Various Updates

So, a lot has happened in the last month, including but not limited to the following:

1. I had a successful surgery.
2. Dimas' family came to visit and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Seattle.
3. We went to the Army's Holiday Ball. It was so much fun!
4. My mom came to visit all the way from Switzerland.
5. Myself, Dimas and Angel (Dimas' sister) drove cross-country, from WA to WV.
6. I started my new job.
7. Dimas came to visit me (yes, already!) for Christmas. It was awesome plus 7.

There were also some smaller goings-on. I bought a futon, and Dimas and I put it together in 45 tiny little minutes, which he was proud of. :) So, I've officially upgraded from sleeping on a twin-sized air mattress to a full-sized futon. So Luxurious!

I know pictures make the world go round. I don't take many, but here are a few from the Holiday Ball.







Did I mention we had a great time there? We had to leave before the "booty shaking" portion of the ball (it actually had that listed on the program) to pick up my mom from the airport, but I'm sooo glad I got to experience that. Turns out getting all dressed up is fun!

Take care!

Marbles the Barbles Cat

A quickie post coming your way from the land of the two spoiled cats.

I figured I should post a better picture of Marbles, as her last one was kind of depressing. Here you go:



She's such a pretty cat! I'm trying to find her a home through a wonderful rescue organization called Kindred Souls Foundation in Steilacoom, WA. They are the nicest people and were the ONLY rescue that responded to my emails and phone calls. If she's not placed by the time I have to leave, she'll be moving to WV with me and the Yuna Cat, so I think it's kind of a win-win for her. :)

God bless, happy kittens, and other such things!

Where did November go?

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted? Sheesh.....time is very sneaky these days.

If you're all about the latest news, I have some for you! I FINALLY got confirmation about my new job....unfortunately, it's "confidential," so I officially get to start acting all squirrelly for no real reason. I have no idea how to spell squirrelly.

Additionally, my surgery awaits me tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. (poor Dimas...he thought he was gonna get to sleep in). I know it's weird, but I'm actually looking forward to it. It should provide me with some answers as to what, if anything, is going on with me. I went to my pre-op appointment on Monday and was doing the whole Army "hurry up and wait" thing for five loooong hours. Things like that really give me a renewed appreciation for what these guys have to deal with on a daily basis.

As if the upcoming move and surgery weren't enough in the "exciting happenings" category, Dimas' family will be here on the 25th...just in time for Thanksgiving! Somehow, we always find a way to spend Thanksgiving with family, which is awesome. I hope I'm recovered enough by then to be up and about and show them a decent time while they're here, because Dimas will have a 24-hour CQ rotation at least once during their stay.

THEN, my MOM will be here on Dec. 5th and I'll get to spend 3 whole days with her! Yes, that's right - she's coming on a 20 hour flight all the way from the land of the Swiss. And she's bringing chocolates. Gotta love her! I can't wait to see her and am SO, SO excited!

We'll be making the eastward trek on Dec. 11th, and we have to make it by Dec. 15th. I have no idea how that will all work out, but I have faith that it will. Here's hoping that we can come to a peace agreement with all blizzards.

Take care and I'll probably see you here in a month!

Goodbye, Washington.

Some exciting and scary news has come our way.....I got THE JOB!!!!

They called me at 6:00 a.m. on October 21st to ask if I was still interested (of course) and to find out when I can start. I am still in slight disbelief and/or shock.

So, my official starting date is December 22nd (exactly 2 months from today) and I am overwhelmed with a variety of thoughts and feelings about the whole thing. Most good...I have a CAREER now..., some bad....I won't be with Dimas for Christmas OR our 4th anniversary.....but overall I am just really happy, excited and feel so lucky and, above all, blessed. Did that sentence have any structure at all??

To all of you who helped me along the way through this crazy process, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wouldn't have gotten the job without your help and I really can never even begin to repay you. You are all welcome to come visit me in West Virginia anytime you want! I hear it's pretty country out there....lol. That'll be a change.

Apparently, bridges are a big thing in WV.

So there's that. Now I don't feel so guilty for my recent bum-hood. I was job-hunting, sure, but really wasn't settling for any old job. I'm almost glad I didn't get hired anywhere else, as it might've delayed the whole thing.

In other news, I'm scheduled for a silly little laparoscopy on November 20th, so I'm hoping it goes well and my healing time is as quick as possible. It's a long story as to why I'm having it, and it's actually pretty boring, but just know that I'm fine and will continue to be fine. Still, a little prayer would certainly help if you're so inclined. :)

I have a lot of organization and preparation to do for both upcoming events, so wish me well! Again, I thank you all so much.....I've been so blessed with good family, friends, etc. and I know this wasn't something I could've done without such a vast support system. Hugs and other such things your way. :)

Happenings

Today was a cool kind of day. A Sunday kind of day.

We watched the Cowboys defeat the Bengals (barely) at one of Dimas' army buddy's apartment. It was pizza and soda kind of fun.

Friday was Dimas' battalion's "Organizational Day," and I went with him for a couple of hours. It was cold and rainy, and Dimas was the ref for most of the flag football and soccer games, so there really wasn't a point in me staying all day.It was cool to meet some of the people he works with, though.

We also took a trip to Seattle a few weeks ago. We visited the Science Fiction and Rock 'N Roll museums, and walked around the Space Needle a bit. It seems like a really neat city, and we're definitely going back.

Of course, I have no pictures of any of this, so I don't have proof that we actually have a life. You'll just have to take my word for it. :) Oh, and in case you were wondering, Marbles the Cat is doing very well. Her wounds are pretty much all healed up and she's starting to become more and more active and curious. She's still a little bit scared of her new environment, but is gradually getting used to us.

In other news, Dimas will be gone for the entire month of October, more or less, for some Army training. Luckily, it's here at Ft. Lewis so he should get to come home every now and then. Don't tell him, but I'm trying to think of something cool for him as a surprise for when he's done with the training.....luckily, he never reads this. I should have named this site allaboutcrystal.blogspot.com. :)

Poor Marbles

So today I did an irrational thing. I took in an injured cat. Here's the story...

While browsing the "Pets" section on Craigslist the other day, I saw an ad for a free cat. I don't want another cat, but I clicked on it anyway, just to see what lame excuse this person has for getting rid of their pet. However, it turns out that they're giving the cat away because she has a large infected wound on her side and they can't afford to take her to the vet.

I felt compelled to help so I emailed the owner to get more information. Turns out, the cat has had this wound for at least a month, and she's isn't walking much anymore...mostly just lays in one spot all day. I knew that if someone didn't do something, the cat would die soon, so I asked Dimas if I can step in. Thankfully, he said yes!

I picked her up today and she was in worse shape than I expected. Malnourished, dehydrated, and with a ridiculously large and complex-looking infected wound on her chest & right side. I took her straight to the vet, who tested her for FLV & FIV. Luckily, she was negative for both. Since there really wasn't a large abscess to drain, he decided to give her an IV with fluids and penicillin and gave me some antibiotics to give her at home. He told me that the wound looked like an old dog bite and he had never seen one that bad. On top of that, she's not much more than skin and bones, so he told me to let her eat as much kitten food as she wants. This alone should help to fight off the infection. At least I hope so....if it doesn't get better she'll need surgery.

So, I cost our family $140 by doing this and though I know it wasn't the right thing to do monetarily, it still feels like it was the right thing to do in every other way. The family that had her was in pretty bad shape. The house was in more of a disarray than I've ever seen....and I'm pretty messy. No car, no money....and they had a couple of skinny dogs and little kittens that they were trying to keep fed....I hope by taking their cat I've helped them in some small way. They seemed like really nice people...the husband even cried when I took the cat away. Sigh.

Her original name was "Mommy Cat" (How creative, right? lol), but Dimas has since deemed her "Marbles." Cute name! I knew he could do it! He's been so great about all of my craziness, and the first thing he did when he got home was go check on her.

I'm hoping to get her healthy, spay her through one of those free or low-cost programs, and then get her adopted into a loving home. I've been trying to contact local rescue organizations to see if they can assist in any way....especially with finding her a new home...but no responses so far. She seems to be doing pretty well, considering. She's a quiet, very sweet cat who likes to be rubbed behind the ears, just like most cats.

Yuna, by contrast, is fat and healthy and extremely curious about our new visitor. Her nose was glued under the door of the office, where Marbles is recovering. There was some hissing and growling, but that's to be expected.

Anyway, here's hoping she doesn't end up needing surgery. Pray for a speedy cat healing!

Doctors are silly people

Interestingly enough, Dimas and I both had doctor appointments today. (Isn't our life Exciting?!) He went to get the old headaches checked out, and I went to return my new ones. They still had the tags, so I figured it would be okay. Turns out Excedrin Migraine is supposedly better than prescribed headache pain meds. Who knew? Too bad I hate swallowing pills and will never budge from my stubborn position.

My new PCM (that's primary care manager, for you lucky non-military folks) is a chummy old chap who likes to tell me how to live my life. Him: "Exercise, stretch and just try to lead an overall healthy life." Me: "I thought you were supposed to tell me things I didn't know. Interesting, medical things. Do you even watch House??" Him: "No, but I hear it's a great show." Me: "Oh, but it is!"

That's pretty much how I assume everyone's doctor appointments go. I just heard two gunshots from not more than a couple of blocks away! I hate this neighborhood.....

Anyway, all in all it was a winning kind of day.

Also, I've determined that I'm "nesting." I thought you had to be preggo to do that? Ah well...till next time!

Politics on the brain

So, like more than a few Americans, I'm on the fence about who I'm voting for in the upcoming presidential election. Dimas is certain he's voting Obama, but I think the McCain/Palin ticket does not necessarily mean another four years of the Bush administration. Palin's speech at the GOP convention was definitely interesting, but I'm not a small town gal with 5 kids so I can't say I relate to her 100%. Still, putting the governor's luxury jet up for auction on ebay does say something about who she is. The research will continue, because ultimately policy is what will matter.

The job search continues as well. It's getting to the point where I'm actually considering volunteering for medical research. Hopefully something will surface or I'll hear from at least one potential employer. Wish me luck, the one person who might actually read this. :)

First Post Ever...Cripes!

Hello, blogger world. I've finally decided to try and do this blogging thing once and for all. I have no idea how these things are supposed to go, so bear with me. I guess I'm supposed to introduce myself, so I've decided to do a long, drawn-out, kind of boring post about how Dimas & I got to where we are right now. So, without further ado, here is what our life has been like as a married couple thus far:

January 1, 2005: Tied the proverbial knot. I was 23 and he was 25 at the time, and he had just joined the Army. We got married on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX during his Christmas exodus from "boot camp." (Que romantico!)

January 3, 2005: He went back to finish up his basic training in GA, and I began my final semester of college. Woo hoo...fun times. He graduated at the end of January, and I drove up with his family to see him for like 2 days.

June something, 2005: I graduate from college (go me!) and Dimas graduates from AIT in AZ (go him!). I fly out to see him graduate and we drive with his family up to Vegas (go fun!) to spend a few days with his mom & sis. We then flew our little selves back to San Antonio to pick up my car and few personal belongings and drove the 15 hours to Colorado Springs, CO...his first duty station. We live in peace for a few months, and then...

November 28, 2005: Dimas deploys in support of OIF. For a year. No fair. And to top it off, it was like 5 degrees the night he left. I'll have to figure out how to put pictures up. Somewhere in the months leading up to his deployment he did a month-long training at NTC (which he hated) and I got my appendix removed. I thought that was worth mentioning. Oh, and Dimas bought a $1500 Isuzu Trooper, which he still has and loves dearly. I move back to my dad's house in San Antonio and work for the IRS. It only makes fiscal sense.

May something, 2006: Dimas comes home for mid-tour leave. Yay. Unfortunately, my grandpa passed away and a family member had a premature baby which didn't survive, so it was also a very hard time for me & my family. It was great to see him, though, and there were some fun times. Las Vegas (again) and my college roommate's wedding were a couple of highlights. Oh, and we bought our first new car together....the inFAMOUS Subaru Forester (or as we dubbed it, the "Boobadoo"). He was home for a few weeks.

September 2006: I head back to Colorado Springs to wait for Dimas' return, with the help of my mom and some of her friends. I get a little apartment and have little furniture, but Dimas' sister came out to visit with me and it cured me of the lonlies. She also helped me pick out a couch, which I would've been useless at doing on my own.

November something, 2006: Dimas comes home, safe and sound! Thank the heavens! We both had to adjust, but we did and all went well.

February something, 2007: We adopt the Yuna Cat from the Humane Society. She almost dies of an URI, but instead she lives and becomes the world's most spoiled cat.

May 2007: This is unexplainable. We buy our first house in Colorado Springs, CO, knowing full well it's a silly thing to do. We do it anyway and live to (sort of) regret it, because.....

September 2007: Dimas gets orders to PCS to Monterey, CA, and he has two weeks to get there! Yikes! We were in a frenzy, but we eventually got the house rented out and somehow made the move to beautiful Monterey, CA. This was a blessing, because had he not gotten the orders, he would've deployed right back to Iraq with the rest of his unit (poor guys and gals).

October 2007: I get a job working with the City of Monterey. Dimas learns Spanish at DLI. All is well, except Monterey's boring. Pretty. But boring. For us anyway. Other things happen...I make some good friends, a Disneyland trip happens, I see the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen....so all in all it was enjoyable. Which brings us to:

August 2008: Dimas graduated from DLI in July and officially knows Spanish now! He got orders to PCS to Ft. Lewis, WA so I quit my job and we made the trek two states northward. Turns out I really miss that foggy old town...Monterey...but I'm sure I'll learn to like WA as well. We have an apartment and are enjoying our time together. I'm job-hunting and Dimas is busy leading a squad of 6 soldiers, because he's an NCO now. :) Life has been good for us and we're thankful for every day we have together. Awww....

So there you have it. Now that you're all caught up, I'll try and keep this thing updated with new adventures and happenings and/or just my random thoughts about the world at large. I have a lot of those, so brace yourselves. Take care, all.

Yours truly,
Crystal