The flu bug

Let me start by saying I've never gotten the flu. I know crazy right? I've had my share of strep throat, sinus infections, colds etc but never the flu. I'm still not sure I even have the flu but when I went to the Dr. the other night that is what she said I have, or might have. The flu. The gosh darn, good-for-nothing flu. And when does it decide to hit me? The night before my husband comes home...so a week ago. I've been a coughing, hacking, miserable sick person for a week. Boy when it hits it hits hard and stays a while. Like a relative you never see but when you do see them they decide to take up residence in your guest room (my lungs) for way longer than you were expecting them to stay. I've got things to do Uncle Chester...can you please leave? Anyone else picturing those Mucinex commercials with those green globby characters? I get that commercial now, I didn't before but now I do.

So the past week as miserable as I have been I've also been as productive as possible. I've gone to work (too soon which is why I'm still sick), I've kept up with all my "womanly duties" as my husband calls them, I've opened my Etsy store, had one Etsy order AND was recognized on the blog www.madebytheshop.wordpress.com for my Etsy shop. I guess I can say it's been a pretty good week despite the fact that I really would like a whole 8 hours of solid sleep without waking up to cough up a lung. That would just be the nicest thing in the world right now. Solid sleep. Getting through washing dishes without feeling tired and nauseous. Or reminding myself it's time to dose up on Dayquil so I can get better.

The Mud House at Etsy.com

I will say that being sick means you get to feel less guilty about sitting around watching TV. That is probably the best part about being sick - zoning out in front of endless episodes of Friends and Gilmore Girls but there also comes a point when you cannot watch another episode and you have to get up and do something...ANYTHING.

I should be better by Monday. That is what the Dr. said. "You're on day 5...maybe so you probably have 2-3 days left. Just lay low and get plenty of rest and fluids" Well Doc if I'm not better by Monday I'm coming to see you again and getting some real drugs and maybe that x-ray you talked about to rule out Pneumonia. Speaking of Pneumonia that is one word I never could spell when I was younger but all of a sudden I can spell it without hesitation. Weird?

So here I sit, another Saturday going by of doing nothing. Well OK not nothing. I made homemade meatballs and did a load of laundry. But not before I watched an episode of Parenthood - best show ever in my opinion -  it gives me anxiety and tears every time. Cheers to the weekend and I toast you with my shot glass of Dayquil. Here's to getting better. By Monday.

Civilian Life Transistion

Today is the start of a new chapter my life – heck – of OUR life. Today our lives change from Military to Civilian. Four years I waited for this day and it's finally here, I can barely believe it. For the past 4 years our relationship has come second to all things military and I am looking forward having a change of pace – finally!

I've gotten so many questions about our relationship and how it related to the military. I'll try to answer some of them here for anyone who is curious or never did get a real answer from me. 

Did we know each other before my husband went into the USMC? 

  - Yes, my husband and I have known each other since grade school. We dated once back in 2007 but I was the one who broke it off. And broke his heart in the process. I know...I'm terrible

Are you from a military family? 

 - Immediate family no. My husbands Grandfather was in the Army. My Great Grandfather served in WWII. That is about as much military experience either of our families had and yes...that made it harder for everyone (including me) to understand the whole thing. 

Have you been married the whole time he has been in?

 - We started dating 2 months before he "shipped out" and my heart went with him. We exchanged letters (41 to be exact) during his boot camp stint. He came home as often as he could but the first year of his term we saw each other a total of 2.5 months (this includes the first 2 months before he left). His first deployment came right after our engagement. Planning a wedding with no wedding date is NO small task let.me.tell.you. I did not have a wedding date until 2 weeks prior. And even then...it changed a week later. I thought I would loose my freaking mind. But in the end it was all I asked for; small, simple, legal and my dad walking me down the aisle. 

What happened when you got married? Did you live separately or together?

  - Together. We moved to NC a week after our wedding and lived off base for a little over a year. After that time he went on his second deployment and I moved back home to Ohio. 

Was it hard? Didn't time fly?

  - Yes and no to both questions. The hardest parts were saying good bye and keeping communication open. Once you get used to being alone it's nice to have the bathroom all to yourself, the cereal not running out, minimal laundry and eating dinner anytime you want. Going to parties and weddings alone - on the other hand - were hard from day one. Time flew during our time in NC. It seemed like one day I was thinking "this is my life now...it seems like it's going to last forever. And the next week I was thinking "holy crap this is my last day at work...I move next week....my time in NC is over". And then I cried because it flew by. 

What is next on the horizon now that he is out?

  - My husband is technically in the reserves now. Which means he is out of the USMC but if crap happens and they need him back they can technically call him back without hesitation. But in the meantime he has gotten a job working with his brother for a company who sells and repairs air compressors. We are also house hunting now which is strange but exciting!

So there is our story in a small nutshell. We are excited for this new chapter to begin and see where life takes us! 

My Yoga Journey

One year ago today I decided to step into unknown territory. I decided to explore this thing called Yoga. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't even know if I would like it despite hearing everyone I knew that practiced it say they loved it. I didn't think it would teach me so much. I didn't know what I was in for.

I had a free Yoga mat that had taken up space in my closet for years. I was a committed wearer of Yoga pants and so I thought it made sense to actually put it all to use. I also saw the quote "Your pants say Yoga but your butt says Mcdonalds" which really spoke to me. I wasn't concerned that my but said Mcdonalds but I was concerned with being a poser of Yoga-doing. My journey started when I inquired to a cousin about her recent Yoga posts on Facebook. She told me about the app called Pocket Yoga. This app was $3 which I thought was a steal compared to Yoga classes in a studio could cost between $12 per class or up to $100 a month for unlimited classes. The $3 was bargain and perfect way to see if I really wanted to do Yoga.

Well 12 months, 4 Yoga Classes, half a dozen home videos, 71 online videos, hundreds of hours of practice, numerous pictures and videos on my phone later...I'm hooked. I strive to practice every day but we all know that life has a tendency of getting in the way - especially in the way of those things that are good for us - and that usually causes me to practice every other day. But they call it practice for a reason, because you never become perfect. There is always something to improve or make harder (and thus becoming better). This became real to me when I starting taking pictures of my postures and boy...reality check! Even the simplest of poses that I felt I was doing right I ended up doing all wrong. As awkward, time consuming and annoying as taking pictures of myself is, it's really helped improved my posture..in my postures.

Along the way I have acquired another yoga mat, a yoga block, hot yoga towel, a yoga strap and a carrying strap. Not to mention the reputation with all my posts to Social Media about Yoga. My Yoga clothing has expanded and I'm exploring the world of Yoga socks - yes they really do help!

I continue to practice a majority on my own in my own living room. I do venture out to classes when time allows but my last two classes did not cater to my needs so I am a little hesitant to go back at this moment. I prefer to let Jillian Michaels yell at me from my TV :) Doing it in my own living room also allows me to wobble and fall without anyone seeing me. But even the greatest Yogi's fall...it's inevitable.

I have been asked if I will ever teach Yoga and my answer is - it's something I would love to do if time and money allows. Time I have to take out of my already crazy schedule and money I have to find when we are not saving up for a house and paying off debt. I think Yoga Teachers have one of the coolest jobs. You get to wear leggings and comfy shirts all day and you are a lot more free of stress than most!

One of the first things I learned in Yoga that I am most proud of is a handstand. I took a month long challenge on Instagram and as skeptical as I was at first it really truly taught my body how to handstand! Other poses I've learned to love are Crow/Crane Pose, Side Crow, Eight Angle Pose, Pigeon Pose, Dragon Pose and Tree Pose. All heart openener poses are great but I shy away as I don't feel they are beneficial - I'm kidding myself when I think that but honestly I love the challenging poses more. Balance poses like Half Moon Pose, Vertical Splits, Crescent lunge and Warrior 3 are my least favorite. They seem simple and yet I wobble and fall almost every time - Tree pose however is a standing balance pose but I can hold it forever! Hip - opening poses are the most beneficial to me. I learned in a class that I have tight hips - mainly because of Gymnastics/Dance classes over the years. Having stiff angry hips is very common in Yoga which is why there are so many practices for opening the hips. I have a love/hate relationship with all hip-openers mainly because they hurt so good! Arm balance poses are probably my favorite poses. The power and strength your wrists and forearms posses is amazing - I never knew I could hold my body up with just my arms! Poses that still boggle my mind are Scorpion, Forearm Stands, Toe holds, Swinging my feet under & jumping back, Bird of Paradise and Grasshopper Pose. This are all very advanced poses that I no doubt have a goal of eventually reaching them but right now I am comfortable where I'm at in Yoga. Slowly improving but never perfect.

The changes in my mind and body that have come through Yoga have inspired me to keep going - shin muscles exist!? I love the beauty of showing up to the mat and accomplishing what I set out to do. I love having a Yoga agenda that gets thrown off halfway through my practice and my body shows me what it really needs. I also wish I wasn't so late to game of Yoga. I wish I would have started years ago. But today is day one of year number 2. Let it be beautiful. Let it be strong. Let it be self improving. Namaste!