MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

Thanks Wife of a Sailor!

1.What characteristic about yourself has either been strengthened or weakened due to your experience as a Military Spouse? (from The Albrecht Squad)

I think I'm a lot more confident.  I'm confident in my abilities to take care of my kids, to handle all the chores around the house and to make decisions about finances.  The military life has made me more confident to be honest with others and stand-up for myself, even when I'm judged for doing so. 


2.What is your favorite vacation spot and why? (from ‘Tis the Life of the Army Wife)

I went to Alaska with my family in high school and it was the most amazing vacation.  I would love to go back some day, and hope to be able to go with Joel and our girls.

3.If you could have any fast-food restaurant in the food court on base/post what would you pick? (from The Only Pink in a House of Blue)

I love a good 'ol crappy cheeseburger from McDonald's!

4.Where did you go on your honeymoon? (from Pennies from Heaven)

Joel and I went to North & South Carolina.  We just rented a car and went wherever sounded fun that day.  It was so unorganized (which is so unlike me), but it was incredible.

5.If you could have any job in the world regardless of money, degree or experience, which job would you have and why? (from Proud to Be a Navy Family and The Calm Before The Storm)
 
I would love to do marketing again!  I think I would still choose to be in health care marketing, but more on the development side of things.  Marketing is so creative and there's a certain amount of risk, which keeps it exciting.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

Hop on over to Wife of a Sailor and join in on the fun!

1.How do you spend your deployment money, do you save, pay off bills or enjoy the extra money while it is there to buy the things you do not normally have? (from Troop Petrie)
We do a little bit of everything.  Joel and I have a goal to become debt-free, so I'm working to get some debts paid off, including my student loan.  (See ya Sallie Mae).  I have a few to-do's on my list that are not in our normal budget, including getting our trees trimmed (done) and getting some rooms painted professionally.  And then there's some fun trips to the mall to get this somewhat skinnier body some new clothes.  The extra money during deployment is definitely nice, but I'd much rather have my hubby home.


2.If you could relive one occasion or moment, what would it be? (from Currently On Land)
My wedding day.  It was just amazing - from beginning to end. 

3.What’s the worst job you ever had and if it was so bad why did you take it? (from Faith and Deploying)
I was a grocery store check-out girl for about 6 months in high school.  It was a new store that eventually had plans to have a Starbuck's inside.  I was hired on for Starbuck's, but worked up front while Starbuck's was being built.  I hated it.  I have so much respect for people who do this job!

4.If you could play any character on TV, who would you be? (from Many Waters)
I'd be Pam on The Office.  That show is hilarious and that particular kind of dysfunction seems like too much fun.

5.If you could become the world’s expert in something, what would it be? (from Army of Two)
I'd be the world's expert landscaper.  Crazy, right?  I love landscaping and have a stack of landscaping books that I could seriously read over and over again.  I watch all the landscaping shows on PBS and love to pop in to Lowe's and other greenhouses just to look at plants and read tags. I know I'm making myself sound totally lame here.  Don't judge me.

Wednesday Weigh-In

Hello All my lovies!  Do you like the new blog look?  My dear friend over at The Culinary Enthusiast helped me with it last night.  I did it on a whim and had a moment of panic when I deleted my html.  I always hold my breath because I'm sure one of these times I'm going to lose everything somehow.  Another anxiety of mine...

Anyway, back to topic.  I lost another pound this week - bringing my total since the beginning of this deployment to 16 pounds.  Last week I mentioned that since I met my goal of 15 pounds, I was going to think over what a new goal of mine should be.  I decided to aim for another 10 pounds, which will bring me to my wedding weight.  So, with this week's one-pound weight loss, I have 9 more to go.

I promised myself at the beginning of this weight-loss journey that I would treat myself to a Whopper with cheese if I made my 15-pound goal.  So, that's on my agenda for this week.

Now, back to my Oreos, um, I mean yogurt.

A Letter to My Husband

Dear Joel, 

Happy Anniversary, Love!  Seven years ago, today, we became husband and wife.  One of the best days of my life and I am amazed how far God has taken us in the years since then.

I miss you so much already.  I know we're just a few weeks into this, but I really wish you were here so we could celebrate together.  I think this makes the fourth anniversary that you've either been out of state or out of the country.  Next year we'll have to get away for a few days to celebrate - a big bottle of champagne is in order!

I don't know where in the world you are today, but wherever you are and whatever you're doing, I hope you know how much I love you, how proud I am of you and that I pray for you every moment you come to mind.  I am one of the lucky few who can really say that her husband is her hero - and for so many reasons, you are that to me.

Thank you for always standing up for what is right and for doing the hard task, even when that task requires a lot of sacrifice.  Thank you for loving me, even when I'm difficult to love.  Thank you for supporting our family and working so hard so that we can have a bright future.  Thank you for always encouraging me, always seeing past my flaws and for always thinking of your family first. 

Seven years ago, Glen challenged us with this at our wedding:  "God will lead you into such situations and will bless you and develop your characters as you walk together.  He will give you enough tears to keep you tender, enough hurts to keep you compassionate, enough failure to keep your hands clenched tightly in His, and enough success to make sure you walk with Him."  God has certainly brought us through a lot since we've been married - I wouldn't want to walk this road with anyone but you.

I pray that God would continue to lead and guide us as we journey through life together with our girls.  Wherever you are today, know that your wife stands beside you in what you're doing.  I love you with all my heart and cannot wait to have you home again.

Love,
Jill