May Reading List

May was a decent reading month for me. Kristopher and I moved, so pretty much all of our money went to buying new things for our house. But I was still able to go through 9 books!

1. Shadow Kiss- I re-read this on the plane to my new home!



2. Along for the Ride- This was my first Sarah Dessen book.



3. Blood Promise



4. Spirit Bound



5. Of Poseidon



6. The Lightning Thief- This is another re-read for me. I read this series about 5 years ago and I'm planning on re-reading the entire series this year.



7. The Sea of Monsters 



8. The Titan's Curse



9. Uninvited- This book has been on my TBR list for months and I'm so glad that I was finally able to get my hands on a copy!



I went to the library yesterday and got a stack full of books, so hopefully I'll have a really long reading list next month!

-Chelsea

Instant Love

Ever since Jax came into our lives, Kris and I have been all smiles. I think that it's safe to say that we instantly fell in love with this little guy.

I'm sure that after seeing these photos, you all understand why. 

-Chelsea 

Spontaneous

The weather here has been absolutely dreadful lately but yesterday, the weather finally started to clear up. Kris and I were tired of being cooped up in our apartment and decided that we were going to spend the whole day outside. Our base has tons of paths that you can hike and tons of outdoor activities to do. We ended up walking around 7.5 miles with another military couple and got to know our base a little more. We all got pretty sunburned but it was worth it. 

They also stayed for dinner that night and it was the first time that I got to entertain anyone in our new place. We just grilled some hot dogs and laughed/talked for hours and it was really fun. The whole night was actually spontaneous. We hadn't planned on anyone coming over or doing the 7.5 mile walk. But I guess that most good things in life happen when you least expect it. 

-Chelsea 

Spouse to Spouse

A few days ago, I went to a Spouse to Spouse meeting. It's a place for army wives to meet and get to know each other. Being brand new to military life and this duty station, I knew that it was pretty important that I go.

However, my nerves were almost unbearable that day.

I'm from a small town where everybody knows everybody. I've never had to put myself out there and meet new people. I was so self-conscious and nervous that I almost didn't go. Thank goodness Kristopher gave me the push that I needed. So I went.

While I was there, I met a girl that is in the almost identical situation that I am. We bonded instantly and for the past 3 days, we've been inseparable and we've also been texting each other when we're not around. I feel so relieved that I made a new friend and I'm so grateful that I went to the meeting, even though I was afraid.

I guess facing your fears isn't so bad.

-Chelsea

New Town

Kristopher and I decided that today was going to be a fun day exploring our new town! We live on post and our nearest town is around 15-20 minutes away. So we hopped in the car, drove around and went to see what our new home state had to offer!

I had never been to a Bob Evans restaurant before but it's one of Kris' favorites. So we decided that I'd finally get to try it today. I must say that I was thoroughly impressed and we both quite enjoyed our breakfast. After that, we went shopping for new clothes to accommodate our new colder climate and went looking at local dog shelters.

Kris and I are dying for a dog. We think that it'd be a wonderful addition to our little family and because I can't remember a time when I didn't have a dog, it feels weird without one. So we went to 3 different places and saw what they had to offer. There was one dog that we fell in love with but they wanted a ridiculous amount of money for it. Unfortunately, our budget didn't allow for it. The other 2 dog shelters had mostly large dogs. Kris and I love big dogs too but because we live in an apartment and don't have a yard, we would feel more comfortable having a small dog. So we'll just keep looking for now.

Right now, we're playing Kingdom Hearts 2 and are about to start dinner. For the most part, our new little town proved to be a wonderful time.

-Chelsea

1 Year Wedding Anniversary

Exactly one year ago today, Kristopher and I embarked on the greatest journey of our lifetime, marriage. Our wedding day truly was the most spectacular day of my life and there is nobody in the world that I'd rather share that experience with.

We didn't have the conventional 'happily ever after' wedding story because he left for boot camp a week after we got married and then went through 9 months of training. But if I could do it all over again, I'd still do it in a heartbeat. This year has proved that Kristopher and I can get through anything and that our love is stronger than we ever could have imagined.

Our life, now that we're together, was worth every tear shed and sleepless night and our love is stronger than ever. I can't wait to see our love grow and I'm excited to see where this journey takes us.

Happy Anniversary, Kristopher!

05/12/2013-Forever!

Summer Courses

I've never taken a college course over the summer before but this summer, I decided that I needed to. I really want to get my degree done as fast as I can and I know that this can only benefit me. I only had enough extra money in my budget to allow for one extra class this summer but hey, credits are credits. Besides, where I go to school, summer classes are way more expensive than spring or fall classes.

I'm taking a global linguistics class and much to my surprise, I'm actually really enjoying it. Never in a million years did I think that I'd like a subject like this but I'm loving it. I actually find it very interesting and intriguing. I personally love classes that make me think and ask questions about the world and this class is doing just that!

If I'm going to be honest, I'm taking this class because out of my choices for my required courses, this one sounded the best. And trust me, my options all sounded boring.

I'm going to be very busy over the summer because classes are accelerated but I honestly don't mind much. The course involves a lot of reading and writing, which is definitely up my ally. (Math and science are definitely not my strong suit.) Plus it gives me something to focus on while I adjust to my new life and my new home.

-Chelsea

P.S. Sorry that I haven't put up a blog in 5 days! Eek! I still don't have WiFi where I live and I'm using the WiFi at my apartment's community center!

Happy Friday

This week has been a rough one for me. I moved far away from my family and I hit a few big bumps along the way. This certainly hasn't been the fairy tale that I've been expecting. But I made the decision that I wasn't going to let anything get me down.

In truth, situations are only as bad as you make them out to be. Yes, my circumstances aren't ideal right now but they could be a hell of a lot worse. I have a lot to be thankful for and one day, I'll look back on this experience and be so proud that Kristopher and I made it through it.

So I thought I'd share the things that have made me happy through this tough time in order to put things into perspective.

• The scenery around here is gorgeous. I'm surrounded by rivers, creeks and mountains. Those are things that I definitely didn't have back in Florida.
• Kris made a friend that has been able to give us help that we didn't even know that we needed.
• One of our biggest problems was solved quickly and efficiently.
• We signed a lease on an apartment! We officially have our first place together as a married couple!
• I've talked to my family every day since we left. Thank goodness for technology or I'd be going crazy.
• I'm not going through any of this alone. Kristopher and I are there for each other.

As long as you can find some good in any bad situation, you can get through it. We're not going to focus on the bad, we're going to focus on the good. The hard part is almost over anyway.

-Chelsea