CaTcHiNg Up

Hmmm.... haven't blogged in awhile. I had every intention of blogging, but something else always eats up my time. Plus, I've once again had writer's block...or a not knowing exactly what to write. So there are some things you need to be caught up about.

1. Married for 4 wonderful years. As of September 6, 2009 Bivins and I have been married for 4 years. Most days I can hardly believe it. I love my life with him, yes even in Alabama b/c I am with him. I know when I "ran away" to get married there were some people who were a little nervous, but I'm so happy that we got married in our own way...in God's way really because I know I wouldn't have met my dear husband without his intervention. (Honestly, have you heard "Our Story?" An Ohio teacher talking to this sweet southern Marine stationed in DC on the phone for hours, and hours, and hours and annoying everyone she knows by doing such, lol. If you haven't heard it then ask me sometime and I'll be happy to tell you. I apologize now for the dreamy look I'll get in my eyes.) As I told Bivins on our 2 year anniversary when he was an ocean away-he literally was-"I wouldn't change a sentence of Our Story."

2. Weekend Remodel Project~During our anniversary weekend we typically try to get to the beach or spend the weekend doing something fun. We were unable to get away this year~funding was limited and we were both very, very tired from fighting sinus problems. So we decided we would work on one of the many things that need a little fixing and tlc in our home. We started in the master bathroom. It had vinyl floral walls. 'Nuff said. So we painted the walls and we replaced all the fixtures~the lighting fixture, the towel bars, the toilet paper holder, the shower rod, and the electrical face plates. We replaced the mirror and cabinet with a mirrored medicine cabinet (which was a steal for $44 instead of $100). We painted 2 walls a creamy color and then one wall is a chocolate brown. I feel like we doubled the size of the bathroom just with the paint and the new cabinet. I still need to find a rug, a curtain for the window, and some new towels which is why I haven't taken any "after" pictures because I don't feel like it is completely finished yet. If you happen to know where I can find a curtain rod for a window that it 14" wide please let me know. The smallest one I have been able to find is 28" and it is too wide for the window and the wall space. I love walking into the bathroom though because it feels like a completely different place. I think the next project will be painting the master bedroom. It has speckled vinyl walls.

3. I woke up at 4am for no reason and have been unable to go back to sleep. I'm very sad about this. I typically sleep very well when it rains and it is pouring down rain right now, but I am wide awake. Why? Why? Why? Ugh. Hopefully once I finish blogging I will be tired enough to go back to sleep again. {Yawn} Yes, maybe I will...

4. LOFT~I will be moving to a higher volume LOFT store this week. (If you don't speak retail that means I will be moving to a busier store that receives about double the amount of traffic my current store receives.) It is an exciting move that will offer me a chance to sharpen my skills as a sales lead and help prepare me for a co-manager position should one open up. While I am excited about this move, I am also a bit nervous. I am a bit of a perfectionist and I tend to get really frustrated when I feel like I'm not doing a good job. I enjoy a neat store with everything in its place. When you have a lot of traffic in the store it makes it harder to keep everything in its place. I hope my OCD about not being able to function well in a mess doesn't get the best of me at this new location. I hope the challenges brought on by this new store don't kill my "love for LOFT."

5. Alabama Living~We are still in Alabama. It still doesn't feel like home. .oO(I don't think it feels like home to Bivins either even though he was born and raised here.) I don't know where home is...I know it is a feeling and not a place, but really where are we supposed to be. I feel like we're going through the motions of life instead of living it sometimes. Bivins is going to school still and doing well, but he still dislikes it most days. I am still working my retail job and enjoying it, but wondering if retail will be my life or will I end up back in the classroom. A few weeks ago Bivins was notified that he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. (He is still on inactive reserve duty for 3 more years.) The letter originally went to the in-law's house since their address is still listed as his permanent address. When I heard that the USMC had sent him something I was almost hoping it was a recall notice. And then the guilt sets in because if they called him back he would most likely deploy and I don't want to spend time apart from him again, but it would get him back on active duty, which he misses. (I miss it too, which is a bit ironic b/c if you go back and read my posts about him getting out all I can say is how excited I am for "life after the USMC"...) I even asked him if the promotion to Corporal would up his chances of being recalled or help him get back in, we don't know. So I'm in Alabama trying to remind myself God has a plan and I just need to trust he is working it out...

I know there were a few other things I was going to blog about, but I think I may be feeling sleepy again so I am going to try and go back to sleep for a bit before I have to head into work.