Taking The Bad With The Good

I am in a fantastic mood today, considering.

Considering my house is more than likely going to be under 3 to 4 feet of standing water by the end of the month, and I am being forced to pack all of my most important worldly belongings. I am feeling confident that I'm going to be able to get out all of the things that really matter to Zack and I, as well as most of the stuff that doesn't. If my house is unlivable, which it will obviously be if it floods even a little, I have a place to go that I can take my Hank and Lucy, and all of our stuff, for free. Which is exciting since I will still get my housing allowance, and I will have enough money to replace any necessities that I may not move.

This is all fantastic news.

However, I am super excited because today was my second weigh in with Weight Watchers. I have officially been on "the plan" for 2 full weeks and I have already lost 7.4 pounds! Woot! I received my 5 pound weight loss milestone today and I am thrilled. I have also lost multiple inches. I am elated. I can't believe how easy this is. I can't believe how close I am to my first goal, it is insane. At this rate I will reach my goal weight well before Zack gets home. I just need to stay motivated, and I really don't think that's going to be a problem.

I am already looking at cute little outfits to wear to pick Zack up from the airport. It's so exciting.

I know 7.4 pounds doesn't seem like much in 2 weeks, but this isn't really a diet, it's the way I will learn to eat for the rest of my life. People on weight watchers generally lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. I have a total of 50 weeks since I started Weight Watchers to the time Zack gets home, 1 or 2 pounds a week works pretty perfectly since I'm not trying to lose 100 pounds.

That was exactly what I needed to get me out of my funk. I have been pretty sad lately. But today I feel good. Even though I still miss Zackery like crazy.

I HATE packing and moving though. I have always hated it. It always feels messy and unorganized. So in that arena, I could definitely use some motivation. It is not fun.

I'm being told if it floods even a little bit they will shut off the power to our area. Since it is almost a certainty that it will flood at least a little bit I feel like I should start moving my stuff as soon as possible so that I don't end up moving stuff, especially big stuff, from my house in the 10 zillion degree heat.

Because the heat here is not playing around. It is as hot here this week as it is in Bahrain. It's insane. Anyone who has ever moved or helped someone move, knows that the only thing worse than moving someone in the middle of the subzero temp winter, is moving someone in the middle of the my skin is cooking temps in the summer. So, It's sort of a hurry up and wait game now. Good thing I'm so used to that.

So, there's that.

I want to briefly mention to all of you how bummed I was this morning, however.
WAIT! It's not what you think.
This morning I wanted to donate Lucy's old litter box to the animal shelter, because I just got a sweet new one that requires minimal poop touching. I got there a little early and while I was sitting in the parking lot I saw a family, with their 2 small children in the car, bringing their cat and kittens to be dropped off.
It is kitten season and the shelter is PACKED with homeless cats and kittens. If you bring your cat in with it's kittens right now you should feel confident that at least half of them will not make it out. They're just too full. So don't be an ass and take your cat and kittens to the shelter. Spay and Neuter your animals, first and foremost. But if you're too lazy and irresponsible to do that, at the very least, it is your responsibility to take care of your family pets offspring, and make sure they all have loving and responsible homes to go to.
How can someone take their pet to the pound like they're returning a library book? I can't understand it. Lucy is psychotic. She is rarely a joy to be around. She is mean to everyone besides Zack and I, and really that's only if she's having a good day. She believes, firmly, that her mission in life is to attack and kill everything in our home. Even on her very worst day, I have never seriously considered taking her to the pound. Because she's my responsibility. Zack and I adopted her and I owe it to her to stick it out no matter how psychotic she turned out to be, and love her even if she will only let me pet her 2 or 3 times a day.

Lucy helping me pack.

So don't be stupid.
It breaks my heart.

I'm An Idiot, How Exciting!

In my frenzy (or crazy), obviously to keep busy, I have been literally purging all of the extra in my house. It is obscene. Boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff for goodwill. I'm almost embarassed. Beds, bedding, old stocking stuffers, shoes, random items I don't need, tupperware by the case load for example, but mostly CLOTHES. I just did this last year, I know, some of you have read about this once before. But last year I kept things because I thought that they were cute and one day I'd be able to wear the outfit I wore to post prom my junior year, again.

I am an idiot.

I am doing fabulous on weight watchers. I am a lot more aware of what I eat, mainly. Knowing my regular sandwich from Jimmy's is 20 points, has kept me away from their freaky fast goodness. French fries are out of the question, and even my favorite salad has like 18 points. I feel like an idiot for eating like that before. Because fruit is 0 points (yay grapefruit!!) and requires almost no prep-time I mostly eat that. Also, so that I get some real food in I eat oatmeal or something for breakfast and maybe a weight watchers smart ones frozen meal for dinner. Which is difficult for me, because I don't like to eat things that don't expire this year. But, it's a marked improvement from the crap I eat usually without really even thinking about it.

It's actually perfect, because Zack's health habits are changing drastically due to his new found love of fitness, and his roommate David. So, I feel confident that when he returns we will be able to stay fit and look sexy together.

Back to my point, I am doing fabulous on weight watchers. My clothes, after only one week, are already fitting a lot differently. I am stoked. So, I thought, I could get out my old clothes that I saved and see if they fit.

I am an idiot.

This was a terrible decision for a few reasons. The first is that I have been wearing clothes that fit loosely to begin with so my 3 or 4 pound weight loss since starting WW is going to make clothes that were already borderline too big, fit like they're too big. Putting on clothes that were SEVERAL sizes smaller was a joke. They were way too small and left me feeling like a huge douche.
The second reason that it wasn't a great idea, is that those clothes, are not cute. As it turns out. They looked fabulous on my 5 years ago, because that's when they were stylish and new. Not today, folks. Not today.
Why did I think that wearing those funny, tie under your boobs over a tanktop thingys were even remotely acceptable? Talking about showing off your assets. Apparently I thought those were words to live by.

Circa May 2008- hopefully the last one of those shirt toppers I wore.

I am an idiot.

So today while purging the clothes from my bedroom, without even opening last years boxes I put in my closet marked post-weight loss, I put them in my car to be taken to goodwill. Outski.

This is not because I am not confident that I will fit into them again, I will. I could totally rock those boob-showy thingys and tiny tank tops, in a couple of months. But, why would I? My thoughts on keeping them previously wasn't to save money on new clothes, it was to wear cute smaller clothes as a reward to myself when I lost weight. Reward myself from wearing clothes that I wouldn't have worn today if I never gained any weight at all. What a reward that would have been.

Ya know what a better reward will be? NEW CLOTHES. Woot! It's going to be spectacular.

So, they're all gone. Except my favorite old pair of jeans, also not acceptable to wear in 2011. But, how frickity awesome will I feel when I can wear them again?? Yessir.

I'm feeling confident! I feel motivated, and I am going to kick this weight loss things ass, and then all of you will donate money for my new wardrobe... please.

Okeydoke. More cleaning to get to. Talk to you all later!

By the way- I've been getting RECORD views on this blog, like the highest they've ever been by almost double, and yet the comments have drastically decreased. What the hayl? No comment?

xoxox

I'm Going to Be FIne

Today has been a long day. I've been cleaning my house. Not just cleaning, I mean like deep cleaning. It was in complete disarray, so any kind of cleaning was welcomed by both my house, and my husband. My living room and bathroom are the cleanest they've been since I moved into this house. It's ridiculous. However, I have broken each and everyone of my Kim Kardashian glamorous finger nails. For some reason when I clean obsessively I slowly fall apart. My back aches, my feet suddenly feel freezing and go numbish, my skin gets dry, my lips immediately chap, and most concerning my nails get dry and break... yet, my husband doesn't feel this is a sign that I am to immediately stop cleaning and hire a cleaning service.

Our house is over run with animal hair. So much so that I almost considered naming this post Shaving the Kitty, which I immediately rethought... not really the type of reader I'm looking to get. Not on this blog anyway.
I won't pretend that Lucy is even one fifth of our animal hair problem, although her stripey hair is increasingly becoming an issue, it is mostly my big sheddy Hank. He makes no apologies about it, and the benefits of Hank's love far outweigh the fact that all black clothing Zack and I wear has to be kept in our cars, and we have to put it on in the driveway. Making wearing black pants uncomfortable for us, and our neighbors.
I have a dyson, and it rocks, and it still is a constant battle to tame the detached main of my zoo. It's really awful. But I try... yes I do.

Our dish washer is broken as well. It's one of those mobile ones that rolls around the floor when drunk people  lean on it. It was never really reliable for clean dishes, but for the first 18 months or so that I lived here, a couple cycles did the job. It has however, completely forsaken me. Bastard. Now it sits angrily in the corner of my kitchen, mocking me, unused and in my way. So I have been HAND WASHING dishes, for the first time in my life. So much for being the kept, trophy wife I thought I was. It dries out my hands and nails in a way that you can not imagine.
My nails are screaming, and they sound like a tiny Vietnamese woman named Susie who works at my nail place. They beg me to get acryllic nails and forget about how great my nails grow on their own when taken care of. But I can't. It's too danged expensive, and I just cant forget how awesome my nails look when they get to grow on their own. I'm not ready to give up on them.

My carpet is perpetually spotted. Our carpet is white, because my landlord is a sadist. I don't know what he was thinking when he filled this house full of white easily stainable carpet but it wasn't "Some day I'm going to rent this house out to a funny young woman, her muddy husband, her great big dog, and their occasional potty trained-challenged foster dogs. So, I think we will go with white carpet. Yep." No sir, it was not.

Bah. I hate cleaning. I'm the worst cleaner, but when I start, you better just leave me alone because I'm not stopping. Which is why demon kitty has been quarantined to her room most of the day, I was certain if I stepped on her tail one more time it was going to result in a pricey vet visit.

I haven't checked facebook, all day. I don't know what's on anyone's mind right now, and it is strangely freeing but extremely unfamiliar. I could think about nothing other than shiny sinks (Thank you Flylady), Windexed mirrors, and getting everything organized all the live long day.

Here's the thing, I think if I just stay this busy every day Zack is gone, I should be A OK. I have all sorts of things planned for the year from hell.
I'm going to workout every day, except for maybe Sunday. Just because nobody likes anyone who works out everyday and public approval is very important to me.
I'm going to go to weight watchers because I'm getting boudoir or pin up photos done as a Valentine's day present for my husband in 2012, (which I'm writing more about later) and I plan to be even cuter.
I'm going to work and make some money and since I'll be so busy, I hope to have no time to spend any of it and be super ready for baby beautiful eyes as soon as Zack gets back.
I'm going to play with all of the babies of the people around me lucky enough to get knocked up recently. That is going to be spectacular.
I'm going to start cutting coupons like it never went out of style. I don't care if I look like your Grandma in the grocery store. It's going to be sweet.
I'm also playing coed softball with two of my favorite people in the world, Chelsea and Sam. I'm really excited about that.
I'm going to volunteer my behind off for SOLAS, for Precious Memories, and for any other thing I can get into. Volunteering makes me SO happy. It's disturbing.
I'm going to blog and talk to you all a lot. Because I just love you so much.
Plus I'm going to be spending a lot of time shipping care packages to my husband and skypeing and talking to him as much as possible.

My point, dear kiddies, in this crazy long post is a three parter: 1: Everything in my house is falling apart, and is likely to get worse when my husband leaves. 2: I don't mind because it will keep me so busy trying to keep up with everything. and Finally, I'm going to be fine. Even though if I think about it for more than a minute I am likely to cry uncontrollably with no foreseeable end, but why in the world would I think about it for more than a minute?! Just like when he's gone, I'm going to take every day one minute at a time.


***Love you guys, thanks for reading. Recently I've been getting a lot of super positive feedback about TGIMolly and I'm so proud. I would say about 90% of my monthly readers are military wives, so if any one of you would like to write a guest blog post I would absolutely love that. Also, don't forget it's so easy to comment at the bottom of these posts and let me know what you think.***

My Appreciation

Hello kiddies! How are all of  you? I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas. Mine was magical, I soaked up every moment with my family and my hubs.

Christmas Eve - It's disgusting how much I love him.

It was amazing and we were spoiled. I appreciated it this year more than ever before, for several reasons. Sure it was in the forefront of my mind that next year will be hard while Zack is in Bahrain, even if I do get to go there. I appreciated spending time with my family. 

But this year I also remembered to appreciate being in a warm house, with an obscene amount of food, and more than enough presents to go around. 

The day before Christmas Eve Zack and I went with several other members of my family to volunteer for the Christmas party at a Christian daycare for the children of the working poor. It was so humbling and I want to take a moment to briefly share a little of my experience.

I have to stop quick and give a shout out here to my Aunt Mary who made a lot of things happen for these kids this year and several previous years and also asked Zack and I to come this year. And another big shout out to my Uncle Rod, who is the nicest, coolest, sweetest man alive and has played Santa to the 100+ screaming kids for the past several years like a champ. As well as Stacy who braved a fear of the "just bombed for bugs" building and sweated her way through the day, and who raised Cody and Zach (who also came) who are just about the coolest kids I've ever met and who are always, always willing to help someone out. And of course, to my Zack, who I saw in a different light helping little kids, even if he did gag at the smell of a freshly soiled diaper on the baby floor. 

I have unbelievably generous and kind family members. Back to what I was saying...

I have never "went without" as they say. I was blessed with amazing parents who loved me and were blessed with jobs that allowed them to provide more than enough for my brother and I. They worked hard, and often, and they were still the best parents anyone could have asked for. (Don't tell them I said that). 

I wont go in to how many cars they've bought my brother and I, how many trips they've paid for, what bills they still pay... They're amazing. I've always known this and appreciated them.

Then I went to Precious Memories...

I knew before I got there that there were a lot of kids and that most of them only got the presents they would be getting at this party. When we walked in to the basement to meet Angy (who is a Saint, this place is ran by Saints) we were surrounded by over 100 full trash bags of donated gifts. I was overwhelmed. We helped sort them and asked her which bag went to which kid, and which kid went to which pile, indicating the floor they were on in the building, the fact that she not only remembered each kids name but their age and which floor they were on was beyond my comprehension. 

After all of the sorting was finished while my uncle got all Santa'd up, we went to talk to the kiddies. The afore mentioned Saints talked to the kids about what was going to happen and they sang songs and talked about the Christmas story and how there was no room at the inn. It was very sweet to see all of the kids so anxious.

Then came Santa, and the glee from the kids made me so happy, and so sad. One at a time they each got a chance to sit on Santa's lap and get a picture and their stocking filled with candy, then they got their (usually bigger than them) bag of presents. 

Needless to say they were very grateful.

It was a lot more emotional for me than I had intended. 

It's emotional for me now, because I'm a huge baby. 

One of the kids was having a conversation with one of the ladies that works there. He asked "Will there be popcorn of chips at the party?" She told him there would be popcorn AND chips, and pudding cups, and sandwiches, and juice, and all sorts of other food to eat for lunch afterwards. The little boy literally squealed. 

There were kids who's parents came and wouldn't let them open their gifts so that they had something to open Christmas morning. There were kids who screamed and got excited for underwear and socks. There were kids who drug their trashbags through the line to get lunch with them after opening because they didn't want the gifts out of their site. They were so proud of their stuff. They were so dang cute. There were babies there who were days old all the way to school age kids, and none forgotten. It rocked.

I can't wait to go back.

The moral of my story is, I appreciate that I will probably never have to wonder where my next meal will come from. I appreciate that I never did have to wonder. I have a whole new appreciation for new socks and underwear, and all of the other presents I would have hated as a kid. My family is blessed. And no matter what happens, or what job I start working and what my hours are, I will always make time to give back. Because I'm spoiled. And Blessed. 

Going there was definitely worth the cold I got almost immediately after leaving.

Sigh, so, who's coming with me? 

Serendipity

ser·en·dip·i·ty
-noun

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something fortunate, especially while looking for something entirely unrelated. 


In December of 2008, I made an incredible decision for myself. One that I should have made, long LONG before that. I left my ex. Well actually he left. Went missing in fact. But I decided that was it, and when he came back, like he always did, I would not be there for him to bother. I had been with him since a couple months before I graduated high school, and had only ever lived with him or my parents. It was time to be on my own, and I was so excited.
I found a new house. I moved Hank and I there.. OK, my brother and his friends moved Hank and I there, and I started my new life.

Molly & Hank

I was pretty distraught for a while. I wont lie. It was a pretty miserable time for me, but I was still relieved and excited to start a new chapter.
I spent about 3 months making a lot of decisions for myself. I'm going to be single for a year. I'm going to stay out all night. I'm going to kiss boys I barely know (I didn't say they were good decisions). I'm going to date as many guys as I want. I'm going to go out with every single guy that asks me out. I'm going to be single, no attachments, for one whole year. That was the most important. I didn't know me. I wanted to meet me, and I didn't want to deal with a relationship for 12 whole months.
During that time (those first few months by myself), while I sat at home making these decisions, I wasn't really acting on any of them. I went to work, I came home and played with Hank, watched TV, went out occasionally, but really I wasn't doing anything to keep those promises to yours truly. And then something amazing happened.
Enter: Haley Corbin. Haley moved in with me, and saved me. Haley was the next step on my road to happiness, and although I don't remember a lot about my year living with her, I remember enough to know I owe her.
Haley made me go out with her. Every single night. For about 4 weeks after she moved in. I was hungover and late for work for 4 weeks. I also put makeup on and did my hair, for 4 weeks. It was kind of a big deal. I have never been drunker with anyone else. Haley is amazing.

Hay returning our beer cans, making a 

small fortune from alcoholism.

After I started going out again all of the time, and having people over all the time, and lost my job, which sounds like a direct consequence of Haley moving in, but actually I was laid off, I started getting unemployment and while looking for a job I needed something else to do with my time so that I had some responsibility to something and didn't die of alcohol poisoning, and, I started volunteering at the Animal Shelter in Council Bluffs.
I loved every Saturday with SOLAS and loved going there during the week to walk dogs. I was constantly meeting new people. Good people. The kind of people I needed in my life. Not that the random boys (and crazy old guys) Traci and I were going out with every weekend weren't good people, they paid, and we liked them that. I just needed people who liked to volunteer and give back and play with dogs, in my life apparently. Because it made me so happy, and I hadn't been, like that, in a very long time.
So for the entire summer, and most of the fall, I went out with Haley during the week. I went out with boys and Traci, on the weekends. And most of my days, definitely my Saturday days, were spent with mutts and fantastic, fabulous older women, at the animal shelter or Petsmart.
Then one Saturday, at the beginning of fall, when I drove up to the shelter there were boys waiting to help volunteer. So, naturally, when I saw the volunteer coordinator Mary, I asked her about them and she told me they were military boys, from Offutt. Instantly I was interested. I texted Haley. She felt the same.
Enter: Douglas Siegmund. On Halloween I was volunteering with Doug and another "Navy Boy", as Haley and I referred to them, at Petsmart, and she brought Hank to see me in his Halloween costume.

Hay sent me this picture on her way to

Petsmart that day.

The next part is sort of... well, none of my business, but essentially Haley and Doug made plans for Doug and friends to come to our place for beer pong, the next night. And so he came. And he brought 2 loud, drunk, annoying, obnoxious, attractive, Sailors with him. Zack and Holly.
The next day when I talked to Doug, I told him that if he didn't bring those guys over again, that would be ok. Because they were irritating. And so, so, loud. :)
Doug was house sitting for one of the ladies from the shelter, and watching her many dogs. She was super cool to Doug, and told him it would be OK if we all came over to hang out there while he was house-sitting. So we did, and in those 3 days, I fell for one of those loud, drunk, annoying, obnoxious, attractive Sailors. A lot of you have heard the chapstick story about our first kiss, that happened house sitting at Monica's. The first time I heard Zack sing was at Monica's. Those two moments pretty much sealed my fate, although at the time I had no idea. I still was very sure I had no long term interests in Zackery.
The next several months the 5 of us, Zack, Holly, Doug, Haley and I, spent drinking and cuddling and playing at our house. Trying to stay warm in the craziest snow season I've ever seen. We spent all of our off time together. From November to March. It was probably the most fun I've had.
But, eventually, Haley was sucked in to the dark side, and pulled away from us by a total douche. And the 4 of us hung out, pretty much nonstop until Holly met a girl and was suddenly very busy all of the time. And then Doug went home and met a girl and was equally busy skyping and etc. And then there were 2.
Even though Zack and I had officially started dating in January, when he told my family at a superbowl party in February, he would marry me one day I was totally caught off guard and elated. I couldn't wait.

My favorite sailors at the SuperBowl party 

Zack told my family he would marry me at.

Then he proposed. But that's another story for another day kiddies.
I really need to start getting all of these details down, and what way better than this?
Anyway, that's why if you ask me or my Zack how we ended up together, that is why we will tell you serendipity.
Because almost exactly 11 months, to the date, I said I wanted to be single for a year, I met Zack. Just over 14 months after I made that promise to myself, I was crying in Spaghetti Works showing everyone my ring. Now I get to spend the rest of my life with that loud, loud, sailor.
Sometimes when you're looking for one thing, if you allow yourself to, you'll find a much better thing. Thank God I did =)

The day I became Mrs. Williams

ser·en·dip·i·ty
-noun

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something fortunate, especially while looking for something entirely unrelated. 

Relief

Oh thank GOD for migraine relief. I don't know what did it. I don't know why it took so long, and I definitely don't know why I had to waste an entire day in bed with the lights off randomly crying for my Mom. But it appears to be over now. Thank GOD for that. Thank GOD. Seriously.
That's enough about that.
Today was a nice day, I'm told. I really hate that I missed it, ha.
Seriously, enough about that.
Zack is making me watch Secret Window. Which I do not enjoy. It's a good movie, I guess, just not my genre. We're at the there is no John Schuter part. WHAT?! What a shock. I called it. The first time I watched it.
Anyway.
The most random and bizarre search terms are leading people to my blog. I am grateful for the readers, so I wont judge them. But, yesterday, someone got to my blog by using the search terms "with the dogs tail". Which is slightly alarming.
For the record no dog tails were harmed in the making of this blog. I don't even remember ever writing about a dog tail, although I must have. My life is filled with dog tails. For example, Lucy is attacking Hank's dog tail on the couch next to me right now. It's adorable.
Speaking of dog tails, I also missed volunteering today at the animal shelter. Which I am unhappy about. Since I didn't go you should go and adopt a cat or dog from them today. Right after reading this. Here's the website =) solas.networku.net
I would like to find a new free way to spend time with my husband and create lasting memories before he leaves. Preferably at home. We've been playing a lot of wii... naked. lol, just kidding about the naked part. Or am I? haha.
I am super hungry. I told Zack this and he said "I'm not. I've been grazing in the kitchen all day. I literally haven't stopped eating." haha. Grazing is a popular family term used when someone is mindlessly eating whatever is edible. Zack is becoming more and more like my father. It's concerning and strangely comforting.
Well, this post was the picture of random. Whatever.
See you all tomorrow =)

Thank Goodness It's Molly's Blog

Everybody is always telling me, "Molly you're life seems so exciting. I wish there was a way I could read about your daily adventures. Also, your thoughts, feelings, rants, and other musings. Because you're just so darned interesting.". Perhaps not all those words exactly... in that order... but a lot of those words are said to me. Regardless. I decided to start a blog.

So maybe my life is a little slow right now in the excitement arena. But soon, things are going to be pretty hectic.

To fill everyone (both of you) in I'll briefly summarize the happenings over the last 10 or so months. The seeds of this fantastic madness were planted last year when I started volunteering regularly at the Council Bluffs Animal Shelter, where I met (mastermind, life changer) Douglas Martin Siegmund. Doug introduced me to my hubby, Zack, at the beginning of November. He proposed February 20th. We got married in a small-ish courthouse ceremony May 7th. Annnnd here we are.

So, things moved pretty quickly. Don't judge us. We're very happy.

Also, we are having a wedding ceremony/reception/going away party in March just before our big. Move. Oh, right, we're moving overseas in April. We will be in (Navy determined location) for up to 3 years, and that could be exciting to read about. Also, we have every intention of growing a mini-human in said location, and that will undoubtedly be interesting. A blog is a good way to keep people updated.

What I'm trying to say is, soon there will be a lot to read about. Plus, this moving and planning process is very frustrating and confusing and I think this will be a place that my questions could generate some answers. Not just for me but for other Navy wives going through all of this craziness. We shall see I guess.

Plus my family will read just about anything I jot down, they think I'm very interesting... so... I've got that.

In other news I just got out of the shower 3 minutes ago and my hair is already a disaster (see: afro), so I should probably try to go tame this beast.

I'm stoked you read this :)