Is It Possible...

To be this tired?? We spent all day yesterday doing more stuff around the apartment and I could hardly walk upright by the time we were done. For a while there I had thought I had maybe pinched a nerve in my back or something. But this morning I felt a little better, so I think the fact that I was crawling around on the floor putting our bathroom space saver together might have had something to do with it.

Freddy had to report to his unit this afternoon and is gone until tomorrow so I get some quality alone time with the putties tonight. It will mostly involve going to bed shortly since I can hardly keep my eyes open. Oh the exciting life I lead :)

The good news is that our crib and dresser/changing table is supposed to be delivered on Wednesday so we'll spend next weekend putting them together. In addition we will also hopefully get to order our new living room furniture as well. Our apartment is slowly coming together.

Now its off to bed to try and get an early start to work tomorrow!

~AKO

Preparing for Baby...

A couple weeks ago I put down on paper everything that we want... NEED to get done before November. The list to date looks like this:

1. Purchase a new sofa and love seat
2. Purchase a new crib, changer, and dresser
3. Clean and organize the office/storage room
4. Organize our bedroom to make room for crib
5. Switch out the old computer desk for the new one
6. Put up curtains in living room
7. Put up blinds/curtains in main bathroom
8. Put up blinds/curtains in small bathroom
9. Put up curtains in dining room
10. Put up all pictures, art, and other various wall hangings
11. Purchase china cabinet for china still trapped in boxes
12. Put up curtains in kitchen
13. Complete cross stitch name picture for Baby O
14. Order pictures for and complete wedding frame collage
15. Clean apartment!!!

Of course, I've added some items this list since and I'm sure more will be added as we go along.

16. Purchase bathroom space saver for baby bath supplies.
17. Organize closets to make room for baby clothes.
18. Organize bookshelves to make room for baby storage.

But, I was able to knock a couple things off the list today! #2 and 16 are done. My updated list now looks like this:

1. Purchase a new sofa and love seat
2. Purchase a new crib, changer, and dresser
3. Clean and organize the office/storage room
4. Organize our bedroom to make room for crib
5. Switch out the old computer desk for the new one
6. Put up curtains in living room
7. Put up blinds/curtains in main bathroom
8. Put up blinds/curtains in small bathroom
9. Put up curtains in dining room
10. Put up all pictures, art, and other various wall hangings
11. Purchase china cabinet for china still trapped in boxes
12. Put up curtains in kitchen
13. Complete cross stitch name picture for Baby O
14. Order pictures for and complete wedding frame collage
15. Clean apartment!!!
16. Purchase bathroom space saver for baby bath supplies.
17. Organize closets to make room for baby clothes.
18. Organize bookshelves to make room for baby storage.

83 days to go!

~AKO

Part of the Family

So our car has been christened as one of the family...





Can't see it? Take a closer look...





My mom's cat, Callie, has adopted our car as his own. He was even good enough to indulge my photography OCD and look at the camera for 10 shots :)

~AKO

Finally... A Vacation!

So I found out on Monday that my sugar was high from the glucose test I took a couple weeks ago. As a result I have to now do the 3 hour test to make sure I'm not at risk for gestational diabetes. It sucks because even the 1 hour test made me sick for two days. Plus I have to take another day off of work in order to do it, which sucks more...

But in other news...I am done with work until next Thursday, which is a great feeling. I think I really needed some time off, even if we didn't go anywhere. But, we just happen to be travelling to Michigan to visit my family. We decided to drive, which is a 12 hour trip, so I'll have pics of the drive over. Not that there is much to see on the Pennsylvania and Ohio turnpikes but you never know.

My brother's wedding reception is Saturday and my mom is having a little shower for me Monday evening so there will be lots of photos. I'm also taking Freddy up to the Mackinaw Bridge tomorrow. I figure we try and find something new to do this time around.

Hope everyone is having a good week so far!

~AKO

Productivity

So after a large portion of the summer being very unproductive, we finally got some stuff accomplished these past two weekends. With the impending arrival of Baby O, there is a lot that needs to be done in our apartment, which mostly consists of organization and making it look like a home. The last thing I need is my mom coming out here in November and seeing a half finished apartment.

So, on our list of things to accomplish before November is:

1. Purchase a new sofa and love seat
2. Purchase a new crib, changer, and dresser
3. Clean and organize the office/storage room
4. Organize our bedroom to make room for crib
5. Switch out the old computer desk for the new one
6. Put up curtains in living room
7. Put up blinds/curtains in main bathroom
8. Put up blinds/curtains in small bathroom
9. Put up curtains in dining room
10. Put up all pictures, art, and other various wall hangings
11. Purchase china cabinet for china still trapped in boxes
12. Put up curtains in kitchen
13. Complete cross stitch name picture for Baby O
14. Order pictures for and complete wedding frame collage
15. Clean apartment!!!

So that is 15 things we need to have completed in 3 months. Of course #15 is an ongoing task that never seems to be completed. I hope we're up to the challenge :)

Well, last weekend we completed #3, 5, and 10. The office looked like this before. As you can see, we're being overrun by military gear! I found no less than 6 military bags of various sizes in addition to 3 backpacks that were still in their plastic.





After, it looked like this! We still have some odds and ends and a few boxes in there, but that's our china so we can't unpack it until we get a china cabinet. I was so excited to be able to move around in there and actually use the office when I worked from home on Friday.





And this weekend, we completed #6 and 12. Our living room looked very barren with no curtains and the ghetto blinds that were left by the previous renters. You can see the poor collage frames leaning against the fireplace just waiting for our wedding pictures 2 years after the fact.







And the finished product! It literally took us most of the day to get those suckers hung. Turns out the frames on the windows were very reluctant to accept the screws. Now keep in mind that I bought these curtains back in March and they've been sitting in their bags just waiting to be hung. And you can see proof in all of the "after" pictures that we did get our pictures and art hung on the walls.







So now our to list looks like this:

1. Purchase a new sofa and love seat
2. Purchase a new crib, changer, and dresser
3. Clean and organize the office/storage room
4. Organize our bedroom to make room for crib
5. Switch out the old computer desk for the new one
6. Put up curtains in living room
7. Put up blinds/curtains in main bathroom
8. Put up blinds/curtains in small bathroom
9. Put up curtains in dining room
10. Put up all pictures, art, and other various wall hangings
11. Purchase china cabinet for china still trapped in boxes
12. Put up curtains in kitchen
13. Complete cross stitch name picture for Baby O
14. Order pictures for and complete wedding frame collage
15. Clean apartment!!!

Wish us luck!

~AKO

Unimpressed Kitties and MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

So I've been playing around with the new camera yesterday and today. Turns out that little thing has a lot of settings! Since I opted to work from home today and Freddy went into the city, the only models available were my kitties.

Hadley is always game for a photo op and always seems to portray the sweet and innocent putty that he is not.





This was the best that I could get out of Harley. This is apparently his good side, according to him.





C-Lo, as always, is unimpressed.





And now for this week's MilSpouse Fiday Fill-In!





Join in at Wife of a Sailor!

1.What is ONE thing you’d like civilians to understand about being a military family?

That you can't really tell the Army no :( In addition, it really bothers me when civilians say "Well you knew what you were getting into when you married him." Do we really? I mean we know there will be separations, sometimes on short notice, but do we really know what we're getting ourselves into? I do know that I got myself into a loving relations with a very honorable man who love his country more than life.

2.What is your favorite mistake?

Getting addicted to Farmville! Lame, I know...

3.What indulgence could you give up for a year?

I could probably give up Diet Coke if I really needed to.

4.If you could be a winged animal, what would you be?

Probably a bat. I think they're cool.

5.What is one question you’d like to see asked in a future MFF?

If money were not an issue, what job would you want to have? It is always interesting to see where people's true passion lies when they don't have to worry about money.

~AKO

Introducing....

My New Toy :)




I already do have a nice SLR camera that I bought last year, but I also wanted a smaller one that I could carry around in my purse. This way I'll have a camera on me all the time, which will come in handy when Baby O makes his debut.

We have an awards program at work, which I got it through, so I didn't have to pay anything for this, which was nice. I got it in Plum and it is all fancy with a touch screen and everything. Of course I didn't think about getting a case for it so I won't be carrying it around until that happens so it doesn't get all scratched up.

~AKO

Freedom of Religion?

So something has been bothering me the past few weeks. A proposal was made to build a mosque by Ground Zero in New York City back in May. The groups who own the land, the American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative, submitted their proposal to the Community Board of Lower Manahattan. They own the land and there were no zoning changes so, legally, they did not even have to go before the board. They went before the board as a courtesy to let them know what they were planning. The plan is for a 15 story community center to be built which would include the mosque, performance art center, gym, swimming pool, and additional public space. The Community Board unanimously supported the project. However, now the general population is chiming in and basically saying it would be a disgrace to build a mosque near ground zero and would tarnish the memories of those who died in the attacks of 9/11. In addition, a mosque was blocked from being built on Staten Islans as well as in one of the Southern States over the past couple of months.

I was raised Catholic and just about everyone who knows me knows that I'm Catholic. I've never hidden that fact and respect the fact that in the United States I have the freedom to practice whatever religion I want to. And I feel others can do the same as long as it does not hurt anyone else.

I also understand the hatred that stemmed from the attacks on 9/11, however, I feel a lot of that hatred is focused on the wrong group of people. I was in NYC on 9/11 and I do remember feeling hatred. I also remember feeling hatred toward the terrorists who attacked our country. Never once did I feel any sort of hatred to the Muslim community. I have many friends and co-workers who are Muslim and did not think any differently of them post-9/11.

That being said, there is no reason to block the building of a mosque anywhere in this country, short of zoning laws. We can't go through the rest of our lives blocking a specific religious group from advancing their religion because of terrorism.

Again, just about anyone who knows me knows that I am very proud to be an American but sometimes I really feel that this country is extremely hypocritical. You cannot have freedom of religion, but then block a religious group from building a house of worship. We can't have it both ways. I think we try so hard not to offend anyone that we end up stomping all over the fundamental rights that we should be able to enjoy as Americans.

Just remember that Muslims in this country are Americans too and there were 300 Muslims killed in the attacks on 9/11.

~AKO

100 Days

In 100 days, give or take, we will have our little boy. Seems so strange to say it, or write it, out loud sometimes.

Friday I had my glucose screening, which of course made me ill all day. I was so happy that I had decided to take the day off from work instead of trying to work afterwards. I felt horrible all day. We won't find out the results for a few days but I'm really hoping for normal so we don't have to go through it again with the three hour test.

So we spent the day today trying to get the last few boxes unpacked that had taken over our 2nd bedroom. Yes, we've been here 8 months and still don't have everything unpacked. We found the box that had all of our picture frames in it so I finally got everything hung up on the walls. If the rest of the apartment didn't look like a disaster I would post some pics of our hard work. It always amazes me how the house looks like a disaster when you're trying to organize :)

The plan is for the crib to live in our room and put the rest of the nursery furniture in the 2nd bedroom. What sucks is that we can't really decorate a nursery since we are renting, but, I have found a cute cross stitch name picture that I'm going to do so we have at least one personalized item for him. I'll post a pic once it has been completed.

Well... off to hang the rest of the pictures!

~AKO

New Direction and BlogHop '10

Pensieve is hosting a Bog Hop, which is a great way to get your blog out there and meet some new bloggy friends. This is the 3rd year she is hosting one. I've participated in Blog Hops before but this is the first time I'm joining in on hers.

In addition, she has a lot of great giveaways on her site this weekend so head on over and see if anything grabs your eye.

For those of you who have been to my site before you may have noticed the name change. I originally started this blog last year and was focusing on the fact that I'm a Military Spouse. Well, I am much more than that :) hence the name change. I felt "The Calm Before the Storm" really illustrates how my life has been over the past 10 years. It especially fits now that we're preparting for a new arrival in November.

So... about me... I'm a thirty-something IT professional living the married life on the East Coast. I have a touch of random OCD that sometimes gets me in trouble, but most of the time gets me made fun of :) I enjoy photography and recently got back into my cross stitching. And you probably don't want to ask me about my putties because I can talk about them for hours!

I moved to NYC in 2000 from Michigan after graduating from college with a couple of friends. We had no job and no home so that first year was pretty tough but we made it through. I learned a lot about myself during that time that I probably never would have. I definitely learned to stand up for myself because if you don't do that here you will get walked all over.

I started work in 2001 for a small Electronic Payments consulting firm in their Quality Control department 2 weeks before the events of 9/11. Our office was right across the street from the Trade Center. We all learned alot about our dedication and perseverence during that time. I still work for the same company, but we are now a part of a well known international corporation. I also worked my way up through the ranks and am now a Manager with the Project Management department with 7 employees reporting directly to me. My job is mentally taxing most days but I enjoy it. I hope to start pursuing a grad degree next year and sitting for the Project Management Profession (PMP) exam as well.

In 2005, I met Freddy, who through a lot of effort and dedication, convinced me that we belonged together. Freddy is a member of the Army National Guard so I quickly learned that the Army comes first even if it means almost missing your own wedding reception! He loves the Army more than anything else and I'm pretty confident he will continue to renew his contract until they tell him he can't :) Freddy and I were married on October 25, 2008.

In 2006, we adpopted our first furbaby, C-Lo. She was already 2 - 3 years old and we had no idea what her history was. It took almost a year before she was fully comfortable with both of us but now she rules the house.

In 2007, we brought Hadley and Harley into the family. My friend found both of them as tiny kittens in the parking lot behind her building. They both had eye infections and had been taken from their mother way too soon. So she nursed them back to health. She already had two cats so we offered to take them since we were planning to get a friend for C-Lo anyway. Now they're both 20 pounders and, aside from a film on their eyes, show no signs of being sick as kittens.

And last, but not least :), we are expecting our first human baby in November. It is still not real for us but November will be here before we know it!

CSN Stores Giveaway

I had to stop in for one more post tonight...

Julie the Army Wife is hosting a giveaway for a $25.00 gift certificate to CSN Stores. I was browsing their site and they seem to have everything :) They seem to be pretty reasonably priced as well. So, if you're interested, head on over to Julie's site for details on how to enter!

Me, personally, with Baby O on the way every little bit helps :)

~AKO

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #7

Something fun that Wife of a Sailor started...

1. What is something you wished you’d learned to do earlier in life?

I actually wish I would have completed grad school by now. I have plans to go, but with a little one on the way I know it is going to be 100 times more difficult.

2. What is your biggest pet peeve with the military?

The fact that everything seems to happen last minute is a tad on the irritating side. Especially for the National Guard where these people also have their civilian life they need to take care of.

3. What tourist attraction near you have you never seen?

Unfortunately I never got around to visit the World Trade Center before 9/11 happened. I kick myself everyday because of it. The other tourist attraction that is still available that I haven't seen yet after living here for 10 years is the Intrepid museum. Someday I'll get there...

4. What are you avoiding doing right now?

Organizing this apartment for the November arrival of Baby O... We actually will be biting the bullet this weekend and try to make some progress. I suppose we better order the nursery furniture soon...

5. Wine, beer or liquor?

I'll take any of the above!!! The only catch is that once I start drinking one I have to stick to that all night. Mixing liquors for me is not pretty.

~AKO

25 Weeks

Today we are 25 weeks along... that is 6 months and 1 week for those of you who can't think in weeks :) I am now 100% in maternity clothes and find I can't quite bend over very well. Most of my cravings revolve around fruit but every once in awhile I have a craving for Dinty Moore Beef Stew. I still seem to get a little nauseous from time to time but nothing like the first 5 months. In the past 4 weeks my ankles and feet have really started to swell if I sit or stand to too long at a time. I can feel Baby O pretty regularly moving around in the evenings when I'm getting ready to go to bed. Of course today he was pretty active all the way through one of my afternoon meetings.

I now actually look like I'm pregnant instead of just fat :)





We finally broke down and bought the first items for baby. It is a small step toward the reality that this baby is coming whether we're ready or not, but a step nonetheless...







~AKO

Simple Pleasures

All I have to say is that Shark Week is awesome! I've sat mesmerized for the past hour watching Great White sharks propel themselves completely out of the water to surprise and catch their prey. Very cool!

And... holy crap I just realized that it is August already! Where is this year going???

~AKO