My Life Is Currently Under Construction

I have not been blogging as much as I feel like I should, not that there is a quota to fill or anything, but soon I will hopefully have more to write about. A lot of changes will hopefully be happening in the next few months. (And for close family and friends, I am not referring to babies.) That's all I can say about it at the moment, but I will keep everyone updated as soon as a few steps are taken in this new direction I am headed in.

Sometimes, I just want to scream that things aren't fair.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

     I did not know until an hour ago that today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. My friend Jayde, a fellow Army wife, sent me the most beautiful text, which I will pass on to all my Military sisters here:


     "I am a military wife -- a member of that sisterhood of women who have had the courage to watch their men go into battle and the strength to survive until their return. Our sorority knows no rank, for we earn our membership with a marriage license, traveling over miles, or over nations, to begin a new life with our military husbands. Within days, we turn a barren, echoing building into a home, and though our quarters are inevitably white-walled and unpapered, we decorate with the treasures of our travels, for we shop the markets of the globe. Using hammer and nail, we tack our pictures to the wall, and our roots to the floor as firmly as if we had lived there for a lifetime. We hold a family together by the bootstraps, and raise the best of "brats," instilling in them the motto, "Home is togetherness," whether motel or guest house, apartment or duplex. As military wives we soon realize that the only good in "Good-bye" is the "Hello again." For as salesmen for freedom, our husbands are often on the road, at sea, or in the sky, leaving us behind for a week, a month, an assignment. During separations, we guard the home front, existing until the homecoming. Unlike our civilian counterparts, we measure time, not by years, but by tours -- married at Knox, a baby born at Portsmouth, a special anniversary at Yorktown, a promotion in McDill. We plant trees, and never see them grow tall, work on projects completed long after our departure, and enhance our community for the betterment of those who come after us. We leave a part of ourselves at every stop. Through experience, we have learned to pack a suitcase, a car or hold baggage and live indefinitely from the contents within: and though our fingers are sore from the patches we have sewn and the silver we have shined, our hands are always ready to help those around us. Women of peace, we pray for a world in harmony, for the flag that leads our men into battle will also blanket them in death. Yet we are an optimistic group, thinking of the good and forgetting the bad, cherishing yesterday while anticipating tomorrow. Never rich by monetary standards, our hearts are overflowing with a wealth of experiences common only to those united by the special tradition of military life. We pass on this legacy to every military bride, welcoming her with outstretched arms, with love and friendship, from one sister to another, sharing in the bounty of our unique, fulfilling military way of life." 
Author Unknown


     To all my military sisters, thanks to your husbands, but also, thanks to you!

It's Been a While

     Hello friends. It's been a while since I blogged last. I felt like I needed some sort of topic or theme to the blog, and so far, it's mostly been my opinions on things not really related to my life. But then I realized this is basically an online diary, and it doesn't matter who reads it, I'm just here to gets thoughts out of my head and on a page (or screen.) So to give an update on what's been going on, I'll start with my job.
     I LOVE my job. AND I'm up for a promotion. I have no idea if I will get it, but I have been working my tail off to show that I do deserve it. For me, this promotion is not about the money. I care about the company way too much to stay at the bottom rung. I don't want to talk too much about it and jinx myself, so I'll leave that alone for now, and hopefully I'll find out about it soon. 
     I got a card from my friend, Sara, today. She is a fellow military wife (though she chose Navy. Haha.) She and her family are in Hawaii, which I am so jealous of! She sent a picture of her TWO year old. I cannot believe Miss Reese is that old now! But she's gorgeous, and that's all that matters. :-) And my friend, Brittany, is dating a military man (also Navy; don't these girls know Army is the way to go?!) He's deploying soon, so I grabbed a little something for her and am going to mail it as soon as I'm off work at the same time the post office is open. 
     Cole and I are doing good. He had a birthday this week. He's 26 now, an old man! We both had to work on his birthday, so he took the day after off since I was off, too, and we relaxed, played video games, and ran around town. For his birthday, I got him a cookie cake, XBox points, and an antique Uncle Sam recruiting poster that I got framed for him. Uncle Sam took over Orlando Bloom's spot in the hallway, officially making the hallway Cole's "I Love Me" space. Though I was bummed to have to take down my Pirates of the Caribbean movie poster to make space for his Army stuff, I do have to say the hallway looks awesome now. 
     As far as adjusting to this podunk place, it is getting better. There are still days where I am like "What the heck?" For example, last weekend, I worked all weekend because the appliance store behind our Pier 1 was selling hotdogs for ten cents, so we were busy. Insert eye rolls here. But it isn't all bad. I've found ways to cope. For example, I do things to make me feel like I'm back home. I started buying lavender candles only because then it smells like my mother-in-law's condo (near the beach!) and makes me feel like we're all there, sitting on the front porch, chatting, and wining away. I buy handsoaps for the kitchen that either remind me of my mom or my aunt. I take the back roads when I drive home because then I drive along the river, and it reminds me of driving along the water back home. When I drive to work, I pretend I'm driving down I-26, and I feel a little better. It's the little things. Maybe I can fool myself into thinking I'm back there.
     Speaking of home, though, we did buy tickets to come back for a week! We'll be in Charleston in June! I could not be happier! I'm making sure to save up money so I can buy stuff at Margaritaville and Palmetto Moon to my heart's content. We're going back home for Father's Day and for my best friend, Mandi's, little girl's THIRD birthday. Rylie, when did you get that big?? I remember when Mandi was pregnant, and she called me crying because she wanted a McChicken or some cheesy fiesta potatoes from Taco Bell and either didn't have a dollar or a ride. And I'd go pick her up, and take her to McDonald's or Taco Bell to get the hormonal woman to quit crying. (Hmmm. That reminds me of when a certain Sara would call her husband at work and BEGGGGG him to bring her Cadbury Eggs. Haha!) But I seriously cannot wait to be home and see my family and friends and the wonderful city of Charleston! Brittany, you better be planning a beach day -- just remember Saturday and Sunday are a no-go; I already have plans those days!
     Oh, and my parents and brother came up for Easter. They drove and brought the dogs! Haha. It was so amazing having them here. Jordan is almost as tall as I am! They were so worried they would wear out their welcome because they stayed for four days, but I really wished they could have stayed longer! (And it was great seeing Jack and Porkchop!) It was so fun being out in public with them because my mom has a huge Southern accent, which brings mine out, too, and I never realized that my dad also had a Southern accent until he got up here! Everyone would ask us, "Where are you guys from?" Haha. Mom and I got to go shopping while Dad, Cole, and Jordan did a few mister fix-it jobs around the house. We finally finished decorating the house and hanging window treatments. We went to the Brice Prairie Pub that is down the street from our house (that we take EVERYONE to when they come visit!) My dad got to see the world's largest six pack downtown. We went to the Sweet Shop and the antique store downtown. We took them to Woodman's (one of the grocery stores here) so they could see the TWO LONG AISLES of cheese. Then on Easter, we made a frogmore stew and chilled around the house. I was an absolute mess when they left on Monday, but I am really thankful they made the two day drive safely! 
     That's about it for right now. Today, I went with one of the gals from work to get some lunch, and now I am going to finish up some laundry and get the house clean for the mister! But I promise to blog more, even if it is just about day to day nonsense!

Cake Icing

I'm off work today, which is exciting because I need to clean the house. I was off work yesterday, but it wasn't a house cleaning day. I'll start at the beginning.


I was at work on Monday, and we have to keep our purses in our lockers and keep the lockers locked. I always have my lock with me, but for some reason, I could not find it, so my purse wasn't locked up. I wasn't too concerned because I've seen the other girls not lock theirs up and (stupidly) figured it wouldn't be a problem. Our lockers are right across from the bathroom (that customers can use, too.) I worked 9am to 4pm, and when I went to leave work, I was going to buy something, and I noticed something strange. My checkbook was in the bottom of my purse. I always keep my checkbook in my wallet, so I searched through my purse, and I found my wallet was missing. I immediately panicked. When did I use my wallet last? When did I write a check last? Did I put my checkbook in my wallet? I used a card out of my wallet the night before, and I had written a check two days ago, and I know for a fact that I put it back in my wallet because I'm so proud of the fact that I finally have a wallet that a checkbook fits in, and I was showing Cole. So I searched around the lockers to see if maybe I dropped my wallet somewhere. No avail. 


When I got home, I searched everywhere, my car, Cole's car, and every room in the house. It was not there. Everything in my wallet could be replaced except for a little Mustang symbol that my dad had given me the night I went to pick up my own Mustang. The piece came from a Mustang he had had in the seventies, but the Mustang he had was a 1965, the first year Ford even made the Mustang. It was a irreplaceable piece, and I was heartbroken more about that than anything. All the cards could be turned off (and they were.) There was no cash in my wallet. My license is still an SC license, so I panicked about that for a minute, but I figured out how to order a new one online and have it mailed to my address here, so that was taken care of. But the Mustang thing was gone.


Cole had the idea to go back to Pier 1 and search in and around the dumpsters behind the building. Since there was nothing of value in my wallet, maybe someone just tossed it. So we looked, and we found nothing.


The next morning (yesterday) Cole had a doctor's appointment, and I went with him. On the way, I decided that I would call a few junkyards and look online to try to find another Mustang piece from a '65 model. I was starting to feel better about the situation. But I was still upset. I was calmer when my Jimmy was stolen in 2008. (I apparently have a horrible track record with things like this.) 


After his appointment, I went home to take a nap, and my mom called me. She asked if I had gone to Office Depot the day before. I said no, I hadn't. I was only at work then went straight home. She told me that a man had called her, looking for me. The man had found my wallet in the middle of one of the aisles at Office Depot, googled the address on my DL (my parents' address) and called their house. BRILLIANCE! So I called Office Depot and spoke to the man and explained that my wallet had been stolen and I'd be there in ten minutes to come get it. He was surprised to hear it had been stolen because no cards were missing out of it. 


When I got there, I had my passport on me for a form of ID, but he and the woman that had found it were like, "We know it's you. We were looking for a southern speaking redhead." Haha. So I got my wallet back, and the Mustang piece was still inside. They said they found it the day before between two and four. (I was at work, so obviously someone theifed it...) But all was well. The only things missing from it were four $10 gift cards to Victoria's Secret, but when I had reported the card stolen, VS said they would backdate my rewards certificates from the last four months, which means I should have about $40 toward VS coming to me, so I wasn't too bummed. 


It just really makes me mad that people do things like this. I'd expect it more in North Charleston than here, but at least here, no one tried to use any of my cards. (Once, I left my debit card at Taco Bell in North Chuck, and one of their employees went on a shopping spree at Walmart within an hour that the card was missing. But my bank took care of that.) When things like this happen, I feel used and defiled. Cole bought me a new wallet, and I like it, but it isn't nearly as big as my other wallet, but I don't want to use my old wallet now because it just feels gross. I don't know. I've heard before that you shouldn't hate people, only hate the devil inside them. But that is hard. This was kind of the icing on top of an I hate Wisconsin cake. 


But the wallet is back, my Mustang piece is back and in a safer spot now, and I at least have my DL. But now I have to wait a week for my cards to come in the mail, so unless I'm with Cole, I can't buy anything. But it's alright. Ain't nothin' but a thang.

     Snow is melting. Birds are singing. The sun is shining. Life goes on. The isolation, the frigid feeling that everything I once knew was over, it's vanished. These past few months, I wondered why anyone would choose to live in this desolate, bare land. Everything has been gray and quiet, almost as if life paused, only to begin again now. Maybe people choose to live here because the start of spring really is the start of a new beginning. Coming from a place that had two seasons, cold and summer, seeing the beginning of this new spring feels like a fresh start for all things. I know that it will still take a while to get over being so far away from the only home I've ever known, those I hold dear in my heart, and the ocean that I never wanted to move away from, but today feels like the beginning. We've been here for eight months, though when I stepped out my door today and heard the birds sing and felt the warmth around me, it felt like the first day in another new land. Today was the first time I felt not simply at peace, but happy to be here.

Some days, it really kills me that I'm twelve hundred miles away from my brother, missing out on him growing up.