Week 5 - Day 2

I hate to quote myself, but, really, truly, my life... our life, is never dull.  For those of you that don't already know, I received a phone call last night from my husband.  He got appendicitis.  Yes.  As in inflamed appendix, as in needs surgery now.  He received surgery at the military hospital last night and as per the doctor's phone call, the surgery went very well.  Minimal scarring, definitely an inflamed appendix, no complications.

I would like to state that my Grey's Anatomy marathons may have caused this, sooo many appys...

I would also like to point out that gastro-issues are supposed to my thing.  I was actually hoping for appendicitis when I went in to the ER since once the appendix is removed, it's one and done with bad symptoms.

I also called the hospital and was connected to his room this morning.  He's doing well, tired and sore, but to be expected after surgery.  Unfortunately, this means that he has a month of recovery before he can return to basic training.  Silver lining, he will be coming home in about a week or so, I'm still not sure on those details.  The laparoscopic surgery should mean a speedier and easier recovery, but he still has to avoid physical activity (i.e. pushups, pullups, etc...) for the month.  There is no guarantee at what point he will be able to re-enter training.  That's the worst part, he could end up having to make-up duplicate weeks of work, which will make this process even longer.

It's very frustrating.  I feel badly, this is not how I wanted to get more time with my husband.  He can't seem to catch a break.  Silver lining again, at least he had really good medical coverage to cover this kind of surgery.  I'm worried about my husband's morale when he gets home, he was so excited and determined to go back to training and finish and move on to his true MOS.  Singing.

He will need a lot of support when he gets home, friends, family, singing, love, and delicious home cooking.  I'm even thinking about a long weekend somewhere warm... with an ocean... and palm trees....

Please send any support to him you can think of, I know he's been away and focused on this journey, but he really needs to know he has people around him.  Physically he will have a perfectly fine recovery, but I know his spirit will be a little tricky.  No one likes lying around.

More updates coming soon, I hope!

Week 5 - Day 1

This rainy Monday is very apt in reflecting my current mood.  After two blissful weeks of holiday joy and having my soldier home with me, he left to continue his journey with basic training.  I got extremely lucky and even had an extra day with him due to a cancelled flight from weather, but the whole thing still feels like crap.  For lack of a better word.  In retrospect, I feel very blessed that the timing worked as such that I even got to see him in the middle of his training.  Typically, he would go straight through for 10+ weeks, so I'm so happy I got this time with him.

It was hard saying goodbye, we eased back in to our life so quickly, our separation almost felt like a dream.  Now, our time together feels a bit imaginary... 

It's so icky this morning, I'm very cranky.  To add fuel to this, last night at midnight-thirty, the fire alarms went off in my building prompting me to have to get out of bed, and wait outside in the drizzling, disgusting rain, until the fire department showed up to alert us that it was, in fact, a false alarm.  Which means there was probably some flooding due to the rain on top of snow.  This is the second time since we moved in to this building that this has happened.  Sucks.  Especially for someone who is now having a little bit of a harder time sleeping.

I feel like this half of the time apart will be the most difficult since it's longer and I don't have the holidays to distract me.  No fun holiday bucket list of joyful things... just the looming responsibility of having to take down all of my Christmas decorations, plus, I have to finish changing my name, get a military ID.  Ugh, so much ick.  I'm pretty terrified of my mail 

On the positive side of distractions, I have three auditions coming up, one for a prestigious choral group in my area and two for local musicals.  I'm excited and nervous, I have a lot of prep to do before these auditions.

Much to do... naps to take... *yawn*

Holiday Leave - Day 7

Merry Merry Merry to you all!!  December 26 can be such a depressing day, a beautiful month of days filled with preparation and shopping and cooking and joy, leading up to one spectacular day, and then... no more Christmas carols, no more presents... except... I enjoy the whole 12 days of Christmas mentality.  Christmas isn't over until New Years Day.  This is the great thing about having more than one family, Christmas keeps going and going.

Today is a bit of a bummer though, after a wonderful Christmas day, I endured a very sleepless night sweating out a 101.2 fever.  Yuck.  I think I may have disturbed my husband's sleep what with the shakes, sweats, and general restlessness.  Apparently I just had too much yuletide cheer.  So I'm a little cranky today, on this dreary, dreary post-Christmas day.

I'm wearing one of my Christmas presents, my sparkly, beautiful earrings from my husband.  I miss him today, but he needs a day alone to get some things done and hopefully play with some of his new toys.

Holiday Leave - Day 5

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!  Today I am competing for the worst wife ever, award.  My poor husband is driving two hours to get his own birthday cake, which we forgot about yesterday.  I wish I didn't have to work today so I could help!  We left the cake at the church where we performed in a Christmas concert yesterday, which is almost two hours away from our house... the thing is I KNEW we'd forget about it.  And in the bustle and joy of yesterday, we did.

I'm being remiss, it's been awhile and I haven't given you a proper update.  My sneaky soldier SURPRISED me on Thursday, coming home a day early.  I came home from a long day of work, fully prepared to get a manicure and bake some cookies, when to my surprise, my husband was HOME!  It was the best surprise a girl could ask for, almost as good as him surprising me a year ago with an engagement ring.  He was all dressed in his uniform and it was amazing to have him home.

It took about a day for us both to acclimate to him being home again, which I think it normal, we both had settled in to a new routine.  Eventually, we got back in to our own groove I am completely content.  We had an amazing weekend, we saw The Hobbit, had dinner, saw A Christmas Carol, walked around Reading Terminal Market, and went to NYC to catch up with our music family and sang in an amazing Christmas concert.

Today is my last day of work, sort of, before two glorious days off for Christmas.

And I fell crappy that my husband, who has Christmas shopping to do, is driving in this crappy weather... grrr.

Week 4 - Day 3

One week until Christmas.... 2 days until my soldier comes home... and I just found out today that I don't have to work Christmas Eve!!!  This is just a great day, despite the fact that it started off with a doctor's appointment.  If you remember I was in the ER for a gastro issue, I won't bore you with the intimate details of my bowels, but the general verdict is... I need more tests for any kind of diagnosis.  Surprise surprise, blood work and an MRI in a month or so.  So that's that, the other good news is that I can resume a normal diet.  Bring on the salads, chocolate, whole wheat, and alcohol!  Haha.

Also, I finished my continuing education EMS credits today woohoo!!!  Getting my license back.  It's so funny, I've been a certified EMT for.... wow, almost 7 years, is that possible?  Wow, yeah, since my junior year of college.  I've held certifications in three states at various points, and I only really practiced as an EMT for 2 years?  Barely.  I've never worked on a truck, but I still feel my skills, I feel confident in my knowledge.  I hope one day I will be able to use those skills for work again, I miss the feeling of helping.

Today was a little crazy, I drove to work because of the doctor's appointment so I drove home from work and ran a bunch of errands, Michael's for some last minute wrapping stuff, and New York & Company to make an exchange.  I was running through the mall to make my hair appointment on time, which I wasn't.

It's so nice to spend some quiet time getting your hair cut, it looks to much better now, it was looking a little scraggly.  When I finished my hair appointment, I ran over to get some candy for the gingerbread house, and look!!

Week 4 - Day 2

3 days... oh my goodness I have so much to do before my soldier comes home.  Messy corners to clean up, a gingerbread house to finish, groceries to buy, presents to finish wrapping, etc...

Oddly, today has been such a slow day at work, I'm sitting here just listing all of the stuff I need/want to do also looking at the radar hoping there is no impending weather which will prevent me from running any errands.

The major achievement of today was finishing my gingerbread house.  Turns out the mortar (icing) consistency is very important.  I was a little worried it wouldn't turn out right because I didn't have enough confectionery sugar, but I altered the egg white proportions and I think that helped.  I ended up having plenty.  And the house stands!!  It looks a little messy, but the house looks like it had a heavy snowfall.

The next step is to decorate the CRAP out of it with candy, woohoo!  That will most certainly be the fun part.

1) Get a Christmas Tree
2) Decorate mantel shelf
3) Go see the Nutcracker Ballet
4) Attend a Christmas tree lighting ceremony
5) See the Macy's Center Light Show and the Comcast Holiday Spectacular
6) Visit the Holiday Garden Railway at Morris Arboretum
7) See A Christmas Carol at Walnut Street Theater (I bought tickets for us 12/21, shh don't tell him it's a surprise!!)
8) Make a Christmas ornament wreath 
9) Sit by the fire and drink hot chocolate
10) Sing Christmas Carols - Singing in a holiday concert (with my husband) on 12/22
11) Volunteer and donate
12) Finish my Christmas shopping/wrapping before husband gets home
13) Bake Christmas cookies
14) Go ice-skating
15) Make a gingerbread house

1)      Work out, work out!!

Now that my health is more under control, more or less, I am going to start this up again.

2)      Write to Adam every day

3)      Learn one new aria

Nope.

4)      Audition for local community theater

I have two auditions scheduled for after New Years.  Even though the shows are not my top choices.  At least they are musicals.

5)      Lose 8 lbs.

Surprisingly, halfway there, 4 lbs down!

6)      Finish decorating the apartment

7)      Reorganize

I have done a lot of reorganizing, but I was recently informed that my husband will be using his super army techniques to reorganize my sock drawers.  Awesome.

8)      Finish sorting thru wedding stuff

9)      Complete Christmas Bucket List

Almost done!

10)   Finish EMS Continuing Credits

2 credit left!!!

11)    Finish designing this blog

Nope.

Week 4 - Day 1

Another weekend filled with Christmas activities and family.  It has been so wonderful to have my family nearby to help fill the voids left by my husband's absence.  Filled with cookies, tree trimmings, unsound architectural structures made out of gingerbread, babies, food, and love.  I'm very lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Sunday was brunch at my Dad's house, cuddling with my niece, decorating the tree, and stuffing my face with waffles.  (My Dad makes the best waffles.)  I also came home and wrapped almost ALL of my gifts.  Was I watching Christmas movies whilst a-wrapping?  Nope.  Grey's Anatomy reruns, I just love watching fake surgeries.  No judgement please, there was a Santa hat and a roaring fire involved.

I'm waiting for a few more gifts to arrive and I need some more gift wrap stuff, tags, etc.  But I think I'm going to be done before my solider comes home!

Today after I work, I volunteered with MANNA.  MANNA is a non-profit organization that cooks and delivers meals  and provides nutrition counseling to neighbors who are battling life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, renal disease and HIV/AIDS.  I spent 2 hours working with cooks prepping food in their kitchen.  It felt so nice to be able to contribute something positive that really makes a difference and even for a bit of time embody the true spirit of Christmas.

As I was on the train home, I realized, one year ago today, my husband proposed to me.  I'm a little embarrassed that it took me the entire day to realize this, but happy that I had an entire train ride to think about it.  I wanted to ask him what he remembers about the day, because I'm sure he has so many more memories of what we did earlier in the day than I do.  He proposed to me during our annual Christmas concert that we both sing in.  The whole thing is on DVD and I can't watch it still, it makes me cry.  Happy tears.  

My husband worked so hard to put together that proposal and surprise me.  I wish I could spend today with him talking and laughing about it.  Instead, I look to my left hand and smile remember the first time I saw that ring, except I didn't really see it at first, I was too busy looking at my husband.