Deployment Bucket List

Let's face it, deployments are not fun. They make you stress, worry, and miss the other person like crazy. Your suddenly doing half the amount of laundry (hm, well, maybe this is one of hte high points) and cooking you once did. You find yourself staying up waaaay too late watching TV shows and movies. Your constantly bringing your phone everywhere with you. Gotta go to the bathroom? The phone goes with you. Everytime the phone rings you automatically think its them. Well, news flash, it's usually only them in 1 out of 10 phonecalls. When you log onto your skype you triple check to see if they are on. Well, that's if they were blessed with internet. Thomas was not blessed with internet on his last deployment. This deployment I'd say he is very blessed...he has his own room with a roof and they do have some internet access they can use at the MWR if they aren't busy. Okay, so I went off on the dirt road for a minute there..lets get back to my original point. Deployments are not fun! There are a slew of other reasons why they are no bene, but today we are not going to focus on that. We will focus on why deployments can be a good thing if you let it. Remember, in every aspect of life, its what YOU make of it.

So, here I am, making my Deployment Bucket List. These are all the things I would like to get accomplished OR be seriously working towards getting accomplished by the time Thomas comes home. Last deployment I didn't make such a list. My goals were simple..survive the first year of Graduate School. That was all I cared about. I didn't have time to develop hobbies or do things for me. This deployment it's about being there for my husband and creating a mentally, spriritually, and physically better person in myself. I want to be the best Rachel I can be. Yes, I know you think I'm perfect just the way I am, but there's always room for improvement. ;) Okay, here is my deployment bucket list thus far...

1. Grow in my relationship with Christ. While Thomas is gone I want to start going to weekly bible studies. There is an organization called PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel). I've never been able to go because it's on Tuesday mornings and I am usually at the school volunteering. But, I decided that I need to go regardless. I am not getting paid for what I do. I don't need to feel obligated. If I took one morning off to work on what's important then that would be okay. What's funny is I know the people I work with would not care and would completely understand. But, you know how it is. You make a commitment and you want to stick with it. But, I need to make my commitment to Christ a little bigger. I am also going to be the Awana Cubbies Director again. There's nothing like seeing Christ through a child's eyes. Another aspect of this I need to work on is reading and studying the Bible on my own. Doing that seems a bit overwhelming because it's such a big book and it's sometimes hard to understand (thank goodness I have a study Bible now). Any tips on studying, reading, and marking the text of the Bible would be much appreciated. :)

2. Exercise more and keep it consistent. I'm sure this is on every girl's deployment bucket list. Seriously, I have to do something. I even thought about getting a personal trainer at our gym on base, so I am more accountable. At least until I get back into the habit again. And hey, if I am paying for it, I'm most likely to go. Plus they could probably give me some valuable information. Crossfit is also going back on the schedule again. I would love for Thomas to come and be like wow..is that my wife? Haha!!! :)

3. Keep my diet healthy. What I find fascinating is that any time I eat a bunch of junk food I feel gross afterwards, but yet some how there are days when salt and vinegar potato chips are just what I need. Realistically, I know that every once and while I have to have a little junk (blame it on PMS). But, for the most part I know I can do the whole healthy eating thing. I just need to remember what the bad foods do to me and limit it. Everything in moderation.

4. Get my creative juices flowing. Have you met my mother? She is the most creative, artistic person I know. So, it's gotta be in my genes somewhere right? Here are some of the things I'd like to do to get creative. I want to learn to draw. I've got some books already and have slowly started trying, but I haven't been consistent with it (are you now noticing a pattern? consistency is obviously not my strong suit). I also plan on going out and buying some blank canvases and some paint and just, well, paint. I read somewhere not to think too much about just grab a brush and start painting. I will try to research it more, but I would love to take some sort of painting or drawing class. Another way I want to get creative is to start doing more DIY projects. I think it would be awesome to have different things in my house that I could say, "yeah, I made that." I'm also planning on taking some classes at the Arts and Crafts Center. Some of the classes I think I'll take are wheel spinning (I think this is what it was called, it's where you make pottery out of clay and spin it) and mosaics as well as whatever else they've got. I would love to have a hobby like this.

5. Improve my photography. I absolutely love taking pictures and I've been told that I'm good at it. I've even got a lot of my pictures framed and hanging on the walls of our house. I am planning on taking a photography class in September to improve on my photography skills.

6. Develop a Green Thumb. I have tried the whole gardening thing and I have had ups and downs with it. For example, my pansies did quite well this winter, but now that summer has come they are dead and crunchy. I have had the WORST luck with citrus trees. I think its actually a bug problem though instead of a "me" problem. The reason I say this is because of our rose bushes. They were doing so good!! They were blossoming and thriving. All of a sudden they went downhill fast! I discovered bite marks in the leaves and I remember the citrus tree leaves getting those bite marks. Stupid bugs. But, we saved on of the rose buses after buying some insect spray. But, back to the orginial point. I want to get better at gardening and have beautiful flowers and other plants.

7. Blog More. Oh, how appropriate since I am writing a blog right now!! I really do love to blog. I love that I can share my thoughts and experiences to my friends and family back home while I'm away. I've gotten a little slack on it lately. I haven't been taking the time to sit and write well-written thoughts. You can probably notice the difference between ones I wrote way after the experience happened and the ones that I write pretty immediately after it happened. You are going to find much more humor, insite, and details in the ones that I sit, concentrate, and do immediately when I think of it. Hm, kind of like this blog, I suspect.

8. Cooking. I have become quite the happy little cooker since living in Italy. I have taken a cooking class and I usually cook all the meals at home now. I am constantly researching new recipes on Pinterest. I want to develop my skills more and experiment with cooking new things. I am already signed up for the second cooking class at Aeolia's in October.

9. Journal More. Yes, this may seem very 7th grade to you, but there's just something about putting your thoughts down on paper that really seems to help. Plus, it's so fun to look back at the things you wrote years ago. It can kind of show how you've changed and how you haven't changed. Anyway, I need to get back into the habit of sitting down and reflecting on my day while putting it into writing.

10. Travel. Even though Thomas is away, it doesn't mean I should sit in the house all the time. I'm going to get out and see the world with my friends. You don't get a chance like this very often. It's a treat to live in Europe, you might as well dig in and savor every single bite.

11. Organization, Organization, Organization. I have got to get things organized in my house. Everything needs a place, but not everything does right now. I need to find special homes for all my belongings, so both Thomas and I know where to find them.

12. Learn Italian. Now, I've obviously picked up some Italian by just living in Italy for over a year. But, I want to take an actual Italian class so I can improve and add more vocabulary to my Italian repertoire.

For now, I think that's all I have on my deployment bucket list. I of course reserve the right to add to or change anything on my list. :) Well, I've made my list so now it's time to make yours.