It's all a blur. . . and my very bad day.

We've had internet for nearly a week and I am just now updating! Why? Because if I could sum up our new life in one word, that word would be "BUSY."

The whole thing has been one big adjustment, but the thing I am struggling most with is just how crazy busy we are. I knew Brandon would be working more, which would be tough for me. . . but I was expecting it to be kind of like travel nursing where I was sitting around bored with nothing to do. SO not the case here!

I'll give you a couple of examples to prove how little free time I've had. These might not mean much to you unless you know me "in real life" but if you know me well, you'll be shocked. ;)

• I started a new novel over a week ago and am only halfway through it. 
• I've had my household goods for over a week and still haven't hung pictures or curtains. 
• I've completely missed the new episodes of Burn Notice and Leverage. . . and haven't taken the time to watch them online. 
• I have been eating-- are you ready for this?-- TV DINNERS and FAST FOOD. 

But the weird thing is that if you ask me what I've been doing that is taking up all my time, I have a hard time coming up with an answer. Everything has been one big blur. All I know is my days look something like this. . .

4:30 am. Crawl out of bed and start the coffee while Brandon goes for a run. Drink my coffee and try to wake up before he comes home. Feed the dogs and make the bed.
5:00 am. Brandon comes home and does pushups and situps while I start breakfast. I have it ready and on the table when he gets out of the shower.
5:30 am. Breakfast with Brandon, then my turn in the shower.

After this, the day becomes a total blur of cleaning, laundry, waiting in offices, paperwork, phone calls, unpacking, meetings, social events, errands, inprocessing, orientations, etc. . . I usually don't even remember crawling into bed.

Yesterday, we decided to schedule ourselves for an hour of tv time together. We wanted to watch the new episode of Chopped, which came on at 9:00 pm. So we worked until then, sat down in front of the tv. . . and I was asleep before the first round was over. One hour of downtime together and I slept through the whole thing!



There have been a lot of changes since I last blogged. We moved into our on-base house and our household goods arrived (obviously). We've made friends and love our neighborhood. Brandon is almost finished inprocessing and will hit the floor next week. There are so many things I want to share about his job and this new life, but I'm going to leave it with one story today. . . and story about a very, very bad day.

The day I realized I'm getting old.

It began with a car shopping trip. We left our second vehicle in Arkansas and are selling it. . . it's the one I drove around, a 13 year old tiny little car that isn't really doable with kids (but sure is fun to drive!). We were going to just drive the one car for a few months, but it's had to go in the shop four times in the last few months and needs to go again. So, it was time for a reliable car for me.

I went in expecting to get a mid-size, semi sporty car. Something fun to drive but that would seat three kids in the back (if you're new, here's the deal-- we're in the adoption process and are approved for up to three kids). As we test drove vehicles, I realized that was impossible. Three kids don't fit into the back of a mid-size, sporty little car. . . especially if all three are in booster seats or car seats. Plus, what if a hurricane hits? I'll have to evacuate and Brandon will have to stay here. So how would I fit three kids, suitcases, important documents and photo albums, a cooler (for formula or snacks or whatever the kids need) and two dogs into a car??

So. . . we bought a minivan. A big, dorky, purple minivan. I call it "The big rolling Barney." I drive a minivan. A minivan. No matter how many times I say it, it still just feels wrong. I'm still in my twenties! I still wear cute shoes and tight jeans! A minivan?!

It got worse.

When I picked up a bottle of wine, they didn't even card me. 

That evening, when I drove onto base, the guard at the gate called me "Ma'am." He was probably 18-20. I looked at him and saw a peer. He looked at me and saw a woman driving a minivan. A "Ma'am."

Later that night, during a conversation with Brandon about one of our new friends, I asked Brandon,
"How old do you think she is? My guess is early thirties."

"No way. She looks way younger than you."

. . .

So, folks, it's official. I look old. I look old and I drive a minivan and people call me "Ma'am." Oh, and instead of going out to the movies, my husband and I choose to watch cooking shows for our date nights. . . and I fall asleep during them, at nine pm.

I guess it's time for me to start wearing mom jeans and holiday themed cardigans.

Checking Out

I'll be signing off of the blog for a bit! We are moving into our house tomorrow, but our HHGs (household goods) won't arrive until next week. Our internet equipment is packed away in the HHGs, so we'll be offline!

Following Orders

One of the perks (for me!) of Brandon going to COT is that after five weeks of being brainwashed to follow orders indiscriminately, he still does. This first dawned on me when I woke him up at 3:30 am to walk the dogs. I guess he was just so used to being awoken at all hours and given commands that he didn't even think twice-- he just rolled out of bed without saying a word, dressed, then walked the dogs. Ten minutes later, he returned and got back into bed. When I hesitantly asked him to get back up to get me a glass of water, he instantly got back up to do it.

I tested this just a couple of times before letting him in on it. He thought about it for a minute and realized I was right. We had a good laugh, and I never tried it again. . .

. . . until today.

Unbelievably, it still works.

I was feeling pretty lazy today. So, this afternoon, I casually suggested that he clean the kitchen. He immediately jumped up to do it. "Wow, this is pretty awesome," I thought to myself, and decided to push it. When he finished with the kitchen, I suggested he put in a load of laundry. Yes, he instantly turned on his heels and headed to the laundry room. He washed, folded, and put away two loads.

I felt pretty bad for using my newfound power, so I took over the dog walking this afternoon and made him a really nice dinner. But after dinner, I couldn't help trying again. I said, "Since that dinner was so great, do you think you would like to clean the kitchen again?" I didn't really expect anything this time, since I had phrased it as a question and had already told him I would clean up.

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied, jumping up to start the dishes.


Wow.

Don't worry, I won't continue to take advantage of this. I'm not a horrible wife. But it sure was nice today. ;)

Adjusting

We've been living on base for the past few days, and I've sat down to blog several times. I've just never finished or published each post. Why? Because the whole thing has been one big jumble of great experiences and frustrations, and my perspective on this new life seems to change by the hour.

There have been many positives. We have found a house, and are very excited about moving in soon. I really like the house and can't wait to set up our furniture and make it into a home!! Brandon's new coworkers have been incredibly supportive, offering us the use of their lawnmowers, cooking gear, air mattresses-- whatever we need until our household goods arrive. That is such a blessing, and it's great to have instant support and camaraderie at a new place. The people we've met are very nice, and we are looking forward to getting know them better. We are enjoying the area, have eaten at some amazing restaurants, and had a wonderful time watching fireworks on the beach. We've adjusted quickly to the weather (except for my hair, which is officially a disaster. . . not that it was great to begin with, but it was at least manageable prior to moving here. Now I get about an hour of good hair before it transforms into a flat-on-top/frizzy-on-bottom nightmare).


Unfortunately, all of those positives are often overshadowed by the challenges of adjusting to this new life. There have been some surprises and frustrations. Take Brandon's leave time, for example. Thirty days a year for leave sounds AMAZING. But, in reality, it's not what we expected. We're losing ten of those days right off the bat. . . we purposefully took one on our way here, because we had already paid for a hotel and it was non-refundable. That 1 turned into 2, because Brandon couldn't report on the 4th of July. Now, Brandon is on 8 days of chargeable leave (he wasn't given a choice in the matter). That would be awesome, except that so far he's spent every one of those days inprocessing. All the "leave" really means is that he isn't scheduled at the hospital. He's still stuck doing paperwork and meeting with different offices, and is scheduled for computer orientation and other things. Don't get me wrong, I love that his schedule is *somewhat* flexible and that he's only gone during normal business hours instead of 12 hour hospital shifts. It's just frustrating to me that we're losing 1/3 of his vacation days for the next year (days we were planning on using in a few months to make up for the vacation we had to cancel) and he's still tied up doing Air Force stuff every day.

The leave situation is just one frustration in a long line. I won't go into the rest here. They are just issues with incorrect pay, reimbursements, our household goods, etc. Just a headache (but when it comes to finances, any headache is a big headache).

Just like with anything in life, you have to take the good with the bad. I still think that the positives will ultimately outweigh the frustrations. We're still in an adjustment period. We will eventually get past the inprocessing, get everything corrected, and we will adjust to the new lifestyle. There's a lot to love and embrace in this new life! The headaches are temporary. . . I just have to keep reminding myself of that. :)

To show you it's not all bad, here are a couple of pictures. . . 

Fireworks on the beach for the 4th of July

Hugging my husband goodbye before his first day of work "leave."

4th of July

Happy Independence Day!

A small (okay, big) part of me still wishes that I was boarding our anniversary/"honeymoon" cruise today, but I am excited to spend Independence Day on an Air Force base! American flags are flying everywhere and the spirit of patriotism is going strong.

Be safe and enjoy the holiday! 

Enjoying the Gulf

My sweetheart is sleeping again. He's slept a LOT since he was released-- 9-10 hours a night, plus two naps a day. I think he was exhausted!

The last 48 hours has been very low key. We drove to a pet-friendly hotel Friday night and crashed with the dogs. We ordered pizza and only left the room to grab some decaf coffee downstairs. We slept late, drove the rest of the way the next morning, and dropped the dogs off at their boarding facility. We visited our base, which was exciting! Then we called our hotel and asked if we could check in early. I was hoping to change and hit the beach, but Brandon slept for three hours straight, haha.

We went to a local seafood restaurant last night, which was quite the experience. The restaurant was about 12 feet in the air, sitting on wooden beams. I thought that was kind of strange, because it wasn't on the water so high tide wouldn't be an issue. Obviously, large hurricanes and flooding could be a problem, but in the surrounding area, only one other building was built like that. All others were just normal ground level buildings.

We sat outside on a screened in patio, in order to really experience the mugginess of the deep south (and to get a table quickly, haha). The humidity is out of this world. I grew up in Arkansas, so I thought I was prepared for humidity. . . but I've never experienced anything like this.

The restaurant was a strange combination of typical Northeastern seafood (grilled tilapia, fresh lobster from Maine, etc.), Southern seafood (fried catfish, fried clam strips, fried popcorn shrimp, etc.) and Cajun (seafood gumbo, red beans and rice, alligator, etc.). I ordered off the Cajun menu and probably would have really enjoyed it had I not had the real deal in Alabama two nights before. Seriously, if you're ever in Prattville, stop by Uncle Mick's Cajun Cafe. It is authentic and out of this world. My mouth waters just thinking about it. There is nothing like good Cajun food-- I love it.

Today, we picked up a local brochure and were pleasantly surprised by how much there is to do in the area. I wish I could drag Brandon sightseeing, but I'm going to be nice and let him rest. :) There are some interesting historical sights, a strong military heritage, a farmer's market (very surprising!), blueberry picking, beaches (of course!), outlet mall shopping, and big name concerts/shows in the area!

Tonight we're going to try another seafood restaurant, and tomorrow we're going to check into base lodging and go to a base bonfire and fireworks on the beach. Brandon will report Tuesday morning and our fingers are crossed that we will be able to get set up in base housing that day!

The only thing certain in the military is change.

Graduation events are over, and it's been quite the emotional weekend!

It all began with the long drive to Alabama. Originally, Brandon had been told that we would have four hours together that first night. Actual time together: none. Nada. I knew this was coming, but it was still tough. . . especially since he was having dinner with his flight. Right down the block from my hotel. Yes, he actually passed my hotel both coming and going, but couldn't stop in to say hello. *sighs* In good news, I had an absolutely delicious Cajun meal with my family.

I didn't get any sleep that night. I was soooo excited about seeing him the next morning! The plan was for him to meet me in the parking lot before my first event (spouses orientation) so that we could have a few minutes together before we were split up for the morning. What actually happened: I waited in the parking lot, watching other couples reunite, while Brandon was stuck in an unexpected meeting and couldn't even let me know he wasn't coming.

As rough as that was, I got over it and really enjoyed spouses orientation. They had a panel of military wives (and one military husband!) answering questions and going over the basics of insurance, benefits, and services on base. It was very informative and it was great to see other "newbie" wives. I only got to chat with a few of them personally, but I was amazed by how we were instantly comfortable with each other.

Finally, noon rolled around and we were able to attend the retreat ceremony and see our airmen for the first time. I had a hard time picking Brandon out of the crowd! I did spot him, but was only 50% sure it was him. He had lost weight and was super tan!

After retreat concluded, the airmen ran out to meet their loved ones. . . well, except for Brandon and his flight. They immediately turned around and left for another meeting.

At that point, I was seriously about to break down into tears. Our families and I waited on the field for what felt like an eternity and FINALLY he was released! I ran into his arms. That first hug was a moment that I will never forget. I'll also never forget his first words: "I love you. I missed you. I only have 45 minutes."

. . .

There were nearly 300 students. All of them were released to spend the next three hours with their families, except for 18 who had to attend a meeting. Brandon was one of the 18. Of course.

We jumped in our cars and headed for the BX so that Brandon could scarf some lunch. He had to leave before his parents even got out of line and made it to the table.

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting in the booth and spoke (out loud) to my phone, "Please ring! Please be Brandon saying that the meeting was canceled!" I looked up and Brandon was walking toward us! The meeting didn't happen and he was free.

So we had some time with him before the final event of the day. After that, we were able to go to dinner as a big family and then he got to come back to my hotel for two hours before curfew.

Skipping over that and to the next day. . . ;)

This was the ugly part. Today should have been an amazing day of celebration. It wasn't. See, we had a little bit of a problem. . .

A few weeks ago, all the students were asked to submit a travel itinerary. Brandon and I were planning our "second honeymoon" anniversary trip, as you well know. We submitted the itinerary and Brandon was told it was fine by three different people.

But it wasn't. Our itinerary included leaving the country. . . and it was disapproved. . . and we didn't find that out until this morning. Immediately after graduation, Brandon had to go try some last minute paperwork in an attempt to get approval. We didn't even have time to snap a picture together. The paperwork was again denied. The officer who had to deny it honestly felt horrible about it, but he wasn't authorized to approve it. He had no choice. Of course, this left us in a lurch. We had to cancel our plans (and lost several hundred dollars. even with our travel insurance) and only had an hour to submit a new itinerary.

There was no time to plan anything else, so we made a quick decision. We're spending just a couple of nights in a hotel then Brandon will report on Tuesday (the first day after the holiday).

That was very hard. This is the first time we have ever planned a big vacation like this. Our honeymoon was three nights in a state park! We were so, so excited, and had spent so much time talking and planning for the trip. But the part that hurts the most is giving up the leave time together. I know it's only been a month and that's nothing in the military world, but we've never been apart this long. We needed the time together to reconnect and destress. . . and Brandon really needed a vacation after the very tough program he just went through!

But all that matters in the end is that we are together again. My sweet husband is sleeping beside me right now. He's sunburned, too thin, covered in bruises and scrapes, has an injured ankle, and is exhausted-- but he's here, and I get to fall asleep next to him tonight.

We'll take our honeymoon eventually. We'll start the paperwork process wayyyy ahead of time, and check with at least ten people before paying for any of it. . . but we will take it. It's important, and we'll make it work down the road.

Meanwhile, I'm going to soak up every minute with my husband over the next three days.