Beautiful Day

Although a part of me is really homesick for the white winters we had in Germany for the last five years, another part of me is really enjoying the mild winter we're having here in North Carolina. We were finally able to enjoy the weather today for the first time in a couple of weeks. Everybody in our household has been sick for the past couple of weeks except me (::knock on wood::). I really feel bad for all of them, too, because P. took 2 weeks of vacation so he could have some time off while the kids were out of school, but none of us have really been able to enjoy it because they've been sick and I've been working constantly.

One of P.'s aunts (one of his mom's sisters) has been visiting for the past couple of days. She lives in West Virginia and decided to come down here while her husband and son were deer hunting. We drove up there last night and had dinner with them, and the kids are spending the weekend. We went back up today because there's a Classic Car place in Lillington that my father-in-law was wanting to take the kids to. Well, since the weather was so nice, we of course decided to ride the bikes up there. The weather was perfect for it, and we had a beautiful ride. By the time we got up there, had lunch, and drove up to Lillington, though, the shop was closed. They close at 2 on Saturdays. Oh well. Maybe next time. My mother-in-law is wanting a new car (really needs a new car) so we stopped at the Ford place so she could show us the Lincoln she wants. It's a nice car, but the price is a bit too high for them. He has a friend that may be able to get them a better price on one, so we'll see.

After that we stopped and looked at the progress they've made on their plantation house. It's coming along nicely. They'll have a really nice retirement home once they're finished. It was starting to get dark, so P. and I decided we'd better head on back to Hope Mills before the temperature dropped too much. Even after the sun went down, though, it wasn't too cold. I don't mind riding when it's chilly as long as it's not really windy, and as long as I am layered enough. Today I made sure I wore enough layers, and I didn't get cold at all on the way home. It's supposed to be raining for the next couple of days, and then P. goes back to work, so I'm not sure when we'll be able to ride again. I can't wait until we can start riding with the kids. I want to start out riding just around the neighborhood so I can get used to having somebody on the back and so they can learn how to ride on the back safely. We have to get a sissy bar for P.'s bike, though, before either of them can ride with him. Hopefully we'll be able to do that soon.

I wonder if we're really going to have much cold weather this winter. Here it is almost January, and the 10-day forecast on my Weather Channel Desktop says the temps are supposed to be in the 60s all week, even getting up to 71 on Friday the 5th. Gotta love the South!

Wow...

After hearing about Saddam Hussein's sentence, I believed that it would be upheld and carried out, but I really didn't expect it to happen so quickly. I guess I thought the appeal process would take longer than it did. So I was pretty surprised when I found out that he would be executed no later than Sunday. I was even more surprised when I got up this morning and learned that the sentence had been carried out and he had died just after 10 p.m. EST.

I've always been a believer in the death penalty, but I honestly feel relief about this. I know that the Iraqis still have a really long way to go, but I think that this process (trial, sentencing, carrying out of the sentence) was a big step for them.

New Old Toy

Last year the kids got a PlayStation 2 for Christmas. Ever since we moved into this house, it's been sitting in its box up in my bedroom. Yesterday I finally brought it downstairs, unpacked it, and reconnected it to the TV in the family room. J. got a new PS2 game from my sister and her husband for Christmas this year and has been dying to try it. So we turned it on and let them play a little while yesterday. A. gets frustrated with it really easily, so we make her take a break from it when she starts whining.

Today I went in to work at Fort Bragg. I hadn't been in to the hospital since last Wednesday. I ended up only being there for a couple of hours today. I got finished with what I needed to do, and told the lady I work with that I was going to work from home for the rest of the day. Besides, P. wasn't feeling well and was still trying to rest when I left post. I also told her that if I didn't hear from her this week, I wouldn't be back out there. There's no point in my driving all the way out there (about a 25-30 minute drive) when there's nothing for me to do. I'm going to be working from home all next week, too, because the kids don't go back to school until the 9th of January, and P. goes back to work next week.

Anyway, so I got home from post, and the kids wanted to play the PS2. Since J. got to play his new game yesterday, I let A. pick what she wanted to play first today. She chose Robots, and they played that for a while. Then they got tired of that, and by that time P. had gotten up and come downstairs. So he played it for a while. After I made him stop, J. wanted to play a car racing game, DT Racer, that he got last year. I had so much fun watching them play that game. A.'s not really good at games where she has to steer a car while also having to concentrate on the accelerator and brake. The steering on that game is really sensitive, too, so she kept running into the walls. Well, at the end of each round, J. would do a Replay and they would watch the race again. We all really got a kick out of that. You could see J.'s car take off down the track, and A.'s car would be ricocheting off the walls. I laughed so hard I cried.

I've been doing some thinking the last few days about my job situation. I know I don't want to stay with the company I currently work for. I'm going to be resigning from this job in February or March. I interviewed for a job on post last Wednesday. My dilemma will come if I'm offered that position, because I'm really starting to think that I want to take a break from it all. I want to spend more time with my kids while they're young, and then I can also have the time to do the things I want to do and take better care of myself, too. We'll see. Yes, we'll have to tighten things up, but it will really be worth it if we're all happier.

Our Christmas

I'm going to try to describe our Christmas without getting too long-winded. It may be a little difficult, though, since we really kind of celebrated for three days. It's funny that I enjoy blogging as much as I do considering the fact that I HATED writing in high school (AP English was a pain)! Oh well...people change, even me...lol.

I also have a few pictures to share. It may seem like there are a lot here, but they really only scratch the surface of all the ones that we took.

I've already talked about our celebration with my family, so here are some pictures from Saturday.


A. with Santa Claus. This year she's acted pretty shy around him, although I'm not really sure why. We all know better, especially Santa!










J. with Santa. He was kind of quiet at first, too, but definitely managed to ask for his helmet!



And here's my baby niece with Santa. Of course she didn't cry this year, but we'll see how she reacts next year. Maybe she won't be scared of him, though, neither of my kids was.












Here's A. with her Barbie Guitar my sister and her husband got her. Doesn't she look like a little rock star?












Sunday P. and I spent the day cleaning the house and trying to get ready for Christmas. We put the kids to work cleaning their rooms, and we cleaned up downstairs. They decided they didn't really want to be on their best behavior, but after Mommy made a phone call to Santa to make sure he was aware of their antics (which of course he was), they straightened up. I made sure they heard me when I made the "phone call" and P. was in the kitchen trying to keep from bursting out laughing. He said he didn't know how I kept from keeping a straight face. Oh well, a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do, right? I made a trip to the grocery store to get a few last minute things I needed for cookies. We had some cookie mix, but I insist on making certain ones from scratch. After we finished getting our cleaning done, the kids came down and helped me make chocolate chip cookies. I have to say, these were the best chocolate chip cookies that have ever come out of my kitchen. Must have been my little helpers! J. very carefully read the ingredient list and the instructions for us. I measured out the ingredients and the kids helped combine them and mix everything. Then they helped me scoop them onto the baking pans...well, the first couple of batches anyway. In the middle of baking cookies, we let them open the one traditional Christmas Eve gift. J. opened up a model Ferrari (bringing back memories of our trip to the Ferrari Museum in Italy), and Daddy helped him put it together. He's not quite old enough yet for a really complex one, so it didn't take too terribly long. We had been using the NORAD Santa Tracker to keep tabs on Santa all day, and about 9:30 we found out he had entered Florida. We decided that Uncle Robbie better be in bed, and I told them they'd better get in bed, too, since it wouldn't take Santa long to make his way to NC. So we put out the two chocolate chip cookies and half glass of milk that Santa had specifically asked them for, and they were off to bed.

After they went to bed, I made some Chocolate Drop Cookies (also called No-Bake Chocolate Cookies), and P. made some sugar cookies. Then we got ready for Christmas. We didn't have as much as we do sometimes, but we got the kids things they had specifically asked for and we knew they would appreciate. It's really pretty easy to make them happy at the age they are now, and I know I need to appreciate that while it lasts.

We had stressed to them the importance of waking us up before they came downstairs on Christmas morning. About 7:30 I heard one of them moving around in my room. A. had tiptoed in, and come around to my side of the bed (which is the farthest from the door). She leaned over me (I guess to see if I was awake), then started to tiptoe out. I asked what she was doing sneaking around in my room. It's a good thing I'm a much lighter sleeper than I was when I was younger. So P. and I came downstairs and got the cameras ready and started the coffee (very crucial) and told them to come on downstairs.




Here are the helmets Santa brought them so they can ride the motorcycles with Mommy and Daddy.









J. was so excited about his helmet. That was just about the first thing he noticed. He tackled it and rolled around on the floor with it...LOL!! He's such a goofy kid.


They had a good time opening their presents here at home. One thing they got that J. has been talking about wanting to see for a while now, is a set of tickets to a Monster Truck show here in Fayetteville. He was pretty excited about that. I love the fact that they're not at the age yet that how much they get is what they focus on.

After we had our Christmas here, we packed up and headed for P.'s parents' house to have Christmas with them. When we got there, we walked into the living room to put the gifts we had brought under the tree. Well, we could barely get into the room, much less find room under the tree to put anything else. P.'s dad said, "Can we say overkill?" LOL...ya think?? So we visited with his parents and his brother and sister-in-law while we waited for his sister to get there. When she arrived, we started the gift exchange there. The kids got way too much, as usual, but they had a great time.


A little play tent that A. got. J. got one too. They wanted so badly to open them up while we were there, but we told them they had to wait. We haven't been able to pull them out here yet, either. Don't know where we'll set it up...there's no room in their bedrooms for them.





She got a newborn Cabbage Patch. She was just tickled. She got a highchair and other accessories for her, too. It was pretty funny listening to her and J. arguing over whether he was the daddy or not. I settled that one pretty quickly, though. Nope, J.'s the uncle...lol.







J. got yet another model car. This one was a Mustang like his Papa's, only a different color.






He got most of the cars from the movie "Cars" in matchbox size. He's only missing a couple, so he can almost reenact the movie, which I think he already knows by heart.

Here's the desk he got from his Nana and Papa. He's been wanting one, so he was pretty happy about it. A. got a little vanity and shelf for her room.

As you can tell, we had a pretty great Christmas. P. got lots of tools, which is something he always wants. Hopefully he'll find time to use them sometime...maybe after this assignment though. He got me a beautiful Harley-Davidson zipup sweater, and a hoodie. He also got me a docking station for my iPod so I can play it here at home. My mom got me an FM receiver so I can play it in my car. I told him I'll get lots more use out of it now than I have up to this point because I've never really been one to be able to listen to something with earphones. They irritate me too much. I got him a pair of jeans and a nice shirt for him to open on Christmas, and then told him about the things I had for him that hadn't worked out like I had planned.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. Don't know yet what we're going to do for New Year's, but I'm sure we'll figure something out.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! We're just about finished getting set up here tonight and will hopefully soon be going to bed. I know the kids will be up bright and early in the morning.

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with my family. We went to my sister's house and spent the afternoon. She and her husband cooked a wonderful dinner of pork tenderloins, baked potatoes and green beans. They figured everybody else was going to be having ham and turkey with all the "fixins" so they decided to do something different. It was delicious! For dessert we had a choice between Turtle Pie or Key Lime Pie. Everything was wonderful!

After dinner, we got a surprise visit from Santa Claus! The kids were very excited, although they figured out right away that it wasn't the "real" Santa. A. all of a sudden decided she was going to be bashful. The one thing she did ask for, though was that darn toy video camera which reminded us just how much she has her heart set on it. Even though they got a digital camera that also will record video clips, she wants a toy that actually is shaped like a video camera (like Uncle Robbie's) that she can pretend to record video with. Thank goodness I finally found something that I hope will do.

I'll share pictures after Christmas. Tomorrow we're doing our Christmas here at home and then going up to P.'s parents' house to spend Christmas with them. I'm glad we're close for a couple of years so we can spend holidays with the family without it being a huge hassle.

Merry Christmas!!

Track Santa

This is a really neat website. Those of you with kids should check it out. My kids are really getting a kick out of it. We're checking it periodically throughout the day to see where Santa is. It's really cute.

Norad Tracks Santa

It brings back memories of when I was a kid. We used to watch the news on Christmas Eve to see if there had been a Rudolph Sighting. There would be somebody out with a news camera and there would be a clip of Rudolph's glowing red nose. I got so excited about that every year.

Anyway, this is just a really cute thing for the kids to watch. Merry Christmas!!

Finally!!

I never dreamed that something so seemingly simple as a "toy video camera" would be so elusive!

I've been looking everywhere I could think of for this thing that my 6 year-old daughter asked Santa for, and haven't been able to find it. Tonight I decided to go to Toys 'R Us, which I have been avoiding. But I figured at this point I didn't really have a choice. So I got there, looked around the store, and finally asked someone. She told me that if they had anything like that it would be with their "Chat Now" products, which are in the electronics section. What? Why would a TOY video camera be in the electronics section? Well, I walked over there anyway, and found nothing. I went over to the mall because there used to be a Kaybee Toy Store there, but it's gone now. It's probably been gone for a while, but then, so have I.

So I come back to Hope Mills to check the Walmart one more time. Instead of wasting a lot of time searching the toy department, I decided to go ahead and ask somebody right away. The lady I asked took me over to where the toy video camera I asked for should be. But they were out. There were toy digital cameras (according to her, but they are actually functional) but no video cameras. I looked down and saw part of what looked like a little pink video camera. Could it be? So I grabbed it, and it's actually a Barbie book that also comes with a video camera and little discs that she can use to project images onto her wall. I decided that would probably be something A. would really enjoy. She would enjoy being able to project images, and she can also pretend to make video. The lady helping me asked me "but does it record?" I told her that it doesn't have to record. A. just wanted something she can play pretend with.

I'm just so glad I finally found that darn toy video camera. A. really has her heart set on it and has asked Santa for it twice. Finally something has worked out.

Frustrated

I have been reminded over the last few days just how much we're still trying to adjust to being back in the States. We're trying to finish getting ready for Christmas, but it's amazing how different it is here. The biggest difference? Finances. I've already blogged a couple of times about my job frustrations. I haven't talked about the other cut we've taken. I had always heard that you could really make money overseas, but didn't really realize how true it was until we came home. I know that's not the most important thing, but it's an adjustment we're still having to make. Hopefully P.'s promotion will come soon and alleviate some of that. And I also hope that my job interview on Wednesday went well. It would be nice to have another job to move to instead of quitting altogether. Regardless, though, I definitely think I'm finished with this company. It's ridiculous.

So both the kids asked for helmets so they could ride with us when we go out on the motorcycles. That will be really nice for us, too, since we'll no longer have to worry about waiting till somebody has the kids before we can go riding. P. does need a sissy bar for his bike, but that's not a very difficult thing to get.

So...the reason for my frustration? The kids' Christmas presents are taken care of. I have made arrangements with Santa so that he'll bring their helmets. He's had trouble finding the toy video camera that A. asked for, but I have a couple more places to go this weekend to try to help him out. J. asked for a little work desk for his room to do his homework. Santa won't be giving him that because he knows that Nana and Papa have already taken care of that. They're getting plenty of other stuff, but my plans for their leather jackets for riding with us have not worked out. That's what my mother-in-law wanted to get them, and we found some nice ones that were priced reasonably. However, I found out today that they're on backorder probably until after the New Year. I guess I'll give them an IOU.

None of my plans for P. have worked out like I planned either. He wanted a different (louder) set of pipes for his bike. I ordered them through a friend who does customization and other work on motorcycles. He's had them now since the beginning of December. We've been trying to wait until as close to Christmas as possible to put them on. Unfortunately, he had a family emergency...his wife was in a bad car accident. So he's out of town so he can be by her side while she needs him. I just pray that she recovers soon.

I also ordered a jacket that he's been wanting. It's on hold at a local shop. Unfortunately, I can't get it for him by Christmas like I had planned. I know he'll understand but I'm still really frustrated.

Yesterday we were out finishing up some Christmas shopping for our extended family. I also had a hair appointment, and decided that it was time for a real change. I had my hair cut quite a bit shorter than it has been for a long time. Hopefully we'll get some decent pictures this weekend and I can share a couple. Tomorrow we're spending the afternoon and evening with my family and will be celebrating Christmas with them then. Monday we're spending the day with P.'s family. His brother and sister-in-law will be there that day, and are leaving the next day to visit her family in NY.

Despite the frustrations of the last couple of days I think we'll have a great Christmas. I'll try to plan better for next year (I say that every year)...

Update

Sunday was P. and my annivesary. We've been married 12 years. Sometimes I can't believe it's been that long, but sometimes it seems like a lot longer! Nah...it's been a great twelve years, and I look forward to the next twelve ahead. Since our anniversary fell on Sunday and his folks had the kids on Saturday we decided to have our time together that day. The weather was perfect, so we went out on the bikes. We rode for a while and did a little window shopping. We went to lunch (late lunch/early supper), and rode some more. Although the weather was beautiful, the days are still fairly short and it was getting chilly when we came home. He got me a really cute pair of earrings. They're the Harley-Davidson bar & shield with a teeny topaz stone which just happens to be just about the same color as my bike. Yes, I know I've been asked for a picture of me on it but I never think to take a picture when we go out to ride. I got him a new helmet (they call it a "skid lid"), which is what he asked for. I don't like it because I don't think it provides enough protection, but he has a peanut head and it's what he wanted, so it's what he got.

P. and the kids have been sick all week. I guess it's a touch of the flu or something. I think the kids picked it up from the in-laws since they've been up there so much over the last few weeks. P.'s mom and sister were both sick a couple of weeks ago. It's interesting how it hits everybody differently. The kids are all congested in the head and chest. P.'s problem is all in his stomach. I told all of them they can stay away from me. I feel so bad for my babies though. Nobody should have to spend their Christmas vacation being sick. P.'s on leave, so I guess I kind of feel bad for him too.

On the job situation...I had an interview today. I can't make a judgment on how it went. They pretty much had a form with standard questions they were asking. If anything hurts me, it will be the fact that my strengths are in outpatient coding and this is an inpatient coding position. If it's meant to be, I'll get it, and I know that. Regardless what happens with this position, though, I think I've made the decision to quit my current job after P. gets promoted. I decided that I'm really too young to be working this hard and having nothing to show for it. And my kids are too young for me to be working the hours I'm working. It breaks my heart to have to tell them that I have to work when they want to do fun things. It's just not worth it. I think the kicker was about 4:00 this morning when I was finishing up a particular project after working all night. I'm done.

So wish me luck that the panel was impressed enough by my interview today to choose me for the position. I hope my Executive Order preference (meaning that I held a job overseas while there with my sponsor and therefore have preference since I've returned to the States) helps me out. I don't expect to be hired on preference alone. I firmly believe that preference should be considered AFTER qualifications. If someone is better qualified than I am, then they should definitely hire that person. But if I am equally qualified as another person and my preference bumps me up, then I won't feel guilty about that either.

That's about all that's going on in our household right now. Hopefully things will start to look up.

Hmmmm...

My graphic looked quite a bit bigger when I uploaded it. I'll have to see what I can do to find a better one.

Birthday Boy

Today is my husband's birthday. He turned 35 today. The day started out pretty normally. I got up, got the kids ready and off to school. He got up and we both got ready and went to work. I called him on my home from work, and apparently one of the regular updates their computers get contained a virus, so he was pretty much out of commission for the rest of the afternoon (gotta love technology). So he came home and we went to do a little Christmas shopping. Then the kids and I took him out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Yummy! It was J.'s choice, by the way. Then we went to Walmart to get a couple of things that A. needed for her class party tomorrow. Each of us took a kiddo and went separate directions. We let each of the kids pick out a Christmas present for each other.

We had a nice afternoon, and a nice evening. It was significantly less stressful than most we've had for the last several months. The kids get out of school two hours early tomorrow for their Christmas break. They're out for three weeks! They're really looking forward to it, and so are we.

P. and I have an anniversary this weekend. More to come about that later...

New Photos

We've been needing to have family photos done for a while. The last time we had any made was three years ago when we were home for Christmas. That year we went over to Walmart and had some made. They were the best ones we'd had done in a while. We had some done a couple of times while we were in Germany, but I was never happy with them and they were really way too expensive.

P.'s mom wanted us all to get together to have picture of the whole family made. We had done that one year when they came to visit us in Texas for Christmas. It had been my daughter's first Christmas, and they came out really good. We just hadn't had the whole family on that side together in a while. She decided to just use their digital cameras and take some casual pictures there at the church. We got some that were really quite good.

Here are the four of us. I'm happy because we actually got some while P. was smiling. Getting him to smile for pictures isn't always easy.

Now just the two of us...
Just the ladies. P.'s sister, his brother's wife, me, his mom, with A. in front. I'm actually quite happy with the way this one came out. I like the angle and the Black/White effect.

Just the guys. His brother, his dad holding J., and P.

Here's one with the whole family.

I'm glad we had these done. Now I'll have pictures to send with Christmas cards!

Visit With Santa

Yesterday after the kids got out of school, I decided to take them to the mall to visit Santa. They had been asking me all week to go, so were pretty excited when I told them. He was set up in the Food Court, and since that's the entrance we usually use, A. saw him as soon as we walked through the doors. She started jumping up and down and squealing, so it was nice to be able to take care of that right away. The line was short, thank goodness.

They were so funny when they got up there to talk to him. I'm sure they each had quite a long list of things memorized that they planned to ask him for. Well, he told them to tell him two things each they wanted him to bring them. I guess they had trouble deciding which two were most important.

After we visited Santa, we went to ride the Christmas train and hear the Bear Choir. They each got a cute little bear with a little candy cane after riding the train, so they were tickled about that. We visited the Hallmark store and got Daddy birthday cards since his birthday is next week, so we got a new George Strait Christmas CD to listen to in the car. The kids enjoyed that because they looked at all the ornaments and other Christmas decorations they had out. When they were telling their dad about it they talked about the "Christmas store." Before we left they got to ride the Carousel. That's a ritual pretty much every time we go. We had a nice time. Here's a picture:

Fed Up

I swear if I could afford to, I'd just quit my job right now. I wrote almost three months ago about my frustration with my job situation. Well, things haven't gotten any better. I'm having to work practically constantly to make the same amount of money I was making in Germany, and I'm supposed to be making more. Plus the no benefits issue. This means, of course, that I don't have the time that I'd like to have to spend with my family and doing the things I'd like to do.

The worst thing is that they're asking us to work even more now. We're each supposed to audit a minimum of 400 records a week, more if possible. Since I go to the hospital for about 5 hours a day to do other things, I usually have a goal of auditing 50 a day when I get home. Even that means I'm working more than 8 hours a day. The computer system we use to do our auditing is so slow that it takes seemingly forever to pull up a single record. Then with the data entry and saving the records, it takes longer. And forget it if there's any kind of error. Then it takes twice as long. So just to do my minimum goal, I usually work quite late at night. I'm exhausted and it really caught up with me this evening. I'm going to end up making myself sick from exhaustion, and it's just not worth it. I'm seriously considering quitting after the first of the year, maybe after P. gets promoted. We still don't know for sure yet when that's going to be...we're waiting for his sequence number to come up. We're both figuring it will probably be February.

I did apply for two GS jobs on post. I found out this week that I have been referred for one of them, but haven't heard about the other one yet. Although it would probably mean a cut in pay, I'll get all my benefits back, plus I'll have a set schedule. That outweighs net pay any day. The hiring process with the GS system can just take so long sometimes, so I don't know when I'll know anything for sure. Hopefully I'll at least get called for an interview pretty soon.

Oh well...enough complaining. Back to work...

Reunion

My brother has been in town for the last few days. This has been the first time I've seen him in over four years, so it was nice. The last time we were all together was when my "baby" sister (the one who just had the baby) got married back in 2002. I can't believe it's been so long.

He arrived Sunday evening, and my mom and her boyfriend picked him up from the airport. I think after he arrived, they got some dinner, and then came over to visit with us for a little while. I was glad they came over because the kids were anxious to see him (although they were kind of shy around him since it had been so long) and with my work schedule (or should I say lack thereof since I work pretty much constantly), I didn't know when I'd be able to visit with him again on this trip since he only planned to be here for four days. We had already eaten supper, and I warmed up some Gluhwein that we brought home from Germany to share. Everybody got to try a little bit. I really wish I'd brought more. Maybe I can find some at the Class Six on post.

My mom called me yesterday because my brother wanted to get together with everybody for dinner. I figured P. wouldn't be able to join us because his Battalion Commander and Command Sergeant Major are here this week, so he's working even later than usual. But I told her that the kids and I would plan to be there, regardless. We got together tonight at my sister's tonight for dinner. My mom fixed two pot roasts, and they had pinto beans, turnip greens, corn, and cornbread. She really outdid herself. I was right...P wasn't able to join us, but I brought him some leftovers. We had a nice evening, and Rob took a family picture that I will share as soon as I get a copy of it (HINT, HINT...I know he reads my blog). It was nice to have the family together again. The last time, when my sister got married, was before my dad died. Even though my mom has a great guy that makes her happy, I did miss having my dad with us.

New Ornament

I know I wrote a post back in July about the group of women I've been corresponding mostly online with for several years. I have met several of them in person, and we had a Girls' Weekend in Nashville the end of July.

We have become really close over the years, and usually send each other Christmas cards every year. Sometimes we do a Secret Santa exchange. This year we participated in an ornament exchange. Those of us who wanted to participate signed up, one of the ladies was responsible for assigning us our secret pal, and then we're responsible for making sure our pal gets her ornament. My ornament came today.

I got home right before the kids did, so was opening the box right after they came in the house. When I opened the shipping box, there was a wrapped package in there. The kids had already gone downstairs. When I unwrapped the package, I guess I must have squealed before I started laughing. The kids came running downstairs to see what the excitement was about. My ornament pal had found the perfect Christmas ornament for me.

Isn't he cute? Before I got it out of the box, J. noticed it said "Try Me" and had a button. I pushed the button and he sings "Born to be Wild" with the sound of the engine revving. I absolutely love it!

Getting Into the Spirit

We finally got most of our Christmas decorations up this weekend. I say finally because we usually put them up Thanksgiving weekend, but have been so busy this year we didn't qute make it. We're finally almost finished decorating now though.

My kids decided yesterday that my husband and I are "cool." Three years ago, when we were home from Germany for Christmas, my mom wanted a pre-lit Christmas tree. My dad was always responsible for stringing the lights on the tree, and since he died that year, she wanted something that she thought would be easier. So P. and I set out to find her the perfect tree. It wasn't easy. So many of the prelit trees we saw that year were kind of sad looking otherwise. She likes really full trees, and she like the kind that have the more bluish-colored needles instead of the bright green ones. She and I have very similar tastes, so I knew exactly what she would be looking for. Most of the ones we found were kind of skinny and they were all the bright green. Finally I found the perfect one at Lowes and we bought it and brought it home for her. My husband and my sister's husband put the tree up and it was absolutely gorgeous that year.

Why am I telling you this story? Well it turned out that a prelit tree wasn't easier for my mom after all. My mom's small, and this tree is 7 1/2 fee tall, and far too heavy for her to put up by herself. Even now that she's with her boyfriend, he has serious back problems and can't really wrestle with it either. So when we got home from Germany, she told us that if we wanted the tree we were welcome to it. Since I wanted to find one for us anyway, I said of course I wanted it. So P. put it up in the formal living room, and the kids decorated it. It is absolutely beautiful!

Now...the reason my kids think we're cool? We still have our old artificial tree that we've been putting up since J. was a baby. P. wanted to put up a smaller tree in the family room so we could have a tree to enjoy when we're in here since this is where we spend most of our time. So he put that one up in here but didn't use all the branches. It's a full tree too, and would be too big for the limited amount of space we have. I was a little doubtful, but it looks really nice. The kids came downstairs after their bath, saw that there was a second Christmas tree up, and A. proclaimed "Wow, you guys are cool!"

I found the cutest decoration for my front door at Walmart yesterday. I needed a new wreath, but we found some really cute ones that have little characters. One had snowmen, one had Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the other one had a little puppy. At first glance I thought they were cute, but still had my heart set on a big, pretty wreath. When I got closer to them though, I changed my mind. They have motion sensors and sing! So then I decided that would be just the perfect thing. Then I just had to decide which one I wanted. The snowmen sing "Winter Wonderland," Santa and Mrs. Claus sing "Home for the Holidays," and the puppy sings parts of various songs like "Deck the Halls," "Jingle Bells," "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and one more that I can't think of off the top of my head. I then had to decide between the snowmen and the puppy. Santa and Mrs. Claus were cute, but I wanted something more upbeat. I ultimately decided on the puppy because the snowmen sing an entire verse and chorus of their song, which I really thought was too long. So we put him on the door, and I really get a giggle every time I open the door. My mom and her boyfriend came over yesterday afternoon to pick up their dishes from Thanksgiving. She reached up to "pet" the dog on my door and he started singing and really startled her. She was cracking up when I got to the door to let them in.

All in all we had a pretty good weekend here, especially yesterday. Now I just need to get the kids to go through their toys and decide which ones they want to donate. I told them they need to do that if they want to get any more for Christmas. They just have too much, and there are so many who really don't have much at all.

Silly Kids

I was thinking about something on my way home from Fort Bragg this afternoon that struck me as funny, and I thought I'd share it. Ever since we've been back in the States, I've talked about going to Food Lion to do my grocery shopping. I know, the commissary's probably much cheaper, but Food Lion is right down the road. Keep in mind, though, that I have a Southern accent that has only become more pronounced since our arrival in North Carolina 6 months ago. Wow...I can't believe it's been that long!

Anyway, one day I took the kids to the store with me. When we pulled into the parking lot, J. says, "Mommy, that sign says Food LION" (imagine an exaggerated enunciation of LION). I reminded him that I had told him that we were going to Food Lion (less emphasis on the enunciation from me). He said, "I thought you said we were going to Food LINE!" Even now he asks me why when I say Food Lion it sounds like Food Line. LOL. I just tell him it's because I'm Southern. I know he doesn't really understand that yet, but he usually stops asking questions after that. Funny thing is...he was born in Kentucky and A. was born in Texas. Goes to show how long we've been gone.

Subscribe

My brother asked me a couple of weeks ago how to subscribe to my blog. I told him that I had no clue but that I'd look into it. I finally took the time to give it a shot this weekend. So Rob, and anybody else who may be interested in subscribing to my feed, there's an icon in my profile area. Hope it works correctly!

Relaxing Sunday

We had a great day today. The kids spent Saturday night with P.'s parents. He dropped them off with them yesterday when he went up to help his dad with a couple of things. We enjoyed a nice dinner out last night and then had a relaxing evening here at home.

This morning we had the chance to sleep late. It's rare for both of us to be able to sleep in. Usually at least one of us has to get up with the kids. So we really appreciated the opportunity today. Then we got up, took our time having our coffee and getting ready, and then went out on the bikes. We rode up to Smithfield, which is where the dealership where we bought my bike is located, and did a little window shopping there. I got irritated because there's a limited edition leather jacket that I really would like to have for Christmas, and they didn't have it in my size. The owner was really nice, though, and found a couple of dealers that do. Maybe I'll be able to get it after all. I got to try on a couple of other things, though, so was able to give P. some ideas of what to get me. Plus we visited the salesman who sold me the bike. He apparently saw us ride up and met us outside. He's a really nice guy.

We had a nice ride back, and decided to ride through the town where we went to college. As we rode into town and then rode around campus, we were both shocked at how much things have changed. There are new apartment complexes there, and new buildings all over campus. The roads have changed, because I thought I had turned down a road that went between my old dorms and the Fine Arts building, but didn't see either. Some things looked the same, though, as we saw the old infirmary on one of the corners. I told him that we'll have to go back sometime when we can take the time to walk around and really see the campus. I know we've been gone a long time, but that was just ridiculous!

We got home and had a new friend come and spend time with us. His wife is away on business, so we didn't get the chance to spend time with her. Then P.'s mom and sister brought the kids home, so we got to spend a bit of time with them before they had to go to bed. I'm so glad we're close to family for a while, because we enjoy letting the kids spend time with them about as much as they enjoy having the opportunity to spend the time with them. It gives us a chance to do things as a couple more than we've been able to for a while. We were actually discussing the possibility of extending an additional year earlier today. We'll see what happens. Definitely not going to make any decisions on that right now. But the fact that we're considering it says a lot about how far we've come in adjusting to being here.

What I Love about the South

The weather! Although we will all miss the snow we had in Germany for the past few years, I am absolutely going to love the mild winters of North Carolina for the next couple of years! We're having temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s this weekend. P. and I took the motorcycles out this afternoon. The only bad thing about today is that it took him longer than he expected to get some other things done, so it was later by the time we took the bikes out than we had hoped. Oh well, at least we were able to ride a little bit. The kids are with his folks this weekend, so tomorrow we plan to spend the day riding.

We would absolutely not be able to do this in Germany. I remember one year we already had quite a bit of snow on the ground by Thanksgiving. The cold weather doesn't bother me so much, until the wind starts blowing. I could definitely do without the wind in the wintertime. That and the ice on the roads. I have no desire to be out on two wheels if there's ice on the roads. So we definitely plan to take advantage of the warmer weather here while we can.

This afternoon we planned to ride up to Smithfield, which is a little over an hour away, especially by motorcycle since we avoid the interstate. We got about halfway there, came to a Stop sign, and P. told me he didn't know whether he wanted to go all the way to Smithfield or not. It was getting pretty chilly. We were both thinking about how cold it would be after the sun went down. We got an idea on the way back. It was pretty chilly. Plus I neglected to layer, so I was colder than I would have been otherwise. Oh well...nobody to blame there but myself.

Since the kids are with the grandparents, hopefully we'll be able to sleep in a bit tomorrow morning, but not too late since we want to get up and ride while the weather's nice.

Sometimes I love the South!

Happy Turkey Day!

I have quite a bit of catching up to do. I'll do that later though. Right now I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all ate way too much turkey just like me.

I have to say that today was one of those days that I was thankful to be back in the States. It was such a blessing to be able to spend this holiday with my family. My mom and her boyfriend, as well as my sister and her husband and baby came over to spend the afternoon with us. We ate lots of food, then rested for a while, had dessert, and just enjoyed each other. It's been a long time since we've been able to do that without somebody having to travel at least halfway across the country to do so.

I'm Thankful For:

- My husband and children who love me in spite of my shortcomings (or maybe even because of them).

- My mom, sister, and brother (although he wasn't with us today), as well as all my extended family members.

- My Dad. His time on this earth was much too short. I miss you, Daddy, but am very thankful for the time we did have.

- My fellow military wives, who have been like sisters to me over the years. I love and miss you all.

- Having my husband with me...I know how fortunate I am.

There is so much more that I won't name right now. What are you thankful for?

In Memory

Two years ago today, CPT Sean Sims was killed in Fallujah, Iraq. Not only was he a soldier, a leader well-respected by those he commanded; he was also a loving husband and father, brother, son and friend.

I did not have the pleasure of knowing Sean personally, but he was a friend of my husband's. They were in the same Brigade when we were in Germany, and served together in Fallujah. I also did not have the pleasure of knowing his wife, Heidi, but feel like I have come to know her through her blog.

Although I didn't get the chance to meet Heidi, I remember seeing her when she came back to Germany for the 1ID Welcome Home Ceremony in Wuerzburg. My husband was one of several soldiers presented with a Silver Star that day. Heidi was there to accept Sean's. I remember admiring Heidi that day for her grace. I told my husband later that I didn't know whether I could be that strong in her shoes. My opinion has certainly not changed over the past several months of reading her blog. If anything, my admiration has only grown.

Heidi, if you visit my page, know that you and Colin are always in my thoughts and prayers. I know that you miss Sean terribly each and every day. I know that he watches you and Colin with great pride. I hope I get the chance to meet you one day.

This Weekend

First of all, although I know I'm a day late, I'd like to say Happy Veterans Day. And I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who read my blog that have served this country. You are the reason this country is what it is, why we have the freedoms we have.

My husband and I had a nice weekend. His mom came Thursday afternoon and picked up the kids. She and his dad were going to the mountains, to Boone, and wanted to take the kids with them. P. and I decided to take the opportunity to ride our bikes up there. So his parents left with the kids Thursday evening. Friday morning we got up and took off on our motorcycles. We got up there by midafternoon on Friday, so we had some time to ride the Blue Ridge parkway. I've driven it before, but it was awesome to have the opportunity to ride the parkway on a motorcycle.

Saturday we got up and left before his parents and the kids. We wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to get home and still have some time to stop along the way and take our time. Thanks to an unexpected delay, it took us longer to get home than planned. It was after 8 p.m. by the time we got home. The ride was wonderful though. It was really warm Saturday, and even after the sun went down it didn't get very cold. We really enjoyed the ride.

Today we went to his parents' house again. P.'s brother's in-laws are visiting for a little over a week, and they came down today. We haven't gotten the opportunity before today to meet them. P. was in the middle of his deployment to Iraq when his brother got married, so we weren't able to make it home for the wedding. His in-laws are from Upstate New York, and we really enjoyed getting the opportunity to meet them and spend some time with them. I just love my newest sister-in-law...she's just as sweet as she can be, so I didn't really expect her parents to be any different. Anyway, we rode up there today as well, and P.'s parents were kind enough to bring the kids home this evening. I'm so glad we're able to let the kids spend time with their grandparents for a while. Whenever his parents or my mom are able to spend a day or a weekend with them I let them take the kids. We're only here for a couple of years, so any time they have is a blessing.

I just have to say...my husband has wanted a Harley as long as I've known him. I'm so thankful that he's had the opportunity to fulfill that dream. I never thought I'd care anything about riding myself. I used to be afraid of motorcycles, but I am so glad that I took the safety course and learned to ride. As thankful as I am that my husband has finally been able to have his dream of having a Harley fulfilled, I'm even more thankful that I'm able to share this dream with him. And I think he really loves that I have learned to love riding as much as he does.

Rough Week

My husband lost a soldier a week ago today. So needless to say, we've had a tough week here.

The loss of a soldier is never easy. Those of you who know my husband know how close he tends to get to his soldiers. He had a Battalion Commander actually tell him that maybe he gets too close. But his soldiers trust him, and he trusts them. They're like family to both of us. After all the years we've spent living so far away from our own families, it's no wonder our soldiers and their families become like extended family to us. There are some things about this loss, though, that have made it really difficult for him in a different way.

When he was in combat, he had a better idea of how to handle these things. I won't say he accepted it, but he knew how to deal with it. When they were in Iraq, they had to keep pressing on. They had no choice. Their very lives depended on it. Here, though, it's different. You don't expect soldiers to die here. They're supposed to be safe at home. We were quickly reminded last Wednesday, though, how mistaken we were.

It's so easy to get complacent at home. I had just met this young soldier, 23 years old, last Monday night. We had a Company Halloween party. It was our first company function since P. took over, and the first company function (other than Christmas parties) in a long time for this unit. We went skating. She was so cute in her costume. Then Wednesday morning, she was killed in a car accident on her way to work. It just goes to show that you never know, and was a shocking reminder not to take anything for granted. And his question was, "How do I tell them to keep working toward the mission in this environment?" He knows they need to be able to mourn.

Monday was the Memorial Service on post, and today was her funeral. Both services were beautiful, but the Memorial Service brought back so many memories of that very difficult year when I was in Germany and he was in Iraq. I attended way too many of those that year, and I honestly didn't expect to have to attend any while we were here. This has really kind of thrown me into a tailspin. I hurt so badly for her mother and the rest of her family, as well as her fellow recruiters. The recruiters who worked in her station were quite close to her. Apparently she was the type of person who was easy to love. I'm just glad I had the opportunity to meet her.

For those of you who read my blog, just be reminded that you just never know when your time will come. Hug your spouse and/or kids, and remember to let those you love know how you feel about them. Be safe.

My New Niece

Isn't she beautiful?
She was a little jaundiced the day she left the hospital, so my sister and her husband have been taking her for daily blood tests since Wednesday. I had a baby shower for her yesterday, which had been planned for a couple of months, and everybody just loved getting to see the baby. It was a nice surprise for several.

...And Justice for All

Even you, Saddam.

Trick-or-Treat!!

I hope everybody has had a great Halloween! We've had a pretty good one here. I took the kids out T-or-T'ing and P. stayed home and handed out candy. The kids and I had a pretty interesting adventure, and I'll share some of it with you.

First of all, the hours for Trick-or-Treating in our town were from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. That irritated me to begin with. My kids' bedtime is 8:00 p.m., and it's a school night, for crying out loud! I know not all parents set their children's bedtimes as early as I do, but I'm sure my kids aren't the only ones who go to bed that early.

Once I got over my irritation about the hours, the kids and I set out around the neighborhood. We headed up one street and I gave the kids instructions to go only to houses with porch lights on or other lights on that showed they were participating in Halloween. About the third or fourth house was decorated very spooky. The porch light wasn't on, but there were other Halloween lights on, and other decorations. J. wouldn't go past the curb, but A. was determined to go to the house as long as I went with her. So she and I walked up to the porch while J. watched. We got up the stairs and noticed there was a pedestal with a bowl of candy on it that said "enter at own risk." There was a sitting on a bench next to the candy, and I figured the coast was clear. I told A. she could get one piece of candy out of the bowl. Right as she reached for the bowl, a guy dressed as the Grim Reaper (or something equally scary...I don't even remember) jumped out of the shadows on the other side of the porch. A. screamed and latched on to me, I screamed! She started crying so hard. I think the Grim Reaper guy felt really bad. He told her he was really a nice guy in real life, and that he was impressed with what a brave princess she was when her brother wouldn't even come up to the house. He told her she could have three pieces of candy from the bowl since she was so brave. So, continuing to cry, she dug through the bowl and got the three best pieces she could find. She was still crying for about two more houses, and told everybody she saw about the "scary haunted house."

Several houses on up the road, my kids went to the door, and there were two other kids up there at the same time. The couple gave them all their candy and the kids turned to leave. Right as all the kids started down the stairs, I hear them say "Darth Vader and Princess (my kids' costumes), come back. You've won a special prize." I'm down at the street. Naturally, I'm thinking the worst. Uh-oh, these sickos are going to lure my kids back to the door with extra treats and snatch them and I'll never see them again. Believe me, I was up at the porch before my kids got back to the door. Well, the nice couple gave J. a Star Wars toy, and A. a Barbie figurine stamper. I almost felt bad for the thoughts that ran through my head, but not quite. I figure one can never be too careful in this day and age. But the kids were tickled with their "special prize."

By the time we got back around to the house after circling the block once, the kids decided their buckets were full enough and they were ready to go home. That was fine by me. Their buckets were really full. And I know they were ready to play with their toys. So we came home, had dinner, and they helped me pass out candy for a little bit. Then my mom's boyfriend came over with a couple of buckets they had made for the kids. They were excited to see him and get their treats from him, too.

All in all, we had a nice night. The kids also got to see their new little cousin today after school, so they were excited about that too. She is so little, especially when I remember how big my kids were when they were born. The kids were fascinated with her, though, and couldn't stop looking at her. They can't wait till she gets home and they get to hold her.

Happy Halloween. Here's a pictures of the kids in their costumes:

My Sister

...had her baby yesterday! I'm finally an Aunt! I've been a surrogate Auntie to several of my friends' kids over the years, and I love them as if they were my own nieces and nephews. But I'm so excited for my baby sister and her husband. Their baby girl was born October 30 at 10:38 a.m. She was 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 20 and a quarter inches long. I won't post her name here as I haven't gotten my sister's permission to do so. She is absolutely beautiful, though. I will take pictures and share them soon. My sister had a surprisingly quick labor and delivery, which I'm thankful for. Mommy and baby are doing wonderfully, and should be coming home tomorrow.

Fun Night

Tonight we finally had the chance to take the motorcycles out. Every time we've ridden before, we've either ridden alone, or one of us has followed the other in a car. Tonight we finally both got to ride. P.'s mom came and got the kids because the local fire department up there was having a fall festival tonight, and the church is having "Trunk or Treat" tomorrow night. So she came to pick them up this afternoon and we'll go get them tomorrow evening. I called my mom to see if she and her boyfriend wanted to take his bike out this evening and we'd all go get dinner. They decided that would be fun, so we went to a local bar and grill for dinner. Mom's boyfriend led out on his bike with her riding with him (she's not quite ready to ride in Fayetteville yet, especially at night). I was following him and P. was following me. We went to a couple of different places tonight after dinner before coming home. It was just nice to have the bikes out. Today was the first really nice day we've had in about a week. Tomorrow's supposed to be just as nice, so we're planning to go practice some tomorrow. My mom wants to go practice some more so she can get more comfortable riding before she gets out on the road much. I want to get as much practice as possible, because the kids are dying to ride with us. I want to get some experience first, though, before I carry such precious cargo.

I will post some pictures of myself on my new Harley as a couple of folks have requested. I just haven't really had the chance for anyone to take any pictures yet. I'll try to remember to take my camera tomorrow though.

School Dance

Tonight the kids had their first school dance. I knew it was coming up, but couldn't remember when or what time. I've been so absent-minded lately! Anyway, they got home from school this afternoon, and both of them were talking at the same time telling me the school dance was tonight and asking if they could go. J. said "it's at 8:00 Mommy!" A. said, "no, it's at 5:00." So I told them to give me a chance to find out exactly what was going on and then we'd talk about it.

So I went to pick up the phone and call the school, but decided to check their website first. Sure enough under PTA news was the information I wanted. The kids were both right. Well, sort of. The school they go to is grades K-5. Grades K-2 went from 5-6, and grades 3-5 went from 6:30-8. J. was confusing the end time with the start time. The best part, for the kids anyway, was that they got to wear their Halloween costumes.

So I let the kids know the real deal and let them know they would definitely be able to go, and that they could wear their costumes. They wanted to put them on right away! I told them they needed to wait. When the time came I helped A. get ready. She was a ballroom princess. That's my girl. Every year, when I ask her what she wants to be for Halloween (Angie D., you'll appreciate this), it's always a princess of some kind. This year, a ballroom princess. Last year she was Cinderella. The year before, when P. was in Iraq, she was a sparkly butterfly (close enough). She is such a girl! When I looked at her costume, I noticed that it had four little Velcro closures down the back. Not wanting to take the chance of it coming open, I told her to go get her dance clothes on to wear under it. When I asked her how she wanted to wear her hair, she told me at first she wanted to leave it like it was for school today (she wore it in pigtails, or "dog-ears" as we call it). But then I asked her if she wanted it in a bun like she wears for dance, and she said, "oh yes, that will be perfect!" I think that's one of her favorite things about dance class...she has to wear her hair in a bun. So we finished getting her ready and called J. down before we left (he said he really wanted to see her in her costume). Then I took her to her dance.

My little ballroom princess...

When I called J. down before we left, he very dramatically fell on the floor when he got to the bottom of the stairs. So I told P., "look, he thinks she's a knockout!" I had to snap a picture...

I came home and started getting J.'s costume ready. We found a Darth Vader costume at Walmart several weeks ago that he loved right away. I had to make sure it had batteries in it. It's a really need costume. It is padded so it looks like the actual Darth Vader from the movie. The chest of the costume has fiber optic lights with a battery pack that you turn on and off. It also came with a light saber that works. Now J. has two light sabers...he got one for Christmas a couple of years ago. I think he has both colors now. Anyway, so I made sure that everything was ready to go with his costume and then it was time to go get A. So I left P. with instructions to get J. dressed for his dance and went to get her.

My little drama queen had a meltdown. We don't have them very often anymore. We used to have a meltdown over one thing or another at least daily, sometimes two or three times a day. Now they're fewer and farther between, but they still definitely occur at inconvenient times. The short of it is that she didn't get any food (ok, I made sure she ate dinner BEFORE the dance and she could have a snack when she got home), she didn't have fun because she didn't dance very much (well, whose fault is that really) and not many of her friends were there, and the ones that were didn't dance (maybe she needs some more friends).

So we get home and J. is almost ready to go. He is so excited. He about had a fit when Daddy turned his fiber optic chest on. Then P. found a little D ring to clip to his belt to hold his light saber. We told him to leave it clipped to his belt. You never know with schools what kind of things would be considered a weapon and we didn't want him to get in trouble. So off to the dance we went.

My Darth Vader...

J.'s dance lasted an hour and a half, so I was able to relax some before I went to get him. When I picked him up, he was in a great mood. He had a great time, said he danced, and had a ring pop he was sucking on, and a glow necklace around his neck. I was glad at least one of them had a good time.

We got home and A. had a meltdown all over again. J. got treats and she didn't. UGH!! I told her, yeah, well, he doesn't get to have any candy from his bucket. A friend of the family gave each of the kids a little trick-or-treat bucket with quite a bit of candy inside last weekend. Since she didn't get anything at the dance, I let her have some candy from her bucket when she got home. It's amazing to me how different they are, and how like us they are in different ways. J. is completely relaxed in social situations, and he totally gets that from his dad. This might surprise those of you who know me, but I honestly am an introvert. I've just learned to enjoy things that I'm not naturally comfortable with. A. is a bit more challenged when it comes to things like group events. She loves her friends, but definitely tends to stick with one or two people she knows while J. will float around the room and talk to everybody. That is very much like P. and myself. When we go to unit functions or other social events, he is the one that goes around and talks to everybody while I am more comfortable sitting at our table or just trailing along behind him. Once I make a couple of friends I'm much more comfortable.

Anyway, even with the four trips I made to the school this evening taking the kids to the dance and picking them up, I think it was worth it. J. had a good time. Although A. said she didn't maybe she learned a little something about how to have more fun the next time...that is IF I let her go the next time since she gave me such an attitude for the rest of the night. I enjoyed getting them ready and taking them to their first school dance. I just can't believe they're growing up so fast.

Deal or No Deal?

This show cracks me up! My husband likes to watch Heroes on Monday nights, and it just so happens that Deal or No Deal comes on the same channel right before Heroes. So I've started watching Deal or No Deal. P. complains about it because it's stupid in his opinion, but I tell him to deal with it because I don't like all the things he likes to watch on TV. What is it about this show that makes us yell at the TV knowing they can't hear us? Tonight's contestant killed me. She was doing really well too and got an offer of $267,000 or something like that. Then she opened the million dollar case and her offer went down to like $103,000. Next round she opened a case with a low amount and got an offer of $185,000. She decided to take the deal.

The thing that kills me is that if she hadn't been greedy, she could have walked home with $267,000. P. and I are both sitting here yelling at her to take the deal. Her friends were telling her "No deal, no deal!" They changed their tune, though, when her offer went back up to $185,000, telling her, "that's a lot of money" blah, blah, blah.

But then I thought she should have taken the deal when she was offered 80 something thousand. I was like "take the money and run, girlfriend!" LOL!

Homecoming

So last night was the Homecoming Football game at my old high school. Since this is the first time I've been home in forever, I wanted to go. Plus my sister and her husband were going. Her high school class is having their 10 year reunion this weekend and several of them met at the ball game last night. At least her class is having a reunion. I've been out of school 15 years and we've not had one. I don't know what ever happened to our class president. I got an invitation for a 5 year class reunion, and my mom RSVP'd for me and sent the money, but it was sent back because of lack of interest. Good grief!

Anyway, it was pretty interesting being back there. Apparently they built a new football stadium a couple of years ago. It's pretty nice. Things sure have changed over the years though. The very first thing I noticed once we found a place to sit and were able to start watching the game was the cheerleaders and their lack of uniforms. The only thing that was consistent among all of them was the t-shirts. Some of them were wearing solid black shorts, some of them were wearing black pants, and one of them was wearing running shorts that were black with a white stripe around the bottom. We were all trying to figure out what the deal was with that. I remember when I was a cheerleader (yep, I was a cheerleader), we all had to be dressed the same when we were in uniform. When the weather started getting cold, either we all wore our jogging suits with our uniforms, or none of us did.

Another thing we all noticed was that the rules about the homecoming court have apparently changed. I remember the days when the nominees for Homecoming Queen and their escorts had to be dressed a certain way. The only exception was for the football players who were escorts. Everybody else had to be wearing at least "Sunday Best." There was one escort wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt with a baseball cap turned around backwards. Also, now they vote for Homecoming King too. Maybe that's always been the norm for some schools, but we didn't have Homecoming King when I was in school. Oh well. Things definitely change. There was also a fight that broke out by the concession stand sometime during the second half. Then everybody on the bleachers where we were sitting jumped up and scrambled over to see what was going on. So there are also some things that never change.

Overall it was a good game. The band was pretty good. That was the highlight for my kids. They were pretty bored with the football game and Homecoming Court, but enjoyed the band. The home team won. There were about 4 minutes left on the clock when we decided to go ahead and leave to beat the crowd and the score was 19-6. As we were walking to the car, we heard the song that let us know that we had scored another touchdown. So I guess the score was at least 25-6. I don't know how they've done up to this point, but maybe they'll have a pretty good season.

My Birthday Present

Well, I know you all are just on pins and needles waiting to see what my husband got me for my birthday. I'm rather proud of myself that I kept the secret for a week. Well, I did tell some people, but I didn't post it here. I really wanted to wait till I had pictures. Anyway, here it is.

The kids sitting on Mommy's motorcycle. Don't you just love their cheesy grins??

The dealership we bought it from is in Smithfield, which is a little over an hour away. Plus we avoided the interstate, because I'm not quite ready to ride there yet; so it took a bit longer taking the back roads. P. had all his gear with him, because he wasn't sure whether I'd be able to ride the whole way home myself without getting too tired. Well, I rode the whole way home, plus some, because we stopped at his parents' house to show them. I hated to park it when we got home. I wanted to keep riding. I definitely plan to take advantage of every pretty day we have. It was awesome. I'm completely hooked!

My Baby...

Lost her first tooth yesterday. She lost it at school, and she was so excited to show me when she got home. I sent her with fruit for a snack, and she said her tooth came out when she bit into her nectarine. She said "the nectarine was very helpful!" I'll post a picture later.

Birthday Update

OK, the hubby definitely outdid himself this year. I know I mentioned yesterday that he hadn't given me anything yet, but I'm definitely learning to be patient with him about these things. He claims that he can never surprise me, but I was definitely surprised today. We went today and I got my birthday present. We didn't bring it home today, though. We're going to go pick it up Sunday. I'll post pictures then.

Curious yet?? :-)

Happy Birthday to...

Me!!

Today's my birthday. It was pretty nice. We spent the day with the hubby's family. We actually had a pretty busy weekend.

I know I posted a couple of weeks (almost) ago about J.'s birthday. We had his birthday party yesterday. He chose to have it at the roller skating center, and I have to say that it was awesome! First of all, the staff there handle everything about the party. Yes, that's the case with a lot of places around here that do kids' birthday parties. But there is one thing that made this even better. With all the birthday parties that I've done for my kids over the years (parties at the bowling alley in Germany, and even Chuck E. Cheese since we got back), the biggest issue has been keeping up with all the kids. It's not easy trying to keep almost a dozen 6 year-olds together to bowl and then to have cake and open presents. They get pretty bored. Even at Chuck E. Cheese for A.'s birthday party, I had to make sure to keep up with them in the game area. Older kids have a tendency to try to take advantage of little ones if there's not an adult close by.

It was different at the skating center though. First all the kids got to skate for a while, then "Roller Roo" came out and each child celebrating his/her birthday was recognized individually and got a balloon and a hug from him. Then they all got to skate with Roller Roo to a Happy Birthday song. Then the guests were called to one of four party "rooms" for cake and presents. A staff member ran the party, and took care of clean-up afterwards. Then the kids got to spend the rest of the time skating. We had a total of two hours. I debated whether to skate or not - I used to love to go skating when I was a kid. I decided to go ahead and skate, and I'm so glad I did. I had about as much fun as the kids did, and J. thought it was pretty cool that Mommy skated with him. I've decided that I'm going to have to take them more often.

My mom and sister, as well as P.'s parents came to the party. They also brought me birthday presents, although I didn't intend for it to be a party for me too. My mom and my sister got me scrubs to wear to work, which I really needed. That's what I love about this job - scrubs are so comfy! P.'s parents gave me a Satin Hands set from Mary Kay. I really needed that too. I haven't gotten anything from P. and the kids yet, but he asked me yesterday what I wanted, so maybe there's hope yet. He's not really good about planning ahead for these things, and he likes to say it's my fault because I manage the money and he can't surprise me...lol. Oh well. Some things will never change.

I mentioned earlier that we spent today with his parents. His dad was invited to be the guest speaker at the church he used to pastor when he was in Seminary, and he wanted us all to join him. The church was celebrating their homecoming - 183 years. Wow! P. was almost 4 years old when his family moved there and about 8 when they left. Everybody who knew him back then recognized him right away though. Their family was well-loved when they were there, and it was a nice day.

Blogger Issues

I'm not sure what's going on with my blog for the last couple of days. Last night I attempted like twice to publish my "Angry and Frustrated" post. When I hit the Publish Post button, it was stuck on 0% progress. When I would check my list of posts, it showed up there, but then when I clicked the button to view my blog (which I always do after I publish a post), it wasn't there. I tried for quite a while last night, finally getting frustrated and going to bed. I figured I'd try again to publish it, but then this morning got a comment from Angie on that very post. I'm glad it ended up going through...I just wish I knew what the problem was. Maybe I should try Beta, but I don't know whether that will make a difference or not. Oh well...just something else for me to be frustrated about.

Better Day

Well, even though I am still very frustrated about my job situation, I'm feeling a bit better about it tonight. I had a talk with a couple of people out at the hospital today, and I think there are going to be a couple of different options available. I don't really want to say much more about it right now because it may take a few weeks before I know anything for certain, but I will definitely post an update once I have one.

Angry and Frustrated

I am so frustrated with my employer right now, it's not even funny! I was so excited about this job just a couple of months ago, and now I feel cheated.

A little background:

Most of you who read my blog know that I was a GS employee at the Health Clinic on post for the last three years we lived in Germany. About the beginning of 2006, I started seriously looking for work. By then we were pretty sure we were coming to the Fort Bragg area. A part of me wanted to remain with the GS system, but I also wanted to be open to other options. A colleague of mine gave me the name and contact information for a company here in the States. If I got a job with this company, I would still be affiliated with the Military Health System (which I honestly love) but would be a contractor. There was an opportunity for a nice pay raise. So I contacted the company before we left Germany and had a job lined up, to start shortly after we hit ground in the U.S.

The best part about this job...I get to work mostly from home, going in to Womack when they need me to.

When I got my original offer letter, I was also eligible for benefits. These benefits included health insurance, life insurance, dental insurance, and 401K. Well, for obvious reasons, I didn't really need the health or dental. The life insurance was free of charge for me, paid for by the company. I wasn't eligible to start contributing to the 401K until I had been an employee for 3 months. I contributed to the TSP when I was a GS employee, and planned to roll those funds over into the 401K as soon as I was able to.

I started work after we got back to the States, and everything seemed to be going well. Then I learned that things were changing within the company. I tried not to stress too much, even when I got a new contract that differed significantly from my original one. The Vice President for Human Resources told me to disregard that one, and that I would be getting another one shortly. That was a month ago.

To make a long story short, I found out this evening that the new contract I received a month ago is indeed my new agreement with the company. I am now a contractor instead of an employee of the company. I will now be paid per record coded or audited instead of the salary I was originally offered. You know what the worst part is? The worst part is that as a contract employee, I'm no longer eligible for any benefits. Including the 401K and life insurance. The two that were most important to me. One thing I've learned over the years is that net pay isn't everything. I'd much rather take a cut in take home pay and have certain benefits available to me.

You know what the most interesting thing about this situation is? September was my 3 month mark with the company. Is it just a coincidence that my status is being changed at the time I'm supposed to be eligible for certain benefits? Maybe I shouldn't, but I feel betrayed and blind-sided by the whole situation. Guess I'll be looking for a new job...

Growing up Too Fast...

Today is J.'s birthday. He's 8. I simply can't believe my boy is 8 years old. I remember the day he was born and what a sweet baby he was. He's still a sweet kid, but he's definitely a very active 8 year-old boy.

A couple of days ago he asked P. if he would make him pancakes for breakfast and stick a birthday candle in them. That has sort of become a tradition in our family, and is something special between Daddy and the kids. I advised J. not to get his heart set on it because it was a weekday, and P. usually reserves cooking breakfast for the weekend. But this morning P. got up early, got ready for work, and came down and cooked pancakes, and served J. his with a candle. So we sang him Happy Birthday and he blew out his candle.

This afternoon the kids visited my mom at work, and she gave them each a little present and had a little cake for them. This evening my sister and her husband came over to bring his birthday presents, because he decided he didn't want to wait until his birthday party to get them. I can't say that I blame him. We have a really busy couple of weeks, and can't do his party until October 7th. So they came over and J. got to open his presents from them. Then P.'s parents came and took the kids out to dinner - J.'s choice. His choice? McDonald's...LOL! Nana thought he'd want to go to IHOP and get more pancakes, but his mind wasn't going to be changed.

While they were at dinner, P. and I went to buy him one of his birthday presents from us. J.'s birthday party is at a roller skating center, but he said he only wanted to have it there if he could skate on roller blades. That's what he learned on, and he wasn't happy a couple of weekends ago when he had to use the old fashioned roller skates at a friend's birthday party. He used to have blades, but has since outgrown them. So I decided I'd get him a pair of roller blades to give him on his birthday so that he'd have them for his party. When he got home, we gave him his present and was very happy. He had to try them on right away. He put one on, and tried it out, deciding that it fit perfectly.

I think he had a pretty good birthday. He's a happy little boy tonight.

Close to Burnout

OK, I'm blogging right now when I should be working on completing a paper that's due in about 38 minutes. I think the most challenging thing about this move and adjusting to a new routine has been my college requirement. There actually is a pretty good reason for it.

Back in October 2004 I made the decision to finally complete my Bachelor's Degree. I started college back in 1992 when I graduated high school, but quit after two years and got married. Notice I said I quit after two years AND got married...not TO get married. I made the decision to quit before my husband proposed. I was burned out on school then and decided that it was unfair to my parents. They were paying good money for me to attend an expensive school and by the second semester of my sophomore year, I was skipping as many classes as I could get away with skipping without failing my classes. I was doing the minimum that was required of me, and I had always been a much better student than that.

While P. was in Iraq, one of the nurses that I worked with introduced me to the University of Phoenix. She was working on her RN to BSN degree, and went on to complete the coursework required for her Master's. I think at this point she's waiting until she returns to the U.S. to finish the rest of her requirements, but I'm not positive. With her encouragement, I researched UOP and found a degree that suited me...the Bachelor's in Health Administration. I made the decision to start right then. I had put off completing my degree for so long, partially because of our lifestyle in the Army. How in the world was I supposed to complete my degree with our frequent moves and the concern of trying to transfer credits?? UOP seemed like the perfect fit. Plus, with it being all online, I was able to work within my time constraints, as long as I met the deadline requirements for assignments. This was amazingly simple while we were in Germany. I was a minimum of six hours ahead of the students I worked with on projects. As long as I had my assignments in by midnight my time (sometimes by midnight Phoenix time, depending on the instructor), I was able to stay ahead of the game. I was able to work on assignments while my teammates were working or still sleeping, and they were ready for submission long before the deadline.

Then we returned to the States. It's been more difficult than I realized to readjust to my new time zone for school purposes. After a year and a half, it's pretty hard to change my work habits for school. I'm doing ok, but not as well as I would like to, or as well as I was in Germany. I'm currently taking a Healthcare Ethics Class. Each class is five weeks long, and there is a lot of information packed into those five weeks. I take my classes back to back, and my previous class was Legal Issues in Health Care. Both of these classes are very interesting to me (believe it or not), but I'm about burned out with having to be on the computer all the time. Between my job and school, I feel like I'm chained to my laptop. Oh well...it could be worse. At least with the laptop I can work wherever and whenever I need to. I also only have six courses after this one and I'm finished with my Bachelor's. Then I have to decide whether to go ahead and finish my Master's. If I stop now, I don't know if or when I'll start back. But I'm really beginning to realize that I need a break. At least I will have completed the goal I set for myself so long ago. I think I need more time for myself and my family...to do the things we enjoy doing instead of always having to worry about a paper or other assignment that's due or meeting participation requirements.

Now I have about 20 minutes left. Time to stop procrastinating.