Something to Share....

OK - so Chris and I have been going through fertility treatments again. It is a very emotional thing for both of us. Chris handles things a bit better than I do. We were hoping for a positive pregnancy test for Christmas, but that did not happen. We have not decided how long we will try and our finances may limit us as to the length of time we can try. I ask for everyone to remember how much of an emotional roller coaster ride infertility can be. Please think before you speak to me (or anyone else trying to conceive). These are the top ten things to remember NOT to do or say:


1. If we decide to stop treatments, please do not tell me not to give up. If YOU think I need to give up treatments - please keep those comments to yourself. (It will be our decision and I don't mean to sound mean, but we really do not need any one's opinions on when to or not to give up)

2. Don't say "Maybe you weren't meant to have kids" (I can't type what I want to say to this comment)

3. Don't tell me that you know how I feel. (No - you do NOT know how I feel, you may know how you THINK you would feel in my situation, but you don't)

4. Don't tell me that we can always adopt. (you want to pay the $20,000 + it will cost to do that? and will you be there to pick up the pieces when the mother changes her mind and it does not happen)

5. Don't hide your pregnancy from me for as long as you can. (I am not going to try to kidnap you and steal your baby, I won't be mad because you are and I am not, I will genuinely be happy for you. And remember, I am happy for you - I am still sad for me, but I am happy for you)

6. Don't say "do you know what so and so did? They were having problems and they got pregnant right after (fill in the blank)

7. Don't tell me "You can have my kids for the day" (You will only make me want to smack you. And please, do not give me all the silly wives tales about standing on my head etc (trust me, I have tried all of them)

8. Don't ask me when I am due or if I am pregnant until you actually see the baby coming out! Remember, I am being pumped full of hormones - some of which cause cruel weight gain.

9. Don't EVER say, you are still not pregnant yet? How long have you been married?

10. And do not ever ever ever say stupid things like "Are you sure you really want kids" or "I will trade you my kids for your sports car". (If you do, you may not live to tell about our conversation)


As for what you can do.... if you are a praying person, keep us in your prayers. Pray that we will be fruitful and multiply. :) Remember that I am being pumped full of hormones, so excuse my behavior if I ever seem less than pleasant to you. And finally, please take the time to visit this website and add your name to a petition supporting mandated fertility insurance in the state of Alabama. There are 15 states currently mandating fertility insurance, but unfortunately, Alabama is not one of them. Here is the web address - please add your name! http://www.petitiononline.com/alif/

A Christmas Thief!

Yep - that's right! We had a Christmas thief! Can you believe that? Chris and I had our Christmas on Christmas Eve so we could go visit family on Christmas Day. I left all our presents under the tree and had all the stuff from our stockings in plastic bags under the tree. We went to visit family and came home to find quite a mess all over our floor and a very hyper dog! Now, Taichi never gets in to things - but today Chris forgot to shut the door to the tv room where our tree is. Tai Chi helped herself to an entire bag of kitty treats from the cats' stocking, two HUGE bones from her stocking. Our sweet doggy was kind enough to leave everything from Chris' stocking, but she really enjoyed my stocking stuffers. She ate an huge bag of twizzlers licorice and a box of chocolate mints and a York Peppermint Patty. Needless to say, she beelined for the door to go outside to potty! We are about to go to bed and I am guessing that she will have me up all night long because her belly will be hurting..... ah, the joys of the holidays :)

Last of the Gift Wrapping

Although I am quite the procrastinator, I have all of my Christmas shopping done! Can you believe that? Today we took the packages that needed mailed to the UPS Store - huge mistake procrastinating there - it cost us double to get them there guaranteed by Christmas Eve! I would like to say that I will not procrastinate next year, but I would be lying. I always procrastinate. Anyway - I also finished my Christmas wrapping today as well. It was quite a challenge and I believe that everyone revceiving a gift from us will ultimately receive a little fur from Pauper. She loved "helping me wrap gifts. When I was done, I had one more piece of wrapping paper and of course Pauper laid on that piece like she did every other piece. So what did I do? I wrapped her up! She did not stay wrapped up long - she poked her head out right away and then busted the paper. But we did manage to get a couple of pictures.....

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

OK - I admit it - I am usually the Grinch in the family. I am the one who usually says Bah Humbug all season long. I am the one whose idea of decorations is to spell out bah humbug in lights. I am the one that does not want to be bothered with decorations or baking. But not this year - no - this year I am being just as festive as anyone else. Nope - this year it is not me..... this year, the Grinch award goes to....... drum roll please....... PAUPER! Yep the newest member of our family - and the most mischievious member of our family might I add. Our poor little Christmas tree that I was so excited about.... well, it is kind of leaning to one side now, and the ornaments..... well, there are still some on the top of the tree - but i have given up replacing the ones on the bottom portion of the tree. Pauper just cannot seem to keep her paws off the tree.... OR the gifts! She has chewed and scratched the packages under the tree non stop. If the door is not shut to the TV room - she is going to be in there - by the tree, under the tree, in the tree, or on the tree. She is quite the stinker. I tried to redirect her to her christmas stocking. It kept her interest for a while. But finally she gave up. I strategically placed the toys with the bells at the bottom of the stocking (which is actually shaped like a fish) so that she could not get to them. She tries. She tries hard. But so far she has been unsuccessful. I am sure that those people who go to extremes to have the beautiful perfect tree and decorations would cringe at the thought of my curious little kitty pulling off all the ornaments and making the tree less than perfect. But not me. I find a little humor in it. I find humor in it because it is not me this year who has the title of Grinch. It is not me this year who is getting in to the presents before Christmas day. This year - I can sit back and relish in the thought that I am actually in the Christmas spirit - but not SO in to the Christmas spirit that I obsess over how the tree looks - as long as it brings joy - I am happy. And I am pretty sure that Pauper is enjoying that tree......

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Yep - we got a Christmas tree. No big deal, right? Wrong. For me, it is a big deal. I have not been willing to participate in any tree decorations, decking of halls, or any of the other Christmas cheer garbage for the last 8 years. Last year, Chris bought a teeny little tree for our hotel room in Germany and had it decorated before I got there. I am sure that he knew that I would not be a willing participant in his decorating the room. The two years before that, we spent at Camp Fallujah Iraq, so we had no tree there. The five years before that - I just did not want to be bothered to decorate and be cheerful. This year - I decided I would give up my Bah Humbug attitude and get a tree. Chris has not dared suggest we go tree shopping, but was excited that I actually was suggesting we get one. We opted for a small (6') fiber optic tree. It was not the tree that I wanted, but I guess I waited too long because all the pretty white fiber optic trees were gone :( I even enjoyed the Christmas tunes Chris played this weekend. Geesh- am I getting in to the holiday spirit or what? Who knows, maybe next year I will even agree to hanging lights outside too......

Well, since I got hit up twice on this…. I guess I am obligated to respond :) However I am not sure I like admitting to having any addictions – but here goes anyway….

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The rules of this award are:
1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.
2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.
3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.
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Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then "add image" it in your post as a picture so your winners can save it as well. To add it to your sidebar, add the "picture" gadget. Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

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I am choosing 5 Fabulous Bloggers--who make me wanna read their blogs again and again!
1. Romberg Family – This is a brand new blog! It is Dana’s mom’s blog and she is such a cool lady that I am really looking forward to reading her blogs!
2. Herwig Family Blog spot – I love reading Dana’s accounts of the goings on at her house. I usually laugh so hard at the antics of my adorable nephew and awesome nieces.
3. Airborne Wife’s Stamping Blog – This is a really cool blog by a really cool lady I “met” on a stamping site.
4. Unforgetable – Peg Graham’s Blog – Peg and her husband are friends of ours from Virginia. They are uber cool people and though we miss them, I love to keep up with their lives via Peg’s blogs – she has more than one!
5. Lady Doc – this blog belongs to a lady I “met” on a stamping forum. This lady has an amazing blog. She has links to webcams where you can watch elephants and other safari animals! It is so awesome!
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5 Fabulous Addictions of mine......
1. Soft drinks and chocolate. Yep – I am totally addicted to Cherry Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper. I am also addicted to chocolate.
2. Scrapbooking! OK – I think my addiction may be hoarding scrapbook items – because I have not scrapbooked in a couple months  But I can never get enough paper, embellishments, stamps, ribbons, etc. I am also addicted to looking at pictures – I don’t even have to know the people IN the pictures – I just love looking at pictures.
3. Love. Yep, I am addicted to love. I am addicted to the love my hubby shows me. I am addicted to his pampering me and showing me affection.
4. The internet – yep – gotta have my Yahoo messenger, Facebook, Myspace, Forums, Blogs, etc.
5. Having fun and laughing. I just love to laugh and have fun. I refuse to grow up! I am addicted to things that increase my heart rate and adrenaline! I love to kayak, snorkel, fly power kites, roller coasters, any kind of amusement rides – especially ones that make me dizzy! Oh – and I even love to just sit and spin in a desk chair. I like to swing in porch swings, tire swings, kid's swings, hammocks, pretty much anything that will swing.
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Enjoy your award ladies! You are FABULOUS! Can't wait to read your Fabulous addictions!

The Legend of the Poptarts

OK - I was asked about the poptart story that my sister in law referred to in her comment on my last post. Here is the "Legend of the Poptarts".

One night when we were engaged, Chris was telling me how much he loved me and how much I meant to him, (blah blah blah) He was professing his undying love for me – all along, all I could think of was that I really wanted a Pop Tart. I know – sounds crazy.... Anyway – I waited until he was done. He was just staring in my eyes – waiting for a response and all I could say was "Do you have any Pop Tarts?" His jaw dropped and said that he was professing his undying love and devotion and all I could say was do you have any Pop Tarts? LOL

When we were in Iraq and around all the Marines, PDA (public displays of affection) were highly frowned upon. We could not always say "I love you", so I started saying "Pop Tarts" and Chris knew that meant "I love you". One day while we were in Iraq, after a long day at work – we went back to our itty bitty room – before we opened the door – Chris stopped me and looked me in the eyes and said "I love you" – we opened the door – and there – on our bed were a BUNCH of Pop Tarts – spelling out I Love U Sandy. Was that just not the sweetest thing? :)

Now that we have been home for so long, I still, on occasion, say "poptarts" instead of I love you - it seems a little more personal to me :)

You Don't Bring Me Flowers.... Anymore

When Chris and I first got married, he was constantly bringing me flowers. It was sweet, but I kept telling him to stop wasting his money on flowers because they just die. I told him I much preferred chocolate. Over the years, he continued to ignore my requests, bringing me flowers for no reason as well as for our anniversary. On our 4th anniversary, I woke up to find a dozen roses in bed with me. I got up, went to the bathroom to get ready for work and found another dozen in the bathroom. As I left the boat, there was another dozen roses by the front door. Rose petals were spread all the way up the pier and to my car, where a 4th dozen was in my car. A dozen roses for each year we were married. It was very sweet, and although I had told him to stop getting me flowers, I was thrilled at his thoughtfulness.



For our 11th anniversary, he asked me what I wanted. I told him nothing really, he could just get me some flowers. Well, flowers he got. ELEVEN bouquets! One for each year we were married.



Our 12th anniversary was spent at Fort Huachuca Arizona, a day away from heading to Iraq. Chris bought me a small bouquet with a little teddy bear for me to sleep with when we went to our separate bases in Iraq. Luckily, we ended up at the same base and I only had to sleep with the teddy bear when one of us would go away to another base. I still have that bear and if I go anywhere alone, I take it with me to sleep with it. Our 13th anniversary, we spent at Camp Fallujah Iraq. He stayed behind at work the night before our anniversary. He did not come back to the room for HOURS. To my surprise, the next day, I walked in to the office to find a dozen paper roses. He had made them himself and taken the time to color the tips of them red with a magic marker. He cut a water bottle up to make a little vase. Those were the most special flowers he could have ever given me. He has only gotten me a flowers a couple times since those paper roses. I think he knows that no flowers will ever mean as much to me as those did.

Now - after 15 years of being married, he knows what makes me even happier than flowers......

Cute and yummy!

UAH Chargers Rock the Ice

My favorite player - Cale Tanaka


Seriously, UAH Chargers ROCK. They played an awesome game. Final score was 4 - 2. I honestly think it would be 4-1 if we had not had 2 guys in the penalty box at the same time. I guess it is pretty easy to score when it is 5 on 3 :( What an awesome way to spend a Friday night.....


Celebrating their 4th goal

Just a Quote....

Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defeneded constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again." ~~Ronald Reagan

Back in the Working World....

Yep - that's right - I finally went back to work - a real job - not just a once a week contract gig. So, I guess Chris and I are officially DINKS (double income no kids) again. Chris already has a list of projects he wants to do which he plans on using my paychecks for. It was funny how I got the job - can you believe someone found my resume on Monster.com? Seriously, the only job offers I have gotten from Monster.com were ones that required my returning to Iraq. I was quite surprised to get the phone call asking if I was interested in interviewing for the position. I have to admit, it is not a position I would have thought to apply to. But - anyway.... I am now the FAA Program Coordinator/Data Analyst. I think it will be a pretty cool job - I will basically be spending most of my time building databases and spreadsheets. How cool is that? I went out and bought me a few new outfits that I thought were appropriate for an office environment - but today, I asked on of my bosses (I have two bosses - the Operations Manager and the Quality Manager) what the dress code was. His reply, "well, what would you LIKE to wear?" I kind of laughed - but he was serious. He said that of course I could not wear t-shirts with naughty words on them (like I even own a tshirt with a naughty word on it). He did say no open toed shoes due to the fact that I will have to on occasion go out in to the hangar and that would break all kinds of safety rules. But that's OK - because have you seen all the cute boots they have this season?

15 Years of Wedded Bliss

OK - so it was not 15 years of total bliss - I would be lying if I said we never had "our moments". I will admit to having more moments than Chris, but I will blame it on hormones (isn't that the standard excuse for women?). But yes, believe it or not, Chris and I have been married for 15 years. We celebrated our anniversary yesterday. So for all of you who thought I would not make it past even one year.... neener neener neener :) I have to admit, things were "rocky" in the beginning. Living on a sailboat, you do tend to rock quite a bit. Not that things were that much better in the houseboat (although I did have plumbing there). After 5 years of boat living, we went on to apartment living. Not just normal apartment living, but a year and half of managing an apartment complex for the mentally ill. From there we went on to a beach condo, a small starter home with pool and on to the historic mansion in Old Town. I have to admit, that my most fond memories of when we were living on boats and dirt poor. I never realized at the time how poor we were, but looking back, I am amazed that I was so clueless. Finally, we ended up back in Alabama, only to take off for another 2 years and go to Iraq, followed by a half year in Germany. So at this point, I am wondering #1 - what exactly is normal living? and #2 How did we survive for so long? As far as the answer to number one.... I have no answer. I mean - really - what IS normal and why do we strive to be normal? As far as the answer to #2 - the only answer I could think of was - LOVE. Yep, I truly believe Chris loves me unconditionally. He would have to for him to put up with me for 15 years. He has truly been my rock. Despite my weaknesses and shortcomings, he has been there for me - through thick and thin. OK - so I have not been thin since long before we were married - but you get my drift. Every year, for our anniversary we go out to a nice place to eat (OK - so one year, we had no choice but to go to the chow hall at Camp Fallujah - but I still count that as going out to eat). This year, I told Chris I did not want to go out to eat. We seriously eat out way too much - even though we have cut down on it. I also did not see the sense in exchanging gifts. Its not like we don't already buy whatever we want anyway - so why get a gift for each other just for the sake of giving a gift? Does it sound like the honey moon is over? Well, not exactly - I would just prefer to spend the time home - alone with him. By alone, I mean - no phones and especially no computers. I made Chris a photo album (well - it is not quite done - but I got a good start on it - and I am pretty sure he does not mind that I finish it later) and he gave me a massage. I have to admit it was a very nice anniversary and I enjoyed the time home alone with him. I can't wait for the next 15 years of bliss.

Happy 27th Birthday to Me!

No - it is not my birthday, and I have not even seen my 20s for a while. HOWEVER, today, after 22 days of being rude and obnoxious to me, the Wi fit lady gave me a wi fit age of 27! I can not tell you how happy that made me feel. I have to admit, if she told me the first day I stepped on her little step to analyze me, I would not been nearly as happy as I am today. But that darn woman calls me obese! I mean, I know I am over weight and I will even admit that I am fat. But obese? That woman sure hurts my feelings. And the first time I stepped on her, she told me I had a wi fit age of 51. She is darn lucky I did not take her back to Best Buy - or worse yet, throw something at her. And seriously, does she have to make my little character fat too? I designed my cute little "mi" and then she went and blew it up like a baloon. Now that I have gotten the hang of it, after her little tests, she usually tells me I am in my 30s - and sometimes up to 46. I have to admit, I am not happy at all when she even says 40 - even though I am over 40, I don't feel like I am. But today, when she told me 27.... I was so happy. As a matter of fact, I am so happy I may never step on her again. I kind of like the idea of quitting while I am 27.

Cartoon of the Day

From the website:
http://commonsenselogic.blogspot.com/

HappyBirthday Daddy!

Today is my dad's birthday. I was blessed with such an awesome father. I have so many childhood memories that just make me smile and be so grateful to have such a great dad. He was probably my favorite playmate I ever had. He took me on sled rides, he hung me the most awesome tire swing, he took me on hikes, took me fishing, had snowball fights with me, he was always there for me. In November of 1993, right after I got married, my daddy was diagnosed with cancer. It broke my heart. I had seen so many people in my family suffer with this awful disease. I prayed for my dad every day. I prayed that he would not be taken away from me. The doctor told him that if he was lucky - he would live five years. When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas that year, he told me 5 more Christmases. I told him that I would talk to the man upstairs and see what I could do. My dad never complained. He always had the most positive optimistic attitude. We called him a "chemo junkie" because he would feel better after chemo and when he started feeling bad again, he would ask for chemo. The strange thing was that I would sometimes feel the pains my father felt. I had never had a charlie horse before - but I would wake up in the middle of the night crying in pain with a horrible Charlie horse. I would always look at the clock... and sure enough, the next day I would call my dad and ask how his night was last night. He would always say he was feeling fine - but would finally admit that he had woke up at the exact same time with a Charlie Horse. One day, I all of a sudden felt dizzy and felt as if I was going to pass out. Since I was going through fertility treatments at the time, I thought maybe I was pregnant. But when I talked to my dad that evening, I found out that he had been in the emergency room at the same time - feeling faint and dizzy. Somehow, it made me feel closer to him to suffer some of the same pains that he did. I know that what I felt was only a small percentage of what he felt - but I always knew when he was feeling bad. He finally realized that he could not lie to me and tell me he felt fine if he was not. I continued to pray for my dad every day - I prayed that God would not take my daddy away from me. My dad continued to have his great sense of humor. He took a turn for the worse - the doctors told him that the cancer had gone to his liver. We all know the normal outcome for that. The family was preparing for the worse- but not me. I just had a feeling that the doctors were wrong - he had more than 3-6 months to live. The rest of the family thought I was in denial. But I knew. I felt it in my heart. Maybe I did not want to face the fact that my daddy could leave me - or - maybe I was right. Well, my dad did overcome that cancer. Being the chemo junkie that he is - he won that battle, but still had many more to go. By the summer of 2000 he was getting bad again. I had moved away, but decided to come back for what I knew would be his last days. Chris came back before me and stayed in my parents beach condo. They would come there every week on Fridays and go back on Monday morning. I am so grateful for this time away from Chris, because it gave him the opportunity to REALLY get to know my parents. He came to understand where I get my sense of humor and some of my mannerisms. I had never realized how much I was like my dad until Chris pointed it out. I finally returned in July. In December, we were planning what we all anticipated would be our last Christmas together as a family. My sister had airline tickets to come to Virginia, we had reservations for Christmas dinner at Colonial Williamsburg. Chris had a job interview in Dallas, then they called him asking him to come back again and bring me. I flew to Dallas with him and while on a layover coming home, I called my dad. We had a wonderful, heartfelt conversation. When I hung up the phone, I cried. I somehow knew that it was my last conversation with my dad. When we got back to Virginia, I was sick with the flu and unable to visit my dad. I was trying so hard to get better so that I could spend Christmas with the family. I did not get to talk to my dad on the phone during those few days - he was not feeling up to it. I changed my prayers that month. I stopped asking God not to take my father away. I started asking him to PLEASE not let my daddy suffer. On December 20, 2000 my mother and I talked on the phone. My dad was actually telling her he felt really bad. This was not like my father - he never complained. We talked about whether or not to bring Hospice in. We decided that if we did - he may give up. Later that evening, I got a phone call from my mother. She asked me to meet her at the hospital, the ambulance had just left with my dad. I hung up the phone and dropped to the floor, crying at what I knew would come next. Chris drove me to the hospital where they asked us to wait in the family room. I knew when they asked us to wait there that my fears were a reality. I know that my mom knew too. A young doctor came in to give us the news. There was nothing they could do, my father had passed. I cried so hard that night that I cried one of my contacts out. I hoped that I would wake up and it would all have been a bad dream. Unfortunately, it was very much real. My fathers body was taken to West Virginia, where we buried him just before Christmas. The funeral was different than any I have ever been to. We had lots of music before hand. We had the song "Wind Beneath My Wings" which was the song my dad and I danced to at my wedding reception. We also had my uncle singing "How Great Thou Art". At the graveside, as previously requested by my dad, my Uncle sang Vince Gill's song "Go Rest High on That Mountain". Christmas day, we opened gifts from my father. It was the worst Christmas of my life. Although I was happy to be with family - there was an important part of our family that was missing. We kept our reservations for dinner, when we arrived they seated us at the table. Since we were one person short, they began removing the silverware, glasses and napkins from what would have been my daddy's seat. I felt as if they were tearing my heart out of my chest with their bare hands. I remember when I was in fourth grade, one of my friends' fathers died on Christmas day. I had feared that my dad may die on Christmas day as well - the thought never entered my mind that he could die before Christmas. He was so close to holding on, but he lost his battle. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of my daddy. I can still not hear the songs "Wind Beneath My Wings" or "Go Rest High on That Mountain" without crying. Sometimes I even cry when I hear "How Great Thou Art". Yes, there is not a day that goes by that I do not think of him. But there is also not a day that goes by that I do not know how truly I was blessed to have him as a father. So - Happy Birthday Daddy - I love you and I miss you everyday.... Until we meet again....

If I were president.....

--I would require Iraq to fund (or at least assist in funding) the efforts over there. Why do we pay the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army anyway?
--With money saved in Iraq - I would raise the pay for our military.
--I would lower the price of chocolate.
--Those who took out loans beyond what they could afford to pay would suffer the consequences (don't want to sound cold or cruel - but they took the gamble). Why should everyone elses' tax dollars be spent to bail them out while we all continue to struggle ourselves. Let them rent for a while until they save up to buy WITHIN their financial means.
--I would outlaw automated answering systems for businesses.
--IF the government were to bail out any companies - it would not come without consequence to the company and money previously spent in Iraq would go towards that
--Chocolate would be on top of the food pyramid.
--I would temporarily force those companies that hire ILLEGAL immigrants to pay the taxes that those illegals were avoiding. The end goal would be to have those people earn their citizenship and pay their own taxes. Borders would be closed and anyone wanting to come live in our country would be required to come legally. If someone is here illegally and they break another law - they would be imported.
--We would go to a 4 day work week.
--I would let the public vote on whether to change to a flat tax or fair tax system - but would NOT leave things how they are now.
--Government assistance would be provided for those who help themselves - let them work part time or at lower paying jobs and subsidize their money - but dont give money for nothing. If they truly can not find a job - then they would be required to do community service to earn their assistance.
--Hurricane victimes (those who owned homes)would be assisted in building similar homes that are NOT below sea level or on the coast. Those who rented will be assisted with finding suitable housing comparable to what they were previously renting (off the coast and above the sea level). Note I said "assisted" it would not just be given to them. They must help themselves as well.


Of course I would never run for president - because I would HATE to recieve all the bashing that political candidates (and their spouses) recieve.....

Still Not Sure Who to Vote For?

Here is some food for thought:


Would you feel safe with him as our commander in chief?
Obama - 5/18/08 "Iran, Cuba, Venezuela are small countries, they do not pose a serious threat" huh? is he serious? Oh wait - no - he said something different on Super Tuesday... "Iran is a great threat"

He wants to pull out the troops TODAY (9/12/07).... oh wait... he has changed his mind again....

I remember a couple years ago, I told my husband that I thought Obama would run for president someday - I told him, oh - not the 2008 election, he is not ready yet - but someday - maybe 2012, 2016.... Well, I was wrong - ready or not here he comes. He is a great speaker. But I feel actions speak much louder than words. And all I get from his actions are tiny little whispers.....


And More Brain Food:


Induced Labor Abortion and Partial Birth Abortion are barbaric procedures!

McCain may not have been my original FIRST choice.... but right now, he is my only choice.

Roller Derby? Me?

I remember, as a kid and on in to my teen years, sitting on the sofa with my Grandpa watching Roller Derby. I loved to watch the Roller Derby as a kid. I would go to the skating rink often and I must confess, I never fantasized about being a figure skater.... I only fantasized about being in the Roller Derby. I remember finding "Roller Jams" on TV after Chris and I were married. I would sneak and watch Roller Jams when it came on - trying to hide that little secret from Chris. But one time I did not get the channel changed fast enough and he caught me watching. I expected to get harassed because of my hate of WWE and the barbaric nature of it -but no - Chris sat down and watched it with me. I am not sure why Roller Jams stopped coming on TV, but it was very much missed by me. The other day Chris and I were talking about skating and I brought up the Roller Derby again. It got me curious and I did a quick Google search to see if there were any roller derby teams anymore. To my surprise - it seems to be the fastest growing sport in the world! And can you believe it --- HUNTSVILLE has their very own derby team! The Dixie Derby Girls (Click on the "Roller Derby? Me?" Title above to go to their home page). It has made me want to try skating again. If I could get as good as I was as a teenager I would try out for the Dixie Derby Girls. Yep - that's right - they are recruiting! So I need to get me a new pair of skates (have no idea what happened to my old pair) and start practicing. Anybody want to go to the rink with me?

Early Morning Antics

OK - everyone that knows me, knows that I am NOT a morning person. Will someone please explain that to my kitty cats? I can not believe that I used to call my sweet Duchess a Psycho Kitty. Now that I have my terror of a kitty - Pauper, I know how wrong I truly was. Duchess is actually laid back in comparison to Pauper. Duchess can be playful and believe me, Pauper encourages that. But all her cute little Psycho Kitty moments were not enough to prepare me for Pauper. Each morning, the Pauper wakes me - she runs and darts all over the room just like Duchess - only FASTER. I did not think that was possible. She tries to jump up in bed with me every morning, so we have our arsenal of water guns at our bedside. The other day, I was startled from a sound sleep by little whiskers tickling my face. We used to leave our closet doors open (don't ask me why - I don't know - we just did). Now, we must keep them closed because Pauper thinks that our hanging clothes are a climbing toy. She has taken to playing in the fireplace (not to be confused with how Duchess HID in the fireplace). You can not go to the bathroom in the master bathroom without the kitties opening the door and running in. They both feel like the reason I sit on the toilet is so that they can climb up in my lap. Yesterday, was the last straw.... I keep their food and water dish in the Garden tub in our bathroom so that TaiChi will not get it (she is terrified of tubs because tubs = baths). Their food dish was empty, so I was bent over, leaning in to the tub, filling their food dish - when all of a sudden - BAM! Pauper tried to jump OVER me. She jumps high - but was not quite high enough to clear my bent over body. She slammed right in to my shoulder - HARD - knocking my balance off, causing me to have to catch myself with my hand, thus spilling the cat food all in the bath tub. I swear, that kitty needs valium! Today, she has taken up a new hobby. I am not sure why she started this today - maybe because all summer I have worn shorts - but she now tries to climb up my pants leg. She seems oblivious to the fact that TaiChi is a dog and MUCH BIGGER than she is. Poor Taichi has had to chase her away several times. She likes the way Taichis tail wags when she is happy. I do love her - I love all three of my fur babies, but I do feel bad for Taichi - she is outnumbered. Hmmmm - maybe I should get another doggy for Taichi to balance things out....

Here Kitty Kitty

Duchess ~~ isn't she sweet?




Attack Kitty.....
Believe it or not - she was not hissing, she was just yawning.

Did You Eat My M&Ms?

A month or so ago, Chris brought me home some M&Ms (I told him a few years ago to stop wasting money on flowers - bring me candy instead). I opened the bag up and only ate a couple. Believe it or not - I was not in the mood for chocolate at the time. I know - I know - I should have written that one on my calendar because everyone who knows me KNOWS I love chocolate. And even those who don't know me can look at my big belly and know that I love chocolate. :) Anyway - a few days later I was just "jonesing" for Chocolate and I could not find my M&Ms anywhere. When Chris got home, I asked him if he ate my M&Ms and he said NO. I knew that either A - he ate them and forgot he ate them --- or B - I ate them after I had an Ambien and just did not remember eating them. So..... fast forward to a couple weeks later and I was looking for something I lost (don't remember what I was looking for - so please do not ask). I took the cushions out of our human eating couch to see if it had fallen under the cushions. Guess what I found! An almost full bag of M&Ms. Well, you may think that is gross and that I should throw the M&Ms away - but I didn't. I enjoyed them for the next couple days until I finished up the bag. That was a couple weeks ago. Today, I was looking for the card reader for our camera and could not find it. I thought maybe I dropped it in the couch (that seems to be where everything ends up). Guess what I found. A handful of M&Ms that must have fallen out of the bag when it was in there. They were way down in the crack of the sofa and I just missed them every other time I have looked for something. Now... I know what you are dying to know right now..... Did I eat those M&Ms? What do you think? I just have to say - they melt in your mouth - not in the couch (I know - I know - corny). So... did I eat those M&Ms? Well, I could not BARE to throw away a handful of perfectly good M&Ms...... so....... I fed them to the dog. Seriously? Did you really think I would eat M&Ms that were in the couch for about a month? Sheesh! LOL

I'll Try Anything for Relief

After finishing my latest round of steroids, I STILL have poison ivy! :( I think the itching is driving me insane. My regular doctor is at a loss as to what to do for me. She is sending me to a specialist, but the wait is long. Until then, I just have to endure the uncomfortableness. The prescription hydrocortisone cream does not seem to provide any relief. I have tried all the old "wives tells" cures. Last night, I stripped down naked in the kitchen and applied a mixture of hot oatmeal, honey, and baking soda to my body. The warmth did feel good for a brief moment. After I had a thick layer of this mixture spread on my body, Chris took Saran wrap and wrapped me all up. It felt really weird and I must say I was grateful for blinds so the neighbors could not witness the craziness. After only about 15 minutes, my skin started to hurt and feel like it was burning so it was off with the plastic wrap and in to the shower. Later in the evening - I tried rubbing the inside of banana peels to the rash. But - no relief there either. I really do not understand why neither of these worked. I mean, after all, it said on the internet that it would work - so if it was on the internet, then it must be true - right? ;) Anyway - I am still willing to try anything that MIGHT give me relief, so if you want to tell me a crazy way to cope with this rash - let me know and I will try.

Finally!

Yes - FINALLY.... we are getting a new couch. We have had the same couch since 2000. It has been a great couch and is great for the role of couch potato. However, it seems to just kind of suck you up in it AND the cushions keep sliding off. People visit and sometimes I think they may stay forever because they can not seem to get off the human eating couch we have. We have been talking about getting a new couch for a while now - but thought we would just hang on to the one we have now. But last Saturday after hours of sitting on different couches in two different stores - we finally found one that we BOTH like. Agreeing on something seemed impossible there for a while. But we both thought this one was comfy. Of course, maybe we thought it was comfy because we were tired from shopping... who knows. But this is the one that has been ordered and it should be at our house in a few weeks - they said 4 weeks and that was on Saturday. It has a recliner in the middle and one on each end. At first I did not like this "semi theatre style" - but I laid on the couch in the store and could curl right up in Chris' lap on the love seat portion. The bad thing is that our newest little kitty, Pauper, has started to scratch the furniture. She has only done this about 4 times so far - but only once on the leather will ruin it. We have armed ourselves with a small arsenal of water guns - so we are hoping that we can "train" her before the arrival of the new couch.

By the way - if anyone is interested in a human eating sofa and chaise - let me know :)

No Chance of Professional Sports For Me

Yep - any chance I ever had of being in the olympics or playing professional sports are gone. I am on steroids again - my third time this summer. Maybe I should start lifting weights and taking advantage of the steroids. By the time I went to my doctor appointment this afternoon, my poison ivy had spread to both arms, my stomach, my chest and even my face. I am not sure how my legs have escaped the rash, but I will just count my blessing for now. My doctor pointed out that the last two times I have been in the office it was for poison ivy (as if I did not already know that). I guess I just never learn. There are weeds to be pulled and if I don't pull them - no one will. She also pointed out that I seemed to be highly alergic to poison ivy (another thing I already knew). Hopefully, my rash will be dried up and gone away by this time next week. It really stinks - but at least I do not have to go out in public anywhere while my face has the rash on it.

Welcoming back Chris ----and poison ivy :(

Yep - the good news is that Chris got home yesterday afternoon. It sure was nice to have him home. Taichi was so happy to see him, as was Pauper. Dutchess, on the other hand, ran from him at first. Goofy cat. She finally let him pet her just before he went to bed last night. She is such a strange cat. Bad news is that my yard work resulted in more poison ivy. Even though I wore boots, long pants and gloves - AND I used the TECNU oil cleaner that is supposed to remove any poison oak, ivy, or sumac before a rash breaks out..... I still have it on my forearm. As usual, it itches like crazy and is about to drive me insane. I called my doctor office and I go in tomorrow - probably for another shot and a week of steroids. Its already worse than it started last time - so I hope they are able to kick it quickly. My arm actually even hurts this time (in addition to itching). It feels the same way it does after a real hard work out. In just a day - it went from just a little teeny spot to my entire forearm, so I would not be surprised if it spreads like crazy by tomorrow's appointment. But hey - at least Chris is home - right?

Count Down....

So only a couple more days and my honey will be back home. It has been a long week - but now I only have another weekend to go. The good thing is that he has earned some comp time and I am thinking a trip to the beach is on our horizon. I am trying to decide between Dauphin Island, Gulfshores, Gulfport MS, or Biloxi MS. Honestly, if I found a "good deal" at any of those places - or anywhere with a beach - it would be a "no brainer" choice. Being alone while Chris was at his convention was not all so bad - I did not cook any meals - washed only a load of laundry - have only ran the dishwasher once - yep - being alone does have its advantages. I have to admit, going to a conference with a bunch of computer nerds does not seem like it would have been much fun for me. I would have been afraid to take my laptop with me - staying in the same hotel with a bunch of hackers would make me think twice about turning on my laptop. The only thing that would make it more boring and eyerolling for me would be a Star Trek convention at the same time - and guess what.... Chris told me that they had a Star Trek convention going on at the same hotel! OK - staying home sounds like it was a very good choice now :)

Getting a little Political

Before and watch the entire video (its only about a minute long) I would hate for someone to get the wrong impression of my political views :)

Can I Scream Now?

Chris has been away on a business trip since Friday. Can I just say that I am ready for him to come home? Seriously - I have had a bad head ache since he left. I have had a sick kitty and went three nights without sleeping but 4 hours total. I finally got a good night rest last night (thank goodness for Ambien) and woke up this morning without the headache. I tried to mow our lawn today - I always mow the lawn and never have problems like I did today. After finish the front yard, I rode over to the side - all of a sudden - the lawn mower started making a funny noise (and not funny as in haha) then it started smoking and it smelled like something was burning. Before I had a chance to turn it off - it shut off on its own. I got off the lawn mower kicked it a few times and called it a few names. I came inside to cool off and give the mower a chance to cool off too. I went back out a little later and it started - only to do this three more times before I finally gave up before finishing the back yard. During my 3 day headache, I neglected the pool. Well, it is a nice shade of green now. So I worked on the pool for a while today and am hoping that with the help of the Aquabot, I can get it back to a sparkling clear before Chris gets home. After a full day of yard and pool work - I came in to change the cat litter boxes. Well, as luck would have it, I spilled the litter box as I was trying to empty it in to the trash bag. I got most everything up with a dustpan and then went to get my vacuum. Unfortunately, there was a little plastic lid just under the dryer (I am sure the cats batted it there). The vacuum cleaner sucked it right up - it sucked it STRAIGHT up too - clogging the vacuum cleaner. After many unsuccessful attempts to pull it out - I decided the best thing to do was to jab it - and break the plastic so the shattered pieces would fall out. This was good in theory - but all it did was shove it further in. So if anyone has any ideas of how to get something out of a dyson vacuum cleaner house - I am open for suggestions.... I vacuum everyday with the pets - so I hate the thought of my vacuum cleaner being broken.
I had written a blog - but when I went to post it - I lost the entire thing - grrr - so now - the only thing I want to blog about is wanting to scream. If I scream in my house and no one is hear - does it make a noise? Oh - and my headache is returning -- grrrr

Night Time Chores replacing Waitress nightmares.

Have you ever worked as a waiter or waitress? If you have, I am sure you are familiar with "waitress nightmares". For those of you who have never been blessed with the wonderful job of waiting tables - a waitress nightmare is when you dream you are waiting tables and the hostess keeps seating you again and again and again. In your dreams you are running all over the place and trying to keep up. You wake up tired because you have been waiting tables in your dreams all night. Well, everyone who knows me knows that I am a night owl - a major insomniac. Lately I have been going to bed early - the same time as Chris goes. I take my little magic pill the doctor prescribed me and voila - I go to sleep. Even though I go to bed early, I continued to sleep late. On top of sleeping late, I wake up really tired. Since I don't have waitress nightmares much anymore, I could not figure out why I was so tired. We finally figured out why... I am getting up in the middle of the night and doing chores and not remembering it the next day. I have given Chris credit for lots of the chores I have done - but his honesty does not allow him to take credit. One of my favorite chores seems to be cleaning the litter boxes and feeding the cats. No wonder Duchess is getting so fat! I find dishes in the mornings where I have fed both Duchess and Pauper moist food. Last night, I started packing Chris' suitcase for his business trip and did a load of laundry. I have also discovered that I surf the internet and chat with friends - so if you ever chat with me after 11pm - I probably will not remember what we talked about.

Prices of Gas - a solution?

I think Mr. Pickens is on to something here.... Click on th "What's the Plan" button to learn more.
I think we should try his plan out and in addition - we should start drilling for oil offshore. Once you are 7 miles out it is international water. If we do not drill, someone else will come drill it for their country.

The Duchess and The Pauper

We have had our psycho kitty for a little over three months now and have been talking about getting her a playmate. Chris is constantly on me to stop calling her psycho kitty, poot head pookie, and the many other "pet names" I have given her. He says she is going to get confused on what her REAL name is. I most often call her psycho kitty and rarely call her Duchess (which is what her name is supposed to be). Well, today we finally took the plunge and got another kitty. A playmate for our little Duchess. We have named her Pauper. She is not a "breed" cat - but just your average calico cat. She is sweet, but Duchess and TaiChi don't seem to like having her around. I guess it will take them a little while to get used to each other. Poor Taichi, I am sure she is wondering "Why Me? Why do I have to be in a house with not one - but TWO cats...." She is a good dog though and I am sure that eventually she will tolerate Pauper as much as she tolerates Duchess - maybe even more. I have been trying really hard to call Duchess by her REAL name since we brought home Pauper and have tried really hard to call Pauper by her name as well. She is a sweet kitty and I am really excited to see her personality come out more and more.

BMW Z4 convertible vs Toyota Prius Hybrid

OK - I am not talking about the two of them racing against each other... I am talking about which is the best car for me. I have only had the Beamer for a couple months but I am seriously considering selling it and getting a Toyota Prius. People seem to think I am nuts for wanting to go from the BMW to the Prius.... It was even said that the Prius was a "geek" car. Is geek a bad thing? We actually get really good gas mileage - about 26 mpg - not bad since we rarely drive on the hwy. But I just think the new Toyota Prius' are adorable. I have wanted a Prius since 2004 - but Chris got his way and we got the Honda instead. This time, I wanted either a Smart Car or Prius - but Chris talked me in to wanting the Z4 instead. Was not hard to convince me -- after all, I am having my midlife crisis..... Yeah - it is a cool car.... HOWEVER - it is really hard NOT to speed in that car. You do not even realize you are going so fast. I am thinking that we will save money on insurance and future speeding tickets if we go for the Prius. I thought I would take a poll and see what everyone else thought - BMW vs Prius... which one?

Does Everyone Know Me or What?

Seriously, does everyone know me better than I know myself or what? Back when Chris and I were just friends, people swore we were more and that I would marry him. I thought they were nuts... But they were right. When I came back from Iraq and said I was never going to work again, people laughed and said "yeah right". I am thinking that some people may have even had a little "pool" going on to see who could guess how long it would be before I got bored and went to work. Well, I have been home for a year now and guess what. I am thinking about going back to work. Yep. I was wrong - my friends and family were right. And yes, Chris dear, you were right. Do you know how much I hate admitting that I was wrong? Although I am still just in the "thinking about it stage", I did apply for a couple of jobs. Neither are hiring right away - so I would have time to decide if I really want to go back to work. Today, I was talking to some people about these "missions" that are about a week long. I was most interested in the missions where you work in orphanages. They cost about $1500 - $2000. I think it would be a neat experience. There is one going to Uganda in September. I would love to go on that one. I love the Ugandans that I met in Iraq. It is kind of a catch 22... for me to go on one, I need to earn the money.... but to earn the money I would need a job... if I get a job, I would not be able to up and leave to go on the week long missions.... And there is always the Elephant School I wanted to go to.... Not sure what I will end up doing -I just know I am bored with doing nothing :(

Psycho Kitty

OK - for those of you who do not know the story of how TaiChi got her name.... Chris named her CheeSigh - which means "tiny" in some language - mandrin I think. Anyway - I kept getting confused and calling her Taichi. Finally, she started responding to Taichi - thus, choosing her own name (or did I choose it? I am not really sure). Now... our new little kitty was named by my sweet husband who chose one of the suggestions of my sister in law (Dana). I do love the name Duchess. However, once again, I have accidently given her a new name - "Psycho Kitty". It is not what I intend to call her - but when she acts like a psycho kitty, then I call her a psycho kitty. Is it my fault that she is so OFTEN psychotic? I can't help it if she earns the title Psycho Kitty so often that she thinks its her name. Geesh...

Yesterday, we had a house full of guests. I had closed the door to the guest room to keep her and the dog out after I cleaned the room. Then, I closed the door to our bedroom. Well, she usually hides under our bed when people visit - sometimes she goes to the guest room and hides under the bed there. Last night - she freaked out at the noise level in the house and did not have a bed to go under. So, being the psycho kitty she is, she ran into our fireplace and UP the chimney! People had been running in and out of the house - so I just locked them all out for the time it took me to coax her down (about a half hour). The poor little thing was so scared - but so was I! I was beginning to think I would have to call the fire department or something to get her out.... I kept calling her name (Duchess) and she did not respond. However, when I called her Psycho Kitty - she meowed in her soft little voice. Anyway - she is out of the chimney and I have pulled the fire place screen shut so hopefully that will keep her out! See... and people wonder why I call her a psycho kitty ;-)

Sometimes you need to smile...

There are times when nothing seems to go your way and life seems as if it is just crumbling down around you. These are times you just have to take a breath and smile. Or better yet - laugh.....

Whenever this happens to me, I watch this. I have seen it over and over and over- I laugh everytime I see it.

Here is a link to the guys website that made it:

http://www.navone.org/

The Desk....

I can not remember the last time I went to a yard sale. I used to be a HUGE yard sale junky and I used to love to "dumpster dive". But over the years, I guess my tastes have become a little more pricey. But Saturday, we drove by a yard sale and I decided I wanted to go take a look. So Chris, being the patient, loving husband he is, turned the car around and we went back to the yard sale. We pulled up onto the little hill and parked. Almost as soon as I got out of the car I saw it! There it was! The desk! Now, this was not just any ordinary desk. This was a little antique rolltop kids desk. Now, let me just add, that after selling our historic home in Suffolk, I had no desire to ever again own anything old and antique. We own only one antique - a dining room table of which I am none to fond of. But the desk... I just had to have it. Why, you may wonder, did I have this obsession to own this little antique kids desk? Well, I will explain.... When I was a little girl (many years ago), my grandfather Diamond gave my sister and I a little desk. It was old back then and in much need of repair. My grandfather fixed it up for us. I have lots of memories of that desk. I remember playing "Bank" and "School" with that desk. I loved that desk. But so did my sister. When we were both grown and out on our own - we BOTH wanted that desk. My mother maintained custody of the desk and finally decided that to keep us from fighting over it, it would go to the first grandchild. Now, I wanted that desk bad - but not enough to go out and get pregnant just to get custody of it. One year, at Christmas time, I had very little money for gifts. So I decided that for my gift to my sister, I would relinquish custody of the desk and give it to her. I wrote a little poem telling her that money was tight, but the gift I gave her came from my heart. I wrapped that poem up and gave it to her for Christmas that year. Giving up all hopes of ever owning that desk - but knowing, that she wanted it as much as I did. She still has that desk. She has it in her entryway. I have looked at it longingly each time I have visited her - not wanting to take it back, but just cherishing the memories I have of it. I know it is not the SAME desk. I know that it is not the desk my Papa repaired and gave to us as children. But when I look at it, I have those same feelings as the memories come flooding back to my mind. I don't think Chris will ever love the desk, but he knows that I love it and that I will cherish it, so he tolerates it. As soon as I brought it home, I cleaned it up and put it in my entry way. There is nothing inside the desk yet. I am thinking that I need to put some monopoly money it it (in memory of the times we played bank) and maybe some crayons, paper and pencils (in memory of the times we played school). I no longer have my Barbie dolls, my Lite Brite or my Matchbox cars - but I now have a little piece of my childhood memories sitting in my entry way. It may not really be the actual desk of my memories - but it was the desk of some other child's memories and I can look at it and recall my childhood memories. I love that desk!

Swim Forrest Swim

Well, it happened. Our first casualty in our fish tank. Poor Forrest. He was a bit smaller than Bubba and the other fish picked on him (including Bubba). The other fishies picked on him from the begining and I would often say "Swim Forest Swim" when I saw them picking on him. I thought if he just swam away and avoided the other fish, that they would leave him alone. But they picked on him and ate away at his fins until he died. I know he was just a fish - but I still feel bad for him. I wonder if the other fish will feel bad for what they did. I wonder if they miss him. I wonder if they will even remember him next week. I wonder if the bullies from highschool ever feel bad for picking on the other kids. I wonder if they even remember the names of the kids they picked on. I wonder if the fish (and bullies) even realize that they are being mean. Anyway - Forrest is in a glass right now. It did not seem right to just flush him down the toilet. I know I must - but I just can not seem to make myself do it. He is starting to smell a little, so I am sure Chris will flush him when he gets home from work - but until then, I just don't have the heart to say goodbye :(

Just a housewife

Yesterday while signing in at the diagnostic center, the receptionist asked me "Are you just a housewife?" I was so shocked by the question that I could barely utter the word "yes". I am usually quick with a cute little comeback with comments and questions that I find a little irritating and/or offensive - like maybe say "For now I am just a house wife, but I have aspirations of being a receptionist just like you" I know, I know - not really kind - but the way I felt like I was not as good as her because SHE worked.... I have to admit, I was pretty much speechless. But, yeah, I guess I am "just" a house wife. I have not worked a "job" for a year now. This is by choice - I feel I paid my dues the 20 months I was in Iraq. Not to mention the time Chris finished school and I solely supported us on my income alone. I like to think of myself as a "kept woman" - but being referred to as "just a housewife" really bothered me. I may be "just a house wife" but I make sure my husband has a nice clean, pressed shirt to wear every morning, he gets a decent breakfast, I make him really good lunches, I make sure he has dinner every night, I keep the house clean, I keep the lawn mowed, I keep the animals clean and fed, I do most of the household chores.... but.... I am "just a housewife". For some reason that makes me feel less of a person - less important - less qualified - a peon - a peasant - all kinds of less than attractive words come to my mind when I think of myself as "just a house wife". After all, I am not married to a HOUSE, I am married to a wonderful, generous, hardworking man. I have on many times been referred to as "Chris's wife" - but I am usually quick to quip back - "no, he is my husband". I am sure that it makes no sense to people when I do that - but I am just trying to reiterated that I am ME and I was me before I met and married Chris. I am Sandy. Although I am married to Chris and happy to be his wife - I prefer to be referred as "Sandy" - not Chris's wife and definately NOT just house wife.
So, while so much craziness is going on in the world around me, I will take a few minutes to ponder over and stew in my mind the thought that many people refer to me as "just a housewife". Now.... back to reality..... (after all, I do have clothes to launder, dishes to wash, meals to cook, cookies to bake .... ;-)

My panties in a Bunch

Yes - I have my panties in a bunch this morning and am going to have a heck of a time getting them out! We all have childhood memories. Some that were wonderful and a few that were not. One of my earliest child hood memories is of my frustrations with my speech impediment. I remember getting so frustrated (yet not really understanding what those feelings were that I was feeling) when I would say something, and then the person I was talking to would look at my sister and say "what did she say?". My sister, God bless her, was my translator for years. No one else could interpret what I was saying except her. One would think that she would go in to Speech and Language Technology, but instead she became a Neurologist. I can remember having to go to speech therapy while my sister got to go swimming. I missed out on a lot because of my speech therapy. It was a half hour drive there and a half hour drive back - plus my actual time in therapy. There were many things that my sister was able to do that I could not because I had to go learn to talk so other people could understand me. Don't get me wrong. I am SO grateful for my parents for getting me help. Especially my mom. I grew up during an era that early intervention was not the norm. My mom was told repeatedly that I would eventually learn and if I had not learned by the time I was in kindergarten, for her to come back. My mom did not give up. My mom knew that her baby needed help. She finally found a program through the Easter Seals that accepted me (even though I was under their age limit). After that program ended, she got me in to another program at Marshall University. It was a joke in our home that I went to College before I ever went to kindergarten. By the time I was in the 4th grade, I had mastered every thing but the Rs. The therapists thought that perhaps I needed a break from all of the therapy and hoped I may eventually pick it up on my own. Well, I did finally master my Rsss. To this day, while I am alone, I often use some of the tricks they taught me to help me make the r sound. The speech therapy worked so good for me that my husband did not even realize until I told him, that I had a major speech impediment. I remember in kindergarten, all of the kids getting a chance to talk in to the microphone of a tape recorder. I remember hating that - because I knew that the children would laugh when my voice played back. I guess because of my experiences with my own problems, what happened in Florida with a 5 year old boy has got me all worked up. It has me wondering if we need to have some type of test for the teachers to see if they have compassion and common sense. Let me explain what has me so worked up.
It has to do with this Kindergarten teacher, Wendy Portillo, from Port St Lucie, Florida.

And this little 5 year old boy, "Alex":


This little boy is in the process of being diagnosed with asperger syndrome. For more information on the diagnosis, please click here: http://www.aspergers.com/ Anyway, the teacher (after sending the little boy to the principal for an undisclosed reason). Decided to have a type of poll, election, jury - whatever you want to call it. She decided to let the other children in the class (these are FIVE year olds remember) take turns saying what they don't like about this child and then casting a vote of either evicting the child or letting him stay in the class room. Well, I don't know about you, but I think that teacher needs to get a life and stop watching so much reality tv! Can you imagine being 5 years old and your classmates are allowed to stand up and say all the reasons why they do not like you? And you have to listen to all of the mean things they are saying.... means things that are being encouraged by the teacher that should be keeping them from saying mean things? What on earth was this teacher thinking? I think what she did was HORRIBLE. As if children do not get enough bullying from their peers without it being coerced by a teacher.
This child has not been back to school since the incident and when he rides with his mommy to drop off the other siblings - he screams and cries. Can you imagine what this poor child must be feeling. I am trying to have enough faith in our educational system to believe that this teacher will be relieved of her duties - and soon. Heaven help this woman if she would have done this to one of my nieces or nephews. I am not sure how she sleeps at night or how she looks in a mirror. She has yet to make a public apology - she has only verified that the incident took place. I have racked my brains trying to figure out why an adult would behave like this. Why an adult who has chosen a career of teaching our children would do such a horrible thing. It saddens me at what she is actually teaching the children......

Weekend Retreat

This past weekend I went to the Red Rooster Retreat for a scrapbook retreat. The Red Rooster is in Cullman (Crane Hill). It is located right on the lake with a swimming pool and hot tub. It is a lovely place and one of the highlights there is the food. It is so yummy! This was my second retreat at the Red Rooster. The first time was in October. The last time I was there, I bought one of their cookbooks and Chris has been enjoying me trying them out on him. They are all yummy - but not nearly as yummy as they are when prepared by the ladies who cook at the Red Rooster. The first retreat I finished about 14 pages from our trip to Dubai in April 2006. This year, I completed a small album I made as a gift. I also started working on one to give to Chris for our 15 year anniversary in October. Can you believe we have been married for 15 years?

Chris is loving his new job. So far he has not had to travel, but I know it is just a matter of time before he has to pack his bags.

Chris is still working on getting the pool open. He had to replace the motor on the pump because the other one was fried when we got back in town. The days are really warming up and I am hoping he is able to get it fixed and the pool open soon.

Life with us has been pretty boring lately - so there is really not much to blog about...

We have Fish! Finally!

The weekend I went to pick up my new car, Chris decided to go ahead and set our fish tank up. It is something we have procrastinated for years (every since we left VA). Now that we are back in Alabama for good - setting up the tank is kind of symbolic to us being permantly back. This has been a learning experience for us - because we have only had freshwater tanks before. We have never had saltwater tanks. One of the big things we have learned is that saltwater tanks are much more expensive than freshwater. Also, you have to get the entire ecosystem going on the saltwater tanks before you actually add the fish. We have been taking water samples every weekend to Coral Reef Aquatics (http://www.coralreefaquatics.com/). FINALLY - this weekend - they said we were ready for fish! We got some coral, 10 little hermit crabs, and 4 fish. I picked out two pretty blue fish with yellow tails (I forget what type of fish they all are). I named mine Forrest and Bubba. Chris picked out a pretty silverish blue fish. When I said she was the color of Marge Simpson's hair, Chris decided to name her Marge. The fourth fish was chosen by Chris - it is kind of oblong and blue and yellow. Chris named it Zipper because it zips in and out of the reef. We will get another fish in a couple weeks (a maroon and gold clown fish) and our final fish (a yellow tang) a little later. The guys at the fish store are awesome - and very patient with us and our lack of knowledge. They are not just there to sell fish - they actually want to help you set up your saltwater tank to be successful. It is a great place if anyone decides to start a saltwater tank. Anyway - our reef tank is coming along and pretty exciting to see it progress. Duchess is really enjoying watching the fish. She sits on her little kitty tower and watches the fishies.

It has actually been a very good day. I got the lawn mowed and two more of my flower beds weeded - well, they are weeded as well as I can weed (I am sure I pulled some things that are not weeds and left some that are - but at least it looks better).

For the last 3 years - weekends have not been much different than any other day - but now that Chris is working a regular job with regular office hours - I love the weekends.

Adjusting to Normalcy

Even though we were only in Germany for a few months, in the past 3 years, we have only spent about 6 months in the US. When we first returned from Iraq last summer, life was anything but normal. Chris took a few months off from work to enjoy the summer, so I too felt justified in taking time off from my domestic duties. I spent very little time doing anything that I did not WANT to do. I spent most of my time in my yard and at my pool. We ate out - a LOT and I did no major cooking.
Now - it is back to reality. I have spent almost all of my waking hours (with the exception of my short trip) doing "domestic" stuff. Now, lets just set the record straight.... I have never been, never will be, and have never claimed to be a Martha Stewart wannabe. I have never been one of those women who enjoy watching Rachel Ray or Emeral Live. It's just NOT me..... I have tried to be a "domestic goddess" in the past, but get easily bored. I have had my moments when I was extremely excited about the purchase of a Downey Ball or new vacuum cleaner - but for the most part - I would much rather be doing about anything but housework. I have done so much cleaning, organizing and redecorating that I fear that I am becoming more like a "house wife". Not that it is a bad thing, but I know me and know how quickly I will bore of it.

I am now, on a daily basis - cleaning, packing my sweathearts lunch, ironing his clothes, and I have started cooking again. I have to admit that I am amazed at how much I have forgotten in the past three years. For instance... I totally forgot how much spelt grows when you cook it..... I could not remember if I had to cook the potatoes before putting them in soup (thanks Mom for not laughing too hard when I called to ask)....oh - and most importantly.... I forgot which little thingey you pull on your kitchen aid mixer to unlock it. I THOUGHT I was unlocking mine, but totally freaked out when the beater thingey started spinning around in the bowl with the other attachements in there. I guess I should not have plugged it in first, huh? I also have seemed to lose my touch with my infamous chicken salad. I made some today, and could not remember what I usually put in it. I obviously left something out, because it does not taste nearly as good as it used to.

We are both adjusting to going grocery shopping. WOW! The prices! I have to admit, I miss going to the chow hall and eating - and NOT worrying about how much food costs...

Another thing that is taking a bit of adjusting is driving. Can I just say that I miss the Autobahn? The Autobahn is just so much smoother than the interstates here. Not to mention, you do not have all those agressive drivers snaking in and out of the traffic there like you do here. I have to admit, that I think the Autobahn is much safer than our interstates!

Chris and I are not the only ones adjusting.... Our sweet TaiChi dog is adjusting to not only having us home, but having to share us with the kitty. She is adjusting quite well, but still has some jealousy issues. Anytime we see her acting a little jealous, we just dote lots of love on her and she is fine.

All in all, I think we are quickly adjusting to "normalcy". But then again, what is "normal"?

Busy Busy Busy

We got back to the states on April 8th. We have been busy cleaning up after our little four legged, beady eyed squatters ---- grrrrrr. We have taken the opportunity to declutter and do some redecorating and organizing which is taking more time that the clean up would have. I have already had to mow the lawn twice since I have been back and my flower beds are in dire need of weeding. There is just so much to do around the house that I have not had time to do much of anything since returning to the states.

We stopped and picked up the kitty on the way from WV to AL. She is such a sweety. At first she hid a lot - but now, she just runs all over the house like she is the boss. She and TaiChi are not exactly friends yet - but they tolerate each other. At first she was really scared of the dog - but now, I think the dog is more afraid of her. She is a bit of a psycho kitty - running and jumping and pouncing at all hours of the night. I have had to scold her a couple of times - she had to be taught that getting on the pool table and in my potted plants was a no-no.

I took a little break to fly to Pennsylvania to pick up my final birthday present.... a BMW Z4. I was so excited that the dealership was only a few minutes from my friend Brandy's house. I have not seen Brandy since we were both in Iraq (she went home before me - then moved to PA). It was great seeing her and her husband. She is having a baby really soon and it was fun to see her and feel her belly. I am hoping that I rubbed some baby dust off her and on to me :) She did an amazing job of painting and decorating the nursery. She will make an awesome mommy and Chet will make a great dad too. I was also able to see my friend, Deanna who lives in Hershey PA. I have not seen her since right after I was married (she is the one who baked my wedding cake). Her daughters have grown up and she has a little boy now as well. She has been really busy lately - she has written a childrens book dealing with deployment of a parent. Its a really neat book and I am so proud of her.

Chris just finished a week long CISSP (certified information system security professional) class. It was twelve hours of class per day - plus homework at night. He had Saturday off, but was required to take a 6 hour long test on Sunday. He is extremely happy with his new position with the government.

We finally set up our fish tank. I guess you can say that it is sort of symbolic of us being home for good. This is our first salt water tank and we had no idea that it was so costly. So far, we only have live rock in there. We will be able to add fish and coral soon. I had hoped to have seahorses, but found out that the seahorses do not survive with the fish because they move so slow and can not compete for the food.