I saw my neighbor with his cooler tonight and it reminded me of this story I concocted in my head about him last summer.
Every night I'd take Baxter on a walk and we'd see my across the street neighbor coming home, getting a cooler out of the back end of the truck and wheeling it around to the back yard of his house. At first I thought, "Oh, he must have been to Costco and wanted to keep his goods cold", then I started to think "No one goes to Costco EVERY.SINGLE.DAY" . Then I decided "Clearly he's killed someone and is bringing them home bit by bit in his cooler and buring them in his backyard". This went on for several days, one day I'd see him and think "probably an arm", the next I'd see him, and think "A leg. No, wait a leg is too big for that cooler, it's probably just a foot or two" (you see where your mind can wander too without enough human interraction). So one day my landlord came over and we saw him outside and she said "Hey Jim!" and I said "You know him? Whats up with the cooler? Sometimes I wonder if he's got body parts in here" and laughed at me and said "He's a sushi maker/deliverman". THEN she went on to tell me that Schofield Commissary is one of his stops. All this damn time I've been going out there for sushi when I could just walk across the street!
Anyway, I saw him unloading his cooler today and got a chuckle. But you probably had to be there.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sam's Blogspot Debut
I'm sure you've heard that we got another pup a few months ago. Though he and I definitely still adjusting to one another, I thought it was time to give him some love on the blog...
:)
And of course, you already know Baxter.
Happy mom? ;)
:)
And of course, you already know Baxter.
Happy mom? ;)
Saturday, August 21, 2010
I Love a Good Hello
There is the feeling that I can't begin to put into words. A feeling that overcomes you when you know that your significant other is coming home to you after months and months and months away. And it's funny that I wrote it as them "coming home to you" because if I had to put the feeling into words, I would say that to me it feels like I myself am coming home.
Admittedly, I think I felt that feeling alot more strongly when Erik was coming home from Afghanistan versus when he came home from Iraq. They were two wholly different experiences, for both of us. And the end of his OEF deployment was the beginning of our life together, so it seems to be a huge turning point in my life though at the time I don't think I really recognized it. Isn't that always the way though?
I think I spent a lot of time thinking about Erik's first deployment in preparation for the last one, because it was all I knew. Eventually, I happily found out that there was no need to prepare myself in such a way. However, now that Afghanistan is in our future once again and people around me have begun asking questions about his experiences and in turn mine, I find myself thinking about it more and more. I came across the blog I kept when Erik and I first started dating, up until the time we got married and then my life got crazy with moving (and I forgot the password) and I just stopped writing. Aside from being a little embarrassed at how whiny I seemed to be at points (and I don't remember being that way outwardly, but...), it really transported me back nearly five years to a life that is so different from the one I'm leading now, it was like reading about someone else.
Anyway, I told you all that to tell you this: I've done some reasearch and found that one of the great things about deployments (and yes, I believe there are at least a few amazing things) is that if you really work at it, it can make you closer to your partner than you ever were when they're home. Another positive is that sometimes, when you are married, you aren't as kind/considerate/understanding/you-name-it as you could be. It's not purposeful, but it is what it is. When you are left alone for a few months, you really start to reexamine how you could do things differently, how you wasted time being snippy or being pissed about someone not taking out the trash (Who? Me?!). Who else can say that they get to push the reset button this way? Of course, the trade off for having this time of personal introspection is to be apart for a year at a time, but we'll just put that little factoid to the side...
Admittedly, I think I felt that feeling alot more strongly when Erik was coming home from Afghanistan versus when he came home from Iraq. They were two wholly different experiences, for both of us. And the end of his OEF deployment was the beginning of our life together, so it seems to be a huge turning point in my life though at the time I don't think I really recognized it. Isn't that always the way though?
I think I spent a lot of time thinking about Erik's first deployment in preparation for the last one, because it was all I knew. Eventually, I happily found out that there was no need to prepare myself in such a way. However, now that Afghanistan is in our future once again and people around me have begun asking questions about his experiences and in turn mine, I find myself thinking about it more and more. I came across the blog I kept when Erik and I first started dating, up until the time we got married and then my life got crazy with moving (and I forgot the password) and I just stopped writing. Aside from being a little embarrassed at how whiny I seemed to be at points (and I don't remember being that way outwardly, but...), it really transported me back nearly five years to a life that is so different from the one I'm leading now, it was like reading about someone else.
Anyway, I told you all that to tell you this: I've done some reasearch and found that one of the great things about deployments (and yes, I believe there are at least a few amazing things) is that if you really work at it, it can make you closer to your partner than you ever were when they're home. Another positive is that sometimes, when you are married, you aren't as kind/considerate/understanding/you-name-it as you could be. It's not purposeful, but it is what it is. When you are left alone for a few months, you really start to reexamine how you could do things differently, how you wasted time being snippy or being pissed about someone not taking out the trash (Who? Me?!). Who else can say that they get to push the reset button this way? Of course, the trade off for having this time of personal introspection is to be apart for a year at a time, but we'll just put that little factoid to the side...
And the very best thing about having to say goodbye, is getting to say hello again.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Musings From a Mom-to-Be
I think mothers dupe non-mothers into pregnancy by not telling them all the crazy ass side effects of pregnancy. Maybe it’s not a vast conspiracy, but I feel a little uninformed. I knew pregnant ladies had to pee a lot, but I assumed it was because the baby was sitting on their bladder. I didn’t know that it was because EVERY.SINGLE.TIME you take a sip of water you have to pee. Last month we went on vacation and I told my mother-in-law it was a tour of the northeast via bathroom.
Other things I didn’t know:Crazy back pain
Sensitive skin
Absolute exhaustion
Being super picky about food/grossed out by things you once loved
Pregnant women really do get a little stupider. I have been late for appointments, left home without my shoes and worn shirts inside out.
One crazy side effect from own experience that I’ll share: my own personal case: Gagging. I don’t usually get sick, but I gag. I gag after I eat, I gag when I laugh. I gag when I talk, I gag when I think about gagging. It doesn’t hurt or anything so it’s not a big deal but OH is it awkward. The first few times it happened I got up and ran to the bathroom thinking I was going to be sick but I never was. Erik would follow me in there to make sure I’m okay, but now I just stay where I am and try to cover my mouth (like that makes the loud noise of gagging a little less obnoxious…) and Erik just laughs and laughs. My friend Carmen laughs so hard about it she cries. Thanks guys… It is getting better though. The other day I was able to brush my teeth like a regular person! But then this morning I was back to choking on the toothbrush.
All that insanity aside, it’s pretty intense to know that it’s all happening because you are growing a little person inside of you. Never mind that it’s sucking the life (and intelligence) out of you at the same time…
Other things I didn’t know:Crazy back pain
Sensitive skin
Absolute exhaustion
Being super picky about food/grossed out by things you once loved
Pregnant women really do get a little stupider. I have been late for appointments, left home without my shoes and worn shirts inside out.
One crazy side effect from own experience that I’ll share: my own personal case: Gagging. I don’t usually get sick, but I gag. I gag after I eat, I gag when I laugh. I gag when I talk, I gag when I think about gagging. It doesn’t hurt or anything so it’s not a big deal but OH is it awkward. The first few times it happened I got up and ran to the bathroom thinking I was going to be sick but I never was. Erik would follow me in there to make sure I’m okay, but now I just stay where I am and try to cover my mouth (like that makes the loud noise of gagging a little less obnoxious…) and Erik just laughs and laughs. My friend Carmen laughs so hard about it she cries. Thanks guys… It is getting better though. The other day I was able to brush my teeth like a regular person! But then this morning I was back to choking on the toothbrush.
All that insanity aside, it’s pretty intense to know that it’s all happening because you are growing a little person inside of you. Never mind that it’s sucking the life (and intelligence) out of you at the same time…
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Evil Vortex
I firmly believe that there is some kind of vortex at the entry way to every commissary on this Earth that turns even the best, most well behaved children into not so well-behaved children. This theory has been tested in several states and though I have found that the kids are often worse on or around pay day, they are affected by said vortex at any time, on any date, in any state.
This vortex is probably also the same one that makes otherwise normal parents buy their kids those freakin' heelie shoes so they can scoot around uncontrollably. Because that, like driving on the ice, is always a great idea.
Other vortexes I believe in:
*One at the entry to my backyard that sucks the life out of plants.
*One at the city limits of Washington DC that makes people forget things they once held important
*The one at my kitchen that the dogs seem to see and recognize as the Do Not Cross line
*The one that overtakes me when I log on to facebook and keeps me from logging off until I have successfully pissed away 3 hours.
This vortex is probably also the same one that makes otherwise normal parents buy their kids those freakin' heelie shoes so they can scoot around uncontrollably. Because that, like driving on the ice, is always a great idea.
Other vortexes I believe in:
*One at the entry to my backyard that sucks the life out of plants.
*One at the city limits of Washington DC that makes people forget things they once held important
*The one at my kitchen that the dogs seem to see and recognize as the Do Not Cross line
*The one that overtakes me when I log on to facebook and keeps me from logging off until I have successfully pissed away 3 hours.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
There’s a Train Coming Nightly Called When All Is Said And Done
My family is still struggling with the loss of my Aunt Dona – and I know we will for quite some time. One of my cousins (from my other aunt) put it best when he said that we never realized how much we would miss her. And when we did it was too late. We should have had more time with her. My maternal grandfather also died in his fifties (my mom, and my aunts father) of emphysema. That’s two people from two separate generations of my family that died when they had only met middle age. Big eye-opener.
Never again make the mistake of thinking I have 70 more years on this Earth. For all I know I could die tomorrow. If I have learned anything it is that you NEVER know. Seriously Blogland, my aunt wrote on my facebook at 10AM her time and was gone by noon. She had NO idea she was in the last hours of her last day on Earth, and neither did we. And chances are, we’ll never get over the “should haves” and “would haves” and “if onlys”. As such, I have made it my personal mission to avoid the chances of having “should haves” and “if onlys” when faced with this situation next time. No longer will I harbor animosity toward people and situations that I can not change. No longer will I be (somewhat) miserly with money, carefully justifying all large purchases ultimately talking myself out of most of them, funneling all extra into savings for a “rainy day” (well, to an extent). No longer will I obsess about what I could have done or should have done differently in a situation that is past and I can’t change. There were be no more “I’ll get around to it’s” (only about fun things though, not lame things I wouldn’t mind not having done if I died tomorrow – Hahah!), or “somedays”. Because I may not have another day to get around to it.
I have made myself a bucket list and I’m going to complete it. Some items are abstract, things that I’ll have to work on every day. Some things are concrete – places to visit, things to do. And some things are complete lifestyle and attitude changes.
The aforementioned cousin posted the following on Dona’s wall and I think it not only sums her up perfectly but also sums up what her death taught him (and all of us). These are his goals – these are MY goals.
I want to be more like you. I want to love and support my family like you did. I want to be known for my work ethic like you were. I want to be reliable and consistent like you were. I want to be adored by my children like you are. I want to be loved by my spouse like you are. I want to leave the kind of mark on my community that would bring 600 people to my grave side on a week day with tears in their eyes to celebrate my life. You set an incredible example and left big shoes for all of us to fill. I will be a better man because of the life you lived and the inspiration I get from you... I will be a better person because of the life you lived and the inspiration I get form you.
Tomorrow is a big day as Erik takes his battery command. Hopefully my next post will be much more upbeat. :)
Never again make the mistake of thinking I have 70 more years on this Earth. For all I know I could die tomorrow. If I have learned anything it is that you NEVER know. Seriously Blogland, my aunt wrote on my facebook at 10AM her time and was gone by noon. She had NO idea she was in the last hours of her last day on Earth, and neither did we. And chances are, we’ll never get over the “should haves” and “would haves” and “if onlys”. As such, I have made it my personal mission to avoid the chances of having “should haves” and “if onlys” when faced with this situation next time. No longer will I harbor animosity toward people and situations that I can not change. No longer will I be (somewhat) miserly with money, carefully justifying all large purchases ultimately talking myself out of most of them, funneling all extra into savings for a “rainy day” (well, to an extent). No longer will I obsess about what I could have done or should have done differently in a situation that is past and I can’t change. There were be no more “I’ll get around to it’s” (only about fun things though, not lame things I wouldn’t mind not having done if I died tomorrow – Hahah!), or “somedays”. Because I may not have another day to get around to it.
I have made myself a bucket list and I’m going to complete it. Some items are abstract, things that I’ll have to work on every day. Some things are concrete – places to visit, things to do. And some things are complete lifestyle and attitude changes.
The aforementioned cousin posted the following on Dona’s wall and I think it not only sums her up perfectly but also sums up what her death taught him (and all of us). These are his goals – these are MY goals.
I want to be more like you. I want to love and support my family like you did. I want to be known for my work ethic like you were. I want to be reliable and consistent like you were. I want to be adored by my children like you are. I want to be loved by my spouse like you are. I want to leave the kind of mark on my community that would bring 600 people to my grave side on a week day with tears in their eyes to celebrate my life. You set an incredible example and left big shoes for all of us to fill. I will be a better man because of the life you lived and the inspiration I get from you... I will be a better person because of the life you lived and the inspiration I get form you.
Tomorrow is a big day as Erik takes his battery command. Hopefully my next post will be much more upbeat. :)
Monday, April 12, 2010
Back in the 808
I got home on Saturday afternoon. I had the brilliant idea to stay up all night Friday night (as I hadn't really adjusted to the time change anyway) and then sleep all the way home. I did end up cat-napping on the couch for a couple of hours but my plan worked just the same. I was only conscious for about the last hour and a half of my flight into Honolulu. I'm not saying I'll ever do that again, but it worked this time.
So home was good. It was great to see everyone, and I was able to drive myself from Oklahoma City to Cherokee (a good three hours) so that was amazing (no traffic on a 2 lane country road at midnight!), and of course there were plenty of Sonic drinks.
*******************************
I want a word that describes the feeling you get - a cold, sick feeling deep down inside - when you know something is going to happen that will change you, and you don't want it to but you can't stop it. And you know for the first time, for the very first time, that there will now be a before and an after, a was and a will be. And you will never again be quite the same person you were.
-Jennifer Donnelly
So home was good. It was great to see everyone, and I was able to drive myself from Oklahoma City to Cherokee (a good three hours) so that was amazing (no traffic on a 2 lane country road at midnight!), and of course there were plenty of Sonic drinks.
*******************************
I want a word that describes the feeling you get - a cold, sick feeling deep down inside - when you know something is going to happen that will change you, and you don't want it to but you can't stop it. And you know for the first time, for the very first time, that there will now be a before and an after, a was and a will be. And you will never again be quite the same person you were.
-Jennifer Donnelly
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
If Heaven Was An Hour It Would Be Twilight
This past Saturday started early for me with a morning call from my mom that my Aunt Dona (her youngest sister) had passed away suddenly in her home in Oklahoma. If you're my facebook friend, you've seen posts from my aunt; usually smart-assed, always funny. That's how she was. She was an original and we loved her deeply.
The next day I was on a 7AM flight into Oklahoma City, and at 2AM on Monday I was walking into a hotel room in Cherokee, Oklahoma. It's an awful reason to come home but I'm so glad I did. It was nice to see my family all together and I really needed a chance to say goodbye.
My Aunt Dona was a hell of a lady, as evidenced by the 600-ish people who came to her graveside service this morning. I don't think I've cried so hard in a very long time and I know my life won't quite be the same. She's gone too soon, it's tragic and I'm angry. My aunt and her husband had two kids, both of whom are getting married this year. It kills me that they have to do it without their momma, but it is what it is. As one of my other cousins said "I know God has infinite wisdom, but I'm having a hard time with this one".
Aunt Dona had just retired (though she was only 51) and started re-decorating her house, taking time for herself and starting to truly enjoy her life. She had reconnected with her extended family and I think we all kind of felt like we (my cousins and myself) were only just getting to know her as adults rather than as kids. We do know though that she was an original. A one-of-a-kind kind of lady and we are all better for having known her. Please pray for our family and all who loved her as this is a devastating loss for everyone.
"If heaven was a town it would be my town
On a summer day in 1985
And everything I wanted was out there waiting
And everyone I loved was still alive"-Andy Griggs
Or, as my Aunt Dona had on her facebook "Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out shouting "Holy Sh*t what a ride!!!"
The next day I was on a 7AM flight into Oklahoma City, and at 2AM on Monday I was walking into a hotel room in Cherokee, Oklahoma. It's an awful reason to come home but I'm so glad I did. It was nice to see my family all together and I really needed a chance to say goodbye.
My Aunt Dona was a hell of a lady, as evidenced by the 600-ish people who came to her graveside service this morning. I don't think I've cried so hard in a very long time and I know my life won't quite be the same. She's gone too soon, it's tragic and I'm angry. My aunt and her husband had two kids, both of whom are getting married this year. It kills me that they have to do it without their momma, but it is what it is. As one of my other cousins said "I know God has infinite wisdom, but I'm having a hard time with this one".
Aunt Dona had just retired (though she was only 51) and started re-decorating her house, taking time for herself and starting to truly enjoy her life. She had reconnected with her extended family and I think we all kind of felt like we (my cousins and myself) were only just getting to know her as adults rather than as kids. We do know though that she was an original. A one-of-a-kind kind of lady and we are all better for having known her. Please pray for our family and all who loved her as this is a devastating loss for everyone.
"If heaven was a town it would be my town
On a summer day in 1985
And everything I wanted was out there waiting
And everyone I loved was still alive"-Andy Griggs
Or, as my Aunt Dona had on her facebook "Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out shouting "Holy Sh*t what a ride!!!"
We miss you already Aunt Dona. I hope they have boats in heaven :)
Say hi to Peepaw for us.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
I hate goodbyes. I know what I need. I need more hellos. ~Charles M. Schulz
I feel that I’ve been really lucky to have Erik working in battalion full of guys who married great ladies. I truly look forward to all the gatherings that someone, somewhere along the line affectionately termed “mandatory fun”, because I really value the friendships that I’ve built with the ladies of the BN and I love to be around them. I don’t know what I’d do without some of the ladies I’ve met and the friendships I’ve made. Like I said, I’ve been really lucky.
Now it’s my experience that the period of transition that deployment brings doesn’t really end when the deployment is over. After you’ve welcome back your loved one, you have to start saying goodbye to others that you love. People leave the Army, they move, you move, and there you are saying goodbye again.
Now it’s true, the Army is a surprisingly small entity and chances are we’ll cross paths again, but that doesn’t make goodbye any easier. And have I ever told you how much I hate saying goodbye? I’d sooner just leave unannounced. As you may know, I’m a crier.
* * * * * *
Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes. ~Henry David Thoreau
Monday, February 8, 2010
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