First off, welcome new followers! I've finally stopped being such a blog stalker and actually commented on a few things, which really helps with the whole blog-networking process. (And I feel like way less of a creep!) Now, those of you that read and aren't "following", come out of hiding and put yourself on the list. It makes me feel special and like there is a purpose to these posts! Don't be shy, I like the attention. :)
Next, seeing some of my new followers pop up in the last week or so really made me think a lot about my blog content and how it has literally been ALL baby. I know that I created this blog to be a place where family and friends could check in on my pregnancy progress (back story- we moved for my husband's job a month before finding out we were expecting), but even I get overwhelmed by all of it sometime. It makes me wonder- am I going to turn into one of those people who is obsessed with their child and can't hold a grown-up conversation or have interests of their own? Sweet baby J, I hope not. So I thought I'd dedicate this post to some "me" things in hopes that it will be a break from the baby norm and be a jumping block for other topics in the future...so here we go...
1. Staying healthy/exercise- The summer before my senior year of college, my roommate and I decided that we both wanted to set a running goal (half-marathon) and get back into shape. Man, can college do a number on your body, but damn was it fun! We started training together, going from barely being able to run a mile without wanting to die, to doing 5ks, to 10ks, and eventually our first half! From there it became an addiction. Running is like free therapy when you go with your best friend and just chat the whole time. We ran a couple more half's and finally took the plunge and started training for a full marathon. It ended up being scheduled on the same day my husband graduated from Army Ranger School, just two weeks before our wedding, so I decided to miss it, but the training was just out of this world. It is amazing to see what you can push your body to do and even better to see the results of all that work! I definitely have a new goal of running one before age 30...so we'll have to see what life is like post-pregnancy and plan from there. I have a feeling that this will also become a place I can track my progress getting back into shape, so I plan to share that journey in weekly posts.
2. My career- Although I haven't gotten into much detail thus far, I absolutely love working. I love my current job and I love the potential that I have to continue moving up the ladder in the field that I work in. I guess at this point it is pretty obvious that being a SAHM - stay at home mom, for you non-preggo brains :) - is just not part of our plans. Although this tends to be one of those subjects that many people seem to have strong opinions on, I plan to write about how this effects our family life, what our childcare options are, and how I honestly feel about being away Monday-Friday while someone else watches our little girl. At this point I'm already looking forward with the hope that I can balance work, home life, and in the semi-near future possibly even start juggling around the idea of going back for a masters. One thing I promised myself when we found out about our incredible "surprise" was that I wouldn't ever limit my potential or use our location ("home is where the Army sends us...") as an excuse to not do everything I felt passionate about. The mister and I really appreciate the fact that we both bring home the bacon and I love contributing to our livelihood. Hell, right now I'm essentially the sugar momma and I know D's proud. :)
3. Having a social life- One thing I've always felt was important was making time for friends and family. Actually, a problem I have often struggled with is my inability to say "no" when it comes to scheduling too many things at once. Being married to the military makes it a little more challenging to stay on top of things with old friends while finding your place among new ones. When we first moved here D's CO, or essentially "boss" for you non-military folks, did a great job of getting his wife and I in touch and I was able to meet people and join several groups with her guidance. I'll try to get into more detail about life here in rural Louisiana and maybe even let you in on how being part of a military community can be such a great change of pace from what I was used to in suburbia.
4. Marriage and Family- Out of respect for D and his apprehensiveness about throwing details of our life online, I've tried to stay pretty vague about things involving him (notice I never include him in the pictures I post, etc). When I was home a couple of weeks ago several people asked me, "Ok, how is married life really...", which had me thinking about how little I must talk about it on here, aside from mentioning the occasional hilarious things D says or sweet things he does. I think I can get more into this topic without him feeling like I am airing our Social Security Numbers online, so I'll have to work on that, because in all honesty, this has been one of the best, most educational past nine months of my life and I'd love to share more about it. As for family, having Grace is going to change the dynamic of things around here and I am anxious and excited to find out how that works out for us as well.
5. Food and Wine- Ok, mostly wine. I really don't have anything to expand on here except for the fact that good things deserve sharing! I have gotten some great recipes off of several blogs I frequent and if I find something that I feel needs to be shared, I will. I am personally not one of those people that cooking comes naturally to, so I hope to expand my repertoire and up my cooking game here in the future. As a side note, God I can't wait until I can cook dinner while enjoying a glass of wine. Doesn't it make cooking so much more enjoyable?!
That's it for now...kind of a jumble of thoughts, but some days I just don't have baby things to write, or I just need a break from thinking about all things baby 24/7, so I'll try to bring some new topics into play.
Enjoy your Friday evenings...I'm off to get ready for some date night action at my favorite little Mexican dive. :)
xo,
H
That's wonderful that you have a little community in the military. My husband is in med school and we've formed a little "wive's club" and at least 3-10 of us get together every week. My hubs is also in the Navy and will do his residency through it. This obviously will have us picking packing up to a naval base, which we're both excited for. I hope I'll be able to find a good support system of wives there, too. Good for you for your passion of running. I try, but just can't do it! LOL
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