military life

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General Updates

I am officially half way through Chuck’s month-long training escapade – woohoo! It’s flown by and I feel a little guilty admitting I’ve barely noticed. I think I may be keeping almost as busy as he is. In reality though, I think I’m just in that be-strong-and-focused mode. Full gears ahead….

I am REALLY loving my new job. I love how it gets me out in the community, and how I’m learning to provide services to area businesses. The girl I’m replacing officially left yesterday, so as of Monday, I’m “in charge”.  I really want to do well there. The Chamber has been so nice to take me on even though I won’t be around long, and I want to make sure I make it as awesome for them as they have made it for me.

I’m ready to move into my new office on Monday. I already have a bag full of silly decorations in tow! I realized I haven’t had my own “space” at work in years. We did hoteling at PwC… a different cubicle every day.

When I’m not busy at work or staying late/arriving early for events, I’m prepping for weekend activities. Weekends are generally the hardest to be alone, and when I miss Chuck the most. Last weekend I attended the Commanding General’s holiday reception on base, courtesy of an invite via the Chamber. It was so nice! I watched a football game with friends (gasp!) and got lots of Christmas shopping and cleaning done.

This weekend I hosted a lunch for the ladies attached to the men in Chuck’s unit. I always stress myself out taking these things on, but they are generally worth it in the end. I’m glad we had an opportunity to get to know each other a little better.

I’m about to head to dinner at “Bemily’s” (Ben + Emily) and tomorrow I’m hoping I’ll be motivated enough to get up and go to church. We’ll see… 😉

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Christmastime is Here

Chuck and I managed to get the house decorated for Christmas before I dropped him off for pre-deployment training on Saturday morning… 3:30 AM came awfully early!! I always envy the beautiful themed Christmas trees (like the ones with ivory and gold ribbons and coordinated ornaments), but there’s something extra special about a tree that has all your old favorite trimmings on it. Needless to say, I never end up going the themed route 🙂 I opt for the nostalgia instead.

Anyway, the house is very quiet without Chuck. And clean!! Minimal laundry and dishes build-up too! But it’s lonely already. It should be interesting to see how this month goes with him gone, as a precursor to the big one in January. I do wish this month was part of that, and it was started already. By the time I get into a routine, he’ll be back, and then we’ll have to start over again! Ready to get the countdown started…!!

Regardless, Bean and I will stay plenty busy 🙂

P.S. Those two ornaments in the bottom right corner of the photo collage = Chuck’s and my baby’s first ornaments! 1984 babies all the way!

Had a lovely Thanksgiving here in Holly Ridge. Our friends Shane and Katy welcomed us into their home to celebrate with their family in town. Plenty of calories consumed and laughs shared! Lots to be thankful for this year. I feel like we’ve come a long way since our initial weeks here, as newlyweds!

Shane leaves for Djibouti next week, and Chuck leaves for 29 Palms tonight. It was good to get some time together before things change…

Now… off to get a Christmas tree! I’m making Chuck decorate with me even though he won’t be here most of the season, and we are spending Christmas in NoVA. But I love Christmas, so here goes! 😀

Last night we had an impromptu candlelit steak dinner with tomato caprese and red wine. Godiva chocolate bars for dessert. I feel like we should have used our nice china! But like I said – it was truly impromptu. The mood was killed when Chuck made me watch Mission Impossible 4 right afterwards anyway 😉

It’s Chuck’s last weekend before he leaves for 29 Palms for a month, for pre-deployment training. At least I get him for Thanksgiving Day – and he will be back just time for Christmas!

I’m actually so ready to get this deployment on the road! The limbo stage is annoying. I think both of us are ready…

Came into work today and the phones, Internet, and central network are down, so now is as good a time as any to update my Tumblr!

This past weekend was not only Veteran’s Day weekend, but the 237th Marine Corps birthday. The past three years, we celebrated with one of the elegant balls – Chuck in his dress blues, me in a gown, and a lot of pomp and circumstance to go around. They’re always lots of fun, but this year – since Chuck is now part of a motley 19-man team rather than a huge battalion – we celebrated with a low key “Ballbeque” at the Gunni’s house.

It was fun, if not a bit chilly for an outdoor party. I enjoyed the bonfire in particular 🙂 I didn’t so much enjoy the full roast pig all charred on the grill… It made me depressed.

Anyway, it was good to meet Chuck’s new leaders (I felt like I was at a parent teacher conference sometimes, with very drunk teachers!) It was also good to bond more with the Marines I already knew, and their wives and girlfriends.

We are all just gearing up for this deployment over here – won’t be too much longer now. Then I’ll have a two-time war veteran to be proud of and thankful for!

…a Facebook post from one of my fellow military wife neighbors that suddenly warmed me up. Her husband Steve was injured in Afghanistan last year. His leg injury stubbornly refused to heal. Finally, this fall, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and is currently undergoing chemo treatments. They are a beautiful, young, upbeat couple of just a few years, and they’ve already been through so much together. We can all learn a great deal from an experience (and subsequent attitude) like theirs!

P.S. Sorry for the crappy blurring job – I was in a rush 🙂

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Highs n’ Lows

“We have received your application. However, you were not among the best qualified candidates. Therefore, your application will not be sent to the hiring manager for selection consideration at this time.”

Oy VEY. It was for a job that asked me about my expertise in sending E-MAILS! An assistant to the administrative assistant! My application won’t even be considered?? Good grief. I had even moved my degree information to the bottom of my resume so I would appear less overqualified. Ugh. Forward and onward, I guess…

In other news, I’m super excited after purchasing a Living Social deal for some pole dancing and barre classes. That’s right. Pole dancing. Judge all you like! I did it for almost a year back in NoVa and loved it. Great workout, and a ton of fun! Better yet, it’s very affordable here and I can’t wait to get back into it. The barre classes sound amazing too – a mix of ballet, yoga, and pilates. It’s been over a year since I’ve done any dancing at all, so I’m ready to dive back in.

And, as our small world would have it, a friend of mine from the DC area randomly got engaged to a Marine and moved down here a few months ago. She is a dancer/ cheerleader and bought the Living Social deal with me. 🙂 Yayyy, I have a buddy!

Her being here has been hilarious in the first place. We didn’t hang out a lot in DC, but our social circles crossed paths a good bit. She messaged me on Facebook telling me she was moving here and needed advice on transitioning from the DC professional/socialite lifestyle, to military wife in the middle of nowhere. It’s been interesting being on the other side of this issue, giving advice to a nervous young woman instead of receiving it – allowing me to see how I’ve changed, grown, and adjusted since I moved here almost a year ago.

In yet another twist of circumstance, her fiance is on the same team as Chuck, and they will deploy together in the winter! It will be nice to have someone around who is on the same schedule as me, in terms of deployment. 

Anyhoo. It’s a quiet day here at the office. My boss is out all day so I’m more casual and relaxed while I cold-call potential investors. The assignment wraps at the end of next week, so I’m trying not to complain too much about it. I need this $12/hour – it gives me the means to dance 🙂