Sunday, June 27, 2010

I'm Baaaaack ;)

It's 3 am and the hubby and I are still awake. I are on his work schedule (he works Nights), and he has this weekend off. We probably won't go to bed until 5am-ish. He will sleep until probably 2ish and I will be up around noon probably earlier. I don't sleep much, and that's actually a lot of sleep for me. I don't know if I ever mentioned it.. but I have a mild case of insomnia and can go without sleep for a while.

We went and watched the "A-Team". It was super funny. Kept us laughing. We wanted to go see "Grown Ups", but Cinema Cafe in Hampton isn't showing it, so we're going to wait for it.
Now, I'm blogging.. while he is playing the newest UFC game for XBox. I think he's addicted. Thank goodness it's a rental. haha

Nick's family was in town Sunday night through Wednesday morning. My house is still a mess (hence the reason I have yet to post pictures of the new place!). We enjoyed them being here, but with all the stress we've been under.. it was good to have this weekend to ourselves so we could relax. Finally getting some time with the husband since he's been back in port. Much needed.

It was great seeing his sister. We had not seen her in over a year and a half. She's married to a Soldier and they are stationed in Italy. We finally got to meet our Nephew! He turned a year old earlier this month. He's such a cutie.. a chubby little cutie! He made me want a baby even more. And seeing my husband with him was hilarious, made me smile. He was so scared to hold him... and even play with him for fear he would drop him. His sister had to force him to hold the baby. Tuesday he started to warm up to the little guy. I smile just thinking about it. We took the family to the beach. Our nephew loved it. It was his first beach trip. Enjoy some pics ;)

Isn't he adorable?
Yes. He is.

PS. I'm Back! I have a smile on my face and my positive upbeat (sometime overly positive) attitude back. Whew! Sometimes we just need a moment to step back and recollect ourselves.

Any time that I feel down, or start to feel sorry for myself.. I re-read this quote:
When you're struggling with something, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, & to them, it's just as hard as what you're going through.
 I know I've used the quote before in a post. It really helps me. I read that quote and It makes me want to be a better person, to help people. Helping others makes me happy. Which is why I have and am learning so much about the Navy life. I like to think that I have helped several ladies, and hope to continue that. In all honesty, Helping others, helps me. It's one of the reasons I have created my blog.  I will also be applying for an ombudsman position with my husband's ship. Finger's crossed. (oh yeah, failed to mention.. I didn't make the FRG board. But that doesn't mean I won't be involved. Congrats to the ladies who did make it!)

Thank you to all my lovely followers. It means a lot to have you as a reader. I'm sorry I have been somewhat of a recluse lately. I haven't been stopping by many blogs lately, but now that the stress is residing, I will get back to my normal routine ;)

Oh! I will be hosting a new competition soon. Bigger prizes than the last one. I don't care for the whole numbered post things.. So, it will be similar to my last competition since it was so successful, but on a different topic of course ;). When I hit 150 followers, I will begin the whole setting up the next competition and prizes.

Thanks for Reading! :D <- Big cheesey smile

Friday, June 25, 2010

Not keeping it bottled up

Seems like I have been posting less and less lately. There's been a lot going on, and somethings are better left unsaid.. well, better to not blog about.

I have been stressed to the MAX! So has the husband. His work schedule (not including the workups!), The move, Family visiting and a few other things.. has just really stressed us lately and has given us no breathing room, not to mention.. the hubby and I haven't gotten any time together. Guess that adds to the stress? Oh, not to mention I now know when they are deploying, found out the official (for now) deployment date. It's creeping up. I'm prepared, well.. as best as I can be.

I get jealous when the ship lets the guys off, and my friends get their husband for an extra day. Because my husband is "Essential Personnel", he doesn't get any days off that aren't his designated days off, not to mention he works 13hr shifts, night shift at that. It's draining. More so than the intense workup schedule that we have been undergoing since April. I know I shouldn't get jealous, it's the military... but I won't really get any time with my husband before deployment.

It's sad that I feel like I get to talk to him more when he's out to sea than when he's home. I see him for roughly one hour a day and that's while he's getting ready for work.  Yea sure, he does get 2 days off, but he sleeps practically the entire first day and the second he is still exhausted. I can't blame him for wanting to relax. Hell, if it were me working like he does, I would want to sleep every chance I got. At the same time that I understand.. I feel alone.9

I've gotten to the point where I feel like the kid who is always picked last for Kickball. If that was ever you growing up.. you know how bad that sucks. I'm a very patient person. And I know I'm a damn good wife. I am very understanding, but after a while.. it gets to me.
There's a little more to it than that, but I'm not going to get into it. Damnit, I just need some attention from my husband.

My husband and I have been trying for a baby for a few months now. It's been kept quiet, but If I talk about things, I feel better. My husband and I struggle in this department. What I mean by that is we have had several miscarriages since July of '08. One very recent. Another stress we've been facing. I've kinda come to grips with the recent one, but at the same time.. I find myself blaming myself. I know it's not my fault. But I think blaming yourself is the easiest way to accept it. I beat myself up thinking that my husband will not love me if I cannot give him a family. I know that's not true. I know he'll still love me. He actually wasn't sure he wanted kids until we found out we were pregnant in late June of '08. He got so excited. Seeing his face, the way he looked at me and rubbed my belly.. was the greatest thing I have ever felt or seen. Beginning of July '08 I miscarried. I found out I had been pregnant since April and had no clue it had been that long. I had just found out I was pregnant. I still think about that one all the time. I was about 3 months along. It's hard not to think about. I just keep telling myself that right now is not the right time for us. It will happen when it's supposed to. I'm going to be going to the doctor in the near future, so maybe I'll get some insight as to what's going on with my body. I haven't even told family we're trying for a baby. I guess I'll find out if any of my family reads my blog now.

I'm not depressed, although this isn't exactly the most positive blog post. I'm generally a very happy person. Not to say that I'm not happy right now, I'm just stressed. It happens to the best of us. I know that for me, it's best to let it all out and not keep it bottled up. It will only intensify the stress.

I would really like to thank Goodnight Moon for being totally awesome. She has been the one I feel like I can talk to about everything. I so wish she and I lived closer together!
Thank you to the couple other ladies I have talked briefly to as well.

Well, I'm going to leave this post as is. I'm going to post again later with some pics from my husband's family visiting. We finally got to meet our Nephew. He's a year old!
I've seen several ladies comment me wanting info for photo sessions. Shoot me an email at CRushGFX@yahoo.com, I've been away for a while and had a lot of comments and wasn't able to keep up! I apologize for this!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Busy Busy


Still in the process of unpacking. Slowly.. but surely.. we're getting there.

My new furniture came in (Tuesday actually haha)! Woo-Hoo! I promise I'll take some pictures this week, once all the boxes and junk is out of the way! haha
I do have a few pics of Riley-Roo enjoying the new furniture. Roo LOVES the new loveseat. She thinks it's her new bed. The pics are proof. Musket doesn't lay on the couch too often, occasionally he'll lay with Roo. His favorite place is in the coffee table. It's impossible to keep him off of it. I guess I'd rather easily wipe cat hair off of the coffee table then hunting down a lent roller for the couch. Luckily, Roo doesn't shed much.

The husband got to come home the same day the furniture arrived. Yay! New furniture + the hubby home = Amazing day. :)
We've been trying to get the old apartment all cleaned up, trying to get as much of our deposit back as possible. If we get most or even 1/2 of it back.. then we may go get tattoos! Yessssss. haha.

Oh! The FRG is voting on new board member's this week. I'm SUPER excited. I'm on the ballot for Secretary. I'm keeping my finger's crossed! I would really love the position. Even if I don't get it, I won't be upset. I will still volunteer with the FRG as I have been trying to lately. If not a Board seat, I'll keep my finger's crossed for a chair seat! :)

Of course, I'll keep you all updated!

I don't know if you all have seen  Wife on the Roller Coaster's post, Deployment Songs.... but if you haven't, I suggest you check it out. I sent her a "Short" list of songs I had saved on my computer (there were quite a few songs haha). I have been planning to post my "While You're Away" playlist sometime in the near future. I have so many that it'll take a while to sit down and type it all out. The list she posted is great, and has alot of the songs I currently have on my playlist.. and several I plan to add. Highly suggest you check it out.

 I haven't had a chance to really finish my layout. Hopefully I'll stop putting that off soon! Oh, I made custom Layout for Sarah over at Confessions of a Sailor's Wife! You should definitely check her out! Oh, and tell me what you think of her new blog look! ;)
Click to view larger
I'm working on getting a blog set up for my graphics, tshirts and what not. I'm pretty excited. I have a lot of fun making them. Hopefully I'll get it up and running this week. I'm also redoing the look of my tshirt shop on Cafepress. I want the blogger layout to match the shop layout. So, I need to get busy! I have LOTS of coding and graphics to work on!

I took some engagement pictures for Brittany over at My Life as a Sailor's Princess. It was a lot of fun and I think they turned out so well! Here's a few I took:

I would love feedback! I have already been asked to do family pictures for another friend, and a few other opportunities as well. It's quite exciting.

Well, I'm off of here for now. The husband is hungry.. I think he'd just starve without me. Oh men.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Power of Attorney VS Business Ass Holes

As stated in my last post, this blog is about my furniture shopping experience... more so me using my 'power of attorney' and what happened at 1 furniture store.

Thursday I had went to nearly 7 furniture stores looking for what I want. I'd find a couch I like, but no luck with a coffee table that would look good with it. Started to stress a little, but had to remind myself that there was not immediate rush and I would find one.

The last store we went to Robert's Furniture store, which is just a small place in Hampton. Found the PERFECT couch and Loveseat. I knew of one more place I wanted to look and compare prices before I made the commitment. So, the next day I went to the store called The Dump. Found a lot I liked and at a good price. I like the Couch and Loveseat better at Robert's Furniture, but The Dump was cheaper, so I made my decision to go with the cheaper one that I liked.

I was using my Power of Attorney to put the purchase in my husbands name. I know exactly what I can and can't do with my POA. It's not the standard Military POA, I have 2 separate ones that were written up for me and my husband as a wedding gift. I have complete control over e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. (muahahahaha). All joking aside, I'm technically jobless, so there's no way I would get approved (no one considers my tshirt business a job lol). Well, the hubs has almost no credit (another reason it's going in his name.. build his credit little by little). Because he is practically credit-less.. we, shall I say HE didn't get approved. next option.. cross my finger's for Roberts, and if not there Get the pricier couch I LOVED at Grands.. This is the part where I about lost my temper. Wait for it.. Ok, ya ready? (Several people got irritated when I told this to them. Not at me..  but at the.. well, you'll read for yourself)

I walked in Robert's and a guy asked me what I was looking for. I said, "If you can get my husband approved {pointing to the POA}, I'll be buying that Couch and Loveseat in the back.". He kind of gave and uneasy grin. Greeeaaat. He's going to tell me they won't accept the Power of Attorney. Of course he said he didn't think he could do anything with it. He called his finance company they work with.. and it was confirmed. Won't accept it. They are suppose to accept POAs, but not "required" to. No biggie, I can take my business elsewhere. Their loss. Obviously, this wasn't got my blood boiling.

I was curious. I asked the man why they wouldn't accept it. It is a legal document. CLEARLY stating I have control to open accounts, close them.. everything.. including buying a house all in my Husband's name... and I'm being told I can't use it for a couch,. So, OF COURSE I'm curious as to their reasoning. This is where I get pissed. He said, "The reason we don't and most places won't accept them is because of 'Jodys'. Military wives walk up in here with their boyfriend while their husband is deployed and buy a houseful of furniture, then when the husband comes home.. he comes home to no wife, and she has a houseful of furniture all in his name.". The way he said it.. The way he looked at me when he was saying it. KNOWING I am a Military wife... It was as if he was insinuating I was one of them, and that every military wife was like that.

I had to tell myself be the better person. You're bigger than this, don't let this man get to you. He got to me, but I forced myself to smile and said, "Well, good thing all military wives aren't how you perceive them. Have a good day!", I walked out and got in my car. Wasn't going to let this guy ruin my day. I went to Grands and bought 2 rooms of furniture, in my husband's name, not one problem with my POA. And the lady that works with legal there told me that they are required to accept them and that man was very wrong in not accepting it.

I got a GREAT deal at Grands.. and I'm 100% happy with my purchase.
So screw you Manager guy at Robert's Furniture!

He's Home! He's Gone.. Pack,Unpack.. (week in review!)

 {Pic Heavy Post!}

I've been kind of MIA lately. Been a lot going on. All good though ;)

Got everything packed up while the Hubs was underway. By the way, I am SO over seeing boxes! haha. I thought I was going to have to move everything on my own, but luckily the Hubby got to come home early. Yay! :D <- there's that big cheesey smile again. (ps.. he's at sea again already)

Got some really good pics of the ship and a friend's 2 kids when the ship pulled in, :)

Since he got to come home early, he was actually in for his 21st. I know.. I know. I'm a cradle robber. He's 2 years younger haha. Anyway, back to the point. We went out for his birthday. I was the lovely Designated Driver for the night (fine by me.. I rarely drink). We had a blast. Yes, he got sick. It was expected and planned, haha. I still keep picking on him for the fact that I held liquor better on my 21st than he did. He blames getting sick on me. I bought him a Pineapple Upside down Cake shot.. and he said it was Nasty. I think he didn't like it because he took it right after a scooby shot. I'm sure the flavors clashed.. or it might have had something to do with the Liquid Cocaine shot {gag.. 21st flashback!}... or one of the many other shots that were bought for him that night. Needless to say, 130pm the next day... he was still drunk. Hangover hit later that evening.
To the left: The Hubby and myself. I love that pic of us:)
To the right: The hubby and his princess bag from one of his friends.
In the bag was a Gnome yard ornament sporting the TN Vols.

1. Liquid Cocaine    2. Feeling pretty good (several shots in)     3. Scooby shot
4. Scooby shot = gone.  5. Pineapple Upside Down Cake shot.. aka.. the one that made him sick  
6. a couple minutes before he got sick.

I spent Memorial day Packing.. Packing.. Packing. Did I mention I was tired of boxes? I lit a candle at 2pm for all the fallen Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Soldiers.

We went and signed the final paperwork for our new place and inspected it. He had to work, So I started moving little things in.. boxes, boxes.. more boxes. Then the next day was the official move day. Couple of the guys came to help us. Bought Beer and Pizza for helping us. I think the Beer is what got them over here haha. They literally threw my couch off the balcony {FIINAALY get to get a new couch!}. The hubby broke my coffee table.. wasn't too upset about that either.. wanted a new one anyway ;). Didn't really have time after getting everything in the new place to unpack anything. We were beat. So.. we slept. The next day.. he's back to sea.
Now, I'm left with the unpacking. More dealing with boxes, and finding furniture.

Left: Goodbye ugly couch!      Right: This will eventually be our living room

I have been unpacking for a couple days now.. and looks as if I have gotten NOWHERE! It may have something to do with the fact that I have spent most of these past couple days couch shopping. I ended up getting a couch and loveseat, and then threw in a coffee table, end table, and new bedroom furniture as a treat to myself haha. Well, we did need it and honestly, I got a hell of a deal. 2 rooms of nice furniture and I spend just $1400.. Of course we financed it, but it's all in my hubs name to build his credit. I have a fun (I got extremely pissed!) story that I'll blog about after this post. Don't want to drag this on to be a HUGE post.. well, it's there already. Ok, now that I'm done being sidetracked... haha. Our new furniture will be here on Tuesday. I can't wait!
{I'll post pics or the before and after when everything's put in it's place}

Our neighbor's are really nice.. well one's really weird. That's a story for another time. The other family is an Airforce family. The son is my little buddy. He'll talk my ear off. He's about 10 years old. I've talked to him about what he thinks of his dad being in the military. I'll have to post about that later too. ;)

For now.. I have to get back to cleaning and unpacking. Which means, more boxes. Welcome to my exciting life ;) haha. I'll be getting out tomorrow though (maybe this evening to take pictures for a friend). Tomorrow, going to see Jason Aldean in VA Beach. Woot! Yes, I said woot. :P

Hope ya enjoyed the pics! :D