So we had a pretty good Christmas. We spent the night at the Conner's house on Christmas Eve so Santa could come that night. We spent the next day cooking all day and had a good dinner. I was exhausted by the end of the day and we all were in bed by 9 that night. Brandon fell asleep at 6:15.
We have yet to go to the beach since we have been here. I wanted to go yesterday but Curt didn't. I am hoping we can go on Friday when Curt is off work. I'm ready to go to the beach!! We really haven't done much either yet as far as the sights go around the island. I feel like we are wasting time even though we just got here. I want to see and do so much I feel like 3 years won't be long enough or something. haha
Plus, some of the stuff we want to do is not kid friendly for Brandon such as snorkeling, hiking, swimming with dolphins, etc. I need to get the kids registered for daycare on post and I am hoping to find a great FCC provider so we can take advantage of all there is to do and not be held back by a toddler.
Other than that not much is going on. We are still waiting on our house. We move in in about 18 days. I'm hoping for sooner though! Guess we will find out in about another week or so what is going on with that. I'm also ready to have my car here so I'm not stranded all day while Curt is at work. I have to get Kaylie registered for school. She will start on the 9th since I should have my car by then (scheduled to get here on the 4th) and she has her school physical on the 6th. We shall see how that all works out I guess. I'm just ready to have a house again!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Hotels, houses, and exploring, oh my!
So here we are! Two weeks here and I am still in love! Today we drove around the whole island. It was so beautiful. At some points it literally took my breath away! I have not seen crystal clear blue water like that since we went to Miami back in 2004. Crazy beautiful. We stopped at some lookout points along the way and just would gaze out at the water. Hawaii is so gorgeous. To have the views of the mountains on one side of the road and the ocean on the other is just amazing. We couldn't get over the beauty surrounding us. When we finally got back to the North Shore the waves were still huge. (During the winter the North Shore has huge waves and that is when surfing competitions go on.) I have never seen waves that big in my life. I mean I grew up on Lake Michigan, literally 5 minutes from the beach, but the lake is completely different from the ocean. We never saw waves like that on the lake. haha
Anyway, so we gave up the house on Wheeler. Well...actually Curt did. I am upset about it for a few reasons. The main one being the school. Wheeler Elementary is supposedly the best out of the three on Schofield/Wheeler. The house on Wheeler was a pretty color and it was on a dead end street which I liked. Our new house is not pretty. It's such a plain color. As soon as we drove by it my heart sank. It's in the middle of a bunch of houses, so we will have neighbors in the front, back, and on both sides of us. I am a private, quiet person, so this doesn't bode well with me. There is a playground literally in the front yard of our house. I just see it being noisy and kids everywhere all the time. I cried myself to sleep that night about losing the house on Wheeler. And to make it worse, Curt will be working closer to the house on Wheeler than the house we have now. But...I don't want to dwell on it, because we no longer have the beautiful pretty house. I have to accept the house we have now. Hopefully it won't be as bad as I think it will be. Kaylie's school is also not as pretty. It looks really, really run down and gross. But, we shall see I guess. I still get upset just thinking about the loss of the house on Wheeler. So I don't want to talk about it anymore. I have cried enough over it.
I also cried because I told Curt I did NOT want a later move in date than what we had. But, alas, now we don't move in to this new house until January 16th. I was so upset. That is 10 freaking more days in a hotel. Ughhhhh. I am so ready to have a house again, and get settled. Cook an actual MEAL to eat.
Curt had a bit of a fiasco signing in. They tried to put him (and did put him) in a cav unit. Not where he was supposed to be, obviously. They even told him "we don't have you on our roster"...well duh, its because he's in the wrong place!! Morons. It took a few phone calls and a memo from the COAD branch manager to get him where he is supposed to be. No one has heard of the MAR2 program yet, since it is still a pilot program. It won't be implemented army wide until April 2012. But he's now at the right location and will be working at the divison headquarters.
So we are still in a hotel for four more weeks We actually switched rooms this week to a bigger room since we will be here longer than we were supposed to be. I just pray we can move in sooner than expected. It tends to happen a lot so we shall see. Keeping my fingers crossed! Our HHG are already here. So it will be good we can get them delivered the same day we move into our house. I guess that is the good news out of this whole deal. Now if only my car will get here soon!! It totally sucks being a one car family!!
Besides all of that, we are LOVING Hawaii. This totally will be a fantastic three years. We look forward to getting out and experiencing it in full. Stay tuned. :)
Anyway, so we gave up the house on Wheeler. Well...actually Curt did. I am upset about it for a few reasons. The main one being the school. Wheeler Elementary is supposedly the best out of the three on Schofield/Wheeler. The house on Wheeler was a pretty color and it was on a dead end street which I liked. Our new house is not pretty. It's such a plain color. As soon as we drove by it my heart sank. It's in the middle of a bunch of houses, so we will have neighbors in the front, back, and on both sides of us. I am a private, quiet person, so this doesn't bode well with me. There is a playground literally in the front yard of our house. I just see it being noisy and kids everywhere all the time. I cried myself to sleep that night about losing the house on Wheeler. And to make it worse, Curt will be working closer to the house on Wheeler than the house we have now. But...I don't want to dwell on it, because we no longer have the beautiful pretty house. I have to accept the house we have now. Hopefully it won't be as bad as I think it will be. Kaylie's school is also not as pretty. It looks really, really run down and gross. But, we shall see I guess. I still get upset just thinking about the loss of the house on Wheeler. So I don't want to talk about it anymore. I have cried enough over it.
I also cried because I told Curt I did NOT want a later move in date than what we had. But, alas, now we don't move in to this new house until January 16th. I was so upset. That is 10 freaking more days in a hotel. Ughhhhh. I am so ready to have a house again, and get settled. Cook an actual MEAL to eat.
Curt had a bit of a fiasco signing in. They tried to put him (and did put him) in a cav unit. Not where he was supposed to be, obviously. They even told him "we don't have you on our roster"...well duh, its because he's in the wrong place!! Morons. It took a few phone calls and a memo from the COAD branch manager to get him where he is supposed to be. No one has heard of the MAR2 program yet, since it is still a pilot program. It won't be implemented army wide until April 2012. But he's now at the right location and will be working at the divison headquarters.
So we are still in a hotel for four more weeks We actually switched rooms this week to a bigger room since we will be here longer than we were supposed to be. I just pray we can move in sooner than expected. It tends to happen a lot so we shall see. Keeping my fingers crossed! Our HHG are already here. So it will be good we can get them delivered the same day we move into our house. I guess that is the good news out of this whole deal. Now if only my car will get here soon!! It totally sucks being a one car family!!
Besides all of that, we are LOVING Hawaii. This totally will be a fantastic three years. We look forward to getting out and experiencing it in full. Stay tuned. :)
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Made it to Hawaii!!
So our move went well! Smooth sailing so far. It's kind of scary how perfect everything went. I was so worried about Brandon on the long flight but he never cried a single time the whole trip. I was so proud of him! It was an exhausting day and I don't like a direct flight from Chicago to Honolulu. Next time I want it broken up with a layover somewhere. Nine hours on one plane is exhausting. I had been up since 3:30 that morning we flew out and went to bed at 7 pm Hawaii time which to me was midnight. So I was up for almost 24 hours. We are slowly adjusting to the time change though.
My first impression of Hawaii was that it is absolutely stunning. It's so beautiful here. I know I am just going to love it. I can feel it already! The weather is damn near perfect. I am so glad and feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to live here. It's just breathtaking every time I walk outside and see the views of the mountains. I will love to wake up to that every day. This is "home" for the next three years.
I must say , as we drove around the day after we arrived that the Waikiki area is very nice. Lots of homeless people around though, which freak me out. They stink, and just scary the bejeezus out of me. I'm not comfortable around people like that. So that took some of the beauty away. Also, if you drive away from the touristy area Hawii IS kind of run down looking. Curt said it was probaby beautiful in 1970, but nothing has been updated since. That stuff aside though, it is stunning here and I am looking forward to enjoying the next few years living here and ejoying the "Aloha" culture. I can't wait to explore Oahu and the other islands and try some authentic Hawaiian cuisine!
ETA: Now that we have been here for a week, I have to change my opinion on the run down look of Hawaii. The houses look like huts and I think that is part of the beautiful culture here. They live so simple here and enjoy what Hawaii has to offer. I now find the huts to be charming.
So now that we have been here a week, I can say I am falling even more in love with Oahu every day! I can't wait to explore more and I can't wait to make it to visit the other islands!
Hawaii is such an awesome place and it almost feels like "home" to me. We are happy!
We got a house in two days that we were on the wait list too. We will be living on Wheeler Army Airfield, which is adjacent to Schofield Barracks. It's kind of out of the way and secluded from the hustle and bustle of Schofield. I don't know if I like that yet. I would have liked to be close to the school and the commissary and PX. And we are not. Our housing division is all by itself tucked in the back. But we will see how it is once we move in. We are scheduled to move in the beginning of January. So not too terribly long. :)
I must say , as we drove around the day after we arrived that the Waikiki area is very nice. Lots of homeless people around though, which freak me out. They stink, and just scary the bejeezus out of me. I'm not comfortable around people like that. So that took some of the beauty away. Also, if you drive away from the touristy area Hawii IS kind of run down looking. Curt said it was probaby beautiful in 1970, but nothing has been updated since. That stuff aside though, it is stunning here and I am looking forward to enjoying the next few years living here and ejoying the "Aloha" culture. I can't wait to explore Oahu and the other islands and try some authentic Hawaiian cuisine!
ETA: Now that we have been here for a week, I have to change my opinion on the run down look of Hawaii. The houses look like huts and I think that is part of the beautiful culture here. They live so simple here and enjoy what Hawaii has to offer. I now find the huts to be charming.
So now that we have been here a week, I can say I am falling even more in love with Oahu every day! I can't wait to explore more and I can't wait to make it to visit the other islands!
Hawaii is such an awesome place and it almost feels like "home" to me. We are happy!
We got a house in two days that we were on the wait list too. We will be living on Wheeler Army Airfield, which is adjacent to Schofield Barracks. It's kind of out of the way and secluded from the hustle and bustle of Schofield. I don't know if I like that yet. I would have liked to be close to the school and the commissary and PX. And we are not. Our housing division is all by itself tucked in the back. But we will see how it is once we move in. We are scheduled to move in the beginning of January. So not too terribly long. :)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Down to the Wire
Here we are, down to the last few weeks before we live. I am so excited. I know Hawaii is not going to disappoint me. I can even envision loving it so much and wanting to stay longer. I am nervous about the trip over there, but I am more excited than nervous!
The movers come in 11 days. Our cable, internet, and phone will be shut off in 11 days. Oh, my goodness. That is going to come with a quickness. I booked our hotel last night. We will be staying in this house empty for the rest of that week with nothing in here except our luggage and an air mattress, lol, should be interesting, and then heading to the hotel on the 26th for another week. Should be interesting. The army only pays for 5 days of hotel before we move so we will be paying for four of the days we will be in the hotel out of pocket. It sucks moving around holidays! It was hard to schedule the movers and our flight in a tight time span due to Thanksgiving. I am keeping Kaylie in school up until the very last day we are here. So her last day of school will be on her birthday Dec 2nd and we fly out the next morning bright and early. I will have to drive her to and from school for that last week which I am nervous about because of traffic. I have no idea how long it will take to get on post in the morning. I know its pretty crazy, so we will see I guess.
We are not shipping our car until Nov 30th.. a few days before we fly. Our hopes is to find a car within the first couple of days that we are there. Katy flies out on Dec 1st over to Hawaii. I had a panic attack about that the other night. Getting to the airport with her and for whatever reason she can't fly. Then I imagined her still here and we are over there. Aahh, stress is mounting up.
Like I said that is the only aspect of this move I am nervous about. The long journey over there and getting all of us, including my furry daughter over there safely.
I am crossing my fingers tightly for a smooth trip. Pray for us! haha
This will more than likely be my last blog until we are over there. I will be MIA for awhile.
The movers come in 11 days. Our cable, internet, and phone will be shut off in 11 days. Oh, my goodness. That is going to come with a quickness. I booked our hotel last night. We will be staying in this house empty for the rest of that week with nothing in here except our luggage and an air mattress, lol, should be interesting, and then heading to the hotel on the 26th for another week. Should be interesting. The army only pays for 5 days of hotel before we move so we will be paying for four of the days we will be in the hotel out of pocket. It sucks moving around holidays! It was hard to schedule the movers and our flight in a tight time span due to Thanksgiving. I am keeping Kaylie in school up until the very last day we are here. So her last day of school will be on her birthday Dec 2nd and we fly out the next morning bright and early. I will have to drive her to and from school for that last week which I am nervous about because of traffic. I have no idea how long it will take to get on post in the morning. I know its pretty crazy, so we will see I guess.
We are not shipping our car until Nov 30th.. a few days before we fly. Our hopes is to find a car within the first couple of days that we are there. Katy flies out on Dec 1st over to Hawaii. I had a panic attack about that the other night. Getting to the airport with her and for whatever reason she can't fly. Then I imagined her still here and we are over there. Aahh, stress is mounting up.
Like I said that is the only aspect of this move I am nervous about. The long journey over there and getting all of us, including my furry daughter over there safely.
I am crossing my fingers tightly for a smooth trip. Pray for us! haha
This will more than likely be my last blog until we are over there. I will be MIA for awhile.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
A little of this a little of that
So here we are. All set and ready to go! Everything is done that can be done as of right now. We have our housing pre-inspection Nov 14th. The movers will be here Nov 21-23. We clear housing Nov 28th. And we fly out Dec 3rd. We leave DC at 7:30 and fly to Chicago. Then we have a very short layover, basically get off one plane and right on another. Then we have a 9 hour and 10 minute flight from Chicago to Honolulu. I am very nervous about that flight and am praying with all my might to let it all go smoothly. We plan on buying the kids new toys, games, and movies to keep them occupied on the flight. I am so excited about this new adventure and it all still feels surreal to me.
We probably won't be shipping the car that early. It will probably be the week we fly out. It will hopefully save us money that way and as soon as we get to Hawaii we can car shop pronto and hopefully find something quickly. We shall see I guess.
Me and Curt have been on each other's nerves. He has so been making me mad lately. I think we are just so stressed with this move that we are taking it out on each other. I have been suffering from massive headaches too. The other night I had such a bad headache and ended up going to bed early. I woke up at 2am and could barely move my head hurt so bad. I didn't even want to move to get up and go to the bathroom. I finally forced myself up and took some aspirin. Took me a long time to fall back asleep because my head hurt so bad. It sucked.
I have to ask for an extension for my class I am in right now. I am in week 5 of a 8 week class and with so much coming up I need to file an extension so my grade doesn't drop. I am already falling behind as it is and we aren't even moving yet. So i need to get that done this week. It will allow me an extra 30 days to get all of my work turned in. After this class ends I am taking a few months off until we get settled in.
Anyway, pray for us and our sanity for the next month. Especially for our long flight!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The final month in Virginia!
Well, its official. We will be arriving in Hawaii in exactly 31 days. I am nervous as hell, stressed out, and excited all at the same time.
We turned in our paperwork from our EFMP screening last Friday and we had our amended orders on Tuesday. That was really fast! Basically it took one day to get command sponsorship done. Curt was busy yesterday trying to see if he could change his mandatory court date for his ticket. The guy from JAG called back yesterday and said it won't be a problem. Just bring in a copy of our orders and our scheduled move date and he will dismiss the court appearance. So that is a plus.
Yesterday we also scheduled our move. It's all done online now (which is a HUGE pain). We spent three long hours trying to schedule it. It was ridiculous, I was about ready to pull my hair out or beat my head against the wall. First off you can only use Internet Explorer and only Vista, XP, or Windows 7 or 8. No firefox, google chrome, and it doesn't support macintosh. We couldn't get past the certificate errors so I finally ended up just downloading every single certificate availabe to access the site. hahaha That is finally what works. Then a part of the site keeps freezing and I finally tell Curt to call the help desk. They were able to help us navigate past that by increasing our zoom to 150% from 100%. Why the zoom makes a difference I have no idea, but it worked. We finally finished setting up the move.
And its stupid to set it up online anyway, when Curt had to go into the transportation office to turn in the paperwork anyway. Whatever. We just do as we are told. So the movers are scheduled for Nov 21 and 22nd. We have our housing preinspection on Nov 14th and final out Nov 28th. We will be flying out on the 29th. We'll be in a hotel for Thanksgiving, fun times eh!
Now the fun begins. Time to throw down on the house and get rid of everything we are not bringing. I also have to call Island Pet Movers and give them the exact date for Katy. She will be flying out the day before us on the 28th. Oy!!
Madness is about to ensue!
Now the fun begins. Time to throw down on the house and get rid of everything we are not bringing. I also have to call Island Pet Movers and give them the exact date for Katy. She will be flying out the day before us on the 28th. Oy!!
Madness is about to ensue!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
More than halfway done!
So we had our EFMP screening to move to Hawaii on Friday. Let me start off by saying we had to go to Fort Myer to do it and yeah its only like 10 miles away, but with traffic we were worried on what time to leave. Curt said we should leave at 8 to make our 10 am appointment. So we left a little after 8, stopped and got some munchkins from Dunkin Donuts and then went on are way. There was absolutely zero traffic! We got there at 8:40! So what do we do now??? We sat in the parking lot of the PX waiting for them to open at 9 and just walked around their tiny little PX for 40 minutes. hahaha
We basically just sat in the one section of toys they have and let the kids play. Fun. So then we go to our appointment and of course are not even called back until 10:40. Go figure right! Brandon was awful. All that he wanted to do was run around and bother people. OMG. He is so at that age where he is ridiculous if he is not strapped into a stroller. Curt ended up taking him outside. When we got called back it only took about 20 minutes for the doctor to go over our medical records and sign us all off as good to go.
Once we got home Curt took the paperwork back up to his S1 to send on over to the lady who does the orders. We should get them in about two weeks she said. Thankfully she can approve our orders as long as we have no EFMP issues, so it should go quicker than sending it to Hawaii and back to be approved. That's a plus!
So now we wait for our orders to be cut, then we can schedule the movers and get our plane tickets, and figure out when we want to ship our car. Getting excited!!
We looked into refinancing my car, but it wouldn't be worth it. It wouldn't save us that much money and the interest rate barely went down, so we passed. We also will get our money deposited tomorrow for the total loss of Curt's truck. That is so gonna help us as far as a down payment on a new car once we arrive. We still fluctuate back and forth on whether to buy or lease. I guess we will just wait and see what the best options are when we get there.
We have been researching cars and I have a list on what cars we are interested in. Hopefully Hawaii has a good inventory of vehicles. So far what I have been looking at online is not very promising.
I want to go with an SUV. This is the list I made as to the order of vehicles sorted by starting price and gas mileage. Because of course, I have to look at the whole package and not just the look of the car. :)
1) Toyota Highlander $28,090 20/25 mpg
2) Ford Explorer $28,170 20/28 mpg
3) Honda Pilot $28,470 18/25 mpg
4) Nissan Pathfinder $28,570 15/22
5) Chevy Traverse $29,430 17/24
6)Toyota 4Runner $30,305 17/23
7)GMC Acadia $32,000 17/24
No 3rd row seating that we like are
Ford Edge (I really like) and Jeep Grand Cherokee and GMC Terrain
If we go with a truck it is the Ford F-150 or the Dodge Ram 1500.
Ford starts at $22, 990 and gets 17/23
Dodge starts at 20,810 and gets 14/20
I think the SUV is our best bet. I don't necessarily like all the cars on this list. I just researched cars and wrote down prices and gas mileage. It looks like right out the bat the Pathfinder is out, it gets horrible gas as does the Ram.
Once we get to Hawaii, or even possibly before if we want to start looking at them in person here, we will go and start test driving and get the feel for the vehicles we like best.
Car shopping is so hard!!
If I had my chocie I would get a van and get the Honda Odyssey.
Anyway, so everything we can do is done as far as paperwork, thinks will pick up here fast. It still doesn't seem real to me that we are moving to Hawaii. When we land in Honolulu I will have to pinch myself to see if I am dreaming or not. LOL
Can't wait to car shop and get this stuff over with!! :)
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Update
Curt talked to branch today and got our report date pushed back to Feb 1st. That is such a huge relief because we have been stressing out big time trying to get everything done. The only thing we have left to do is our overseas screening. I have been in contact with this lady since last Friday. She called and verified our information and said she would call back to schedule our appointment. Well, she never called back. So Monday I called her back again and talked to her, she said she would get back to me to schedule our appointment...and once again never did. So this morning I called her AGAIN, she didn't answer this time but I left her a message. Lo and behold, she has NOT called back. I am so frustrated. I mean, I get that she is a busy lady. She is the only EFMP screener in this area, so I can only imagine the volume of people she is working with. But its still frustrating.
So now that the report date is pushed back we can relax a little. We are still gonna push to be out of here in the first couple weeks of December if we can. As long as we can get our screening done. After that it's just waiting on paper orders to come through. So keeping our fingers crossed that we can schedule our appointments soon, orders will be cut about two weeks after that and get things rolling as far as scheduling the movers and the shipping of my car, and clearing housing, etc..
Most stressful move EVER! hahaha
But will be totally worth it! :)
Finally got the truck settlement today and spent an hour on the phone going over it all. I was shocked when he told us how much we are getting for the loss. It's more than even what we were gonna sell it for!! So that is a huge relief and a huge bonus!! We mail the title off tomorrow to the salvage company and we will have a very nice nest egg to lease or buy a car once we get to Hawaii. Right now we are looking at a truck, either the Ram or the F-150. If not either of those, we are looking at the Acadia as an SUV. We have time to go out and see what we like so no rush. We aren't moving for about a month and a half anyway. :)
So now that the report date is pushed back we can relax a little. We are still gonna push to be out of here in the first couple weeks of December if we can. As long as we can get our screening done. After that it's just waiting on paper orders to come through. So keeping our fingers crossed that we can schedule our appointments soon, orders will be cut about two weeks after that and get things rolling as far as scheduling the movers and the shipping of my car, and clearing housing, etc..
Most stressful move EVER! hahaha
But will be totally worth it! :)
Finally got the truck settlement today and spent an hour on the phone going over it all. I was shocked when he told us how much we are getting for the loss. It's more than even what we were gonna sell it for!! So that is a huge relief and a huge bonus!! We mail the title off tomorrow to the salvage company and we will have a very nice nest egg to lease or buy a car once we get to Hawaii. Right now we are looking at a truck, either the Ram or the F-150. If not either of those, we are looking at the Acadia as an SUV. We have time to go out and see what we like so no rush. We aren't moving for about a month and a half anyway. :)
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Time is ticking
We had our levy briefing last Thursday. Everything is all in motion now! Overseas screening is this coming week for the kids are I, then we should get our amended orders within two weeks. I hope that holds true, because we are seriously in a time crunch! We have to ship our car out of Baltimore which isn't too far away. We just have to figure out when we want to do that since we no longer have two vehicles we will most def have to get a rental car. We have decided to lease a car over in Hawaii while we are there so that will be one of the first things we do once we arrive. After talking to some friends who have PCSd there recently and one who is moving there in the next few weeks I have gotten some good advice. I called and booked our hotel room for when we arrive. I told them Nov 28th which is the day we are really trying to fly out on. We will give our notice to housing on Monday with some wiggle room for when we actually get to schedule the movers. This is seriously so stressful and yet exciting. They did say Curt's truck was totaled so that is a weight off of our shoulders. We will get a check for the value of the vehicle and call it a day. It will be a loss though, because we won't get as much as we would have selling it in a private party sale. It will probably be half of what we would have got. Sigh....
I am kind of getting sad to leave though. I have met an awesome new friend over the past couple weeks. We just clicked when we met at the park and she happens to live only five houses down from me. We also hang out with our new neighbors right across the street. We had them all over for a cookout last weekend and had a blast. It was soooo nice to be around people again. I am sad to leave my awesome new friends I have made. We are both so sad about me leaving now. I even asked her today while we were out shopping "where have you been the past year??" LOL
We have been neighbors for a year and are just now meeting. It's sad when you meet great people like that and then one of us is leaving. :(
I seriously think making good friends is the key to enjoying a duty station when the military sends you somewhere new. I have been miserable here for so long and I know its because we have had no friends here. And now here we are having fun again and hanging out and bam, we will leave.
At least I am heading to a place where we have good friends already which is a huge plus. It will make it easier to leave now! Plus its Hawaii, helloooo LOL
We have been neighbors for a year and are just now meeting. It's sad when you meet great people like that and then one of us is leaving. :(
I seriously think making good friends is the key to enjoying a duty station when the military sends you somewhere new. I have been miserable here for so long and I know its because we have had no friends here. And now here we are having fun again and hanging out and bam, we will leave.
At least I am heading to a place where we have good friends already which is a huge plus. It will make it easier to leave now! Plus its Hawaii, helloooo LOL
Monday, October 10, 2011
Quick update
Nothing much is going on. We have our levy briefing on Thursday. We might have to push back Curt's report date from Dec to Jan though because he totatled his truck last Thursday and has to go to court on Jan 12th or something like that. If we can pay the fines early (reckless driving and damage to government property) then we will and then we won't have to go to court, but it is a wait and see until the police report arrives to Curt's unit. He didn't hit anybody else but he rammed into a pole and then went into the ditch. They will probably deem the truck a total loss, which is fine, saves us the headache of waiting for it to be fixed and then trying to sell a vehicle that has been in an accident. Sigh....
So now we will just cut our losses and have already started researching vehicles. We are thinking of leasing a truck now over in Hawaii so we will see. We will start really looking once we get there.
So now we will just cut our losses and have already started researching vehicles. We are thinking of leasing a truck now over in Hawaii so we will see. We will start really looking once we get there.
That is all for now!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Ball is rolling!
So we have started the moving process. Finally!!! We have our levy briefing on Oct 13th and as soon as Curt's S1 signs our paperwork we can go to our overseas screening. We are definitely going to be in a time crunch because his report date is Dec 1st and all the paperwork can be expected to take 2-4 weeks. I'm hoping its quick. The lady I talked to on the phone today said it should be quick so I guess we shall see. This is the most stressful part. Planning the move and picking dates. I don't want to speculate on dates until we get command sponsorship done, and we can't even schedule anything until that is done anyway. So we have no exact dates yet as far as when we will be clearing here and heading on over to paradise. :)
We really need to get on the ball and start going through stuff room by room and especially the garage. Maybe that is what we will do this weekend since its supposed to be cold and windy. Just stay inside and throw down on what we want to get rid of and what we want to take with us. I am getting so excited and am so ready for this new adventure. I must admit though I am nervous too. We are moving very far away and that is scary!
We also got bad news today about my grandma. She is not doing too well. In fact they have found two masses in her CAT scan that "might" be cancer on her pancreas and stomach. Not good news. She is very old and frail so I know chemo is not an option. She had a triple bypass a few years ago and her heart doctor wants to do some procedure to shock her heart back into rhythm which is also scary. I get nervous with that going on too. When my grandma dies I will be a wreck. She is the epitome of what a grandma should be. She is one of my biggest role models and one of the kindest, sweetest, most endearing person I know. Her death will be very hard for my family. I'm glad I have so many good memories to hold on to growing up. She has never said a bad word about anyone in her life, she always looks for the good in people and she is the glue that is holding our family together. I pray she doesn't pass away while we are over in Hawaii, because I know I would be the only one able to come back to the mainland for her funeral.
Curt's grandma is not doing well either. In fact when we were home this summer she had gotten so skinny. She used to be big and plump and looks exactly like Mrs. Claus. Well...not anymore! She was skin and bones. It is soooo sad. It actually made Curt cry to see her like that.
But I know we can't live our lives waiting for our grandmas to die, so we must get on with life. I would absolutely LOVE to go see my grandma one more time before we move. I really would.
Anywhoo...on another note I gave up pop two days ago. I didn't last long. I ran out this morning and got a mountain dew. I tried, I really did, but I had a headache for those two days. Curt said its all in my head, but I seriously can't just cut it out cold turkey like that. Caffeine is addictive and I would rather drink mountain dew than coffee. ick! Mt. Dew IS my coffee in the morning!
And we finally made it to the Pentagon memorial last weekend. It was everything I expected it to be! It was beyond moving to stand in the spot where so many people had lost their lives. I could have sat there for hours and just reflected on it. Life sure is crazy! It is amazing to realize how quickly it can change. Definitely makes me hug my husband and kids a little tighter
We really need to get on the ball and start going through stuff room by room and especially the garage. Maybe that is what we will do this weekend since its supposed to be cold and windy. Just stay inside and throw down on what we want to get rid of and what we want to take with us. I am getting so excited and am so ready for this new adventure. I must admit though I am nervous too. We are moving very far away and that is scary!
We also got bad news today about my grandma. She is not doing too well. In fact they have found two masses in her CAT scan that "might" be cancer on her pancreas and stomach. Not good news. She is very old and frail so I know chemo is not an option. She had a triple bypass a few years ago and her heart doctor wants to do some procedure to shock her heart back into rhythm which is also scary. I get nervous with that going on too. When my grandma dies I will be a wreck. She is the epitome of what a grandma should be. She is one of my biggest role models and one of the kindest, sweetest, most endearing person I know. Her death will be very hard for my family. I'm glad I have so many good memories to hold on to growing up. She has never said a bad word about anyone in her life, she always looks for the good in people and she is the glue that is holding our family together. I pray she doesn't pass away while we are over in Hawaii, because I know I would be the only one able to come back to the mainland for her funeral.
Curt's grandma is not doing well either. In fact when we were home this summer she had gotten so skinny. She used to be big and plump and looks exactly like Mrs. Claus. Well...not anymore! She was skin and bones. It is soooo sad. It actually made Curt cry to see her like that.
But I know we can't live our lives waiting for our grandmas to die, so we must get on with life. I would absolutely LOVE to go see my grandma one more time before we move. I really would.
Anywhoo...on another note I gave up pop two days ago. I didn't last long. I ran out this morning and got a mountain dew. I tried, I really did, but I had a headache for those two days. Curt said its all in my head, but I seriously can't just cut it out cold turkey like that. Caffeine is addictive and I would rather drink mountain dew than coffee. ick! Mt. Dew IS my coffee in the morning!
And we finally made it to the Pentagon memorial last weekend. It was everything I expected it to be! It was beyond moving to stand in the spot where so many people had lost their lives. I could have sat there for hours and just reflected on it. Life sure is crazy! It is amazing to realize how quickly it can change. Definitely makes me hug my husband and kids a little tighter
Monday, September 19, 2011
Will the waiting never end??
Well, we found out today why we haven't gotten our paper orders yet. Apparently the army has a lack of communication! Go figure, right?!?
Branch hasn't been able to generate paper orders because they need Curt's RTD (Return to Duty) letter from his commander. Commander is saying they don't need it, branch is saying yes, his unit no, branch yes...etc, etc.
This is ridiculous. So now that we WAIT once again to get this RTD letter sent over to branch (and God only knows how long they will take, since we ALL know they like to take their sweet time on paperwork) who knows when we will get our paper orders! Sigh..
I swear one fiasco after another! If Curt would have just taken the retirement we would have been out of here MONTHS ago.
UPDATE: Memo arrived at HRC today (the 20th). I'm surprised it happened so quickly! Now we wait for paper orders again.
Branch hasn't been able to generate paper orders because they need Curt's RTD (Return to Duty) letter from his commander. Commander is saying they don't need it, branch is saying yes, his unit no, branch yes...etc, etc.
This is ridiculous. So now that we WAIT once again to get this RTD letter sent over to branch (and God only knows how long they will take, since we ALL know they like to take their sweet time on paperwork) who knows when we will get our paper orders! Sigh..
I swear one fiasco after another! If Curt would have just taken the retirement we would have been out of here MONTHS ago.
UPDATE: Memo arrived at HRC today (the 20th). I'm surprised it happened so quickly! Now we wait for paper orders again.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Reflections
So first things first. I am getting so excited about moving. I know I am just gonna love Hawaii, regardless what everyone tells me thats negative, I feel it could be just what we need! I enjoy weather like that and just feel its going to be awesome. I mean, I know it won't be all sunshine and rainbows, I get that, but I am ready for the opportunity of a lifetime and will take the bad in stride and let the good outweigh the bad. I think that is the only way to go into it!
I am worried about the school situation though. Everyone I talk to, from my aunt (who works for the company who puts out all the standardized tests for each state), to Kaylie's teacher, other teachers at the school, her doctor, and the nurse, they all said "watch the schools, watch the school system, stay on top of her schooling". This is my biggest concern. It is totally going to suck coming from here where they have the fifth best school district in the nation, to one of the worst. I am very concerned, but I think if I stay on top of it and see the difference in the quality of education I can and will supplement. I am just grateful that Kaylie has already been through four years of schooling from pre-k up and I know where she should be in learning and what she needs to work on. I am glad I have five family members who are teachers (one 3rd grade) who can help me out with what HI is going to lack. Other than the school concern, I have no other issues with moving. I'm just ready to get this show on the road!!
So 9/11 was a few days ago, and it was a hard day for me. Watching the attacks unfold is always hard for anybody, but this year I tried to reflect on "what is" and not "what was". My family has been affected by 9/11 and my husband will forever bear the scars on his body and in both of our minds from that day. Because of 9/11 my husband was injured. Because of 9/11 my husband went to war with a country that had nothing to do with the attacks. And not only once, not twice, but three times he went back. Because of that, our lives will never be as they were. It has changed us both mentally and has scarred my husband physically.
In our time here I have never thought about going to the Pentagon and paying my respects to the 9/11 memorial there. We are going to do that this week. It's a must. My heart pulls me to New York too. I want to visit the WTC site so bad. I feel as an American it is important for me to go and deal with my own emotions and events that stemmed from that day that has affected my life so deeply. I can see myself sitting up there at the reflecting pools all day. I know this is something that means a lot to me and is important to me-- and for me-- to go to the Pentagon and the WTC and Shanksville to pay my respects and deal with my own emotions. I am hoping it will help me heal. That is one of my top goals in life. To heal myself mentally and accept what has happened. I am ready for the healing process to begin.
I am worried about the school situation though. Everyone I talk to, from my aunt (who works for the company who puts out all the standardized tests for each state), to Kaylie's teacher, other teachers at the school, her doctor, and the nurse, they all said "watch the schools, watch the school system, stay on top of her schooling". This is my biggest concern. It is totally going to suck coming from here where they have the fifth best school district in the nation, to one of the worst. I am very concerned, but I think if I stay on top of it and see the difference in the quality of education I can and will supplement. I am just grateful that Kaylie has already been through four years of schooling from pre-k up and I know where she should be in learning and what she needs to work on. I am glad I have five family members who are teachers (one 3rd grade) who can help me out with what HI is going to lack. Other than the school concern, I have no other issues with moving. I'm just ready to get this show on the road!!
So 9/11 was a few days ago, and it was a hard day for me. Watching the attacks unfold is always hard for anybody, but this year I tried to reflect on "what is" and not "what was". My family has been affected by 9/11 and my husband will forever bear the scars on his body and in both of our minds from that day. Because of 9/11 my husband was injured. Because of 9/11 my husband went to war with a country that had nothing to do with the attacks. And not only once, not twice, but three times he went back. Because of that, our lives will never be as they were. It has changed us both mentally and has scarred my husband physically.
In our time here I have never thought about going to the Pentagon and paying my respects to the 9/11 memorial there. We are going to do that this week. It's a must. My heart pulls me to New York too. I want to visit the WTC site so bad. I feel as an American it is important for me to go and deal with my own emotions and events that stemmed from that day that has affected my life so deeply. I can see myself sitting up there at the reflecting pools all day. I know this is something that means a lot to me and is important to me-- and for me-- to go to the Pentagon and the WTC and Shanksville to pay my respects and deal with my own emotions. I am hoping it will help me heal. That is one of my top goals in life. To heal myself mentally and accept what has happened. I am ready for the healing process to begin.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Crazy People!
It's been pretty boring around here. Just planning and starting to get things done for our upcoming move. We all have our physicals completed and shots are all up to date. Now we just wait for Curt to do his end of the deal, which is get his paper orders (should be late this week or next week) and then go to the levy briefing. I guess from there we schedule the overseas screening with the EFMP office. We have to start going through all our junk, because I don't want to bring half of this crap with us when we move! We have to throw down on this house soon!
We have also decided to use Island Pet Movers to get Katy over there. I am so relieved about that. I think the pet process is a bigger headache than the human process! They do everything for me. All the necessary paperwork and getting me the right sized crate for her to travel in. The only thing I have to do is put Katy on the plane to Hawaii. Good deal. They recommended we send her a day ahead of us so that we don't have to worry about her getting on the plane and us all on the same day, especially since actual moving day will be stressful and anxiety filled enough!! Luckily we have great friends who are already there and offered to pick Katy up for us. So that is a huge relief for me!
Kaylie started school this week. It makes me sad we have to move during the school year, but such is the military life and we all can't move during the summer. I will definitely miss the convenience of having the school right across the street though! It's so nice. I hope we are in walking distance in our new house over there.
I also hope we get good neighbors for once over there. I have crazy neighbors right now. My neighbor attached to me is freaking psycho. For real. Two days in a row she was yelling and cussing and slamming doors at 6 AM. Yes. 6AM. Ugh!!! Seriously she has issues. She is a schizo I'm sure of it.
The other neighbor on the other side of me, I feel bad for her. We have nicknamed her husband "wife beater" ever since last November when he was arrested for kicking her ass. I heard it that night and I will NEVER forget her screams. Terrifying.
Anyway, two nights ago now (yes neighbor issues on the same day) she got on our wives group for Belvoir and posted if anyone could please call the MPs on her husband for her. So we all were like "really, are you serious, are you okay??" She posts back, "yes I am serious and it is not okay" MPs were called and I was of course being nosy watching outside. This was at 1030 at night mind you. It was finally midnight and the MPs were still there so I finally just went to bed. He ended up leaving right after I laid down with his friend or coworker and he had bags with him. So he wasn't arrested that time. She has been gone ever since. I hope she finally left his ass. I feel bad for her because they have a toddler a few months younger than Brandon who has health issues.
So my neighbor saga continues. I swear I never get good wholesome neighbors. Always something crazy going on. At Benning, I had freaking psycho chic Becky across the street who was bipolar, our apartment in Columbus we had the guy who freaking threatened to key my car and my downstairs neighbor constantly having loud sex ALL NIGHT...and now here we are. I'm 0-3 so far! Please Hawaii be kind to us in that department. hahaha
We have also decided to use Island Pet Movers to get Katy over there. I am so relieved about that. I think the pet process is a bigger headache than the human process! They do everything for me. All the necessary paperwork and getting me the right sized crate for her to travel in. The only thing I have to do is put Katy on the plane to Hawaii. Good deal. They recommended we send her a day ahead of us so that we don't have to worry about her getting on the plane and us all on the same day, especially since actual moving day will be stressful and anxiety filled enough!! Luckily we have great friends who are already there and offered to pick Katy up for us. So that is a huge relief for me!
Kaylie started school this week. It makes me sad we have to move during the school year, but such is the military life and we all can't move during the summer. I will definitely miss the convenience of having the school right across the street though! It's so nice. I hope we are in walking distance in our new house over there.
I also hope we get good neighbors for once over there. I have crazy neighbors right now. My neighbor attached to me is freaking psycho. For real. Two days in a row she was yelling and cussing and slamming doors at 6 AM. Yes. 6AM. Ugh!!! Seriously she has issues. She is a schizo I'm sure of it.
The other neighbor on the other side of me, I feel bad for her. We have nicknamed her husband "wife beater" ever since last November when he was arrested for kicking her ass. I heard it that night and I will NEVER forget her screams. Terrifying.
Anyway, two nights ago now (yes neighbor issues on the same day) she got on our wives group for Belvoir and posted if anyone could please call the MPs on her husband for her. So we all were like "really, are you serious, are you okay??" She posts back, "yes I am serious and it is not okay" MPs were called and I was of course being nosy watching outside. This was at 1030 at night mind you. It was finally midnight and the MPs were still there so I finally just went to bed. He ended up leaving right after I laid down with his friend or coworker and he had bags with him. So he wasn't arrested that time. She has been gone ever since. I hope she finally left his ass. I feel bad for her because they have a toddler a few months younger than Brandon who has health issues.
So my neighbor saga continues. I swear I never get good wholesome neighbors. Always something crazy going on. At Benning, I had freaking psycho chic Becky across the street who was bipolar, our apartment in Columbus we had the guy who freaking threatened to key my car and my downstairs neighbor constantly having loud sex ALL NIGHT...and now here we are. I'm 0-3 so far! Please Hawaii be kind to us in that department. hahaha
Monday, August 29, 2011
Hawaii bound!
Got our orders today! Report date is in December! Yay!!!! I was so excited I started jumping up and down and screaming. hahaha
I plan on documenting this journey through every step of the way. I want my sister and family to be able to experience Hawaii through my eyes since sadly they will never make it out to visit. :(
I have been on information overload researching things all day. I was able to get us all in for physicals in the next two weeks which is great. They had none available for me, so I called back later and was able to get an appointment. Yay. Going to Hawaii the army considers it an overseas tour so we have to get command sponsored. Which just means the army says its okay for us to live over there and we have no major medical issues that Hawaii could not provide us if that was the case. We don't have any issues so it shouldn't be too hard. We are trying to do everything as soon as possible because he is authorized up to 60 days early reporting. So we can go in October if we can swing it that early getting everything in order.
I am so excited!!! He should get his paper orders in about two weeks branch said. :)
I plan on documenting this journey through every step of the way. I want my sister and family to be able to experience Hawaii through my eyes since sadly they will never make it out to visit. :(
I have been on information overload researching things all day. I was able to get us all in for physicals in the next two weeks which is great. They had none available for me, so I called back later and was able to get an appointment. Yay. Going to Hawaii the army considers it an overseas tour so we have to get command sponsored. Which just means the army says its okay for us to live over there and we have no major medical issues that Hawaii could not provide us if that was the case. We don't have any issues so it shouldn't be too hard. We are trying to do everything as soon as possible because he is authorized up to 60 days early reporting. So we can go in October if we can swing it that early getting everything in order.
I am so excited!!! He should get his paper orders in about two weeks branch said. :)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Earthquake!!! ...and possible hurricane?!
On August 23, 2011 at 1:51 P.M. we had a 5.8 earthquake. It was one of the scariest things I ever experienced. Curt had just laid Brandon down for his nap and left to go wash the car. I went in the kitchen to unload and reload the dishwasher. I was cleaning up the pans from lunch and had just turned the garbage disposal on when I noticed that the whole countertop was shaking as well as the floor. My first immediate thought was "holy hell, what is wrong with the garbage disposal". I immediately turn it off and notice that everything is still shaking, even the walls. My next thought was that a helicopter was about to crash on our house, it was LOUD. I'm assuming from all the shaking. Even my body felt like it was shaking. I was staring at the wall and watching my pictures fall down, it felt like my brain was juggling around in my head. Meanwhile I hear Brandon start to scream upstairs so I take off running. I still at this point thought it was a helicopter. I get halfway upstairs when the shaking stopped. I see Kaylie holding on to her bedpost and I rush into Brandon's room and snatch him out of his crib and came running back down with both kids. At this point I realize as I'm coming down the stairs that it wasn't a helicopter at all, it was an earthquake. A freaking earthquake in DC. (This whole episode only lasted 30-45 seconds at most) I immediately open the front door to see if anything so going on out there and nothing is. I come inside and call my sister and tell her "I totally think we just had an earthquake!" I wasn't sure at this point and was waiting for confirmation and breaking news. I just had hung up the phone when sure enough breaking news with the confirmed earthquake.
I was so shaken up. My heart literally raced for the next three or so hours. I couldn't calm down. My anxiety level had reached full peak, I seriously thought I might have a heart attack. At this point I can't use my house phone anymore, I just get "all circuits are busy". No cell phone use either, not even text messages. I was able to get Brandon to take a nap, but man that was scary. I just keep thinking about the Japan earthquake and how huge that was and how scary this little 5.8 quake was. I mean to feel the ground shaking under your feet and to feel and see your house sway back and forth and rattle around is extremely nerve-rattling. I don't even want to know what that quake was like in Japan!!!
I have been through tornadoes multiple times in my life before and been through a hurricane (hurricane Ivan in 2004) and two tropical storms (Rita and another one I can't remember the name of in 2004 and 2005) while in Georgia, I have to say this tops all of that. Earthquakes come out of nowhere. At least with hurricanes you know they are coming and can prepare and with tornadoes you can kind of get an idea just by noticing if the weather is right for those and what to look for, but an earthquake, you can't prepare for in any way.
Now this weekend we are supposed to possibly get hit by Hurricane Irene. So the stores are selling out of water and stuff quickly. At this point the forecasters are not sure how it will impact the DC area. Right now they have the center of the storm going through Ocean City, MD, so we will at least get lots of rain and wind. We shall see.
I can't believe we are going to have two natural disasters in the span of a few days apart!
But we are all okay. I had two picture frames break and that is all. The washington monument is cracked and the national cathedral suffered a lot of damage. It's just crazy and I still can't believe I experienced an earthquake in Virginia!
I am getting annoyed at the west coasters tell us to get over it and stop the drama, but honestly they have to realize that most of us have NEVER experienced something like that. Traffic had not been this bad since 9/11 they said. It caused chaos in this area. It WAS a significant earthquake. 5.8 is nothing little by any means. Sure if you have experienced one greater than that, then sure it probably didn't jar you, but for the rest of us, it was a big deal. I get annoyed by people who always have to say "oh, no biggie, we had a 7.4 one in Cali...blah, blah, blah." So? What's your point?! Good for you. Don't undermine how the rest of us feel because you didn't experience this quake personally! Grr. People get on my nerves with that. People had their homes damaged. Whole apartment complexes are condemned, foundations shifted which will cost homeowners thousands and thousands of dollars to fix, as well as all the damage to the Monument and the Cathedral which they are estimating to cost over a million dollars to fix! Come on people, give us northerners a break! It WAS significant to us!
I was so shaken up. My heart literally raced for the next three or so hours. I couldn't calm down. My anxiety level had reached full peak, I seriously thought I might have a heart attack. At this point I can't use my house phone anymore, I just get "all circuits are busy". No cell phone use either, not even text messages. I was able to get Brandon to take a nap, but man that was scary. I just keep thinking about the Japan earthquake and how huge that was and how scary this little 5.8 quake was. I mean to feel the ground shaking under your feet and to feel and see your house sway back and forth and rattle around is extremely nerve-rattling. I don't even want to know what that quake was like in Japan!!!
I have been through tornadoes multiple times in my life before and been through a hurricane (hurricane Ivan in 2004) and two tropical storms (Rita and another one I can't remember the name of in 2004 and 2005) while in Georgia, I have to say this tops all of that. Earthquakes come out of nowhere. At least with hurricanes you know they are coming and can prepare and with tornadoes you can kind of get an idea just by noticing if the weather is right for those and what to look for, but an earthquake, you can't prepare for in any way.
Now this weekend we are supposed to possibly get hit by Hurricane Irene. So the stores are selling out of water and stuff quickly. At this point the forecasters are not sure how it will impact the DC area. Right now they have the center of the storm going through Ocean City, MD, so we will at least get lots of rain and wind. We shall see.
I can't believe we are going to have two natural disasters in the span of a few days apart!
But we are all okay. I had two picture frames break and that is all. The washington monument is cracked and the national cathedral suffered a lot of damage. It's just crazy and I still can't believe I experienced an earthquake in Virginia!
I am getting annoyed at the west coasters tell us to get over it and stop the drama, but honestly they have to realize that most of us have NEVER experienced something like that. Traffic had not been this bad since 9/11 they said. It caused chaos in this area. It WAS a significant earthquake. 5.8 is nothing little by any means. Sure if you have experienced one greater than that, then sure it probably didn't jar you, but for the rest of us, it was a big deal. I get annoyed by people who always have to say "oh, no biggie, we had a 7.4 one in Cali...blah, blah, blah." So? What's your point?! Good for you. Don't undermine how the rest of us feel because you didn't experience this quake personally! Grr. People get on my nerves with that. People had their homes damaged. Whole apartment complexes are condemned, foundations shifted which will cost homeowners thousands and thousands of dollars to fix, as well as all the damage to the Monument and the Cathedral which they are estimating to cost over a million dollars to fix! Come on people, give us northerners a break! It WAS significant to us!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Progress
I have been so proud of myself lately. I started jogging a few weeks ago and absolutely enjoy it. I enjoy it more because in two weeks I have lost seven pounds! Yesterday I also did my Jillian Michael's workout and I am hurting today because of that, plus running. My entire body aches. So I must slow down and take it easy for a few days. Tomorrow I am starting to go jogging with one of my friends over at the track. It should help keep me motivated to stay on track with my goals. I am proud to say I am back down to 143. 10 more pounds and I will be back at my pre-pregnancy weight. After that I just need to tone myself. I really hate the muffin top and I so have one. It's disgusting. My lack of a positive self-image is another reason I am depressed and full of anxiety. I hate the way I look. I hate my hair, my clothes, my body, it all. I need to set a goal for myself and stay determined to meet that goal. I always go and do good for awhile and then fall back into old habits.
I love jogging though. I find it to be a great stress reliever. I don't think I want to make it a habit though. I prefer to just walk over running. As much as I love it I can feel how hard it is on my joints, especially my feet. I don't know if it is something I am interested in doing long-term. But we will see. It's nice for the time being, but I much prefer doing something else like walking with friends while we chit-chat, or doing the elliptical.
Still waiting on word from SFC Beaver on this assignment. He said he's still waiting to hear and retention has not given out the list yet of who was chosen for this assignment. We shall see I guess. I'm just anxious to know what is going on. It was so hard to clothes shop for the kids because I need to know what type of clothing to get them. If we move to Hawaii we won't need jackets and lots of jeans. So it has been frustrating to school shop for Kaylie when I have no idea when or even if we are moving over there. If we would have just chosen Benning I'm sure we would have orders by now and be getting ready to move any day now. Sigh...
It's so hard to just put it in God's hands and let what happens happen. I'm too impatient! This has been going on forever! Keeping my fingers crossed we find out what is happening soon!
I love jogging though. I find it to be a great stress reliever. I don't think I want to make it a habit though. I prefer to just walk over running. As much as I love it I can feel how hard it is on my joints, especially my feet. I don't know if it is something I am interested in doing long-term. But we will see. It's nice for the time being, but I much prefer doing something else like walking with friends while we chit-chat, or doing the elliptical.
Still waiting on word from SFC Beaver on this assignment. He said he's still waiting to hear and retention has not given out the list yet of who was chosen for this assignment. We shall see I guess. I'm just anxious to know what is going on. It was so hard to clothes shop for the kids because I need to know what type of clothing to get them. If we move to Hawaii we won't need jackets and lots of jeans. So it has been frustrating to school shop for Kaylie when I have no idea when or even if we are moving over there. If we would have just chosen Benning I'm sure we would have orders by now and be getting ready to move any day now. Sigh...
It's so hard to just put it in God's hands and let what happens happen. I'm too impatient! This has been going on forever! Keeping my fingers crossed we find out what is happening soon!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Ugh! Men!!
I have been in a bad mood today. Why, you ask? Because of my husband. I am so tired of him procrastinating on EVERYTHING. Our car has been due for its emissions and inspection test. I have been hounding him everyday to take it in and he always replies "tomorrow". So finally today I said screw it and I took the car to get it done myself! I have no idea when it would have gotten done if I didn't take the initiative myself to do so!
Then I have been hounding him about calling branch to see what is going on. Again..his response is always "tomorrow". Well, frankly, tomorrow never comes! We will never get out of here at this rate if he keeps putting stuff off like this! It is so annoying!
Why do men have such a hard time getting things done? Why must they always put stuff off until the very last minute? Even with his school work he will put it off and put it off until the day he has an assignment or a paper due and then freak out about it. Why? Then he is asking me for help. Well, I refuse now. I felt bad for him at first, but not anymore!
He hates school and that's part of his problem. I keep telling him college is not for everyone and maybe its just not his thing. I refuse to write anymore papers for him or help him out in anyway.He's a grown man and should damn well be capable of taking care of himself.
It's a bit ridiculous. He's been working my nerves lately and I am about tired of it!
Then I have been hounding him about calling branch to see what is going on. Again..his response is always "tomorrow". Well, frankly, tomorrow never comes! We will never get out of here at this rate if he keeps putting stuff off like this! It is so annoying!
Why do men have such a hard time getting things done? Why must they always put stuff off until the very last minute? Even with his school work he will put it off and put it off until the day he has an assignment or a paper due and then freak out about it. Why? Then he is asking me for help. Well, I refuse now. I felt bad for him at first, but not anymore!
He hates school and that's part of his problem. I keep telling him college is not for everyone and maybe its just not his thing. I refuse to write anymore papers for him or help him out in anyway.He's a grown man and should damn well be capable of taking care of himself.
It's a bit ridiculous. He's been working my nerves lately and I am about tired of it!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Sick of waiting!
I am so sick of waiting for orders out of here! We are both so ready to leave and MOVE ON. This is getting ridiculous. His med board has been done since freaking MARCH! Ugh! I am getting tired of asking Curt everyday when he gets home "heard anything yet, heard anything yet, heard anything yet"
GRRRR!
How much longer is it gonna take to get freaking orders?????
End of rant for the day!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Meltdown
I'm up way too early as usual! I'm going to be kicking myself for this once school starts back up!! Speaking of school I'm in two classes right now, Biology and Personality Theories. Both are high demand classes so I feel like I have less free time than usual for the next eight weeks. I'm already stressing this week getting work done! I can't believe I am almost half way done with my degree. It's so exciting!!
I haven't been sleeping good lately. I know it has to do with stress. This past weekend I had a meltdown again. I so hate when that happens. I just let the stress build up and build up until I just have a breakdown. I cried myself to sleep and then woke up about 30 minutes later and cried some more. I cried for three hours that night and another hour in the morning. I was doing some heavy thinking about my life and how sad I am about the way it turned out. I mean, I know there is nothing I can do about it except concentrate on the future, but its hard. I have so much depression and anxiety ever since Curt was injured. That was the turning point in our lives. I hate that this happened not only to him, but to me. It has broken me down. As I explained to Curt that next morning that he's not the only one affected by his injuries, it has affected me deeply as well. I have had to deal with the stress of him being in the hospital multiple times, deal with him seeing multiple doctors, multiple surgeries, "medicine problems", a seizure, and a plethora of other things I won't get into on a personal blog.
Dealing with all of that has put a lot of emotional stress on me. For the past four years I have only worried about Curt and my children. I have always put myself second. And I just can't do it anymore. I seriously sometimes think of putting myself in a clinic until I am treated for my depression. I need to detox myself. It would do me a world of good to have some down time. As soon as we move I most definitely want to find a counselor I love! I need someone to talk to.
That is another thing that has gotten me down. I feel so alone and that I have no one to share my deepest darkest secrets that won't hold it against me.
I can't talk to my mom, because, well, she is not one to have a deep conversation with. She never gets it. I won't talk to my sister because, well, she USED to know all my darkest aspects but then when we fought she burned me so bad by throwing a lot of stuff back in my face. I vowed I would never ever, ever let that happen again. I will never, ever tell her anything that she could burn me with again. That hurt beyond belief and I def learned my lesson on that.
I don't want to talk to my friends about it, because I would hate for them to start looking at me differently about my crazy life and I don't want them to feel burdened by me and my problems.
I would only be fully comfortable talking to a counselor who I know has to by law hold everything in confidence!
I hate feeling like that. I hate holding it all in and going downward fast. I need an outlet and I cannot wait to get one!
It's so easy to say I'm going to let things go. But ultimately... that is much easier said than done. I wish I had a strong support system and I really don't. Maybe its because I don't allow it though. I know I have people to vent to if I want, but I just choose not to. I allow myself to have the walls up, and I know I have walls up because I am desperately afraid of being burned again. I'm too scared to take them down....
On top of dealing with my psychological stress I also have the added stress of waiting to see WHEN we are moving. Ugh!!! I am so tired of waiting, waiting, waiting.
On top of that Katy has been sick. She started throwing up last week and by Friday it was so bad she threw up ten times! I took her in to the vet and they didn't know what to make of it. She hasn't been eating or drinking for the past week. She's lost weight. The vet examined her and gave her some fluids to rehydrate her and two shots to help stimulate her. No change over the weekend. Took her back yesterday and they did blood work (which came back clean) and another back of fluids was given to her. We also now have medicine to give her. It's a appetite stimulant and so far she has been snacking a little bit, but not fully eating...and she still hasn't had anything to drink. Breaks my heart to see her not acting normal. Poor kitty. :(
They don't think there is anything lodged in her throat or stomach like a hairball or anything. But if it continues we will take xrays next to be sure she has nothing stuck in her throat. The doctor didn't see anything though when she looked down her throat and her stomach felt fine and not hard. We shall see I guess!
I haven't been sleeping good lately. I know it has to do with stress. This past weekend I had a meltdown again. I so hate when that happens. I just let the stress build up and build up until I just have a breakdown. I cried myself to sleep and then woke up about 30 minutes later and cried some more. I cried for three hours that night and another hour in the morning. I was doing some heavy thinking about my life and how sad I am about the way it turned out. I mean, I know there is nothing I can do about it except concentrate on the future, but its hard. I have so much depression and anxiety ever since Curt was injured. That was the turning point in our lives. I hate that this happened not only to him, but to me. It has broken me down. As I explained to Curt that next morning that he's not the only one affected by his injuries, it has affected me deeply as well. I have had to deal with the stress of him being in the hospital multiple times, deal with him seeing multiple doctors, multiple surgeries, "medicine problems", a seizure, and a plethora of other things I won't get into on a personal blog.
Dealing with all of that has put a lot of emotional stress on me. For the past four years I have only worried about Curt and my children. I have always put myself second. And I just can't do it anymore. I seriously sometimes think of putting myself in a clinic until I am treated for my depression. I need to detox myself. It would do me a world of good to have some down time. As soon as we move I most definitely want to find a counselor I love! I need someone to talk to.
That is another thing that has gotten me down. I feel so alone and that I have no one to share my deepest darkest secrets that won't hold it against me.
I can't talk to my mom, because, well, she is not one to have a deep conversation with. She never gets it. I won't talk to my sister because, well, she USED to know all my darkest aspects but then when we fought she burned me so bad by throwing a lot of stuff back in my face. I vowed I would never ever, ever let that happen again. I will never, ever tell her anything that she could burn me with again. That hurt beyond belief and I def learned my lesson on that.
I don't want to talk to my friends about it, because I would hate for them to start looking at me differently about my crazy life and I don't want them to feel burdened by me and my problems.
I would only be fully comfortable talking to a counselor who I know has to by law hold everything in confidence!
I hate feeling like that. I hate holding it all in and going downward fast. I need an outlet and I cannot wait to get one!
It's so easy to say I'm going to let things go. But ultimately... that is much easier said than done. I wish I had a strong support system and I really don't. Maybe its because I don't allow it though. I know I have people to vent to if I want, but I just choose not to. I allow myself to have the walls up, and I know I have walls up because I am desperately afraid of being burned again. I'm too scared to take them down....
On top of dealing with my psychological stress I also have the added stress of waiting to see WHEN we are moving. Ugh!!! I am so tired of waiting, waiting, waiting.
On top of that Katy has been sick. She started throwing up last week and by Friday it was so bad she threw up ten times! I took her in to the vet and they didn't know what to make of it. She hasn't been eating or drinking for the past week. She's lost weight. The vet examined her and gave her some fluids to rehydrate her and two shots to help stimulate her. No change over the weekend. Took her back yesterday and they did blood work (which came back clean) and another back of fluids was given to her. We also now have medicine to give her. It's a appetite stimulant and so far she has been snacking a little bit, but not fully eating...and she still hasn't had anything to drink. Breaks my heart to see her not acting normal. Poor kitty. :(
They don't think there is anything lodged in her throat or stomach like a hairball or anything. But if it continues we will take xrays next to be sure she has nothing stuck in her throat. The doctor didn't see anything though when she looked down her throat and her stomach felt fine and not hard. We shall see I guess!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Waiting Continues
We finally heard back from the COAD branch manager. Go figure he's been on leave for two weeks. ;)
Anyway he found out more about the job in Hawaii. Apparently its a packet position, which means Curt has to submit himself through HRC for it. So we went ahead and did that. We don't think there is a reason for him to not get the position but there is still that chance they won't select him. I wish we would have known about that ahead of time. Another thing we found out yesterday from his AW2 advocate is that once we get orders it is easier to get appointmenst to get our command sponsorship done. We then become priority for appts. And since we are in the process of a huge transition between hospitals and they lack appts there is a good chance they would send us off post to get our physicals and stuff taken care of. So that is a relief. She assured us she would do everything in her power for us to fly over there together. Because there is no chance in hell I will be flying on a 10 hour flight alone with a toddler!!! Not after the Colorado fiasco! Uh-uh! Ain't doing it!
So now we just wait again. Supposedly we should hear next week (not holding my breath with the army's timelines) more about what is going to go on and the BM is gonna see if he can give us any sort of timeline. I think if Curt gets this position (which apparently is all across Hawaii and not at any one particular location according to the BM) it will work out. Especially with Katy, our cat. Her earliest date of entry into Hawaii is Oct 18th. So looking at things now, we hope they work out that way where we will be moving the end of October.
If this position doesn't work out, I guess its back to Benning. A big part of me secretly wishes for that anyway. I am ready for a lot of things that Hawaii doesn't offer us. I am ready to settle down and buy a house, like really ready to buy a house, its literally all I think about, I am ready to start my career and earn my Master's starting in about a year and a half and I am ready for stability for my children. We shall see what is in store for us I guess!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Learning about letting go
So Curt was finally able to get his reenlistment done. yay!! His records are still not updated yet to reflect that so we still are not able to get new ID cards, but we should be able to in the next few days. Our ID's expire in 10 days so its pretty crucial to get it done ASAP. Now we are just waiting on orders. I don't know when that is gonna happen and frankly I'm tired of worrying about this all.
I was on another website for wounded warrior wives and read about the latest retreat they have for the wives. I wish I would have known about it because I would have signed up to attend. I think it would do me a world of good. Anyway, I was reading about what they did there and how its important to focus on ME and not consume myself with Curt and his life. They made them stand inside this circle and tell themselves that the most important person to take care of is their own self. We have to learn to accept a lot of things that will happen are beyond our control. We have to accept what has happened to our husbands and adjust to the changes in our lives. We can't take care of others if we, ourselves, are not taken care of. Our first priority should always be ourselves and our own wellbeing.
I think that was a huge hit home for me. I have been worrying about what is going on with Curt and I have been staying so on top of everything and bugging him to check this and that and call this person and that. It's exhausting!
It's tiresome! I've come to a point now where I am just going to let him worry about it all. It's not my problem! I have my own life to focus on, my own goals I want to accomplish and I don't need the added stress of making his problems my problems. So I made a vow last week to stop worrying about what is happening. I will let things happen as they happen. I've been doing pretty good with it too. His life is his life, and my life is my life.
We also have been thinking about Hawaii. As much as we would love to go, we don't know if it is in our best interest as a family. Both of our careers would be put on hold. Mine as well, since I am going for my master's as soon as I can. Hawaii wouldn't allow that since we would not be there long enough for me to complete it. Curt's best career move is back to Benning. So we have that on the back of our minds as well. Its been on my mind for awhile though. I have this inkling that Hawaii is not the best option... I guess we will find out what is happening when we hear back from branch. If Hawaii falls through I am perfectly okay with it. It doesn't matter to me either way. I will be disappointed a bit, and sad about a missed opportunity don't get me wrong. I mean I have been bugging Curt about going there for years, but in the end, we will have to find out if it is worth it or not. At this point, I will make the best of whatever happens. Either way I think Benning/Hawaii has its pros and cons ... Again, out of my control, so... :)
On another note. I have been quite proud of myself lately. I have been running!! Yes, running.. every night. It feels so good. It gives me time to think and clear my head of all this stuff going on and I LOVE it. :)
I was on another website for wounded warrior wives and read about the latest retreat they have for the wives. I wish I would have known about it because I would have signed up to attend. I think it would do me a world of good. Anyway, I was reading about what they did there and how its important to focus on ME and not consume myself with Curt and his life. They made them stand inside this circle and tell themselves that the most important person to take care of is their own self. We have to learn to accept a lot of things that will happen are beyond our control. We have to accept what has happened to our husbands and adjust to the changes in our lives. We can't take care of others if we, ourselves, are not taken care of. Our first priority should always be ourselves and our own wellbeing.
I think that was a huge hit home for me. I have been worrying about what is going on with Curt and I have been staying so on top of everything and bugging him to check this and that and call this person and that. It's exhausting!
It's tiresome! I've come to a point now where I am just going to let him worry about it all. It's not my problem! I have my own life to focus on, my own goals I want to accomplish and I don't need the added stress of making his problems my problems. So I made a vow last week to stop worrying about what is happening. I will let things happen as they happen. I've been doing pretty good with it too. His life is his life, and my life is my life.
We also have been thinking about Hawaii. As much as we would love to go, we don't know if it is in our best interest as a family. Both of our careers would be put on hold. Mine as well, since I am going for my master's as soon as I can. Hawaii wouldn't allow that since we would not be there long enough for me to complete it. Curt's best career move is back to Benning. So we have that on the back of our minds as well. Its been on my mind for awhile though. I have this inkling that Hawaii is not the best option... I guess we will find out what is happening when we hear back from branch. If Hawaii falls through I am perfectly okay with it. It doesn't matter to me either way. I will be disappointed a bit, and sad about a missed opportunity don't get me wrong. I mean I have been bugging Curt about going there for years, but in the end, we will have to find out if it is worth it or not. At this point, I will make the best of whatever happens. Either way I think Benning/Hawaii has its pros and cons ... Again, out of my control, so... :)
On another note. I have been quite proud of myself lately. I have been running!! Yes, running.. every night. It feels so good. It gives me time to think and clear my head of all this stuff going on and I LOVE it. :)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Weekend trip
This weekend we went over to Solomon's Island, MD. It was a retreat sponsored by a woman named Connie who started a non profit organization up there called Vacations4Vets. I was really worried about going because, as we all know, we have had a massive heat wave across the U.S. The heat index on Friday got up to 118. It was miserably hot outside. But we went anyway! We arrived a little after two that afternoon and we were the first one's to arrive. We were staying right on the Patuxent River at a lodge with three other families who came for the retreat too. The lodge was really nice. It is like a big cabin with four rooms on each side of two long hallways along with four communal bathrooms (which I might add, was not particularly good for someone who has a thing about bathrooms haha). There was a huge great room for all of us to share and tons of food stocked in the kitchen so that was good.
That day we went to the Marine Museum which was basically a small aquarium with sting rays, jellyfish, otters, and other marine wildlife. We were supposed to go up into the lighthouse, but it was too hot so they had it closed for the day. So after spending about an hour in the aquarium we headed out back for a Tennyson boat tour. It was a tour boat that took you around the Chesapeake Bay and back for about an hour and half. They had snacks on board and plenty of water so we all tried to stay as hydrated as possible. I was really worried about Brandon so I tried to keep forcing him to drink water and eat as much fruit as possible so he could get added water from that. He was so cranky too because he had not napped that whole day. We got back to the lodge about 8 and began to wound down. Needless to say Brandon did not go to bed until about 11 that night.
He was up at 6:30 the next morning too! Ugh. I knew we were in for a long day! Saturday was filled with lots of events that was very rigidly scheduled. At 8:30 we went out on our first boat over to an oyster farm. Bob (the boat man haha) told us all about how he traps oysters and sells them to wholesalers, blah, blah, blah. He showed us his house on the water and then he let Kaylie drive his boat back out onto the river. She loved that! He had a really nice boat with a bedroom downstairs and a dishwasher and everything. Once we got back out onto the Patuxent River we all went tubing. Well, Curt, Kaylie, and the other soldier Joe who was with us went tubing. I did not. I thought we were going tubing on the second boat later that day so I didn't wear my bathing suit. Curt and Kaylie decided to go tubing in the clothes they were wearing and they had a blast! Kaylie decided to go tubing alone after she went with Curt so that was awesome for her. She loved it! Brandon cried and cried because he didn't like them out on the raft so Curt ended up taking him downstairs to the bedroom below for some quiet time.
Once we got back to the lodge and changed, Curt and Brandon laid down for a nap so it was just, Kaylie and I, along with another mom and daughter who went on the pleasure cruise after lunch. This third boat was not as nice as Bob's boat. But we sat up on the bow and just let the wind hit us and enjoyed just being out on the boat and talking. We saw million dollar houses on the water and he took us out past the river and into the Chesapeake Bay. It was awesome! It makes me miss boating so much. I used to go boating all the time growing up with my Aunt and Uncle. Totally made me miss those days of just cruising the water!
By the time we got back it was 2 and we were supposed to go kayaking at 2:30. I decided not to go because I desperately needed a break from the heat and sun. I think we all got a little sunburnt out on the water all day. So I stayed behind with the kids and Curt went kayaking. Later that afternoon we went over to the barn and got to groom horses. Kaylie loved that as well. We didn't get to ride them because it was too hot outside so we had to stay in the barn, but it was very calming and relaxing in there. I can see how taking care of animals can be therapeutic for some. The horse Kaylie was grooming kept getting "excited" though if you know what I mean hahaha. Three times his wiener came out! I thought that was funny to see a horses penis. I know I'm horrible. LOL
After that we got ready for dinner. They had a catered dinner with tons of food. They also had a huge, table length flag cake. It was gorgeous! I wish I had gotten a picture of it, but by that time we were all packed up. We had decided to leave that night instead of this morning. Which I am glad we did. It was a wonderful, fun weekend, but Brandon was lacking sleep and we were all burnt out from the sun. So it was nice to come home last night and relax in my own house and sleep in my own bed.
Overall, we had a great time, despite the brutal temperatures!
That day we went to the Marine Museum which was basically a small aquarium with sting rays, jellyfish, otters, and other marine wildlife. We were supposed to go up into the lighthouse, but it was too hot so they had it closed for the day. So after spending about an hour in the aquarium we headed out back for a Tennyson boat tour. It was a tour boat that took you around the Chesapeake Bay and back for about an hour and half. They had snacks on board and plenty of water so we all tried to stay as hydrated as possible. I was really worried about Brandon so I tried to keep forcing him to drink water and eat as much fruit as possible so he could get added water from that. He was so cranky too because he had not napped that whole day. We got back to the lodge about 8 and began to wound down. Needless to say Brandon did not go to bed until about 11 that night.
He was up at 6:30 the next morning too! Ugh. I knew we were in for a long day! Saturday was filled with lots of events that was very rigidly scheduled. At 8:30 we went out on our first boat over to an oyster farm. Bob (the boat man haha) told us all about how he traps oysters and sells them to wholesalers, blah, blah, blah. He showed us his house on the water and then he let Kaylie drive his boat back out onto the river. She loved that! He had a really nice boat with a bedroom downstairs and a dishwasher and everything. Once we got back out onto the Patuxent River we all went tubing. Well, Curt, Kaylie, and the other soldier Joe who was with us went tubing. I did not. I thought we were going tubing on the second boat later that day so I didn't wear my bathing suit. Curt and Kaylie decided to go tubing in the clothes they were wearing and they had a blast! Kaylie decided to go tubing alone after she went with Curt so that was awesome for her. She loved it! Brandon cried and cried because he didn't like them out on the raft so Curt ended up taking him downstairs to the bedroom below for some quiet time.
Once we got back to the lodge and changed, Curt and Brandon laid down for a nap so it was just, Kaylie and I, along with another mom and daughter who went on the pleasure cruise after lunch. This third boat was not as nice as Bob's boat. But we sat up on the bow and just let the wind hit us and enjoyed just being out on the boat and talking. We saw million dollar houses on the water and he took us out past the river and into the Chesapeake Bay. It was awesome! It makes me miss boating so much. I used to go boating all the time growing up with my Aunt and Uncle. Totally made me miss those days of just cruising the water!
By the time we got back it was 2 and we were supposed to go kayaking at 2:30. I decided not to go because I desperately needed a break from the heat and sun. I think we all got a little sunburnt out on the water all day. So I stayed behind with the kids and Curt went kayaking. Later that afternoon we went over to the barn and got to groom horses. Kaylie loved that as well. We didn't get to ride them because it was too hot outside so we had to stay in the barn, but it was very calming and relaxing in there. I can see how taking care of animals can be therapeutic for some. The horse Kaylie was grooming kept getting "excited" though if you know what I mean hahaha. Three times his wiener came out! I thought that was funny to see a horses penis. I know I'm horrible. LOL
After that we got ready for dinner. They had a catered dinner with tons of food. They also had a huge, table length flag cake. It was gorgeous! I wish I had gotten a picture of it, but by that time we were all packed up. We had decided to leave that night instead of this morning. Which I am glad we did. It was a wonderful, fun weekend, but Brandon was lacking sleep and we were all burnt out from the sun. So it was nice to come home last night and relax in my own house and sleep in my own bed.
Overall, we had a great time, despite the brutal temperatures!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Stressed out!
I think I have found the route of my never ending stress battle. I want control....and I don't have control over anything related to the big stuff in our lives.
Curt's ETS date is Aug 8th. That is three weeks away. I am stressed about that because while we were on leave his COAD paperwork came in and now we are waiting on the retention lady to get his re-enlistment paperwork together. Which we have been waiting on since we got back from leave. I'm stressing out that it is going to take forever and our ID's will expire and then we have to deal with all of that. That means no shopping at the commissary, px, nothing. It will suck. I mean I know I always think worst case scenario and I don't think we will be waiting three weeks for his reenlistment to go through, but its the army we are talking about so anything is possible!
I just feel like we have been waiting on things to happen for four years plus now! First we waited for his surgeries, then we waited for doctors opinions, then we waited to move here, then we waited for more appointments and surgeries, then we waited a very long time for the med board to be complete, then we waited on COAD, now we wait on reenlistment, then we wait on actual paper orders, etc, etc. It's exhausting waiting! And frankly I'm tired of it!
Even our upcoming move is beyond my control. I like to plan and have a plan "A" and plan "B". We don't even have an exact date of when we will move. It is more than likely October, but at this point with Hawaii we need more time than that. We need time to get Command Sponsorship done. Our new hospital opens Aug 10th and appts are basically impossible to get right now as they start the transition. Everyone moving overseas is having the problem of getting their paperwork done. It's next to impossible right now. No appts available for EFMP screening. It's ridiculous. At this point, I asked Curt to tell his branch manager to push it to November if he can. That gives us time to get CS done, movers situated, Katy's quarantine period will be done mid-October, etc. Way less stressful than trying to move at the end of September, beginning October. Especially since school here starts for Kaylie Sept 6th. I would hate for her to only go to school for two weeks and then be out for a long while.
At this point I have no clue what is going on. I am so stressed out about all this, I even told Curt to forget Hawaii and we'll just go to Benning so its easier on me mentally. I'm terrified of this move I have never moved that far away before and as exciting as it is, it is also scary as hell. I see myself having a mental breakdown from dealing with all this stress. I just want it all to be over with. I want to be settled. I want all these things I can't control to be over with. I just want some aspect of my life I can control at this point. This move is totally gonna suck! I think about moving to Hawaii and how stressful it will be, then I think of Georgia also and how stressful even that would be! Its a no win situation. So I guess I just have to find ways to deal with it.
I think this goes to show myself that I don't handle stress well. My life has been so stressful since June 1, 2007. If I could take it all back I would. It has changed me dramatically from the person I was, and frankly I don't really care for this neurotic, uptight, stressed out individual. I am even starting to give up the things I love. I used to love cooking and now resent it, I used to love going places, now I don't, I used to love cruising around or taking a drive by myself and now I never do that.
I am fighting to get myself back. I want to be ME again. I want some control over my life. I don't like to focus on the negative and I try not to, but its hard. My life has not gone in the direction I wanted it to, and I'm working hard on accepting that and making the life I have left worthwhile.
I look at my two beautiful children and am thankful I have them to ground me. I cannot picture my life without them. I try to concentrate on the good and it works most of the time, but every now and again I reach those dark spots and I let them get to me and break me down again.
I have this constant battle going on in my head and I'll be good for awhile, then slide back into depression. But really what am I depressed about? Just what has transpired over the course of the last four years? That is a huge part of it yes, but what else? My weight? Of course, I did good for awhile, then grew bored and am now back to how I was before. It's depressing. And what do I do..I turn to food to help cope. Not a good move. I am really gonna try to start going for a walk when I get in those moods instead of walking into the kitchen. I'm gonna try to distract myself in other ways besides turning to food for comfort.
I need to find something to keep myself occupied and busy. I do nothing all day but sit at home and play with Brandon or read outside while he naps. I need to get out there again. But I find myself socially awkward. I have never been a big talker. I am more of a listener. And I always kick myself if we are at the park and a fellow mom will try to start a conversation with me and I feel awkward. I have never been socially comfortable. Then when we leave I am yelling at myself in my head of things I could have or should have said to the mom. Sigh...
Anyway, there's a tiny peek inside my mentally unstable head!
Curt's ETS date is Aug 8th. That is three weeks away. I am stressed about that because while we were on leave his COAD paperwork came in and now we are waiting on the retention lady to get his re-enlistment paperwork together. Which we have been waiting on since we got back from leave. I'm stressing out that it is going to take forever and our ID's will expire and then we have to deal with all of that. That means no shopping at the commissary, px, nothing. It will suck. I mean I know I always think worst case scenario and I don't think we will be waiting three weeks for his reenlistment to go through, but its the army we are talking about so anything is possible!
I just feel like we have been waiting on things to happen for four years plus now! First we waited for his surgeries, then we waited for doctors opinions, then we waited to move here, then we waited for more appointments and surgeries, then we waited a very long time for the med board to be complete, then we waited on COAD, now we wait on reenlistment, then we wait on actual paper orders, etc, etc. It's exhausting waiting! And frankly I'm tired of it!
Even our upcoming move is beyond my control. I like to plan and have a plan "A" and plan "B". We don't even have an exact date of when we will move. It is more than likely October, but at this point with Hawaii we need more time than that. We need time to get Command Sponsorship done. Our new hospital opens Aug 10th and appts are basically impossible to get right now as they start the transition. Everyone moving overseas is having the problem of getting their paperwork done. It's next to impossible right now. No appts available for EFMP screening. It's ridiculous. At this point, I asked Curt to tell his branch manager to push it to November if he can. That gives us time to get CS done, movers situated, Katy's quarantine period will be done mid-October, etc. Way less stressful than trying to move at the end of September, beginning October. Especially since school here starts for Kaylie Sept 6th. I would hate for her to only go to school for two weeks and then be out for a long while.
At this point I have no clue what is going on. I am so stressed out about all this, I even told Curt to forget Hawaii and we'll just go to Benning so its easier on me mentally. I'm terrified of this move I have never moved that far away before and as exciting as it is, it is also scary as hell. I see myself having a mental breakdown from dealing with all this stress. I just want it all to be over with. I want to be settled. I want all these things I can't control to be over with. I just want some aspect of my life I can control at this point. This move is totally gonna suck! I think about moving to Hawaii and how stressful it will be, then I think of Georgia also and how stressful even that would be! Its a no win situation. So I guess I just have to find ways to deal with it.
I think this goes to show myself that I don't handle stress well. My life has been so stressful since June 1, 2007. If I could take it all back I would. It has changed me dramatically from the person I was, and frankly I don't really care for this neurotic, uptight, stressed out individual. I am even starting to give up the things I love. I used to love cooking and now resent it, I used to love going places, now I don't, I used to love cruising around or taking a drive by myself and now I never do that.
I am fighting to get myself back. I want to be ME again. I want some control over my life. I don't like to focus on the negative and I try not to, but its hard. My life has not gone in the direction I wanted it to, and I'm working hard on accepting that and making the life I have left worthwhile.
I look at my two beautiful children and am thankful I have them to ground me. I cannot picture my life without them. I try to concentrate on the good and it works most of the time, but every now and again I reach those dark spots and I let them get to me and break me down again.
I have this constant battle going on in my head and I'll be good for awhile, then slide back into depression. But really what am I depressed about? Just what has transpired over the course of the last four years? That is a huge part of it yes, but what else? My weight? Of course, I did good for awhile, then grew bored and am now back to how I was before. It's depressing. And what do I do..I turn to food to help cope. Not a good move. I am really gonna try to start going for a walk when I get in those moods instead of walking into the kitchen. I'm gonna try to distract myself in other ways besides turning to food for comfort.
I need to find something to keep myself occupied and busy. I do nothing all day but sit at home and play with Brandon or read outside while he naps. I need to get out there again. But I find myself socially awkward. I have never been a big talker. I am more of a listener. And I always kick myself if we are at the park and a fellow mom will try to start a conversation with me and I feel awkward. I have never been socially comfortable. Then when we leave I am yelling at myself in my head of things I could have or should have said to the mom. Sigh...
Anyway, there's a tiny peek inside my mentally unstable head!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
What is so hard????
Last night we threw down on Kaylie's room. It was such a mess!! This is not the first time we have been on her for keeping her room clean. So last night after Brandon's bath I walked in her room and said "this is absolutely disgusting in here, we are cleaning this out NOW". We threw away THREE garbage bags full of JUNK. I mean I swear this kid is like a hoarder or something. She keeps everything. She keeps TRASH. Then she starts to cry when I want to throw it away because she wants it. Is this a problem????
She keeps everything from scraps of paper, to broken pencils, to plastic wrap from toys, to happy meal boxes. It's a bit ridiculous. So we threw away a LOT of stuff last night. She wasn't happy with it, but her room is actually clean now! I dusted it, I vacuumed (after we had to pull out her bed, dresser, and amoire because she had soooo much JUNK just shoved under all three of those things!) and organized her books and movies. All her movies were out of the cases and just thrown around. It was sad. I told her how her room needs to look like this every night before she goes to bed, whatever is left on the floor I will throw away. Everything has its place and that is where it needs to be. We'll see how long this lasts this time! I give it another day before I have to go in there and pick stuff up and throw it away! She won't learn the easy way, so I'm about to teach her the hard way!
Brandon is still not talking and I am still worried about it. When he goes to his two year checkup I am going to voice these concerns to his doctor and probably get him into speech therapy. I think he should at least be saying more than one word (he says Mom and thats it). Other than that he is doing so good. I must say he keeps me very busy and on my toes at all times.
I think now that I have a younger child again my anxiety level is so much higher. Since Curt got hurt I have dealt with anxiety issues but now add another child into the mix, it has made me almost insane.
I swear sometimes I am borderline psycho when it comes to my kids and their safety. Everyone back home was calling me out on how neurotic and paranoid I am about Brandon and where he is. It seriously even drives ME crazy. I hate this. I hate feeling out of control. I think its time to go back to the doctor and get some different medicine. I don't think what I have now is really working for me.
I feel like I can't relax when we are out. I am fine when we are home, but once we go somewhere I get extremely anxious and just can't wait to get back to my safe haven. Why does this happen? What is causing this? These are questions I struggle to answer everyday.
She keeps everything from scraps of paper, to broken pencils, to plastic wrap from toys, to happy meal boxes. It's a bit ridiculous. So we threw away a LOT of stuff last night. She wasn't happy with it, but her room is actually clean now! I dusted it, I vacuumed (after we had to pull out her bed, dresser, and amoire because she had soooo much JUNK just shoved under all three of those things!) and organized her books and movies. All her movies were out of the cases and just thrown around. It was sad. I told her how her room needs to look like this every night before she goes to bed, whatever is left on the floor I will throw away. Everything has its place and that is where it needs to be. We'll see how long this lasts this time! I give it another day before I have to go in there and pick stuff up and throw it away! She won't learn the easy way, so I'm about to teach her the hard way!
Brandon is still not talking and I am still worried about it. When he goes to his two year checkup I am going to voice these concerns to his doctor and probably get him into speech therapy. I think he should at least be saying more than one word (he says Mom and thats it). Other than that he is doing so good. I must say he keeps me very busy and on my toes at all times.
I think now that I have a younger child again my anxiety level is so much higher. Since Curt got hurt I have dealt with anxiety issues but now add another child into the mix, it has made me almost insane.
I swear sometimes I am borderline psycho when it comes to my kids and their safety. Everyone back home was calling me out on how neurotic and paranoid I am about Brandon and where he is. It seriously even drives ME crazy. I hate this. I hate feeling out of control. I think its time to go back to the doctor and get some different medicine. I don't think what I have now is really working for me.
I feel like I can't relax when we are out. I am fine when we are home, but once we go somewhere I get extremely anxious and just can't wait to get back to my safe haven. Why does this happen? What is causing this? These are questions I struggle to answer everyday.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Quick rambling
Well, we are finally back from visiting back home. We were there for two weeks which is just way too long. It was nice seeing everyone, but I hate running around trying to fit everybody into two weeks. It's virtually impossible. Brandon did so good on the car rides there and back. I was really impressed with him! Makes me feel better about our upcoming long plane ride to Hawaii!!
While we were in Iowa Brandon had a fever one night. His temp was 103 and then it was 105. So we took him to the ER. One thing I love about my mom's small town is we were in and out of the ER in 30 minutes! No waiting for hours just to be seen. Same at Walmart. You can get in and out very quickly. It was so nice! Anyway, they ended up saying he was just teething at the ER. He had a fever for two and a half days. So our trip to Iowa was pretty much spent indoors at my moms. It put a damper on a lot of our plans.
We spent the next week at my sisters house in Illinois. We went to Six Flags the first day we were there, which was so fun! I love roller coasters and will seriously miss amusement parks once we leave the mainland. :(
Other than that we visited Curt's family and got to see some old friends. We had a pretty chill time.
Now that we are back its time to get crackin' on this house. I want to go through everything and prepare for yard sales next month. I want to get rid of a lot of junk I don't need and don't want to cart with me across the ocean. I feel we have so much to do and so little time!
We are gonna sell Curt's truck we decided. We'll buy a used car once we get over there. I also am very worried about Katy and getting her stuff together and also getting our command sponsorship stuff done. Since Dewitt is closing in a few weeks and the new Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is opening, appointments are very hard to get. There is a long wait just for an appointment. I'm nervous about all this.
I am terrified of this move and a big part of me wants to back out and just move back to Georgia. But since we have to move one more time we are gonna get it over with now and then settle and buy a house and call it a day. I look forward to that day the most. I am so ready to be settled and have stability. It's only about three years away....
I have a lot on my mind...but I will save that for another day. I have laundry to finish and bathrooms to scrub.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Summer begins!
Today was the last day of school for Kaylie. I officially have a 3rd grader now. Wow, I'm getting old. We are heading to Iowa and Illinois next Monday for two weeks. This will be our last trip home to see everyone before we move to Hawaii. I'm sad about that in many ways. Especially when it comes to mine and Curt's grandmothers. They both are not doing well, so it worries me that they will pass away while we are over there. :(
I can't wait to get home and see them both. The first week will be spent in Iowa at my moms then we will head to my sisters for the next week to see her and Curt's family. I am looking forward to seeing my sister and her brood because I know it is not in the cards for them to make it out to Hawaii to visit. So I won't see her for awhile. That will be hard too with the time change, because she is my best friend and we talk multiple times a day on the phone and that will have to change once we move. The time difference is huge.
Other than that we have no other plans for the summer besides preparing for our move. I intend to document it in full with plenty of pictures of course. I'm so nervous yet excited to get this going. We have awhile though, we won't be heading over until the end of September/early October.
I'm ready for summer. We love to BBQ and go swimming so we look forward to doing that. I am really looking forward to the kids getting to spend quality time with our families as well. Kaylie loves her cousins and will have a blast. I'm anxious to see how Brandon is going to do at my sisters crazy house. haha
Thursday, June 16, 2011
It's official!!!
We are moving to Hawaii in late September!! I am terrified, yet excited all at the same time. This is the biggest move we will ever make. We thought long and hard about it, and decided to go ahead and do it. So Curt will be a retention NCO.
I am looking forward to this new adventure in our lives. I think we deserve to live a few years in paradise after all we have been through in the past four years!
I am looking forward to this new adventure in our lives. I think we deserve to live a few years in paradise after all we have been through in the past four years!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Finally!
Curt's branch manager called today to let him know his COAD was approved. Yay!!!! Finally. We have waited for that for soooo long!
He does not have to reclass which is great, because he really didn't want to. From here he meets with his AW2 rep and this guy on the phone tomorrow to go over more details. Curt has to make a 5 year plan and work on his orders. He also has to reenlist and we don't know when that happens. We have to wait for his COAD packet to come back to Belvoir from Fort Knox where HRC is. His branch manager said due to the options that we want we have two choices. For Hawaii we have retention NCO. That is all that is open right now. His BM told him that he cannot return to a regular unit so his only options are TRADOC units mostly and instructing, things of that nature. For Benning there are tons of jobs available for him mostly instructing at the armor school. So we have to make a choice and I am so torn.
I honestly do not know what to do. A part of me longs for the stability and to me that trumps traveling around. Having my kids stabilized means the most to me over anything else. Being somewhere where I have a strong support system is also important. Career wise it is in mine and Curt's best interest to go back to Benning. We have tons of friends there, including two of my closest friends, and it just has the better opportunities for advancement overall. As far as Hawaii, I really have nothing there. We now only know one couple over there since everyone else we did know that was in Hawaii has since PCS'd or ETS'd over the past few months. My heart pulls me to Benning, but like Curt said since we do have to move at least one more time, we might as well get it out of the way now.
I think Hawaii would be great and quite the adventure. Its a place I have been talking about going ever since Curt joined the army. I want to do what is best for my entire family and I like to think long term...so is moving to paradise worth it? Guess we'll find out! Stay tuned.
He does not have to reclass which is great, because he really didn't want to. From here he meets with his AW2 rep and this guy on the phone tomorrow to go over more details. Curt has to make a 5 year plan and work on his orders. He also has to reenlist and we don't know when that happens. We have to wait for his COAD packet to come back to Belvoir from Fort Knox where HRC is. His branch manager said due to the options that we want we have two choices. For Hawaii we have retention NCO. That is all that is open right now. His BM told him that he cannot return to a regular unit so his only options are TRADOC units mostly and instructing, things of that nature. For Benning there are tons of jobs available for him mostly instructing at the armor school. So we have to make a choice and I am so torn.
I honestly do not know what to do. A part of me longs for the stability and to me that trumps traveling around. Having my kids stabilized means the most to me over anything else. Being somewhere where I have a strong support system is also important. Career wise it is in mine and Curt's best interest to go back to Benning. We have tons of friends there, including two of my closest friends, and it just has the better opportunities for advancement overall. As far as Hawaii, I really have nothing there. We now only know one couple over there since everyone else we did know that was in Hawaii has since PCS'd or ETS'd over the past few months. My heart pulls me to Benning, but like Curt said since we do have to move at least one more time, we might as well get it out of the way now.
I think Hawaii would be great and quite the adventure. Its a place I have been talking about going ever since Curt joined the army. I want to do what is best for my entire family and I like to think long term...so is moving to paradise worth it? Guess we'll find out! Stay tuned.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
So excited
Okay, yes, this has been a huge roller coaster. But we finally got word that Curt's COAD packet should be back and approved by Monday at the latest. I am cautious about that since this is the army and they never follow timeframes. But Curt went to see the branch manager for COAD and she actually called to check on it. His packet is on the desk of the Colonel and was told that it should be done by Monday.
So then they talked options. Anything he wants is guaranteed so thats not an issue. Its just figuring out where we want to go. At first he was going to try out for WCAP. Which, Curt is at the endeavor games right now and the WCAP archery coach is there (he knows her anyway from the warrior games) anyway... its not in San Antonio like he thought, all of WCAP is at Fort Carson in Colorado. Also, Curt is not ready for the program for multiple reasons. One he hasn't been shooting long enough, he has never really shot outside and he must shoot and qualify in the top 3 from 70 meters. (He's only shot from 30-40 meters and only indoors). So it looks like that option is out.
So then they talked options. Anything he wants is guaranteed so thats not an issue. Its just figuring out where we want to go. At first he was going to try out for WCAP. Which, Curt is at the endeavor games right now and the WCAP archery coach is there (he knows her anyway from the warrior games) anyway... its not in San Antonio like he thought, all of WCAP is at Fort Carson in Colorado. Also, Curt is not ready for the program for multiple reasons. One he hasn't been shooting long enough, he has never really shot outside and he must shoot and qualify in the top 3 from 70 meters. (He's only shot from 30-40 meters and only indoors). So it looks like that option is out.
Which brings me to where we more than likely going. HAWAII. Yes, Hawaii. He told the branch manager he would prefer not to go to the 25th since he is nondeployable. He would hate to feel like that piece of shit soldier who always has to stay behind on rear-d or behind on field exercises and road marches. His first choice is to work at the NCO Academy there or some other tradoc unit. She is working on that now to see what she can get him. If he has to go to the 25th though, he will. Even though he would prefer not to. I mean he could deploy if he wanted to, but he would be useless since he cannot carry a combat load and also should not carry more than 20-25 lbs.
He definitely does not want to work at the WTU. He is so over that and wants to move past that.
He definitely does not want to work at the WTU. He is so over that and wants to move past that.
So it looks like we will more than likely be moving to Hawaii. Have no idea when yet. But its pretty much going to happen before the year is over at the latest. :)
Time to get started on Katy's quarantine process and figure out what to do with our 2nd vehicle. We will probably bring it, its paid off, I don't want to sell it or let it sit at my mom's house. We don't want two car payments at the same time ever again... and by the time we get back from our tour there the Nissan will be paid off, and at that point it would be okay to trade in the truck and get Curt something new.
Time to get started on Katy's quarantine process and figure out what to do with our 2nd vehicle. We will probably bring it, its paid off, I don't want to sell it or let it sit at my mom's house. We don't want two car payments at the same time ever again... and by the time we get back from our tour there the Nissan will be paid off, and at that point it would be okay to trade in the truck and get Curt something new.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Antsy..yet...not antsy
I have been on the "I want to move now" kick for so long. Since we are still waiting on COAD (yes still...its been 5 weeks now) I have become in this mood where its just whatever. I know I flip flop and have my bad days, but for the most part, I am fine with being where we are until we move. As much as I hate it here and can't wait to leave, I am 100% fine with the stability we have here. I am trying to look at all this waiting in a different perspective and so far its working.
His PEBLO did call last week and said HRC wanted Curt to give them 3 MOS's that he might want to reclass to. So he gave her his list and now we are still waiting. This week will be week 6 waiting. At this point we have no idea what is going to happen. He more than likely won't have to reclass, its just required that he give them three different jobs he is interested in. But its the army, who knows!
We shall see what is in store for us. Where we are moving and when we are moving remains to be seen, I will just take it as a blessing in disguise at this point. I am trying very hard to change the way I have been thinking about the situation and looking at it in a more positive way, than the negative way I have been. It's a work in progress.
In our time left in the mid-Atlantic region I want to take advantage of what's around here. I have been saying that ever since we moved here and we have never really explored. So this weekend we went to Philadelphia to spend the night. It was alright. We saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Then the storm clouds rolled in so we went to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and then back to our hotel across the street.
I could never live in a city. There were so many homeless people and peddlers everywhere. That always scares me. Especially the ones who talk to themselves and cuss at you. Gives me the heeby jeeby's! I like my suburbia just fine :)
One of these weekends we would love to take the train to NYC for the day. Its only 49 bucks! Why not? I would also love to drive up to Maine and back, which I wanted to do this weekend, but Curt didn't.
So much I want to do!!
This weekend coming up is our Girl Scout trip to Great Wolf Lodge. The girls are so excited. It's an indoor waterpark and we are gonna have a blast! I can't believe there is only 16 days of school left. Then I will have a third grader! Time flies!
His PEBLO did call last week and said HRC wanted Curt to give them 3 MOS's that he might want to reclass to. So he gave her his list and now we are still waiting. This week will be week 6 waiting. At this point we have no idea what is going to happen. He more than likely won't have to reclass, its just required that he give them three different jobs he is interested in. But its the army, who knows!
We shall see what is in store for us. Where we are moving and when we are moving remains to be seen, I will just take it as a blessing in disguise at this point. I am trying very hard to change the way I have been thinking about the situation and looking at it in a more positive way, than the negative way I have been. It's a work in progress.
In our time left in the mid-Atlantic region I want to take advantage of what's around here. I have been saying that ever since we moved here and we have never really explored. So this weekend we went to Philadelphia to spend the night. It was alright. We saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Then the storm clouds rolled in so we went to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and then back to our hotel across the street.
I could never live in a city. There were so many homeless people and peddlers everywhere. That always scares me. Especially the ones who talk to themselves and cuss at you. Gives me the heeby jeeby's! I like my suburbia just fine :)
One of these weekends we would love to take the train to NYC for the day. Its only 49 bucks! Why not? I would also love to drive up to Maine and back, which I wanted to do this weekend, but Curt didn't.
So much I want to do!!
This weekend coming up is our Girl Scout trip to Great Wolf Lodge. The girls are so excited. It's an indoor waterpark and we are gonna have a blast! I can't believe there is only 16 days of school left. Then I will have a third grader! Time flies!
Friday, May 20, 2011
72 Hours of Pure Hell
I left for Colorado on Tuesday morning. I was hoping and praying that things would go smoothly...yeah...not so much! Here is my story:
We left the house at 7:30 for a 9:40 flight. I decided not to take I-95 because I knew it would be backed up and full of traffic, so I took the GW parkway like was suggested to me by my husband. I didn't think traffic would be that bad since its a "backroad". Yeah. okay!!! (should have been my first clue to turn around and just go home). I got to the airport at 9:00. Drove around the airport trying to find a damn parking spot and finally went all the way up to the top and parked way in the back. We literally ran into the airport. Now I'm stuck waiting to check in and get through security. I had my purse, a backpack full of toys for Brandon, and a carry on suitcase with our clothes and toiletries. Kaylie had a backpack with her DS and books. We arrive at the gate with 9 minutes to spare! I'm going down the little hall to the plane and the guy is standing there and told me no more bags the overheads are full. I REALLY didn't want to check my bag, so this is just my luck. he asks where I am going and I say Colorado Springs and he says okay. So I leave my bag right there at the end of the hall and he told me he would bring me my ticket for my bag in a minute. Okay. No problem.
We get settled into our seats and get ready for take off and right away Brandon is crying because he wants to get down and run around. So I'm struggling to get him occupied and get everything organized when we take off. I finally get around to calling the flight attendant over and I ask her where my ticket for my bag is. She says "oh you don't need one, your bag will be in Colorado for you, your stroller will be on the ramp, but your bag will go on to Colorado". Right away I just know that is all wrong. So I ask again to clarify and she assures me it will be there. Whatever, nothing I can do about it now!
We arrive at our layover at O'hare, and let me start by saying I hate O'hare. It's so busy there and so huge I always have to walk a mile. Luckily my gate was only two down so that was a relief. Anyway I waited to everyone else got off the plane before I did like I usually do and only my stroller was at the hallway. No bag. We get on the second flight and thankfully Brandon fell asleep and slept most of the way. We arrive in Colorado and of course...no bag. It's lost. I stood at the desk for almost 45 minutes while they called around and finally filled out a "delayed bag" ticket for me. It was crazy. All my years of flying and I have never ever had a lost bag. It was disheartening. Especially after dealing with Brandon being so hard to deal with on the first flight.
I also forgot to mention I hit my head on the airplane overhead because my dumb ass forgot to duck before standing up. And that hurt!
We get our rental car and get to our hotel and I'm getting Brandon out of the car and hit my head getting him out. Then I bent down to retrieve the diaper bag and hit my head AGAIN. Three times that day! I had such a headache that night! I get checked in and we get credit to our room for whatever we wanted, which was so nice! I call Curt and I'm crying hysterically about how horrible my day has been going. He catches a ride to the hotel and we hung out a bit, then ran to Walmart to get us some toiletries and each of us a shirt to hold us over for our one day there, before I took him back to his room.
I ordered room service for breakfast which was the best breakfast ever! hahaha probably because I was soooo hungry. We all scarfed it down. Then we headed over to watch Curt shoot in the qualifications. (He had told me they were shooting qualifications Tues and Wed was the medal round, turned out to be Wed and Thur was the medal round...which sucked), but we get up there and I couldn't even watch him shoot because Brandon was just crying. I finally left because I didn't want to deal with Brandon anymore and also didn't' want to distract Curt by all the ruckus B was making. So I feel like the trip was wasted.
Thursday morning we get up at 545, and leave for the airport at 645. We get there at 7, turn in the rental car and eat breakfast and wait for our flight at 9:15. Suddenly an announcement comes on that all flights to Denver are delayed because of weather. Flights are being diverted to Colorado Springs as well. It was crazy!! We all had to stand in a long line to rebook our flights because now everything is all haywire since no flights are leaving or arriving at Denver. Our connection was in Denver and we would have missed it anyway. So now we waited in a very long line for over an hour and a half to rebook our flight. By the time I got up there there was nothing left to DC. Of course! He could get me into Dulles, but that would have done me no good since my car is at Reagan! So I finally ask him why do I have to go to Denver, why can't I connect in Chicago? I mean I know flights are constantly going to DC from Chicago! At least if I make it to Chicago and can't get to DC that day I have family to stay with. He finally got me on standby for Chicago. Which than fully I was able to get on. Even though it was delayed while flights that were diverted took off again. FINALLY at 12:05 we took off for O'hare. (I forgot to mention from 9 until we took off Brandon basically cried the whole time, it was awful)
I have to rebook my rebook for my connection to DC in Chicago as well since we were so late taking off from Colorado! We get to Chicago and since we were so late we didn't even get a gate, we walked outside and then into the terminal!! We are in Terminal F and for those familiar with O'hare---I had to go all the way to terminal B for my connection! OMG!! A frikin' two mile walk. Once again I realize how much I despise O'hare! The place is always a madhouse. I get to my next gate just in time for boarding after a stop at the restroom and for snacks. The plane is overbooked and people had the same seat assignments. It was insane!
Brandon had slept on the first flight and I knew it was gonna be hard to keep him occupied for the second flight and it was!
On all my flights me and Kaylie were never seated together either. I always told her to just sit with me anyway and I asked the person to switch with me. Luckily everyone was nice enough to do so! Otherwise, they would have had to deal with the wrath of Dacia! You really don't want to experience that...trust me. Only a few have ever experienced the real bitch :)
We finally got home last night at 9. What a long day at the airport! I have never been so stressed out. I will never ever travel alone with a toddler again. It was by far the worst experience to date. My anxiety was through the roof. I have never cried so hard or for 72 hours straight in a long time. I am still at my wits end. As soon as Brandon would cry today I would cringe and get tense. Luckily Kaylie could tell I am completely at the end of my rope and took Brandon upstairs to play for most of the day.
I feel like I have completely lost my mind. I am so ready for Curt to get home so I can get a break. I am desperate for one. Even writing this doesn't put my feelings to rest. I feel like I cannot convey enough how broken down I feel. I have had a rough time and feel so alone. I hate when I feel like I have no one to catch me, no one who understands how completely helpless and crazy I feel. It's hard to explain. I just feel alone, depressed, and ready to snap. I have even been crying today. My whole body is sore too. I feel like I have been running a marathon for 72 hours straight. My neck to my toes is sore.
On a good note my bag was found and should be delivered tomorrow.
We left the house at 7:30 for a 9:40 flight. I decided not to take I-95 because I knew it would be backed up and full of traffic, so I took the GW parkway like was suggested to me by my husband. I didn't think traffic would be that bad since its a "backroad". Yeah. okay!!! (should have been my first clue to turn around and just go home). I got to the airport at 9:00. Drove around the airport trying to find a damn parking spot and finally went all the way up to the top and parked way in the back. We literally ran into the airport. Now I'm stuck waiting to check in and get through security. I had my purse, a backpack full of toys for Brandon, and a carry on suitcase with our clothes and toiletries. Kaylie had a backpack with her DS and books. We arrive at the gate with 9 minutes to spare! I'm going down the little hall to the plane and the guy is standing there and told me no more bags the overheads are full. I REALLY didn't want to check my bag, so this is just my luck. he asks where I am going and I say Colorado Springs and he says okay. So I leave my bag right there at the end of the hall and he told me he would bring me my ticket for my bag in a minute. Okay. No problem.
We get settled into our seats and get ready for take off and right away Brandon is crying because he wants to get down and run around. So I'm struggling to get him occupied and get everything organized when we take off. I finally get around to calling the flight attendant over and I ask her where my ticket for my bag is. She says "oh you don't need one, your bag will be in Colorado for you, your stroller will be on the ramp, but your bag will go on to Colorado". Right away I just know that is all wrong. So I ask again to clarify and she assures me it will be there. Whatever, nothing I can do about it now!
We arrive at our layover at O'hare, and let me start by saying I hate O'hare. It's so busy there and so huge I always have to walk a mile. Luckily my gate was only two down so that was a relief. Anyway I waited to everyone else got off the plane before I did like I usually do and only my stroller was at the hallway. No bag. We get on the second flight and thankfully Brandon fell asleep and slept most of the way. We arrive in Colorado and of course...no bag. It's lost. I stood at the desk for almost 45 minutes while they called around and finally filled out a "delayed bag" ticket for me. It was crazy. All my years of flying and I have never ever had a lost bag. It was disheartening. Especially after dealing with Brandon being so hard to deal with on the first flight.
I also forgot to mention I hit my head on the airplane overhead because my dumb ass forgot to duck before standing up. And that hurt!
We get our rental car and get to our hotel and I'm getting Brandon out of the car and hit my head getting him out. Then I bent down to retrieve the diaper bag and hit my head AGAIN. Three times that day! I had such a headache that night! I get checked in and we get credit to our room for whatever we wanted, which was so nice! I call Curt and I'm crying hysterically about how horrible my day has been going. He catches a ride to the hotel and we hung out a bit, then ran to Walmart to get us some toiletries and each of us a shirt to hold us over for our one day there, before I took him back to his room.
I ordered room service for breakfast which was the best breakfast ever! hahaha probably because I was soooo hungry. We all scarfed it down. Then we headed over to watch Curt shoot in the qualifications. (He had told me they were shooting qualifications Tues and Wed was the medal round, turned out to be Wed and Thur was the medal round...which sucked), but we get up there and I couldn't even watch him shoot because Brandon was just crying. I finally left because I didn't want to deal with Brandon anymore and also didn't' want to distract Curt by all the ruckus B was making. So I feel like the trip was wasted.
Thursday morning we get up at 545, and leave for the airport at 645. We get there at 7, turn in the rental car and eat breakfast and wait for our flight at 9:15. Suddenly an announcement comes on that all flights to Denver are delayed because of weather. Flights are being diverted to Colorado Springs as well. It was crazy!! We all had to stand in a long line to rebook our flights because now everything is all haywire since no flights are leaving or arriving at Denver. Our connection was in Denver and we would have missed it anyway. So now we waited in a very long line for over an hour and a half to rebook our flight. By the time I got up there there was nothing left to DC. Of course! He could get me into Dulles, but that would have done me no good since my car is at Reagan! So I finally ask him why do I have to go to Denver, why can't I connect in Chicago? I mean I know flights are constantly going to DC from Chicago! At least if I make it to Chicago and can't get to DC that day I have family to stay with. He finally got me on standby for Chicago. Which than fully I was able to get on. Even though it was delayed while flights that were diverted took off again. FINALLY at 12:05 we took off for O'hare. (I forgot to mention from 9 until we took off Brandon basically cried the whole time, it was awful)
I have to rebook my rebook for my connection to DC in Chicago as well since we were so late taking off from Colorado! We get to Chicago and since we were so late we didn't even get a gate, we walked outside and then into the terminal!! We are in Terminal F and for those familiar with O'hare---I had to go all the way to terminal B for my connection! OMG!! A frikin' two mile walk. Once again I realize how much I despise O'hare! The place is always a madhouse. I get to my next gate just in time for boarding after a stop at the restroom and for snacks. The plane is overbooked and people had the same seat assignments. It was insane!
Brandon had slept on the first flight and I knew it was gonna be hard to keep him occupied for the second flight and it was!
On all my flights me and Kaylie were never seated together either. I always told her to just sit with me anyway and I asked the person to switch with me. Luckily everyone was nice enough to do so! Otherwise, they would have had to deal with the wrath of Dacia! You really don't want to experience that...trust me. Only a few have ever experienced the real bitch :)
We finally got home last night at 9. What a long day at the airport! I have never been so stressed out. I will never ever travel alone with a toddler again. It was by far the worst experience to date. My anxiety was through the roof. I have never cried so hard or for 72 hours straight in a long time. I am still at my wits end. As soon as Brandon would cry today I would cringe and get tense. Luckily Kaylie could tell I am completely at the end of my rope and took Brandon upstairs to play for most of the day.
I feel like I have completely lost my mind. I am so ready for Curt to get home so I can get a break. I am desperate for one. Even writing this doesn't put my feelings to rest. I feel like I cannot convey enough how broken down I feel. I have had a rough time and feel so alone. I hate when I feel like I have no one to catch me, no one who understands how completely helpless and crazy I feel. It's hard to explain. I just feel alone, depressed, and ready to snap. I have even been crying today. My whole body is sore too. I feel like I have been running a marathon for 72 hours straight. My neck to my toes is sore.
On a good note my bag was found and should be delivered tomorrow.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Kid talk
I've been concerned about Brandon lately because he still isn't talking. I try not to worry too much because he understands everything we say and will do what we ask. He can make noises and when we ask him what a dinosaur says he says "rawr", a cow says "mmmmm" and he says mom and dad. Thats it. I see parents put their kids in speech therapy as soon as they turn one and that makes no sense to me. I try to stay positive though and always tell myself "well, Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was 3" haha
It bothers me though because Kaylie was such a talker (and still is) By the time she was 18 months old she new her ABC's and could count to 15 and count to 10 in Spanish!! Where I can't even get Brandon to say "car".
It bothers me a bit, and I worry that he has a speech delay. Or maybe one day he will just stat talking in full sentences when he wakes up! Who knows. I'm not gonna really worry until after he turns two. Then I'll talk to the doctor about it.
I don't get how parents take their kids into speech therapy as soon as they turn one and aren't talking. I think that is a bit extreme. I mean the kid is only one! I don't get it. I know everyone's parenting styles are different and they do what they think is best for their own kids. As parents I think we are the most judgemental people on the planet! I see stuff others do and roll my eyes about it. But then again, I try not to, because I know that they do what works for them. I know, I know. But we all do it!!
I totally believe in the biblical saying "Spare the rod, spoil the child."
On another note. This starts week three of waiting for COAD. They were supposed to put a "rush on it" since they had everything except one letter. I'm beginning to think they lost his packet or it was never received. Sigh......hopefully this is all going to pay off in the end!
It bothers me though because Kaylie was such a talker (and still is) By the time she was 18 months old she new her ABC's and could count to 15 and count to 10 in Spanish!! Where I can't even get Brandon to say "car".
It bothers me a bit, and I worry that he has a speech delay. Or maybe one day he will just stat talking in full sentences when he wakes up! Who knows. I'm not gonna really worry until after he turns two. Then I'll talk to the doctor about it.
I don't get how parents take their kids into speech therapy as soon as they turn one and aren't talking. I think that is a bit extreme. I mean the kid is only one! I don't get it. I know everyone's parenting styles are different and they do what they think is best for their own kids. As parents I think we are the most judgemental people on the planet! I see stuff others do and roll my eyes about it. But then again, I try not to, because I know that they do what works for them. I know, I know. But we all do it!!
I totally believe in the biblical saying "Spare the rod, spoil the child."
On another note. This starts week three of waiting for COAD. They were supposed to put a "rush on it" since they had everything except one letter. I'm beginning to think they lost his packet or it was never received. Sigh......hopefully this is all going to pay off in the end!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Quick Blog
This will be quick or I might come back and finish it later tonight when I have more time, but just wanted to give a quick update.
STILL no word on COAD. Sigh....I'm getting depressed again thinking about how long this is all taking. It's so annoying! I just want to move on already. It's ridiculous.
Anywho, Curt leaves for Colorado on Sunday for two weeks for the Warrior Games. The kids and I are going out there to watch him compete May 17th. I am so excited about that. I was on the phone and computer all afternoon since I finally got my flight and hotel confirmations. I am so grateful that the Fisher House provided airline tickets this year so families could finally get to come watch their loved ones compete. My hotel room is being provided by the Bob Woodruff Foundation. So we don't have to pay for anything except our rental car which is nice. People are so generous to our wounded soldiers! So I finally booked the rental car today. I am nervous about going alone with the kids and I really hope it all goes smoothly for me as far as our flight and drive to the hotel. I get so much anxiety traveling so I can only imagine how I am going to be with zero help!!
Thankfully I will not have to bring a car seat. The rental car company also lets you rent a car seat and a GPS (thank God!). I am very excited for this experience though and I can't wait to see Colorado Springs!
On top of that I am really stressed out with school. I have SO much work due next week, including an 8 page paper for psychology on top of two quizzes, and two discussion boards, so my plate is full in that department. Statistics is stressing me out. I mean I grasp many of the concepts, but then there are those that are just completely confusing. It's hard! I am so ready to be done with this class. That's my biggest stresser in school is this one damn class. I spend so much time on just practicing the material that I then have to hurry up and do my assignments so they are not late. Ugh. Stupid class.
Anyway, I'm out of time for now...time to leave for Girl Scouts!
STILL no word on COAD. Sigh....I'm getting depressed again thinking about how long this is all taking. It's so annoying! I just want to move on already. It's ridiculous.
Anywho, Curt leaves for Colorado on Sunday for two weeks for the Warrior Games. The kids and I are going out there to watch him compete May 17th. I am so excited about that. I was on the phone and computer all afternoon since I finally got my flight and hotel confirmations. I am so grateful that the Fisher House provided airline tickets this year so families could finally get to come watch their loved ones compete. My hotel room is being provided by the Bob Woodruff Foundation. So we don't have to pay for anything except our rental car which is nice. People are so generous to our wounded soldiers! So I finally booked the rental car today. I am nervous about going alone with the kids and I really hope it all goes smoothly for me as far as our flight and drive to the hotel. I get so much anxiety traveling so I can only imagine how I am going to be with zero help!!
Thankfully I will not have to bring a car seat. The rental car company also lets you rent a car seat and a GPS (thank God!). I am very excited for this experience though and I can't wait to see Colorado Springs!
On top of that I am really stressed out with school. I have SO much work due next week, including an 8 page paper for psychology on top of two quizzes, and two discussion boards, so my plate is full in that department. Statistics is stressing me out. I mean I grasp many of the concepts, but then there are those that are just completely confusing. It's hard! I am so ready to be done with this class. That's my biggest stresser in school is this one damn class. I spend so much time on just practicing the material that I then have to hurry up and do my assignments so they are not late. Ugh. Stupid class.
Anyway, I'm out of time for now...time to leave for Girl Scouts!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Egg Roll=Anxiety Attacks
We had a pretty good Easter. We went down to the river and had a picnic then I made a ham, roasted potatoes, and stuffing for dinner. Nice and simple. I got so sunburned though down at the river. It actually hurts to the touch, even my shirt and even if I try to raise my arms above my head. It sucks!! It's my own fault though because I had brought the sunblock with us, but of course did not put any on myself. So now I have to deal with the consequences of that. Stupid me. Ugh.
Anyway, today was the Easter Egg Roll at the White House. I didn't really want to go from the beginning but I told Curt sure anyway. I don't like crowds and tons of people around and I knew it was going to be crazy busy. I mean 30,000 people got tickets to this thing, thats way too many people in one area at a time. So we went.
I was nervous anyway because it was 88 degrees today, not a cloud in the sky and here I am already burnt to a crisp! I actually chose to wear a long sleeve cardigan today. So I was scared of burning myself more, but at least this time I remembered to slather the sunblock on. :)
We took the train up to there of course. And I knew Brandon was going to be crabby as well since he stayed up late last night talking in his crib until about ten. And then was up at 7:30 this morning. I knew he was gonna be cranky with us being out and hot and ready for a nap. So we get there finally and of course we have to stand in a long line in the sun with zero shade around. ugh...I was ready to leave before we even got in.
We get in and we are all huddled up like cattle in a line and Brandon is screaming his head off, I'm starting to get anxious because one) its hot; two) wayyy too many people three) Brandon won't stop crying.
I think it was because there was so many people around it made him freak out. Plus he was tired and cranky. We didn't do much while we were there, took a couple pictures with some characters and then walked around a bit, finally left around one. Then we had to take the long walk back to the metro and the long train ride home. We didn't get home till 3. I was so cranky.
I learned my lesson though. I mean I feel bad that I always rush us out of events like this. But I seriously cannot stand the crowds. I have panic attacks. At one point it was so crowded I felt like I couldn't breathe. So many people congregated in one area of the lawn. Eek!! Anxiety attack waiting to happen for a high strung individual like me. I will never attempt to go to some crazy event like that again. It's too much for me.
Sometimes I think I would love to move to a small town where there are no crowds like that at all. I mean even the malls here can get so crowded you can't even walk. It's not fun to go out to places around here because of that!!! Man I can't wait to move.
Anyway, today was the Easter Egg Roll at the White House. I didn't really want to go from the beginning but I told Curt sure anyway. I don't like crowds and tons of people around and I knew it was going to be crazy busy. I mean 30,000 people got tickets to this thing, thats way too many people in one area at a time. So we went.
I was nervous anyway because it was 88 degrees today, not a cloud in the sky and here I am already burnt to a crisp! I actually chose to wear a long sleeve cardigan today. So I was scared of burning myself more, but at least this time I remembered to slather the sunblock on. :)
We took the train up to there of course. And I knew Brandon was going to be crabby as well since he stayed up late last night talking in his crib until about ten. And then was up at 7:30 this morning. I knew he was gonna be cranky with us being out and hot and ready for a nap. So we get there finally and of course we have to stand in a long line in the sun with zero shade around. ugh...I was ready to leave before we even got in.
We get in and we are all huddled up like cattle in a line and Brandon is screaming his head off, I'm starting to get anxious because one) its hot; two) wayyy too many people three) Brandon won't stop crying.
I think it was because there was so many people around it made him freak out. Plus he was tired and cranky. We didn't do much while we were there, took a couple pictures with some characters and then walked around a bit, finally left around one. Then we had to take the long walk back to the metro and the long train ride home. We didn't get home till 3. I was so cranky.
I learned my lesson though. I mean I feel bad that I always rush us out of events like this. But I seriously cannot stand the crowds. I have panic attacks. At one point it was so crowded I felt like I couldn't breathe. So many people congregated in one area of the lawn. Eek!! Anxiety attack waiting to happen for a high strung individual like me. I will never attempt to go to some crazy event like that again. It's too much for me.
Sometimes I think I would love to move to a small town where there are no crowds like that at all. I mean even the malls here can get so crowded you can't even walk. It's not fun to go out to places around here because of that!!! Man I can't wait to move.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Fate will decide
So we've been talking to our realtor the past couple of days. Let me just start out by saying I am very grateful for the builder really working hard to make sure we stay with him and that he tried his hardest to let us get this house. Anyway, the realtor said they have had a couple showings at our house and one couple was really interested in making an offer. We said we were fine with that. We gave the go-ahead for the builder to put the house back on the market. Well, it went on today and the couple made an offer within hours. We had to sign a notice saying we agree to let the buyers accept the house. The builder HAS offered to build us the same house (in a different subdivision) in Staffordshire Place in phase 4. It is still in Phenix City, and I do think that is in Lee County which would be even better! He gave us 180 days to select a lot and start building. If we choose not to do so we will forfeit our earnest money of 2 grand (plus 300 for the garbage disposal). We are perfectly okay with this and like the idea that if nothing else pans out for us we still have an offer on the table from the builder. So..whatever happens, happens! We will be okay with either outcome. Be it, we move somewhere else for 2-3 years, then head back to Benning to retire. Or we move back to Benning in the next couple months and start our lives there. Let's see what God has in store for us! :)
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Nothing much
So Curt's COAD packet is finally complete and turned in to HRC. Hopefully we will hear back fairly quickly so we can finally figure out where we are going from here. Gosh, this is taking forever. But what else is new right?! :) I'm kind of nervous about moving somewhere other than Benning. For one reason only. I want to go for my Master's degree when I'm done with my Bachelor's. My original intention was to go to Columbus State or Auburn. Now, wherever we move I would be scared to get into a program and then we move again before I am able to graduate. I do not want to get my Master's online. I want to go to an actual brick and mortar college. So, we shall see how that plays out. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will all work out the way I envision it too. Another thing that is funny is we had a girl scout ceremony this past Thursday and had a party for the girls with all the families. Well, come to find out three of us parents in the troop are from the same area! Two of the dads are from Kenosha. How small of a world is that?! So we got into talking about home and the different things to do there and such. We told them we are from Zion and Curt's family lives in Kenosha, and we have friends in Racine, and of course the Zion, Winthrop Harbor, Beach Park area. It's amazing to think how small the world is, I mean really what are the chances that three people from the same troop are from the same area? Other than that. Not much is going on. I live a pretty boring life.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Getting frustrated
Curt had to go in today to see his Peblo. Apparently the Army G-1 wants a letter from an O-5 for COAD. So now Curt has to find some Lt. Col. to write him a letter. It's frustrating because we are sooooooooooooooooooo ready to put this behind us and move on. We always feel like stuff like this happens only to us. Really. We thought we would have been out of here a looonnnggg time ago. It frustrates me so much. So now we have to wait--once again--for another letter. Then wait--once again--to hear back. When we were working on the three letters of recommendation they had hinted that we might need one from an O-5, but then were told, no don't worry about it, no regulation states it. So now (of course) we need one from one. Sigh.... One saga after another I swear. I think I'm starting to just think we will NEVER move on from all this. We'll be here for the rest of our lives..... The end.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
