Hello! I hope everyone is staying safe and warm. I was watching the weather today and it looks like Idaho will be getting more snow Wednesday and Thursday! Stay safe! No snow here yet.

Tutuoring is going well. I picked up another student, but she's not starting until January. If any one has any fun learning games I would love them! (6-7th grade). This week we played a game with M & M's (charts, fractions, probability). I'm so excited for my first pay check!

Cheerleading is also going well. Yesterday's game went so much better! Only three girls came and they were much more focused and on task. The audience loved them and they got lots of compliments.

Nick has been working like crazy. It's getting hard not to feel bitter and abandoned. He worked about 100 hours last week. Even when he came back from the field on Tuesday, he still worked until late every day and came home tired. We haven't had any quality time for a while. I can't wait until Christmas when we'll have two whole weeks together! He left again this morning for the field. I'm excited because on Wednesday is the day we get to go out to see what they're doing and take lots of pictures. Luckily this week will be much warmer than last week. Ft. Carson won't happen soon enough! I can't wait for a normal work schedule for both of us.

All of us girls are trying to stay busy. Yesterday we all went to Maker's Mark Distillery to tour. I even dipped my own bottle (All of their bottled are dipped in red wax) for Nick. He was very jelous we got to go. We had lunch and headed back here. It was a really great way to spend the day and thankfully it wasn't too cold.

We've decided to do dinner dates every night this week. We're going to take turns having everyone over and cooking for each other. Tonight is my night and I'm making a pasta bake. Then we're going to build ginger bread houses. It'll be just like our pumpkin carving party but without the guys!

I haven't been putting pictures on here because I put them all on Facebook. Does anyone not have Facebook? Comment and I'll start putting pictures up here.

I'm getting excited for the wedding! My ring is being sautered so I get to pick it up on Thursday. I feel naked without it!

It says it's been two weeks since I last posted. How much has happened! Thanksgiving was fabulous minus getting up a 4 AM on Thanksgiving day to catch our flight only to wait around in the airport for three hours. Nick was less than happy with me. Oops! Who would have thought that it would be dead on Thanksgiving Day? It was wonderful to be home and I almost felt like I needed to be pushed back on the plane to come back. Although, I did get upgraded to first class on the way back which was a great treat. I was scared someone would find out I was accidentally put there and make me go back to the commoners. I was by far the youngest person in our section. Everyone else was business types.

Nick had two days off before heading into the field. I call it his camping trip with the guys. Last night was absolutely freezing (24*) and all I could think about was him sleeping in such cold! I can't wait to have him home. The house is so quiet and lonely. Grace and Emily's husbands are in Nick's class so we hit up the mall and Old Navy and then a Sport's Bar to distract ourselves yesterday. I finished my Christmas shopping and got some great deals. I really love finding gifts for people. Today I'm finishing up the Thanksgiving laundry (I swear, it was three feet on top of the laundry basket when we got home!) and grocery shopping.

Thursday was my first tutoring sessions with my new students. I really enjoyed it! I do need to brush up on my Jr. High math. It's truly horrible. I requested another student and got one, so now I'll have three. I'm taking quite a bit of prep time, but hopefully I can cut that down since I don't get paid for prep time.

Yesterday was my little cheerleaders' first game. They were less than focused. I don't know how many times I had to tell them to get back in their spots. One girl told me she would rather be playing basketball. AH! The game was hilarious. They didn't quite get the idea of dribbling and would run around the court with the ball. Somehow they made some baskets though.

I'm planning on making some of the recipes from my new cookbook that everyone made me. I'm sure Nick will be excited to have real food. Today is his birthday and I joked that maybe they would give him an MRE birthday cake :)

We've had a busy week. Wednesday was my first Cheerleading practice. I'm with the 5-6 year-old's and they're very cute! They have the same poms we used in college and when they have them in their hands you can barely see them. They'll be cheering at Basketball games. Our first game is the weekend after Thanksgiving. Our coach doesn't know a lot about cheer, so I ended up teaching them three cheers on Wednesday. I'll be sure to take a picture of the girls at our first game.

Friday I spent the entire day moving our stuff to our new room. It was exhausting. I couldn't believe how much stuff we have! By the time Nick got home my body hurt and I was too tired to move. However, I had gotten us tickets to the holiday party here on post, so we got dressed up and went with Tasha and Dewy. There was tons of great food and all the alcohol you could drink. They had a live band playing Christmas songs and a raffle. We had a great time even if we were both tired (Nick had to get up at 3 that morning for an 8 mile ruck march). We were in bed by 9! I felt like an old couple!

I have a job! FINALLY! Under the No Child Left Behind Act a student can get a private tutor if their school is not performing up to standards and they are not performing well either. The expenses are paid by the government, so these are children from poorer families. I'm working as a tutor for A Better Grade Tutoring. Yesterday I had orientation all day in Louisville. She said she'll have me a student by tomorrow, so pretty soon I should be working about 10 hours a week. I think this will be really great so that I can stay home and keep things going around here and still work. Nick came up to Churchill Downs while I was at orientation and I met up with him when I was done. We ended the day up $120! I hope this trend continues. We're so addicted now. Although, we're only going to gamble with the money we've won so far.

Nick is working today and I'm busy putting our house back together. I can't wait to be home on Thursday!

I almost started packing my bags yesterday for Thanksgiving, but I had to restrain myself. Grace and I went shopping this week and I got some outfits for our engagement photos. Gap and Old Navy both had 30% off and we have a Gap outlet here, so I got some amazing deals!

This week was pretty quiet. Wednesday was Veterans Day and several restaurants were having free meals for military. We tried to go to Applebees, but there was over an hour wait! There are a lot of retired military here, plus post. There was no way we were getting a free meal. We finally ended up at Pizza Hut.

Yesterday we headed into Louisville to the races at Churchill Downs. We met up with about ten other people. Everyone was so dressed up. I felt out of place in our jeans. Churchill Downs was definitely no Les Bois park. It was massive! Anyway, we bought a program which we had no idea how to read. It just looked like a list of numbers for pages and pages. We slowly figured it out and how to bet. The first race we went with the favorites to win and we won $25. That got us hooked! We bet every race but one and won every one but two. At the end of the day we ended up $65 ahead. It was a blast! Everyone cheered as the horses came across the finish line as if their retirement was bet on one horse. A couple next to us won $1600. Overall our group did really well. We probably came out $400 ahead. Too bad a lot of people had to lose that money. Anyway, I think we're going to go next weekend too. We're addicted now. I think it would be really cool to grow up here and know what was going on and go every weekend. There were some very wealthy families there. Lots of limos!

Next weekend we have to move :( Ugh! We're already only here for a few months and we're very settled. They're re-carpeting the complex, so we're moving into one that is done. I'm not looking forward to spending our day off to move into another apartment. Hopefully it won't take long.

Friday two huge tanks rolled down our street. Some days I can hear machine guns too. Sometimes it feels like I live in an extremely safe war zone.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. See you all soon!

I'm getting so excited to be home for Thanksgiving. Today Grace and I took Tasha to the airport so she could visit her sister in Portland. I was so jealous that she gets to visit the west coast! However, I am very excited because while she's gone and Dewy is in the field, Nick and I get to babysit their kitten. He's adorable and it'll be fun to have some company during the day.

Nick has been fighting the flu the past week or so. I think he's finally starting to feel better. I can't believe I didn't get it. I think we went through four pitchers of orange juice this week. And I went to Yoga alone this week. I like it when he comes with me- I feel like an old couple!

Applebees is giving a free dinner to anyone in the military, so I think we may round up a few friends and head out for dinner. Although with a big base here, it may be very busy. Old Navy is also doing a 30% off, so Grace and I are headed over there tomorrow. Military perks are nice!

I'm getting really excited for the wedding. I wish it would get here already! I feel really lucky that we'll be able to have both of our families there. It's going to be such a great party! Although, I'm not sure what I'll have to look forward to after January...I'll have to start something new to do like maybe a job!

One last thing: does anyone have any good recipes they could share? I'm running out of ideas! I never know what to make anymore. I wish I had my cookbook here.

Hello!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. We had a blast in Louisivlle. Our hotel was incredibly nice! I wish I had taken pictures of it. Our costumes turned out great too. Sunday was bright and sunny, so Nick and I headed to the Lousivlle Zoo on our way home. It was a really nice zoo and we walked the entire thing. I was exhausted by the time we left.

Tuesday morning I was sound asleep at 9 am when my phone rang. It was ExpressPros with a two day job. I put on some clothes and some makeup over Monday's makeup and drove down to the job. I was working in the accounting office on their inventory. I double checked 9,000 inventory tickets against what was entered into the computer. It was mind numbing! How do I always get ridiculous jobs? Anyway, I ended up working until 2:30 today, so it felt good to make some money even though I had no idea what was happening when my alarm clock went off at 6:30 the past two days. I have no idea how people work and take care of a house. The sink is now overflowing with dishes which I'm not sure how that's possible since we've been eating pizza and Lean Cuisines for the past three days. I haven't cooked, the house is a disaster, the fridge is empty, and the laundy is out of control. It looks like I have a lot of work to do tomorrow.

Nick works all weekend and all of next week. I'll have to find some things to keep me busy. ExpressPros told me they put me in for another job, so let's hope this one works out!

The other morning I was watching the Today Show and during the weather I realized I was looking at a completely different portion of the country. It made me incredibly homesick. I always thought I would look at Idaho to see what the weather would be that day! I can't wait to be home for Thanksgiving. Speaking of weather, it's absolutely crazy here. Half the time it's raining and freezing and the other half it's summer. Today it's 77* and tomorrow it'll be 55*. How is that even possible?

We didn't do much last weekend. Nick worked Saturday and Sunday. Monday the General's wife hosted a reception for all the student wives (Armor Lieutenants and Captains are all trained here, although the training is moving to Ft. Benning, Georgia so when Nick goes through Captian's school we'll be there). The General lives in this massive Colonial style house at the center of post. Every time we drive past it I always wanted to see the inside, so when I got the invitation I was very excited. I left Nick to play bachelor for the night. There were a lot more women there than I though- probably 50. The house was gorgeous and all the leader's wives were there to welcome us and give advice about various posts where they had lived. There was only one other girl going to Ft. Carson and I didn't get a chance to talk to her.

Tuesday we had Abe and Grace and Tasha and Dewy over to carve pumpkins. Nick and I only did one. I usually get bored with carving half way through. It was a really fun night, but my brownies didn't turn out so great. I think next time I'd just use cream cheese frosting and mix in a little pumpkin for taste. Oh well.

My friend Emily who lives here and works for Big Brothers Big Sisters got tickets to a University of Louisville basketball game on Wednesday so we went with them to the game. It was really fun and we had great seats! They played Georgetown, so Nick and I cheered for them. They felt like the closest thing to a hometown there. I hope we can make it to more games this year or even a football game.

We're heading to Lousiville tomorrow for Halloween as well. We got a hotel with Emily and Ryan and Tasha and Dewy. I'm going as a 20's flapper and Nick is going as a gangster. Halloween always stresses me out. I hate spending money on a costume and I can never figure out what to be. But tomorrow should be really fun. I hope it's not too cold!

Have a great weekend everyone! I can't wait to be home soon!

Monday and Wednesday Nick and I went to Yoga. He really likes it and it's helping his runners knee which is not doing great. I really like our instructor. He's the conductor of the Ft. Knox band. At Wendesday's class he told us the band was giving a concert yesterday so we went. It was really great. They played Chicago, Rolling Stones and some clasical songs.

The guys are out in the field yesterday and today until 11 pm. However, Nick got back at 6:30 last night. They are shooting tanks. He said that each student will shoot $220,000 worth of rounds while here! And that's in four days! No wonder wars are so expensive. Since the guys are busy Grace, Tasha, and I went to Lousville yesterday. We went to lunch at a Mexican grill, went to a movie, and got pedicures. It was a really great girl day. I'm so glad to finally have some girls to hang out with. On Monday we're planning a little Halloween thing with our guys. We're going to carve pumpkins, maybe watch a movie, and eat some treats. I was searching for some low-fat recipes and I came across low-fat pumpkin cream cheese brownies. I'm going to make them on Monday, so I'll let you know if they turn out.

Today I went to the coffee shop to get out of the house and work on my guestbook. I'm going to do one like Danielle's. I thought it was a great idea. I went with a black suede cover and I'm really excited to see it! When I got home a group of basic trainees were jogging through our parking lot. Most of them looked like they were going to pass out and there were some guys yelling some not so nice things at them. I felt so bad for all of them! I'm pretty sure I would make the worst drill seargent. "Oh, you can't run 5 miles? That's ok. Do what you can." "Yeah, I don't like getting up at 5 am either. Let's sleep in until 9 tomorrow!" I'm too much of a softy (which is why I laughed in high school when the Army recruiter called me).

The commander's wife was telling us at our lunch that she's scheduling a day for us wives to go out in the field to see what our GI Joe's are doing. I guess we even get to fire a sriker. To me, a striker is similar to a tank except that it fires a machine gun instead of large rounds. Now, don't tell Nick that or he'll scoff. But to a killing machine idiot like me- they basically do the same thing. Anyway, I'm really excited to go do that.

Sunday is my training day to get certified to coach cheerleading. It sounds like I'll be with the 7-8 year olds. And then Monday is our reception with the General's wife. Oh....shoot. I guess we'll have to rechedule our Halloween party.

I've given up on ExpressPros. They're HORRIBLE! They never call me back. So I've been job hunting on my own. No luck so far. Maybe I'll never work again....

Hello from sunny Kentucky! The sun finally decided to come out again. All this rain is depressing. I feel like I'm living in Seattle. However, Sunday, yesterday, and today have been gorgeous. This week is supposed to be in the high 60's, but then rain again on Friday. NOO!!!

It looks like the job situation is not really panning out like I had hopped. I guess the job is compiling all the people who they want to interview, but they're being slow about it. So I've asked them to keep looking for me. I feel like I'm so far into being here that it might not be worth it to get a job. However, I feeling a little guilty about living off Nick. He says he doesn't care and he likes having me home (I wonder why? He does have to eat at the dining facility because of me!), but I still feel like I'm not contributing a whole lot. Hopefully something will come along soon.

Tuesday two of the girls I met last week and I went to the installment ceremony of the new brigade that's moving here. They're coming from Ft. Hood, Texas. It was a really interesting ceremony with cannons, helicopters, and horses. The barracks across the street from us are slowly filling up with the new troops. There were moving vans here all weekend.

Friday Nick and I went on a date to see The Invention of Lying. It was a great movie and more thoughful than I thought it would be. Saturday we went to the Army Stong fall festival. It was mostly for kids, so we didn't stay long. That night we went out with another couple to see Law Abiding Citizen which was also a wonderful movie. Sunday we went to a nature preserve for a hike. It was gorgeous! And it's very close to post. I'll have to go back and take my camera this time. It was great to be out in the sun again!

Sunday night Nick's tank partner Abe and his wife came over. Abe is from Washington and Grace is from Salt Lake. The guys studies for a test they had yesterday and Grace and I talked wedding stuff. They just got married this summer so she brought over her scrapbook. They're both stationed at Ft. Carson too.

Today Grace and I went to water aerobics with another wife Grace knows, Tasha. It was a great workout and it's open to the public to I can go whenever I want! We were the youngest girls there by far. The ladies next to me were talking about arthritis and osteoporosis. I can't say that I'm looking forward to getting old, but if I have water aerobics to look forward to, then maybe it won't be so bad.

How was grandma's birthday party? I wish I could have been there to visit!

I have no idea how I worked fourty hours a week and still managed to post regularly in DC. How can I not find the time now when I don't do anything?

But actually we've been busy! Nick had a four day weekend this past weekend, so we made the most of it. Friday we drove about an hour with three friends to Heaven Hill Bourbon Distillery. We took a tour and did a tasting. I hated the taste of bourbon, and I felt slightly guilty about not appreciating an 18 year distilled bourbon. The tour was very interesting. They showed us one of the distilleries with rows and rows of barrels. We had lunch a great old tavern in the downtown of Bardstown (where the distillery was). Bardstown is a great old town with lots of old buildings in the downtown area. I wish Ft. Knox was there instead of Elizabethtown!

Saturday morning seven of us left for Lexington for the Kings of Leon concert. Lexington is about two hours away. We drove past a huge horse race track. I hope we get to see one before we leave. The concert was amazing and we had a blast. It felt really great to get away from post.

Sunday we drove home and then went for a hike near post. We came home to a clean house and all of our dishes were done too! There are a lot of hiking trails around here and with the fall leaves, it's beautiful!

Yesterday we found a lake in Elizabethtown with a huge park. It was really nice. We walked around and sat by the lake. It's too bad that it's getting colder or I'd walk there during the day. They even had paddle boats, but they're done for the summer. Too bad we didn't find it three weeks ago!

Today the company comander's wife invited all the wives in the training class to lunch at the Italian restaurant on post. It was amazing to meet so many girls my age! There were about twelve of us. And she was so nice and offered us tons of information about things going on on post. All of the other girls complained about being super bored too and most of them live in our apartment complex! I met a girl from Utah and one from Montana. I told everyone that I was dying to go to the gym and to come find me if they wanted to go. Everyone was so nice and I can't believe we'd all been bored and living so close. She also told us all about the events going on around here. There are classes called Army 101 for new wives, so I may do that. And I also joined the spouses' club today too. They do a luncheon once a month. There's a big holiday party next month and a baazar in a few weeks. I feel like I've been living in darkness since I got here and now I know all this great stuff going on! I really don't want a job anymore...

But I accepted one today. It sounds like a great opportunity (I guess they're hiring and growing so this could easily turn into a perminent job). The hours are 7:45- 3:30 with a 35 minute commute so no more lazy days for me! I'm excited to start making some money again. I feel like a leach.

Uhh! I think that's about all I've been up to. Tomorrow I have mountains of laundry to work through.

Hello, hello! It sounds like the weather back home isn't so great. Snow?! How insane! It's way too early for that. Monday it was in the mid 70's here and today it's probably high 60's. It's very pretty outside, but it's also been raining on and off since we got here too.

I called the temp agency earlier this week and found out that they had forgotten to make me "active" in their system so this whole time they haven't been searching for me! They offered me two jobs today, but I turned them down. I can't stomach the thought of $7.50 an hour. Not that I feel entitled to anything, but...ok, maybe I do feel entitled to more than minimum wage with a degree. Anyway, the hunt continues and in the mean time I continue the life of stay at home not-mom. Speaking or which, we bought a super cheap cook set which burns everything! I think this pan is about the burn all the way through.



I saw a sign the other day for Cheerleading sign-ups, so I called about coaching. I filled out an application, so it sounds like I'm going to get my own squad! I requested the 7-8 year olds. I'm really excited!

Nick has a four day weekend this weekend, so we're going down to Lexington to see the Kings of Leon concert. We're getting hotel rooms with everyone, so it should be a fun weekend. We were going to go to Nashville, but I guess that'll have to wait for another weekend.

Here are some pictures from our trip last weekend.

Sounds like everyone had a busy and fun weekend. We, of course, were lazy. Friday night we went to a bar on post with two other guys Nick knows. Actually, both of them will be in Colorado with us, so it's nice to get to know them before we get there. The bar was pretty dead, but we had fun.

Saturday we went to the mall so Nick could get some new jeans. Later that night we went to Louisville with some friends. We had a drink at a pub and then saw Zombieland. I wasn't too excited about the movie, but it was really great. It's a spoof on Zombie movies and really funny. Louisville has a great downtown, so I think we'll probably be back. Too bad it's such a drive.

Yesterday we decided to get away from here and researched some state parks. We headed to one called "My Old Kentucky Home" about an hour away. It's the family home of the man who wrote the Kentucky state song and O' Susana and Camptown Races. The actual park was ok, but overall it was a really fun day. We took the top off the Camero and took the back roads. Kentucky is really very pretty. Lots of trees rolling hills. We had dinner at a southern restaurant. My roast beef sandwich came with gravy on top! It was ok, but honestly I don't think the South really has great taste in food.

Today I think I'm going to go walk around the track. Not so exciting, but it's about all I can do. I think I need to step up my job hunt. I'm getting pretty tired of Family Feud, although sleeping in is wonderful!

I'm feeling like a bona-fide housewife these days. Nick started work on Tuesday and without a military ID I can't do much of anything (go to the gym, library or commissary). Yesterday I watched What Not to Wear while eating Mac and Cheese in my pajamas at noon. I can't complain about that too much. Other than that I've been doing millions of dishes (I wish we had a dishwasher!), laundry, and I've made the bed every day. Mom, you'd be proud. I've also been cooking a lot. So far Nick has liked it all- yeah! Tuesday I made lemon chicken and mashed potatoes. I've never made mashed potatoes, but it was so easy! Tonight I'm going to make honey-orange chicken and rice. I checked out a good cookbook from the library the other day.

Nick has PT at 6:00 am, so I get woken up at 5:30 when he gets ready. Just as I'm falling back asleep he comes home to get ready and have breakfast. So I pry myself out of bed to have breakfast together and then usually go back to bed. I didn't today. It's a very annoying sleep schedule to say the least. I don't know how he makes it through the day getting up at 5:30. In my world 5:30 is still the middle of the night!

We're having major problems with setting our wedding date. I've been really hating on the Army this week. Apparently there's another class he has to take that he didn't know about and they won't tell him the dates until 60 days into this training! UGH! I told him there's absolutely no way we can wait another two months to set a date because everyone is going to book up. The wedding show in Boise is next week and everyone is booked after that day. I explained how dire our situation is (honestly, it feels dire). So he's working the bureaucracy to see if we can find out a final date by next week. It feels like we live in Soviet Russia. Army bureaucracy is insane. Half of the Married to the Military book I'm reading is about how to deal with and work bureaucrats.

Last night Nick, Scott, another one of their friends, and I went to Yoga at the gym. It's only $3.00 and it was a great class. The teacher is an Army medic or something and he was a great teacher. I never would have imagined an buff Army dude teaching Yoga. I figured the teacher would be an Army wife. Anyway, I loved it. I just have to find someone to take me every week. Nick liked it too. I was surprised he agreed to come!

Tonight we're having an Office party (of course!). Miss you all!

I'm not sure what's been keeping me so busy, but something has. I'm actually excited for Nick to start work tomorrow so I can have some time to myself!

I haven't heard from the temp agency yet, but I also applied for a job on post with the Education center as an assistant to the Dean.

We've been party central. I think we've had people over just about every night of the week. Now I have four or five boys to cook for. And can they eat! I never make enough. We had a big House season premier party last week and tonight we're going to watch it over at Scott's house (my friend from HK). Saturday night we had about ten people over for hamburgers and bratwurst (sp?) and to watch the Army football game. I feel like I'm back at college! It's great! Our apartment complex has grills in the main courtyard. I'm meeting a lot of new people, but no girls. I'm dying! All we talk about is tanks.

Saturday we went to the Patton Museum here. I had flashbacks of the West Point museum, but this was a lot more interesting. At least I know what an Abrams looks like when they talk about it.

I was feeling cooped up with all the rain, so I went to town yesterday and did my registry with Bed Bath and Beyond. It was a lot of fun, but I wasn't able to convince Nick to come. Tomorrow I'm going to do our Target registry. I'm hoping people will use it for Christmas too.

Yesterday we ventured into Louisville and picked out the Tuxes. I think they're going to look really great. Today we went to the gym on post. It's very nice, but intimidating. At least at the Caldwell YMCA there are people there trying to get in shape. Here everyone already looks like Rambo. The only bad part is that because we're not married I can't go alone. There are Yoga classes twice a week, so I convinced Scott to take me. He likes doing Yoga.

We also went to the library on post. It's really nice. Lots of book, CD's, and DVD's to rent. I got a book called, "Married to the Military." It's for engaged women. It's very informative and funny. It's all about how to work the military system and be informed about how it all works.

Hope everyone is doing well! It's cool here. Yesterday was the first time we'd seen the sun in 7 days! Saturday it poured buckets!

Here are some pictures of the place.

The living room:




The Desk and our new computer:


Bathroom:

Hello from Kentucky! I've been so busy, so I haven't had a chance to got on here yet. Hopefully I'll be able to be a little more regular about this soon.

The drive down was pretty uneventful and boring. The GPS and I had a few quarrels, but she got me here so I can't complain too much. I'd probably still be driving around in circles in New England. I don't know if anyone has been watching the news about Georgia being flooded. We are getting a ton of rain here too. I think it's part of the same storm. It's been raining since I got here and it's supposed to rain until Saturday. Luckily we're not flooded though!

Our apartment is so nice! We have a housekeeper too. She came the other day and did our dishes! I felt bad! We haven't had her come again. I think once I start working we'll have her come twice a week. I'm going to be pretty disappointed once I leave! We have two TV's, a nice desk, love seat, chair, kitchen. I'll put up pictures soon. We're still in move in mode, so it'll be messy for a little while longer.

Living on post is much more different than I thought it would be. Although, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting. Tapps and Reveille play every day. Reveille pays at 6 am right outside our window! When we eat at the dining facility on post I'm always the only one in civilian clothes which feels awkward. I'm slowly learning the streets and how to get around. The commissary and PX are nice to shop at. We've been a couple times now because we keep forgetting things.

Today I drove in to Elizabethtown (about 35 minutes away. It's a pretty big town). I went to ExpressPros to fill out the initial paperwork for a job. I don't know if it's just the people I've run in to, but everyone is outrageously nice! I was there for 2 hours because two different people told me their life stories. Honestly, life story. That's great that you're divorced and lost a ton of weight and have an 8 year old and the next daughter that you have will be named McKenzie, but I really just want a job. I learned way too much about the personal lives of the Elizabethtown Exprespros employees. However, she did say that she can probably get me a job in about a week. Hopefully that's true! It sounds like they have a lot of jobs and companies they work with.

Well, Nick and I are off to go buy a new computer. I'm trying to continue to post our advertising for Park Place from here.

I'm back!  I've decided to start my journal/blog again as I prepare for the next exciting adventure in my life.  For those of you who haven't read my bog before, I started it last summer when I was studying in Hong Kong and also while I was living in DC last year.  It's much easier for me to keep my friends and family updated on my life when I'm away from one central journal.

So, if you don't know already, I'm moving to Kentucky!  Nick proposed two weeks ago and we decided not to spend the next five months apart while he's in training.  We will be at Ft. Knox, Kentucky until the wedding in February.  Then we'll be stationed in Colorado Springs.  I'm a little nervous about the big move, but the excitment far outweighs right now!  After an entire year of long distance, I'm very excited to be living in the same place (finally!). 

I've packed my entire life (or at least my clothes) into three suitcases and my flight leaves tomorrow morning.  I fly for 12 hours to get to Bangor, Maine.  Then Friday morning I'll start the drive to Kentucky in my new car that Nick gave me (a Toyota Camry).  I'm hoping to get there around Sunday afternoon.

Well, I guess that's about it.  If you'd like to stay up to date on our new lives, check here every couple of days.  I was just re-reading below about all my crazy adventures and I'm so glad to have this journal!  It's great to remember all that I've done.  Maybe some day I'll make this into a real journal.  Well, take care everyone.  I'm sad to be leaving Boise, but the future is looking bright!  Feel free to comment all you want- it's great to hear what's going on back at home!

More in a few days from Kentucky!

It's hard to believe that my time here is almost over.  I'm home in four...long...days.  Although, I've found that my last day at work has been a very reflective one.  I hated (I mean HATED) DC for about the first two and a half months I was here.  It was hard to make new friends and orient myself in a new city.  But now that I've done both of those things, I feel much more content here.  Just in time to leave!  I think that I could definitely see myself living here (hey, with the way the job market is looking, this very well could be the only place I could live!) at least for a short time.  But as of right now my top priority is finding a job....wherever that may be.  But I think I might want to come back to DC.  Tonight is our last Happy Hour bash with the C of I alum and the thought of being a six day instead of six hour drive away from Nick is hard to come to terms with.  In some ways I'm very ready to come home and in some ways I'm no where near ready to say good-bye.  But few things in life are permanent and who knows where I will be in six months.  It's best to just go with the flow I think.

Yesterday I went to a talk on Egypt and Human Rights at one of the House of Rep. buildings.  Today Alison and I went out to lunch as a final good-bye.  The office got me a really gorgeous picture of DC so I can remember my time here.

Well, writing anymore seems pointless at this point.  I think that this journal really shows just how much I've changed, grown up, and come to understand what I want to do this semester.   I can't imagine having not taken this opportunity.  And with all the bitterness and tears, it was a great experience....one that I don't think I can fully appreciate or understand even now.  But now is my time to say good-bye and figure out what I'm doing next.  It feels like such a bittersweet moment.

But I can't wait to see Boise again!  And drive my car.  And go to Moxie. And wear nothing but jeans and tennis shoes for a very long time.

Hello everyone.  I've been really busy the last two weeks so my journal didn't get any attention.  But for all of you on the edge of your seats- I'm back!

My parents, grandparents, and brother came out for Thanksgiving last week (for those of you who read this not in my family...which is probably no one).  It was a great trip, but they exhausted me!  It's been a long time since I've done touristy stuff and walking so much.  Our lunch cruise on the Potomac for Thanksgiving was probably the highlight for me.  Maybe that was just because I was scared I was going to have to cook my first Thanksgiving meal.  I avoided it for another year!

This week I have been really busy working on my final portfolio which is due Monday.  I'm going to Philadelphia this weekend (more on that later) so I wanted it done by yesterday so I didn't have to worry about it this weekend.  I took all 34 pages to the print shop today to be bound and it felt great to have that off my shoulders.  So I'm officially done with assignments for the semester...I just have to stick out one more week of "work" (which I Iike to think of as indentured servitude.  Work implies payment).

Joan is going to India next week (I seriously want her job.  Since I've been here she's been to four different countries.  Oh, by the way, she gave Alison, Sarah and I bracelets from Uganda when she was there two weeks ago) so we had a good-bye lunch for me yesterday.  We went to an Irish restaurant near our office (Mom and Grandma- the one next door to the one we went to).  I tried shepherd's pie...a little odd, but good.  It was really sweet of them.  They gave me a card and an IAWJ pin and pen.  Tuesday was Sarah's last day so we had carrot cake.  We're slowly leaving!  Now it's just down to Anne, Alison, and Joan!

Last night I went out to dinner with my core group of friends from my class.  We wanted to do one last thing together before leaving.  Then I came home to pack.  I'm leaving work early today to catch the bus to Philadelphia.  I'm meeting Nick there for the Army/Navy game.  I got a standing room only ticket and it's going to be freezing.  I don't think be staying for the whole game.  His birthday is tomorrow and his parents will be in town for the game too, so we're going to go out to dinner with them and then go out for his birthday with all of his friends since they'll all be there for the game.  It worked out nicely!

I called the Dr. on Monday because I was back to itching again.  She referred me to a dermatologist so I went there on Wednesday and found out I have eczema.  So I'm on steroids once again (I swear, I'm going to come home a man!  I haven't filled it yet and I'm hoping I can get it under control without the steroids.) and a strict regiment of showering every other day, using gentle soap, and not being shy with the heavy duty lotions she gave me.  I'm already feeling better so now I really hope I can stay like this!  I also found out that Irish Spring soap is horrible for you (which, of course I had been using since I moved here).

Well, I think that sums up the excitement of my life as of late.  I'm home in a week and a half!  Wow!  Hard to believe!

In the words of Brian, "Hell froze over and landed in DC."  It's unbelievably cold here.  Unbearable. Unreasonable!  Out of control cold!  Usually the cold isn't too bad here because of the humidity- it doesn't feel as bitter as in Idaho.  But I walked to work today and it was 32* and I was wishing I had taken the bus.  I gave up on the bus about two weeks ago.  I was tired of never having a place to sit (and it doesn't help that I barely reach the top bar and the bus driver is a maniac).  So I decided to get some exercise and walk to work.  Which has been going great.  It takes me less time, I don't have to depend on the bus and I save myself $1.25 each way.  But now that it's figid I may be taking it again....or I may just suck it up.  It's only a 25 minute walk.  The temp. for this time of the year is in the 50's.  Oh, how glorious 50* sounds right now.  Even 45*!  I could settle with that.  Next week it's supposed to get warmer, but not until Monday, so until then I'm avoiding the outdoors as much as possible.

This weekend was fun.  The internet and cable is out at the house, so Nick and I spent a solid 4 hours at a coffee shop doing homework on Saturday.  I studied for my test (which I had yesterday) and he wrote a paper.  We went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant, then to a hookah bar (which was really fun!) and then the bar that we originally met at for brunch.  It was crazy to see it as a bar at night!  It was so quiet and peaceful for breakfast that morning!  I got a huge stomach ache though- I think Indian food is just too rich for me.  The hookah place doesn't serve alcohol, so I don't think you have to be 21 so I'm taking Jess there on Friday night.  There's another place a couple of doors down that has a belly dancer, so maybe we'll go there instead.

Monday I went to my afterschool tutoring thing again.  I decided to walk from Union station instead of taking the bus.  I don't know why I thought I needed the bus- it's only about a 15 minute walk.  And walking from Union than from where the bus drops me off is much safer.  The kids are adorable and I think they all love me.  I was greated with about 15 "Miss Sasha!"'s.  I was in the 5th grade class again this week.  I like them much more- they're not as snarky as the 6th graders.  Everyone wanted help and the hour went by so fast.  I wish I could spend more time there!  I'm really loving it.  Although I've decided that I could never be a teacher.  

Joan and Ann are both out of the office in Ghana for some UN meeting or something...I have no idea.  Anyway, before she left Joan asked Josephine and I to attend a conference at the Carnige Endowment for Peace Studies about contemporary Islam and Women (well, there were several panels, but the women panel was the most useful to us).  We're trying to work more closely with out Egypt chapter, so Joan has been asking us to attend anything that might be helpful.  We were there from about 9:30 to 2:30.  They had breakfast and a fantastic lunch!  I love free food!  I'm so poor :(  Anyway, the conference was great.  I learned a lot.  I love getting out of the office to do stuff like that.  Today I'm going to a war crimes talk on campus at 3:30.  

Today one of my Polical Economy professors is in town getting some award so we're having an alumni dinner at one of the alumni's houses tonight.  I'm really excited!  I love our alumni.  And it wil be nice to meet some older alumni that don't hang out in our group.  And I'm excited to see Dr. Hunter- Brian and I both commented how great it will be to see someone from home.  I feel like we're being graced with the outside world!  

I called the Dr. on Monday and told her that I'm not feeling any better, so she started me on the steroids again.  I'm feeling much much better today.  Almost back to normal.  So I just hope I stay feeling like this!

None of my pants fit anymore.  I think two of them are wearable.  I've lost 7 pounds last time I weighed myself.  But I don't feel like I look any different.  Anyway, I'm really frustrated because I feel like I have nothing to wear!  I brought too many skirts.  So I think I'm going to go to the mall tomorrow and find some pants.  It's much too cold to wear anything but my boots and pants, so that severely limits what I can wear.

Well, I should work on some homework that I'm letting pile up... :(