checking in

How on Earth do bloggers keep up with this nonsense? Sheesh. Life. Getting in the way and all that.

Just checking in to say I'm alive. Perhaps at some point I'll get used to my commute and will have time to keep a record of the lack of excitement around here. In the meantime, I'm going to finish knitting this gosh-blessed sweater....

stop the world, it's time to get off

have you ever been on a merry-go-round, having the time of your life,

when all of a sudden - 

you need to get off the ride, right this second?

immediately.

NOW.

well, Husband dropped the minor bombshell that he might be getting tired of playing soldier

and he wants to see what life is like on The Outside. 

the process to separate takes nine months to one year, but you don't know Husband.

Husband wants out TOMORROW.

so, obviously, I've been freaking out just a wee bit.

he's researching Masters programs, 

going to job fairs to see what the market looks like,

researching the areas we'd potentially like to move to
(it's actually quite exciting to think we could choose our location)

and making a timeline,

but (having done it three times, twice this year alone)

we know starting over is never fun,

and this time it will be without the income and benefits we are used to.

did I mention I've been freaking out a bit?

Husband always seems to land on his feet, so let's hope his lucky rabbit foot didn't hop away.

For Better or For Worse

I've been having a Criminal Minds marathon this weekend while knitting baby gifts for friends. I quite like crime dramas, and both Husband and I enjoy watching the BAU work through what makes these criminals tick. Plus the characters themselves are so well-written and interesting!

One of the pivotal characters is Aaron Hotch, the leader of the group. He is my favorite out of all of them, most likely because he reminds me of Husband: stoic, serious, ridiculously intelligent... and damn handsome. Part of the story of his character involves his relationship with his wife, Hayley. I won't give away the resolution to the issue, but the writers spend a lot of time focusing on how much Hayley resents Hotch and his work at the BAU because it takes his time away from his family... and that infuriates me.

She constantly asks him to choose between work and his family. I'm entirely aware of the difficulties she endures and the frustration she must feel, however - she married him knowing full well the scope and unpredictability of his job in the BAU. She has to be aware not only that he is passionate about the work he does, and he is very good at, and it's a very important job that stops people from killing other people. SERIOUSLY, WOMAN? How on earth can you ask that of someone you allegedly love? How can you ask them to give up a part of themselves, something that makes them who they are? What gives you the right to dictate his life? You're his wife, yes, and you certainly ought to have a vote, but how can you ask your husband to stop being who he is? Don't you realize that forcing him to give up something he so obviously cares about and is adept at will lead him to resent you and be miserable in whatever job he takes next?

Maybe I'm crazy, or is this just a side effect of being a military spouse? Have I given up any hope of control of my life or my husband's schedule?

Mt Rogers, Virginia

Good friends of ours invited us to go camping over Labor Day weekend -

they're some of our favorite people,

and we've loved watching their children grow over the last five years. 

It's so fun to think of how different the kids were when we first met them: 

Their oldest was only six weeks old!!

While we were there,

Husband and I took a quick hike along a few miles of the Appalachian Trail to see the summit of Mt Rogers, the highest peak in Virginia.

The hike started off with beautiful views!

Wild ponies at Massey Gap.

Picking up the Appalachian Trail!

You can see the white blazes that mark the trail,

all 2,000 miles (give-or-take).

There were so many beautiful vistas,

and climbing up a few extra feet earned one an even better vantage point.

About 75% of my hikes with my husband have this view.

He turns around to check on me every half mile or so,

more frequently if we are headed uphill and he knows I'm going to have trouble breathing.

Made it!

The view from the summit may not be the most spectacular mountain top I've ever seen,

but it's nice to block-check a state's high point.

If you're keeping track, that's two high points for my husband - Mt Raininer and Mt Rogers - and one for me.

Still - I've summited three mountains now, which is a nice starting point.

Hey!

I ran a mile tonight!

First mile in two months... At this rate, I'm on track to have run twenty five miles by the end of the year.

: /

Small potatoes after logging 500 miles, a 10k, a half marathon, and a full marathon last year.

I need to get back to that.

Shark Week! (ooh-ha-ha!)

Shark Week has been one of my favorite television features for years, but since we don't have cable I don't get to watch it in real time.

Let's be honest, until they find a Megalodon, Shark Week is fairly predictable.

So these days, in order to get my fix, I'm binge-watching Shark Week episodes on Netflix -

in between watching all of Robin Williams' movies.

What a heartbreaking bit of news that was! 

I've always loved Robin Williams as an actor and as comedian.

He brought such life and vibrancy to each character he played, 

his movies made me laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time,

and he always seemed so genuine and human in his interviews.

I'm since quite close to people who have battled various addictions over time -

hearing the news of his death and how it occurred scared me.

It could have been someone I know.

Internal demons are terrifying, and sometimes we don't know how to overcome them.

I hope anyone and everyone I know who is having trouble battling their demons asks for help.

Robin Williams will be dearly, dearly missed,

and so would you if you were to disappear from my life.

-

It's been a week since my birthday.

This year doesn't feel much different from last year, aside from all of the ridiculously epic life changes that have gone on since then.

My first paycheck from my new job came in yesterday

so I went shopping : )

I've regained more weight than I care to admit since this time last year, which I suppose is only a natural side effect of going from running +30 miles per week to running zero miles per week. 

Most of it actually seems to be in the bust, I've only gone up a half size in pants (just enough to put me up a size when I go shopping now), but I'm up three cup sizes in my bras and I need(ed) more shirts that fit! 

It seems like all of my favorite stores are having very good additional discounts off sale items, and I've shopped at new-to-me stores for the first time lately, which brought in a grand total of seven new shirts for under $100. Woohoo!

Now I just need to get my butt out of bed when my alarm goes off at 0525 and get running again!

blogging? what?

no idea how so many people can work full time and blog simultaneously -

then again, maybe not everyone has a +60 minute commute?

i'm still getting used to work

the drive

the job itself

how different it is from Washington

I also seem to have developed a summer cold,

or my body is just being pissy as it adjusts to 0530 wake-up calls

and, since August 7 has passed,

I'm now a year older

wiser?

closer to being able to be a curmudgeonly cat lady.

It doesn't feel much different yet.