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....

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today Gunner got off early once again and so we headed out on a bike ride. After we tuned up the bikes, loaded them, and drove to his parents house, we were ready to go. We donned our helmets and bike gloves as well as our padded bike shorts. Our water bottles were filled and the wind was blowing. It was beautiful!!!

These bikes have the SKINNIEST tires, and I am always afraid when I haven't ridden them in a while. I got over my initial fears and we took a spin around the circle. Gunner's parents live kind of out in the country, so we took off to see if the bridge was still washed out. Around 8.5 miles Gunner wanted to stop. I kept riding. At around 14.5 miles I thought he would turn off at his parents house, but he kept on following. Finally at 21 miles I figured he had enough so we stopped and enjoyed a nice cold drink on the back porch with his mom. She was in a good mood, and even though after 15 years she can't say my name correctly and that drives me nuts, I actually enjoyed myself.

When we went to get up, I finally felt those 21 miles and my workout the previous day. Ouch! And it was such a beautiful day, it never even crossed our mind to get out the sunscreen, so we are sooo burned. Poor Gunner has red designs all over his head because of the holes in his helmet.

We are BBQing fajitas tonight using the recipe that my dad always used, and Abs and I whipped up a no-egg, no-milk, no-oil, splenda, banana cake for dessert. Initial taste tests passed with Abs, so the results should be interesting. Abs was disappointed that I would not whip up some icing to put on top, but I told her that would defeat the purpose of our healthy (but oh so tasty?) cake!

Today at Spring Break camp Em's group visited the animal ranch. When Gunner picked her up and when she arrived home, she made sure to let us both know that out of all the kids that were there, only 3 did not have cell phones. Apparently when they drove in, all the kids pulled out their cell phones to take pictures. I let her know that I was so glad that she was able to be independent and not be like the rest of the group, as well as the other two kids. She was not amused.

Oh well, at least it only took me three days to get her to the hospital this time for her foot, so that has to make up for the fact that she has no cell phone?

Update: The cake was good, if you aren't used to eating sweet things anymore!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Once Junior heard what his shirt said, he wouldn't stop puckering up while Gunner was trying to take a picture. Let's hope he's not the kissing bandit at school today!Once Gunner gets home we are going to head out on a bike ride. Tonight we celebrate what would have been my dad's 70th birthday.

There's laundry to fold in there somewhere, rooms to clean, and a trip to plan. I think Gunner and the kids and I need to get out of dodge one weekend or something. Who knows when we can fit it in, but I'm determined to make it happen--well in between the three races that I just signed up for--a 10K, a 5K and a 15 mile bike ride. If you are at "the great place" you can sign up at MWR and you can register and participate for free, plus you get a free shirt. Also the month of the military child festival is coming up on April 4th here and that is all free too. We went last year, although the first stop was the ambulance because Em managed to whack herself in the head getting out of the car. I have the ESL test that day, but will hopefully be back in time to go with Gunner and the kids. If not, he's going to take them himself.....hmmmmm....maybe I will just hide in the peace and quiet of my own house? Tempting, but being with the kids would be more fun.

Off to prep for the ride. We want to go at least 20-30 miles depending on when he gets back. I got on my bikes yesterday and couldn't even remember how to switch gears it had been so long! A few miles around the neighborhood and I was good to go....

On the first day of Spring Break

Em whined to me....I think my foot is broken.

So off to the er we go, where we fortunately only have to wait two hours to find out that there is no big break and that we will get a call if there is a small fracture or something they pick up later. Em got an ace bandage, a boot, and orders to rest and watch tv. Of course Em and Abs wanted to go to Spring Break camp this week and not stay home and do fun stuff like clean out the garage, etc. Go figure. If we do move in a few months, then I have a ton of stuff to get done, and this is the only week I have off till July 9th. I'm tired just thinking about it.

I stopped by this morning and hung out with Erin for a while on my way to the gym. It was good to see her and not have to worry about all the kiddos making a mess or getting into stuff.

Had my workout.

Ran to the er.'

Home to make popovers for dessert. Junior was screaming when I arrived because Gunner had taped his diaper on. He apparently wouldn't keep it on, so I put him in underwear and he finally peed in his little toilet. Maybe there is hope that he will be potty trained before he is 3?

....and he peed again after his bath too. We're on a roll! Here's a video of Junior's new ride-on toy. Guess whatever makes you happy! (And he's holding underwear and a Harry Potter magic wand)

So far to go, but no better time than the present to get started....

Reintegration

We are surviving.

I have been reminded that the world will not turn over and die if Gunner does something slightly different than I do. It's not wrong, it's his way. (Although secretly, after a year, shouldn't my advice make his life a little easier????) He also does it to drive me crazy, I am sure.

The amount of laundry has quadrupled. Gunner just caught up with everything that I was behind. Now we just need to catch up with everything that we wore in the meantime.

I haven't changed a diaper yet, which is a nice break.

The first night Gunner was home, I was startled awake every time he moved. I'm getting better about that. Just not used to sharing a bed.

The nightmares aren't as bad this time.

His adjustment with the kids has been going okay. They are quick to remind him that I don't serve dinner like that, get them ready in the morning like that, or do such and such and such. It's all good, because they do the same thing to me as soon as he deploys.

We ran a 5K this morning, and the starting gun was not well received by him (& there were others too that reacted).

He introduced me to mafia wars on facebook, as if I needed something else to do to waste my time.

When he drops Junior off at daycare, Junior cries "I NEED you Daddy" and it melts his heart.

Abs still tries to push in between us when we hug. And if we kiss??? They all start groaning.

Gunner has adapted to my healthy way of eating with little reluctance.

My students love him.

His return to the world of driving like an American has been slow in coming, although he would argue that point. No, Gunner, you can't force people off the road, run every light and sign, and I promise you that the bag blowing in the wind is not an IED. He still scans the roads, that will take time.

We went to the outlet mall today and he was great company. He didn't complain, and I even talked him into two shirts at Banana Republic. (Ummmm......I LOVE that store!)

Yesterday afternoon, Gunner needed to go to Clothing Sales to get a new pair of running shoes. I was exhausted after school, so I asked him to take the kiddos. He balked. I balked that he balked. Our conversation:

Him: Take all three of them to the store?
Me: Yep.
Him: Do you know how hard it will be to shop with three kids in tow?
Me (trying not to knock him upside the head): I think I have a pretty good idea since I just did it for a year.
Him (Smiling): But you had to do it, the beauty of this situation is that I don't have to.
Me (not smiling): Are you kidding me?
Him: Don't worry, I've got them.

My husband has a weird sense of humor some days. Karma came into play as Junior kept escaping from the cart.

I'm sure I will think of more things that are going/not going so well, but so far things are better than expected. It's still weird to think of him being here every day. It's nice knowing that on the evenings where I used to be too busy to breathe that I have someone who is there to help and without question.

In other news:

Em thinks she broke her foot. She's become the queen of broken bones. I am hoping that she just pulled something. It's on the top of her foot, and she said she heard a pop while she was running in PE on Friday. She's pretty consistent in her limping, so I am starting to be concerned. Thank goodness for the weekend clinic being open tomorrow. She's dragged out her old crutches from the last time she broke her foot and she is way too tall for them now, but she is gimping around the house on them.

Junior is tearing up his skin with all of his scratching. We're going to have to get a referral to the pediatric skin specialist at Scott & White since his allergist and dermatologist haven't been able to make too many changes. I guess we could try the warm pajamas and Crisco, as gross as it sounds.

Abs has been Abs, just her usual antics and ability to keep us on our toes. We were at the Children's Place today and they had a pair of stirrup pants for cheap, cheap, cheap. Abs saw them and freaked out. She was so excited that there was something out there created just for her problem of her pants riding up. God help me, I hope she doesn't want straps sewn on the bottom of all her pants. They also had tights for 99 cents, and she wanted them all. For that price, we settled for 6 pairs.

While we were out shopping today I got Em a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. For the same price I got Abs a dress, several shirts, a pair of pink Bass rain boots, the tights, two pairs of leggings and 1 pair of stirrup pants. That just seems insane to me.

And one more insane thing about the Round Rock outlet mall--they are stingy at the food court! They have no napkin dispensers, you can only get one or two from the restaurant that you order from. The kids all wanted bourbon chicken from the chinese place, and it cost $15 for three plates. That is insane (but they loved it and ate it). What's even more insane is their view on water. I asked for three waters and they gave me three water bottles. I told them I wasn't paying for water, could they make three waters out of the machine. They refused and would only give me one. I should have left, but the kids were hungry and I was trying to avoid a scene. I would have paid for the cup, which probably cost them pennies anyway.

Maybe I am just too cheap?

In the meantime here's yet another homecoming picture....

This is the tent where we waited and they had the huge screen we could watch.

Did I mention they fed you? I was too excited/nervous to eat. They had Pizza Hut, Fuddruckers and Bush's chicken, all for free. Junior chowed down on the pizza. More pictures later when I write shorter posts, because for some reason I can't drag my pictures down easily, and I have to do it piece by piece. Hmmmm.......

PhotoHunt "Four"

Theme this week is "FOUR". Here are my "four" favorite people back together again.

From last Saturday when Gunner came home from Iraq. Junior couldn't stop looking at his dad.

More pictures here.

The Troops Come Marching In

After the buses moved. That was Abs waving her flag as hard as she could.

If they really want my opinion, I liked having the ceremonies in the gym better. We could see a lot better and I could usually find him right away. This way was a mass of people to search for.
We found him. Yes, that's my hair, I am always amazed at how curly it is when I see it in pictures. I guess I like to pretend it is not that curly?



I love the look on Em's face here. (My hair had been down long enough, and was about to go up!)

Still here

I have so many pictures and so many things to share about reintegration.


In the meantime, here's another few pictures.

Waiting for Daddy....

Finally not crying or screaming about whatever it was she was upset about.
What a good looking couple.....we've been married 14 years and together for 15 years.
My boys....

The Plane Ride

They had tents setup, and inside they had one of those giant video screens and were tracking the flight.

The plane landing.

The guys getting off the plane. They still had to turn in their weapons, etc. We didn't see Gunner, but they were having some technical difficulties.

Junior waving to the screen hoping to see his daddy.

After the guys got off the plane and they showed it, we went outside and waited, and waited, and waited some more. One of my students and her mom came to take pictures and welcome him home too. They had fire engines at the end of the road, and as the buses came through, they shot water over the buses. They also do this when the planes come in at DFW.

More pictures to come. Did I mention that Gunner is HOME!!!!

Homecoming...

A Year Deployment in Review

When Gunner left it was supposed to be 15 months. Thank goodness it wasn't!!!!

When Gunner left, I worked one day a week, and kept Junior home with me.

I didn't go to the gym that much although I did pay for a membership.

Then he left.

You can look at a deployment as a time to wallow in self-pity (and don't worry I did my fair share of that!) or a time to do something with your life. The time will pass regardless of what you do with it, so my mantra this deployment was to make some changes and make OUR lives better because of it.

I set out on the quest to get my teacher certification. I chose the hardest road because it allowed me to put my time and effort into completing half of my MEd. It was hard, it was overwhelming most of the time, but the benefits outweighed the costs. I don't like to do anything half-ass (except cut my grass), so I went forward full speed.

I took graduate classes all summer, got a job as a second grade teacher on post, and kept on going. I took graduate courses in the fall, and am in one now. I have more this summer.

I went back to the gym. I got a trainer. I completed 3 -5k's and 1-10K.

I lost 25 pounds.

I raised our three children, albeit on fast food and oatmeal some days.

I continued working my 1 day a week job.

I sucked at sending packages and letters to Gunner, but he understood and loved me. (Plus he could read the blog and hear all about overflowing toilets and sick children, probably more than he or anyone else wanted to!)

I spent time with my family and with my friends.

Although Junior has only spent 14 months with his dad, out of three years, he knows who his dad is. He can also tell you that when Daddy comes home, that Daddy will change all the diapers. Yea!

I made a lot of new friends that Gunner has yet to meet, but he has heard a lot about. The girls learned to swim, went to camp, participated in Girl Scouts, and grew, grew, grew.

Junior is nothing like the baby he left.

I doubted my strength at times, but now that I am HOURS (that's right people HOURS!!!!) from the end, I know that I was stronger than I thought. Hindsight is 20/20 after all.

So I managed to keep three kids alive, the house is still standing, there is food to microwave, and I am going to see the most amazing guy in a bit.

Seriously people, these reunions are better than wedding days. (When I was at the mall, I saw a girl getting her makeup done, and we talked while the lady rung me up. She was marrying a guy in the navy at 4 o'clock today. She asked me if it was all worth it, and all I could say was "you have no idea how much".)

So my next post better be me leaving to get this Soldier of mine....

P.S. And he did call and they were in St. Paul, Minnesota. They bypassed Germany and Ireland and landed in Amsterdam. I doubt I would let that many Soldiers off the plane in a place like that!

Headed in the right direction

The wind is blowing like crazy, so my curly fro might be a mess!

I still need to shower. In the middle of making the bed. Still cleaning house. Need to vacuum out car, not sure when though. Ran to Kohl's to get an outfit, my friend Mel met me there and talked me into wedge heels. I'm sure by tomorrow I will have a broken ankle.

Banners are up.

Went to the Gap to get a pair of long and leans, and was TWO sizes smaller! Woohoo! Got waterproof mascara. I never wear makeup.

Had my wedding ring cleaned and eyed those titanium bands for Gunner.

My mom took the kids to Explore UT, without a stroller for Junior. He's going to be exhausted. Still so much to do, like lay out the clothes for the kiddos, shower, clean some more, and, and, and......

Still no word from Gunner which I find strange, but my friend Abbey's husband is on the same flight and she hasn't heard from him either. That phone call from Germany or Ireland is always reassuring.

I better get to work!

Who the heck knows?!?!?!?!

It's the Army, I am keeping that in mind.

I will be able to make it to my class....probably the entire class.

I have a span of about 3 hours that he MIGHT be home. He hasn't called, so I am hoping he calls from Germany or Ireland or somewhere to let me know what is going on.

I can be patient. I can be patient. What's a few hours when I have waited this long???? It's actually a lot.

Oh well, I have class, cleaning, need to find something to wear, charge the camera, blog, facebook (yeah I am starting to think that should be a verb in this house! That's how I knew Gunner was out of Iraq because he put it on FB. Geez). I'm sure I can think of a few million other things to do, and just in case I have a pile of papers to grade! Fun times!

Still counting down

The donut of misery says "Pack your bags!".

Music to my ears.

Less than 42 hours left of this deployment.

Deployment in review to come tomorrow sometime.

Boy did I learn a lot.....

Waiting Patiently?

I guess I have to feed the kids tonight somehow.

Instead I signed Gunner & I up for a 5k on the 14th of March.

I signed us up for an adventure race in Austin the following weekend, that Erin & Scout are going to do as well. Thanks for the heads up Erin!

I am looking at another adventure race on the 28th. There's a women's duathlon that I would love to do on another day.

The Run for the Rovers that we did last year is in March too. Guess we need to figure out how to do that as well.

If Gunner doesn't get home soon, he might be signed up for something else. Good thing he loves me!

He's coming home!!!!

I got the official call this evening.

Gunner actually called me this morning from his FOB and told me he was waiting on a helicopter to BIAP. He called me tonight from BIAP and they were boarding to head to Kuwait.

Not much long and I'll have homecoming #4 to tell!!!!

I started getting nervous tonight. I don't know what to wear. I still need to clean out the car. I have to work the next two days, and then he will be here. Not too much OPSEC since they publish his arrival time on the website.

So I am still here, still waiting, but tonight I put out the trash cans for the last time this deployment. I don't know if I can believe that he will be home....soon.....

Homecoming #3

The third deployment was by far the hardest for me.

As my father still battled cancer, I watched him go from the strongest man I had known, to someone who depended on people for help. Not something that was easy for him. I was glad that I was able to be there though. Gunner left for Iraq in December 2005 and I was 12 weeks pregnant with Junior.

We didn't find out the sex, and trying to have him pin down a name for this baby with him only calling every week or 10 days was next to impossible. And some of the names he suggested, I wondered if he got the baby name books that I sent or if he was creating names out of arabic letters.

My dad passed away when I was about 7 months pregnant, two small kids who were devastated, and my husband halfway around the world. Junior was a bright point though, and he kept me busy, along with my obsession with cloth diapers. I used to dream about them too. My husband thought I was strange? Whatever, like after this many years he is supposed to understand me.

Gunner was set to return in November 2006, but his flight kept getting delayed, and so he finally came back right at the year mark. They were all shooting to make it to December so that they could be tax free for the year. Anything to keep you busy I guess.

This deployment was exceptionally hard with everything that happened, and the things that Gunner saw. I was really nervous about him finally coming home, and how he would react, especially to a son he didn't know. When he used to call, he would tell me that he "loved that little boy even though he didn't know him". It was heartbreaking.

The evening that he was set to arrive, I was so nervous. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was worried. How much had he changed? How would he handle being the dad to 3? (No worries, he turned out okay!) We hung up banners, got everyone dressed, and headed out to the gym.

His flight was supposed to be home at 10ish, and they were running a tight schedule. At least it wasn't too late this time, since Junior was 5 months old and I didn't want to disturb his already screwy schedule.

My main focus was to let the girls see their dad, and then be able to hand him his son. My MIL had other ideas, and held on to him till I decided he needed to nurse through all the excitement. She wanted to give him his son, but after taking care of him for 5 months alone, I wanted to do it. Probably petty, but I had my heart set on it.

I was so busy watching the kids, taking care of Junior, that the guys were showing up before I knew it. We were in the same gym as before, with the same smoke machine, a DJ, Vietnam vets lining the walkway, and tons and tons of people. I probably remember the least about this return because I was soooooo tired and worn down. What I do have handy is pictures. (Click on the picture to enlarge)
(I know I have curly hair, but I never realize just how curly until I see it in pictures.)

Homecoming #2

Another 12 month deployment, our first to Iraq. (Our, like I actually went there or something!)

We had just moved to Texas when Gunner was set to deploy to Iraq. Em was 5 and Abs had just turned 2. About 4 months after Gunner left, my dad's cancer returned. We survived the deployment, and finally got word that Gunner would be returning soon.

I was actually active in our dysfunctional FRG, which ended up being a HUGE mistake, but that's a whole other story in itself. Anyway, I worked on banners and decorating the motorpool. Anything to help pass the time till he came home.

My parents kept the girls overnight the night before he arrived so I could madly clean the house. Gunner's flight was supposed to arrive at 2:30 am, so we went to the gym at 1:30 in the morning thinking that we would be arriving early. We got there and the gym was packed. Guess no one wanted to sleep and take the chance of missing their Soldier.

There was a Soldier who was left behind because a brain tumor was found, and he was the MC at the ceremony. There was music being played, kids dancing, and people everywhere. We waited.....and waited....and waited.......

At 5:00 in the morning they finally told us that the buses were leaving the airport. The crowd started screaming--me, not so much. I was exhausted. About 15 minutes later, the buses started driving by the gym. I remember my heart stopping and the tears coming. An older lady next to me, put her arm around me, hugged me and said "It's been a long year hasn't it honey". She had no idea.

Once the buses arrived, there was still no sign of our Soldiers. The MC kept having us scream, and scream, and scream. Me, still not screaming, I'm not a loud person. Gunner later told us that they thought famous people kept on walking in because the gym kept going crazy, they had no idea it was all for them. Finally the music started blaring, the smoke machine went crazy, and the strobe light was flashing. In line, our Soldiers ran in one after another, with the families getting louder and louder.

Once all the Soldiers had entered, the guy in charge (whatever he was called), called them to attention, right faced those good looking guys and the National Anthem was sung. (I really should drag out all the pics I have of these homecomings) Of course the only way for the deployment to end was the big man in charge to yell out "1-2-3" and all the families to yell "dismissed!". We searched and searched for Gunner, but he was nowhere.

Then we saw someone walking towards us. I recognized him right away, but I guess he thought that we didn't and he ripped his kevlar off. The girls attacked him, I got a hug and a quick kiss and then Em and Abs took off with him again. Our hero was home.....

The Dreaded TAKS

The TAKS is tomorrow and I've been pulled from my room to help administer it. Should be interesting I guess. I hope my students behave for the sub!

Tonight was supposed to be my last training session, but my trainer booked someone else , who just happened to be my friend Mel. Mel gave me her spot after some discussion and me trying to talk to the head trainer, who is about as bright as a box of rocks. I'm just ready for training to be over so I can go when I want to and not during the peak times and have to wait for daycare. I can't wait till Gunner is home and things like this are just a little bit easier. Em hates to go to the gym because all the little kids flock around her and she doesn't want to be bothered.

Since tomorrow is the TAKS, I cannot miss school, and when I picked up Junior they told me he had a low temperature of about 99. Let's hope it's nothing serious. Poor little guy.

Still no word from Gunner, so I imagine he is busy being moved around while the Army tries to figure things out. I sure miss that guy. Just having him here in the same house will make everything seem easier, even if it really isn't. Does that make sense?

Soon......

Homecoming 1

Since our 4th homecoming is around the corner, I have been reminiscing about the first three. It's amazing how all of them have been so different over the years as we have added to our family and gotten older.

The first time Gunner deployed, it was December 15th, 1995. Our first anniversary was two days later and he was headed to Bosnia. We were stationed in Germany, and had spent the previous 7 months that we were there, with him being gone for 2 months at a time. We had no kids, I had an internship with the State of Florida in their International Trade and Development Division, and I was back in school working on my MBA. I remember when he left they assured us that Clinton was only going to have the troops in Bosnia for a year, and so this would be his only deployment, and we wouldn't even have to face a year separation while he was in Korea....so they said. Now 14 years later, there are still troops there.

Gunner spent Christmas Day camped out in the snow next to a hotel. Morale was low and the CO located Christmas trees and made it mandatory that they decorate them for a contest. Gunner's platoon created green duct tape ornaments and hung pictures of their family on the tree that was also decorated in chem lights. It kept them busy. While the hotel was overflowing with the press, they at least managed to get them to cook them a nice Christmas dinner. One of the reporters was nice enough to share his phone with the guys and allow them to call home.

Fast forward a year later, and I was eagerly awaiting Gunner's return. They said that once we received the final phone call, we would have at least 5 hours till we were able to meet them. I waited to clean, shower and get ready for his return. As luck would have it, they called and said we had 30 minutes till we could pick them up. I showered, threw on my cute homecoming outfit, and then ran to a friend's house to help her get her son dressed so we could head on over there.

We waited and waited, and finally they started playing Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" (kind of a weird selection if you ask me) and in they marched in formation. I couldn't tell Gunner apart from all the rest of the Soldiers, but I waited patiently and when they were dismissed he ran over and grabbed me. We were young, in love, and finally back together.

I remember on the way home looking at him with disbelief that he was actually in my car. He looked older, tired, and relieved to be back home.

And in keeping with military traditions, 10 months later bouncing baby girl Em came along. Life was good.

Dates

Everyone I know is waiting for the dates of our Soldiers return.

I at least have a date for when he will fly to Kuwait. It's a start. Once he gets there we should know more.

All I know is that it is possible I have one more trash day. Possible. Probable? This is the Army, who the heck knows.

I called this morning to check on the girls who spent the night with my mom. Em couldn't get on the phone fast enough to tell me that Abs had worn her shirt to bed, and horror of horrors, Abs had licked it. I assured her that we could wash it, and she asked if we could wash it twice to make sure. Abs just wanted to tell me that she loved me, she would never mention the licked shirt.

While Junior and I were waiting for Dora to come on, we watched the tail end of Wonder Pets. I wanted to shoot the duck that talks in baby talk. Even Junior was less than impressed with the show. Please tell me that people don't really let their kids watch that stuff, it's awful!


I am feeling brave, so I might have to venture to the grocery store with Junior. I'll be armed with snacks this time. I was down 22 pounds this morning, even after my small piece of lemon meringue pie. I still can't breathe well enough to run, but hopefully soon.

Gunner said he mailed some boxes home since he couldn't fit it all in his gear. He's hoping to beat the boxes home. When he spent a year in Bosnia, back in '95-'96, we were in Germany so we had access to MPS. I loved it.....until he decided to send almost everything back via MPS. I went to the post office, and the guy got a dolly and loaded over 20 boxes into my little nissan and sent me packing. The next day there was more and the next day more. I was surprised he returned with a bag or anything, seemed like he had mailed it all home. Those were good times...

Catching Up

I had my second to last training session tonight. I won't miss being tied to the gym during peak hours, but I will miss having someone telling me not to quit or give up. The extra push is always nice. The 21 pounds I lost was nice too. I still think I can drop a few more before Gunner gets home. Once this crud is gone I can get back to running. I was way more up on current events when I was running, since I park myself on the treadmill in front of the only tv that shows Foxnews.

I DVRed the moving Taking Chance and I haven't been able to make it all the way through. I want to finish it this weekend.

Also Oprah did a show on Walter Reed that I DVRed to watch too.

Still no word from Gunner. The website was listing units coming home on each day, but this evening it is back to being very generic. Hoping that he has a chance to call soon and shed some light on his arrival time. My friend Mel's husband is due next week for his R&R, and my friend Abbey's husband is headed home too. Then it is time for PCS season to start.

We got an email that said if we were going to Carson that we could add our name to the housing list now. I called, and they let me add it, and pulled up all his information, and said we qualify for a 4 bedroom. Maybe this means we are going? We have no orders though, so like a good army family we will sit back and wait.

Wiped Out

Parent/teacher conferences were tonight. I am wiped out. What really amazes me, is that maybe I do know what I am talking about! I'm sure glad that tomorrow is Friday, and I am glad that I have Survivor to watch tonight.

I am still sick, but eventually I have to get better, right?

I have to get better.

Still no word from Gunner. I like to think that he is so busy tying up loose ends so he can hurry home to us. I know they were getting ready to start left seat/right seat, and that's always a good sign.

I need to buy some more 550 cord and locate the welcome home signs.

My inlaws gave me the welcome home shirts for the kids. They are cute I guess. They are happy with them and that is all that matters. My MIL actually talked to me tonight when they dropped the kids off. Because conferences ran so late, they took Abs to PT for me and then got Junior. They even fed them this time.

And Junior returned home with a bear in uniform, as big as himself, in his arms. We needed more stuff in this house.

Today was trash day. I can count on one finger...maybe two (let's hope not)....how many trash days I have left!

If this is my worst problem, then I shouldn't complain!

The lady that cleans my house was supposed to come this week since she didn't last week. I came home and noticed that my trash can was not overflowing. I walked in and saw my sad house that needed a vacuum, mopping job, and to be straightend up.

I checked my email and her real job called her in, and she admitted that until they got someone reliable she couldn't commit to cleaning my house anymore on a weekly basis.

I thought I would cry. I have to clean my own house? I called my friend Mel, whose maid is booked till she moves in a few days. I checked craigslist. Too scary. I thought about cleaning my house myself and about had a panic attack. Would I have time to fit that in as well as everything else?

Then I called a friend who is headed to a funeral. I don't have that to worry about. We are slowly getting well. The toilet in Ab's bathroom doesn't work well enough to overflow these days. Gunner should be home within the next two weeks if not sooner. My kids are happy (except for Em who is still dwelling on the fact that she might have to choose between a school dance and her dad coming home--I think there is a member of the opposite sex there that she might want to see, God help me). My car is fixed and it cost less than a thousand dollars, and they are letting me leave it there till I figure out a way to get it back to "The Great Place".

......As soon as I started thinking of all the "good", I went and checked the laundry and started to put it all in the dryer. That's when I realized that somehow a Junior diaper got loaded in the washer and had exploded all over the place with those annoying little beads. Of course I don't realize this till I start loading the clothes from the washer in the dryer, and I see the exploding diaper. I try to flip it out, not knowing that those little beads would land all over the clean clothes in the front of the dryer that I needed to fold. I think I am back to square 1 with the laundry.

I'll focus on the positive tomorrow, I've got too many loads of laundry ahead of me and freaking little beads EVERYWHERE to clean up. Fun!

My Day Off

I set my alarm for 5:45 as I had to get Junior to daycare and Em to school before Abs and I headed out to her two appointments, the first one being at 7:30.

I woke up at 7:19. Immediately gathered my senses, and started yelling commands. We were all dressed and out the door, baby included, in 7 minutes. (This did require me to tell them to grab dirty socks cause we just didn't have time to search for socks--mom of the year I am not!) I got Junior dropped off, Em was late to school and went without her backpack, and Abs and I were a half hour late for her appointment. I never wanted to be an overachiever anyway.

After her first appointment, I wanted to get her in school for about an hour, but they were headed off on a field trip to the art show, so I took her home so we could have breakfast and then head out to her second appointment.

After that extremely long appointment, where they changed her meds, we were supposed to head over to the lab for some tests. They came to tell me Abs needed to pee in a cup as Abs was washing her hands after having used the restroom. The slow, slow, slow nurse told me she needed to try again. I told her that since she just peed, that it would not be worth our time or effort to go try and make her squeeze out a few drops. She was shocked that I wasn't going to make her pee again.

So we head back to get blood drawn. Abs starts to get upset, and the slow, slow lady says "We need to move her to a room so when she screams when I poke her with a needle it won't disturb the hospital."

Not the thing to say to an anxious 7 year old. Abs starts crying. We get into the room and the lady proceeds to tell her "stop crying, because I just need to poke you with a little needle and get some blood out of your arm". She has nothing setup and puts the blue strap on Ab's arm and leaves it there while she thumps on her elbow pit. The blue strap remains while she gets out the needles right in front of Abs and is getting everything setup. Don't forget, that we have the slow, slow, lady. All of this takes about 10 minutes.

So my poor Abs who has GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) is losing it. She starts screaming. Another person comes in to help, and we are still sitting there for another 5 minutes or so while she is wiping the elbow pit with the alcohol swab, still messing with everything else and the blue strap is still on. She sticks her, and can't get any blood. She messes with the needle some more, and by this time the room is full and I am pissed. I tell her to take it out because she can't do it, and she is still moving slow, slow, slow. She gets offended, and someone else steps in to take over. I told her as long as she did it quickly she could try, but they only had one more chance. I complained that she shouldn't have been moving so slow when she was dealing with a child like this. The other person agreed.

Debbie came in and spoke to Abs softly while Abs got pricked again, and Abs continued to scream "why do you have to take all my blood out of my body???". They finish quickly and Debbie remained there until Abs calmed down. Thank goodness for Debbie.

Then the slow, slow lady had the nerve to ask Abs to pee in a cup. I told her that it wouldn't happen, and she asked what she was supposed to tell the doctor, and I told her to tell her that they were unable to collect the specimen. She was floored that I wasn't going to make Abs pee. She obviously doesn't know Abs.

So I fed her and got her dropped off at school, and raced home to fit a nap into my day. A dream about Junior getting kidnapped and I was back up and racing to pickup children.

Abs told me after school that she had to sit a foot away from her desk because she couldn't bend her arms due to the "blood holes". At PT she was unable to do pushups because of the same problem. She's been walking around with her arms straight out in front of her since noon.

My next day off, I am scheduling absolutely nothing.

Why are you naked and covered in pizza sauce?

I was on the phone with my friend Mel when I posed this question to my almost 8 year old Abs. No telling what she was thinking. Maybe she didn't want to get her clothes dirty? Whatever it was, she was sent to clean up and go to bed. Mel has no children yet (although she claims that her eggs are vibrating!) so she can't believe most of the stuff that rolls off my tongue, even after spending Thanksgiving with this motley crew.

My mom had an adventure with Abs here.

I am taking tomorrow off to run Abs to a couple of appointments. Then I will drop her off at school for a few heavenly hours of peace and quiet. I finally understand what my parents were asking for all those years.

The date for Gunner's return seems to have gone crazy. They are listing things on the website now, so that narrows it down to a few days to more than a month. Ugh.

There's still plenty to keep me busy though. I only have two personal training sessions left, and I am going to miss it. Nothing like making me accountable. I have plenty to keep me busy with the house, downsizing, sorting, and organizing, which is not my strong suit. If only I could find an aspiring interior decorator that wanted to practice on my house. Early Mr. Potato head and unfolded laundry is not becoming anymore.

I need to find new cell phones for us as well. Call me crazy, but a two year commitment on a cell phone stresses me out!

And the ESL test is in just over a month, so I need to start looking over that stuff too. My friend Mel and I were talking tonight about taking some additional certifications. She is a lot like me, and I can see us at our next interviews "Yes, I am a second year teacher and certified in 43 different subjects!". I'm definitely adding on PE though!

The end of an era

Junior has always loved his crib, but he hates to take naps. Desperate for a nap this afternoon, I put him back in his pajamas turned around backwards so that he wouldn't strip down to his nothingness instead of sleeping.

Got him tucked into bed, got into my own bed, and out he came. I cleared off his toddler bed, tucked him in there, and after a few minutes of playing he was out of the room.

He obviously didn't get the memo that he needed to stay in the crib till Gunner got home!

So instead of napping it looks like I will be boxing up toys and everything else and moving them out of the room until I can get it all straightened out. Sounds like good times I tell ya.

Abs is on her way back to the house and my mom made me chicken noodle soup that she is delivering via Abs since she refuses to come inside. Can't blame her!

Lesson plans are made, dishes were washed, laundry going, and Junior is sitting inside the ottoman watching Barney. Won't be much longer till he doesn't fit, so I better get a picture while I can.

It's my turn

Yes, we are still on the sick blog.

It's finally my turn. Fever. Chills. Cough. Congestion. I feel like death warmed over.

I still have to get Em from her sleepover, Abs from Grandma, and Junior will get his wish to watch a lot of tv today. I'm kind of hoping Em slept a lot at her sleepover so I can go crash in my room and get some more sleep. Wishful thinking I am sure.

I wonder if my inlaws would bring me chicken noodle soup and gatorade. That might be pushing my luck....

But the house needs to be cleaned, I should go to the gym (not happening unless a miracle occurs), lesson plans need to be written, and children need to be taken care of.

And Gunner's date got pushed back out again. Still sooner than it was originally, but he said they are changing things left and right so don't hold my breath. Easier said than done!

Back to the sick couch....

Whew

So what's a girl supposed to do on her morning off?

I slept in for an hour, then dropped the kids off at school, then came home, got back into bed, and slept away the morning. I finally woke up when my tummy started rumbling, so I ran to Blimpie and I seriously could have come home to sleep another 4 or 5 hours. I was that tired.

Instead I headed into my training, which was good. I learned a lot, saw a lot, and will try out a lot of what I absorbed. I didn't worry about my students, my subs, or my own kids. I just relaxed. It was nice. It was back to reality at 4:30 though and I was off and running, grabbing 3 kids from 3 different locations. We hit the commissary so that we could eat again, then home for dinner and baths.

While Abs was in the bath she started reciting the Gettysburg Address. I knew one or two lines more so I taught her those too, and now she is on a mission to memorize it, so I need to get that printed out for her.

Em is feeling better, and Junior seems to be a little bit better too. After he coughed on me, and since I have forgotten to take my airborne all week, I think I am catching it. Ugh.

What's up with those guys selling magazines subscriptions for that contest door to door? Do people actually buy them. I don't even open the door for them. A few years ago, I was going out to get in the car and this guy came running towards me waving his hands and screaming. It scared me so I got in the car and locked the doors, and he started flipping me off and cussing at me and everything. Gunner was home so I called him, and he came out, and the guy was mad because I wouldn't tell him what time it was. He was selling magazine subscriptions and wanted to know if it was time to meet his ride. Gunner told him to move out and fast. The guy kept on ranting and raving. It was really weird. All I know is that if some guy is running towards me, I am not about to stick around to see what it is about!

Junior is still wearing his cape, and running up to complete strangers everywhere to let them know that he is a superhero in case there is any confusion.

My mom told me that she read somewhere that apple cider vinegar was good for skin problems. Junior was not impressed with me swiping it on his body and screamed. We'll see if it works. At this point I am willing to try anything to save his little skin.

Training tomorrow and then we are going to volunteer at the animal shelter. No worries Gunner, we will not be returning with an animal!

My Friday...

I did it.

I booked a sub for tomorrow morning. I haven't taken one day off, so I have to start slow. I have a training in the afternoon, so I have to work a little, but the morning is mine, all mine. (Knock on wood)

Took Em to the doctor tonight and they thought she had strep, but that came back negative. The pain is kind of on the right side, so they said to monitor it in case it is her appendix. Ummmm....no time for that! They did tell me to quit giving her children's tylenol. She might make it on the requirements for age, but the doctor said she didn't look 11. Don't remind me. Gunner is going to freak out when he see his baby girl is half grown.

I need to remember to get my digital camera from school so I can share what Abs created this morning at her appointment. It's adorable and the story behind it is true Abs. It's great. Her teacher couldn't wait to see me after school today so that she could find Abs and have her show it to me. Pictures and details to come!

While I was taking Em to the doctor tonight, my FIL watched Junior and Abs. I came back to find them piled on one side of the couch together watching cartoons. After he left I went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of crystal lite, my new weakness.

The floor was c.r.u.n.c.h.y. At first I thought maybe I had spilled some of my protein shake this morning while I was getting things ready to walk out the door. I was mistaken. Apparently someonethatisnotabs emptied 10 crystal lite packages on the floor. I'm sure there is some meaning behind it, but I have almost learned not to ask anymore. Guess it is a good thing that the house wasn't cleaned yesterday. I'll have plenty to keep me busy this weekend.

I need to remember to get my digital camera from school so I can share what Abs created this morning at her appointment. It's adorable and the story behind it is true Abs. It's great. Her teacher couldn't wait to see me after school today so that she could find Abs and have her show it to me. Pictures and details to come!

Survivor didn't get DVRed tonight, darn it!

No clean house...

The lady that comes to clean my house on Wednesdays didn't come today. Apparently she got called into work. I love coming home Wednesday afternoons and having it look so nice. Guess I am on my own.

Got an email from Gunner and the commo black is over, and he had some good news. He said he could be home a week early. A week before his year mark? A week before his return date? A week from his date to arrive in Kuwait? I went to work and had this conversation:

Me: Did you hear that?
Friend: Hear what?
Me: That, can't you hear it?
Friend: Looking puzzled, really trying to figure it out, finally says What are you hearing?
Me: The sound of my husband coming home a week early.

So hopefully Gunner will call me and let me know what is going on. Like he tells me, it will be on the website for everyone to see before he probably knows. When the war first started, he called before he went into Iraq, to see what Fox News was saying about what he was going to do, because they weren't telling them anything. Sure enough, the news crews were right. Luckily Geraldo didn't draw any pictures of their location.

Em isn't feeling too great tonight. She's got the runs, and they told me Junior had a few problems at daycare. This can't be happening!

I hear a croupy Junior too.

I wonder how much I will hear if I bury my hand in the pile of laundry that I need to fold.

People are noticing...

Now that I am almost to 20 pounds, people are starting to notice that I have lost weight. That's always a good feeling!!

I get weighed tomorrow, so we'll see what progress has been made. I didn't get to the gym today because of Ab's physical therapy, but hopefully it will all be okay.

Ab was back in fighting form today. She gave me a thumbs up this morning, took her medicine, and was off and racing. Thank goodness the lady who cleans the house is coming tomorrow. I need to know someone else cleaned it besides me to put my germaphobic mind at ease.

I got pulled over this morning. Ugh. No ticket, the MP was really nice and let me off. I'm sure Gunner is breathing a sigh of relief. I really am not a speed demon or anything, I was only going 23 in a 20 and not using my blinkers. Well and my last stop wasn't a 3 second stop. Geez. I wanted to point out to him that I just got my expired inspection stickers updated, but figured he wouldn't be as happy about that as I was.

I hear Junior hacking away....it sounds like croup. Oh the nights we spent with the girls in the er because we didn't know any better. Now Junior is propped up in his bed, has some water, some tylenol and hugs and kisses to last through the night. Em covered a pillow with a tshirt that has a picture of Gunner on it. Junior saw it, smiled, and said Daddy was sleeping with him. Melted my heart.

I mentioned to Em tonight, that she doesn't talk about her dad much anymore. She said she doesn't have to because she thinks about him all the time. We talk about him every day in the general sense, see pictures of him, talk about when he comes home what it will be like. Gone are the constant tears from the girls about him being gone. I look back at posts from the beginning, and they have come a long way. The hard part is knowing that they will have to start over from the beginning again next time. I'm sure there will be a next time.

Plugging Along...

My friend Abbey called to tell me that she is beating me in the sick department. Ugh. Not a contest either one of us want to be in!

Made it to training this morning, had a nice run beforehand too. I came home and found a duathlon in Temple in a month, and am trying to talk my friend Mel into it. She wasn't as gung-ho on this one. I'll wait till Gunner is back to go along with me. I need someone that knows how to fix my bike anyway or show me how to do it.

I'm busy making lesson plans, sub plans, and cleaning, while tending to little Abs. She is so quiet and calm it's scary. I called the doc since she is still seeing a civilian and they said to just wait it out. She is still under quarantine, much to her dismay. I did move the DVD player in there, and I continue to deliver water, pedialyte, jello and toast on a regular basis.

Junior is still running around in his cape being a superhero and not taking naps. He's gotten so funny in the last few weeks, and is finally ready for potty training. After organizing all his toys, he dumped out his books and crouched behind the basket. I asked him if he was pooping. He looked over, gave a little grin, and said "No, I am just peeing". Well if you can tell me, then you should tell me sooner kiddo!

Em is glued to the computer and her books. But she's been helping, sanitizing and entertaining Junior right along with me.

4 more trash days....

Shoot me now...

As soon as I hit post, I heard Abs throwing up. I.do.not.handle.barf. Didn't someone get the message over Thanksgiving when my friend Melinda had to take care of Junior?

I went back there, and she at least made it to the bathroom, but the lid was down. Figures. She managed to hit every other place in the room. It was bad.

I put her in the shower, banished Junior and Em to Junior's room, and started laundry, cleaned the bathroom, got Abs a barf bucket, and about tossed my own cookies.

I went through half a bottle of clorox spray, a roll of paper towels, two trash bags, and a small travel size package of clorox wipes.

Let's hope it is something that she ate.

It's days like this that I just want to run away and hide. I know The Mrs. can understand that as she is in the recovery stage. My mom won't come take care of me though!

I better go sanitize the house. Nothing says I love you like a clean bathroom to be sick in.

Ugh.

It happened...

I came home from dropping the girls off at Girl Scouts and put a tired, screaming, Junior down for a nap. I got snuggled into my bed to take a nap, had just fallen asleep, when the phone rang.

It always works like that.

I ran and found a phone, to hear little Abs on the other end of the line.

Abs: Hi Mommy!
Me: What happened?
Abs: Oh, nothing really.
Me: Then why are you calling?
Abs: Well I touched someone on the back.
Me: And?
Abs: Well she told her mom.
Me: Keep going.
Abs: So you have to pick me up.
Me: Abs, what's the rest of the story?
Abs: I don't know, it's just so hard to be me, so I'll see you in a few?
Me: Bye.

I got up from my warm bed and went to go get Junior up. Well he wasn't sleeping, but he was naked. Apparently he was not happy with taking a nap, so he was protesting. Probably a good thing that I got the phone call, or no telling what would have been all over his crib besides his clothes. And he managed to lose his diaper in there. I think he stuffed it down the side--mental note to go track that down after I get done with this post.

We got Abs and then waited in the car for an hour while Em finished up the meeting. Still not sure what happened, but at this point, I just wanted to go home and not stick around.

Got home and decided that everyone needed to clean their room. I started helping Abs, which means I had to put at least one lightbulb back in her room. She was so excited. She keep saying "So this is what it felt like when God said let there be light!".

While I was organizing her books, she was putting dirty clothes on her scooter and racing it down the hallway to the laundry room. The problem was that she would only hang a few things off and spent more time arranging them than she did moving them to their proper location.

Then Abs informed me that she had diarrhea. This was after she shared her afternoon tea with her brother. Sick diet again? I feel nauseous.

Em is holed up in her room, probably not working very hard at cleaning. Junior is wearing a bucket on his head, a cape on his back and is going back and forth through a tunnel. Abs told me she is thinking of new ways to solve the world's problems. I asked her what the problems were and she told me she would get back to me on that.

Come on donut of misery, you have to work faster, you have to.

Saturn

The dealer finally called me back today and she said that they can't even look at the car because the ignition and the key won't work. To replace all that, so they can look at the car and determine what is wrong, will cost me $401. Then they can tell me everything else that is wrong with it. I know I will need a new battery which is $100, and then they will remind me that there is a leak in my radiator and that is $1500 to repair. I'm sure there is more wrong with it. So I authorized the $401 and then said call me after that. Looks like Gunner will get his motorcycle after all. I wonder if he will settle for a motard? The boy is so accident prone that I am just worried about him getting one.

Time for a nap....

Gunner just called and I was filling him in on everything when they came through and told everyone to get off the phones and internet immediately. A quick bye and he was gone. Wonder what happened.

M1 Abrams 5k

It was freezing this morning. I texted my friend Mel to see whose bright idea this was, and she reminded me it was mine. Figures. She came over to pick me up and the outlaws stayed with the kiddos.

It was Mel's anniversary and since it was Valentine's Day, we had to do something healthy for our hearts. The run was nice, and not bad at all. It would have been easier if it hadn't been so cold. I did come in under the goal that I set for myself, so that's good. No marathons yet!

This isn't the most flattering picture, and I was freezing and only had my dad's heavy sweatshirt to run in.

My friend Mel, ready to run her first 5K. She did great!We even got a ribbon.....a participant ribbon, lol. Guess I can put it with my trophy from my 2nd place finish, lol.

The next race on post is in March, I wonder if Mel will have forgotten about this one?

Why can't people do what they say they are going to do?

I called this afternoon while my students were recess to see if Saturn had an estimate on my car. They hadn't received my car.

I called the tow truck driver who said he had no idea where my car was.

I called the tow truck company--Goode Towing--who said that they would look for it. The girl that answered the phone was a real idiot and couldn't even get the license plate for it, and kept having to have me repeat it over and over. She finally passed me off to the manager who told me I was rude to her entire front office staff. I told her I only talked to one girl who couldn't understand a license plate number and I just wanted to know where my car was and why it wasn't delivered at 7 am like promised. She told me a guy fell off the truck and broke his foot, so it was late. I told her that was unfortunate, but that they had promised me it would be there by 7 and they should have informed me if it wouldn't be. They hung up on me.

So I called AAA and complained and they said that they would contact them. AAA called back and let me know that the towing company assured them it would be delivered within the next 15 minutes. I was back in class and couldn't follow up, so I called Saturn after school and they told me that it had just arrived--two hours after they said it would be there in 15 minutes. I called back to AAA to complain again and they said that they would have someone contact me, but that it shouldn't have taken almost 24 hours and that I shouldn't have been charged $20. The tow truck manager told me it was because my tow was 4 miles over the limit. Considering that I have 100 mile towing or 5 free tows or whatever it was, I knew this wasn't true, so AAA is following up and is going to work on getting my money back. Crazy I tell you. So now it is 5 pm and I still don't know what is up with the car or how much it will cost. What a pain. AAA and Saturn also told me that the tow truck driver could have dropped the car last night.

I just called Saturn and they are still looking at the car. I guess it isn't an easy fix! Great. I hope it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I hate when people don't call me back. And then I have to figure out a way to get my car back to me with three kids in tow. Can I quit yet?

Our Valentine's party at school was crazzzzzyyyy. The kids had a good time, the parents were a HUGE help, but we had so much stuff and the kids were downing sugar like they had never seen it. I put an end to that so that their parents wouldn't have too many problems dealing with them. I got observed in the morning too, and that actually went really well despite them being so excited about the party. Two more observations left this year from that person.

The donut of misery is slowly moving and we have just over 4 weeks and are sitting at 30.44 days. Of course this is all an estimate, but I am hoping it is sooner rather than later. Gunner called last night and I told him about the car and everything else, and he just groaned. The last thing we need is to have to buy another car. Where's my dad when I need him??? He would somehow make everything seem less stressful even with Gunner halfway around the world.e was home on R&R the same time Gunner was and on the flight back to Kuwait introduced himself to Gunner. I told them about my car and he told me if I had anymore problems to let them know and he would take a look at it. He should have told me that before the towing fiasco!

I think we are off to the gym for a little workout before bedtime. Or maybe I just need a long time in the sauna.....

P.S. Gunner, we are fine, no worries. I might complain, but I know in the big scheme of life this is nothing and in 30 days you will be able to take care of all of this! And I am hoping the rain is minimal this weekend so I don't have to mow before you come home. We love you and miss you!

Drama Filled Thursday

My students were awful today. They were driving me nuts! I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring, and I have to get observed in the morning. Woohoo!

I called Toyota yesterday and arranged to have my car picked up, serviced, tires rotated, oil change, and get the overdue inspection updated, and then they would deliver it back to my house and I could call in and pay with a credit card. I was so worried about getting a ticket, so it had to be done.

I drove our hooptie Saturn today, and all was well. I got the kids dropped off, got to school, and then worked, tutored, and headed out. My friend was taking Em to her performance tonight and I was going to run Abs to PT. I stopped off at the shopette to get a monster since I was dragging.

I should have known better. I came out and the Saturn wouldn't start. Ugh. So I asked these two gi's if they had jumper cables. They did, but my car was not in a good position to jump and we couldn't get it out of the parking spot. Finally one of them managed to get it into gear and then they pushed it back so they could jump it. They worked on it for a good half hour, when they were supposed to be headed out of town to get his wife's Valentine's Day present--a 4 week old beagle. I canceled PT for Abs.

I started to get stressed because it wasn't starting. I didn't know what to do, so I asked them if they could give me a ride to my house. They seemed normal, and I didn't have a lot of choices at this point. My thinking was that hopefully the toyota had been delivered and I could get it, and come back, wait for AAA, then go get the two little ones.

They took me to my house, Junior's carseat and all. They were so nice, I lucked out I didn't get some freaks helping me. I called AAA, arranged to have them come get the car and deliver it to the dealer in Temple. Called the dealer and they said that the car could be dropped there at the yard. I ran up to the shoppette and waited. Eventually he showed up, 20 minutes before I had to get the kids from daycare.

The driver informs me that he has to store the car overnight and that it would cost me $20. I reluctantly wrote a check for the overpriced amount, and tore out of there with 12 minutes to get the kids. Ran and got Abs when I remembered that Em left her backpack in the trunk. I called the tow truck guy and ran back there, grabbed her backpack and tore back to Junior's daycare to grab him in the nick of time.

Now the kids are eating oatmeal. I'm starving and would love to tear into a burger, but I'm too sensible and would regret it later. The guys that looked at the car think it might be the alternator and the started from the way it was acting, which I am sure is going to cost a fortune. Not sure it is worth fixing, but Gunner won't have a car when he comes home. Guess I can look at buying a bottom of the line toyota or nissan or something. No American cars for me!

To the random guys that helped me today, thanks for being nice, honest, and willing to help me out while I was stranded! I know Gunner appreciates it (although I can hear him balking that I got in the car with random strangers), and I also knows that he tries to help as well when he sees someone stranded like I was.

Oh, and the outlaws....they were busy. Whatever.

Fortune Cookies

Today at school we did a team building exercise where we had fortune cookies that asked us questions we had to answer. The responses were interesting enough. At the end they gave us a real fortune cookie. I of course didn't eat the cookie, but my fortune read "You will have a romantic encounter soon." Hmmmmm....wonder what that means?

Of course soon is all relative when you are a military spouse.

5-6 weeks at NTC is nothing. Two NTC's ago, he called to tell me he was coming home, and I asked him to call back because I was at a really good sale at Dillard's and found a pair of $400 sandals for $19.99! He just laughed and called back later.

Field time is a nice vacation.

Staff duty is an inconvenience because it screws up their sleep schedule for the rest of the week--we aren't spring chickens anymore!

65 trash days was what we had when we started. I think we are down to 5 (?) maybe. Told you we are stuck on 5! Of course we were also fortunate enough to get his 15 month deployment cut down to 12 months.

To me, 12 months was do-able. Not easy. But there was something in my mind that just said 15 months is too much. Kind of like anything over 1 year and 1 day is too long. He will be gone over a year, but at least it won't be by much.

But 30 days or so.....that I consider soon (regardless of the whining I will do about it dragging on!).

On the way home from school I mentioned to Em that it was just about a month away. She smiled, and said "that's soon!". A month to me when I was 11 would have lasted a lifetime. I guess the kid has learned to take it all in stride too.

And soon means.....I'll be checking expiration dates to find the longest lasting milk/cheese/yogurt possible so I know it will be there when he comes home....

Food

I guess I keep hoping that food will miraculously appear each evening. I'm tired of even microwaving or boiling water. I'd love a nice fat free lasagna. I'd love more to have a year's worth of meals frozen for me so all I had to do was heat it up, serve on paper plates and then throw away. 365 meals. I will continue dreaming....

It's supposed to storm tonight and I am hoping to go to bed early. Really early. My car is still overdue for an oil change and it needs to get inspected and get the tires rotated. I think I can fit it in on Saturday after the 5K and before I have to work. Or maybe I will get them to pick up the car while I am at work one day. I just need to remember to call!

I'm sore from personal training last night....a good sore.

On the tv front, my friend Abbey told me that Survivor starts Thursday and Amazing Race is coming up. That will get me through these last 5 weeks.Well that and the kids, work and the idea that I'll see Gunner sooner rather than later!

Mail cutoff is Saturday!!!!

Power of suggestion

Let's face it, I already admitted that I have a problem with germs, hand sanitizer and sick people.

Junior's dirty diaper looked suspicious this evening. I am holding out hope that it is nothing.

Had training tonight and he mentioned that he might have a stomach bug. Are you kidding me? I made him carry around a bottle of sanitizer. He thinks it is something he ate, I am not taking any chances.

I am making emergency sub plans just in case. I know if I had been a sub, and my notes said to "go to the social studies drawer and pull out a map on the bottom and have students complete," I would have laughed.

Let's just hope I don't have to use the plans!

When Junior and I were leaving the gym daycare, he told me...."there's something in my ear mommy". I asked him what could possibly be in his ear, and he told me it was a rock he put in there. He didn't say anything else about it, and hasn't been pulling on it, so I am hoping he just randomly thought this up on his own and there is no rock in the ear. Keep your fingers crossed.

Em had her basketball performance tonight and my mom took Abs along for the ride. Apparently it went well, and I will see more of it on Thursday if the outlaws will take Abs to PT, and they have a performance during school. We forgot about the shirt and pants they needed to wear, so after setting up a lifesize map grid on my floor after school for my observation tomorrow, we raced hom to locate the said items. For once, everything was clean. Whew.

I grabbed Junior and we raced off to the gym where I got my running in, but the stairs were full so I settled for some cycling till I had my training. I will be sore tomorrow, which is good.

.....Found a 5K and am running it on Saturday. Woohoo! This would make the 4th race since Gunner is gone. Don't expect any trophies like Erin & I scored in our first 5K, but it will be fun and my friend Mel has the same trainer, so he will be happy that we are doing it.

Gunner better be in shape to keep up with me!

Paraphrasing

Em needs a class in it, since I just read her paper on Alexader Graham Bell and it sounded surprisingly like the information we printed out yesterday. I can't remember when we started getting in trouble for that, but I'm making her rewrite the paper much to her dismay. If only she would realize that in the long run it will be beneficial.

We went to Sam's, and as always had quite the adventure. Abs decided she wanted to ride in the cart, and I didn't argue since it was a way to get Junior into the seatbelt portion of the cart without a battle. Abs is small, but still at almost 8 years old, she got stuck in the cart. Some careful manuvering and taking off her shoes allowed us to pull her little body out of there with no screaming. Thank goodness for small miracles!

This was my last trip to Sam's without Gunner's help--I hope...maybe I should have bought two cases of toilet paper?

After Girl Scouts (no phone call thank goodness) we went to HEB with 5 million other people to get a few things. It was crazy. Not as crazy as my street looks like right now with the MP's all over the place....looks like another case of domestic dispute/domestic violence.

....MP's knocked on the door. They wanted to know what I had seen. Looks like they are going door to door to ask questions from the neighbors. I don't even know my neighbors names. I sure wish my friend Abbey would come be my one normal neighbor out here!

Tired of titles

I can never think of a title.

Gunner called last night. All is well in the land of camels. We are still on 5 weeks, this 5th week is lasting forever.

I had class yesterday so my mom kept the kids Friday night. I finished all my homework, worked out and went to sleep. Very exciting night. Saturday I spent all day in class, then sped to GT so I could work, and grab the kids. My mom always seems surprised that I am not well rested when I show up for the kids. When do I have time to rest?

Abs has Girl Scouts today. I hope I don't get a phone call.

I really should go to Walmart and Sam's. We're out of toilet paper and with three girls, I can't imagine that we will be able to function. Maybe I should buy the industrial rolls?

Block leave is in the middle of the school year, so Gunner will be sitting at home for a month. I told him he would be so lonely, so he might as well come volunter in my classroom for a month. I really want a vacation, but doesn't look like that is in the cards. We need to get the kids to Disney World while they have the military special, so I guess we are going to have to fly. 5 people...not cheap. Maybe Chris could leave early with the kids and drive and I'll fly in later? I'm sure that would be well received.

I'm not getting to the gym as much as I want because of everything else going on. I am definitely seeing a difference and have lost about 16.5 pounds. I asked my trainer when my hips would get smaller, but he said a 10.1 oz baby boy didn't help that at all. Good thing he's so cute...the 10.1 oz baby boy that is. By the time Gunner is home, I should feel much better. My scale is three pounds off of the trainer's, but I never liked his scale much anyway.

I wonder if a busy day of shopping, cleaning, changing diapers and folding clothes counts for a workout?