Army: Afghanistan number 6

Lewis doing his silly run (Kevin sent me this pic today. I miss them)

So hello everybody.  I have officially been in Afghanistan for 7 weeks and it has actually been flying.  We have about 31 weeks left to go though, so I still have a ton of time left.   Not much interesting has happened this week and all has been relatively quite for  my unit.  My biggest frustration is not being able to cook.  As people most yummy looking recipes to Facebook (you know who you people are), I have taken to emailing them to myself and labeling them in recipes I want to try.  I miss having my fully stocked kitchen to go home too. 

So here is my weekly update, broken down in my usual style, but I am adding a new category:

Financial: Yes! You read that right, but probably not the way you think.  Kevin and I are the most financially stable we have ever been.  We have only a loan for the house, an emergency fund (but we are constantly putting more towards that), some sort term savings (a savings account through the Army that accrues 10% on up to $10,000) and all of our long term investments covered (stock in his company, 401k, Wroth IRA).  So, as we continue trying to multiply what God has given us, I am trying my hand at trading stocks.  I won't be putting any real money in until mid-April, but we have set aside $2,000 to get me started.  I have already started tracking some since Mar 19th and am not doing too bad.  I don't really plan on day trading or anything like that, but I want to get it started.  I have a good mentor in my unit that has been doing this for awhile and made a lot of money over the passed few years.  He also challenges me to learn about different types of investing (yes, I know what short selling is and how it is one way to make money in a bearish market!) and I am learning a lot.  I am not sure how I will continue to provide updates on this new goal of mine (which is why I haven't written about it before) but I find find a way. 

The only piece of advice/ caveat I can say is this, only put in what you are completely willing to use.  Kevin and I have decided on $2,000 because we won't miss it (in generic terms).  We are already counting it as a loss and plan to never see it again.  I sincerely hope that won't be the case, but if we treat it like it is, even if all of our stock prices drop, we will have the time to hold out and wait for the market to improve.   

Emotional:  To be honest, I don't know that I am doing any better on the wifely front.  This week, I have definitely spent more time talking to Kevin and intentionally setting more time aside for him.  I have been praying for him more specifically and intentionally.  And I have been spending more time each day just reveling in the wonderful husband that I have, but I hardly feel like it is enough.  I know that it is really hard for Kevin when I am gone. And even though this has already turned into a period of growth for both of us, it is very hard to feel like a good wife when I am so far away and very wrapped up in my mission here.  Sometimes, I really wonder if it is possible to be a good wife when I am so far away and I wonder how women in business that involves frequent travel do it.  (Please keep in mind, my definition of a good wife is not just based on fidelity or something based on culture.  My definition can be found in Proverbs 31, Ephesians 5, etc. etc.)

Mental: So, lean six sigma projects are well kicked off and I am already working on my problem statement.  My project is focused on the way things are moved around Afghanistan.  Basically, a long story short is, everything moves in containers and we don't have a very good grasp of what moves, when and to where.  And since the Lean Six Sigma process is all about reducing waste and increasing efficiency, my job to took get a better picture of how things are moving, and then streamline those processes.  It's kind of sad, but my life currently revolves around metal 20 foot containers.  Heck, I even live in one!

Physical:  Alright, so my goal here is a pretty simple one, I have decided that first and foremost, I want to get back to a 300 on my P.T. test.  That means 45 pushups, 78 situps (I think, I always go over in this category), and run 2 miles in under 15:36.  I am pretty close on my pushups, way over on situps (I normally do over 95) and I think I am close on my run.  I think I am going to start doing P.T. tests every couple of weeks to track my progress.  Once I get back to a perfect score (300), then I will focus on strengthening my core and going back to Crossfit.  And, like I have said every week, I really need to get back to my yoga.  I think I am going to try to do yoga every other night or so and do some core and upper body strengthening routines.

Spiritual: First, a praise.  I prayed every night of March without missing!  I am very proud of myself for that.  It is an accomplishment for me, and even more so in that I journaled all of them.  I look forward to reading in the future and seeing all the answered prayers.   Kevin and I have also started a new reading program together.  We are reading through the bible chronologically and I am actually really enjoying it (not something I usually feel in the old testament).  We are about 8 days in, but I think this is something I will have no problem continuing.  It is set up so that we will read through the whole bible in a year, but I am guessing at some point, we will double up so that we will be done before I come home.

Army: Afghanistan number 5

Wow, so 5 post later and it almost feels like it is flying.... until I think of how much time I have left until I am back in my own bed next to my husband and surrounded by my puppies safe from the world. Sigh. But, while I am here, I might as well make the best of it and that is what I am doing.

Altogether, things have slowed down nicely for us.  We aren't in the same rush to catch up phase we were when we first got here and now the hours are more manageable. I don't work past 8 nearly so often, so that is a good thing.  So here are my four updates:

Physical: So, not so much Crossfit and much more running.  I run about every other night and never less than 3.5 miles.  I enjoy being able to run at night and I can usually find someone to run with (we aren't allowed to go by ourselves).  But with my recent running came another revelation.  After running 4 miles at an 8 minute mile pace, I realized I can probably max my run (which means getting a perfect score on my Army physical fitness test) again.  I need to run faster than a 15:36 in two miles, which I am really close.  So I am focusing on that since I haven't been able to do it since moving to Colorado.  Plus, I am not a huge fan of the Crossfit hours.  I like working out at the end of the day here and the last class I can go to starts at 1900 (7:00).  I am not normally off by then, so to go to that class, I would need to go and then go back to work.  I am hoping to do that eventually, but not right now. For now, running is my goal.

Mental: So the lean six sigma projects are kicking off this week.  I am still signed up to get my black belt but my project is still up in the air.  Right now, it looks like I might be dealing with contractors and the like (making sure the contracts we have fit our requirements and so on), but it is not definitive so we shall see.  Not much development in the real estate classes though.  I figure I have plenty of time to knock them out after I spend the next six months doing my lean six sigma classes that are worth about $10,000 and I am getting for free.  I am also challenging myself in learning about trading stocks and such.  I feel like I am learning a lot and am excited to get our tax refund so I can try my hand at the game.

Emotional: I have spent more time trying to be a good and supportive wife this week.  I have been spending more time connecting with Kevin and we are even reading through the bible together.  Honestly, this almost makes me more sad.  I miss him very much and though most of the day I am distracted from thinking about sad things, sometimes when I am talking to Kevin and realizing how badly I want to be back at home cooking dinner or getting ready for bed with him and the puppies, it makes me really sad.  And I know it makes him sad too.  I am not sure that will ever get any easier.

Spiritual: Another great week or praying and reading the bible.  I feel like I am connecting with God in new ways, but at the same time, I am not feeling challenged at all here in growth.  I go to church Sunday mornings but the services are usually about 15 minutes of a different chaplain each week doing their own thing and not going deep or connecting the text to real life decisions we need to make here.  Bible study is not a discussion, it's basically a better version of the church service since our battalion's chaplain really knows his stuff.  But some of the people that attend probably aren't Christians, with many of them even joking about not knowing how to figure out where verses are because they have never opened their bibles before.  It is a great chance to help witness to my unit and I think our chaplain is doing great with where the unit is at, but I am also used to feeling very personally and intentionally challenged in my small group back home.  I rarely find someone here with which to discuss controversial theological topics as I come across them or who can answer my questions when I don't understand something.  So I know I need to find some other Christians to connect with and rely on as this deployment goes on... but where to find them?