John, I am perfect...no really...keep reading!

So here’s the thing…I’m a bit of a planner.  I don’t mean that I’m organized, well in a way that ordinary people believe organization should be done….which is apparently not piles of shit, papers, everywhere.  I know that any principal I have ever worked for is also laughing at me being a planner because I plan my lessons on post it notes about 5 minutes before the students walk through the door.  

But when I say plan, I mean I know what is going to happen in my day, week, month and I know multiple ways to tackle all the possible options that I have planned for happening.  

I wake up, either 

Early, in which case I work out (never happens), 

On time, in which case I shower and blow dry my hair (90% of the days) 

Or late, so I don’t shower and throw my hair in some kind of up do.  

My kids will either 

A) love my fabulous lesson and absorb everything I say (never happens), 

B) like most of it and pay enough attention for me to feel halfway decent about my job (90% of the days) or

C) kill any hope I have for the future of our planet by making animal noises all throughout class and only referring to themselves by their animal names (to which you respond, “meow + meow= roar”).  

At the end of the work day I will either feel like working more (yes this does happen!) or like I want to veg out (ok this usually happens). This happens every day.  I have back up plans for every class in case something goes wrong.  I know what day I am leaving Bahrain.  Two months ago I knew when I would be coming back to Bahrain.  Since February I knew what my calendar looked like for next school year so I knew when I could travel and when I would be home in 2014.  I am a planner.  

So what do you do when you marry military?  Apparently you throw your hands in the air and go “f*** all those plans, let’s just wing it…but not too much”  Kind of like Bonquiqui from MadTV “Welcome to King Burger, home of the King Burger , you can have it your way but don’t get crazy now.”  Semper Gumby it is-you can have leave, but when we approve it.  You'll be here for "this long", give or take a year.  So here is how John and I’s conversations have been going...

Me: “When are we going to NC?”  

John: “When I have school” 

Me: “Cool, when is that?”  

John: “I don’t know, I’ll find out more when I am off leave.”  

Me: “So like the day your report in or a little after that or…” 

John:“When they tell me…” 

Me: “cool.” (so basically sometime...). 

Me: “When are we going to Ohio/Minnesota?”  

John: “The first leave I get we are going.” 

Me: “Cool, when is that?”  

John: “I don’t know, I’ll find out more when I am off leave.”  

Me: “So like the day your report in or a little after that or…” 

John: “When I ask for it and they approve…”

Me: “cool.” (only my question still isn’t answered, yet he has told me the only answer he can).  

Me: “So we’re going to be in Maine for 3 years?” 

John: “Well it could be 1 year.” 

Me: “So we could move next year.” 

John: “Well more like 2 years.” 

Me: “ok so we are moving in 2 years.”  

John: “We will be moving in no less than 1 year, and no more than 3 years.” 

Me: “ok, cool.” (so basically...anytime...)  

These are all conversations that I have started multiple times...because I keep hoping the outcome will be more defined...and poor John has to repeat it to me every time like I am Izzy waking up from brain surgery after George joined the Army.  Maybe John should get some post-its like Karev...I have a ton he can use, not like I need to plan any lessons in the near future.  

I have made 3 spreadsheets in the past couple weeks.  One for our future budget (just how many of my pins can we afford to do?)  One for the houses that we are looking at in Rockland (it is now color coded too-red is for rejects, yellow is for caution) and the last has something to do with the two, but I’ll detail more in another post.  I think John thinks I’m crazy and too detail oriented (I'm saying this, he hasn't, although, I'm sure he has said some things about my spreadsheets :)).  It isn't that at all…and honestly most of the plans I make never happen (oh, hi Bahrain!)  But I like knowing possible outcomes and things I can do to tackle possible obstacles or things to look forward to when plans happen.  

So maybe I'm the perfect person to marry into the military. I have a plan for every possible route they can throw at us (I can hear Laura B. Childs laughing all the way from North Carolina).  Ok, not every plan, but with all my "planning" experience, I am really good at thinking on my feet and tackling situations.  I am so ready for the unplannable adventures ahead.  Basically just sharing it all with John but also refining my planning, not planning and thinking on my feet skills...which are already awesome...I want to know who else would know what to do when a girl said a math problem was "orgasmic."

Damn right I high fived her...

and then told her I don't think she knows what that word means...

And then I came up with a plan of what to say for when she asked me later why I high fived her.