GO BUCKS!

O-H-I-O


Last night the Ohio State Buckeyes took on the University of Alaska Nanooks and Pete and I went to support his Alma mater at the Carlson center.  This is the local event venue that hosts everything from Cultural Festivals, to Roller Derby (see last weekend's blog) and even the mighty Nanooks from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.  Surprisingly, the arena was packed and there were a handful of  other people that braved the hostile Nanook fans to support the Buckeyes.  

                                      Pete and I are all smiles before the puck dropped

Here is a quick recap of the game:

                                            End of the First Period - Pretty exciting

                                  End of the second period (Ouch) but morale is still strong!

                                              Long night for the Buckeye Goalkeepers

The cute kid we hired to cheer for the Bucks.  Kidding.  Thanks Aaron for being the Buckeyes newest fan!

                                        The game wasn't as close as the score shows

                         Our last glimpse of the Buckeyes before they head back to civilization

Despite the UAF victory(the headline for the sports section read 'Nanooks Shell Buckeyes'), it was fun being the only ones not rooting for the home team- and if I had to pick, I would much rather be cheering on good basketball (currently #1 in the polls) and football (Sugar Bowl Champs!) than ice hockey.  However, the University of Alaska prides itself on its two most successful sports, hockey and skiing.  They are also pretty decent at rifle and pistol, which I guess makes sense.  All three of those sports encompass 95% of the winter outdoor options that The Last Frontier has to offer.  They don't currently have snow machining, fishing or driving under the influence as competitive sports at UAF, but that would round out the last 5% of outdoor activities that winter has to offer.   All told the Carlson Center puts on a good show for UAF hockey.  I might even go so far as to say that it is even more fun than roller derby, or at least much easier to understand.  It was a nice way to spend an evening experiencing the biggest show in Fairbanks on a wintry Saturday night and a ton of fun to support the scarlet and gray.


                                                 

3-21 Gimlets

      Since all signs indicate that this deployment really is happening despite my prayers and crossed fingers and toes, I thought that I would do a little bit of research about the unit that Pete is going to be deployed with.    He had the first day of his new job, he is the surgeon for the 3rd battalion 21st infantry regiment, which is part of the 1st brigade 25th infantry division Stryker brigade combat team.  In goofy army Acronyms it looks like this: 3/21 IN, 1-25 SBCT.  Like most things in the Army, they can't even give him a normal and straight forward unit, they have to give a long list that will be impossible for me to ever remember.  I am told that if I just say he is getting deployed with 'The 3-21' people will understand but it still makes as much sense to me as the clicking in African dialect.  The 3-21  is nicknamed the Gimlets, yes, my husband is officially going to be a Gimlet for the next year. 

       A gimlet is a tool with a grooved shank and screw point used by stone masons to bore holes in rock.  These holes were filled with explosives to blast the rock apart; thus, cutting away sides of entire mountains to make room for railroad tracks or roadways.  The gimlet stick, carried by all members of the regiment who have been inducted by the Regiment's Royal Clan, is a visual reminder of the all around toughness presented by soldiers of the Gimlet Regiment (Thank you, Gimlet Website).

     Pete is swapping the comfort of his office chair and weekends in the labor and delivery call room for the comfort of this, his new office:   

 

     In my opinion the red cross looks more like a target than an ambulance but Pete is doing his best to reassure me it isn't a target.  I would be much happier if he was going to get deployed to a Combat Support Hospital (CSH) like his original deployment from November, it seems a lot safer to be away from the fighting taking care of the wounded rather than being the one that is deployed alongside the soldiers doing the fighting.  He will be deploying with a brigade of about 7000 soldiers in early spring, and there will be a total of 9000 soldiers gone by May.  It is hard to believe that so many people will be leaving this wonderful town of Fairbanks.  Between the soldiers deploying next week, and the soldiers deploying in March and April I am pretty sure Fairbanks is going to turn into a very hostile environment of emotional wives- most have a gaggle of children that they are going to be caring for solo, some got pregnant prior to the deployment which will definitely increase the level of craziness of the women.  On a brighter note, it will hopefully give me good material for my blog!  

    I'm not sure if doing this research was the best idea but at least when all of the seasoned Army wives ask me who Pete is deploying with I don't have to feel inadequate mumbling something about numbers and gimlets.  Pete has coached me so I can say with my head held high "The 3-21".  If they ask me any questions past that I will continue with my mumbling and saying random acronyms since that is what 90% of Army lingo is.  I feel like they should have a class for all of the different acronyms because being someone not familiar with anything about the military it really is quite confusing.  

   Today I am going to have a good day finishing the crown molding downstairs and smile thinking about  the word Gimlet (I am thinking of the movie 'Elf' where Buddy says: "Francisco! That's fun to say! Francisco. Frannncisco. Franciscooo") . 

Occupational Health Day

As every new employee knows there is the beloved trip to occupational health before you start working.  Because I am not capable of peeing on demand unless it is borderline an emergency I had some anxiety about my 9am appointment (also I remember this time in high school where I had to pee in a cup and was unable to do it and my mom made me drink water from the drinking fountain until I could go so we didn't have to come back.  Eventually she caved and we came back but I am still slightly traumatized).  I told myself that I was not going to go to the bathroom at all this morning so starting at 7:30 I was tapping my foot.  Luckily everything went okay (I know you were all extremely worried) and the ladies in the clinic were extremely nice and increased my excitement about working in the ED.  They started telling me all sorts of crazy stories of things that have happened down there and my eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store.  I think I am going to like this gig and I'm certain I will have the kind of stories that you just can't make up if you tried.  I am trying to figure out a way that I will be able to share some of the things I see without getting in trouble with HIPAA and getting fired after I just got the job.  Either way it was a positive experience at occupational health and then I followed it up with a workout class for spouses wives where I meet my friend Savannah  every MWF (yes, I have a total of 3 friends in all of Fairbanks...be jealous people) for the killer butts and gutts workout where it was just us and the instructor so we were not able to cheat at all.  I will sleep a lot better tonight because I don't have to fear my trip to occupational health and because I am so incredibly sore that you could probably bounce a quarter off my back end right now. 

Barnes & Noble: Thank you for today

As my days of being a housewife are coming to an end, I feel like this last week of 'freedom' needs to be utilized doing things that for whatever reason I fear I won't have time to do once I start working full time nights at the hospital, which lets be honest, we all know I will have plenty of time to still do things for a few reasons:

1) Starting next Wednesday, Pete will be gone for a month and then starting in April he will be gone for a year so that alone leaves me with a lot of free time and a void that will need filling...

2) I only work three nights a week which again, leaves a lot of free time on my hands

3) Pete is leaving for a year (I'm not sure if I have mentioned that one enough in this blog or not...) and rather than worry myself crazy and gray it will be important to maintain some hobbies.

Today I decided I would go back to the good old days of high school with Ashley where we wandered around bookstores just trying to absorb the wisdom (or interesting facts) of all the books by just browsing all of the shelves.   I went to the store without a plan, or a timeline and just decided to wander.  I love the way Barnes & Noble makes me feel.  Almost as if I truly can accomplish anything and it motivates me in so many ways: to be a better cook by looking at all of the clearance cookbooks, to be a better friend and write people more often after looking at the beautiful stationary, to keep up a journal (however my handwriting is horrific therefore blogging is much more my speed but spending 1.5 hours in Barnes & Noble actually had me reconsidering and picking up a pen and journal...), to become wiser about American history and read all of the biographies of such interesting people that I haven't even heard of, and just to read a good old fashioned book that you can't put down.  After an hour and a half I had a basket full of goodies and I was convinced that I would be able to conquer the world, and then I sat and looked through my basket (which had 2 rolls of clearance wrapping paper for only $2.00!), and realized that I really don't need to buy any books because for Christmas I was fortunate to receive a Kindle from my brother and sister-in-law, and Pete has an Ipad so we have amazon books downloaded however there is just something really nice about holding a book and reading it.  I put all of the goodies I found back and wrote down the names of the books that I found on a list so I can be sure to download them and left with only a clearance book for $4.99 and two rolls of wrapping paper all for under $10.00 and walked out with a pep in my step and a new found motivation to read more, write more, and to be a better friend by actually utilizing the stationary I already own.  It was a much needed 1.5 hours and I am happy that I know I have a 'secret' place that I can go to refill my tank as needed.

Derby, Derby, Ice Dogs, oh my!

On Saturday I had the pleasure of going to the triple header in Fairbanks: The Fairbanks Rollergirls took on Rage City (Anchorage), and then the Rat City Rain of Terror (Seattle) in roller derby.  Yes, that is correct, roller derby.  I had no idea how intense this game actually is and I have a new found respect for these women, however it is mostly because of the high self esteems they have considering they are rolling around in what seems to be next to nothing and very few of them have a body weight that their physician would call ideal.  I was also jealous of the names they were able to create such as Fatal Lisa Distic' or 'Twisted Krister', 'PB&J Slamwich'.  It definitely made me think about what my roller derby name would be.  So far I haven't come up with a winner but I will keep working on it.  After seeing two rounds of roller derby we went to the Ice Dogs hockey game, the local NAHL hockey league that if you didn't know any better, you would think it was the pros.  Essentially it is 16-22 year old kids from across the country that are drafted for the league and move to the city of the team they get drafted for.  Does it not seem odd that a 16 year old who hasn't even finished high school can move to a place such as Fairbanks, Alaska to try and live the dream and be one of the 2% who make it to the NHL.  Local families host/foster these children for the season (October-March) and I am not sure what type of education they are getting.  I asked Pete if he thinks we should 'foster' an Ice Dog when he gets home so that we can get him on track for and do flashcards at dinner and try and change their belief that ice hockey is not the end all be all of their existence.  I am sure the coaches would not like this, but at least I could feel like I was truly making a difference in a child's life.  Needless to say, it was a very exciting evening where I was able to learn about new sports, and learn about ways that I can make a difference in the future lives of Fairbanks youth.  

I have a job!

As the title indicates: I officially got a job offer and I officially accepted the position!  My start date is January 31st which will include hospital orientation and I am guessing I will start on the unit the week after.  I am sad that my days of being a housewife are coming to an end, but I am glad that I will be able to keep myself busy while Pete is gone so I don't become the crazy lady obsessed with her dog and cats...I am already closer to being that lady than i would like to admit.  Tonight Pete and I will celebrate with some boxed wine and a redbox movie.   A perfect little date night!

I need a job.

It has been a good 1.5 months but I can officially say that I am ready for a job.  I have a job interview at the majestic and wonderful Fairbanks Memorial Hospital  (slight sarcasm there...) for a full time nights position in their emergency department.  I am coming to the realization that I am not going to be able to do the job I would love to do which includes working in the most challenging ICU in the country because honestly, that is just not something that Fairbanks, AK can handle.  Considering that they do not have a neurosurgeon or CV surgeon within 400 miles of Fairbanks, it definitely limits the options.  So instead, I think I should learn about a different area of nursing and at least be highly entertained by the patient population that comes in an out of the area (I hear they have an entire pod dedicated to 'chronic inebriates' and have rubber padded rooms, I mean REALLY!).  So I will go into this interview and have a positive attitude and act like this is the only job in the world because frankly, for the next 3 years, I think it is the only job that I might actually enjoy.
    It is an odd thing that the nurse manager has the true belief that Fairbanks Memorial is the greatest hospital in the world.  I am completely serious.  She informed me that I should feel very honored that they are interviewing me because they very rarely have nurse turnover or positions available.  This is not exactly the best way to make a future employee feel comfortable, but I'll go with it and keep a smile on my face.  I am pretty sure that I nailed my interview and acted excited about all of the possibilities that Fairbanks Memorial emergency department would offer me.  I must admit that I am a liar.  It annoys me that they have a holier than thou attitude and it annoys me that they are bragging that their CNE is in a program to get her masters.  Really?  Your chief nursing officer doesn't even have her masters?  I don't think that I would have this attitude if they didn't go so far out of their way to make me feel inadequate so I will justify my judging.  Maybe I am also a little stressed because if I accept this position that means that I really am going to brave Alaska for an entire year by myself while Pete is away.  Anyways, I will walk away with a smile on my face and think of how funny it will be to have patients that are in rubber rooms that come in multiple times a week for their detox.  When life hands you Fairbanks, you make do and get excited about chronic inebriates.

Here is the hospital-it looks much more impressive than it really is ;).  Fun fact: I got this picture from a website about haunted sites in North America and this is what it says about Fairbanks Memorial:
Paranormal Activity:  Nurses have seen apparitions in the back room they see as angels when babies are dying. When this happens the temperature in the room drops and the nurses experience cold chills. The phantom sounds of babies crying is also heard when the room is empty. 

Here is the website if you don't believe me, but this makes me even more excited about this job (not babies dying, but that it is haunted)

http://hauntednorthamerica.webs.com/alaska.htm

Hello blogging, so nice to meet you part II

        Alright just a little more background and then I can finally start my 'present day' blogging.  We finally got word that our household goods were set to arrive on Tuesday January 11, 2011 and I could not have been more excited.  A bed, coffee maker, couches to sit on, tools, pots, pans, spices. Oh so many things that you don't realize how much you have missed it until you are forced to live without them for 5 weeks! The Friday before our belongings were scheduled to be delivered Pete asked his boss if he could have the day off to help me so that I didn't have a nervous breakdown ( it is usually assumed that you get the day off because it is quite an involved process.  Checking the inventory list and making sure that every box is accounted for, put in the room you want, and also that none of the men moving your belongings decide to take any of it home...).  Pete was told that they would get back to him about getting the day off, however his boss (we will call her 'evil unnamed woman' from here on out) pulled Pete and two of his co-workers into an office to inform them that there was a 16 month tasking and that one of the three of them will be assigned to it and that a final decision would be made on Monday.  What?!  So, 'Evil unnamed woman', decides to tell these three people this and essentially causes all three families to stress and worry all weekend because nobody has any idea who it will be or how they are picking who is going.  And all Pete wanted was a day off so that he could help with the moving process.  Next move, remind me that I can do it alone. 
      Pete left for work on Monday and all I could think was that it couldn't be him-we are finally getting all of our household goods tomorrow and they have already jerked him around enough with telling him that he is getting deployed, then canceling deployments.  Hasn't the Army done enough to play with our emotions?  I had a very productive Monday, finishing all of the touching up with paint and making sure what little we had was out of the way so the movers would have plenty of space to move boxes and move our life into our new house!  I called Pete about every two hours wanting to know if he had heard anything, and of course he had not.  Finally at 5:30pm Pete calls me to say that he is coming home, and that he heard from 'Evil unnamed woman' and that he is assigned for this deployment. #*$!, %@!*&, !*#%.  Awesome.  Okay, I can't freak out because that is the last thing Pete needs so I tell him that I will see him when he gets home and I finished making my delicious lemon pepper chicken.  I broke down for approximately 2 minutes, then continued my duties as a temporary housewife and putting dinner on the table when he comes home.  It was a sad moment when he walked in the door and we both had defeated looks on our faces and we just hugged each other.  I had just fed Gatsby and he let us know that he wanted his post dinner poop walk so we separated and Pete left for the walk, and I finished putting dinner on the table.  This couldn't really be happening-I had just moved up here and we were getting our things tomorrow!  We have a freaking Alaska bucket list for goodness sake and we had already started making plans for all the things we would check off once this beautiful state decided to thaw out!  When Pete returned from his walk he checked his phone and snickered and said he just now got a text message saying that he could have Tomorrow off to help with moving.  Thank you 'Evil unnamed woman', thank you so much.  Now that you have sufficiently ruined our day, you decided to cave and let him off, something that has not been an issue with any other employee.  Needless to say that Monday was probably my most frustrating day with the Army, and in my short time as an Army wife, I've had quite a few.
     That next day the movers came and brought all of our household goods and it was better than I had even anticipated.  Just getting glimpses of our furniture and our things warmed my heart so much that it almost made me forget about the horrible news I heard the night before.  Almost.  In case anyone didn't feel truly appreciated with their thank you note from us for our wedding gifts, opening boxes filled with things we were waiting to use was better than Christmas!  We are so lucky and oh so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who gave us so much. 
    On Wednesday Pete went back to work like any other day and by 10am I got a phone call letting me know that he already had the official paperwork and knew his exact dates that he would be leaving (mid April) and when he would be returning (mid May 2012).  I was secretly hoping that this was going to be like his last 'tasking' and that they would tell him it wasn't really happening.  Apparently that plan did not work.
     So that brings this blog up to date with where I am at presently: new to Alaska, looking for a job, unpacking a million boxes, and trying to wrap my head around the fact that my sweet and loving husband is leaving in three weeks for pre-deployment training in California for the month of February and leaving for over a year starting at the beginning of April. 
I have been repeating the phrase ''the needs of the Army come first" however it has  not made this change in plans any easier.  So for now I will keep unpacking boxes and enjoy my ongoing Christmas as I find a home for all of my worldly possessions.

Hello blogging, so nice to meet you

      After much feedback I decided to take the leap and officially start a blog.  I guess I should begin by giving a little background about who I am.  My name is Katie and I am not a blogger. In fact, I always thought it was an odd thing to do and never considered that I would have anything important/relevant enough to 'blog' about.  That was before June 19, 2010 when I married the man of my dreams and my entire world seemed to change.
      Before June 19, 2010 I had a very normal and average life.  I lived in Alexandria, Virginia and was a nurse at a large hospital in Northern Virginia in the CCU.  I had a wonderful group of friends that no matter what day of the week someone was always willing to get together and socialize and an extremely loving and supportive family.  I belonged to a gym that I loved and had access to shopping at any store that I could possible ever want to go to and was extremely content with having a routine and a sense of normalcy.  I started dating Pete in the fall of 2007 and quickly knew that my days of taking care of only myself were rapidly coming to an end.  He was a refreshing addition to my life that brought a lot of laughter, excitement, and love.  I still can't believe that I was so lucky to find my perfect puzzle piece.  Pete was in his residency at Ft. Belvoir and was excited about being in the Army.  He always says that he can't imagine anything better than helping soldiers and their families, and not being very familiar with the military or an army life I had no reason to question his career.  I just knew that I found my future husband and everything else would work itself out.
    June 19, 2010 I married my best friend and had the most incredible and amazing wedding any girl could ever hope for.  I was surrounded by all of my family and friends we celebrated the beginning of my life as a Dillon.

      The Friday after our wedding Pete graduated from his residency and then things started to get a little hectic.  Two weeks after we got married Pete left to go to Ft. Sam Houston for Officer Basic Training Camp for 9 weeks and would be stationed at Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska at the end of September.  Even though we would be separated for 9 weeks while he was in Texas I was excited about moving to such a remote location such as Alaska-what a perfect place to start our life together!
      After his first week in Texas he was told by his new command in Alaska that he was scheduled to get deployed to Afghanistan in November for six months.  Ouch.  Not awesome, and I don't think it will ever be something that I will be okay with hearing however eventually came to terms with this kink in our original plan.  As Pete always says, the needs of the Army come first, but what about when you are a newlywed?  Shouldn't that come first just this one time?
          We decided that rather than move me up to Alaska and have Pete leave for six months I would just keep my current job and when he came home I would make the move to the great north.  Throughout the summer I went to visit him twice in Texas, and then came up with him for two weeks when he first arrived to Alaska to scope out this place that would soon be my home.

I was excited about this odd but lovable city and was ready for the six month deployment to be over with so we could truly start our marriage together.  I left Alaska thinking that was going to be the last time I was going to see Pete until he returned....and then he was told two weeks prior to his scheduled departure date that he was no longer assigned to that deployment.  WHAT?!  Is that even possible to just change your mind like that?  The answer to that question is yes, and as Pete says, the needs of the Army come first no matter how inconvenient that may be.
           The very next day I put in my 30 day notice at my job and we started to make arrangements for me, our household goods, and animals to move to Alaska.  How exciting-I was finally going to be able to live in the same house and start my life with my husband!  I arrived in Alaska with Gatsby (my wonderful dog),  Winston, and Punch (my wonderful cats) at the beginning of December.  Let me start by saying that even though the military arranges everything for the move, it isn't as glamorous as it sounds.  I arrived to brutal -40 degree weather, darkness, and to an empty house that we had just bought due to the lack of on base housing and outrageous rent prices.  Our household goods were scheduled to arrive in 5 weeks so for the next 5 weeks we would be living in an empty house with whatever I was able to pack in my checked luggage-the most important thing that I packed was definitely the aerobed which at least gave us something besides the floor to sleep on.  A lack of furniture or belongings didn't matter, I was with my husband and I would have slept on the floor if needed (but I am definitely thankful for the aerobed, don't think I'm not grateful for the mediocre nights sleep it brought me).  We were able to celebrate our first married Christmas together in our empty house and with our borrowed 3 ft. pre-lit Christmas tree (thank you Joslins!!).  Fairbanks is a hard place to move to in December where there is an average of 4 hours of 'dusk like' sun each day and the temperatures did not get above 0 for the entire month.  I did not have my car yet and did not have a job but I was determined to make the most of this time the Army was giving me with Pete and we started exploring and creating an 'Alaskan bucket list' of all the things we wanted to do over the summer.
     I am not really sure how to end this 'intro' section however I think this is enough blogging for my first night, I don't want to overdo myself on day 1.  I just re-read this and it is exhausting for me to read however I want to remember all of the small detail of the ridiculous life that being an Army wife entails.  Goodnight to all.