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.

More Practice

Today we went to practice some more on the motorcycles. This is our last weekend before we take the safety course, so I really wanted to take the opportunity to get as much practice in as possible. P. was able to go with me today. We went over to meet my mom and her boyfriend at their place. Last weekend I practiced on the Honda they have. Since P. and I both were going, they decided to take the Honda and my mom's Sportster (which is a Harley-Davidson). She hadn't really ridden the Sportster before today. Since P. is so tall, the Honda was much too small for him to ride on...it's really even too small for me, and he's almost a foot taller.

So we went to meet my mom and her boyfriend, and they rode the two bikes over to the parking lot where we were practicing. My mom has her Motorcycle Permit, which means she can operate one on the road as long as she doesn't have a passenger. We followed them to try to make sure no other traffic got close to them. Mom still isn't comfortable riding in heavy traffic yet, which is certainly understandable. We made it over to our empty parking lot and got ready to ride. Since the plan was for P. to ride the Sportster since it's bigger than the Harley, my mom had to ride it first. It was only fair that she get the chance to ride her bike before anybody else. So she took it for a couple of trips around the parking lot. She looks really good on that bike...it's the perfect size for her. She said it definitely felt different from the Honda.

After my mom took the Sportster for a spin, P. got on it and I got on the Honda. V. (my mom's boyfriend) asked if I needed any sort of refresher, and I told him I thought I remembered from last weekend. I started it up, put it in gear, and took off. It felt so good to be able to ride around, knowing I remembered what he had taught me a week ago. I wasn't nearly as nervous as before. So I practiced for a while, and P. practiced on the Sportster. After a while I decided to take a break and drink some water and relax.

V. asked if I was taking a break, and asked my permission to ride the kids on the Honda. They were ready this week. Last weekend they wore shorts and sandals, and V. wouldn't let them ride because he told them they needed to be wearing long pants and good shoes. Today they made sure to put on long pants and their tennis shoes because "V. said we could ride." So I told him it was fine to ride them around the parking lot. When A. got on the back of that bike with him, though (she rode first), a part of me just wanted to yank her off of there and tell her she wasn't allowed to ride on the back of a bike until she was 30! She LOVED it! J. was next, and he loved it too. My only regret is that my camera wasn't working. I had it with me, and even had my memory card in it (unlike last weekend), but my battery was dead! GRRRR!

After V. rode the kids, P. brought the Sportster back over. My mom rode it around a couple more times, and V. wanted me to try it out. So I did. Oh. My. Goodness. When I started it up, I could just feel the power. Then when I took off on it, I was hooked for sure! It may sound crazy, since it's a bigger and heavier motorcycle, but it's actually easier to ride than the Honda. I felt much more stable. I can't explain it, really, but it's just so fun!!

P. was watching as I was riding my mom's Sportster this evening, and he told V. that I was actually almost too tall for that bike. Almost, but not quite. The motorcycle he bought me is a Sportster, but it's an older model (1981 - my mom's is a 2003), and it's bigger. I can't wait till he gets it fixed up and I can try it out.

OK, I know, I'm gushing! I can't help it. This is the first time I've really been this excited about anything for a while. I think one of the best things about this is that it's something that P. and I can enjoy together, and teach our kids to enjoy it too as they get older.

Book Purchase

Based on the recommendations of Sarah, Heidi, and others, I purchased the book The Blog of War by Matthew Currier Burden a couple of weeks ago. I got the package in the mail today. Maybe I'll actually have time to sit down and read it sometime soon. It's hard to find the time between work, kids, and school, to read things I want to read. I flipped through it a little bit this afternoon, though. It looks like it could easily be one of those books that once I pick it up and start reading, I won't be able to put it down.

Motorcycle Mama?

Before we left Germany, P. ordered a new Harley Davidson motorcycle. He's always wanted one, as long as I've known him. Many years ago he set up an escrow account that he'd been using to save up for a custom bike. Well, with Exchange New Car Sales overseas, he had the opportunity to get a brand new H-D at a great price. We had enough in the escrow account to pay half of it in cash, financing the rest. He ordered it there and had it delivered to the local Harley shop here.

Once he knew he was getting his, he then wanted me to have one to ride with him. He thought I would enjoy riding one of my own even more than I would riding on the back of his. I had my doubts, but the thought of it definitely appealed to me. I decided I at least wanted to go through the Motorcycle Safety Course with him. Well, when we got to the States, he found a great deal on a 1981 H-D Sportster and went ahead and bought it for me. It was obvious then that I was going to have to learn to ride. Once I had my own bike, I started to get a lot more excited about it.

My mom dates a guy who rides a Harley. They take every opportunity they can to take that bike out when the weather's nice. She has also caught the fever and decided she wanted to learn to ride herself too. Her boyfriend found a used Honda that would be perfect for her to learn on. It's smaller, of course, than a Harley, and lots lighter. He decided to use that one to teach both of us on. Also, my mom's taking the Motorcycle Safety Course with P. and myself.

Today I finally had the chance to go let Mom's boyfriend teach me how to ride. I had ridden on the back of a motorcycle a couple of times, but had never driven one. There's a large, open parking lot close by where he had been taking my mom to practice. I got on the bike and he explained how everything worked on it and then got on the back of it with me to coach me through riding. We practiced a bit like that until he was confident enough in my ability to start and stop it on my own. Then he let me ride it around by myself. Having another person on the back of the motorcycle makes things a lot different. Once I got over the initial nervousness of riding alone, I found it a lot easier. I just rode around and around that parking lot until I was so tired and sore that I couldn't ride any longer. I'll be lucky if I'm able to walk tomorrow! I'm a lot taller than my mom, and I think that bike is really too small for me. I can't wait till I get the chance to practice on one that fits me.

It was awesome, though. I can't wait until I have more practice and get my motorcycle endorsement after going through the course. Once I'm legal and get the confidence to get out on the road, I know I'll enjoy it even more. I'm really quite proud of myself though. Mom's boyfriend told me that he was really surprised at how quickly I picked it up. He said I was riding like I had ridden before. I'll have to share pictures once I find the cable for my camera.

Baby Girl

I posted a couple of weeks ago about A.'s first ballet and tap classes here. Last week I took a picture of her right before we left the house to go to dance. I just thought I'd share. Isn't she sweet?

Commercial

We were sitting here watching TV tonight when this commercial came on that just cracked us up. I didn't catch it the first time, so P. rewound it and paused it so I could see it. I LOVE my DVR!! Incidentally, it caught his attention because he heard the man speaking German...lol!

Anyway, it takes place in Germany and this guy, an American, is at a port receiving a shipment. The crate is being unloaded from the ship, and when they open the crate, it contains a 2006 Shelby GT 500. The man accepting the shipment is an American, and the Germany asks him couldn't he find a car he liked in Germany. The American says, "No, I couldn't find a speed limit in America that I liked." It cracked me up!

The funniest thing...

There's a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen during the scenes where the guy is driving the car at high speeds. It says "closed course...do not try" or something to that effect.

Are you kidding me?? I did that for five years in Germany...

In a minivan!!! LOL!!

I think I mentioned my new car in an earlier post. I have to set the cruise control all the time in the Volvo to keep from speeding. I found myself going over 70 in a 55 coming home from Bragg the other day, and I didn't even realize it.

Man I miss Europe...

Concert

OK, so while we were in Germany I got hooked on American Idol. It absolutely drove the husband crazy when it was on because I insisted on watching it, and he thought it was stupid. He could handle the last few weeks of it when it was more about the talent and less about the BS.

Season 4 was the first season when I caught the auditions at the beginning of the season. I saw Carrie Underwood audition and liked her from the very beginning. If I'd had the option to vote while we were overseas (couldn't because we usually saw the episodes the day after they aired here), I probably would have voted for her. I was very happy when she won that year. So of course I bought her CD when it came out. The kids love her too, and we usually have her CD in the car.

When I found out that she would be playing live at the County Fair here this year, I had to get tickets. I was kind of disappointed when I found out that she was playing on a school night, because I would have loved to have been able to take the kids to see her. Hopefully there will be another opportunity for them some time. P. wasn't able to go - he wasn't really crazy about the thought of the crowd - so I took my mom. She didn't know who she was, but enjoyed the concert anyway. She says she's going to have to go out and buy her CD now.

Our seats were pretty good. I was able to get halfway decent pictures from my seat. I was able to go down to the floor and get closer for a decent picture, and I'm including it here. I really enjoyed the show. There have been times when I go see someone I really like in concert and end up disappointed because they don't sound very good. I wasn't disappointed with Carrie tonight though. She sounded great, and she has some really good musicians. They even did a couple of old Guns 'N Roses songs. It's things like this that make me glad I'm back in the U.S.

Figured it Out

Yay! I got it to look right! I had to take out the slideshows I had in a couple of my posts. I guess next time I want to add a slideshow I'll have to resize my pictures first. I'm glad it turned out to be something fairly simple, because I really wanted to get it fixed tonight. I did manage to finish my paper first. Maybe one day I'll learn enough about HTML to make my own design. I doubt it, though. I'm not exactly the creative type.

Oh well, at any rate, now my page looks different. I thought with fall just around the corner this design would be appropriate.

Changes

Well, as you can see, I've changed my blog template. I've been messing with it all evening. I've found several templates that I like, but this is the only one that I have been able to come close to getting to look right. The only problem is my sidebar isn't up there where it's supposed to be. So I still have to figure that out. This is my first attempt at using a template that I have to do more to than copy and paste into the template field of Blogger, and then add my links and stuff back in. I think I need to learn more about HTML or something. I'll have to wait until I have more time before I do that though.

Right now I need to go write a paper for my current class...it's already late. I'm such a procrastinator!!

Always Remember...

I don't really know what I can say about this day. I've been thinking a lot about it over the last few days. August is a difficult month for me personally, and I suppose the first half of September will be that way for me for some time as well.

So, where was I on that day? We had arrived in Heidelberg, Germany just three weeks before. We had managed to move into housing, but had not gotten our household goods or my van yet. We had bought a little "hoopty" and were using that to get around. That week I was going through the week-long "Families Learning About Germany (FLAG)" course offered to family members of soldiers who had just moved there. It was a pretty good orientation. It introduced us to the culture and also taught us a little bit of the language. That particular day, they invited the soldiers to attend with us, and I can't remember why now. But P. was with me in FLAG that day. After the class was over, we went to the daycare center to pick up the kids and then went over to the Thrift Shop to see if there was anything we needed. I don't remember now what time it was when we got home, but it was just after the first plane hit and before the second one did.

We walked into the stairwell building and up the steps to our apartment. I picked up the Stars and Stripes off my doorstep and we walked in and I turned on the TV. I turned it to AFN Atlantic. Like most Americans in Germany apparently (at least those whose blogs have mentioned this day), I enjoyed watching the Today Show in the afternoons. When I flipped to that channel, though, Katie was in the middle of the report. I remember yelling at P. to come into the living room. Then the second plane hit. We just sat there glued to the TV. I can't describe how scared I was. I was living in this country I knew nothing about yet, didn't have any of my personal belongings (comfort items, you know - we were in a cracker-jack box of an apartment with Government furniture), and was an ocean away from my Mom and Dad. Looking back, it's really no wonder I was in such a depression that first year. P. got notification from his office that "Essential Personnel Only" were to come in, which at the time didn't include him. I was thankful. With the heightened security at all the gates, it would have been a nightmare for him to get to work. Yes, we lived on post, but in Heidelberg everything is so spread out, so he worked on a different Kaserne (post) than the one we lived on. Going to the PX after 9/11, which was on yet another Kaserne, was just a nightmare. We didn't venture out much the first week or so. Fortunately, we were on the same Kaserne as the Commissary.

After 9/11, while we still lived in Heidelberg, there was a bomb threat at one of the Shoppettes in one of the housing areas. Some woman who worked there was putting together this plot with her boyfriend. Fortunately, they were caught in time. That certainly didn't do anything to ease my fears.

I eventually overcame my fear and started getting out of the house and off the Kaserne, Little America as the locals liked to call it. We started traveling and enjoying Europe. I will never, forget, however, the lives that were lost that terrible day, or the sacrifices that have been made since. I can't believe it's been five years...

Routine

Since we moved I've had a really hard time getting into a routine. I don't think I really realized just how much I thrive on a routine until I lost mine. In Germany, I got up in the morning, took my shower, got the kids up and ready to go (P. was usually already gone to work by this time), and finished getting ready myself. We left the house and I got them to their daycare centers in time for breakfast. Then I would stop at the Shoppette on post for coffee on my way to work, and my work day started at 8 a.m. I stayed busy throughout the day, and usually took an hour to have lunch with hubby, and sometimes friends.

After work on Tuesdays and Thursdays P. would pick up the kids and I would go to spinning class with Aura at the gym. Every night after work, I would do school work since I'm trying to finish my degree. This is how my schedule was until our moving schedule made this routine impossible. Once we were down to one car, it was pretty much impossible for me to get away. I quit my job in Vilseck a couple of weeks before we moved, and was pretty much a woman of leisure for a few weeks. Sounds great, right?

Wrong. I love my new flexible schedule. I do the same job here that I did in Germany, but I'm now a contractor and work at home. It's awesome. I still put in the same number of hours a week, but have flexibility to do the things I need to do during the day. My problem is that sometimes I'm not strict enough on myself during business hours. I start my work day later than I would have otherwise, take longer lunches, or do other things during the day that I may not have been able to do before. So then I end up working later in the evenings or on the weekends. It actually works for me, though, since P. is working later these days.

Today, however, I got a phone call, and my company needs me to do more onsite at the hospital for the rest of this month. It's not a problem for me, except for the fact that I'm just starting to get into a workout schedule. Three days a week I had planned an hour in the morning for a fitness class, and two hours the other two days of the week. I had a sick kid this week, and I was feeling kind of blah a couple of days myself, so I had hoped to get more into the schedule starting next week. I guess I'll have to rearrange it and hope that P. will be able to help me out by being home early enough for the next couple of weeks for me to make it to later classes.

Oh well. I guess starting the first part of October I'll have to strive to be stricter with myself and to set and keep a pretty regular schedule. I work better that way. Things will get a bit easier when I finish my degree this coming spring, although I am debating whether or not to go ahead and finish my Master's. Oh well...I'll cross that bridge when I come to it I guess.

Awesome Weekend

This weekend was one of the best weekends I've had since we returned to the States. One of my best friends in Germany, M., moved to Texas back in the summer of 2004, and I missed her terribly. Her sister lives about an hour from where I live and she came to NC for Labor Day weekend. She called me Thursday evening and we made plans to get together for dinner Friday night with Christy. It had been just over two years since we had seen each other. My kids and her kids were always really good friends too, so they were really excited to see each other. We had a really good time at dinner Friday night, but didn't have as much time as we'd liked, so we made plans for later in the weekend. M.'s husband is in Iraq right now, and watching her girls with my husband reminded me so much of how my kids bonded with her husband while mine was in Iraq. They obviously miss their daddy, and I know they will all be so happy when he returns home in a few weeks.

Saturday my kids went to spend some time with their grandparents. M. called me Saturday evening and we made plans for her and the girls to come down Sunday afternoon. The kids were wanting more time to play together. So we decided that she would call me Sunday when they were ready to come down. This would also give my kids a chance to spend the night with their grandparents, as well as part of Sunday afternoon. They were excited about that. Sunday afternoon P. and I went to his parents' to have lunch with his parents and pick up the kids. M. called me as we were on the way home to let me know they were on their way. They got to my house and we just spent the rest of the afternoon and evening visiting. The kids had a great time playing together and watching movies. We ordered pizza and the kids had a pizza party and watched movies in their TV room. The grownups reminisced about the fun we had in Germany. I pulled out the scrapbooks toward the end of the visit and we looked at photos from trips we had taken together. M. and I traveled together quite a bit, and would have probably done more if they hadn't had to leave Europe when they did. Christy wasn't able to join us Sunday night because she and her hubby returned fairly late from a trip, so we made plans to get together for breakfast. When it came time for them to leave for the night, her girls really didn't want to go, nor did my kids want them to. When the four of them saw each other again, it was almost as if they had just seen each other yesterday.

This morning we decided to meet at IHOP for breakfast. The kids really liked that...well, all of us did. After breakfast we decided to go do some shopping and hit the mall. We spent a good part of the day shopping together. The kids got to go to the toy store and get a little something, and got to ride the carousel three times. We all had a great time and hated to have to say goodbye again. Hopefully we'll get together again before another two years go by.

Lazy

Since we moved back to the States I've been pretty lazy. I was doing really well before we left Germany with working on getting back in shape. Aura taught a spinning class at the gym on post and encouraged me to come try it out. She assured me it was fun and a great workout. I had seen a few spinning classes and thought they looked awfully hard but could be fun, so I decided to give it a shot. I was hooked after the first time, even though I went home and complained to hubby that Aura was mean and kicked my butt (love ya Aura)! It was a butt-kicking I needed...lol.

Well, since we got back to the States I haven't been working out. None of my equipment (elliptical, mini stair stepper) is unpacked and set up yet and I haven't decided where I want to go to the gym. Christy called me last night and we got to talking about the gym she goes to. They offer lots of classes so I decided I should check it out. Turns out she is going to a spinning class this morning, so I decided the best time to start going was right now. I need to stop talking about it and just go. Plus I can go as her guest today and see how I like it. It was just the motivation I needed. So I'm going to finish my coffee, brush my teeth and wash my face, and then I'll be off to start my new workout regimen.

Rough Night

Last night we had a monster thunderstorm come through. We had a pretty good storm that scared the kids around 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening, and then it cleared up for a while. After everybody had gone to bed we had another one come through. I actually went to bed a bit earlier than usual (I'm quite the night owl) because I was really tired and wanted to try to get a bit more sleep.

Hubby and I usually sleep really well during storms. There's something relaxing about the rumble of thunder and the sound of rain on the roof. This time was different. The storm woke us up last night. Well, I'm not sure whether it was the storm that woke me or the sound of a house alarm. I don't know what exactly set it off, but after a particularly loud crash of thunder, this very annoying siren started going off. Well, apparently the people who live in the house were out of town or something, because it just kept screaming. I even ran outside in the storm to make sure it wasn't my car alarm. I didn't think it was because it was so loud, but just wanted to be absolutely certain. I didn't want to be responsible for that much noise at 2 a.m. It kept on through the rest of the night.

When we got up this morning (we overslept...imagine that) I still heard it. I was trying to hustle the kids to get them ready for school. Went outside and sat to watch and make sure they got on the school bus and came inside...all the while still hearing this annoying alarm. P. got up and got ready for work, and when he went out to leave, there were about 5 or 6 police cars outside the house across the street from us. Guess now we know for sure who the culprit was...lol. I went outside about 30 minutes after he went to work because the alarm was still sounding, but the police were gone. Hmmmmmmm. Came back inside, showered and dressed, and sat here trying to work. Do you know how distracting something like this is? I had the TV on, so that did cover up the sound some, but it was still constantly there. I told P. later that this should be some kind of torture method because I felt that it was going to drive me absolutely NUTS. It FINALLY stopped between 11:30 and 12:00. I don't remember exactly what time it was, but it was right before P. came by the house to see if I wanted to go to lunch with him. I guess they finally got in touch with whoever lives in that house. When I noticed it was finally quiet, I stepped outside onto the front porch and there was a little car parked in the driveway of the house. When P. and I left to go to lunch it was gone. Oh well...thank goodness it finally stopped. Hopefully tonight will be quieter.

My Little Ballerina

Let me begin this entry by telling a little bit about myself. Those who really know me know that I absolutely LOVE to dance. I'm pretty good at it, too. I'm not saying that to be conceited...it's one of my talents. What very few people know about me, however, is that I actually was a formally trained dancer. I received formal training in Tap and Jazz for nearly ten years from one of the best instructors in the Fayetteville, NC, area. THE best in my opinion. Tap was my very favorite. I also took a tiny bit of ballet...less than a year. I had the opportunity when I was in high school to attend a summer program called Governor's School. It was based mostly on academics, but since I went for one of the arts, I also had to audition. It was one of the best summers of my life.

Princess A. had a little bit of ballet when we were in Germany, and she loved it. It wasn't the best instruction in the world, but it was a decent introduction. Her teacher PCS'd after only one session, though. For the last year we were in Germany, A. was so disappointed that she couldn't take ballet again. Under the new teacher, though (who I heard was very good), classes for A.'s age and experience level were in the middle of the day, and I worked full time. Anybody I knew who I trusted to pick her up from CDC and take her also either worked or couldn't do it because of other obligations. So we had to put it off for that year, but I promised her that when we moved back to the States I would see what I could do.

When I found out we were returning to North Carolina for a couple of years, I told P. that if my former dance teacher was still in the business, I wanted to put A. into dance classes with her. She really wanted to take ballet, and I really wanted to have her try tap since it was my favorite and what I was best at. We got here and I found out that my former teacher is, indeed, still in business. Her husband actually owns the dance school now, and she is the lead instructor and has several that teach for her. Back when I was her student, she taught every single class. She had two classes every evening from Monday through Thursday, and then one on Saturday. So that was nine classes a week that she personally taught. Back then, though, she was renting space at another dance studio. Now that she has her own school, she has four classes every evening the same nights of the week as before, and she obviously can't teach them all.

I knew classes started today. I intended to go last week to get A. registered, but since I was sick all week, I obviously wasn't able to do so. I went with the kids to the dance school today to get A. registered. I didn't plan for her to participate today. She wasn't dressed properly and she doesn't have ballet or tap shoes yet. Well, we got there and my former teacher, Linda, was in the studio when we walked in. Let me just say...it's been almost fifteen years since the last time I saw her, and she hasn't changed a bit. After I filled out the paperwork, she suggested we go ahead and let A. dance today, so I agreed. Linda said just this once it would be ok if she wasn't dressed appropriately. A. was so excited! Ballet actually comes quite naturally to her, and I was so proud. Linda is actually the one teaching her ballet class, and I couldn't be happier about that. The same woman I took dance from all those years ago is teaching my daughter ballet. I was actually on the verge of tears a couple of times during the class as I watched. Sappy, I know, but who cares?? Both of her classes are on Mondays, back-to-back. It will be nice to only have to go once a week.

Tap was more challenging for her...she has to work harder at that, but it'll be good for her. What an accomplishment that will be for her when she gets it! And watching her, I know she'll get it, and she'll be so proud of herself. Besides, with that being my strong suit, I can help her out at home. All the steps came flooding back as I was watching the teacher go through the exercises with her. I could see that she was getting frustrated when she didn't get it right away, but she was really watching, and kept trying. She never gave up. That made me so proud. I really like her tap teacher too. She's very encouraging and wouldn't let A. give up. I just watched and never intervened or interfered. A. needs to learn to trust her teachers.

I felt really great at the end of the evening. I even kept the tradition from my days of dancing and took the kids to McDonald's afterwards. Not a great choice for a dancer, but hey...they're kids!! J. was with us and was so good the whole two hours. He didn't complain the whole time, and I know he was bored. What a trouper!! I know it was hard for him...sitting still is such a challenge. So McD's was a big reward for him, too. Little by little I'm beginning to feel a part of my new community. Maybe my life will get back to normal (whatever that is) soon after all!

Feeling Like Home

Well, I was definitely feeling better this weekend. We spent all day Saturday getting the house organized. We got quite a bit done. I worked downstairs and P. worked upstairs.

He spent a big part of the day organizing the kids' rooms. They have so much stuff, and quite a few of their toys were still in boxes in their rooms. It was nearly impossible to walk in there, and was really a bit too overwhelming for them to clean. P. got two huge storage containers at Walmart on Friday for them to put their larger toys in. Then he worked some more in our bedroom, hanging things on the walls and organizing some more. I still have clothes I need to get put away. Trying to figure out where to put them all is a challenge. We got new bedroom furniture after we moved here. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to utilize it.

I spent the better part of the day getting the den/family room in order. There was still quite a bit of stuff we had taken out of boxes that had not been put away and was still on the tables in the den. I had clothes I had to sort through and decide what to keep and what to give to charity. It felt so good to get this room done. This is where we spend the majority of our time at home, and I wanted it to be a place to relax. As of Saturday evening, it finally is. That felt like a real accomplishment to me. Now I just need to finish the kitchen, dining room, and living room and the downstairs will be finished. After we get our bedroom and bathroom finished, the next task upstairs will be the bonus room. That's going to be a challenge, but we'll get it done.

I had planned to get more done Sunday, but my plans didn't quite work out like I'd hoped. There was quite a bit of work that needed to be done in the yard, so P. spent the better part of the afternoon doing that. I had a school assignment I had to focus on since I was sick all week and spent Saturday working on the house. It took longer to get that done than I thought due to interruptions, so didn't get to get anymore housework done. Oh well.

I think I'll be happier once we get the house done. We still have a lot of stuff in the garage to go through, but it seems a bit less overwhelming now with the work we got done this weekend. I think once my house feels more like a home everything else will start to fall into place.

TGIF

I am so glad this week is over. This has definitely been an awful one. The medication I got yesterday seems to be working. My throat hurts much less than it did this time yesterday, and I'm just generally feeling a bit better. I'm still sleeping quite a bit though. I was also finally able to eat today. I've had a hard time eating all week. So hopefully my energy levels will start to get better too. Guess whatever I had wasn't viral after all. Hopefully next week will be better.

Went to the Doctor

OK I went to the doctor today. I don't have strep throat, which is good news. My bloodwork was normal too. He said that even though the rapid strep test came back negative that he didn't like the way my throat looked so was going to go ahead and put me on an antibiotic anyway. Fine with me. So he gave me a sample of Zmax that he had there. The cool thing is that it's a full course of antibiotics in one dose. So I came home, mixed it up, and drank it and I'm done. Now we'll just have to see if it works. I sure hope so because I'm tired of being sick. I really have too much to do.

Still Sick

Since someone who reads my blog was kind enough to ask how things are going, I thought I'd post an update. I talked to my mom Monday, and my uncle was being sent to Greenville for a heart cath. She said she'd let me know if she heard anything else. I haven't heard any more news since then, so I guess there's been no change.

I'm still sick and it sucks! A. has at least gotten better. She was well enough to go back to school Tuesday, thank goodness. The hubby got home Tuesday afternoon, so at least he's here now to help. He told his commander what was going on, and his commander authorized him to take leave. He was in Georgia for training he had already been through, so didn't really absolutely have to be there anyway. I really didn't want him to have to come home, but am very thankful he was able to. I guess I'm going to break down and go to the doctor today since I'm really not feeling any better. My throat hurts pretty bad and is pretty red and feels swollen, from what I can see anyway. I probably need antibiotics since I'm not feeling any better. I was thinking it was something viral, but maybe not. Guess I'll find out in a little while.

It Never Fails

Why is it that things always happen when my husband's gone. Never mind...I know the answer to that question. Murphy's Law for the Military Spouse - If something can go wrong, it will...when the soldier is deployed/TDY/whatever...GONE! I'm just tired of it. This month has been tough enough already without adding to it.

P. left yesterday on a week-long TDY for training. Went to Fort Benning. He had been gone for a few hours when I got a phone call from my mom. My uncle (her brother) had been taken to the hospital with chest pains. He got there and they also diagnosed him with cirrhosis and had him on morphine. My mom was on the way to the hospital to see him and to find out what exactly was going on. When I called her later in the evening, I found out that the news isn't great. His doctors say he may have 6 months left.

To top it off, A. is home sick from school today. She's been complaining on and off all weekend about a headache and stomachache, and she's had a bit of a fever. I had a headache that started last night and must have had a fever late last night because I woke up with chills. Aren't we just quite a pair? So I just felt like complaining a bit this morning.

Closets!

OK, it's the little things that make me happy. I guess I didn't really realize how much I missed having closets until we got back here and have them again. We lived on the economy in Germany, and German houses have no closets. Yes, the government had wall locker type things that they provided, but they were tiny. We had one in each bedroom upstairs, and one downstairs. They were nowhere near big enough to hang all of our clothes in. OK, the ones in the kids' room were big enough for their clothes, but they're little. P. and I put as many clothes in ours that we could, but they were so packed in there that it was nearly impossible to find anything. And trying to get my shoes in there? Forget it!

In the house we're renting here, we have a huge walk-in closet in our bedroom. A. has a smaller walk-in closet (we figured she needed the room with the bigger closet since she's a girl), and J. has a closet that's plenty big enough for him. It's bigger than the wall locker things. Today I've been trying to organize our clothes. I can actually get all of our clothes in the closet, and can even organize them. I have all of P.'s uniforms together, the ones he uses every day in front of those he doesn't wear very often, then I have his shirts organized, etc. This is very important for an OCD person like me. :-) So today I'm feeling a little bit better about being back in the States.

Mandatory Fun

Tomorrow P.'s battalion is having Organizational Day. Oh boy...mandatory fun! It's a teacher workday for the kids, so at least I don't have to worry about pulling them out of school or arranging for somebody else to pick them up. That worked out pretty well. Thing is...Battalion is in Raleigh, which is an hour and a half away from here. So I told the kids today that we're going to Raleigh tomorrow, and they start complaining...but it's such a long ride! LOL...maybe we need to move back to Texas!

Oh well. Each unit does Organizational Day differently, so we'll just have to see how it goes. Hopefully there will be something fun for everybody. One good thing...they're having it catered, so I don't have to worry about making something to take.

My Little Comedian

I have a funny kid story to share. My few family members who read my blog will appreciate this because J. is actually quite a bit like my little sister. She could always get out of trouble by making my dad laugh.

Friday night I was sitting here trying to work on a school assignment. We had eaten dinner and the kids were ready for a snack. They both came running down the stairs. For small people they both walk really heavily. I told them they sounded like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs. J. did his elephant impression, which for an (almost) 8 year-old is quite convincing. I started to say "That's not funny" but before I could finish the sentence, I started laughing. They continued on into the kitchen for their snack and something to drink, and J. proceeds to say, "Well, Mom, if it wasn't funny why are you laughing?" What could I say? I was laughing uncontrollaby at that point. I'm usually really good about staying serious with the kids when necessary, but it wasn't really necessary this time. After the kids went upstairs and P. came in from the garage, I was still laughing and could barely tell him about it. When I did, he said, "That's your sister up and down."

Yep...J.'s probably going to be a prankster like her. That's ok though. It will be nice to have him to make us laugh when things get too serious.

Putting Things Into Perspective

Thank you Heidi for putting things into perspective for me, although I'm sure that wasn't your plan when you wrote your blog entry today.

You remind me to be thankful daily for the fact that my husband is home with me. You remind me to be thankful for the little things that aggravate me every day. In the grand scheme of things, the daily irritants are so insignificant. I'm even thankful for P.'s little habits that make me absolutely crazy. Life is absolutely too short for all that. I love him and that's what's important.

Making Progress

Well, we might actually get everything unpacked and organized before it's time to move again after all. I was starting to wonder...lol. We still have a lot of work to do, but we got quite a bit done this weekend. We got several pictures hung and other things put where they should be. We've had stuff stacked in the family room for weeks now, and I moved most of it out and got the furniture moved back where it belongs. We had moved it to make room for delivery of our household goods. Little by little my world is returning to normal...whatever that is.

The kids went to spend the weekend with P.'s parents. Yesterday P.'s dad's church was having the kickoff for their Vacation Bible School, and it was apparently an all-day thing for the kids to play. There was a jumping castle or slide, or something. J. managed to get hurt on it. Got a pretty bad friction burn on his arm. P.'s parents felt so bad. When they came to pick the kids up yesterday, P.'s dad asked if I'd ever considered that maybe we had too much stuff. LOL! No way! It's amazing, though, how much stuff we did accumulate while we were in Germany. We were never anywhere close to our maximum weight allowance until this move. I'm still praying that we didn't go over.

I really want to try to update this page more often. Maybe once things settle down some more I'll be able to. I'm still trying to manage my time with my new job. I'm working from home and it is challenging, but very rewarding. It's nice to be able to do the things here at the house that I need to do a bit more easily. I've also been back in school for about two and a half months, and have had a harder time than I thought I would getting back into that schedule. I'm finishing my degree online, and it is kind of hard having to be on the computer almost all the time. The kids are in year-round school here, so that helps a bit. At least I have from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to work with few distractions. Then they do their homework and play quietly while I finish working. They've finally adjusted to the fact that even though Mommy is home, she still has a job to do. They're great kids. Like I said, we're making progress.

They Just Don't...

...make houses anymore the way they used to.

We rented a house in a fairly new (new since I left home anyway) subdivision. Let me just say that P. and I are very thankful that we are renting this house and don't own it. It seems like every day he finds something that irritates him about the "shoddy craftsmanship" of this house.

Our household goods arrived almost a month ago now I guess. I'm constantly amazed at the amount of "crap" we managed to accumulate in the four years we were in Vilseck. Even more than that, though, I'm still amazed that in almost twelve years of marriage, the longest time we spent in one place was in a foreign country.

But I digress...

P. and I have been very frustrated since our household goods got here because we haven't been able to find the keys to open our grandfather clock or the curio we bought in Germany. We have little keepsakes we keep in the grandfather clock, and the curio is big enough to hold all my China, plus quite a bit of other stuff. Stuff that has been stacked up on the table and in the floor in the dining room for weeks now. This evening, he managed to "pop" the lock on the curio. He was able to separate the door and frame enough to get the doors open without damaging it. Hallelujah!! We were finally able to get so much stuff put away tonight.

While we were in Germany, I started collecting plates. Everywhere we went, I usually picked up a souvenir plate, and sometimes a shot glass, and P. picked up a print. A couple of years ago, he built a plate rack for me to display my souvenir plates. After we got the China, glasses, and Polish Pottery that was stacked in the dining room put away, we decided our next mission was to put my plates away. As P. was trying to hang the plate rack, he got frustrated all over again. There was one particular wall I had in mind that was the perfect place for it, but we definitely had to make sure it was anchored properly to hold the weight of plates and shot glasses. So P.'s looking for studs in the wall. I don't know how many holes he put in the wall. I think he cursed each time he put a nail in the wall where he thought there was a stud, and there wasn't one after all. He worked in construction for a while before we came back into the Army, so he remembers how houses were built then. The more frustrated he got, the more I reminded him that it's not our house. He's very thankful for that.