Vignettes from ODS #3

Work Hard, Stay Humble

The first two days felt like two weeks. Part of that was because I had a cold and couldn't sleep at all the first two nights- partially because of nasal congestion, partially because of the steel-toed boots pounding the hallways every hour on the hour, and partially because I am almost certain they pipe in creepy noises just to mess with us. Eventually, though, I became sleep-deprived enough to ignore all of those things, and ever since then sleeping on top of my perfectly made bed has been easy and extraordinarily comfortable.

The next week and a half felt like another three weeks or so. Then the next week actually felt like a week. I have a feeling that these last two weeks will feel like one week put together.

Our chief, who is the most inspirational man in the world, has drilled many phrases into our heads that will elicit kneejerk responses upon prompting far into the future. My favorite is 'work hard, stay humble.' It has been the favorite of previous classes as well, as the phrase is plastered on at least three giant murals lining the walls.

Sometimes it is difficult, when I'm missing home and just want to get back to my normal 'life,' to remember to make the most of each day here. I am certain that I will look back on ODS as a once in a lifetime experience and I don't want to take it for granted. Lots of people would pay for this experience, I'm sure. It wasn't long ago that I was almost certain I would never get the opportunity to be here training for a job that I have wanted since I actually sat down and learned what jobs were available to lawyers. There are many, I know, who desperately wish they could be here with us.

I don't have a clever stinger ending for this one. Just work hard, stay humble. It's a solid phrase.

(Mike)

Vignettes from ODS #2

Hi Guys! Here is a little Monday treat to start off the week. I'm hoping to get a picture post in later this week and to tell a few of my own stories while Mike has been away, but here is a quick rundown!

• I PR-ed in a Christmas 5k this weekend, which means I ran my fastest time in a 5k since senior year of college. 
• I only have 3ish Christmas presents left to buy and wrap.
• I tasted our coconut/almond cake this weekend and promptly ordered a bigger cake. (I believe it is the MOST delicious wedding cake I've ever tasted.)
• I don't have my dress in hand yet and it's #notmyfault......
• I'm a little crazed at the moment with odds and ends left to do before the wedding....
• I went out with a group of my girl friends for a 10-course tiny-plate dinner in DC and it was pretty much the "coolest" thing I've ever done.
• I went on a Michael's errand with Kelly this weekend to get craft supplies for a wedding craft and, let me just say now, that any friend who goes to Michael's with you on a Saturday 3 weekends before Christmas while it is raining cats and dogs is....the best friend ever. 
• My roommate, Alex, and friend, Steph, are THE people you want in your inner circle if you are ever planning a celebration of any kind and if your fiance is gone. Previously mentioned 'craft' was fully completed in one morning by Alex and I'm in awe of those women.

Now we'll let Mike take it away!.....

"Rack Attack"

The names of everything have been changed to reflect their ship counterparts. This is to train us for being on ships, even though most of us will never be on a ship. A floor is a deck, a door is a hatch, a bedroom is a berthing, a bed is a rack, and so on. Unfitted sheets are issued for the racks, and you are expected to make your racks perfectly with 45 degree 'hospital corners' every day. What this means is that everyone sleeps on top of their sheets and tries to smooth them out in the morning. Our class team knows this. Occasionally after coming back from an activity, our racks will be 'tossed,' which means that we did not hold up our end of the bargain in the rack-making charade and so we must try again. One day all of our racks were tossed because some people left objects on their desks when they went to class. This is a big no-no, and we paid with our bodies and souls as chief made us alternate between penitent pushups and timed rack re-making. Our racks and berthings have been basically perfect since then.

All of this is to say that you may be expecting me to make a perfect bed when I get back. I can do that, but then no one is allowed to sleep in it. Just on top.

Vignettes from ODS (so you can feel like you're here) #1

The other night I told Mike that I felt I knew little about what his day-to-day at ODS is like and that I really want to be able to empathize with him and learn a little bit more about his new world. I guess I convinced him to share more with me because he has written me some little stories about his time there. There are so good that I can't believe he wrote them on his phone. Mike actually gave a speech to his division using the M&M metaphor and everyone loved the comparison. I hope you enjoy them:)

#1 The Sorting Hat 

In many ways, a no-nonsense female tailor with an impenetrable South Asian accent determines the level of respect that you will have as a naval officer, because she is the sole arbiter of all your uniform sizes. You are specifically instructed, in fact, that you are not to disagree with her or suggest any alternate sizings. She is the naval sorting hat, and she can tell you your suit size just by looking you up and down once.

When I arrived at her station to be fitted for my dress blues, there were four guys in front of me. One by one they would go up and she would wrap a tape measure around their waist. Then she would place her hands on their chests and pause thoughtfully before pronouncing her judgment. "Athletic," she said approvingly to the first guy in line. "Hmm... oh... athletic," she said to the second guy in line. "Definitely athletic," she said to the third guy in line. Then it was my turn. Her hands went up and she ran them across my pectoral muscles. There was no hesitation.

"Classic."

#2 The M&M's Clause Explanation of ODS

Most business majors and almost all law students eventually come across the story of the M&M's clause. A rock band on tour would put this clause into every contract that they signed. It demanded a bowl full of M&M's placed backstage with all the brown M&M's removed. If the band saw brown M&M's in this bowl, they would refuse to play. Though seemingly insane, the reasoning behind this requirement was that a venue which paid attention to the M&M's clause could be trusted to pay attention to the important clauses relating to the safety of the stage and equipment, whereas a venue without such attention to detail may screw up on the big things as well. 

The M&M's clause is the best way that I have to explain everything we have been doing since the start of ODS. There are multiple rules for shoelaces, for belt buckles, for room item placement, for greetings, for insignia placement, etc.... Any violation of these rules results in punishment- not of you, but of your entire team. No one wants to let down the team because it will result in the disappointment of the chief and in sweaty team pushups performed while screaming 'one team one family' as loud as possible. Most of the day is spent doing menial things but there is stress from constantly checking up on the rest of your team and being paranoid that someone among you has forgotten to pick out the last brown M&M in the bowl.

Skills I've Learned Since MJ Left

Does anyone else feel overflowing with love and peace around Thanksgiving or just me? Maybe it's because it's the start of the holiday season or the fact that there truly is power in gratitude, but I've been feeling extra thankful. I've also felt a heightened awareness of all of the hurt going on in the world, and am seeking out opportunities to GIVE during this season.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn some new skills since MJ left:

• Light candles using matches (haven't had to do this since HS Chem and it still scares me!)
• Take Out the Trash
• Cook For One  Eat for Two
• Insert a gif into an email
• How to get Ashton to stop crying (I'm really proud of this one considering how many diapers I've changed)
• Reaching out to others for help (One of the hardest parts of having MJ gone is not having my best friend there to constantly vent to/help me make decisions/help me wedding plan, but I've learned to reach out to other friends and family and to ask for help when I need it)
• To navigate the free weight area of the gym (Since it got cold out, I've wanted to mix up my fitness routine from bodypump+running outside >>> indoor cardio+ weightlifting...it's been a fun new challenge since I feel like I have some more time)

Now on to pictures!

Loose leaf tea present from Michael James! He has had special presents delivered to me since he's been gone with help from Amazon and an accomplice that I'm pretty sure is our new roommate, Josh.

Official!

Khakis! 

Rupe loves our new Christmas tree.

Maybe too much.

I had to get a Mr.&Mrs. ornament!

And of course the Charlie Brown tree!

With his "insignias".

Give thanks.

Auntie and Ashton.

Me, Courtney, sleepy Ashton.

The Return of Hipster Mike!

Mike has sent me some pictures during his extremely minimal Navy downtime, but they are proof that things are getting real!!

SUPER REAL. I told Mike I liked his hipster beanie. Also, I taught him how to make that face.

I bought us stockings! 

The bed Mike will have to make every day. I'm grateful to the Navy for reinforcing this habit:)

My beautiful Mother-in-Law and I + my Future Mrs. Johnson sash that Julia got me! (complete with anchors)

Little charmer<3

Being Seen

“There's nothing more daring than showing up, putting ourselves out there and letting ourselves be seen.” - Brené Brown

This past weekend, I got to hang out with some of my closest girl friends from high school and college. These are girls who have seen me in some of my best and worst moments, who still see some of those worst moments, and who love and accept me regardless. I hate being the center of attention. I don't like opening presents in front of other people. I don't like feeling exposed. However, that's exactly what love is. It's showing up and letting ourselves be seen. It's being brave enough to let our defenses down, to be imperfect and vulnerable with each other, and embracing that. 

I know how deep Mike's love is for me because in the past (almost) 3 years, he has seen every kind of Kels there is, and he has committed to embracing every aspect of her, no matter where she is in her evolution. Love is a commitment, and I see that commitment reflected in my closest friendships and in my own family. I can't tell you how healing it is to be seen and loved....I only hope to return to the favor in the future, but I have really great role models for it.

While Mike is at ODS, I plan to share more of my first experiences of what it feels like to be a significant other to someone in the military. I also hope to share pictures that Mike shares with me while at ODS (when he can). And then I'm just going to share my adventures in wedding planning and holiday merriment. But instead of hiding my vulnerabilities during this time, I'm going to let them be seen:)

“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” ~Marianne Williamson

It's Mike's Last Week!

It's Tuesday of Mike's last week at home before ODS. Typing it makes it a little more real. He leaves this Saturday which also happens to be the day of my girls' brunch that Kelly is throwing for me. So I'm glad we scheduled that perfectly. I'll be so happy to see some out-of-town friends and to partake in bottomless brunching that I may forget that I won't see Mike again until 2 days before we get married. #itseemedlikeanokayideaatthetime Truth be told, I think it will make the wedding even more special and I tell Mike that I'm excited to take over his desk when he leaves and to keep everything super clean and to have pinterest crafting parties judgment-free:) I will miss that guy, though. Here are some pictures of our adventures over the past couple of weeks.

Jenny's Halloween Party. Check out the spread! No one can out-Pinterest Jenny and her mom.

Hahahha. Mike will hate me for this. The time I tried to convince Mike that we should dress up as Anna and Elsa for Halloween. #imadeitweird

What we actually were for Halloween: Elmo and Cookie Monster. We basically stole these hats from Kelly and Alex and got way more compliment on our "costumes" from strangers than was expected. I guess people love Sesame Street,

My first Woodberry Forest production. Wow, the things GGSS could do with their budget. I'm hoping I convinced the department director to do Newsies in the Spring! #perfectforallboysschool

Then we went home to Ashton's birthday party and Mike helped me mom set up her own Netflix profile. #mikeexplainsthetechnologies

Beautiful fall run with plenty of leaf confetti. #stayawaywinter

The Last Bison concert at Jammin Java. They have a legit menu and I'd love to go back!

A little blurry, but cute photo of Mike and Ashton on his first birthday:)

Ashton and I when I went home for Lauren's engagement party.

This week, Mike and I are planning on fitting in lots of time together before he leaves. We see "As You Like It" tonight along with Josh at Shakespeare Theater Company. We are watching The Santa Clause on Thursday with Absi because we MUST watch it together before he leaves. We watched our last Walking Dead and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Doctor Who episodes together (ahhhhhhhhh tearssss). Mike's mom is coming up to visit on Friday/Saturday and we're having an early Christmas together (since Mike is spending Christmas with my family this year). And we are continuing to go to BODYPUMP/running until he leaves. I joke that our regular BODYPUMP instructors will probably think Mike and I broke up since we always go to class together. 

ALSO: I'm going to keep blogging here (I think) until Mike gets back, but our new blog is going to be at kelsandmike.blogspot.com (domain jackpot) and we both decided on the name "Hold Tight and Pretend It's a Plan" which is one of our favorite sayings from Doctor Who and also feels like the theme of this season of our lives.