Coffee and Waffles

I love gloomy-guss kind of days! Just love them. I think today (being a gloomy-guss kind of day) will be wasted on me. I feel unusually motivated. I popped right out bed completed excited to find that the sky was full with grey cloud cover.

I rushed downstairs started a pot of coffee and some waffles for the Hubs and I. :)

I used Aunt Jemima's Waffle recipe on the back of the box -- they were YUMMY!

Perfect breakfast. Perfect start to this gloomy-guss day!

~~~

I need to hit the gym today and I think we're planning on visiting with my Aunt for a while. We haven't spent much time with them since Kevin found his way home.

~~~

I have to say I really appreciate the response to yesterday's post!! I love that I'm not the only one who's been down this path. I love that my readers appreciate the truth and that it isn't always easy or all love-making and being so happy you could just shit rainbows... ;)

I love my readers!!!

Happy Gloomy-Guss Sunday!!

It's not always easy

1st: I was helping my sister look for her wedding ring (that my nephew had climbed up onto the counter to get; took outside and through into the air when he was finished playing with them) yesterday and burnt my arm pretty badly on her lawn mower... it's a story that's pretty long to type so I won't bore you with the details.

The point:

Yeah-- I was attempting to move the blades up on the lawn mower and bumped the exhaust.

YUCK. OUCH. That'll be pretty {sarcasm} for quite some time. It's already a darker-purpleish color and the blister is still intact which is good. The blister and the blister juice is the body's way of protecting itself. It's still ugly.

~~~~

Kevin has been home for 10 days now. Unlike some other welcome home stories I've heard/read and contrary to both mine and Kevin's expectations for this time period; it's been rough.

There are a number of factors to why things haven't been honeymoon-esque for the Hubs and myself:

• The habits I created while Kevin was deployed.
• Re-learning how to do things for two (vs. just lil' ol' me)
• Kevin learning remembering I'm not one of his soldiers.
• Kevin's attempt to quit smoking -- if you remember a few months back I blogged about how Kevin had quit smoking (which is what I was told, mmm-hmm). Well he wasn't successful. He didn't tell me this. Basically, he returned home last Wednesday and Thursday was his first day of not smoking in a while.
• Taking responsibility for being unemployed, thus our current financial situation.

Those are some of the reasons that Kevin and I have had a difficult time reintegrating over the course of the last week. Kevin has been extremely short-tempered; flying off the handle at the smallest, most inane things. These are things that Kevin has admitted and owned up to, fully. However, I am a strong believer that a marriage is about both parties. If something is wrong or isn't working it's on both people involved. It's up to the couple (together) to work it out; get through it together!

You all know the drill after they return to work, briefings, briefings and more briefings. Well he mentioned some of our/his difficulties with getting adjusted to Behavior Health. Kevin brought home some literature home about Soldier Combat Stress. This isn't quite PTSD but it's pretty much what the name implies.

I'm here to tell everyone if your redeployment/re-integration experience isn't picture-perfect, or the smoothest of transitions it's ok. It's not the end of the world. Kevin and I are working on it and we're already doing better. So don't let the love-birds get you down. ;)

~~~~

I'm off now The Santa Claus is on TBS this is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE movies.

LOVE. IT.

Pictures: Part 2

Race for the Fallen:

Fort Carson, CO.

Sunday, 23rd August 2009

(Pre-Sickness Brody... and Pre-haircut...)

The saddest thing I saw: was this gorgeous little girl; long-curly blond hair and blue eyes. She couldn't have been more than 7 with a T-shirt that said she was there for her "Daddy". :'(

I half wanted to take a picture but that would have just been uncouth. She was beautiful though.

Kevin and I are both very happy we participated in this event though. Brody enjoyed it too.

PS: Brody is eating (Rice and ground beef) and drinking. We're going to hold off on the vet and see if this works. Maybe we'll have to get new dog food too? hmmm... Time will tell.

Pictures

Kevin's Welcome-Home-Family-Dinner:

Bambino's

(Nathan REALLY missed his Uncle Kevin, awww)

(Shuffle Board fun with his Momma, aww-again)

(CLOSE UP.. Bahahaa)

(Manitou Springs)

Mornings are for cleaning poops off walls!

First, I've still been M.I.A..... I know this. It's officially been a week since Kevin returned home I really shouldn't be neglecting my blogging responsibilities this way! I suck. Get over it. I'm working on it people!!! (;

Second, I'd like to now (on Thursday) do my "I Want it Wednesday" (you know since I was MIA yesterday):

I Want my dog not to be sick anymore (stay tuned).

I Want portraits of the Hubs and myself.

I Want a robot to rinse dishes, clean them AND put them away! I know you're saying:

"Hasn't this broad ever heard of a dish-washer? DUH!"

Well I HATE the dish-washer! Really, I have no problem with it; in fact I love what it was designed to do. I just HATE emptying the dishwasher. This is just a chore I detest and put off at all costs. So the "Dishwasher" is not the magical-robot I've been yearning for, since it doesn't actually put away my clean dishes!

~~~~~

Yes, it appears Brody is ill! He hasn't had much of an appetite the last 2-3 days and he has puked 2-3 times. Dogs puke, sometimes. It happens. I was planning on calling the Vet this morning anyways. Now it is absolutely essential!

Picture it:

0430: Alarm goes off -- can someone please tell me why {people --- bc I know it isn't just my hubs that does this} "people" set their alarms to go off multiple times versus just setting it for when you have to actually be awake and actively getting ready to leave the house and proceed about your day?

0445-ish: Hubby is out of bed showering, shaving ect...

0500: Hear Hubby open bedroom door.

0500 and 10 seconds: Hear hubby make noise= girly gag! "Ugh.." Implying "yucky/gross".

0500 and 30 seconds: "Babe, I'm going to need you to get up."

NO!!! -- i don't WANNA...! Ni ni... peaceful sigh

0501: I get out of bed, walk over to the door and BAM! It reeks of puke/poop... nasty smell wafting through the air!

0501 and 30 seconds: I think to myself "maybe if I vomit, he'll just take care of it?!"

0501 and 41 seconds: I decide that even if I were to vomit he'd make me clean it anyway.

I have since decided that while it did initially smell like puke that Brody had, in fact had some diarrhea issues last night (in his kennel). Guess what happened??? Brody LEAPED from his kennel (approx 0500 and 12 seconds) and ran downstairs.... tracking poop all over my house, including the WALLS. Good news {sarcasm} is that we just had Brody groomed on Monday! :)

So, yes in case you're wondering Thursday Mornings are for cleaning poop off of the walls!

While I am bitter for waking up entirely TOO early (for someone whose been unemployed for almost a year) and having to scrub poop out of my (also recently professionally cleaned) carpets and walls, I am also concerned about Brody! The Vet doesn't open until 0730 and considering I'm about done with this blog post I'll be showering and getting ready for the day then calling them. One way or the other Brody will get to a Doc today... no worries people.

Update

I know I've been a bad blogger -- BAD Sam, bad!

I have to tell everyone about the Homecoming... Needless to say it was very emotional. I am so happy that Kevin had such a good turn out though. There were 12 of us there just for him! His mother and step-dad came into town to be there, so that was extra special. Well I've seen all the pictures that people took except for my mother-in-law's. So far there isn't a great picture of the two of us!! Bah-hum-bug! Here are a few:

The top one was taken from cell phone and the bottom one is blurry... but I'd rather have these then NOTHING! So, I'm happy!

Well, the Hubs and I are starting to get into some what of a routine so I'll be able to get back into the swing of blogging, reading and commenting on other blogs as well!

~~~~~

We had a great few days with my MIL and FIL. We had dinners, went to Cripple Creek (gambling), tooled around the Broadmoor and Mantiou Springs with them and just hung out. It was really nice, quality time with them!! :)

Kevin and I finally got a new digital camera! Wooo. So I'll be able to take my own pictures and post them too! We've also seen a few movies. We got to the newest (because its not so "new" anymore) Harry Potter but sadly Kevin fell asleep a couple of times... that acclimating takes a few days. We watched "I Love You, Man" last night. Which he didn't find nearly as hilarious as I did, but still thought it was funny and enjoyable! Tonight we're watching Twilight!! Wooo Woo. I've also enjoyed cooking again! Tonight we had pasta- which my hubby has always loved. I'm STUFFED but somehow he's got room for that Chick-pea Salad I highlighted a few posts back. Egh... whatevs.

~~~~~

This past Sunday we participated in the "Run for the Fallen" on Fort Carson. It's pretty self-explanatory. It's a 1-mile walk/run in memory of the fallen soldiers/service members. It was pretty moving. I've never been to something like that before. As Kevin and I left, I felt very grateful. Grateful, not only to have my husband home with me safe and sound but also that with all of the soldiers I know and have met I haven't known any that didn't return home.

That is until today. My sister sent me a link for a local news spot about Sgt. Matthew Ingram. He pasted away last Friday in Afghanistan. Matt was married to an old friend of mine, Holly. I was actually at their wedding. I haven't spoken to her in over a year (maybe more) but I was shocked and floored by this. I don't remember exactly where she lives, I don't have her phone number anymore, I couldn't find her on facebook... I don't have myspace anymore!! I really want to contact her though. :( Her and Matt had a daughter... she's just a baby still. I didn't know she was pregnant, I don't know her name or when she was born but based on the news she can't have been more than 10 months old now.

Sad.

~~~~~

Also!!! With some winnings from Cripple Creek (PS: Craps is WAAAYYY over my head -- thanks for the lesson though, Neal) we were able to change our hotel reservation for Vegas from the crappy Circus Circus to the Excalibur!!! :) I am super excited about this. Also, (:D) we are going to NJ for my Granny's 75th Birthday Shin-Dig!!!!!!!! Wooooo! I am so excited for Kevin to meet my Jersey family. It'll be good times. A short trip but well worth it.

~~~~~

As much I enjoy the blogging I must put the computer down and concentrate on some Twilight! At least you're all caught up on my life!

Poor Puppy!

Hubby is home... that is going pretty well; a few bumps here and there but that's ok. That's what re-integration is all about! Gotta work through some of the nonsense in the beginning so that we get back to the good stuff! (:

We have mainly been spending time together (of course) and also with my fantastic MIL and her hubs! :) We've been having such a great time with them!!

Tonight we went to see Harry Potter... sadly we were both pretty exhausted and I'm not overly familiar with the series so I was kind of lost. Kevin fell a sleep for a few minutes, a few times! In all fairness he'd been up since 3 and it is a 2-and-half-hour movie! Well we come home from this movie absolutely beat; just ready for bed to a swollen pup!! ): the damn saddest face you'll ever see. He was in good spirits as with every other two times this had happened. It's a pain - really. But we love him so we do what needs to be done. This time Kevin (although I offered to go with him or in his place, since he's super tired) ran to the Safeway to pick up Benadryl; which we've been told to give him. As I type we're giving the pills some time to work and see what has to happen next! *fingers crossed*

Damn dogs get into everything huh?? :(

Bow Chicka Wow Wow

That's right people, my husband is home!!! (:

He arrived yesterday early evening. The homecoming ceremony was emotional -- of course! Thankfully he is off for the next few days (through the weekend) so we will be spending the next few days with family, RELAXING and acclimating. (:

I'll post pictures as I get them from family that was around -- I was a little too busy yesterday to be responsible for taking pictures, hahAhAA!

Sorry we skipped "I Want it Wednesday!" but I think you can all understand!

Attn: milspouses!!!

I've been doing some reading -- trying to distract myself from the time passing (if that makes ANY sense at all). I'm not sure if anyone else out there is as worried about money and/or finding a job like I am and have been this last year! If you are you will want to read this. Evidently starting 11 Sept (just next month... does anyone else find the date odd? Why not the first of the month? ANYWHOO), the Office of Personal Management issued the authority's final regulatory guidelines a few days ago. Check this out: "Noncompetitive Appointment of Certain Military Spouses." What's this mean you ask?? It means that the government is attempting to make it easier for us spouses searching for jobs, to actually find a job. :) This is something that I am completely "down" with! :) We'll see how well it works out though....

I know I said I would do better with my proof-reading but I'm all over the map right now emotional and that is making it difficult (obviously) to construct a coherent sentence... I think you all get the hint though. :)

Nothing

No news from Kevin.

No news from the Army.

Just waiting... and waiting.

Thankfully, my in-laws and family are here and God willing I'll have more reliable specifics in the AM.

I love my husband and couldn't be happier that he's coming home SOOO soon but I am also really nervous and anxious about his return. Anyone else get that?

Looky Looky!!!

You all remember this post from back in June?

Well Mr. Kevin Ruder (Pres. 901 Tequila) managed to get my hubby's very own bottle just in time for his homecoming! Impeccable timing really -- considering Kev should be home by the end of the week!! (:

I was beginning to think we had been forgotten, which was ok because we hadn't expected anything in the first place!

However, after receiving our complimentary bottle today in the mail I am very grateful and humbled that lil' ol' us were remembered. :)

Thanks to 901 Tequila, Justin Timberlake and Mr. Kevin Ruder!

Torn!

So here I am after completing all of my errands and my work out for the day STEWING (yes, stewing)! Again, I haven't heard from Kevin today! This is so nerve-wracking! I don't know if he's still in Iraq, or Kuwait, Germany or in transit somewhere! I know my husband well enough to know that he will call me as soon as he can -- waiting for that is something I am not accustomed to. I need info here people!

My MIL/FIL will be here in a few short hours! I am very excited about that. I haven't seen them since March (my lil' vaca to San Diego) and Kevin hasn't seen them since R&R in January! All the same, I am very excited for them to be here. Hopefully they'll help the time pass until Kevin does arrive. (:

I do have a few little things to do before he arrives. I had some people together on Saturday for a "Sign Making Party". Unfortunately my hilarious Aunt decided to draw something obscene (however, small) on one of the posters. So I'll be re-doing that one. :) My Aunt also picked up these ball decorations so I have to get those up!

It's time for me to get moving! Gotta keep busy! Teresa can attest to how much this part really sucks!

Why?

Why have I been craving ice cream for over a month -- every.day.?!!??!

Why have I been an emotional wreck for over a week? Hmmm, that one is pretty easy to answer huh? I am not usually an overly emotional individual. When I get this way, it is that much more difficult for my to handle because I'm not used to handling it. UGH~ All the same, I've been on the verge of tears for the past week over everything or nothing, it really doesn't matter.

I have been feeling pretty useless the end of this week. I am usually pretty decisive when it comes to planning things; trips, parties, get-togethers, BBQ's ect... But I've pretty much dropped the ball all over the place in this field during the course of the week. I couldn't get the two major things I wanted to accomplished this week: Kevin's Welcome Home BBQ, and our trip to Jersey for my Granny's 75th birthday party. I blogged about this earlier this week. All the same, I have since decided to scrap the BBQ. It would have been mainly family and that can be done at any time, anywhere really. I have spent most of this evening looking for flights to NJ and have come up very short! PS: United Airlines sucks and has no policy for cancellation/refunding tickets due to military service. Continental on the other hand, does allow for full refunds if you are unable to make your trip (due to military service)-- we like that :)!! Sadly, it looks like we'll be unable to make the Birthday celebration. :(

In other news my MIL and FIL will be in town tomorrow evening!!! :) I am sooo happy that they'll be present for the Homecoming Ceremony! Fingers crossed my hubby will be home VERRRY soon! Still no new information... last I heard he was still in Iraq. Greeeatt! {rolling eyes}

Why did my Biggest Loser DVD jump ship? I haven't busted this out in quite sometime but the last few days I haven't had the time to hit the gym until after they were closed (I am starting to see why ppl join 24 Hr Fitness) but still wanted to work out! I searched through everything yesterday but no luck finding the DVD! :( I went to their website and can get the Boot Camp DVD for $10-and some change. I'll just have to go for that.

You Can WILL Do Better

I just went back and re-read some of my most recent posts. Obviously I've gotten pretty lazy. I haven't been proof reading. I'm embarrassed.

I'll update everyone in a few, for now I'm headed to the gym -- hopefully that will turn this day around! :)

Husband-O- Husband...

Where for art thou Husband??

As reported yesterday, I didn't speak with Kevin yesterday. :( I was assuming hoping that meant he was in Kuwait!

I was wrong.

I received an email from Kevin about 2 AM -- he was letting me know that he wasn't able to call yesterday morning because the phones were done and that he would not be able to call me this morning either, since he had to pull guard.

:(

I suppose we're on schedule for his homecoming. A girl can always hope it happens sooner than scheduled/expected, right? All the same I hope to talk to him VERY soon. I did get spoiled, speaking to him as often as we have this past year....... Can't spoil a woman then cut it off. It just doesn't work like that! Grrr.

Here's to patience.... Ha HAHa ;)

Hell of a day

Haven't heard from Kev. I'll take that as a good sign.

Couldn't get questions about "canceling/transferring/refunding" plane tickets to NJ for my Gramma's 75 Birthday celebration. So nothing was booked. Maybe I should start at the beginning?: The birthday party is on Saturday the 5th, Kevin and I would fly into NJ on Friday the 3rd and back to CO early Sunday AM. All of this is only possible IF they grant Kev's mileage pass is granted. They told him that he was free to go on Friday if they didn't have any briefings scheduled; which of course, they won't know until they get home. Last minute questions are usually pretty spendy! Which, is why I was looking into purchasing tickets now with the option (depending on the specifics) of "canceling/transferring/refunding" them if necessary.

I was/sorta-half-still-am planning a Welcome Home BBQ for next weekend. I chose the perfect little park, but it was already booked. So I attempted to search for others in the area that I liked, but evidently there is no list or map of parks in this county- anywhere on the internets!

Moral of {side note: 10 PM I hear TAPS :( playing on the AFB} today's story: I feel completely defeated! I got nothing accomplished, and I have a ton of crap to do before Kevin returns.

Because I was feeling so defeated and anxious I decided to go to the movies. Yes, I saw "The Time Travelers Wife." Sadly... I was NOT, at all impressed. I expect a beginning, middle and end out of my movies. This one, oddly enough had no ending... no sense of finality or final resolution to the core conflict. I'm still wondering what happens next. Open-endedness is not something I'm into in movies. So there I was just watching... and watching... and then suddenly I wasn't anymore. That's it. Swell way to end the day huh?

Tomorrow will be better. :)

Me

Basically I am a NO-Nonsense kinda gal. Often times I come off as mean or blunt or completely insensitive. I also think that we all (me included) need a healthy dose of perspective a lot of the time. With that being said it kind of gets on my nerves when people pitch fits about how tough their lives are. Or how tough their life is about to me. Seriously? I don't want to pretend that "mine is somehow bigger than yours" (if you know what I mean) but here's the benefit of simple acceptance: Acceptance that no matter how dark and dreary you think things are or how scared you are of what's just around the corner, things can always get worse! We all choose to be where we are in our lives (or whats coming next)... so I don't feel bad for you.

I really struggle with people who complain about their circumstances constantly. Personally, I accept full responsibility for my choices and my life. I'm not a victim. I am the wife of a United States Soldier. While this isn't always easy, it is what a chose... bitching, whining and complaining will not change my circumstance.

I've met many new military wives who bitch, whine and complain about how their spouse/significant other is deploying, in the field or {god forbid} working late. huh? Again... I ask "Are you serious?" WHY? Deployments aren't fun... they aren't easy... and I do believe you have to be a special kind of woman to make it through. But I'll say it again:

None of us are victims!

The best milspouse survival tip I have is that when it gets tough... it will get tougher... but (as cliche as it is) when the times get tough the tough get tougher! At some point you have to just dig down deep and suck it the hell up! Some may ask "How?" There really isn't an answer for that. You just do it! People have done it before you-- so it can be done. Therefore, SO CAN YOU! That was meant to be encouragement.

I think we've all seen that forwarded email about the guy who complains about the AC being out "while the soldier fights in Iraq"... about the guy who complains about his co-workers, "while the soldier fights in Iraq"... so on and so forth. The point being that our soldiers have it pretty rough and {the way I see it} others take a little bit more time out of their days to count their/our blessings and to also appreciate the sacrifices made by our military. People have gotten pissy in the past when I've pointed out the differences in military service. Even within the Army there are differences. I am personally very grateful for options and opportunities that Kevin and I have been given throughout the course of this deployment. I know that I have been extremely luck to have talked to Kevin practically everyday while he's been gone. There are a lot of couples (a lot of the blogs that I read included) who aren't as lucky. This is my healthy dose of perspective! My husband and brother-in-law are both mechanics. My b-i-l was "lucky" enough to be assigned to an engineer battalion... my husband has always been in Cav regiments. They support different missions. My husband is currently completing his 3rd deployment to Iraq. While my b-i-l is about half way through his fourth total deployment (2 in Iraq, this is 2nd in Afghanistan). Levi (b-i-l) doesn't have the ability/option to call home nearly as often as Kevin. Perspective is amazing. Extremely humbling.

I wish that others would help themselves to some perspective more often. It's not easy to do... hell I'm not always the best at it, but that's why I surround my self with people stronger than myself. People who I know and love. People who will smack me back down when I am not strong enough to do it for myself.

Sorry if anyone is offended.

Word Verification

how on earth is typing what's above {or something like it} considered a security measure?

I was requesting a password from some site and it made me type this in. Why? Does this help the site verify that I am, in fact me? I'm super confuse.

Someone fill in the blanks for me. (:

~~~

Have a Happy Thursday.

I am Verrrry thankful that this week is going by. I'm not sure if it's been slow or fast-- probably a normal type pace. I'll take that too. I'm super-dee-duper excited for the weekend to come... Then go. Then my hubs will be home (shortly after). I still have a few things to complete before he gets home.

But no worries I will get it allllll completed! (:

I Want It... Wednesday!

I still want this from Target.

They still don't have it in the store! GrRrrrr

I also need what I affectionately refer to as a "Potty Table".

{I was going to add a picture but Blogger is being difficult... Bc it hates me!}

I want to wake up 10 lbs lighter.

I want my workout to still be effective. :( I think my routine needs some spicing up! But I really don't feel like figuring out what to do differently. In conjunction with the "want" just before this one, I have been stuck (down 20 lbs, total) for quite sometime now! :( I am very proud of myself for losing 20 lbs but I know that I need and can lose more so I am getting discouraged with the lack of recent progress!

Right this minute I want some water!

~~~

On the agenda for today:

*Insurance quotes (again/still).

*Make appointment for carpet cleaning.

*Gym.

All of my calls should take a whopping 30 mins... what else'll I do with my day?

~~~

Lately I have been EXTREMELY emotional. Crying at the most random things. Generally just on edge. I could go either way in the time it take to blink your eye... GRR (pissed) or WAAa (Crying).

I am attributing this to Kevin's homecoming being just around the corner! I am excited but I'm also frustrated at the lack of information. I knew to expect this. That doesn't make it any easier. This wicked combination of no information, nerves and excitement is really overwhelming.

I'm not complaining- it isn't bad. It's just overwhelming. But thankfully my once 8-day window has now been narrowed down to 4 days. But Kevin said that he is on "such-n-such" flight whereas the FRG info says he's on "this-n-that" flight. Great. Contradictory information is my

FAVORITE.

~~~

I really desperately want the Army to commit to a date- to tell me when my hubs will be HOME. For the OPSEC's sake you don't have to tell me when you're moving around in theater... just tell me what day and what time to be at the Special Events Center on Post. (: Was that so hard? Hmmm. HATERS.

Heads up

I just added a play list to my page. I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm assuming that not everyone is going to enjoy my choice in music. So if you aren't interested in listening to my short play list the music player is located at the bottom of my page so that you can stop it from serenading you. (:

This play list includes some classics and some new tunes that I adore. I love the version of "I'll Be" that is on this play list; this is also mine and Kevin's wedding song.

"Awww."

<3

I hope you all enjoy it. Can't wait for "I Want It Wednesday!" Wooo

Lucky

"Do you hear me,I'm talking to you

Across the water across the deep blue ocean

Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying

Boy I hear you in my dreams

I feel your whisper across the sea

I keep you with me in my heart

You make it easier when life gets hard

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend

Lucky to have been where I have been

Lucky to be coming home again

Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

They don't know how long it takes

Waiting for a love like this

Every time we say goodbye

I wish we had one more kiss

I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend

Lucky to have been where I have been

Lucky to be coming home again

Lucky we're in love every way

Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed

Lucky to be coming home"

"Lucky" -- Jason Mraz & Colbie Calliat

I LOVE this song. I'm happy it was featured on this last Sunday's Drop Dead Diva (love this show too... hopeful it doesn't fall victim to the curse fallen upon all show I love!)

Reason #1 Deployments totally suck!:

That I can't speak to Kevin whenever I want to; whenever I'm frustrated and about to break; or when I'm depressed and lonely; or when I have to make a last minute decision for the both of us! All examples of times I NEED to speak to my soldier but don't have the ability to.

PS: I'm pissed at our dog! GRrrrRr

HUGE Updates

The BIGGEST and BEST and HAPPIEST update of all:

My hubby will be home in just about a week! That's right people in a week (or more, or less- who really truly knows? ) my man will be home with me- right where he belongs! Of course I don't know an exact date yet and if I did I couldn't tell! :-x (;

I am couldn't be more excited. And nervous. And anxious. The list goes on and on and on...

~~~~~

Next I wanted to update everyone my my list (of things to complete before Kevin's return). I will be making the sauce later this week so it's fresh and all yummy-delicious! I was reading "The Travelers Gift" then it started to bore me. Then well, Brody ate it. Yes, that's a true story. I guess I'll never know how it ends. Shucks. I'll probably start on "The Noticer" tonight. Hopefully it isn't as dry as "The Travelers Gift." I've been hitting the gym on a regular basis and eating very well (with the exception of last night's binge on Coffee Ice Cream with Heath bars mixed in.... my mouth is watering. Please excuse me....) so I'm thinking the weight loss goal is right on track. I make not weighing my self on a regular basis a habit. :) The scale=THE DEVIL. Then the backyard started to be another issue. The hubs told me to rent a tiller but after it's tilled it needs to be flattened out ASAP and then the concrete sand needs to be put down ASAP...once the sand is down the pavers have to be down ASAP. Since all of the steps need to be completed within a short period of time and Kevin wants to be apart of picking out the paver stones we decided to address it when he gets back. :( So that project is delayed. I am, however looking forward to the help! :)

Go away...

Anyone else sick of Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana? This girl is EVERYWHERE. Now, thanks to Max Azria we'll see more of her next time we go to Walmart.

Swell.

I am super excited to see The Time Travelers Wife... but I am sick of the commercials. Seriously, it's getting out of hand. Yesterday it was just about every-other commercial that I saw. I'm getting a little burnt out on this movie already and I haven't even seen it yet. Not once. :( this makes me sad because I am truly interested in seeing it!

All the same I wish there were less of Miley Cyrus and previews for The Time Travelers Wife in my life!

~~~

Time for the gym.

Frustrated. Disappointed. Lonely.

As previous stated the FRG meeting earlier was completely unhelpful. I hate this. I was sincerely hoping they would provide something useful. I think you can understand my frustration, anger and disappointment I felt when all I was provided was an 8 day window! Now I am forced to make a more realistic guess for my MIL. So that hopefully she and my FIL would be in town for the Homecoming Ceremony. I hate the idea of having to take full responsibility for my husband's Mother's attendance at his 3rd Homecoming Ceremony. What if I'm wrong and she misses it? UGH! I am ridiculously over all of this Army BS.

I get the importance of OPSEC. Hence why we have the secure FRG website. With this secure site why couldn't they give us the exact date? Why sit and make us stew on this, wondering and above all GUESSING. It's sick. The Commanders down-range know when they are leaving their FOB, when they're getting to Kuwait... hmmm so why wouldn't they know WHAT day they're leaving Kuwait and therefore returning to Post? Tell me (for example) they'll be home the 28th; being that I'm a reasonable minded individual I understand that they may get delayed somewhere along the route and they may not make it home until the 29th. See, now was that so hard?

My bitching and complaining will get me no where. I will be stuck waiting and hoping my guess was accurate enough and Kevin will see his mother's and step-fathers smiling faces amongst the crowd at this, his 3rd Welcome Home Ceremony!

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Sleeping has become quite the chore as of late. The anticipation coupled with the lack of information makes me extremely uneasy, come bed time. Plus, a year of sleeping a lone has just taken it's tole on me. I'm over it.

As stated in this post I have an issue with paranoia (see #5). When Kevin and I got married than bought our home I insisted on a security system. Some people have alarms in their homes as a standard; I did not. But when I chose to marry a soldier that meant, field rotations, NTC and most notably deployments. Long story-short: I was going to be alone quite a bit. Left alone+paranoia= this-girl-gets-an-alarm!

Lately... the alarm is falling short on the piece-of-mind category. Instead I wake up in the middle of the night to the dog snoring or shifting his weight outside the bedroom door and immediately freak out. Thought #1: I wish Kevin were here. Thought #2: IF someone is there, what do they want? Thought #3: "SAM! Stop thinking like that! No one is there. If someone were there the siren would be baring!" Thought #4: I wish Kevin were here. Thought #5: I sleep much more soundly when I sleep next to my husband. Thought #6: I wish Kevin were here.

Life right now... consists a lot of frustration, disappointment and loneliness.

The Stuff: GI Joe. FR-Useless!. Chick-pea Salad.

Yesterday was a fairly good day: Pool in the AM with Nathan and sister. Then came home to bathe and fix myself for the day. Then my sister forced me to go see GI Joe! You see, her and Mr. Channing Tatum have this 'thing' going. So she had to go support his career. Does anyone else find it completely LAME that there were Army Recruiters set up in the lobby of the movie theater?? I thought that was lame. All the same, the movie was about as corny as you would assume it was going to be. However, there were some legitimately funny parts (Funny- HAHA. Not Funny- "are you kidding me"-funny.)There were also little pot shots at the Air Force through out the movie... which I guess is half-expected I mean the movie is titled "GI Joe" after all. It was all in good fun people. I have to concede looking at Channing Tatum was a great way to spend the afternoon. Although, all of the movie theater snacks didn't set well with my tummy (after dieting and such)! All and all it was enjoyable (but wont be taking home Oscars. What a shocker huh?).

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Today was my final FRG Meeting. WOOO HOO! Right? WRONG! I wish that somebody, anybody would have had more specific information to give. That would be nice right? Instead they provided me with an 8-day window; the 16th-24th!?? Huh- Seriously?? You have got to be kidding! How is that helpful... in anyway? I guess that is helpful for females that don't speak to their husbands (for one reason or another) but that absolutely does not help me in the slightest. When I'm done blogging about my complete and utter disappointment in this FRG I will have to pow-wow with my MIL, as her and my FIL are road-tripping it out here for the Homecoming ceremony!

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Tonight I made the chick-pea salad I blogged about last week. The lemon juice really stole the show here! It is fantastic! Try it folks!! :)

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Who likes give-a-ways?? I DO! Please go check out my friend Jen! I love her blog and I want her free stuff! :) LOL!

I'm sure I'll have more to add later... But at least now you're caught up. ;)

Random Question

Today I was messing around with my Blogger Profile and decided to get a new Random Question. Unfortunately my response was far too clever long for the allotted space but I just had to share it with you all:

Question:

For your birthday, your aunt gave you a maple syrup dispenser shaped like a rooster. Please write her a thank-you note:

Answer:

Dear Auntie,
What on earth are you thinking? A Mother-effin' Rooster of all things? First: It completely clashes with my kitchen decor. Second: It's ugly. Third: The bottle in which Aunt Jemima or any other popular brand of syrup puts their glorious breakfast condiment works just fine; rendering the "syrup dispenser" unnecessary!
Love you. See you soon. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, however please refrain from sending any further Birthday gifts. Your love is all the gift that I need.
Lovingly,
Your Niece,
Samantha

Regular Betty Crocker

With Nathan's help I completed another item on my list of things to complete before Kevin comes home list... We made meatballs today! My sister took a picture on my phone of Nathan and I hard at work- and it was super cute but my phone ate or felt it wasn't worthy (or something). Either way the damn thing delete the picture! But here is a picture of the finished product. They look rather odd in this tubberware but they have to be frozen until we're going to put em' down! ;)

We also made cheesecake brownies! I can't wait to try them. I usually make these Chocolate chip-Cheesecake Cookie Bars... but today I swapped out the choc. chip cookies for brownies! How could Brownies+Cheesecake ever be a bad thing though??! We'll see how it works out. :) yummmmm.

Yesterday was rather boring- I just deep cleaned the down stairs of my house and looked into getting insurance quotes. I did this all online but in the end they said I just had to call! What a pain... so I'll have to finish that today. Right now we're paying almost $300/month for auto and home insurance! It's outrageous. When I first shopped around for rates years ago the company we're with now were the least expensive but now it appears thy are most expensive!

Sister is napping (evidently cooking a baby makes a person TIRED) and so now I must go watch Shrek with Nathan! :) Tootle-lou people!

I Want It... Wednesday!

I've decided to start this new weekly tradition of telling everyone what I want on Wednesdays! (: I'm hoping that it will give you some additional insight into lil' ol' me, maybe while pointing out some good buys for everyone out there. I may share one thing/item I'm interested or I may share many... what I want may be tangible; it may not be. You'll just have to stay tuned! :)

This week I WANT:

The Happily Ever After

To somehow, someway speed time up so that it is three weeks from today and I'm done with the Pre-Homecoming ceremony jitters, my husband is home safe and sound, and we are well on our way to "normal" life (again).

This Camera:

A new BluRay player... I'm thinking that ours is about to crap out for good. The other day about 7 minutes into a movie it completely froze; it would even turn off (for a few minutes). I know that BluRay's take little bit longer to load than DVD's but this player is pushing the limit and my patience is wearing thin! I like this one! It's Samsung so it matches our TV.. it's also a great deal!

I jumped the gun... SO SUE ME!

Today I went to the commissary. Mainly because I was bored, but I also did need a few things. Well I wound up spending copious amounts of money on items that aren't necessary- yet. No worries, thankfully they are all things that won't go bad anytime soon. You see the things that I purchased were goodies for my hubby!! "So what his return is still (at least) two weeks out?" is what I told myself. I'm excited, SO SUE ME! :)

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Other than that I just a busy day: Hit the pool first with my sister and nephew. I have to get the tan just right for the homecoming (not to dwell on that or anything). Then the gym, then the commissary. Now I'm just relaxing. I'm trying to talk myself out of some popcorn... :( you see I LOVE popcorn. It's my favorite. But with my weight loss goal for the next 2.5 weeks I really need to cut my night-time snacks out.

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Does it bother anyone else that the commercials are entirely TOO loud on FX, while the programs are very quiet? So you BLARE the sound just to hear the dialogue of the show/movies then you're deafened by the commercials!!

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PS: Old-crotchetey people bug me! Here I am minding my own business trying to leave the commissary, I enter the check-out line and was called to an aisle close by the entrance. I start unpacking my cart and cue "Mr. Old-and-crotchetey": "You know there was a line back there, Ma'am?" as he points to the opposite direction from where I entered the check-out line. "Huh?" I intelligently respond. To which he says "There was a line back there (pointing again) and you just helped yourself to this open aisle." "Ummm, Sir the line starts at this end and now you're headed to the next aisle. No harm. No Foul." I say. Cue more crotchetey behavior that I have since blocked from my memory. I think I finally just said "Ok, Sir." And went on about unpacking my cart...

Victory...

NehNehNeh NA nEH! :-p

So after consulting with Lola, I've decided that if you use the "List" Gadget when creating a list (imagine that) that you are unable to alter the HTML code at all. So I just used the Text gadget instead and had no problem using the codes that KiKi gave me yesterday! :) Woo Hoooo

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I had an extremely lazy Sunday. I left the house at 730 PM, and only because my MEAN MEAN MEAN sister-in-law, Mindy decided to update her status on FB with something about Brownies! Damn her! ;) Well... I ran to the Safeway and got myself one of those desert things that you add water and heat up and some vanilla ice cream to throw on top of my warm gooey, yummy brownie!

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I'm waiting for the lunch-time rush to pass so that I can hit the gym, so I flipped on the Food Network (a favorite of mine) and saw Sandra Lee (the Queen of cost-effective cooking) making a Chick-Pea Salad! I am going to have to give this a shot. It looked great, canned and drained chick-peas, red onion, green pepper, olive oil, carrot, lemon juice, s&p... YUMMM! I'm just sad they didn't have a picture for you all to see.

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PS: I CANNOT WAIT FOR MY HUBS TO GET HOME! This anticipation is killing me!

Why doesn't this work?

So I completed some of the things on my new list on the left over this weekend. But I can't manage to get the whole strike-through text down.... I went to google to find out how to manage this, per a commenters direction. So in the title of this blog is how I put tried to apply the "line" or strike-through text to the items on my list that have been completed. I got a error message saying I could not apply that HTML...? :( HELP

Interested?

Anyone interested in comin' over and watchin' a movie, eating popcorn, drinking something caffeinated and relaxing for an evening? Really, i'm just missing my hubby! These last weeks are sooooo TOUGH! This whole being-close-enough-to-taste scenario really isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Other than Teresa it seems all of my other readers are in the middle (give or take) of their deployments and you're probably rolling your eyes at my comment... While I can appreciate the sentiment, it doesn't change the reality. All that I can say is: I am thankful to be nearing the end of our year apart and I'll take a few weeks over a few months any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I totally hit up the Old Navy 30% off sale TWICE this week. First for myself than today for my hubs! :) Any one else check it out?? I got some great stuff! It ends tomorrow so get off your butts and get out there! (:

I'm off for my movie watching now!!