...I posted the 101 Acts of Kindness under pages today. I have completed several of those, and left out some of the ones that I would like to complete again.
-Write a handwritten note.
Since the day Chadd left I have been writing a handwritten letter/note every day. I have written multiple letters/day. Every single thought that I have is written down onto a piece of paper to send to my husband, hoping that it will keep him with me every single second of my day.
-Buy a little extra grocery for the local food bank
I may not have done this one intentionally, but I most certainly donated more food to the local food bank than I needed to in Harrisonburg. Rather than trashing the food or transporting it to my parents house, I donated all of it. Anything that was not perishable was donated, and it felt amazing.
-Instead of thinking it, compliment someone
Today I went to the NEX with Lindsay for stuff for her wedding. When we were in the cafeteria I thought to myself "I love that motorcycle helmet that woman has", as soon as I was within conversational range I complimented her taste. :-)
-Make breakfast for your partner
I am very glad I had the opportunity to accomplish this one when at Lake Gaston. I do not know when the next opportunity would have come along for me to make breakfast for Chadd. The worst part is, he had to ask me to make him breakfast, and it was awful! I do not know what I did wrong or why I had such a hard time, but I made him get out of bed to make my eggs because his were two different styles. I am going to blame it on the awful pan, spatula, and stove! :-)
-Collect clothes to take to a local shelter
Okay, okay. I did not collect the clothes for the local shelther, but I did donate 2 giant trash bags in Harrisonburg, and at least 5 trash bags in Chesapeake. In Chesapeake I donated them to the Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters thrift store! I think me supporting a good cause means well, maybe next year I will look for a shelter when I need to donate again!
-Recycle
Well, I recycle everyday. Today my Dad upset me because instead of leaving two empty water bottles in the vehicle we were driving and recycling them at home, he threw them away at the store. He told me I was "too green". Whatever....
I really wish that writing letters was not so depressing. Chadd has called twice, but he said they were taking away his phone today. I read online that they get 'privileged' phone calls on Sundays when they get further into training. Again, the key term is 'privileged'. My luck, his whole Platoon will be bunch of turds and lose all the benefits they have. I am just hoping that I get a letter from him soon, giving me his address. That way I can begin to send the letters I have written. Chadd- I miss you so much!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
I am a little behind....
Well life has been VERY HECTIC lately. I completed quite a few items on the list, mostly because Chadd was leaving for basic training, and we wanted to do as much as possible before he left!
-Write a blog about this adventure
...I believe that this blog is evidence itself that I have attempted to write a blog about this adventure! I would be better off scrapbooking it, obviously!
-Develop a study plan to pass the NCLEX
....Well that is still a work in progress. It was rather hard for me to focus on studying as much as I would have liked when I knew Chadd was leaving and I only had two weeks with him before he left. I have gotten much better at it. I have been studying each day for about an hour. I am going to increase that time frame by getting a tan while I study. And since I am the only one that has not received an 'approval to test' I need to call the VA state board of nursing and find out what documents they are missing tomorrow... How frustrating. Ah well, I am leaving anyways, it is probably better that my test date is later.
-Go fishing!
-Take a vacation
-Pick fresh strawberries
...Fishing was accomplished while we were on vacation at Lake Gaston. It was a very beautiful week spent with both mine and Chadd's family. The fishing part was not really my forte, and the boys tried to blame it on the fishing pole I was using. I do not remember specifically what they said about it. All I know is the only way I could get the line to go more than 5 feet in front of me was if Chadd casted it for me. I was awful. Other than that, the vacation was amazing. Both of our families were there during the weekend, and Chadd spent most of that time fishing, while I spent it studying/hanging out with the family. I tried to get Edmund to learn to swim, but he did not like the water very much. I at least feel better now, knowing that he can swim if he ever needed to. We went out on the kayak, and I made friends with one of the fish Chadd caught, only for him to eat it later :-(. We went into town one night, and saw Iron Man 2 in this podunk theater for only 3 bucks a piece. The theater only played 3 movies Sun-Thurs. :-) We then left the theater and went to this little Italian restaurant that was more like eating at home. All of the food tasted like it came out of the freezer, and the sauce out of a can! It was hillarious, until I started crying in the middle of the restaurant thinking about Chadd leaving. I couldn't help myself! Throughout the rest of the week we went Strawberry picking (I still have not made Jam, all I did was freeze the strawberries because we were going to harrisonburg right after Lake Gaston), and Chadd made me breakfast in bed. I am not entirely sure if I enjoy breakfast in bed, I was not coherent enough to enjoy it. I feel as though it is a lovely gesture, but I was so exhausted that it scared me when he walked back into the room!
-Attend a concert
...Once the way home from Lake Gaston, Chadd's mom called and asked us if we would like to go to the Brad Paisley concert because she had stumbled upon free tickets. Neither one of us wanted to take her free tickets, so we both said no. She called us back about half an hour later and asked us again, we both decided that it was a good idea! The concert was so much fun! Of course, during a couple of the songs (2 of them had nothing to do with romanticism at all) I cried because all I could think about was Chadd leaving in 9 days. I could not stand it. (I eventually learned to pull myself together...I believe this was the last time I cried until the day before he left!) Other than the tears, the concert was a blast. Chadd's family was there as well (Corey & Jessica, Tanner & Darian, and Ms. Christy). We all had fun dancing and singing, although, I do believe, I was the only sober one! (Probably explains most of the tears...haha)
-Attend a sporting event with Chadd
I purchased tickets to go see a Tides baseball game well before graduation because I noticed a game was home when we were in town. That morning we woke up to pouring down rain. I was less than enthused and no longer wanted to go. Chadd convinced me that it would be fun, and that the rain would clear up before we got there. I was wearing shorts and thank GOD Chadd convinced me to switch to jeans because the day was COLD! We arrived and the game had a slight delay because it was still raining and the field was wet. They straightened things out and started the game! Chadd was convinced he was going to catch me a fly ball, but this brat kid kept running for them. He got like 3 or 4 balls! Little turd anyways.... While we were there this Mom came in late with her son named "sir". Every other word out of the mom's mouth in regards to the son was sir. It did not matter what she said to him, his name was sir. Chadd even asked me if that was his name, I eventually heard her call him Sammy, but really? The kid was too funny, he asked 10 thousand questions every 5 seconds, "why...", "why....", it was very entertaining. Inevitably, Chadd was right, I had a blast and was very glad we went!
-Get at least a 270 on an APFT
...This is one I forgot about. I had received a 270 on my last PT test before school let out. I could not believe it when I added my score up! I am not sure if I could repeat that score without Cari's motivation during my pushups/situps, cross my fingers for LDAC!
-Excercise 3-4 times a week
...This all depends on the day on how well this works out. I tend to get lazy on days that feel lazy. I have been doing really well for the past 2 weeks! I have worked out at least 3 times a week, and I would like to bump it up to 4-5 because it is the last two weeks before I go to LDAC! I have been doing a variety of things as well, not just running! Brandon took me to the gym last night to do weights and worked out my abdominals.
-Give up soda
This one has definitely stuck! I have done very well for myself with giving up soda. I have even eliminated drinks with too much sugar altogether. I have been drinking plenty of water and unsweet tea. To spice things up a bit, I have added Crystal Light packs to my water bottle. I feel much better about myself since I have started that. I have also started to floss my teeth multiple times a day and I feel so much better about myself! I need to be careful, make sure it does NOT become an OCD habit.
-Keep car as clean as I keep my house
..I paid to get Chadd's car clean today, and then I realized it was not clean to my standards. I was happy to pay to get a start on it though! I can not promise to keep my own car clean because Dustin took that with him to fairfax because his car is out of commission :-(
.......Now lets see how long I can keep the car clean :-)
-Keep in contact with college friends at least once a month
So far I have made a very good effort to at least shoot a text message here and there to all of my closest friends from school. It has been rather difficult because Chadd was leaving, but I have tried my best. I won't be able to for at least a month because I will be gone, and I am so very busy until I leave, but I am trying my best to do what I can! I love you all :-)
-Spend a whole day with my Dad
...This was a combination of intentional and unintentional time spent. Well the day began with my Dad and I planning on dropping my car off to get it inspected. The place is closed so we decided to go get breakfast at Sunrise Cafe. He found an auto shop right behind the breakfast cafe and we dropped the car off there before breakfast. We headed back to the restaurant, sat down and placed our order. About 2 minutes later, Chadd called. I was very excited and answered hurriedly. Sure enough, not good news, he needed a copy of the marriage certificate. I was expected to get up from whatever I was doing and rush it to the recruiter 30 minutes away and be there in twenty minutes??!!?! What?!?!! So Dad had to cancel the order (which they refused, so we got eggs to go...really??) and we rushed out the door to the auto shop to get the marriage certificate out of the car. I was going to take the truck or a different vehicle, but Dad offered to drive me (knowing he had to be at court by 11). My dear Dad had to pay 15 cents extra/gallon to get gas so that he did not waste time because it was the only gas station between our location and the on ramp! We then rushed to Portsmouth to deliver it, and got there before the recruiter! So stressful! Inevitably, I planned to spend time with my Dad, but I almost lost the opportunity. My heart was crushed when Chadd first told me I had to leave breakfast, but I was thrilled when my Dad said he would drive me :-)
So far this adventure has been fun. I only have two more weeks available to post updates, but I will try my best to keep updating at least weekly until then!
-Write a blog about this adventure
...I believe that this blog is evidence itself that I have attempted to write a blog about this adventure! I would be better off scrapbooking it, obviously!
-Develop a study plan to pass the NCLEX
....Well that is still a work in progress. It was rather hard for me to focus on studying as much as I would have liked when I knew Chadd was leaving and I only had two weeks with him before he left. I have gotten much better at it. I have been studying each day for about an hour. I am going to increase that time frame by getting a tan while I study. And since I am the only one that has not received an 'approval to test' I need to call the VA state board of nursing and find out what documents they are missing tomorrow... How frustrating. Ah well, I am leaving anyways, it is probably better that my test date is later.
-Go fishing!
-Take a vacation
-Pick fresh strawberries
...Fishing was accomplished while we were on vacation at Lake Gaston. It was a very beautiful week spent with both mine and Chadd's family. The fishing part was not really my forte, and the boys tried to blame it on the fishing pole I was using. I do not remember specifically what they said about it. All I know is the only way I could get the line to go more than 5 feet in front of me was if Chadd casted it for me. I was awful. Other than that, the vacation was amazing. Both of our families were there during the weekend, and Chadd spent most of that time fishing, while I spent it studying/hanging out with the family. I tried to get Edmund to learn to swim, but he did not like the water very much. I at least feel better now, knowing that he can swim if he ever needed to. We went out on the kayak, and I made friends with one of the fish Chadd caught, only for him to eat it later :-(. We went into town one night, and saw Iron Man 2 in this podunk theater for only 3 bucks a piece. The theater only played 3 movies Sun-Thurs. :-) We then left the theater and went to this little Italian restaurant that was more like eating at home. All of the food tasted like it came out of the freezer, and the sauce out of a can! It was hillarious, until I started crying in the middle of the restaurant thinking about Chadd leaving. I couldn't help myself! Throughout the rest of the week we went Strawberry picking (I still have not made Jam, all I did was freeze the strawberries because we were going to harrisonburg right after Lake Gaston), and Chadd made me breakfast in bed. I am not entirely sure if I enjoy breakfast in bed, I was not coherent enough to enjoy it. I feel as though it is a lovely gesture, but I was so exhausted that it scared me when he walked back into the room!
-Attend a concert
...Once the way home from Lake Gaston, Chadd's mom called and asked us if we would like to go to the Brad Paisley concert because she had stumbled upon free tickets. Neither one of us wanted to take her free tickets, so we both said no. She called us back about half an hour later and asked us again, we both decided that it was a good idea! The concert was so much fun! Of course, during a couple of the songs (2 of them had nothing to do with romanticism at all) I cried because all I could think about was Chadd leaving in 9 days. I could not stand it. (I eventually learned to pull myself together...I believe this was the last time I cried until the day before he left!) Other than the tears, the concert was a blast. Chadd's family was there as well (Corey & Jessica, Tanner & Darian, and Ms. Christy). We all had fun dancing and singing, although, I do believe, I was the only sober one! (Probably explains most of the tears...haha)
-Attend a sporting event with Chadd
I purchased tickets to go see a Tides baseball game well before graduation because I noticed a game was home when we were in town. That morning we woke up to pouring down rain. I was less than enthused and no longer wanted to go. Chadd convinced me that it would be fun, and that the rain would clear up before we got there. I was wearing shorts and thank GOD Chadd convinced me to switch to jeans because the day was COLD! We arrived and the game had a slight delay because it was still raining and the field was wet. They straightened things out and started the game! Chadd was convinced he was going to catch me a fly ball, but this brat kid kept running for them. He got like 3 or 4 balls! Little turd anyways.... While we were there this Mom came in late with her son named "sir". Every other word out of the mom's mouth in regards to the son was sir. It did not matter what she said to him, his name was sir. Chadd even asked me if that was his name, I eventually heard her call him Sammy, but really? The kid was too funny, he asked 10 thousand questions every 5 seconds, "why...", "why....", it was very entertaining. Inevitably, Chadd was right, I had a blast and was very glad we went!
-Get at least a 270 on an APFT
...This is one I forgot about. I had received a 270 on my last PT test before school let out. I could not believe it when I added my score up! I am not sure if I could repeat that score without Cari's motivation during my pushups/situps, cross my fingers for LDAC!
-Excercise 3-4 times a week
...This all depends on the day on how well this works out. I tend to get lazy on days that feel lazy. I have been doing really well for the past 2 weeks! I have worked out at least 3 times a week, and I would like to bump it up to 4-5 because it is the last two weeks before I go to LDAC! I have been doing a variety of things as well, not just running! Brandon took me to the gym last night to do weights and worked out my abdominals.
-Give up soda
This one has definitely stuck! I have done very well for myself with giving up soda. I have even eliminated drinks with too much sugar altogether. I have been drinking plenty of water and unsweet tea. To spice things up a bit, I have added Crystal Light packs to my water bottle. I feel much better about myself since I have started that. I have also started to floss my teeth multiple times a day and I feel so much better about myself! I need to be careful, make sure it does NOT become an OCD habit.
-Keep car as clean as I keep my house
..I paid to get Chadd's car clean today, and then I realized it was not clean to my standards. I was happy to pay to get a start on it though! I can not promise to keep my own car clean because Dustin took that with him to fairfax because his car is out of commission :-(
.......Now lets see how long I can keep the car clean :-)
-Keep in contact with college friends at least once a month
So far I have made a very good effort to at least shoot a text message here and there to all of my closest friends from school. It has been rather difficult because Chadd was leaving, but I have tried my best. I won't be able to for at least a month because I will be gone, and I am so very busy until I leave, but I am trying my best to do what I can! I love you all :-)
-Spend a whole day with my Dad
...This was a combination of intentional and unintentional time spent. Well the day began with my Dad and I planning on dropping my car off to get it inspected. The place is closed so we decided to go get breakfast at Sunrise Cafe. He found an auto shop right behind the breakfast cafe and we dropped the car off there before breakfast. We headed back to the restaurant, sat down and placed our order. About 2 minutes later, Chadd called. I was very excited and answered hurriedly. Sure enough, not good news, he needed a copy of the marriage certificate. I was expected to get up from whatever I was doing and rush it to the recruiter 30 minutes away and be there in twenty minutes??!!?! What?!?!! So Dad had to cancel the order (which they refused, so we got eggs to go...really??) and we rushed out the door to the auto shop to get the marriage certificate out of the car. I was going to take the truck or a different vehicle, but Dad offered to drive me (knowing he had to be at court by 11). My dear Dad had to pay 15 cents extra/gallon to get gas so that he did not waste time because it was the only gas station between our location and the on ramp! We then rushed to Portsmouth to deliver it, and got there before the recruiter! So stressful! Inevitably, I planned to spend time with my Dad, but I almost lost the opportunity. My heart was crushed when Chadd first told me I had to leave breakfast, but I was thrilled when my Dad said he would drive me :-)
So far this adventure has been fun. I only have two more weeks available to post updates, but I will try my best to keep updating at least weekly until then!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Day one
One of my closest friends, Kelly Byrd (You can follow her at kellybyrd101in1001.blogspot.com) suggested that I start a 101 things in 1001 days with her. A fresh college graduate with a list of things to do. My first thought is, why wouldn't I just want to enjoy being a graduate. But really, having something to do and look forward to will help me to transition to not going to school every day. I have not done anything on my list yet, and I am not entirely sure where to begin. The list may be put on hold until the 100th day or so because before I can focus on anything else I need to pass my state boards (NCLEX) and commission as an Officer in the Army Nurse Corps in July.
Until later........right now I am focused on cleaning my house so I can move back home soon...
Until later........right now I am focused on cleaning my house so I can move back home soon...
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