Well all, as most of you know by now... I had my first interview here today.

Before the interview-I was extremely excited.  I thought this position at this business was going to be a perfect match for me (receptionist-animal hospital).  Work with animals, be a receptionist... life would be good.

Boy oh boy did I think WRONG.

The interview-This business has existed since like 1966.  Nothing against people born in the sixties, but dang this building smelled old.  It was dark and dingy.  Everyone was nice.  But the atmosphere was just so lame.  There are a TON of people on the staff at this place too.  I was surprised by all the people milling around around lunch time.  The interview itself went GREAT.  But several things came up that really made me realize... probably not the job for me.

After-my thoughts-The training process for this position is 6 to 9 months.  The first 3 months you are on a probation period.  You have manuals that you have to take home and study about your position and you get tested every month or so to see if you know your job essentially.  It is an afternoon and evening position.  Part-time.  But at night there is no guarantee of when you will get off since it is a pet hospital.  This place is located in Edgewater, South of Annapolis, which is about 30 minutes away from the house.  The next step in the process is that they call you in for a working interview.  One that you do not get paid for.  There were just several things that made me stop and say what?!

In conclusion, I think I am looking for something a bit more laid back.  This is obviously not the job for me.  So on to bigger and better things! =)

Well all, as most of you know by now... I had my first interview here today. Before the interview- I was extremely excited.  I thought th...

No, it is not good news about like say knowing when I will be home in December or anything.  BUT the points finally dropped and Rob is on his way to Sergeant.  October 6th is the current day that he will get pinned as a SGT.  This is good news for many reasons.  -All the hard work has FINALLY paid off. -Be a little higher up the totem pole in the military (just a wee little bit.) -Pay raise. And finally... Rob will be in charge of soldiers.  Something that he is definitely cut out to do.

Pretty eventful past week and weekend here in Maryland.  Rob started Color Guard practice.  Some special group that he was picked for.  I kind of gather it is his reward for doing so good on all his promotion boards and stuff.  Regardless, he is training to carry the flags and stuff I do believe.  I also went on my first girls night out.  On Wednesday I met some of the ladies I have met here out for dinner at Chili's.  It was a good time.  I'm glad to know there are people here that I can talk to and relate to.  (Still miss my Kansas girls lots and lots!!)  Let's see what else?  On Friday Rob and I went up to base for Oktoberfest.  You know the German drinking holiday?!  LOL.  There was a concert on Friday night.  Matt Kennon.  (If you don't know who he is or haven't heard his song... The Call... you should probably check it out.)  If the sound would have been a bit better we could have understood what he said.  But the price was free, and I'm all about that.  They don't seem to do free country concerts here unfortunately.  Then on Saturday I went out with some ladies again.  We did one of the most random things I think you can ever do.  We went and took a class.  It was originally supposed to be an exotic moves dance class, but ended up being a pole dancing class.  Dad don't freak out yet.  Let me tell you... I probably made a complete fool of myself, and today I woke up SORE AS HELL.  Good good workout.  I also had Cheesburger in Paradise last night.  Another Kansas relation. =)  I enjoy finding them here in Maryland.  (Did I report that we found a Sonic here finally? Still excited about that!)

This week Piston turns 6 months old.  My baby is getting so big.  October also begins this week.  Where has the time gone?  You know Lindsay asked me about Christmas presents today... that time of year is right around the corner.  Hope everyone is well.. I'm going to go eat me some mac and cheese and relax my sore non-existent arm muscles!

P.S. 3-0 baby!!! =) All the way this year.  I'm telling you.  Also I should let you all know for anyone that doesn't already know... the Cowboys also won today.

No, it is not good news about like say knowing when I will be home in December or anything .   BUT the points finally dropped and Rob is ...

The end of the weekend is here... we did nothing but spend money this weekend.  Piston got cleaned and more food (that stuff is outrageously expensive... and here we are looking for another dog? NUTS, I tell ya.) And we got two new tires on Rob's car.  Much needed, but dang---paychecks seem to go a lot faster when you got big expenses. Don't they?

I'm in a good mood--Cowboys lost, again.  Chiefs won, again!  2-0 baby?!  I'll take it!!! This kid I went to high school with is like the biggest Chiefs fan EVER, and it was his birthday today... and they won.  I feel like it is just perfect for him. :)

Now that we have two vehicles back... I can start getting in shape.  I might try the zumba class on base on Tuesday.  It might be laughable, to say the least.  :)  So this week I am going to try many changes on top of that. Going to shoot for being in bed between 10 and 12 every night.  And get up between 9 and 10 every morning.  Going to also start taking the dog on two walks.  One in the morning and one at night.  Maybe it will help with us being frustrated with him having so much energy we don't know what to do with.  Who knows?  Also going to quit snacking after dinner.  Another horrible habit I picked up here... just another one to break huh?  Maybe I will report on my progress... but maybe not.

On that note... I'm headed upstairs to put the bed back together so we can crash out very soon.  (As in, the sheets were washed and now everything has to be made again.)

P.S. Hopefully I will have news sometime soon-ish as to when we will be home over the holidays.  So I can let everyone know for sure.

The end of the weekend is here... we did nothing but spend money this weekend.  Piston got cleaned and more food (that stuff is outrageous...

Rob and I got here the first week of June with all my stuff in tow... I just realized that was 3 and a HALF months ago.  I feel like it was just yesterday... but yet I have missed out on so much.  Birthdays, parties, lake, back to school.  All that.  Can I just say it's scary growing up?  All who agree... raise your hands.

Let's see since I last posted... the Cowboys lost, the Chiefs won (incase you didn't already know... part of the sentiment of missing my home town.  Hello, the Chiefs have the GREATEST fans in the world.)  Rob got second in poker on Monday night... the same day that his tire blew out on the Civic on the way home from PT.  It's never ending it would seem.  Two new tires, coming right up.  Luckily no accident or anything... I wasn't in the car, thank goodness, cause I would probably still be shaking now from having a tire blow out and being on the shoulder a second later.  Scary much?  We tried a new sandwich shop that I am pretty sure is East Coast, possibly Maryland specific.  Can I ask... why do sandwich shops insist on not serving french fries?  My favorite food in the world, and I'd love it with a nice sandwich (believe me best sandwich I've probably EVER had--better than subway, goodcents, etc.)  but no.. they insist on having just chips as their sides.  I find it rather lame.  If I ever open my own sandwich shops, look for the fries!  Speaking of food, since I'm watching Food Network, we discovered that there is actually a Sonic near us.  And by near us I mean 30 minutes away, but hey closer than Delaware or worse Kansas!  Which Delaware is where we originally thought the closest one was.  This is very exciting news for us here, believe me!

Well, it's halfway through the week... since we are down a car, I didn't get to go to the job fair in the area today.  Which is unfortunate, but yet I didn't waste a TON of time standing in line just to get in and just fill out some applications.  So still on the job hunt.  I'm bored out of my mind people!  Also as soon as I get a car back I am setting up appointments for some schools in the area, and getting my butt on top of that for Spring 2011.  Looks like we will be here till AT LEAST then... probably more like August.  Regardless, I will have at least another semester here.  So going to takes some classes towards my newly wanted business degree and then I will only have three semesters left!  Woohoo!!! So easy to say that, but three semesters could take a whole lot longer.  Ha ha.

I woke up not feeling too hot this morning, dang season change and allergies!  I better head to bed, or at least pretend like I'm heading to bed.  Hope everyone is A-OK.

Rob and I got here the first week of June with all my stuff in tow... I just realized that was 3 and a HALF months ago.  I feel like it w...

Well this week has been fairly uneventful, minus Rob's flag football team getting their first win.  Pretty impressive, and it wasn't a close match either.  The other team was just plain nuts! Ha ha, so they walked away with the win, finally.

I woke up this AM to a clean downstairs.  My boys (aka Rob--Piston was a nuisance I hear.) cleaned it while I snoozed away.  I guess it was after Piston made a yucky mess on the carpet... silly dog.  And on that note I have exciting news.  Rob and I have started looking for another boxer.  Yes, we know it will be TWICE as much work.  But they can entertain each other, we hope.  We want to get him a play buddy while he is still young and non-territorial (minus the couch he is extremely territorial of, ha ha).  We went to a couple of shelters today, and while there were TONS of adorable dogs I would taken home in a heartbeat, we didn't find a winner.  So the hunt is still on.  For the record, these are our children.. and we do not plan on having any actual children till Rob is out of the Army AT LEAST, which is four years at the earliest.  Anyway, so it's been a fairly good day.  It was awfully nice of Rob to clean up the house for me. Not going to lie. (:  Even though I'm pretty sure I heard him grumbling the whole time he did it..

Tomorrow is Dallas' opening game.  It is against the Washington Redskins, so it's hard on Rob not being able to go.  But tickets were pretty costly.  Oh well, that's what the TV is for obviously!

I want to let my parents know I am thinking about them today as they deal with everything going on with their parents and stuff back home.  The revolving life circle has come back around.  Instead of children it is now parents they are taking care of.  I promise it will come back to you guys too... it's in Erin and I's future.

Derek wants everyone to know that KU won today... for anyone that cares.  If their even is anyone. :D


And the final note.  o9. [] []. 2oo1--- forever in our hearts right?  I still remember that day in sixth grade.  One of my friends left school early, as she had family that lived in Manhattan.  But at 11 years old, I didn't really understand what had just happened, and what it meant would happen to our country as we all knew it.  Countless people devoted their life to saving others, and countless people still fight today in response to what happened that day.  America changed, and regardless of what ACTUALLY happened, or did not happen, Americans died that day.  Innocent civilians, pilots, firefighters.. people in the wrong place at the wrong time.  And that is what we celebrate on this day in September.  The lives that were lost that day and the days that have followed with our military men and women.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to a remembrance run at Ft. Meade with all the servicemen and women stationed there.  It was quite a sight watching the fire truck makes it way down the road with all these soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen behind it.  Struck home with me this year... we will see a deployment before Rob is out of the military.  I can only hope that Afghanistan is not the location of said deployment... regardless it's these people that keep me supporting this war.

Well this week has been fairly uneventful , minus Rob's flag football team getting their first win .  Pretty impressive, and it wasn'...

This ones for you...


"The KU football team practice was delayed for two hours Tuesday after a player reported finding a white substance on the field. Practice was suspended while federal agents were called in. After a complete analysis, experts determined that the white substance, unknown to the players, was the goal line. Practice resumed after agents decided the JAYHAWKS were unlikely to encounter the substance again."


Cough, cough--Derek Meier, Kara Johannes. (:

This ones for you... "The KU football team practice was delayed for two hours Tuesday after a player reported finding a white subst...

Minus the fact that football has been on my TV one way or another all weekend, it has been a good one.  If it's not MADDEN, it's preseason.  Not preseason, it's college football.  Not college football, fantasy football drafts. I guess that means Fall is around the corner?  And I officially live with a man more obsessed with football than I knew possible.

I had hoped we would get to take Piston to the dog park this weekend, but we never got around to it.  He did discover the back deck though.  I think he is in love with it.  Every time one of us would step out back he is right there with us.  He's going to love Fall.  It makes me wish more than anything that I could take him camping back home.  I mean that's what everyone else was doing this weekend... visiting the lake on a day trip, to camp or just to boat.

I also managed to deep clean the two bedrooms and bathroom upstairs.  Spent a good like four hours doing that.  I love clean... but I rarely have energy/motivation to clean during the day.  Usually it happens at night right before I go to bed.  So this week my goal is to tackle the living room and kitchen downstairs.  Should be fairly easy. (:

The next phase in my "getting-back-to-the-Amanda-I-was-before-I-moved-from-Kansas-to-Maryland" has begun.  Sugar in the form of desserts are now off my snacking and or eating list.  Which I just realized that I messed that up yesterday.  Oh well, in our house there will not be any sweets anymore.  It'll suck cause I will not get chocolate... RAWR.  But I went to try on my formal dress the other day to wear to the holiday party in December and there were a couple inches that would not zip up... so I have several months to lose several pounds.  So we have x-ed out caffeinated beverages and now sugar.  What'll be next?

Also I'd like to thank Krista and Bob for hosting the draft party yesterday.  I had fun as always spending the day with a group of football obsessed boys and the girls of course.  Spent hours just chatting about life, past, present and future on a crisp Sunday afternoon outside.  Who could ask for anything more?  Especially that awesome dip Brittany brought! (:

I hope everyone had a nice safe weekend, and maybe you got to watch some football too?  I'm pretty sure KU got their butts beat... makes me laugh.  Don't know about the other Midwest teams I usually hear about... but it's all good in the end, right?

Minus the fact that football has been on my TV one way or another all weekend, it has been a good one.  If it's not MADDEN , it's p...

It's smoking hot here in Maryland again.  I'm waiting for hurricane Earl to get his happy butt here so the cool temps can set in for awhile. (:  For anyone concerned... Rob and I live off of the Chesapeake Bay.  Pretty far towards the top as well.  Maryland is under a hurricane watch along the coasts and stuff.  To get to the coast we are at least 2 and a half hours away.  We are expecting cooler temps, possibly some wind and maybe some rain.  But last I looked we weren't even expected to get rain.  There will be some high tides along the bay... but that shouldn't affect us either.  And they expect all of the hurricane stuff to be over by tomorrow evening.  Short lived huh?  But for a Kansas girl, it's so so so so weird to hear about hurricane watches/warnings compared to tornado watches/warnings.  Very different and a tad bit exciting.

Well our busy night the other night with poker ended up being pretty dang exciting for me!  Out of 18 people I got fifth.  Unfortunately for me the top 4 people placed and got a prize.  So it was a hard out to get fifth, but someone had to.  And for my first tournament of the best of the best of the regulars, I'll take 5th. (:  Maybe when I come home and visit we can have a poker night... better start prepping.  Cause I'm a beast!

Today marked the day Rob has been anxiously waiting for.  Promotion board.  For anyone not aware of how the Army works, he has to go before a board of soldiers who essentially decide whether or not he should get promoted with the next wave of promotions.  The highest you can get on points from that is 150.  Guess what he got... 150!!! I am beyond proud for him.  So right now he is currently a Specialist Promotable (SPC(P)).  Come October he should be getting promoted to SGT.  Lemme tell you all, this has been a LONG time coming.  So I am extra glad that he got it and that it is almost over.  Lots of pressure on him to always be on his toes and that turns into stress a lot of time that comes home with him.  More money and a happy man... that's in my future!

Other than that... still looking for a job (I do have a friend that is helping me right now, maybe it will result with something promising but who knows?)... still got to update yall on school...

So much to do. So little time.

It's smoking hot here in Maryland again.  I'm waiting for hurricane Earl to get his happy butt here so the cool temps can set in ...