Herwig Happenings

A Playmate for the day

2012-01-20T01:25:00.000-06:00

JT is so used to me being his playmate that the poor kid does not really know how to act around kids. I am trying to get him play dates, but so far, they are few and far between. We were lucky to have a play mate for the entire day on Thursday. At first JT just kind of stood back and watched her play with his toys.

But once she offered to share a toy with him, he warmed up to her.

He even reciprocated by sharing his Gumby with her.

Not sure why JT does this - but he bangs his head - usually when he is tired or frustrated - or not getting his way.

But this time - when his playmate saw him - she joined him for the head banging as well. I thought maybe he would realize how silly he looked and stop - but nope - he just joined in and banged his head with her.

They finally stopped, and the kissing began. At first JT was not so sure about it

but then he seemed to enjoy it just a bit too much.

Thank goodness he let her know "enough is enough"

JT finally got so exhausted that he was willing to take a nap, despite the fact that he had someone to play with besides mommy. He got a kiss night-night from his friend and FINALLY took a much needed nap.

I think all in all - the play date went well and we are hoping for many more to follow.

Our Little Photographer

2012-01-19T12:20:00.001-06:00

Chris got me an IPOD Touch for Christmas, but it seems it was more like a "family" gift, than a gift for me. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Chris draining the battery from playing Angry Birds all night, or JT commandeering it to play the Peek-A-Boo game app. I also find it extremely entertaining to see the pictures JT takes on the IPod. Most of them are what you would expect from a one year old

but some of them are not so bad...who knows, maybe he will follow in his cousin Ethan's footsteps.

Play Date and Birthday Party

2012-01-14T23:46:00.000-06:00

JT has been busy the last couple of days. Friday, he met friends at KidVenture in Huntsville for a playdate.

Talking to Kooper

Kaden sharing with JT

I think Kaden was a little scared of JT - lol

After his play date, we went shopping for a birthday gift for Maddy and some new clothes for JT!

Saturday was Maddy's birthday party!

JT was not so sure about the party hat...

But of course he loved seeing the balloons

Maddy unwrapping gifts

The dress JT got Maddy

Maddy blowing out her candles

After the birthday party we went to the mall to do more clothes shopping for JT. His closet is once again full with clothes that fit.

It has been a good - but exhausted weekend so far.....

Fun with Daddy

2012-01-12T19:18:00.000-06:00

Chris is such a good dad. Every day when he comes home from work, he spends time playing with JT - no matter how rough his day was or how tired. I love watching them play. He is definitely a daddy's boy. Sometimes their playing is so rough that I freak out - but {usually} no one gets hurt. And even when someone does get hurt - it has been nothing a sucker can't make better. I usually don't get to take pictures of their interactions because Chris is usually not appropriately dressed for public photos. Yesterday, I told him that he needed to start putting appropriate clothes on so that I could take pictures of him and JT.

I was about to take pictures but JT was in just his diaper (as he is the majority of the time) - I grabbed some clothes out of the closet and asked Chris to get JT dressed. I did not realize the shorts were two sized too small - but Chris managed to get them on him! Unfortunately - they were so tight that every time JT tried to walk - he fell down.

Not sure what JT's fascination with sunglasses are - he owns three pair and will commandeer anyone and everyones glasses and sunglasses ~~ but he will share!

The little guy is extremely flexible...

Watching the two of them play brings me more joy than I could ever express

And JT is constantly cracking me up with his little expressive face!

Slowing down the pace for 2012.... or are we?

2012-01-11T20:18:00.000-06:00

After a busy month of visiting family,celebrating JT's first birthday and another trip to WV (to take Gran home) - we are finally starting to slow down. JT still looks at Gran's bedroom and says "Ga Ga" (his name for her) every morning. Chris and I miss her talent for being able to get the wiggle worm dressed without having to tackle him to the ground. We did get lessons from Gran on how to get him dressed - but he just does not cooperate with us like he does Ga Ga.

On January 5th - JT got his very first haircut! He did much better than I thought he would and we were quite proud of him. And yes! I did cry when he got his hair cut - I had to admit to myself that he was no longer my baby - but a toddler - a little man....

We went to a place called Spoiled Rockin Kids in Southeast Huntsville. It rates a 10 on the coolness scale!

Chris had some time off work, so he was "in charge" for a few days. I have to admit, having him in charge of JT is quite entertaining....

First Picture ~ "Avocados for breakfast! woo hoo!"

Second Picture ~ "When daddy feeds me breakfast, mommy gives me an extra bath!"

Third Picture ~ "Why, Yes! Daddy did dress me. Why do you ask?"

Fourth Picture ~ "Seriously daddy? You have to cut up my food - ESPECIALLY if it is cantaloupe!"

Chris's vacation is over and he has gone back to work. Today, JT got up from playing with his dinosaurs and walked over and got the phone. He walked up to me, threw the phone at me and said "Da Da". I could only assume that he was wanting to call Dada - so we called. Dada was not at his desk - so we had to call twice so JT could listen to Chris' voice on his voice mail.

It gets harder and harder for me to entertain that active little guy. I am working on scheduling more play dates (local moms, please message me if you are interested!), we are also going to try a mommy and me class at The Little Gym next week. Some days I wonder how in the world I can keep up with that little ball of energy that we call JT. But somehow..... I do!

New Motivation to Blog

2012-01-11T00:08:00.000-06:00

OK - I am totally excited about blog books! I saw one of my friends post on facebook that she had just finished her blog book. So after stalking her blog, I googled blog book and realized it was the perfect substitute for Scrapbooking. I figure since I have not scrapbooked in over a year, I need to do SOMETHING... So, I have been putting together my blog books from 2008 - 2011 and I am committed to doing a better job of keeping my blog updated so I don't have to worry about scrapbooking all our memories! I think I can.... I think I can....

The Quest for that perfect picture....

2011-12-24T21:39:00.002-06:00

Last year, on Christmas Eve, I wanted to take a picture of JT in a Santa hat. Chris laughed at me and said that it would be way too big for him. I told him THAT was the point - it would be cute to see his tiny little head in the big Santa hat. He thought it was silly, but once he saw the picture, he thought it was adorable. But of course every picture we take, we think JT is adorable.

This year, Chris wanted to get the "exact same picture" with the same hat. I knew this would be a challenge with an active one year old. It seemed especially challenging when Chris informed me that JT needed to be laying down - because that is how the first picture was.

The first attempt of course was a disaster. He was not a happy camper that we laid him down AND put the hat on him....

So, the next thing we tried was me wearing the hat. I was singing and dancing and showing him how much fun wearing the hat was, hoping to get him to want to wear the hat...

It seemed to work - he reached out for it - but as soon as we tried to lay him down with it on him - he freaked out. So then, I got a brilliant idea.....

A sucker!

While it is not the best picture,,,, it will do!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I seem to remember people telling me it gets easier.... they lied

2011-07-19T14:05:00.000-05:00

No Problem Mon

Yes- I rember that not just one person, but many people told me that things will get easier as JT gets older. Liars Liars - pants on fire! JT will be 7 months old in two days. Although he is not crawling forward - he crawls backwards and does the "butt bounce" and other creative moves to get to where he wants to be. Most of the time, where he wants to be is with the kitty.... or where there are electronics. He keeps me on my toes - that's for sure. With his increased mobility, I have had to start saying "No, No!" At first JT just didn't seem to get the "No no", but then I said it very sternly with a "mean old mad mommy face". The first time I did that, JT looked at me, his little bottom lip started quivering, and then he cried. It was so pitiful. I no longer feel that pity I felt for that brief moment, because now, when I put on that mean old mommy face and say very sternly "NO NO!" He looks up at me and just laughs and laughs. {{sigh}}

JT and Duchess ~ Duchess is SO patient with him

JT is not the only one that likes the teething bling ~ Duchess does too

He continues to fight sleep - both at nap times and at night. I have resorted to putting him in the car and taking late night drives to get him to go to sleep.
We just got back from a trip to South Carolina to visit my cousin Mike and his family. It was an adventure..... he was pretty good, but yet he was definitely a challenge. With two road trips under our belt, we will be taking our first plane trip soon. I can't say I am looking forward to it, but I know it will provide me with a lifetime of memories that I will one day look back and not only cherish, but laugh about. I must admit, that although he is more work than before, he brings more and more joy each day. His smile brightens the room and when he giggles - you seem to forget all of your worries. He is developing an amazing little personality.

7/2/11 ~ JT's first time on the swing at the park

Trying to get to one of his favorite toys ~ needless to say, he needed help getting out!

Playing with Mommy

Constantly climbing....

Loves his Daddy

Sitting on his new chair ~ this is the face he makes when daddy comes home

First Sucker (stolen from mommy)

Trip to South Carolina to visit mommy's cousin Mike

YES! He sleeps!

2011-06-20T15:35:00.001-05:00

JT has slept in his crib every night since last Monday! Woohoo! I think he finally decided that the swing was getting a little too cramped for his growing body and once he gave the crib a fair try, he realized he could stretch, toss, turn, roll, and just be more comfortable. Nap times have gotten better too! Seems like he can fall asleep anywhere now, provided he has one of his blankie babies to snuggle up with. He continues to form his own unique personality and is keeping us pretty entertained. We re-introduced food. We had stopped feeding him food and went back to formula because he did not seem interested.

That's my boy! Checking out Facebook!

Napping on the floor!

hanging out in his crib

My cute little sheik

Chris and I went on our first date alone since we brought JT home. We are extremely grateful for Samantha for watching him so that we could go see the Musical CATS. Now... let me tell you an awkwardly funny story about our date.... I was all dressed and ready to go out the door when I realized I had a wet spot on my chest. I thought JT had spit up on me, but I could not seem to get it to dry. So I rushed in the closet to find another shirt that would go with my pants - and then we were out the door. We dropped JT off at Samanthas and headed to the VonBraun Center for the show. I stopped at the ladies room before we went to our seats and while washing my hands, I got a glimpse of my chest in the mirror. TWO BIG wet spots! I nearly cried. WHAT in the world is going on? I tried to dry it out - but it was dry. I was so confused. I came out of the bathroom embarassed as can be and pointed them out to Chris who replied "Um, are you lactating?" At this point, the show was about to start - what could I do? I went in to the theatre with huge wet spots on my boobs. Luckily, the lights soon went out. On our way back home, I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I was getting my chest in to that was causing wet looking spots.... well.... can you believe it was my BRA?! Yep, I bought a few of those really neat gel filled bras a while back. I have not worn them for a while, but grabbed one that afternoon when I was getting dressed. That darn wonderbra leaked the gel stuff ALL OVER me! And it won't come out! I ruined two nice shirts and a camisole before I figured it out. grrrrrrr . So ladies... avoid the gel filled bras. See... it is much better when I just go braless.... {{sigh}} Despite the embarassing moment of walking around looking like I was lactating, we both had an incredible time. This, by the way, was Chris' Fathers Day gift. Next year, he will probably just get a tie! Here are pictures taken of JT while we were on our date:

Sleeping in Riley's Crib

Cam watching JT sleeping

Hanging out with Riley

Aunt Samantha and JT

I think he said "I want a doggie"

Hanging with the boys! Uncle Jon and Cameron

And one final picture.....

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T14:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's day to my two favorite daddies! The one who raised me and helped me become who I am today Thomas Author Cyrus (9/22/40 - 12/20/00). Not a day goes by that I don't think about you. Not a day goes by that my heart does not ache to be with you again.

You were always the life of the party!

You were responsible for my addiction to cruising!

Many memories of jello eating contests and head standing contests!

Time at the condo on the beach...

And the one who, hand in hand with me, raises our son to help him become the man he will be one day. The man who tolerates my shortcomings and loves me despite them. Not a day goes by that I don't realize how blessed I am to have him in my life.

December 2010 ~ Brand new daddy!

So sweet sleeping...

The three James Herwigs... James Arthur, James Christopher and James Thomas

♥ Love ♥

Daddy and son in pool

Will he EVER sleep?

2011-06-13T12:47:00.000-05:00

Chris has repeatedly told people that JT sleeps through the night. Everytime he does, I want to stand on a chair or table, stomp my feet and scream at the top of my lungs "NO HE DOES NOT!!!" Every time JT wakes up at night, the words "JT sleeps through the night now" grates through me like nails on a chalk board. It takes every bit of self control that I can muster up for me NOT to go throw a bucket of ice on Chris as he sleeps so soundly. The joke in the house is that Chris' son sleeps through the night, but mine doesn't. Well, this past weekend, Chris took care of MY child while I took care of HIS child. In other words, I slept through the night and Chris was up with JT. It must not be as easy as Chris thought, because he was dragging all weekend and we even missed church because he fell back asleep. It was a good experience for Chris and an AWESOME experience for me. I totally enjoyed my rest. Chris, on the other hand, looked pretty exhausted when he left for work this morning! As usual, JT did not sleep much last night. He did sleep for a solid hour IN HIS CRIB! First time for that! However, the rest of the night, the only sleep he got was in my arms. Naps continue to be a struggle too. I guess for now, and possibly the rest of my life, I will just look forward to the weekends when I can take care of Chris' son while he takes care of mine.

Obsession with his toes (yum yum)

First taste of watermelon ~ can you say "yuk"

Loves his Pillow Pet

"If I hide your ID badge, you can't go to work?"

Futures so bright... I gotta wear shades...

Rock Star in Training

fun with daddy

Pool time loving...

Such a ham...

Twu Wuv

Spring Time with James Thomas!

2011-05-31T17:23:00.001-05:00

A lot has happened since my last blog update. JT went on his first trip! We drove up to WV and celebrated Easter with Gran, Auntie Pam, Auntie Beth and Cousin John. We had a party the day before Easter and met lots of family and friends. Saying good bye was hard.

JT with his cousin John

JT's Easter Loot (and that was not all of it!)

Fun with Gran

Auntie Pam giving him a bath in Gran's kitchen sink

Later in April, JT survived his first, second and third tornado. Despite being without power for over a week, JT still demanded his nightly baths. No power meant no Baby Einstein, but he still had plenty of Jumperoo time!

May was also a big month! On Mother’s Day, JT rolled over for the first time from Back to belly! The next weekend, on May 14^th, he rolled from belly to back. He is still not doing any crawling with the exception of a little belly crawling. He would much rather be on his feet than on his back or seat. He went to his very first birthday party.

Ready to go to his first birthday party ~ hoping to win over the birthday girl!

May was the month that he got in the baby pool for the first time and also the big pool for the first time.He absolutely LOVES the pool and would probably spend all of his waking hours in there if we would let him.

He continues to charm the ladies and gets cuter every day!

A couple of videos:

JT jumping in his Jumparoo....

JT in the pool!

New Discoveries.....

2011-04-14T21:46:00.000-05:00

JT just gets cuter every day....

He discovered the grandfather clock yesterday. He was so cute - he just stared and stared at it. I am sure he was thinking "hmmmm, so that is where that sound is coming from" and probably making plans to try to climb it some day soon. Today, he discovered three more things.... first, he discovered my lip and showed me what a great grip he has. Boy is he strong. Later, he finally discovered his feet. I was wondering when he would discover those cute little toes. And tonight, he discovered the kitties tail. (poor kitty ~ please don't anyone tell PETA!)

He is sitting a lot now - he usually uses a toy or boppy for a little extra support. When we try to lay him down - he struggles and struggles to try to sit back up. For the last couple days, he has wanted to stand a lot. His legs are getting stronger and stronger.

He still has not rolled over on his own, but he is starting to do a lot of belly crawling.

He still cries a lot - but now, I can only snap one picture of his sad face... once he sees the flash he instantly stops crying and looks at me like he is posing.

Today, I put him in his portable swing, the lights were only working on one side. He looked kind of sad about it..... I told him that it was OK that only half the lights worked.....

Obviously.... I was wrong...

I guess mommy is discovering a few new things too....

Time..... it sure does fly.....

2011-04-12T10:04:00.000-05:00

Somebody slow down the clocks! My baby is growing WAY too fast!

JT has been a busy little boy the past month! At 3 1/2 months, he is a whopping 16 pounds! It makes me really sad to have to put clothes that he has never worn in the give away pile :(

He wore his first pair of shoes! Ralph Lauren Tennis shoes ~ courtesy of Auntie Pam

He got a nice box filled with goodies from Connecticut. 3 Ralph Lauren outfits, 2 Kenneth Cole outfits, 7 books, and two really cool noise making toys!

He continues to develop his own little personality ~ and I am thinking that Chris and I may be in trouble

Chicks really dig him ~ I cannot seem to stop kissing that cute little face ~ He has me wrapped around his little finger

He now has an excesaucer and a jumpy thingy that he absolutely LOVES

While he roots for Alabama (Roll Tide), he is a Marshall fan at heart and bleeds green (Go Herd)

He continues to get stronger every day....

And cuter every day too!

He got to meet his Grandpa Herwig! ~ The 3 James Herwigs... James Arthur, James Christopher and James Thomas

He giggles a LOT ~ even in his sleep!

He was blessed at church on April 10th and blesses Chris and I every day with his love and presence.

Suprise!

2011-03-27T17:54:00.000-05:00

We all met at Steve and Dana's to celebrate Jimmy's (AKA granddad's) birthday. He thought he was coming to babysit so that Steve and Dana could go out for their anniversary.

Sherry, Grayson and Charles

7 candles ~ one for each decade!

Lots of yummy food!

Judy (Jimmy's sister) and her husband John came all the way from Boaz.

Marie, Darcy, Jon and JT

Nana and Leslie

The grandkids (Brenna and Mary Kate are missing)

Opening gifts! Grandad got a new computer from the group!

The three stooges ~ Chris, Steve and Jon (in birth order)

Opening Gifts

Sandy, JT and Chris

Leslie ~ Jordan

Carter and Rosie reading birthday cards

Jon Darci and Marie watching grandad opening gifts.

Go Ahead.....Brighten My Day

2011-03-24T14:14:00.000-05:00

Life is rough. Life is full of disappointments. Life is full of loss.We sometimes have to see those we love hurt. Some days are tougher than others. My day has been a tough one, and I was feeling pretty down. But then, JT woke from his nap. And seriously, can you look at this child and not have your spirits lifted just a little?

OK... Seriously... who was I fooling?

2011-03-21T22:24:00.000-05:00

For some reason, I thought that keeping up with this blog would be a piece of cake. I figured when I was in Europe and traveling all over, I had something to write about and had plenty of free time to update the blog. When I got back, my life seemed to be so boring that there was not really much to write about. I thought that having a little one around would give me plenty to write about. I was under the assumption that I would still have plenty of free time. Why didn't someone telling me that raising a child was so time consuming? I mean, people told me it was a lot of work - the hardest, yet most rewarding job, blah blah blah... but why didn't anyone REALLY tell me how exhausting it was? No, instead all of you parents sat back and just waited for the opportunity to laugh at me. ha ha -funny y'all. Yep - it is tough. It is exhausting. I seem to have to choose between eating, sleeping or showering. I get time to do one of the above - and unfortunately - I choose eating. But this is definitely THE most rewarding time in my life. I love every single bit of it. I live for those sweet early morning smiles and giggles. Me... the person who dared anyone to call me before 10AM. Those smiles and giggles make it worth getting up early in the morning. So....don't expect to come to my house and see me in much more than pajamas or sweats covered in spit up (or worse). Don't expect to come to my house and expect me to prepare a meal for you. Don't expect to walk in my door and see a clean house. Because if that is what you are expecting, knock on my neighbor's door instead! What you can expect to see if you visit is the most precious little one you ever could imagine. Don't expect him to always be cooing, giggling and smiling.... you will be disappointed. But I guarantee he is just as cute when he is screaming bloody murder.

JT ~ 11 Week pictures ~ Karen Bagley Photography

2011-03-09T01:14:00.001-06:00

Newborn Pictures by Amy Boston Photography

2011-03-08T23:23:00.000-06:00

These pictures were taken when JT was almost a week old.

Finally! After over 17 years of waiting......

2011-01-08T10:02:00.003-06:00

After 17 years of disappointment, frustration, procedures, surgeries, medication, injections, miscarriages, etc., we finally have a son! James Thomas (JT) Herwig was born Tuesday December 21, 2010 at 6:27 pm. He was 19" long and weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces. JT did not grow under my heart, but in it. We will forever be grateful to his birth mother for her selfless decision. He is our life!

Losing a little bit of me...

2010-12-02T15:57:00.002-06:00

On November 27, the Village Inn in Milton WV closed it's doors. It was a very sad day for me. I was sad that I was not there for their final day. You may wonder why the closing of a local pizza place was such a sad occasion. The Village Inn was more than just a local pizza place. I spent more time at the Village Inn during my high school years than I did at school. I started working there when I was 15 years old. The Wallace family who owned and managed the Village Inn immediately took me in just as if I were part of their family. Billy Joe and Janet Wallace were a huge part of not just my life, but a part of the lives of about every person in our small town as well. Billy Joe would bring the catering truck to the high school where the majority of students would purchase their "half and a drink". The "half" was a half of a sandwich - a pizza bread sandwich. The Wallace's were always supporters of every club in School. They were so generous to our school. The Wallace's children all worked there at one time or another. I have such good memories of the place. I spent my 16th birthday working there. The Hurricane Volunteer Fire Dept (who were regulars) brought me in a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to me. I met some great people working there. It truly felt like a part of me died on November 27.

Today, a friend of mine who lived next door to the house I grew up in, told me that they were cutting down trees in my old yard. It was not just any ordinary tree that they were cutting. They were cutting two trees that my daddy planted shortly after my parents had the house built in 1969. They were little pine trees. On my trips back to WV, I often drive up on "the hill" where I spent my child hood. I always look at those HUGE trees and think - WOW - I remember when they were about 2 feet tall. Not sure why it made me so sad to hear that they were being cut down, but it did. I called Chris to tell him about it and I broke down and cried. It seems like there is nothing that has not changed since my childhood. I have gotten fat.... I have lost my dad....my school was bulldozed down and they flattened the hill that it sat on... the pond down below my childhood neighborhood (the same one I was baptised in) was filled and there is now a house sitting where the pond once was... The covered bridge that I cherished has been moved not once - but twice...the local pool was closed and filled in... my home town is not the same...... the owners of my childhood house have let the hillside grow over and I am pretty sure no one is going down there and fishing and catching crawdads like I used to.... businesses I grew up with are closing... some friends have passed away....

I know that life goes on ~ but I would love for some of the things from my childhood memories would stay the same. I guess that is why we cherish our childhood memories... because things will never be the same as they were when we were children. Sometimes, growing up is not fun.

HOLY COW

2010-11-05T11:49:00.002-05:00

So, has it REALLY been over a year since I posted to this blog? Yes.... yes, it has. I am making a commitment to getting back to the blogging. Lots of changes going on in our life and blogging will probably be the best way to keep every one updated. Most all of you probably already know that Chris and I will be parents sometime around the end of the year. We are very excited for this opportunity, and while I am not carrying the baby under my heart, I am carrying him in my heart. We are extremely grateful to the birth mother, Hollie for her generous gift. Now... sit back and prepare to be entertained or perhaps bored from the weekly postings of the Herwig Happenings...... My first post after this blogging committment will come next week - so standby.....

Oh - and here is a sneak peak on something else I am hoping to get invovled with....

It's a ME day...

2009-07-09T08:36:00.002-05:00

Yep - I am playing hooky from work today. There were some things I needed to do. Like - relax.... sleep a little late.... clean the pool.....hang out by the pool....spend some time with my furry critters....hang out by the pool.... stamp some cards..... hang out by the pool.... watch some TV..... hang out by the pool....

so yep.... the day is mine to do as I wish..... So I am off.... to relax and of course hang out by the pool :)

Photo Tagged....

2009-02-01T20:58:00.006-06:00

Yep, I was tagged for a photo challenge by my fellow splitcoast stamper friend Mynee: click here to see her blog.

Here is how it works:
The rules for this challenge: Go to where you store your photos on your computer. Go to the 7th folder and pick the 7th photo. Post that photo on your blog along with a short story about it. Tag 7 people and leave a comment on their blog or email them letting them know you chose them. Here's my photo:

OK - as far as sharing a short story about it...... well, it pretty much speaks for itself. I think you can figure out we were in Paris and it was obviously a picture of my dear kind husband acting like he always does. Don't you just love goofs? :)

I am going to challenge the following 7 blog owners:

Dana

Amanda

Peg

Jackie

Sharon

Amy

Jackie

Have you seen my kitty?

2009-02-01T16:10:00.003-06:00

She is missing :(

Reward offered!

My Girl Cave

2009-01-20T20:24:00.007-06:00

I love to scrapbook and rubber stamp - so in our very first house, I used the room over the garage as my scrapbook room. It was great! When we moved to our next house, we had so much square footage that what started out as one room - became virtually the entire floor! I loved that craft space! I had friends that would come over once a week and we would all scrap together. When we bought our current house, I claimed the 20' X 20' bonus room as my space. That worked out for awhile.... at least until we went to Iraq. While we were gone, our house sitters moved our couch in there to make room for their couch. When I got back, I decided I really liked having the couch in there. That was my first mistake...... Soon, Chris had decided that room was the perfect place to put the grandfather clock we got in Italy.... then, he decided he needed a big screen TV..... I was moved to a small corner. I went to Pennsylvania to pick up my car and when I came back, our fish tank was in the corner where I had been moved. I was now moved to a closet! Albeit a HUGE closet - but a closet none the less. In theory, it would have been a great place to work, but I could never get organized in there. So, for the last three weekends, we have been doing a little rearranging in our house and I now have my very own girl cave! It also serves as a guest room, but we hardly ever have guests. We seemed to have a lot more guests when we lived on the beach ;-) Anyway - I am really pleased with the way it turned out. The cats and dog LOVE the room and sometimes hang out in there even when I am not there. Here are some pics of my girl cave....

The closet is where I store misc. supplies. The white boxes are where I have memos and misc stuff for specific books I am working on. My stamps are stored in there as well.

The book shelf holds the albums I am working on.

I even got a new bedspread for the guest bed. I have to admit that it is a quite comfy place to hang out, even when I am not doing something creative....

The pictures are not hung yet - they are just sitting there.... Chris promised to hang them for me. In the plastic drawers are my scissors, cutting tools, and punches. I have the trays of precut paper for card making, my 12" X 12" paper is stored vertically beside that tray. My 8 1/2" X 11 paper is in the paper sorters. In the drawers and cabinets underneath are my quickuts, sizzix, silhouette, and misc cutting systems. In the two plastic drawers beside that is my scrap paper, envelopes, etc.

I created an "embellishment corner". We bought some curtain rods and hung them on the walls for my ribbons as well as my stickers, die cuts, and misc embellishments. We bought clips to match the rods to hang packages on. This works out great - because I no longer have to go through boxes and boxes just to find that one thing that is perfect for the page I am working on. It works really well to easily see what I have. Actually, it works a little too well, because I discovered that I liked some things so well that I had purchased them more than once! My inks are also stored in this area, as well as my markers & pens. In the cabinets and baskets are embossing powders, glitters, brads, eyelets, water color pencils, chalks, water color crayons, etc.

Another view of my embellishment corner.

The table to the right is my work space. The plastic box in front of the window is for my kitties. I put a blanket on it and redirect them there whenever they try to sit on what I am working on. They love it because they can look out the window. You can actually see Pauper in the bottom right hand corner of this picture. My TV is hanging in the corner - above my work space. I also have a stereo to jam out while my creative juices are flowing.

?I just love my new "girl cave"! Anyone want to come play?

January..... it's not happening.....

2009-01-07T20:41:00.002-06:00

Well, it looks like January won't be my month to conceive :( My doctor appointment revealed more eggs than we originally saw (over 10), but they were not growing as large as they should be. He wanted me to take some Repronex injections, but none of the local pharmacies had any on hand - so unless by some miracle, my tiny eggs grow by Friday - I will be sitting out for a month. Good news is that next month - I will take the chlomid for 5 days to stimulate my ovaries - followed by Repronex injections to stimulate my ovaries more- followed by an HCG injection to make my eggs release - so February just may be my month....

Not quite a dozen.....

2009-01-05T21:44:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to share my recent doctors appointment news........

So, I don't quite have a dozen eggs ...... but I do have EIGHT! Yes - EIGHT! That is pretty good odds that at least one of them will get fertilized this month! I should have my procedure Thursday and will be back in the dreaded two week wait again. Keep your fingers crossed and keep us in your prayers!

Something to Share....

2008-12-26T18:51:00.004-06:00

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!

2008-12-26T00:18:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-20T22:17:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-14T09:42:00.005-06:00

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.

2008-12-07T20:32:00.004-06:00

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......

2008-12-06T21:19:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-13T19:22:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-10T20:14:00.005-06:00

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

2008-11-08T20:56:00.006-06:00

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....

2008-11-07T17:17:00.002-06:00

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....

2008-10-27T18:37:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-24T22:10:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-10-13T18:38:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-13T10:50:00.001-05:00

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

HappyBirthday Daddy!

2008-09-22T14:13:00.004-05:00

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.....

2008-09-17T11:06:00.005-05:00

--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?

2008-09-11T16:57:00.002-05:00

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?

2008-09-08T21:56:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-05T15:17:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-22T17:09:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-08-21T22:49:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-21T10:00:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-08-20T15:37:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-12T19:52:00.003-05:00

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 :(

2008-08-11T16:14:00.002-05:00

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....

2008-08-08T16:48:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-05T13:57:00.001-05:00

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?

2008-08-04T19:17:00.002-05:00

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.

2008-07-31T22:40:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-07-17T10:52:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-12T20:05:00.005-05:00

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

2008-06-25T15:47:00.002-05:00

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?

2008-06-23T11:23:00.001-05:00

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

2008-06-11T15:38:00.000-05:00

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...

2008-06-04T19:22:00.002-05:00

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....

2008-06-01T11:01:00.002-05:00

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

2008-05-30T16:30:00.002-05:00

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

2008-05-28T22:07:00.000-05:00

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

2008-05-27T10:40:00.006-05:00

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

2008-05-21T04:04:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-05-10T22:45:00.006-05:00

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

2008-04-29T12:56:00.002-05:00

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

2008-04-28T19:51:00.003-05:00

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.

Happy Birthday To Me!

2008-04-08T07:08:00.001-05:00

Today is my birthday! Happy Birthday to me! I get to celebrate extra long because I start my birthday in Germany's time zone (which is only 5pm the night before my birthday at home) - then I travel to my mom's and go to Eastern time zone - so an extra long birthday for me. And we actually celebrated last week in Switzerland.

And as an added bonus, this is the newest member of our family! She is about 7 months old - a Norwegian Forest Cat. Isn't she gorgeous? We pick her up Thursday evening. We are so excited to get to know her and for sweet Taichi to meet her and get to know her too.

Belgium, Luxemborg, and Misc Trips

2008-04-07T04:26:00.003-05:00

Today is our last day in Germany ~ so I decided to combine all our previous trips I had not blogged about. Most of the time, while Chris was working I had nothing to do. I did, however take a couple of trips without him while he was working. The first trip I took without him, was to Zurich Switzerland with the USO. One of our friends that we met in Iraq is now stationed here in Germany. He went on the trip with me and after the trip, he went with Chris and I to dinner before taking the train back to Kauserlatem. Zurich was nice - but no where as nice as it is in the Alps. There was a very pretty water falls on the way - Rhine River Water Falls. I loved the atmosphere in Switzerland and we enjoyed the normal touristy stuff while there. Later I took another USO tour to Strassborg France. It was nice, but no where near as nice as Paris!

Chris and I took other trips to Luxemborg and Belgium. We loved Dinant Belgium. It was a very romantic place. We visited the Citadel and strolled the streets by the water of the evening. It is a very beautiful and romantic place. We had dinner at a cafe overlooking the water - it was gorgeous.

Preparing to leave tomorrow to return home is bittersweet because I have loved the travel in Europe. I am., however excited to get home and return to normal life. I would guess that Chris and I will not want to do any traveling for a while once we return home. We will probably spend lots of evenings curled up on the couch watching movies. I am anxious to have a kitchen again! I am anxious for the lazy summer days by the pool. Yes, I will miss this place - but I will be extremely happy to be home! I am sure that sweet TaiChi is anxious for us to return as well.

Amsterdam & Holland

2008-04-06T03:58:00.000-05:00

We went on a trip to the Netherlands and enjoyed Holland and Amsterdam. Unfortunately, it was a bit too early to enjoy all of the tulips - maybe someday we will be able to travel to Holland for the blooming of the tulips! Holland is beautiful even without the tulips blooming. I loved the old fashioned wind mills - much more pleasant on the eye than the modern looking ones. And of course, what is a trip to Holland without watching them make wooden shoes. Amsterdam was great. I was fascinated with the "coffee shops" and "smart shops". I wanted to go in to a coffee shop and ask for a menu to bring home and scrap book, but I did not have the guts. We also passed the redlight district - but did not venture in to it. One of the hightlights of the trip for me was visiting Anne Franks house. That has always been a story that fascinated me and it was surreal to be in the actual annex where they were hiding. Of course, where do you think we had lunch? Hard Rock Cafe of course. It was much too short of a trip and it is on our short list of places to return someday.

England

2008-04-05T04:25:00.001-05:00

In March we flew to England for a few days. London, Paris and Amsterdam are our top three places we have enjoyed visiting. London is an amazing city. They have the best public transportation. I am not sure why anyone would want to drive there - but they obviously do, because the traffic is horrendous. While there, we took a train to Stonehenge. That was an amazing place to go - I like that it is a huge mystery of how the stones all got there and were arranged. I personally think it was someones idea of a great April fools joke - but who knows... We rode the London Eye which was a lot of fun. The view was amazing from up there! And of course we had lunch at the Hard Rock in London.

The Hills are Alive.... in Austria!

2008-04-03T14:33:00.000-05:00

OK - so, I had NEVER seen the Sound of Music until I came to Germany. We actually even own the video, yet I had never watched it. Chris talked me in to watching it for my first time while in Stuttgart. I actually have watched it 4 times in the past 2 months! Now, for me, that says a lot. I am not one to watch a movie more than once. I think I can count on one hand the number of movies I like to watch over again. I absolutely Loved the Sound of Music! What a neat story! Well, coming to Austria without going on a Sound of Music tour is sort of like going to Paris and not seeing the Eifel Tower. So Chris and I went on the Sound of Music tour. As if I was not already singing all of the songs enough - now, I was surrounded by people who were also singing the songs - going to places where EVERYONE was singing and dancing. It was so much fun! We hopped up and down the steps, danced around the fountain and patted the head on the dwarf just like the von Trapp children did when they sang "Do Re Mi" We went to the cathedral where Maria married the captain. We saw the lake where Maria and the children capsized their boat, saw the tree lined road where the children were hanging from trees and even danced in front of the gazebo where they sang the song "I am 16 going on 17". It was fun to see so many people being care free and dancing and singing. It was kind of like a Grateful Dead concert only without all of the happy pills - lol. I had the best time - it was a really neat tour. The next day we went to visit the birthplace as well as the childhood home of Mozart. I guess I am not cultured enough, because to me, that was not nearly as much fun as the Sound of Music tour! We also got to go visit Chris' grandmother that he has never met. She lives in Austria - about 1 hour from Salzburg. We had a wonderful time getting to know her and learning more about Chris' grandfather whom he never met before his death. It was a fabulous trip!

APRIL FOOLS!!!

2008-04-01T04:27:00.007-05:00

This is my very favorite day of the year! I absolutely LOVE April Fools Day! I must admit that it is not quite as fun as it was when my dad was alive. We were relentless with each other. The last couple of years he was alive, we called a truce. Instead of fooling each other, we fooled my mom! My poor mom..... Anyway, I have earned myself quite the reputation. So much so that my family will not answer the phone if I call on April Fools Day. Poor Chris had endured many a pranks from me on April Fools Day. He has returned a phone message from Mr. Bear - only to learn that he was calling the Zoo! He also returned a call about a box someone had for him, only to find out he was calling the cemetary. Not to mention the time that I included the marina on my prank and had them call him at work and tell him that someone was vandalizing his boat. Yes, I have had quite a bit of fun with my darling husband over the years. I was even able to team up with a coworker one time and prank our entire office. One girl had everything wrapped in tin foil - while another had her entire desk wrapped in saran wrap. Balls were removed from the mouses so they did not work until replaced, keys were taken off the keyboard and switched with other keys. Then, we took everything in the cubicles of two guys and switched them to each others cubicle. We took post it notes from the managers desk and used her pen to write "April Fools" at each cubicle. Of course we set up the manager by doing nothing to her desk. Yes, it was a great day. This year, I guess since we are in Austria, there will not be any one for me to play tricks on. We will be going to visit Chris' grandmother, but since neither of us have ever met her, I don't think it is appropriate for me to pull a prank on her. Anyway ~ hope everyone has a FUN day today! APRIL FOOLS!!!

The Highs and Lows of Switzerland

2008-03-31T15:54:00.007-05:00

The highs......

Every since I read about the scenic snow trains, I have wanted to go on one. I went to Switzerland on a USO tour - but we were not near where the snow trains depart from. It is rather expensive for a roundtrip ticket, so I was thinking I would not get to go....but.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Since I will be traveling home on my birthday we celebrated it early. We took the Snow Train from Chur Switzerland to Tirano Italy and back again. It was AMAZING! I love the snow and I love trains - so Chris decided to humor me and pretend to be interested. He admitted that the first half hour of our 4+ hour journey to Italy, he was thinking it would be a long trip - but then as we climbed further in to the Alps - the beauty captivated him! Something I noticed on the trip is that the Swiss seem to like to add H's to their words. Now, wouldn't you think that Chur is pronouced similar to Chair - you know - the C + H together - make the ch sound? Well, nope, we quickly learned that it is pronounced Kerr (like the canning jars). I wondered why they added the H - but then I realized that many of the towns in Switzerland have the H added to T, C or S and it is just silent. Why on earth add the extra letter? I am guessing it is just to confuse the Americans... Anyway - once we arrived in Italy, we ate outside on the patio of a nice itallian restaurant, and then took the snow train back to Chur. I will say that the snow train was a marvelous experience and if you love snow and seeing pretty things - you would love to take a ride on the Snow Train! We saw skiers, snowboarders and snow kiters. It looked like so much fun! While on the train, I had a little bit of fun with a man that snored the entire time... not sure why he wasted his money to take a nap - but to each his own. I giggled so much at his loud snoring. There was a little french lady sitting near us - we could not understand much of what each other were saying - but we sure did have fun giggling at the snoring man! I decided to take a a little video of him, and before I knew it - the entire train was chuckling - lol. It was pretty funny, but sad about that man wasting his money.

The lows....

As I was in the hotel checking out and paying our bill, ready to leave Switzerland to go to Austria, Chris was out taking a few last minute pictures.... and getting his wallet stolen. Yep - thats right... we are thousands and thousands of miles from home - and someone steals Chris' wallet! When the police were called, they refused to come out. They said they do not come out for that. I guess thats why they claim not to have much reported crime - they do not allow you to report it! I guess it is true that they are still a neutral country - neutral with thieves too....

So, needless to say, we had lots of fun cancelling credit cards and all the fun that comes with a stolen wallet. And Chris will have even more fun when he returns home - standing in line to get a new license. Poor Chris..... but at least I had a good "early" birthday :)

Preparing to Return Home

2008-03-29T09:43:00.001-05:00

As the day of our return gets closer and closer, we both continue to get more and more excited! Chris and I had an awesome date last night! We went to our favorite restaurant here, Mama Marias Italian Restaurant. We just love the guy that owns the place! While there, we played a little game we call "I am excited about". We take turns saying what we are excited about. Our game lasted a long time since they were so busy. As crazy as it sounds, our trip we are about to take was not even mentioned. We were more excited about things related to going home and things we will do when we get home. Oh - I am sure that we will have a great time - but the thoughts of returning home are just so more exciting! I am anxious to see my mom again - even though my time in WV will be very short. I am excited to see my sweet TaiChi dog again too. I am hoping that she will not be mad at us and that she will be happy to see us again. Just in case, we will stop and get her a nice bone to give her when we return.
Its hard to believe that a room in the Army Lodging Hotel has been "home" for 4 months. We are checking out of here today and when we return from our trip, we will be staying off base instead of on base. We have to turn our IDs in, so we would have to move off base any way for the last couple of days.
Shortly after we returned from Iraq, Chris received a nice bonus check for referring an employee to SAIC. When he got it, I decided to let him do whatever he wanted with it without complaining. Well, he decided he wanted a big screen TV. Now... let me just say that when we left to go to Iraq - I had a nice BIG craft room. When we returned, our house sitters had moved our couch in there and I decided I liked the way it looked, so I decided I wanted to leave it there. So now, I was sharing my craft room with the couch and a pretty small TV. Well, Chris decided the best place for the grandfather clock we purchased in Italy would be - where? The bonus room - which is supposed to be my craft room! So we removed the drawing board that had belonged to my daddy and put it in storage temporarily. So, now, he was saying he wanted to move a bigscreen TV in it. I told him that it was not the most responsible thing to do with the money but I would not complain - no matter what he decided to do with the money. But soon, he had me excited about it as well - so that is what he purchased. Luckily his brother (Steve) and Steve's wife (Dana) showed him on the internet a site that told you what size of TV is best for your size of room. Thanks to them, Chris agreed not to buy an oversized one. {{huge thank you to you Steve and Dana!}} Because of the other additions to MY craft room -my craft area was reduced and moved to the corner of the room... Anyway, we got the TV and Chris brought it home and set it up - added his gaming systems, a laptop computer and dvd player to it. He was like a kid in a candy store. HOWEVER, I deflated his enthusiam when I announced that he could have the bigscreen TV, but we would not be getting cable until he went back to work. So much for his summer of fun with the bigscreen - lol. Even though I informed him that he was not to get cable yet, I never complained - and luckily he abided by my wishes. We have not had cable for YEARS. So, yesterday guess what I did? I contacted the cable company and made an appointment for them to install cable. I have to admit, I am a little excited about the thoughts of curling up on the couch and watching TV and movies in High Definition. It doesn't always take much to make me happy.

Prague, Czec Repulic and Poland

2008-03-28T06:14:00.002-05:00

Prague? Where the heck is Prague anyway? And why did I want to go? Quite honestly, I wanted to go because of the TV Show Alias. Did you ever see that show? Sidney Bristow ROCKED! She went to Prague many times on her spy missions. Well, Prague is in the Czech Republic. In February, we decided to drive up there and see where Sidney Bristow did all her spy stuff. It was not a bad drive from Stuttgart. We made reservations at a "Botel". It is a pretty much just a plain old boat turned in to a hotel. It was not fancy - but, since we are boat people, we LOVED it. The best part was the HUGE window in our room! The view was awesome. There are a few pictures in the slide show that show our view. Like any other city, there were sections where graffiti littered the beautiful buildings. We found the transportation system tricky there, mostly because of the language barrier. Since we were so close, I suggested we drive to Poland for a sausage. Well, we did not find any polish sausages there (maybe they are just called sausages there - not polish sausages). Polland is known for their beautiful pottery. Chris and I picked up a few pieces and sent home. We really enjoyed the drive through rhe countryside, but it was a little sad to see what the war had done to that country - they still have not recovered completely. It made me think about Iraq and how if we pull out too early, we will do to the Iraqis what the Russians did to the Polish. You have to admit, the US left Germany in a lot better condition than Russia left the territories they were responsible for. You can really tell the difference in that we helped rebuild Germany after the war. Anyway - enough war talk.... Our trip was - as they all are - wonderful. I can not say that the Czech Republic or Poland are places I have a desire to visit again. But I can check them off of my list of places to see.

Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart Germany

2008-03-26T05:00:00.003-05:00

There is an awesome zoo here in Stuttgart. It is actually a zoo, aquarium and botanical gardens all in one. The layout is awesome, the landscape is terraced and you kind of walk up to different levels. We only spent a day there and there was a LOT we did not get a chance to see. It was a great zoo and we had an awesome time.

We got some cool video too.... the monkeys playing was the funniest. We also got a really cool video of the little piggies being fed. It was so cute to see them get all worked up when they saw them coming to "slop" them. And me. being me, had to take lots of unconventional pictures.... I got pictures of the animals bottoms and got video of some going potty - disgusting but humorous to my twisted mind....

Baltic Coast and Denmark

2008-03-25T09:29:00.004-05:00

Chris had a few days off prior to New Years, so we took a drive up to the Baltic Coast. We stopped in Hamburg to meet Chris’ cousin (Earnest) who he had never met. We had a great time with Earnest and were happy to have been able to meet him. He is a fun guy and we hope to see him again sometime. We drove on up to the Baltic Coast – which is beautiful. We took a ferry to Denmark. Denmark was nice, but if you got off the main roads, you were pretty much lost. There were not many signs once you got off the main roads. Not that the signs would have done much good – because they were not in English. If you could find someone who spoke English, they were extremely nice and helpful. Of course we went to the Hard Rock Café in Copenhagen. The next day we drove back to the coast and crossed in the ferry again. We went lighthouse hunting, but could not find very many. It was a great trip and we made it back to Stuttgart on New Year’s Eve – just in time for the fireworks!

OOH LALA ~ J'adore Paris!

2008-03-24T06:28:00.005-05:00

We spent a glorious day in Paris in January. It was so incredible. We both honestly thought that Paris would be similar to Rome, in that we would see it once and not care to return. OH - how wrong we were! Paris is so full of beautiful things to see and lots of things to do. We arrived at sunrise and stayed until late that night. We went on a USO tour, so we were able to sleep on the way there and on the way back. Seeing the sunrise at the eifel towere was amazing. We saw the city at dawn, during the day, at dusk and at night. We loved Paris and can not wait until the day we are able to return. Around 5pm when everyone was getting off work, I was none too crazy about the wonderful city.... it was crazy! Worse than New York. I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack walking down the street. Everyone was pushing and shoving and I kept getting separated from Chris (who had my passport, the map and all our money and credit cards). The anxiety got pretty bad there for a while - but I survived, and once the "going home from work" crowd was gone - it was once again a wonderful city. I also suffered a little anxiety earlier in the day when our tour bus was driving us around the traffic circle at the Arche de Triumphe. That is a crazy traffice circle! There are a bunch of lanes - WITH NO LINES PAINTED on the street! There are 12 major roads going in and out of this traffice circle! I kept wondering how we were supposed to get to the arch in all that traffic, but then I later realized that you go UNDER the road to get to it. The climb up the arch was tiring after walking so much, but it was well worth it for the view up there! The Eifel tower was amazing. Of course we went to the Hard Rock Cafe and what is a visit to Paris without eating crepes? It was a wonderful trip and we both are very anxious to return to Paris some day!

Holidays in Germany

2008-03-24T02:46:00.003-05:00

I joined Chris in Germany just in time for the Christmas Markets. We took our first train ride in Germany – the SU line to go to downtown Stuttgart for the Christmas Market. It was a pretty fun evening, although extremely cold. There were lots of little shops to buy Christmas gifts (all of which were a bit over priced); lots of decorations, lights, and nativities; but the best part was all the food! WOW! It was like a carnival or something! My favorites were the Belgium nuts coated with the crunchy cinnamon topping, the flammkuchen (similar to pizza) and the fruit dipped in chocolate. We did a lot of walking, but I am sure we did not do nearly enough walking to burn off all of the calories we consumed.
When I first arrived to Germany, I was told my many people of all the different places to go. There were lots of castles, a place called Garmisch where you could go and ski and be in the snow, Dusseldorf for shopping, Köln for the beautiful cathedral and lovely buildings, the zoo, as well as the many different countries you could drive to in a matter of hours. I admit, I found it a bit overwhelming. How was I to decide which place to go first? Christmas was approaching and we had a few days off, so Chris left me with the decision of where to go. I decided I wanted to see snow, mountains, and have a white Christmas. So, I decided to choose Dusseldorf. Now, if you are an observant person with a good memory – or if you know the area, you will say – huh? Dusseldorf? Yes – I got majorly confused. On the drive to Dusseldorf, I kept looking and waiting to see the mountains. Oh – we saw snow – but no mountains. When we arrived at our hotel, we found out that we were the ONLY guests registered for Christmas Eve. Huh? Why are there no other guests? Well, that is when I realized that I had chosen the perfect place for SHOPPING. And of course everything in town was closed! ARGH! I could not believe I had done that. I felt ridiculously stupid, but Chris was a good sport and assured me it was OK. We had a wonderful time enjoying the pool and spa area alone. I have to admit, that if I had not known we were alone in the hotel, I would not have enjoyed the spa area. Why? It was a NAKED zone! Yes – you read right, they do not wear swimsuits! At first I was appalled, thinking there was no way I was going to take a shower or get in the sauna or steam room in an area where bathing suits were prohibited and men and women shared the area! Then, as I looked longingly at the awesome shower – it was that kind that is a vertical spa…. I decided – what the heck – no one is here but me and Chris. So, I got brave and stripped naked right there in the coed area. That shower was heaven! I can’t wait to build our new house so I can install one of those! Needless to say, that is the only time I have been to a European spa –I will probably never have another chance to be alone with only my husband in one. We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve night in our hotel room with a wonderful steak dinner from room service and unwrapped our presents. The next day we checked out of the hotel and drove to Kologn. It was BEAUTIFUL there and was really neat to see the cathedral on Christmas day. The snow was beautiful on the trees on the ride there and back.
New Years Eve we returned back from a trip to the Baltic Coast and Denmark just in time for the fireworks! Fireworks here are different than back home. Here, companies and cities do not do firework shows. I was disappointed when I heard this. But I was told by my German friend that here, EVERYONE puts off fireworks. I was thinking – sparklers, roman candles, bottle rockets…. But NO! They do the fancy kind! It was so amazing to see the fireworks here – in every direction we looked! Unfortunately, the pictures did not turn out good. As much as I loved my holidays here in Germany, I am looking forward to Christmas 2008 in the US!

The Black Forest

2008-03-23T09:33:00.002-05:00

On the day I arrived in Germany, Chris took me first to drop of my luggage at the army lodging on the base we were staying and then immediately took me to another base to obtain an ID card to gain access to the bases. When we arrived at the ID and Pass office, despite Chris' phone calls and visits with them to prepare, we were told that they needed a copy of our marriage certificate! OOPS! At least Chris had planned ahead and scanned all of our documents and put them on his laptop! We had to leave that base and return to the base we were staying (30 minutes away) to get the laptop. We rushed back and arrived at the gate with just a few minutes to spare. When the guard asked for my ID, Chris explained that he had just signed me in earlier and that is why I was there- and that we went back to get a copy of our marriage certificate. Well, they opened the gate and flagged Chris through (or so we thought). We got my ID and as we left the building, there were LOTS of MP cars in front of the building! Lots of MPs were standing around our rental car. Chris went to the car to put his laptop in the trunk and see what was going on. When he approached the trunk, he was told very sternly to back away from the vehicle. They asked him if it was his rental car and he said yes. Well, come to find out, the German guard at the gate was brand new (his first day) and evidently his English was not that good. He had wanted Chris to pull in and sign me in again. When we drove through - they went on alert and considered him a gate runner. The MPs were very nice once they realized it was a misunderstanding, but it was quite an adventure for my first day. Welcome to Germany, huh?

There is so much to see in Germany. Many things were within a short drive from where we were staying. Our first trip while in Germany was to the Black Forest. We took an additional trip later – yep, we liked it that much! It is beautiful there, although I about froze to death on both trips! The snow was beautiful, so I guess that was worth the cold temps. We are really close to the Black forest – and it stretches out for miles and miles. We went cuckoo clock shopping while there. I have always wanted a cuckoo clock. What I had in mind was not exactly what Chris had in mind. I was thinking one of the little ones – but we bought one of the biggest clocks and two little houses to adorn the sides of the clock. It is truly amazing the work that goes in to these clocks. We also saw the biggest cuckoo clock in the world (actually there are two clocks that claim to be the biggest – the other is in the US – not sure which is actually the biggest).

Another place we enjoyed on a day trip was the Bavarian Alps and visits to King Ludwigs Castles. Again, we saw snow... and I loved it! Actually - it is snowing right this minute as I type this!

Below are some pictures from the Black Forest and Bavarian Alps.

Giving in to pressure

2008-03-22T19:51:00.001-05:00

OK - for months now, my darling husband has been pressuring me in to creating a blog. I reminded him that I have a webpage and that I also have a myspace page. Well, he was not happy with that reply. He said we needed a "family" blog page. I said, "fine, you do it". He, being the kind loving husband he is, reminded me that I am not working and that I have much more free time than he has. I tried to fake my way through it by creating a "Herwig happenings" page on my emailsfromiraq website. He was not too thrilled with that.

Well, tonight, he came home from work with the nicest little colorful box of Easter goodies for me. Geesh - does he have to be so stinking nice to me? He makes me feel guilty for not doing things he wants me to do. So, after getting the link to many other blogs of my friends (thanks a lot all of you for adding to my pressure - lol) I feel obligated to start our Family Blog as my sweet, loving husband has requested.

It is late here in Germany (about 2AM) - so I will keep this short for today. However, I will post more later. We are coming back home to the good ole U S of A in April. We are so excited. since I have not "blogged" during our winter here in Europe - I will try to blog every day about our experiences we have had - hopefully, I can fill you all in on all our fun before we get home and have more fun with all our friends and family! We love and miss you all and are SO excited about coming home for good!