Not so easy..

I'm back at Ft. Hood.. well, technically I've been back for almost a week. I originally planned on coming back, signing the paperwork for my house the next day and moving by third day.

It's almost been a week and I'm still sleeping in my friends' guest room.

Paperwork for a house has not been signed, mainly because I have yet to find a house and of course the movers are nowhere in sight since they can't move the items without an address. And the best part? We're no longer counting, months or weeks anymore folks. We're down to days.. mere days before this deployment is supposed to be over and done with. Usually this is an occasion for celebration not panicky where-will-we-live feelings.

Somehow I think this is life's way of laughing in my face and saying, "Ha! Did you really think it would be so easy?"

I've looked at almost 20 houses, duplexes, fourplexes. I filled up the car's tank on Thursday and am currently below the 1/2 mark right now. I'm getting antsy. It's not that I feel I'm too picky with the choice of home to live in. The requirements are small: 2-3 bedrooms, 2 baths, privacy fence, allows pets.. oh and yeah, no holes on the walls, rodents living in the home and of course to not have the feeling of living in a place where I could be killed in the middle of the night and no one could hear me scream. Sadly, the last thought was not in jest. As soon as I pulled up to the neighborhood Friday afternoon that was the first thought that came to mind. And that was the front runner!

This weekend by mere accident, I came across a nice looking place in a great neighborhood and decided to drive by it today. Everything looks perfect from the outside and from the information online. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that when I call tomorrow it's still available.

Wish me luck!

The Day After..

I just found out I know of someone who was killed in Thursday's shooting on Fort Hood. I can't say names or give out any information.. I don't curse, I'm not the type to do it and I don't like to hear it, unfortunately there's only one way to describe this:

It's really fucked up. :(

I cannot begin to imagine the pain their family is going through, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. My heart aches for them. :(

Hello World..

.. I hadn't realized it had been a while since my last post. Things at home are ok except for a 2 big stress issues.

Issue #1: The Soldier has been having issues with his back moreso lately. They're supposed to be sending him to Germany for testing and those results might possibly end the deployment a lot sooner than excepted.

Issue #2: I can't move back to where we were living because my family really really needs me at home.

He's not happy, to say the least, at the fact that I possibly will not be back where we were at because I need to be with my family. *sigh* So it's very bittersweet for him to come back early. There's isn't a 'want' to be with my family.. I need to be here, he knows why, yet I'm left feeling guilty.

I remember reading a post on Spousebuzz on how spouses live in different states and how we shouldn't judge them since we don't know their circumstances, as if they had to explain themselves to begin with, I'm sort of on that boat right now.

I've been giving a new challenge by my younger brother to lose 30 lbs in 3 months and my first weigh in is next Monday. I planned it out to lose 2.5 lbs per week, deadline is Nov. 17, 2009.

Other than that.. Just trying to get through each day.

Oh yeah..

.. I had sour cream yesterday. Which might explain why by the time I got home I just felt really bad. I was exhausted with a headache and crawled right into bed.

My father and I decided to go have lunch yesterday and I ordered a taco salad. I changed the ground beef to steak, no guacamole or cheese. So it was taco shell, meat, lettuce, sour cream and the salsa for dressing. I honestly sat there debating in my head whether I could eat sour cream or not. It was only a dollop too.

Note to self: no yogurts = no sour cream.

The picky eater gets even moreso..

.. Well, here I am again. It's been of medical tests, chest xrays and medications. Turns out I am definitely positive. Apparently you only need a "5" to have a positive test and I was a "35" and according to my doctor, "Even Stevie Wonder can tell you're a positive."

After almost a week delay I found out my chest xrays and liver function tests I took are normal. I've been put on a special medication that I have to take daily for the next 9 months and with that come a few guidelines. I have to fast and I can't eat the following foods:

* cheeses, including American, Blue, Boursault, Brick, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Emmenthaler, Gruyere, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, Roquefort, Stilton, and Swiss;
* sour cream and yogurt;
* beef or chicken liver, fish, meats prepared with tenderizer, bologna, pepperoni, salami, summer sausage, game meat, meat extracts, caviar, dried fish, herring, shrimp paste, and tuna;
* avocados, bananas, figs, raisins, and sauerkraut;
* soy sauce, miso soup, bean curd, and fava beans;
* yeast extracts;
* ginseng;
* chocolate;
* caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, etc.); and
* beer (alcoholic and nonalcoholic), red wine (especially Chianti), sherry, vermouth, and other distilled spirits.

I actually got this list after eating a parfait and some french bread for breakfast and had a bad migraine for over 8 hours, towards the end I was in tears from the severity of it. Technically, I'm "cautioned" not to eat those foods but if I do eat them the side effects are:

"cause a reaction that includes a severe headache, large pupils, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flushing, sweating, itching, irregular heartbeats, and chest pain."

I had a tear-inducing migraine (first time for that btw) from eating a small yogurt and a small piece of french bread. I definitely don't want to go through it again so I'm getting rid of those foods for the next 9 months. Other than not wanting to get out of bed on some days and having to eat breakfast after noon, I've had no bad reactions to it. A few days ago we took my brother and Little Man to Chuck E Cheese where I promptly forgot I couldn't have cheese and ordered some cheese sticks. I realized it afterwards and so the salad bar and I got to know each other pretty well that night. I really don't mind the caffeine/chocolate part of it since because of my FBD/FBC I don't really eat them to begin with.

I've ordered two cookbooks, one on making flat breads since I really would like to eat bread (pita is out of the question with the yeast in it and all) and Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" I've been reading up on her since I saw the previews for her movie and I'm really excited. Not only will I be able to knock off the food part of my "60 Deployment List" but I might actually be able to cook more than 3 dinners now. Especially since I can't eat 2 of those dinners seeing as they involved ground meat. hehe.. ^_~


Other than that, it's been an interesting week. I admit I was scared at first but the Soldier told me not to worry and that I had just come close to someone since my last TB test that had it. On a different level I am kind of upset. If someone has TB they're supposed to be hospitalized, what were they doing out? And how did I get so close to someone without realizing it? If all goes well with the medication I should only have a 3% chance of developing it in the future. I have to go in to get monthly LFT's, liver function tests, since this medication has been known to possibly cause hepatitis and damage the liver. In rare cases I was told but I still need to go in to make sure I'm not one of them. I was also prescribed a supplemental vitamin B6 tablet daily during treatment to prevent numbness and tingling caused by low levels of this vitamin.

Some people have asked me what am I eating? What is there left for me to eat? Well, besides applesauce, hehe, I'm actually doing pretty well. But then again, it's only been a week. Ask me again in 3 months. ^_~

Curve ball..

Doing a routine updating of my shot records I had a TB skin test administered on Monday and noticed today that something was off.. Apparently it looks to be positive. Now I have to go in to the doctor tomorrow and see what's going to happen. I've been told chest x-rays, 9 months of medications and whatnot are huge possibilities if not definitelys. *Sigh* .. Just breathe..

What I've been up to..

This is the anniversary present I made for the Soldier. It's a quilt pillow and the first time I attempted to do anything this complicated. I spent a total of about 2 weeks on it, sketching the designs and eventually making them. There are 9 blocks and each block has a design or quote that is of significance to our past 3 years of marriage. I was incredibly proud of the end result.. Now all there is left to do is wait for him to receive it and 'see' his reaction. Oh, the back is all blue except for a block that is white with glow in the dark white thread. So that when it's night time and he's missing us at home, he can just look over and see the special message I wrote him. The best part is that I didn't tell him, so it's a surprise for him :)