Thursday, October 31, 2013

What Just Happened?!?!?

I'm pretty sure I tell this story a least once a day but for those of you who don't know here is how our life has completely gone crazy in the matter of  2 weeks:

Monday 10/14: My mom mentions that a 5th grade teacher at her school retired and they have an opening. I don't think much of it.

Tuesday 10/15: Brian doesn't pass his weigh and tape for the 3rd time in a year. This is grounds for a "Chapter 18 Discharge". It's an honorable discharge that basically means for medical reasons you don't meet the Army's height, weight, or body fat standards. This is frustrating because we have spent the last year trying to figure out what is making it so difficult to maintain a steady weight. He can gain and lose 10 lbs in a week. Realizing that there is a good chance that in 3-6 months, Brian could be out of the Army, we start talking about what to do. There are bills that need to be paid and Brian needs to get school done. With the government shut down and other things, our plan for him to use the Army Tuition Assistance to finish school hasn't been going very well. AND Brian's knee that he injured is not really getting better. It hurts constantly and the more he runs and puts stress on it the more likely he is to completely blow it out. I apply for the 5th grade job at my Mom's school.

Wednesday 10/16: I do an over the phone interview for the 5th grade position.

Friday 10/18: I get offered the job, and am told I need to start Monday. Brian finds out that he can take the discharge and be done.

Sunday 10/20: I fly to Utah

Monday 10/21: I start teaching 5th grade again.

So now here I am at my parents' house. Brian and the dogs are in Georgia *sigh*. Hopefully, by January he will be here and going to school full time. He has about a year left, then who knows what is next.
It's amazing how quickly our life can change. It seems to be a pattern for us though. The Lord definitely had a hand in making all of the pieces fall into place. I've sort of been in a jet lagged/exhausted from frantically trying to put together a classroom haze for the last 2 weeks, that it hasn't sunk in how much everything is changing.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

5 Years!

So I am about a week and half late with this post but the last weekend in September Brian and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary! I was trying to explain to Brian that a part of me feels like 5 years has flown by and it can not have been that long but the other part of me feels like he has always been in my life, and it has been decades since we met.
For our anniversary we went to Jacksonville Florida for 2 nights. We went to Joe's Crab Shack, and met up with Brian's cousin and uncle that live in Jacksonville. We also went to the Jacksonville Zoo, they have a sting ray encounter and Brian could spend all day petting and talking to the sting rays.

See look at how excited he is!






This poor baby elephant got his head stuck between the wires of the fence and decided to just chill and eat the leaves on the tree. I made Brian hurry and do the train ride around the Zoo so I could get this picture. Don't worry he figured out how to get out.









We also went to downtown Jacksonville and saw dolphins! Real, wild, not in an aquarium or Sea World dolphins. Swimming up the river/bay. We also got to eat Panda Express. There are no Panda's close to us and our hotel was right by one. So rather than going out for another "nice" dinner we ate Panda Express for the first time in over a year and it was delicious. It was a great weekend and fun to celebrate together.

The "Friendship Fountain" in downtown Jacksonville








My hair is a mess and I'm all squinty because the wind was blowing the fountain on me.


The bridge that connects the two sides of Jacksonville. Its a "drawbridge" but rather than opening up like doors how most bridges do, this one the middle lifts up as one piece. Its older now and never really opens but its a nice walk.



In 5 years of marriage Brian and I have....

  • Lived in 2 different states (I'm not counting Brian in training in Missouri, and Oklahoma) 
  • Had 5 different addresses 
  • Owned 9 different cars and 2 motorcycles 
  • Had 4 dogs, 1 hamster and a rabbit
  • Combined worked 7 different jobs
  • Had 3 beds, 2 sets of couches, 3 kitchen tables, and 4 TV
Most importantly we have had fun, made it through the tough times, and loved each other!