A little of THIS and a little of THAT

Initially I started this blog as a way of sharing my experiences overseas with those that were interested...however so much has happened over the last two years, including more travelling to foreign destinations, revelations of some kind or other, and experiences I thought others could learn from that I decided to mix it all up.

I hope that somewhere you'll find something that interests you and that you'll be able to learn from.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Sometimes good things do come to those who wait....

Easter is a time of hope, a time of miracles, and a time of new life.

In the bible, it says that Jesus gave his life on the cross so that we may live, and that three days later he resurrected himself from the dead.

I believe that Jesus died, and I believe that a miracle took place and that he rose from the dead, I can’t say with certainty that he choose to die so that we may one day live, but I can believe in the miracle of it, just like I can believe in my own miracle because you can never truly believe in miracles until one happens to you, or you witness it first hand.

As many have read over the course of the last year and a half of our struggles to add to our family, I thought that now; the weeks following Easter and the season of spring would be the perfect time to share our good news, news that new life and a miracle is growing inside me, healthy and strong.

Here's hoping that all those around me waiting for their miracles receive theirs soon.

Tunis, Tunisia

Tunis, Tunisha – Club Magic Life Imperial

We expect the next nine days to be nothing but fresh warm air, sun and relaxation, and with only a few hours into our travels the prospects are looking good.

Our driver arrived promptly at 4:00am (yes bright and early) and the drive to the airport took no more than twenty minutes. Besides getting through passport control at a snails pace, we made our flight in plenty of time with the escape from Moscow to Istanbul being as smooth as one would hope air travel can be.

As always though, all good things must come to an end, our flight to Tunis was late leaving, and instead of the hour flight I had set myself up for, turned out to be two and a half. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it, but I HATE flying, we will soon find out that this won’t be our only delay.

Our arrival in Tunis, brought with it some sunshine and warm weather, but it wasn’t long before the hour drive from the airport to the resort brought us to clouds and rain.

Upon early arrival to our resort, our room wasn’t quite ready. We signed our paperwork, drank some lemonade and man was it good (I don’t remember the last time I actually drank a glass of lemonade), had lunch, and than headed to our room only to discover it had yet to be cleaned completely. We sat around and waited, impatiently wanting to tour our resort and check where everything was.

The room is not everything I expected, it’s a little outdated, however the resort its self is everything we had hoped for and remembered from Egypt; Mungo Club for Anthony is here, there are teen events for Robbie, a spa that offers pedicures and massages. The beach is pristine, the water clear, the sand soft with no rocks in sight, I can only hope that the weather warms up considerably so that we can enjoy the waves.



Our nine days in Magic Life was followed with iffy weather, the highs reaching no more than 24 degrees with it being 21 or so throughout most of our stay and a chilly wind. We did manage to sneak in some time at the beach though and even participated in some water sports. Ron and Robbie went ski doing, Robbie and I went ocean kayaking and we all went on the banana boat a couple times. In addition to that we went on the most amazing quad ride ever (of course I have nothing to compare it to), the trails started off easy and gradually increased in difficulty leading us throughout the most amazing terrain and scenery, possibly some of the best I’ve ever seen (outside of Canada). I swerved off course a couple times, but after awhile I was cruising like the rest of the family.

Little did we know the turmoil’s the rest of the world was facing outside as we enjoyed our little magic experience, this would later come into play as we tried to get back home to Moscow. The president of Poland and the first lady along with many other key members of the Polish Parliament were killed in a plane crash as well, a volcano had erupted over ____________ putting all of Europe’s air travel at a stand still. We often keep up with the news, but Internet time was hard to come by, and we actually spent our evenings on vacation early to bed instead of enjoying the nightly shows, and English t.v. was next to non-existent in our room. Either way, it was too late, we were out of country, and when we went to the airport to check on the status of our flights we were told that we wouldn’t be heading home today, and probably not for a couple days. So we went to Tunis, checked into a hotel for the night, and than decided to stay the remainder of our “extended vacation” at – Magic Life - Manar. So here we are, at one of the other Magic Life’s in Tunisia, with the promise of being here till at least Wednesday, but as of right now Turkish airlines is saying that there are 50,000 people waiting to leave out of Istanbul and we may be here till the 24th or the 25th at the very least. This is only Day 2 of our “second vacation”.

Day 3 of our “second vacation” and we get a call, flights are leaving tomorrow and we’re on it….I swear sometimes God is watching down on me. We spent the day poolside, at the beach and going for our last kayak ride, by the end of the day I have walked away burnt and looking like I just got back from vacation. I only wish that the sun and clear skies that we’ve had the last two days would have come out sooner, at least we walk away with memories of yet another family vacation.

Now we can only hope when we wake up in the morning, nothing has changed and we’re still set to go.

Morning: We’re still a go, currently sitting in the airport in Istanbul, we have a 5 hour layover – ouch, lots can happen in that time.

Lots CAN happen in that time, but thankfully, at 3am we were home and all cozy in our beds.

Friday, February 12, 2010

When TTC takes over....

So here I am, more than a year of trying for a third child. I am on that road that ends very near; I have done nearly everything I can do to increase my chances of a healthy successful pregnancy. I have taken vitamins nonstop daily; both pre natal’s and a Folic Acid supplement. I have drunken 8oz of Pomegranate juice daily in an effort to increase my uterine lining and stopped drinking caffeine and alcohol for a period. I have taken my temperature everyday for the last 6 months at the same time every morning to determine my ovulation time, taken Ovulation Prediction Kits – OPKs the last three months so see when my (surge) peak time is, and have completely for the most part forgot what it’s like to enjoy sex, instead settling for a quickie in an effort to get as many swimmers in as possible. I forgo going to the gym thinking that working out to hard in the two week wait might make me have a miscarriage (completely irrational and untrue I know).

Having another child has in essence taken over my life. I’m constantly on baby mode. During fertile week I think of quickies, during the time after the fertile week and ovulation I’m in the two week wait and wondering if this is our month, constantly watching my temperatures and if they’re going up or down, if there’s a pattern, wondering if between days 6 and 10 if I’ll have a dip in temperatures (a hopeful implantation dip), when it’s not our month and my menstrual cycle starts again, I’m heartbroken and tears fall…..after a day or two when I’m use to the dreaded bitch and her ugly face, all I can think about is the next 12-17 days when we can “try” again.

It kills me to see a pregnant woman, to walk past a baby store, and sometimes to look at a calendar at the dates of what was and what should have been. It aggravates me to hear people tell me what I should do, what I should have done, and their “words of encouragement”; maybe it’s not meant to be, maybe it’s not in God’s plan. I have gone through grief, bitterness, hate, and anger, however now I’m just at a loss. I know, aside from seeing doctors and fertility specialists (which we will not do), I have done everything I can…….and so we wait and I obsess.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

There for the right reasons?

Our first night of training we had a big opening dinner, and like all orientations we were asked to introduce ourselves, tell something unique about ourselves and why we were there, why we wanted to go to Afghanistan. “My name is Marie, I’m an amateur photography and if I do say so myself I’m pretty good at it. I’m here because I’ve been involved in one way or another with the military community since becoming a military wife, and I’d like to experience a little bit of what my husband has gone through on his four overseas deployments including Afghanistan, while at the same time supporting our troops”. Supporting our troops became a standard answer that night, there were a few military wives like myself, a few ex military, and some that had just come across the ad, or heard through a friend etc....


There were also a few college and high school graduates. Not many were honest in their answers as to why they were there, but a few, very few were annoyingly honest and said they were there for the money. Now being there to make a few extra dollars isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you’re willing to do your job to the best of your ability, knowing that the job you have in front of you is like no other and requires to go above and beyond, most of which those that were there for the money weren’t willing to do. You knew right off the bat once you starting working who was there and for what reason. You could tell by who would go the extra mile, who would make a quick phone call to another store for a soldier who was only in KAF for the day, but really wanted something that our current store was out of, who would take the time during slow peaks in Tim Horton’s to put a smile on a cup, or who would make fresh coffee at the Canada Houses before the first pot ran out. You could tell who were there for the right reasons just by the little things they did. There were people there looking to pay off their college and university loans, wanting to buy a car, and those that were there looking for love.


LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES


Looking for love in a place such as KAF is a little unusual. Once there, you go into a survival mode of sorts. For me, and for every soldier I have spoken to, you get into some sort of a routine while overseas. Go eat, go work, go to the gym, eat again, watch a movie, eat again, hang out with friends, email home. It’s what keeps you busy, keeps you sane and keeps you from missing home and missing your loved one.


While it’s true you might find someone there you share a unique connection with, share similarities with, or share a common bond when it comes to hobbies or life goals, it goes without saying that under most circumstances you will not find your life long partner or your forever BFF. This goes for both men and women, those who are friends and those you wish to become more than just friends with. You begin living day by day, and after awhile you’re waiting for the day you can go home, and catch a break. And since not every soldier or civilian is there for the same amount of time, American soldiers are overseas for a minimum usually of 15 months for example, while Canadians are overseas for a minimum of 6, their reasons for companionship are become different.


As with everything, nothing is impossible. I know of one couple that has got married since returning and one couple that is now living together. I, am back where I belong.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Ya so um I obviously haven't updated in awhile....

I swear the updates are coming.......

Call me lazy, crazy, uninspired, call me whatever you want, I swear the updates and words of wisdom are coming, soon.