March 20th

House updates: Garage door, cabinet, countertops, some lighting, driveway installed, and landscaping is started! We are making big progress!!!

House as of March 20th

Yay!

We decided that Sundays would be our 'house visiting day.' Its so much fun to go every week to see how much progress they've made!

March 13th- they changed the sign from "For Sale" to "Under Contract" !!!

The Benders are Homeowners!

To rent, to buy, to rent, to buy? Those were the questions we kept asking ourselves for the past year. Our original plan was to rent an apartment and after our lease was up to purchase our first home. During the past year we've casually looked at different homes in the area. We learned where the good neighborhoods were, the neighborhoods to stay away from, where the good schools were, etc etc etc. With our lease's expiration date fast approaching we knew we had to make a decision. We knew we wanted to move out of our current apartment complex and into something better and bigger. After many conversations we decided that it was definitely the time for us to buy our first home. We are going to be at Ft. Benning for at least another 3-5 years, the market is a "buyers market," we were financially ready, and it just seemed right! We also wanted to minimize the amount of times we move in our lifetime, and we wanted something more stable while we are at Ft. Benning and didn't want to worry about having to move once our lease is up or having to get something bigger as we begin to start our family. We knew the exact area we wanted to purchase a home in so we decided to take the next step and an agent to start really looking at some homes. We quickly found an agent we loved. She was brutally honest, had lived in the area her entire life, and she truly cared about what was best for us. After giving her very specific specifications of what we wanted in a house, it only took a couple houses to find our perfect house! My friend, Robyn, told me that you will get that feeling when you know its your wedding dress feeling when you find your house, and we really did get that feeling when we found our house. The house is new construction, 4-bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and beautiful! What I love most is the neighborhood, it is suchhh a friendly, clean, and safe area. There are always children playing everything, people walking their dogs/running/walking, people bbq'ing, playing football in the street, its such a happy place!

After crossing all our t's and dotting all our i's we were ready to put in our offer. Everything, for the most part, went smoothly, and as of March 6th we were under contract! Our house is located in a great neighborhood in Columbus, in a fantastic school district, and in the area we wanted to be! 

The completion date is scheduled for April 5th and our closing is April 13th, which is coming up quick!!! We couldn't be more excited and feel more blessed!

Our house as of March 6th!

Finally People Who 'Get' It

Can I just say it is finally soo nice to be with a group of woman who "GET" it. I love my friends and family from home to death, but there were times where I could just tell they didn't get it..

I started dating my husband Junior year of college, I was immersed in my studies, very active in my sorority, and my friends were my world. When I started dating Jeff I quickly realized I wanted him to be in my world, and he wanted me in his. Jeff was not the typical college student. He was enlisted in the National Guard, he was a member of the Boston University ROTC program, as well as an active member in his fraternity and keeping up with his studies.  Our quality time together was precious because it was rare. If he wasn't gone one weekend for drill, he was gone the next for a ROTC training. He was up every morning by 5am to drive to BU for PT and I didn't see him, if we were lucky, for dinner. So many special events were missed because of his military obligations. So when he was around obviously we spent every second together. I chose to spend time with him over going to a 'sorority social'...and boy did I get sh*t for that, because they did not get it. Its hard to argue with someone who doesn't live the life we live and the most important thing in their life is getting drunk at a fraternity house. At that time in my life I had something more important, more special in my life, and boy do I not regret a thing. For awhile I was bitter towards some that gave me such a hard time for missing such trivial events, but I realized that they just didn't get it.

Military wives "get it." They realize that your time with your loved one is precious, every single minute you spend together is quality because you never know when that time will be taken away. Sometimes you spend birthdays, Valentines Days, anniversaries, etc alone because he is gone, and you make up for it when you can. Its so nice not having to feel guilty or have to "explain myself" to why I'm spending time with my husband instead of going to some lame bar or party and pretending to enjoy myself.

Amen to those who get it!

Being an Army Wife is Not for the Faint Hearted

Never in my wildest dreams thought I would become a military wife. I remember watching the news, watching shows, and watching movies with army wives, and I always wondered how they did it? How did they keep it together? Now...I ask myself, how do I do it? How do I keep it together. And my answer is always, I'm not sure. People always tell me that I'm a strong person, its a huge compliment, but at the same time I do not see myself as a strong person. I guess when you are put in a certain situation you just put your entire heart and soul into making it work. 

Being an Army Wife is beyond rewarding. I am married to the most incredible man on the face of the earth. Who wouldn't be proud of being married to someone whose life's purpose is to protect yours and all your friends and families'? Seeing what Jeff goes through every single day always makes me more proud of him. I really do not know how he does it. Sleep is something of the past for him and he is always on the go, always doing what is best for his soldiers, even if it means coming home at insane hours of the night. 

The life that has opened up before me by just marrying my soldier has been incredible. The Army lifestyle fascinates me. I am going to see and experience things that some can only dream about. I'm meeting people from all over the world and different walks of life. All the wives I met thus far have been amazing, I've learned so much from their experiences. 

War, lost, and separation are a very real part of our lives. We never know when our husband will get the call  to go play in the 'sandbox,' we never know when he will come home, and we never know our futures. It takes a strong individual to live this life, and I give all the credit in the world to all those who are military wives. As a newbie, I inspire to be like you!

Georgia is for Lovers

So almost 2 years to the date, we found out Jeff was going to be stationed at Ft. Benning, GA (post being an instructor at LDAC, BOLC 1, BOLC 2, and BOLC 3)..and we were ecstatic. I remember anxiously waiting to find out where Jeff was going to be stationed, because obviously that would be a huge change in our relationship (this was pre-engagement and wedding!) Out of all the crazy places he could have been sent, Georgia seemed to be perfect. It was in the South...so WARM!...and it was still on the East Coast, so that meant an easy plane ride, and it wasn't somewhere crazy like Alaska or Korea! Its so much fun to think back and think about all the uncertainties we had floating around in our heads, and now here we are! 

Fast forward to now, and we are truly, loving living here. At first I thought I wouldn't like it, I was used to living in Massachusetts and all the conveniences that came with that like being so close to Boston, so close to all my best friends, and sooo close to my family. But I realized in this lifestyle you have to embrace change and make the best of it! I will be honest, it took awhile to adjust. But things just seemed to fall into place, and I can say I love living here! I also noticed that my health has improved! It seems I was a walking germ during the winter in Boston, but now I survived the winter without even a head cold!!! 

For the past couple of weeks its been in the mid 80s, sunny, and beautiful, living in a place like this, how could you not be happy?? Its crazy what sunshine and a touch of Vitamin D will do to your morale! No more cold, winter depression for this girl! I feel bad, and also laugh in the inside, for all my loved ones who are still getting slammed with snow and cold weather...sucks!

Where Did the Year Go?

We are quickly approaching so many huge milestones! Almost a year of being married, almost a year of living in Georgia, almost a year of being an 'official' Army Wife, and almost a year with our beautiful, crazy puppy Lexi! You truly cannot take your life for granted, life flashes right before your eyes. Didn't I just attend my bridal shower last week?? Didn't I just pick out my wedding dress?? When did LIFE happen!? This past year has been incredible, and every day I find myself counting my blessings and living life to the fullest! 

I've also learned this year that 'don't sweat the small things in life.'  It REALLY is not worth it. I guess moving away from all the bitterness, jealously, and to be blunt...pure evil, has helped me live my life the way I want to live, I no longer feel threatened, judged, or on the break of an anxiety attack. Everyone needs to realize that everyone lives the EXACT life they want. You are in control of your life, no one else. If bad things are happening in your life, perhaps change your way of thinking, change the way you treat people, and change way you view life. Big things will happen to you, I promise you that.

Welcome to our new Blog!

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!

For awhile I thought I was a retired blogger...my previous blog, "Becoming Mrs. Bender" obviously came to a close once the wedding happened. So many huge, incredible memories are in the midst of being created I wanted to savor every moment, plus I missed blogging so much I decided to dive in and create a new one! "Becoming Mrs. Bender" is officially retired due to the fact that Jeff & I have been happily married for almost a year now (crazy how fast time flies!) but welcome to our new, exciting, documentation of our crazy, hectic, beautiful lives!