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Please join me at my new blog Wife of a Sailor.

The One About Getting Married

We have the greatest pre-nuptial agreement in the world.  It’s called love.
~Gene Perret

I have a good excuse for not posting lately. B and I are getting married. In 22 days.  And we just got engaged two weeks ago.

Yes, folks, I’m crazy enough to plan a wedding in five weeks.  And today is the 11th day I’ve worked without a day off. I’m a bit tired. And frazzled. And going a bit nuts.

So if you don’t hear from me until April… that’s why.  ‘Cause that’s about when we’ll be back from the honeymoon… just in time for B to PCS to Washington state.

Add putting a house on the market to sell and finding a job in Washington onto my list of things to do.

Frazzled is a great word for how I feel right now.

The One About My Interview

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.
~Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris

I really need to get back in the game. While I haven’t been posting much, I have been keeping up with everyone else’s blogs (thanks to Google RSS Reader!). So when Ivanhoe at From Ohio With Love asked her readers who wants to get interviewed, I thought it would be a good way to try to jump back into the swing of things. Thanks Ivanhoe!

Here we go! Ivanhoe is asking and I’m answering.

1. What have you been up to these last couple of months while neglecting blogging?

Yeah, I have been kinda neglecting it, haven’t I?  Well, I’ve been busy putting together my package to become a Direct Commissioned Officer (DCO) in the United States Navy Reserve.  More specifically, I’m putting in to become a Public Affairs Officer (PAO). It’s highly selective and usually 1-4 people are selected each year from a group of 2,400 (or so I was told by my recruiter). This year, however, they are selecting 19-24… so odds are 10x better… but they are still a 1 in 240 chance!

Anyway, it’s a long process with lots of paperwork, photos (to make sure I’d look good on camera) and the like. I also had to do interviews. Interviews with current/retired PAOs are the best and with as high-ranking as you can is even better.  I managed to get three interviews (only one was set up by my recruiter) with three PAO Captains. In fact, I was able to score–by myself–an interview with a Captain at the Pentagon. And yes, I flew to D.C. and actually interviewed at the Pentagon.

I’m also trying to lose about 10 pounds before I get weighed in (if I’m selected) and trying to do better physically. See… I can do a total of ONE military-style, proper push-up in two minutes. I need to be able to do at LEAST 15 but 19 would be better. I have to do AT LEAST 47 sit-ups, but 54 would be better.  And here’s the kicker: I have to run a 1.5 mile in less than 15:45… but 14:53 would be better.  I’m not a runner. Even when I was in the best shape of my life with about 7% body fat, I couldn’t run more than 1/2 mile without walking. Running will be the death of me.

So I’ve joined my gym’s “body boot camp” and it’s killing me… in the first week. Heck, we had to run/walk a 5K on Tuesday and I’m still feeling it. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything more than a 1.5 mile run EVER. And it took me 49:36 to complete… definitely needs improvement!

2. Can you give us an update on your three awesome dogs?

Dogs are fine. They are HATING the cold. This morning, we finally found a temperature that ensures Mr. Skah of-the-fuzzy-butt returns inside immediately after doing his duties outside.  That temperature would be -5 with a windchill of -25.  At that temperature, the fuzzy, fluffy puppy ceases to play “catch me if you can,” “I can run faster than you” and the most favored game of all: “I’m not coming in and you can’t make me.” It is at that temperature that we the humans don’t even have to go outside and encourage him in… he runs to the door himself.

Speaking of the fuzzy Great Pyrenees puppy, Skah will be turning ONE YEAR OLD next Wednesday. One year! I can’t believe it. He was 92 pounds back on Thanksgiving when we found out he was deaf (see previous post for that info) but two months later, I’m thinking he’s around 105 or so. We’ll get him weighed on his birthday to see.

Chase and Lulu, the Greyhounds, are hating the cold, too. Lulu is my snow puppy but the last few days of negative temperatures have made BOTH of the Greys hesitate to go outside and painfully limp back to the house immediately after doing what they need to do. The snow is so cold out there that it’s physically painful for them to walk on.

3. What book did you read recently and what it was about?

The most recent book was “Amazing Gracie.” It was written by one of the guys who founded Three Dog Bakery and was about the Great Dane puppy they got… who was deaf. It was because of this deaf puppy’s unique food preferences that they started the bakery. I got the book and read it when I was still trying to find more information about living with a deaf dog.  It’s a great read, though, even if you don’t have a deaf dog.

4. If you won a round-trip ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Um, right now… anywhere warm. I’d love to take a vacation to a sunny, beachy place. Of course, I’d love to go somewhere where there was some great history and I could tour the area (a WARM area, of course). What’s warm right now? Is southern Spain warm? Really, anywhere where I’ll finally get the feeling back in my feet and my fingernails won’t be perpetutally purple.

5. What is the first thing you do when you come home from work?

The first thing I do is take the dogs outside. They haven’t peed in 8 hours, so they need to go! Then I generally sit on the couch and love on them and calm them down since they act like I’ve been gone an eternity.
Now if you’d like to be interviewed:

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Easy, eh?  Get to it!

The One About Housework

Please don’t feed the dust bunnies.
~Author Unknown

I’m not even going to comment on what an utter slacker I’ve been in the blogging world.  So I’m just going to get some house cleaning on this site and do a meme that I was tagged for by Jen at LIVE! and In Color way back in November.

Here are the rules:

• List six things that make you happy
• Pass the award on to 5 other bloggers
• Link back to the person who gave you the award
• Link to the people you’ve passed it on to and comment to let them know

Six Favorite Things

1. Reading. Reading relaxes me.  When I start reading a good book, I can’t put it down.  I have not be relaxed lately.  In fact, I have two library books that are about two months overdue that I keep meaning to take back across town to the library.  Ooops!
2. Cuddling. I love cuddling with B. And I love that he’s such a touchy/cuddly guy. In fact, he’s usually the one who reaches first to hold hands when we are driving in the car or something. The world is right when my head is on B’s chest or I’m snuggled up next to him.
3. Hanging out with my animals. Animals have always been my stress outlet. I’ve never NOT had an animal. I grew up with dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, hamsters and a turtle here and there. And now that I’m an adult, we have three dogs and our our oldest is the smallest weighing in at a mere 76 pounds.  Haven’t weighed the puppy in two months, but he was 93 pounds then and I’m guessing he’s somewhere in the 100-105 range. I’m waiting until closer to his 1st birthday on the 21st of this month to get him weighed.
4. Closing my eyes and enjoying the sunshine on the first warm spring days. Sunshine, ah, lovely sunshine. Where have you gone? Michigan doesn’t see hide nor hair of you in the winter. Guess I won’t miss seeing it when we move to Washington.
5. Massages. Oh, my. I love massages. Shoulders, back, neck, hands. Whatever. They just really relax me. One of these days I should go and get my first professional massage. B plans to get me one of those massage chairs sometime in the future.  Mmmmm.
6. Finishing projects. Okay, so I’m not so relaxed when I’m actually doing the project, but that last second just as you finish and look around at your accomplishment is just so very relaxing to me.
   

I’m going to tag anyone reading this blog!

The One About What the Holidays Mean To Me

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
~Roy L. Smith

Okay, so I’ve been pretty busy and I promise I’ll update soon… hopefully this week!  Just short notes: my DCO package is in to become a PAO in the Navy Reserves.  The board moved the date of decision up by two weeks and with the holiday season, that meant my stuff had to be to the board a whole month in advance.I had some great interviews with PA Captains and even flew to DC to interview with one at the Pentagon.

Lulu ripped her ear and Chase won’t stop licking it so it keeps breaking open again. In the past few days, we’ve had more than a foot of snow. Work closed (so rare!) on Friday due to the blizzard and this morning, I got stuck in my driveway and ruined my radiator. Still waiting on the repair shop to fix it and tell me how much it is going to cost.

But I’ll update all that later.

Here’s something fun for everyone’s blog.  Find your holiday style and leave a comment telling me what it says!

What The Holidays Mean to You

For you, the holidays are about emotional connections and bonds. You are happiest being around those you love.You celebrate the holidays in a minimalist style. You are likely to only give one great present and decorate your house with a few special items. During the holidays, you feel magical. You love all of the decorations and how happy people are. You like to sit back and take it all in. You think the holidays should be nostalgic and sweet. The holidays bring out your inner child. Your best holiday memories are of childhood foods and traditions. You secretly still wish you believed in Santa Claus.

What Do the Holidays Mean to You?

The One About Losing Time

Time is the only thief we can’t get justice against.
~Astrid Alauda

Things are crazy around here. I’m busy getting my Navy Reserve Officer package together. I can’t believe the board meets in only two months. I have been working out but the last two weeks I haven’t… working late, dogs been sick and now I have a nasty sinus infection.

We have decided that Skah, our now 10-month-old Great Pyrenees puppy, might be deaf. B has mentioned it to me before but I just chalked it up to him being not only a typical puppy (puppies don’t listen to you), but also a typical Pyr… Pyrs are insanely smart but also incredibly independent.  They tend to hear you, but decide whether it’s worth it to them to listen to you.

So we will be taking him to a canine hearing specialist soon to do some hearing tests. I hope the tests come back that he’s just being a typical boy, typical puppy and typical Pyr all in one… just not listening. B wanted to get him because he wanted a guard dog. He doesn’t think that a deaf Pyr can guard (I know he can, but it’s convincing B since Skah will sleep though people coming into the house at the moment… but that can be just sacked out puppy, too).

We went to the Navy Recruiting District Michigan’s awards dinner/training this past weekend. I enjoyed the down time (no dogs, could take naps, etc). The dinner/awards was a total disaster. It took several hours just to get seated because they didn’t have a good plan in place.  Not everyone got the dinner they had requested (ran out of steak) and the cake slices that were on the table the whole time had a thin, hard layer on top from being exposed to the air for too long.

I didn’t go to the Spouses’ Meeting because A. I’m not a spouse or even engaged and B. All I’ve been told about it is that the wives rant and b*tch about how many hours their husbands work (yes, I know some recruiters are female and therefore there are male spouses, but I’ve only heard that the wives are the ranters and ravers).

You know what? I do hate how many hours they work and how crazy it is.  But at the end of the day, your boyfriend/husband/spouse is still there with you in bed at night. It might not be until 10 p.m. or even midnight some nights, but he’s still there at night.  So really, what is there to complain about?  These recruiters aren’t being deployed for months at a time… we get cuddle with them in bed every night.  Yeah, I didn’t go because I wouldn’t have been able to listen to all the witching.

Unfortunately, with all that downtime last weekend, I think my immune system took a rest too and let a sinus infection in. I woke up Saturday morning with a slightly sore throat and by the time I sat down at the awards dinner that night, I felt that ominous pressure creeping up my face toward my forehead and back down the other side.

It didn’t help that up-and-coming rap star Big Sean had a music video being shot at my place of work yesterday and I ended up being outside in the sleet/snow/cold for three hours before the shoot moved inside. That and working 14 hours with only a 30 minute break to let the dogs out to potty at night (nope, didn’t get a lunch break… ate while I worked) didn’t help matters any, either.

So now I’m home from work today and am not going to make it in at all. I feel like I could take a drill to my face and drain the sinus crap myself.  Kill. Me. Now.

The One About Veteran’s Day

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.
~Dick Cheney

Today is the day to honor those who have served–and those who continue to serve–our country so that we may live in freedom.  If you see a veteran today, thank them. And thank you to all those families out there who support their veterans.

Happy Veteran’s Day. And thank you for your service, sacrifice and committment.

The One About A Monday Meme

Sometimes it pays to stay in bed in Monday, rather than spending the rest of the week debugging Monday’s code.
~Dan Salomon

Today I saw a meme  on Write From Karen’s website and thought I’d finish it.  I know, long time no read and all you get is a silly meme… well, I’ll have to tell you about the dog, rabbit and flea story from last week in a bit.  But today, it’s a meme:

November 10th Questions:

1. Do think it’s okay to bring your own snacks into the movie theater? Why or why not?
I wish we could, but I understand it’s about the health code. I work at a museum where you can’t bring your own food, either and it’s not because we are mean, it’s because we have food on-site so we have to follow the health department’s code and we can’t control what other people bring on the campus.

2. If someone were following you, would you:
A. Attempt to lose them.
B. Turn around and confront them, asking them what in the heck were they doing??
C. Nothing.
D. Something else (do tell!)
-It would depend on the situation.  If I felt threatened, I’d try to lose them and if I couldn’t, I’d call police. If it was a situation where I felt safe, I’d probably confront them.

3. What is your highest level of education? What were/are your thoughts about school? Would you ever consider going back to school? If so, for what? If not, why not?
-I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations/Advertising with a public relations emphasis. I loved school and finished in 3 1/2 years. I will definitely go back. In fact, I planned to start my Master’s this January but my recruiter thinks it is best not to start until after I get accepted for a direct commission in the Navy Reserves or if I don’t get it… then start.

4. Do you order photos online? Do you print your own photos or go someplace to print them off? And do you order photographic gifts too?
-I don’t order photos online. I will soon but normally my photos are just on disc from my digital camera. I need to print some out, though, so I’ll order online then. I have printed a couple from my mom’s photo printer. No, I don’t order photographic gifts, but I’ve been thinking about creating my own pet calendar 🙂

The One About Wordless Wednesday: 30th Edition

An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.
~Martin Buber

It’s Wordless Wednesday again!

The One About My Dad’s Birthday

Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever.
~Author Unknown

I miss you so much, Dad.  Happy 61st Birthday.

Dale
October 21, 1947 to February 6/7, 2005.