The Weekly Chase #14

So much to talk about today that I might have to break it up over a couple of posts! I love days like this!  First and foremost I have my goals to talk about and then you will hear about my “Married To The Army Alaska” recap – so many words for that show – especially since this is based from JBER – where I am right now.  I also have words about Christmas and buying local and making gifts this year.  So many good things going on! I am finally starting to get in a bit of the holiday spirit so I don’t want to waste it! I want to share it!!

 

Last Week Recap:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals:

Read to Abby her Bible every night for school – Check!

Practice memory verses with kids every night – nada…

Read 1 storybook/chapters from a book each night to the girls – Check!

Write Nick a love note – nope – but will this week for sure!

Take kids to play once a week  *This one is already scheduled for Saturday and Sunday as we are going to a birthday party on both days!  We also went bowling in addition to this!

Personal Goals:

Start reading the books I picked out – started and stopped – I didn’t pick a good book sadly.

Schedule exercise for 3 days – nope.

Drink More Water – not exactly – I ende dup drinking iced tea that was watered down about 50% so I could have something that I liked to drink too 🙂

Homemaking Goals:

Make 1 new recipe this week – no – but this week proves promising!

1 Load of laundry everyday – yes except for this weekend 🙂

This Week:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals:

Read to Abby her Bible every night for school

Read 1 storybook/chapters from a book each night to the girls

Write Nick a love note ***Our 8 year anniversary is tomorrow!***

Take kids to play once a week 

Personal Goals:

Find a new book or two to read

Schedule exercise for 3 days

Drink More Water

Homemaking Goals:

Make 1 new recipe this week **I got two planned for Thanksgiving!**

1 Load of laundry everyday

Get house cleaned BEFORE Thursday

This week’s details – this week should be a fun one. We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house and have invited friends, and those who have nowhere to go – mostly single soldiers in that respect. No one should spend the holidays alone as I see it. Each year on the holidays we try to have  people over, our own little band of misfits you could say. It is just too dang expensive to get anywhere from Alaska so we will all do what we can.  I love the fact that each year it is new and interesting and I am hoping to capture more pictures and fun than ever before. We will do it all over again at Christmas so I am going hunting for present deals so they all can have something under our tree. The military is family and I intend to keep it that way.

Tomorrow  Abby has a field trip to base to the play place that is so well-loved by kids. It is our beloved Arctic Oasis. I know that the girls and I loved it when we first moved here as I knew how to get there and it got us out of the house and was free. We found it to be a nice break from our house.

Married To The Army Alaska – No words for this show really. I think it is showing us in a bad light (not all of us but people will assume it is us all). I could care less if you met your husband at Hooters. It isn’t what is in your past – lets face it.  Divorcing an enlisted to marry an officer – yeah, people won’t like her, but it is mainly because of her attitude – not the rank she is wearing but says she is not.  The Brigade Commander’s wife seems like she has her head on her shoulders as she should – I am interested to see how they portray her when she has to deal with the loss of the first soldier. I think Rynn is going to be my favorite and Sara getting upper enlisted house is a joke. I had a friend who was on that same wait list but had 40 people in front of her. It is a wonder what cameras can do for you.  The pregnant one basically left the show after they got mad at her for having to take care of her newborn instead of doing some taping – good for her for having priorities. Shame on Oprah’s network for getting mad.  Tonight will probably be the last night I watch it because my husband might be able to be seen – he had to pull medical coverage for GI Jane Day and was so angry when he came home that day. So much re-taping and so on.  Also I might add that the only other reason I am watching it is because we got the channel for free for a month because it was filmed in Alaska.  Gee thanks.

So much for that. My Monday started with a bang – how about yours???

Weekly Photo Challenge : Journey

We drove across country from North Carolina to Alaska (with a ferry ride in between there) and this is what the journey looked like to me – an endless road od opportunity ahead of us! Thank you US Army for the opportunity!

Sharing Saturday #4

So I am going to share something with you today that I have not really outwardly shared much. I know people who are in similar situations understand – we just know.  I feel that I have to write about this one so that I can get it out and not have it rolling around in my head all the time right now.

Nick is deploying. Again.

It never used to be a huge ordeal. I mean it was just me. No kids. I obviously worried and missed him and waited for the phone call or email every single day.

Then we had Abby on his mid-tour leave in 07. I had a baby to keep me busy and occupy my time. I could have something new and exciting to tell Nick about with every phone call. I was okay as there was just me and someone who needed me.

Now I have a 4-year-old Daddy’s girl, and a 2-year-old who is very emotional. Both will have birthdays while he is gone. One will have her first day of school. I will have a 4-year-old to answer to when there is no phone call every night or daddy’s kiss every morning. Last night she cried when she realized she hadn’t talked to daddy and he was just at work 15 minutes away for a 24 hour shift. My 2-year-old cries for daddy randomly. Meaning it is out of the blue you won’t realize she was sad.

I am scared. I am scared that mainly I will not be able to keep my children healthy (mentally), happy, and “normal”. Will I be able to deal with the questions that come? How can I sooth a daughter who just wants her daddy? Can I be both to them? Will they really understand the situation? Will they start to run over me when I am tired and ready to cry? Am I strong enough for this one?  Maybe if I could have still been in NC? I know I cannot do anything about the what if’s so I need to keep those thoughts out of my head.

I do believe that God doesn’t hand us anything we can’t handle, and he is always trying to make us stronger. I also believe that we were supposed to come to AK and Nick was supposed to deploy. I just don’t understand it all right now. Or I may never.

I just hope that I can find the strength at the toughest times to get through whatever is going on without any fear in my mind that Nick is coming home. I know that is an awful thought, but it is the nature of the business I guess you could say.

I knew what I was signing up for and I knew he would leave us. I get it. I have always tried to be very positive about the military. I mean I can’t change anything that happens, and just when you think you have it figured out it changes. I know this. I understand this. I am not one of those obnoxious military wives who is a complete and total bitch because her husband is – “OMG Deploying? You have got to be kidding me!” Yeah….so not me.  I will also never wear his rank (I don’t know what they all look like anyways) so I just show them all respect. I don’t bitch at any and everything because I have been slighted once. I am not that girl that you all think us military wives are. BUT I can say I do know who those are. I will not be one of those. I cannot be one of those.

I just hope that through the upcoming months I can find the strength to remain positive and not be scared. Like I said, I have done this a couple of times before – but this it totally different. Kids make all the difference in the world and I hope that I can make a difference to them at this point in their life. Especially now.

I share with you my weakness today in the hopes that it will make me stronger.