When bloggers disappear...

Tweet Where do they go?

I've been mainly going to the local Y & working my butt off. Literally.

I even have the blisters to prove it.

Chris & I created accounts on MyFitnessPal so that we could track our food & exercise to help us both get back in shape.

As much as I would love to lose weight, I realize and accept that my body is just different since having Klaw. My hips are wider & my booty actually sticks out now.

I'm okay with this.

I'm not okay with my lack of energy and poor muscle tone. That's what I'm hoping to "fix" more than anything else.

I have lost 6 pounds along the way, which means I finally weigh less than I did the day I gave birth...before I gave birth.

Also? The Submarine Birthday Ball is coming up and I bought a smoking hot dress that accentuates my curves. Spanx helps to contain the extra fabulosity. I don't mind the help!

(also, I'm checking out a Blogger app to see how it does for posting on the fly, so I have no idea what this post is actually going to look like published!)

Have you ever reached your breaking point where your health is concerned? Did you have to learn to accept changes to your body due to age, illness, or pregnancy?

6 words; 8 homes

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This post is inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompt:

1.) Six Word Memoir: Write about a significant time in your life in just six words.

I can't stay in one place.

Can you write a six word memoir? Give it a shot in the comments.

Feel free to leave more than one!

Top Ten Things I Miss about Chris

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10 - Feeding the animals is his responsibility when he's home. It takes a long time to feed 5 animals with various "issues" requiring special treatment &/or medications.  I miss getting up & drinking coffee without having a bunch of yapping mouths surrounding me.

9 - I won't lie, the sailor looks good walking away. (this means he has a really nice butt)

8 - We like to cook together & the food is almost always awesome...plus, it gets eaten. I can't cook full meals because it gets old before I can finish it by myself. I mean, Klaw eats the food, too...but not nearly as much as Chris eats.

7 - I get to shower every day if I want to.

6 - We can tag each other out if Klaw is having a tough time.  We don't have to deal with meltdowns alone, without any back-up.

5 - I can sit down & eat. 

4 -Grilled food. He really loves his grill and will grill anything: meat, fish, corn, other veggies, PIZZA...he'd probably grill beer if that was possible.  I don't grill.  It's too much work and I don't get any satisfaction out of doing it.  I do enjoy eating it, though.

3 - Chris gets my sense of humor. I don't have to censor myself around him for fear of accidentally offending someone. Yes, for those of you who know me outside of the internet, I do censor myself.  Often.  Obviously, I don't have a really big censor or anything.

2 - I miss Chris taking care of the heavy stuff...and I mean literally heavy.  I'm perfectly capable of doing it...but I hate it. I like the trash being taken down to the street & having someone else put stuff up in the attic. It's nice.

1 - The number one thing I miss about Chris is his tendency to tell lame jokes and crack himself up. I don't know if he really thinks they are funny or if he knows they are terrible...but he laughs at himself. I love that. He is so serious about so much stuff that it's nice to see him be silly.  I miss him being both silly & serious.

I just miss him.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Tweet It's Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

Presidential address to military spouses

I could wax on about everything we military spouses do to keep the home fires burning while our spouses "weave the blanket of freedom y'all sleep so comfortably under every night,"* but I won't.  I will ask you to thank a military spouse at some point today, though.

It's not easy.  It's not easy to say goodbye to your husband & wife and not know exactly where they are or when you will hear from them again.  It's not easy dealing with the aftermath of children & pets (yes, pets!) who aren't able to understand the bigger picture of why mom or dad has to be gone for weeks, months, or even years.  It's not easy not being able to talk about what your spouse is doing or when your spouse will be returning.

The hardest part for me right this very second is cleaning my house.  So, if you feel compelled to thank me, actions speak louder than words, mmmkay?  Please come over & clean my house.  Please?  Pretty please?

I'll buy you cupcakes.  Beer?  Pizza?  You name it.  Just clean my house.

My brother-in-law (once removed?) is mowing my lawn today...but he doesn't clean houses.

That's our Golden Retriever standing in the grass.

 
For some military spouse humor, check out WifeyOfASailor's recent post, You might be a milspouse if...


I'm also linking up my Osama is dead; now what? A milspouse's perspective for the Military Spouse Blog Hop & Let's "Bee" Friends blog hop with Bruna of Bees with Honey.  Check them out & read some other great posts!

*You can thank Chris for this quote.
I have no idea where he got it from but he loves to say it.

All.  The.  Time.

Osama is dead; now what? A Milspouse's Perspective

Tweet Twitter was quite the place to be last night leading up to, during & after President Obama's announcement.  I follow a significant number of military spouses and military affiliates.  The Twitter stream of the military spouses wasn't as jubilant as many of the tweets I saw coming from others.

When I first saw that Osama's death might be the upcoming announcement, my adrenaline kicked up a notch.  It was literally a gut reaction to finding out the "face" of terrorism might be gone for good.  It did not take long for that adrenaline rush to take a turn towards fear.  Judging by the tweets of my fellow milspouses, I was not and am not alone.

"Now what?" is the biggest question on my mind and the minds of military spouses & families the world over.  What does this mean to the world? What does this mean to the United States? The War on Terror?

Does this mean the TSA can calm down and stop manhandling children?  Will we be able to travel into Canada without a passport again?

What does this mean for my husband/wife/son/daughter/mom/dad?

Is Osama's death going to bring our troops home? 

I can't celebrate Osama's death.  I just can't.  There is a part of me that feels relief, but it's not a deep feeling.  Perhaps the relief I feel would have been stronger years ago before we changed our focus from Al Qaeda to Iraq and Saddam Hussein.

Do I understand why some people are dancing in the streets? Absolutely.  I just can't join them.

 What I don't want is for the United States to lose sight of the fact that we are still at war.  Men and women are still in Afghanistan and Iraq (& evidently Pakistan) risking their lives every. single. day.  One man's death will not end this war.

My hope is that by removing Osama from Al Qaeda, we will have cut off the head of a dangerous beast.

My fear, my absolute greatest fear, is that this is only going to make things worse and seven heads will sprout where the one was removed.

To all my dear friends, family, & fellow military spouses.  Please remember Operations Security (OPSEC) and Personal Security (PERSEC).  "Loose lips sink ships."

My heart is heavy right now.

and just like that, he's gone again...

Tweet Yes, Chris is under the sea again.  (cue The Little Mermaid)

Don't worry.  No OPSEC violations.  I'm not telling you when he left or when he's coming back; granted, as usual, I don't actually know when he's coming back.  I'm not even going to tell you what boat he's on.  None of that matters.  All that matters is that he is gone and it didn't take very long for Deployment Karma to start rearing her ugly little head.  

Livin' Like No One Else!!! Baby Steps

Tweet Finally, I think it's safe to get back to the subject of Financial Freedom.

So, fast forward a little bit - we sold Chris's beloved SportTrac, he started driving the Granny Grand Am, and we moved to the great state of Washington.  Chris was attached to his first boat...SSBN 730 Henry M. Jackson (blue crew).  I got a job as a nanny for two families.  We found a nice little pet-friendly apartment (Callie & Mocha are with us).  During my commute to &/or from my nannying job, I started listening to Dave Ramsey again (I hadn't listened since I lived in Charleston).  I also started trying to get Chris to listen to it...but he was/is/always shall be bored out of his mind with talk radio.

The more I listened to Dave, the more insistent I was that we really needed to become debt free.  Chris did not agree with getting "gazelle intense" and putting debt freedom before everything else.  He had already given up his beloved truck...so this became the source of more than a few arguments.  Luckily, it wasn't long before Chris had to go to sea for the first time.  I used that opportunity to start paying off debt on my own without anyone arguing with me.  I didn't care if I ate PB&J sandwiches every day!

Eventually, Chris noticed that he was one of the few husbands who came home to more money than he left with.  I'll just say that it wasn't (isn't?) all that uncommon for many wives to spend a lot of money when the husbands are away.  I was able to start the debt snowball during one of his deployments.  Imagine his surprise when he came home to find some debts paid off and significant headway made on others.  This was what it took to get Chris on board...at least somewhat.  He is a hard sell, sometimes.

Now, we weren't following the Dave Ramsey plan 100%, myself included.  I was just sold hook, line & sinker on the debt snowball method.  It made sense to me and it definitely worked.  Getting out of debt requires a change in behavior more than it requires a calculator.  We committed to the debt snowball and didn't increase our lifestyle as he moved up in the Navy & received various pay raises.  This allowed us to get a good handle on paying our debt off.

I had promised Chris he could get another truck once we reached some financial stability and we both felt like we had made it there when we paid off the American Express card (we had previously closed the account because our rate jumped & they refuse to lower it).  *Remember - I said we were not following the plan 100%* Chris traded in the Granny Grand Am and we bought a brand new Ford F-150 FX4 SuperCrew.  We negotiated well and the payments did not significantly change our financial status at all.  I do believe I said, "I will never buy another new car," after this purchase.  (foreshadowing)

So, to summarize, our 3 years in Washington helped us both get mostly on board for getting out of debt.  We didn't significantly change our lifestyle, we just didn't increase it as our income increased.  We didn't get on a budget, we didn't sacrifice anything, but we did, for the first time, have a common financial goal as a couple.  Money was no longer a source of arguments in our house.

Our next move would take us to the beautiful and ridiculously expensive Monterey Peninsula...and the next phase of our debt free journey.

Continued...

Livin' Like No One Else!!! Debt from my POV

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Okay. So this is the first post I've done so I'll start by letting all you curious readers a little about myself. Born a few years ago to two caring parents, the first of three; not three caring parents, but siblings. Spent the first 18 years of my life in Monroe, GA, about 20 minutes from Athens, GA, home of the horrific Georgia Bulldogs (and yes "dogs" is spelled d-o-g-s, not d-a-w-g-s) and about an hour from Atlanta. Grew up as an outside kid who never really watched TV but always looked for the nearest tree to climb, trail to explore, or pinecomb to throw at someone. I grew up playing baseball and was sure I was destined to be a major leaguer with the Chicago Cubs, a dream I have not given up on, by the way. Played sports all of those 18 years and had some scholarship offer to play baseball at some smaller schools. That's when pride stepped in and said "you are too good to play at anything less than a Division I school." I forgot to mention that I was planning on going to the Naval Academy out of high school, to play baseball. Short story is I didnt get in. Oh well. Back to pride. Grew up a Georgia Tech fan, not because I had influence from family members, who were all UGA fans, but because I knew that I wanted to be called "Boss" from UGA graduates. So I decided to go to GT, where I spent 3.5 years bouncing around from major to major (Architecture->Aerospace Engineering (2 weeks)

->Management ->Biology (thought maybe I'd be a doctor) ->Earth & Atmospheric Sciences). Let me say a little about the latter major. The movie "Twister" came out in 1996 and I thought/think it was/is an awesome movie. Weather was awesome, especially severe weather. GT didn't have a Meteorology program and EAS was the closest they had. However, after a year in that curriculum I was unimpressed and uninspired. I decided to transfer. So in the Spring Semester of 1998 I enrolled in the University of Oklahoma Meteorology program, one of the best in the country, I might add. Spent 2.5 years there (yep, total time adds up to 6 years) and graduated May of 2000 with a B.S. in Meteorology, minor in Hydrology. Okay, since I'm getting tired of typing, I'll shorten this. Moved back to GA, got a job teaching 7th grade math in Griffin, GA, hated it, and quit 7 months later, afterwhich I was accepted to the the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program (NUPOC). Went to Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, FL in April of 2001, got commissioned as a United States Navy Ensign, and moved to Charleston, SC in August of 2001. Dana and I met through a mutual friend, thanks Arynn, and as Dana has so eloquently put it in the blog title, got engaged and then married. The rest Ill save for those who have any questions.

So, let's talk about debt since this is the reason I'm posting. As you can imagine 6 years of college is not cheap. Let's just say it was a little more than Dana's one year of grad school. In any event, it was all paid for by Mr. Stafford, as in Stafford Loans. Teaching wasnt exactly bringing in the dough, so when the Navy said they would give me $12k, I was sold. I never really had had a high paying job so when I got this bonus and was receiving Ensign pay, I thought I was rich. Got the car I wanted (Explorer previously mentioned in Dana's post) and spent money as I wanted, although I had never really been a freewheeling spender.  I never really thought much about debt until the time arose where I was posed with the idea of having one car and getting rid of the only car I had really wanted/enjoyed or drive 2 cars, one of which you never want your friends to see you drive.  Thankfully I had a loving, smart wife who made me realize that we have a future to think about.  We needed two cars and not one sweet SportTrac.  In the long run, it was the right decision.  I drove 14 hours to trade in the SportTrac for a car I had never even seen.  Even though I had to live with the Champagne Beige Pontiac Grand Am for a little while, it allowed us to use the money I was making more effectively.  The point. Sometimes it is more important to drive a grandma car for a while to make life better later.  Fast forwarding, I have had the fortunate opportunity to serve my country but at the same time live a humble life and pay off everything that Dana and I share (with the exception of our house).  There are times when I asked myself, and Dana, "why cant I just enjoy life right now with the money that we have?", cause lets face it; it is tempting to just spend when you get the first pocketful of dough.  I didnt want to be an old man when I could finally enjoy life, right?  Well, the wisdom that Dana has has let me see the light.  We have sacrificed little and gained a lot.  We have put money into IRA's and into savings (not without a fight from me, of course) and still able to live a good life.  I'll end this diatribe with this.  I was hard-nosed and fought Dana every step of the way but let me tell you this.  It feels awesome to be out of debt and wouldnt change anything about it.

On a different note, isnt my kid cute?

Continued...

EFMP

Tweet Well, we were finally approved for the Navy's Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP).  Due to the severity of Klaw's medical condition, we are Category V.  In addition to limiting which bases where we can be stationed (Rotten Groton, CT is NOT on the list!), this classification allows for homesteading at a naval base that is large enough to do multiple sea/shore duty rotations.  It has to be updated every 3 years, which is just about perfect because by the time Klaw is 3, we should have a better handle on what we are going to be dealing with as far as future health issues are concerned.  We really like the doctors who are caring for Klaw at this time so it's good to know that we will not have to move for at least 3 years.

Now, we are just waiting to find out when Chris can come home...

Life is Good!

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Well, we had an unexpected surprise this past Thursday!  Chris's boat pulled in for a personnel exchange and some repairs - they are still in the trials & testing phase, so this happens.  We were just lucky it happened when they were here!  Chris was able to spend two nights at home and, as a bonus, his mom, Cynthia, is in town visiting.  What a wonderful Mother's Day weekend for her to be able to spend it with her grandson & son!

 

You have to excuse the mustache - none of the guys expected to be able to see their families!

Klaw is doing well overall.  We are still trying to get his blood work results good & consistent.  We have greatly increased the amount of formula he needs to eat every day and we are only breastfeeding 1-2 times a day at the most.  He is gaining weight (10lbs 6oz, currently) and growing just like he should, so he is a healthy little boy.  A "not-so-professional" assessment from his doctor described him as a "beautiful baby boy."  I agree wholeheartedly!

We are getting into a routine and it seems like my sleep needs are adjusting pretty well overall.  Klaw is still such a little trooper.  He really is making all of the running around, formula feeding, blood work, urine samples, etc, as easy as possible.

USS New Mexico (SSN 779)

Tweet The PCU (pre-commissioning unit) New Mexico is officially the USS New Mexico.  She belongs to the Navy!  The ceremony was held today in Norfolk, VA.  Chris is the official first Officer of the Deck and has a small role in the ceremony, ensuring his place in naval history!  It was very touching.  If you'd like to watch the full ceremony (approximately 45 minutes), it is available here.

Last night, the Commissioning Gala was held at the Waterside Marriot in Norfolk, VA.  Many New Mexico related gifts were given to the boat and there were various speakers.  Since I'm still just hanging around being pregnant, I decided to go with Chris.  Luckily I had ONE dress that actually fit & would work for semi-formal attire.  Other than free food, the highlight of the evening was having Donald Rumsfeld tell my husband that he married way out of his league.  That was music to the ears of this 10 months pregnant lady!

Let's get this show on the road

Tweet The USS New Mexico arrived home safely yesterday and I'll get to see Chris tonight!  He had duty, so his personal homecoming had to be postponed by a day.

I'm 39 weeks pregnant as of today, so I am perfectly fine if Klaw would like to move out of my dinky little uterus & into our big ol' house even though I don't plan on evicting him unless it's medically prudent.  Plus, it would be nice if Chris actually has the chance to meet his son.  Yes, Chris will only be home for a limited amount of time (BOO HISS!).

Here's a link to the USS New Mexico if you are interested in learning more about this brand new boat.

USS New Mexico in action

Tweet It's not often that you get to see submarines in action and actually learn what they are doing, but the Navy posted a pic of some fairly recent training activities somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.  So, if you are wondering what Chris is doing these days, here's a pretty cool picture.

UPDATE:  If you look at the hi-res version of the picture, you can kind of see two people on the bridge.  One of them is my husband!

Good Day Sunshine!

Tweet I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about
I feel good, in a special way
I'm in love and it's a sunny day
-The Beatles


So, I'm temporarily over my hatred of snow SOLELY because the sun is shining.  It's amazing what the bright, Vit D creating beams of light can do for my general attitude.  Plus, the dogs gave me plenty to laugh about as they ran wild in the yard earlier this morning.  (yes, Boomer is scratching his butt on the snow...maybe I need to get his glands expressed)

I will say that I saw the "results" of all of the idiots in this area who have no clue how to drive in snow last night.  I ventured over to my sister's for some tasty turkey chili in our big beast of a truck (Ford F-150 FX4 supercrew).  I have had more experience than I would like driving in various 4wd-required situations so I wasn't too concerned.  What did concern me was all the local yahoos flying down the road (no salt or sand, no plowing, nothing) in their stupid little compact cars.  One idiot came flying around a corner (I say "flying," but in reality it was only "flying" because of the road conditions) and I thought to myself, "if this moron slides, he's hitting my jacked up truck and dying."  Heading back to my house after dinner, I saw mountains (okay, molehills) of evidence of even more drivers losing control and sliding all over the road and into embankments.  Lucky for them, I assume they were able to keep driving since there was no police tape or vehicle left in the car shaped snow indentions.
Tip:  If you only see snow every 4 years or so, please stay off the roads.  Even better, if you are any number of the Hampton Roads drivers who can't drive during perfect weather, please trade your driver's license for an idiot card and let's call it a day.


Keeping in line with the Beatles theme for today:
They say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too, yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you


Today is Chris's birthday...and, evidently, the birthday of 4 other sailors on his boat and two of our friends.  Popular day!  This is not the first time he has been at sea for his birthday, sadly.  However, we had a "mail drop" take place for the boat since they are at a liberty port for a bit.  He won't get his cards on time, but at least he'll get them...hopefully.  I was able to speak to him on the phone earlier and he pointed out the fact that we would both be much happier if we could switch locations.  He enjoys the snow WAY more than I do and he's actually sad he is missing it.

Just when I least expected it...

Tweet I recently got a phone call from Chris.  It was unexpected and it made me incredibly happy.  Although I have been able to send him emails and he seems to have been receiving them, I can't always count on hearing anything back from him when he's at sea.  Partly because it's hit or miss if email communication will be up & running and partly because he (and most of the guys) are usually running on fumes by the time they are able to even bother checking email.  Any communication received on this end is so incredibly appreciated.

I've been asked this several times, so I'll answer it here:  Chris may or may not be here for the birth of our son.  His boat is being commissioned March 27 (public knowledge, so I can state it!) and it's safe to assume the boat will actually be here for the commissioning.  My EDD is March 23.  Chris will be here sometime before the commissioning and he will leave again sometime after the commissioning (no, I can't be more specific).  So, as you can imagine, there is a very small window of time where he will be available under the best of circumstances.

It's been a while since he was last at sea and I can honestly say it makes a huge difference being pregnant.  It's very hard to be as independent as I am accustomed to being when I'm tired, slow, and quite sore at times.  Managing a household by myself was far easier when half (maybe more?) of my energy wasn't being used to grow a baby.  I am very thankful that I do not have to work right now and I have an ever increasing amount of respect for the moms & moms-to-be who do work.