Well, I have been completely horrible about keeping up poor hubby's military blog. The life of an Army wife whose hubby is not usually full-time military usually doesn't focus on military stuff 24/7 when hubby is not deployed to Iraq. So I found out when Al came home in January '06.
Al switched from the MS National Guard to the Army Reserves also so that really made our lives quiet for a while. Other than a trip last summer to do his AT (annual training) in Landstuhl, Germany and the one weekend he was gone a month there was NOTHING to report military-wise.
Before getting deployed/mobilized this spring, the biggest news was that he was the commander of his unit for a very short time.
Somehow in the Reserves, I guess you know when it is your unit's "go year?" And 2010 was his unit's "go year" and he ended up "going" to a hospital in Virginia. It's a much longer story than that, but that's the short version. So he is mobilized (I say deployed for people who have no idea what mobilized is, they seem to understand that deployed = gone) for year. There is talk of him becoming the night supervisor at his hospital (for the whole hospital). Since he is at a real job at a real hospital with non-Iraqi patients though I don't know that I should say much more than that until he gives me clearance. LOL. OPSEC even in the states. Loose lips sink ships!!
"If" there are any OLD blog readers from '04/'05/'06 I would love to get caught up with you on Facebook where I live now. http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/melindakaye.s
Once Al gives me permission, I will update "all y'all" further on his comings/goings!
Friday, July 02, 2010
Friday, March 20, 2009
Changes
I took off all the fancy/schmancy formatting that I had so that the posts would be easier to read. Something corrupted in the files and it was making everything impossible. I am 're-learning' all the HTML that I used to know when I did Al's blog originally. Hopefully, I can snazz things up around here a little bit again soon.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Something so neat!!
Hey everybody! I know that we totally fell off the face of the earth when Al came home - and I want to apologize for that. When you are National Guard and your life has been on hold for soooo long - all you want is for things to go back to 'normal' as much as possible when your soldier comes home. Al and I have been immersed in 'normal' - working, kids, church, etc. - since last January. We moved back to Jackson, MS and in May we will have been here for a year - time sure does fly fast when nobody is deployed - lol!!
Anyway, I got a super neat surprise in my email inbox yesterday when Mr. Paul Nichols emailed me and asked if he could include a caricature that he had drawn of Al and me on his website. I absolutely loved his drawing and I of course told him "YES"! I just wanted to let all of you know about his site also - because it would be a wonderful way to remember your soldier's homecoming - or any other special events that you might have.
Here's his drawing of us:
And here's his AWESOME website! http://www.pnichols.com/caricatures.html
Anyway, I got a super neat surprise in my email inbox yesterday when Mr. Paul Nichols emailed me and asked if he could include a caricature that he had drawn of Al and me on his website. I absolutely loved his drawing and I of course told him "YES"! I just wanted to let all of you know about his site also - because it would be a wonderful way to remember your soldier's homecoming - or any other special events that you might have.
Here's his drawing of us:
And here's his AWESOME website! http://www.pnichols.com/caricatures.html
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Day -7 - One Week Already
Wow. I can't believe that it's been an entire week already that Al has been home. How crazy is that? Time sure does go fast when you're not counting it - lol.
We sure hope everyone is doing great - almost everyone should be home or is already home from the the 155 BCT - YAY! I know that it is a good feeling for everyone to not have to worry constantly, wait for the phone to ring or everything else that goes along with a deployment. I am sleeping through the night now and I am no longer married to my computer or the phone - but I have a real, live husband in my house which is wonderful and scary all at the same time. Transitioning from a deployment to being a full time newlywed sure is INTERESTING to say the least - not to mention the fact that I am a terrible control freak to boot. Yikes. Poor Al! It's a good thing he's the most laid back person on the planet!
Everything else is going wonderfully - and we are so happy to be together. Things went great with homecoming and our contact for Al's unit (Sergeant Errington) did an awesome job communicating everything about their arrival. I also was super blessed because two ladies from my Yahoo 155 Board got their hubbies home on the exact same flight as Al - and that meant that we could meet one another and talk before our hubbies showed up - which was a wonderful way to pass the time. Al's mom, Judy, was also able to bring Al's son, Trey, down - so that was super special too. I am really happy that they got that time together. Since I knew I would be trapped down in a hotel next to Camp Shelby for several days, we had Em stay at home with her dad - but, she was thrilled to see him this week.
Demob took several days, but it was a pretty easy process overall. It took us four days to demob - and now we will have a few things to iron out with the VA at the end of the month. Al has done an amazing job so far this week getting things set up - he is definitely a go getter!
I will post just a few pictures of our homecoming for you. Thank you to all of you again for everything!
Tammy & me before our hubbies came
Deb, her beautiful children, Tammy & me
Mama Judy & Trey (they provided games for the kids to play with - that was a nice touch)
Trey & me (we made his t-shirt together at Xmas - it says, "Welcome Home Daddy - Love, Trey"
Everybody is waiting for their soldiers!
Mama Judy, Trey and me right before Al came.
Deb's hubby snuck up on her even before the buses came!
Here come the buses!! Oh my GOODNESS!
Tammy's hubby was the first one off the first bus!!
Here comes Al! He sees us!
Trey ran up to Al and gave him a HUGE hug.
Al, Trey and me after Trey let him come up for air - lol.
All of us together - so happy for for our soldier to be home for GOOD.
We sure hope everyone is doing great - almost everyone should be home or is already home from the the 155 BCT - YAY! I know that it is a good feeling for everyone to not have to worry constantly, wait for the phone to ring or everything else that goes along with a deployment. I am sleeping through the night now and I am no longer married to my computer or the phone - but I have a real, live husband in my house which is wonderful and scary all at the same time. Transitioning from a deployment to being a full time newlywed sure is INTERESTING to say the least - not to mention the fact that I am a terrible control freak to boot. Yikes. Poor Al! It's a good thing he's the most laid back person on the planet!
Everything else is going wonderfully - and we are so happy to be together. Things went great with homecoming and our contact for Al's unit (Sergeant Errington) did an awesome job communicating everything about their arrival. I also was super blessed because two ladies from my Yahoo 155 Board got their hubbies home on the exact same flight as Al - and that meant that we could meet one another and talk before our hubbies showed up - which was a wonderful way to pass the time. Al's mom, Judy, was also able to bring Al's son, Trey, down - so that was super special too. I am really happy that they got that time together. Since I knew I would be trapped down in a hotel next to Camp Shelby for several days, we had Em stay at home with her dad - but, she was thrilled to see him this week.
Demob took several days, but it was a pretty easy process overall. It took us four days to demob - and now we will have a few things to iron out with the VA at the end of the month. Al has done an amazing job so far this week getting things set up - he is definitely a go getter!
I will post just a few pictures of our homecoming for you. Thank you to all of you again for everything!
Tammy & me before our hubbies came
Deb, her beautiful children, Tammy & me
Mama Judy & Trey (they provided games for the kids to play with - that was a nice touch)
Trey & me (we made his t-shirt together at Xmas - it says, "Welcome Home Daddy - Love, Trey"
Everybody is waiting for their soldiers!
Mama Judy, Trey and me right before Al came.
Deb's hubby snuck up on her even before the buses came!
Here come the buses!! Oh my GOODNESS!
Tammy's hubby was the first one off the first bus!!
Here comes Al! He sees us!
Trey ran up to Al and gave him a HUGE hug.
Al, Trey and me after Trey let him come up for air - lol.
All of us together - so happy for for our soldier to be home for GOOD.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Day 360 - Almost here!
Well, just 'a few more days' until Al is home for good. Thank GOD! I will be so thankful for him to be home - and for us to just act like an old married couple! I miss him so much and getting to see him again (finally) will be absolutely wonderful.
The Army can still change everything - but I'm praying that we will stay on track. He almost did his entire 365 of "Boots on Ground" time - almost everyone else in his group is home now too. Waiting these last couple of extra weeks has been hard, especially after seeing everyone else's reunion pictures and hearing their stories - but, he hasn't been alone in being one of the last few to get to leave. I have some good friends that I made through a Yahoo National Guard wives group and a couple of those ladies are just now getting their hubbies home - and one good friend, Tammy, is getting her hubby home at the same time as Al.
This whole experience has taught me so much about selfishness - and not thinking about what I need all the time - but I felt myself doing the 'poor me' routine again this morning while I waited to hear whether it would be this week for sure or next week before he would be home. Then, I got the proverbial phone call and everything was "a-okay" again, and I felt bad for allowing myself to get so upset about something that neither Al or I could control.
If you read any of the posts in this blog, I hope you can see how much I love my husband. This year apart has been paradoxical in the sense that in a lot of ways it has brought us much closer together than we ever would have thought possible. I know that a lot of people appear to have a good relationship on the outside, but when you really get into the meat and potatoes of their relationship, that things aren't so rosy - but I believe that Al really is the person that I was meant to spend the rest of my life with, and I can't wait until we can get started on that life together.
I want to thank all of Al's friends that he made in the Sand this past year - you supported Al and kept him laughing this past year - and we will both be forever grateful for your friendship. It will be nice to see all of you again - and for it not to have anything to do with a deployment. You know who you are - and Al never meets a stranger, so I don't want to inadvertantly leave off any names, but thank you so much for what you've done for us.
Thank you also to all of my friends and family that have helped to keep me sane during this time. I have a special group of military wives that I have grown especially close to - and that have become so important to me (a huge SHOUT OUT to Jane here). I want to also thank my friend Stacy, who was the one good friend that I got to know from our FRG and who has had my back more than once. My best friends Matt, Melissa and Renee have come through for me in the past year more than I can count - mainly by keeping it real and reminding me that they have known me forever and that one year of my life is not going to kill me or permanently alter the core of who I am.
To our blog friends, I never knew that we would meet this amazing community of Milblog writers and readers that would become such an important part of our lives - and I want to thank you so much for coming to our site and for all of your feedback and support - thank you also for what you do every day - and for reminding me time and time again that Al and I weren't/aren't alone in this deployment or in our sacrifice.
To the people that adopted Al (and Trey, Emelia and me too) and sent care packages and just plain 'love' through the mail - words cannot express our thankfulness for letting us become a part of your families - we look forward to getting to know you even better over the next couple of months when we won't have to worry about a deployment hanging over our heads.
Thank you to our church families that have stood by us during this time of separation - your prayerful support has meant everything. And, finally, thank you to our families for all of your love and support - especially all the wonderful things that you did for us when Al and I got married this past summer, your belief in us means everything.
Al and I are about to embark on brand new territory - and I know that it won't all be fun and games or easy - but I believe that Al was a wonderful investment of my time and energy - and I am looking very forward to seeing multiple dividends on my initial sacrifices - lol. I hope he feels the same.
There are A LOT of 155 BCT families that are dealing with redeployment and homecoming and reunion - so I wanted to post this website - it's got some wonderful information in it ---
Homecoming & Reunion!
"Hooah!" - We are almost DONE!
The Army can still change everything - but I'm praying that we will stay on track. He almost did his entire 365 of "Boots on Ground" time - almost everyone else in his group is home now too. Waiting these last couple of extra weeks has been hard, especially after seeing everyone else's reunion pictures and hearing their stories - but, he hasn't been alone in being one of the last few to get to leave. I have some good friends that I made through a Yahoo National Guard wives group and a couple of those ladies are just now getting their hubbies home - and one good friend, Tammy, is getting her hubby home at the same time as Al.
This whole experience has taught me so much about selfishness - and not thinking about what I need all the time - but I felt myself doing the 'poor me' routine again this morning while I waited to hear whether it would be this week for sure or next week before he would be home. Then, I got the proverbial phone call and everything was "a-okay" again, and I felt bad for allowing myself to get so upset about something that neither Al or I could control.
If you read any of the posts in this blog, I hope you can see how much I love my husband. This year apart has been paradoxical in the sense that in a lot of ways it has brought us much closer together than we ever would have thought possible. I know that a lot of people appear to have a good relationship on the outside, but when you really get into the meat and potatoes of their relationship, that things aren't so rosy - but I believe that Al really is the person that I was meant to spend the rest of my life with, and I can't wait until we can get started on that life together.
I want to thank all of Al's friends that he made in the Sand this past year - you supported Al and kept him laughing this past year - and we will both be forever grateful for your friendship. It will be nice to see all of you again - and for it not to have anything to do with a deployment. You know who you are - and Al never meets a stranger, so I don't want to inadvertantly leave off any names, but thank you so much for what you've done for us.
Thank you also to all of my friends and family that have helped to keep me sane during this time. I have a special group of military wives that I have grown especially close to - and that have become so important to me (a huge SHOUT OUT to Jane here). I want to also thank my friend Stacy, who was the one good friend that I got to know from our FRG and who has had my back more than once. My best friends Matt, Melissa and Renee have come through for me in the past year more than I can count - mainly by keeping it real and reminding me that they have known me forever and that one year of my life is not going to kill me or permanently alter the core of who I am.
To our blog friends, I never knew that we would meet this amazing community of Milblog writers and readers that would become such an important part of our lives - and I want to thank you so much for coming to our site and for all of your feedback and support - thank you also for what you do every day - and for reminding me time and time again that Al and I weren't/aren't alone in this deployment or in our sacrifice.
To the people that adopted Al (and Trey, Emelia and me too) and sent care packages and just plain 'love' through the mail - words cannot express our thankfulness for letting us become a part of your families - we look forward to getting to know you even better over the next couple of months when we won't have to worry about a deployment hanging over our heads.
Thank you to our church families that have stood by us during this time of separation - your prayerful support has meant everything. And, finally, thank you to our families for all of your love and support - especially all the wonderful things that you did for us when Al and I got married this past summer, your belief in us means everything.
Al and I are about to embark on brand new territory - and I know that it won't all be fun and games or easy - but I believe that Al was a wonderful investment of my time and energy - and I am looking very forward to seeing multiple dividends on my initial sacrifices - lol. I hope he feels the same.
There are A LOT of 155 BCT families that are dealing with redeployment and homecoming and reunion - so I wanted to post this website - it's got some wonderful information in it ---
Homecoming & Reunion!
"Hooah!" - We are almost DONE!
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Day 351 - Merry Christmas!!
Well, you may notice (if you pay really close attention to this stuff, which I doubt that anybody does - lol!) that my day counting got messed up - so it is corrected with this post - I kind of knew that somewhere along the line that it got screwed up - but until I got closer to the end of our year - I wasn't going to take the time to fix it. Well, our year is almost up - I went and counted backwards and fixed the days. All better :o)
This is a very different Christmas for me, and to be honest, other than various holiday parties and us going to visit Al's son, Trey earlier in the month - and my Christmas bonus at work (yay!), I'm not celebrating this year. I love Jesus just as much as the next guy - but with Al due home 'very shortly' (all I can say for OPSEC reasons, sorry!) - getting all crazy about Christmas this year seemed kind of stupid to me because I would much rather get all crazy about him coming home.
I share visitation with Emelia's father - and we don't start doing Christmas visitation until next year, when she is three, but since Al wasn't going to be home yet, and I knew that fact would put a damper on the holiday anyway, I decided to let Em go with her dad up to his parent's house in St. Louis, Missouri to spend the holiday. She had never met her two cousins prior to this point - and she hadn't flown on an airplane with her dad before this either - so she has had a big holiday. Steve said that when the plane took off she said "Wheeee!".
Although it has been hard to have her gone, especially out of state, the freedom to get things done around the house has been absolutely amazing and it made it possible for me to kind of skate through the holidays without feeling loads of guilt for not getting all hyped up about them. The very most wonderful thing that this allows us to do though (can you tell I am a planner?) is that it makes it possible for all of us to be together as a family NEXT Christmas. That is our year to get Al's son on Christmas Day too - so it should be an absolutely wonderful time any way you look at it. I am so thrilled and excited to be able to pull my decorations out next year - and for us to start building new Christmas traditions all together as a brand new family - it's nice to look forward to next year for a reason OTHER than a deployment getting over with, you know? Em and I will do her Christmas this week after I pick her up from the airport - it gives me more time to wrap gifts anyway - lol.
Al is as wonderful as ever. He is still in Kuwait moving equipment - and he takes time to call me every day which makes my days go much quicker. He pays a small fee for Internet access too so I can still email him his nightly (and daily - lol!) emails also. I joke with him that I won't know what to do with myself before I go to bed when he gets home because I will try to go to the computer and send him an email still!!
He sent me this email today (one of several because the phone lines are so jammed up with calls (pooh!) - he is as lovable and crazy as ever . . .
From: albert.xxxxxxxxx@us.army.mil albert.xxxxxxx@us.army.mil
Mailed-By: us.army.mil
To: melindakaye@gmail.com
Date: Dec 25, 2005 10:57 AM
Subject: Santa came to see me
Baby, Santa came by and gave me a present. He said I would be going home soon. I have been trying to call but still no luck. Every number is busy. I love you so much your Hubby
This picture was attached . . .
Al and I send our fervent prayers that you and yours are having a very Merry Christmas and joyfilled Holiday Season! We love you!
This is a very different Christmas for me, and to be honest, other than various holiday parties and us going to visit Al's son, Trey earlier in the month - and my Christmas bonus at work (yay!), I'm not celebrating this year. I love Jesus just as much as the next guy - but with Al due home 'very shortly' (all I can say for OPSEC reasons, sorry!) - getting all crazy about Christmas this year seemed kind of stupid to me because I would much rather get all crazy about him coming home.
I share visitation with Emelia's father - and we don't start doing Christmas visitation until next year, when she is three, but since Al wasn't going to be home yet, and I knew that fact would put a damper on the holiday anyway, I decided to let Em go with her dad up to his parent's house in St. Louis, Missouri to spend the holiday. She had never met her two cousins prior to this point - and she hadn't flown on an airplane with her dad before this either - so she has had a big holiday. Steve said that when the plane took off she said "Wheeee!".
Although it has been hard to have her gone, especially out of state, the freedom to get things done around the house has been absolutely amazing and it made it possible for me to kind of skate through the holidays without feeling loads of guilt for not getting all hyped up about them. The very most wonderful thing that this allows us to do though (can you tell I am a planner?) is that it makes it possible for all of us to be together as a family NEXT Christmas. That is our year to get Al's son on Christmas Day too - so it should be an absolutely wonderful time any way you look at it. I am so thrilled and excited to be able to pull my decorations out next year - and for us to start building new Christmas traditions all together as a brand new family - it's nice to look forward to next year for a reason OTHER than a deployment getting over with, you know? Em and I will do her Christmas this week after I pick her up from the airport - it gives me more time to wrap gifts anyway - lol.
Al is as wonderful as ever. He is still in Kuwait moving equipment - and he takes time to call me every day which makes my days go much quicker. He pays a small fee for Internet access too so I can still email him his nightly (and daily - lol!) emails also. I joke with him that I won't know what to do with myself before I go to bed when he gets home because I will try to go to the computer and send him an email still!!
He sent me this email today (one of several because the phone lines are so jammed up with calls (pooh!) - he is as lovable and crazy as ever . . .
From: albert.xxxxxxxxx@us.army.mil albert.xxxxxxx@us.army.mil
Mailed-By: us.army.mil
To: melindakaye@gmail.com
Date: Dec 25, 2005 10:57 AM
Subject: Santa came to see me
Baby, Santa came by and gave me a present. He said I would be going home soon. I have been trying to call but still no luck. Every number is busy. I love you so much your Hubby
This picture was attached . . .
Al and I send our fervent prayers that you and yours are having a very Merry Christmas and joyfilled Holiday Season! We love you!
Friday, December 09, 2005
Day 339 - 155 BCT News
There are lots of soldiers coming home. Not Al, not yet - but soon. I pray that everyone who has their soldier home from the 155 - or who will have them home in a matter of days - has a wonderful reunion and a great Christmas too. Thank God this almost over.
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/state/13361495.htm
155th BCT soldiers expected the begin coming home on Saturday
HOLBROOK MOHR
Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. - About 100 soldiers in the 155th Brigade Combat Team are expected back in Mississippi on Saturday after nearly a year in Iraq, National Guard officials said.
The rest of the unit, including almost 3,500 Mississippi soldiers, is expected to arrive in waves through the middle of January. The unit is made up of soldiers from 49 different communities in the state and others from across the country.
"The members of the 155th BCT, not only provided professional combat power to the Multi-National Forces-Iraq, but developed and sustained a high level of stability within their area of responsibility by establishing agricultural cooperatives, building and supplying schools, conducting engineering work on Iraqi infrastructure and providing medical support to the local population," said Maj. Gen. Harold A. Cross, the adjutant general of Mississippi.
"They were very instrumental in training Iraqi forces to provide their own security for their Army. They are our heroes and we are ecstatic about welcoming them home ahead of schedule," Cross said.
The initial group of soldiers will land at an Air Guard base in Gulfport before loading buses for Camp Shelby, a sprawling, 136,000-acre training base just south of Hattiesburg.
"We strongly encourage the family members not to drive to the Combat Readiness Training Center on the coast but to meet their soldiers at Camp Shelby," said Lt. Col. Doril Sanders, a Camp Shelby spokesman.
Sanders said family members are urged to visit with the soldiers at Camp Shelby before they begin four to five days of demobilization, Sanders said.
The unit - with members from Pennsylvania, California, Washington, Texas, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Missouri, New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont, Utah, and Arkansas - was attached to the II Marine Expeditionary Force.
The troops spent much of their time battling insurgents and rooting out clandestine weapons stashes in the so-called "Triangle of Death" in the Karbala, Najaf and Babil provinces of Iraq, the military has said.
Fourteen Mississippians in the unit were killed in Iraq, most by roadside bombs.
The majority of the soldiers arriving in the next few days are members of the 114th Field Artillery headquartered in Starkville. The rest of the flights will be mixture of different units.
Once they arrive at Camp Shelby, the troops will turn in their weapons and receive a mandatory briefing before they are allowed to visit with their families.
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/state/13361495.htm
155th BCT soldiers expected the begin coming home on Saturday
HOLBROOK MOHR
Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. - About 100 soldiers in the 155th Brigade Combat Team are expected back in Mississippi on Saturday after nearly a year in Iraq, National Guard officials said.
The rest of the unit, including almost 3,500 Mississippi soldiers, is expected to arrive in waves through the middle of January. The unit is made up of soldiers from 49 different communities in the state and others from across the country.
"The members of the 155th BCT, not only provided professional combat power to the Multi-National Forces-Iraq, but developed and sustained a high level of stability within their area of responsibility by establishing agricultural cooperatives, building and supplying schools, conducting engineering work on Iraqi infrastructure and providing medical support to the local population," said Maj. Gen. Harold A. Cross, the adjutant general of Mississippi.
"They were very instrumental in training Iraqi forces to provide their own security for their Army. They are our heroes and we are ecstatic about welcoming them home ahead of schedule," Cross said.
The initial group of soldiers will land at an Air Guard base in Gulfport before loading buses for Camp Shelby, a sprawling, 136,000-acre training base just south of Hattiesburg.
"We strongly encourage the family members not to drive to the Combat Readiness Training Center on the coast but to meet their soldiers at Camp Shelby," said Lt. Col. Doril Sanders, a Camp Shelby spokesman.
Sanders said family members are urged to visit with the soldiers at Camp Shelby before they begin four to five days of demobilization, Sanders said.
The unit - with members from Pennsylvania, California, Washington, Texas, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Missouri, New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont, Utah, and Arkansas - was attached to the II Marine Expeditionary Force.
The troops spent much of their time battling insurgents and rooting out clandestine weapons stashes in the so-called "Triangle of Death" in the Karbala, Najaf and Babil provinces of Iraq, the military has said.
Fourteen Mississippians in the unit were killed in Iraq, most by roadside bombs.
The majority of the soldiers arriving in the next few days are members of the 114th Field Artillery headquartered in Starkville. The rest of the flights will be mixture of different units.
Once they arrive at Camp Shelby, the troops will turn in their weapons and receive a mandatory briefing before they are allowed to visit with their families.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Day 338 - Pre-REDEPLOYMENT
I'm not sure how consistent my entries will be, but I am officially 'back to blogging'. I apologize for needing such a long break - I am really thankful for everyone that kept checking back - and for all the comments and emails.
This blog has seemingly gone so many directions since it's conception, that I'm unsure what direction it will take from here. When I originally conceived of this notion, it was to write updates about Al for his friends and family to stay in contact with him. From that point, it progressed as I progressed in my experience as a military wife to discussing deployment and other military issues. It has also served as a way for me to communicate back with Al - by posting pictures and events that have happened in our day to day life in the States.
As a National Guard wife, it is hard for me to know what to do with a military blog now that my soldier will be coming home soon. By the very nature of what we do as a National Guard family - hopefully our lives will have a very non-militaristic scope to it very soon now that deployment is almost done. For right now, I am leaving things open ended - and I hope to have things to post to everyone without boring everyone to tears. Above all, I really, really hope that my posting has NOTHING to do with another deployment ANYTIME soon!
I know that a lot of other military wives and significant others read this blog - so this next part is for them . . .
WHY DID I NOT LISTEN TO ANYBODY WHEN THEY SAID THAT THE REDEPLOYMENT PHASE (and the weeks leading up to it) WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST, AND THAT IT TOTALLY SUCKED?
Sheeeeesh!
You know when you look at your own personality, it is hard when you see huge glaring flaws. One of the huge glaring flaws that I see when I see me is that I have a bad habit of going "Awww, that won't ever happen to me" and turning off my listening ears. When we went into this deployment, I attacked the situation with the same voracity as I give everything else, and I really tried to educate myself on everything. Well, pretty much EVERY FRIGGING thing I read said that REDEPLOYMENT was one of the hardest phases that a National Guard/Reserve family (and regular military for that matter) can face. Well, every time I read those words, I said to myself - "Awwww, that won't happen to US - I will just be so happy to be getting my hubby home that we won't have to deal with any of that yuckiness.".
Ummmm, yeah - famous last words there.
So, in an effort to educate all the other military supporters out there who are just starting their deployments ---- Don't kid yourselves! Their homecoming is NOT easy! Bliss doesn't just happen automatically when their days in the sand start to dwindle!!
The only thing that I have in my life to compare how I have felt this last month or so is to pregnancy. I'm sorry if that's a lame analogy, but that is the only other major life event that I have to compare this to. My pregnancy was a little different than most people's because I was alone for it. That time in my life was so isolating, but isolating in a good way, I guess, because it taught me so much about myself - and just what I was capable of enduring. In so many ways, I just had to put my hands over my ears and insulate myself from outside interference and just take care of me and my soon to be Emelia. During that period of time, I really learned that I didn't need to keep anyone in my life unless it was a mutually beneficial experience - and I also learned that just breathing in and out and making it through the day is sometimes the very bravest thing that you can do.
Well, I haven't felt like that this WHOLE deployment, but I have felt that way through A LOT of this deployment. And it has only gotten more intense during these final weeks. When life is it's hardest for me, I don't want to interact with anyone but people who live in my house (ie. Emelia and me and sometimes Al). It's a wonderful coping mechanism - but it really doesn't do wonders for one's social life - lol.
What have these last few weeks felt like? I could give you so many words but a few of them would be: exciting, nerve-wracking, busy, intense, fearful, anticipatory (is that a word?), sad, happy, good and bad. I have been spending the last week cleaning my house like some kind of nutjob - reorganizing and deep cleaning every single room - eight bags of trash so far. I am usually "Queen of Organized" - but I really have the desire for the house to be in tip-top shape for Al - even though he probably won't even notice - lol. This excitement is not the same as R&R though because that really was like a vacation - I knew going into it that it would last 15 days and then life would get somewhat back to normal.
Now though, I am anticipating this totally new thing - and to be honest - I am really scared crapless. It has been hard being a newlywed with my hubby in the sand - but now that he's going to be home next month sometime, I'm worried about transitioning to our new life together too. Plus, since we dated long distance our whole relationship - the longest that we have been around one another is like three weeks at a time. So, things could get really crazy, really soon!
Al has been very good to me though, and last week, he took the time to discuss a lot of my fears with me. I really needed that - and I feel a lot better about a lot of things. Now, 'just a little longer' and this crap will be over. I am going to pretend that I am a horse in a thoroughbred race - that I have my blinders on, my ears closed to outside influences - and I am just going to keep running around the track until somebody somewhere says I can stop. I really hope all of this has a happy ending. I believe in God, I believe in Al, I believe in me and I believe in 'us' - so hopefully, everything will be great - soon.
This blog has seemingly gone so many directions since it's conception, that I'm unsure what direction it will take from here. When I originally conceived of this notion, it was to write updates about Al for his friends and family to stay in contact with him. From that point, it progressed as I progressed in my experience as a military wife to discussing deployment and other military issues. It has also served as a way for me to communicate back with Al - by posting pictures and events that have happened in our day to day life in the States.
As a National Guard wife, it is hard for me to know what to do with a military blog now that my soldier will be coming home soon. By the very nature of what we do as a National Guard family - hopefully our lives will have a very non-militaristic scope to it very soon now that deployment is almost done. For right now, I am leaving things open ended - and I hope to have things to post to everyone without boring everyone to tears. Above all, I really, really hope that my posting has NOTHING to do with another deployment ANYTIME soon!
I know that a lot of other military wives and significant others read this blog - so this next part is for them . . .
WHY DID I NOT LISTEN TO ANYBODY WHEN THEY SAID THAT THE REDEPLOYMENT PHASE (and the weeks leading up to it) WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST, AND THAT IT TOTALLY SUCKED?
Sheeeeesh!
You know when you look at your own personality, it is hard when you see huge glaring flaws. One of the huge glaring flaws that I see when I see me is that I have a bad habit of going "Awww, that won't ever happen to me" and turning off my listening ears. When we went into this deployment, I attacked the situation with the same voracity as I give everything else, and I really tried to educate myself on everything. Well, pretty much EVERY FRIGGING thing I read said that REDEPLOYMENT was one of the hardest phases that a National Guard/Reserve family (and regular military for that matter) can face. Well, every time I read those words, I said to myself - "Awwww, that won't happen to US - I will just be so happy to be getting my hubby home that we won't have to deal with any of that yuckiness.".
Ummmm, yeah - famous last words there.
So, in an effort to educate all the other military supporters out there who are just starting their deployments ---- Don't kid yourselves! Their homecoming is NOT easy! Bliss doesn't just happen automatically when their days in the sand start to dwindle!!
The only thing that I have in my life to compare how I have felt this last month or so is to pregnancy. I'm sorry if that's a lame analogy, but that is the only other major life event that I have to compare this to. My pregnancy was a little different than most people's because I was alone for it. That time in my life was so isolating, but isolating in a good way, I guess, because it taught me so much about myself - and just what I was capable of enduring. In so many ways, I just had to put my hands over my ears and insulate myself from outside interference and just take care of me and my soon to be Emelia. During that period of time, I really learned that I didn't need to keep anyone in my life unless it was a mutually beneficial experience - and I also learned that just breathing in and out and making it through the day is sometimes the very bravest thing that you can do.
Well, I haven't felt like that this WHOLE deployment, but I have felt that way through A LOT of this deployment. And it has only gotten more intense during these final weeks. When life is it's hardest for me, I don't want to interact with anyone but people who live in my house (ie. Emelia and me and sometimes Al). It's a wonderful coping mechanism - but it really doesn't do wonders for one's social life - lol.
What have these last few weeks felt like? I could give you so many words but a few of them would be: exciting, nerve-wracking, busy, intense, fearful, anticipatory (is that a word?), sad, happy, good and bad. I have been spending the last week cleaning my house like some kind of nutjob - reorganizing and deep cleaning every single room - eight bags of trash so far. I am usually "Queen of Organized" - but I really have the desire for the house to be in tip-top shape for Al - even though he probably won't even notice - lol. This excitement is not the same as R&R though because that really was like a vacation - I knew going into it that it would last 15 days and then life would get somewhat back to normal.
Now though, I am anticipating this totally new thing - and to be honest - I am really scared crapless. It has been hard being a newlywed with my hubby in the sand - but now that he's going to be home next month sometime, I'm worried about transitioning to our new life together too. Plus, since we dated long distance our whole relationship - the longest that we have been around one another is like three weeks at a time. So, things could get really crazy, really soon!
Al has been very good to me though, and last week, he took the time to discuss a lot of my fears with me. I really needed that - and I feel a lot better about a lot of things. Now, 'just a little longer' and this crap will be over. I am going to pretend that I am a horse in a thoroughbred race - that I have my blinders on, my ears closed to outside influences - and I am just going to keep running around the track until somebody somewhere says I can stop. I really hope all of this has a happy ending. I believe in God, I believe in Al, I believe in me and I believe in 'us' - so hopefully, everything will be great - soon.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Day 318 - Faking It
Just wanted to put up a little note to let everyone know that I am thinking of them. I want to apologize for the lack of blog entries. At the very beginning of this deployment, I remember reading a blog from an Army Wife who had stopped her blog mid-deployment saying that she couldn't continue to post her feelings and emotions in such a public way. At the time, I couldn't understand that. Well, now I do.
I think everyone has a limit in life where they can't take something anymore. I can't continue to smile about this. Al has been gone since August of 2004 - and even though he will be home in less than two months, it feels like forever. I have so many worries and fears about starting a life together when we have spent so much time apart - and there are still so many blank squares left on the calendar that I can't fake this anymore.
To be honest, a lot of you probably think that I am "Mrs. Positive Attitude" - and that I have been a ray of sunshine this whole time. Well, I'm here to tell you that that's a big fat lie. The people that know me best - the people that really care about me and that have to put up with me on a daily basis - will tell you that this deployment has probably made me more neurotic than I have ever been. If I was a control freak before, I'm probably 99% worse now - just try talking to me when my cell phone rings with a call from Iraq on it - when you come back with a nub, you'll know what I'm talking about.
I'm so tired. I'm so tired of that phone call or that email being the fuel that I need in my gas tank to go on another day. I have no choice but to do this another sixty or so days - there are no options - but if there were, I would have cashed in my chips several times by now.
Before I met Al, I honestly didn't know what love was. Except maybe my daughter Emelia, I've never had to sacrifice this hard for something before. I've never had to give until I felt empty - only to wake up the next day and give some more. Al has given sacrifices equal to mine - only his have been both to me as his wife - and to our great nation.
Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to hear anymore about this. My mother, a very wise woman, must have told me a million times while I was growing up that if I couldn't say something nice, that I didn't need to say anything at all. I hope that I can come back soon with nice things to say. I want to say them, I want to say how much I love America, how proud I am of my soldier, how wonderful it is to be a military wife - but the words come back empty - they lie flat on my tongue with a bitter metallic taste. To say those things right now would be faking it - I would be lying to people that I care about - and I respect all of you too much to do that. For those of you still dealing with deployments, please know that my prayers are with you until your soldiers are home for good in your arms. Thank you to all of you again for your support.
I think everyone has a limit in life where they can't take something anymore. I can't continue to smile about this. Al has been gone since August of 2004 - and even though he will be home in less than two months, it feels like forever. I have so many worries and fears about starting a life together when we have spent so much time apart - and there are still so many blank squares left on the calendar that I can't fake this anymore.
To be honest, a lot of you probably think that I am "Mrs. Positive Attitude" - and that I have been a ray of sunshine this whole time. Well, I'm here to tell you that that's a big fat lie. The people that know me best - the people that really care about me and that have to put up with me on a daily basis - will tell you that this deployment has probably made me more neurotic than I have ever been. If I was a control freak before, I'm probably 99% worse now - just try talking to me when my cell phone rings with a call from Iraq on it - when you come back with a nub, you'll know what I'm talking about.
I'm so tired. I'm so tired of that phone call or that email being the fuel that I need in my gas tank to go on another day. I have no choice but to do this another sixty or so days - there are no options - but if there were, I would have cashed in my chips several times by now.
Before I met Al, I honestly didn't know what love was. Except maybe my daughter Emelia, I've never had to sacrifice this hard for something before. I've never had to give until I felt empty - only to wake up the next day and give some more. Al has given sacrifices equal to mine - only his have been both to me as his wife - and to our great nation.
Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to hear anymore about this. My mother, a very wise woman, must have told me a million times while I was growing up that if I couldn't say something nice, that I didn't need to say anything at all. I hope that I can come back soon with nice things to say. I want to say them, I want to say how much I love America, how proud I am of my soldier, how wonderful it is to be a military wife - but the words come back empty - they lie flat on my tongue with a bitter metallic taste. To say those things right now would be faking it - I would be lying to people that I care about - and I respect all of you too much to do that. For those of you still dealing with deployments, please know that my prayers are with you until your soldiers are home for good in your arms. Thank you to all of you again for your support.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Day 303 - Project IT Valour
As you know, I have literally been living under a rock lately. Having gotten knocked down HARD with the worst bout of bronchitis of my life - has not allowed me to do a lot of blog reading lately. I finally had the opportunity today to start to get caught up with visiting all of my blogarrific friends - and I discovered that today is the day that donations have started to be accepted for the Project IT Valour contest.
"Valour-IT's online fundraising competition begins today! Let's see who can raise the most money to help reconnect our wounded warriors with the world!
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2005/11/calling_all_blo.html
WHAT: Friendly fundraising competition for Valour-IT.
WHEN: November 2nd through Veterans Day (the 11th).
WHERE: Based in the blogosphere, spreading everywhere else.
WHY: Because giving wounded warriors with hand and arm injuries access to a computer supports their healing and puts them back in touch with the world.
HOW: Blogger teams will be divided along military branches, with civilians "up for grabs.""
Now, let me tell you -- there is NO TEAM BUT THE ARMY TEAM! GOT IT?
If you love me at all - if you love Al even a little bit (can you feel a guilt trip coming on?) - PRETTY PLEASE with TONS and TONS of sugar on top - contribute to this AMAZING cause. I don't think any of us can understand what it means to wounded soldiers to be able to communicate with family, friends and the world at large while they undergo the healing process.
It's a tax-deductible donation and eligible for matching funds from companies who do that sort of thing (see: http://soldiersangels.org/valour/irsinfo.html for proof for the cautious).
The snail mail address for those who'd rather donate that way (scroll down at: http://soldiersangels.org/valour/donate.html).
Additional information: every donor during this time will receive a Soldiers' Angels Coin.
Are you convinced yet?
Go to our sidebar and click the "Make a Donation" button in the IT-Valour box OR
Go to Blackfive and click the same button to donate!
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2005/11/calling_all_blo.html
"Valour-IT's online fundraising competition begins today! Let's see who can raise the most money to help reconnect our wounded warriors with the world!
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2005/11/calling_all_blo.html
WHAT: Friendly fundraising competition for Valour-IT.
WHEN: November 2nd through Veterans Day (the 11th).
WHERE: Based in the blogosphere, spreading everywhere else.
WHY: Because giving wounded warriors with hand and arm injuries access to a computer supports their healing and puts them back in touch with the world.
HOW: Blogger teams will be divided along military branches, with civilians "up for grabs.""
Now, let me tell you -- there is NO TEAM BUT THE ARMY TEAM! GOT IT?
If you love me at all - if you love Al even a little bit (can you feel a guilt trip coming on?) - PRETTY PLEASE with TONS and TONS of sugar on top - contribute to this AMAZING cause. I don't think any of us can understand what it means to wounded soldiers to be able to communicate with family, friends and the world at large while they undergo the healing process.
It's a tax-deductible donation and eligible for matching funds from companies who do that sort of thing (see: http://soldiersangels.org/valour/irsinfo.html for proof for the cautious).
The snail mail address for those who'd rather donate that way (scroll down at: http://soldiersangels.org/valour/donate.html).
Additional information: every donor during this time will receive a Soldiers' Angels Coin.
Are you convinced yet?
Go to our sidebar and click the "Make a Donation" button in the IT-Valour box OR
Go to Blackfive and click the same button to donate!
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2005/11/calling_all_blo.html
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Day 302 - Happy 'All Saints Day'!
Yes, I am wishing everyone a happy 'All Saints Day' - that's because I was too lazy/tired/whatever last night to edit our Halloween pics and get them posted in time - lol. So, instead of admitting to you that I have once again shirked my blogging duties, I am choosing to live in denial by only acknowledging 'All Saints Day' instead.
First, if you haven't noticed the countdown ticker on our blog - let me bring the fact that we are now over the 300 day mark to your attention - WHOO HOO! Being over the 300 day mark means that we are now below the 100 day mark in our countdown! That's right people! Even if they keep Al for every single one of his 545 days that are on his orders (which we are pretty much guaranteed WON'T happen) - we are now down to the double digits to when Al is home. DOUBLE DIGITS! If everything stays on schedule the way it is right now though, we have about two and half months left. Thank GOD. I am so ready for Al to be home and for us to be able to truly start our life together, that it's hard to focus on anything else.
Second, GOOD NEWS - the new antibiotic is working like a champ and a I FINALLY feel like a human being again - yay! I hope to post a lot more to make up for poor blogging performance this past month.
Okay . . . thank you for your patience . . . here's the pics!
Em dressed up as a "Pink Lady" from the 1950's - our Homefront Hugs family provided most of her costume - the poodle skirt, sweatshirt and undershirt - I added everything else.
And, as a bonus, evidence that I am, indeed, still alive - this is me at work today. I actually even have make-up on - lol.
First, if you haven't noticed the countdown ticker on our blog - let me bring the fact that we are now over the 300 day mark to your attention - WHOO HOO! Being over the 300 day mark means that we are now below the 100 day mark in our countdown! That's right people! Even if they keep Al for every single one of his 545 days that are on his orders (which we are pretty much guaranteed WON'T happen) - we are now down to the double digits to when Al is home. DOUBLE DIGITS! If everything stays on schedule the way it is right now though, we have about two and half months left. Thank GOD. I am so ready for Al to be home and for us to be able to truly start our life together, that it's hard to focus on anything else.
Second, GOOD NEWS - the new antibiotic is working like a champ and a I FINALLY feel like a human being again - yay! I hope to post a lot more to make up for poor blogging performance this past month.
Okay . . . thank you for your patience . . . here's the pics!
Em dressed up as a "Pink Lady" from the 1950's - our Homefront Hugs family provided most of her costume - the poodle skirt, sweatshirt and undershirt - I added everything else.
And, as a bonus, evidence that I am, indeed, still alive - this is me at work today. I actually even have make-up on - lol.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Day 299 - Still Sick
Well, this sucks. I am STILL sick. I can't believe this. I emailed Al yesterday telling him that I was still coughing like crazy and not doing good, etc. He emailed me back at 0430 this morning telling me that I had to promise to call the dr. today so that I could get other medicine. He also called me twice today too - so I guess he must be worried, lol. Well, I did call, and they said that I had to come in - AGAIN - this is three trips to dr. so far.
So, I dropped Em off for the night to her dad's house - and go to the clinic. They take my temp and I still have a fever - this is two weeks after I originally got sick. They took bloodwork - and my white count is higher than it's ever been. So, the dr. says that - get this - an antibiotic resistant bacteria that's causing my bronchitis. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.So - FIVE PRESCRIPTIONS LATER - I will hopefully be getting better soon. I was supposed to sing in a special group for choir tomorrow in all three services - but NOPE - I will be home and in BED. YUCK.
AND - THIS IS THE BEST PART - Em is STILL coughing too. Soooooooooooo, I get to call her pediatrician in the morning - explain everything to them - and hopefully they will call in a prescription for her - OTHERWISE - I will have to take her to the doctor TOMORROW.
Sorry I am not blogging right now, guys!
So, I dropped Em off for the night to her dad's house - and go to the clinic. They take my temp and I still have a fever - this is two weeks after I originally got sick. They took bloodwork - and my white count is higher than it's ever been. So, the dr. says that - get this - an antibiotic resistant bacteria that's causing my bronchitis. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.So - FIVE PRESCRIPTIONS LATER - I will hopefully be getting better soon. I was supposed to sing in a special group for choir tomorrow in all three services - but NOPE - I will be home and in BED. YUCK.
AND - THIS IS THE BEST PART - Em is STILL coughing too. Soooooooooooo, I get to call her pediatrician in the morning - explain everything to them - and hopefully they will call in a prescription for her - OTHERWISE - I will have to take her to the doctor TOMORROW.
Sorry I am not blogging right now, guys!
Monday, October 24, 2005
Day 294 - Down for the Count
Ugh. Well, I'm sorry that it's taken me f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to update our blog - Em and I have had a SERIOUS case of fall sickies - like one step away from the bird flu or something - yuck!
I started feeling like junk two weekends ago - which progressed into sinus stuff/sore throat by last Monday - which led to a full scale, coughing-all-night fit last Tuesday. I missed work on Wednesday and Thursday (you know I'm sick when I miss work) - and then I had to go back to the doctor on Saturday because I still couldn't breathe.
I have: acute bronchitis, sinusitus and pherengytis - and a viral and a bacterial infection. I am on so many medicines right now (thank GOD for TRICARE!) that it's not even funny. Em was at her dad's house this past weekend, just feeling low with a fever - I called like 16 times but I was told every time that she had no congestion or cough. I picked her up last night - AS I'M STRAPPING HER INTO HER CARSEAT, I KID YOU NOT - "Hack, hack, hack".
She went to her babysitter today (my next door neighbor watches her) - and then we went to the after hours clinic as soon as I could get home from work, pick her up, and drive her back into town. Guess what? She has bronchitis. LOL. Like mommy, like daughter, I guess.
Al - my favorite nurse in the whole world - has been great - checking on me every day - double checking what medicines they have me on. If he would just come home so I could get that kind of TLC in person, life would be perfect.
I PROMISE that I will hopefully be feeling better by this weekend - and that there will be many more blog entries in all of our mutual futures (including an exciting review of the book, "My War" - by Colby Buzzell!).
Mwah! (Thank God that's an Internet kiss, and not a real one, or you'd already have the plague - tee hee!).
I started feeling like junk two weekends ago - which progressed into sinus stuff/sore throat by last Monday - which led to a full scale, coughing-all-night fit last Tuesday. I missed work on Wednesday and Thursday (you know I'm sick when I miss work) - and then I had to go back to the doctor on Saturday because I still couldn't breathe.
I have: acute bronchitis, sinusitus and pherengytis - and a viral and a bacterial infection. I am on so many medicines right now (thank GOD for TRICARE!) that it's not even funny. Em was at her dad's house this past weekend, just feeling low with a fever - I called like 16 times but I was told every time that she had no congestion or cough. I picked her up last night - AS I'M STRAPPING HER INTO HER CARSEAT, I KID YOU NOT - "Hack, hack, hack".
She went to her babysitter today (my next door neighbor watches her) - and then we went to the after hours clinic as soon as I could get home from work, pick her up, and drive her back into town. Guess what? She has bronchitis. LOL. Like mommy, like daughter, I guess.
Al - my favorite nurse in the whole world - has been great - checking on me every day - double checking what medicines they have me on. If he would just come home so I could get that kind of TLC in person, life would be perfect.
I PROMISE that I will hopefully be feeling better by this weekend - and that there will be many more blog entries in all of our mutual futures (including an exciting review of the book, "My War" - by Colby Buzzell!).
Mwah! (Thank God that's an Internet kiss, and not a real one, or you'd already have the plague - tee hee!).
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Day 282 - Our Weekend
Em and I were able to get out of town this past weekend to see my best friend Melissa and her hubby in Chattanooga, TN. We hadn't stepped foot outside of Birmingham since Al was home in early August, because of hurricanes and gas prices, but, we needed the break and breathing room - so it was wonderful to go and see friends for a few days. Since Em goes to her dad's house every other weekend too, it was really nice to get "quality time" with her, I know she's mine, but she's a pretty cool kid - lol.
We got into town Friday night and just did a bunch of errands and ran around - so there was nothing 'newsworthy' in that.
Saturday, we got up and took Em to a park that had a really cool hand-carved carousel in it . . . Melissa and I paid double admission so that we could stay on for as many rides as we wanted. Em was free - lol.
Our first trip around, sitting down.
Being two is FUN, mom! Wheeeeeeeeeee!
By the end of the second trip around, I was kind of feeling dizzy and seasick!
After the carousel, we went outside and Em climbed around on statues that normally spray water - thankfully, they were shut off because it was kind of chilly.
Giddy up, Turtle! Giddy UP!
Hey Missa!
Trying the lion on for size.
Once we finished up there, we walked across the street and ate lunch at the "Yellow Submarine" - Em ate a corn dog with fries - and I had a philly cheese steak w/ lots of mushrooms, YUMMY! They had a game room though, so Em and I played there too!
This game would be lots of fun if I could reach the pedals!
What do you mean this isn't how you play skeeball?
The military family in us - we're blowing up 'bad guys' - lol!
After that, it was nap time. Then we got up and headed to the mall just to window shop.
Em played in a neat children's play area for a little while. I worked hard to not stress about the germs - lol.
I think Emelia might have my gift for leadership (a.k.a. 'bossiness')!
Then we went to the "Hello Kitty" store. They didn't have anything good though.
'No thank you' - Em deciding that she doesn't want to leave "Hello Kitty".
Then it was time to go back to Melissa's house (thank goodness!)
Howdy Pardner!
Who turned out the lights?
The next day, Melissa and I got $2.99 haircuts at a 'Great Clips' that had just opened up - on our way back to her house after lunch, I took this silly picture for Al because Captain D's is his favorite restaurant of all time:
Thanks for letting me share our weekend with you!
We got into town Friday night and just did a bunch of errands and ran around - so there was nothing 'newsworthy' in that.
Saturday, we got up and took Em to a park that had a really cool hand-carved carousel in it . . . Melissa and I paid double admission so that we could stay on for as many rides as we wanted. Em was free - lol.
Our first trip around, sitting down.
Being two is FUN, mom! Wheeeeeeeeeee!
By the end of the second trip around, I was kind of feeling dizzy and seasick!
After the carousel, we went outside and Em climbed around on statues that normally spray water - thankfully, they were shut off because it was kind of chilly.
Giddy up, Turtle! Giddy UP!
Hey Missa!
Trying the lion on for size.
Once we finished up there, we walked across the street and ate lunch at the "Yellow Submarine" - Em ate a corn dog with fries - and I had a philly cheese steak w/ lots of mushrooms, YUMMY! They had a game room though, so Em and I played there too!
This game would be lots of fun if I could reach the pedals!
What do you mean this isn't how you play skeeball?
The military family in us - we're blowing up 'bad guys' - lol!
After that, it was nap time. Then we got up and headed to the mall just to window shop.
Em played in a neat children's play area for a little while. I worked hard to not stress about the germs - lol.
I think Emelia might have my gift for leadership (a.k.a. 'bossiness')!
Then we went to the "Hello Kitty" store. They didn't have anything good though.
'No thank you' - Em deciding that she doesn't want to leave "Hello Kitty".
Then it was time to go back to Melissa's house (thank goodness!)
Howdy Pardner!
Who turned out the lights?
The next day, Melissa and I got $2.99 haircuts at a 'Great Clips' that had just opened up - on our way back to her house after lunch, I took this silly picture for Al because Captain D's is his favorite restaurant of all time:
Thanks for letting me share our weekend with you!
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