Travelin’ Thru GA, Ramblin’ Across the Land

Today has been a good day. I’m slightly overwhelmed with school work and trying to prepare for the upcoming PCS, but I just knew churning out a few words on my blog would temporarily fix my ailments. Besides, I know you’re all just dying to know why and how I went camping in Georgia in May.

I was supposed to head “home” last weekend, but Doc said ‘no way Jose’ in different words so we made plans to spend some time outdoors with my dear ole dad. His bluegrass band was attending a festival in Cochran, Georgia, not too far from our house. After relaxing for a while on Friday afternoon, we packed up the car and headed that way with plans to sleep under the stars.

We waited until evening, though because this pregnant gal gets incredibly hot.

Temperatures for the weekend were lower-to mid nineties.

Thee above do not mix.

Still, we had a good time. I enjoyed falling asleep in the back of the truck (on an air mattress, of course) while listening to the sounds of my childhood. Growing up, Dad was constantly taking us to festivals to hear him (and many others) play. The notes, the instruments, the voices,  the old songs I knew so well lulled me off to sleep that night. And you know what?

I slept pretty great! The mosquitos were a real downer, though. I’m covered in bug bites now that aren’t so attractive and quite itchy. I will not complain, though because I remember the insane swarms of mosquitos that plagued Alaska in the summer months. Those were, by far, the worst I’ve ever seen.

It felt good to get back outside. I have missed camping while being preggo. It’s not for the faint of heart, though– Be sure to take lots of water. Also, you’ll want to bring along some of your favorite men to hang with. I enjoyed visiting with Dad and spending quality time with the Cap’n. I just don’t do it enough.

Dad in Do-Rag

“Willie Bob’s”- Only in the South

Roughin’ It- Kinda.

Missing him

I miss my husband. It’s forty below zero outside and he’s at Ft. Wainwright sleeping in a tent. He’s always training, always working on something new.  I feel pretty bad about complaining about camping in twenty degree weather now!

I really miss him and I know how ridiculous that sounds at this point because I was without him for a whole year. What would one night matter? It does, though. His absence in our room is palpable. He should be beside me…keeping me warm. Tonight is just a reminder for me that he won’t always get to be here with me. I dread another deployment. It will rear it’s ugly head eventually, but I know we’ll be ready and we already know we can handle it.

I am attempting a new hobby. Nicole ( my side-kick up here) and I decided we needed to do something productive so we are taking up knitting. I’ve already started working on a scarf because I figured that would be the easiest to do and it would come in handy here! Wish me luck. I’ll post my progress as my first scarf comes along.

I didn’t do much today, but I had such a good day. It feels amazing to wake up and remember all over again that Jordan will be in my life now and forever. As we try to get back into the swing of things, I’ve been trying to wake up with him in the mornings, whereas I normally would sleep as much as I could until the sun came up around 11. Terrible, I know. Anyway, it has really helped with my insomnia. Surprise, surprise. I enjoy getting an early start to the day. It’s nice to wake up, fix breakfast, and eat with him before he goes off to work. It’s my favorite part of the day…until he gets home in the evenings, that is! I’m having the time of my life playing house and stay at home wife 🙂

 

October firsts

October brought about so many fond memories for the both of us and many firsts, too! One weekend we visited the Chena Hot Springs after a long day of fishing in a near by river. We hadn’t had much luck so we decided to take the advice of a man we’d met who said his favorite fishing nook was in Delta Junction, Alaska. We hopped in the truck the next day, camping and fishing gear in tow, to a beautiful campsite a couple hours away. Camping in Alaska is much different than sleeping outside in Tennessee! I was so cold that night and my frustration grew every time I rolled over and saw  J sleeping (and sweating) comfortably in his sleeping bag. We had a good time, though.

The first snowfall of the season came in October, too. It brought about shooting lessons from two of the Army’s fine veterans: Lt.s Joshua and J. I was somewhat frightened at first because of the hype of the “kick back” of some guns, but after I shot it, it seemed pretty easy. I actually hit my targets!

The days began to feel much shorter as the sun started going down much faster so Jordan and I decided to give scuba diving a try. We signed up for classes at Test the Waters Adventure Sports in North Pole, AK. This new activity was a first for both of us and we were glad to have found something that neither of us had done that we could do together. We bought all the gear we needed and jumped in the pool for lessons. Breathing under water is one of the neatest things I’ve ever done. Instinct is to fight it and swim to the surface, but after awhile, the regulators in our mouths became second nature. We did well in our practice dives and finished the test portion making us well on our way to being certified. We hoped to get our first dive under our belts in our upcoming trip to New Zealand.