Sunday, June 3, 2012

Up to Date with my Updates...

Yay! 
An update!

So, the last time I posted was when I got my new job :)
Which was also almost 2 months ago haha.

Since then, not to much has happened aside from an impromptu trip to Colorado!
Ethan and I each had an extended weekend so we figured we should go somewhere.
What better place is there to visit than Colorado!?

While we were there we saw both of our families and 2 of my best friends.
It was pretty laid back and low key, but the shopping was phenomenal.
If you lived in Great Falls, you would understand.
We got to eat at all of our favorite restaurants, and I managed to squeak in a tea at my most favorite place every single day.
I think, aside from ourselves, Reagan had the time of his life.
He got to spend an entire weekend with his best friend, Mater!!!

The downside to this trip was returning to Great Falls.
After being around such good friends and family, it honestly puts me in a depressive state for a couple of days.
Being there reminds me what it is like to have really good friends.
Which I have yet to find here in Montana.
Don't get me wrong. I have a few "acquaintances".
But I haven't met someone I could call while Ethan is on alert and just hang out with.
Which is all I really look for in a friend.
I've never been one that needed to have friends.
I do very well being alone, and like to keep my personal life pretty private.
But that doesn't necessarily mean that I don't enjoy some good company.
I am sure with time something will roll along.
I just miss the heck out of all of my Colorado friends.
:(
Enough with the pity party.

Since it SNOWED here in this stupid state during Memorial Day weekend.
Ethan and I spent the majority of our weekend watching crazy TV food documentaries.
(I'm kind of fascinated with health)
Here are the three we watched:
Food INC., Forks over Knives, and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.
I encourage everyone to watch these.
Not because I want to convince you to go organic or vegan.
But because it could open your eyes to choosing other options when it comes to nutrition.
All of them are available for free on Netflix.
For me, I've become more conscious of the process through which my food is treated.
Lately, I have been keeping everything I eat but my dinner 100% clean.
This meaning, I don't eat anything that has gone through processing.
I also have chosen to only eat meat with my dinners.
Call me crazy.
But don't call me crazy until you watch those documentaries!

My latest obsession has been juicing.
I don't think I could ever do a strictly juicing cleanse.
(This is the process used in Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead)
I enjoy the satisfaction of actually chewing and swallowing my food.
But I make a juice every morning and if I get the urge to eat something and have the time later in the day, I'll juice something then too.
My favorite so far is strictly red grapes and celery.
It's so sweet and satisfying!
A couple other favorites are a carrot, apple, ginger, and this juice:


A Kale Lemonade.

It's been a bit of a challenge working at Crooked Tree :)
Haha smelling the muffins, cupcakes, and biscotti coming out of the oven.
But I just bring a juice to work and so far, so good.
I'm seeing some pretty decent results in not only my figure, but mainly in my energy.
I haven't really come home and gone straight for a nap in quite some time.
Pretty good for a 3 AM wake-up call 4 times a week!!!

Well that's about it for now.
We have 3 months left until our cruise now!
Which means we are only 2 months away from our 1st accomplished year of marriage!
How Exciting!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Taking a Crooked Path...

Well, we made it back to Montana.
I don't know if I will ever love a state as much as I love Colorado.
Seeing my family just warms my heart.
So I'll give you the somewhat short version of our itinerary.

Thursday:
We flew into Denver, rented our car, and immediately ate chipotle :)
Yum.


We then drove to Co. Springs and toured the new Rego living quarters.
Ethan and I took a trip downtown to purchase my sister a bday present at lulu.
We gathered around that night with family and friends at a local restaurant.

Friday:
Ethan and I woke up bright and early to hike the incline!
It was one of the most beautiful mornings ever.
(once we were above the fog)


From there we met all the men in town for some carb-ilicious breakfast
Biscuits and gravy!
We then got ready for the long awaited promotion ceremony!
I was so proud and honored to be a part of that celebration.
Congratulations Major General :)
Not going to ignore this....being part of his receiving line felt awkward.
Haha I was never sure what to say.
Just a simple thanks.
My family made the drive down to attend as well.
So, I spent the majority of the after party conversing with them.
Ethan and a collection of friends went out that night and had a little to much fun.
I stayed home and slept!

Saturday:
We woke up early again so that I could make it to Littleton to see my two best friends before they worked/went home to Utah.
The three of us (plus brittney's little ones) had breakfast together.
It was so fantastic to see both of them.
This is a rare occurrence now a days.
Growing up stinks.
I then went home and lounged.
Jenny and I met for tea at my favorite place.
We sat and talked for almost an hour.
I feel so blessed to have found her this summer.
She has become one of the best friends I've ever had and I can't wait til she gets here!
Later that night we attended the buescher tri-birthday extravaganza.
They were celebrating a 50th, 21st, and 13th birthday.

Sunday:
We woke up and attended church with my family.
After that we went to the annual Glombecki Easter brunch.
I cannot believe we have done that since Ryan and I were toddlers.
His dad also works for a distribution company so me and Rachel took home a collection of chia seed beverages.
Our favorites!!!
We had dinner with my family and sadly Alyssa had to work that afternoon.

In the end, we had a fantastic weekend.
I'm counting down the days until I see my family again.

Here is some exciting news!
You know that coffee/cupcake place I rave about?
Crooked Tree
Well you are looking at their new, full time, morning baker!
Today was my first day and I loved it.
I've dreamed of working at a small, cozy, little place like this.
I even decorated a couple cakes!
Pretty good for my first time eh?


I'm so excited to grow and learn here.
Just think of all of the amazing things I'll be creating.
The best part, despite the 4 am start?
I'm done by noon and still have a good majority of the day for me and hubby time!

Also, finally, here are some pictures of our downstairs
(still not finished)
I'd like to get a rug for under the kitchen table and we need some serious wall decor.
We are also still thinking about painting but don't want to make any permanent decisions just yet.



I just love all of our natural light.
This house is FULL of windows.
So we will update room by room as things get moving a bit quicker.

I hope you enjoyed this ever so long post :)

Love Always.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Water or Soda?

I found this today and thought I would share.
I've never been a soda drinker....thank god.
This will make you think twice!

WATER
#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (also applies to half the world population)
#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.
#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79% and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

COKE
#1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
#8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

INFORMATION:
#1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches
calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.
#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!

So the question is, would you like a glass of water? or Coke?


Thursday, March 29, 2012

The Lifestyle Begins


Whoa...
So I actually have interesting things to blog about for once
:)

We will start with the weekend.
Probably the best one in a long time.
We started off the weekend with a bang.
A BIG BANG...
And by that I mean we went and saw the Hunger Games.
Sarah, her husband Blake, Ethan and Myself.
We started with coffee at Crooked Tree and dinner at MacKenzie River.
Detour for a second...
One of my best friends is coming out in a month
and we are both obsessed with cookie sundae skillets.
I can't wait to take her there because they have the BEST cookie skillet.
Okay, back to the weekend.
The Hunger Games met my expectations.
I was not disappointed with any part of the movie.
ALMOST everything was true to book which seems to be hard to find these days.
My ONE complaint was some of the shaking filming sections.
For example, the reaping.
I don't think it focused on a single face...just a bit of a mess.
Other than that I'm absolutely in LOVE!

Saturday Ethan and I went to Crooked Tree ... again.
This coffee house is seriously the cutest thing on the planet.
Everyone knows my obsession with cupcakes and the way they add art to the tastiest coffee concoctions just satisfies every fiber of my being.

These were the best cupcakes I've ever had!
Coconut Macaroon :)


A cute post-wedding photo shoot a couple had done there.

After that we went to Boston's with a TON of people.
(only knowing a small handful)
to watch the Air Force Academy hockey game.
Sarah's husband played on the team during his time there.
It was definitely a good time.
We then decided to be an old, married couple and went home.
We watched t.v. and did a puzzle together.
Aww we're so cute :-P

Sunday was a rest and relax day.

Monday Ethan had his first alert.
This was a training alert so he got to see what his job will be like.
This meant that he was gone overnight.
It was definitely weird for me.
After 6 months of spending every night together...
I don't think I realized how different it would feel.
I ate dinner by myself, worked out alone, and slept alone.
Luckily for us it's only 1 night at a time.
I believe some of the SF people are gone for 5 days at a time.
Props to those women.
I couldn't imagine doing that year round.
Especially once you throw kids and newborns in the mix.
Yikes.
But, then again, that's kind of what us military wives signed up for!
I'm lucky in the sense that I'm pretty independent.
And I feel secure within my relationship.

So starting next month, these will happen about twice a week.
Ethan also seemed very excited when he returned.
He is very lucky to have been placed in a job that he will really enjoy.
And I, thankfully, have Sarah.
Our husbands' schedule seem to be pretty similar so we'll have each other for our boring husband-less nights!
I'm very lucky to have found a friend I relate to and get along with.
YAY!

One week from today we return to Colorado!
We are celebrating the promotion of my legit Father-in-Law to Major General.
What an accomplishment?!
I am praying for incline worthy weather.
If you don't know what the incline is...
It's a 1 mile hike up a large staircase, which is an old railway.
Followed by a 2.6 mile trail run back down.
It's my FAVORITE work out/hike to date.
The view from the top is incredible and the feeling of accomplishment surpasses any other.
I can't wait to get back.
I just love everything about Colorado.
Not to mention I'll get to see both of my very best friends from high school :)
I'll get to see both sides of my family,
and
one of my best friends since birth for our annual easter gathering!
Oh, and I can't forget that I'll actually get to go shopping somewhere legit.
Great Falls is very depressing when it comes to shopping :(
(Good for the bank account though!)

We have so much to fit in!
Well I better get to the gym...I've been so good lately!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Whoa....

Oh my...
I guess I should update?

Well I've been keeping myself crazy busy.
No time to write blogs...
Without giving up my much needed couch potato hours from time to time.
My recent shows include the usual...puke
(As my grandfather would put it)
The Bachelor, Jersey Shore, New Girl, Big Bang Theory
and
Ethan and I finished all of the seasons of Modern Family AND caught up.
If you haven't or don't watch that show...I highly recommend it.

Ethan is back to work about every day now.
9-4 ish seems to be the staple.
So I have been getting A LOT of my school work done.
I am not going to lie...learning medical terminology is like learning a new language.
The program I am using makes studying pretty easy though.
So, I am thankful for that.
I'm thinking about getting a part time job while I'm doing this...
We will see.

As far as the gym goes recently.
I log in at least an hour a day.
I've been trying to get my running done in the morning and my weights done in the afternoon.
I have started running 4 miles 3 times a week.
( I used to HATE long distance running )
I'm starting to really love it.
The other days I do HIIT for 15 minutes.
Ethan and I also do a workout called Spartacus MWF.
It definitely kicks my butt but it's fun at the same time.

This past weekend we were pretty laid back.
Friday we hit the gym, came home, ordered food, and just hung out.
Saturday we decided to try a 7.1 mile hike close to where we live.
Sadly, we got ALMOST there to find out the road was closed until Thursday.
Luckily for the dogs the dirt road was along a river.
We let them out and they went crazy.
Reagan just loves the water.
So, it wasn't a complete waste of a drive.
We then grabbed a drink with a couple of friends at the Tap House Lounge.
They have a HUGE selection of martini's
and a pretty decent dinner menu.
So for the first time in a long time...
I actually had a drink.

Today, we got up and went to the great falls shooting sports complex.
We shot Ethan's new 9mm and the 22.
It got a bit windy though so we left after a few rounds.
Took the dogs to the dog park and now, here we are.
He's playing golf with Blake, and I'm doing more school and updating you.

On another very exciting note...
We will be traveling back to Colorado April 5th-9th.
Ethan's Dad is now officially a Major General.
We were lucky enough to have leave approved for his promotion ceremony.
It's also the weekend of my littlest sister's 19th birthday and Easter.
So I'm so very, very excited.

As far as how I am adjusting to being here...
It isn't too bad.
Luckily, I am pretty good about keeping myself occupied.
However, I am terrible about making the effort to meet people.
I don't know what it is.
I guess I'm just a chicken.
I wouldn't mind finding a group of people to hang out with though...
I'm hoping a job might help me?
I'm not going to worry about it too much though.
In due time.

So, 24 days until Colorado
and
180 days until our Cruise!

I'm so excited!!!!

Love Always,

Monday, February 13, 2012

Cleaning House...

And by cleaning house I mean my, personal, power house.
I am set and on my way to becoming a better, healthier me.

Today was an extra good day.
I had no cravings for processed foods or sugars.
I had potentially one of the best work outs of my life.
and now I'm just relaxing.

I would have to say that the biggest difference for me
(between my previous lifestyle and my healthier lifestyle)
is the amount of energy I have throughout the day.
Normally I would start to feel tired by about 3 or 4.
I'm completely rejuvenated!
It really is a great feeling.

So here is what I have been doing:
I'm making a promise to myself to sweat at least 6 times a week.
That doesn't necessarily mean go to the gym for an hour.
I could take Reagan for a walk, do some work out videos, or play soccer.
Today, I went to the gym.
I started my workout with a 15 minute HIIT cardio session.
I hike the incline of the treadmill up to about 3 and jog at 5.5 mph.
At the beginning of every minute I sprint (about a 8.0 mph) for 20 seconds.
I also increase the incline by 1 each minute, and return to 3 every 5th minute.
It sounds like a lot...
But when you focus on making sure you hit the right time to increase or decrease your speed...
time sure does fly.

After that I hit the weights.
I'll admit lifting in a gym full of military men and women can be a bit intimidating.
I've just come to the realization that I'm not there for anyone but me.
So I shouldn't care whether people are laughing at the lack of weight I can lift.
I'm there to change that.

Also, good news.
The gym on base is going to start offering group fitness classes again in March.
I was getting tempted to start forking out some cash for some of these at The Peak.
No need to worry anymore!
I can't wait for some spin, yoga, and pilates classes :D
It's like my birthday.

One thing we all have to remember though is that the gym is only 10-15 percent of your progress.
The rest happens in the kitchen.
Tonight for dinner we had baked chicken with roasted squash and asparagus.
I'm lucky in the sense that I LOVE vegetables.
My husband....does not.
My main focus is to not necessarily count calories.
But to be cautious of what I'm putting in my body.
If there is an ingredient I can't pronounce...I don't eat it.
I'm staying away from white flours and sugars.
And trying to figure out the amount of carbs, fats, and protein my body needs.

Some of you are probably asking...
Who Cares?
Well I want to hold myself accountable for the goals I am setting.
I think that blogging about what I'm doing will help keep me on track.
I'm hoping.
My goal is NOT to be skinny.
I know I don't need to lose weight.
My goal is to be fit and healthy.
I want muscles not bones.
I don't want my health to ever be a factor as to why I can't have or do something.
So I'm not on a diet, I'm changing my lifestyle.


Friday, February 3, 2012

Cruisin'

Hello!
So we have made a lot of progress in the past couple days!
Sorry, still no pictures of the house :(
But...
In one of our rooms we have a bit of a window cove
So, we are in the process of building a window seat reading nook.
It's our first project together and so far it's coming together fabulously!
Every room is somewhat put together
(aside from final touches)
except for this one.
So any progress is great progress!

I applied for the Medical Coding/Billing program I talked about in my last blog.
And all of my financial assistance and my Goals/Plans have been ACCEPTED!
So 4 months from now I will be the proud owner of a Medical Coding/Billing license.
I'm pretty freaking excited to have yet another skill under my belt.
My next step is to try to find an internship
(Paid or not)
That will at least put some experience in the field on my resume.
Not to mention I just found out that a very close family friend of ours may be able to assist me in finding a job right after I finish.

It's kind of strange...
I have more of a drive to do well in this program than I did throughout college.
I'm not quite sure why.
I don't think I realized how crucial my college career was until I got out.
Don't get me wrong...
I'm extremely proud of my Graphic Design portfolio and what I accomplished.
But I feel like I could have pushed myself a little more.
So looking back, I guess that's the one thing I regret.

On that note...
I miss college.
Maybe not so much college but all of the people.
I miss Kristin Nugent like none other.
I miss our nights in an empty auditorium dancing our hearts out.
I miss comparing our ripped to shreds feet.
I miss sitting in the hall of the 3rd floor of Crabbe just talking.
I miss our trips to Francesca's and going to Patrick's.
There are obviously a number of people I miss but I haven't been able to see her or hear her voice ever since she left to Vienna.
So in that sense...
It's quite different.

I never dreamed I would have come out of college with a friend that I was this close to.
For a long time I thought that I would never connect with another female like I did my best friend of almost 10 years now (Rachael)
and my sisters of course
But within the last 2 years I've met a handful of girls I can throw into that category of a "best friend"



That's them!
It's a pretty awesome feeling
I wish I could throw them all in a suitcase and ship them to Mt.
For one, I'm not very good about opening up and I'm still not comfortable doing so with most people.
I think that is where my biggest obstacle lies.
So I either learn to overcome it, or find someone who accepts my need for privacy.
I'm just hoping that within the 4-5 years I spend here in Montana, I find myself a handful of girls that I can say the exact same thing about.
Making friends is harder than one would have thought.
But being a part of the military lifestyle...one is forced to find a way to do so.
So wish me luck!

Now...
the most exciting news of this all.
Our honeymoon is FINALLY booked!!!
Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!
On September 8th Ethan and I will be on our way on a massive ship...
to the CARIBBEAN!
It's a 7 day eastern cruise on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.
Currently the largest cruise line floating in the ocean.
This is going to be Ethan's 1st Cruise EVER.
This will be my 4th (3rd on RC).
I absolutely love cruises and I cannot wait to share this time with my new husband :)
Even though by then we will have been married over a year.
All we need to do now is get our air fare, new swimsuits, so cute dresses, sandals, and our beach bodies!
Good thing I've got 8 months to prepare!

I'm thinking I will start to update you all on my workouts/eating plans.
I'm setting some serious goals for myself for this cruise.
I'm sick of people thinking that doing just crunches will result in a 6 pack.
So with my clean eating, mild cardio, and lots of weight training...
I think I'll take you on my journey of fitness :)


Well...
until then I hope everyone is enjoying their snow day in Colorado
I hope the High School dance teams are enjoying Nationals in Florida
(wish I was still doing it!)
and I hope all you Mt people are enjoying the lack of wind :)

Love Always

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Malmstrom AFB

It's about time a wrote another post...
Last I left you, we had just visited Disneyland.

Well, now we are in good ol Montana.
We have successfully made the move to Malmstrom AFB.
We didn't have to wait even a day for our home!
(The wait for our stuff to get here is another story)

-18 degrees...that was the temperature the day after we arrived.
A nice warm welcome to say the least.
But, after a few days of the freezing cold, we are back in the 40's.
I must say I love it here so far.
It would probably be a whole different story if we didn't know other people living here.
Ethan hasn't had to work since we have gotten here.
It's been all about hanging out and setting up shop in the house.
I'm so thankful for this time.
I imagine it would have been a much longer process had he been working.

Our house is the perfect size for the two of us.
And definitely has some room to grow for the future ;)
Don't get too excited! That won't be for a little while.
We have what is considered a 2br 2 ba house.
However, this is quite deceiving once you take your tour.
We have a kitchen and living room downstairs.
There is also a bathroom, HUGE laundry room, coat closet and walk in closet.
Upstairs we have the master, a guest room, an office, a bathroom, and a random GIANT room.
We have NO idea what we are going to do with it.
I plan on turning it into a seating/craft/office area for now.
But that room is the last of our priorities at the moment.
So as you can see...
It's more of a 3 bedroom + study home.
I think Reagan might finally realize that this is his home.
We have never lived with just the 3 of us.
So you can see why he would be a little skeptical.
He has his own yard, and his own bed, and loves the big empty room for tail chasing.
And NO ONE steals toys out of his toy box.

All of our stuff is looking great so far.
The walls are a bit bare at the moment.
Once I get everything a little more home-y I'll be sure to post pictures.

As far as the base goes...
This place is like a little card board box compared to Vandy.
In Cali, it would probably take you 30+ DRIVING to get from one side of base to the other.
Here, you can walk from one side to the other in that amount of time...or less.
None the less, it's pretty nice.
They are building a new BX and while the commissary is lacking in it's produce department, it still provides.
The best part so far is the gym.
It's GIANT.
So giant that the equipment looks a bit awkward in the sense that its all so spread out.
A few things that I'll miss is watching gossip girl on the treadmill.
(No iPod connectors)
and being able to run on the beach

My main focus now is to find a job.
I've applied and sent my resume to a couple of places in town.
No one seems to be in the need or looking for a Graphic Designer in this town.
This wouldn't surprise you if you drove down the main road.
Everything looks like it stepped out of the 1970's.
I don't think a single building has been updated in years.

I have been doing research on tuition assistance given to military spouses.
There is a program known as MyCAA which gives military spouses up to $4000 worth of tuition.
There's a small catch in the sense that you can't pick absolutely anything you want to do.
This isn't bothering me too much though.
I'm thinking about taking online classes in medical coding and billing.
The great thing about this is that I can take classes at my own pace.
(I can take up to a year)
But if I study full time I can finish the classroom and certification within 4 months.
The other great thing is that medical coders can work both within a hospital and from their homes.
So, once that time comes, and mini Rego's are running wild.
I'll be able to work from home.
Which is my ideal scenario.

I'm going to go talk to the education office here on base before I make any huge decisions.
But a free education and certification sounds good to me.
Especially if it means a second income for Ethan and myself.
We can get his loans out of the way and start saving, saving, saving.

Since we have been here we haven't done too much.
We spent about 4-5 days in Helena with Sarah's family.
They were so sweet to let us stay with them while we were waiting for our stuff.
We hung out, watched her sister hold a master's dance class, went out to eat, and took a spin class that nearly killed me.
Sarah and Blake are really the only people we have spent time with so far.
They also came over for our first cooked meal in our house!

Oh yea!
Ethan's a local celebrity already.
Haha, the story that was in the Vandenberg paper about him and his dad was just posted in the Malmstrom AFB newspaper.

Well, that's about it for now.
I'll update you as time passes.
For now, things are pretty boring :)