Quick Update

Life in Louisiana is great in some ways but in others, I wish we'd never left Washington. I can't help but feel really jealous of other families I know who got exciting assignments over seas and in sunny Hawaii while we're stuck here fighting off the masses of mosquitoes and daily visitors like this guy...

Yes that is a an ugly, veiny I'm so grossed out bat! I'm not sure what happened to it but I was so freaked out, praying one of my pets or kid didn't get a hold of it, exposing themselves to rabies... I was literally looking for signs of aggression and foaming at the mouth for hours after, lol! Which did remind me to update every ones shots ;)

There really isn't much to do at this installation, but up until last week, I was pretty happy spending my days at the house, settling in and unpacking. Gosh, it feels like I'll never truly be done with that though! My days have become about LONG hours with my toddler where we mostly play in the dirt out back, torment the dogs, watch gobs of Disney movies, snack incessantly because we're both so bored and visit the park almost daily because that is literally the only place to take her for some fun!  I'm working on getting her into a toddler program on post though, but with SO MANY HOOPS and paperwork it doesn't make this an easy and fast process :/ I'm just not one of those moms who think creatively 24/7 always having a fun and exciting new game under my hat. I've accepted that and I'm okay with it! I do have my moments but there are definite lulls in the day. So it's nice that I have the option to just pay someone to help me with the load of keeping my child active and happy ;)

R picked up his first JRTC rotation a few weeks ago which hasn't been easy on myself or Alyssa. I can't remember the last time I spent so many nights alone...I don't think EVER! This week the dam kinda broke in that regard. I couldn't fight off this overwhelming sense of isolation and loneliness that came over me...I'm just so ready to be back living around family and close friends but that's just not a reality until 2021...MEW!!!! I know I have to get myself out and doing things, making friends,  for these next 3 years NOT to feel endless and tragic. Life takes on a much brighter glow when your active and engaged with other adults, lol! I really hate that there is not a gym with a daycare here. I miss my old gym so much! I did join an All Hours Fitness a month ago but haven't done much with it on account I need to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to get my workout in before R needs to leave. On my own, I'm just not that hardcore. But my attitude and outlook improves ten fold when I'm working out regularly so I need to learn to be a morning person...

Going to try and make this blog a more regular thing as well! It's so hard getting back into the swing of writing when you've been out of it, but I enjoy it so much. Also looks like I'll have more time to write with so little to do around here ;) Minus school starting back up in a few days...I'm a nerd that this excites me, lol!

Oh don't mind me...

I'm just dusting a few cobb webs from this poor forgotten blog of mine. But proof I still exist is this pic from Valentines day, showing off my new Origami Owl locket. Hubby did so good ;) 

You see, I went back to school in October and as if that wasn't enough... We PCS'ed in mid November where we made 2 stops along the way, one in Arizona and one in Tennessee, prolonging my arrival to Louisiana for 2 months. Got pregnant (unplanned) also in October, but lost the baby on Christmas day (wasn't sure I was going to put that in here but I guess I just did) Then when we arrived here in the swamp lands of Louisiana, I had no Internet for some days, Then after that I was unpacking (still unpacking) selling off our unused items because we had downsized for living space (goodbye baby crap taking up an entire spare bedroom) redecorating (PAH! decorating for the first time ever) and well....Now here I am again! I was rather busy. I thought about my blog often and even checked in on some of my favorite reads but the main reason I took a blogger hiatus was because of all the baby posts!!! Y'all were killing me with all that! My mind was saying I wasn't ready for another baby (little did I know I was pregnant with a baby) but my heart said "yes" each time I saw a new cute mama belly post or baby update. Sheesh! I couldn't keep a clear head like that. I hope you understand ;)  

Glad to be back!!!

I hope everyone is doing fabulous in this new year, reaching for goals and dreams, sipping on chocolate air and seeing nothing but the brightest rainbows in your future!!    

Back To The Lands Of Heat And Humidity.

So, we're moving again...

And not even to somewhere remotely awesome. Sigh. I've been dragging my feet on posting about this. You know. Because I might have been thinking, I'll wake up one morning and, it'll all be a dream? Yeah right... I hate it, because this goes against my usually positive self, but I fight a dreaded state of being at least once a week from this and I probably ask the hubby once a week if there isn't ANNNNNNY way we can get out of these orders. Sigh. But alas, we have orders in hand and so. We're moving. I know nothing about Louisiana, other than Duck Dynasty hails from it's swampy, hot, humid depths. WHICH, does give the state a bit of appeal :)  

I can't even think about how much I LOVE our current duty station, town, house and surroundings without being heart broken. We hadn't been in our new home more then 2 days when R got the news. I mean, seventy percent of our boxes remained packed still and we barely had the cable turned on! Any plans I had to Pinterest DIY projects for our new home? Gone. Talk about total buzz kill for nesting and unpacking. Sheesh.  

But, contrary to what I've said above, I've actually made 90 percent peace with the move...Even though I've come across like I'm upset and whining, my hearts just not in the whole "woe is me mode" anymore. That is until I talk with others who are going to places like Hawaii and Germany, ha! But honestly, we've had a few months to be sad, upset, dreadful and sad again so I'm over it. Most days. I think back on our first year in Washington and remember how unhappy I was with a lot of things here too. Obviously that has changed, as I've adapted, gave it a chance and made the unfamiliar, familiar. The same will happen at Ft. Polk too. I know it. 

 This move does mean good things for R's career though. He'll most likely pick up his E-8 as well as be non-deployable for the time we're there. Hello relief! Especially with this whole Syria business unraveling. I'm also happy, because this means I'll be a lot closer to my family. Still a 12 hour drive, but so much more do-able then the many miles apart we are, currently. There isn't anything around us at Polk, really, but if we're willing to drive 1-4 hours we can be in places like New Orleans, Houston, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge. I've always wanted to visit New Orleans and I hear Lake Charles is pretty neat so I can get excited for some road tripping and sight seeing! 

Those three years will be pretty quiet for us, it sounds like too. R will be home a lot (so we hear) and be working sham-tastic hours. So we're looking forward to just focusing on our little family, maybe consider adding to our family (no excitement from family just yet because we are still torn on this) as well as buckle down and knock out some serious undergrad credits. I've managed to find a few good groups on Facebook already which have been so helpful. I have to say, I've been blown away with the women on those pages! They seem so real, genuine, very low drama and very eager to meet new friends. I haven't really come cross that a lot in our other two duty stations. It could be the lack of going on's that makes everyone approachable and friendly, but either way, I don't care! R and I are horrible about making friends and staying connected, so Polk seems perfectly receptive for us to work on that. 

 January 2014, we'll be in our new state of residence and hopefully, pleasantly surprised and happy! Feel free to offer up any input if you've ever visited or lived in Louisiana or was ever stationed at Polk! Or well wishes and general "your going to love it" comments work too ;)

P.S If you love my photoshop skills here, let me know and I'll give you the awesome free template I found of the map. I dissected it quite a bit, for this post, but it comes with so much; originally an "Oh The Places We've Lived" template. Being military, I KNOW I'll be using it again and again. Let me know!