Sunday, November 29, 2009

The Holidays

Thanksgiving was wonderful! I went to Roni's and we enjoyed a feast with her family and Melissa. I was so thankful to have somebody that I love to share it with.

This deployment is hitting me hard right now! The weekend following Thanksgiving all the way up until Christmas is my most favorite time of year! I love to put Christmas music on, put up all my decorations and decorate a real tree with Nick. Well, there isn't really a point to any of it this year and it is making me feel so sad and completely alone. Today I had to put some lights in the house just to try to lift my spirits a bit... it didn't really help. I brought down a few precious decorations but it just seems plain silly to go all out in my house since I'm rarely here.

I just wanted to vent a quick little note... I am so full of sadness and though I know people are all around me I am lonely. Needless to say, when Nick is gone in the future during this time of year I will be packing up my puppies and heading home.

Monday, November 16, 2009

1/2 Marathon!

My friend, Melissa, who's husband Jon is deployed with Nick, and myself having been running for 8 weeks now. We started a 30 week training program in the hopes of racing (really, just finishing) in April. I heard about a full marathon in Paris, France today and we decided to get online and check it out. Sadly, the race in April for the full marathon was completely full already, with it's 37,000+ runners! We kept looking and came across a 1/2 marathon in March, same location. The registration fee was only €35 and we found plane tickets for ourselves and the guys (who will be back by then!!) for just around €150 round trip (all 4 of us!)... what a steal! I am so excited and giddy right now, as you can probably tell by my sentence fluency! ;) Anyway, we are so excited to compete in this race! The half-marathon seems much less intimidating than a full, so it's going to be a fantastic starting point for us. Feel free to book your tickets now to come cheer us on! ;)

Check out the race's website!

http://www.semideparis.com/2010/index_us.html

PS: I got to chat with Nick yesterday. He's in the process of transitioning from one location to another and got held up at a FOB with a Pizza Hut... what a pity. ;)

Saturday, November 14, 2009

EOD Safety Day and Other Events

Melissa and I









78 Days!! I remember when it was 215... time just keeps passing by! I am so thankful!

Nick is doing well, as far as I know. He's been stuck en-route at a location where they (the team) don't get the opportunity to go out on calls. They do however, have the luxury of using a facility with plumbing! YAY! He said the first time he took a shower the water ran dirty off of him for a good minute or so. N-a-s-t-y! Their location also has a laundering service and a chow hall. Must be like Heaven compared to where they came from! I am praying he will be held up there for as long as possible, selfishly. No calls=safer team.

On Veteran's Day a few other girls and myself drove up to Slovenia to go to huge mall (400+ stores). It was an easy drive, only about 2 hours and the country was so cute! Little homes nestled in the hills with smoke billowing out the chimneys... reminded me of pictures I've seen before. I was amazed at how much the scenery/landscape changed from one country to the next. Right as we were crossing into Slovenia there was a toll station. We figured it was going to cost a bit to drive on their highway, as the map we'd printed estimated a 40 Euro charge for the roads. That was okay with us... split 4 ways was only 20 Euro round trip. Well, little did we know, we were supposed to stop at a gas station in Italy before crossing over to get a vignette to stick in the windshield. We ended up having to pay a 150 Euro fine, plus 15 Euro for the cost of the sticker. It doubled the cost of what we were expecting to pay, but we learned our lesson! We still had a fabulous time, yet decided the small mall we have about 15 minutes from our house is good enough.

Yesterday was EOD Safety Day at the shop. It's an annual event where the guys cook lunch for us, let us play around in the bomb suit, blow up stuff and we get briefings from casualty affairs, mental health and the Chaplin. All the briefings are meant to inform us on how to handle a death situation since our spouse's job is so dangerous. I remember attending last year, but with Nick being gone this year it put a whole new perspective on things. It was a little difficult to sit through and my mind kept wandering off to what Nick was doing. I can't wait until he comes home. Thankfully, for all those spouses who loose a loved one, the Air Force does take very good care of widows financially. It was eerily comforting to hear.

I received my certification from AFAA in the mail on Tuesday. I was ecstatic, to say the least! I passed the examinations I took back in September and can now teach at the gym! I taught my first class Monday, prior to receiving my letter, as a volunteer for a class I regularly participate in. I am hoping to add 2 classes to the fitness schedule, paid or volunteer. I am so happy to be starting this new chapter in my life! My next goal is to pass the Personal Trainer exam next March and take everything to a whole new level! Having a career in the fitness industry is so portable, and with Nick being in the AF I think it's crucial that I have something of my own to do, where ever we may be.
Surely you can tell I've been busy... Mom and Timi's visit was wonderful and I wish they could come back! So much has been happening, keeping me busy! I have a new project to work on and compete before Nick returns, and just in case he gets the opportunity to read this I'm not going to reveal what it is. I know he'll love it! I'll be spending the Holidays at Roni's home with her family and I couldn't be more happy to spend it with her, with the situation at hand. Her home always makes me feel so warm and welcome! I won't be decorating for Christmas, and for those of you who know me, that is a big deal! Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I have to have at least 4 tubes in the attic with house decor. I just can't bring myself to get everything out this year. I hope Nick's cycle gets interrupted and he'll be able to spend next Christmas at home. Keep praying for his safe return and my strength! I know we're down to the last few months, but the days seem to be getting increasingly harder for me.

Until next time! :)