About a year ago Joel went from part-time second and third shift work to full time second shift. We were excited about it being full time, and adjusted our schedules a bit for his Sunday to Thursday, 3 pm to 11 pm schedule. I got permission to start a little later and stay a little later at work. Being a night owl, I had no problem waiting up nearly every night to see him after work, and he being a morning person, got up with me in the mornings.
It was sometimes difficult being a second shift wife. It meant there were a lot of evenings to myself and get-togethers with friends I went to solo. We tried to connect at least once during the day by phone, so it wasn't just a 'hi' in the morning and 'good night' in the evening until the weekend came. In the end, we made it work because we had to.
Joel was recently told he would need to move from second shift to third shift: instead of 3 pm to 11 pm, he would be working 9 pm to 5 am. Last night was his first official shift on third, so I'm not quite sure yet what it means to be a third shift wife.
On the plus side, we'll now get to see each other at dinnertime and there may be some social things that we can go to together before he has to work. And most importantly, he still has a job, and for that we are very grateful.
On the other hand, this change means Joel and I will have to do things that don't come naturally. He'll have to stay awake at night and sleep during the day. I'll be on my own in the morning, and even need to get up earlier to try and see him.
I expect this to be a difficult transition, but it is not the first challenge Joel and I have faced together. We made it work through long distance while we were dating and then engaged, a single income while we waiting for his visa, then his part-time work and finally working full time second shift. And now we'll figure something out for third shift.
Monday, August 16
Tuesday, August 10
Next Stop...Iceland
It's official: we are going to Iceland for four days late October. Yes, Iceland. The island in the North Atlantic Ocean next to Greenland with a population of about 320,000.
What does one do in Iceland? A variety of things, but here is what we are thinking:
1. Hike. Take advantage of the natural beauty and see waterfalls and hopefully the foothills of a volcano (probably not the one that erupted earlier this year).
2. Enjoy the thermal springs. We sampled these in New Zealand and while they smell bad (due to the sulfur), it felt wonderful. The natural hot water should feel perfect in the fall.
3. See the spectacular Northern Lights.
4. Tour Reykjavik, the capital.
5. Visit Great Geysir, the oldest known geyser in the world.
What does one do in Iceland? A variety of things, but here is what we are thinking:
1. Hike. Take advantage of the natural beauty and see waterfalls and hopefully the foothills of a volcano (probably not the one that erupted earlier this year).
2. Enjoy the thermal springs. We sampled these in New Zealand and while they smell bad (due to the sulfur), it felt wonderful. The natural hot water should feel perfect in the fall.
3. See the spectacular Northern Lights.
4. Tour Reykjavik, the capital.
5. Visit Great Geysir, the oldest known geyser in the world.
Sunday, August 8
Determined to Lose
Weight is something all women struggle with, wether they admit or not. At some point or another we have all tried to lose, maintain or in some cases - gain weight. And it's always an uphill battle.
After gaining the freshman 15 in college, I joined Weight Watchers and successfully lost the extra weight I'd put on as well as some additional weight I'd always wanted to lose. Most importantly, I learned how to eat smart: correct portion control, what a real healthy diet was, to drink lots of water, that I can say 'yes' to some things and adjust to allow for that choice, etc. In addition to working out regularly, eating smart has just become part of how I live, so I've maintained about the same weight for the past eight or nine years.
Sometimes I'm a few pounds heavier, sometimes I'm a few pounds lighter. As long as my clothes still fit, I don't worry about it too much. About the only time I weigh myself using a scale is at my annual physical.
Last week I had the annual physical with my new doctor and found I was on the high end of the range I've maintained, which was a bit disheartening. While I would like to think that their scale is off, I'm going to put extra effort into making smart food choices and spend a little more time at the gym the next few weeks. I'm determined to lose those extra few pounds that crept on!
After gaining the freshman 15 in college, I joined Weight Watchers and successfully lost the extra weight I'd put on as well as some additional weight I'd always wanted to lose. Most importantly, I learned how to eat smart: correct portion control, what a real healthy diet was, to drink lots of water, that I can say 'yes' to some things and adjust to allow for that choice, etc. In addition to working out regularly, eating smart has just become part of how I live, so I've maintained about the same weight for the past eight or nine years.
Sometimes I'm a few pounds heavier, sometimes I'm a few pounds lighter. As long as my clothes still fit, I don't worry about it too much. About the only time I weigh myself using a scale is at my annual physical.
Last week I had the annual physical with my new doctor and found I was on the high end of the range I've maintained, which was a bit disheartening. While I would like to think that their scale is off, I'm going to put extra effort into making smart food choices and spend a little more time at the gym the next few weeks. I'm determined to lose those extra few pounds that crept on!
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