52 Reasons!

My project is completed :) it took me 2 days and it helped keep me busy - but now I need something else haha.

The cards were on two o-rings, but because the o-rings are so big, two looked ridiculous so I just kept it on one. I can't wait to send this to hubby :)

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Feeling funky.

Hubs is gone. I really shouldn't be complaining because this deployment is ridiculously short and he may come back even sooner than originally planned. He also left later than we originally planned. But it doesn't matter if they're gone for a few days, a few months or a year, if you miss someone, you miss them, and that hurts. I don't need anyone to pull the "oh a few months? that's NOTHING. try a whole year" card or any other snarky comments. What makes this hard for me, though, is that I do not have any friends or family here. I don't have the option to move back home...unless I want to quit my job.

I'm still off work, too. Since my manager was so kind to just take me off the schedule I ended up with nearly 2 weeks off. The break is really nice, especially since after awhile I was doing this "on, off, on off" business instead of having my three nights on and four-six days off. It was really burning me out.

But now I'm so bored! I want to go back to work lol. Granted, there are things I could be doing, and should be doing, like tidying up this apartment because hubs left is a total mess, but I've pretty much been just a couch potato lately.

I started doing pilates. I'm determined to tone and sculpt my body because it's starting to get a little flabby. I really like it and I've just been searching for free videos on You Tube to work out to. I wish Fort Hood had free pilates classes, though. I would so go to them!

I also already started working on hubs' care package. I ordered the shipping materials and they won't be here for another 7-10 days, but I went to Hobby Lobby and bought the stuff to decorate it with. I'm also doing this little project:

http://papervinenz.blogspot.com/2012/01/52-reasons-i-love-you-cards-tutorial.html

There are so many variations. Mine isn't as pretty because I don't have a fancy printer or anything, so I'm just using a deck of red cards and writing my 52 reasons on pink sticky notes and cutting them down to size. I bought little pink & red faux gemstones to stick on the front and I also bought a little mini heart paper cut-out thing so I'll be decorating the pages with hearts. I bought Valentine's Day-themed scrapbooking paper to decorate the inside of the care package along with some other stuff. I haven't bought any contents to go inside yet, but I already have ideas. I also want to attempt to ship some cookies and bake some cakes in a jar :)

Got a call from a friend today, same guy who was our best man at our wedding. It was nice to catch up. He'll be deploying soon, too. And when he comes back, him, hubs, myself, and whoever else are fucking going to Vegas. No if's, and's, or but's this time haha.

D-day

Deployment has been up in the air since November. We basically knew that my husband was going to go, and he had orders to prove it, but we just didn't know when. We were supposed to find out last week but didn't, then hubs told me if they didn't ship him out by this week he wouldn't get to go at all because there really wouldn't be a point since this deployment is already much shorter than your average one.

Yesterday we found out he will be leaving very soon, and of course per OPSEC I'm not going to give out any exact dates or anything. He still doesn't have an exact date, but it's narrowed down and the shitty thing is, I have to work on all of those dates so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping someone can pick up for me or switch with me so I can work for them later in the week or something. If not, I'm hoping either my manager can pull some strings OR I can take a couple of days of FMLA since the date is so close. Only time will tell, but I need to know ASAP, dammit!

I can't believe it is 2012 already! It seems like 2011 flew by...

I'm anxious to see what 2012 will bring, even though my hubby will be gone for half of it. And speaking of that, D-day is quickly approaching but sadly, I don't know when! Hubby doesn't even know the exact date, but every time we talk about it the date becomes closer and closer.

I'm trying to maintain a sense of normalcy. Hubby said the hardest thing about this deployment will be me, because he knows I will miss him terribly and will be constantly worrying about him. How can I not, though? Especially with something he told me that happened recently. I guess that is something he cannot understand.

I made a vow to not complain to him about anything while he is deployed. Sure, I will miss him like crazy and wish he was here with me, but that's the extent of it. The last thing he needs to hear is how is how depressed his wife is, locking herself up in the apartment, lying around feeling sorry for herself. I'll probably do a lot of sitting and waiting because aside from work, it's not like I really have friends here and family is over a thousand miles away. If there is one thing I learned about military wife living, it's to never complain to your deployed spouse about anything. That will cloud his judgement, his thinking. He needs to focus on the mission at hand. So I guess I'll vent through blogging. And conversing with the other spouses at work. I swear like 90% of the nurses where I work are all military, whether prior service themselves or military dependents.

Hubs got his smallpox vaccination along with typhoid and anthrax and his TB test this past week. I have been freaking out over the smallpox lol...it's beginning to "look like" smallpox and the other night we saw a huge bubble underneath the dressing, which means it's probably starting to pus over. Can't wait to see it later today because I'm the one who redresses it...I don't trust him putting that bandage over it himself. This is a man who will touch raw meat without washing his hands and then touch other stuff, if you know what I mean (and then I freak out! I'm a germaphobe! But I work in a hospital, so that's okay!) At least I got disposable gloves I can wear hahaha.

The other night hubs and I saw The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It's a mystery/thriller, basically about how this guy tries to solve a a mystery of a girl who disappeared 40 years ago and was thought to be murdered as well. The beginning was kind of slow but the movie had my attention the entire time. There was a pretty disturbing rape scene, too. If that stuff bothers you, I would reconsider seeing this movie. I could hear one girl sobbing behind me after that scene was over :(

When we walked out, we saw this little gem:

Last time I checked, I wasn't in Cleveland or Akron anymore haha.

this too shall pass...

Finally got our tree up! And of course my favorite ornament on our tree:

Bought it for $10 at Target the other day. Money goes towards charity for books and things to help children of deployed soldiers help cope during that time.

And speaking of deployments...hubby is deploying, and relatively soon, too. We lucked out, though. He's only going for a few months as opposed to 8 or 9 because the unit he is going to is already there. Hubs jumped the gun and was able to work it out so that he can go over there.

He really wants to deploy. I don't blame him. You don't go through 4 years of ROTC and 4-5 months of MPBOLC to sit on staff duty for the rest of your military career. I'm so proud of him. He thinks I should be happy about him deploying, but I'm not. I'm happy for him because this is something he has been waiting for and with things sort of toning down in the sandbox and Mr. President slowly withdrawing our troops, he's afraid he will never deploy as a PL. From my point of view, though, I don't think any milspouse can be thrilled about a deployment. Even though it is only for a few months as opposed to 8-9 which I am so thankful for, a deployment is still a deployment, and I'm still very scared.

Lots of thoughts racing through my head...

It's been awhile...

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been busy with work - on for 3 nights, off for a day and a half then on again for 3 nights - and we had our first visit from our in-laws this past weekend!

They flew into Austin on Friday for Veteran's Day. We took them to lunch at The Salt Lick in Round Rock (very yummy BBQ place, featured on Man Vs. Food!) and took them around Fort Hood.

On Saturday, we drove to San Antonio and went to the zoo there. Afterwards we headed to The Alamo and had dinner on The Riverwalk at Landry's (best seafood ever!) and spent the night at The Marriott, about 8 miles from downtown. I love The Riverwalk and I want to go back there for the holidays because I heard that is when that place really "comes alive" (it's always busy, though!) The place was already decorated with lights but I guess they don't come on until closer to Christmas.

Sunday was a lazy football day. I'm not a big fan of football, to be honest. I would rather just know if someone wins or loses instead of sitting there watching the game. I always fall asleep lol. That doesn't mean I don't have favorite teams, though :) The Browns lost which is no surprise to me (I hate the Browns anyway) but I'm happy the Texans won :)

On Monday we had lunch at Pappadeux, another seafood restaurant. For my Ohio followers, there is one in Cincinnati ;) You supposedly get 30% off if you are military, but this one in Austin said you only get the discount if you are uniform. WTF! Unless you're coming home, who has time to drive all the way out to Austin during their lunch break lol. Anyway, Pappadeux was decent, but still doesn't beat Landry's in San Antonio. Hubs' parents are a fan, though, so we took them there. Afterwards we drove them to the airport and they were off to Ohio :( This weekend went by way too fast.

Overall it was a nice visit. Eddie & I suggested to take them to Houston/Galveston or Corpus Christi on their next visit. We even thought about renting a condo for a week at one of those places, or at South Padre Island. Something different instead of going to Myrtle Beach or Seabrook (SC). It will be like another family vacation :) I also want to do that for our wedding anniversary.

Hubs was talking to me the other day on how he may never deploy as a PL. He kind of got screwed on his assignment, I guess. The Army was thinking about sending him to Iraq back in July, but instead they chose the other PL because that guy isn't married and obviously my husband is. I was happy because that meant my husband would be home but at the same time I felt bad because I know how badly my husband wants to deploy. You don't go through 4 years of college/ROTC and then 5 months of BOLC to sit on staff duty for the rest of your military career. That would be like me spending $80,000 on my BSN/RN and never getting a job as a nurse or something.

His unit is non-deployable at the moment because they just came back in August. Another unit was going to go sometime this year but they didn't need a PL...and then those deployment plans fell through so they are no longer deploying. Yet another unit is to deploy early next year. Hubs' CO is trying to get him a spot on that deployment but as of now, no luck.

In March, hubs' unit is going to be doing a CCMRF ("see-smurf") mission. I forgot what it what stands for, but basically my husband and his unit have a 72-hour response time to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, zombie apocalypses, etc. that happen here in the U.S. It doesn't "count" as a deployment and during the whole CCMRF period, the unit is non-deployable. Hubs' PL time ends sometime this upcoming year so basically, unless he gets a spot in another unit, he will not deploy as a PL. If he deploys afterwards (say if he is a CPT or something) he said he'll be stuck on staff duty. I don't know how true that is...I've seen pictures of CPT's and even majors out doing patrols and stuff.

Things can change, though. And I know you never know with the military. So I guess we'll see. Regardless if my husband deploys as a PL or not (or ever, since we're supposedly slowly pulling out our troops from the sandbox), I'm still so proud of him and thankful for his service. And no one better ever dare say that my husband "never made a difference."

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Happy birthday to me :) I hit up the PX to look for Coach purses. I love the PX, things are cheaper and you don't have to pay tax. This purse was already $60 cheaper compared to other retailers (like Dillard's, Macy's etc) and no tax :)

And btw, the Main PX at Fort Hood is huuuuuuge!

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For all of my new(er) followers, here is another "get to know me/my hubby" post :) For once I'm not going to blog about work.

Your name: Melissa
Husband's name: Eddie
Your age: 23...I will be 24 in October! I am 6 months older.
Husband's age: 23
Location: Fort Hood, TX!
Branch of military: Army MP.
How many years of marriage/how long have you been together?: We have been together for almost 4 years...married for 3 months!
Anniversary date?: 3 months!
How long has the military been apart of your life?: Not very long. It seems like awhile because Eddie did Army ROTC in college and there were ceremonies and military balls, etc. Not including ROTC (but if you include BOLC), it would be about 9 months.
Photo: Here is a random one from our wedding!


I want some more of that cake haha...for our 1 year anniversary!
How do you feel about the military in general?:
Have you gone through any deployments?: Not yet. I thought he was going to deploy shortly after moving to Texas, but that wasn't the case...*I* lucked out lol! He was actually going to deploy in July, but the Army was trying to decide between him and another LT that happened to be in his BOLC class, so I also know him personally. The other guy wasn't married, and since Eddie is, they decided to send the other guy overseas. I pray for his safety every day. And I feel bad, because 1) I know how badly Eddie wants to deploy and 2) It's practically my fault that he didn't get to deploy this time around, but I'm happy that he will be around for at least a little while. With the military you never know what can happen, though!
A really great memory?: Our wedding!
What are you most addicted to (forums/TV shows/musicals, etc)?: I will admit that I am heavily addicted to Facebook and Twitter and Allnurses.com. Favorite TV shows: Grey's Anatomy, Mercy, House (I love medical dramas!) and recently, Dance Moms hahaha. The new episode is on tonight and I'm very excited! I'm also addicted to Starbucks coffee and get it every night before going to work.
Are you in college/graduated/planning to go?: I graduated in December 2010 and Eddie graduated in May 2010. I thought about going back to school, but eh...I might just stick with my BSN, and add some more credentials to my name like PCCN or CCRN (that stands for "progressive care certified nurse" and "critical care registered nurse" respectively). Because I work in progressive care now, it is my goal to obtain my PCCN. If I transition fully to the ICU, I might go the CCRN route, too.
Any children?: Not yet.
Any pets?: Not yet. I really want a dog but unfortunately our apartment complex doesn't allow them.
If your husband wasn't in the military, what career would be he doing?: Lol he would probably be a professional race car driver, or a professional beer taste tester, if that even exists haha.
Is your spouse a lifer or contract?: Currently on contract...in October he will have 6 years remaining. At this point he is not sure if he wants to remain on contract or make a career out of it.
Favorite thing to do as a couple?: Cook, be lazy and cuddle on the couch and watch movies/Netflix :)
Dream job?: Food critic!
Dream vacation?: I don't know, somewhere exotic and beachy. I would love to go to Fiji, somewhere in The Caribbean Islands or the Bahamas. Eddie wants to go to Tunisia lol.
Do your in-laws drive you insane?: At times they do lol...but I still love them!
What is the worst experience you've had as a couple?: Eddie & I are pretty neutral and overall I think we handle things very well. We handled this move very well, but I would still say it was a tough experience...having to move 1,300+ miles away from all of our family & friends, getting settled, me trying to find work...I wouldn't say that was "the worst" experience we had, it was just very stressful. A lot of changes all at once.
What does your husband do to make you feel loved?: Everything! He always treats me so well and never belittles my feelings. He is caring and understanding and hates seeing me upset. If I am, he'll do whatever he can to fix it and make me happy.
Favorite/least favorite thing about being married?: Favorite: getting to spend practically every day with my husband. Least favorite: making all of those "big" decisions!
What weird/nasty habits does he have that just drive you nuts?: He is VERY messy...and he dips, eww!
Where do you see yourself and your family in 5 years?: Home is where the Army sends us...we probably won't be in Texas anymore, but who knows. I will have my PCCN/CCRN by then. We'll probably have a kiddo on board. Probably have a deployment or two under our belts.

I went to the yoga class on post today and OMG...I felt like I just about died. It was very tough, but I really enjoyed it. Very good workout! For those in the Fort Hood area, this class is offered Mondays & Wednesdays from 1145-1245 and 1730-1830 at Applied Fitness Center (33rd & Old Ironsides). There is also a beginner yoga class offered on Thursdays from 1000-1100 at Abrams Fitness Center (62nd Ave & Support Ave). Easiest way to get to both is by the main gate (TJ Mills Blvd)!

oh hey, blogger.

It has been awhile since I have posted!

I forgot to mention that I finally got my car! And I love it :) And Blogger is being a tard and won't let me post any pictures.

Hubs & I went to San Antonio last weekend. We went to the Alamo and to the Riverwalk! We went to this seafood restaurant called Landry's and had a pretty expensive "snack" - shrimp en brochette (shrimp with a sliver of jalapeno inside, hushpuppy on the outside, bacon-wrapped and fried and then finished off on the grill placed on top of a bed of fried onion straws and topped with a cheese-like sauce and crab meat) and a cup of lobster bisque...all for $26, not including tip! Everything tasted EPIC, though! I've been wanting more :)

We originally planned on staying at Lackland AFB through military lodging (why pay $100+ for a hotel room when you can get a VOQ room for like $40?) but then we decided to head home that day and go to Freedom Fest at Fort Hood.

But we never really went to Freedom Fest.
We went kayaking at BLORA, a lake that puts Lake Erie to shame!! It was fun, but a lot of work haha. We went to Razoo's Cajun Cafe and had some fried gator tail (which was very tasty, btw!). Hub's had fish fry for his entree and I had shrimp creole. Everything was amazing!
We went back home and slept.
We went to Fort Hood for the fireworks display, which was really nice. Instead of fighting the crowd, we went to one of the school parking lots on post. Several others had the same idea.

Once again, I am LOVING work :) Still have a lot to learn and there are a lot of times where I feel pretty stupid, but I'm getting it. Slowly but surely :)

Tonight hubs & I are going out to dinner with his platoon sergeant and his wife and tomorrow we're going back to San Antonio to go to Seaworld haha. You have no idea how excited I am.

FRG's.

Can anybody shed some light on this?

I have been wanting to get involved, but of course all FRG event information is sent to E's AKO account and he just does a really bad job at informing me of when these events are -_-

E also found out that his unit's highest-ranking officer (a Captain) is leaving. That means his wife, who is the current FRG leader, is also leaving. The FRG has no leader. E will be the new highest-ranking officer and according to him, that would be in the position to be the FRG leader.

He told them I couldn't do it, because I would be too busy.

That's probably true...I will be working full-time nights, which means at least 3-4, maybe even 5 nights/week. I will also have to work at least 4 weekend nights/month. I can do that however I want...I could work every saturday, or work 2 weekends in a row have the next two off, work the last 2 weekends, work every other weekend...anyway, would being an FRG leader on this type of schedule still be doable? I know nothing about the FRG and I'm hoping some of you can shed some light on this...even about your past experiences with the FRG. I would like to at least try, but I don't know how time consuming it will be.

milball dresses and more wedding stuff

As much as I didn't want to spend money on a floor-length dress for the upcoming military ball because this wedding continues to be expensive *and* I have to do some mandatory repairs on my car which will probably total to $1200...I understand that I have to maintain the car but why the hell does everything have to happen all at once? But anyway, I thought a floor-length gown would be more appropriate for a "ball" anyway so I decided to buy one. And the dress was under $100 which was a huge plus for me. I ended up buying this one:

the halter clasp on this particular one was broken so that's why I'm holding it up so I don't flash all of you haha.

I think the dress is very flattering on me and like I said, it was under $100 on sale :) These pictures make it appear more blue but it is slightly more purple. The other dress I was considering was this one:

$10 more, I loved the color (slightly brighter blue than this picture depicts) and I love the single strap but I wasn't too crazy about all of that frilliness on that strap. So I went with the purple one instead :)

I also met with the church organist and chose music for the wedding ceremony. We have to use the organist, so that limits me in my music choice. But here is what I chose:

seating of the mothers: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach

bridesmaids processional: Grazioso by Telemann. I listened to some recordings on youtube of this and I actually didn't like it. It sounds so much better on an organ.

wedding march: Trumpet Voluntary by Clarke. This is the same wedding march Princess Diana used :)

recessional: Rondeau by Mouret

That's another thing I can cross off my list :)

The bakery quoted me on the price for marzipan calla lilies on my cake...freakin' $185. ON TOP OF an already $500-$600 wedding cake. I feel bad for declining because I know they worked with it in the shop for awhile to make sure it was doable, so I feel like their efforts would be wasted...but that's a lot of freakin money just for some flowers. I thought about doing a mix of buttercream callas and marzipan but I don't know how well that's going to look. I don't know what to do, ahhhh!

The necklaces for my bridesmaids came in today, too :)

Not the best picture but I didn't want to take it out of the bag and (wo)man handle it before the wedding lol.

So finally that's another thing I can cross off! Their jewelry is on me...but I don't know if I should get them another gift as well? I would love to at least buy mani/pedis for them but that's going to be expensive as well and I only have a few more weeks left to work...so I won't have my own income any more :(

I also got offered an interview for an ICU internship at a level 1 trauma center! But I had to regretfully decline it, and the hiring manager totally understood. He believes in honesty, and he told me that if I were to get hired in another position in the hospital, all I would have to do is wait 6 months and then I can transfer into an internship. They have another one that starts in January and he said my chances are a lot better to get into that one than the one that starts in June. I would have to fly down for the interview, too. I looked up flights to Texas and they average around $500...so really, he was telling me to not waste my money and just wait lol. I'm hoping I'll get more calls in the future. I sent in a lottttt of apps! keeping my fingers crossed :)

MilSpouse survey!

MilSpouse survey from Erin @ Moore to Love :)

1. How long have you been a military wife?

Girlfriend: close to 3 years

Fiance: a little over 3 months

Wife: it will be 3 months on March 29th :)

2. What branch of service is your husband?

Army!

3. Active/Reserve?

Active

4. What is his job?

Military Police (don't hate!) He's at BOLC right now and will probably be on a staff position initially but once a platoon leader spot opens he is going with them.

5. How many deployments have you gone through?

None yet, but we have been separated before. 2 summers ago he went to LDAC and to Germany for CTLT and now he's at BOLC...but thankfully I see him pretty frequently, either through Skype or monthly visits. I know it won't be like that whenever he deploys.

6. ACU's or Class A's on your man?

I LOVE both, but I would have say dress blues :)

7. What do you like about being a military wife?

I haven't had any homecomings yet because I haven't been through a deployment yet (except for when he came home from CTLT), but I would probably have to say after being separated for awhile and then finally being with your man - waiting months just so see him, for a hug or a kiss (among other things ;) haha!) makes that wait worth it and it is such an incredible feeling!

8. Do you live on base?

Not at the moment. I'm not sure if we're going to live on-post at Fort Hood or not. As of now E would rather live off-post, but it all depends on what we can find down there!

9. What is your favorite base so far?

I've only been to Fort Leonard Wood, and honestly it kind of sucks haha.

10. What's the hardest part of the military life?

Being separated. Deployments. Having to constantly worry if your husband is okay and sometimes having to wait weeks (or even months!) just to hear from him.

11. Do you go to the grocery store or commissary?

Both. if I'm buying a lot of stuff, then I'll go to the commissary.

12. Do you work or stay at home?

I work!

13. Do you have a lot of military wife friends?

Not really. I'm hoping to meet a lot of fellow wives when I go to Fort Hood, though.

14. Do you prefer Walmart or the PX/BX/MCX/NEX?

Other places, only because those other places generally have a better selection of things; however, if I'm buying something a little more expensive (such as a GPS or some high-end makeup or some high-end fragrance) then I'll just go to the PX for that because it's cheaper. Oh, and same with Coach purses, too!

15. How did your husband propose?

First we went to our favorite sushi restaurant and indulged. Then we were going to go get some ice cream from my favorite parlor by his house and then he wanted to go take a walk on the towpath. I was stuffed on sushi so I passed on the ice cream, but we still went for a walk. I was wondering why we were walking here because we've never just "randomly took a walk" on the towpath before. We went bike riding down there before but that's pretty much it. Anyway we were walking and talking and the towpath has a canal with a canal boat that comes by that is pulled by horses and you can take rides on it and stuff. My first thought as E was explaining this to me was, "is the water shallow enough for those horses?" LOL he always makes fun of me for that now. I'm smart, but sometimes I say the stupidest things. It made sense to me that those horses would be in the water pulling that boat, but they actually pull from the side. Whatever, I didn't know haha.

Anyway, we kept on walking and then he stopped, faced me, gave me a hug and a kiss and told me how much he loved me, got down on his knee and popped the question. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy riding his bike our way but then he stopped and turned around - he didn't want to ride by during our moment haha. OF COURSE I said yes and I jumped into his arms.

16. Did you marry him after he joined or before?

After.

17. How long have you been together?

This fall will make 4 years.

18. Any kids yet?

Not for at least another 5 years. I actually can't ever see myself having kids haha

19. Any kids yet to come?

No!

20. Is your husband one of those "I am a soldier hear me HOOAH" kind of guys?

Absolutely not.

21. Have you ever done combatives with your husband?

hahaha yes! he was teaching me ground fighting. we did the same stuff in this self defense class I took in college because I needed a PE credit. One of my friends said, "I'm pretty sure this is called sex in my house" haha.

22. How many bases have you lived at?

This will be my husband's 3rd (Fort Lewis for LDAC, he was somewhere in Heidelberg (can't remember the name) for CTLT in Germany, and now he's in Fort Leonard Wood)

23. If you could change one thing about the military?

Shorter deployments!

24. Do you like military balls?

I love them! There is one coming up in April just before E's MPBOLC graduation :)

25. Where does your family live?

Ohio & Connecticut.

26. What do you do for a job?

I'm a nurse tech...basically an intern. I will almost have that RN!

27. Have you ever gotten in a fight with an NCO's wife?

Nope.

28. Name one thing you do when your husband is gone?

I become a work-a-holic! I also might start to continue my education once he deploys by working on my master's to help keep me busy. It all depends on when that will be, though. I also spend more time with friends.

29. Do you think other wives do that too?

I know a lot of other wives do anything to keep themselves busy. It helps make the time go quicker. Your husband doesn't want to hear about how you lock yourself up in the house and don't do anything. He wants to hear about you doing things and having fun (within limits, of course).

Yesterday, E and the rest of his group got OC-sprayed.

the spray went from ear-to-ear, then they had to go through an obstacle course. They had to knee and punch some targets (30 seconds each), OC spray a target (but that was just water) and then arrest someone. Afterwards they went to the decon station.

I felt so bad for all of these soldiers because I can only imagine how much it must suck to get sprayed in the face like that. Getting gassed or tased is nothing compared to getting OC-sprayed. Gas is like 10 minutes of suck, tased is a few moments of suck but OC-spray is like over an hour of suck. I captured pictures of E going through the obstacle course and then followed him to the decon station where I helped him and the other soldiers. There wasn't much I could do, other than pouring water on them, offering them paper towels and getting them baby shampoo and telling them to face the wind to help with the burn. One of the soldiers said to me, "you know, you're a very nice person. thank you." That made me smile :) I told E to slather sour cream on his face after flushing with water because it will help neutralize the burn. A lot of the other guys laughed, but once they slathered some sour cream on their face they realized how much it helps :)

Now E can no longer make fun of me for slathering sour cream all over my fingers and hands one day. We made guacamole and added some finely-chopped jalapeno to the mix. I didn't wear gloves and failed to properly wash off those capsacein oils. I just used some soap and water. That didn't work. Later that night I took a shower and rubbed my eyes and they were burning and then my fingers and hands felt like they were on fire. It was miserable. There was nothing that really could be done because the pores in my skin were already open and the capsaceins have already penetrated into the skin, but sour cream and dairy provided temporary relief. Once some ibuprofen kicked in I felt a lot better. Now I'm NOT comparing the burning from the jalapeno to the burn in your face/eyes from the OC spray, but it really helps to neutralize that burn! Now every time I chop up jalapenos I rinse with sour cream/yogurt/milk and then soap & water. I haven't had a problem since :)

(click to see full pictures because of my stupid layout...)
































































Lol aww...so proud of him! His face is fine now :)

Last night we went to The Hub which is a German restaurant. I don't mind German food, but I've never been "blown away" by something by so much where I *HAVE* to have it. I got the zigeur schnitzel, which intrigued me because of the "jalapeno & mushroom sauce." when I got it, it just looked like a bunch of brown gravy...wasn't spicy at all. There was only like 1 little slice of jalapeno and that wasn't even hot. At least the pork was tender.

E got the kaiser schnitzel with spaetzle. The kaiser schnitzel had some sort of weird creamy sauce on it that tasted like it was mustard-based (and I hate mustard) but it had a really good flavor. E loved it. Everything was good, but I would rather go to Seoul Garden or El Jimador the next time I come here. Plus the service at The Hub was VERY slow. We waited over an hour just to get our food.

Tonight we're going to Saint Louis so that should be interesting :) We're going to an Arabic restaurant for dinner which I'm excited for! :)

Day 7!

Day 7: Post a picture of a wonderful friend you have made because of your s/o being in the military.

I haven't really met a lot of people since E commissioned (hopefully that will change once we PCS in May). Through ROTC I have met a lot of people, but more notably these two:

This is an older picture of him, but he still looks EXACTLY the same. He's one of our good friends and happens to be E's best man for our formal wedding in May :) He was formerly enlisted as an MP and was stationed in South Korea. Now he's finishing up ROTC and will commission in May as a 2LT. This time he's going MI.

Aaaaand:

Sorry Lauren, I totally yoinked this from your Facebook page :)

I wouldn't have met her if it weren't for the Army. Both of our boys lived together and we practically lived with them in that house together haha. She's very sweet :) She also has a blog, go follow her @ Killer Words From A Queen! :)

Edit: I hate my layout for not being able to display pictures properly, even though I choose them to be small! Oh well, click to view them better, I guess :)

Day 5 - Branch

Day 5: Post a picture of the branch he is in and list your favorite thing about him being in the military.



That he takes pride in making a difference in the world and serving his country and defending our freedoms.

hooah! :)

traditions.

I love getting these red packets, even though Chinese Year Year was about a week ago. My grandma is the only one in my family who still gives them, but I guess it's still kind of cool to have that "tradition." We don't have very many traditions in my family. Red packets is one, as well as observing random Chinese customs and etiquette, such as never sticking your chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice (E does this to me all of the time and while it doesn't offend me THAT much, I think of the others around me) and showing respect to those who have passed away by bowing at their site three times...and for the Polish side of my family, we always have the traditional Christmas Eve dinner complete with oplatek (Christmas wafers and honey, I love that stuff), mushroom/noodle soup (with these $80/lb mushrooms imported from Poland), fried cod, pickled herring (which I don't eat), three different kinds of pierogi (potato & cheese, saurkraut, and plum) and of course tons of dessert lol.

Do any of you have any family traditions?

This year is the year of the rabbit. I'm a rabbit, and I'm hoping good things will come this year (passing my NCLEX, having a successful formal wedding, getting an RN job, continuing to have a happy marriage...)

新年快樂

恭喜發財, 利是逗來!

(Happy New Year)

(Happiness & Prosperity, and more red packets, please! :D)

I saw this garter at David's Bridal today. All of the Army garters I have seen I haven't really liked but I like this one. Camo + black and the Army seal :)

I still need my "something blue" and I thought about either having another blue/white garter or even buying these calla lily earrings that have 18k white gold plated calla lilies, 12mm Swarovski crystal aquamarine flowers and cream pearls. I think they are very pretty :) Of course, I need to get over my fear of needles/pain and get my ears re-pierced :)

I also still need a "something borrowed."