Crusing Fort Carson

Joe called me at noon and asked me to pick him & two Soldiers up because of a car fiasco. Anyway, as we drove back through post, we saw some vehicles driving down the tank lane. I will never get tired of seeing these huge tracks drive around with people sticking out of the top with huge guns all over them. Thankfully we had dropped the other Soldiers off so Joe wasn't embarrassed by my picture taking.

Polish up that RESUME!!

Hi folks!! Just wanted to share something with you. A while back, I was evesdropping on Twitter and saw some people talking about Schofield Strategies for resume services. After inquiring myself, I was introduced to Amy Schofield, the Administrative Consultant and Resume Writer. After seeing exactly what she offered and looking at her prices and my current resume with Joe, we decided that where I am in my education and job hunt right now, this would be a GREAT investment in our future. Like I've discussed before, when I graduate I will be looking for a job back home in Arkansas so we can start a new chapter after Joe gets in the Army. So contracts were signed and Amy started on my resume. A few days later I got a loooooooong list of questions from her about my experience and education. There were questions I would never think to ask about. So then a draft of my resume was sent my way and we scheduled a phone call to go over it all. I'm not sure what I expected, but I was seriously blown away by the draft I was sent. I showed Joe before the phone call. He just laughed & said it looked like I was a real person with real experience. So during the phone call, Amy was able to educate me on WHY my resume was set up like it was and WHAT employers are looking for and HOW employers look over resumes. Amy really knows her stuff! She started sharing studies with me about how resumes and hiring has evolved over the last decade, given the current job market. She tailored my resume to two dream jobs I would love to have, but then described to me how to format the resume so that it can be tailored to each job. This was odd to Joe. Why would someone give away her secrets? Why would she tell me how to fix it when I could just go back to her and she could "charge me more" to fix it? After the phone call with Amy, I can tell you 100% - she shares this information with her clients because she wants her clients to have the best resume possible, even after she's done with it, and truly cares about us getting a good job. She even wants her clients to let her know when we get those dream jobs.

Amy is a military spouse and is very good at what she does. I found her in a spontanious round-a-bout kind of way. So I wanted to post this here, just in case someone out there reading this is considering fixing their resume, but doesnt know where to start. Amy offers many different options at many different price points. I would recommend her ALL DAY LONG!! I could not be happier with her services. Here's her link again:

http://www.schofieldstrategies.com/Resume-Services.html

So go check out Schofield Strategies and tell her Sara sent you!!

Will you still love me when I'm not an Army wife?

I have been writing here for 3 years now. But I don't see myself writing here much longer. I do have another non-military blog - Sara & Rigel, the Life & Tails of me and my Shadow. I will be blogging there while we are in transition and when I move home.

As most of you know by now, I'm just so burnt out with the military and being an Army wife. I'm so done with it. And as they say, if you cant say anything nice, don't say anything at all. So instead of badmouthing my husband's unit and leadership, my mouth & blog will be quiet about it. Some transition details might pop up from time to time, but I'm not the Soldier going through ACAP and ETS. An Army wife's transition is different than the Soldier's. I already know how to be a civilian. I know about civilian insurance and school and rent and resumes and jobs. But thankfully, Joe is having classes about all of that. He hasn't been an "adult" outside of the military so I'm glad they are teaching him a few things he will need. Now I can just hope it's helpful information and not a waste of time... but whatever.

So if you want to follow my journey, please check out my other blog. Lots of pictures of Rigel and hopefully updates on graduation SOON and job hunting when the time comes.

Thanks friends!

3-Year Blogiversary!!!

I've been writing on this blog since June 29, 2009. I was living in Kansas, Joe was stationed at Fort Riley.

This really is bittersweet for me. The more I sit here and think about ending this blog, the sadder I get.

What are you talking about Sara?

Well, this time next year, 2013, I will no longer be an Army wife. As much as that THRILLS me to no end, the time I was an Army wife was quite an experience. I just don't want to do it anymore, mostly for Joe's sake. When I married him 5 years ago, we both thought he was a lifer. I signed up for 18+ more years of deployments, PCSs, training schedules, stupid Soldiers, stupid leadership -- LOL, all of it. But when Joe was in Iraq, his attitudes changed. I'm not going to go into his reasons, but he didn't want to be a lifer anymore. We would finish his current contract and then be done. So I went back to school. And we have a wonderful plan.

But there is so much the Army has exposed me to. I know more about the military than I ever wanted to. I know more about what Soldiers and families go through. And I will never forget that or take it for granted as most civilians do. I have been able to live in two beautiful places. And make WONDERFUL friends along the way. To think I would never have met Mandy and Tammy is just unbelieveable. I have learned more about myself, about how to be a strong woman, standing behind her husband when needed, but being able to step forward when needed.

I will treasure these experiences.



I started writing this post on Friday, June 22nd, before the big wildfire that developed near my town. The initial plan for the blogiversary was to offer a giveaway of three giftcards to three different winners. I've decided not to do that now. I'm going to take the money I was going to giveaway and donate it to the  local Red Cross and the local Humane Society. The Red Cross here has worked so quickly and so hard to set up shelters for the evacuated citizens and supplying them with meals. But also, it's greatly touched me how much the town has done for the furry citizens of our town. These groups need to be recognized as well. So I am sorry to disappoint everyone who was expecting a giveaway, as most bloggers do for their blogiversary, but I think the money could be better spent on this community and the people who never stop helping those in need.

If you want to help this great state, there are a few links you can visit to donate:

• The Colorado State Emergency Management has listed some way you can help: http://helpcoloradonow.com/
• Colorado Red Cross: www.coloradoredcross.org
• The Colorado Humane Society & SPCA: http://coloradohumane.org/

Thank you in advance to anyone who does donate their time or money.

Waldo Canyon Fire - from my area

I'm going to post some pictures I've taken up to this point. The panoramic photos are cut off, but if you click on them, they will open up.

At about 2pm Saturday afternoon

Joe and I went for a drive up to Old Stage Road to see if we could get a better look.

This is a panoramic photo I took on Monday. The smoke drifted all the way across the sky.

I took this at 2pm Tuesday afternoon on my way to my school.

This was taken at 4:45pm Tuesday as I left school after my meeting. It changed so rapidly.

This was taken at 5pm Tuesday when I got back home.

So I was watching the news and watching Twitter go nuts and I started to panic. I wanted to pack a bag and take pictures off my wall. Joe knows me so well! He loaded me into the car and took me on Fort Carson. The smoke still pretty car away from my house. This picture was taken on Fort Carson, but still only about two minutes from my house. I was able to calm down knowing what it looked like from a new perspective. While I was taking these pictures, the fire was racing down the mountain and entering town.

Another panoramic - taken at about 6pm Tuesday afternoon.

Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat review

So a few weeks ago Eileen, the Director of Marketing for Aurorae Yoga, contacted me about a review of a yoga mat. So as you all know, I'm moving back to Arkansas in a few weeks. I have a friend there who keeps begging me to start a new yoga class with her when I get back. While in college, I tried the yoga thing for about 6 months before I graduated and moved to Kansas. I am naturally very flexable and would like to improve what I have and get back into yoga before I try to get pregnant. So I agreed to go with my friend when I move back. So the very next day I got an email from Eileen. So now I REALLY have to go to yoga class because I have this awesome new Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat! So what's the very first thing I did when I got it? I laid on it. I know it sounds weird, but being 5'10", nothing is every long enough for me. But this mat is very long!! In the Cobra position (I think that's what it's called, I haven't been in a class in a few years though), I can point my toes at the end of the mat and place my hands, palm down, right where they need to be. Also, the mat doesnt move around, even on the carpet. My feet didn't budge either. I tried all the positions I remembered. The mat didn't stretch or twist. I am very impressed!

Please ignore the toe nail polish, I need to redo them.

Some Product Features I think are very cool:
. Exciting New Northern Lights Design that Illuminates Energy/ w Golden Sun Focal Icon

. PER Eco Safe and Biodegradable material/ SGS approved, world’s largest testing agency

. Extra Long 72" x 24" Wide and 5 mm thick to absorb impact on joints
. No odor, durable and long lasting
. Each individual mat has a uniqueness of its own and no two mats are exactly the same

This is a picture from their website. I just love all the different colors!

They have so many products - Check out their website HERE.

I was sent the Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat in Sunset. It's so cool! The only other yoga mat I've ever owned was dull blue. This one is just so bright and fun!

And of course I cant do anything without Rigel wanting to be a part of it too. :-)

Need a new yoga mat? I highly suggest you check out the Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat! You can buy one here >>> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U2UCTO They are a family-run business that sells top reviewed yoga mats, accessories and props on Amazon.com. They were founded in October 2009 and pride themselves on top rated service to their customers. I am always looking for buy from family-run businesses. Their customer support is always top notch and you can tell they care about their products. Aurorae is no different.

In full disclosure, I was sent a Aurorae Northern Lights Yoga mat in return for a honest revew.

105 MORE

Hi everyone!! Just a quick post about the survey, last one, I swear.

I only need 105 more people to take this survey for my MA thesis. If you haven't yet, please do. If your spouse hasn't, please tell him he needs to. This is the last day I can collect data and I'm so close to the 1500 goal!

Thanks!!

Ripples

So as all of you know I am conducting a survey for my Masters thesis. For this survey I need 1500 participants. I have 1,098 right now. I need 402 more ... in two days.

I was telling my mother how hard I work to get the survey link out there. And she simply says - the ripples around you are a great help. I never thought about it like that, but it's true. I throw the stone in the water, to see all of my awesome friends, online & IRL, move it on to others. As I write this, my phone is chirping.... Twitter friends are tweeting and retweeting the link. It's very strange to see who is so interested in this research with me, who is going out of their way to help in such amazing ways. And you will be included in the acknowledgements page. It's the least I can do to show you how much your support means to me.

So once again, if you haven't taken the link, here it is. If you haven't shared it with anyone else, please do. I'm begging you to share it with at least one other person, your spouse, your mother, your brother, anyone (over the age of 18).

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F58TVY7

Thank you so much for all you guys have done. I will be able to stop harassing you on Thursday. :-)

Participants needed: male OEF/OIF/OND Veterans & Partners

So while pimping out my study, I ran into Valerie Maine on Twitter at @LifeAfterCombat. She is a fellow graduate student studying post-combat adjustment issues, specifically issues related to couple and family adjustment. She needs a very specific population, and I KNOW you guys can help her. She needs male OEF/OIF/OND Veterans to take her anonymous survey about adjusting to their relationship after deployment. There are two different versions of the survey - one for the veteran and one for the Service member's partner. Joe and I took it. It says the survey takes 30 minutes, but it didn't take us that long at all. Ten minutes, tops.

Since I am in hard core data collection mode, I completely understand the frustration of survey participants so I wanted to help her spread the word about her survey since so many of you are partners of veterans. I know it's hard to get your husband to take a survey. But this is for a good cause. And you're helping a grad student reach her goal. So please take just a few minutes to take the survey and then call your husband in (if he's been deployed since 2001) to take it too PLEASE!!!

For the veteran version of the survey-- go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/veteran1.
Female partners can go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/partner2 to take the survey.

She's also on Facebook if you want to check her page out. http://www.facebook.com/sara.sutliff#!/pages/Post-Combat-Couple-Adjustment-Study/175674532486655

You all know how important the mental health of our Armed Forces is to me. This is just one more person who cares about the mental health of your husband and your relationship when he returns from war. We all know things change, and it's about time that someone is focused on that. So please help her out. Thank you in advance!

Target Shipping BEWARE!

So after seeing a friend from Kansas post about her baby registry and getting an invitation in the mail about another registry, I decided that I might sit down and order something for them. They are both registered at Target, which I love anyway.

I ordered for one friend, no problem.

Then picked out some stuff for the other friend. $23 of lovely stuff. Entered my card number... then noticed that Target was going to charge my card $52! Whoa whoa whoa! WHAT?? Says shipping will be $28 for only $23 of stuff. And it's just going to Kansas, not an APO or something! So I went back to the shipping area to see what was going on. I find this message about the shipping dropdown boxes:

"We've set all your items to automatically ship at the lowest cost to you. If you'd like to get some items faster, you may be able to upgrade the shipping method."

So my shipping options are standard, premium, and express. They are currently set to premium. So the website thinks this is the lowest cost or something?? So I change all the dropdown boxes to standard. And the shipping price drops... surprise surprise to $10 - not $28!

I would like to believe this is a website problem and not Target trying to scam people who aren't paying attention. But the first order I placed, the shipping was set to standard. I didn't look when I was checking out because it was only $5. But in the email they sent me I can see it's standard shipping. So why standard for one and premium for another? It was the same amount of stuff. Going basically the same distance, although to different states.

Thankfully I caught it. Just wanted to blog so that others will know to keep an eye on it when checking out.

Have you taken the survey??!?!?!

HI. My name is Sara ... and I'm a tad bit obsessed with my thesis survey!

But good news, you only have to hear about it for the next 7 days.

If you havent taken the survey, PLEASE take just a few minutes out of your day to do so. It's really short, only takes about 3 minutes to complete.

And then PLEASE share it with someone else, on Twitter, or Facebook, or even just with your spouse. Every single response matters.

So this is me begging you to take my survey.

Here's the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F58TVY7

Thank you so much in advance!

428!! -- Only 1072 to go!!

WOOHOO!! We are on day 5 with 428 responses! I am so excited! And so overwhelmed with the support you all have shown me! Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the survey and shared it with others! This is all possible with the amazing work all my friends and followers are doing!! I'm gonna post the link again here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F58TVY7

If you havent heard about my survey yet - This is the survey I designed for my Masters thesis. It's about the public's trust of authority figures. I need 1500 responses in 20 days! It's a short survey, should only take about 3 minutes to complete.

I would be forever grateful if you took just a few minutes to take the survey and then shared the link on your blog or on Facebook or on Twitter. Please and Thank you in advance!!

Survey Link is UP!!

When was the last time you were called up to be part of a national survey?

Never, really? Wanna make your voice heard?

Well, here's your chance to be part of my survey of the nation! For my graduate thesis, I am doing a survey. AND I NEED YOUR HELP!! It's only 26 questions and a brief demographic section. It will take you only a few minutes to complete. And it's anonymous. And then when I publish the results, you will have not only the satisfaction of helping out a graduate student and fellow Army wife, but will know that your voice was counted in the results. Call me a nerd, but I think that's pretty cool.

So here's the link...

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F58TVY7

Thank you so much for taking just a few minutes out of your day to give me a hand. I greatly appreciate it!! Can you do me one more favor? Please have one more person take the survey. Your husband, your mom, your nanny, your neighbor, anyone. Please. I need thousands of people to take this survey.