Day 68: Tuesday Thoughts

To FRG or not to FRG? That is the question.

Tomorrow is the first meeting that fits my schedule and I'm thinking about going. P told me he doesn't see any reason not for me to go. I guess I'm just a little nervous because I'm "just" the XO's girlfriend. I don't know anyone in the company, although I have met the HQ leader. She is great, and has included me on every email.

So we'll see how that goes. They want us to bring a small snack or goodie to share. Hmm... guess that means I'll be doing some baking this afternoon. Can't decide between brownies or puppy chow.

Any tips on FRG meetings?

~~~

I'm pretty sure I've looked at my page 1000 times since Mrs. Muffins redid it for me yesterday. I love it! I love having the photos of P and I in the header, and the colors!

~~~

I know I can't be frustrated with the continued indecision about P's return. But I somewhat am. Everyone asks when he is coming home, and the answer is I don't know. What he told me last week was apparently so unofficial that they're back to complete indecision. It wouldn't be so bad, except that even if he's there a full year, he doesn't plan to take R&R. I sort of understand why, because it would be so hard to get him back only to have to say goodbye all over again. But at the same time, even those two weeks would be amazing. Maybe we'll get some insight at the meeting tomorrow.

~~~

I've been sleeping better this week, which is good. I'm still worn out, but I don't feel as exhausted.

The good thing is that P is looking better too, less tired. I think he's getting some better sleep too, so that makes me feel better too.

I think I'm just ready to get my bed back. And my boyfriend. :)

Day 67 v.2.0 New name and layout!

I'm SO excited! Mrs. Muffins redid my blog for me!

I love the new header, and the title is pulled from a Billy Currington song. It's one of the songs I put on P's CD that I sent him, and it always makes me smile.

Must be doin' somethin' right
I just heard ya sigh
N' Lean into my kiss
And close those deep blue need you eyes
Don't know what I did
To earn a love like this
But baby I must be doin' somethin' right

What do you think of the new design?

I'm going to relax tonight with a nice glass of wine and a book. P and I had a great long video chat this morning, which was awesome. He was feeling well rested, and was goofing off for me, singing and dancing to his music. It made me laugh, but I also cried a little bit, because I missed him so much more, even though I could see him.

After two hard workouts, I feel better, even though we're back to a giant question mark for his return date. Change is the name of the game, I suppose. :)

Day 67: Awards!

I'm so flattered! I love seeing the awards float around the community, so I'm very appreciative when people  feel I deserve them. :)

First award is the Honest Scrap Award from (army)Wife!

"The Honest Scrap award comes with a caveat or two. First, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Second, you have to tag 10 people with the award. Third, let all the people you've given the award to know that they've gotten it (comment on their blogs or something). And finally, make sure you link back to the person who awarded you."

Ten things you may not know about me. Hmmm... 

1. I have never lived in one place for more than five years. Up until Madison, it was four years. When I was growing up, my dad was working his way up through his company, which required lots of transfers. That's why the moving part of the military lifestyle doesn't faze me at all.

2. I have a mild case of OCD. In fact, I joke that it's CDO, not OCD because then it's in alphabetical order. I alphabetized my books by author growing up, and when you have a bookcase the size of a queen bed full of books, that's not an easy feat!

3. I didn't like cats until I got one. Now I have two. I actually dissected one in senior year anatomy, and it never bothered me. Now, I think I'd have a really hard time with it. 

4. I love beer. I love to try new kinds of beer, and have a particular fondness for Wisconsin microbreweries. 

5. I am terrible with credit cards. I have debt that I am working at paying off, and I never want to be in debt ever again.

6. My room is a disaster at almost every moment. It's always cluttered and disorganized. I need someone to come through and organize my life for me! (Strange for a person with OCD, I know.)

7. One of the most trusted people in my life is someone I've never met in person. She and I have been friends for around 8 years, and she was the reason I made it through some of the most difficult times I've been through in the past three years.

8. P and I met online last year, using eharmony. I signed up on New Years day last year, because I was tired of meeting/dating jerks. A friend of mine met her husband through the site, so I figured it was worth a try. We were matched last February, started talking and texting non-stop for several weeks, and had our first date on Friday, March 13th. And the rest... is history. :) Not all of my friends know this, most assume I met him through my other friends that are military.

9. I have a distinct Wisconsin accent, but only when I say certain things. Apparently when I say "hockey" and "phone" people hear it. When I get drunk slightly intoxicated, it comes out in full strength.

10. I have an overactive imagination. For instance, as I wrote this (scheduled) post, I heard a helicopter buzz over my house twice in the span of a few minutes. (I just heard it again, about 10 minutes later...) I have no basis for thinking this, but I started thinking that maybe there was some sort of manhunt, and was too scared to go look out my window, in case the person was somehow near my house and picked it as the one to break into/steal a car from. I often freak myself out and hate to be alone upstairs when it's dark outside. I live sort of out in the country, where the nearest neighbor is within sight, but definitely not  right next door! And the reality is.... no manhunt, no crime spree in my neighborhood--just my typical overactive imagination!

I'm going to tag
ExPat Girl
A Lady in Waiting
Abbie
And anyone else who hasn't done it already!

The second award comes from ExPat Girl. Thank you!! :)

1. Link back to the blogger who sent you the award.

2. Post where you would like to be in 10 years.

3. Pass this on to 10 other special bloggers.

Hmmm... where I'd like to be in 10 years. I would like to be "home" with P, no matter where in the world "home" is. I think we'd probably have two small children by that point, and I'd be working part time, mostly to keep myself entertained. I don't have a really clear idea of what I want, other than to be married and hopefully have at least one child by then.

Also, A Lady in Waiting gave me the blogger BFF award! I am so flattered to earn it again! :)

Day 66: Blizzard Bloghop!

Blizzard Bloghop sounds like so much fun! I'm not seeing a lick of snow, although I saw some yesterday on the mountain!

My name is Lisa, I live near Seattle, WA where I've lived for almost 2 1/2 years.

My boyfriend, aka P, is currently deployed to Iraq on his first tour. 

I work retail, and I sometimes love my job. Sometimes not so much.

I love to be active and outdoors, snowboarding, running, climbing, swimming, cycling, mountain biking are all among my favorite activities. 

I have two wonderful cats, and look forward to someday owning my own house and having a dog or two. 

Welcome to my blog about life, love, working out, and everything in between!!

Day 64: Presents

P has internet again!!

I'm excited because we've had two multi-hour chats this week, and will probably have another early next week. It's awesome.

He received his Valentine's day package already-- I only mailed it a week ago! He opened everything while chatting with me. He said that he thought it was cute that I went all girly on him and decorated the inside of the box with wrapping paper. I wanted to make him smile, so I went all out.

I sent him a framed photo from deployment day, and I have the same one on my bookshelf. He put it by his computer so now he has a picture of us there too, and doesn't have to turn around to look at the others he has up. :)

I also sent a psp game, and I was so disappointed that I sent him the wrong one! He already has the game, and I thought I was sending the sequel. He wants to keep it though, because he finds it sweet that I sent him a video game. I ordered it prior to learning he's already ordered a new laptop so he can play his dumb game. *sigh*

He started asking me what I wanted for Valentine's Day. I honestly don't have any idea. It's hard to know what I want. Valentine's day has never been a big holiday in my past relationships. I've only received roses once, and I told him I don't really want them, because they are SO expensive around Valentine's day.

He then asked what I needed, and I told him there really wasn't anything, because the things I need aren't things I want for Valentine's day, like a carpet cleaner, or new tires for my car.

So I emailed him and told him that I'll send him ideas if he truly wants them. But I don't really have any. I mean, I kind of want a necklace, but he doesn't exactly have access to a jewelry store over there.

Help! :)

What's the best Valentine's day present you've received? Do you think it's better to ask for a gift or be surprised?

Day 62: Month 2 in Review

Well January started out pretty quiet, and February is off to a promising start.

I started interviewing for jobs, and had four interviews, and one offer, which I declined. One of the interviews was with an agency, and as of yet, I haven't heard back. I did, however, receive and accept an offer from my current company, which doesn't change much about my status, but is a raise now, a raise during my review, some additional training to come, and hopefully some future opportunities with my company.

I worked out more regularly, with the 30 Day Shred from Jillian Michaels and a couple Biggest Loser DVDs. My weight has been steady, which is good. My arms tend to develop quickly, and I wish that I'd see some change in my butt, legs and stomach. I know my legs are stronger, which feels good. I'm hoping to start running again soon, I was hoping to strengthen my legs to hopefully protect my knees from any injury. A rolled ankle isn't conducive to this, but at least it's not a severe sprain.

I also met the owner/coach of a local CrossFit gym. He invited me to stop by for a free first workout. Their rates are much more reasonable than those of the other gyms I've looked at, and I'm hoping that I can find the money in my already tight budget to join. I would absolutely love it. There's something awesomely fun about having your ass kicked.

I've been struggling with some sleep issues, but I'm hoping that the job resolution will help me get some better quality sleep. I'm also looking at some other options, including trying benedryl, and if it keeps going, I will make an appointment with a doctor and see what they say.

P and I talked regularly for a little bit, and then with some of the improvements in the housing area, he lost his internet connection. He does have access to the MWR computers, which is good. We've had a few chats this week, and hopefully he'll re-establish his regular connection within the next week.

We have a rough estimate of the end of the deployment, which is good news. I can't say much other than the current rumor is that it'll be less than a year, which is as always, subject to change.

My goals for month 3 include:

• Running at least twice a week
• Planning out and cooking meals each week (and as a subset, packing lunches for work so I spend less)
• Avoiding $tarbuck$ as much as I can--this also includes making coffee for myself a few times a week if I need it.
• Putting together a budget/save up some money so that I have enough for a security deposit when it comes time to move. 
• Joining the CrossFit gym (which is contingent upon the budget)

Well, I'm off to enjoy my extra day off this week, spent reading, cleaning, and being productive! No five hour naps today!!

Day 61: They call me Grace

I'm such a klutz!

I went for a short run yesterday, and when I finished, I ran down towards the mailbox and then cut across the yard towards the house. The yard isn't even remotely level, and just as I was getting to the edge of the driveway, I was thinking to myself, "Wow, it's amazing that I didn't roll an ank..." *OOPS!*

Ankle. Rolled.

Awesome.

It's not swollen or bruised, thankfully, but it hurts today! I had to stand all day on it at work, and it ached, but now it just throbs.

___


I'm tired of the stupid comment spam crap that seems to be cropping up lately. It's someone who writes the same Asian language characters over and over on random posts from the past 2-3 years. Very annoying, especially since Blogger doesn't offer a method to block or report spam comments!

___

On a different note, I've been thinking about changing the name of my blog, and I can't make up my mind on a new name. I'd love to debut a new name and design at the same time, but I don't have the skillz to make a new design.

My friend joked that I should name my fictitious (or so he thought) blog, "On, Before, or Around," since that seems to be the timeline I keep being given for deployment and redeployment.

I'm not sold.

Any suggestions?

Day 60: More work

Well, I didn't get the job offer. I have to say, I'm actually relieved.

I called my mom and told her, and I can tell she's unhappy that I decided to take the offer from my current company. P sounds like he's supportive of it, although I haven't told him that I didn't get the other offer.

I am happy though. It feels right.

I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I hope that this helps my sleeping, to have some confidence and direction.

The nice part is, there's no time limit or specific amount of time I have to stay, so if the right opportunity does come about, I can jump at it.

I did talk briefly again with P this morning, he came online around 6:30 AM so we had a few minutes to talk. It's a good feeling, even if it's only 15-20 minutes.

I'm a couple days away from Month 2 being done, which is good! Month 2 in review on Wednesday. :)

Day 59: Insomnia pays off...

...sometimes.

Last night, around 1:30 just as I set the computer aside and turned off the light, it dinged at me. I haven't heard that sound in awhile, and I remembered it meant P had signed online.

We only had a brief time to talk, as he was on an MWR computer, but it was more than we've had in almost 10 days.

We talked about his still unofficial orders, but I at least have a general timeline. There's always the chance he'll be back sooner, but it's likely that this will be accurate.

It's not as early as I had hoped, but it's not a full year, so that's a positive.

Anyone have any good insomnia cures? I've tried melatonin, reading, dark room, silence, noise, and just not trying to sleep. Still having issues. I'm at least sleeping, which is good, just not nearly enough.

Day 58: Lazy day

Thank goodness it's Saturday. I needed two days off and I needed one of those to be a day where I have absolutely nothing to do. That way, I can hopefully workout, figure out why my TV doesn't work downstairs but the one upstairs does, and maybe take a shower with hot water again.

I spent yesterday at the final interview, and I honestly have no idea if they're going to offer me the job or not. I felt somewhat defensive during the interview, and I'm sure that's not a positive thing. It was short, which isn't necessarily good.

On the upside, P sent me a really long email yesterday! In it, he reminded me of all the times I've vented about my job, wanting to quit and then discussed my finances with me. It was the kind of email I needed from him, where he gave me the reality check I needed.

That is one thing I value about our relationship, that he will always be honest with me, and I can be honest with him.

We'll see if I have a decision to make or if the choice will be made for me. I'll know by Monday either way.

Still no word on whether or not he's received orders. I did ask him to tell me via chat or phone, because I'd rather hear it and ask questions, than read it and not understand. I'm not sure if the orders are for him specifically or not, because today I received an email from the FRG leader reminding people not to post anything about return dates on facebook, twitter, etc. The rumors that have been apparently floating around the unit are about the deployment being cut short, but nothing is official yet. Since I can't ask P, I just have to wait. I think that's an advantage to not knowing any of the wives or families, I don't see any of those rumors and all I have to go on are occasional FRG emails and P.

Lots of waiting for now.