Sleep Deprivation & Guilty Pleasures

I am definitely not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. Every day I wake up at 4am to go to work and 3 months in, I still daydream about burying myself back into bed.



The sun wakes up 3 hours later than I do... how is this fair? I mean granted I'm not a burning ball of light that sustains life on an entire planet, but I contribute! I get paid to sit for 3 hours, watch people intermittently work out and I'm not allowed to read/listen to my ipod... its like they WANT me to sleep on the job.



To irritate the situation I recently had to give up caffeine....


So as you can imagine, I've lost what little fuel I had left to run on. I don't recommend drinking copious amounts of caffeine/coffee/red bull to make up for an erratic sleep schedule, because (like any drug) your body will get used to it and it will lose its potency and cause negative physiological effects like cysts and heart palpatations.... but its SOOO DELICIOUS!!!
 "Its not me, its you..."  

So I'm watching all these disgustingly skinny, healthy looking 20 somethings walking around campus and I can't help but wonder what their vices are... What deep dark guilty pleasures do they indulge in?
I am unashamed to admit that when I've had a long arduous day, I like to put in my Big Bang Theory DVD and eat a jar of Nutella with Graham crackers...



Another equally dignified indulgence that I save for those particularly vein-popping days is a careful combination of Disney movies, stupid internet memes and Champagne



Consequently the only other thing that keeps my head from exploding from wading through all the various cliques crowding the sidewalk, to the awkward public bathroom visits between classes to the simultaneous laughing/crying episodes after bombing an exam/project, is the bff.

All day every day we have to feign being the intelligent, college students that make the grades and live out the dreams of our parents... we need a regular dose of this kind of stupid to balance out the seriousness of college.
 (not actually her but pretty dern clerse!)

Now I must devote valuable meme time to making this next assignment look like I gave a crap.
NO SHAME! LIVE PROUDLY ALL YOU PROCRASTINATING DERPS OUT THERE!

Zombie Apocalypse and White Chocolate Mochas

No one I know gets more excited about weapons than my husband. He goes from this rational, strong-willed man to a giddy little boy in a toy store asking "PLEASE can we get this one!?" Boys never grow up, they just play with different toys.


...well, not ENTIRELY different.

His time in the service has definitely left him with a survival mentality. No matter the disaster, he vigilantly prepares for it and now, its rubbing off on me. As long as it doesn't break the bank, I indulge him in whatever preparation he wants (can't quite say "no" to this face)



So thanks to my complete lack of willpower and his hard earned paycheck, he is now working on what he has affectionately dubbed, the "zombie preparation kit" whenever we have extra play money.
This way, he has a project and I can get my homework done.

I never understood the "hard part" of college until the last 2 semesters quite literally kicked my butt. Up til then it always felt like an extension of high school... NOPE! No matter the major, the 3000-4000 level courses will definitely show you what you're made of and how badly you want that degree,



I have no intention of going to grad school as of right now, because school is the reason I have to endure living 3000 miles away from my Joshua for the next 4 semesters. Excrutiating as it may be, this is a means to an end and anything worth having is worth fighting for.


Thankfully, the condition of our marriage was that I would finish school... at his insistence. The only drawback is that we can only afford it here in Georgia. But it is a temporary situation and one I intend to see through to the end. Which is what makes each class harder than the next.

So one of the many devices that KSU uses to make my nose bleed is the infamous "group project". Ah yes, the assignment that is supposed to "help" us to work well with others. It "helps" to create unbalanced grading and nervous ticks is what it does and I wish they'd throw it out altogether.
Professors think this is what occurs...

charming... when more often than not, this is the result...
 "Good thing we told him where to dig."

So the only thing one can do is put forth the best effort and ensure the work gets done at all. Thankfully, my caffeine addiction fuels my motivation to spend more time in "the zone".

"ZONE: a state of mind whereby a person/machine is working/performing at peak or optimal performance." - urbandictionary.com

Yes the Grande White Chocolate Mocha has gotten me through some rough times when red bull doesn't work anymore. Sat with a partner at Starbucks for 4 hours just working on the one group project. Now I have to find an extra 24 hours to finish a project for another class. AWESOME!

So, basically, if college never teaches us anything else, its how to adapt. How to eat Top Ramen 3 nights in a row because you spent all your money doing laundry last week, how to use 12 hours and a 6 pack of Red Bull to absorb 10 chapters of material for an 8 am exam the next day that you forgot about, how to make a fashion statement out of pajamas and crocs when your alarm didn't go off that morning and how far Kraft Mac n Cheese and Gatorade will go when thats all there is to eat.

Can YOU adapt?

My Best Friend, My Playmate, My Sailor

HAPPY MARCH TO ALL THE SWEETHEARTS!!!

Just flew home from a most epic spring break with my husband. Went to Sea World, stayed in a hotel room, skipped rocks on the beach and just played all week. Felt like we were 15 again.


The air of competition amongst my civilian girl friends who are now married with children has subsided. Even though my poor Joshua has baby fever, I on the other hand have officially jumped off the "baby bandwagon" until we live together.



 I'm now realizing the advantages our uniquely tedious situation has predisposed me to:


1. Honeymoon phase remains frozen in time until the next visit (3 years later, we're still the disgusting couple making out in movie theaters)



2. Deployment allows ample savings for future investments (we're shootin' for a cruise or a puppy *crosses fingers*)



3. Ability to pursue individual goals/dreams, eliminating resentment (being cheerleaders for each other to stay motivated)



4. Establishing equal roles in partnership using trust, patience and support (can't stay mad at you because I need a best friend to talk to about it)


***Note: During long separations, this is where even having just one close friend can make or break your focus/emotional grip. Make sure they're the real deal...
"A good friend brings a bottle of champagne to your party.
A best friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.".




Pardon my soap box, but if given the chance, if both partners are working toward a common goal, using selfless judgment and cheering each other on, any matrimonial bond can only get stronger with time.




From my brief experience as a Navy Wife, I feel that these circumstantial advantages will make us more mature, confident and patient parents when we finally have children (God willing).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCK9tIdt6LA

Welcome!

Welcome to all of you who are or have ever been a military sweetheart!!! Indeed, there are a multitude of these groups available online, however, this one is specifically geared toward Kennesaw State University students who are currently in a romantic relationship with an active duty/reservist military service member. This is an official student organization complete with optional social gatherings and a newsletter that will contain advice, trivia, comic relief and a way for all KSU sweethearts to stay connected and support one another.

Some people believe we choose who we fall in love with. Those of us who have ever experienced it know better ;)

MY BACK STORY: I was 19 when I met my husband, Joshua. I hadn't had the best luck in relationships so I resolved to focus all my energies into school and work. Little did I know that while I made my plans, God had other things in mind. The military was not an unfamiliar entity in my history.
      My high school sweetheart was an infantryman in the Army in the 5 years we dated, so mandatory training, ranks and acronyms like PCS, MRE and PT quickly became a second language. But, like many high school relationships, we grew up and out of it, searching for bigger things while still remaining good friends. I didn't know that one day, that foundation would carry me through my marriage.
        Today I am a Navy wife. It took 6 months to fall head over heels, 8 weeks of boot camp letters before he proposed and 4 months to plan enough leave to plan a courthouse wedding in a $20 dress. Of course it took some convincing for my parents but when I was willing to fore go my fairy tale wedding just to be with him, I knew this was it.

DEPLOYMENT: I had gotten used to having to miss my guy for some training but it wasn't until his first deployment... ya know, with the real tanks, bombs and firearms... that I lovingly and devotedly... lost my frickin' mind.
     Somewhat similar to childbirth, you're never prepared for the full experience no matter how many times you do it or how many books you read. 
     In a lovestruck haze, I had signed up for a long distance marriage on top of full time school AND work. Saying goodbye to Joshua just 6 months into our marriage to go into a war zone was just the final straw that turned me from a cheerful, slightly OCD dance teacher into a hairy, mood swinging lunatic with Ben & Jerry's in one hand and a pick axe in the other.
     Between panic attacks, nightmares and feeling isolated from my civilian friends, I was spiraling into deep depression. Around month 3 out of 7 (short deployment), I was desperate for a kindred spirit. Thankfully, thats when Christine showed up.

THE BFF: Christine was another student at KSU whom I had been previously acquainted with in high school. At that time, she was a Marine sweetheart, an attribute that made us inseparable even to this day. We depended on each other for advice, cathartic humor, emotional support and solace. If one of us was on a proverbial ledge, the other would quickly pull them back to solid ground. It was at this point I decided I wanted to extend the same hand of support to others in our situation within the KSU student body.

THE SYSTEM:Joshua and I are going on our 3rd year of marriage and have found a "system" of technological communication (Skype, chat, text and phone) to cope with a constant 3000 mile distance. We live apart to both save money, and accomplish individual goals. We save money to visit one another as often as possible (usually every 1 to 3 months), which preserves the "honeymoon" feelings, forces open communication and trust, and support of the others ambitions without resentment or jealousy. Not to mention my expecations and plans have become very general, limited and open to change so disappointment is now minimal, should his orders change at the last minute.
     I don't recommend this lifestyle for anyone who is unsure of themselves or their partner. But to wrap up this whole first blog, every day, because of my long distance marriage to a sailor, I learn something new. I no longer presume nor assume anything of anyone anymore. I've learned how to help myself, get things done and trust in my husband's judgment (which is no small accomplishment sometimes).

I hope those of you going through this with me (first timers and seasoned spouses alike) are all aware of (and never forget) the balls it takes to keep this kind of bond strong and thriving. Civilian relationships don't always have the advantage of testing its limits from the start.

Those couples holding hands around campus that see one another every day between classes and complain about a weekend apart or missing that date because the other had to work that night? They will never know how it feels to wrap their arms around their partner after 10 months in a danger zone with nothing but the occasional email to indicate that they're alive.

Military relationships are not any better than others, just much more sensitive to how strong or fragile it is when put to the test. Its easy to get married to someone you know you'll see every day. Its a whole other beast to marry someone you don't know you'll see again.
We're much, much stronger than we think.