The Rules

Carrie's Rules for Life

1.) There is no excuse for not meeting one's obligations. 

2.) Duty first, playtime later.

3.) Honest always, even when it's unflattering. 

4.) When time allows for you to look good, there is no excuse for looking bad.

5.) Always wear pretty undies, even if you're the only one that's going to see them.

6.) Always find a reason to smile, because to your allies it will be infectious, and to your enemies it will be intimidating.

7.) Just because you play with the boys, doesn't mean you have to look and smell like one. 

8.) Take care of your body like you would your car. Fuel it, maintain it, keep it clean, don't let other people scratch the paint, and always have some form of insurance.

9.) Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, but never let yourself go without having pretty feet. 

10.) Treat your friends as well as you'd treat your family, and treat your family like they're angels on earth, because they are -- they put up with you and your antics.

Of late, I've done rather well at living by my Rules for Life. Which has been keeping me far to busy to update anything on here. That said, I am now realizing that #1 might be a little lacking. I'll work on it.

I have, as is evidenced by my post, survived my tour in Afghanistan. I was on ground for 11 months and 6 days, and I am very glad to be home. I don't regret a single day of my time served, but I'm not overly anxious to do it again any time soon. I made a great deal of friends, learned a lot about myself, my country, and what it really means to wear my nation's flag on my sleeve. Most importantly, I learned what was really important to me, and have since my return, been making huge strides to put those things first.

I have moved out of Pennsylvania -- in fact, I accomplished my last residency requirement today. Moving is an expensive venture, and while the administrative stuff is all done, the actual moving hasn't really happened yet. My entire material life is still in a 10ftx20ft storage bay, and won't be moved until I am gainfully employed, and not living with my parents.

Yes. At 27 years old, after having lived on my own for nearly a decade, I've moved back in with my Mom and Dad. It is an experience, to say the very least, and one that I won't elaborate on in detail just yet. I am thankful for a place to stay while I sort out the madness of this very huge career/location change, and we will leave it at that.

And yes, the career change... I had burned out of working in prison. While I learned a lot in Corrections, it's not where I belong. And after working in prison deployed, I was even less enthusiastic about working in prison as a civilian. So, I resigned. Settling for being comfortable should never substitute being happy.

So, I have moved home, and am in the application process for law enforcement, which is all I've ever wanted to do anyway. I ended up in Corrections due to a lack of options, and it served me well when I needed it. But now, it is time to move on. I will keep you updated on the endeavors...

Now, let me return to my Rules of Life. I referenced these, as I do periodically, as a bench-mark for myself and my own moral compass. So far, so good. I've been meeting my obligations to the Army, my friends and family, and have been better about meeting my own personal obligations, which I have notoriously put off for last. Every day, I take care of what needs to be before I goof off with the camera, or adventure off with the girls. I have been painfully honest, mostly because my bullshit tolerance is so very low these days. Because of that, I've also been saying "I'm sorry" a lot. I have been enjoying "looking good." It's amazing how much you'll appreciate your blue jeans, after a year in utilities. I have been smiling so much my face hurts at night. I am happy with the changes in my life, so 90% of the time, the smiles are genuine. The other 10% of the time, I find entertainment out of making people squirm. I have been playing with the boys a lot -- working on my truck, helping my dad on the farm, plowing and sanding the roadways my dad has winter weather contracts with. And I keep being told by strangers that I'm too pretty to be doing that kind of work. So, apparently Rule #7 is right on the mark! While I was a bit of a slacker over the holidays, I only gained six pounds, which I have been working feverishly since the New Year to take off. The good news is that I feel better for it. The bad new is, that it is still a work in progress. My hands have been dirty a lot, but I have had one professional pedicure since I got back in the States, and have given myself mini-pedicures twice. In fact, tonight I painted my toes a very nice royal purple. Pretty feet rock! And my friends... well, they pretty much are my family. And they try my patience sometimes near as much as my family does. But I exercise what little patience I have, and do my best to appreciate the fact that they  put up with me, and my quirks, and I can make an effort to do the same with them. Rule #10 for me is always a work in progress. 

But, I'm not failing miserably, and I can lay one small fear I had to rest. I can return to civilian life without any speakable hitch. So long as I maintain my rules, anyway... :)