A Little Ray of Sunshine

Most of you have hundred of pictures with your spouse. And you get to talk to him or her over dinner every night. And see his or her face when you wake up in the morning.

I do not have that pleasure. I have been begging Bryce to skype with me, but because he doesn't have his own computer and internet is slow, it just hasn't happened. I get to hear his voice when we talk twice a week. But it just isn't the same as seeing his face.

Now I am not asking for sympathy or for anyone to feel sorry for me or us. This is the life we choose no matter how hard it is. But I had to preface this with that so you understand what this meant to me. 

I opened me email to find an email from the Family Readiness Officer. She sends out pictures ever so often, but I haven't found on of Bryce yet. Today however, was my day!! It is a side profile of him in formation. He isn't even looking at the camera. But it is the first time in almost 2 months I have seen his face. And needless to say, I cried. A happy/sad cry. Happy because I have missed that face so much. Sad, well, because I have to keep missing that face.

He is in the second row and the second person in. The tall skinny guy <3 He looks like he has lost some weight, but this picture was taken about a month ago (I think) and he has told me since then he has gained some weight. He should. We are spending an arm and leg on protein powder!! This is my little ray of sunshine!!!!!

An Uneventful Week

Well, it is that time of the week. Time for an update from the Ritzens. I spoke with Bryce a couple days ago and he is sounding great. It sounded like he even slept! (Which is always a plus so he isn't grumpy!!) He is really excited about being a section chief and loves his job. He is working 12 hours shifts. He started off working nnight shifts and recently switched over to days. He likes it better. However, because of time differences it means he calls right when I am in school or at work and I can't pick up. :( Oh well, he will eventually switch back and I will hear from him more then.

As for me, nursing school and work are keeping me busy. With Bryce gone, I have realized what is truely important in my life, family and good friends. I have had a great time this week spending time with some great friends and getting rid of all the other "junk" in my life.

This week holds 3 presentations for school and my final clinical of the semester. In addition to that I have two 12 hours shifts this week. Looking forward to turning the calendar to September!

Until next week, I leave you with this quote I found this week. "The will of God will never take you outside the grace of God's protection."

Update #1

Here, as promised, is my weekly post. :)

Things in the Ritzen household are going well. As you know, Bryce is deployed right now. He loves being able to do his job! He is doing really well out there. I have usually had some contact with him (either phone or email) a couple times a week. He sounds great. Of course, working very hard and probably not getting enough sleep, but I don't think he would have it any other way. He is getting lots of love and support with all of the care packages he has been recieving. But of course, if anyone would like to send him a package, he always loves it. Email me for his address.

As for me, I am about to start my last semester of nursing school. I take my last finals in January and will hopefully have my RN prior to Bryce returning. School is going really well. It is very difficult and time consuming, but well worth it. I love being in the clinical environment. And since everyone asks, no I have no clue what type of nursing I want to be. I want to be the employed type of nurse so at least for the first year or two I will probably take whatever job comes my way. :) Thus far, I have really enjoyed everything with a couple exceptions. I am hoping to start on a medical/surgical floor and work my way into a speciality from there.

I also started a new job. I am a CNA for a registry that staffs Tri-City Hospital. I really love it. I am working 1 or 2 days a week. I love working 12 hour shifts (surprisingly) and it is nice to keep busy while making a little money.

As seen on my facebook, I am on Medifast, which is a weight loss program. You eat 5 of their meals a day (shakes, bar, soups, even ice creams!) and 1 lean meat and green vegetable a day. I am SO full all the time. Eating every 2-3 hours is great. And it is teaching me ways to cook and live healthier once I am at my goal weight. I have lost 10 pounds so far and a total of 11 inches from different areas in my body.

We are getting our house on base in Dec. and I will continue to live with my grandparents until then. I want to have to place all set up before Bryce returns and still have time to study for my finals and NCLEX. We sold the mustang. I just could not drive stick (trust me, I tried and it was BAD) and it was a little out of our budget. When he returns, after going to Hawaii for a week, we will fly to Texas to visit his family and return with a truck (and all of his stuff!) to CA.

Well, sorry that was so long. Next weeks post will probably be shorter, but I had to catch you up on everything!!


-Katie

First Post

Well, this is the first post. I decided to make a blog to help follow the craziness of our lives. Things are pretty fast paced and with our families all over the country, I think this will be the best way to keep every informed on what's going on. I will try to post once a week or at least twice a month. A real first post will come later.