Month #2

Wow! June is here!!
How crazy is that? Although the time since he left feels like forever ago, in reality two months??
Dang.
The best way I remind myself of how long John has been gone is by how old little Lucas Steven gets. He was born day after the guys left so he's my little representation of time gone by. :)

Well, what else went on in May....
After my awesome weekend in DC with Kristen and after my family rendezvous in OKC, the rest of May consisted of the nose on the grindstone at work and at the gym.
We are working "mandatory" overtime at work still so that is right up my ally. The extra $$ doesn't hurt either.
I have still been hitting the gym 4-6 days a week and have officially lost 20 pounds since November since I started. I have said that I've lost 20 lbs for a while, but it wasn't until the other night that it was a solid 20. The other times it was the most I had lost in a fluxuating context.
This time it's legit.
If anything I can now throw myself into the lost 20-25 pound zone.
I do think however, that I have been overtraining some.
By the end of last week I was so exhausted. Obviously I worked a lot, but before John left, when I worked out I felt energized and more awake for the day.
Now I was falling asleep at my desk, unfortunately occasionally reaching for a half cup of coffee...
Jeanette mentioned I may be overtraining, and at first I was very dismissive of it.
I need to lose weight, of course I am "overtraining!"
I didn't see it as overtraining though, I saw it as a necessary means to an end.
But then when the gym forced me to miss a day by being closed for the Memorial holiday, I really noticed that my body just needed to rest. So I gave in and watched hours of "24" while puttering around the house hanging out with my kiddos.

On the Sunday before Memorial Day, I hosted a mini BBQ at my house for other deployed/alone spouses.
Figured if we are alone on a holiday like this, we might as well be alone together!!
It was potluck style where everybody brought something and it worked out awesomely.
I busted out the grill for the first time in my life, and I must say I feel like quite the grill master.
Ironically before the ladies and kids came over I pulled the grill out and started it just to make sure I remembered what John taught me!
As soon as I got it lit I smelled this horrible rubber burning smell.....
Panicked, I turned it off, but then I noticed smoke coming down the block up towards the neighbor's house.
Sure enough, the neighbor's car somehow caught on fire.
LOL.
I know it's not funny, but looking back on it now, it is.
This is a family with some teenage kids. They are actually really awesome kids and I can honestly say have never been a pain unlike some of the adults and small children in our neighborhood.
Well, one of the sons had this old Jeep he drove around everywhere. You could tell it was his pride and joy. I had even seen him out washing it on the weekends, etc.
Which probably just made it rust more, but he had great intentions.
I don't know how the fire started, but the Jeep was on fire and in the background I hear sirens coming.
Of course this is about the time that my company should be showing up and the fire engine is blocking my street.
Awesome.
Needless to say, they ended up letting my ladies through and we cooked out.
I bought some skewers and had marinaded some chicken and steak with tons of veggies and we all went to town.
It was great way to spend the holiday.

Headed into month number three I know that there is going to be a lot of changes coming up.
Unfortunately, since the direction of the Iraq war is changing, so are things with our soldiers.
The biggest blow so far has been that the 108th MP Company has had their Airborne status removed. They no longer will be allowed to wear their Airborne tab on their sleeve and will have to change to black berets instead of the maroon.
The tab and beret change is more of a pride issue than an actual political issue.
We aren't loosing the jump pay incentive yet, but when they get home from deployment they will, so that's a bummer (you got an increase in pay on a monthly basis if you were airborne qualified).

The second change is that as of right now, the MP Corps is not taking re-enlistments.
Most the guys are pretty freaked out about it cause that means if they are to re-enlist, they will have to enlist under a different job than a Military Policeman which in most cases means moving to wherever your new job may be.
The rumor is that for the Non Commissioned Officers, like John, re-enlistment will be available come this October, but there is no incentive what-so-ever.
No signing bonus, no PCS wish list, nothing.
Nothing but a "Good job, get back to work," type of thing.
This is all assuming that the rumors are true.
So during our weekly talks we are batting back and forth different MOS ideas and different scenarios.
Ultimately we have time until October and John isn't having to re-enlist for a while, so time is on our side, but if nothing changes, then he will probably change his MOS which means we will most likely move.
He's looking into MOS's like Drill SGT school, Military Intelligence (like a detective), Drone school.....
There are several options, but of course it's nerve racking.....

Audrey, our niece, had her 4th birthday on the 28th. Can't believe she is four!
It sucks being so far away so we can't participate on those special days, but we try to make up for it when we can.
John is even planning his mid-tour leave to be this coming November which is not only my birthday and Thanksgiving, but also when his new niece or nephew is due to be born. :)
It's exciting.

Think that's all for now...Let's see what month #3 brings!