I'm just too far, from where you are...

Hmm...where to begin today.

Well, Ax called again this morning and wanted to know if we could have a "wedding" when we go back to WI for the holidays. It's starting to creep me out how much we're thinking alike while he's gone. First similar dreams, now this? What on earth is deployment doing to us? haha. :)

So I spent a lot of today on theknot.com looking at stuff. My problem right now is I have TOO MANY ideas! I have settled on colors: navy blue (ish, I don't want true Navy blue!) and champagne. I wanted to stay away from the "traditional" reds and greens that come with winter weddings. I also didn't want to go too loud with the colors, hence the navy blue -- it's still "appropriate" for the season without being too christmasy. 

Ax's sister is helping me compile a guest list for their mom's side of the family. With Italians, there's going to be A LOT--there's several I haven't met and I don't want them to feel left out. Even if they can't make it, at least they were invited. My mom is helping with my family, and I know most of Ax's dad's side already so that's pretty easy. When Ax calls next we need to hash out the date. Right now I picked 12/28 but to be honest I have no idea what day of the week that is. ha. 

Outside of that, I'm still working on Ax's anchor quilt. Simon and I do a few blocks each night while we watch Netflix (currently going through American Dad, already did all of South Park and Family Guy). Simon and I went for a four-mile walk just a little bit ago, he's finally, FINALLY pooped out and laying down in his crate. 

I have a job interview tomorrow! I am excited at the possibility of getting back into the workforce. Right now I'm doing my nails so they look nice for tomorrow--green, of course, for st. paddy's day! 

I'm also incredibly disappointed that they're getting rid of Google Reader. Whyyyyyyyyy? I love my Reader! It's how I visit everyone's blog at once! hnnn. Guess I'll start looking at alternatives...sigh.

And with that, off to finish my nails. Then perhaps relax with a small drankkk for the holiday. :)

Project planning!

Oh man, a back-to-back update! Holy sheeit man!

I applied for a couple jobs today. There's only one I really expect to hear back from, and even that is only because I got the impression that they had very few people apply. We'll see what happens, I guess.  A part-time job in the city we live in would be PERFECT. It's not too far of a drive (so gas won't be an issue), I could finally contribute to my little family, and I'd still have time with Ax once he's home from deployment.

After job-hunting, I spent entirely too much money at the commissary. I got hungry halfway through shopping and brought home a bunch of crap I really didn't need. In theory that means next week will be cheaper since I've already stocked up on some stuff. I guess in the end it all balances out.

I ordered some more fabric today! Two scrap baggies and a charm pack of baby motifs for Ax's cousin who is having a baby in October. I figure it'd make a good christmas gift for her and the baby. Then I set to work on organizing the charm packs I've already got...I have one charm pack that is black/white/gray. I'm gonna make a lap size quilt with it and frame the blocks with some bright red to really make it pop. I'm not sure if I'm going to sell it or give it as a gift. Shit, I just gotta put it together before I can figure out what to do with it!

Both my sister-in-law and my half-sister-in-law are getting lap quilts for christmas as well. I've picked out a pattern for each girl, and I'm going to start gathering the fabrics I'll need slowly but surely. I figure that in order to have them done for christmas I'm going to need everything gathered by June, since I hand-quilt my blankets.

Ax's big anchor quilt is coming along slowly but surely. I do a couple blocks every night. Right now it's just a quarter-block, with the stitching about a quarter-inch from each seam. I haven't decided if I'm going to do more with it after that or not.

On a different note, if you ever get a chance to read the Reacher series by Lee Child, DO IT. I finished the first one, Killing Floor, this morning. It was awesome! He uses the word "nosed" too much in reference to cars pulling out of a parking lot or off a street, but otherwise I think he's an excellent writer.

I was naughty with my diet and exercise today--it was supposed to be a shred day, and I didn't do it. Then I ate way over my allowed calories for the day. Shame on me! Tomorrow I'll do a shred and maybe another workout from youtube or something. I'm supposed to go to dinner with the FRG at a local place called Sharkbite, so we'll see what I can order there that's reasonably healthy. I expect to have an off day every once in a while...no sense in getting upset about it.

Now I'm gonna go fill in today's happenings in the little deployment journal I've started while Ax is gone, then grab a new book to read and go to bed. I haven't been sleeping well the last couple nights, so reading is a good way to "rest" without being bored out of my skull when I can't sleep.

There are days that I don't even have words

for the strange things my husband and my dog do.

For example, I came out of the bathroom this morning to find my dog in his crate like this:

Just hanging out. Not chewing on a toy, not looking for something, just...laying there like that.


And then my husband, bless his attempts at interior decorating, had the slipcover for our couch on backwards. How you can do that when there is QUITE CLEARLY a front side (and a tag that says "CENTER OF BACK") I have yet to understand. He's deployed and somehow still manages to leave me weird surprises.

On an entirely unrelated note, Magpul will have our business for a lifetime. In case you haven't been following the story, Magpul manufactures accessories for firearms. They are based in CO, which is currently in the midst of a battle about assault weapons and "high-capacity" magazines. Not only has Magpul threatened to pull out of CO and relocate if the bill passes, they have now pledged that all residents of CO are able to buy up to 10 "high capacity" magazines before Magpul leaves. The CO people that put in their orders will get theirs ahead of other people who have been waiting for their parts and pieces since the CT shooting. And interestingly, there aren't a lot of disgruntled non-CO residents. I think they respect Magpul and the firearms community enough to not raise a stink, though it sucks that they will now have to wait longer for their supplies. Ax is the firearms nut in the house--I enjoy them but not to the extent he does--and I know this solidifies his decision to continue purchasing from them.


I started a deployment journal; made from a Smash Book. Walmart has all sorts of stickers and shit designed for the books, so I'll probably pick some up when I'm out. I haven't decided if I'm going to let Matt read it or if it's just going to be for me. Either way, I've been catching up in it--I had a small journal started on my phone, but there's only so much space and I've started having more to say.

Hand-quilting his anchor blanket is slow progress as well, because SOMEONE with four paws seems to think it's his personal sleeping bag. Sigh. But Mr. Four-Paws is now zonked out on the couch after a walk and playing outside for a solid 45 minutes. At night he "talks" in his sleep and it's pretty damned funny to listen to. He often wakes himself up with his woofing.

And now I'm off to find something to do. I have a FRG meeting tomorrow that I don't really want to go to, but am going anyway for the human interaction. I hope most of the women decide to drop their kids off for the babysitting. I don't like kids (minus a RARE few). I especially don't like kids who constantly interrupt a conversation.