Reflections of March

I have to say, once again, I am happy to see another month go.  This month wasn't nearly as horrid as the last, and it seemed to go by a little quicker.

Reflecting on the month, there were a few firsts.  Stryker's first day of Doggie Daycare, my new (and first) FRG position as a co-lead.  There were also stressful and not so stressful work days.  Some major changes at work.  Some major hoops we've had to jump through for the Army.  Lots of baking.  Hints of beautiful Washington weather which will hopefully carry on into the summer.

It's really strange to feel so grateful that 31 days of your life are gone, because people often say live each day as it were your last.  For some reason I have a very hard time doing that.  I take advantage of opportunities if they come my way, most of the time at least.  But it's very hard to be "normal" and have that complete joy of living your life to the fullest when you know such a large piece of it is missing.

With that I say goodbye to March, and hello to April.  Hopefully April gives me very very good things.

Tuesday Quote

I don't do this much, but I'm gong to post a quote that a friend of mine posted on her Facebook page yesterday.  I thought it was a good one and one we all appreciate!

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

– Ronald Reagan

Happy Tuesday,

Looking for Words that Start with "M"

So the boring unoriginal person I am decided to think of a word that started with an M because it's Monday.  People often times are clever with this, I on the other hand am not.

So as I'm looking at different places for inspiration, I fell upon the website The Devil's Dictionary.  I think it's worth taking a look at if you're in need of some sarcasm, or a laugh.  Just to warn you, it can be offensive too.

In other news, I worked today, Stryker went to doggie daycare, and I haven't heard from Jesse in a little while.  With word of a surge, and the weather heating up over there, I can only imagine this is going to become more frequent than not.  Lets hope more on the not side.

I got off work today and stopped by the commissary.  I wanted to hit it just right:  not a payday, a weekend, or a combination of both.  So I got there on a monday afternoon, which wasn't too bad.  I have to say I forgot how cheap things tend to be there, even as cheaper often times leads to spending more money than intended.  Something I obviously need to work on after this trip.  If the commissary only had a meat counter - which, I can't recall if many do?  How quickly I forget.  Not having a meat counter (or a the ability to carry wine...I'll save that for a later post) kinda sucks.  And by meat counter I mean a place where you can pick out fish, beef, chicken, etc...Not the sliced stuff.  They have NO selection of FISH.  Which brings me to my next point:  I am a fish snob.

More importantly, salmon.  Salmon I love.  I am from the west coast, and more importantly pacific northwest.  Salmon is awesome (and even though I don't love it as much so are clams, oysters, etc.  You get the picture).  Love it.  Love the fact that all the rich in omega-3's, wild caught, brilliant colored fish live here (or in AK, I'll give them some credit too). It seriously makes me cringe to think of buying Atlantic farmed salmon.  See?  Fish snob.

I have to commend the commissary though, because I found organic bulgar and quinoa that I didn't find easily in my local Fred Meyer store.  Even though giving Fred Meyer some credit, they have great fish and an AMAZING wine selection.  Not to mention their breads int he organic section = love.  Yes, I have issues.

So anyway I am home now, one of my friends are going to come by to drop something off.

My week is going to be decently busy.  Oh, and Jesse and I may attend a Cavalry ball come summer (ball = formal).  The unit he's attached with invited him.  I contacted the FRG to ask them some questions, and they were so excited that I inquired.  I think it would be a blast.  Two days of dressing up (because we'd definitely attend his unit's ball), getting my hair done and looking gorgeous?  Why would I say no?

Have a great week, all.  I know it's spring break for many....Enjoy!

Quote of the Day

I'm still not in the mood to write anything, but found a quote I'd like to share.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse." 
- John Stuart Mill

Have a good week everyone!

So it's Saturday

I feel defeated today, but for reasons I can't yet explain.  I truly don't want to make this a "teaser" for you, but I'm still trying working on an issue, not a huge issue, but a decent sized one.  I just would hate to jinx it now.

Yesterday I did nothing.  Today was pretty much the same.  I hoped today for some retail therapy, but when I got to the mall I felt out of place.  Like I shouldn't be there or something.  It's a strange feeling.

Any motivation I once had seems to have fizzled.  If I could wrap myself up in a blanket and sleep all day, I probably would do that.  Thank goodness for Stryker I guess, who keeps me from completely losing my mind.

Speaking of Stryker, I watched him finish off his Kong (I started giving him this as his treat again for before bed).  He's quite amazing, how he knows how to get stuff out of that thing.  He literally stands it upright for a moment, then knocks it over to look and see if the treats fall out.  Yes, I have no life.

I will try and update more soon on our current situation.  I really hope it is a positive outcome.

Have a good weekend,

I've Got a Feeling

And not the best one.

I have a feeling that leave date is going to be pushed back....

Ugh.

I know that the later the date is, the less time left I'll have between the actual, good reunion.  The reunion where I don't have to worry anymore, rearrange my schedule for a conversation, or wait for a phone call.

But, there is still a ways to go.

Here's to counting down the days......

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I decided to make this yesterday because Jesse really likes banana bread and peanut butter, so I thought this would be a great recipe to try.  He's also very picky, so I wanted to try it out before I made it for him.

I personally don't think he would completely approve of the bread (I don't think it has enough peanut butter flavor) but it's moist in the inside and has the taste of bananas and a light scent of peanut butter.

A lot of people wanted this recipe, so I thought I would share with all of you (courtesy of The Mixing Bowl):

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts (I always omit these, Jesse doesn't like nuts)

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter, and eggs.  Stir bananas into creamed mixture until combined.  Add the flour mixture and nuts.  Mix well.
3. Pour patter into prepared pan.  Bake 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool for 15 minutes.  Remove loaf from pan to finish cooling on a wire rack.  Makes 10-12 servings.

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Happy Wednesday,

Tears

So today I'm in the car driving home from my parents house and that new song by Train comes on.  I like the song, it seems very happy-go-lucky, and gives me a good happy feeling.  So as I think about the song, I think about Jesse.  I think about how I'm going to react when I pick him up for R&R (getting closer now!). I don't know why I think of this reunion more than his actual homecoming, maybe because he's invited a zillion people to come to his homecoming (not thrilled about that) and this is just going to be me and him.  No one else.  That feels pretty good.

So as I start thinking about that I think of how I'll probably cry.  Now, crying is something I have been doing much more freely since he has left.  I cry at the Biggest Loser, when a man or woman cries on TV (real or fiction), when someone loses a spouse or almost loses one (real or fiction again, lol), or when I start thinking about men and women KIA, MIA, and wounded and their families.  This is something that is a bit more new to me -- tears coming so freely.  I believe it's a combination of his absence and me being alone enough to cry.  Nonetheless it's just about ridiculous.  So, I believe I'll be crying when I pick him up from the airport (likely I will be meeting him at his gate) and I can only imagine that I'll be making a scene.  Thats what it looks like in my head, at least.

I then start thinking about how I thought I was going to handle him being gone.  To be honest, I thought I was going to be a complete mess.  I have been around a few women during a deployment who were pretty much that:  a mess.  I think to an FRG leader I met a while back who told me that before deployment she had everyone picked out:  who was going to be the problem and who wasn't.  She said that everything ended up being the exact opposite of what she thought.

So I am curious, when you learned of your looming deployment, how did you think you would handle it?  Did it end up being that way?

Me, I am not a complete mess like I thought I was going to be.  I (even though I cry when I'm alone with the TV) am holding up quite well.  I dealt with Jesse after his previous trip to the middle east, and even though I didn't know him before he left, I sure dealt with a lot of his reintegration when he got back home.  I knew what he did over there the first time, how limited contact would be.  I think that helps some, even though I will admit I currently do talk to him more often than most other wives from our unit.  One thing that surprises me though is that I'm not crying every day or sitting around acting helpless.  I totally thought I was going to be that person.

On a lighter note, I am thinking about doing the Couch to 5K "program" to try and get my butt in gear.  Some girls from the FRG want to be involved in a 5K come June, and I would love to participate if possible.  I want to start my "training" this week, then when Jesse is home on leave we're going to *attempt* attending some spin classes, and hopefully getting in that swing will make life better for me.

I also want to go to Crystal Mountain for Easter, I think it would be amazing to do.  Watching the sun rise over the snow capped Cascades, what would be better than that?  I also wanted to go to an Easter service, and had no clue where.  So, weather permitting, I think I'm going to do it (I think I can rope at least my father in to go with me).  Besides, no snowboarding required.  I would likely fall on my face many times before I got to the bottom of the mountain...And that's just not pretty!

When Jesse's home on leave I also want to attend the tulip festival in Mount Vernon.  That would be awesome.

Right now I'm thinking....You only live once.  So I'm going to get out there and make that one time count.

Have a great week, I am off to get my house in gear for my houseguest (Taylor) who is going to be residing at my house for a couple of nights!  Wish me luck that he doesn't eat me out of house and home ;)

A Little Bit of Sunshine

We've had a streak of beautiful weather up here (I believe tomorrow will end that streak) and yesterday my dog was spending some time in the sunshine.  I managed to grab my picture and snap a photo of him next to the gate.  Notice how he's sitting in the only spot of sunshine in our entire fenced in yard.  I found it hilarious!

I hope everyone had a good weekend, and I'm looking forward to the week ahead.  March isn't flying by, but I can't say that I can complain.  I had quite a few days off last week, and got to spend much of it cleaning, organizing, and putting away.  Not to mention spend lots of time with the cat and the dog, which I absolutely love to do.

Tomorrow I will send out my last care package before Jesse comes home on leave.  If you are planning on sending him items in the near future, you may want to do so soon.  There is a little talking about pushing his leave date back a few days up to a week, but as is the Army we'll know when we get there.

I'm getting googly eyes from my doggie, so it is time for me to say goodnight.  Have a great week!

Heartbreaking.

Tomorrow I will share some news about my day today.

I want to share with you now news from a fellow blogger who's husband has made the ultimate sacrifice.  My thoughts and prayers are with this family.

Recently we had a memorial service for someone from Jesse's Brigade who died while serving his country.  Words cannot describe the feelings that arise in me hearing another soldier has lost his life.  As a military spouse, you are shockingly aware of how closely our men walk this line.

Please keep all our men and women in our armed forces in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope you all have a great day....And don't drink too much! ; )

I am at the 'rents house for dinner.  We had corned beef, cabbage, veggies, and Irish soda bread.  For desert mom made a carrot cake.  Yum!

Hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Ten

I have been tagged by Dana at Happy Life as an Army Wife to list ten things that make me happy.  Sorry it took me so long to do a new post....I've been working on this one!!

1. Jesse.  Now, how could I start off this without him?  I don't feel like getting all mushy on you, so I won't.  He is the love of my life, he makes me laugh, and he's a total goofball.  He is what I am not.  We are pretty much exact opposites.  I am indecisive, he is decisive.  He can sit there and tell someone what he thinks without them getting offended, and is fearless in doing so.  He's proud of what he does and loves his job.  He's great at hanging pictures (I know this is weird, but it amazes me!).  He's confident and outgoing.  He's a good handyman, and wants to learn and do all that he can.  He is, for the most part, motivated.  A lot of the time you can't get the boy to sit down!  He can be a little nutty, but always means well.
2. Stryker & Spuz.  I love animals.  They are awesome.  I am a huge animal person.  I have a hard time if either one of them aren't around me.  My crazy, goofy, 90 lb labrador/german shepherd has a great temperament, never jumps on people, and is easy to train.  He is great with kids, other animals, and is a gentle soul.  He scares strangers who don't know him, often because of his size (yes, I think that's awesome).  When he looks at me he melts my heart.  Spuz is a fuzzy little man that we adopted at 3 weeks (yes, bottle fed even!).  He has an attitude of a cat, but rarely does anything destructive.  He loves his mouse toy, his scratching post, and canned food.  He doesn't eat too much, but gets daring to go outside.  Usually noises scare the bejesus out of him so that doesn't last long!  He is a cat who has a mean streak (I'm not gonna lie he will occasionally attacks me in my sleep), but always keeps an eye on me wherever I go.  And he's fascinated with water.  Either way, the two of them never judge, and are great companions.
3. The US of A.  How can I not love this place?  The more I think about places that are third world countries (like Afghanistan) I am more and more grateful that I was born here.  Many of you have heard stories of your own of experiences your family members have had with Iraq and Afghanistan with how people live.  I think it's hard to wrap your mind around living in places like this.  How many people's houses are literally mud huts, they have arranged marriages, and don't know their birthdays (just to name a few things that Americans don't often think about).  They fear for their lives because people like the Taliban are so forceful, vicious, and heartless.  You know those movies where they kill everyone in your family besides one person?  That happens there.  In real life.  They don't have clean water much of the time, many people don't wear clothing that looks clean, and if they do it doesn't stay that way.  They are far from the luxuries that we have here, and they take whatever they can get and as much of it as possible in fear that they won't have it tomorrow.  We take so much for granted.  We are so lucky here.
4. Mil Spouses.  I have to admit, I never thought that I would be so grateful for such a group of people.  Fort Benning was the beginning of my journey as a true Army Wife, and I have met so many amazing, beautiful, strong, resilient men and women along the way.  In no particular order:  Katie, Ashley, Cherie, Cassidy, Crissy, Kristen, Dana, Chantal, Clarice, Cathy, Kelly C., Kelly R., Sarah M., Heather, Clarice, and Merideth, you all have been amazing awesome women who I have been inspired by or gathered great strength from.  Thank you for being in my life (and sorry if I missed you in my name drop!!).  For all of you in the blog-o-sphere of life, you too make me laugh and sometimes make me cry.  I enjoy knowing you and reading your stories, they are both motivational and inspiring.
5. The Great State of Washington.  I love this state.  You have everything here.  You have oceans to your west, mountains to your east, and desert on the other side of the mountains.  You have rivers, lakes, and the Puget.  You have great wildlife like seals, whales, elk, deer, and bears.  You have evergreen trees standing tall on every hillside, and Mount Rainier is an amazing sight in the background.  You have the amazingly destructive yet beautiful volcano that is Mount Saint Helens.  There is great food, organic is huge here.  Wild salmon, clams, oysters, and more fresh seafood are abundant here.  Lots of wineries.  And if you get bored, you have Idaho to your east and Oregon to your south.  They too are full of amazing and beautiful adventures.  Wherever the Army takes us, I see us coming back here to stay and spend the rest of our lives when the craziness is over.
6. The Ocean.  Yes, I touched on this on my previous point, but I want to say it again.  I love the beach!  Chances are if its somewhat nice out and I have time off, that is where I'll be.  Granted the Pacific Northwest doesn't give you warm sand, warm water, and you definitely don't want to swim in most of the waters here (even though they do surf a lot in certain places here).  I love the fresh fish, shopping, and most of all the water.  Long Beach, Illwaco, and Ocean Shores Washington are a couple of my faves up here (Oysterville is near Long Beach, visit there to get yourself some very fresh oysters if you're an oyster lover).  You can't deny Oregon though (believe it or not their beaches are different), with Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Lincoln City.  While your out there visit the Tillamook Cheese factory (get yourself some fresh and local ice cream and cheese!)  Not to mention most all of these places have their own farmer's markets in the summer with amazingly great treats.
7. Laughing.  I think this pretty much explains itself??  It's always nice to get a good laugh...
8. Baking.  I absolutely love doing it.  I love mixing things by hand and seeing the end result.  I also have a sweet tooth which doesn't help any!  I do make some killer care packages though filled with all sorts of sweet treats.  I want to expand my horizon with this, and will likely do so.  I think I'm going to make cupcakes from scratch for when Jesse gets home on leave.  My mom bought me a cupcake tower for my birthday and a cupcake icing decorator tool for Valentine's Day.  So I likely will give that a try!  I even saw them make icing from scratch on the Food Network with vanilla from a vanilla bean (by the way, check out the Food Network Magazine...They have stuff other than baking in there.  Some GREAT looking food!).  Love it!
9. Chocolate.  Dark chocolate is the best, but I'll take anything I can get!  I have to say, dark chocolate fondue (like from the Melting Pot) is to die for!
10. Starbucks.  What can I say?  I am from Washington, the great state of where the first Starbucks was founded.  Need I say more?  Oh yes.  I normally order a tall white chocolate mocha with caramel sauce.  Jesse and I both get the same thing. :)

Thank you all for listening to me babble!  Now I have a task for a few select members of my blog-o-sphere.  I get to select three people to pass this task on to and keep the tradition going.  Soooo, my three choices are:  Chantal, Cheryl at My Air Force Journey, and Hell Cat Betty.

What is an american infantryman, is it a kind of dog breed?

Okay, first before I start my blog here I want to say, I love you guys in the UK! I just have to admit this is hilarious to me.

If you haven't noticed, I have a "feedjit" feed at the bottom of the page. It tells me where people are that look at the blog, when they looked at the blog, and how they got there.

Often times I see people arriving from google (yes it gives me that much information but don't worry no one knows who you are) asking questions about care packages, if they can stay in Georgia as an infantryman, what it's like to be an infantryman's wife, and if they can be live on post as an infantryman's wife (I'm sorry Australia, but I don't know the answer for the Aussie military!).

Today I saw this: "What is an american infantryman is it a kind of dog breed?" And of course I have to write about it.  Does anyone else find this hilarious?  I am not upset about it because, let's face it, whoever has seen those e-mails or gone to the People of Walmart website know people in the great country of the United States...Well...Aren't very smart all of the time.

So to answer your question UK, no, an American Infantryman is not a dog breed.  It's a person serving in the United States armed forces.  My husband is one of them, serving in the United States Army.  We as Americans love our armed forces and are very thankful to the freedoms they provide us.  If you'd like to learn more history on the US Army, click here.

ACU Purses

I found out today one of the ladies in my FRG makes ACU purses.  I'm going to get one once I get all the supplies I need.  How exciting.  If you're interested in an ACU purse, I googled it...There are a LOT of women who make these purses, some in some very creative designs.  So, if you don't like the full on Army ACU look, you can mix it up with flowers and patterns and all kinds of stuff.  The one I'm going to get is going to have the ACU's and the velcro for the patches.  Still, super psyched.

In other news, there really isn't any news.  I got my fence installed today!  I'm happy now that he has his own yard :)

Have a great weekend!

Yay for Family Briefings!

Jesse got a mention...Well not really a mention, but a picture!

This isn't it, but while I'm at it I might as well share something!

For OPSEC (Opercational Security) reasons, I am not going to put these photos online anymore through the blog.

Please check out my Facebook page for more!

Winter Strikes in March

So if you are local, I am not telling you anything you don't already know.

Yesterday came the threat of snow.  Yes, snow.  Keep in mind it was sixty degrees here on sunday!

It snowed in Tacoma (where I work), even as far west as Port Orchard.   All yesterday.  The weather definitely cooled off and made it very brisk outside.

Tonight they're talking about the Olympia area (about forty-five minutes south of Lewis depending on what time of day you drive), the coast (two hours west), further north, and closer to the mountains.  Only just traces and slush, thank goodness!  I would not like to see any snow this year.

Basically I don't know about this groundhog giving us more weeks of winter.  I think this is much more amusing.  And hey, while you're watching that, watch this.  Some good YouTube vids from Superbowl time which I think are hilarious.

Stay warm out there!

Lacking

Again I sit here lacking any motivation to do anything.

My last day off was thursday, and my next day off is thursday.  This morning I woke up tired.  More tired than I would have liked.  I got ready for work, raced over to housing to get my fence approved, dropped Mr. Stryker at daycare, and headed to work.  Jesse called me and I got to chat with him a little bit.  He hasn't been real talkative on things that he's been doing lately, but I fill him in on the mundane things I go through in a day.  I think he likes to hear the normalcy of it all.

Work started out slow, but got progressively busier.  I think it was busier than yesterday even.  I ended up working a little over, only to jump in my car and hit a wall of traffic on the freeway.  There was this horrible wreak on the freeway, apparently on the news they were saying that a box truck "lost it's load" when really it looked like the truck had been decapitated.  I seriously have no clue how a person would have survived that.  The entire box portion was torn apart, by the time I got there they had two FedEx trucks backed up and loading up boxes.  Crazy!

When I picked Stryker up I learned that he had met a friend named Rex.  I was pretty happy to know he found a buddy that was more his size and played with him lots.  He needs that the most.

So that brings me to here, sitting at the computer.  I did eat some dinner, but how come after work it's always so easy to just sit around?

Sigh.....

Maybe I'm Feeling Nostalgic?

But I can't seem to want to write anything.  Instead, I bring you pictures.

Yes, I am aware my eyebrows are too thin in this photo.

I believe I was 21 here, and Jesse 23.

Holy crap!

Enjoy the photo,

Just Because...

....I miss him.

Roller Coaster

Today basically fit into two words:  roller coaster.

The day started just fine, our manager is a bit stressed about sales.  We were decently busy all morning, I took my lunch, walked down to Starbucks (dropping my cell phone in the middle of the mall), ate, went back to work.  Our second shift came in, I started working on some repair jobs that had come in.

Then I got nicely yelled at on the phone by a jerk.  You know, I don't think that sums it up well enough.  I'll sensor myself though....but you get the picture!

I had to step in the back to compose myself...Feeling like I was going to cry.  I always tell myself, demand myself not to cry in situations like this.  I surprisingly overcame it.  But when things like this happen I often think to myself how much I want my husband.  I just think:  my husbands deployed!  Not that I expect or think that I deserve special treatment, I just believe that you never ever know what's going on in someone else's life as you are treating them like absolute crap.

Then after all was said and done, my nerves were calmed, I jumped back in the swing of things.  I didn't help many people, but the first person I helped hit on me.  Asking me if I was married, for how long, etc.  They told me that things were still good since we're still in the infancy of our marriage (for me coming up on four years doesn't seem that young).  I told them that it stays pretty fresh since my husband is in the Army and that you don't really see your husband ALL of the time (side note, like they said on the Nightly News last night: "if the Army would've wanted you to have a wife they would've issued you one"...that's a pretty good quote even though I prefer: my husband's mistress is the Army, and sometimes that bitch gets all the attention).

But anyway, that was #1.  Number 2 didn't fully divulge was he was thinking, just commenting that I was probably married with kids, and it wasn't appropriate for him to say.  Good plan.

Number 3 I guess wasn't technically "hitting on" me, but when I walked over (he was my manager's customer) he felt like he wanted to tell me everything about the pendant he just bought, the chain he was wearing, why, etc.  Totally military I might add.  He barely took his eyes off of me.

By the end of the day (I got let out early) I felt okay.  The traffic sucked. One rule about this state is the "looky-loos."  BOTH sides of 1-5 (the interstate that runs from Canada all the way to California) often has looky-loos.  So, if both sides of the freeway is stopped chances are they're gawking at someone on the side of the road with their emergency blinkers on.  One negative thing about living here is definitely the traffic.  One plus:  I actually turned on my A/C in the car.  It was that warm.  When my A/C wasn't on I enjoyed having my windows down and my sunroof open.  That is the life!

I picked up my puppy from daycare, he was so ridiculously hyped up that he was trying to play with Spuz by basically jumping on him.  90 pound jumping dog + cat = no go.  Haha.  That and Stryker wouldn't settle down and was running from room to room whining with a giant overstuffed toy in his mouth.  WoW.  He finally decided to give it a rest and pass out in our room.  Seriously, doggie daycare is awesome.  And the people at The Pet Brigade are awesome.

So right now I am fine, I think I'm going to finish my day off with some TV and a glass of wine. I'm going to try and keep motivation to get some more stuff put away around here so that when my husband gets home one leave (I'm going to start a mental countdown very soon) that I won't have anything out of place.  Haha!  Right.

Happy Friday all, and enjoy your weekend!





PS - SpouseBuzz had this great link and music video which I encourage you to watch!!! 

Thursday Update & My "Big" Announcement

Since I haven't updated since Tuesday, I will give ya'll a low down on what's been going on in our neck of the woods.

Cars.  Oh, how we love cars.  I took my car in on Tuesday to get the headlights changed.  While the car was there, they said they noticed a leak of some sort (from a gasket they said) and recommended me to head into Honda to have them work on the vehicle since it was probably covered under warranty.  I scheduled the appointment.

Yesterday, I bring the car in.  My dad (who was in the area because he went to the hall) met me out these since the dealership would be dealing with my car.  They said everything should be done by mid-afternoon.  But, is anything that easy??  Dad dropped our other car off at his mechanic to get looked at earlier that day.  He and I spent the rest of the day taking the dogs for a walk (separately, that's a long story).  I also made a trip out to my FRG leader's house in there too.  I get a phone call mid-afternoon (I was starting to get anxious) telling me that they changed my oil and did something with the AWD fluid by my tires (I didn't realize there was such a thing), and that they had noticed it wasn't a gasket that was causing us the leakage, it was something else that they had to reseal and let sit overnight.  Is that okay? they ask me.  DAMN.  I stuttered, then said yes.  What else was I supposed to do, and better yet, what was I supposed to do about not having a car?? Son of a...

So dad calls his mechanic to get the low-down on the Civ.  They need to replace a $300 piece (insert expletive here) but he'd try something and if that worked we'd be good to go.  So we waited for a while, I called the dealer back and made sure they proceeded with the work.  How the heck is it that both cars have issues at the same time, and both cars have to be in the shop at the same time?  I am just curious to know how this happens.  Isn't the point of having two cars (other that having each spouse have one) to be able to have a back up??  Seriously.

Thank GOODNESS we get a call back from the mechanic telling us they fixed it without needing a new part (without the $300 dent in our pocket), and we could come and get it!  I got to drive my car home, but come this morning I had to have a ride to the dealer to get my other car anyway.  I have to say this situation was a blessing in the fact that: 1. Both the cars are fixed.  2. We got both of them sitting my driveway.  I didn't know how I was going to get them on post otherwise (and my dad hates going through security on post).  This will make it much easier when Jesse comes home on leave.  *Phew.*

So today I got my car, took Stryker out, prepared dinner in the crock pot (corned beef mind you...YUM!), found my vacuum sealer, packed and sealed Jesse's St. Patrick's Day package, and loaded my recycling bin with more paper (I wish they picked up once a week!).  I gave myself a break and decided to write an update.

On to my "big" announcement...haha.  I seriously haven't been meaning to hype this, but I had to wait for the right moment for reasons you could probably understand.  But:

I am now an FRG co-leader of Jesse's company.

I'm really excited to help and to be more involved with the FRG in the ways that I can.  Besides, I know that I will have to lead a company eventually after Jesse gets promoted.  It's only a matter of time and I might as well learn now.

I don't know how often I'll be updating come next week, my schedule is a bit busier than normal with work.  I will as much as I can, and it might be more that I'm thinking now.  But, if you don't hear from me you know why!

Happy Thursday!

Tuesday Update

So today I decided that I was going to get my headlights fixed.  After a few phone calls, I did just that, only to find my car has a few more issues.  Hopefully that will be all finished tomorrow morning.

The rest of the day today was basically running around.  There are a lot of things I need caught up on, and a few of those things I have done today.  Hopefully I make a big dent in my list this week, so I can move on to some other things.

I rounded up my day by taking Stryker out to the park.  It was raining pretty good but I put on my BDU gortex and rain boots and was good to go.  He seems somewhat pooped after all of that.  Only time will tell if playing ball with him wore him out for the evening.

I have a question for you mil-spouses.  I know my FRG is in need of some good fundraising ideas.  What are some good ideas that have worked for you?

A++

Stryker's first day at the doggie daycare on post went very well, as expected.  They give them a "report card" at the end of the day so you know the good and bad things your dog did when you come to pick them up.  They didn't give him a letter grade so I decided to grade him myself: A++.

I'm really glad that worked out, even though he was very wired when he came home.  I got him inside and he played for a little bit, then laid down.  I'm not quite sure where he is at this moment.

Other than that, the day went on without a hitch.  Yes, things are getting better.  I'm happy for that.  I have the next three days off so I'm out to do some things I have needing to do.  They're doing some schedule adjustments at work, so we'll see where that takes me.

I have a list of goals to accomplish this week, one of which is the St. Pat's care package I'm sending Jesse.  I hope to mail that out in the next few days.  I hear there are going to be some girl scouts at the PX late afternoon on thursday....So I'm going to make sure to get over there and buy me some cookies (and some for the hubster of course)!

Hope everyone has a great week.  Happy Monday!