I want a dog. I want a Bernese Mountain Dog. And I want it now.

This has been my latest obsession. Since it's very likely that Paul will be leaving me for a large amount of time in the upcoming months, I've decided that I want a pup pup to keep me company while he's gone. And since I decided this, I can't stop thinking about puppies! I can't wait I can't wait! And now that's terrible because I'm saying that I can't wait for Paul to leave me!

Since I have SO much free time, I spend a lot of it just thinking about life post-Arizona. I think about getting an apartment in San Diego, all the furniture I'm gonna get and how I'm gonna decorate the apartment. And, of course, having a fluffy little buddy running around the apartment! I've been keeping a list of decorating ideas for a future home. I couldn't really decorate our previous apartments because we've been really tight on cash for quite some time, but now that there's a few extra dollars in the bank account, we're living in this furnished apartment in Arizona that I can't really decorate. So, I've got a lot of built-up decorating ideas that I can't wait to unveil.

Our one-year anniversary is coming up! In two weeks, we're taking a little mini-vacation for the weekend to a resort outside of Tucson to celebrate. I'm excited. Although, nothing could ever compare to the resort we stayed at on our honeymoon. I dream of returning there someday. It's still hard to believe that we've been married for about a year now! Maybe. Maybe not. It has been a very eventful year. We've lived in 3 different places (so far!!) and had a handful of different jobs each. Paul had 5 jobs this past year! I had 3. I think. It's hard to keep track. I remember one of my professors at APU telling our class (in one of the many random life lessons that he had to offer) that in the first year of marriage, you shouldn't undertake any major life changes. Paul and I really didn't follow that rule. Not by choice, I mean, I think we would have loved to start the year off with great jobs and a permanent place to live, but that just wasn't an option. But, I think that's good advice, still.

I miss having friends. I was looking forward to a community of Army wives out here, but so far, I've seen no evidence of such a thing. :(

As for now, I'll keep watching videos of Bernese Mountain Dog puppies to keep me company!

:) :) :)

I think I pictured these few months being more exciting that they have been so far. The only thing I'm excited for is when we get to leave this place and never have to come back again.

I don't have a job, there is no promise of me finding a job, and there is just very very little to do out here. Especially since I don't know anyone. Maybe once Paul starts rolling in the big bucks, I can spend all day online shopping.

Anyway, things aren't that bad. At least we have each other. :)

It's been extremely dry and hot here since we got here, and there's been fires creeping up really close to Fort Huachuca for weeks. I think they're almost completely contained now, but it got a little scary for a while. Last week, Paul spent every day digging trenches and breaking down bushes in order to prevent the fire from spreading onto Fort Huachuca, which apparently happened a few years ago and caused a lot of problems. Looks like their efforts worked, though, because the post is safe!

Monsoon season is indeed in effect; yesterday, we experienced the first lightning storm. It was pretty mild, but it's supposed to continue for the next week or so.

Buut, I won't be around to witness it! We're headed out to Cali this weekend, where I'll stay for the following week, and Paul will only stay for the weekend, then drive back out to "the Zone" (what he likes to call Arizona) and then hopefully drive out again the following weekend for Zach ad Emily's long-awaited wedding! It's just kind of a lame situation, that he has to do so much driving, but what can ya do?!

Alright, I think I'm done here. I'm hoping that I'll eventually have interesting things to blog about. I always start off a post thinking of all the things I have to say, and once I'm done, everything seems so lame. Well, sorry!

We're in Arizona! We arrived here on the 12th, and we've slowly been figuring out the ways of living on an Army post. Things aren't going super smoothly yet... Right now, we're living in a little hotel room basically, on the post. It's supposed to be the Bachelor Officer's Quarters. But, Paul's not a bachelor... so, we're really hoping we can move out of here. We don't even have a kitchen. Just a mini-fridge and a microwave. Plus, I don't have a job or anything at all to do yet, so at home is where I'll be spending all of my time. And, I think I would become depressed if I had to stay here all day. We're trying to find a place off-post, where apparently most of the married people are living. They must have known something we didn't. But, the Army makes everything way more complicated and confusing than anything should ever be, so who knows if we'll be able to figure this out. Anyway, we're really hoping things change!!

Paul said yesterday was the most boring day he's ever been through. He was gone all day going through a series of briefings, and he said that many things were repeated many many times. Today will probably be another boring day for him, but he should start doing fun, or at least interesting things before too long.

It sort of feels like we've stepped back in time out here. Everything looks very very old and outdated, the internet works very poorly, and data on our phones hardly works. It sure makes me feel lucky to have lived in Southern California my whole life where everything is just better in every way.

I think we're already starting to get used to the heat. It's not quite as bad as some of the places we drove through to get here, where temperatures averaged around 103 or so during the day. It hasn't gotten above 95 or so since we've been here. Paul told me that tomorrow is the beginning of monsoon season here. Sounds wild. I guess a monsoon is a scary/dangerous thing, but I can't wait to witness one. It's windy here all the time, so I can imagine how that, combined with a downpour of rain, would be dangerous.

I hope this post doesn't make me sound negative and depressed, because I'm not!! I'm just adjusting to a completely new lifestyle. Thing will get better.

2 weeks! We're outta here in 2 weeks! I can't believe it. My life as an Army wife is about to begin. I'm very very excited, but definitely nervous. I guess anxious would be the very best word to describe how I'm feeling.

We got a car! About a month ago, we spent the whole weekend trying to buy a car. We originally wanted a Mazda2, but we went to 2 different dealers, and we didn't know if it was the dealers or Mazda that was whack, but at least one of them was, so we came home and did some research and decided that the Ford Fiesta was the way to go, so we went to a dealer right here in Redlands and Paul worked his car-buying-price-negotiating magic and we got ourselves a new car! We love love love it. We traded in his truck for it, and last week, we sold my Volkswagen. I thought I would cry when I saw someone else driving away with it, with all it's memories... But, I was happy to get the cash! So now we only have one car.

I just had IBC root beer for breakfast because I usually have orange juice, so I needed something to drink, but we were all out and I didn't have a way of going to the store to get some while Paul has the car at work. But, I do love root beer.

:)

So, now we're slowly packing up our apartment, trying to sell a few things, and getting ready to move to Arizona!

Recently, I've really been trying to figure out what I'm gonna do with my life. I may have an idea, but... we'll see. I wish I could go back to college and not major in math. Sure, having a degree in math makes me sound smart, but so far, it's been pretty useless in finding a job. I don't know. Finding a job is just tough for way too many reasons.

Well, I've got a long day of housewife duties to complete: laundry, cleaning, taking care of the... cat. Soo, that's all for now!

It sure has been a while since my last update! Lots of news!
For the past 3 months, I've been working full time at a CPA firm in Redlands (where we now live) as a temp during tax season. They asked me to stay on for 2 weeks after tax day, and I'm not sure why, because I'm at work right now aaand there's nothing to do. Friday is my last day and I'm very very excited. Working stinks!
Just as my job is ending, Paul's job is just beginning. As of a few weeks ago, he is a Gold Bar Recruiter for Army. He's had a lot of days off since he officially started, but since he gets paid on salary, he's been getting paid the whole time. So, it's been a pretty sweet deal so far. He should start working on a full time basis soon. Probably next week, right when my job is over, and I'll have all the time in the world. I'll get to just be a housewife for a while, and I like the sound of that.
Finances have sure been tough over these past few months, but with Paul working now, and promise that he will be for at least the next 6 months, things are really finally starting to look up!!
We're actually pretty sure that we'll be buying a car this weekend! Nothing fancy, just a little compact car, but it's still very exciting. A car with air conditioning is a luxury to me, so I'm pretty pumped.
I finally ordered prints of our wedding photos, and I'm starting to put together a scrapbook. Finally, I'm gonna have time for crafts again! I don't get how people work full time. It's exhausting. Even a job that isn't extremely demanding is just.. a lot to handle for 40 hours a week! And I don't even have kids or anything! Crazy! Maybe I'm just spoiled, but hopefully I won't have to work full time for the rest of my life.
We will be leaving for Fort Huachuca, Arizona in about a month and a half, and then our adventure in the Army really begins! We'll be there for four months, and all we'll be bringing is basically just clothes and the necessities. That means we'll have to find a place for all of our stuff!! That's going to be a big job: packing up our entire apartment, putting things in storage, and preparing to moving to another state at the same time.. ugh. I'm not looking forward to that ordeal.
I feel like I've sounded even dumber than normal throughout this entire entry. I haven't done much reading or writing in a while, so maybe I'm just rusty with the English. Anyway, I'll work on sounding smarter and wittier and stuff...

Today is my birthday! And a good day it is! Not necessarily because of what I'm doing today (sitting at home alone), but because of all the new and exciting things that are happening in our lives...
First, we got a kitty cat! Last Thursday, I woke up earlier than Paul and decided that I wanted a cat for my birthday, so I woke him up and asked if he would get me one, and he said yes! So we quickly got ready and went to the local animal shelter and found one. It was a tough decision. All those kitties looked so sad and lonely. So, we chose our kitty, then found out that he hadn't been neutered yet. That meant that we had to wait two more days to bring him home, until after he'd had his surgery on Saturday. Anywho, we waited and the time finally came for the new kitty to come home. And, after a few days of hiding and running away from us and a few "accidents" on the carpet, he's a potty trained, friendly, cuddly little kitty cat! Meet Wally...He keeps getting better and more playful and cuter every day. And less smelly. Our apartment was stinky stinky for the first few days. I suppose we could just be getting used to it...

Alright, so that is some fun news, but there is more!!

We are moving! Goodbye, Upland. We went into the leasing office yesterday to talk to them about something and figure out whether or not we want to renew our lease and stay here until June (when we'll be leaving for Arizona). But, there was a big ordeal.. kind of. And, we're just fed up with the people who work here. The apartment itself been pretty great, but it's getting kind of expensive and there's nothing really keeping us here, so we're headed out. Don't know where just yet, but we have 4 weeks to figure that out, so, we'll see!!

Okay, okay, the last bit of news. And, I saved the best for last!...

We have jobs!!!

Yay yay yay!

As of this week, both Paul and I are employed. It feels so good!

I got hired on Monday for a job helping out with tax stuff, just for tax season. It is only temporary, but it pays pretty well and it's full time until then, so that's great! I'm actually still hoping for another job that would be more permanent, but no matter what, I'm happy!!

And, Paul just got a call last night about a job working as a security guard. He's off today taking a class so that he can do that. We still don't know too much about the job. It's full time and in Ontario, but we don't know where in Ontario, what hours he'll be working, and how much he'll be making. But, whatever it is, it's good!!! :)

I'm just hoping it's not like, the total opposite hours that I'll be working. That would be very sad.

But, things are really looking up for us! We're not gonna go broke! That's so good!

We're really excited to end this chapter of our life. That is, being unemployed, poor and mildly depressed. And, we're ready to move on to the next... having jobs, making money, being able to spend money and hopefully save some too.

I know money can't buy happiness, but... well, it kinda does.

It's finally the holiday season! I'm so excited! It seemed like it really snuck up on us this year... I feel like it's barely October! Anyway, I'm happy that the weather is getting cooler and I can start doing fall and winter things. Like making pie! This morning, I made two pies which will hopefully be enjoyed tomorrow, Thanksgiving day. First, I made the classic: Pumpkin Pie...

Pumpkin pie is easily my favorite pie. A lot of pies are too rich for me, but pumpkin pie got it just right. I'm not sure that there's anything pumpkin-based that I wouldn't be a fan of...

For example, my second pie of the day: Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake...

Yum yum yum! Can't wait to eat it!

I can't wait to have a family, if only so that I'll have more mouths to feed. I love making pies, cakes, cookies, etc., but the problem is, it's just me and Paul here to eat it all. And I don't like letting food go to waste.

So, there you have my accomplishment of the day.

Let's take a look at what Paul's been up to ALL DAY...

A new video game came out this morning, Gran Torismo 5. He's been waiting for it for years, he says. It's a racing game. He did warn me that he'd be playing all day. I should have known to take him seriously. Oh, all the great things he could do with his time if it weren't for video games...

Lindsay and Mike's wedding shower is this weekend. I hope it's as great as my bridal shower was. It will sure be different.

I can't believe how fast these past few months have gone by... It's almost December! It will be our first married Christmas. Let's just pray that we have enough money to actually buy each other presents...

Money is annoying.

Okay, so I got that job I interviewed for. and then Paul interviewed for the job and got it, too! And then I quit the job. Ha. It really wasn't the job for me. Actually, up until my second interview for the job where I spent the whole day out with a Sales Consultant, I didn't even know what the job was! And, by the end of the day, I was really unsure if I even wanted the job. In fact, when they sat me down to talk about the day, I was planning on declining the job if they offered it, and hoping that they wouldn't. But, they did and I just couldn't say no. So, that is just my explanation of how I wasn't crazy about the job from the beginning. I feel pretty guilty about quitting, so I have to keep convincing myself it was the right thing to do. Anyway, Paul has the job now and he likes it! In fact, he's out on a business trip this week in Palm Springs. He left early this morning and won't be back until Thursday or Friday. So, I'm home alone all week with no real obligations. Pretty lame. This will be our first night apart since we've been married. :( Well, that's not counting the handful of times he stayed up all night playing video games... But, at least he's making money! He said he made a pretty good amount of money today! Go Paul! So, I'm jobless again. I feel pretty pathetic, but I'm confident it will turn out for the best eventually.

As far as loosing weight, it was going pretty well for a while, and then I bought Halloween candy. I bought it for the trick-or-treaters, but we ate a lot of it before Halloween night. And then it turned out we didn't even get any trick-or-treaters. So, we just ate a lot of candy. Mostly me... bad. So, Halloween wasn't very eventful. We spent the whole day watching football. I'm really starting to get into football. I never thought this would happen. Really. Never ever. I'm watching it right now. By myself. Crazy crazy.

I miss my Pauly.

Well, time has been flying by! Kind of. Still no job! But, I do have an interview on Monday. My first interview so far, after 6 weeks of applying to dozens of places. So, I suppose my unluck so far is why I'm not holding my breath for this job. But, we'll see. We're coming up on our 8-week anniversary tomorrow! Married life is pretty awesome so far. I am getting tired of being home all day every day without a car, though. The only complaint I have about the past 8 weeks is that I've gained about 10 pounds! I can't even believe it. It makes a lot of sense, though. Eating is just so much fun. Especially with Paul. Anyway, I've had my fun eating and I'm ready to lose the weight now. Actually, I'd like to lose more than 10 pounds if possible. We've been eating pretty terribly and exercising very little recently, so there are some clear changes that can be made that should make a difference. Anyway, I'm excited to be skinny again! Hopefully it doesn't take too long and it won't be that difficult. I used to eat very well and exercise pretty often before I met Paul! Ha... Not that I'm blaming him or anything... So, I'm making a nice dinner tonight and I'm excited. I really want to keep up with this blog but I keep forgetting about it! And it's not like I don't have the time!

Here's something new to explain how I've been spending some of that time:

Throw pillows! They actually only took a few hours. Hopefully I'll be able to make some more soon when I can get more fabric. Anyway, I'm proud of them and they really spice up the living room.

So, now I'm just waiting for Paul to get home. It would be pretty cool if this was my last week of doing this every day! But, I really shouldn't be getting my hopes up... and I can't end this on a sad note, because I'm definitely not sad! So... uhh we're going to a friend's wedding this weekend and all my family is going too so I'm excited to see them and celebrate marriage! Hooray!

Okay, okay! We're married!!! And we've been married for just over a month! I sort of forgot about this blog for the past 2 months, but I want to continue writing, so this is my effort. We still haven't gotten our pictures, but it should be soon! :) We are living in Upland, Ca. I don't really wanna give out our address to the world wide web, but if you want it, you can have it!! So, I could write for days about what's new since I last wrote, but I'll try to keep it short... the wedding was better than we could have ever asked for, the honeymoon was fantastic, and we're loving our new lives together. Our apartment is almost all set up, short of a few small things. Paul found a job last week working for a congressman in the area. But, he's already getting a little bored with it. I, on the other hand, would do anything for a job right now. I've applied to all the banks around, an insurance company, and a few stores here and there, and so far, all I've gotten is rejection e-mails. I can't believe I went to college for four years and I can't get hired at Kohl's. It's extremely discouraging, but I'm confident that it will be worth the wait, and I'll land a good job eventually. Paul finally found out the other day that he will be in the Army reserves, so that gives us a good idea of what the next few years of our life will look like. We're excited! But, there's still quite a few things to figure out. As for now, Paul's at work, and I'm at home all day without a car to go anywhere. But, I'm working on thank you cards from the wedding, and we're so grateful that we have A LOT to write, so that should occupy me for a while. Okay, more later!!