MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

Happy Friday! I haven't done one of these in a while so I thought it was a good time to get back to it! For more info, check out Wife of a Sailor's blog.

1. The best thing my parents taught me to do when I was a child was: Always, always, always say please and thank you! I can remember my dad pretending he was deaf until the "magic" words were uttered. It was frustrating at times, but well worth it now! I have to say, it drives me batty when I hear young children ordering their parents around (don't even get me started on the behavior I see on Toddlers and Tiaras!) and I know without a doubt that sort of behavior would NOT of been tolerated in our household! On that same train of thought, I cannot thank my mom enough for always insisting that we send thank you notes for everything, no matter how big or small. I know I always appreciate it when I receive one, plus I just think it is the polite and gracious thing to do!

2. However, one thing I wish they did differently was: Wow! This is a toughie! I would say teach my brother and me some household chores that aren't generally common for our gender. I, to this day, have not one clue how to even start a lawn mower! I know I will make Ian teach me though because when he deploys it will be my job (What's the average cost for a lawn boy these days? hehe). I can bet, like my husband, my brother probably can't cook much unless it comes out of a toaster! Hopefully when we have children we will mix it up a bit. Although I do have a great example in that my dad traditionally does most of the ironing. I think Ian should follow in that tradition :) Sorry, Mom and Dad - they made me pick something!

3. One thing I have always wanted to try but haven't is: Skydiving! I have always wanted to go but haven't yet. Plus I don't want to go just for the sake of going, I want it to be for a special celebration or at least some place really incredible and beautiful!

How incredible would this be?!

4. One thing I never thought I'd try but have is: Bungee jumping! I always wanted to skydive but never wanted to bungee jump. Weird right? Doesn't make sense to me either! But when I was in South Africa, the majority of the people in our group were going, and it is the world's highest bungee  (216 meters) so the competitive side of me knew I had to do it. And it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!! The world goes silent after you jump and it is the most breathtaking, exhilarating (terrifying) experience! I highly recommend it!

Me! 

The bridge we jumped from

On a high afterwards! 

5. If I could give my 16-year-old self one piece of advice I'd tell myself: When you go to college, get a degree for something you can do anywhere since you will be marrying an Army boy and will have to move all over!

All Is Not Quiet On The Job Front!

Isn't it funny how sometimes things happen when you least expect it? That God I tell ya, He likes to keep you on your toes!

You may know I have been struggling with the notion of being a stay-at-home-mom, sans children, and whether this is the best fit for me. (Read about My Job(less) Conundrum). Ian and I spent a lot of time discussing this and I also prayed and did some soul-searching. It just may be that God was listening and has given me an answer when I wasn't expecting it!

I hope I am not jinxing anything by sharing this with you, but I can't keep it in any longer! I may have already landed a job in Clarksville! Here's how:

While house hunting, I went in to meet with my lender, who voiced that she was impressed with my organization skills when I gave her all our information. (Told you I was a bit Type A!) She may have been joking when she asked if I was looking for a job, but my mom and I eagerly answered a resounding "Yes!" We got to talking and turns out she is looking for someone to begin work this fall, with a marketing background, to deal with incoming clients from a recent merger. She asked for my resume and I emailed it to her that afternoon!

We met again before I left to go over more lending documents, but in our conversation she made sure I wouldn't hold back any questions for fear of not impressing her, especially since, she reassured me, I would be shadowing her and learning from her directly. (Believe me, I did not hold back any questions!) This gesture impressed me however. She also told me how it is a small and close-knit office, her aunt even operates the front desk! I got a very warm feeling every moment I was there.

I got an email earlier this week from our lender letting me know that I can be expecting a call from their home office for a phone interview! She didn't say when but did call me today to tell me about some other good news (lower interest rate!) and explained that the interview is really more of a formality and also that the position would definitely be full-time.

Absolutely nothing is official yet, and we still have to hammer out some logistics (ie salary, holiday pay, duties) and I of course have to represent myself well during the phone interview. I do, however, get a really good feeling from this! So please, fingers crossed, prayers said, and good juju sent this way would be highly appreciated! 

Also, in case you were wondering about my dental assistant aspirations, I have in no way dropped this idea, but by the time we arrive in Clarksville I will have missed the start of the classes at the two nearest schools, both of which only start once a year. So it is on the back burner for now!

Wish me luck! :)

Planning, Plotting and Perusing

We are painfully inching closer to our move! Three weeks from now we will be on the road!

Until then I have spent my days, among other things, building piles like this:

My mind literally will not let me stop envisioning our new home and all the ways I want to decorate it! I have lists, magazines bookmarked, paint swatches, files, and more all on decor alone! Am I ridiculous? Absolutely! But I can't help it! 

It seems our television is set to one channel and one channel only, unless True Blood or Jersey Shore are on of course (don't judge me!) and that is: 

I am especially loving Bang For Your Buck but Property Virgins and My First Place are regulars as well.

Generally while I am watching HGTV I will have my computer on my lap, surfing through a number of my favorite home improvement blogs. I would have to say the one that inspires me the most is Thrifty Decor Chick, and if my home could resemble her home I would be one happy camper! 

My friend Ashley also made the mistake of introducing me to a little website called Pinterest and poor Ian has barely seen me since. It's a great resource for all elements in life - home decor inspiration, recipes, travel, photography, great reads, and more! You can create your own profile and add "pins" in all categories that interest you. Plus you can follow your friends and they can follow you! It will be very helpful come Christmas and gift-giving time! If you would like an invite to join please let me know...I would love to follow you!  The one caveat - I do not have nearly enough money in the bank to do all that I see on this site! This sadly true piece cleverly sums it up: 

So onto you: Do you have favorite blogs you love? Websites you can't turn away from? Clever thrifty decor ideas I can steal? :) 

House Update!

Is August over yet? I just want to get to our new home! (And out of Arizona!)

The closing process is moving along swimmingly! Here's a brief update on what has been going on.

We had the inspection and were happy with the findings! The sellers agreed to fix the following:

• Replace missing shingles on roof and repair/replace plumbing vent pipe boots on the roof that were cracked. (Anyone know what these "boots" are?) 
• Correctly wire an electrical switch in the garage
• Fix the laundry room faucet so that hot water does not drip when turned off. 
• Repair/replace missing and damaged insulation to the A/C unit. 
• Repair/replace window sash spring in an upstairs window
• Dry the condensation and dripping water found in the crawl space under the home. They will be replacing insulation, secure a dry foundation, and will  treat/remove fungi spores through a licensed company. (This is the item where we are most concerned but from what I gather, this is a common issue in TN due to the high humidity.) 

The items we will be responsible for are:

• Getting the fireplace professionally cleaned before use in the fall
• Replacing a missing bathtub drain stop
• Replace missing shower rods 

Though there are some areas we definitely want fixed, overall we were happy with the inspection report. We were especially nervous because our home was previously a foreclosure that has been flipped very recently so we are unaware of the condition of the home before hand. Thankfully everything will be fixed! 

In other house news, the VA Loan requires an appraisal of the home to take place to ensure that we are not overpaying (and thus being over-lent too much money) for the home. This was done and everything came back good! We also have had our loan approved by the underwriter! Yay!  

Next up is a pest/termite inspection and the items to be fixed per the inspection! Then we are ready to move forward with closing! According to the mortgage company, we are ahead of schedule considering we aren't closing until the end of the month. 

Lastly, I found a link with pictures to the way our home used to be. Can you say ugly paint job? I mean seriously, who picked the colors? A color-blind person perhaps?? Pictures of our home pre-flip.

We feel extremely blessed at how smoothly the process has been going so far and pray it will continue this way! 

House Hunting Mission: Complete!

Hi Y'all! Got to start practicing my southern twang ;-)

Here's the update on my house-hunting trip to Clarksville. We found a house!!

My mom was there with me through the entire process, lending her input and previous home-buying experience which was greatly appreciated. We arrived late on Wednesday night so we started looking first thing on Thursday morning! We looked at eight houses that first day, and wouldn't you know it, "our" home was the second one we saw! But let me tell you, house hunting is exhausting!! I don't think I could see straight that night...we just threw on our pj's, ordered a pizza, and called it a night! We started again first thing Friday morning looking at a few other houses and we went back to our top two to look around again. This time I took videos to give Ian a better feel of each home. I knew, having gone back to look again, which one I was leaning toward, but since he wasn't there, I didn't want to try and persuade him too much. I held my breath when he watched them but to my relief he picked the one I loved the most too! So I called our fantastic realtor up later that night and we met and hammered out an offer!

Then the loooonnnnggg wait began! The homeowner was out of town so we had to give them extra time to respond. Good thing there is a winery near by because by Saturday afternoon I really needed to calm my nerves!

On our way to explore Nashville that night we finally got the call! The sellers made a verbal counteroffer (until they could get home and sign official paperwork) and it was a very good offer! We accepted!! I signed our acceptance on Sunday, and signed my portion of the loan application on Monday morning before we headed to the airport. Now we just have to pass inspection (scheduled for Monday) and the appraisal, and the home is ours! EEEKKKK!!! So exhilarating but terrifying at the same time!

Here are some photos of our home (fingers crossed, please!) and our time in Clarksville  - which I l.o.v.e.d.

Our home :-)

The kitchen really spoke to me 

Looking from the kitchen and eating area into living room

Entryway

Master bedroom (note: all those blinds on the ground are going to be put up)

His and her closets looking into bathroom with his and her vanities

Bonus room

Dining room 

Mom and I at Beachaven Winery 

The King and I in Nashville

Mom overlooking the river near downtown Clarksville

Downtown Clarksville - note to self: Nothing is open on Sundays! 

Gorgeous churches are on almost every corner!

I absolutely cannot wait to move there now! Please wish us luck with the rest of the closing process! 

Off to Clarksville I go!

I am leaving early tomorrow morning for my house hunting adventure! My mom is flying in too and will be a HUGE help since we have never bought a home before and Ian isn't able to come with me. I can't wait to see her! Hopefully in the near future I will be posting all about our new home :-) Please send prayers and happy thoughts for safe travel and clarity in the home-buying process.

I'll leave you with the majestic sight! Arizona sure does have some pretty moments and in addition to the rain, one of the best parts of monsoon season is all the rainbows we have seen. God sure did create a beautiful world!

Ian's Career Course Graduation

Ian graduated his Military Intelligence Captain's Career Course (MICCC) today here at Fort Huachuca and I am so proud! It is about a five-month long course and now means he can move on with his Army career! He has been studying very hard and was less than one point away from graduating in the Top 20 of his class. I keep telling him this is a huge failure on his part (kidding of course!) but I am still one proud wiffy! He has one more course to take here for another five weeks and then we are off to Fort Campbell and I. CAN'T. WAIT!

All the graduates

Getting his certificate! 

With my handsome graduate!

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