Phases

I've realized my life is going through phases constantly, back to back, one right after another: 

getting ready for T to leave
getting adjusted to T being gone
finding a new routine once adjusted
getting ready for T to get back
readjusting once T gets home
finding a new routine when he's home
and then back to getting ready for T to leave.

And really, the phases overlap each other, no matter what phase I'm currently in, I'm trying to catch up from the last phase and simultaneously prepare for the next one.  It's no wonder so much time goes by without me realizing it. 

Anyway, with that being said, I'm currently trying to figure out a new routine for us.  I need more organization, really I do.  Surprised?  =)  I've got a new weekly schedule planned, reworking the budget, and starting meal planning again.  We'll see how long I'll keep it up this time.  Wish me luck! 

This weeks dinner menu:

Monday: Chickpea cutlets (Veganomicon,) mashed potatoes, and corn
Tuesday: Vegetable stir fry
Wednesday: Samosas
Thursday: Pasta with roasted veggies
Friday: Tofu hot dogs to take to Family Fun Night at church
Saturday: Summer squash soup, cous cous & black bean salad
Sunday:  Restaurant

See Menu Plan Monday on Organization Junkie. 
If only I could be that organized!
=)

And so it begins....

Well, we got to have Daddy home for about 8 hours, 3 of those he had to nap thanks to exhaustion.  He had to go back to the ship tonight, and left right before I started putting the girls to bed.  They're taking it pretty well.  I'm really surprised, since this was somewhat all of a sudden for them.  We knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but found out pretty much last minute.  The ship should be starting her workups soon, so hopefully the girls will continue to be just as easy going about all this as they have been so far. 

I supposed I shouldn't put off C's study about Daddy's job and his duties any longer.  I've had the idea swirling around in my mind lately and just haven't done the planning yet.  I'm thinking about a scrapbook type project with the details of Daddy's job, the ship, his going away sometimes, etc.  I will also have pages of pictures of them, and a place where she can put letters she receives from him.  That sort of thing.  I think it will help her understand more, and also, hopefully, give her comfort in the unavoidable times of missing him.

I've definitely reacted differently this time.  When we were in Florida and he would leave for any amount of time I always felt somewhat devastated.  We were newly weds though, and I was completely new to the military life.  Every time he left, it broke my heart a little.  Now, though, I think I am much stronger.  I know what to expect.  I think my growing relationship with God is truly the main reason for the change.  He is giving me peace, and for me (since I've always dealt with anxiety,) that is such a faith building block.  Having the kids now is another reason I've reacted differently. (better?)  They make me want to be stronger, keep it together, and show them how to have faith that everything is in God's hands.

Our new orders

I didn't realize that I completely forgot to post about our orders.

So.... we are going to Virginia!

If you know T, you probably know that he never wanted to go back to Virginia after going to school there a few years ago. When we were up for orders we tried to go to Japan twice, we were denied both times. Then we tried for Washington State or California, and we were pretty much told that west coast was not an option for us. Which left us Virginia, Virginia, or Virginia to choose from. =) It turned out for the best though, Tony and his best friend found a ship they could both go to, so that's where they're going.

We will all be going to Virginia in April for house hunting. Then I will stay with the girls and cats, and he will come back to Sicily until the end of May or first week of June. I will keep house hunting if we didn't find something we liked (we're going to be buying hopefully.) And hopefully have a house ready for us to set up by the time T gets there.

We're starting to get ready now. We're very excited to be going back stateside! We miss it very much. Three years here has been quite long enough. =) So, please, keep us in your prayers for this transition!

quick fix.... ?!?

A while back, we noticed that there was a leak in the wall of the guest bathroom. It must be between the shower head and the bathtub, because it never leaked for the past 2 years of C's baths, but suddenly showed water damage when I started using that shower. We finally called in the work order a few weeks ago. Last week, a maintenance guy came and re-caulked the bathtub. Hmm... Okay. I asked T, "Did you make sure to tell them the leak is in the wall?" He said of course. Today, was round two. The maintenance guy primered the water damage on the wall. (I guess that's what he did, or just put a new layer of wall stuff over it. LOL I'm so home repair knowledgeable, am I not?) He was supposed to paint it I guess, but couldn't because it's pouring rain, and the wall needs to be completely dry. So he's coming back next week to paint. But not to fix the leak. No, of course not. Seriously, why on Earth would he do that?

Homesick.....

I don't know what it is..... but homesickness struck really hard today. I think it was the weather. It's cool, fallish, and cloudy. When I looked outside, it looked like Central Texas fall. =( My Texas. Every time I glanced outside I thought I should be able to just drive to my Mom's house. sigh....

It's a good thing I had quilting class today. I would have brooded around the house all day crying about missing home. lol A funny thing was after a few people showed up to the class, someone noticed my t-shirt of my brother's highschool football team, and asked if I was from Texas. I said yeah. Turns out all 4 of us that were there first are all from Texas. So I shared my homesickness, and we talked about Texas for a few minutes, how we all missed it. That helped a little bit. =)

Then I spent the next 3 hours learning how to work my sewing machine (again,) and cutting my first color of fabric for my quilt. I am very excited! I hope to have all my fabric cut before the next class two weeks from now, so that I can start my sewing. =D

Sigh....

Another one of my very close friends left the island this morning for good.
=(
I'm bummed.
ugh... the navy life.

My Husband's Other Life

I hardly ever blog about our life as a navy family. It's our life, it's just seems so normal to me, because it's what we deal with day in and day out. I hear a lot about how my husband deals at work, and what he deals with, and then there's a lot I don't hear, because I'm not allowed to, and I'm fine with that. We're looking at starting to choose orders in August, and we're looking into where we want to be when Tony goes on his next deployment. It really is a big decision, especially now that we'll have another little baby.

Anyway, we recently heard of a new show called CARRIER that just started showing on AFN. I think it's been showing for a while in the states on PBS. We watched the first episode on the PBS site today (since we missed the first one aired here,) and Tony said, "Yep, that's what it's like." I'm looking foward to watching the rest of the season with him, and seeing what life is like on the ship when he's deployed or underway, since I really only get to hear snippets from him. By the time he gets home from a deployment or being underway, the last thing he wants to do is think about being at sea. So, if you want to check it out, the PBS site has almost all the shows online, and I think the season finale will be airing soon in the states.