The other day I was working on G's baby book (because I'm that delinquent), transcribing little notes I'd plugged into my phone for writing in said baby book when life slowed down just a tad, and I realized that I was sorry I hadn't noted more about the dates and events I had hurriedly punched in for a less chaotic day. I'm sorry that I only remember the reactions to food that I photographed (ie: the bad ones), I'm sorry that I can't remember his favorite toys from 6 months ago, or when he stopped running around like a mad man all the time and started liking to be held again. I'm sorry I didn't take his picture every.single.day in every.single. ridculously adorable outfit he had. Admittedly, part of it was because I was in survival mode for the first year of his life, but now that Erik's home and life has slowed down, I realize how much I allowed myself to gloss over. Well, not any more! Milestones must be celebrated, traditions must be created and little memories must be preserved. I'm already forgetting so much and it breaks my heart, especially because I'm the only real "remember-er" of Grant's first year.
I think I stopped blogging because I ran out of (what I deemed) entertaining things to write about. And I also kind of think blogging is the ultimate manifestation of self-importance (at least as it relates to some people). But I'm going to start again, because I need to be better at record keeping and I think this will be the quickest way to accomplish my goal. Also, my facebook updates were getting a little too long and I can't stand people who blog on their status, but mostly the record keeping. I'm too OCD to sit down and write, too busy to scrapbook (much the chagrin of all the supplies I have moved to 3 different states and shoved in cabinets each time), so this plan makes the most sense.
Anyway, here goes nothing.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Thursday, August 26, 2010
So Maybe I'm Insane
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.
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.
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.
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