Wednesday Craziness

Oh, where to start?

I'm sorry that I've taken a while to do a post.  And as you can probably guess, I haven't been ontop of the new followers.  So, I'm trying to catch up!  Hang in there!  I added some feeds to my right with everyone's pages...If I missed you please let me know.  I separated people by branches...And I think that I need a section for "Those Who are Good at Keeping their Branch Secret" section.  SO if I missed you and you want me to mention you, drop me a line.

So in news with me:  Stryker went to the vet.  They ran blood and stool, I have yet to get in there to drop off a urine sample (now doesn't that sound fun....Let's just say I have to get it mid-stream).  They think that his issues could be:

1. It's spring, new things are blooming.  He could have gotten into an animal's...Well...Business.  So basically we have to keep an eye on him if he's in the back yard...Or anywhere...To make sure he's not getting into anything abnormal.
2. He could have allergies.  I find this somewhat not possible, because I feed him an allergy-free, byproduct-free, wheat & corn-free, natural food.  This is because he's had some bowel issues in the past.  But, I am not always as cautious when it comes to treats.  Which brings me to point number...
3. He could have something they call Irritable Bowel Disease.  This could equal him being on a limited diet indefinitely.

I have to give him two pills a day (for the bacteria they keep finding in his intestines), dewormer (covering our bases), and a bland diet.  I also have to get some blood work from our previous vet in Georgia for the current vet, get an outline about Stryker's diet, and turn in that urine sample.  I believe that's everything, and to top it all off the dog hasn't pooped in two days.  Yes, I know that's TMI but ya know.  Just not normal.  He hasn't gotten his energy back either - which breaks my heart.

I was surprised that Jesse wasn't as mad about the entire thing as I thought he might be.  Now, he doesn't blame me or the dog, but he's gone to the vet probably 7 times in the last 7 months.  Vet bills = not cheap.  Enough said.  AND if this keeps happening, we get x-rays.  I better get a second job.

In other news, work has been busy.  Mother's Day coming up, which I'm sure everyone knows.  So we're just handling that.  Between that and our printer at work dying (I do everything handwritten that way) it's been no fun.

I am also going to be doing some FRG stuff...Which is going to take up some time, but I'm looking forward to plan and organize some events.  That should be fun.  Tomorrow we have a meeting which I'm looking forward to.  Redeployment, baby.

Jesse got to where he needed to be, and is adjusting to the conditions at his new location.  I talk to him enough to make me happy.  I am going to be mailing him a package in the next couple of days which I'm excited about.  Getting closer to that cut off date!

One last thing I want to say....  Katie at Life of an Army Wife is having a giveaway which I encourage you to be involved in.  I love Emily Giffin!

Thank you all for your thoughts & prayers...I am going to try and enjoy a margarita!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Tulip Festival - Part Two

Here's some of the tulips and there official names.

You can visit the Tulip Festival's website if you would like to learn more!

Orange Juice

Freeman

(these looked almost like Peonies)

Keizerskroom

These ones were a "trial variety" and didn't have a name yet...

Graffiti

Ninjas!

I just realized...I'm going to need a part three or this blog entry is going to go on for days!  I might throw something different into the mix next...Before I finish up the flowers!

I wanted to also mention that I spoke with my husband and he's been feeling much better, and he was in great spirits.  I could definitely tell he has gotten his rest in!

And...I am absolutely ecstatic...it's MAY!!!!!!! We are getting so close.

Enjoy your weekend...I'm working the craziness today...Mother's Day is coming and people gotta get their jewelry!

Sigh.

So my husband is on a plane somewhere.  Lord only knows where.

It's really interesting because I'm experiencing a lot of anxiety that I felt before he even left for his deployment.  I really felt it last week, on our last day of our mini-vaca in Leavenworth (side note, this is a city in Washington that is a Bavarian town.  Just in case you were wondering).  Anyway, I woke up in the middle of the night, not feeling good and feeling a wave of anxiety about him leaving again.  Then I realized I couldn't breathe -- something that I felt often in the beginning weeks of deployment.  I realize at this point that I definitely could be on the verge of having a panic attack and start to calm myself down.  I go into the bathroom, shutting the door to block the light from filling the room with my sleeping husband, and get a drink of water at the sink.  As I turn around, there is a large wolf spider hanging from the vent in the B&B we were staying at.  HOLY CRAP.  Seriously, I almost screamed.

Getting back on track....I realized at that time that the next few days were going to be rough.  It's a really strange feeling because I'm one of those people who try to be positive but keep realistic.  It's really hard to try and enjoy those last few days when you know the inevitable is coming.  It's painful.  I was happy, sad, anxious, nervous, scared, and sick...  Making my entire body feel....  Pained.  I know it sounds strange, but hurts.

Having him leave once was hard.  Having him leave a second time was hard...  Even though I have to say it wasn't harder. I don't want to do this again, any of it, which is a total joke in the fact my husband wants to retire doing this.  There isn't and end of the wars on the horizon.  This is going to be a long journey.

I have also mentioned it before, but Jesse has a new address.  You can probably draw the conclusion that he is going back to a new location.  I am going to be honest, he had been in a "safe" area before (as much as I believe "safe" and words like "Iraq" and "Afghanistan" shouldn't be used in the same sentence) and now he is going to be in a little more of a dangerous area.  Communication is going to be sparse.  Likely much more so than it had been before.

An upside on it all though, we only have a few more months left.  It could be much worse.  We could be doing six more months.  But yet I have a very hard time being at home and looking at the pillow he slept on, the half drank bottle of water he left behind, and the laundry that still has his lingering scent.  I don't know if I am going to be able to get past that yet.

So in the coming blogs I am going to be concentrating on sharing with you the photos and stories from our time together.  I am also going to attempt to keep more optimistic, but we'll see how that goes.  I don't feel like that now.

I go back to work on friday, and I have a feeling that before long we're going to have a change up in that department.  That's all I really want to say about that though -- for now.

More to come.....later.  Have a great rest of the week!

Address

I want to let everyone know that Jesse has a new mailing address oversesas.  Please e-mail me if you did not get the e-mail I sent out earlier concerning this information.

He also has a cut off date for mail, and if you don't have that information I can also let you know that.

As for some happy stuff....

pink!

♥

Have a great week,

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!

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......

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!

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!

MRAPs & Blackhawks

So I stared my day today by talking to my husband.  He is back at his FOB tonight, hopefully he will be able to sleep in a bit because he had a late night last night.  I got up, ate, showered, and took Stryker to the dog park.


On my way to the park, I saw an MRAP.  What is an MRAP you ask?  This:

Today was my first time ever seeing one in person, and not in the Army Times or in photos.  Let me tell you, those things look like monsters seeing them on the road.  They are an armored vehicle that the Army (and probably other branches) use.  They are pretty good on doing what they're made to do.

When I got to the park, let Stryker out of the car, and was playing ball with him when five blackhawk helicopters flew over.  I have to say that living on post never gets old.  Seeing something like blackhawks or jets in formation flying overhead, or Strykers and MRAPs driving down the road.  It's amazing.  You don't experience that every day as a civilian.

I have to say, I love our armed forces!  They're amazing :)

On another note, when I was out doing some shopping I drove back to my parents house, passing this park.  I saw this little white thing some girl was walking on a leash.  I thought, wow, isn't that a small dog?  I don't know if I'd walk that dog on a leash, I'd be afraid something would swoop out of the sky and try and pick it up.  What breed is that?  And then I saw it:  it was a ferret.  A FERRET!  What?!?  Pretty funny.  I won't be forgetting that one.

Also I want to add that I'm going to have a small announcement coming soon.  No, I'm not pregnant.  I need to do a couple more things before I make this announcement, so give me a couple of days and I will tell you!

It was a GOOD day today.  That feels good to say!

GOODBYE February, and BRING IT ON March!

Take a Deep Breath

This is something I found myself doing often today.  The morning went fine, I got an actual phone call from my husband.  He's going to be in a different area for a while, but not too long.  I was glad to hear his voice over the phone.  I guess it seems a lot more real than a fuzzy in-and-out internet connection.

I took Stryker to the dog park.  I got ready for work.  I ate lunch.  I made good time.  Everything was fine.

As I'm just starting to leave post for work, my check engine light comes on.  Keep in mind, I am driving the Civ because the CRV has no headlights.  The CRV is parked in front of my parent's house.  I am thirty minutes away from them.

So I think, ok.  On a scale of 1-10, I wasn't concerned about the Civ having problems.  I knew it needed to be looked at but nothing to be scared about.  On the scale I was about a 2 of panicking.  I kept driving.  Automatically, I knew something was wrong.  The car was having a hard time accelerating, jerking (not violently, but it wasn't something you could ignore) when I lifted my foot off the gas petal.  Oh sh*t.

Now, for those who don't know much about Lewis, you can't really get to the surrounding downs without taking the freeway.  Especially from North Fort.  You can go through main post, but there's a lot of lights.

I'm almost panicking.  Yeah, I sort of went from a 2 to a 10 real fast.  I was afraid I wasn't going to make it anywhere fast...If at all.  I call my dad.  Tell him what's happening.  He instructs me to come home (I think I needed someone to tell me what to do) and change out the cars again.  Call work and let them know that I'm going to be late.  Thank goodness my assistant manager is level headed because I was still about a 9 when I talked to him.  He was fine with me being late, just as long as I got there safely.

Long story short....Well, I know it's not that short...The Civ is out of commission for the time being.  Even as the CRV sat in my parents driveway for two days and my dad kept saying he'd change my headlights, he never did.  Thank goodness I don't work late the next couple of days because I'd be driving in almost complete darkness.

Have I mentioned how awesome it is right now that my husband is gone?

On another note, when I was at my parents house this guy driving a SUV with a trailer pulled off the side of the road right down from my parent's house and was unloading wood into the ditch.  He stuck a "free" sign on it.  My dad was not happy about this, and instead of doing something that was...Well, logical to me... He goes inside, grabs a camera and starts hiking his happy butt down the street.  I am sitting there just saying "dad don't.  dad please don't.  dad no.  dad..."  to no avail.  This normally works on my husband.

It does not work on my father.

So he goes down to talk to the guy, asking him why he's doing this.  Apparently the guy has an ad on Craig's List telling people he had free wood and decided to basically dump it on the side of this busy two late road (the guy lived close by) for people to stop by and pick up.  He told my father that if no one picked it up, he would come by and get the rest of it.  Dad basically told him that that was okay (hello, I see this as illegal dumping), just that he was going to take pictures (which he did...even of the license plate) and if it wasn't gone by whenever time he would call whoever you call to report that kind of stuff. I made sure I kept an eye on dad this whole time -- I mean, the guy had a couple people with him.  I know I couldn't have done much if anything happened -- besides calling 911 -- so I waited to leave until that was over.  Ugh.

All the wood was gone within about 30 minutes.  The guy packed it all back up.

Ah, good times.

Other than that my day was OK.  Stryker didn't manage to chew anything up that he shouldn't have while I was working my long evening shift.  Work was busy.  I often found myself taking deep breaths to keep myself from going crazy.

For everyone that I promised to stop complaining....  That didn't last long, did it?  Haha.  Go figure.

Tomorrow is a new day....

The "Eff It" Phase

Oh how naive people can be.  I am going to say today I am one of them.

Here I am on SpouseBuzz last month, reading an entry from one of their writers of how they had just had it with a deployment, and a reader wrote in "that's the 'eff it' phase!"  I thought to myself, I don't think I'm going to go through that phase.  I'm pretty level headed, I don't really think that's going to happen to me.  Haha.  WRONG.

Usually I'm good at not being naive, I listen to people and what they tell me.  I'm a goody two shoes, by the book, personality.  Now this doesn't mean I wouldn't chop off my hair and dye it pink, but I don't like trouble or confrontation.  I like peoples advice.  I like word of mouth.  If it's good, it's good.  If you shouldn't do it, I won't do it.  It's pretty simple most of the time.

Yesterday seemed fine (even as February has NOT been my month).  I got off work early, the day was absolutely beautiful.  Still not feeling 100% (my spouse is still gone) but good nonetheless.  So I get to my parent's house to get my dog and found all of the remaining items left in my old room packed up in boxes.  Now, I gave my mother SPECIFIC instructions.  Do not package up anything but the stuff in the closet (there were some winter clothes, random shoes, shirts, and military stuff).  What did she do?  Package everything.  EVERYTHING.  You know how you stick personal items in your drawers (does anyone do that??).  Yeah.  Packaging up dresser = going through my things.  Thank you very much.

All of the bad moments I had in this month had come to a head.  So I'm frustrated, I wanted to call someone and just sob on the phone and be miserable about it, but couldn't.  Many people were still at work and my best friend doesn't have access to a phone.  Awesome.  I grab all of my stuff (minus our mini fridge) and put it in the car.  I take my dog, go home.  Stair at the walls until I get to talk to my husband.

And then I cry.

Then today I get a phone call to speak to him on a day which has ended badly.  Don't get me wrong, there wasn't anything horrible, but he experiences a roller coaster of emotions dealing with people over there.  That doesn't sit well with me, but what can you do?  Nothing.  So I do what I can and let him go to bed.

My father came out here, went on a walk with Stryker and me.  He hung up something for me and left, taking Stryker along with him so that I didn't have to worry about him tomorrow at work.  I left to run errands.  I realized then that I was sad.  Sad my husband was gone, sad my dog was gone.  Mad that I had to go run around to go to a grocery store that had a decent wine selection (it's one of those nights).  Clothing sales didn't have a write in the rain pad.  I forgot a few things.  I found myself hating people I didn't know.  Men who I would normally want to run up and hug just because they were wearing a uniform I didn't want them to even look in my direction.  I didn't like any of it.  The uniforms, the way people did things in their "orderly" fashion, the old outdated buildings.  I found myself just not liking anyone or anything.

Then I realized it....This is the "Eff It" Phase.

For those who haven't dealt with a deployment (which I know many of my readers have) this blog was a great article to tell how spouses/girlfriend feel.  I think it's a good read for anyone (spouses/girlfriend/fiances included) to relate to:

Have You Been Through a Deployment?

Yes, I realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  And of course I love our men and women in uniform.  It's just one of those days.  I just want March to come.....And fast.

Motivation

Today is a day where I just need some motivation.  It's a day off, so I really want to be lazy.  The weather outside has turned into not-so-pretty (side note: weatherman says our +5 forecast, aka 6-10 days out, we will be hitting mid-50's.  Whaaaaat??).  It's supposed to stay not-so-pretty for a while.

Tonight I went to a briefing on post, which I was very excited for, we got some great, positive information from leadership.  Take it from me, we are making progress in other countries.  Anyway, I am staying on post tonight and am trying to gather my motivation to get things done (haha like writing a blog).  I think I'm going to need to snap myself into a your husband is going to come home for leave to get your butt moving  phase, which, is quite motivating.  I have spoken before about how I procrastinate, and, I do have some time on my hands so I should get stuff done.  And I will....I must!

On another note, I feel like this month has been emotional for me.  I feel like at the beginning of the month I could just cry for no reason, now I am sitting here in this briefing, my eyes getting glossy, just thinking to myself:  don't you cry, don't you cry....people are going to think you're wierd!  Haha.  Here I am looking at our "guest speaker" who's home on leave....And I'm thinking, oh my gosh.  He has seen my husband in person, touched my husband in person....  More recently than I.  That's a crazy feeling.  Movies seem to do it too.  That is why I am not going to watch movies like "Dear John" and "The Time Traveler's Wife" until my husband is on American soil.

Okay everyone, wish me luck.  Time to tackle some tasks before it's time for bed.

Goodbye January!

I was happy to see this month come, and I am equally happy to see it go.  One month closer.

I am posting a link at the bottom of this blog for January.  If you're on Facebook you probably already saw most of these photos, but if not you can see the rest of them down at the bottom of the page.

Jesse is doing well, nothing new on his front.  He's just trucking along.

I've been busy working and doing stuff for my birthday this weekend.  It's been fun!  Yesterday we went to Duke's Chowder House down on the Tacoma waterfront, came home, opened gifts, and had cake with ice cream.  I rounded the night out by talking to Jesse and that was about it.

I agreed to be involved in a "Mock Dining In" taking place on post.  I think that it should be both fun and interesting, I will try and take pictures to give everyone an idea of things that take place.  I have been to a "dining out" so I'm not completely sure what goes into a dining in....Especially with my husband not being around much to be able to answer a lot of those types of questions.  He is encouraging though, wanting me to do all that I can to be involved.

Wow I miss that boy.

Have a great week everyone!

January 2010

A Much Needed Update

Alrighty.... I have been a smidge behind on updates, I'm sorry!

I've been a bit busy lately.... Just doing things here and there.  I've been working a bit, with Valentine's day coming up and all.  This week I'm going to focus more on getting into that house -- for good.  Yes, I know what you're thinking.  I'm still not in the house?  I know, I know....

Mainly I wanted to update on Jesse.  He has been a busy kid!  Our conversations are getting shorter and shorter it seems.... He doesn't get a lot of down time.  They did come across a car accident late last week, which happened in front of their convoy (not involving them).  It was one car and one man died, a civilian and native to the country.  That was difficult, but Jesse's platoon did very well in handling the situation.  The medic that was with their convoy did an amazing job and made sure that everyone was well taken care of.

Jesse still has had time to spend some time with a buddy of his, he has also been working out, ruck marching, and stuff like that.  They also did some training in which Jesse had a tube stuck into his nose.  Nothing was wrong, it was just training!  I will get more photos up soon.

It's still early on in my day, I'm thinking that I'm going to make some cookies and send off a package for my hubby tomorrow!  I am still very excited about leave.... I have to say this (everyone is going to think I'm a total dork):  I am going to make heart shaped pancakes that are pink for the morning after he gets home.  So excited!!

Thanks to all who have sent me birthday wishes!!  Thanks for thinking of me :)

Have a great week!

Our Boys

Stryker and Spuz are sooooooooo cute!

So, a couple of things I would like to share today.  I found this article earlier on SpouseBuzz that I think is a good read for both MilSpouses and Civilians.  I think she gets the feelings out pretty well about deployments.

Second, I found this article in the Tacoma News Tribune that mention's Jesse's Battalion and the last fatality they had on Christmas Day.  They mention Lt. Col. French, who Jesse worked with some time after her got to the middle east.  Also, KOMO has this article covering the same fallen soldier at Ft. Lewis.  Cpt. Schuab is mentioned in this article, he a part of the command here at home.  I just thought you might be interested in some perspective of the people that Jesse and I come in contact with often.

Other than that I worked all day, got to come home about forty-five minutes early, and am relaxing now.  Tomorrow's a busy day, I know I have talked about it a lot already in previous blogs.  I have to get up early in the AM, so hopefully I hear from the husband before I hit the hay.

Goodnight!

A Letter a Day, Hoosier Bars, and MORE

So I think I decided that I'm going to try and write Jesse a letter a day.  Now, I know that I may have said this before, but I think I am going to.  The mail isn't very quick getting over there, but I think that is my new goal.  Maybe we can call that my New Year's Resolution?  I don't know... I told Jesse I didn't have a New Year's Resolution, that I had enough to worry about.  He didn't really like that answer!

So, going back a couple of days, Wednesday was my day off.  I went and met a friend, Kristen, who's husband went through the same training as Jesse did at Ft. Benning.  They got up here almost two months after Jesse and I, so he left about two months after Jesse (he too is in 5th Brigade).  Her and I weren't close at Ft. Benning, but since I have lived here all of my life (or most of it at least) I offered to help them if the needed anything.  It will be good to have someone close by that is going through much of the same things as me!  She and I went to Marshall's and to Panera for lunch.  We talked for a long time, and we had a good time.  I also mailed Jesse his first care package in a little over a week.  I know that Jesse likes mail so I send something to him as often as I can.

Yesterday I ran some errands, made a few phone calls, and went out to the house.  I made progress at the house, I opened 3-4 boxes, which is good.  I haven't found our sheets or our bedding as of yet, but am finding a lot of bedroom stuff.  I also found all of our silverware, plates, glasses, and mugs, so that is progress!

After all of that I went to a downrange update, and I'm glad to hear that the guys are doing good things over there!  The Battalion Commander and Sergeant  Major are going to be taking leave in the near future, and both of them will be speaking to the spouses on how everything is going over there.  Overall, it was a positive meeting, and informative.  Most of the stuff they covered was 2-1 oriented, keep in mind Jesse is "detached" from 2-1 and much of them aren't in the same area as him.  But again, things are good and they are making progress over there.

Today I went out and got Stryker's stitches taken out!  He seems happy they are gone.  He really liked the veterinarian there, LOVED that he was giving him treats.  It was very funny.  He did well getting the stitches and is going to have to take antibiotics for another week to be sure that he has rid of his infection.  In total we were at the vet maybe 20 minutes, so basically in and out.  I went out to Michael's to visit my mom at work.  They already have spring flowers, Valentine's Day, and St. Patrick's Day.  They also have a bunch of their spring candles, candleholders, etc., out so it was tempting not to walk out with everything in my cart!  I did buy some Valentine's Day stuff for Jesse along with a couple of St. Patrick's Day things....  I'm getting excited to send him the stuff!  Which brings me to my next topic.....

Hoosier Bars!  I think I'm going to make an entire batch to send to Jesse (maybe for Valentine's Day).  I know when I say that name that people give me the strangest look... But they are good.  Chocolate, peanut butter, peanuts, and meringue bar cookies.  Basically Jesse really likes them and I'm pretty fond of them myself.  So, I wanted to share it with you.

Hoosier Peanut Bars

Preheat Oven to 325*

Crust:

• 2 c. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 c. chopped salted peanuts

In large mixer bowl combine all ingrediens for crust.  Blend with mixer until particles are find.  Press in a greased 13x9-inch pan.

To prepare topping beat egg whites in small mixer bowl until soft mounds form.  Add brown sugar gradually and continue beating until meringue stands in stiff peaks.  Fold in chocolate pieces and 1/2 c. peanuts.  Spread over crumb crust and sprinkle with remaining peanuts.

Bake at 325* for 40 to 45 minutes.  While warm, cut into bars.

Makes 36 bars.

Please let me know how you like them if you try them!

Hail Victory

~Little things make me happy~

Hey all, I picked up another new tee to add to my closet.  Very excited..... The little things make me so happy!

I am doing the best I can right now not to eat my entire dark chocolate orange.  They're so GOOD.  I was thinking today, how do they make chocolate oranges?  Because when you break them apart and everything they look exactly like orange slices!  I know, I'm a dork.

Other than that I worked all day.  Next week I work a little over 35 hours.  Christmastime, what?  I know.  I feel like my stress level is getting raised once again... My dad is working 6-10's this week (six days a week, 10 hours a day) so saturday (the day I have off) he can't help work on house stuff.  Sunday I work, a short day, but still work.  So I might be able to squeeze in some bookshelf-fixing time.  But other than that I'm not sure what else is going to get done.... I really need to figure out this dryer situation.  I think I'm going to focus on that and my internet.  I can't live without that!

I'm sorry it seems like I keep saying the same things!  I did talk to Jesse today, he's doing well.  He got to see his buddy Bill again yesterday, and today he's doing some more training.  There is an artist named James Dietz (www.jamesdietz.com) who does color prints for military units and sells them.  He is doing one for Jesse's battalion, and making 1,000 - so they're a limited edition.  Chances are if you have been in our house, you have seen three of the many prints he has made.  One Jesse has of his old unit (3/2), the other is an Airborne print, and the third is his famous "Reflections" print which is hung in many military homes.  Again, this gentleman is doing one specifically for Jesse's unit, so it is going to be a rare print.  I know he's super excited, and I'm in the works to get that done for him!

Other than that Jesse is doing well.  They (the FRG) are having a meeting of sorts that I might go to Thursday to learn what's going on downrange.  I'm thinking I might go to that, we shall see though.

If you don't watch Oprah you may not have seen this.  I thought it was pretty cool and thought I would share.  Let me know if the link doesn't work!  It's a "mob dance"......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvljD0toJmU

Progress

So my main goal for the day was to make some progress on the house.  I am happy to say that we did make some progress.  I do hate the fact that when you get the ball rolling and in a groove....You have to stop.  I work the next two days, which make it a little more difficult to tackle the craziness in our new house.  We did get the bed, my dresser, the futon, the TV stand, the Wii tower, and most of the bookshelf together.  Plus mom and I unpacked two kitchen boxes (mostly breakables, nothing broke!) and measured some spaces.  I realized today that I don't have great access to towel bars in the bathrooms, we're missing some hardware from some of the furniture, and I still would like to paint the bedroom.  It does look as like I might be spending some nights on the futon if I decide to do that.  A plus side - lots of room.  That is pretty exciting!  In Georgia I felt like we were cramming, and we probably will our second time around there.  Until then, I'm going to enjoy our space!

Next trip we're going to try and finish the bookshelf and I'm going to arrange furniture.  Maybe take a trip to the hardware store to make sure we have everything together.  Between that stuff, there is a briefing I have yet to go to, I need to figure out some things with my washer situation (plug doesn't work with the outlet we have), and I need to figure out the cable/internet thing.  Until I get the washer and cable/internet thing figured out I'm not living there.

I do think though, it is time for me to leave my parents house.  You're probably saying "duh," and I know.  Besides, dad is working and mom is working.... I should have no reason why I shouldn't be moving forward.

Please also visit this site if you can, its SUPER easy to do, and something Xerox has put together.  The link is:  http://www.letssaythanks.com.  Seriously, it takes a matter of seconds.  You pick a card, put in your name/location, and pick something to say.  Xerox delivers the information in a card for our troops overseas.  Boost some morale!

Oh, and if you sent me a Christmas Card this year with a picture on it, chances are it's hanging in my husband's room right now!  I sent him everything I got, so he went through everything and loved them.  Thank you all for the Christmas cards, letters, and photos you sent!  He loves them.

Also - Hooah Mail is seeming to have some hiccups.  It is NOT getting to him faster than priority or first class mail.  he is getting it, but he got mine 3-4 weeks after I sent it.  NOT cool.  But I have to say that first class mail doesn't seem any quicker!  If you send a box priority mail (flat rate is automatically priority mail)  he is getting them in 7-10 days.  I feel like I'm not able to keep up with him getting my care packages!  I will be sending one out *hopefully* tomorrow, and then another later on in the week.

If you want to send him things, send him some healthier foods, he's not too happy with me with overloading him with cookies, chips, and candies.  Oops.  Crackers, power bars, and the like are good.  Also keep sending him photos!  He loves them.

Thanks again for reading!

Leave, Flowers, The House, and More

I'm sorry my motivation for blogging is lacking right now!

I talked to Jesse last night and this morning.... I'm not quite sure what my problem is but I have been going through this phase where I just want him to come home.  I am completely aware of how irrational my thoughts are, but that is how I am feeling.  Jesse says that he's probably going to get leave, but again nothing is set.  We're not making any solid plans of course, but we are discussing some fun stuff to do.  Right now it looks like we'll be making a trip out to Ocean Shores, so I'm excited.

Today was my day off so mom and I went out to the house.  I don't think I had been there since before Christmas.  I really really need to get things together, but still haven't found the screws to my bed.  My father is also still working, so I don't really have anyone to help me put big things together.  We did unpack a lot of clothes (mostly stuff on hangers), and decided where furniture is going to be arranged.  I'm going to also need to set up the TV, get cable, phone, and internet set up.  I will also have to get all the stuff in line to put up a fence for the dog.

Yesterday I received a dozen red roses along with six calla lilies from Jesse.  They are very nice and very pretty.  The day before that I received a rug from him, complete with misspelled words!  It's pretty obvious that the people around the area do not have a lot of education, especially since they can't even spell their country's name correctly.  Oh well I guess, it still is an interesting piece to have in the house.  I have one more package on the way, which I'm excited about too.

My birthday is right around the corner (I know it's not January yet) and Jesse and I have picked out my birthday/Valentine's Day gift, which I am super excited about!  It's a pendant from Kay's.  SO excited :)

Tomorrow I work, but I'm not going to get completely stressed out this time if I don't get out on time.  Besides that I highly doubt we're going to have a lot of business, with everyone's New Year's festivities. I am very excited for the new year, 2010 is going to bring many more fun things!  Have a safe New Year's Eve!