If you read my post about things I was excited to explore out here in Colorado, then you know that I couldn't wait to check out some of the scenery! On my list of parks I couldn't wait to see was Garden of the Gods, a National Natural Landmark that's located right here in Colorado Springs. During my Newcomer's Orientation, our instructor drove us through the park. After that I couldn't wait to go back and take Connor along because I knew he'd love it too! So last Sunday, we went out there and even took Ivy with us!
Garden of the Gods is a collection of red rock formations that occupies 1334.64 acres of land. There are paved and unpaved hiking paths that surround the incredible sandstone formations and provide an awesome view of Pikes Peak. The Garden even has a cool history. The park was given to the city in 1909 by the children of Charles Elliot Perkins. He wanted the park to kept forever open and free to the public. Coolest thing? You can even rock climb some of the formations, as long as you have the right permits.
I tried to take a ton of pictures to capture how cool Garden of the Gods is, but it's easily 100 times more beautiful than what I shot.
We will definitely be going back and doing some more exploring out there. If you ever find yourself in the Springs, this is something you cannot miss! What are some of your favorite natural landmarks?
Okay. I'm FINALLY going to share the apartment with you. It's still not complete. We still need to decorate walls. The guest room/office/extra bedroom isn't finished yet. There are still somethings that need to be put away or taken care of. BUT everything is unpacked and this place is starting to look good.
So without further adieu, here are some pictures of our apartment!
I definitely want to do more with our little balcony!
Okay, so the bathroom was pretty awkward to capture.
My favorite areas are definitely the living room, the kitchen, and our bedroom. That's majority of the apartment (lol). Somehow I left out this awesome wall we have with maps on it where we mark where we've been. Whoops. Anyway, we still have a ton of walls to decorate. Majority of the picture frames are also empty, or still have stock photos in them. I'll do my best to work on that now that everything is out of boxes.
UPDATE: Since these pictures have been taken, we've added some fresh flowers to the place; and we found a much better place for the dog's kennel.
There ya have it! Our new home in Colorado! Any ideas for our blank walls? Looking at these pictures and think something would look really good? Let me know!
Our lives are about to go to the dogs. Well, more like to one dog. WE GOT A PUPPY! Here's a little bit about our precious addition, Ivy May Shepard.
Name: Ivy
Nicknames: Pupper, puppy, nugget, Ivy May, Little Girl
Birthday: November 2015 (estimated); adopted on March 19, 2016 Age: 4 months Breed: Great Dane/Labrador (best guess from the vet) aka she's going to be huge Loves: running around, watching cars, laying in the grass, making friends, chewing on her bone, belly rubs, sleeping, and playing in the snow
Dislikes: the stairs, vacuum cleaners, the blender, her leash, and motorcycles
Needless to say, we're obsessed. She's such a sweet and adorable little girl. We've only had her for about a week, but she's already almost 100% housebroken. Not sure if she's done with teething yet, but hopefully there's not too much of that left to go through.
I'll leave you with some pictures of our little ball of sass.
Alright, this one isn't about Usher either. Sorry.
Wow. It's incredible how much things have turned around in a week. While there is still a long way to go until I feel completely settled, a lot has come together this past week.
The week started off with a two day long class on post aka Newcomers Orientation. I was pretty excited about this because A) I don't know nearly enough about post and B) I was really hoping to meet new people. This class really delivered! It kept me busy, I learned a lot, and got to meet new people! I was a little worried at first because sometimes I really drop the ball on these opportunities. I'll go into a shell and not meet people or I won't soak up the information presented to me. That is not what happened at all. There were four other wives in the class, all pretty new to Carson. Two had been here about the same amount of time as me and Carson was also their first post. It was so fun and refreshing to talk to other wives! Plus they were all so great! We've signed up to take more classes together, and it's nice to have met such kind and fun people. I also was able to learn so much about post and the resources available to me. I can't wait to take advantage of ACS and hopefully get more involved in the FRG. Plus, from talking to the other wives and our instructor I found a ton of new stuff to check out and explore in the area. Places that will make for great blog posts! Overall, those classes were a huge success.
The apartment is really starting to look complete. My goal is to have pictures and/or video done this weekend to finally share with the world. I don't have to dedicate as much time each day to working on the apartment, which is really nice. It's finally coming together in here.
I've gotten a lot accomplished this week in terms of adult things too. While I still haven't changed my name, I've gotten some new car insurance. Changing my name is in the plans for next week though. After I get that going, I can pretty much finish up everything else.
The job fair is tomorrow, and I'm hoping for the best. I've also found comfort in not having a job right now though. Financially, we're fine. These things take time, but I do see it happening soon.
What makes everything even better? The people of Colorado Springs are so friendly! We've ran into a few people that are from Florida, or spent some time in Florida. It's so refreshing to talk to someone who knows what this transition is like. Even if they're not from Florida, they are always so quick to welcome us and then suggest at least five things we can't miss out on while we're here. They love to talk and it never seems forced. It's great to be in a community where people genuinely like to talk with other people.
Yesterday was my birthday, and I had so much fun. I was really worried about how it would turn out. There was nothing to worry about though! I woke up whenever I wanted, I planned out what I wanted to do, and then I did it! I went shopping (and found some really good deals). Connor surprised me with a cake and candles, and he even got off work like an hour early. We went to a nice steak house downtown, and then checked out some places down there after dinner. There's a brewery here that transformed an old schoolhouse into their home. We've been dying to go, and we finally got to see it last night. Basically, I had a really great birthday. It was the perfect way to spend the day.
I know this post isn't as long as detailed as Confessions Pt. 1, but I've come a long way since I wrote that. I am feeling so much better, and really think I'm making moves in the right direction. Colorado Springs is such an awesome place to live. We're so excited about the time we have left here. It's snowing pretty much all day today, which is really fun (for now)! I woke up and ran outside to play in it! Then I came straight back in because it's a little too cold for this Florida girl.
Thank you to everyone who read my last post and reached out to me last week. It wasn't easy to put out there, but I think it was worth it.
Our first (real) weekend here, Connor and I went to check out the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). It's located right here in Colorado Springs, only a little bit further up the mountain from us. It's gorgeous! Especially the Cadet Chapel. I'll let the pictures do the talking though.
Seriously in love with the mountain as a backdrop!
There was even an Air Force baseball game going on!!! Also, snow. That white stuff is snow...
I wish I would've taken more pictures, but hopefully you get the idea from the pictures I did take. The chapel was really my favorite though. It's two levels. The top half is the Protestant chapel (the first three pictures of the inside). On the bottom level they have they Catholic chapel (two pictures after the Protestant chapel), a Buddhist prayer room, and Temple for their Jewish students. The picture of the purple and blue stain glass window is from the lower level with the Buddhist prayer room and the Temple. I wasn't quite comfortable with taking too many pictures down there honestly. I didn't want to accidentally disrespect their religion. The baseball game going on was just the cherry on top. We stumbled upon it and decided to stay for a few innings. Definitely wouldn't mind going to a few more.
To be honest, the whole time I felt like we were cheating on the Army. It was really cool to learn more about the Academy though. Fun fact: the freshman can only walk on the white tiles on the sidewalks. Anyway, this was just the first of many Colorado Springs adventures. More to come!
Okay this post is already very misleading. One: that video is for Usher's song Confessions Pt. II, not Pt. 1. Second, this post is not about those songs or Usher at all. It is however, going to be a confession.
I’ll be honest right now, I’ve been avoiding blogging. While I have been kind of busy unpacking and trying to make this apartment look like a home and not a mess, I very easily have had plenty of time to work on blogging. Even now that I'm finally sitting down to write this, I'm sort of avoiding it. It's like I'm in college again and I don't want to write a paper. It wasn't until last week that it really hit me what was going on. And while this will not be easy for me to write, or post, I'm going to be vulnerable with everyone right now.
Before I get going, I want to preface this post with a few things. Please know I am not depressed, or anywhere near it. The last thing I want to come out of this is for people to worry about me. I do not resent the Army or Connor. There might be times where it seems like I'm blaming the Army or Connor for what's going on. It's not that at all. They are not at fault. Just know, I am simply trying to express what I'm feeling. I think if I can find the words to get it out, I might be able to start moving on.
Alright, so here we go. Obviously, these past few weeks have been fast and a lot. In the past three weeks, we've gotten married and moved to Colorado. It's been a weird mix of being a blur but also moving at a glacial pace. Positives: we love our location, we love each other, and the apartment is like 85% done. Negatives: I've been avoiding "adult" things and just throwing myself into unpacking the apartment. I haven't legally changed my name at all. I'm kind of nervous about a job fair I'm going to next weekend. Since I've been spending all of my days unpacking the apartment, I've made zero friends and haven't gotten to really dive into the community available to me on post.
So, I'm not going to lie-I'm struggling a bit. I'm in a state I know nothing about. This is only my second time on this side of the country. While Colorado is very rad, it's so incredibly different than what I'm used to in the South. I have no connections here, other than Connor. I'm starting to learn where things are, but am still getting used to going to those places alone. I know we've only been here two weeks, but two weeks starts to feel long when you haven't really met anyone. Do not get me wrong, I love spending all of this time with Connor. We spent four months long distance, so getting to be a part of each other's lives full time is awesome. However, I'm used to being around friends...or at least in the same timezone as them. Plus, I spent four months living with my parents so I got used being with them too. I know that as an Army spouse there are plenty of places for me to plug in, but I've got no idea where to find them. I know I'm not alone, but I don't know how to get started either. While I'm not the type to mind alone time, spending most of my day alone can get rough sometimes. Some days I'm so busy all day working on the apartment. Other days, I have nothing to do and feel a little useless. That's the other thing I'm struggling with. One half of me loves that I'm not working right now. Not because I don't have to report to a job, but because of everything else I've been able to do. I love getting to set up the apartment. I love being home when Connor comes home for lunch. I love making dinner every night. I love being on my own schedule and knowing I have time to get done what I need to get done. The other half of me is really struggling with this. I'm not contributing financially, and it's really hard for me. I've gotten used to having my own money. It's never been a lot, but it's been mine. I feel like such a mooch; like I'm living off of Connor. While I am planning on getting a job, I do really like this freedom I have right now. Not that we wouldn't be just fine even if I didn't work, it's just the principle. It's just a struggle. Oh, and elevation sickness is a real thing. My body still isn't 100% adjusted, but I know it's getting pretty close. When I was back in Florida I could pretty much run between 1.25-1.50 miles comfortably. The first time I tried running a mile here, I had to stop just over halfway through it. Some days I'm fine, and some days I get winded making the bed. My skin is always really dry and my face has been breaking out randomly. It's honestly a very strange thing to go through. I know I'm making progress though because I did run just over a mile without stopping twice last week.
I know this kind of stuff takes time; making friends, getting a job, adjusting. It's just something really new to me I guess. I grew up in a small town, but when I went off to college I adjusted pretty quickly. I made friends, found things to get involved with, and stayed busy. Then did it all again when I transferred schools. Now, I haven't made any friends and some days am just so lost that I'm not quite sure what to do.
There are positives in all of this though. Colorado Springs is home to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, a triple-A minor league baseball team. Everyone knows how much I love working in baseball. While they're not hiring full time (to my knowledge), their season is right around the corner. Which is great, because they'll be hiring game day staff and other seasonal positions. There's even a job fair next weekend that I plan on attending. I think working part time would be good for me right now. I still am nowhere near being settled in. Plus, lets face it-game days are the best part of working in sports anyway. So it's like getting to do the most fun part of the job. I'm hoping for the best there. That way maybe I can have some fun, make some friends, and make money again. Actually, next week will be a big one for me. Monday through Wednesday I'm going to various classes offered through Army Community Services (ACS), and I'm hoping they'll be great help. Monday and Tuesday I'm attending a Newcomer's Orientation and Wednesday I'm going to ACS 101. I wish I could have taken these classes sooner, but this is the earliest ones I could get into. Better late than never! I'm thinking they'll be really helpful, and give me a starting point to finding some stuff to get involved in on post. Another plus, they'll get me out of the apartment for a little bit each day. It's probably not good how much time I spend inside...honestly it's not really like me. It has been a little necessary though, with all of the unpacking and settling in.
Alright, so there. I did it. I got it out of my system and was honest. Like I said earlier, I promise I am having fun and enjoying being here. By no means am I miserable or regret coming out here. It's quite the opposite! Connor and I are both so excited about all of the new adventures right at our fingertips! Last weekend, we went to a college hockey game, found a new favorite restaurant, and visited the Unite States Air Force Academy (post with pictures coming soon!). We always wish our weekends were longer because we get scared we won't get to have a full on Springs experience before we have to leave. Silly, we know.
It's the adjusting and learning that is just turning out to be more difficult than I thought it would be. For some reason I thought moving to a completely new place where I don't know anyone all while being a newlywed and being new to the Army wouldn't come with a little bit of getting used to??? Weird. Anyway, I already feel better now that I typed everything out. I know there's still a ton to get done. I really do want to get back to being more consistent with the blog again though. Be on the lookout for a post on the apartment (soon, I promise it's almost done!), a post on some of our adventures, and possibly an update on how my 2016 goals are going.
If you read this whole thing, thank you. It means a lot.
Until next time,
Brandt
(As soon as I legally change my name, the blog is going to get some changes too!)
So, as expected, blogging hasn't been as easy with the wedding and the move happening. It'll take me a little while to get into a groove again. Until then, I took some time to make my March bucket list. These are great because they're like mini goals for the month.
As far as February went, I nailed about 7/10 of them. I went through all my stuff one last time before the move and survived the move. I got married!!! With the move, I definitely visited three new cities and even some new states. I have a planner with all the family birthdays in it. I also got my iPhone all cleaned up and have indeed discovered some new music. If you wanna hear some of it, check out my Weekly Obsession posts!
I'm going to re-add changing my last name to this month because I haven't legally done it yet. I also need to build up my running again with the elevation change, so maybe next month I can hit 2 miles. I'll lowkey keep drinking more water because you can never do enough of that.
With all of that being said, here are my goals for March 2016:
Now, I promise to write some posts on Colorado. I will also try to do one featuring the apartment. Until then, your patience is much appreciated. Moving is one thing. Getting married is another. Add the Army into the mix, and it's a huge adventure. Keep an eye out for an update to the blog! It won't be about Brandt much longer!
