Life

I haven't blogged in awhile... I think of that as a good thing. The primary purpose of this blog is for me to get my feelings out there. Well, feelings need let out!

This past week started off wonderful. Monday was a holiday... Tuesday I taught Yoga in the morning, we had got word from our boys saying they would be home as soon as 7 February (Nick's birthday!). Later in the day everything came crashing down. Adam K. Ginett "G", was KIA. Adam was a great friend of Nick and I's. Everybody who knew him loved him. I thought it would get easier as the week turned into the weekend and the wound wasn't so fresh. However, today has proved to be the hardest day yet.

Last night we went out to dinner at Adam's favorite place. After that we bar hopped to particular bars in pattern which G thought was best. Every bar triggered a specific memory I had with him. The first stop was were he taught me how to dance this past summer... the rest of the guys were saying we were crazy, dancing on the sidewalk like fools. It was so wonderful though. We just talked about life and plans for when he and Nick got back from deployment. That is probably my favorite memory of Adam. We danced so long my feet hurt the next day. The second stop of the night was a bar frequently referred to as the Bicycle bar because there are bikes hanging from the ceiling. On a totally different occasion than the dancing, I had been drinking Moscato wine at the first bar but once we got to the Bicycle bar they didn't have any. He brought me a glass of Prosecco... I held on to it for as long as I could before throwing it in the river. It was so gross! He was always making sure I had whatever I needed though... The last bar, Bonnie and Clyde's, was where we ended up after we had to take a detour to his house after starting the night off. I had worn shorts and I was just too cold! He gave me a pair of his EOD sweats to wear. I definitely was not making a fashion statement, but I didn't care! I didn't have anybody to impress...

I want Nick to be home so bad. I want to hold each other and remember together. He should be home in three weeks. I hope they don't screw around with getting him home. I'm ready for him to get the hell out of that shit hole.

Germany and other Shenanigans

This past weekend 3 of my girlfriends and I drove up to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany for the Munich Christmas Markets. Overall, it was a blast! We did however, have our fair share of vacation worries. What should have been an easy 5 hour drive turned into 12 because of various situations like snow and a fallen boulder blocking two of the paths we tried. Thank goodness Melissa's SUV was loaded down with junk food! Oh no, we did not even stop to eat in that time period. It was all driving. Melissa did a wonderful job driving, and even got to use her 4-wheel drive. Roni and Kristina were troopers, riding in the back the whole time and I navigated and rode the front seat to avoid making the endless junk food come back up. It was a good 12 hours, really. We shared stories of our earlier years and rocked out to the good ole 90's on Melissa's MP3 player.

After finally arriving to Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, we were exhausted! We settled for some American food from a restaurant at the resort and made it to bed around midnight. Saturday we all got up and ready (in record time for 4 women, I might say) by 8:00 am and went downstairs to fetch a taxi for the train station. After an hour and a half train ride we were in Munich! The food was delicious and the markets were neat, but it was so crowded! After enjoying as much as we could and indulging in Starbucks, we headed back to base (on the wrong train I might add) and went to the local Christmas markets in Garmisch. They were wonderful. Perfect! Exactly what I had pictured in my mind when I first started planning this trip a couple months ago. We also visited a Christmas store by the name of Kathe Wohlfahrt, which specialized in hand-crafted, hand-painted ornaments and decor. They were a bit pricey, but certainly worth it with their tags of perfection hanging from each figurine. I only purchased three, and figured that was a good excuse for me to visit Germany a few more times before we leave! We ended up at the resort for dinner and enjoyed steak! Real steak! It may seem silly that we choose a steak dinner over a German restaurant, but after living in Italy for a couple years and not having an Outback at our fingertips, our mouths were watering just at the thought. It was perfect as well. Juicy and tender! I also tried the first long-island ice tea of my life. Wow, it was actually good! I don't like tea and after watching the bar-tender poor 5 different alcohols in the glass before adding a dash of something else, I was sure it would be disgusting! To my surprise, I finished off mine and Roni's! We visited the outdoor hot tub after dinner and gambled in the casino a bit. By eleven o'clock Sunday morning we were on the road. We stopped and ate at a local German place for lunch, which was fantastic! We all had soup and jagerschnitzel. We got back to Roni's house after about 6 hours. It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend getaway!

So, enough about Germany! (Which by the way, I would love to move there after this assignment!) The yoga teacher on base has an internship coming up in February and March. After a couple months of nobody volunteering to fill in her while she's gone, I shyly raised my hand! Yoga is such a special practice, and so different from my usual weight-training and spins classes. However, I have been a student in her class for about a year now, so I am going to give it a shot. Since, she has made me her 'Yoga baby', tutoring me a couple days a week to grow and learn as a Yoga instructor. I am so excited for this opportunity, as I really enjoy practicing and would love to have this experience in my back pocket. I'm actually going to attend a Yoga Fit Training in Heidelberg, Germany in May to get all certified and official! YAY for adding more training to my fitness resume!

Tomorrow I am headed up to Piancavallo with Melissa. It's a ski resort only minutes away from base. Basically, our house is situated close to the base of the mountain that the resort it on, making it so dang easy to go up and play in the snow for the day! She is going to attempt to teach me how to snowboard... I'm sure pictures will follow the experience! After I get that squared away in a few weeks or so we're going to try to tackle skiing. She is a snow bunny, so hopefully I'll learn quickly and not hold her back for too long!

I spoke with Nick a few nights ago. He was coming back to camp to resupply, then heading back into the field for days... not sure how many or details of his whereabouts, just that he is having so much fun doing his job! Please keep his life in your prayers!

Saturday is the annual CE Squadron Christmas Party at the club. I'm going! I have a dress (which is a long story in itself) and Melissa and I booked a room on base so we could have a few cocktails and not have to worry about driving home! I'm looking forward to playing dress up and getting all beautified!

Well, that is a lot going on in my life! Exactly how I like it! 52 days until Nick's 179th day in country which really just translates into 52 days + a couple weeks for him to get home! We'll be in each others arms before we know it!

Oh, by the way, I still wish I was home for Christmas! It just isn't the same when I am at my house without a tree. :(

PS: I have pictures from Germany on my Facebook account, which most of my follows probably have access to... if you don't have a Facebook, get one! It's so much easier to upload to one place rather than 4!

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.

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. ;)

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! :)

1/2 Way Through

Wow! I cannot believe Nick's been in country for 70 days, and gone for over 100. We're just about to the half-way mark... no way of telling for sure since we don't know his exact return date. We're hopin' and prayin' we can be each other's birthday presents!

I've been busy. I like it that way! I like being out all day and ready for bed by 8:00p.m. It keeps my mind occupied. I took my exercise certification exams the end of September, and am anxiously awaiting my results in the mail. 4-6 weeks! I thought we'd be graded on the spot, which we were for our practical exam; however the written portion was old school and reminded me of state assessments back in the day. Fill in the bubbles... it got old real quick! Anyway, because of the format the tests had to be mailed to the states, put through the grading machine and mailed back. One of the ladies here who happens to teach Spin and Body Blast (weight-lifting) has been letting me teach as little/much as I want to during her Body-Blast class. I really love it! And I am so grateful she is mentoring me! The most I've stayed in front of the class is about 10 minutes out of her 60 minute class, which is a great starting point. I'll continue to stay up there longer as I can find the beat of the music more readily.

Timi and Mom get here next week! I'm so excited, especially for Timi to be able visit another country and experience the culture. Kenzie is now wishing she could come. I wish she could too, I was just looking at pictures from when the three of them came to Florida and we were beach babes. Maybe she can come by herself in the spring, since she'll be a high school graduate!

Lucy and Zoe are doing well. I've been trying to trim them down a bit for a couple reasons. 1.) Mom and Timi are going to think they are fatties! and 2.) Zoe has her annual appt. the end of this month. Last year she weighed 24.9... they vet told me to put her on a diet! I've been trying ever since then, but it's just so hard not to give them treats all day! We'll see what the porker weighs in at this year...

Nick is changing locations sometime within the next week or so. He'll be going from doing nothing all day to being busy and doing his job all day. It's one of those things that make me happy and anxious all at the same time. I know how much he loves his job, so I'm thankful he'll actually get some down-range, hands-on experience. On the other hand, IT'S SO DANGEROUS! Geesh... I am at peace with it though. I am not one of those wives who is misinformed and doesn't know what her husband is up to. I'd rather have all the juicy, dirty, gory details so I know what we're in for. I had another tech fill me in this weekend on Nick's whereabouts, and what it boils down to is that he really needs our prayers for the remainder of this deployment. So, please pray for his safe return! :)

I took up running... It's really a love-hate relationship that I have going on with it right now. It all started because a friend of mine (who's husband is deployed with Nick) wants to run a marathon in April. I told her my body is NOT conditioned for running. Well, we started a 30 week training program a few weeks ago. It starts out very basic for the novice runner. It's hard for me, and my heart rate usually sores up to 85% of my MHR right away, but it's getting better. I love the challenge it has presented to me, and I love what it's doing for my core! I took a picture and sent it to Nick just to be sure, and he confirmed it; I have a 2-pack! I am continually working toward a rockin' hot, muscular body and am so proud to finally see a couple little ab-lets hanging out! ;) Melissa and I figure at the least, we're going to be in the best shape of our life by the time our husbands get home. That's inspiration enough for me to keep on trekkin'!

Well, that's all, I think. I am "used" to Nick being away, though I dream about him returning every day. It's one of those things I know I cannot change, so I don't bother consuming myself with the situation. I've been having fun and trying new things and really just enjoying life. I'm so excited for the next couple months, family visiting and then the holidays! Once winter hits I'm going to learn to ski and snowboard and before I know it, my baby will be holding me in arms!

Fall is in the Air!

I surprise myself every time I say this; I am so happy for fall! Normally I'm your girl who starts sporting my summer clothes in early spring in hopes the sunshine and warm weather will get here sooner. However, this year I find myself anxiously awaiting the first opportunity to pull out my nice Italian boots and slip on a pair of jeans to go out. Lucky for me, it's 72º out and by the time we go out to dinner tonight for Nikita's birthday I think it will be just the perfect weather. Maybe I'm antsy this year because it only means Nick will be here sooner or my Mom and Timi's trip is in mid-fall... or simply because I am changing. I find myself noticing which trees are starting to change colors and glancing up at the peaks of the mountains in hopes of seeing the first snow-cap. Whatever the reason behind my new-found love for fall, I am so glad it's here to stay!

I meant to post sooner, but as always I'm trying to stay as busy as can be. (By the time I get home from the gym for the second time each day I'm ready to just sit down and relax... not worry about sentence fluency or typos;)!) Not that this is relevant anymore, but Nick called last week and we got to talk for 1 hour 20 minutes! It was so enjoyable! It reminded of the nights he would call me when we were still dating (it was late when he called and I was already in bed, asleep!) and we could just talk on and on about anything and everything... goals, dreams, etc. I think our record time was somewhere around 4 hours when one or both of us would be drifting off.

Anyway, that night last week was great! I say it isn't relevant anymore because he got to call again yesterday! That conversation wasn't as long, which is okay. We talked about what I did for the remainder of the week and my plans for this week. He told me about his chance to go out on a couple calls and the way he fills a mop bucket up with soap and water to wash his clothes... Keeping with his low-maintenance way of living right now, his hair is long, far too long for Air Force standards and he's enjoying not shaving. I hope he is loving this man time... I really appreciate a clean-cut man! They are expecting to receive a satellite computer to share between the 3 of them, which will be incredible! No Skyping or Facebook allowed, but regular emails are possible. Who knows when it will get there... right now there is a computer for the entire FOB to share. He has been waiting his turn and getting on a few nights out of the week, but it will be much easier to share the computer that they can take to their tent and keep for themselves. With that being said, feel free to send him emails and photos! He really loves seeing pictures/videos of what's going on with the real world. I sent him a video of myself the other night and even though the computer he was on had no sound, he loved it!

With the month already being a quarter of the way done, I need to get on my studying habit's a little better! In high school and college I enjoyed waiting until the final days to write my paper or prepare for an exam... and it never hurt me, usually always ended up with A's. However, this Primary Group Certification Exam is a big deal to me! And even though I realize how important, I can't seem to force myself to study every day when I know I need to! Ugh.. Maybe if I get away from the computer. ;)

Here are a few pictures I've chosen to upload from Saturday night's Cosmic Bowling. I treated myself to a hair color last week (which Nick loves, says he likes it better this way) and I got all "pretty" to go bowling. Not too many chances for me to get all dolled up when the only person I want to impress is out in the middle of the nowhere (quite literally!). I'm normally found in my exercise clothes...