Allergies

So I think I figured out why I've been so tired this week. My allergies are horrible here in the winter. Apparently Texas has some cedar trees that bloom in the winter and I get this horrible cough and am stuffy and sneezy alll the time. So I went to the doctor on Monday and they prescribed me a new allergy med. Its Zyrtec mixed with Sudafed and they had me taking 2 every night. I asked my resident pharmicist (my father-in-law) and he said the Sudafed part is probably to blame. So I'm going to cut back to 1 every night and see if that helps. Yay, he's awesome.

Anyway, I'm glad I (hopefully) figured out the problem because I was dragging all week at work. It made the week waaaay too long. And then at night, I would pass out and then wake up like every 2 hours and have a hard time falling back asleep. So, hopefully this works.

I got to talk to Nick today on the phone and open my birthday presents!!! I sure know how to drag out my birthday, ha ha. He got me some awesome, fun stuff. I got: Die Hard 3 (woo!), a shirt & pet bandana from where I went to college (because apparently the dogs and I are full of Army spirit & LMU needs some love too), a mini-herb garden and some more funny books. I was especially amused by "The Best Baby Name Book (in the whole wide world)". Funny boy. That one definitely made me laugh! Obviously we will be having kids at some point, but definitely not any time in the near future. I was just skimming through it and happened to find Rufus in there. I found it hilarious that apparently it Latin for "red-haired". Apparently Nick made a good name choice for our little destroyer.

So glad its the weekend!!!

Tired

For some reason, recently I haven't been sleeping that soundly. Its starting to drive me crazy. It used to be that I couldn't stay awake past like 9pm, but lately its been a stretch to get to sleep by 10:30. I'm not like super exhausted, but my patience is definitely not as strong and I've been dragging a little at work. I'm trying to work out more though, hoping that will make a difference.

Not too much else going on. Work has been pretty typical, except now I only have 30 minutes of lunch duty instead of 1 1/2 hours! Definitely a big change. There was a 1st grader that needed services, so now I'm helping him for an hour a day. Needless to say, lunch goes by quickly! I do miss my 5th graders a lot, but I don't have to do the "10 second hugs" with 4th grade at lunch, so thats good. Their clingyness is starting to drive me a little crazy.

Should be a pretty busy/fun rest of the week. I got invited to a candle party, and also potentially a party at a local store. And I'm planning on starting to go to a Bible Study tomorrow through my church. But busy is good, I guess!

Highlights

I forgot a couple more highlights from my parents trip out here:

1- They kept up our family tradition of serving breakfast-in-bed and even brought my brother's gift for me to open first thing (his gift always has to be the first one opened, ha ha).

2- We ate lots of yummy authentic Texan food. We got BBQ (mmmm), went to Cracker Barrel and had Tex-Mex twice. Yummy yummy!

Things are pretty boring otherwise. Still kind of getting back into the groove. This weekend will definitely be spent getting reorganized and decluttered!

Happy Birthday to Me! :)

So Saturday was my birthday, and my parents flew in Friday night just for my birthday! The dogs thoroughly enjoyed the guests and it was fun showing my parents the house since they hadn't been here since last year, almost exactly at this time. It was definitely new having people in the house with me, if even for a few nights.

Anyway, my parents also took me to San Antonio for the weekend! It was really fun! We went to the Alamo, the Riverwalk, got massages (ahhhhh!). Here are some pictures, although I'll have to steal some more from my parents:

The Alamo (well actually the mission part of the fortress)

My mom & I

The rents

And we ate dinner at the Chart House (mmm, fish!) in what was called the Tower of the Americas (780 feet up!!!), with gorgeous views of the city:

Looking up at the Tower of America

The gorgeous views!

My mom & I at dinner

I think my parents really liked San Antonio (although who wouldn't!).

I can't believe I'm 23 already! I've been saying I'm "almost 23" for awhile (I'm by far a youngin at work), but its still weird. I got lots of great phone calls for my birthday and some very awesome gifts as well! I'll definitely have to get some thank you notes out.

So now I'm back in the groove. It was a little rough having to go get to work again this morning. And my allergies are definitely acting up a bit, so my voice is kind of going away. But, I went to the doctor today & I think I have some good meds now. I had to wait at the pharmacy for an hour though and then immidiately went to pick up the dogs from the kennel. So I'm a little tired. I'm anxious to get back into my groove because I kind of feel like I'm survival mode again. I'll probably be good tomorrow. And my sister gave me a wonderful book for my birthday though about getting organized, so I'm excited to read that.

Alright, time to get ready for bed.

Cranky Pants

I'm kind of in a funk today. Its definitely an "I'm over this deployment" day. It was hard going back to work after 3 days off. And, my alarm didn't go off for some reason this morning. Thankfully I have a very annoying dog who likes to bug me until I give him his breakfast in the morning. But, I ended up getting up 20 minutes late...eek. Thankfully I was on time for work (actually getting ready for work doesn't take much time...waking up is a different story), but things like that always kind of mess with me for the whole day.

Oh, and my school didn't have water this morning, which is always fun. They're redoing the streets, and they apparently hit a water pipe. Thankfully it was resolved fairly quickly, but the bathrooms were off limits...not really fun when you have over 700 students and 50 staff members.

So I'm just kind of blah and the weather definitely isn't helping. I don't think I've seen the sun for a few days. Its not really cold, but just gloomy. I'm looking forward to my parents coming to Texas this weekend and taking me to San Antonio!!! I'm definitely ready for a little break from the dogs, although I love them.

I can't believe I'll be turning 23 on Saturday but I've been saying I'm "almost 23" for awhile, so it won't be that hard to get used to saying I'm 23. I feel like a youngin most of the time anyway, ha ha. And I'll get to open more presents, which is always fun! Ok, vent over.

Happy Birthday Boys!

So today is Rufus' 1st birthday, and the anniversary of when we got Scout. All we know about Scout is that he was born in 2005 (we got him from a Lab rescue), so I have declared it his birthday today as well! So he's 4! Craaazy. I went a little crazy at Petsmart & bought them a couple of presents. They're enjoying them thoroughly though, so its worth it! Opening presents:

I "wrapped" them in paper bags. Scout was excited

Trying to share their new rope

This picture makes me laugh. Rufus trying to eat his new bone

Scout likes his new toy!

I even got him to fetch (he's been hesitant since Rufus realllly likes to fetch)!

Blast from the past pictures:

The night we got Scout: February 15, 2008
He was under anesthetic and pretty pathetic, if you couldn't tell


First Family Photo


Skinny boy!

Cute little puppy Rufus...little did we know he would become "the Destroyer"!!!


Awww, so cute!


I can't believe he was ever that tiny!


One of my favorite pictures of the two. If you look closely, Rufus is biting Scout's arm, ha ha!

I can't believe our boys are getting so big! Wow, time has flown!

Happy Valentines Day!

We celebrated Valentines Day yesterday at school and all the classes had a party for the last hour of school. A bunch of kids asked me at lunch if I'd be coming to their party, so I ended up going to like 7 parties, ha! I hung out at one for most of the time & it was really fun. Even I felt all hopped up on sugar, ha ha. I bought a big bag of candy for the kids, but I wish I would have brought more to give out. And I didn't realize that my 2nd grade class made up a bag for me and filled it with some Valentines! It was hard to be everywhere at once in an hour & enjoy myself a little too. So, I had fun, but wish I could've done more for those sweet, generous kids. Anyway, I definitely made out like a bandit with Valentines and cards! I felt sooo loved. Those kids are so sweet! Here's my bounty:

My bag full!

Those kids are too sweet!

I also got a card from my nephew, Danny:

Too cute!

It says "dear aunt coco, happy valentines day! I love you xoxo danny P.S. I made my own glue from flour, water & salt" Its currently up on my fridge, ha ha.

I talked to Nick yesterday during my lunch and he was antsy, so I let him open all of his presents. He was pretty excited and really liked how I "decorated" the boxes, ha ha. I wasn't sure if I'd get to talk to him today because he said he had a long day and early morning. Also, he was thinking the phones would probably be crowded since it was Valentines Day. Luckily, I got a call from him this afternoon and got to open alll of my presents (some were originally supposed to be for my birthday too, but he is buying me more stuff for that apparently). I got 3 Pilates DVDs (he knows I'm trying to get in shape while he's gone), some cute/silly knee socks, a fuzzy new purple bathrobe, and a book called 7 Things He'll Never Tell You...But You Need to Know, which looks thoroughly entertaining. And he kept taunting me telling me there was something else on the way. Pretty soon, my doorbell rang, and I receieved these:

Soooo pretty!

I had a huuuge smile on my face and then surprised myself when I started crying a little. He's so sweet! I got a really sweet card too that said "Court, I can't really express how much I love you. I hope these bring you a smile and remind you that although I'm not home, I'm still there with you. Love Always, Nick" Awwwww! I wasn't really expecting today to be anything special, but it really turned out to be a great day.

Deployment Month 2 In Review

So we are officially 2 months done with this deployment, woohoo! I didn't really update on month one, but oh well. That was kind of a crazy month with the holidays and traveling. I feel like this month has gone much faster than the last one. I'm actually having to go back & look at old posts on my blog to remember what happened, ha ha. So anyway, here are some of the highlights from month two:

-Cook 2 new meals per month: I made Garlic Parmesan Chicken (mmmmmmm!) and Spinach Artichoke Dip (thanks D.A.R. for the recipe!). I also baked a little and made Butter Cookies (one of my favs!), Snickerdoodles, Brownies and a new recipe for Chai cookies (yum!).

- Did several "big girl" things, like building a bench & a table:
(Does this count for my "Be more crafty" goal? I think the use of power tools should apply), changing a light bulb, and cleaning up an overflowed toilet. I'm pretty proud of myself. Oh, and I BBQ'd steak for dinner TWICE successfully, oh yes.

- Get in shape: Have managed to walk the dogs every day! Believe me, this one is pretty easy. Almost as soon as I walk in the door from work, they start bugging me to go on a walk. Also started using the Wii Fit and have seen some good results...as long as I don't overdo it. I don't use it quite as much as I'd like to, but I'm getting there.

- I feel like I've kind of settled into a routine between work, walking the dogs, using my Wii Fit and sleep, ha ha. I know, I'm pretty boring. But hey, at least I'm keeping busy!

- Sent off like 5 care packages to Nick, woohoo! Two of them were Valentines-themed, and he got to open them today because he was antsy, ha ha. Mine are still sitting nicely packaged in the corner taunting me, ha ha.

- Go to church every week and get more involved: I've been going to church every week and I didn't even miss it after staying up until 12:30am at an Army wife event, ha ha. I also started volunteering with the 3 year old Sunday School class once a week (LOVE it!) and am actively involved in the Heroes At Home group (group for spouses of deployed soldiers). Still need to start going to a small group...

- Got involved in a monthly coffee group with the wives from Nick's unit. Sooo fun & am anxiously awaiting the next one, which I get to help plan!!!

- Got Rufus a new crate and switched it out for his pen. Destruction has stopped and it has also helped me stop Scout from stealing Rufus' food. YAY! My husband had the idea for the new crate (Rufus' old one was too small) and it has worked wonders!!! He's so smart!

- Get on a budget: Have stayed somewhat on my new budget, or at least I'm spending a lot less. The following months should be getting better and better. Am waiting until after my birthday and Valentines Day to get back into using Mint.com

- Work on the house: Am in the process of getting the house more organized or at least less cluttered. Woo.

- Read a new book every month: I actually read my brother-in-law's book, Follow the Roar. I'm not really a big golf fan, but he is a really funny guy (he's a TV comedy writer) and I really enjoyed reading about his adventures following Tiger Woods around.

- Be consistent with a bible study: Am still doing that Stormie Omartian book: The Power of Praying Through the Bible. If I've missed any days in the last couple months, its only been like one. Looove it!

- Got my hair cut, yay! I feel like I've gotten one of two reactions at school:
"I love your new haircut!"
or
"Why did you cut your hair?"
Um, because it was too long! A couple of kids didn't even recognize me, ha ha! I totally love it though.

Before

After

Countdowns:
17% done with the deployment
20% of the way to R&R

Some of the things I'm anticipating in the next month:

-My 23rd birthday, woohoo! My parents are flying out and taking me to San Antonio, woo! Can't wait!!!

- Opening all of the presents currently inhabiting a corner of my house.

- February 15th- Rufus' 1st birthday and the anniversary of when we got Scout (don't know his actual birthday)

Big Scare!

So last night I was getting ready for bed and checked Facebook before I was about to turn off my computer. I was being all stalkery & checking out people's statuses and a fellow Army wife had something about a suicide bomber and Mosul...where Nick is. Um, WHAT?! So, of course, I had to search the news and find out the details. It turns about 4 soldiers and an interpreter were killed. And I hadn't heard from Nick since Sunday afternoon.

So, of course, my mind went to the worst. THANKFULLY, I got a call and voicemail from Nick this afternoon while I was at work (you have no idea how good it felt to feel my phone ringing in my pocket) to tell me he & his guys were alright. But, it was on my mind all today in the quiet moments (the kids did a pretty good job of keeping me distracted) and I did not sleep well at all last night. For those of you who don't know, the Army blocks all communication out of Iraq until they can notify the family (I think there's a 24 hour window), so I didn't hear anything at all from Nick until I got his message. Talk about nervewracking!!! I'll be saying some prayers for the families of the soldiers, but I can't help but praise God that it wasn't Nick.

Yes, it has always been a possibility in the back of my mind that something like this could happen. Obviously, I realize that my husband is in a war zone, but, it was never really real until last night. Frankly, that wasn't something I wanted to think about or worry about. And things actually seemed like they have been relatively safe in Iraq lately and that they were winding down. I am sooo incredibly relieved that Nick and his guys are ok though. I don't think the rest of this deployment will quite be the same though.

Coffee Group

So last night I went to a get-together (sometimes known as a "coffee" in the Army world, although there usually isn't much coffee involved) with some ladies from Nick's unit. It was sooo much fun. It was nice just hanging out and being silly with other women. We just talked and shared some details about our weddings/engagements/how we met our husbands. Oh, and there was lots of chocolate involved, which is always good! I knew a couple of the women going into it, but now I have met a bunch more!

I'm happy to say, we are starting a monthly coffee group! I'm actually co-hosting the next one! I was worried about everyone coming to my house and the dogs getting all excited (I really need to train them not to jump), so we're going to do it at the other co-host's house. I think we're going to do a St. Patty's theme. Anyway, it was totally good and it was nice to get out of the house and socialize and meet some lovely new ladies. And I'm excited to do it again next month!

Although, hopefully it'll end sooner in the night. I got home at 12:30am last night and was up for church around 7:15. Eek! I was so tired in church I had to keep my eyes open during prayer so I wouldn't fall asleep. I think I took about an hour-long nap when I got home to make up for it. Party animals! There are a couple of pictures on Facebook, but if anybody wants to see them, I'll post them on here. Oh, and same goes with my new haircut.

Crazy Little Rufus...

So last night I went & got my haircut and knew I wasn't going to be gone long, so I left Rufus out of his crate. He's been out before, for like a maximum of 4 hours, so I thought we'd be good. I made sure to "puppy-proof", as Nick calls it, before I left. I was gone all of an hour & 1/2 and when I came back, he had pooped on the carpet, chewed on a couple of shoes and ripped up a basket. He is such a little booger, I swear!

I'm actually not all that upset about it. He didn't destroy anything valuable or anything. Its annoying though. It wasn't too fun walking in to a complete mess, but it didn't take me long to clean up & that was that. I'm definitely not planning on leaving him out again anytime soon though. Its just frustrating because one day he'll be a little angel, and the next, he attacks everything in the house. He's totally crate-trained and actually likes it in there, so I'm just going to put him in there everytime I leave. He obviously can't be trusted out in the house like Scout can. Maybe I'll try again in a few months...or years, ha ha. I guess there's a reason his nickname is "Rufus the Destroyer". I'm just glad we crate-trained him from the start!

Oh, and I also realized when I came home that I had left the hose on. I was watering our tree in the backyard, and apparently when I tried to turn it off, I turned it all the way up. Oops! So there were some nice mud puddles in the backyard. This cold is getting to my brain!!!

Breaking Bottles

I'm doing much better. I took a few days off from the Wii Fit and my fatigue has gone down substantially. I also think I'm on the verge of a cold and I'd rather just nip it in the bud now. Nothing major (I know, the flu is going around), just a little stuffy nose and some congestion. And I'd like to keep it that way!

Not too much else going on. I went grocery shopping today & when I was unloading the bags from my car, one of the bags broke & 4 glass bottles proceeded to smash in my garage. Awesome. Now it smells like fruit punch and I'm 4 bottles down. Awesome. I swept up most of the glass and its all good now. Just annoying. Alright, off to potentially take a bath then go to bed!!! Its almost the weekend, yay!

Overdoing It

So after talking to my mom, I realized I was so exhausted because I was overdoing it with my Wii Fit workout. I know, that sounds pretty pathetic. But, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a few years ago, and I think the extreme fatigue was my body's way of telling me to slow down. I was going a little too fast with my workouts and my body wasn't very happy with that. I literally felt like I could go to sleep at any time throughout the day...and that was after at least 9 hours of sleep a night. Since my fibromyalgia has been under control for so long, I was kind of in denial that it was flaring up again.

I know fibromyalgia kind of controversial right now because some people don't think its a real ailment, but I have been diagnosed with it, and I am definitely not a hypochondriac. Even when its under control, I'm tired all day long and my muscles can get sore from just sleeping funny. Its really fun, believe me. And I'm 22! I'd kill to have my body react "normally" to everything.

Sometimes its really frustrating because I can't push through it and just keep going. If I'm really tired, I have to go to sleep. If my muscles are achy, I just have to rest. Pushing through it just makes it worse. I have to have 8 hours of sleep a night so that I can function throughout the day. I can't actively work out without feeling it for the next 3 days. And sometimes my body just completely freaks out and I have debilitating migraines or my muscles are so sore I don't even want to move.

Thankfully though, like I said, those instances are pretty rare. But its kind of scary thinking that one day when I have kids, there will be times where I'm going to feel completely awful and I'm probably just going to have to suck it up until it gets so worse and I'm forced to rest. Good times.

So, I'm taking it a little bit easier and giving my body a break. I've also been kind of a crazy person trying to cross things off of my to-do list so I could stay busy. I was unnecissarily productive on Saturday, ha ha. These aren't really things that need to be done, I was just doing them so I had something to do. After working 40 hours a week, I need to treat myself to more breaks and more time relaxing!!!