The Dollar Shave Club asked me to post about how I shave time and money. Lately I’ve felt like I really need to find some extra time, but here’s what I do:
Camping in Crater Lake
For part of our time off this summer we headed down to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. And went camping, my first time really camping. Yes, at 20-something, this was my first time camping. When I went to camp, we stayed in cabins, and my Girl Scout troop camped out in a local hotel with an awesome pool (although I think we may have done backyard camping once). So I was a bit nervous. But more on that later, this was the view as we arrived at Crater Lake:
Back to blogging
Again I stopped blogging. Since I last blogged I have…worked a lot. Volunteered…again. And again. Traveled. Not cooked as much as I wanted. Watched House of Cards and Breaking Bad. Worked out a bit. More generally, I have been exhausted when I get home so I sit on the couch, hang out with the husband, and play games on my phone. So thrilling.
So let’s try this again. I was also still hoping to do some technical changes, but yeah, no time for that either. That’ll happen one day.
Time to get those drafts finished, and write some new ones. What do you want to read about?
Becoming the “Seasoned” Spouse
Many months ago I read this post from They Call me Dependent. It reminds the readers of what life was like when we were the new spouse. That the first anything was traumatic and that others’ reactions, particularly those seeming to have a good time, couldn’t be right. But more importantly it reminded me that we’ve all been there and as time goes we learn and change and cope. And around that time I also realized that I was becoming that seasoned spouse.
It only took me about two and a half years but I think I’ve become a seasoned spouse. Or at least I’m feeling more seasoned. It really hit me at a unit event a few weeks later talking to some new spouses. There were so many things that came up that I remember worrying about like crazy just a year ago and now…well not so much. And it was hard for me to articulate that it wasn’t something to spend all their time worrying about.
Do I still worry about our life in the Army, James when he’s gone, and what lies ahead? Yes. Do I still learn new things every day? Yep. But it all feels different. I feel different about all of the things the Army throws my way then I did even a year ago.
12 deployment tips for every couple
A reader wrote in asking for tips to make it through a deployment when you aren’t married and/or the unit doesn’t have a strong (or any sort of) support group, such as an FRG.
While I was lucky and have been a part of great FRGs where I made great friends, each FRG is different, and it may not provide the support you need or want. And that’s okay.
I’ve reached out to a few of my friends who have been through trainings and deployments alike in both these scenarios to get their best tips. I’ve also compiled some general tips to help get through anytime apart, with or without official channels in place, and with or without a marriage certificate.
Where or where have I been?
Yep, I stopped writing again. I wish this wasn’t something that happened so often. At the beginning of the year I wrote that I was going to write more, then I didn’t. I wrote one post. Drafted a few more than that. Then, as usual, I got really busy again. Here’s what I’ve been up to:
Staying positive no matter what
It’s hard to stay positive with all that life throws at you, let alone what the Army throws at you. In general I try to not let moments get me down, like a bad day at work, an assignment gone wrong, or time apart from loved ones, but it’s hard. There are always days or weeks that you have the blues. So just what do I do to stay as positive as I can?
Back from hiatus!
Hello and so sorry about the long break in posts. It’s been a busy few months with work, school, holidays, and life. But I’m pledging to myself to write more and bring this blog back to action! I have a few posts in the works from the last few weeks, all in draft form, but wanted to give you a heads up about what’s to come this year:
My latest food obsession: Goldbely
Thanks to one of my favorite sites Brit + Co. I discovered Goldbely. The site offers regional favorites from across the U.S. to your day the next day, and as someone that lives far away from some of my favorite foods (both from Arizona and New York), this is a fantastic idea! And it lowers the cost a bit (I’ll explain).
So when I discovered that my husband’s all-time favorite food, I knew I had to buy them for his birthday. And…well, let’s just say: Best. Birthday. Present. Ever.
Glacier National Park
We took the end of our vacation and a long weekend to drive to Glacier National Park in Montana. The Seattle area is the largest metropolitan area to the park, airport wise, but there are closer cities and towns. While we are living in Washington we wanted to be sure to visit this natural beauty. We had a total of 5 days to drive there, visit, and get home; to be honest it was a bit rushed in some ways but perfect in others.
We drove to the Washington/Idaho border on day 1. And wow was Eastern Washington pretty! It reminded me of Arizona in a lot of ways. It was a lot dryer and flat. You could see for miles upon miles. The next day we drove across the panhandle of Idaho straight into Montana! In my research I realized that on our way to the park was the National Bison Refuge and well, we just had to stop and see the animals!
