Meme
1 - Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.
I'm adding stealing my own rule - if you want me to give you five questions, you have to ask five. :)
1. What is the strangest thing about being married to your high school sweetheart?
That we're still together? I think the strangest thing for us is being able to look back at every decision we've made since we were 15-16 years old and have someone to really bounce it off of. 'What if we had applied ourselves more during high school?' 'What if I had gone to Cali for fashion merchandising?' The things that are weird for everyone else? - We have one kid and he is under 2 years old even though we're going on 10 years of marriage (what tha...). We don't argue anymore (and never really did). We love our son and don't feel like he has cheated us of anything. So many people - esp in the military - look at their kids like a burden, something holding them back. In our case he is moving us forward.
2. How far ahead do you set goals? What is your 5 year plan?
Career wise pretty far out there. Brandon is half way to retirement and more than half way to his degree (he's thinking about becoming a lawyer). He plans a lot more than I do. I follow along and add my goals to his. I'm going to go to school eventually but I think one of us should be able to focus on everything else while the other is working towards a goal and school is a pretty big time killer.
5 year plan - pay off the cars, be as debt free as possible. Be headed in the direction of a degree for me. See #3. I'm not good with long term.
3. Is there a plan for Trent to have siblings?
Originally I was thinking one kid spoiled rotten - now we're planning on two. I don't know what made for the change in decision, it just feels right.
4. (I'm stealing this one because I love it:) What thing about motherhood has surprised you the most so far?
Two things. First - The mama-bear instinct. I didn't really understand it when I was still pregnant but oh my god I would do anything to protect him. Especially nursing, I always had/have my guard up and not once have I ever needed to say anything. I know that I'm lucky to have made it 18 months and never have a negative experience.
Second - I'm afraid of dying. Not really dying but like - I've been sky diving over Las Vegas, snorkling off of Key West - any number of "extreme" things. And now I worry. What if I make the decision to go sky diving again and something happens? Before, no one was relying on me, now - I'd be leaving someone behind. I had never imagined that I'd feel that way.
5. Name one thing you miss most from when you lived in England and one thing you learned about yourself in the process of being an Expat.
I miss being able to walk everywhere (which we had at 1 house in WA also). I feel so much more connected to my surroundings when I'm walking. Not to mention being/feeling more healthy. And in England it was like the "down town" living without a crazy huge downtown. Brandon hates "downtown" - he doesn't like hustle and bustle but he also likes walking. It's the best of both worlds. That is closely tied with the chinese food place in the village that we lived in...mmm shrimp crackers...
What I learned in England had a lot more to do with being out of my parents house for the first time than it did being in England. We learned that we could do it. 100% on our own, no help from back home. When our families found out what we had been through (no heat, the bare minimum for food) they were upset that we didn't ask for help but it honestly never occurred to us. We had made the decision to get married at 19, to move to another country - we owned our decisions.
We had it easy, language was English, food was bland but edible. Mostly you learned to appreciate the American things that you missed but also try things you never would've if you had stayed home. I don't understand people who live 5 minutes from where they grew up - never seen beyond the state lines. Move on.
I wish I could've been there longer and we hope to get back to overseas or Hawaii when we are up for orders in 3 years. It's a long way off and not a guarantee.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.
I'm adding stealing my own rule - if you want me to give you five questions, you have to ask five. :)
1. What is the strangest thing about being married to your high school sweetheart?
That we're still together? I think the strangest thing for us is being able to look back at every decision we've made since we were 15-16 years old and have someone to really bounce it off of. 'What if we had applied ourselves more during high school?' 'What if I had gone to Cali for fashion merchandising?' The things that are weird for everyone else? - We have one kid and he is under 2 years old even though we're going on 10 years of marriage (what tha...). We don't argue anymore (and never really did). We love our son and don't feel like he has cheated us of anything. So many people - esp in the military - look at their kids like a burden, something holding them back. In our case he is moving us forward.
2. How far ahead do you set goals? What is your 5 year plan?
Career wise pretty far out there. Brandon is half way to retirement and more than half way to his degree (he's thinking about becoming a lawyer). He plans a lot more than I do. I follow along and add my goals to his. I'm going to go to school eventually but I think one of us should be able to focus on everything else while the other is working towards a goal and school is a pretty big time killer.
5 year plan - pay off the cars, be as debt free as possible. Be headed in the direction of a degree for me. See #3. I'm not good with long term.
3. Is there a plan for Trent to have siblings?
Originally I was thinking one kid spoiled rotten - now we're planning on two. I don't know what made for the change in decision, it just feels right.
4. (I'm stealing this one because I love it:) What thing about motherhood has surprised you the most so far?
Two things. First - The mama-bear instinct. I didn't really understand it when I was still pregnant but oh my god I would do anything to protect him. Especially nursing, I always had/have my guard up and not once have I ever needed to say anything. I know that I'm lucky to have made it 18 months and never have a negative experience.
Second - I'm afraid of dying. Not really dying but like - I've been sky diving over Las Vegas, snorkling off of Key West - any number of "extreme" things. And now I worry. What if I make the decision to go sky diving again and something happens? Before, no one was relying on me, now - I'd be leaving someone behind. I had never imagined that I'd feel that way.
5. Name one thing you miss most from when you lived in England and one thing you learned about yourself in the process of being an Expat.
I miss being able to walk everywhere (which we had at 1 house in WA also). I feel so much more connected to my surroundings when I'm walking. Not to mention being/feeling more healthy. And in England it was like the "down town" living without a crazy huge downtown. Brandon hates "downtown" - he doesn't like hustle and bustle but he also likes walking. It's the best of both worlds. That is closely tied with the chinese food place in the village that we lived in...mmm shrimp crackers...
What I learned in England had a lot more to do with being out of my parents house for the first time than it did being in England. We learned that we could do it. 100% on our own, no help from back home. When our families found out what we had been through (no heat, the bare minimum for food) they were upset that we didn't ask for help but it honestly never occurred to us. We had made the decision to get married at 19, to move to another country - we owned our decisions.
We had it easy, language was English, food was bland but edible. Mostly you learned to appreciate the American things that you missed but also try things you never would've if you had stayed home. I don't understand people who live 5 minutes from where they grew up - never seen beyond the state lines. Move on.
I wish I could've been there longer and we hope to get back to overseas or Hawaii when we are up for orders in 3 years. It's a long way off and not a guarantee.