Pumpkin Carving!

 The patients all ready for surgery!

Kim and Ryan planning their pumpkin 

Cory was such a gentlemen and set a table for us to have dinner!

The boys beginning their carving

Ryan slightly judging Cory as he carves 

Lilly watching with concern 

Cory's Jack Skellington pumpkin

I got Anthony to carve the tricky parts of my pumpkin. 

Minnesota!!!

Anthony's awesome batman!

October Updates!

Hello world!
I am so sorry for my absence. I kept reminding myself that I really should update my blog then I would get distracted and suddenly a week would go by and I had forgotten about it completely! Our lives have not changed dramatically since the last update, just much more busy!

Anthony- He is still living his missile life and September was a terrible month for him. For a few weeks, he would come home from work as I was leaving to go to work so we did not get to see each other much. Now that October is here, we are hoping that he will have a better schedule. However, with the government shutdown, things have been changing on almost a daily basis so we really don't know what's happening. He originally was supposed to have government inspections in early October, then they were moved to late October and now there is a rumor that they are not happening? I can't keep track with all the changes, all I know is that we can't make plans longer than a few days out because we don't know what next week is going to look like! Oh well, it's not like we really are going anywhere anytime soon! Anthony is a better sport about all this than I am but even he is starting to get tired of having so many different schedules and working constantly. Someday we hope that he will get moved to a job where he has real hours. Perhaps in December or January but I'll believe that when I see it.

Work- Things on base in general have been crazy because the government screwed everyone over. Everyone was very grumpy, especially when they were worried that they might not be getting paid. Luckily, the Youth Center was deemed essential so we stayed open and I still got paid! For now I am still working as basically a secretary at the Youth Center on base. I love the people I work with but I did not go to 5 years of college to answer phones and shred papers. I am working on my substitute teaching application but unfortunately we are still facing the same issue of the one car family. Right now we are at a stalemate and soon we are just going to have to pull the trigger and get a car because there was frost on the grass this morning and I am not biking miles in freezing weather! Luckily, my boss at the youth center was really great to work with and I will be working there on Monday, Tuesday and some Fridays and Saturdays. That way I have 3 free days a week to sub and I still have some income coming in from the youth center because subs out here get terrible pay!

Church- Lately I have been attending Bible study on Monday mornings to study Catechism and the Catholic Church. These ladies are fantastic because they help me to see how to survive life as a military spouse. We get together on Mondays, have some coffee and treats and talk about what it means to be a Catholic and Christian in this world. We are studying prayer right now and it has been wonderful to learn how to pray like God intended. The church on base has a very small group that regularly attend so they are constantly asking for help, which we are happy to do. Some Saturdays we usher or count money or whatever we need. One Saturday someone approached me and asked if I could help with Sunday School. I said I would be an assistant but I would not be comfortable with my own classroom because I have never taught before and frankly, I have only been a Catholic for 2 years and I am still learning a lot! The next Sunday I showed up to help with school and much to my surprise, I am in charge of teaching the 5th, 6th and 7th graders! Crap! It has now been 3 weeks of teaching and I love that class. I do my best with the teachings and I feel pretty comfortable because we are really just learning the Bible. We go over the Gospel from Mass, discuss the meaning, move on to the Bible lesson from the day and we always end with a game. So far the kids seem to have a lot of fun but they ask some very difficult questions! How am I supposed to know what language Adam and Eve spoke in the Garden of Eden!?!? They definitely keep me on my toes and I am trying to get them to see how to take lessons from Church and apply them to their everyday life. Hopefully it goes well!

Finally, Kim just introduced me to a class on Wednesday nights called Sacred Marriage. The class teaches you how God created marriage to make us more holy, not necessarily more happy all the time. Last Wednesday we discussed that people don't necessarily fall out of love, they fall out of repentance. People are quick to jump out of a marriage because it becomes difficult and we are seeking our own happiness in marriage, not considering what God is trying to teach us during difficult times. We learned how God gives us a spouse whose shortcomings are exactly what we need to make us more Christ-like. This was a very difficult concept to wrap my mind around but it makes sense the more I think about it. God gave me a spouse who will challenge me because I have my own failings that I need to work on. The book we are reading is fantastic so far and I think more couples need to think less about what they can get out of the relationship and more about what God wants them to get out of the relationship. I look forward to going back to the class and I would recommend this book to any newly married couples!

Friends- Unfortunately I have not been able to make it to many spouses club meetings because I have been working until 7:30 at night and all the meetings start at about 6:30 on weekdays. I made it to this months book club meeting and that was fantastic! I have never read The Great Gatspy before and I'm almost done! The book has been good so far and the movie was wonderful but sad. I hope to make it to more events if my work schedule lets me. I also ran the breast cancer 5k on base here on Thursday which was rough! I am so not in running shape but we got to run on the flight line so it was at least cool scenery.

Well I think that's all for now! More updates to come soon!

Halloween preparation!

Although we do not have a lot yet, here is the beginning of my decorating! Anthony and I have decided to save most of the decorating money for Christmas but I like to at least look a little festive. Everything is fake because, well, everything dies out here! The bottoms of the flower pots and the pumpkin are filled with rocks because the wind takes everything here! Hopefully we get lots of little trick or treaters this year and now to work on my costume! More updates to come! And I am very sorry for my absence!

How I survived my first 6 months

Well, August 18 marked our 6 month anniversary of moving into our house on base. Although it feels like forever ago, I started thinking about myself when we first moved here. I was excited to be with my husband, nervous to be in a new place and carefully optimistic about the future. I also started thinking about how I have made it through this time and I have narrowed the list down to a few things that have kept me sane and helped me adapt to my new environment.

1) A fantastic husband. This may seem like a given but hear me out. When Anthony and I first arrived here, we were hundreds of miles and a time zone away from our closest friends and family. Sure, we knew a few people here who came up with us from Vandenberg but those we were closest too, we knew we were not going to see for a very long time. We had never lived together before and prior to coming out here our time together was limited to short visits and summer breaks. We came out here and quickly had to learn a lot about each other. This sometimes proved difficult because two people who were used to living on their own suddenly had to adapt and change to accommodate the other. However, I think this has been the best thing for our marriage so far. We were out here, alone and had to rely on each other. Our fights could not last long because we had no where else to go and no close friends or family nearby to talk to. If we were upset about something or cranky we had no choice but to talk about it and figure it out because we were all we had. Now, we had gone through 5 years of a long distance relationship so we were pretty good about communicating but we have gotten a lot better since moving here. I realize how lucky I am to have a husband that will put up with me, especially on those days when I had minor freak outs wondering "how in the holy name of Jesus did we end up in this God forsaken place!?!?" Those days have gotten fewer but he has been understanding, patient, and encouraging with me, even when I decided "Hey honey, I am going on a 5,000 mile road trip to travel the Oregon Trail! See you in two weeks!" What a sport! Now, I'm in no way saying we're perfect but I count myself very lucky that after almost 7 years together we can still enjoy just spending time together and we still laugh like little kids when were together. 

2) Faith. In the 6 months we have been here I think I have prayed everyday, a few times a day. There has been a lot of uncertainty and a lot of change but the one consistent thing is our faith. I know that whether I am here or in Minnesota, whether Anthony is home or away, I can count on God to see us through. This has been especially true lately as I am trying to decide what job path to take. This job has been incredibly challenging and everyday I pray for patience and strength to get through. I am unsure if I should stay at the youth center where I know I have a job and a consistent paycheck or if I should jump into substitute teaching where my hours and income are uncertain. I have been praying for guidance and I know that with a little help, I will find the right choice. I think it is important to keep in mind that you are not alone in your travels and my faith has been a constant compass in my life. 

3) Friends. What would our time here be without them?!? This part was especially challenging for me because making friends has not always been easy for me. I have always been the type of person that waits for others to call or ask me to get together because I do not want to bother or burden people. Which is silly because usually the person on the other end thinks the same thing! But I have always been insecure and frankly, a little awkward around new people and I tend to either talk waaaaaay too much or not enough. Either way, I was nervous about making friends. However, we have a wonderful group of friends here that are like our Malmstrom family. We are all in the same boat here, plopped in a new place and facing new challenges. Our little family has come to be a wonderful support system that I know I can count on if things go wrong (aka- the car breaking down a million times!) We have our cook outs and parties and we really enjoy our time together. I am so lucky that I have met this group of fabulous people and I look forward to many holidays with them and making many joyful memories!

4) Family. Last, but of course certainly not least is our families. I cannot say how appreciative I am to have such a loving and caring family. My parents, who are singlehandedly keeping the post office alive, always send us the most thoughtful care packages. Even the small things remind us that we have people who love us and are thinking of us. Little reminders of home, like twins peanuts or caribou coffee can make a terrible day so much better. I know that I can always call my parents or my sister or my cousin for a chat and in those moments on the phone I am back in Minnesota! We have always been a close family so being away from them has been very hard but I am so thankful that they are always up for a chat, especially on days when Anthony is on alert. Family, you have no idea how much I treasure our phone conversations but they kept me sane those first few months when Anthony was gone and I wasn't working. I went a little crazy being in the house alone so thank you all so much!

Thank you for all of you who have made our first 6 months memorable and we look forward to making many more memories in the future!

Almost 6 months in Montana!

Today at work, a sweet little 6 year old noticed that another staff member had the same water bottle as I did. She decided that mine needed to be different and pretty. Naturally she put ribbons, stars, a sheriff badge and glued one pink googley eye on. Now my water bottle is pretty and unique! Needless to say, she made my day! It is children like this that help me get through my day and boy are they saving me!

Work has been one of the most challenging things I have attempted in my life. I am not used to being talked back to or ignored when I am talking and now it is an everyday occurrence. It takes everything in my power to not to lose my cool when I tell a 7 year old to do something and they turn around and say "no" and continue on with what they are doing. Granted, they do not get away with it for long because Ms. Hannah does not tolerate that but some of these children test my patience everyday. I have made improvements dealing with them but some days I feel like all I have done is yelled at kids. After spending the day saying "don't do that" "don't hit him" "don't put that in your mouth" I have come to the conclusion after talking with other childcare workers that children are like tiny, drunk humans. They run into things, they fall down a lot, they have violent mood swings that often do not make sense, say whatever is on their minds and you have to tell them the same things a million times. My job is to wrangle these tiny drunk people and keep them from hurting themselves or others. There are times when these children are adorable, then there is the other 90% of the time. I realize that, although I can handle children of this age, I much prefer to work with the older ones. God bless anyone who can work with these tiny terrors!

As the new fall semester is approaching, I am very hopeful that soon I will be able to apply for substitute teaching jobs. I am faced with the dilemma of continuing to work at the youth center and limiting my hours I can sub or telling my boss that I will be seasonal and hoping that I will get enough sub jobs to supplement our income. The problem with Anthony being in the military is that no matter how many jobs he works, how awesome he is or how much extra he does, he will not get any form of raise until he is scheduled to get one in about a year. So if we want any extra money coming in, only I can make that happen. I will be submitting my sub application and hope for the best but I am very nervous about what is to come. I guess only time will tell! For now, I am happy to have any sort of job.

We are very sad that the summer is quickly coming to a close. In a few short days my family will be heading up to Ely and for the first time in 22 years, I will not be going with them. Being out here in Montana has made us miss several important moments in our family's life and that has been very hard. Ely marked the last hurrah of the summer and the McDonald family would spend the entire year counting down. I know that we are lucky that we are not stationed somewhere farther away and I am very lucky that Anthony is not deployed but there are days when it does make me sad that I cannot be there for the important moments in my family's life. On the bright side, this August marks the first time since first grade that I will not be dreading going back to school and the first time in 5 years that I do not have to say goodbye to Anthony for a long period of time. Those 5 years were very difficult and I cannot say how happy I am that we are together now and we finally have a life together. 

Well, I think that is all I have to say for now! I hope to write again soon!

Recommended reading!

Check this out! A little insight into the life of a missileer. Proud of my husband! Thank you Kim for sharing this!

http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/466808/for-missileers-perfection-is-the-standard.aspx

This sign we saw in Idaho is how I feel everyday and why I have not had time to post lately! The kids are stealing all my energy! Hopefully as the weekend approaches I will have a little free time to update you on our lives. Nothing too exciting is happening but we have been very busy! Stay tuned!