Friday, November 12, 2010

Why do you press harder on the remote when you know the batteries are dead?

Sooooooo. I have been digging through my facebook account, you know, basically stalking myself you could say. And I came across one of those chain note thingys from like 2 years ago. One of those things that asks you a ton of questions and everyone posts their answers. Well I always did them when I was bored. 

So I found one, and what you had to do was write 25 random things about yourself. Something random that people probably never knew about you, something strange about yourself (god knows I have enough of those), or something serious like maybe a goal you have for yourself. <---Goals? Lame.

Anyways, after reading these 25 things I'm not really sure if it was me writing this or my alter ego because some of these things SURE AS HELL do not apply today. 

One of them says "I love my summer friend and I miss him." Who the hell am I talking about!?!?

Anyone? Answers?

No...

Crap. Guess I'll never know.

Another one..."I have only one regret in life and I'll probably never tell you what it is." Well clearly my little 17 year old self had no idea what the word regret meant because once again...WHAT THE HELL AM I TALKING ABOUT!? Not a clue...

For the record, I have no regrets. Everything I have done has made me who I am today. Sappy, I know. But bare with me. Sure, I haven't always made the best decisions. Some decisions I wish I could have made differently. But again, no regrets.

Okay so after reading this "25 random things that must have been written about me by someone else" from 2 years ago, I decided that today I would write 25 more. Well, maybe not 25. Maybe more. Maybe less. We'll see where my mind takes me when I start thinking about it. 

*****(Insert # Here) Random Things About Meeee*****

1. I have a very high tolerance for pain. I was walking around without crutches after having knee surgery 6 hours earlier. However, I'm scared to death to get a tattoo.

2. The thought of being dirty makes me cringe. I HAVE to shower every morning before I can do anything else. Feeling dirt on the bottom of my feet is the worst.

3. My Nanna was and always will be the most influential person in my life because of her strength, determination, character, willpower, and constant desire to make everyone else happy before herself. When she was passing away, she made me promise to go to college and graduate in 4 years right after high school. It's a signed and dated promise that I would never ever break. 

4. Sometimes I wonder if transferring was really the best decision. 

5. I've never been the person who knew from the time they were a little kid what they wanted to be when they grow up. When everyone else wanted to be doctors and veterinarians I wanted to play with my dolls and be a mommy. That's why I feel like no matter what I major in at school, it'll never be "exactly what I want to do."

6. I'm extremely flighty. No matter how much you up my dosage of Adderall, I'll still be just as flighty. 

7. I have an extreme issue with organization. If I had the money, my things would be 100 times more organized than they already are. Just wait until I have my own house. I'll need a separate shopping trip and a Uhaul to bring home all of the containers, bins, shelves, whatever I could possibly find to make everything organized to my liking. 

8. If I could eat only pineapple every day for the rest of my life I would. Problem- burns my tongue after a while because of all the acid.

9. I don't think anything can ever be clean enough.

10. I wish that I was a lot smarter than I am. Like genius smart

11. I hate being late. And I hate when other people are late. 

12. I've always been extremely independent. I hate asking for help. It makes me feel like a failure.

13. I have an obsession with making everything "perfect" but I don't even know how to define the word "perfect" because nothing can ever be "perfect."

14. I truly believe that things can only get in your way if you put them there.

15. I'm not the type to make goals for myself because if I didn't meet them I'd forever feel like a failure. I don't like the word "goals" because I think it puts too much pressure on a person.

16. I know what I want and I'll never stop until I get it.

17. I'm the first to admit that I'm a 100% princess. Hey, can you blame me? I'm an only child AND I was the only grand child on both sides of my family for 14 years. 

18. I got a $250 speeding ticket on the way to pick up Aaron 2 summers ago at the Groton Sub Base. I fought my way out of it. Since then I usually drive like a grandma. Except not like my Nanna because she had a lead foot like no other.

19. I'm very articulate. I can write extremely professional letters that make me sound like I'm 40. How do you think I got my way out of the speeding ticket?

20. I have an answer for everything. Not because I'm a smart ass, but because I'm a smart person. You can't really throw anything hypothetical situation about my life at me that I haven't already thought about before. 

21. I might not always appear to be listening to what you have to say when you "give me your two sense" but trust me, I am. 

22. Aside from a select few, I almost always can never listen to a full song. You can call it song ADD.

23. Chaos makes me crazy. Whether its controlled chaos or just plain bat shit crazy chaos, I hate it. HATE.

24. I have a lot of anxiety that derives from a number of different things. I'm working on it...

25. All I really want is to make my family proud and to be with the person that I love.

26. I'm petrified of the dark. Probably because of the whole anxiety business.

27. I don't share. And if you ask me to share I feel like my heart is going to start racing and I'm going to have a panic attack because I never had to learn how to do that...Basically why I hate dorm rooms...

28. It bothers me when people don't treat me like the adult that I've proven that I deserve to be treated like.

29. I've been through a lot more than any 19 year old should have had to go through. I don't say that because I think it makes me better than anyone else or because I want sympathy. It's just a fact.

30. I'm definitely the type who has 2 or so "best friends" and maybe 10 or so "close friends." I'd rather get together with like 5 people at one of our houses than go to a rager. Not my scene.

31. I have a lot of opinions. Strong opinions. So if you ask me for my opinion, be prepared to hear it. 

32. I'm possibly the worlds pickiest eater. I try to like different foods, I just don't. 

33. I do my own thing and I don't care who follows. But don't expect me to follow you. 

34. When the Star Spangled Banner is playing, like say at a sporting event, and people don't remove their hats, don't take it seriously, and don't shut the hell up (unless their singing it...respectfully singing it) I get so mad to the point where I want to physically remove each one of their hats and tape each one of their mouths shut. Sometimes it takes everything in me not to say something.

35. I've come along way as far as caring vs not caring what people think. I have a small select group of people that I do care what they think. "People" can include family members, friends, mentors whatever. It doesn't matter who. But everyone else, no.

36. I come up with the strangest most "out there" things in my head. Why? I have no idea. Some of them I share. But some are just too much for anyone else but me to know about :-D

37. I ask "why" a lot. About everything. I always have. 

38. I'm crazy. Get used to it.

....Alright so I'm going to stop there :)

I think those are the most important ones and look you got 38 out of the deal too. 

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." - Maria Robinson

Monday, November 8, 2010

Where there's a will...I want to be in it.

No no. Just kidding. 


Kind of....


But where there is a will, there is definitely a way. And thats pretty much how I live my life. Especially when it comes to my long distance relationship with Aaron. Coming up here shortly, hopefully,  will be a 6 month deployment full of tons of mixed emotions and extremely limited contact.


Super.


Anyways, the wonderful Kristie shared a blog post from a friend of hers with me. It talked all about the different stages of the deployment. I wanted to share it on here so that the people closest to me would know that I'm not crazy. Even though you may all think that I am. 


Take the time to read this and get a little taste of what's really going on in my head now, and throughout this whole experience. Thanks Kristie for sharing this with me and please thank your friend as well :) 


The Stages of Deployment and the "Symptoms" That Go Along With It


First stage: Pre-Deployment:
Duration: Begins with the warning order for deployment and ends when the Sailor actually departs from home port
Symptoms include:
~Anticipation of loss vs. denial 

~Train-up/long hours away 
~Getting affairs in order
~Mental/physical distances
~Arguments


Second Stage: Deployment
Duration: the first month of Sailor being gone
Symptoms include:
~Mixed emotions/relief that they finally left and can work on coming back
~Disoriented/overwhelmed
~Numb, sad, alone
~Sleep difficulty
~Security issues


Third Stage: Sustainment (sometimes referred to as Denial/Abstaining/Rebuttal/Nonacceptance)
Duration: months 2-5 depending on longevity of deployment
Symptoms include:
~New routines established
~New sources of support
~Feel more in control
~Independence
~Confidence ("I can do this")


Fourth Stage: Remainder of Deployment
Duration: The month before Sailor is due to arrive home
Symptoms:
~Anticipation of homecoming
~Excitement
~Apprehension
~Burst of energy/"nesting"
~Difficulty making decisions


Fifth Stage: Post Deployment
Duration: 1-2 months after deployment
Symptoms:
~Honeymoon period
~Loss of independence
~Need for "own" space and time
~Renegotiating routines
~Reintegrating into Family





While all of these might not seem to apply since Aaron and I don't live together right now, I just wanted to post this as a way to maybe try and understand what goes on in my head and in my world during all of this. 


Just because we don't see each other all of the time doesn't make a six month deployment any easier. Yeah, we might not see each other all of the time, but now we won't really talk to each other either. 


So try to realize that that is a big change. And try not to be the person who says "You don't see each other anyways so what does it matter?" 


Because it does matter.


Realize that there might be days where I cry over the stupidest things and get all worked up. It's difficult to accept the reality of the person that you love going under the ocean in a metal tube for six months doing god knows what in dangerous areas. 


I don't think you can ever really fully prepare.


It's not easy...


It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do. 


So like I said, if there's a will, there's a way. 


The will is there, and now I just have to find my way.