Fifty days in!

Today marks day 50 of training! We are almost halfway through our time here.

This past week was pretty good.  On Wednesday there was a CG social which I attended with E.  We got all dressed up and spent time socializing there.  During introductions at the beginning of the event they had all the wives (all four of us) raise our hands so that the other wives could see us.  They waited until we got some food and then pounced on us.  They pulled us away to a corner of the room and chatted with us until we were the last people at the event.  They were all so kind and so helpful. Mostly they were older women, and all of them had much experience.  They were very laid back and told us not to be afraid to find them and ask for help in the future.  There was one other wife who was much closer to our age as well.

The next day the four of us wives from E's class went to a spouse orientation.  We had a hard time understanding where we were supposed to go.  Violet, the woman that was trying to give us directions the night before at the social kept giving us blank stares every time we tried to ask "is it by the library?" or "is it in the MSCOE building?" (which it was).  We did make it there and it seemed like there were barely any wives there.  The event really was for the Captains Career Course families, but it seemed like all of those officers came without their wives...So we waited around with the wife we met the night before that was closer to our own age.  She told us that we should let her know if we ever want to make a trip to go shopping, or use her oven, or just need someone to hang out with.  She also invited us all for brunch on Tuesday (tomorrow).

After the very short, not incredibly helpful, orientation three of us drove around for a while and chatted before going back to our hotel rooms.  Hopefully we get out and do more stuff together now!

Friday I made a shirt out of an old thrift store dress.  Honestly, I was trying to make a dress, but I accidentally cut it too short...But it does make a pretty cute top.  Then I went to How To Train Your Dragon 2 with some other guys from E's class.  After this we went to Chicken Bone.  That was an interesting experience.  We didn't know it was "Christmas in July".  Let's just say there were some interesting characters there.  Luckily we were there with some really nice people.

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early for a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks where we rented a deck boat for the day.  We had so much fun on the water and were so glad we didn't back out like most people did (they went floating down the river again).  We got a wake board and a tube and the boys had a lot of fun doing both of those things.  Little brag moment here, E was the only one who could really use the wake board.  Out of all six other people, E was the only one who could stay up for more than 3 seconds.  He got up on EVERY try! And then, of course stayed up for a while.  It was fun to be on the boat listening to all of the other guys be so impressed.  Later on E was tubbing and was impressing them all over again when he would not let go even when the tube flipped upside down! He got the tube to flip back over and pulled himself on all at full speed!

We also found what people called a party cove.  It was just a bunch of boats that linked up and everyone floated around and socialized.  We didn't do it for long, but it was fun to see so many people.  After that we just spent some time driving around the lake.

I think the best part of the day was the good company.  The other guys we went with were very nice.  It would have been really easy for them to not pay much attention to me, given how good of friends they already were.  But I felt like a part of the group the whole time.  I really really did have a great time.

By the time we got back it was already 9:00pm so E and I opted out of going to BWW for dinner.  We went home and immediately went to sleep.  We woke up refreshed for church on Sunday morning.  We went out to lunch after that with Captain W at Ruby Tuesdays and it was delicious!! Then E had to do some community service painting cannons, so I did some reading.

To finish off our weekend we went on a long walk on a gravel trail.  It was such a nice weekend with new friends (for me) and some good quality time together.

Today E had a PT test in the morning that he passed with flying colors! He was only 3 pts shy of a perfect score and did much better than on his first PT test (which he passed, just not as high of a score as this test).  Then he had a mock riot where he got tussled up and had food thrown at him.  He said that was really fun (to be the rioters and the ones standing against the riot).  He also said that some people took it a bit too seriously, which is silly.  But I'm so glad he had such a great time today!

In case I don't get a chance to write again before Thursday, I will be sailing this next week.  I'll be leaving on Thursday evening.  I hope to bring my computer, but I don't know if I'll have internet access. It might be a while before I get to update the world on the oh so interesting events of our lives, so keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

The ReFashionista in me

The last week was rather uneventful.  E wasn't stuck in the classroom all week, so he was happy.  I found things to do here and there, so I was happy too!

This week I got a PO Box so we can receive mail! I made a long walk to the library on that same day.  I thought it was much closer than it really was.  I also thought there would be a good direct route...but was wrong again.  I ended up winding up and down streets looking for sidewalks and being sure at some points that I was lost.  I was trying to return season five of Castle and see if the library had the next season, which they didn't.  After the library I went to grab a drink from Starbucks and then to the PX to get some stain remover.  Can you believe it? The laundry detergent of all things stained two of our white shirts! I still can't figure out how to get those blue stains out... :'(

Friday I made a dress with the new sewing machine that E got me and an old dress from the thrift store!  Pictures of the affair are on Facebook. As soon as I was finished with it E texted me to be ready (it was 1420).  So I picked everything up and got my shoes on and was ready.  I waited and waited and waited...1820 rolled around and he finally came home.  I think next time he shouldn't tell me to be ready unless he's ACTUALLY on his way home.

That evening we went out to dinner with a couple of other couples.  We went to a German restaurant and I had my first schnitzel! My only complaint was that we had to wait an awfully long time to get our food.  After that we mozied over to a BBQ for a few minutes before going to a movie.  We went and saw the Purge because one of the other wives really wanted to see it.  Let me just say that I didn't think I was going to like it before we even got there...and I ended up not liking it after we left either.

After the movie we went to meet up with more of his classmates that were at Karaoke night, much to my dismay...At this point it was already close to midnight and I just wanted to go home. However, it ended up not being so bad.  E has a tendency of mingling with everyone when we are with a lot of people and forgetting about me, especially when I don't really know anyone.  Luckily there were a couple of people who came over and talked to me for a while when E disappeared.  I'm getting pretty good at remembering people's names, and people seem to remember me.  It was kinda nice to hear what people had to say about E.  One guy kept telling me that E's "good stuff" over and over again.  He told me that he likes talking to E in class. I don't need other people to tell me how blessed I am to be married to E, but it sure did give me warm and fuzzies to know that other people see the good that I see in him too.  I think everyone has moments when they might feel insecure about what other people think about them, and it's nice to have moments like these, talking to his peers and seeing how they see him, to help build E up when he might be feeling down on himself.

Anyway, on Saturday we decided to grill out in the front of our building.  We invited a couple of guys from our building to join us and we had a grand time.  After eating we taught them how to play KUBB and more fun was had.  Once it got dark and people started getting bitten by bugs we brought the party inside and played cards in our room.  As it got later and one guy left, E and W (our neighbor that grilled with us) got into some deep conversations about God.  It was nice to hear them going back and forth so animated, and both so happy to talk to someone who understood their point of view.  They enjoyed each other's company that the conversation lasted until 0200!

The next morning we went to church and recruited the largest group yet! We went to church with four of E's classmates (one was really the wife of a classmate).  After church we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch an the server was very kind to us and after learning that all of the men at the table were in the Army he gave us our drinks on him.

After a weekend full of good company we spent the rest of the evening relaxing before the start of another busy week.  My goals for this week: learn how to darn socks (for one of E's classmates), make a new dress (out of another thrift store dress), read a whole book, make something new for dinner.

Peace out girl scouts!

Happy Birthday JP!

First, a big happy birthday to my little brother!!  Sorry I couldn't be there, I'll try to make it up to you!

The weekend was pretty chill for E and I.  To start things off on a high note, E had a big exam (that was supposedly the hardest one of this course) on Friday.  After struggling a little bit with the last exam I think we were both a little bit nervous about this one.  However, his studying paid off and he passed the exam with a great score! Three cheers for E! I'm very happy for him.

That evening we went out for Mexican food with his classmates and had a good time.  I had the pleasure of meeting one of his classmates  from Hawaii! Then we went to pick up tubes and a cooler for the next day.  As it turned out we decided not to go tubing on Saturday after all.  It was hot, and they were getting a late start.  So we went to the library and got season 5 of Castle and spent the day laughing at Castle's antics and Becket's reactions.  Later that evening we went mini golfing on post with another couple.  We quite enjoyed it, even though they tried to kick us out before we were done.  After that we took them to Sonic for half price shakes before heading home for the evening.  Sunday they came to church with us.  At church we received all kinds of grief for not showing up for fireworks the night before...oops.  We didn't think we'd be missed, but apparently plenty of people thought we were going to be there...We'll have to show up to the next event.

After church we went to Waffle House :) I felt like treating E after him being so nice to me all week.  We saw some more of his classmates there and E made plans to join them later in the day to work on a test.  That about sums up the weekend, though.  Fairly uneventful, but relaxing all the same.

This week E gets to be out of the classroom, which he's excited about.  It has been beautiful outside so far, which is nice for both of us.  Which reminds me, today when I was outside I was setting up my hammock when I noticed a piece of moss that was moving on the tree.  I assumed it was an ant carrying it or something until i looked underneath it and tried to move it, the thing looked like moss, but it WAS the bug! The little legs were attached to the moss!  It was quite possibly the coolest bug I've seen to date!

I guess that's really all I have to share for now!

Fourth of July

The weekend was filled with fun and sun!  Thursday evening E went out with some friends that he knew from NDSU and had a good time.  Friday we took our time getting ready and just made a drive around town while we thought about what we wanted to do with the rest of the day.  We finally decided to grab lunch, pack some snacks in the cooler and find a park to play KUBB in.  

If you've never heard of KUBB before, it's like Bocci ball and bowling in a way.  It's a yard game that requires throwing wooden blocks across the yard.  We played this for a long time, E winning every time.  I've never lost so bad before! In the last game it started to look like I had a chance, but no, E made a big comeback.  

It was pretty cool being on base during the fourth.  It's kinda hard to forget what the day is all about when you're there.  We saw so many families, and this was before we headed to the big field where all the action was at!  We made a quick stop at the PX to use the air conditioning and toilets before heading out to check out the field.  At the field there were all kinds of things going on!  There was a car show.  The cars ranged from old cars, to cars that people had built, to little barbie cars, or tricked out bicycles.  We even saw a bright pink version of Herbie! 

Moving on there were an assortment of bouncy things for kids.  As we were walking through we just happened to arrive just in time to watch a dog show! It was pretty cool! They had dogs catching frisbees, and even taught the audience how to teach your own dog to catch frisbees!  Needless to say, this did not help satiate my yearning for a puppy : /  

They did really long throws, short throws, and trick throws where they jumped off their trainer's backs or through their legs!

Then we went over to the area where the stage was to set up our blankets for the concert later.  We sat around and listened to music, went back for another round of dog show, grabbed some fair food, and met up with a friend before the evening events progressed.

Look at all those people!  That's not even the half of it!

 

Lookin' super cool in their shades ;)

Sadly, we neglected to take a picture with normal faces...so here's our goofy picture!

I got my camera out just a smidge too late.  These guys forgot to bring chairs or blankets, so they had to make due with their water bottles.  The guy farthest away had been using the bottle vertically to lift his head higher before I got my camera out.

At five o' clock when the music started playing over the loud speakers to retreat the colors was maybe one of the coolest moments of the night for me.  Music had been playing loud and there were thousands of people crowded into one place, moving and making noise.  All of a sudden it was like freezing time.  Everyone stop, stood, and it was dead silent and super still.  Something about large groups of people doing the same thing at the same time, especially being still and quiet is awe inspiring to me.

Just before the concert started there were speakers and the like.  Then they did this thing (I can't remember what it as called) where they counted off all of the states (by year...sadly I forgot to ask what the year was about...the year they joined something?).  Every time they called off a state they would blast a cannon and you could see the cool ring rising into the perfectly blue and cloudless sky and people from that state would stand up and cheer.  This happened until they had listed off all of the states and everyone was standing.  This was also a really cool moment and something I'm glad I got to be a part of.

Finally, Chris Young came out to sing.  If you can't see in the picture, his arm is broken.  It was a good experience over all.  His sister and brother in law are in the military and he showed a great deal of respect for the soldiers in the audience, even stopping in the middle to take a selfie with  the crowd of uniforms in the background (the space right up close to the stage was reserved for soldiers).  It got me to thinking that if I were in his place, I would have felt pretty humbled to have had the opportunity to do what he did.

The night ended with some fireworks, timed with the music playing in the background.  After navigating the crowds and finding a shortcut through traffic home, we concluded that it was a pretty good fourth of July.  

Saturday we were invited over to someone's house from church.  They made us burgers and let us sit in their hot tub.  They also had the cutest puppy!  We visited with them and their son for a long time, getting advice, sharing stories, and generally having a good time.  We ended the night with homemade ice cream and a game of dirty board (which I liked very much!).  

Sunday we went to church.  After church we went to the library and got me set up with an account and we checked out a couple of movies.  We spent the rest of the day lounging around watching movies.  Monday we watched Castle, because season 4 finally came in at the library and E wanted to finish it before the week started so that he wouldn't be distracted from studying for his test on Friday.

We can't believe that it's already been a month!  We sure do miss our Katniss...And we miss our family and friends.  It's a little tough being away when big things are happening.  With loved ones dealing with sickness and others planning weddings, and still others enjoying their first months of life it's tough not to be a part of it all.  We want everyone to know that we think about you all the time and wish we were there!

Settled

I feel that the best way to describe the last week or so is to say that I feel settled.  Finding little things to do to stay busy and to help E feels more satisfying.

Over last weekend we went out to dinner with a lot of E's class to a mexican restaurant and had a lot of fun.  After that we went to a late night movie (which E slept through hehe).  We had planned on going to the beach with some of E's class on Saturday, but after a late night and a busy week we felt more like bumming around instead of going out.  Instead we ran some errands and spent some good quality time with just each other (probably more to my benefit than E's).

Sunday we went to the late church service because one of E's classmates was going to try it out and we figured we'd at least go to the same service.  At church we were invited to a BBQ type thing on the 5th at someone's home, and more fireworks on the 12th!  After church we went out to lunch before returning home to do a bit of homework.  Later in the evening E took me to Miller cave where we hiked a little bit and explored a lot.  The trail wasn't really very long, as it basically just drops off.  We spent some more time just noodling around on our way home, exploring different dirt roads, discovering things like old cemeteries and the like.

Monday night E was done early.  He brought me lots of chocolate :) He's so good to me.  Then he took me grocery shopping before he took me to the pool!  It was such a great way to start the week that I'm still living in that happy place.

Last night we tried to go out to a German restaurant with another couple from E's class, only to find out that this particular restaurant is closed on Tuesdays (and only Tuesdays! How strange!).  So we made a quick change of plans and ended up at a 50's diner instead.  After some easy conversation we invited them over and we all watched Lone Survivor before turning in for the night.

As you can see, nothing crazy exciting to report, but I'm finding my rhythm.  I've started to make friends, which is good.  The girl I met last night seemed more eager for company during the day than the previous wife I met.  And she has a puppy! I'm hoping this will help wear E down and he'll let me have one of my own.  I know puppies take work, so what better time than now to have one when I don't really have any responsibilities during the day!?

That's all!