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 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 Trying to Join the Navy Reserve

A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved.  He inspires the power and energy to get it done.
~Ralph Nader

I guess in my last post I mentioned something about Navy standards for the 1.5 mile run, sit-ups and push-ups.  You were probably wondering what I was talking about.

I have decided to pursue a Navy Reserve Officer commission.  I’m trying to get a Public Affairs Officer position, but my second choice is Intelligence.  It’s not going to be easy.  I was told they normally take one or two people out of about 2,400 applicants each year.  This year (FY 2009, which starts Oct 1), they are taking 20-24.  So my chances go from one in 2,400 to one in 100… pretty good odds.  Still hard, but I look at it as though I have 20 times more of a chance this year.

If I was granted this commission, I’d go for two weeks of training to learn military protocol (including how to put on military uniforms and press them).  Of course, there would be PT (physical training) during that time as well.  Afterward, I’d do the one weekend a month and two weeks a year thing.

I have a lot of things to do to get ready for trying to get the commission. I have to find people to give me excellent letters of recommendation and there are tons of forms and papers to fill out.  Then I have to be interviewed by two Navy Officers where they will ask me hard questions, off-the-wall questions, questions about the Navy and definitely questions about current events.

I have to show that I’m a leader, that I can inspire people and guide them to do great things.  I know I am a leader… I just have to prove it.  Wish me luck!

Friday Fill-ins: 2nd Edition

Never do anything that you wouldn’t want to explain to the paramedics.
~Author Unknown

It’s time for…  Friday Fill-ins!

1. Changing leaves and starting to get in shape are some of the things I’m most looking forward to in October.
2. Sometimes I drink soda or lemonade straight from the container and put it back.
3. I never thought the military would be for me but now I’m considering joining the Air Force Reserves or Navy Reserves and that’s why there’s the saying, “Never say never.”
4. When I’m down I like to lay in bed and read a book with one, two or all three of my dogs cuddling with me… and sometimes one or two cats!
5. At work or doing things around my house is where you’ll find me most often.
6. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to going to bed early, tomorrow my plans include having to work for a few hours to do a newspaper interview and Sunday, I want to start my exercise routine.

The One About Thursday Thirteens- 28th Edition

Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.
~H. Jackson Browne

It’s time for the Thursday Thirteen again. If you have a Thursday Thirteen of your own, leave your website in the comments section and I’ll try my darndest to visit it

Because I’m looking for a second job, I thought this would be an appropriate topic.

Thirteen Jobs I’ve Considered In My Lifetime (and haven’t done, or haven’t yet done):

1. Pediatrician.  I think this was my first dream in life when I was really little.
2. Teacher.  I love teaching… but I’m not sure I could put up with kids today and their lack of discipline in general.
3. Nurse.  I love taking care of people.  I don’t love science.  But I’d be way better off if I did!
4. Journalist/reporter. I actually went to college thinking this is what I was going to do.  I switched majors late in my freshman year, but still am only 3 credits away from a major in journalism.
5. Ranch hand.  Seriously, I’d love this.  I also dreamed of marrying a cowboy so I could live in the country the rest of my life.
6. Photographer. I’ve never had formal training, but I think I could be good at it if I did.
7. Race horse masseuse.  I thought I had made this up when I was younger (thinking the rich people who race horses would pay big money for a horse masseuse to work on their prized animals)… but I recently found out it really is a job.
8. Veterinarian.  I would 100% love this job.  But again, I 100% hate science classes.
9. Vet tech.  I think it would be a fun job.  But it doesn’t pay anymore than what I do now, so there’s no reason to go back to school for it.
10. Manager/owner of a camp for children with life-threatening diseases.  Yup, still want to do this and the plan is in my head… I just don’t think it’ll ever come to fruition.
11. Dog/cat “bed and biscuit” business owner.  I’d love to take care of animals for a living and get paid.  People would come back time and time again to board their beloved pets with me because they’d receive such good care.  Alas, I don’t have the capital for that.
12. Jockey/horse exerciser.  You can see where my passion is, right?  Animals!  At least I get to exercise horses now, though I’m not paid (ooops… did I let the cat out of the bag?).
13. Navy Reserve Officer.  This may or may not be something I’m thinking of pursuing right now.

So what jobs have you thought about in your lifetime but never done?

The One About the 100th Post

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.
~Ray Bradbury

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.
~Sylvia Plath

So this is my 100th post.  Wow. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far. I’ve met (virtually, anyway) many great “bloggy friends” along the way and hope to meet more of you in the future.

So in blogging tradition, for my 100th post, I’ll write down 100 things you may or may not know about me.  This will eventually become its own tab where I’ll keep the 100 things updated (hopefully).

1. I have a mother.
2. And a younger brother.
3. My father died unexpectedly when I was 22.
4. I am currently dating an active duty Navy sailor, B.
5. He’ll be going back to submarine duty sometime in the spring of 2009.
6. I plan to go with him.
7. I grew up in a small farming community in the northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
8. Our town had 2,000 people in it.
9. It was the largest town in the county.
10. In fact, there was only one high school for all the kids in the county.
11. And yet, we still had under 1,000 students in the entire high school.
12. And yes, we had a “drive your tractor to school” day.
13. I didn’t have a tractor.
14. But my cousins who lived on the family dairy farm across the road from me did.
15. I grew up with a lot of animals.
16. Dogs.
17. Cats.
18. Rabbits.
19. Hamsters.
20. The occasional toad or turtle.
21. And horses.
22. I got my first horse when I was 5.
23. And started showing horses when I was 8.
24. Which sounds like we had a lot of money, but we didn’t… far from it.  The horses were bred and the babies paid for most of the horses’ upkeep.
25. My most favorite horse was my last one: a 16HH red dun named Impressive Gal Dun.
26. But her barn name when we got her at age 5 was “Sam.”
27. We also called her “Sammie.”
28. Or “Samantha” if I was irritated with her.
29. I miss Sam very much, even to this day.
30. Even though she was sold 9 years ago just before I went to college.
31. She’d be 19 now, if she is still alive.
32. I’d love to see her again and would love to let her live out her old age with me.
33. But I don’t have anywhere to keep her.
34. But I’d find a way if I had the opportunity to have her again.
35. When I was 15, my parents moved two hours south of where I grew up.
36. Starting at a new high school your Sophomore year is no fun.
37. Especially when you come from a very small, poor county and move to one of the richest ones in the state.
38. It wasn’t until halfway through my Junior year of high school that I stopped longing to return to my hometown.
39. I even made some good friends during that time.
40. I went to Grand Valley State University.
41. I began majoring in journalism because I wanted to be a reporter.
42. When I got to the “investigative reporting” classes, I decided I didn’t want to pry into people’s lives.
43. So even though I was only 2 classes shy of a journalism major, I switched majors.
44. I majored in advertising/public relations with an emphasis on public relations.
45. Even after switching majors, I managed to graduate in only 3 1/2 years.
46. I was lucky because a lot of my classes worked for both majors.
47. I love this field and am glad I ended up choosing it.
48. My favorite flower is the daisy.
49. I like them because no two are the same and they are spunky and unique.
50. I think Gerber Daisies are absolutely gorgeous because of all the colors they come in.
51. My boyfriend and I have three dogs.
52. Chase came to me as my third foster dog and I couldn’t let him go.
53. He’s a retired racing greyhound.
54. He’s nine years old and retired when he was five.
55. Lulu was my 7th foster… I think.
56. She came to me when she was 4 1/2 months old.
57. She’s now two.
58. She’s a greyhound but never raced and came from a totally different situation.  See the “My Animals” tab for more information.
58. Skah (Matoskah) is a Great Pyrenees that B and I got together.
59. He was born in January 2008, so he’s still very much a puppy.
60. I also have two cats.
61. Sadie is 7 and I got her when she was just 3 1/2 weeks old after her feral mother left her litter at the lumberyard where my dad worked.
62. She hates strangers and only comes to you when SHE wants attention.
63. But she only comes to B and me.
64. Jake is 4 and I got him from an animal shelter.
65. I picked him out when he was just four weeks old.
66. We also have two Betta fish.
67. They are named Diablo and Beta.
68. Beta is the replacement for Alpha who died after three years.
69. Get it? Alpha Betta and Beta Betta?
70. I’ve been a waitress.
71. And a ranch YMCA camp counselor.
72. And a resident assistant for college freshmen girls.
73. And a summer intern at a zoo, where I did animal demonstrations.
74. The demonstrations included snakes, lizards, rabbits, chinchillas, birds and even an opposum.
75. I’ve also worked as a teller at a bank.
76. And I currently work in public relations, which I love.
77. Oh, and I also worked at Wal-Mart.
78. And after being treated like crud by a manager who didn’t like me and the assistant store manager she was sleeping with (they were both married), I gave my notice.
79. It was a 2 day notice.  Five days before Christmas.
80. And because of that, I was told I’m never allowed to work at Wal-Mart again.
81. Oh woe is me, what ever shall I do? =P
82. I’ve been to Canada.
83. I actually had a penpal there that I met… we had the same first and last name (which is an uncommon one) and our middle names are the first 3 letters of our mothers’ names.
84. I’ve also been to Costa Rica.
85. I went there with my Spanish Club when I was 16.
86. That was the best trip I have ever taken.
87. I saved enough money to go to the Dominican Republic with two friends to celebrate our high school graduation.
88. On the way there, we changed planes in Puerto Rico.
89. Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic is a beautiful place.
90. I want to go back, but I want to visit Santo Domingo the next time.
91. I’d love to visit Denmark and Scotland… where my family is from.
92. And Europe, and Mexico, and England, and… oh heck, I just want to TRAVEL more.
93. I’m a bit disappointed that B can only ever be in one of two bases because I’d love to be based abroad for a few years.
94. One day, I want to write a book.
95. I don’t know what genre… history, a romance, a children’s book–I just want to write!
96. My ultimate dream is to open a camp for kids with terminal diseases and their siblings. Like a traditional summer camp, only with some modifications like an on-site hospital/clinic with doctors/nurses who volunteer their time and can do any treatments the kids need at the time.
97. Because I think that kids should be able to have normal kid memories… not just of hospitals and treatments.
98. And I think sometimes the siblings of ill children get the short end of their parents’ time… so they should get a few weeks of “fun time” just for themselves.
99. But I have no idea how I’d ever find the money/support for it or even get it started. So I doubt it’ll ever happen.
100. I can’t believe I actually found 100 things to say.  Wow.

The One About Orders

Happiness pulses with every beat of my heart.
~Emily Logan Decens

Guess what!!!!!!!!!!

I’m smiling so much I’m afraid I’m going to get permanent wrinkles… but I DON’T CARE!!

The One about Being Unsuccessful

Weird… I posted this a week ago and it never showed up…

Seventy percent of success in life is showing up.
~Woody Allen

Remember me? Probably not. If Woody is correct, I guess I haven’t really succeeded lately in the blogging world. It’s been way too long since I wrote anything. Summertime is just so busy because there is always something to do outside or someplace you want to go on the weekend so the week is full of catch-up on housework.

See, in Michigan, we get something like a month or two of nice weather before winter hits again. And we try to take advantage of it as much as we can. We have to soak up the heat whenever we can just so we keep ourselves warm for the next winter. I’m exaggerating… but just a bit. It’s been in the 90s the last few days with yesterday being 94 and HUMID—and of course, that was the day that I had to be outside for several hours. Word to the wise: the new sunscreen that sprays at any angle and is a “dry sunscreen” that is waterproof and sand resistant DOES NOT WORK if there is the slightest breeze. I have a randomly-patterned sunburn to prove it. I’m nice and tan where it went on and red and lobster-y where the wind blew it away from my skin.

Since my last post, B has completely moved in. I thought him helping share expenses would ease the burden of the rising cost of everything and help me relax a bit about bills. But so far it hasn’t because everything is still rising. I’m at the point where if an opportunity I’m looking into doesn’t work out, I’m going to have to find a part-time job waitressing or something on top of my 40-50 hour a week work schedule just to get some padding in the bank. Right now I have none… and that’s scary.

B and I also took two weeks of much-needed vacation. I’ve never had two weeks off before (well, since summer vacation when I was in middle school). Because of gas prices, we were unable to do the road trip we had planned (Texas to see B’s mom and St. Louis area to see his dad, brother, grandma and nieces). We ended up staying around here for a week and then going to see his family in the St. Louis area for a week. It was fine, but I think six days with anyone’s family (even mine) would be enough to drive anyone insane.

The window has opened for B’s chance to look for orders for next April. Apparently, the information is only available two weeks every so often and this week the person that he has to work with (forgive me for not knowing the proper terminology yet) to get the information/approval/website/code/something is on leave until Monday. We’re hoping at least one position in Washington is open next week but if it’s not, we’ll wait until the next time the orders are opened to look again… it’d probably be another month before it is. He has until October to choose orders. If he doesn’t, he’ll be given them and we both know what that means: Southern Georgia—because it’s closer by nearly 1,200 miles (so the Navy doesn’t have to pay to move him as far).

Keep your fingers crossed for Washington.