Sadness. It's only 12:30 and I've already read all my emails, the news, the blogs, eaten lunch, and walked to the far away water fountain to fill my water bottle. Twice. I'm booorrred. I'm going to Miami week after next and I don't want to. I hate traveling for work. I hate this joooob! I feel bad for saying that because at least I have a job - so many people are getting laid off right now.
I keep thinking I need to start getting up early to work out before work again. That used to be my routine, but since I've been here we stay up later and I sleep later and then work out during my work day (usually). But it's way less consistent. Something about waiting till later in the day, my motivation for it starts to evaporate around 10. I don't like having to change out of work clothes, get sweaty and then try to rinse off/clean up as best I can and put work clothes back on and go back to work. And the end of the day? Yeah it sounds like a good idea, but who really wants to go do ANOTHER thing you don't really want to after you just got done doing NINE HOURS of things you don't really want to? It seems silly to spend an hour of my morning working out when I can take the time out of my work day and have that extra hour of free time. But at least in the morning I actually want to work out, even if it is really hard to get out of bed to do it. And then I have the nice shot of endorphins to get me through till lunch.
This is my biggest problem right now. Go ahead and punch me in the face if you want (hypothetically). That and how I need to find another activity outside of eating to entertain myself with. I am going to enter another Turbulence Training contest, which starts on Monday, since that seemed to give me a lot of motivation for weight loss last year. Yes, I hate that I'm doing this AGAIN when I spent May-August losing the same weight last year. Apparently I have even more to lose this time though... I got on the scale at the doctor's last week and practically had a hernia - evidently I've gained 26 lbs since I moved here, not even shitting. And I was still about 7 lbs over where I really wanted to be when I moved here back in November last year. I doubt I'll be able to lose 26 lbs in 12 weeks. I lost 12 last year and then a few more after that. I still find it hard to believe that I've gained that much weight. I mean, I don't think I LOOK like I've gained that much. But I haven't gotten the gumption to get on my own scale at home yet. I will do that on Monday. I'm going to go ahead and start the contest on Monday even though I'm going to Miami the following week. It will help me stay on track. So if I *really* have 30 # to lose to get to my ideal weight (i.e., where I feel most comfortable and ALL my clothes fit and I can walk into any store in the mall and try on clothes and not feel like omg nothing fits), then I expect it to take 30 weeks which would be the end of November. No I do not actually believe I have that much to lose (wishful thinking?). ANYWAY. Yes I am bored enough to have just spent 20 minutes of my life blogging about this.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Finally.
Honeymoon pics. I think this link will work but let me know if you can't view the pics... also let me know if you have to get a google account because if so I will switch them to flickr.
I got an email from my blog that said it was lonely. I know, bad blogger. I wish I could say it's because we've been so busy having fun and running around, but the truth is that our schedules have been blessedly boring. We've been settling in and shaking off the residual stress of the wedding and honeymoon.
Adam left for his two month deployment yesterday.
I'm due another thyroid scan in a few weeks.
I'm becoming more grumbly about my job as the weeks wear on. My main complaint is hating being chained to a desk. Being chained to a desk with nothing to do or things that you don't want to do is by far worse.
That's the news! I'll try not to be so scarce!
xoxoxox
I got an email from my blog that said it was lonely. I know, bad blogger. I wish I could say it's because we've been so busy having fun and running around, but the truth is that our schedules have been blessedly boring. We've been settling in and shaking off the residual stress of the wedding and honeymoon.
Adam left for his two month deployment yesterday.
I'm due another thyroid scan in a few weeks.
I'm becoming more grumbly about my job as the weeks wear on. My main complaint is hating being chained to a desk. Being chained to a desk with nothing to do or things that you don't want to do is by far worse.
That's the news! I'll try not to be so scarce!
xoxoxox
Monday, March 23, 2009
Monday, monday
Ahhh, Monday almost done! I can't believe how fast the weekends go. They are even faster now since Adam and I started cohabitating and are around each other all the time. I guess the time go faster when you have company. We are finally getting over our jet lag - it seemed to take a long time - and spent most of the weekend relaxing. Yesterday we went to Ala Moana beach park and laid in the sun all afternoon. I'm getting pretty tanned after our cruise when we had a few really sunny days and then yesterday. I always wear my SPF too and I have to yell at Adam when he digs around in the cabinets and somehow produces the oldest, most decaying bottle of sunscreen we have and uses that. That stuff expires! I'm going to have to throw some of those away or he will keep using them. Just like I am going to start throwing away his military-brown undershirts that have perma-stink. He protests vehemently, but I was forced to disappear one particularly offensive one on Saturday when I pulled it out of the drier and the b.o. smell almost knocked me over. There are many funny things about being married. For instance, I still have to laugh about the toilet paper comment when we first moved in together... we were at the commissary getting groceries and house things when I first got to Hawaii and we went down the toilet paper aisle and I said, oh we need to get some toilet paper, and Adam said, why? we already have a roll. HahahaHA! A roll. I'm chuckling now just thinking about it! It was precious, having to explain to him the special needs of women in the powder room. My dad pulled that trick on us when we were little too, and evidently two little girls were using way too much toilet paper because I remember him trying to ration it out and tell us we only needed three squares to wipe with. Hehehehehe. Our sweet men.
Anyway, I think I broke my toe over the weekend. I slammed it into my big wooden trunk and now it's all swollen and bruised and looks like a purple grape. And it hurts! I've been wearing my flip flops at work all day because they are the only shoes that don't hurt my toe! No one has seemed to notice, which just goes to show you - I probably COULD wear my pj's to work and no one would even care. I was worried about trying to get my gym shoes on, but I managed... they were a little more uncomfortable but I was determined to get my workout done. I just had some kettlebell and bodyweight work today so no running or aggressive jumping. One of the really great things about living in Hawaii and working at a military command is that there is a fully-equiped (albeit small) fitness facility right on site. And we're encouraged to use it during business hours! The weather was awesome today so I dragged my kettlebells outside and did my workout in the lawn under a shade tree.
And it's 4:59... just about that time. Finally! All day I've been wishing I could just go home and read my book... I'm reading Twilight. What??? - I know, I know, a book about teenage vampires/seriously/??/etc, but I kept hearing about how good it was and Costco had it for $7 and now that I started it I can't put it down! I read nearly 100 pages yesterday on the beach!
I promise I have honeymoon pics, soon... just as soon as I get them off my camera, which honestly may not be until I finish Twilight and we burn through the remaining 500 Sopranos episodes clogging up our DVR... oh, and finish our wedding thank you's! Eh, I'm going to take my purple toe home now and prop it up on the coffee table.
Anyway, I think I broke my toe over the weekend. I slammed it into my big wooden trunk and now it's all swollen and bruised and looks like a purple grape. And it hurts! I've been wearing my flip flops at work all day because they are the only shoes that don't hurt my toe! No one has seemed to notice, which just goes to show you - I probably COULD wear my pj's to work and no one would even care. I was worried about trying to get my gym shoes on, but I managed... they were a little more uncomfortable but I was determined to get my workout done. I just had some kettlebell and bodyweight work today so no running or aggressive jumping. One of the really great things about living in Hawaii and working at a military command is that there is a fully-equiped (albeit small) fitness facility right on site. And we're encouraged to use it during business hours! The weather was awesome today so I dragged my kettlebells outside and did my workout in the lawn under a shade tree.
And it's 4:59... just about that time. Finally! All day I've been wishing I could just go home and read my book... I'm reading Twilight. What??? - I know, I know, a book about teenage vampires/seriously/??/etc, but I kept hearing about how good it was and Costco had it for $7 and now that I started it I can't put it down! I read nearly 100 pages yesterday on the beach!
I promise I have honeymoon pics, soon... just as soon as I get them off my camera, which honestly may not be until I finish Twilight and we burn through the remaining 500 Sopranos episodes clogging up our DVR... oh, and finish our wedding thank you's! Eh, I'm going to take my purple toe home now and prop it up on the coffee table.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Wedding Photos!!
Well we're back from the land of pancakes and elastic pants (aka: the cruise ship lol). Honeymoon was awesome. We have tons of pics I will upload later. We just flew in to Honolulu this morning on an overnight flight from Auckland. Yesterday was Sunday in Auckland. We got off the ship at 8 am and walked around Auckland for a few hours before heading to the airport for our flight to Fiji. We were stuck in the Fiji airport for 6 hours! It's about the size of a high school gymnasium. We were going crazy. Adam read to me from Sherlock Holmes for about 3 hours straight! Finally we made it back home. Sunday again. You can time travel when you cross the dateline! It's a gorgeous sunny day here. We ate and went to bed for a few hours and now I need to get some groceries and get ready to resume "real life".
Check out our wedding photos though!! This link is a cool online book my sister made. Or you can see all of the pics by going to this website and entering the password "seiler".
Hope you are all doing well and having fun!
Life is good!
Check out our wedding photos though!! This link is a cool online book my sister made. Or you can see all of the pics by going to this website and entering the password "seiler".Hope you are all doing well and having fun!
Life is good!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
25 things....
Well, it was only a matter of time until I got tagged by the Facebook 25 things meme. So here goes (this is really off the cuff)!
1. I'm a pisces and whether you believe in astrology or not, the shoe fits me.
2. I went to three different high schools and three different colleges (high school: Germany, Alabama, Turkey; college: Germany, UT Austin, TX A&M).
3. The longest I've ever lived anywhere was 6 years spent from ages 3-8 in Las Vegas, NV where my parents live now.
4. I have a college degree in psychology. No I am not analyzing you.
5. I've had a polygraph examination before.
6. I never planned on becoming an expert on weapons of mass destruction policy - I just sort of fell into it. In fact, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I went to grad school on a whim and because I got a scholarship.
7. I have one sister who lives in Florida and she gave the most rockin' maid of honor speech at my wedding (it was the only point where I nearly cried).
8. I graduated from high school in Izmir, Turkey in a class of 11. Our school district spanned a distance greater than the continental U.S. from the Azores, Portugal in the Pacific Ocean, to Rota, Spain, to Bahrain and three schools in Turkey at Adana, Izmir and Ankara. We played basketball against the Bahraini girls who wore hijab (headscarves) and long sleeves/pants on the court and kicked our butts!
9. I used to be a wild child. Clubs, raves, drinking and drugs. I have admitted all of this to the U.S. government.
10. I was raised Catholic and had to attend CCD/church until we moved to Turkey when my parents stopped making us go. I was supposed to get confirmed, but I didn't finish the class until 2007. I believe in saints, angels, and the Virgin Mary and try to outrun my guilt complex.
11. I married a man who was once in the seminary. Now we go to church every weekend and even though I don't agree with all the Catholic dogma, I love the ritual and mysticism of Catholicism.
12. I want kids. Sometimes I want them NOW, NOW, NOW. Sometimes that scares me a little and I think of all the ways my life will change once I have them. For instance, how am I going to drag a baby to China???
13. I'm scuba certified and got my open-water cert in a lake in Texas where there are catfish as big as your thigh.
14. When I was little I cut all of my cousin's hair off with a pair of plastic Mickey Mouse scissors while my dad was watching football... ahem, I mean babysitting us. To this day it is still everyone's favorite story to tell when the family all gets together, especially if there are newcomers.
15. I struggle with maintaining my weight. I have been really thin a couple of times in my life through strict diet mainly. When I am winging my diet, I tend to be pretty soft and voluptuous (thanks Mom lol).
16. I love being an athlete. I love to lift weights and get a good sweat going on. I never said I was good at it though!
17. I had thyroid cancer and I got to be radioactive as part of my treatments when I had to ingest radioactive iodine and be isolated for a week. A year later, my best girlfriend in DC who worked in the same office as me was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
18. I still can't believe I live in Hawaii.
19. I love Adam more and more each day. Would y'all believe he rubs my feet almost every night?!
20. I also love anything chocolate.
21. I used to be a real dreamer and fancied myself a writer/poet/anti-establishment modern day bohemian beatnik. Now I'm a yuppie.
22. I drive a white Honda Civic. Too fast.
23. I pack my lunch every day in a huge cooler that people make fun of me for - it's been called my "pharmacy of food." I get comments about what I eat all the time.
24. My favorite color to wear is blue. My favorite color for the home is green.
25. I have a window in my office that looks down on the ocean and Pearl Harbor. You can come visit anytime!
1. I'm a pisces and whether you believe in astrology or not, the shoe fits me.
2. I went to three different high schools and three different colleges (high school: Germany, Alabama, Turkey; college: Germany, UT Austin, TX A&M).
3. The longest I've ever lived anywhere was 6 years spent from ages 3-8 in Las Vegas, NV where my parents live now.
4. I have a college degree in psychology. No I am not analyzing you.
5. I've had a polygraph examination before.
6. I never planned on becoming an expert on weapons of mass destruction policy - I just sort of fell into it. In fact, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I went to grad school on a whim and because I got a scholarship.
7. I have one sister who lives in Florida and she gave the most rockin' maid of honor speech at my wedding (it was the only point where I nearly cried).
8. I graduated from high school in Izmir, Turkey in a class of 11. Our school district spanned a distance greater than the continental U.S. from the Azores, Portugal in the Pacific Ocean, to Rota, Spain, to Bahrain and three schools in Turkey at Adana, Izmir and Ankara. We played basketball against the Bahraini girls who wore hijab (headscarves) and long sleeves/pants on the court and kicked our butts!
9. I used to be a wild child. Clubs, raves, drinking and drugs. I have admitted all of this to the U.S. government.
10. I was raised Catholic and had to attend CCD/church until we moved to Turkey when my parents stopped making us go. I was supposed to get confirmed, but I didn't finish the class until 2007. I believe in saints, angels, and the Virgin Mary and try to outrun my guilt complex.
11. I married a man who was once in the seminary. Now we go to church every weekend and even though I don't agree with all the Catholic dogma, I love the ritual and mysticism of Catholicism.
12. I want kids. Sometimes I want them NOW, NOW, NOW. Sometimes that scares me a little and I think of all the ways my life will change once I have them. For instance, how am I going to drag a baby to China???
13. I'm scuba certified and got my open-water cert in a lake in Texas where there are catfish as big as your thigh.
14. When I was little I cut all of my cousin's hair off with a pair of plastic Mickey Mouse scissors while my dad was watching football... ahem, I mean babysitting us. To this day it is still everyone's favorite story to tell when the family all gets together, especially if there are newcomers.
15. I struggle with maintaining my weight. I have been really thin a couple of times in my life through strict diet mainly. When I am winging my diet, I tend to be pretty soft and voluptuous (thanks Mom lol).
16. I love being an athlete. I love to lift weights and get a good sweat going on. I never said I was good at it though!
17. I had thyroid cancer and I got to be radioactive as part of my treatments when I had to ingest radioactive iodine and be isolated for a week. A year later, my best girlfriend in DC who worked in the same office as me was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
18. I still can't believe I live in Hawaii.
19. I love Adam more and more each day. Would y'all believe he rubs my feet almost every night?!
20. I also love anything chocolate.
21. I used to be a real dreamer and fancied myself a writer/poet/anti-establishment modern day bohemian beatnik. Now I'm a yuppie.
22. I drive a white Honda Civic. Too fast.
23. I pack my lunch every day in a huge cooler that people make fun of me for - it's been called my "pharmacy of food." I get comments about what I eat all the time.
24. My favorite color to wear is blue. My favorite color for the home is green.
25. I have a window in my office that looks down on the ocean and Pearl Harbor. You can come visit anytime!
Well, we're not going to Germany, but we ARE going to Australia and New Zealand!!!
This week has been BUSY! I've actually had a lot going on at work instead of my usual low-grade boredom, and we haven't even had time to accomplish our goal of getting our wedding thank you's done... tonight might not work either cause I need to be packing for our HONEYMOON! I'm so excited we are leaving on Saturday morning to Sydney, Australia and hopping on a cruise ship for TWO WHOLE GLORIOUS BLISSFUL WEEKS!!! It's going to fly by so fast.
Here is our itinerary:
Day 1
Sydney, Australia
Day 2
Sydney, Australia
Day 3
Phillip Island, Australia
Day 4
Melbourne, Australia
Day 5
At Sea
Day 6
Hobart, Tasmania
Day 7
At Sea
Day 8
At Sea
Day 9
Milford Sound, New Zealand
Day 9
Doubtful Sound
Day 9
Dusky Sound
Day 10
Dunedin, New Zealand
Day 11
Christchurch, New Zealand
Day 12
Wellington, New Zealand
Day 13
Volcanic White Island, N.Z.
Day 14
Tauranga, New Zealand
Day 15
Auckland, New Zealand
We are trying to figure out what to do in each port call since we're only in port for the day each time we will barely have enough time to see a few things! There are a TON of shore excursions including kayaking, biking, train rides through the New Zealand Alps, city tours, wine tastings and more. Not to mention everything there is to do on the ship - can you say SPA-AHHH!
I will have a ton of pics when we get back!
Also, we are not going to Germany. Yes it is sad but I am at peace with it and I feel like it's the right thing. I feel like it is the "sign" we were waiting for... the detailer offered us AFRICOM and after talking to the guy Adam would be replacing we decided no, not for us! 12 hour days and sub-optimal housing and facilities. We could live with not the greatest living conditions IF the job was great... or we could live with a kind of crappy job IF the living conditions would be pretty cool... but both sounds like a bad assignment! So, as much as we both wanted to live in Europe, we also realize that we've barely had any time to enjoy the islands. And there is plenty of adventure left here. We want to travel to the big island and Kauai, and go to Japan, China and Thailand while we're here and relatively close.
So that is that. If I don't see y'all again before we depart, I'll catch ya on the flipside, after March 16! Think good thoughts for a successful vacation!
Here is our itinerary:
Day 1
Sydney, Australia
Day 2
Sydney, Australia
Day 3
Phillip Island, Australia
Day 4
Melbourne, Australia
Day 5
At Sea
Day 6
Hobart, Tasmania
Day 7
At Sea
Day 8
At Sea
Day 9
Milford Sound, New Zealand
Day 9
Doubtful Sound
Day 9
Dusky Sound
Day 10
Dunedin, New Zealand
Day 11
Christchurch, New Zealand
Day 12
Wellington, New Zealand
Day 13
Volcanic White Island, N.Z.
Day 14
Tauranga, New Zealand
Day 15
Auckland, New Zealand
We are trying to figure out what to do in each port call since we're only in port for the day each time we will barely have enough time to see a few things! There are a TON of shore excursions including kayaking, biking, train rides through the New Zealand Alps, city tours, wine tastings and more. Not to mention everything there is to do on the ship - can you say SPA-AHHH!
I will have a ton of pics when we get back!
Also, we are not going to Germany. Yes it is sad but I am at peace with it and I feel like it's the right thing. I feel like it is the "sign" we were waiting for... the detailer offered us AFRICOM and after talking to the guy Adam would be replacing we decided no, not for us! 12 hour days and sub-optimal housing and facilities. We could live with not the greatest living conditions IF the job was great... or we could live with a kind of crappy job IF the living conditions would be pretty cool... but both sounds like a bad assignment! So, as much as we both wanted to live in Europe, we also realize that we've barely had any time to enjoy the islands. And there is plenty of adventure left here. We want to travel to the big island and Kauai, and go to Japan, China and Thailand while we're here and relatively close.
So that is that. If I don't see y'all again before we depart, I'll catch ya on the flipside, after March 16! Think good thoughts for a successful vacation!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Love and Marriage
I saw this over at Because of Course and thought it was cute and appropriate since we just got married! (Squee!)
What are your middle names?
Lynn and Derrick
How long have you been together?
We met in mid-2003 and have been dating since early 2004. And we've been married for 5 days now!!
How long did you know each other before you started dating?
About 5 months.
Who asked whom out?
He asked me. We were at a bar in College Station and I gave him a ride home since he'd been drinking. He was very cute and asked if I would want to go to dinner with him sometime. I didn't want to get involved with anyone at school since I knew I'd only be there for 18 months, but he was so sweet I thought why not, just for kicks!
How old are each of you?
I will be 29 on March 8 and Adam is 26.
Whose siblings do you see the most?
His so far. They came to visit us in DC and we saw them in Kansas, plus they were just here for the wedding. My sister lives in Florida.
Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Uh... planning our frickin' wedding, yo! But it was totally worth it.
Did you go to the same school?
The same grad school - Texas A&M. That's where we met and fell in love!
Are you from the same home town?
No. Adam lived in Galax, VA and then Wichita, KS until he went to grad school. I was born in Germany and then lived in Nevada, Kansas, Virginia, Alabama, Turkey, Germany, Texas, Arizona, Italy, Texas again, Virginia again, and now Hawaii.
Who is smarter?
Me. Hehehe. Just kidding. He is smarter about money and finances and math stuff. I'm smarter about everything else :)
Who is the most sensitive?
Me. Adam is sensitive, but mostly he's calm and balances out my watery, Piscean emotional nature.
Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Our most visited restaurant is probably the Kabob Bazaar in Clarendon (Arlington), VA. We also end up at Cheesecake Factory a lot since they have big tasty salads. We hardly ever eat out, though. I don't like to eat out. It's usually a disappointment!
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
So far Hawaii, although once we drove a U-Haul from Texas to Virginia and that SEEMED like the farthest we've traveled!! Next week it will be Australia and New Zealand!!
Who has the craziest exes?
Neither of us has crazy exes.
Who has the worst temper?
Me. I can be a real brat sometimes. It's hard to ruffle Adam's feathers. He just thinks it's cute when I get riled up, which is kind of annoying.
Who does the cooking?
Cooking? What's that? We cook for ourselves mostly.
Who is the neat-freak?
I am probably more of a neat freak, I guess. He's pretty tidy too. We both like everything in its place. I'm more of a cleaning person, though - hair in the bathroom sink - yuk!
Who is more stubborn?
It's a toss up.
Who hogs the bed?
He does sometimes - and his appendages weigh like 500 lbs so when they are on you in the dead of sleep, you practically need to send up flares to get rescued.
Who wakes up earlier?
I do. Sometimes Adam has to wake up earlier, but he doesn't like it.
Where was your first date?
Ask Adam, I can't remember the name of the restaurant. In my mind, Valentines day 2004 was our first "real" date. The first dinner was just a dry run to make sure he wasn't insane or anything. Valentines day Adam made a reservation at this chic restaurant in Bryan, TX (yes, I realize chic and Bryan, TX is an oxymoron), but it turns out he made the reservation on the wrong day (ha!) so we ended up getting Outback steaks at the carry-out window and eating at my place. He brought me a present too, which totally freaked me out at first because we'd only been interested in each other for about a week so Valentines day was a LOT of pressure and I figured there was so much that could go wrong in selecting a gift at that early stage... but he gave me these cute little teddy bears with their arms tied around each other in a hug from Red Envelope and it turned out to be perfect.
Who is more jealous?
Neither of us is particularly jealous!
How long did it take to get serious?
What do you mean by serious? We were seriously involved right away, but it took a few years before we got really serious about marriage. Or I should say it took ME a few years!
Who eats more?
Adam eats more most of the time, although I can eat like a linebacker when I'm in the mood.
Who does the laundry?
He does. (I KNOW!!)
Who’s better with the computer?
He is. I know how to turn it on and access my email.
Who drives when you are together?
Definitely Adam. He hates it when he's not in control. He likes to hold the remote control too lol.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
We got married!
Thursday was a dream. It went by so fast! I was so sad when the day was over - I didn't want the day to end! It was a perfect day. We can't wait to see the pictures! Our photographer was awesome and there are going to be some really cute ones of us! It was kind of a cloudy day but the sun came out both times when we went outside to take pictures! I felt like a princess and Adam looked so handsome in his tuxedo! I'll be back to write all about it - I want to remember every detail. And to post more pics! The past two days we were staying at the resort where we had our reception and man, all we did is eat and sleep! Time to get back on the program before our honeymoon in a week!
Mr. & Mrs. Seiler!
Mr. & Mrs. Seiler!Friday, February 06, 2009
Monumental tasks
Don't worry - I'm not holding out on you guys. We just don't have anything to report yet. The detailer was evidently on leave last week and this week was too busy to respond. Commence the waiting while I waffle back and forth between excitement about moving to Germany, dread about quitting work, and a general sense of anxiety and worry about the whole affair. It sort of helps that I'm super extremely bored at work, which makes me want to QUIT NOW. But then they start talking about how I am going to be the continuity on this or that after the two military guys leave our shop and I start to feel guilty and all like, I can't QUIT! They NEED me!
And of course right now I am up to my ears in boxes since my stuff got delivered on Monday and I keep unpacking and organizing but it never seems to end and all I can do is wade through mounds of packing paper moving things around from here to there and feeling forlorn. Woe. And we are talking about doing this again in less than a YEAR?! Am I out of my freaking mind?! Yes. Yes I am.
And of course right now I am up to my ears in boxes since my stuff got delivered on Monday and I keep unpacking and organizing but it never seems to end and all I can do is wade through mounds of packing paper moving things around from here to there and feeling forlorn. Woe. And we are talking about doing this again in less than a YEAR?! Am I out of my freaking mind?! Yes. Yes I am.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
What a difference a day makes...
I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about baby names. Which ones I like (Madison, Victoria, Luke and Jonah) and which ones I like but don't like the obvious nickname - Addison/Addy, Samuel/Sam, Jonathan/Jon, Michael/Mike. I also spent at least 15 minutes signing my name "Michelle Seiler" in about 50 different ways. Traditional curly-que cursive S or written more like a normal capital S? And with the -eiler kind of messy and strung together... I then moved on to writing out baby names to see how they will sound with the last name Seiler. If all goes as planned we will be "Trying" by the end of this year.
Everything could change tomorrow. Adam is going to talk to the detailer and request orders to Germany. We both agree that when our babies come, I should stay at home to care for them. We can afford it. We will have to cut back spending, but we'll make it ok. Knowing I won't be worrying about a career at least temporarily means it's not important to stay here. So we appease my restless heart and go off on a new adventure. We are both excited for schnitzel and pommes, mayo on the side, Kristkindelmarkt, gluhwein, Oktoberfest, snowy villages and summer trips to Italy.
And if we can't get orders to Germany? Aside from the heartbreak, we don't know what we'll do. It doesn't seem like either of us really, REALLY wants to stay here another three years after this one. We both feel like we'll be sort of ... done before then. But where else to go? Adam raised the possibility of going back to DC and strange and crazy as it seems, I actually thought it sounded like a good idea. If I were in DC right now, I would have gotten up early this morning and bundled up to go jogging on the W&OD trail - maybe a light snow would fall and my breath would be an icy fog. I would peel off my clothes and my cheeks would be red as cherries and my fingers so cold the hot water would hurt. Then I'd pull on warm sweats and shuffle around with music on in the background, watching the snow fall, drinking warm tea, getting shocked by the static electricity. Maybe later I would go out and meet Erin and Megan for tea at Cosi. I try to remind myself of all the reasons I couldn't wait to leave there - the traffic, the ice, wind and cold, the rat race, the oppressive crush of people all racing to be... where? I can't explain why I am thinking maybe we could live there again. Maybe it would be different this time. No, I mean I know EVERYTHING would be different. But maybe it would be better?
Also tomorrow my things are getting delivered - my books and couch and bed and all the other stuff I've been accumulating over the years. We'll be up to our ears in it. And I'm sure I'll get sidetracked from packing when I open the box with the photo albums and journals - I can lose days reliving memories, unwrapping trinkets, reading old letters. Adam will unpack the kitchen stuff and put everything in the wrong place while I lose my mind in the past...!
Everything could change tomorrow. Adam is going to talk to the detailer and request orders to Germany. We both agree that when our babies come, I should stay at home to care for them. We can afford it. We will have to cut back spending, but we'll make it ok. Knowing I won't be worrying about a career at least temporarily means it's not important to stay here. So we appease my restless heart and go off on a new adventure. We are both excited for schnitzel and pommes, mayo on the side, Kristkindelmarkt, gluhwein, Oktoberfest, snowy villages and summer trips to Italy.
And if we can't get orders to Germany? Aside from the heartbreak, we don't know what we'll do. It doesn't seem like either of us really, REALLY wants to stay here another three years after this one. We both feel like we'll be sort of ... done before then. But where else to go? Adam raised the possibility of going back to DC and strange and crazy as it seems, I actually thought it sounded like a good idea. If I were in DC right now, I would have gotten up early this morning and bundled up to go jogging on the W&OD trail - maybe a light snow would fall and my breath would be an icy fog. I would peel off my clothes and my cheeks would be red as cherries and my fingers so cold the hot water would hurt. Then I'd pull on warm sweats and shuffle around with music on in the background, watching the snow fall, drinking warm tea, getting shocked by the static electricity. Maybe later I would go out and meet Erin and Megan for tea at Cosi. I try to remind myself of all the reasons I couldn't wait to leave there - the traffic, the ice, wind and cold, the rat race, the oppressive crush of people all racing to be... where? I can't explain why I am thinking maybe we could live there again. Maybe it would be different this time. No, I mean I know EVERYTHING would be different. But maybe it would be better?
Also tomorrow my things are getting delivered - my books and couch and bed and all the other stuff I've been accumulating over the years. We'll be up to our ears in it. And I'm sure I'll get sidetracked from packing when I open the box with the photo albums and journals - I can lose days reliving memories, unwrapping trinkets, reading old letters. Adam will unpack the kitchen stuff and put everything in the wrong place while I lose my mind in the past...!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Almost there...
Coming down to the wire now! I think all we have left to do is get a DJ and finalize everything (flowers, photography, etc.). After this weekend - fingers crossed - we will be able to just sit back and relax until Feb. 19. Then another week until our honeymoon! I will be so happy when we finally get on the ship for our cruise around Australia and New Zealand! I've always dreamed of going there and I'm so excited to finally get the chance!
We still haven't made any final decisions about Germany. Part of us wants to stay just out of sheer exhaustion - another change? No thanks. Another part of us is excited to have a new adventure!
Am I just like Don Quixote? Always chasing after something elusive and not really real - a dream of greener grass? I have a restless heart...
We still haven't made any final decisions about Germany. Part of us wants to stay just out of sheer exhaustion - another change? No thanks. Another part of us is excited to have a new adventure!
Am I just like Don Quixote? Always chasing after something elusive and not really real - a dream of greener grass? I have a restless heart...
Saturday, January 17, 2009
MORE ADVICE PLS!!!
So, I need advice. Adam has to talk to the detailer at the end of the month about our next assignment. Originally we were thinking we would stay here so I could work, and the last time he talked to the detailer, he told us we could stay here another 3 years after this year, then get a pretty much guaranteed follow-on assignment to Colorado Springs where we want to settle down ultimately. We have talked about asking for orders to Germany or Japan, though. Just to live overseas and have a cool experience and get to travel around. Germany would be Stuttgart - Army facilities, not the greatest, but it would be a great location to do day trips and travel around. Japan would be right outside Tokyo - really urban, big culture shock.
Anyway, the thing is that if we leave here at the end of the year, I will probably quit working. This is the big decision point for me - whether I want to keep working at this career path or not..... if we stay here I'll keep working at least until we have a baby, then who knows... maybe I will quit working anyway. If we leave here though, there is very little chance of me finding a job other than maybe at the fitness center or at the PX.
I have thought about a career change anyway, and I can use Adam's GI bill to get re-educated if I want to... we've talked about me being a SAHM while we have little ones too. That all sounds nice, but it also sounds hard to give up the gov't career I've worked so hard on these last few years!
PLUS - giving up my income. I LIKE being able to go into a store and buy a shirt if I want to! We would have to really reign it in if we are living only on one salary, especially if we want to do some cool traveling AND we're going to have babies!
EEK! What would YOU do??? I'm really torn! He says he will do whatever I want.
Anyway, the thing is that if we leave here at the end of the year, I will probably quit working. This is the big decision point for me - whether I want to keep working at this career path or not..... if we stay here I'll keep working at least until we have a baby, then who knows... maybe I will quit working anyway. If we leave here though, there is very little chance of me finding a job other than maybe at the fitness center or at the PX.
I have thought about a career change anyway, and I can use Adam's GI bill to get re-educated if I want to... we've talked about me being a SAHM while we have little ones too. That all sounds nice, but it also sounds hard to give up the gov't career I've worked so hard on these last few years!
PLUS - giving up my income. I LIKE being able to go into a store and buy a shirt if I want to! We would have to really reign it in if we are living only on one salary, especially if we want to do some cool traveling AND we're going to have babies!
EEK! What would YOU do??? I'm really torn! He says he will do whatever I want.
Friday, January 16, 2009
About that guy....
ok, so about this guy I was asking for opinions on...
this is a 52 year old Lt Col i work with! This is the same guy who is changing his eating habits on my advice... he was eating a candy and a mountain dew for breakfast. (how he made it to 52 and in the military no less without knowing a bit more about proper nutrition is beyond me.)
he's still single and he talks about wanting to meet a woman, and i was trying to give him some advice. i said that if a woman sees duct tape on your shoes she is going to probably draw some conclusions about you and your lifestyle and it's going to be a turn off. plus if she sees the rabbit ears and then finds out you don't have internet or a cell phone either.... most women would be running for the door. even if you're really nice! because this tells how you live your life and MOST people don't live like that!
sad to say my opinion is this guy is pretty cheap. he says he is saving up to buy a lot of land to have a horse ranch when he retires... and have retarded kids come over to ride them......... but honestly, getting some nice shoes would only put a tiny dent in that!!! plus, i've seen him eat moldy bagels because he didn't want them to go to waste. it's not like this guy doesn't have money!!! he probably has piles of it scrooged away, at 52 and a Lt Col in the Army you are well compensated and he has no one else to spend it on.
i know there are some out there who would not care about any of this, but they are few and it's limiting his dating pool. he's too set in his ways to change, i think... he absolutely would NOT believe me about the shoes. he thinks that god is going to send him the woman who will love the fact that he has duct tape on his shoes because "that's so him"... even after several women came into the office and were "informally polled" LOL about their opinion, he still didn't believe that women would judge him on the basis of his shoes!!! this turned into a long conversation with me arguing that people make judgments about each other on the basis of appearance. it may not always be RIGHT, but it's what people DO, it's partly how we make sense of the world around us so we know how to behave and interact with each other. he just vehemently opposed this idea, refusing to believe that people do or should judge each other based on appearance. anyway, he told me to ask the internets, so that's why i posted it!!!
thanks for your responses!!
this is a 52 year old Lt Col i work with! This is the same guy who is changing his eating habits on my advice... he was eating a candy and a mountain dew for breakfast. (how he made it to 52 and in the military no less without knowing a bit more about proper nutrition is beyond me.)
he's still single and he talks about wanting to meet a woman, and i was trying to give him some advice. i said that if a woman sees duct tape on your shoes she is going to probably draw some conclusions about you and your lifestyle and it's going to be a turn off. plus if she sees the rabbit ears and then finds out you don't have internet or a cell phone either.... most women would be running for the door. even if you're really nice! because this tells how you live your life and MOST people don't live like that!
sad to say my opinion is this guy is pretty cheap. he says he is saving up to buy a lot of land to have a horse ranch when he retires... and have retarded kids come over to ride them......... but honestly, getting some nice shoes would only put a tiny dent in that!!! plus, i've seen him eat moldy bagels because he didn't want them to go to waste. it's not like this guy doesn't have money!!! he probably has piles of it scrooged away, at 52 and a Lt Col in the Army you are well compensated and he has no one else to spend it on.
i know there are some out there who would not care about any of this, but they are few and it's limiting his dating pool. he's too set in his ways to change, i think... he absolutely would NOT believe me about the shoes. he thinks that god is going to send him the woman who will love the fact that he has duct tape on his shoes because "that's so him"... even after several women came into the office and were "informally polled" LOL about their opinion, he still didn't believe that women would judge him on the basis of his shoes!!! this turned into a long conversation with me arguing that people make judgments about each other on the basis of appearance. it may not always be RIGHT, but it's what people DO, it's partly how we make sense of the world around us so we know how to behave and interact with each other. he just vehemently opposed this idea, refusing to believe that people do or should judge each other based on appearance. anyway, he told me to ask the internets, so that's why i posted it!!!
thanks for your responses!!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Would you date this guy?
Poor neglected blog! SORRY!!!! If anyone is still out there... I'm still here! I just haven't had much mental space for blogging mainly because I can't process all the things that are happening fast enough to write about them before more things are happening... there is just too much going on!!
On the wedding front. Stress. Trying to be super cool, but you know, it is a lot of stuff to plan. There is still so much to do even though we are doing stuff almost every day. Yesterday we booked our honeymoon!!! We are so excited, we are going on a 14 day cruise to New Zealand and Australia! We ended up finding a really good deal on the cruise and the airfare ended up being pretty cheap too.
OK! Fun question for all you ladies out there...
Pretend you are not married or in a relationship. Now say you are in a bar with your girlfriends (or a cafe or the rodeo or wherever...) and this guy comes over to start talking to you. He's interested in you and seems nice enough. Looks pretty clean - jeans and a button up shirt. But you look down and discover that he's wearing shoes held together by DUCT TAPE. Do you give him your phone number?
Ok.... now let's say that you decide you don't care about the duct taped shoes for whatever reason. Maybe you think he seems really nice. So you go out with him and he invites you inside for a drink afterwards. You discover that he uses a TV with rabbit ears. Does this, either on its own or in concert with the duct taped shoes, raise any alarms or questions in your mind? Or do you just not care?
Maybe you ask him about it and you find out he doesn't watch too much tv. He doesn't want to spend the money on cable. Or internet. Or a cell phone. He doesn't think it's worth the money to have these things.
And the boots... they're his favorite. And also? He doesn't want to spend money on new ones when these "still work"...
Do you date him?
Hope I get lots of responses!
On the wedding front. Stress. Trying to be super cool, but you know, it is a lot of stuff to plan. There is still so much to do even though we are doing stuff almost every day. Yesterday we booked our honeymoon!!! We are so excited, we are going on a 14 day cruise to New Zealand and Australia! We ended up finding a really good deal on the cruise and the airfare ended up being pretty cheap too.
OK! Fun question for all you ladies out there...
Pretend you are not married or in a relationship. Now say you are in a bar with your girlfriends (or a cafe or the rodeo or wherever...) and this guy comes over to start talking to you. He's interested in you and seems nice enough. Looks pretty clean - jeans and a button up shirt. But you look down and discover that he's wearing shoes held together by DUCT TAPE. Do you give him your phone number?
Ok.... now let's say that you decide you don't care about the duct taped shoes for whatever reason. Maybe you think he seems really nice. So you go out with him and he invites you inside for a drink afterwards. You discover that he uses a TV with rabbit ears. Does this, either on its own or in concert with the duct taped shoes, raise any alarms or questions in your mind? Or do you just not care?
Maybe you ask him about it and you find out he doesn't watch too much tv. He doesn't want to spend the money on cable. Or internet. Or a cell phone. He doesn't think it's worth the money to have these things.
And the boots... they're his favorite. And also? He doesn't want to spend money on new ones when these "still work"...
Do you date him?
Hope I get lots of responses!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year
"...Recognize that even right now, this period in your life is also an era that will pass as well. Are you going to spend it, lamenting on who wronged you and why? Are you going to carry the bad and the ugly forward? If you do you only create a block to recall in the future. This era of your life belongs to you. No one else. In 10 or 20 years what senses will fill you when you recall this time in your life? I say recall this era as so many more beginnings.The only constant in all the years of your life, will be YOU."
Scott Abel
Scott Abel
Friday, December 12, 2008
Oh really.
“The United States expended its carrots, including delisting North Korea from the terrorist list, in exchange for a verbal promise that Pyongyang would sign on to these verifications,” he said. “We now know the North Koreans tricked us.”
Somebody give this guy a medal.
In Setback for Bush, North Korea Talks Collapse.
Somebody give this guy a medal.
In Setback for Bush, North Korea Talks Collapse.
"One of the main reasons I train my body is so that my mind works effectively." - Paul Chek
That's Paul Chek with a 160# db over his head. This man is 47. I think we should listen to him. He has some really interesting thoughts on training in this T-Nation article. Enjoy!
Our Wedding Website
Oh my gosh, you guys have to go check out our AWESOME wedding website that my sister has been putting together!! It's still a work in progress so check back again soon!
THANKS KATIE!! :D
Adam and Michelle
THANKS KATIE!! :D
Adam and Michelle
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Kaneohe Condo
Hey y'all! Sorry I've been neglecting to post! I'm just really trying HARD to stay balanced with all the stress going on in my life. I will be happy when this weekend comes and I get a big break! I've had days off from work since I got here, but we've been running around trying to get stuff done for the wedding and the condo and have barely had time to catch our breaths. It's taking a toll on my mental and spiritual well being!
I'm going to have an acupuncture session on Saturday! It's something I've been wanting to try for a while now and I can definitely use it. The woman said I will see results right away and she will do a lifestyle interview with me to see where any imbalances might be and if there are any herbal remedies that can help.
Also! I met Misty May-Treanor today! She and her husband and father came to the PACOM headquarters to do a professional development forum - it was way cool! She is totally nice and sweet and soft spoken and down to earth. She was just a regular girl! Definitely a role model.
You can go to my mom's Picasa album and view the pics of our condo. Thanks for taking and posting all those, Mom!!
Kaneohe condo!
I'm going to have an acupuncture session on Saturday! It's something I've been wanting to try for a while now and I can definitely use it. The woman said I will see results right away and she will do a lifestyle interview with me to see where any imbalances might be and if there are any herbal remedies that can help.
Also! I met Misty May-Treanor today! She and her husband and father came to the PACOM headquarters to do a professional development forum - it was way cool! She is totally nice and sweet and soft spoken and down to earth. She was just a regular girl! Definitely a role model.
You can go to my mom's Picasa album and view the pics of our condo. Thanks for taking and posting all those, Mom!!
Kaneohe condo!
Monday, December 08, 2008
There was a little girl who had a little curl... right in the middle of her forehead.
I have officially broken up with my blow dryer and my flat iron. Bye bye. Hasta.... or as the Italians say, basta (finished). One of my first tasks after getting on the island, after finding a decent place to get a pedicure, was finding a hair stylist. I asked the wives in Adam's squadron - no luck. They all just rolled their eyes and clucked about their bad haircuts at all the salons on the windward side. I pretty much knew I'd have to go downtown to Honolulu to find an acceptable stylist - but you always want to get a word of mouth recommendation. Except that I have no friends here... and all the females I work with wear their hair slicked back in buns so I can't tell which of them has good hair! I resolved to ask the first girl I saw whose hair I liked for a recommendation, which happened to be in line at the Navy Services Center while I was waiting on my ID card for work. The stylist, Katie, works at the W Salon in the Ala Moana Center. She took one look at my fro, listened to my sad tale about spending hours straightening my hair only to have it poofy by lunchtime, and told me to stop fighting my texture. She gave me a layered cut that actually ACCENTUATES my natural curls and body and sent me off with some curl enhancing hair products. I can actually let it air dry and it looks fantastic. The End.
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