Autumn Dreaming...

Hello all! I hope everyone has had a good and eventful July. Only one more month of Summer! I'm so thankful. Even though this summer has been incredibly mild, I'm definitely ready for fall. I know July isn't even over yet, but I've started to look at fall tags on Pintrest and Tumblr. I even went crazy and ordered two cute pairs of boots online today. I'm going to look so cute this fall.
I don't know why but I have good feelings about the upcoming season. Work is finally settling into some normalcy now that I finally found a replacement for my old position, we'll be going home in a little over a month, plus fall is just beautiful. I get as eager as a little kid on Christmas this time of year. It doesn't seem to last very long here though. It seems like one minute it's summer, the next the leaves have changed, a week later it's snowing. Which is depressing because I have always been so in love with East coast autumns. I think I may need to go to Connecticut or something to get a more substantial fall season. Sigh...
It hasn't been too eventful around here lately. We work, we come home, we go to work again... We still haven't been kayaking. It just never seems to pan out. We have made it to the pool at least. We spent the fourth at our friend's apartment, poolside with drinks in hand. It was nice and relaxing. I still can't believe I haven't been to the beach this summer though. It is a drive, but I mean, we're on the East Coast... Aren't you sort of required to go to the beach??
In other news.... I think I may actually be going back to school this fall. I applied and signed up for classes, but I was hesitating on the tuition. I knew we wouldn't get any aid and I was worried once I saw the total I'd freak out and bail. Luckily, it seems that it is going to cost half of what I thought and student loans should cover it! I was really concerned about having to take out a whole bunch of private loans that would just eat away at us. But student loans I can live with. I figure everyone has student loan debt they have to deal with and mine really won't be too bad once I'm finished. I could always save a little from each paycheck and have the amount basically ready to go when I finish. I'm excited and nervous about starting school up again. I've been out for awhile and I'm worried I'll be a little rusty or won't remember how certain things are supposed to go. I mean, I haven't written a research paper in over 4 years... I think I have to go in knowing I may not do as well initially as I'm  used to doing in school. Straight A's my first semester may not be realistic. I'm also a little apprehensive about the tole it will take scheduling wise. Working 40 hours plus school plus being married... it's going to be a lot to handle. I'm going to have to stop any and all time wasters and schedule out my days and follow accordingly.
I hope it works out though. It's well past time that I did it. Tyler will be out of the military sooner than we want and I want to be prepared for anything.
That's all for now! Have a good night!!
Chrissy

Fourth of July... Poolside.

Dinner??

Car selfies for life.

I am my own best date ever.

I may have went a little crazy at the used bookstore...

Enjoying cool weather...

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Lazy Days of Summer? Wishful Thinking...

Hello all!! Another month is drawing to a close. We're officially less than six months away from Christmas. How insane is that?! I swear I say this every year, but every year goes by more quickly than the last. Fourth of July is in a week. The next big holiday after that is Halloween! Crazy.
June has been a blur. I literally don't think I did anything but work. Nothing eventful or too exciting. How depressing is that? I am still only doing 40 hours a week, but doing the job of two people is exhausting leaving me no energy for anything exciting after work. I was hoping July would bring some relief, but it looks like I'm still on my own. I'm hoping we get my old position filled soon so my schedule can change a bit. Hopefully, I won't have to work as many weekends since my old position required me to work almost every Sunday. It'll be nice to, you know, actually hang out with my husband.
Speaking of my husband, we finally found him a truck! It was such a huge weight off of our shoulders to finally find one. It was more expensive than I was hoping for and overpriced, but it was exactly what he wanted so I didn't complain. Now if he would only take care of his two non-working motorcycles and get rid of the truck that no longer works....
Despite finally getting a truck, we haven't been kayaking yet this summer. I can't believe it either. But our schedules just haven't matched up. I'm way too tired after work to go for even a quick trip and he has classes on Saturday and I work Sundays. Sigh.. I'm hoping we get to go out for the Fourth since I managed to get the day off. I'm looking forward to getting on the water and spending some quality time together.
We've started to really plan our trip home in September for Ty's sister's wedding. I asked off for two weeks which my boss wasn't thrilled about. But I haven't taken any sort of vacation the entire year I've been there and I have plenty of PTO for it so he can deal with it. We've decided to drive too which is going to take away two of our days. It's just going to be easier than finding something to do with Pheobe and way cheaper. I'm looking forward to getting out of town and seeing the family. It'll be stressful having to drive all over the freaking Midwest to see everyone we need to see, but oh well. I can't believe it'll have been almost 2 years since we've been home. That's the longest we've ever gone without going home. All part of being the family members living a thousand miles away I suppose. I wonder if it'll feel strange at all. I know it will. Everything is different back home than when we were there. On my side of the family at least. My mother is married and in a different town with his kids. My dad is married and in his wife's hometown. My little sister is married and in a different city. Luckily, Ty's side is all pretty much in the same place. Sure, his sister is getting re-married, but she's been living with him for over a year, so no real change there. It's strange to think that my family have new families that I've never met. I've only met my mom's husband once when they came to visit before they got married. I've never met his kids or been to their house. I've spent a little time with my dad's wife before we moved out here, but I've never been to their new house or met her kids. I've never met my sister's husband (still too weird to say). Yet another drawback to living so far away.
As much as I feel a disconnect to my family now being so far away, I like that we have our own life out here. I like that we aren't stuck in the same towns we grew up in. I like that we don't have our families constantly looking over our shoulders or butting in. We've done it all on our own. Sink or swim, it's just the two of us. I definitely think that has helped our marriage. We figure out how to deal with things and each other on our own.
I'll stop my rambling there...
Hopefully everyone has an exciting Fourth of July! I'll spend my kayaking and then drinking and eating by the pool... sounds so nice right now. Can this week get over with already??? Until next time!

Birthday dinner outfit. I own this dress in three colors....

Did I mention I love to lift? If not, here's a douchey post-workout photo to show you

Rainy days and big mugs of coffee make for very unproductive days off..

5:30 am has it's perks..

I've started filling in my eyebrows (really random) and I think it's the best life choice I've ever made.

New hair!!

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This Thing Called Life...

Well, May has turned out to be quite the eventful month...
We are fully moved in to our new place and are still in love with it. It definitely feels like home. Except to poor Pheobe... I don't know if I've mentioned before, but she's afraid of walking on tile/hardwood floors. And our new living room and dining room are hardwood. She immediately took up residence on the bottoms stairs and entry rug in front of the front door. It took a lot of coaxing, but we finally got her to walk from the door to her dog bed in the dining room where her food is. She didn't like it and some times took one of us calling her, but she got used to it. Well, I'm not sure if she slipped at some point or what, but now she won't cross the living room at all. We have to drag her across. It's worrying me because I know she's only getting food and water when we drag her to it, but I just keep thinking if she gets really hungry she'll just go for it. Sigh... weird dog.
One unfortunate thing that May has brought us is the death of Ty's truck. We knew it was coming eventually. I mean, the thing has been lopsided for a good 9 months. But we just kept thinking it would hang on until the fall. Obviously, it didn't. It just wouldn't start one day and there's no way we're putting money into it to get it fixed (it's 20 years old and a pos) but now he's without a vehicle. Ok, that's technically not true. He does have two motorcycles, but neither of them happen to work at the moment. (Insert eye roll here) So we've been sharing my car which means him shuttling me to work at 5 am and me waiting around an hour and a half after my shift for him to get off of work. Then I'm without a car on my days off so I've been stranded at home. It's been stressful. He's been looking for a new vehicle forever it seems, but a. he's insanely picky and b. when we find one we're interested in, it doesn't work out for whatever reason. I am hoping and praying that we find one soon... Not just because it'll be less stressful, but because he can't take his bikes to be repaired without one and I'd like to go kayaking sometime this summer!!
Besides that drawback, May has treated us pretty well. It was my birthday this last week. The not so big 24. I didn't really plan on doing much besides going out the weekend before. I took a three day weekend to treat myself. Unfortunately, Ty was in class all day Saturday and the rest of the evening was spent driving an hour away to look at a truck. I was a little disappointed that we didn't go out to a fancy meal or anything, but the next day we spent together. We had doughnuts the size of our faces and ice cream and laid around watching the Big Bang Theory all day. Nothing too eventful but it was nice just to spend the day with him. On my actual birthday we did go out to eat, but after him working all day and me having to be up super early for work the next morning, it wasn't too crazy. It's weird to think I'm 24. Almost a quarter of a century has passed since I've been on this Earth.. Some days I don't feel like I've accomplished anything. But then I glance at my husband and our pup and think about the places I've been, I'm pretty content with where I'm at. I'm still young. I don't need to be a huge success or to have it all figured out at this point in my life. I'm incredibly happy and that's all that matters.
The next day at work I received a surprising birthday present. I was promoted! Not too shabby of a gift, huh? I wasn't really expecting it to happen this quickly or how it did. I knew it was going to happen by the end of the year, but I figured I'd have to go to another store or something like that. But it turns out the person above me is leaving the company. So they gave me the job! It was between me and another girl at the same level as I am, but I have more experience with this position and this position directly oversees mine so it makes more sense for me to have it. I officially start next week. I'm really excited about it, but also a little nervous. It's going to mean less super early mornings but more closing shifts which I'm not thrilled about.It's also way more responsibility and doing things I'm not used to. I'm basically going to be in charge of keeping the store running and all of the paperwork completed. But the pay is nice and it's nice to finally be on an upward progression with my job. I was in the same position for four year due to me moving around. And now I'm promoted again in less than a year! Not too bad... It's interesting to see how far I can get without a degree. I mean, I'm still "planning' on going back this fall, but I've made it pretty far without one. Old Navy is not my dream career, but I enjoy what I do. And you can make a decent living from it if you keep working your way up. There's always somewhere to go with it, which I like.
The hubs and I had the day off together today for Memorial Day. We had planned to hang out with friends by the pool all day, but they sort of bailed so we did what we do best: drink, eat, and shop. It was nice, but it would have been more fun to drink by the pool I think...
I hope you all had a more eventful Memorial Day! Remember what the day is really about: All of those who fought and have fallen for our freedom. To them, we give our thanks and owe our lives.
Until next time!
Chrissy

Birthday flowers from my mamma

Spring in our new neighborhood.. 

We told her to sit and I think she just panicked...

Lazy day...

Didn't I tell you they were huge?!

This is my "Hey, I'm 24" face

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Is It Spring Yet??

Hey there!
We've almost made it through February, thank God. I'm so sick of winter and dreary, cold days... I need some warmth and fresh air! We had a fluke day of about 60 a week or so ago that felt like heaven. It immediately made everything happier and better.
Not a lot has been happening here, but a lot has been... If that makes sense... The only real change is that we heard news about Ty's job situation. Apparently his position isn't overstaffed so he won't be let go! We are so relieved. We were definitely not prepared to be without his job that's for sure. But it definitely made us realize we have a lot of work to do and things to think about before his time is up in 2 years. For now though we can breathe a little easier.
Besides that, February hasn't been too good for us. I won't go into the dramatic and personal details, but I'll just say we've been going through some stuff, relationship wise. We haven't really ever had a period like this so it's been scary and incredibly difficult to deal with. There have been a lot of tears and talks and heated discussions, but I think we're pulling through it. At least I hope so. Because I'm so tired of feeling sad...
I've come to realize that about myself. I don't hold on to anger or sadness for very long. If I'm angry longer than 48 hours, I'm dedicated to it and probably forcing myself to be. I just hate wasting time and bits of my life with those emotions. I mean, they're justified and warranted and necessary sometimes, but I just want to feel them and let them go. I think that's sort of what made this last month more difficult. I kept trying to pull myself out of it only to be pushed down into it again. I hate that. It's against my nature to be sad... maybe? I don't know.... sigh.
Besides that drama, not much has been going on. We're still house hunting with no success. There's always an issue with one or it's not exactly what Ty wants. But he is sick of being in this house. It's frustrating. We either need to just settle on something or get over it and find a way to be okay with where we are at. I would love to move somewhere else just for a new adventure and something different, but I could be fine staying where we are too. Good location, huge house... If we put a little love into we might come to like it more.
That's really all I have for you. Uneventful month I suppose...
Hope your February went better than mine... Here's to March!!
Chrissy

That 60 degree day... lovely.

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New Year, New Problems...

Hey look! The first post of 2014! Only 25 days after it began... Oh well.
How has everyone's year been so far?? Have we kept our resolutions or already thrown them out the window? I made a few, but have really only stuck to one which was to read more. I finished Anna Karenina and started and completed The Road already. All of the others I don't think I even began to fulfill...
This year has been quite stressful so far, I'm sad to say. We received some pretty depressing news a few weeks ago. I won't go into all of it, but basically, there's a chance that Ty could be involuntarily removed from his contract which means that by next January we could be out of the military. When we first found this out, I couldn't believe it. My mind went racing with thoughts on how we were going to be able to afford rent or anything really. We can't exactly live on my salary. He doesn't have a degree and really doesn't want to do anything with what he has been trained for in the military. He wants to be a paramedic which will require at least a two year degree. I started to worry that we may have to go back home and live with our parents for awhile. That is not something I want to do.
But after a few days to let it all sink in, we began to be a little more proactive about what we were going to do if he was let go. With the GI bill, if he's in school full time, we'll still get a housing allowance. That instantly relieved me since rent is the biggest bill of course. However, when he would be let go would be just a few days after the start of spring semester at pretty much any school. Of course. So we thought maybe he could do online the first semester. But we found out that if you are full time online, you don't get housing. Well crap. So we're trying to see if perhaps they would release him a few days early or if he could do half online half in school or something. We're optimistic that it'll work out.
Unfortunately this means that a lot of things are going to change. If he's in school and only working maybe part time, our funds will be incredibly limited. And who can say if he'll be able to get a job right away when he finishes. Things could be tight for quite awhile. This is fine with just the two of us and we'll get by. But it definitely  means that a baby is not in our immediate future. There's just no way. It really breaks my heart to have to admit that, but it's reality.
Sigh...
So that's been our year so far. Besides that, we're currently on the hunt for a new place. Somewhere smaller and cheaper. Unfortunately, Ty is THE pickiest person ever. He doesn't want to live in a townhome and wants a little bit of land for chickens. Considering we live on the East coast and near major cities, that's hard to come by. He's given in on the land for chickens but is still being difficult about a townhome. I've been scouring homes.com but haven't found too many prospects.
I'm hoping that this year turns around. And soon. We could use some good news.
Sorry to be so depressing. I hope that the new year is being kinder to all of you!
Until later.
Chrissy

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Glad to Live in a World Where There are Octobers...

Hello all! I cannot believe that it's almost the end of October... I think that time deliberately goes quicker this time of year because it knows how much I love it. It's finally actually been feeling like fall outside after what seemed like endless summer heat. Of course, now, I'm whining about how cold it is in the mornings, but oh well. I'll take it in exchange for finally getting to experience fall. The leaves here seem to be resisting changing, however.. It may be because of the lack of rain over the summer, but they're just not turning vibrant like I imagined. Sigh..
Life has been pretty uneventful lately. Ty and I have both been so busy with work and him with EMT class. I did the math, and, on a good week, we maybe see each other 40 hours. I see my coworkers more often. How incredibly depressing is that? I wish that we had a way to work with each other or work from home or something. I know most spouses would most likely get sick of one another, but I would love seeing him all day. Especially having a specific task to do such as work. We'd get to be with each other, but doing something productive.
We did go to the Air Force ball last month. I was expecting it to be sort of boring and for me not to know anyone. But it actually was a blast. I got to wear a beautiful dress and get my hair done and dance the night away with Ty and some of his friends that I actually knew. It was so much fun. We stayed the night at the hotel where it was held so we got to have extra fun since we didn't have to drive home. It was nice going out and doing something new.
Other than that, we've been spending the few nights we are together at home. We don't have much time for exploring or anything too exciting. We did buy a new car last weekend. Does that count as exciting? I have been searching for a new car for the last three or so months... I know way more about cars than I ever really wanted to. What we opted for was not my first choice, but I'm loving it so far. It's three years old but has barely any  miles on it and it's all wheel drive AND it's blue! A pretty perfect find I think. Now, unfortunately, we have to find a vehicle for my husband... His 20 year old truck is not going to make it much longer which is unfortunate considering we just got it before we moved and considering he loves it. It's his perfect truck. But alas.. a replacement must be found. Which means money is going to be tight for awhile. I am not looking forward to having a car payment again and having nothing in savings (what we're paying for his car with). But it'll be alright. We've been worse off. It was just nice having spending and fun money.
What else... Oh! My little sister got married over a month ago now (crazy!). I spoke to her via skype the other day and she informed me that they're already trying for a baby.. yeah. That definitely surprised me. For one, she and him have known each other less than a year. For two, they JUST got married. Three, only he is working and they live right outside a major city which means it's rather expensive to live there. I just can't believe they're even thinking about kids yet. I know it's not my business and my opinion doesn't matter, but I just don't get it. I think she's underestimating how difficult it's going to be to just finance a baby. My eldest sister gets government assistance and mooches off of my grandmother to basically provide for her kids. I don't know if maybe my younger sees this and just assumes that the money will be there somewhere. I'm trying not to be judgmental, I'm just worried. She's not the "maturest" or responsible of people and I don't want them getting into a bad situation with finances while trying to raise a baby. I guess we'll see. It's they're lives... they can do what they like.
It's hard to believe that the holidays are right around the corner. I know that the month of November and beginning of December are pretty much going to be hell for me. Not only am I in retail, but I'm in the marketing aspect of retail which of course blows up for the holidays. I'm really trying not to even think about it. I just keep telling myself it's 4 weeks of craziness and then it's over. :/
Considering that we won't really have a Thanksgiving together since I'll be working, I really want Christmas to be special this year. This will be the first year that we don't go back home since being married. While I'm sad to not see my family, I'm grateful that I won't have to deal with trying to figure out how to see everyone now that they're all over the place. Ty and I can start our own traditions and spend the day together. Maybe watching Christmas movies around our fireplace drinking hot chocolate or peppermint lattes... That sounds perfect to me.
That's all I have for now! Until next time!
Chrissy

Morning face...

Fall uniform...

Fall essentials...

Bedside things...

New hair...

Officially addicted to cheese and crackers...

Air Force ball.. So much fun

Pasta is always better with cheese...

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Working 9 to 5... Actually it's more like 8 to 5....

This whole full-time job thing is exhausting.. let me tell you. I've been in the position about a month now and my body is still not used to it. It's not even the hours necessarily, it's more just how on the go I am during them. I'm constantly moving and having to do something. It makes the time go by quickly, but wears me out. I'm pretty much useless the rest of the day. Needless to say, my workouts have been suffering. I've been skipping more than I need to. I need to get used to my new routine, but it's so difficult sometimes mustering the energy to after work and when I need to super early in the morning before work, I just can't get out of bed. I admire all of you who manage to do it though. My poor house only gets cleaned once a week and deep cleaned rarely...
I am enjoying my job, though, which is a relief. I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to handle it or the other managers, but I think I've been doing pretty well and the other managers are great, thankfully. I'm not looking forward to the next few months with the holidays. My job is going to be nothing short of insane. Life will be non existent....
Besides work, we really haven't been up to anything... With both of us working full time and me more often than not working on the weekends which are his only days off, us doing things doesn't usually happen.
We've been gradually working on getting things done around the house. We finally got rid of our old furniture and have accepted the fact that our new couch is staying on the first floor. So now we're planning what to do with the second floor space. We've pretty much decided to make it our entertaining/lounge area. Our bar is already there... We're going to do something along the lines of 4 upholstered chairs around a large coffee table. I think that will work nicely in the space. We also bought new end tables which just so happen to match our bar. And after 3 years we finally bought a dresser! It's being put together (by the lovely husband) as I type. I'm pretty excited about it. I can finally get my undergarments out of box lids which have been my drawers for the last 3 years. And my husband will now have no excuse to leave piles of folded clothes everywhere.
You'd think with how much I want our house "finished" that I'd have this done or farther along by now. But I've come to realize I'm really lazy at decorating. That and I'm really cheap.. I just don't know what I really want to buy when I'm out or I second guess myself or decide it's not worth the money. When we settle down after the military I might just hire a interior decorator. I mean, I know what I want, but when I'm shopping or pulling things together I don't quite get there. I have good taste just not good execution...
The heat has decided to come back this week which I'm not happy about. We had been getting a nice little preview of fall and I was loving it. A bunch of fall clothes are coming in at work and at our favorite clothing stores and I just want to buy everything... you can't have too many sweaters, right? I'm beyond ready for sweaters, boots, scarves, fires, changing leaves, pumpkins... sigh.
Oh, I don't think I mentioned in my last post, but my little sister is getting married! How crazy is that?? It came as quite a shock to me, I'll admit. She's been with her fiance' about 9 months and they've been living together for about two or three so I guess it shouldn't have been that surprising that they'd do things quickly, but still. I did not imagine her getting married for a very long time. She's just a very unique spirit and has a lot that she wants to do. But hey, they're happy and I got married at 20 too. I don't know if I'm going to make it home for the wedding, which I'll feel horrible about, but that's one of the givens with being the family member that lives far away...
I'm sorry that this post is a bit all over the place, but that's life, am I right? It's not always nice and neat and organized. It just happens and you have to take it as it comes and move forward with it.
Anyways...I hope you all enjoy the last few weeks of summer as I continue to count down until fall.. :)
I'll leave you with some pictures that I finally got developed from my film camera and a few other instagram randoms...

My mother-in-law (on their visit out to Cali last July)

Quality time

My husband is so sneaky...

I love this... 

We went searching for a place to kayak on this river for three hours with no luck.. but pretty scenery.

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Fall is in the air... If only for today...

The heat broke today thankfully with some lovely rain. That's one of things that I don't miss about Monterey. It never rained. I was surprised at how much I could actually miss something like precipitation, but I really did. I just love rainy days. They're a good time for coffee, movies, and reflection. And after it rains the world is so pretty and new. There's a cool breeze blowing which makes me anxious for fall...
Fourth of July came and went uneventfully. I worked early and we drank Pabst all day which of course meant that I was in bed by 8, missing the fireworks. Oh well...
We've been enjoying our new kayaks. We're anxiously looking for new places to explore. I'm loving it. Now I just need to invest in a waterproof bag for my camera so I can actually document it. It's so gorgeous out on the water, basically by ourselves surrounded by nature. I could stay out all day.
My mother came to visit at the beginning of this week. I'll admit that I really wasn't that anxious for her to come out this week. It's was my last few days at my old store and my first few days at my new one. Plus, our anniversary was Tuesday. There was just too much going on. But I'm glad she did. It was nice to see her. I forget what it's like to have another friend besides Ty. She's really my only friend. How sad. I met her boyfriend (which is weird to say). He seems nice and they seem really happy which is all that matters. We didn't do much while they were here, but did manage to make it to the beach. Not on the ocean, but the bay, which is good enough. I think they had a good time, despite Ty and I working.
Tuesday was our anniversary. 3 years... how crazy is that?? It's flown by but it seems like it's been he and I forever. It's been a great adventure. I can't even begin to imagine how different my life would be if I had said no to marrying him. I'll never regret following my heart and taking that leap. We were "too" young, hadn't known each other "long enough", it all happened so quickly... but I wouldn't have it any other way. Whatever it took to get us here, no regrets. I'll admit that sometimes I'm sad that I didn't get the big wedding of my girly dreams.. but I wouldn't trade our wedding for anything. It was about us. Being together. Being in love. Not about a party or other people. That being said, I'm urging Ty for a vow renewal for our five year anniversary.. my parents weren't at our wedding, and I'd like a nice dress. And a party would be fun too. Doing things differently is how we do it.
I started my new job the other day. I was nervous about it and really sad to leave my old store where I felt like a part of a family... but I made it through. It's a little stressful at the moment trying to figure out how they do things, how they want things, what they expect of me, and what my role entails. I sort of feel like I was just thrown into it and am learning along the way...which is sort of overwhelming. Hopefully I find a groove soon and the stress dies down.
I can't believe that we're past the halfway point for the year... I hate that the older you get, the faster time goes. I don't even want to think about how quickly it will move once we have kids. Before we know it, it'll be Christmas time. This is going to be our first year that we don't go home for Christmas. I'm a little sad about it, but I'm thinking it's for the best. Since my dad's remarried and in a different city and my  mom has moved to a different city with her boyfriend... it would be insane trying to go between 4 homes... I'm excited to have a Christmas to ourselves and start some of our own traditions. I secretly wish that we would've had a baby to share the experience with, but oh well... Just the two of us is more than alright with me. :)
How is the summer going for all of you lovelies?

Fourth of July outfit. So patriotic.

I fell pretty in polka dots...

Rainy day coffee...

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