Why We Love Fort Polk

A lot of people we know are PCS'ing, just PCS'd or are in the process of getting orders. So many of our friends are being spread out all over the globe and it is awesome to see it all unfold. In the midst of all this you see the different reactions that others have to the news, they are either extremely supportive and think it's a great place or you get those people who just choose to be negative. 

During our last two moves all we heard was how we were going to hate Fort Bliss and then Fort Polk. Both of those statements could not be further from the truth. While Kyle's unit could have been better we loved Fort Bliss and would not be opposed to going back at some point. 

I do have the say we got the worst reactions when we told people we were moving to Polk. However, 90% of those people had only been here for a JRTC rotation, so of course it sucked because they were in the field the whole time and being critiqued by those training them. 

Here is a quick run down of why we love it here:

*It's not a traditional unit setup for OPS Group. Kyle is essentially his own boss, he makes his own hours and manages his own training time. He is able to get more done this way and it has been awesome for him, plus he gets to jump again.

*There is no FRG, now I loved being involved at Bliss and Bragg but man it's nice to have a break.

*The post is small! It doesn't take me 30 minutes to get from one end of post to the other. 

*Everyone is extremely nice, it is truly the Southern way and it's nice to be back in this part of the country.

*I was able to get a job relatively quickly, this was a huge relief. With it being a smaller post it made going through the application process a lot quicker.

*I can get same day Doctor appointments without it being a fight, woo!

*We have a lot more family time, even though when rotations are here Kyle is in the field for 2 weeks we still have more time together than we did when he was in command.

*We are close to family which is a HUGE plus.

*The weather! Need I say more?! Mild winters with hot summers....yes please! I'll even take humidity over dry heat (and I grew up with that lol)

You just can't beat the green!

*We love the small town vibe, we have realized over the years that we just aren't big city people anymore.

*The things to do within driving distance (Louisiana in such a cultural melting pot) are amazing, the festivals, fairs and other historical events just can't be beat. 

We are happy to be here and can't wait to see what the next couple years have in store for us!

Hope you all have an amazing weekend!!

Thursday Thoughts

I am finally feeling human again! After having a 101 degree fever for 2 days it finally broke Tuesday night and I am so happy. 

*In honor of feeling better I have plans to get my haircut this weekend, I have been meaning to get it done for a while but kept putting it off. This is what I am thinking:

I like having shorter hair and I think this is such a cute and fun style. What do you all think?!

*We received all of our tax documents, so it's time to get that done. Yay for the money already being spent before we get it haha.

*Kyle has a 4 day weekend coming up which will be really nice, since I've been out of town and he has been in the field we haven't spent much time together. 

*I am finally able to register for my final class and submit my application for graduation! WAHOO!!!

*I am anxiously awaiting House of Cards coming back at the end of February but I need shows to pass the time, any recommendations?

Happy Thursday!

Dreaming Of A Vacation!

Three years ago this week we were enjoying our first trip to NYC. We took a train from NC and it was amazing. Can we go back?! Actually I would like to go anywhere at this point, it has been far too long since we have taken a vacation with just the two of us.

Is there a place you want to visit!?

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!

Homeward Bound

In a few hours I will be on my way home! I have had a blast in Florida with family and I can't wait to visit again. The only crappy thing is that I'm sick, yes I'm going to be that person on a flight but I can't do anything to change it. 

I have a week off before my next set of classes start which I will spend resting and getting better.

I hope you all had a great weekend! 

Thoughts on Friday

Even though I have been on vacation for the last week I've still be trying to get some things done...here is what has been going on lately.

*Yesterday, we ventured back out to Destin to do a little shopping, having lunch and take the kids to the beach. It was a little chilly but so fun to watch them run around like maniacs. It was absolutely gorgeous, since I have never been to a Florida beach so it was definitely a treat.

 *I am still working on getting my background check approved for my new job. Yesterday, I finally got the last few steps completed and it looks like my training will start on February 5th. Thank goodness!!

*Kyle submitted his top 4 choices for ILE (Intermediate Level Education) yesterday and 2 of the locations on his list are Australia and Estonia, how cool would it be to get one of those places!? 

*We have our first race of the year next weekend and I can't wait! It's an afternoon run on Alexandria so it should be a lot of fun. 

*I finished my current classes yesterday! I am just waiting on the final grades for them, and I am now only 9 classes away from graduating, thank goodness.

*I only have a few more days in Florida before I head home, I have loved every second of being here but Emma and I ready to get back home to our routine and to Kyle and Fishy. :)

I hope you all have an awesome weekend!

Marathon Training

Yesterday marked day 1 of marathon training! I could not have asked for better scenery than this. I do have a plan that I am going by but I won't get down on myself if I alter the plan at times.

I will be running the Riverboat Marathon in Winnsboro, Louisiana on April 19th. I am ridiculously excited and hoping that Kyle can run it with me.

Happy Wednesday!

An Amazing Weekend!

On Friday we celebrated an amazing day, my brother retired after 20+ years of service in the Air Force. The ceremony was held at the Air Force Armanent Museum and it was amazing!!! This is the first time my family has all been together since our Mom passed away 3 1/2 years ago. It was like no time had passed at all. We are a very proud military family! 

          

After the ceremony we headed back to their house for the after party. Wow it did not disappoint. The food was catered by a Philippino restaurant and it was delicious!! There was a ton of alcohol (a little too much lol) and we all let loose and had an awesome time. There were a lot of awesome people there and everyone was like family. We laughed, cried, and just enjoyed the festivities. 

        

           

  

Kyle headed back home on Saturday and the last few days have been spent helping my sister get her house setup. We did however take a trip out to destin yesterday with our sister in law and it was gorgeous!

I'll be here for another week enjoying family time. I hope you all had a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Oh Fishy! Haha!

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!

Shiny and New

Yesterday, I finally bit the bullet and got a new phone. I loved my iPhone5 and opted to get the 6. I played around with getting the 6 plus but to me it's more like a tablet than a phone. I even looked at Samsung Galaxy but couldn't bring myself to leave the iPhone.

I love how thin it is and the bigger screen is nice as well. I was able to trade in my old phone and get a credit, so I got the case for free.

How cute is this case?! They have really stepped up their game when it comes to cases.

Give it a few weeks and it won't look so shiny and new haha.

Have a great Tuesday!

Thoughts On Monday

This weekend seemed to go by too quickly for my liking. I did a lot of cleaning (Kyle worked yesterday and it was rainy) and almost broke my ankle when I missed the bottom step of the stairs, lol. It is a little tender today but nothing I can't deal with.

I did however register for two races, a 5k and a half marathon, and later this week I will be registering for my 2nd marathon! I am having the same feelings I had a year ago, I am excited and terrified.

I have been trying to get a good portion of my school work finished before we head off to Florida on Thursday, I do not want to be writing papers when I would rather spend time with family. My sister will have just moved into a new house so I will be helping her get everything situated. Also, getting to see my brother retire from the Air Force after 21 years of service is going to be amazing. It has been 3 1/2 years since my family has all been together so I know it will be a great time.

Hopefully the weather is better today so I can head up to Target and run a few other errands, I may even get a new phone finally. My upgrade is available and the new iPhone 6 is calling my name. :)

I hope you all had a great weekend!

 

 

Friday Favorites

It's Friday! I haven't done one of these posts in a long time. Here are my current favorite things:

Trivia Crack. 

 This ridiculous game has me addicted....it is also pretty humbling when you realize just how little you know haha.

Law and Order SVU. 

It has only taken me a week to go through seasons 13-15. This show just sucks you in. 

I found this sweater at Target a while ago and it's finally cold enough to wear. I love it!!

Our neighborhood center gym. It is never busy and walking distance from our house. Win!

I love this eye shadow! It's fun but not over the top so I can get away with the sparkle during the day.

What are some of your favorite things lately?

Have a great weekend!

7 months!

I realized yesterday that I am 7 months away from graduating college, holy cow! I never thought that at my age I would go back to school and actually finish.Thank goodness for that nifty GI Bill that Kyle transferred to me! I have heard people say that taking classes online is easy, that is definitely not the case. I have enjoyed the challenge and fully support online schooling.

 I was going to submit my graduation application this week but the system was acting up so I am going to wait until I finish these classes to get it all done. Since I will have over a year left on my GI Bill once I graduate I decided that I will start my Masters in October. That is definitely something I never thought I would do, it really is amazing how things change.  

My views will continue to be this until I am finished but you know I wouldn't trade it for anything!

These are 2 of my biggest goals for 2015 and I am excited that they will become a reality!

Have a great Thursday. :)

What A Process

I have come to realize that the process to get a job on a military base is quite extensive and exhausting, which is to be expected since it is a DoD position.

When I accepted the job offer it started out with filling completing 35 pages of information, they were extremely detailed. Next was turning this paperwork in and receiving my finger print cards (you are given a card for each state you have lived in over the last 5 years, so 4 for me). 

This happened before Christmas and yesterday I finally had my appointment to have my finger prints done. It has been a very long time since I have had them done so it was awesome to see that it is all done electronically now, no gross ink to deal with. 

My finger print cards will be sent off to each state to check my non-existent records and then I will receive the link to complete my background check information. This is the part that can take a while because they do state background checks as well as federal. 

I have my physical on the 13th and it will take all day to complete. Then I will have a follow up appointment (who knows when that will be) and hopefully not long after that I will get my start date. 

This meme made me chuckle. 

I am really excited to get this new chapter started, I thrive on routine and I know that the first few weeks of a new job are stressful so I'm ready to get going. :)

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Long Weekend At Home

Kyle had another 4 day weekend for the New Years holiday, it was nice to have him home but even nicer that we had no plans to do anything.

We spent the weekend getting stuff done around the house. We took down our Christmas decorations and that led to organizing the garage, it has been a mess since we moved in. Now we can safely maneuver around in there without having a box or tote fall on us haha.

Netflix finally put seasons 13-15 of Law and Order SVU on streaming so I spent a good portion of each night binge watching and it was glorious, well except for the extremely creepy dream I had one night because of it.

I also finally started reading Unbroken, I slacked on reading all of 2014 and I want to change that this year. I love the book so far!

Sunday, we celebrated sweet Emma's 11th birthday. I am sure to some it is weird that we celebrate a dogs birthday but oh well to us she is a member of the family. :)

 Today starts our new normal, Kyle will finally get to do his job and training rotations will now be happening monthly and I will barely get to see him (I am thankful that his bosses are letting him attend my brothers AF retirement next week in Florida). Hopefully soon I will get my start date for work too, we will see.

Hope you all had an amazing weekend!!

Ringing In The New Year!

Well, it's 2015!! I hope you all had a fun and safe night celebrating.

We celebrated at the bowling alley on post last night...it was a blast! It was unlimited cosmic bowling and they provided the party favors and champagne or apple juice for toasting at midnight. It was a lot of fun! It was nice still being on post and not having to deal with crazy people.

Here is hoping 2015 is an amazing year for everyone!