Crazy Times Ahead

So for those of you who don't know me. Let me start off by saying, while I love the fact that I got the opportunity to live in Germany, I am happy to finally be heading back to the states. That being said, we now know when and where we are going. We will be leaving Germany in July and heading to.... Ft. Riley, KS. I know, its in the middle of no where, but at this point, I welcome that. I am looking forward to some open space for once.
That being said, now begins the process of PCS'ing and moving. What does that mean. Scheduling Household Goods and Unaccompanied Baggage (DONE), cleaning quarters (IN PROCESS), looking for a new place (IN PROCESS) and clearing out of country (NOT STARTED). It is going to be a rough a trying couple of months, but I know that it is well worth it to get back to the states.

Finally

After waiting what seems like forever, it has finally happened. I made cut-off for E-6! While I only went to the board last December, I have been waiting for this for quite some time. I am now at a point where I will be able to do my full 20 years. So when I report into ALC (hopefully) on Monday, I will be SSG Ray. It already looks weird. Of course along with more responsibility comes more pay. Which at this point is a HUGE advantage for us. I just officially found out a couple of hours ago, and I am still a little bit in shock that it has finally happened. I do feel a little bad because my Soldier did not make cut-off for E-5, but I have no doubt that she will make it before she leaves here in December. In honor of this accomplishment, I leave you lovely readers with the 6 of Army from my still in progress Military Tarot.

If you would like to see more of the cards I created, please check out my Picassa Album. They are broken into different albums by Majors, Minors, and Court Cards. Feel free to take a look around while you are there.

PS. Later in the week, I will tie this in with how this promotion plays into my practice.

Exhausting Week

Yeah, I know it is only Wednesday, but already, I am ready for it to be over. 

 

So Alex finally started Sure Start on Monday. YAY! As you can see, he is so excited! It was all he has been talking about for like the past two weeks. The only bad thing we have heard from his teacher, is that he is doing the hoarding food thing at lunch time. For some reason, we have yet to figure out where he got it from, he crams his food into his mouth, and trys to hold it in his cheeks. It is funny because he looks like a chipmunk, but we have to try not to laugh to try to get him to stop doing it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. His teachers do know about him not pooping in the potty, but luckily he has not done it in his pants at school, he waits until Momma gets home for that. Oh yeah, and he still wont go to sleep until after ten o'clock so we are still fighting that battle, and of course the follow up battle to get up in the morning.

Since he is going to school everyday, I am definitely feeling more stressed. I have to get up, do PT, come home, take the dog out, take a shower, get myself ready for work, and get Alex up and ready for school and have him there by 8:15. Then to top it all off, have to work a full day, deal with everything that is going along with Transformation, and then come home, and try to get some housework/ dinner done.

I am still waiting to find out about the funding for my ALC (Advanced Leaders Course) that I am going to on October 1st. I am glad to be going, but not thrilled about the timing. This will actually be the first time that I will not be here for Alex's birthday. Plus, with me being gone, this means that the Hubs will have to do everything. I am just hoping that everything will go relatively smooth while I am gone. I will be under enough stress as it is, and will not be nearby if something should happen.

The nice thing is that you can tell that Fall is coming here in Germany. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it has already arrived. It is chilly in the morning and evening, and usually windy during the day. The leaves on the trees have already started to change, and fall. In fact, when I was at work the other day, you could smell someone burning leaves. I never really liked the smell personally, but for some reason, it was nice for once. 

Week in Review

So as another attempt to keep myself writing regularly, I have decided to start a week in review post. Pretty much it will include a wrap up of what happened within the past week.
So, this week has been pretty relaxed. It was the first week of my two weeks of leave. YAY! The first I have taken since I have been in Germany. A very much needed break from work. I didn't go anywhere, but am just enjoying the time to be at home and relax. Actually, I think this is the first time since I have been in the Army that I have been able to truly relax while on leave. Usually, we would go home, and have to worry about splitting time between family and friends. This time, I just get to sit and focus on being at home and RELAXING! Of course, I do have plans for getting housework done, and have accomplished quite a bit, but am still loving not having to go to work. I have had time to finally work on my travel Book of Shadows, and really like the way it is turning out.
Thursday, we finally got the phone call that Alex has a tentative slot in Sure Start for the next school year YAY! What does this mean. He will be going to Pre-K 5 days a week all day. There are still some questions I have about the program, but I will get to ask them this coming Thursday when I go to orientation. The biggest thing I am hoping to get from this, that Alex will get ready for Kindergarten and of course help him with the Potty problems that we are still dealing with.
I have managed to catch up on ALC course work that I was falling a little bit behind on due to just being too tired. Hopefully, I will be able to pull ahead on it in the next week. On that note, I also have taken some time to spend at the gym for some much needed work out time. Granted it was not as much as I would have liked, but since I have become well rested this week, I am hoping that will change next week. I know that I have not been working out as much as I should, and that I have not been keeping as close an eye on my weight as I need to, and since it is getting close to time for me to actually go to ALC, I need to get ready.
Oh, and the biggest disappointment this week was finding out that I missed cut-off by TWO points! TWO POINTS.... enough to make me mad. Then again, I know that means, I am closer to the top of the list, and that once I get done with ALC, I will have over 600 points, and should be good by then.
I know this has kind of jumped around a little bit, but that is how I think, so that is how it came out. I will try to do better as time goes on.
To close this, please enjoy this picture of one of the pages that I worked on this week. Since this is meant to be a Travel Book of Shadows, I thought it would be fitting to have a protection spell in it. If anyone would like to see more of what I have done, please let me know, I dont mind. I am even willing to share my BIG Book of Shadows. All you have to do is ask.

Pagan Blog Project - Quiet

Have you ever taken the time to think of how much noise we encounter in a typical day. As part of my job, I teach a week long class that has one hour dedicated to the effects of noise. In that class noise is defined as any unwanted sound. For example, while you may have a favorite band, and a favorite song, not many people would appreciate hearing it blasted at top volume at 2:30 in the morning. Or those of us who have children, while I love to hear Alex talk, as he almost always manages to crack me up, there are just some times, that I wish he would stop. These would be considered noise. We like our music, and listening to our children, but not all the time.
In this class about noise, I teach about the potential damage that can be done, as well as the impact on a Soldier if the experience too much noise. Last time I taught this class it got me thinking, if we can be physically damaged by noise, why not spiritually. Our ears need time to recoup from being bombarded by sounds and noises all day, that's why music in your car may seem louder first thing in the morning than when you go home at night, so why wouldn't our minds (spirits, souls, etc). I have noticed lately that the more things I have going on in my life, the more sounds there seems to be around me on a constant basis, and the more out of sorts I tend to feel. Whether its traffic outside my window, the train station across the street, listing to people talk, doing housework, or just sitting down writing this, I am surrounded by sounds.
So, again id our bodies (ears) need a chance to recover, why not minds (again spirits, souls, etc.) Have you ever had those few times, where it seems like there is nothing going on. No movement and best of all NO NOISES! How did it make you feel, Think about it real hard. Some people are actually nervous about quiet times. Me, I think I have been downrange and in the Army too long, to be nervous about quiet. I love when I get the chance to just sit somewhere, and hear nothing. I'm not talking about having earplugs in, but just one of those rare instances, where it is actually quiet. What do I do? ENJOY IT! Take a moment to just relax. Funny enough, this happens almost every time, I am in my sacred space. While I might be vaguely aware of certain things going on in the "mundane" (yes I went there and said it) world, once I am in my sacred space, it is so peaceful and QUIET that I almost hate to leave it. I enjoy it so much that I am making it a goal of mine to have a regular "date" with my sacred space. Whether it just sitting down to ground myself (which I need very much lately), or just doing some magical house cleaning. I am slowly beginning to see how important this quiet time is to me. Plus, between you and me, it is the only chance I have to be by myself.

So try to be like Linus. Find somewhere comfortable, and just enjoy the moment of peace and quiet.

Picture of my Quiet Space as it was set up for Samhain 2011

Busy, busy, frustration, busy

So finally bit the bullet and got Alex enrolled in Pre-school, he starts on Monday. While we still have not conquered the Potty Training Mountain yet, I am hoping this will help. He will only be in school for 3 hours in the morning, 3 days a week, but hopefully it will be enough to help him expend some energy, make some friends, and be around kids more. Not to mention it will get him and Steve out of the house. Then, while I was at Central Registration, I got him enrolled in Strong Beginnings that will start with the new school year. It is basically a Pre-K program that will get him ready for Kindergarten next year.

Right now I am just feeling really frustrated. Between being exhausted from having to be into work early, not getting to bed till late because Alex wont go to sleep until late, and being the only one who does anything in the house, and being the only one who takes the dog out, I am just exhausted and frustrated. What I would really like to do, is just take some time to myself, light my altar, and sit there. The problem is, I have to wait till Alex gets to sleep, or else it will be a waste of time, and then have to get the dog out. There is just not enough hours in the day. I am hoping that since I will be taking Alex to school in the mornings, that Steve will at least take Kovu out in the morning, so I will still have time to get myself, and Alex ready.

Plus on top of that, I am still "dealing" with the family issues back home. There has still been no resolution, and I am not sure when there will be, and when there is, how will it impact me in the future. Plus, with the transformation at work, no one seems to understand that we still have to do our mission, even though we will be falling under a new higher HQ's. Everyone is focused on the fact that they should be doing our mission, and not us. Technically, that would be true, but we still have people here, and as long as we are, we are going to do the mission as best as we can.

First Coupon Trips

So I have been seeing all this hype about people shopping with coupons. So I did my research, printed some out, and headed to the Commissary. Ill admit, that I felt a little silly standing in the aisle looking to figure out what coupons I had, but luckily, I managed to remember most of what I had. I was actually kinda on a roll, and found some in the store to use as well. While I had not planned on a big trip, I did manage to get $73 worth of groceries for $59, saving me 20% which I think is the first time I have had that happen. YAY me. So today, I went to the PX needing to get a new water filter and a bone for Kovu. While the bone was out of stock, I again managed to get $71 worth of items for $59 saving me another 19% I know this is a first. My biggest accomplishment today was the 2 bottles of Pantene that averaged out to $.85 a bottle! This just might be worth it afterall. Since then, I signed up for a few services that will send expired coupons to troops overseas since we can use them up to 6 months after the expiration date. If you coupon, and have expired ones, please check out Coups for Troops and Coupons to Troops who both send coupons directly to Soldiers who share what we do not use with others. Im excited to see what this new adventure holds, especially when I get back to the states.

In other news, I know that I have been slacking in my Pagan Blog Project Posts, but things have been really crazy, and I will be getting back to them this week. I have recently submitted paperwork that will allow me to leave Germany 8 months early. While it has been fun, there is no point in finishing my 3 years, since where I am at will be closing down before then. I am hoping it will work out like I am planning, which will get me home some time next summer, with an assignment at Ft Leonardwood, and then going to school in Ft Sam Houston for four months. Pretty much just waiting on the next higher level to bless off on it and it will be good to go.

Well, just finished my last final for the semester, and just have to wait for grades to post. Sadly, I'm just hoping for Cs across the board. In all actuality, I would like them to be higher, but the semester didn't go as good as I would have liked it. Too much stress and other things going on. This means that I will probably have to file a Financial Aid Appeal again for Fall Semester, but at least I will have a higher GPA than last semester. Just looking forward to knowing that finally my work is paying off, and I might actually have some credits to show for it this time around.
Since I have been so stressed and busy, I have decided to take Summer semester off, and will start again in the Fall. This also gives me time to just relax, and get things done that I need to do, like my ALC Phase 1 that starts in July. Maybe I will even be able to enjoy my down time instead of spending it worried that I will not be worried that I am forgetting to do an assignment.
One more weight off my back for now.

Out of Sorts

I think I need to spend some me time. I have just been so out of it lately, and emotional. The problem is that I feel guilty whenever I even think about taking time for myself. I know that Steve spends all day at home with Alex and the dog, and really does not get time to himself at all. He still had not said anything about the fact that I wrote my duty on Saturday. I don't think that explaining to him that I was planning on taking Alex with me for a while will even make a difference in how he will react. Sometimes, I really think I would be better off if I just got out of the military. Just so much going on lately, with whats going on at home, everything at work, and then dealing with trying to potty train Alex STILL, I'm just so exhausted.

Stupid School

So I have been working on homework for the past couple of hours. I saved my lab for last due to having to do it in the bathroom. It is 1130 at night, and I have been sitting here for about 45 minutes waiting for it to upload! GRRRR!! All I want to do is go to sleep, but this stupid thing wont upload!
Oh well, that's what happens when I wait till the last minute as usual. On a better note, SHORT WEEK at work this week! YAY! Still got some shopping to do for Easter (Yes we celebrate with the egg hunt and dinner). Gonna be a busy weekend, got a birthday party to go to, cupcakes to make on Saturday, and eggs to decorate, stuff and fill. Should be fun this time around, since Alex is a little bit older, and should have more fun looking for eggs. Not quite Monday, and I'm already looking forward to the weekend.

PBP - G for Growth

The whole reason I started this blog was to grow in my spirituality. Which it has, but how far? I feel that as Pagans we are always growing and learning. I don't think anyone ever gets to the point where they know all there is to know about about their chosen path. When we start out we have these fantastical ideas of what we want to get, what we want to do, and how we are going to do, and even what we NEED to call our selves. As we progress through our practice ideas change, we change our thoughts as we find ones that are better suited to our beliefs. For instance, when I first started down my path, I was Wiccan, however, as I have progressed I still consider myself Wiccan, but am closer to being a Pagan, in the broader sense of the word. But why call my self Wiccan? Before everyone gets upset, because it feels right to me*. No where is it written that we have to pick one set word to describe who we are (not going into race, gender, etc... I have a Multicultural Education Class for that). We should not feel tied to whatever label we chose to place on ourselves, or that others may place on us. Personally, my thoughts have changed. I have read different books, and said, I like that, but what about this... I like this wording, but want to add this to it.
As Pagans, we should feel blessed that we have the ability to chose what we want to practice. After all, the created us to be able to make these choices, so why not use them. Keep growing in your practice. find what works for you, and change it. Keep growing, and be sure to pass on what you learned to someone. Who knows, the growth that you have made may help someone else with theirs.

*Plus changing paperwork for the military every time I change my mind, practices and ideals takes allot of work

What a week... Mid-week edition

So today is only Wednesday, and it has already been one of those weeks. Starting Monday and continuing into today, I just wanted to crawl back into bed and go back to sleep. So on top of teaching FST, I found out that the slides that I thought were done for LRMC, we not and needed to be done by today. So I am out and not able to do them because I am teaching, I have both Soldiers who need to go out on mission, but cant because of things they have going on. I have one NCO is is leaving for TDY on Tuesday, another who is supposed to be going on Tuesday, and another who will have to do the slides... and that's just Monday. Needless to say it has been so stressful that I did not even celebrate Ostara yesterday like I had planned to. It just didn't seem fair, plus I was to mentally exhausted to do it, so I will be doing that Friday instead. So looking forward to the weekend so I can get some rest. Seems to be the norm for me more and more lately. Looking forward to something so that I can use it to get some rest.
On a better note, we got a new member of the family yesterday. His name is Kovu and he is an 8 month old Siberian Husky. So that has been the one silver lining on this otherwise shitty day.
OK, got my venting out, and feel better now. Going to lie down and relax for a little bit while I wait for Alex to go to sleep.

Too many Chiefs...

So a little background. I have been in Stuttgart this past week going over our mission there, with the Environmental Health Department at LRMC* to prepare them for when they take it over. So I get back today, and see my OIC* who went with us. He tells me good job, and that he appreciates the hard work we put in. He also tells me that my NCOIC* (there are 2 different ones both with the same name) has said that he has nothing for me today, and I am good to go for the day. So, I go check my email, and head out. At about 330, I get a phone call telling that there was a formation, and who was going to be there. I said that I would not because I was at home. "Well I guess Ill take that up with CPT X, but you need to clear that through me." Then about 5 minutes before formation, the other NCOIC calls me asking me the same question, "Now I'm not mad, but who said you could go home? Ill let SFC D* know." "Well he already called me." So long story short, I think I really need to sit down and figure out where I fall in this crazy triangle of supervision. If my OIC tells me that my NCOIC said I was good for the day, ummm.... that means I'm good for the day. I have come to terms with the fact that I have no power, and am using it to my full advantage, but I need to know who I answer to, who messages are allowed to come from, and who is allowed to relay those messages to me. Because obviously something got lost in translation somewhere. The funny thing is that the message originally came from SFC D. So after a surprisingly good TDY* my week went to hell. Guess we will see what happens on Monday.


Notes:
LRMC - Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
OIC - Officer in Charge, Boss of my section
NCOIC - Non-commissioned Officer in Charge, Senior enlisted in my Department. I have a Department NCOIC, and another who is another section, but still is in charge of us. I know, I know, I get a headache thinking about it myself.
TDY - Temporary Duty, going somewhere other than actual duty assignment
Ranks are the same, but names have been changed.