a quick, fun read

This past weekend I also ordered some books from Barnes and Nobles

Here is a preview of my shopping cart

I love Giuliana and Bill's reality show. Last season focused on their attempt to conceive and start fertility treatments. The season ended with the decision to start continue fertility treatments or try another treatment since they were having a hard time conceiving. I am very excited to read their book on marriage and baby making since it is obviously about topics I can relate through and am dealing with myself

I also added this book to my cart


Don't laugh. I find Jenny Mccarthy hysterical. I've read her book Life Laughs, Mother Warriors and her other books on her son's diagnosis with autism. I also have belly laughs on my must read list. I find her so funny and outspoken and I knew I had to read this book. It will be a fast and easy read

The final book I added to my list is this one

Growing up I was never allowed to have cable. I didn't get cable until I was 23 and living on my own. So my first experience with Reality tv besides Survivor was The Simple Life with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. I am not ashamed to say I loved the show although I hated Nicole Richie. I thought she was vulgar and crass and needed to grow up. Paris was just her sidekick following along with whatever Nicole wanted to do. When Nicole's first book came out after her bff breakup with Paris, I read it and found it interesting at best. But I must admit, since Nicole has grown up, become a mom and changed her own image I was excited to see she had written another book. I wander how her maturity and experiences will carry over into the book. So we shall see

Any picks you would suggest. Has anyone read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Mocking Jay. These books don't seem like something I would normally be interested in but I hear only the best things about them!

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Monday, September 20, 2010

Newlywed Memories

This weekend the hubs and I went over to a friend's house for a housewarming party. They had just gotten married the week before and after doing the long distance relationship for a long time she finally moved from Oregon to NC. After a few drinks a fight broke out between the newlyweds and the words Divorce and Annulment were being thrown out. Even though I felt horrible for my friends I couldn't help but stiffle a giggle for they reminded me of myself and M our first week of marriage(The newlyweds made up shortly after and are now enjoying wedded bliss) But their fight brought back a rush of memories

The hubs and I also had a long distance relationship starting from the day we met till the day we got married. Other than 2 weeks when he was on leave for Christmas we took turns flying back and forth between NC and WI every weekend. The week after our wedding was the longest time we had spent together consecutively.

We were married in Key West Florida on a Saturday and enjoyed two extra days down there before flying back to NC for a week. I had yet to move to NC since we only had a month left until M deployed so I planned on spending a week in NC, then M would fly back with me to WI for his week's leave and then I would come down the weekend he left. I remember flying back from Florida giddy with excitement about being husband and wife. Needless to say our first few days as newlyweds were rough.

M had to go back to work that week and even though he was scheduled for half days, it didn't really work out like that. The first day back M left for work and I was stuck in his apartment. I had no car and knew no one in NC and to make matter's worse M had a roommate who had a girlfriend and kid who were always over so it wasn't like I could make myself at home in the apartment. I spent my whole day laying around in M's room reading and napping. By the time he got home from work I was so bored. We also had no food in the house since we had flown in late the night before so when M walked in I jumped on him saying let's go eat, let's go do something. M had a different idea. He was tired and just wanted to stay in. When I mentioned how bored I was M snapped. I was told I could have done the laundry or made dinner while waiting for him to come home.

My immediate thoughts were, seriously we have been married 2 days and already your complaining about me not cooking and cleaning. This led to a huge argument and we went to bed angry. The next day I got up and was determined to be a good housewife. I did all of his laundry and walked the 3 blocks to the nearest grocery store where I stocked up on a week's worth of groceries. Too bad I had to push that cart all the way back in 85 degree heat up a hill. But I did it. I then planned to make a nice meal since M was going to be home early. I prepared the food and put it in 5 minutes before he was due home. An hour went by, then 2, then 3 and he still wasn't home. When he finally came home I waited for a big hug and kiss thanking me for all the wifely duties I had done that day. Instead I got a I'm tired. I want to take a nap. Ugh. I was frustrated. Once again we were in an argument instead of spending our night in bed like most newlyweds!

Eventually we resolved things and looking back I understand that now with the wedding being over, the stresses of an upcoming deployment were rearing their ugly head. Luckily we were able to enjoy the rest of my week in newly wedded bliss before enjoying another week together in WI. So when I saw my friends break out into an argument, I couldn't help but feel a little relieved that M and I weren't the only newlyweds that fought!


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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Weekend Recap

This weekend was a busy one for us. Friday during the day I had a work conference that I attended. After I got home the hubs and I decided to try out a new restaurant. We went to the Blue Moon Cafe, this quaint little restaurant in downtown Fayetteville. The menu consisted of salads and sandwiches. For an appetizer we ordered black bean hummus! It was delicious. We then each ordered sandwiches and I have to say this was the best sandwich I had ever eaten. I will def go and eat there again. It's always nice to find healthy places to eat at!

Yesterday morning I woke up and set off on a mission to hobby lobby and Joann fabrics. I was on the search for Halloween decorations. Needless to say most places had Christmas stuff out so pickings were slim but I scored 60% off all decorations I bought. I found colored pumpkin lawn decorations, An led pumpkin light, and a pumpkin bowl with a witch hat in top. I also stopped at pier one and bought a new fall centerpiece for my coffee table. My last stop was Kohls and I spent a small fortune on clothes. They had a huge sale and I bought a ton of sweaters! Now if only the weather will cool down

After shopping the Hubby and I cleaned out our cars and washed them before getting ready to go over to a friends for dinner

Dinner was so much fun though I was a little over served with the wine. Still paying for that today

Today the hubs and I got up early to go to the grocery store. The hubs is Italian and had been dying to make a traditional Italian meal. So today we bought all the ingredients to make Sunday Gravy and Sicilian chicken breasts. Yumm! He had been cooking away all day and the food smells amazing

We have friends coming over for dinner to try out the feast the hubs is making. I love Sundays!

I've also spent some time looking for houses in the area we are pcsing too. Our pcs date keeps getting changed and I believe we will be moving sooner than we think. I am having so much fun house hunting and planning on decorating a new house!!

Happy Sunday everyone


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Thursday, September 16, 2010

Fall

I woke up this morning and for once wasn't blasted by heat when I tool the dogs out. It was nice, crisp 65 degrees. It made me go back inside and light up my spiced punpkin candles!

However it is almost noon and back up to 89 degrees. As a Wisconsinite I never thought I'd see the day when I said I was ready for cold weather. But I am. I have all my fall and Halloween decorations waiting to be put out but I feel kinda stupid having grinning pumpkins on my
Porch when it is still so hot out. Although this weekend I am def hitting up AC Moore and Hobby Lobby for some new decorations

This week has greatly improved. I have resolved my issues with a certain person written about on my last post. I am halfway through reading Nicholas Sparks new book and loving it and today is my Friday. Tomorrow I have a work conference regarding Teaching language to children with autism which I very excited to attend although I have to leave me house at 5am tomm to drive there. Ugh

Other than that I am looking forward to the weekend!!

Happy Thursday everyone


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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Blah

That is the only title I could think of for this post because it reflects how I am feeling. This weekend and beginning of the week have def not been what I had planned. What was supposed to be a great weekend turned into something other than that. I am not ready to discuss what happened yet but I just hope my week will turn around. Hopefully tonight will cheer me up. We have dinner plans with our good friends. We are bringing mexican over to a friend's house and after dinner the guys will play play station and the girls will sit and chat over a glass(bottle) of wine and let's just say I def need a girls night

The issue I am dealing with here is talking to someone who refuses to talk to you. Someone who did something to hurt my feelings, yet managed to turn the issue around on me. Someone who never apologizes and carries on like everything is just fine. And what if this person is the person you are supposed to trust the most. How do you get over something so big when they refuse to discuss it with you. When they refuse to work things out.. I am at a loss. I am the type of person that needs to talk things out. I may be upset but will get over things quickly as long as the other person is willing to also discuss and work things out. But if they are not then what. And normally I am also the type of person who gives in and will apologize first even though I know I did nothing wrong.. But this time I am standing my ground. Even though I don't really know how to do that.

I know this post makes no sense. But I started this blog as a source to vent about my frustrations and so here it is. I know I'm just being a debbie downer but things will turn around. I'm sure of it



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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

New Book

I am on my way this morning to pick up Nicholas Spark's new book. The book nerd in me has been counting down the days until his new book was released. I've been in a bit of a book slump lately, not being able to find a good book to read so I am excited I will finally be able to curl up with a good book tonight.

What are y'all reading?




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Monday, September 13, 2010

A Dog Story

I am a huge animal lover. Especially when it comes to dogs. We have two labs ourselves and if I could take in more dogs I would. One thing that irritates me the most about living here in NC is the careless way people treat their animals. I know within the past few months the no kill shelter's have seen an infulx of animals and many had to stop taking in dogs. However there isn't a day that goes by that I don't see some poor dog dumped along side of the road. I even had a neighbor at our last apartment who didn't want her cat anymore and just left it outside. It saw crying outside our door for a week and she refused to take him back in. We couldn't since M is allergic and the dogs aren't cat lovers but the other neighbors and I took turns feeding it until finally one of them took her in. I just don't understand how people can toss out their animals like garbage.
Last weekend while taking our dogs out our neighbor came outside with his two kids carrying a little black lab. The kids were telling us they had just gotten a new puppy. The guy explained that he rescued him from a kill shelter. That they had his whole liter of pups there and when he got there this was the only guy left. I felt so awful for those other animals.
Sorry to get on a roll here. I know many soldier's have to leave their animal's behind and that sometimes the homes they had planned didn't work out. My mom sent me this email about a soldier and his dog and I wanted to share it with you all.


They told me the big black Lab's name was Reggie,
as I looked at him lying in his pen.. The shelter was
clean, no-kill, and the people really friendly.
I'd only been in the area for six months, but everywhere
I went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open.

Everyone waves when you pass them on the street.

But something was still missing as I attempted to
settle in to my new life here, and I thought a dog
couldn't hurt. Give me someone to talk to.
And I had just seen Reggie's advertisement on the local
news. The shelter said they had received numerous
calls right after, but they said the people who had come
down to see him ju st didn't look like "Lab
people," whatever that meant. They must've thought I did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and his things,

which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis
balls, his dishes, and a sealed letter from his previous owner. See, Reggie and I didn't really hit it off
when we got home. We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust to his new home). Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too.

Maybe we were too much alike.

For some reason, his stuff (except for the tennis balls --- he wouldn't go anywhere without two stuffed in
his mouth) got tossed in with all of my other unpacked boxes.

I guess I didn't really think he'd need all his old stuff, that I'd get him new things once he
settled in. But it became pretty clear pretty soon that he wasn't going to.

I tried the normal commands the shelter told me he knew, ones like "sit" and "stay" and
"come" and "heel," and he'd follow them - when he felt like it.

He never really seemed to listen when I called his name --- sure, he'd look in my
direction after the fourth or fifth time I said it, but then he'd just go back to doing whatever.

When I'd ask again, you could almost see him sigh and then grudgingly obey.

This just wasn't going to work. He chewed a couple shoes and some unpacked boxes.

I was a little too stern with him and he resented it, I could tell.
The friction got so bad that I couldn't wait for th e two
weeks to be up, and when it was, I was in full-on search
mode for my cell phone amid all of my unpacked stuff. I
remembered leaving it on the stack of boxes for the guest
room, but I also mumbled, rather cynically, that the
"damn dog probably hid it on me."

Finally I found it, but before I could punch up the
shelter's number, I also found his pad and other toys
from the shelter...I tossed the pad in Reggie's
direction and he snuffed it and wagged, some of the most
enthusiasm I'd seen since bringing him home. But
then I called, "Hey, Reggie, you like that? Come
here and I'll give you a treat." Instead, he sort of glanced in my direction --- maybe "glared"
is more accurate --- and then gave a discontented sigh and flopped down .... with his back to me.

Well, that's not going to do it either, I thought. And I punched the shelter phone number.

But I hung up when I saw the sealed envelope.

I had completely forgotten about that, too.

"Okay, Reggie," I said out loud,

"let's see if your previous owner has any advice."

____________ _________ _________ _________

To
Whoever Gets My Dog:

Well, I can't say that I'm happy you're reading this, a letter I told the shelter
could only be opened by Reggie's new owner.
I'm not even happy writing it. If you're reading this,

it means I just got back from my last car ride with my Lab

after dropping him off at the shelter.

He knew something was different.

I have packed up his pad and toys before and set them by the back door before a trip,
but this time... it's like he knew something was wrong.

And something is wrong...which is why I have
to go to try to make it right.

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it

will help you bond with him and he with you.

First, he loves tennis balls.
The more the merrier. Sometimes I think he's part
squirrel, the way he hordes them. He usually always
has two in his mouth, and he tries to get a third in
there. Hasn't done it yet. Doesn't
matter where you throw them, he'll bound after it, so be
careful - really don't do it by any roads. I made
that mistake once, and it almost cost him dearly.

Next, commands. Maybe the shelter staff already told you, but I'll go over them
again: Reggie knows the obvious ones ---
"sit," "stay," "come," "heel."

He knows hand signals:
"back" to turn around and go back when you put
your hand straight up; and "over" if you put your
hand out right or left. "Shake" for shaking
water off, and "paw" for a high-five. He
does "down" when he feels like lying down --- I bet
you could work on that with him some more. He knows
"ball" and "food" and "bone"
and "treat" like nobody's business.

I trained Reggie with small food treats.

Nothing opens his ears like little pieces of hot dog.

Feeding schedule: twice a day, once about seven in the morning, and again at six in
the evening. Regular store-bought stuff; the shelter
has the brand.

He's up on his shots.
Call the clinic on 9th Street and update his info with
yours; they'll make sure to send you reminders for when
he's due. Be forewarned: Reggie hates the vet.

Good luck getting him in the car.

I don't know how he knows when it's time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time.
I've never been married, so it's only been Reggie
and me for his whole life. He's gone everywhere
with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if
you can. He sits well in the backseat, and he
doesn't bark or complain. He just loves to be
around people, and me most especially.

Which means that this transition is
going to be hard, with him going to live with someone new.

And that's why I need to share
one more bit of info with you....

His name's not Reggie.

I don't know what made me do it, but

when I dropped him off at the shelter, I told them
his name was Reggie.

He's a smart dog, he'll get used to it

and will respond to it, of that I have no
doubt. But I just couldn't bear to give them his
real name. For me to do that, it seemed so final, that
handing him over to the shelter was as good as me admitting
that I'd never see him again. And if I end up
coming back, getting him, and tearing up this letter, it
me ans everything's fine. But if someone else is
reading it, well ... well it means that his new owner should
know his real name. It'll help you bond with
him. Who knows, maybe you'll even notice a change
in his demeanor if he's been giving you problems.

His real name is "Tank".

Because that is what I drive.

Again, if you're reading this
and you're from the area, maybe my name has been on the
news. I told the shelter that they couldn't make
"Reggie" available for adoption until they
received word from my company commander. See, my
parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could've
left Tank with ... and it was my only real request of the
Army upon my deployment to Iraq , that they make one phone..
call the shelter ... in the "event" ... to tell
them that Tank could be put up for adoption. Luckily,
my colonel is a dog guy, too, and he knew where my platoon
was headed. He said he'd do it
personally. And if you're reading this, then
he made good on his word.

Well, this letter is getting downright depressing,

even though, frankly, I'm just
writing it for my dog. I couldn't imagine if I was
writing it for a wife and kids and family ... but still,
Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as
long as the Army has been my family.

And now I hope and pray that you
make him part of your family and that he will adjust and
come to love you the same way he loved me.

That unconditional love from a dog
is what I take with me to Iraq as an inspiration to do
something selfless, to protect innocent people from those
who would do terrible things ... and to keep those terrible
people from coming over here. If I have to give up Tank
in order to do it, I am glad to have done so. He is
my example of service and of love. I hope I honored
him by my service to my country and comrades.

All right, that's enough.
I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at
the shelter. I don't think I'll say another
good-bye to Tank, though. I cried too much the first
time. Maybe I'll peek in on him and see if he
finally got that third tennis ball in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank. Give him a good home,

and give him an extra kiss goodnight - every night - from me.

Thank you,

Paul Mallory

____________ _________ _________ _______


I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope.

Sure I had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even
new people like me. Local kid, killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver Star

when he gave his life to save three buddies.

Flags had been at half-mast all summer.

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at the dog.

"Hey, Tank," I said quietly.

The dog's head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright.

"C'mere boy."

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on
the hardwood floor. He sat in front of me, his head
tilted, searching for the name he hadn't heard in months.

"Tank," I whispered.

His tail swished.

I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each
time, his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture
relaxed as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood
him. I stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried
my face into his scruff and hugged him.

"It's me now, Tank, just you and me.
Your old pal gave you to me." Tank reached up and
licked my cheek. "So whatdaya say we play some ball?"

His ears perked again.
"Yeah? Ball? You like that? Ball?"

Tank tore from my hands and disappeared in the next room.

And when he came back, he had three tennis balls in his mouth.


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Saturday, September 11, 2010

The Aftermath of 9/11

I posted yesterday about what I was doing when the planes hit the twin towers. As I got up this morning it was with a heavy heart. I turned on the tv and tried to find something to watch and ended on the 9/11 tributes on C-Span. Watching the memorial to those who lost their lives in 9/11 and listening to Laura Bush speak brings me to tears

Never would I thought that 6.5 years after the attacks that I would marry a soldier. One who dropped out of college to go fight for his country. One who has been deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan who freely gives up his freedom to fight for a greater good. I am so thankful for my husband and all that serve in the military. They are true hero's

I remember the days and weeks after the event of 9/11 how everyone had become so patriotic. Yellow ribbon's flew everywhere supporting our troops, American flags hung in every yard in my neighborhood and candles were constantly lit at my church for those victim's who lost their lives.

Where is that today? Where is that strong sense of patriotism and support for those still defending our country and why was it that 9/11 had to occur for the U.S. to join together as one. I only hope that going forward the U.S. will continue to support and honor our men and women serving this country.

Now I leave you with a music video put together with images from 9/11 that I found off you tube. This song ended up being the theme song of my senior year of high school where the attack's were never far from our mind and talked about daily. And even though today 9 years later I am a army wife, I feel more like the 17 year old girl rushing from class to get to the tv and watching the second plane hit the twin towers. It was then that my life and the world changed forever






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Friday, September 10, 2010

Where Were You

Tuesday 9/11/01 started out like any other day. I got up, dressed and headed off to school. I was in my senior year at Martin Luther high school. I am not afraid to say I grew up in a safe little bubble. I went to a Christian grade school and high school and was surrounded by my family and friends. The main concern of my day was who I was going to take to homecoming.

My school day started like every other. My first class was AP Biology and after that class let out my bestie and I stayed in the same class room since instead of having study hall we were my biology teachers aides. This was supposed to mean grading papers and making copies but usually meant goofing off.

That morning we were startled when our theology teacher burst in and told us a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. His room was right across the hall and he had been putting on a movie for his class when he saw the news. I remember rushing into his classroom to see the tv and yet wandering why it was such a big deal. Surely it was an accident. We got into the room and watched the second plane crash into the twin towers. It was then that silence filled the room and we were all filled with dread. School continued that day but all afternoon activities were cancelled. I remember going home and watching the news all night hearing words that are common now but unheard of then. Words like Osama Bin Laden, Taliban, Afghanistan. I remember that week going by in a daze filled with candle vigils, prayer ceremonies and conversations with friends on what this event meant for us. Of course talk about the book of revelations and the end of the world increased and I remember walking around terrified that any day the world would end.
People of course became very patriotic and religious. But that didn't change the uncertainty faced by all

At this same time my Hubby was in his senior year at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. That day he was in a seminar about terrorism. How ironic. Also later that day there was a protest against Muslim students, one involving a pigs head in the Muslim student association office. The campus was closed immediately. Shortly after 9/11 my Hubby went into a recruiters office and enlisted. He dropped out of college and left for basic a few months after that

Now years later I am a military wife and am used to hearing about terrorism. After all my husband helps fight it and not a day goes by that I don't think of my husbands sacrifice and all those out there that serve. And this weekend I will be remembering all those victims who lost their lives in 9/11 and those who are out there fighting for our freedom.


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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Deployment Survivor

I'm a day or so late for this but I just had to join in. My friend over at Goodnight Moon
created this Deployment Button for all those that have survived one or more deployments or are currently going through one



As a deployment survivor I def wanted to link up and join in in telling the blog world how I kicked this deployments a$$!!!


This last deployment was def better than our first. Our first deployment was 9 months long and took place a month after we were married. There were many fights, tears, harsh words, hurt feelings and periods of no talking during that deployment. This deployment however we were determined to have a different experience. We hashed out all the problems faced during the first deployment, talked over any issues we had and agreed to always be honest and communicate our true feelings during this deployment. And we accomplished all that we set out to do. We rarely fought, if we felt a fight coming on we calmly got off the phone and talked to each other the next day. I save a ton of money and paid off a ton of debt, I fixed up everything around the house that needed to be taken care of, and I tried my best to be a supportive wife. This was also my first deployment away from my family and I bided my time with lots of girls nights and glasses of wine. I can honestly say that the next deployment I am not afraid of. I now know what to expect and I know that we can kick any deployments a$$. The hubs and I grew very close during this past deployment and are in even a better place in our relationship than from before he left. Don't get me wrong, the deployment sucked at times but overall it made me appreciate the life the hubs and I have and made me so very thankful for my husband and all that he does!

So I can without a doubt say I am a proud deployment survivor!!

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Ranger Panties!!

I know some of you are asking what ranger panties are. Ranger panties are the shortest shorts I have ever seen. And I don't see mamy women wearing then. Unfortunately they are the shorts that my hubby wears for pt every day along with lounging around the house in them. They are similar to the cut of running shorts, have a thin lining on the inside but still leave no room for the imagination. When I used to work out at the gym on post I didn't know whether to laugh or avert my eyes since they are one size fits all. However certain people should never be allowed to wear them!

Only near a military base will you see guys picking up their kids from school wearing these short shorts and a short, or running along the side of the street. My hubby included. He wears them constantly.

I remember the first time I saw him wearing them. We had just started dating and he was visiting me in Wisconsin. It was January which means it was about 5 degrees and we decided to go to the gym. We both left wearing sweatpants and jackets. At the gym I decided to do cardio. The cardio machines were situated in front of the weights. As I am on my eliptical I see M take off his sweatpants and step out in these short shorts. I almost died of embarassment. When he walked over to me the first thing I said was, what are you wearing!! I have to admit I still tease him for wearing those shorts all the time.

We went out to dinner with a good friend of M's last night you Pcs'd to Florida last year and he was sharing a similar story about his girlfriend's reaction to ranger panties. Ahh you know you are married to a military man when he wears shorter shorts than I do!


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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Love?Hate

I have a love/hate relationship with the weekends. They come way to fast and are over with just as quickly. By the time Monday comes around I'm already counting the days until Friday. And as much as I love lazy weekends every now and then I wish they were a little more productive.

And I don't mean productive in the way that I wish I got more accomplished. I accomplish plenty of errands, cleaning and cooking on the weekends. I do wish however that they were filled with more quality time with the hubby

During the week we wander around our house as two individuals. We get up at different times, leave for work and return home at different times. He beats me home by three hours and has plenty of time to relax and play his playstation games. I however don't get home until after 7, get dinner ready, clean and don't get a chance to sit down until 9ish where I force the hubby to watch an hour of reality tv. After that it's off to bed. Some nights I try to convince the hubby to watch a movie or drink a glass of wine or two before bed but usually he just wants to relax and will read a book while I watch tv. And I can't blame him. So when the weekends roll around I try to cram as many activities into them as possible.

However we have different ideas about ways to spend our weekends.I want the weekends to be time spent with the hubby. I feel most connected to him when we get out of the house and engage in some sort of activity. This Sunday we drove up to raleigh, did some shopping and went out to lunch. It was so nice to get away from the sound of guns blaring over the play station, the ringing telephone and the apt for a day. We talked, we laughed we had a blast. However once we were back home we assumed our spots on separate couches and tried to watch a movie before one of us got bored and picked up a book to read and then we headed off to bed. Monday I wanted to get outta the house too but M wanted to stay in. We ended up vegging the day away each doing our own thing. And while I loved having the day off work and being able to lay around all day I was left with the feeling that we should be doing something. Once the week starts we become so busy with our routine and get so caught up in things we hardly have time for the other. So why is it on weekends we still don't make the time for each other.

Does anyone else feel this way. In a way I feel like I'm overreacting. We do try to make plans and by the time the weekend rolls around we don't feel like following through on our plans. So I know I can't complain. I just wish the weekends were filled with more us time

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Saturday, September 4, 2010

Hurricane Earl!

Last weekend the Hubby and I decided that for Labor day we would go down to Wilmington or Topsail beach. However as the week progressed and news of Hurricane Earl increased we decided to play things by ear

I have to admit, I was pretty excited for the hurricane to hit. Obviously we don't live on the coast, but I was looking forward to some rain and hopefully a little cool down in the weather. As much as I love the heat I am ready for cooler weather and my fall decorations are already unpacked waiting to be laid out

It's funny. In Wisconsin, September is considered fall. The days may be warm but the nights start to become cooler. My parents and in laws are both up in northern Wisconsin at their respective cottages and the weather during the day is low to mid 70's and 30's at night. I never thought I'd admit it but I'm jealous of that weather right now.
Working with a client at his school this week the teacher asked what season it was, I of course thought fall but she wrote down summer. As far as I can tell we have a few more weeks of hot weather here

And as for news of the hurricane, the coat didn't get hit as bad as predicted and we didn't get a drop of rain. Oh well they do say two hurricanes are brewing again out in the ocean

Today we have planned a cook out with our good friends, we are going to spend all day by the pool and cook steaks and chicken on the grill. Throw in a few drinks and it's going to be a perfect day

Tomorrow we are going to take the dogs to the lake. They love to swim and have been quite bored since we've been back from our vacation

Monday we may head down to Wilmington after all. Who knows

Happy labor day weekend everyone


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Thursday, September 2, 2010

New Phone

The hubs and I are going to get new phones today! We both currently have the IPhone 3G. I'm on my second one and in the past few months have had a lot of problems with the phone. The screen freezes, apps don't load and text messages take forever to send. So I'm ready for a new phone

However I am unsure of what phone I should get. The blackberry came out with a new phone, it a touch screen but has a sliding keyboard. I love it but have never had a blackberry before. AT&T also got the palm pre which is super cute. I've had both a palm pilot and a palm phone and have loved them.

The hubs is convinced that I will miss the IPhone and I should just upgrade to the IPhone 4. I do love being able to blog from my
Phone and reading y'alls blogs off my google reader app but other than that i think the other phones can do pretty much the same thing

So can anyone help me out. Any input on the iPhone, blackberry or the palm!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone