PCS, Jet Lag, & Korea

 While I am no stranger to the PCS world (Phil has been Active Duty for 13 years), I must say, an overseas move is a whopper!  To be completely honest, I never wanted to PCS overseas; I loved the idea of going to visit places, but I never wanted to move there.  The culture shock, the language barrier, the timezone changes, and most importantly, shipping our dogs.  I didn't want any of it.  I admired those that did it, loved following along on their adventures, but didn't want it for myself.  

We found out we were PCSing to South Korea in December 2025, right before Christmas.  At first, I thought Phil was joking: this wasn't on our radar and I had a pretty strict "no overseas move" rule.  After the shock wore off, I did what any Type A military spouse does: I began researching.  And since I'm old school, I bought guidebooks and started reading.

I also got Maple and Penny to pose with the guidebooks, because they are just too cute and I needed the distraction :)

The planning of an overseas move is a bit of a logistical nightmare and I am super lucky that we have friends that have done them and pointed us in the right directions with what to bring for Unaccompanied Baggage to what pet company we should use to get the girls over to Korea safe and sound.  Speaking of the girls, the crates we needed to get them were INSANE!  They need to have room to stand up, sit up straight, lie down, the works.  Turns out, not only could they do all of that, I could also fit in the crates with them and we had plenty of crate snuggle sessions before we left:

They felt like a doggie penthouse!

The goodbye's are always the worst, and with us moving all the way to South Korea, it felt more final, more real, and more intense.  I waffled between wanting time to slow down, let me bask in my relationships with my friends and family and breathe in my surroundings a little longer; to just wanting to go and get it over with.  As time does continue to move right along, before we knew it, we were heading out: 

And then like magic, we were in Korea! Let me tell you, the jet lag was REAL!  I have actually never experienced jet lag, and so it was a completely weird sensation for me to just fall asleep at 1pm and then be wide awake by 2am.  I didn't know what day it was, what time it was, and what timezone anyone else was in.  

We have been here for a couple of weeks now and it is going pretty good!  It is still a little overwhelming, especially as we haven't lived anywhere before that is on the same scale as Seoul, but thankfully everyone here is so kind and understanding...I feel like they know we are from out of town ;) 

And most importantly, the dogs rocked their first flying experiences and are adjusting quite to being Big City Dogs and having Big Dog Elevator Etiquette:

If you have any recommendations of things to do and things to eat in Seoul, please send them my way!

Has anyone else ever flown their pets before?  Were you as terrified as I was? Let me know in the comments!

Christmas, Classes, & Homecoming Prep

 There is a huge part of me that still semi believes that I am trapped in this endless loop of October, but we are officially in January! It feels incredibly strange that Christmas came and went, Fall semester ended, and I am in the home stretch of this deployment.  Time is such a funny thing to me.

Even though Phil was deployed, I still made him do Christmas card photos with me:

Our photographer is super talented and Phil definitely indulged me with doing his part of the photo (shoutout to his awesome 1st Sergeant for being his photographer).  These turned out so well and are a sweet reminder of this deployment.

The puppies and I had a great Christmas with my parents (they came to spend it with me), and they each got new collars, leashes and bones!  

Spring semester is going to start soon!! I am so excited!  I really enjoyed my first semester of my doctoral program and cannot wait to keep pursuing this dream.  The only downside is that I have to take statistics this semester and I am NOT a math person in any way, shape or form, so think good thoughts for me please :)

We are definitely on the downward spiral of this deployment and I am so excited!!!  I am so ready for Phil to be home and re-establish our "normal".  It is so strange because for a while the deployment seems like it will last for eternity, and then you look up and you have less than a month left....I am not complaining about that process in the least! 

I hope you all have a great week and have had a great start to your New Year!

I am looking for fun destinations for Phil and I to visit when he gets home, he will get a little leave time, any suggestions? 

Baby Shower, Toothache, & Outlander

One of the things I truly love about Army life is the people you meet along your journey.  Phil and I have met people that will be lifelong friends and we will have connections with them for all times; even if we aren't stationed together again, or we are stationed together after a crazy amount of years.  It is something that truly makes Army life special. 

That being said, this weekend I celebrated our two friends M and B who are expecting their first child in October!!!!!!!  We were all stationed together in CO and were lucky enough to be stationed here in OK together as well!  M and I met at a Family Fun Day Live Shoot and have been besties ever since.  It was such a fun day and I cannot wait to meet Baby G this Fall :)

Also on Saturday I woke up with a toothache, which was odd because I didn't do anything that should provoke its' crankiness.  I slept super poorly Saturday night due to ridiculous tooth pain (I also spent my time in the ridiculous hours of the night/morning Googling random things, making myself terrified and then going down the Pinterest rabbit hole instead).  Sunday passed in a blur of Advil and smoothies and I even left a message with my dentist to hopefully get in on Monday.  They did call me back and I did not get an appointment until Wednesday!  By Wednesday my tooth was feeling much better, but I kept the appointment and went anyway.  It turns out my tooth is absolutely fine and in good shape and I just had a bad reaction in my gum so that's why it was swollen...go figure!  I can now continue my supreme avoidance of the dentist for the next few years :)

Each deployment I end up binging a certain or a couple of shows, and this time it is Outlander.  I had read books 1 & 2 a bit ago and discovered the series on Netflix and am obsessed.  I ordered books 3 & 4 and am halfway through book 3 already.  

This has me thinking about a Scotland vacation once Phil returns and everything settles down a bit.  Phil and I don't normally take too many vacations: we do weekend trips (Waco, Fort Worth, OKC, etc) but the last vacation we took was to Jamaica four years ago when he returned form Deployment #2....we tend to be slight workaholics.   So maybe an adventure in the Highlands is in order ;)

This meme made me laugh so hard as it continues to be a thousand degrees in OK and I brush Penny out 2-3 times a week to keep up with her fluff

Sad, but oh so true!!!

I hope everyone has a great week!!!!  Any factions planned for the future?  Any Scotland advice?

Books, Fundraisers, & Storms

It is storm season here in OK!! Technically, storms and tornados can happen in other months, but March-June is the "typical" storm season time where our weather gets rainy, windy, and scary.  I used to love watching the movie Twister, and then we moved to OK and it took on a whole new meaning...I'm unsure how I feel about that.

However, with the storms come some fantastic clouds

Phil and I went for a ride Friday night (because the dogs and I love them!) and we happened to be between storms.  I rolled down the truck window and took this picture as we were still moving; I can get lost in the beauty of nature sometimes.

I have been talking to a fellow book lover and my new books are FINALLY here!

I cannot wait to dig into these!

Our battalion has been putting on a fundraiser this weekend and I am so blessed to be involved in such an incredible place.  The group of women I have gotten to know in this battalion have been such a blessing!  We are so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people.  Especially since some of those people make exceptional cupcakes that you "accidentally" take home with you:

I mean seriously, how cute are these?  I think I ate 8 of them....lets just say, I stopped counting after 8...insert embarrassed face here.   Also ignore allergy medicine...allergy season in OK is no joke!

Max is not excited to start the new week...

But he does not realize that we are down to three more weeks of school left!  Woohoo!  I think we may make it after all!  No Sunday Night Blues here!

Anyone else counting down to summer break?!?!

Renewed, Refreshed, & Ready

It has been an impossibly long time since I have written and I have no idea where to start!  It feels as though I am beginning again.  Life in Oklahoma has been very good; most people do not like getting stationed here, but honestly, it has been nothing but great to Phil and I!  The people we have met here have been such a blessing!

I had mentioned last time that I was training for a marathon, and I conquered the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon last April!

First Full is in the books!  No immediate plans for another one at this time....

However, Penny and I enjoy getting some miles in together:

Penny is always pretty smiley when we get our runs in!

Max, while he enjoys walks and wrestling with his sister, is currently very content in his favorite place:

It is so satisfying to tucker out my puppies...not sure why, but it always makes me feel so accomplished!

I had the privilege of watching my husband take battery command in February:

That man never ceases to make my heart explode with love and pride!

Those are some of the major highlights, due to my extra long hiatus, there are too many to really fit into one post.  I enjoyed taking a break from blogging, it became something "extra" I was trying to fit into my schedule and I needed to let it go for a bit.  The distance did make the heart grow fonder as I have found that I miss writing and do enjoy the creative outlet it provides.   

Anybody else feel as though they need to take breaks from things to gain fresh perspective again?

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! :)

Couches, Chairs & Vacuums

We are finally moved into our new house!  Our stuff was delivered and our empty house became filled with more cardboard than I thought possible.

And that is what we had managed to get it down to by Saturday.  We unboxed, unwrapped, hauled, folded, carried, and placed most of our stuff into its new spot in the house.  At one point I looked at my watch and noticed that it was 3pm, Phil and I had been unpacking since around 10am...I wasn't sure where the time went, but I definitely knew it went to good use!

As you can see, Max worked incredibly hard...

As with all PCS's and moves in general, we had stuff break: dining room chairs, our vacuum and two picture frames.  Overall not too bad!

The biggest thing that baffled me was that they lost our couches, I really didn't think that was possible!  Dishes, movies, picture frames, those I totally understand, but couches are pretty big! They have been lost to the Great Crate Creatures: the creatures that hide inside of crates and beam your stuff up to wherever they want it (I know, there was a Star Trek reference: big nerd!).

However, on the plus side, I do get to pick out new furniture!  As you know I love shopping, and furniture shopping is no exception!  We will soon (in theory) have couches that compliment and fit our living room perfectly!  Until the next time of course...

The movers were awesome and came and removed our mound of cardboard boxes on Monday and I now feel less claustrophobic.  I thought they were just going to take over the living room and as long as I could get to the refrigerator, I was going to let them! But the lovely men at the moving company took them away and gave us our living room back.

It feels amazing to be back and officially in our new home!  Phil and I are settling in quite nicely and are enjoying the double sinks in our master bathroom...this is a privilege we have never known and I am pretty sure that can save marriages.

Next task: hang decorations!  I think that is the best part!

I think Max really misses the couch...the plastic tub just isn't getting the job done.

I hope everyone continues to have a wonderful week! :)

Does anyone else have any crazy PCS/Moving stories???

Graduation, Commissioning, & Beauty and the Beast

I am so incredibly proud of my "little" brother!  He graduated from Niagara University (the Alma Mater of both Phil and I) and commissioned as a 2Lt in the Army this weekend!

I was able to watch it Live as they streamed it from the ceremony, and I am so glad they did!  I would be lying if I didn't tear up a little when my parents were pinning him, my grandfather giving him his first salute, or watching him take the oath...chills my friends!

I finally saw Beauty & the Beast last night and it was incredible! I am so glad I did not just wait until it came out on DVD, so awesome! I now want to go see it again and again and again, and so on.

I was in a mega cleaning/purging mood again on Saturday and gave the house another scrub down...what is it about hardcore cleaning that soothes the soul?

The vacuum came out and Max was faced with Fight or Flight and he chose Flight underneath our end table; he's so fierce...

Note the ever present sweet tea cup...addiction is still holding strong!

My seniors graduate this Thursday! I am so excited for them to embark on their journey after high school, but it is always a tad bittersweet!  The teachers form a receiving line at the end and they use that opportunity to give us just one more hug, it is just the sweetest!

With that coming up this week, it is time to unwind and get ready for the LAST FULL WEEK OF SCHOOL!! Can't believe it's so close!

Max is one step ahead of me with unwinding...is anyone surprised by that?

Have a wonderful week everyone! :)

Linking up with Bianca!

Planes, Oklahoma, & Girl Time

The weekend was finally here! It was time to board that plane and go see Phil!

Goodbye Colorado!

Hello Oklahoma!

It was wonderful and perfect and it just felt so good to see him!  Is it odd that I forgot how cute he is? Or how much he makes my heart just flutter?  It's easy to forget what those sensations feel like when you're apart for a significant amount of time.  And these past two months definitely felt significant to me!

The promotion ceremony was sweet and it was such an honor to be a part of.  I ripped his 1Lt rank off and chucked it behind him (Phil said I threw like a girl...insert dramatic girlie eye roll here...) and I placed the CPT rank on there and heeled him in the chest...just to make sure it stuck ;)

I went with the cream dress and the nude heels; it just seemed appropriate for the occasion.

This picture was my favorite because it shows me squinty and laughing at something he said, and he's  just looking at me in the way that he does (insert heart flutter)

After all of that formal stuff, we hung out with my dad (who managed to pull the Big Rig into OK at the right time!) and had a celebratory brunch at Cracker Barrel and bopped around OK to see what we could see.

It was a beautiful weekend and the weather was perfect on Saturday for climbing Mt. Scott and then catching all we could catch with Pokemon Go (nerd alert!)

Sadly all weekends have to come to an end, and it was tough leaving him, but it helps knowing that I will see him again quite soon.  And I had no time to brood, my friend came to visit after I got home! It was so great to see her and catch up; it had been a few years since we have actually gotten to have some good old fashioned Girl Time and it was needed!  Great way to start off the week!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all have a  fabulous week! :)

Max was happy to take his place back on the couch from his Doggy Daycare Adventure Weekend!

Linking up with Bianca! 

Days Off, Flights, & Memes

I finally got the word when Phil's promotion ceremony is going to be! I am very excited because that means I get to see him very soon! I booked my flights and am ready to get out of Dodge...or Colorado.  Since he has been rocking a sleeping bag in the RV he asked that I bring some bedding...its a good thing that I invested in those SpaceBags (best purchase ever!)

With the school year winding down, I have slowly started to cull out my stuff and take the unnecessary/already used items home.  My students are noticing my decorations are a little lacking compared to what they were last week; but its time to face the facts: we don't need the Grammar Meme Wall anymore, if they don't know it now, its hopeless.  But I must admit, some of them really are funny and make me chuckle everyday.

I am terrified for Grandma's everywhere!


Colorado has decided to remind us that it does have a sense of humor when it comes to weather because it will be high 70s one day and then 50s and rain the next.  So Max and I have been embracing the thrill of fetch, chase the dog, and tug so we can then get to our other favorite pastime: couch cuddles.

Maybe we need a new hobby...

With that being said, I am very excited because we have FRIDAY OFF! Woo and two Hoo's!  Now that day does involve a trip to the vet for some shots, but still very exciting! This weekend will be filled with some necessary purging and packing prep (I can't put it off anymore) and cleaning.  What does that say about me that those thoughts make me kind of excited?  I'm not sure either.  Have a great rest of the week everyone! :)

Does anyone have any fun weekend plans?

Linking up with Kristin!

Off-leash, iPads, & Promotions

Has it been a long week or what?!?!  I swear on Tuesday I was thinking/wishing it was Friday.  It must be because the school year is winding down, because the students have lost their minds; I'm convinced!  Not that my mind is in better shape, but thats a whole different ball game...

On a totally proud puppy-mama note, I have been continuously working with Max off leash and he is doing AMAZING!!  I was pretty skeptical about this and figured our Sunday adventure had been a fluke, but lo and behold, I think the boy is getting it! (I hope the clip plays!)

I have also been super ingenious and managed to link my iPad to my Kindle books via the Kindle App.  This process took me slightly longer than it should have, but it helped me realize that I apparently have two Amazon accounts...one linked to my normal email address and the other linked to my old college email.  My latest mission is to link the two and quit this Amazon account confusion!

*Note the handy Kindle App in the bottom left*

Phil and I are officially getting ready for our first PCS!! The movers are meeting me on Friday to preview my house and then they are coming at the end of May to pack me up and ship me out! Goodbye Colorado! The only downside is that I will still be in school when they are supposed to be packing...thank goodness for friends and family!!

Does anyone have any tips to help me get prepared for that? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

Phil knew that this week has been super slow and just an endless battle of hormones and antics, so he sent me this cute little meme:

He knows my love of Mac and Cheese :)

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!  We are almost there! :)

Let me know if you have any PCSing tips!

Linking up with Kristin!

"Miss! You're WHAT?!?!"

This is the response I received from my students when I told them I have officially resigned my teaching job.  This was a tough decision, but Phil and I talked it out and out and out, and we decided that we did not want to live apart any more than we already have to (that whole Army thing).

Variations of my students' responses also sounded something like this: "Miss! You can't go!  Just divorce him and re-marry him after I graduate!  That's only two years from now!", "Fine, if you're not coming back, I won't either!", etc.  I do believe I also heard the mention of a protest...

We had a Snow Day yesterday!! It was AWESOME!! I got to sleep in a little more (although I was too excited that we had a SNOW DAY to actually sleep in!) and Max and I got to play all day!

And we even had a snowball fight...or snowball -throw- and -Max -eats -the -snowball fight!

After we ruff and tumbled over the backyard, we enjoyed some sweet tea (of the hot variety) and watched some Scooby Doo (Max's favorite) and held down the couch.  Sweet luxury for a Tuesday.

In true Colorado fashion, the sun came out and our 6 inches of snow went away...

*Note pretty blue skies and bare pavement*

Today, we were up and at it early as per usual, and Max was not on board with that TERRIBLE scenario:

Poor puppy!

As for now, it is time to enjoy our post-walk cup of cocoa and maybe some more Scooby!  Happy Wednesday everyone! :)

Linking up with Kristin!

State Testing, Meltdowns, & RV Parks

There is nothing good about state testing: crazy schedules, long proctoring hours, meltdowns, and the remnants of brains.  The freshman have been testing since Monday and I'm not entirely sure what their brain capacity is on a scientific level, but I can tell you that it is officially gone after today.  And there is nothing like standing, meandering around, and staring at the back of their heads for four and a half hours to make the day feel lightening fast.  My poor feet have been enjoying sandals for about three weeks in a row now, and I had the nerve to shove them into ACTUAL shoes to make the standing not feel so bad; update: my feet are on strike because I made them wear real shoes (insert eye roll here).

This is Max summing up my feelings of testing week...I also wanted to hide on the couch and bury by head in the corner

The thing about my students, is that they are very schedule/routine oriented; and for the past three days, we have done nothing but mess that up.  Freshmen were testing and all other grades had their classes relocated (we used classrooms for the testing) and so that meant that no one knew where they were going and did not like the fact that they weren't going to be in their normal classrooms.  Cue different meltdowns of different magnitudes.  On the bright side, tomorrow and Friday are normal schedules and we are almost at Spring Break (keep breathing, only two more days, keep breathing, only two more days, etc)

Phil and my father officially arrived in OK yesterday evening after a two day trip from Western New York.  Phil and I were not super excited about paying for two households while he was in OK for Captains Career Course, so we thought, "Hey, what about living in my parents RV?" and my parents graciously lent us the Winnebago for Phil's time in OK.  So my dad is driving the Winnie, and Phil is driving his truck and they convoyed to OK.  Now with any good road trip, something unexpected always happens: in their case it was when the back bumper of the Winnie decided to fall off while they were rolling down the highway.  Luckily it didn't hit Phil and they managed to put it back on....but boy was I ever happy to miss out on that little endeavor!

Phil is now a resident at Buffalo Bob's RV Park in OK...something tells me he's going to fit right in!

Also a super cool plus:

Look how pretty the budding leaves are!!

Have a great week everyone!

Linking up with Kristin!

The Art of Saying Goodbye

One of my friends made a request that I talk a little more about being an Army wife and some of what that entails.  With Phil leaving for Oklahoma and Captains Career Course, it gives me the time to reflect on what it means to say goodbye to the one you love.  Now this time is COMPLETELY different! I'll be able to call, text and video chat Phil whenever I want (that is a luxury of being apart that we have not known before).

Phil and I met in college when we were both seniors: he was in ROTC and I was an Education major. He left for BOLC in Oklahoma a week after graduation.  This was our first time learning how to deal with separation.  If I am being quite honest, it wasn't all that bad: he was in Oklahoma which was an hour behind me time-wise and I was working my summer job and preparing for grad school in the upcoming fall.  I went and visited him a couple of times (that's also where we got engaged) and it was good!

When he PCS'd to Colorado, I met him out here shortly after he got set up.  In that short amount of time, we explored some hiking trails and got a puppy all before he deployed for the first time to Afghanistan.  This was a whole new experience for both of us: the unknown, the nerves, the fear, and the pride all wrapped up in a very interesting bow.

Baby Max

Pre-deployment photo (I actually managed to smile...I was proud of that!)

After he returned in November of 2014, we actually had a year together!  And in that time, we got to plan our wedding and get married! Then in February of 2016, he deployed again and this time was doing ten months in Kosovo.

Saying goodbye is never easy, it hurts and it's tough.  But, it has also taught me many things: how to be independent, find my way around places ( I am geographically challenged), I will never be a good electrician, rely on friends and family, and how to be happy without Phil.  As we prepare to say goodbye again tomorrow, I feel those familiar heavy sigh type feelings, but I also remember that I will see him in a few months and that I am proud of him and all of the things he/we have accomplished at our first duty station.

I think Dr. Seuss said it best: "Don't be sad it's over, be glad it happened" and I think that is key for saying goodbye: don't dwell that it's over, relish in the time you had.  Time is one of the most valuable things we have, and why waste the time we have being sad?  Appreciate the time you have and the time you spent.

Have a Happy Week everyone!

Linking up with Bianca!