Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope that Thanksgiving has brought you plenty of family togetherness, relaxation, and bloated bellies! Thanksgiving has always been my absolutely favourite holiday because the food is absolutely amazing (and it is completely socially acceptable to gorge!), the weather is amazingly crisp and so very fall (which, I love!!), and there is TONS of family time. But this Thanksgiving was a touch different for us.
We always have Thanksgiving with my parents...regardless of it held in Mississauga or Temagami, I don't have to cook for it because my awesome Mom does it all (and does it well!). But this year, they ditched us to visit my Aunt in NY. I mean... are Canadians even allowed to leave Canada over Canadian Thanksgiving? That seems like blasphemy...
So we were left alone, and for once, I had to cook the entire meal. I don't mind cooking.. it is just a huge undertaking! We had turkey, stuffing, gravy (which was a huge success even though this scared me the most!), cranberry sauce (okay.. that just involved opening a can...), jelly salad, garden salad, rolls, mashed potatoes, veggies, pumpkin pie, and apple cider... phew. I'm getting tired just thinking of all the work. I swear that Moms are AMAZING. Not tooting my own horn, per se, but the more I do, the more I realize how awesome Moms (and mostly my Mom) really are. I have a whole new appreciation for Moms as a whole now that I have my own family.
....What was I saying?!... Oh right... making food....
So anyways, while I cooked my butt off (side note: I wish cooking was a work out...) Wes took time out of studying to watch Noah...which is much harder than it sounds because Noah has this nasty habit of loving to be in the kitchen while Mommy is doing all sorts of really interesting things (all of which, he'd love to see up close... while I balance him on my hip). So to prevent Noah from grabbing onto my legs and pleading with me to pick him up, Wes made a makeshift baby gate at the doorway to the kitchen. Interested in your own homemade baby gate? Its simple, really. He used only the finest materials: a cooler, rifle case, and two rubbermaid containers. This contraption was, of course, made by trial and error. Trial as in Wes thought he was successful in keeping Noah blocked, and error by Noah squeezing his way to Mommy. The end result allowed Noah to watch me from the doorway, and Wes to continue studying as I kept an eye on Noah at the door. So efficient!
Wes did take a study break when Ry came over (my parents ditched him over Thanksgiving too...) in time for dinner. And there we sat...attempting to eat our weight in turkey: HUGE FAIL! I didn't even make that much...but it seemed like 3 adults, and 1 baby (who eats as much as I do) didn't even make a dent. Guess I know what we're eating all week.... at least my grocery bill will be small!
The day ended with one passed out baby, 2 mugs of apple cider, and a rented movie (which I'll shamefully admit was that new Fast & Furious movie...Fast 5 or something like that...). Maybe one of these days Wes will actually watch a whole chick flick with me...sigh....
Monday, October 10, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
About Face!
So here is it: the mass question-answerer-thingy about the military and why the heck we are choosing to live our lives "in danger." A lot of people are intrigued by our choice.. and I suppose rightfully so, as the military is not a usual route for.. oh, lets say... a Pharmacy student to take.
First and foremost, once Wes graduates, he is not a licensed Pharmacist until he takes his licensing exam (which he has to wait at least 3 months after graduation in order to try his hand at). But, the day he graduates his rank changes from an Officer Cadet to a Second Lieutenant (pronounced LEFtenant - silly British) and with that his pay increases quite substantially (yay!!!). He will also at this time start a 6 month rotation for the military (which is usually completed in a Hospital - and most likely in the Toronto area).
Once he completes his licensing exam and is a full-blown Pharmacist, he is then promoted to Captain (and once again, pay increase - yay again!!!). And sometime between being a graduating student, and being a Captain we will find out where we are being posted (which will be to a base, and no, it will not be in Toronto). We do get to give them our 3 top picks at some point, but they ultimately decide. Our top 2 picks so far (and by "Our" I mean "Mine" because Wes leaves things like this up to me...): Ottawa, and Borden (ie Barrie). We have always talked about moving far away with the military, such as to Vancouver Island.. but the truth is, all our friends and family live in Ontario, and we cannot afford a house in Victoria anytime soon (...thank you crazy housing market out west!...) which is something we plan to do once we are posted (purchase a house that is... not go to Victoria). And so yes, that is our future for the next 4 years in a tiny, messy bow.
People are always so curious as to why we'd choose the military, but for us it was very simple: it gave us the option for Wes to be what he wanted to be (without $60, 000-ish in debt), financial security for the future (which includes a guaranteed career, and full pension by the time he is 49), and allows him to make a living where we are able to have me stay at home, even while he is still a student (which has been a family ideal for us in terms of having children). There are obviously other factors that are private, but for the masses who wonder: No, we are not crazy - we know what we are doing and know that for us, this is a great option!
Here are the basics we get asked most often:
Year Joined : 2008
Current Rank : Office Cadet
Will you serve in Afghanistan?: Most likely not, and if yes, Wes will be FAR from danger (he cost them too much money to lose).
Which area are you? : Air Force (although Wes is considered a "purple" (medical), and can be used in the Army, Air Force, or Navy.
How long will you be in the military? : Wes has a commitment for a total of 8 years (4 during University, and 4 as a working Pharmacist), but we are planning to remain in the military until retirement.
Aren't you worried he will die? : No more than any other wife would...
Now onto the juicy stuff...
First and foremost, once Wes graduates, he is not a licensed Pharmacist until he takes his licensing exam (which he has to wait at least 3 months after graduation in order to try his hand at). But, the day he graduates his rank changes from an Officer Cadet to a Second Lieutenant (pronounced LEFtenant - silly British) and with that his pay increases quite substantially (yay!!!). He will also at this time start a 6 month rotation for the military (which is usually completed in a Hospital - and most likely in the Toronto area).
Once he completes his licensing exam and is a full-blown Pharmacist, he is then promoted to Captain (and once again, pay increase - yay again!!!). And sometime between being a graduating student, and being a Captain we will find out where we are being posted (which will be to a base, and no, it will not be in Toronto). We do get to give them our 3 top picks at some point, but they ultimately decide. Our top 2 picks so far (and by "Our" I mean "Mine" because Wes leaves things like this up to me...): Ottawa, and Borden (ie Barrie). We have always talked about moving far away with the military, such as to Vancouver Island.. but the truth is, all our friends and family live in Ontario, and we cannot afford a house in Victoria anytime soon (...thank you crazy housing market out west!...) which is something we plan to do once we are posted (purchase a house that is... not go to Victoria). And so yes, that is our future for the next 4 years in a tiny, messy bow.
People are always so curious as to why we'd choose the military, but for us it was very simple: it gave us the option for Wes to be what he wanted to be (without $60, 000-ish in debt), financial security for the future (which includes a guaranteed career, and full pension by the time he is 49), and allows him to make a living where we are able to have me stay at home, even while he is still a student (which has been a family ideal for us in terms of having children). There are obviously other factors that are private, but for the masses who wonder: No, we are not crazy - we know what we are doing and know that for us, this is a great option!
I'm backkkk...
So, today I remembered that I had a blog. Low and behold, 2 months have already gone by since I've last posted. All I can say is "oopsie!" Here's what you've missed (thanks to my laziness, of course):
Father/Son Camp
Wes was a house leader at Leadership (which the young men LOVED!)
Noah's 1st Birthday
Wes starting his last year of Pharmacy school (woohoo!!)
And mine and Wes' shared birthday (...I'm still younger, though!)
So... I'm not going to sit here and pretend that every detail of our lives are interesting (that's probably why we have no reality show..) so I'll just go into the summer memories that are much more fun to discuss.
Starting withhhh... my baby boy's birthday! So on September 3rd, Noah turned ONE! I cannot believe that a whole year has gone by since that terrible hospital soiree. Not to mention.. when did he grow?! I see him everyday and do not remember that happening. He is so big now - he is practically leaving for his mission!
Anyways, his birthday was nice and simple: a small party at Nana & Papas with 2 cakes (one for goober-handed Noah, and the other for fork-using individuals), tons of presents, and a Skype call from Grandma & Grandpa in Pennsylvania.
As for his big introduction to cake: fail! He picked at the sprinkles, ate some icing, and then was completely over the sugar rush! I should have just filled the entire cake pan with chicken... THEN he would have inhaled every last bite. Oh my little carnivore...
Besides my son getting ready to leave me, the biggest change to our family has been that school has begun! Wes' program went back to school earlier than most, and is only in class until December 9th! But its not as pleasant as it sounds! He is already worn out from the workload, and finding it very difficult to focus. The poor guy has been in University for a total of 6 years now (including this year, of course) and is very anxious to begin working (and I'm anxious for the pay increase that Captains receive!). The school years are always very tough on all of us: Wes does all the work and carries the stress (which doesn't make him very pleasant at times..), and Noah and I live our lives almost completely separate from him during his long school hours (which, during some months are from around 9am-2am). Pharmacy school is not for the faint of heart! BUT this is the last year, and come January, Wes only has to complete rotations before graduation. So until then we keep mumbling.. "Dec. 9th, Dec. 9th, Dec. 9th.."
Lately, we have also discovered a lot more about what is going to happen to us after he graduates. Since Wes has been going to Pharmacy school for the military (who then pays for everything, plus gives him a salary), he does owe them time afterwards (4 years to be exact). We get SO many questions about our choice for military life and how it all plays out... so I'm going to do a separate blog post concerning all that (that way, for those of you who don't care - you won't have to read it!).
So in a large nutshell, that is what is going on with our small family at this point in time. I am going to post more often, promise! :)
Father/Son Camp
Wes was a house leader at Leadership (which the young men LOVED!)
Noah's 1st Birthday
Wes starting his last year of Pharmacy school (woohoo!!)
And mine and Wes' shared birthday (...I'm still younger, though!)
So... I'm not going to sit here and pretend that every detail of our lives are interesting (that's probably why we have no reality show..) so I'll just go into the summer memories that are much more fun to discuss.
Starting withhhh... my baby boy's birthday! So on September 3rd, Noah turned ONE! I cannot believe that a whole year has gone by since that terrible hospital soiree. Not to mention.. when did he grow?! I see him everyday and do not remember that happening. He is so big now - he is practically leaving for his mission!
Anyways, his birthday was nice and simple: a small party at Nana & Papas with 2 cakes (one for goober-handed Noah, and the other for fork-using individuals), tons of presents, and a Skype call from Grandma & Grandpa in Pennsylvania.
As for his big introduction to cake: fail! He picked at the sprinkles, ate some icing, and then was completely over the sugar rush! I should have just filled the entire cake pan with chicken... THEN he would have inhaled every last bite. Oh my little carnivore...
Besides my son getting ready to leave me, the biggest change to our family has been that school has begun! Wes' program went back to school earlier than most, and is only in class until December 9th! But its not as pleasant as it sounds! He is already worn out from the workload, and finding it very difficult to focus. The poor guy has been in University for a total of 6 years now (including this year, of course) and is very anxious to begin working (and I'm anxious for the pay increase that Captains receive!). The school years are always very tough on all of us: Wes does all the work and carries the stress (which doesn't make him very pleasant at times..), and Noah and I live our lives almost completely separate from him during his long school hours (which, during some months are from around 9am-2am). Pharmacy school is not for the faint of heart! BUT this is the last year, and come January, Wes only has to complete rotations before graduation. So until then we keep mumbling.. "Dec. 9th, Dec. 9th, Dec. 9th.."
Lately, we have also discovered a lot more about what is going to happen to us after he graduates. Since Wes has been going to Pharmacy school for the military (who then pays for everything, plus gives him a salary), he does owe them time afterwards (4 years to be exact). We get SO many questions about our choice for military life and how it all plays out... so I'm going to do a separate blog post concerning all that (that way, for those of you who don't care - you won't have to read it!).
So in a large nutshell, that is what is going on with our small family at this point in time. I am going to post more often, promise! :)
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