Not Much Going On Here

Well, I have been racking my brain for something even a little bit exciting to write about and I must say... I got nada (for those of you who don't speak spanish, that means nothing)! With Kevin back in California, and the initial excitement of our move gone I am left here with a big slap in the face that my life is pretty dull. So in an attempt to make myself sound somewhat interesting, here is what has been going on in this girls pretty boring life...

I have started my attempt in weight loss once again... I haven't gained any, but I have stopped losing (pretty sure I can blame that on Casa Rod and my lack of exercise). Between my Jillian Michaels DVD and running bleachers with Kelli and Taylor, I am hoping to kick my body into fat burning mode again. I have stopped picking up any sort of fast food, and Subway has become my new BFF (and I don't even get the baked chips...I get the apples!!) I can already tell it is making a difference, I feel more energized and not so full all the time.

Kevin and I found out that we will no longer be able to use Sprint as our cell phone providers, and our options are between AT&T and Verizon. I'm really hoping for AT&T since I want the iPhone BAD, but Kevin doesn't seem as enthusiastic. We also had to open a bank account with USAA (a military financial company) since there are not any Bank of Americas in Kodiak. The cool thing with USAA is you can scan your checks, and they are automatically deposited into your account (or if we get the iPhone, there's an app for that...)

In other moving news, we are still stuck on housing. We have a friend who knows someone who has a rental house in Kodiak. I have been waiting over a week to hear back, and I guess I have just reached that point where its time to move on and look for something else. There is military/government housing, the only bad thing about that is we only qualify for a 2 bedroom unit, and we were really wanting to move into something that was at least 3 bedrooms. The other downside is we wont know if we will have a fenced in backyard or not. Some units have them, and some don't. There are about 3 or 4 different styles of housing we are eligible for, but we wont know which one we get until we arrive. I'm so ready to be able to live in a normal, single family home and not a duplex/townhouse! I guess they aren't too bad, and it will only be for 2 years. The top picture is of the 4plexs they have, and the bottom picture is a townhome (I think...)

**Please ignore the underlines...I'm still new to the whole adding pictures thing and somehow I messed something up!!**

In non-moving news... I get to go see Kevin in approx. 22 days! Woo Hoo! I will be flying into San Fransisco on Feb. 11 and will stay until the 17th. We have already started discussing some of the things we want to do. In San Fransisco we plan on taking a night tour of Alcatraz, checking out the Golden Gate Bridge, eating at Bubba Gump, and hopefully riding a trolley. On Saturday as an early Valentines Day treat we are going to Napa, and I can't wait to do some wine tasting!! And my last request is to see the Red Wood Forest before I leave. And as much fun as all of that sounds, the one thing I am the most excited about is getting to see my hubby (and hopefully ovulating during that time too!)

I have also really gotten into arts and crafts. Maybe I am becoming an old hag, but instead of the whole bar/party scene, I would much rather spend my money and time on something that I will actually benefit from. Not that anyone could really benefit from my attempts at creativity, I think they will at least be a sweet touch to my home once Kevin and I move. Oh, I guess I should have mentioned, my arts and crafts of choice has become U-Paint-It. You get to go in and pick our what ceramic piece you would like to paint. They have everything from hideous figurines, plates/cups/bowls, crosses, picture frames, piggy banks, tiles, etc. Once you finish painting it, you leave it there for them to gloss and fire it. Once you pick it up it is so shiny and pretty and ready to be put on display! I just need to work on my handwriting... I have also somewhat learned how to make the fleece blankets where you cut and tie them together. Kelli and I made some to give as Christmas presents (I wasn't very good at the whole cutting thing, but man could I tie!!) This week while I am staying with her I am going to finally make one for myself that has an Alaskan feel to it (I'll post a picture when I'm done).

And my last piece of non-dullness is what I have going on this weekend. This Sunday is Paige's baby shower. I still can't believe how far along (and CUTE) she is! Little baby Jeanes is going to be here so soon, but all I ask is that she comes early so I can at least see her before I move!

Take A Step Away From The Computer...

As you all know by now, Kevin and I received news that we will be moving to Kodiak, Alaska! It was our first pick, and we are both extremely enthusiastic about this move. We found out about a week ago, and I feel like I have been glued to the computer since then! Between Google, Coastichicks, and random websites I have found I feel like I have become pretty knowledgeable about Kodiak, and what it will be like to live there. Well okay, lets not kid ourselves... I am still stressing out, hyperventilating, and on the verge of a melt down because I have NO CLUE what it will be like to live there! So what do I do... I sit back down in front of the computer and look some more! I am pretty sure the day after we found out we would be moving to Kodiak I sat on the computer for 15 hours straight. Don't get me wrong, I could not be happier, or more excited about this move, I just have no idea what to expect. And the thing that is stressing me out the most is how we are getting there. I've come to the conclusion that I need to just step away from the computer, and let things fall into place. I prayed continuously about letting God take us to where we were meant to be, so now I need to pray that we will guide us through. But I have found out some pretty interesting information that I thought you might like to know...

1.) Kodiak is an island (also referred to as Emerald Island) and is roughly 250 miles south of Anchorage
2.) As of the 2000 census, the population is 6,334 people
3.) Temperature Ranges are as follows:
January Temp - 25 to 35 F
April Temp- 32 to 43 F
July Temp- 49 to 60 F
October Temp- 34 to 46 F
4.) Kodiak is home to the largest US Coast Guard base in the country
1000 active duty members/ 1700 family members
5.) Apparently is rains ALOT!
6.) There is a Wal-Mart and Safeway (which was the grocery store we used in Baltimore!)
7.) There are no moose in Kodiak (total bummer...)
8.) We will no longer be able to use Sprint as our cell phone provider...
9.) There is not a Bank of America in Kodiak either...
10.) Tanning salons are sometimes referred to as "solar therapy rooms"


And for those of you who are wondering how on earth will we get ourselves and our belongings over there, here is a brief overview:

I will fly to Petaluma, CA for Kevin's graduation on March 4th. We will then fly to Baltimore, MD where we will meet up with the movers at our storage unit and have them pack and load everything up and they will be responsible for getting everything there (whoo... that's a ton of weight off my shoulders). We will then fly back to Houston/Huntsville, hopefully have a day to visit with family, and then we will load up my car with the belongings I have here, the dogs, and ourselves and drive up to Petaluma, CA (basically a GIANT circle). The military will ship Kevin's car from there, and we will get the rest of his stuff and squeeze that into my car as well. At this point we will drive up to Washington (I believe it is Bellingham, WA) where we will take a ferry to Alaska. We don't know the details on the ferry yet, we just know that it will be a couple of days on one, get off, wait a few days for the next ferry to come, get on that one, and then hopefully get to Kodiak. My estimation is that we will arrive in Kodiak on March 22nd, but it will all depend on the ferry schedule. If my estimation is correct, it will take roughly 18 days of traveling back and forth cross country to finally get to our new home!

Next Tuesday, Kevin will meet with someone to discuss all of the moving arrangements, so we should hopefully have a better idea of what is going on then! I will make sure to keep you posted!

PS- feel free to send me wool socks, thermal underwear, or rain boots! THANKS!

Alaska Bound!

Well it is official... we found out today that we will be moving to Kodiak, Alaska! For the next two years of my life this is what my backyard will look like!


I think I am still in shock with the belief that we are seriously going to be moving to Alaska, but at the same time I am excited beyond belief. It is going to be a HUGE change, but I have had to teach myself that with Kevin being in the Coast Guard, we have to embrace change, and look at it as an adventure (which this move will definitely be!). As you can imagine I have been googling Kodiak a lot lately, and here are a few of my favorite pictures and some of the things I am most excited to see!

This is all so new to us that we don't have much information on the move yet, but I will make sure to keep you posted. As a Parks, Recreation, and Tourism major this move is like a dream come true! The wildlife that we will be able to experience in its natural habitat will be unbelievable. Looks like it is time to bite the bullet and invest in a high quality camera! :)

"Just for One"

(Warning...today's post is pretty pathetic, and also a little more personal than some might wish to know)

Today has been one of those days that I just dread to even think about. I thought I did a very good job of keeping myself together yesterday when I dropped Kevin off at the airport and came home to realize that I would be back on my twin bed all alone. I woke up this morning in good spirits, did my Biggest Loser game on the Wii (which kicked my butt!), got my grocery list together, took down Christmas, and was off to the grocery store. My thought process has always been that the more busy I stay, the less time I will have to "think". It wasn't until I was standing in line at the grocery store and looked over at the steamable broccoli and cheese I was about to purchase that I noticed the side of the box said "Just for One". It was in that moment that I realized that that is exactly what I am (I know its not forever, but for the next 9 weeks I am, and I'm allowed to feel sorry for myself every now and then!) Now, I know there are thousands of women out there with husbands in the military, and I know that I really don't have it that bad since Kevin doesn't have to leave for years at a time, but considering our past and what we went through roughly 3 months ago, it still hits hard. I never knew that my miscarriage would still affect me the way that it does. Not only am I "one" because Kevin is in California, but I am "one" because I no longer have a baby growing inside of me.

(Warning...this is where it gets a little TOO personal)
With the anticipation of Kevin coming home for the holidays, we immediately began discussing the possibility of trying for a baby again. We hadn't been able to (obviously) for the past 9 weeks, and we were very optimistic. Due to my previous period cycles it appeared that I would be ovulating while Kevin was here, increasing our chances (and hopes) of getting pregnant again. One of the reasons why I took a pregnancy test (when I received a positive reading) was because I had extreme soreness in my boobs. Not like I'm about to start my period, but to the point where I thought I could possibly have breast cancer. The Monday after Christmas I began to realize that there was no sort of pain similar to this, and I began to prepare myself for the thought of not getting pregnant this time around. On Tuesday I began cramping really bad, and Wednesday I started my period. Not only does this mean my period is extremely out of whack since I got it a week early, it was the proof I had been dreading that would show me that I am once again not pregnant. Getting my period is hard enough, its like a slap to the face, a constant reminder that there is not longer a baby in there, but this time it was proof that our attempts were a failure. I know that I have to stay positive, and to keep reminding myself that God does have a plan for us, but that is really much easier said than done. I know that things will get easier, and when it is the perfect time for Kevin and I we will have the wonderful experience of pregnancy and parenthood. I just have days where I feel like it is all crumbling down on me, and on those days my blog becomes my venting tool! So to all of you who sucked it up and continued to read, I apologize and thank you for putting up with my pathetic days!

BIG NEWS!

How could I have forgotten!! The big news we had been waiting for were Kevin's picks on where we would possibly be moving. We received these the Friday before Kevin flew in, and lets just say that we will not be anywhere near Texas. The way the whole thing is set up is kind of screwy and is on a ranking system. There are 18 people in Kevin's class, 6 of which are girls. There are 12 land bases, and 6 cutters (the big boats that are out of 3-6 months at a time). The 6 girls are guaranteed land bases, so Kevin basically has a 50/50 chance of either a land base or a cutter. We are really pushing for a land base since it would be a dream come true to have my husband come home to me every night, and not gone for months at a time. Kevin doesn't know where he stands as far as the ranking system, but has an idea that he is about number 7 or 8. This puts 6-7 guys in front of him and 1 girl. Since there are only 6 land bases, it could come down the point where he has no option, but a cutter. Due to this, we have a "strategy" we are basically going to pick the land station that we are about 99% positive no one wants to go to, and put that as our first pick! Now I know you are probably thinking, "just tell me what the damn picks are already!" so here goes...

Land Bases (the ones that I can at least remember):
Maine
Lake Michigan
Massachusetts
2 in Virginia
Jacksonville, Florida (Kevin says there is no chance at getting that one)
San Fransisco, California
Long Island, New York
Buffalo, New York
Kodiak, Alaska

Cutters:
3 in Hawaii
2 in Alaska
1 in San Diego, CA (Kevin says there is no chance at getting that one either)

So what could be the worst possible land base? I'm sure you have guessed it... Kodiak, Alaska! That is what will be out number one choice as to where we will be moving in March. At first I thought we must be out of our minds, but as it has begun to sink in, I am really pretty excited. We still don't know if that will be where we are going for sure, but our hope is that a few people that are in front of Kevin in the ranks will chose to go to Hawaii (I mean what single guy wouldn't want to) and that will almost guarantee us Kodiak, which guarantees me my husband at home every night.

Kevin will put in our list on Monday, and keep your fingers crossed that we will know for certain where we are moving by Friday! Who knows if that will happen with how slow things seem to move around there, but a girl can hope!

wow... it's already 2010!

So I promise I did not fall off the face of the Earth this past month! When I logged onto my blog today I was shocked to see that my last post was done on December 1st! So to all of my dear friends who keep a close eye on my personal life through blog (possibly in addition to facebook) I apologize for the delay. Its tough to even think about what all has happened in the past month, but I can tell you one thing for sure... time seems to fly by WAY to fast!

A brief recap of the MAJOR events that happened in December:
1.) Kelli Nesbitt graduated from Sam Houston on Friday, December 18
2.) My mom (Rhonda Curry) graduated from Sam Houston on Saturday, December 19
3.)Kevin flew into Texas on Saturday, December 19th
4.) My mom had her graduation party on Saturday, December 19th
5.) Kellis had her graduation party on Saturday, December 19th

(If you can't tell that Saturday was a BUSY day!!)

Now for a breakdown of the holidays:

After that extremely hectic weekend, Kevin and I made our way down to the valley to spend roughly 4 days with his family. Wednesday night was the O'Connor/Garcia Family Christmas party where we had amazing food, a white elephant gift exchange, and watched a slide show of old Christmas pictures. It was the first time in a very long time that Kevin's entire family (for the most part) was all together under one roof. The following night was Christmas Eve, and we drove to Harlingen to spend that evening with the Curry side of the family. It was a much smaller group this year, but was still worth every minute. We had a white elephant gift exchange there as well, and my poor Nana had every gift she picked stolen from her! It breaks my heart that I don't see her more often, and as we got ready to leave she began to tear up and told me that the best gift she received was having us there. We drove back Kevin's parents that night, with Lauren in tow, and we sat around and played skip-bo until about 1 in the morning! We got up bright and early, loaded the car, and headed to Austin to have Christmas Day with my mom and her family. This was also a big ordeal because it was the first time in almost 3 years that all of my mom's family was together for the holidays. We came back to Huntsville Saturday afternoon and spent the rest of the time that Kevin was here visiting friends and just trying to spend as much time as possible with each other. We stayed in Huntsville for New Years Eve at the Holiday Inn Express and watched movies and had champagne in our pajamas with just the two of us. It was a very low key New Years Eve, but I had everything I wanted right there with me.

Today was a tough day. I think the anticipation leading up to it really made it much harder, but taking Kevin to the airport today and knowing that I wont see him for another 9 weeks makes my heart hurt. It was the best feeling having him here with me, and just as things started to slow down and we had a little time to rest and just enjoy each other, it was time for him to leave. I am still trying to get my mini-vacation, so hopefully the first weekend in February I will be able to go visit (since I didn't get to go after Thanksgiving).

So that was my month of December in a nut shell... The best part of my Christmas was getting to see all my family and have my husband home with me. It is crazy to think how much can change in a year...last year the only family we saw for Christmas was my mom and sister who flew to Baltimore to see us, and this year we got to see almost every family member we have!