Falling Into Place

My biggest struggle with being married to the military, and in life in general, is making peace with the unknowns. I am a planner and like to know what the future holds. These past two years I’ve become better about rolling with the punches and letting what happens, happen.

With Eric’s end of service date approaching and our plans to start a family set I’m itching to have at least a general sense of direction for us.

After a few conversations over Facebook chat, because that’s where all important discussions should take place, Eric and I have a road map of sorts for the next two years.

And, breathe out. I feel so much better knowing that we aren’t heading into 2014 with two potential major changes – a baby and an unemployed husband – and figuring it out as we go. Yes, I know there will be bumps along the way and not all will work out as planned, but at least we now have a destination in mind.

What are these grandiose plans, you ask? Number one and the biggest of all is to start growing our family. Next is the decision to move when our lease is up in July. I really hate that we do not have any outdoor space so I am going to look at a nicer apartment complex tonight and another one on Saturday. And finally, Eric is going to start working towards his bachelor’s degree when he gets home. I want him to be college-educated and I want him to take advantage of his GI Bill as he does not have the option to pass it along to our children. While he is in school I will continue working until mid-2014 when I will begin looking for a job down in the Tampa area where we want to move. Once I secure a job Eric will transfer schools and we will finally have reached most of our big goals.

Here’s to hoping for a successful few years and a lot of good times along the way.

Looking Forward

2012 was a really good year for me even though half of it was spent so far from Eric. I am so blessed to have a fantastic husband, a great job, and a beautiful new car.

I think I finally grew up this year. I knew Eric and I would survive this deployment and come out stronger on the other end. Have there been sleepless nights and tear-filled moments? Of course. But have him and I both accomplished great things this year despite the separation? Absolutely.

A major goal of both mine and Eric’s for 2013 is money management. We need to get Eric’s IRA set up, bump up mine quarterly, get a budget set once he is home, pay down on our car loans, and still put money away for a few things we have planned for the year and beyond.

2013 is going to be an interesting year but again I know we will handle it in stride. It will be even better to be spending most of it together.

A Milestone

I was skyping with Eric over the weekend when I decided to weigh myself. I take every advantage I can get – empty bladder, first thing in the morning before food, and completely naked. Doing it that way also helps with consistency.

I was expecting to have gained a few pounds in the past few weeks because I have lost every single ounce of motivation to work out. To see 135 pop up on the scale completely shocked me. So much so that I weighed myself about three more times. I’m not sure when, maybe early 2012, I set 135 as my goal weight. I still can’t believe I hit it.

This just goes to show how important nutrition is! While the working out may have stopped, Ive still kept up my healthy eating (minus the night I made desserts for Eric’s care package..yikes!)

I’m going to try my hardest to get back into a workout routine and Eric and I have already talked about working out together when he gets home.

I’ll be honest, I thought I would be “smaller” when I reached 135. When I set that goal, I set it as my end goal because I thought with my build and height 135 would be ideal. My work pants are getting to the point where they are just way too big on me so I know I’ve slimmed down, but I know I can lose more and still be healthy. In the end being healthy is all that it is about but Im proud of myself for reaching my goal!

Dreaming

I’ve always been a dreamer. Picturing what high school would be like when I finally made it there, imagining what my future husband was doing at that exact moment, wondering what big city I would start my career in, and longing for the moment when I finally get to kiss my husband after this deployment is over.

All that dreaming makes it hard to be here, be present, and in the moment. I was just offered my first adult job, finally. Almost four years after I graduated college, I never thought it would take this long. I never thought it would be in finance either. Yet here I sit, wondering where we will be in a year…dreaming that we will be some place new.

Dreams have their purpose; they give us direction, something to aim for in life and keep us on our intended paths in order to reach our goals. Am I still on my path? I’m really not sure.

I do know one thing though, I don’t want to dream away a single moment when Eric is home. I am going to try my hardest to live in the moment and not worry about anything else. At the end of the day it’s him and it always will be, in any dream I have.

A BIG December Update

This update is coming shortly after my November one because I was such a procrastinator but I have two big updates to share this month and I wanted to get this out on the 1st. Here is an update on my deployment goals for this month – see July’s update here, August’s update here, September’s update here, October’s update here, and November’s update here.

Goal #1: Get a job by mid-July

Status and Part I of the BIG update: I was offered my job permanently and signed my offer letter this past Monday, my first “official” day is this Monday, December 3rd. Before the official offer I had been talking with my mom about what the pay might be like. I obviously had a ballpark of an idea since I was working the same position as a temp but my mom mentioned that I might end up taking a pay cut instead of a pay raise because they would now be offering me benefits. I ended up getting a generous pay raise and am still in a little shock at the salary I make. I don’t say that to brag-I’m in shock because I am absolutely blessed to have such a wonderful paying job in this economy. On top of that I had ZERO financial experience before I started the temp job so I truly hit the jackpot there. I only glanced at my benefits package but I’m pretty sure my company offers awesome benefits. And the people I work with are great! Win win win all around.

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Goal #2: Volunteer (no set date)

Status: Accomplished! I started coaching in mid-October and while very unorganized it has been a lot of fun. The time commitment is a bit more than I had originally been told but I’m rolling with it and it is helping my weeks fly by.

Goal #3: Finish my two nutrition courses by the end of February

Status: Still waiting on my results from my second course and haven’t started my third course yet. Hopefully I will be getting to that soon.

Goal #4: Get and stay healthy and fit

Status: I have fallen off the bandwagon on the fitness front the last two weeks. I think a big part is the time change but I know that’s just an excuse. I am still eating fairly health and this morning when I stepped on the scale I expected to have gained a pound or two or three but have lost a pound putting me at 137. I had to get my finger print scanned as part of my pre-employment screening and the girl administering the scan had to ask my weight. I told her I was probably about 140 and she said “wow, you don’t look like you weigh that”. That could obviously be taken a few different ways but I’m going to take it as a compliment. I know these past two weeks have lacked movement but between eating heathy and the hard work before this little slump I feel really good and it was nice to hear a compliment. Oh and that brings me to a funny story – the guy working the register at Home Depot said I “didn’t look like I was from around here”. I asked him what the heck he meant by that and he said I looked like a model. I won’t lie-that was really awesome to hear! And it motivated me to put a little more effort into my hair and make up this week since apparently it doesn’t hurt.

Goal #5: Do what it takes to stay sane and thrive through this deployment

Status: Doing good, Eric and I have started reading “The Love Dare” and I will be writing a post about that soon. Before he left we talked about using this deployment to bring us closer together and this is doing just that.

Goal #6: Be financially ready to buy a newer used car by February

Status and part II of the BIG update: I was pre-approved for a car loan tonight with an awesome interest rate and will be buying a car when I am home for Christmas!! I am so so excited! I was originally going to purchase the car here in GA but my mom convinced me to buy while I am at home and ship it down here. There will be a small cost to ship it but I will have more time to look (I would literally only have one day here in GA while my mom was in town) and my dad would be a better person to bring with to do a quick look-over of everything. I’m pretty specific on what I want – a white 2011 VW Jetta with heated leather seats and a sunroof. Haha, I know, that’s really specific. Atlanta is a big city but back home we live between Milwaukee and Chicago so my chances of finding close to what I’m looking for are a little higher.

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And without violating OPSEC (because I honestly couldn’t even violate it if I wanted to since I don’t know any dates) I’m hoping I only have two more updates to do before Eric is home!

November Update

I’m about 17 days late on this but I have been a busy busy bee and never got around to writing. We are chugging along on this deployment and I am so excited that it’s almost Christmas time. I debated on putting up Christmas decorations at all, a big part of me just wants to skip through everything till homecoming, but Christmas is such a magical time and I can’t wait to put up my tree on Thursday! Though I am not skipping the Christmas fun here (I will actually be home in Wisconsin on Christmas) I am skipping Thanksgiving because it just wasn’t possible for me to go home. I figured a fun way to spend that day off work would be putting up the tree so for all you bah-humbug types who don’t thing anything Christmas should be happening until after Thanksgiving..well, bah humbug! Here is an update on my deployment goals for this month – see July’s update here, August’s update here, and October’s update here.

Goal #1: Get a job by mid-July

Status: Accomplished! I interviewed for a job the day after Eric left, found out I got the job the following day, and then started two days later.

An update: I was “offered” my positon full time with the company but I put that in quotes because now things have changed a bit and they accepted outside applications for the job. It’s been a bit confusing because most people were under the impression that the job was mine and have started giving me more responsibility for the short term and long term. However, my boss has mentioned that there were 35! applications for the job and that the HR department had to go through the resumes and pull out those who weren’t qualified. Well folks..besides the fact that I am actually doing the job..I am not qualified! My position is in financial services and I am a public relations grad, I know very little about finance. On the other hand, my boss has told me that he does not see any issues with the “hiring process” so I am at a wait and see point right now. I am sitting down with him on Monday to talk about the job and what I have done and learned since starting in June. The good thing is one of the girls who works on the floor was just telling my boss what an awesome job I have been doing at helping out with accounts that have been assigned to me. So, fingers crossed and hopefully my December update includes a 401k plan 🙂

Goal #2: Volunteer (no set date)

Status: Accomplished! I started coaching in mid-October and while very unorganized it has been a lot of fun. The time commitment is a bit more than I had originally been told but I’m rolling with it and it is helping my weeks fly by.

Goal #3: Finish my two nutrition courses by the end of February

Status: Accomplished as much as it can be at this point. I am such a procrastinator and waited until the very last minute, or a little past, to mail in my final. I hate to sound insensitive but I lucked out because Sandy hit hard on the town my exam was being sent to so mail was a few days delayed. I will hopefully have my results before the end of the year. Now I just need to working on my third and last course.

Goal #4: Get and stay healthy and fit

Status: Doing good! I signed on as a BeachBody coach but then got super busy so that has taken a bit of a back seat at the moment. However, I am doing the Insanity program and feel a lot stronger than I did 5 weeks ago. I haven’t seen the scale move at all but I’m not worried about it.

Goal #5: Do what it takes to stay sane and thrive through this deployment

Status: Doing very well – we had our first sorority alumni association meeting and are in the process of scheduling the second one so that has been a nice addition to my social life. Eric and I have also started the Love Dare and can I just say I have the best husband ever? He is so amazing and even when we have a great marriage he loves to do things to make it even better. I truly am blessed with him.

Goal #6: Be financially ready to buy a newer used car by February

Status: Oh that pretty car – I am getting ready to search for one soon but my bank account isn’t quite where I wanted it to be. As long as I am hired on in my position I will not stress about having to take a small car loan.

That feels good to look at!

October Update

Oh October, it is so lovely to see you. One of my biggest mental blocks before and right after Eric left was that we had to go through 3 seasons apart (summer, fall, and most of winter). Getting to October means we made it through summer. I’m a big fan of envisioning things and I just couldn’t see how I would do it but alas, here we are alive and well. Here is an update on my deployment goals for this month – see July’s update here and August’s update here.

Goal #1: Get a job by mid-July

Status: Accomplished! I interviewed for a job the day after Eric left, found out I got the job the following day, and then started two days later.

Goal #2: Volunteer (no set date)

Status: Somewhat accomplished. I have signed up to volunteer coach for the youth swim team on post and have attended the required training but the season does not start until October 15th. I am super excited for this!

Goal #3: Finish my two nutrition courses by the end of February

Status: Ahh, my Weight Management Consultant final exam is due October 31. I am at the point where I know I will be able to complete it but once again I will be going down to the last minute to finish it.

Goal #4: Get and stay healthy and fit

Status: Doing fantastic! I hit my lowest weight since high school on my 25th birthday in July but then lost motivation and gained a few pounds back. I am back to the weight I hit on my birthday and more motivated than ever to get myself fit. I’m not the hugest fan of weight goals because weight is not always a determinante of health but if I could lose another 8-10 lbs I would be extremely happy and at about the lowest weight that would be healthy for my height.

Goal #5: Do what it takes to stay sane and thrive through this deployment

Status: Doing very well – I love to be busy and I have added quite a few things to my plate including the coaching, starting up an alumni association with another girl for my sorority for this area, and becoming a Beachbody coach. I’ve also started looking for a new job so with that in there too I have been go go go.

Goal #6: Be financially ready to buy a newer used car by February

Status: Well it looks like this is the only goal I am not doing well on. And honestly, I know October won’t be any better because my mom and her friend are coming down for a visit which means a lot of meals out and a night down in Panama City Beach.

Overall this was a very good month on the goal side of things. And look at this donut of misery – we are almost at the 50% mark and I couldn’t be happier. Yay!

 

September

August is over and I am happy. The beginning of the month flew but towards the end started to drag. My trip home was wonderful and a welcome vacation away from Georgia. I am excited for September and for all things Fall to come along. In July I always tell myself I am never going to want summer to end but I usually find myself longing for my riding boots and scarves eventually.

Here is an update on my deployment goals! See July’s update here.

Goal #1: Get a job by mid-July

Status: Accomplished! I interviewed for a job the day after Eric left, found out I got the job the following day, and then started two days later.

Goal #2: Volunteer (no set date)

Status: In July I said I wanted to volunteer at least once by the end of August. It didn’t happen. I still want to volunteer at the horse farm but I have found another opportunity as well. Fort Benning has a youth swim team starting up soon and I called to see if they needed any coaches, of course no one answered so I am waiting on a call back.

Goal #3: Finish my two nutrition courses by the end of February

Status: Doing better than where I was at in July but I’m still not where I should be.

Goal #4: Get and stay healthy and fit

Status: Ahh, doing terrible! I have lost my workout mojo but after I write this I am heading to post to get in the pool and swim some laps. I realized this week that I miss the water and since it’s Labor Day weekend, this is the last chance for me to swim outside. Stay tuned for my post on Monday about fitness!

Goal #5: Do what it takes to stay sane and thrive through this deployment

Status: Doing well on this one, going home really helped with this. I’ve also begun working on a few craft projects around the house and those things always make me happy.

Goal #6: Be financially ready to buy a newer used car by February

Status: My budget fell way off track in August thanks to going home. And then I did some shopping at my new favorite store yesterday and that was not in my budget either. Oops.

Overall this was a pretty bad month on the goal side of things. I will strive to do better in September but I know it’s not the end of the world if I don’t get everything checked off my list (don’t think I won’t try though!)

Deployment Goals

I’m a huge fan of goal-setting and visual reminders so before Eric left for the desert I made a list of things I want to accomplish before he returns. I will probably do a recap of these about once a month and since we are over a month in I figured now would be a great time to start!

Goal #1: Get a job by mid-July

Status: Accomplished! I interviewed for a job the day after Eric left, found out I got the job the following day, and then started two days later.

Goal #2: Volunteer (no set date)

Status: I originally had planned on becoming a Big Sister as I had interned at a local office in college but since decided to volunteer at a rescue farm for horses. I emailed the farm a few weeks ago but have not gotten around to calling them and setting up a time to start. I really want to get started but I’m still in the “routine-finding” stage of the deployment and new job. Hopefully by the end of August I will have at least volunteered there once.

Goal #3: Finish my two nutrition courses by the end of February

Status: Well..failing miserably. I have not touched my books since before Eric left, oops. I am taking them one at a time and have until October 15th to finish my current course and March 15th to finish my second. With Eric coming home sometime in the spring the last thing I want to be worried about before he gets home is trying to finish my class so I need to get started on this ASAP.

Goal #4: Get and stay healthy and fit

Status: I’m a pretty healthy person and for a few months before Eric left I was unemployed and really good about getting to the gym at least 5 days a week. I’ve eaten quite healthy since he’s left (minus multiple nights of cereal for dinner, but it was multigrain cherrios!) and on my 25th birthday I weighed in at 139lbs, probably my lowest weight since I was about 15. Now please don’t hate me but that’s about 7lbs less than the day he left and I had not worked out once. I think that just goes to show that working out isn’t everything and eating healthy is an integral part to overall health. Don’t get me wrong though, I NEED to get myself to the gym and starting this week I have a schedule written out for what I’m doing on what nights. Being active is extremely important and I can’t wait to get more use out of my new Polar heart rate monitor!

Goal #5: Do what it takes to stay sane and thrive through this deployment

Status: I’ve done pretty good on this one, I usually get out of the house and socialize at least once a week. Some days it’s just a trip to the dog park with a friend but sometimes exactly what I need. A part of me just wants to hide away until Eric gets home but I know that’s not the way to do this. I still spend a lot of time at home doing my own thing with the furbabies but I know that’s sometimes needed as well.

Goal #6: Be financially ready to buy a newer used car by February

Status: Getting a job has definitely helped with this goal. My job is in the financial industry and it has been a huge wake up to get our own personal finances in order. I’ve got a specific dollar amount that I am putting away each month and it should get me in a really good position to buy my pretty white Volkswagen Jetta come February.