It's Been Way Too Long!

Where to begin? A lot has happened in the months that I've taken a hiatus from blogging. Instead of writing out a 5,000 word post, I'll just jump to the chase and bullet-point the highlights of the past 8 months.

*Got accepted to Brescia University for the online BSW program (one of few online accredited BSW programs in the country).
*Paid off the car thanks to Deployment savings (YAY!!).
*Started reading again.
*Started writing fiction stories on fictionpress.com.
*Started writing a short fantasy story for Writers of the Future.
*Gotten back into running.

I feel that I need to elaborate on some of those points. First, my writing. I've always liked to write but I hadn't taken it seriously until I read a sample of a published work of paranormal fiction. The writing was so mediocre that it spurred me to write my own story. Surely I couldn't write any worse than this person!

I've started four stories, all separate from one another. It's been a bit of a long, rough road and I'm not the best person at taking criticism but it's getting better. Here's the link to my profile if you're interested. I can't promise that they're any good, but that's my inner critic coming out to spout her negativity.

FictionPress Author Profile


Reading. Ah, my first love. I've loved reading since 6th grade and have always been an avid reader. However, the past few years have really sucked the life out of my inner bookworm. But I'm happy to announce that with the addition of my Nook (and recently my Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight - LOVE IT!) I found my stride again. I've been reading nonstop for the past year and I'm so happy I got back into it. Besides running, there is no greater escapism.

And running. My life goal is to run a full marathon. I'll get there someday. It's been a little slow, but all great things in life take time. I've almost worked my way up to 3 miles and after that, it'll be smooth sailing.

Somewhere between 3 and 4 miles, I go into what I call 'autopilot'. It is at this moment that my breathing eases up, my muscles are no longer fatigued, and I am at peace. Don't ask me how or why this happens, but it does. And once you get to that place, you can go forever.

I could elaborate on a few more points, but I think that's good for now :)

It's a Good Day

I have such a big smile on my face.  Where do I begin?

First and foremost, I finally got to talk to DH 1.5 days ago.  Yayyy!  And I got to talk to him again last night.  Another yay!

Today I woke up early (9:00 haha) and went to IHOP with my friend for free pancakes.  I ordered a slim-fit omelette complete with swiss cheese and turkey bacon (yum!) and a stack of pancakes.  I had to cut back somewhere and it certainly wasn't going to be on my carb intake LOL.

Then I went to APSU to have my math midterm proctored.  I was pretty nervous because the material is a little difficult for me because 85% of it is word problems.  I despise word problems.  Good news is, I think I did pretty well.  Only a couple (out of 50) confused me a bit.

Then I came home and checked on my school work to see what has been graded.  My public speaking mid-term speech outline (aka: midterm speech essay) has been nagging me for the past two weeks.  I wanted to know how I did since the teacher is a very difficult grader (I may or may not have mentioned this before) and she was returning many outlines to people to redo them.  I was nervous, to say the least.  However, I am happy to announce that she gave me a 95 (Yay!) and put "a very strong outline."  The nerd in me is on cloud 9 right now.

I also got a 92% on my pop music quiz.  I keep getting 92s and I think it's hilarious.  I'm glad I'm keeping my grade up, but 92 is such a random number and I have gotten it four times in a row now.

I also had ice cream for dinner.  No it's not healthy, no it's not going to help keep my girlish figure, and no it isn't going to keep me full for the rest of the night.  It is, however, something I think I deserve right now.  Or maybe I just don't care about counting anymore calories and have convinced myself that it is fat free.

Did I mention that today is a good day?  If I haven't, I'll say it again… It's a good day =)

Late Night Adventures

Every night for the past couple weeks my friend Lori and I have gone on walks together.  It started as a short, one mile walk with our dogs.  Shortly after it turned into a two mile walk.  Now we walk five miles together every night.  Mind you, we did some "exploring" (aka: getting lost) in the upper officer housing a few times before we found a good route.  Anyway, it's a great way to get exercise and is often pretty therapeutic.  Some may call us crazy for walking in 15 degree weather, but that's only because they haven't tried it! Ok maybe some people have and still don't like it, but who ever said I was normal?


As a side note, upper officer housing is AMAZING! Really, I feel like I walk into another dimension when I enter their neighborhood.  Anyway, continuing with what I was saying..

Our conversations have ranged from my grand plans to move to San Antonio, TX (more on that later) to our marriages, to our mutual friends, to complaining about our houses or the weather.  It's been a great source of relief for my overly active mind.  I can get everything out in the open and she's an awesome listener.

However, I've done some listening too.  I'm realizing more and more how much I love the idea of becoming a therapist.  Being able to listen to people express their concerns or feelings and offer sound advice sounds like a fantastic way to pass the time and get paid for it no less!

I've also been getting exercise.  It's a new way of exercising for me because usually whenever I exercise, I go all out.  I run 5 miles or I put the elliptical machine to 10 resistance and go to town.  However, I'm liking this low impact workout.  It doesn't even feel like a workout and yet you can't deny the fact that walking 5 miles is doing some good.  I'm happy to announce that I have lost 5 lbs in the past two weeks and I'm pretty proud of myself.  Only a few more lbs and I'll be at my goal weight!

I'm sure DH will be happy to come home to a thinner, saner wife.