Oh Hello, Murphy

This past weekend we had our hottest weekend of the year so far, with temps in the low- to mid-90's outside.  Saturday we actually got all the way up to 95 degrees, and it's still May!  I'm starting to dread what the rest of the summer will bring considering July and August are the hottest months.  Thankfully I'm working on building up my supply of dresses and skirts so I have cooler options to wear :)

So of course since it's been a scorcher out, Murphy decided to visit and my air conditioner died on me Saturday in the middle of the afternoon, at the very beginning of what should have been an enjoyable three-day weekend.  The day started off nicely, with an early wake up phone call from my husband, followed by a nice morning of running errands around town before the stores became too busy, and then an early afternoon visit to the movies.  It was shortly after getting home that I noticed it getting warmer and saw that the temperature and humidity level were both rising inside.

I immediately changed out my air filter, hoping that would fix the problem, even though it wasn't very full.  When that didn't resolve the issue, I was left to sit in my 86 degree apartment and continue to roast with nothing but fans running.  One of the great things about still renting is the fact that I didn't have to worry about the cost to get someone out to fix my system.  I was just afraid I'd have to sit in the hot box of an apartment for the entire rest of the three-day weekend, figuring maintenance wouldn't bother coming out until today at the earliest because of the holiday.

Thankfully, I received a phone call from my management company Sunday afternoon in response to my emergency maintenance request call I placed Saturday night, letting me know they had already contacted their HVAC guys and they would be out sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning.  I was beyond elated when they actually showed late Sunday afternoon, and were able to get my system fixed right up.  By the time I went to bed Sunday night, my house was back down to its usual 72/73 degrees and I was able to comfortably cozy up with my pups in bed.

Bon Voyage!

I am now officially authorized to travel outside of the country!

I have been outside of the U.S. just once before, during a Spring Break trip in college when we visited Niagara Falls and drove over to the Canadian side of the falls and explored the surrounding city a little, back before they required a passport and you could simply enter and leave Canada with just a U.S. driver's license.  But I've never been anywhere else.

Given the fact that my husband and I both love to visit and explore new places and have a desire to see as much of the world as we possibly can, I figured this was as good of a time as any to apply for my very first passport.  And I was beyond shocked when it arrived in the mail today, just two weeks after I submitted my application.  My picture makes me look like I had spent quite a bit of time in a tanning bed before it was taken, but otherwise I love it and cannot wait until I get to use it for the first time!

10 Years

Ten years ago today, I graduated from high school.

It is just so crazy to think that it has been that long!

I don't know that I'm where I thought I'd be at this point, but overall my life over the past ten years has been pretty good.  My high school experience was a fairly good one, where my 700-person graduating class largely got along with each other pretty well and I had a close group of friends I had known for practically forever, however life has become increasingly better with each year that has passed since that time.  I had a great time in college where I met some good, new friends, had fun at tailgates and football games, and received a quality education that led me to receive degrees in marketing and advertising.  I've learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of.  I've learned a lot about others and better know who I can count on and trust and who I cannot.  And lastly, I met the love of my life and married my best friend.

It certainly hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows the entire time by any means, however the journey, through all of its ups and downs, has turned me into the person I am today.  I am grateful for the experiences I have had -- enjoyed the good and learned from the bad, and am excited to see what the next ten years will bring my way.

Special Delivery

My day was made yesterday as soon as I pulled into my driveway after work to find a package sitting outside of my door.  I actually squealed when I saw it (and my husband laughed at me on the phone last night when I mentioned the fact that I squealed).  Now, I have been very lucky that my husband has made sure to call or Skype me or send me a quick Facebook message all but one days he's been gone on this deployment thus far.  While it has been hard with him gone, the communication has made this whole thing a million times easier than it could be.  Even if it is just for a few minutes, just getting to hear his voice and having the ability to talk with him, laugh with him, or even cry to him is amazing!  However, there was just something extra special about receiving a package from him.  I think it kind of brings back memories of receiving letters from him while he was in basic, just knowing that I was receiving something that he had just touched.  It just kind of adds a little personal connection to make the distance seem like it isn't as much.

I had mentioned previously that I already knew I had something heading my way full of items hubby has purchased -- I just didn't think it would take nearly as long to receive it as it did.  All of the care packages I've sent out so far have each taken just 6 days to reach my husband, so I was a little surprised when the 6-10 day delivery window they had told my husband for the priority mailing shipment turned into 13 days (he started getting really nervous when last Friday came & went and it hadn't been delivered).  But it's okay because I still received it :)

The box more or less exploded open when I cut the packing tape, as hubby stuffed so many items inside of it.  And he actually ended up using the box that I used for sending him his first care package.  I was pretty impressed with the condition of the box having made it half-way across the world and back!

He got some traditional outfits for his 5- & 7-year old little sisters, a jewelry box for me, and some cross pendents for his aunts.

Hubby asked me if I wanted him to purchase me any traditional clothing, but I told him that I would rather he just get me things I would actually use or wear on a more regular basis, or nice decorations for the home.  So he's been busy purchasing accessories for me and in this box he included some jewelry & cashmere scarves :)

Blue Fire Opal earrings & necklace

Also included was an outfit that he bought for himself that he said will be useful when doing training exercises in the future, and a copy of GQ magazine that he picked up there because it has Mila Kunis on the cover and we have a thing going between us about how we both think she's hot.

Playing Hooky

Yesterday I got to play hooky from work, and it was completely endorsed by my boss!  Earlier in the week our custodial staff came into our office and decided that within the week they should come in and clean our carpets.  Since they insisted on beginning the work about an hour or two after we begin work in the morning and said it would take several hours to shampoo the carpet & for it to dry, our department head said we could simply take the entire day off.  And because we were being kicked out of our office at someone else's request, the four of us who work in there got to take the day without using leave time!

My attempt to sleep in was once again foiled by my dogs, as it usually already is each weekend with the two corgis jumping on me in bed around 6:30am.  However I did get a nice wake-up surprise in the form of a sweet message from my husband.

I used my free morning productively and got my grocery shopping for the week done, which included hitting up a sale event at Kroger where they are donating money to the USO for purchasing participating sales items.  I then met up with some of my old co-workers for lunch to catch-up with each other and hear how the bad things that bothered me when I left the department last year still haven't changed, followed by a relaxing afternoon & evening of reading and watching some good girly TV.  I finished up the second book in The Hunger Games series, Catching Fire, and I'm all sorts of excited to jump into book three to see how it all ends!  All in all, it was a pretty good day off.

On a side note, I do believe that after taking the time the last several days to process my feelings that I am actually feeling better.  My husband even noticed a difference when he called me last night, saying that I sound happier, which I know made him happier.  I just do not want to dwell on those feelings of mine any longer, as I feel like they're holding me back in life.  I hope that after this week I'm better able to move forward and focus on me & my husband, and our future.

Still Alive

Welcome to all of my new followers!  I really enjoyed Friday's blog hop and getting to "meet" new people and find some new reads.  My budding carpal tunnel wasn't too happy with all of the time I spent typing away and browsing pages on my computer, but thankfully it subsided after a weekend of rest.

I've had a bit of an emotional last several days with some personal issues/demons of mine and am currently working on processing some of my feelings, so hopefully I can begin to feel better and get back to a happier place.

On a (somewhat) happier note, I have decided to end this "I'm still alive after the blog hop" post with a picture of my babies.

This was taken the day my husband left on this deployment.  He was busy checking out of the barracks he was staying in for his TDY at Ft. Bragg, while the dogs and I waited patiently outside.  Saki and Kiba just kept staring at the door as people walked in and out, waiting to see their daddy come back out of the building.  They are both noticeably much happier when they have both of their parents together.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day Blog Hop

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day to all of my fellow MilSpouses out there!

Link Up Hosted by Household 6 Diva and Riding the Roller Coaster

Welcome to Life Adventures of a New Army Wife!  I'm Andrea, and this is my very first Military Spouse Appreciation Day, as my husband just joined the Army last year.  You'll find that I refer to my husband on here simply as "hubby" or "my husband."  My husband and I are both graduates of The University of Georgia, where we first met just about 8 years ago and became fast friends.  We've been together for over 4 years and just celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary last month on April 1st!

We were married for all of four months when my husband left to go to basic training, and our lives have been a bit of a whirlwind ever since.  He went straight from basic, to AIT, then on TDY for a few weeks, immediately followed by his first deployment, which he's been on for about a month now.  Thankfully I've been able to see him occasionally throughout that time, visiting him for his graduations from BCT & AIT, as well as driving to see him on the weekends he was 5 hours away from home on his TDY -- however it has still been a difficult journey having to spend so much time away from him, all while not yet living near base and having that military community around me.

I began this blog just after my husband left for basic as a way to document our journey and to become better connected with the military community, at least by virtual means.  Thankfully my husband's deployment is on the shorter side and he should be returning home early fall, and at that time we'll be going through our first PCS and moving from our home in Georgia out to Ft. Sam Houston in Texas!

I have an affinity for wines, pasta, and all things sweet (my Pinterest is largely filled with pasta and baking recipes!).  I really enjoy baking, though while my husband has been gone I've found myself doing less of it in an effort to not have as much lingering around the house for me to consume alone.  I recently purchased a nice DSLR camera and hope to learn all of the ins and outs of using it so I can become a better photographer.  I currently have a full-time job doing accounting, purchasing, and payroll/HR work, but who knows where I'll end up after our big move!

We've got two dogs and a cat that we love to spoil.  Pictures and stories of them are definitely plentiful.  We do not have any children as of yet, but are looking forward to trying to start a family in the near future.

On my blog you'll find a random mixture of topics just covering my every day life as I try to make sense of this new life, including recipes, DIY projects, a Project 52 photo challenge I'm embarking on, and random musings about military life.  Please comment with a link to your site, as I love finding new blogs to follow and new people to meet!

Bed Cartography

Source

I've seen this image floating around on Facebook quite a bit recently, and it made me wonder how often couples actually stay on their respective sides of the bed each night.

I then decided to edit the image and create a cartography diagram of my very own!

Often times, I find myself curled up in fetal position on the very edge of my side of the bed.  If I am able to spread out/lie flat and actually extend my legs, I find that usually my legs are then pinned down with animals to my left, right, and between my legs, and my husband partially on top of me with his head on my right shoulder and his left leg jabbing into my right side.  Funny thing is, it doesn't seem to matter what size of the bed we're in either, whether it be our full size bed we have at home or a king size bed in a hotel room, I always seem to be curled up in some awkward position with little room!

Even over these last several months when hubby hasn't been home to sleep in our bed, I've still been pushed up against the edge with my dogs taking the place of my husband to the right of me.  They might only weight 20 & 25-ish pounds, but when they're fast asleep, that dead weight feels like a lot more and becomes difficult to move over!  At least my husband won't have to worry about me hogging the bed on him when he returns!

How does your bed cartography look?

A Care Package of My Very Own

I managed to last right about four months with my old blog design, which is about twice as long as the ones previous to it.  So here's hoping I can break my record again and make it even longer with this new one!

In more exciting news... hubby has been busy doing a little shopping while on deployment and I should have my own care package from him heading my way soon with some lovely accessories he's bought for me like scarves and jewelry, along with a handmade jewelry box :) Definitely more exciting than the two care packages I've sent to him thus far, and better than the next one I have lined up for him which so far just includes the variety of toothpaste he prefers to use, which they do not have available to purchase at the PX there.

He said he also found a beautifully made marble chess set for us that he fell in love with at first site, some pendants for three of his aunts for Christmas presents, a piece of artwork for his grandma, and dresses for hubby's two little sisters.  At the rate he's going, he'll have all of our Christmas shopping done by the time he finishes up this deployment, which he said last night has actually become a goal of his -- or at least to get a good portion of it complete so that way I have less to do come December.  He's just really liking the idea of getting gifts for everyone that we couldn't necessarily just pick up at a store around here, which I have to agree is pretty cool.

Bored

I've decided that I have become bored with my blog design yet again.  I recently began working on another redesign, incorporating my love of blues & greens with a lighter, brighter, and cleaner/more modern look & feel. Hopefully I'll have it uploaded within the next week or so :)

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #71

Linked up @ Wife of a Sailor

1. What's one thing in the past month you would have changed?  I would have spent some time downtown last weekend to experience the annual Twilight Criterium cycling race my town has each year, since I likely will not be back here in the future to go to it again since we'll be moving sometime this fall.

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in April?  Driving up to Virginia to spend Easter weekend with my amazing in-laws :)

3. What are your plans for Memorial Day?  As of right now, not a darn thing other than to just enjoy the first paid day off from work (without having to use leave time) that I've had since New Year's!

4. Have you ever traveled Space A?  If yes, where... if no, would you ever try it?  I've never traveled using Space A, but I would definitely try using it if my schedule around my travel plans was flexible enough.

5. What are you looking forward to in May?  A co-worker of mine and I have been talking about going to the Georgia Renaissance Festival one Saturday this month.  I've never been before and think the people watching I could do there would be entertaining.

Not Really Okay

Stressed.  Overwhelmed.  Exhausted.  Overall I'm just not really feeling okay much lately.  I feel like I have a million things I need to do, but I just don't want to do any of them.  I'm in a funk where the only desire I have is to sleep all day.  However I cannot do that, as I have this thing called a job that requires 40 hours of my time each week.  I am very thankful, and VERY fortunate, that so far on my husband's deployment, we've been able to speak to each other every day.  This has alleviated a lot of additional stress I could potentially be dealing with.  But nonetheless, I am still feeling more emotions flowing through me than normal.  I think about it every time the muscle just under my left eye twitches, as it does whenever I have a lot on my shoulders or on my mind.

Source: weheartit.com on Pinterest

It probably doesn't help me much that Mother's Day is just around the corner.  The bombardment of advertisements reminding me of this fact wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that my mom and I have NEVER had a good relationship with each other, and are not currently on speaking terms.  I am thankful to have caring mother-in-laws, but it still feels like a slap in the face to me when I see commercials or get emails with discounts, all reminding me to spend money on my "deserving" mother.

Thankfully I got out of the house for the first time in a while this weekend -- well, for the first time to do something other than run errands.  I met up with a friend of mine who I used to work with and hadn't seen in quite some time.  She's the only person I know who lives nearby who understands what I'm going through with this whole deployment thing, as her husband is in the Army National Guard and is currently away for about a month on training and is scheduled to deploy again early next year.  We got some yummy Italian food, drank a little wine, and spent turns catching each other up on the happenings of our lives.  If only I could go out and do that every day...