I'm starting to think maybe it's time for me to start blogging again. Other things that have been taking up my time online, as far as writing is concerned, are becoming less and less time-consuming as the days go by.
But it's too late tonight for me to write much. More to follow soon.
Wow...it's been over a year since I blogged last. Dare I try to get back into the blogging groove? It was something I really enjoyed for a while...I just have moved on to doing different things. I got to thinking, though, considering the fact that I started this blog when we were in the middle of our move from Germany, it seems somewhat appropriate I would revisit it now, since we're in the process of moving again, this time to Fort Knox, Kentucky.
This move has, so far, proven to be the move from HELL...more challenging even than the moves to and from Germany. From waiting to get the hubby's orders to fighting with the transportation offices on both ends (since the office at Fort Knox didn't send our information to the one here at Bragg until just about the last possible minute), and everything that has happened in between, it's a wonder I haven't completely lost my mind.
The packing started today, and the movers have all but finished packing our downstairs here. The hubby has been sick for the last couple days, so I was on my own supervising and answering questions today. Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow.
Giving up control feels really good sometimes, and though I hate to admit my kids are growing up, I have to realize they're not babies anymore.
I have company coming in this weekend, and with being busy this week and being sick earlier in the week, I had a lot to get done. And it needed to get done TONIGHT. I picked up the kids, took them to get haircuts, then went to the grocery store. We got home and I put them to work bringing the groceries in from the truck and putting them away while I cleaned the kitchen and got dinner going. That has become a regular occurrence here.
After they finished putting the groceries away, they asked if they could go watch TV in the bonus room. I told them nope. We have company coming in and a house to clean, and they were going to help. Their daddy was late coming home from work, which is the case more often than not, and was stressed this evening. I'm not the best housekeeper, but am usually pretty particular when I do get to cleaning, so I usually just do it myself, or the hubby and I do it, and just encourage the kids to stay out of the way. Not this time. They helped me straighten the living room, got their mess cleaned up out of my dining room, and took care of cleaning their rooms, the bonus room, and vacuuming most of the upstairs for me.
They were such a big help, what would have taken me all night was mostly done in a couple of hours. And I think they enjoyed helping me.
The hubby decided that he wanted to change the paint on his Electraglide yet AGAIN. So he has spent the better part of the last couple of weeks getting the bike ready to paint and actually painting. He was mostly finished this weekend and started getting it ready to put back together. He goes TDY tomorrow and has yet to decide whether he's going to ride or take the car.
A few months ago, he got a new taillight assembly for the bike and while he had it taken apart anyway decided that now would be a good time to put the new lights on it too. He stuck his head in the house shortly before lunchtime and asked me if I could come give him a hand. Wiring is not his forte', and with my logical mind, not to mention the patience I have that he doesn't, I'm usually able to help him trace wiring diagrams and figure this stuff out.
This time was different though. I was looking at the instructions that came with the light. The biggest problem is the motorcycle has 6 wires coming out of the main harness, where there are only four going to the new light assembly. Biggest issue is figuring out which are not supposed to be connected, and what to do with them. What a pain in the ass!
I find myself saying this over and over and over to the boy child. That and worry about yourself...not everybody else. He thinks he has to have his nose in every aspect of everything that is going on around here. The girl child has been sick and we finally convinced her this morning that she needed to eat something or else she wasn't going to feel any better. So when she came back to the couch from the kitchen table, I asked if she had eaten some breakfast. Before she even had a chance to answer me, boy child decides to take it upon himself to answer for her. I reminded him, sternly, that I was NOT talking to him and his sister could answer for herself.
Then I was reading something funny from my favorite blog to my husband, and the boy made comments about who he thought I was talking about. Again...mind your own business. I was NOT talking to you. Kids!
We're about to get a doozy of a storm. The hubby was out in the garage working on his bike, and I've been sitting here listening to the thunder roll. The satellite just went out. He came in to look something up. I told him that I had been sitting here listening to the thunder, and came to the realization that we don't get storms like this in the winter time. Spring is here!
Finally! It's Friday! I'm so glad we're at the end of this week. Unfortunately, I'm home with my daughter again, as she's sick. I have a good friend who lost her dad earlier this week, so my mind has been on that as well. It has also kind of surprised me the emotions that has brought back for me, knowing how she's feeling right now.
The hubby will be leaving Monday to go TDY for the week. In the meantime, I'll be trying to get ready for company to come in that weekend. Going to be a busy week for me, and hopefully a better one.
So I had an appointment for my routine preventive visit this afternoon. Nice thing about being an Army spouse and working at the hospital on post is being conveniently close to where I need to go for my appointment. So what could have turned into 3 hours or so away from work was only an hour away from my desk, as I was able to just walk to a different part of the hospital.
So anyway, the provider is asking me questions about my medical history and my family history. He asks about history of breast cancer, and naturally I tell him about the two great-aunts on my mother's side who had breast cancer. Then he asks if I've ever had a mammogram. Umm...no. I'm 35. Routine mammograms usually start at age 40. So he says ok, we're going to order one. I asked him...do I need one at 35? He said we're going to do one simply because of your family history.
Damn it. I'm SOOOO not thrilled about this.
I've come to realize that I've not written an update about the husband and what the Army will be doing with us or what we're hoping for out of his career. Things were in a good bit of turmoil for a while, and some of you may be wondering.
He came down on orders again for deployment a few months ago, but because of chronic pain and other issues, his doctor determined he wasn't deployable at the time. On top of that, his current command really didn't want him to leave. He's been quite successful as the Company Commander of the busiest Company in USAREC for the past two and a half years.
As a result of all that, and a process of accepting reality on his part, he has made the decision to request a branch transfer to be able to stay in USAREC. He's quite close to being eligible for retirement, and this is a good way for him to complete his career without doing any further damage to himself physically, while still having the possibility for natural career progression such as Battalion Command, etc. If anyone had asked me about a year or so ago how I felt about it, I would have been adamant that he get the hell out of USAREC. I hated it. But the command climate here has changed, he has moved up to the Battalion level as the Executive Officer (although he's still doing duties as Company Commander since they haven't found his replacement yet), and we're all much happier. The daily commute is a pain, but we're managing. He brings work home when he's able, as I've told him I'd prefer that he do that than be 9 or 10 getting home at night.
As of right now, he's planning on attending ILE in January of 2010, and after that will probably be moved to a Brigade staff position until he's eligible for Battalion Command. The kids and I will probably stay here when he goes to ILE if we can. I really don't want to disrupt their schooling for a year if I don't have to. Then we'll see what's in store for us after that.
That's the plan as I know it right now. Who knows what will change next week.
My girl child is home sick today, so I'm home with her. She was complaining of her belly and head hurting, and her throat too, and she's pretty congested. I just hope it's not the flu. Their three-week spring break starts next week. It never fails...at least one of them seems to get sick right around the time one of their breaks starts.
We have company coming in next weekend, so maybe I can take advantage of my extra time at home to get some cleaning done to get ready for that. Wonder if I'll find the motivation. Hmmmm...
As I browse blogs, trying to catch up on the lives of my friends that I've been neglecting, I find I'm not the only one who has let her blog kind of fall by the wayside. It makes me sad, as I started this to give me a way to keep up with my friends and family that I'm so far away from. But as it happens, life just gets in the way sometimes. I'm hoping, though, to find a newfound inspiration to write.
A few recent pictures...
I had a great weekend this past weekend! Saturday I went for a short ride with my neighbor. It was COLD once we got going! But it was nice to get out anyway. Then Saturday night he came over with his fiancee' to hang out for a while.
Saturday afternoon, a couple of friends from South Carolina asked if we would be interested in meeting them for lunch on Sunday if they rode up to our neck of the woods. They were interested in getting their bikes out for a good ride. They live in the western part of SC, so it was almost 250 miles one way to get here. Of course, we agreed, and they left early Sunday morning. We met them, had lunch, and came back to our place to hang out for a bit before they headed back home. When it was time for them to leave, I left with them and rode as far as the NC/SC border before turning back home. Although nothing like the 500 miles they did to come see us, it was a nice ride, and one I needed badly.
I'm thinking warmer weather is finally almost here to stay, and I'm really looking forward to this spring and summer.
Has been so neglected! I've just been doing other things, and blogging has been quite close to the bottom of my list of priorities.
We have quite a busy spring and summer planned. I communicate with a lot of people on line. One couple I've been talking to online is moving from the west coast to the east coast as we speak. I'm organizing kind of a get-together with them and some other friends the first weekend in April. Later in April, we're taking a trip to Maryland to hang out and party with some of our friends as well. Ahhh...the start of the riding season!
This summer, in June, we're taking a family vacation to Disney. I'm so freakin' excited! The hubby and I have never been. Neither, of course, have our kids. We're taking a combined family vacation with some good friends of ours who have kids the same age as ours...or close. They've been before. We figure this way it will be lots more fun for the kids, as well as for the grown ups.
My little sister's birthday was this past Friday. We took her and her hubby out Saturday night.
Yeah, I know I'm a little late, but better late than never, right?
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great one here. Kids got way too much as usual, although the hubby and I seriously pared down this year. Santa brought them a Wii, and we've had LOTS of fun with that. We're gonna have to get two more remotes for it so we can all play Wii Sports together. I've been enjoying Wii Fit. I'm thinking it just may be something that might motivate me to get moving enough to help me lose the weight I need to lose and get in better shape.
Santa also brought the kiddos a trampoline. We just got it put together and set up today, so hopefully they'll be able to enjoy it some...if it doesn't get too terribly cold.
Mom and Dad got the kids a few things. We refused to get them toys. They're getting older now, and we knew that grandparents and aunts and uncles would be getting them toys, and they have too much already. So we decided to get them things they can use. They each got a digital camera and chaps for when they ride with us when the weather's cooler. We got them each a watch. J got a set of tools and a new helmet, since he outgrew the one he got a couple of years ago. The boy's got a big head. A got a locket (which she's managed to already break the chain on) and a password journal. They also each got a couple of games for their PS2.
We spent Christmas Eve with the hubby's family doing Christmas with them. Then we came home and did our Christmas Eve routine here. Kids opened one gift each, we put out milk and cookies for Santa, then after they went to bed Mom and Dad finished getting everything ready for Santa's arrival.
Christmas Day, the kids got us up about 7, which was later than I expected. I got to sleep an hour or two longer than I thought I would, which was nice considering it was about 2 before we hit the sack. We did our Christmas here, and I finished doing the cooking I was doing for Christmas dinner, and we headed over to my sister's house to do Christmas with my family. We had a wonderful time there with my sister and her family, and my mom and her husband. Kids got to play together and enjoy their new toys some, and I got to enjoy the company of my family who I don't get to spend nearly enough time with.
New Years is just around the corner, and we're going out of town to spend it with some friends. I love this time of year, but I will be glad when summer comes back around!
I really need to do a better job of blogging. Did so well there for a while, and it seems life has created other priorities for me.
I created this blog, though, so that family and friends that I no longer get to see day to day can keep up with what's going on. I talked to a good friend tonight, and was reminded just how much has changed the last couple of years.
I'll try to get some pictures up of the kiddos here soon. Will also try to do better about updating with stories and silly things the kiddos do.
We're on yet another roller coaster wondering what the Army's going to do with the hubby, but I'm trying not to stress too much.
Election Day's tomorrow. Y'all go VOTE!!
We had a mostly uneventful weekend. Most of it was spent trying to get the kids to clean up the disaster areas that they call their rooms. That's a never ending process!
Yesterday, the hubby and I had a friend who was coming to Fayetteville from Goldsboro to meet another buddy of his. We put the kids on the back of the bikes and rode over to meet them for lunch and hang out for a while. After lunch, we went over to a leather shop, which shares a building with a Victory dealership. Those are some freaky looking motorcycles! When we got ready to leave, we noticed the sky looked rather threatening. Sure enough, storm rolled in and the guys who had ridden down high-tailed it out to get home. We loaded the kids up and headed home. We got DRENCHED!! We were all soaked to the bone by the time we got home. The kids thought riding the motorcycles in the rain was fun, though. The boy child was on the back with me on the way home, and he was singing something back there. Not a care in the world! And here I am trying to make sure I miss standing water and don't slip going around curves.
Today the hubby went out back for something. He came back in the house, got a jar, and went back out. I asked what he was doing, but he didn't answer. Typical. He comes back in the house with the jar in his hand and shows it to me. He'd managed to catch a big Black Widow spider. He'd seen one a few weeks ago and wanted the kids to see one up close so they'd know what one looked like to stay away from it. Well, before he called the kids down, he came over to me, held it over my lap, and acted like he was going to open the jar. I said a few choice words to him as I let him know he'd better not let the damn thing out of the jar. He's such a smartass!
So I promised I'd try to blog an update, so here goes.
The hubby has been extended in his Recruiting assignment for another year. The story of how it all went down is a long one, but I'll try to do the short version here. He got verbal confirmation from Branch that his next assignment would be for deployment and was supposed to report to Fort Riley on 21 June. But he never got an RFO. Finally got in touch with his Branch Manager to see what was up. Well, he didn't have a replacement, so his command wasn't about to let him go without a replacement. So they finally found a replacement, changed the dates, and he got orders for the deployment with a report date of 1 August instead. Now that he finally had orders, he started the process of getting all his medical stuff taken care of. Well, at his appointment at the Pain Clinic, his doctor determined that he wasn't fit to deploy. He has a lot of pain from old injuries. So the doctor wrote a memo to Branch stating this, his replacement got reassigned, and he was extended in his current position.
He's actually ok with it. And if he's ok with it, then I'm ok with it. They have a new Battalion Commander, and most of the Company Commanders within the Battalion have changed fairly recently, so he and the rest of the command decided it would be beneficial for the Battalion if the top company had some consistency through all the changes. He's also hoping to have the opportunity to get some things changed to be able to make things less stressful for the Recruiters in his company.
I started my new job at Womack in mid-May. I'm the coder for the Orthopedics Department, which includes the Ortho, Podiatry, Physical Medicine, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy clinics. I'm loving my job so far...I definitely stay busy.
On that note...back to work!
Yeah, I know it's been FOREVER since I blogged. For those of you who have checked and wondered, I apologize. With the new job and everything, blogging hasn't exactly been at the top of my priority list.
I'll try to update within the next few days.
I'll also try to work blogging into my schedule. I don't even know whether I can access Blogger from work. I could back when I was a Contractor, but I'm not sure whether they've changed the settings.
Hope you all are well. So sorry I've neglected my blog here. I was so active with blogging for a while, but things have been crazy.
We STILL don't know what's going on with what the Army has in store for the hubby. His branch has an assignment for him, but his command here is pushing for an extension. Here we are about a month out from when he's SUPPOSED to change command, and 45 days out from what SHOULD be his report date to his new assignment, and still no orders. At this point, we just want to know something!
