It was a really good day

We had wonderful time at Disney’s California Adventure yesterday. For those of you that don’t know, CA Adventure is a theme park across from the entrance of Disneyland. It is where the old parking lot was when I was a child. I had been there before, but never spent much time…most of the time we are over at Disneyland. A good friend’s husband works for Disney, so usually I go with her. We don’t have to pay the exorbitant admission price then. Our first trip to DL with her was 5 years ago. Our children were almost 2 years old. E1 and her child cried and screamed during the entire hour+ drive to the park. They continued to fuss and cry the first couple hours there. Then they fell asleep in their strollers. We immediately ran across to CA Adventure. We had heard that alcohol was served there, but not in Disneyland itself. We went to the winery (the entire park is California-themed, so of course there’s a winery). The trip was great after that. It’s amazing how one glass of pinot can change your perspective...
Yesterday, we had lunch at Ariel’s Grotto in celebration of E1's 7th birthday. I had been there once before, but this visit wasn’t as good as the last. I was disappointed in a few things, but we still had a great time. Princess characters come through the restaurant and stop at each table for autographs and photos. The service was great…the waiter didn’t even mind when E3 beaned him with a roll…I tell you, that kid throws everything!
Hubby’s bachelor brother met us for lunch. He went on several rides with E1. E1 even went on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror!
By 6PM we were ready to go…wiped out. We didn’t drive out of the lot until 7PM…stopped at Wendy’s for a drive-thru dinner...then E1 and E2 fell asleep. They are not as easy to carry into the house as they use to be. E3 had a quick nip when we arrived home, then he was out cold too.

I watched one of my favorite shows, NUMB3RS, last night. I’m not able to watch much primetime TV because I’m usually working, but I didn’t feel like working…and I was caught-up…so I sat on the sofa…alone…and watched. I have not done that for months. I was happy to see that the season premiere solved one of the mysteries from last year’s season finale. My favorite character (Colby-he’s the handsome soldier turned FBI agent) was found NOT to be a bad guy, but was just a good guy pretending to be a bad guy. Wheww…he’ll still be on the show this season. Val Kilmer was a guest on last night's show...a bonus hottie. Hubby teases me about the show…mainly because of the geek aspect…yes, I’m a math geek (note-NOT a math genius, just liked math a lot…I was offered to take math courses at the U of M in 7th grade, but my mom refused them…I ,of course, didn’t know this until recently…note to self, do not miss once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for my children). Another thing that I like about the show is that it doesn’t film like CSI does…it doesn’t show the bullet entering the body and slicing through the heart, etc.. I really hate that part of CSI. It doesn’t gross me out, I just think it’s silly, and it looks so fake. The main point of this ramble is that I like NUMB3RS, and the cute guy that reminds me of my Hubby was not sent off to prison for the year.

I’ll finish the day’s thoughts with my favorite photo of today…E3 at lunch. He was hungry

Am I missing something?!

How hard is it to return a phone call or email? Seriously.
I give up on the FRG, I don't know what information they would even give me. If it wasn't for the milspouse blogs that I read, I wouldn't even feel like my Hubby's IN the military. I haven't met ONE person with a family member in his unit. I missed the one event that was planned...I almost drove those 140miles just to see someone, but my car, and the engine, had other plans. The lone newsletter, in July, spoke of the upcoming farewell ceremony...in JUNE!
GEESH!

It's All About Me...and Tag, You're It!

Stephanie at She Who Waits and A Soldiers Wife both just tagged me with my first meme. I need to reveal 7 things that most people don’t know about me. This is hard … I reveal the oddest things on posts and comments sometimes.
1. Most don’t know that although I have 3 kids now, we went through years of infertility. I’m done now.
2. I regret to say that I am on my second marriage. The first was right out of college. It was closer to an episode of “Cops” than a marriage. When I finally left my first husband, I left with some clothes and my sanity and vowed to never marry again…then I met Hubby ☺ My wonderful Hubby said the reason for the marriage must have been to keep me off the market long enough to meet him.
3. My doggies full names are:
Pumpkinhead(large orange head and Jack-o-lantern smile)
Sparky-the-Space Dog(from an old episode of SNL)
and Roxie (as in dumb as a box of rocks)
4.My relatives include psychologists, farmers, rocket scientists, bank robbers, and everything in between. I’m the “between”.
5. I can’t lie to save my life.
6. I don’t like receiving jewelry as a gift…or flowers…it’s just not “me”. Hubby learned this early.
7. I raced ONE time on my dirt-bike. Just to say I finished, many did not. It was 2 hours of hell through the desert by 29 Palms. Lets just say that sand and a 2-stroke 125 do not play well together. I’m too polite to race, I let people by if they want to pass. I did place 1st in my class…old lady. I enjoy screaming around and finding little jumps a lot better. I’ve hung up my helmet for now and plan to get a calmer bike when Hubby returns.

The toughest part is who to tag… I want to know more about these people...tag...you’re it!

Shelly
ilvmygi08
ABW
Claire
Buck
LAW
and last but not least:
Guard Wife

Am I Finished Yet?

Why do I find it necessary to finish everything around the house while Hubby’s gone?
Is it because I am the sole decision maker? Anything that I want done…is done…no discussion.
I haven’t done that much since he’s been gone…just landscaped the entire back yard. It’s still in process, but so far the back half has been covered with a giant playground for the kiddos. Approximately 15 trees have been chopped down on the slopes, new sprinklers have been installed and beautiful ground cover will soon be installed. Grass is growing where there hasn’t been any for years. I have plans for the rest….
Inside, the living room looks completely different. Added furniture, took away other furniture, new bachelor-pad TV…
I need to stop now.
I realized this when I was looking at one section of the yard that is in need of a redo. Hubby and I discussed what we wanted to do here…extend the pool fence, build a gazebo and stairs to the upper back half of the yard.
I realized that I didn’t want sole decision-making ability on this project. I want to do it with my Hubby. Half of the fun of home remodel projects in the past has been working together.
I don’t know why I felt the need to finish everything. I don’t know what the future holds for us…when Hubby returns, will we stay here? Will we move to somewhere with a normal cost-of-living? Will he stay in the military? Will he have to stay in the military? And the big question…one that I keep pushing to the back of my mind … but it keeps coming back anyhow,if he doesn’t return, will I ever do another home project again. Maybe that is why I feel the need to have so much completed now. I really don’t know.

*update*
Due to requests, I'll post pictures of the work in progress
Here is the back-back yard...you can see the new grass in the foreground. Previously, this was hard-baked earth (Roxie ate the sprinklers) and a couple lame peach trees.

This hillside had 15+trees chopped down, it was dark and gloomy. Waiting to pull up weeds/ new sprouts



...so it'll look like this hillside after planting



I've never done the "checkbook" remodeling that Buck spoke of in the comments...until now. Most of this was done by checkbook. I just can't do it with E3 being the handful he is...plus, work has been extremely busy , and was this the reason we saved up prior to deployment?

After the Rain

Ran outside during dinner to quickly snap this picture

OK, I've lived here too long...

You Are 52% California

You're fairly Californian. Unless you're really from California, you should be stoked!

How California Are You?

I'm back, I think...

This virus has been kickin’ my butt this week, but I think I am finally getting better. As far as colds/flu go, this one was pretty minor, no vomiting or extreme chills…just felt like I had been beaten with a stick, and all I wanted to do was sleep.
I took 2 naps this week…in the middle of the day! I haven’t done that for a year at least. My mom is visiting from MN for 2 weeks. She was watching the girls, and the girls were playing nicely, so I took a nap with E3.
My mom’s visit is going well this time. I think her medication has been well-adjusted or something…seriously…
I am finally catching up on my paying job. Luckily it was a pretty slow week so I haven’t fallen into too deep of a hole. I just realized that I am totally out of FedEx supplies…see what happens when my regular driver is on vacation☹ She is wonderful; actually even the subs are great, usually. When E1 was a toddler, she would bark at the FedEx truck. She imitated her best friend, Pumpkin.

There have been so many good posts that I have seen this week, but I can’t remember much about any of them. I was too sleepy. I know I added some new favorites to my sidebar.
I’m looking forward to the weekend, it’s raining! Little tiny baby grasses are sprouting from the seed I planted in the backyard.
To do this weekend:
-clean out garden, remove all some toasted plants
-transplant some St. Augustine into bare spots
-finish large report for work
-mend school uniforms for E1
-can’t watch TV, the DVR is broken. Time Warner will be arriving Sunday. My new TV cabinet arrived today and when I plugged the DVR back in, it only says “One Moment Please” great. I’ll miss football on Sunday. I guess I could watch it on the little TV, but I’ve become totally spoiled with HD.
-send package to Hubby

One of Those Days...

Today began like any other day.
Except E3 decided to wake up ½ hour early.
It was raining…a good day in my book, I like the rain. I miss it since I live in SoCal where it only rains approximately 4 hours a year, give or take.
Upon rising, I realized the joys of the kids returning to school…a new virus. I felt like someone had beat me with a baseball bat, OK, not much to do today, I can drag through.
Got E1 to school in time. Her teacher had a hamster that was looking for a home, so we brought home a new friend. Chocolate Chip is his name. He came with a new cage and a big bag of food.
When I got home I cleaned the cage (it stunk so bad, I needed to drive with the window down on the way home). The bag of food was full of bugs, so I tossed it in the trash. Yuk.
A trip to Petco for new food and supplies.
E2 was attached to me today…maybe she feels a little sick too? Either way, I was barely out of her sight today. There was a lot of drama…
E3 is destined to be either a baseball pitcher or a football quarterback. He throws everything. He tossed a full bag of hamster food down the stairs. It was partially open. As it tumbled down the stairs, in what seemed like slow-motion, it gradually opened completely, spewing hamster chow everywhere. It covered the stairs, the foyer, and part of the adjoining living room. E3 thought it was hilarious! Yesterday, E3 tossed a box of Apple Jacks. The dogs were the clean-up crew for that mess, but no help today.
The kids ate well at dinner, then baths. E3 pooped in the tub, what fun.
I finally was able to take a shower at 6pm, just before the PTO meeting tonight. I’m sure everyone appreciated that.
I’m currently taking a break…I’m buried in work. I’m waiting for a large report to print. I should get back to that…it is the job that sends me a paycheck.
In the big picture, the day wasn’t that bad, one day closer to the end of deployment

R.I.P. Snowflake

You were a wonderful addition to this family
, however so brief. We don’t know why your time was so short.
You were the fastest hamster
…ever…and have the trophy to prove it (even if it was a paper trophy).
We love you…you will be missed.
You were a good hamster

A Little Distraction

Had to share this with everyone, from Shutterfly
if you're 4 years old, you'll think this is great



*update* It seems as if the image is removed from the video now, but go create your own. It's hilarious with an adult's face too.

I’m Beginning to Hate Acronyms

Today was a beautiful day. Not as warm and I was able to do a lot of yard work. I cleaned the pool, chopped off tree branches, seeded a bare slope in the yard that has new sprinklers, and rolled the trash cans down to the curb. All the time, E3 was playing with the hose set to “trickle” and E1+E2 were playing in the mud he created. I know that I have a gardener (Ha, still cracks me up that I hired one), but I don’t pay him enough to do everything.
I’m just going along, like any other day, in denial.
Everyone tells me how strong I am…I’m not strong, just in denial.
And it’s working for me most of the time.
I had one of those calls from the sandbox tonight, you know the ones filled with static and delays.…”Hi… I love you…I made it to my destination…everyone’s OK….my truck…IED…everyone’s OK…just..truck...told to go to TMC…gotta go…love you...” end of call.
Thankfully, I was in the middle of a Spousebuzz chat and could ask what TMC meant. Troop Medical Center.
Tonight I’m very thankful
I feel like I'm going to puke, but I'm still thankful.

Those Eyes.

Things I do when I’m missing my Hubby (a.k.a. what I find myself doing all the time)

1. Wear his PJ pants…the ones his Mom bought him, Calvin Klein, I wouldn’t have spent that much on PJ pants!
2. Drink Diet Mt. Dew…his main source of liquid when he’s home.
3. Eat pistachios or almonds…his main source of nutrition at home.
4. Wear a dog-tag style necklace that he sent to me while he was in training
5. Listen to our dirt-biking music…Offspring, NoFX, StrungOut…
6. Watch videos on iMovie from his week at home between training and Iraq
7. Hug E3 and look at him in the eyes…he looks so much like his Daddy ☺




Any other suggestions? What do you do?

Back in Time

Two and a half years ago, Hubby informed me of his desire to rejoin the military. It was a shock to me. Of course I knew that he had the heart of a soldier. I knew that he was in boot camp at 18. He had traveled the world, Korea, Germany, Panama… He jumped out of many perfectly good airplanes… He left service several years before we met and vowed that if the Army ever needed him again, that he would answer the call.

Our civilian life was happy and comfortable. Why would he want to change that? He had a great, family, career and home. After the initial shock wore off, I realized that rejoining was something he HAD to do. None of my friends understood. They’re supportive now, but still don’t understand.

This train of thought began when I saw a DeLorean on my street today.

First, I saw how uncomfortable the driver and passenger looked…then I thought about the whole Back to the Future movie series. In my sleep-deprived mind, my mind went to the tangent of “if I could go back in time, would I beg Hubby not to sign those papers?”

The answer is “No”

I miss him terribly...most of the time I’m exhausted... but I’m also learning so much about myself. I’m proud of my Hubby and what he is doing. He amazes me.

On the Road Again...

Here come more sleepless nights…

I was doing pretty well lately. You see, I knew my Hubby was stuck “inside the wire” for over a week because his vehicle was being repaired. Now the Army has supplied him with a replacement until his is finished, yippie. (insert sarcastic tone here)

I know that he didn’t go all the way over there to sit in a tent. I know he has a mission to accomplish, but that doesn’t mean that I’m excited that he is now able to venture out along the countryside. I know there is no exactly “safe” place over there. For goodness sake a mortar came within yards of him over the wire not long ago. But still…

At least I’ll have a few pounds shed with the stress-induced weight loss.

Something I need to let go.

Man I had a horrible dream when I nodded off while rocking the baby earlier.
I hope I hear from him soon.

Today began like any other day…
wake up, wake the kids, breakfast, dressed, lunches, homework, and out of the door.

There was an assembly at E1’s school today. It began with prayers and it ended with E1 leading the school in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I am so glad that I didn’t leave my sunglasses in the car. I sure needed them to hide the tears. E1 beamed with pride as she led us, head held high, hand over her heart.

I wish her Dad could have seen her.

To each and everyone affected by the events of September 11, 2001 and the continuing affects of terriorism...we will keep you in our hearts and prayers.

The Best Cake Ever

I just had to share a photo of the anniversary cake E1 made today. She had me stop by the store on the way home from church to buy cake mix and frosting (lots of frosting). She did everything . I only put the pans into and out of the oven. It was delicious, a bit sweet, but the most delicious cake I've ever had because it was made with a 6 yr old's love.

Happy Anniversary

I thought this wouldn’t be tough.
Then why am I typing through tears?
Eleven others have passed by quietly.
Twelve years ago tonight I really had no idea as to the life that lay ahead.
I have had a wonderful dozen years with a wonderful man.
I just want to get on with several dozen more.
It seems as if our life is on hold, but it also seems to pass us by so quickly.

*update*
Hubby called just as I posted this. It's our anniversay there already. He wished me Happy Anniversary. I love that man.

Change of Plans

My plan today was to go to the commissary. I’ve never been. I’ve never even been on a base that has one. The nearest one is , according to Mapquest, 35 miles away. It’s through LA with unpredictable traffic. Today I had a decent 3 hours in which I could have gone. One hour there, one hour to shop and save, and one hour to return in time to pick up E1 from school.
Today, the ants had other plans for me. They have waged war, and so far they have won all the battles. Soon, their names will be on the deed to this house. I have been battling ants for a month now. “Professionals” have come out twice before today. I was able to schedule an appointment today, during my planned commissary trip, for the “professional” to battle the ants for me.
I don’t know if it’s the lack of rain in the last year, or the heat now, or what the hell the ants want in my house. They trail to the sink from whatever tiny crack they can find... hundreds of the little bastards. I told them that they are free to go to the fish pond out front, or the pool out back if they’re really thirsty, but they won’t listen.
Have I ever mentioned that I have an ant phobia? Hubby has learned not to laugh when I freak out at the sight of a lone ant in the house. I kill it and proceed to bleach anything around. I know that behind that lone ant is an entire ant armada. Until now, my method has always worked. We’ll see if today’s visit was successful. They are crafty little bastards that carry tiny little GPS’s with the coordinates of my kitchen sink programmed with turn-by-turn navigation.
Tomorrow…call the plumber…the laundry room has flooded. At least the plumber is cute.

Fair Memories

The Los Angeles County Fair is going on right now...I'll probably miss it...don't feel like taking 3 kiddos by myself. I like seeing the animals...reminds me of when I stayed at the MN state fair barns with the cattle :) good times.
The ads for the LA Fair crack me up!

The First Day of School

The first day of school…The anticipation was almost unbearable for E1 and E2. E1 loved her first day of 2nd grade. Just two years ago, when bringing her to Kinder, the 2nd graders looked so big, so much older. Now she’s the “big kid” next to the kindergarteners.
E2 began preschool today. She’ll be going Tuesdays and Thursdays . I asked her to tell me her favorite part of the day. She replied in her best teenager tone (as a 4 yr old) “Well, it sure wasn’t the nap.” Hubby called to see how the day unfolded, and I told him her response, he just said “she gets it from you”. I guess I can be a bit of a smart-ass at times.

I've never mentioned it

I was talking with Hubby yesterday. It was a good conversation on his cell-phone. We usually use the sat-phone because the cost is less, but we occasionally use the cell so we can have an actual conversation without the annoying delay. He loves being able to hear the kids playing in the background. Well, actually not always playing, sometimes they’re fighting. The ringing phone is often a trigger for endless Moms. The “Mom, where are my shoes?”, “Mom, I’m hungry/thirsty/cold/hot/bored”, “Mom, where’s my pink purse?”, “Mom, how many legs does a dragonfly have?”, “Mom, she hit me first”
anyhow, I digress…

Since he hasn’t had much internet access in the last few months, I’ve printed a few blogs and sent them in his care packages. I sent soldier’s blogs, not spouse’s. We discuss some of the difficulties I face, but I don’t tell him everything, at least not yet. He has enough to worry about right now, you know…being shot at and all, and trying to avoid those damn IED’s and EFP’s. Part of the conversation went like this:
He said, “You should start a blog”
I said, “I already have”
“Oh” quiet…. ”well what’s on it?”