Bedroom Set

Just a quick update. I wanted to post piccies of the bedroom set. :)

Culmination Exercise

Today I went out to Fort Benning to see Brandon and all the men from the IBOLC class do their Culmination Exercise. It was fun! The wives were on the roof of a building in the middle of the village where they were assaulting, so we could watch all the guys. I wasn't going to go originally, but Brandon really wanted me to go, and I'm glad I did! It was really loud, with explosions and firing from everywhere. The smoke floated up to us and made it hard to see, though, and all our throats hurt. I got to see Brandon though at the end! First he waved at me from a building window (I knew where he was going to be), and then when we were leaving he was there. So I included his picture below :D. Before the exercise, I did yoga and spin. I've been busy!! The summer is super hot now, too. Bedroom set comes tomorrow though, I'll try to include pics of it! :)

Atlanta Trip

Yesterday I was gone aaallll day! The Army Wives (7 of us) got together and carpooled up to Atlanta for a day of shopping and fun.

We left Columbus at 10:30 and got to Atlanta at about 12:30. We went to Chipotle first - yum yum. I love Chipotle! I told Brandon we'd come to Atlanta so he could get some Chipotle before Ranger School :). Afterwards we went to Atlantic Crossing (I think), which is an outdoor shopping center. We went to tons of stores, like H&M, Victoria's Secret, DSW Shoes, Guess, American Eagle, etc. Just lots of clothes stores. I bought some new Converse shoes that are so cute, a cardigan, a t-shirt, and some underwear. It was great! We then had dinner at PF Changs, yummy. Though it took them forever to seat us... maybe it's just the South.

Anyway, I've been having a great time here. One girl works at Red Lobster and might see about me getting a job there, if I decide so. I start volunteering tomorrow at the National Infantry Museum. I have no clue what I'll be doing, though I know I'll be doing some training. Georgia is turning out to be great!

Friday Weigh In

June 5: 133.8 lbs

Not too surprising, really. I've been hovering between 133 and 136 for the last year or more, now, it seems. Though this past summer I got down to 128 until Brandon got home! I was happy about that. Just last week I weighed 131... but I'm sure it was a fluke. 133 seems right. So that means 8.8 pounds to go until I hit that 125 mark.

Working out is killing me, haha. I did the Core & More class today. It was hard!! Especially after doing Spin yesterday. But totally worth it. I can't wait to work out more and more. It's an addiction now, for sure. A healthy one, though!

What doesn't kill you...

I did my first spin class today! It was hard, but I feel awesome afterwards. I'll be doing it every Tuesday and Thursday after Yoga now, barring I don't have volunteering during those times. I am getting addicted to this working out thing, haha. Maybe I'll lose my weight faster! But I'm trying to keep with the plan and just get to 125 by October 1. If I hit that goal earlier, maybe I'll try for 120! We'll see, it is only the first week, right?

Brandon didn't clean his shower once really... it was gross. And it isn't completely clean yet. It'll kill me!

Tonight I'm going out to dinner with the wives, followed by a game night at a girls house. I plan on writing a bit today, but I think I'm gonna relax for about half an hour... I'm tired!

Busy!

Ok, I finally got my calendar set. I thought I might not need to use my iCal during the summer, but it's looking like I have to! I have exercising, errands to run, writing projects, other random projects, my ChaCha job, and my volunteer job, to keep track of.

Speaking of volunteering, I am now a volunteer at the National Infantry Museum. I don't know when I start... I could start on Friday, but I need to buy a pair of khakis for it, and I don't feel like it yet! And besides, I had plans to work out with some Army wives on Friday. Anyway, today I had my basic volunteer orientation, and then I worked out and had lunch. After, I went back to the museum for another museum overview, for those who want to be docents (tour guides). There's a whole lot to learn!! Over the next couple of weeks until the museum opens, June 19th, I'll be taking classes and taking tests to certify myself in areas around the museum. There's so much to learn, but luckily I love history, so it's easy for me. We didn't get to walk around the museum today, but from what I can see, it's amazing. I get all antsy to explore more.

I met some other volunteers as well. Most of the volunteers are three-times my age and wrinkly... but they're nice. I hope I don't work TOO many hours there, especially since I'm still getting used to the fact that I'm volunteering and not getting paid. I'm excited to work there and put it on my resume, though.

I previously mentioned I'd speak about my stories and which ones I want to choose. I started reading a book about writing and found two stories sticking out in my mind. They weren't typically what I write, but they were always ones I planned on writing. So I chose the one dearest to my heart. Tell me what you think.

Working on Heaven: In a small town, the lives of six friends are changed forever when one of their own commits suicide. Now the six must cope with this tragedy while continuing their own lives. Evan, the twin brother of the deceased Eric, is left now as the only child of the mayor, a man who hopes his son will continue in his political footsteps. Rose, the girlfriend of Eric, who has lost her first love and one of her best friends. Julia and Alex, two teenagers in love who find themselves in trouble when Julia gets pregnant. Josh, the son of the pastor, a boy battling against the religion he grew up in and his own feelings on faith. And Camille, who is relatively new to the town, and finds herself in deep when she begins an affair with the police officer who found Eric's body. The six friends must go through their senior year of high school facing adversity, pain, and the future, while trying to decipher who Eric did what he did.

I got this story idea in my senior year of high school. That year began with a suicide, ended with a suicide, and there were four or five in between those two. It was a weird year... almost one suicide a month. Anyway, it brought me into this story, and I've developed it in my mind over the years. The title came from my friend Kathleen when I said that sometimes I think these stories might be where I end up when I die, and she said I was "working on my own heaven." I think the title fits in this story.

Anyway, thoughts? I know it's kinda morbid, but I think it'll be a good story!

Goodbye, my perfect car!

I took back the Ford Fusion today and hopped back into the Mustang. Not that I can complain that I'm driving the Mustang for the next week while Brandon is in the field. He told me to be extra careful. That doesn't make sense. I have never ever been in an accident... just a few speeding tickets, but whatever. There's no reason not to trust me with the car! Oh well, I've got it now. :)

Anyway, the National Infantry Museum called me today to ask me to attend their volunteer orientation. How exciting!! I'm getting closer to volunteering at museums! I can add all this to my resume. Bad thing is that the opening is June 19th, the day after Brandon graduates, and his family will still be here. They want me to volunteer for the opening. Colin Powell will be there that day! I dunno if I can pass this up, it'll be a big deal... whatever, Brandon can take care of his family while I work. I know I'm not getting paid, but it's important.

Workouts have begun. I biked for half an hour. I'll do a weigh in every Friday on my little scale in the bathroom :). We can track my weight progress! The goal is 125 lbs by October 1. That's four months, easy easy. I might go weigh myself now, since I forgot to this morning. Tomorrow is Yoga. They have tons of fitness classes and I want to try and take one maybe every day. Then I can workout more afterwards. Yay. Working out is SO much better when you can decide what you want to do. I don't HAVE to run or do pushups or situps!! It's liberating.

Writing hasn't even started... I need to start reading this writing book so I can start my mind flowing. I have some good short story ideas, but where will that get me? Hopefully I can write those on the side and work on the big novel.

Speaking of which... maybe a blog tomorrow... what novel will I write?