Questions--I need answers!

It's been so long since I've worn makeup, and since I will be entering the workforce sometime in the near future, assuming someone wants to hire me, I need makeup.

What's your favorite brand of makeup?

This of course brings up the question....when did you start wearing makeup?  I see girls at Em's school that have started wearing makeup, but I was thinking I'd let her in high school, which is still a year away.  She hasn't complained about it.....yet!

I took the girls shopping for Mother's Day, because we needed to get them some camp clothes.  Keep in mind that my daughter is about 5'7" tall, thin, and does not look 13.  Why do they want her to dress like a hoochie mama? Anyone know of any good clothing stores that will have cool clothes for her age, but not break the bank?

Next question is back to potty training.  Junior is potty trained.  Reflect on that for a moment.  My almost 5 year old son is FINALLY potty trained.  He is wearing underwear.  He is dry.  Let's be honest, this is a miracle in itself.  But....did you potty train your sons at night by letting them go in underwear?  I'm thinking if the kid wants to wear pullups to bed at night, he will eventually train himself, and I should push it.  Heck, I'm just glad that I am not changing diapers during the day anymore!

(Gunner, please do not read this)  Retirement presents.  I have something in mind, but I was wondering if anyone had some great ideas for a present to give him for retirement?  (I apparently get a yellow rose at his retirement ceremony....5 deployments and I get a rose?  I should get a 24 karat rose!)

Which brings me to coin boxes.  I have looked at several online, but was wondering if anyone had a recommendation of someone that they ordered from, and the quality was impeccable?  You know how they love their coins!

Last question--I have my half marathon on Sunday, and I need some good songs for my playlist.  I know I need to download some black eyed peas, but what are some other good up-tempo songs that need to go on the list too?

Thanks guys!

Reintegration Part I

Being that this is our 5th (and LAST!) deployment, I thought we were pros at reintegration.  I choose my battles, and goodness knows with three kids, there is plenty for both of us to do and keep us busy.

The one thing that drives me nuts?

Here is my status from FB yesterday:

ABW Wonders how she survived years driving while Chris was deployed and before I met him, but apparently lost all skills once he returned home. Thank goodness he is here to tell me how to drive, or I might not be able to function.


Someone said instead of like there should be an "Amen".  Most agreed with me.  A civilian friend said her husband would never do that and she wouldn't allow it.  


This all came to a head yesterday when I was driving Gunner's new car.


"Watch out for that parked car."
"This guy might try to cut you off."
"The light might turn red, you should slow down."


I glared at him, and asked him if he wanted to drive.  "Oh no, you're doing fine, I'm just helping."


A little history here.  I am old.  I got my driver's license when I was 16.  In order to do that, I had to pass my dad's strict driving lessons.  Basically that meant that I drove around an empty parking lot in first gear, having to stop and start.  Once I got that down, he would let me coast around in first gear and he would yell "STOP" to test my reaction time.  After passing that little bit of pure hell pure joy, I was able to start shifting gears.


From gear shifting we moved to practicing in a parking garage how to stop and start again without rolling backwards on an incline.  My poor dad spent hours with us behind the wheel making sure that we knew what was going on.  


Gunner?  He got his driver's license when he was 21 (they gave him one to drive a car, when all he had ever driven was a motorcycle).  The first car he drove was a military vehicle--a humvee, so thank goodness it was an automatic.  (Side note, his brother had never driven before and during his first assignment with the Army, he was told to drive a deuce and a half, while he had never driven before.  By the end of the day he felt courageous enough to shift to second gear, lol)  He could have benefited from my dad's "Learn how to drive" class.  Granted he has gotten a lot better over the years, a lot better.  


But.........cause there's always a but....


If I could drive while he was gone (almost a total of 5 years of deployments, and we won't even count field, TDY, and all that other times they are away)......do you think I have lost all ability?  


We do laugh about it, and he is getting better.  After our afternoon trip to the car dealer, I let him drive to go get the girls.  I pointed out how he scans the roads for IEDs, watches for anything out of the "norm", and has been known to drive aggressively like he is in a convoy.


So while I know this part will eventually fade, I do notice a lot of telling the other person how to do things.  While he tells me how to drive, etc., I tell him how to take care of the kids, how things should be done.  Usually by the time we get it ironed out, he is gone again, so we wait another year and start all over again. 


How do you handle this part of reintegration?  

I'm still alive!

I have no great story as to why I fell off the face of the earth, other than using this guy as my excuse:

Having Gunner home has been such a huge help.  After 96 hours off, he was exhausted from trying to keep up with my schedule of crossfit, carting children around, doctor's appointments, and all the other normal day to day stuff to maintain a family of 5.

Our laundry load increased exponentially.  The amount of food we have to cook is increased as well.  I wouldn't change a thing though.

We've been working on finding jobs, and let me tell you, the Army is not helpful in this area AT ALL.  That's a whole dozen other posts that I need to write as well.

We've also balanced out the work with fun.  Gunner took the girls on a moonlight wolf tour where they got to meet wolves up close.  The girls LOVED it.

We went to the Western Museum of Mining and Industry to pan for gold.

The panning was free, and you got to keep what you collected.  There was some gold involved, and that was all my kids needed to hear before they were hooked.







Junior had more fun splashing water and mud all over himself.








They had an area where you could dress up like a miner.

Notice the wet tshirt?

Don't let the folded hands fool you! Emily found a new boyfriend too.

Junior really wanted a hat, and with a dad who recently returned home, we know that sometimes they have such guilt, they just can't say no.

On the way home we stopped off and took pictures in front of Pikes Peak.

Plus we have done a lot of this.....

Notice the new furniture?  Thankfully we have a dog that doesn't shed!  We also had to break down and buy a new car.  If you want a great car (ranked #2--A Ford is first, but don't hate, I won't buy one.  We actually went to get a Nissan Sentra because we know that they are reliable and they were ranked #31!)

Meet our new little Honda Fit.

It seems small, but has a ton of storage, and actually the whole family can ride in here, but I would not recommend it for long trips with three kids in the back!  (I'd actually recommend a limo, where you can close the barrier and not hear them, but that's out of my price range too.)

It's a great little car and gets about 34 miles per gallon around town, and 37+ on the freeway.  It also has voice activated stuff, which is kind of neat, but luckily the button you have to press before it works is on the steering wheel, as the kids heard voice activated and started all saying "Radio 92.9" or whatever their favorite station is, all at once.

So we are settling into being a family again, with a lot of big changes coming up in the future, that I am excited about.  I also have a lot to blog about too, so stay tuned!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a free digital camera, here!

The Big Camping Trip

The first camping trip with all three kiddos is a go for tomorrow.

There is an 80% chance of rain. I have class, so I am going to go out there, have dinner, hang out, and then head home so I can finish up my homework and such.

I'll head back out there on Saturday, after class, when there is only a 40% chance of rain.

Gunner sent me a text today that gave all the percentages for the chance of rain, and then asked me if it was okay if he took the kids because he really, really, really, really wanted to go camping. How can I say no?

The RV has most of the bare essentials packed. The meal plan was made, changed, rearranged, and purchased today.

Sleeping arrangements have been created and he has even had all the kids out there to make sure everyone would fit in a trial run. Apparently if I come then Junior has to sleep in the playpen because there will be no room in the bed. I don't see how there will be room for anyone in the bed, at least if you are wanting a good night sleep! It's all good though, and I will go out on Saturday and spend the night since on Sunday there is only a 30% chance of rain.

Gunner has the map printed out, and the bathrooms highlighted even though the RV has one. He knows where all the playgrounds are and where he wants to go fishing. He bought a minnow bucket today and was on cloud nine. Ummmmm......he went fishing while we were stationed at Fort Lewis, spent like 8 hours out there and returned home with a few trout. By the time he skinned them, I couldn't eat them and we didn't know how to cook them correctly. I've gotten a lot more adventurous since then and as long as it is cooked and not celery or chow mein noodles I can eat it!

Oh, and the only one without a cold is Em.

So we will be out in the rain, already sick, trying to camp, and hopefully having the time of our lives so that Gunner will want to take us out again. He's started a camping book where he is compiling all the information, and where he will add all the things we will change next time. He is so unlike me. I try to be organized, but truth be told I will always overpack and probably still have to make a run to Walmart at least twice.

It will be fun. And worst case scenario, we are stuck in a small RV with three screaming kids, a bathroom that I know is clean, a DVD player and a microwave....and did I mention air conditioning?

I might need to pack a set of earplugs, a camera, and a triathlon book for good measure.

The Bug

I was over at Just another Day In Paradise, who recently completed a half-marathon while her husband was deployed. Her husband has been bitten by the running bug and they are currently planning their travels/runs. I love it!

The bug has also bitten Gunner, as on the 2nd of May while I am sitting in class, he will be cruising around Fort Hood on a 50 mile bike ride. He just turned his bike in today to get new pedals, and mine goes in tomorrow. Now to to think about shoes, which I am sure I can locate a good deal online.

I skipped the gym yesterday in order to write a paper. It's still not finished, but the outline is there and I should be able to crank it out today after a trip to the gym.

I think I am catching Ab's cold. I don't have time for this!

I think I may have convinced a fellow teacher to do the triathlon with me. She's just as green as I am.

.......I'm home from the gym...control your excitement. They started this new thing where you have to sign in for a spinning class up to an hour before it begins. Sounds crazy, but people get kind of violent. So far I like it because I can attend the spinning classes now. Junior's daycare provider was going in during lunch to reserve her bike and some people were going before work. That's insane! So I hit an hour spinning class, ran two miles immediately after--ouch!

I heard from said friend of mine from school and she is going to do the triathlon with me, so it makes me feel a little better. She's also the one that I am going to do the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon with as well.

Tomorrow is Ab's big TAG field trip. She's super excited about it. I emailed her teacher and told her that Abs had packed a robe and a stuffed camel. Her teacher made some random announcements today about the field trip and included that robes and stuffed camels were probably not necessary. Abs was disappointed, and told her teacher that I wouldn't buy her a jacket!?!?!?!?! Geez. I ran into her teacher tonight at the gym so she filled me in on Ab's disappointment. I guess if that is all she is getting disappointed about, her life has to be easier than most other 8 year olds.

More details on Gunner's camping obsession are coming soon. The boy is about to drive me crazy! I'm so glad he's home though.

Orders

Seriously, if we are moving, I hope they cut orders sometime in the near future, so we can have SOME idea of a timeframe and make plans accordingly. I know some people have them, but who knows what the whole story is.

I am super sore today in my left calf. I went for a short 2 1/2 mile run and took it very slow. It felt good to stretch it out, and I was plugging along. I even did it outside, and I think I can become addicted to that! I didn't even realize it had been that far.

It's supposed to rain this weekend and it is the first weekend that Gunner wanted to go camping. I have class on Saturday, but I was going to go out there Friday and then back out Saturday afternoon. Hopefully it will be dry enough to make it a good experience because he's determined to get out there. He's now printing recipes for a campfire, but I am not sure if the burn ban will affect those plans. My sister once mentioned something about cookies on top of pie filling and something else and cooked in a dutch oven. I think I need her to send me the recipe.

The girls were happy with their Easter baskets and Junior was ecstatic with his Diego rescue pack. I can't say that we were overjoyed with the song that it plays over and over and over again. I guess the Easter Bunny should have been paying closer attention to that feature!

I can't believe it is already time to go back to school. This three day weekend flew by. I think I might need a day off this week. I'll have to look and see what is going on. I better use up all my days!

A friend took pictures at the race on Saturday and in each one I look like I am walking. I guess I need to work on my form? Gunner said I keep my arms too tensed up, and I need to lengthen my stride. Hmmmm....imagine what I could do if I ran correctly!

The joys of teaching 2nd grade

When I arrive to school in the morning, I have my hair down because it is still drying. Usually by about 10 am, I have it wrapped back up in a bun or something to keep it out of my face and make it easier to chase children.

Yesterday I had this conversation with a student:

Student: I have a secret to tell you.
Me: Okay, shoot.
Student: I need to whisper it.
Me: No one can hear, go ahead.
Student: No it's serious.
I lean in and put my ear down towards her, and my long hair is down this morning.
Student: (whispering in my ear, which is right next to their mouth) I have lice.

Geez. I'm still itching.

What's an extra few miles?

12 to be exact. I was trying to convince Gunner that if we were willing to ride 50 miles that we could easily ride the 100K, since it was just an extra 12 miles. He's not feeling it.

I have two books to read and review. One looks really good.

I am not motivated to go to the gym tonight. Junior fell asleep this evening and when I went in and woke him up he screamed and screamed. He finally made his way back to bed and is out again. Poor little guy. He needs his naps, but fights them tooth and nail during the day. So I am sure he won't sleep tonight at all. Lucky us.

Abs was up half the night screeching intermittently every few minutes. Apparently she kept dreaming about a boomerang that did not return but a scarecrow did. We are exhausted. Couple that with Junior coming in our room at 3:30 this morning, and my idea of getting a good night sleep did not occur.

I'm kind of in a funk today. The purge of the house needs to happen and soon...

While typing this blog, I took a break to peruse my amazon cart to see what I liked and didn't like.

I looked, read, and then went to another site and signed up for a triathlon. Never done one.

This should be interesting. Never a dull moment around here....

Therapy in the sauna?

I hit the gym today, ran, stepped, lifted, and listened to army wives in the sauna. I didn't even have to turn off my iPOD in order to listen to the not-so-quiet conversation. My blood started to boil, and another woman in there just looked at me and rolled her eyes. I hate army wives that complain about everything, loudly, in public places. Maybe it's just me.

I skipped dinner with the outlaws and opted for a run instead. It's been so beautiful that I am half tempted to run outside, but I always chicken out and head for the treadmill. I know how far I go and how fast I go inside, and I am worried I'd be a slacker outside with no one watching me. Who wants to look like a wimp at the gym?

I recruited several teachers to run or walk the 10K with me this weekend. This led to a creation of a run/walk club which I am now a member. Ummm.....I don't even know if I can run the whole 10K, but they were asking me questions? Oh geez. I told them I buy books on every subject I am interested in, and read, read, read. I'm trading in my guided reading books for how to run a triathlon, the triatheletes bible, a book on increasing your speed in cycling and running as well. Oh and I think I had a book in my cart that was for weight training for runners. I love books. I'll spend the next month pondering over my selections before I click that submit button and make my final order. Gunner just grins and makes room on the bookshelf for the next round of books.

Of course it might have to wait a while since I just ordered three new sports bras. How come they need to be so darn expensive. I have the (insert maiden name here) rack, so I have to buy bras that can keep the girls from knocking me out. I really want a reduction, but who wants to slow down that long? It's on my list of things though. TMI, I know, especially since my brother and Uncle read this blog. (I sure wish my Dad could read everything I write though, he would get a kick out of it all)

Oh and I have a new obsessions with roadrunnersports.com. I love their running pants and so I ordered a new pair and two pairs of capris. I was wearing out the washer and dryer, not to mention the one pair that I had.

Gunner and Junior got haircuts today. Potty training is still going strong, but he will not poop. Tonight he did it in the tub, so I guess the silver lining is that at least it was in the bathroom?

Gunner took the kids to eat with his parents while I was at the gym. I came home to find them all playing the wii--yes, we gave in and got one. The girls have decided that game night is much better than movie night. I have to agree! Of course it got Abs wired up and it is 10 pm and I am still hearing strains of opera music coming from her room. I wish I had her energy....and her voice. She's been busy creating vocabulary tests for us at every turn, and her writing has really improved. We are still waiting for the OT referral, but it doesn't look promising. She did graduate from PT though, and it's nice to not have to race out there twice a week, but of course leave it to when Gunner is home, for it to be over!

Gunner finally shaved today.....I bet it was just because we have a run this weekend. He'd look pretty ridiculous with his high and tight and a beard. I'm betting by the end of leave he will be woolly.

Tomorrow is my friday, and the thought of jeans makes me happy, and it's not just the small size on the tag in the jeans, although that helps immensely. It also helps when people stop me to tell me that my pants are baggy, or when I have to hike them up because they are too loose!

Oh, and the giant purge? It will resume this Friday. Anyone need some canning jars?

Bunnies, Lions & Camels, Oh My!

We made bunnies for the bulletin board. What a nightmare.

Gunner is cutting out templates of camels & lions.

Didn't hit the gym and had mexican food for dinner--not a good combination.

A picture from this weekend of Junior with the Army monster truck. He loved it! The girls....could have cared less and wanted to move on.

Batman?

Block leave has begun. Great for Gunner, not so great for me when I had to get up to go to work this morning.

Gunner's first day at home with Junior was a huge success. He pottied all day on the potty, and kept his Batman underwear dry....until he pooped. Win some, lose some.

When he was finally in his diaper again and dressed for bed, he stopped playing, asked for his diaper off, and then went potty.

But this smiling face in Batman underoos was too cute.He's in desperate need of a haircut. Maybe I should let Abs practice?

Hit the gym, ran 3 miles.

I'm in the process of signing us up for a 50 mile bike ride. There are two choices and one ends with BBQ and beer, but it is over an hour away. The other is just half an hour away.

Which would you choose?

Ewwwww......

A tarantula is shedding in our garage. Gunner saved the skin. Lucky me. It can go with the squished snake. These would be great if Abs was still at a Montessori school. I've got a class full of boys, so they will appreciate these.

Abbey and I hit the gym this morning. I think she was ready to throw a weight at me at one point, she refrained and we both made it out of there alive. I really need to start extending my distances, so that's on the list for this week.

I worked. I graded papers. I found a pile of papers that I forgot to grade. I found a pile of papers that I don't want to grade. Ugh. I made lesson plans.

I forgot to take pictures of the girls using the pottery wheel. They made clay marks on their face and arms for war paint. They spent a couple of hours working but never finished an item. They are going to work on it more tomorrow since they apparently are going to sell these for a lot of money. I'm sure their Oma & Opa will buy one paying top dollar!! At least for a few hours there was no fighting, it was heaven. Junior tried to be involved but since they wouldn't let him, he spent the entire time grabbing their container of water and dumping it out and making them scream. The fun has started.

While I was still working, Gunner loaded up the kids and went for a bike ride. I think I need to go and pull the bike trailer next time. What's an extra hundred pounds? Might do me some good!

Gunner has made this elaborate list of things to do while on leave. He is pulling Junior from daycare and is going to throw him in the jogging stroller and run after walking Abs to school each morning. I'm jealous! I teach at an early start school, so I have to be there at the crack of dawn.

He's planning a camping trip. We have only one race scheduled so far while he is on leave, but I am looking for more. I really want to do this adventure race, but it is about 8 hours long. The challenge would be fun though.

He has a cleaning schedule. He has an errand schedule.

I didn't see a menu on his list of lists, wonder if I can sneak one in there without pushing my luck? He's a much better cook than I am. Shoot, Junior won't even eat mac & cheese anymore, so I guess I served it a little too much during deployment.

.....forgot to post this last night. I just returned home from a run and a swim. I hadn't swam in quite a while, but was a swimmer in high school. It was great. I loved it. I am adding it to my list of things to do at least twice a week.

Junior is screaming because no one will sleep in his bed with him. Gunner is cleaning up spilled tomato juice, and I need to steam some fish. Tomorrow it is inner space caverns with busloads of 2nd graders. I have recruited Gunner to come help me out. He needs to perfect "the look" before he shows up!

Check

Gym...check--wanted to do my long run this morning, but this smelly guy came in around mile 3 and I couldn't hack it.

Study group....check--great to see my friends, catch up, study, and realize that we are all in the same boat.

Baby shower present...check--why are baby things so expensive?

Cats overfed...check--My friend Mel is at a conference and asked me to overfeed her cats. While she was gone over Christmas I thought I was supposed to give them two cans of food each. Not so apparently. No wonder the litterbox was always full.

Waiting to go to baby shower so I still have to wrap the presents. I am not artistic so I dread trying to make my gift look like something other than what the cat dragged in. I'm hoping that Gunner will help me out there.

The girls were dropped off with my mom, and Gunner even made an additional round trip so that Abs would have her medicine.

.....Home from the baby shower. Junior found a snake on a walk with Gunner. It was small and squished and he wanted to save it to show me. A sign of what is to come? At least it was dead.

I was going to go back to the gym this evening and they closed at 8. Do they think everyone in Killeen goes out or something? I was looking forward to another run, a swim, and a trip to the sauna. Instead Abbey and I have scheduled a trip tomorrow. I guess I can have an exciting evening of grading papers, putting together centers, entering grades and doing laundry. I do have a couple of movies that I want to watch with Gunner, so I guess we'll fit that in somewhere.

Night 1 of Junior in his Thomas bed went well, but so far night two isn't going as well. One more week till the serious potty training adventure begins!

Woohoo!

The weekend is finally here. It is starting to get cold, of course, and so my Army 10-miler training run tomorrow was canceled. I haven't been to one yet, so I am feeling guilty. The signup is on the 1st of April, and I want to go, but if am not at Fort Hood anymore, then I won't have anyone to go with. Decisions, decisions.

I will hit the gym tomorrow though with my friend Abbey. That is, assuming, she will go back with me after I worked her today. She was a trooper and did awesome! I think the word slave driver or was it drill sgt only came out of her mouth once.

I took off half the day today and slept. Gunner said that he heard orders were cut and we should be receiving them soon? Let's hope! I'm ready to get this ball rolling, if it's going to roll, or make plans accordingly if it is not. One of my bestest friends in the entire world is in Denver, so I can't wait till we get there to see him! (Hi Dave!) He has no kids, so I am thinking he might have to visit me so three kids won't be as overwhelming in his house with his Schnoodle.

We made the jump and Junior has been moved to his Thomas the Tank Engine bed (tonight's the first night). Gunner's parents bought it for him, but it was missing the bottom part, so the mattress was slipping. Gunner solved it by using the bottom of the crib, but that leaves us with a crib with no bottom, which won't do anyone any good. I guess someone could order the part, if I could remember who made the crib. If not, I guess it will be out with the trash next week. It served three kids, so we definitely got our money's worth out of it. Maybe the move to the big boy bed will alleviate him stripping and escaping? One can hope!

When I was growing up I always wanted Wonder Woman underoos. I don't think they even make them for girls anymore, but I picked up a pair of Batman ones for Junior the other day. I can't wait to give them to him for his birthday. I told my sister about them and she had always wanted them too. LOL At least it wasn't just me!

I have a study session tomorrow, the gym, a baby shower, cleaning, more studying, papers to grade, and a million other things on the schedule. How much longer till summer vacation???

Half Day

I am taking half a day off tomorrow and I can't wait. I can't decide between napping or doing something more constructive. I asked Gunner if he got off early if he would want to go for a run or a bike ride. Hearing those words, he told me he might be working late. Am I wearing him out?

I hit the gym tonight and while talking to a fellow teacher I did 40 minutes on the stairmaster. Then I ran two miles, and hit the weights. I ended with a stint in the sauna and returned home to three kids in bed.

I kissed the kids and then redressed naked Junior while talking to my sister. We cannot keep clothes on the boy. Even a sleeper on backwards is no match for Junior Houdini. He doesn't even unzip it, so no telling how we can keep him dressed.

I've recruited 5 other teachers to do the 10K with us on the 11th. Good times I tell ya!

As if....

As if a 5k on the 14th wasn't enough, there was the 21 mile bike ride, then fishing, then Erin & Scout and I headed off on a couple of adventures.

Saturday we hit the Urban Dare in Austin. When we got the clue sheet, we were stumped. We were calling, emailing, searching, and running....sometimes in circles. We learned that we needed to spend more time planning our route next time. Oh well, we got good exercise. I plotted our course on mapmyrun.com and we were over 10 miles, but I forgot to add in that we parked at one end of 6th street and had to hike through the massive amount of people there for concerts, to the other end. Add that distance in and we were well over 12 miles. Talk about tired.

Before the race:
Scout, Erin and me.These were taken before the race, when we were full of energy and sure that we were going to win big!

At Mellow Johnny's...By the end of the race we were exhausted. What better way to finish the day by saying "See you in the morning for the 5K that we are going to run!". Gunner and I could barely talk at dinner we were so tired. We hit Johnny Carino's, and were amazed that there were only 4 dishes that were low fat. The waitress looked at me like I was insane when I asked if they had any fat free dressing.

Insanity. We arrived bright and early at the Run 4 the Rovers 5K on Sunday. This year I brought Junior along. He winked:
He ate, and he drove, while Gunner ran.Gunner and I got separated, but I did run the entire way, even in my sore state. I got back and tried to find out my official time and wouldn't you know that when Gunner and I both took off our timer didn't register??? How do you prevent that from happening? All four of us finished, and after the day before, that was all I think we were looking for!

I worked, Gunner took the kids fishing, and we shuffled around the house in our sore state.

I was back at my teaching job today, and hit the gym afterwards. Without having to worry about childcare, it's nice. I got in 30 minutes on the stairmaster, a quick 1 mile run just to loosen up, and hit the weights. The highlight of every workout is the sauna, but I was devastated when I went back to find it broken.

One thing I did discover during all this working out/races/togetherness with Gunner is that we do not have the same taste in workout music. I cannot run to the beating of Metallica in my ear followed by someotherbandwithanameIhaveneverheardof screeching out another "song". So now I am on the quest to makeup my own playlist of running/weightlifting/cycling/sauna music. If anyone has any favorites please let me know as I am not up on music at all, I just know I don't like Gunner's "Play it Loud" playlist, sorry!

And the next race schedules.....10K in 3 weeks. I better get busy!

Headed out...

Today Gunner and I are headed to Austin today for the Urban Dare--kind of like the Amazing Race--with Erin and Scout. Then on Sunday we are doing a 5k--Run for the Rovers. Erin and I did it last year and had a lot of fun. Two down and three more to go, so far. I wonder what else I can sign us up for!

Gunner and the girls had a great time fishing last night and Abs managed to catch a fish! He wasn't sure what kind it was, so they released it, but at least they got a lot of bites in this little lake.They had a lot of fun, and we got them tucked into bed and they fell fast asleep for once. I'm sure that's the same feeling we will have Sunday night after a busy weekend. I never caught up on my grading, but my lesson plans are ready for Monday, and I'll have to get busy next week with school.

Have a great weekend!

Gone Fishin'

Gunner has been chomping at the bit to go fishing. When we were first dating, he would come visit me in Dallas and we would go to this little lake and fish several times a month. We never caught anything that was big enough to keep, but it was cheap entertainment.

While Gunner was in Iraq the first time I went to visit my sister in Alaska and went deep sea fishing. I sent him the pictures of the HUGE halibut I caught and he was jealous.

So yesterday Gunner decided it was time to go fishing. We got cheap fishing poles (less than $9), he dragged out the stuff he had been collecting over the years, and this morning he got up early. He sliced open his hand trying to get the fishing poles out of the wrapper. I asked him why he didn't use a pair of scissors, and he said that he did after he hurt himself.

We packed a lunch, and hit the road. Em wanted to go to spring break camp so that she could see the movie Escape to Witch mountain or whatever it was. We tried to talk to her, but she is a tween and wanted the movie more. At least there was no fighting today.

We went to the Rod and Gun club to get fishing licenses and permits, and all that good stuff. Gunner was happy that he was able to get a hunting and fishing license for free. Now he just needs to find someone to hunt with. He's a good shot!

After filling out all that paperwork, we left with two dozen worms. Abs was fascinated by them. She later explained that if she had to choose a creature to describe herself with she would choose the earthworm and the glo-worm. I asked for further clarification and she said the glo-worm because she was known to be very active at times (at times????), and the earthworm because she could be mellow at times too, and sit and read a book.

Junior and Abs waiting for their Dad to bait their hooks.

Abs making sure she didn't lose her worm. We didn't even get a nibble.


Abs was content to sit there most of the day, casting over and over again trying to catch something. She discussed the finer points of fishing with me, which she learned from a Survival book that I bought her a while back. She was prepared to instruct her father on how to fillet the fish as well.
Junior trying to decide why he wasn't catching any fish.We went to the first spot, where Junior and Abs were dying to get a hold of their fishing poles. Junior's came with a rubber fish which Gunner misplaced somewhere, unfortunately. We left the hook off of his, and we would cast it out for him and he would reel it in. Over and over and over and over again. He never got tired of it.


Gunner packed the tent so that Junior would have a place to rest (HA!) if needed. He did hang out in it for a while, but it was kind of windy and the tent was not anchored, so it blew over with Junior in it and was blowing down towards the water. Everyone was watching us as we went chasing after the tent and Junior was screeching. We never lack for excitement.
The only thing we caught today.....a set of keys to a Ford.Gunner just left again to go with all three kids to the lake near our house to test the waters with the remainder of the worms. Hopefully they return with something!

What next?

There are so many reasons why I am ready to move. Bazillions of them!!! Still no official orders, but I am moving ahead with the plan that we are out of here in July.

I purged Ab's room yesterday and have piles of clothes that she has outgrown or worn out to give away. I need to do the same with my clothes and Gunner's. I am sure there has to be one of those places that loans out job interview clothes for the people trying to get back on their feet. I don't itemize, so there's no tax benefit to donations anywhere specific.

Ab's birthday is next week and I am at a total loss as to what to get her. Gunner and I talked about it last night and there is nothing that she needs. I kept saying I was going to make a knitted dinosaur for her, but that will never get done since I never started it.

I've searched the internet to no avail, and now it is almost too late to order anything.

She wears a uniform to school so buying clothes really isn't an option. She loves legos and I thought about something along those lines, but after cleaning her room, she doesn't need anymore. She wants a Nintendo DS, but that's not happening. She also asked for a Wii and that's not on the horizon either. Back to the drawing board....

Junior escaped from his crib in the middle of the night and went looking for his dad. We close the gates at night because the noise will wake me up if Abs is trying to get up for her late night tv watching. Instead I heard Junior running around. He climbed into bed with us, snuggled up to Gunner and was fast asleep. He spent the first five months asleep in my arms while Gunner was deployed, so I guess it is Gunner's turn now. We need to get the crib taken down as well, but need to find a place to get rid of that too.

Slowly but surely we will get rid of about 5K pounds....And here's a story about my kids.

Halfway through...

I can't believe that Spring Break is already half over! There's still so much to do.

Gunner's parents have a small RV or as the girls call it, a housecar. They told us that they can't use it anymore with 5 dogs, so we should use it whenever we can. I've been investigating where we can take off to. It has a stove, shower, bathroom, fridge, ac, etc. That's my kind of camping! It won't sleep everyone, but we have a small dome tent too. I also prefer to have my food cooked over an open campfire, but a stove is a nice backup, and my germaphobic self would love the sink!

We found a few places to visit, but now we just need to find the time to take off. Gunner wants to take the girls fishing, and Glen Rose has the dinosaur tracks that we could take Abs to see. Em actually likes camping--especially if she has access to her iPOD. Junior would just want to climb and play in the dirt.

We bought Junior a tricycle the other day. He saw it in the store and hopped on and was pedaling all over the place. He's like a mad man on it, zipping around, I do not see a driver's license in his future. We were trying to locate a bike helmet for him at the store, and none of the toddler ones fit. Gunner finally found a non-girly 5+ helmet, and it fit perfectly. He rubbed Junior's head and told me he had a big head. Ummm....yeah......I found that out almost three years ago when I had the boy, hence one of the many reasons we are done.

Last night I asked Gunner what his schedule was like today. I think he was afraid to tell me because I might come up with some crazy idea like going for a 21 mile run or something. I'm not that insane, especially since I am sore, but I would like to go for a run outside since it is so beautiful. We have 5 races coming up in the next few days, weeks, and months. I think Gunner is afraid I might find more. Em & Abs expressed an interest in going to one with us, so we might get that figured out. I bet Abs could run a 5K with her energy level. Some days it could probably be a marathon. I better go marathon clean her room....I noticed a couple of piles of rocks in there, she's sneaky since I created the "No more rocks are coming into this house because I am tired of washing them!" rule.

On the reintegration front, Gunner is done with his reverse SRP and I believe the classes start up next week. Block leave is just 16 days away for him, not that he is counting. What I wouldn't do to have 30 days off with him....